Savage Redemption

chapter 9



Okay, kissing Conlan again was a mistake of monumental proportions. If she’d ever wondered if the passage of time had somehow exaggerated how amazing the sex with Conlan had been, she now had her answer. One touch, one kiss, and she’d been on fire for him. Again.

Heck, she’d almost come when he pushed her back against the wall. They had to be out of their minds to risk something so stupid. This whole situation was precarious enough without complicating it with sex. While she wasn’t naive enough to think he’d been a monk for the past three years, she hadn’t dared take a lover for fear of discovery.

Hadn’t wanted one, either. Regardless of what Conlan and his friends thought, she’d slept with him for no other reason than she’d cared about him. If the circumstances had been different, she was convinced the two of them would’ve shared something special, maybe even something permanent.

Not that there was any chance of that happening now. She watched as Conlan rooted through the cabinets and slammed a couple of pots down on the stove far harder than was necessary. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one whose emotions were in turmoil, but at least he had something to do to work off some of his leftover frustration.

Even in a temper, the man moved well. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the flex and play of his sharply defined muscles. He’d had the same effect on her three years ago, but there were definite differences. All the hell he’d been through had chiseled away any hint of softness. A weaker man might have been shattered by the experience, but she suspected Conlan had been tempered by the fire.

As if feeling her gaze, he gave her a questioning look and asked, “What?”

No way she was going to admit the direction her thoughts had taken. “I was wondering if you’d like me to set the table.”

His eyes narrowed, obviously detecting the lie, but he answered the question anyway. “I’ve got it covered. If you want to feel useful, you can be on cleanup duty.”

Then he pointed toward the doorway on the far wall.

“The bedroom is through that door. Go grab some rest while you can. I guarantee it’s going to be a long evening for both of us.”

The last thing she wanted right now was to be alone with her thoughts, but he’d given her no choice. She headed into the small bedroom, coasting to a stop right inside the door. Great. There was only one bed. One more issue to deal with later. At least for now, she had it to herself.

After kicking off her shoes, she stretched out on top of the threadbare blanket and closed her eyes. She hated to acknowledge that Conlan was right, but it felt awfully good to be lying down. Her shoulder ached and her energy level was quickly dwindling, not that she’d admit it to anyone but herself. The man was already too good at issuing orders—and she wasn’t about to feed his ego any more than was absolutely necessary.

Especially after that kiss they’d shared.

Unfortunately, the lingering memory of his lips on hers was the last thing she recalled before sleep claimed her.

* * *

Conlan turned down the heat under the freeze-dried soup to let it simmer for a while. The sandwiches wouldn’t take all that long to prepare, but he purposefully dragged out the prep time. He didn’t know about Kat, but he was in bad need of some alone time. After being shut up in the transport with her, and then that lapse of judgment that had ended with the two of them kissing, touching and wanting so much more. Okay, better to not go there.

Even now the hunger that was buzzing in his veins had nothing to do with soup and grilled-cheese sandwiches. He wished like hell he knew what it was about Kat that drew him like no other woman before or since. If he wasn’t firmly convinced that this was the only way to clear her name once and for all, he’d be kicking himself for getting involved with her again.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. It didn’t take much conjecture to know that his employer—or, more likely, his soon-to-be former employer—was calling. Whether he took the call now or later wouldn’t change the outcome of the conversation. Experience had taught him that it was usually best to take his licks and move on. He fished the phone out and punched the button to put the call on speakerphone. He had soup to stir. Pots to watch. An ass-chewing to look forward to.

“Rafferty, let me guess. You’re not very happy with me right now.”

The vampire’s voice was little better than a growl. “Conlan, let me assure you that ‘seriously pissed’ doesn’t even come close. But then, if you cared what I thought, you would’ve at least run this idiotic plan past me before stealing my transport and kidnapping my prisoner.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Conlan paused. “I don’t suppose reminding you that it’s sometimes easier to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission would help my case.”

“No, it wouldn’t. Even if I was willing to cut you some slack, which I’m not, Ambrose O’Brien won’t. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him. He arrived at my gate about an hour ago.”

Conlan winced. Damn, despite what he’d told those mercs, he hadn’t really expected the head of the Coalition’s justice department to come after Kat himself. No matter how this mess turned out, he’d be damned lucky if he didn’t end up back in prison again for obstructing justice.

Rafferty wasn’t done yet. “Or maybe you’d like to talk to Joss. God knows why, but she cares about what happens to you. I don’t want to ever see that look in her eyes again because of you, Conlan.” His voice deepened to a low growl. “Not to mention right now she’s in the next room trying to explain to two distraught little girls why the mean man took their aunt away. Rest assured, I’ve had my share of tears to deal with today.”

Oh, hell. No amount of groveling was going take care of this, so he settled for the truth.

“They’re going to keep coming after Kat, Rafferty. We were able to turn them back today, but what about the next time? We both know you can’t afford an all-out feud with Eddington, especially if he has the Council’s backing.”

