Midnight Shadows (10 page)

Ian smiled at Sabrina’s aunt, Gibby Wilcox, who stood behind them. Sabrina had told him their aunt had agreed to stay a few days to help out. The gleam in her eyes said she was as proud as she could be to be asked.

“I remember the day Maggie brought you three home from the hospital. Never saw prettier babies in all my life.” Her smile widened. “Till now, that is.”

“Thank you, Aunt Gibby,” Savannah said. “I love knowing that.”

A small unhappy cry told Ian it was time to return the bundle to her mother. Saying goodbye, Sabrina and Ian left the nursery and headed to her suite of rooms on the other side of the mansion.
 

“What case did you want to talk about? Is this a new one or an ongoing one?”

“I’ve been working it on and off for a few months.”

“We’ve talked about it?”

“Sort of.”

“Hmm. Sounds mysterious.” She opened the door to her suite.

Before the discussion that would most likely erupt into an argument could begin, Ian pulled her into his arms. “First things first.” The instant his mouth touched hers, heat ignited. Just like that—that’s how it’d always been with Sabrina.

Her moan of pleasure vibrated against his lips as he drew deeply on her. When she opened her mouth, Ian pulled her closer, devouring her sweetness.

Four years and the new hadn’t worn off. The love he had for her had only grown stronger. Her taste, the delicacy of her strong but slender body, the sheer beauty of the woman he held in his arms enchanted him. In fifty years, even seventy-five, he would still feel the same way.
 

Loosening his arms, he looked down at her. The slightly glazed look in her eyes was gratifying. And it was exactly how he felt, too.
 

Her laugh was breathless and a little shaky. “Now that’s what I call a hello kiss.”

“I’ve had five days to think about it.”

“Hmm. Maybe when we finish talking about your case, you can show me what else you’ve been thinking about.”

“With pleasure.”

She moved to the sitting area and dropped onto a sofa. “Okay, so what’s the case?”

Ian took a breath. Here goes. “Armando Cruz.”

Chapter Eight

“Cruz,” Sabrina muttered the name she hadn’t allowed herself to say in months. “What about him?”

“I’ve been trying to find the man responsible for killing him.”

“Why?”

“Because he needs to be found and stopped.”

“And that’s the only reason?”

“You know it’s not. I couldn’t care less about Cruz. Whoever this guy is, he—”

Ian shoved his fingers through his hair and scowled his irritation. “Why the hell am I even looking for an excuse? What better reason is there than the real one? He had you kidnapped, Sabrina. God only knows what he planned to do to you.”

She had no idea why this news surprised her. From the moment she’d met Ian Mackenzie he’d gotten in her way, injected himself into her life and made his presence known in a thousand different ways. He had saved her life more than once. Been her partner, became her lover only months after knowing him. He could make her furious one moment and have her laughing the very next.

Anyone else’s interference would have infuriated her. Other people had tried to get as close to her and she had shut them down, forced them out of her life. That had never happened with Ian.

He expected anger, she could see. He was braced for it, ready to argue his case and she knew he wouldn’t back down. A man of principles and integrity, Ian Mackenzie would fight for what he believed was right. She could prevaricate—argue this wasn’t his business, his case. And how stupid would that be?
 

Instead, Sabrina stood and held out her hand. “Follow me.”

Somewhat puzzled at her lack of anger, Ian didn’t question when she pulled him toward her closet. This woman continually surprised and intrigued him.
 

She opened the door and pushed her clothes aside, mostly jeans and t-shirts, which was her usual attire. Another surprise was the door she revealed behind the clothes.

“What’s this?”

“Our old playroom…when we were kids. Mama insisted our bedrooms be connected and Daddy insisted we had to have a private playroom where we could share secrets. He had this room built for us. We stopped using it when we got older, but I found a new purpose for it when I moved back.”

Sabrina pushed open the door and they stepped inside. The room was about half the size of her bedroom. Shelves filled with books, dolls, Lego sets, puzzles, and board games covered one side of the wall. Normal playroom stuff. It was the rest of the room that blew Ian away.

In silence, he stood before a wall filled with information on the very people he’d been investigating. Just at a glance, he could see she had found some things he hadn’t. But he had information she apparently hadn’t yet uncovered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I guess the same reason you didn’t tell me.”

“No. I didn’t tell you because I figured you’d be angry that I was pursuing something you felt I should let go.”
 

Her green eyes skittered guiltily away and Ian felt the gut punch to his soul. “Dammit, when are you going to stop trying to protect the whole damned world?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ian grabbed her shoulders and pulled her around to face him. “Yes, you do. I know you, Sabrina Wilde. You’re worried that you might have attracted evil men to your town, but instead of involving people who care about you, can help you, you’re trying to do this alone. Why wouldn’t you let me help?”
 

But he already knew the answer to that. Not only was she trying to protect the whole damn town, she was trying to protect him, too.

He shook her slightly. “Why do you protect everyone but yourself?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ian. This isn’t about protecting anyone. I—”

“It damn well is and you know it.”

“I didn’t get angry when you told me you’d been working this case without me. Seems like the least you could do is extend the same courtesy.”

Arguing would do no good. And she had a point. “You’re right.” He looked at the charts, similar to his own. “So, if I show you mine, will you show me yours?”

“Why, Mr. Mackenzie.” She batted her eyes at him in exaggerated flirtation. “Are you propositioning me?”

