Racing the Tide Page 8

  “Of course.” He started the truck, turning around to check the space behind them, giving her a quick look. “But later, tonight, I want to spend time with you. Keep you and me on the same page. Okay? Talk about our day.”

  “Talk, eh?” she said with a snort of laughter, teasing him. Hell, her clit was still vibrating and aching like it thought it was her last chance on earth for a good fuck. She snuck a glance his way.

  He had clamped his lips shut, driving out of the parking lot and back to TETRAD as if he couldn’t get there fast enough. Boy, sure get that. It might not have been her first rodeo, but it was the first time she hadn’t cared that anyone was watching her rub herself all over a male of the species. She flushed hot just thinking about it. Oh, this was going well. And on the job, too. A job she wanted to keep in the worst way. She shook her head in dismay, not liking the complication of a man who was a magnet, who seemed to fire off electrons in her on a cellular level that defied reason. She sighed. Going to be a long week spent in such enthralling company, and hell on earth not to act on it.

  * * * *

  They couldn’t pull up in front of the business fast enough in Gabby’s opinion. She was praying Silk was available. She needed to lay this on someone before she came apart at the seams. She left Cole to make his own way inside, racing for the front door when she spied Silk’s head through the glass. Thank God.

  “Hey, Silk, you busy? I really need to talk.”

  Silk’s eyes grew wide as her friend almost jumped on her, tugging her into a side office and shutting out the world.

  “My goodness, what’s going on? Something happen?” Silk sat and gestured for her to join her. But Gabby was too full of adrenaline and hormones and had to keep pacing. She thought better on her feet, anyway.

  “Nothing’s happened, at least nothing more than some fireworks thrown by some triad gangers. But that’s not it, not the problem,” Gabby began, thrusting her hands into her hair and scraping it back from her face and neck, far too warm.

  “What is the problem?”

  “It’s Cole. I don’t know if I can work with that man. He’s such a distraction and he doesn’t trust me, I just know it! He’s been questioning my ability, right?”

  Silk had the grace to blush. “He doesn’t know you. When he does, he’ll come around. Trust me.”

  “I feel so under the gun here. If I can’t even be trusted to do my job, go into the difficult places, like you did in LA, then what the fuck! He’s driving me crazy. You know that? Coming onto massage girls, promising them God knows what.” Gabby’s exasperation grew with each word she spoke. Afraid she was going to go too far and spoil her chances at keeping her new job, she clamped her mouth shut and sat across from her friend.

  “Ah, he’s been doing his job. That does suck.”

  “What? His job is to flirt, get massages and drink coffee with bimbos?”

  “You know what I mean. Working on getting intel, setting up contacts. Smart. Won’t you say? Wouldn’t you be willing to take one for the team if it helped the situation?”

  “Sure. Of course. But this is different.”

  “Only thing different is it’s harder for Cole than for most. I don’t know if I should tell you this, but I think you need to see a clearer picture of what you’re dealing with here. I think you’re very attracted to the man and you’re not seeing things clearly enough to do your job well. I want you to become an important part of this team, I know you can do that, Gabby, but you need to understand some things about Cole. What he’s been through this past few years.”

  Silk stopped and grabbed a bottle of water from the desk, twisted the cap off and took a long swallow. She gave Gabby a steady look then seemed to decide something. “What’s happened to him would have taken most men down, sent them right out of their freakin’ minds. And it did for him, as well, for a time. Then he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, for his son Mathew, wanting to honor him by helping others in dire need. That’s why this case cuts him so deeply, being a kidnapping. His own son was snatched, stolen from a playground two years ago, never to be seen again. Then, less than a year ago his wife died of an overdose. We’re not sure if it was suicide or not, but it came down to the same thing. Cole found her, in the bathroom of their house, but it already was too late. She was gone.”