There was a definite chill coming from the other end of the line. “Are you suggesting that I would’ve given Kat to those a*sholes? Because if you are, we’re going to have more than just words when you get back. I don’t appreciate being called a coward.”

Which would imply that Rafferty would actually let Conlan back on the estate. That was more than he’d expected. “I wasn’t calling you a coward, Rafferty, but you’ve got a lot of people to protect. We both know there’s a good chance that at some point Eddington’s men will get lucky and breach the perimeter. Who knows who’ll get caught in the cross fire? At the very least, my men—your men—will go down fighting.”

Conlan cringed over the thought of Finn dying in his place. The young chancellor was good at his job, but he lacked the experience to handle what those mercs might throw at him.

Rafferty continued, “So you’re telling me that you pulled this stupid stunt for the good of your clan. You weren’t just protecting Kat?”

How odd. If anything, Rafferty sounded more surprised than angry. Surely not. But then, he’d never realized that Rafferty actually considered him clan, a part of his extended family and not just a paid employee. He rubbed his chest, trying to ease the ache that had settled there.

Maybe the truth would help. He owed Rafferty that much. “Yes, I was worried about what would happen to everyone else on the estate. I was also hoping once we got away clean, you could let Eddington know that Kat’s no longer in your custody. That should divert his attention from the estate.”

Time to lay it all on the table. “But, Rafferty, I’d be lying if I said Kat’s safety wasn’t my main motivation. They want her dead, and I don’t even know why. If it had been Joss, what would you have done?”

They both knew the answer to that one. A heavy sigh was followed by a long silence. “I can’t help you, Conlan. Not without risking major trouble with the Coalition, especially with Ambrose standing right here and breathing down my neck. He’d have serious issues with me if I offered you any aid now.”

There was a significant pause before Rafferty spoke again. “So whatever you do, stay away from anyplace that’s mine. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Conlan frowned. Why had Rafferty put a little too much emphasis on that one word? After a second, it hit him. Joss owned a condo that wasn’t being used right now. It had been shot up too badly when Ambrose had taken his woman there back when the two of them were being hunted.

“Yes, sir.” Conlan found himself grinning. “I do understand, and I promise I won’t go near any place of yours, boss.”

Then he found himself having trouble stringing words together. “Look, I never thought—”

“Damn it, that’s exactly right. You didn’t think.” Rafferty’s temper was back in full swing. “Seems like that’s a common problem when a male’s got his head twisted on backward because of a woman. This isn’t how I would’ve handled things, but do what you need to do...and I’ll deal with Ambrose. The two of us are going to do some digging on this end to see what Eddington’s interest is in Kat. If we learn anything, we’ll let you know.”

“Tell Ambrose that when I have the evidence, I’ll be bringing it to him. I have to clear her name, Rafferty. Those little girls need her.”

“Yeah, they do. You get the job done right this time and then haul your ass back here where you belong.”

“Will do, boss.”

But the vampire had already hung up.

“Was that Rafferty?”

Conlan looked up to see Kat leaning in the doorway to the bedroom. She looked deliciously warm and rumpled, inviting. His body reacted with painful intensity. He ached to drag her back to that bed and ease his hunger for her body and her blood.

As he fought for control, she stepped closer. “Conlan? I asked if that was Rafferty on the phone.”

Damn, how much had she heard? He returned the phone to his pocket and used the excuse that the soup needed seasoning to put off answering. Finally, he turned to face her again.

“Yeah.”

She looked worried. “How much trouble are you in?”

“Enough to make things interesting but not fatal. Don’t worry about it. I’ve survived worse.”

Barely.

Rather than continue the conversation, he kept himself busy serving up the soup and putting the sandwiches on plates.

“Come eat.”

At least Kat didn’t press for answers while they ate. He didn’t figure the silence would last beyond the time it took to finish off a bowl of vegetable soup and a cheese sandwich. As soon as they were done, Kat cleared the table and made quick work of washing the few dishes they’d used.

Finally, they had no more excuses. It was time to confront the past. If they didn’t lay it to rest, neither of them had a future. He got out his computer and a pad of paper. Then he spread out the reports he’d gathered three years before as well as her official case file. Although he no longer had legal access to the Coalition records, he’d managed to hack in long enough to obtain the most current information on her case.

Scanning the most recent entries, he noted that there wasn’t much in the way of new information. He took that as further evidence that whoever was tracking her now wasn’t doing so legally. Somehow along the way, she’d obviously managed to draw the attention of someone powerful, someone who either wanted what Kat knew or else wanted her dead. Or maybe both.

The woman in question poured each of them a cup of coffee before joining him at the table again. She wrapped her hands around the big mug, perhaps because she was cold—or more likely because she was frightened. All things considered, she ought to be scared. Right now all that stood between her and her enemies was one rather shopworn chancellor.

“Okay, Kat. I’ve already reviewed your testimony from three years ago, but I want to hear it all again straight from you. Don’t leave anything out, even if you don’t think it’s important.”

He sat with his pencil poised over the paper and waited for her to start.