Chapter 6
As Diego waited for his visitor, he thought back to what happened just after he and Annie kissed last night and he wanted to make love…
“That’s blackmail.”
Annie lifted that cute little chin of hers. “I don’t care what you call it.”
“If anybody else heard you, they’d say you were a co—” he cut himself off from using the vulgarity “-an awful person for not sleeping with me until I see a shrink.”
She plopped her hands on her hips. “Do you think I’m an awful person?”
“Y—” His eyes softened. He loved the way she looked when she got mad. A little wild. A lot sexy. “No. I’m frustrated.”
“So am I!”
“Miss my body, Querida? ”
“I do.”
“Then what are we waiting for? This is gonna be the last time I see you until the Cobras or the cobra chick gets caught.”
“That’s for the best. Out of respect for Seth, I shouldn’t just jump into bed with you. Get help and by then I’ll be ready.”
He thought for a minute. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll see Maisy’s brother.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “All right. I said I’d accept that.”
“So, you’ll sleep with me?”
“After you see Caleb.”
“ Santa Madre de Dios …”
The doorbell rang and the guard outside opened the door. “Diego, your visitor’s here.” The guard came to the foyer. “Caleb Shepherd.”
“ Gracias , amigo .”
The minister wasn’t at all what Diego was expecting. Sandy blond hair, crystal blue eyes, a fit body encased in jeans and white shirt rolled up at the sleeves. “Hello, Lieutenant.”
“Hello.” Diego moved to get up.
“Stay there.”
“Come in and sit down. I already got out some water, but I can make coffee if you’d rather have that.”
“No thanks. I’m avoiding caffeine.” Up close, and in the sunlight coming from all the open windows, Diego could see smudges under those eyes.
When the guy sat, Diego said, “I don’t know how to do this.”
Shepherd’s eyes crinkled. “That’s okay, I do.”
“What do I call you?”
“Caleb. First off, tell me about yourself.”
“I’m a pretty simple guy. I have a great mother and sisters who love me. My dad died when I was thirteen.”
“Did it hurt when you lost him?”
“Yeah, sure. We were close, being the only boys in the family.”
“How did you get over it?”
“Mostly time. But my mother made me tell her what I was feeling. And you didn’t disobey Madre when she got in that mode.”
“Did that help?”
Diego’s gaze narrowed on him. “I see what you’re doing. You’re saying if talking helped then, I should talk about what happened to me two weeks ago.”
“Is that what you think is best?”
“I can’t do it.”
“All right. Continue on with your history.”
“I had a steady girlfriend all during high school and college.”
“Annie Stefano. Maisy’s friend.”
“Uh-huh. We broke up when she graduated.”
“Why?”
“I’d been out of school for three years and was already working as a cop. I wanted to get married and she didn’t. I couldn’t believe she went back on our plans.”
“She said she would never marry you?”
“She said if I waited for her to have her freedom for a while she would.”
“And you wouldn’t let her do that?”
“She rejected me. I broke it off.”
“And now?”
He released a heavy breath. “I hope we get back together. I’m older, wiser. She got me to see you.”
“I’m glad.” He took a sip of water. “You’ve been a cop a long time.”
“Ten years. I like keeping people safe.”
A haunted expression shadowed his face. “We can’t do that. Nobody’s safe.”
Diego leaned forward. “Did somebody really plant a bomb in your church?”
He swallowed hard. “Yes. You can read about it online.”
“How many people survived?”
“Those on the altar. At the time, my wife was making an announcement. Also, the choir was in the loft. And the youth minister was outside with the kids. Now, back to you.”
“If I didn’t think I could keep people safe, I wouldn’t be a cop.”
“I shouldn’t have said that, Diego. I’m biased. I do believe that with careful actions, you can minimize the danger.”
“Then I do that. And save others when they are in trouble.”
Caleb sat back and sighed. “So you’re seeing me because you want to go back and be the kind of cop you were before.”
“No. I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Maisy blackmailed me into seeing you.”
Caleb laughed. “My sister’s like that. Should I leave?”
“No, I promised her I’d give you a shot.”
“How am I doing?”
He gave a reluctant smile. “So far, so good.”
“I won’t ask you to talk about what happened that night. But I do want you to think about why you won’t.”
“I already know why. Because the images of what happened are horrific.”
“Annie said you were having some flashbacks and dreams. So nonverbally, you are talking about it. Thinking about it on a subconscious level. Experiencing it.”
“I gotta make those stop.”
“I agree. You need professional help.”
“Would you see me? I can pay.”
“I have a degree in psychiatry as well as ministry. I just opened a small practice. I’ll see you as much as you want, but no payment necessary. My sister wants me to do this and I owe her.” He took out his phone. “I’m free on Friday afternoon.”
“My calendar is open. Friday it is.”
* * *
Annie looked forward to a day outside. The school was taking a break from their classes and doing a team building exercise. Teachers and students would participate. She was glad to be in the fresh air and the activities would keep her mind off Diego. She lifted her face to the sky, let the warm sun soothe her. This was her second day without talking to him but she wasn’t feeling any distance from him. Should she call him tonight?
Adam Phillips stood in front of the group wearing jeans and the red school T-shirt, as were most of them. Annie stood with her partner, Timmy O’Malley.