  Gabby sat, too stunned to speak. Her thoughts froze on an image of a son who looked like Cole vanishing, never to be seen again. A parent’s worst nightmare. My God. To think of what he’d lost, and he was still standing, still trying to do the right thing. And she was calling him on a bit of harmless flirting, making his life harder. Shame filled her. Colored her world.

  She took a deep breath. Let it out in a slow stream of air.

  “I had no idea,” she said at last, looking at Silk with regret. She swallowed. Hot tears filled her eyes but she swept away with the back of her hand. Tears couldn’t fix this one.

  “He doesn’t like to talk about it. Too painful. But this case, with Sara missing, this has be cutting him to the bone and I’m telling now you so that you will be aware—stay sensitive to this issue. We’re all worried for him. But he’ll have none of it. You know, typical guy stuff, insisting on handling everything on his own. Says it’s no one else’s burden to carry. Insists on doing what needs to be done. And he does do that. And I get it. I would, too. I can’t even go there—to imagine the world of pain if anything happened…to our son.”

  Silk drew a breath, swiping away tears, as well. “What he must have gone through, must still be in. Just give him a break. That’s all I ask. He’s a good man who’s been through more than any of us can even imagine. Things none of us ever, ever, want to imagine.”

  Gabby grabbed a water bottle and took a couple of long pulls. She threw the empty container into the recycling bin, hitting it square on.

  “One more thing,” Silk said, finishing with her own water and adding to the bin, as well. “Please don’t let on to Cole. He hates people knowing his business. Hates people feeling sorry for him. It could make things worse between the two of you.”

  “Not sure that’s possible,” Gabby answered, wishing somehow they could rewind the last twenty-four hours, begin again. But life isn’t like that, it’s not a dress rehearsal. No, it’s a stark, wild, in-your-face adventure, and one to be ready for and do what’s asked or be knocked out of the way. Didn’t she know that all too well.

  * * * *

  Day Three: 7:34 p.m.

  Cole’s phone buzzed in his pocket while he was walking back to the reception area from debriefing Quinn. Minute-by-minute detail and analysis was always crucial to any important case. And with the increased stakes of this case, no detail could be left unstudied. Cole shook his head and slid the phone out, checking the number. Finally.

  “Got to see someone—alone. I’ll be back asap,” he said with a nod in Gabby’s direction as he caught sight of her just leaving Silk’s office, her friend right behind her. He frowned, narrowing his eyes, certain Gabby’s held a telltale pink around the edges. He glanced at Silk. Hers were the same. What the fuck was going on?

  “‘An army marches on its stomach’,” Gabby quipped, striding over as if she were covering something up with fake camaraderie.

  “Sorry?” he asked. Was she back to being an air-head? Then he felt guilty, having spent time watching how competent she could be.

  “Napoleon Bonaparte. I think he might have known something about it. And I’m coming with.” He was about to object when she held her hand up. “I can wait in the truck while you talk with him. It will save time.” She had to know who he was going to see and he couldn’t argue, because she was right. She picked up a couple of the cellophane-wrapped sandwiches from the cooler where Silk had deposited them earlier, and some water. Silk knew the drill. Keep food handy for when people have time to grab it.

  “Silk, can you let Jake and Quinn know the deal?” Cole asked.

  “Sure thing. Good luck. We need Satoshi onboard. Offer what you have to.”
>
  He nodded. “Whatever it takes.”

  He held the door open for Gabby and hurried after her. She climbed in and placed the food on the back seat while he slammed the vehicle in gear, heading south down Granville Street, driving toward the pre-arranged meeting place. Always the same and easy to remember—the largest cemetery in town.

  “What’s the deal with Satoshi?” Gabby asked. Discombobulated in Cole’s company didn’t cover it. Knowing what she knew now, she could never go back. Her body thrummed, even more aware of his presence than before.

  “Excuse me?” Cole tensed, turning and giving her a quick glance.

  “Just wondering how you guys met? Heck, people have been looking to discover his real identity for years. No one seems to know who he is and yet you not only know him, but you’re his friend.”