Pulling her close, he dropped a kiss on her forehead, her nose and then a long, lingering one on her soft lips. “You’re damned right.”

She grinned. “Good. I’ll take you up on that proposition, both literally and figuratively.” She nodded at an overstuffed chair a few feet away. “But first, have a seat and let me wow you with my impressive investigative skills.”

The anger and defensiveness were gone as if they never existed. He loved that about her. Loved her mercurial moods. Her easy ability to move on, focus on the bigger picture.

Ian sprawled into the chair she’d pointed to, prepared to be wowed. She never disappointed.

“I know we probably have a lot of the same information. I'll go over what I have. You can fill in any blanks.”
 

“Sounds good.”
 

As if she were teaching a class, Sabrina grabbed up a marker and using it as a pointer, shared with him what she had discovered.
 

As she went into detail, giving him information, much of it he’d already uncovered, he watched her. Green eyes glinting with excitement, beautiful mouth tilted upward. Her slender body practically vibrated with energy. He loved watching her work. Sabrina always approached a case like it was a puzzle to be unraveled, and when she found clues or connections, her delight in the discovery was like a kid at Christmas.

“Cruz was born in Mexico. Came with his mother to the States when he was a toddler. Mama was unmarried but trying her best. Unfortunately she hooked up with the wrong man. He got her hooked on drugs. She OD'd. Stepdad ended up dead in a back alley. Cruz got locked into the system. He followed in his mother’s footsteps and hooked up with the wrong people.”
 

“Yeah, except he went a different way.”
 

“Exactly. Instead of taking the drugs, he sold them. Hell of a note to sell the crap that killed the only person who gave a damn about you.”
 

“I doubt he worried about that too much. I traced him through various gangs. He's served some time but nothing significant. He got called in for questioning on several suspicious deaths, but nothing could ever be proven.”
 

“I'd say he avoided being called in for questioning even more than that. Looks like when he was nineteen he might've had his first kill.”
 

Ian shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Really?”

“No. I think his first kill was his stepfather.”
 

Sabrina turned back to her notes, noted timelines, location. She nodded slowly. “I’ll bet you’re right. Should've seen that. He didn't even get called in for questioning.”
 

“He was a kid and already a good liar.”

“I can find almost nothing about him after his nineteenth birthday.”
 

Ian stood and walked over to her board. Taking his iPhone from his pocket, he pulled up the info he’d stored on Cruz. “I've got him in Chicago for a few more years. Up to his mid-twenties.” He took the marker from her hand and jotted the notes on the board.
 

“How'd you find him there?”
 

“Found a couple of records that mention a kid named 'Mando'. It gave enough information for me to catch on that it was Cruz.”
 

“So he went to Chicago. When did he come back to Miami?”
 

“Hard to say. He stayed below radar there.”
 

“You think that's where the boss man—Cruz’s mentor, lives? In Chicago? That might've been why it was taking so long for him to get to the club where Marsh and Garrett held me. That’s a long flight.”
 

“Could be.”
 

“So...Who's going to Chicago?”
 

“Since you haven't left Midnight in months, I'd say the answer to that is an easy one.”
 

She grimaced. “Sammie called me on that today.”
 

“I’m surprised it took her that long. I understand why, but it's been almost six months. If they knew you were here, they would’ve come for you long before now.”
 

“I agree. I just want to wait a little while longer. With Savvy just giving birth and Sammie planning her wedding, I don’t want to be caught blindsided. Keeping them safe is too important.”
 

“And you still won’t tell them what went down?”
 

She gave an emphatic shake of her head. “There's no way to keep them out of it if I told them. They'd want to help.”

“And that's a problem why?”

“I’m the one who caused this, Ian. I can’t put them at risk.”

“You didn’t cause this. You were doing a job. That’s the nature of the kind of work we do.”

“True, but it shouldn’t cause problems for our loved ones.”

Ian could argue until he was out of breath and it would do no good. Sabrina had set herself up as protector of those she loved. As much as it infuriated him that this lovely, delicate looking woman thought she should take all of this on by herself, he couldn’t help but love her for being so caring.

“Then we’ll protect them together.”

A brilliant light entered her eyes as she slid her arms around him. “Thank you, Ian. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“We make a good team.”

“Yeah.” Her smile was both sweet and seductive. “We do.”

He dropped back into the chair he’d vacated and then pulled her down into his lap. In an instant his hands were sliding beneath her shirt, meeting soft, silky flesh.

She pressed her face against his neck, breathed him in. “This is another part of working together I miss. Work and then slow, sweet seduction.”

“Slow?”

“Fast and hard works for me, too.”

Already iron hard with arousal, Ian’s pulse leaped at her words. “When we were partners, this was always my favorite part of the day.”

Melting into his arms, Sabrina laughed softly. This had been a favorite part of their day for her, too. “Do tell? I want— ”
 

She caught her breath as a rough, callused hand covered her bare breast and then hummed in pleasure when his fingers lightly pinched her nipple. “Yes…that’s what I want…just like that.”

“Oh yeah,” Ian growled, “definitely the best part of my day.”

Closing her eyes, Sabrina lay back in his arms and surrendered to the magic of Ian’s hands and mouth. For several long moments, the only sounds were gasps and groans, mostly from her. Only with Ian had she ever been able to lose herself in total abandon. In his arms she became a wholly sensual creature, giving herself freely to his desires and her needs. Only Ian could make her fly without wings.