  “I wouldn’t call us close friends, exactly, more like similar-minded men, but we do go back a ways. We met at university.” He threaded his way through noon-hour traffic, his eyes troubled. Gabby fought the urge to let on she knew anything. She had to play this right or she would never forgive herself for causing him more pain.

  “How are you doing with this case? I know it’s a hard one. A friend’s child is missing,” she asked, needing to find out something about how his situation without giving herself away. Something about how his mind worked.

  He narrowed his eyes, giving her a suspicious glance. “Fine. I don’t want to talk about it. Not going to help knowing anything about our ‘feelings’. Only thing that helps is action. Agreed? At least until Sara’s home.” His voice was sharp, an unexpected rebuke.

  She swallowed. “Yeah, I hear you.” She’d wanted to reach out, do something about the rawness of what she’d learned, but circumstances had curtailed it. She took a deep breath, keeping her gaze focused out of the window.

  When they turned into the Mountain View Cemetery, she looked over at Cole in surprise. “You’re meeting him here?”

  “Yeah, whatever city I’m in, I just locate the largest cemetery and the oldest graves,” he said with a shrug as he parked.

  “It’s a beautiful spot, I’ll give you that,” she replied, watching a man walking his dog down one of the well-maintained paths.

  “Been here before?” he asked turning and grabbing a water from the backseat. His fragrance wafted between them and she breathed it in with pleasure. Fucking intoxicating about summed it up.

  “Not in a while. But my grandparents are buried here. If I had known we’d be coming here, I would have brought flowers.”

  He uncapped the water, taking a long swig, then swiping his hand over his mouth.

  “You should eat something,” she said, unable to stop herself.

  “Who are you, my mother?” he said, snorting.

  “I don’t ever want to be your mother!” she ground out through gritted teeth, fire exploding in her belly. That was the last fucking thing she wanted.

  “What do you want?” he growled, flinging the words out, a definite challenge, the call of the wild in the darkness.

  She swallowed hard, thinking of all the things she did want. Wanted him to take her in his arms, wanted him to kiss her, caress her. She licked her lips. Was she going to survive this mess without a meltdown?

  Lust permeated the air. How could he not notice when it was rising off her in waves?

  “I want us to get along better if we’re going to spend time together.” That sounded reasonable enough to her ears.

  He turned to her, a dark warrior, his expression almost menacing in its intensity. As if he had to do something he was fighting with all his might not to do.

  “Okay.” He gave a huge sigh and cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bark at you. None of this is your fault. It’s been a trying day and it’s only noon.”

  His apology surprised her.

  “No worries. I shouldn’t have bothered you about something so trivial with all we have on our plates. Not eating for a few days won’t hurt me, anyway. I’ve got a pair of hips that will certainly agree with that diagnosis.” She gave a rueful grin.

  “What!” He shot her a look of disbelief. “You’re perfect as you are. Absolutely perfect.”

  Their eyes locked. She was lost then, reaching out to him the exact moment he reached out for her. Their lips collided, sparks sizzling along sensitive nerve endings, lighting up the universe within. His lips commanded, crushing her mouth, forcing it open, his tongue swirling to discover her. Senses reeling, she pushed against him, hungry, tasting him, insatiable. He reached for her breasts with both hands, cupping their new-found heaviness, seeking the nipples that grew instantly hard under his firm, oh-so-perfect touch.

  She moaned, the heat inside about to combust. Her head swam with the sensations. Who cares if someone discovers us? I want this man. Now.

  And still he kissed her, ravaging her mouth, raining kisses onto her lips, her cheeks, her neck and finally the tops of her breasts. He pulled up her T-shirt, seeking the naked flesh. Hungry, unable to stop, she encouraged him, arching her back, wanting his lips on her at this second more than life itself. Wanting all her clothes to disappear.

  She dropped her hand to his lap, discovering his cock hard against his zipper. Another moan. From him this time. She caressed him, encouraged him, wanting him to throw caution to the wind. Make love to her right there, in broad daylight.

  A buzz sounded, pulling her from wherever she had gone, lost in a sea of lust. What? No. Not now. Cole’s phone was vibrating in his pocket. Insistent.

  He stilled, as if he, too, was waking up from a trance. His warmth left her as he let her go to answer it. She tugged her clothes back into some semblance of order. Pressing her hand to her mouth, she discovered she was trembling all over. Hot and cold. And damn needy.

  “He’s here.” His voice sounded odd. She didn’t trust herself to speak, but only nodded.

  He gave her a nod, climbed out and walked away. She watched, eyes wide open. A narrow escape. Give it another minute and they would have been at it like a pair of rabbits in the field. God, what had she been thinking? She flushed and took a few slow breaths. Well, this just got a whole lot more complicated.

  ‘Satoshi’ was sitting on a bench near the oldest graves located in Mountain View under a large shade tree. Acres of small plots surrounded his still figure, many dotted with green bushes and sprays of color. He had a ball cap pulled low on his forehead, the ubiquitous sunglasses in place. And he was not Asian but a blond-haired Swede with his hair tied into a low ponytail. ‘Satoshi’ was the cover of this man, the inventor of universal money—a new money created by computers. A money better than gold and easier to transport, though like gold, it still required work to release it—computational work. And with a digital security key, available at a click of a mouse, not needing armed guards to keep it safe. A tall, thin, idealistic and very particular kind of man, he sat with his long limbs draped over the bench, his languid pose hiding a mind like quicksilver. He missed nothing. He didn’t turn toward Cole, but just gestured at the view.

  “Think when my turn comes, I’ll chose this place. Nice and peaceful. And yet people come through here all the time, giving it life. Rather a hopeful place, if a cemetery can be thought of that way.”

  “Didn’t take you for a romantic, Nils.” Cole slipped onto the bench beside him.

  “How are you doing? Long time since you’ve been in touch.” Nils turned and gave him a look, one hard to read through the dark glasses.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. A lot of crap was coming down.” The nerves in his stomach twisted with memory.

  “I was sorry to hear about your wife and son. I wish you had gotten in touch sooner. I would have spent time, you know, helping where I could.”

  “Thanks.” Cole pushed through the instant pain that threatened to engulf him. What was happening with Gabby was making him reel as well. God, why are you putting such temptation in my way now, of all times? “But I need your help right now.
A young girl’s missing and the kidnappers want something almost impossible to achieve. And you’re the only one who can do it. The only one who knows how bitcoin was source coded and can hack in, leaving no trail to the original software. Siphon off funds to an account. And we only got five days to manage it. Or Sara stays missing.”

  “Who’s got her?” Nils stared into the distance.

  “Asian gang, BTK, Born To Kill, we believe. Just in the process of confirming it and finding out their plans. Bugged both their known establishments this morning.”

  “And in three days you expect me to hand over the code that will make billions for criminals? You’ve got to be kidding me. Think of all the damage they can do with that kind of funding. The criminal enterprises that will flourish!”

  “You can’t let a young girl pay the price for our mistakes. Christ, Nils. Look at her.” Cole pulled out his phone and filled the screen with Sara’s innocent face. She was laughing at something, her eyes alight, her sleek dark hair flowing around her slender shoulders. A heartbreaker who was so beautiful.

  Nils let out a protracted sigh. “Do you know how many people have tried to blackmail me?” he asked, his tone harsh and unyielding.

  “But, surely, you can see your way to help just this one child? Think of what you’re doing. How can you live with yourself if you don’t? Help the one right in front of you. You have to!”

  “No buts. My father always said everything after the word but’s bullshit, anyway. I cannot do what you ask. I’m sorry. Many more will suffer if I do than just one child.” He shook his head, his expression grim, his mind seeming made up. Desperate, he racked his brain.

  “Fuck! No! You can’t turn away from this, Nils. You created this mess with all your ideology about keeping big government out of our affairs. You have to fix this!”