“This Adventure Course is brand new. Construction just finished on it.” Jackson Kane had financed the sprawling structure as he had the entire school campus. “Each group member must navigate several activities. You’ll be in pairs. If someone has difficulty with one challenge, your partner may help you. Or even the whole group can.”
The students moaned.
“None of that. Who would like to go first?”
Annie stepped right up. “We would.”
“All right. You and Tim are first.”
Adam demonstrated: he held on to a ten-foot rope that dangled from a sturdy tree limb far above their heads. “This is called the swing obstacle. Grab on to the rope like this—” he clasped his hands as high on the rope as he could reach "—take a running leap, or have your partner push you off, and swing over the grass past that marker on the ground. Your goal is to land the other side of it.” Adam followed his own directions and cleared the grass easily. The rope swung back to the start.
Grabbing the thick, corded flax, Annie stepped back several feet. “Me Tarzan!” she yelled as she took the leap and crossed the grassy area, also easily clearing it.
The kids were wide-eyed then clapped. “Way to go, Ms. Stefano…yeah, Teach…”
Tim went next and missed his first try.
“Annie, come back to the starting line and help him.”
She jogged over and got behind him. She said in his ear, “You can do it, Tim. Take a longer running leap and I’ll push you.”
This time, Timmy cleared the grass. They high-fived.
There were giggles and mumbled curses, but all six kids completed the activity. They’d just reached the Log Mount when they heard, “Hey, everybody. Mind if I join?” Jackson Kane stood behind them.
Annie had never seen the man out of a suit. But he had on black nylon shorts and the same red school shirt they all wore.
“Hey, Mr. K. You gonna play too?” Frankie asked.
“I’d like to give it a shot. But I need a partner. Frankie, do you mind if we share Ms. Shepherd?”
“Go for it,” Frankie said.
“You can go first, Mr. Kane,” Harlan told him. He wasn’t much of a volunteer and didn’t speak out a lot.
Maisy frowned as she walked over to him. Said something that made him frown. She’d told Annie she didn’t like the extra attention the rich CEO showed her. Annie suspected Jackson had feelings for her.
A log was suspended horizontally about ten feet above the ground by a chain on either end. Adam said, “Each person has to get up onto the log, sit on it, then come down on the other side.”
“It’s too high.” Quentin scowled. “I’m the shortest in the group.” And the skinniest.
“Your partner has to boost you up somehow. Or you could ask for reinforcements. It’s called cooperation.”
Jackson walked about ten feet away, took a running leap and got both hands onto the log. He easily hefted himself onto the log. And didn’t even break a sweat. He grinned like a kid. Annie took a glance at Maisy. Her mouth fell open. His success was quite impressive.
He came down and landed in a crouch, then straightened. He said, “Your turn, Ms. Shepherd.”
Maisy didn’t know where to begin as she approached the log. Jackson crossed to her, said something to her and she shook her head. Finally, she said, “All right, I guess.”
Jackson crouched again and cupped his hands together. She stepped into them, holding onto his shoulders. He stood slowly. Maisy could grab the log now and boosted herself on to the top. She grinned down at Jackson.
Annie’s diminutive stature necessitated several tries and she did start sweating. The kids attempted to help her, but they were clumsy and fell over laughing. Finally, Jackson and Seth boosted her up and she got a foot over the log. Sat up. “Hey,” she said, raising her arms. “I made it.”
She saw Seth smiling up at her. Oh, Geez. She felt guilty as hell.
More kids tried the activity and needed at least two people to boost them up. Some teachers made it, others needed help. They took a break and they sat on the ground in pairs. She noticed Jackson joined Maisy and Frankie.
Annie asked, “Is this fun for you, Tim?”
“Yeah, now that it’s spring, I feel like I’m gonna jump outta my skin just sitting around in classes.”
“Huh. I wonder how we can help with that.”
“We can’t come here every day, Teach.” The boy sounded defeated.
“No, but we might be able to take a walk halfway through class.”
“Is that allowed?”
“I don’t know that it isn’t.”
They took part in two more activities, and everybody improved. By the end of the day, Annie was exhausted and ached for a hot bath. On her way home, she thought again about Diego. It would be good to at least hear his voice tonight.
She took the bath, then sat down on the bed in her robe.
She startled awake. Day had turned into night and she groped for the phone, which had awakened her. “Hullo.”
“Annie? Are you all right? You sound funny.”
“Hold on a second.” She sat up against the headboard and switched on a lamp. Shit! “It’s eight at night?”
“Yeah, I thought for sure you’d call by now.”
“I was planning to.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“We were outside all day. I was sore so I took a bath. And must have zonked on the bed.”
“Hmm.” His voice dropped to a sexy grumble. “If you were here, I could give you a massage.”
“You always used to after a game. It was wonderful.”
“Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Close your eyes and slide down on the pillow.”
“Diego…”
“Come on. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s me.”
What the hell? She slid down and turned over.
“Feel my hands on your skin…”
Hell, Annie shivered.
“Feel them dig into your neck muscles. Your deltoids. Now feel them go lower…
After five minutes, she said in a hoarse voice, “Um, we gotta stop now. I’m sitting up and…” she cleared her throat.
“I can tell you remember what followed our massages.” His voice was a bit breathy, too.
She bit back a laugh. “Diego, stop.”
“You’re turned on.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Hard as a rock. We can both take care of that. I’ll talk you through it.”
“No. Absolutely not. We need to change the subject.”
“Aw.”
“Now, or I’ll hang up.”
“All right. Will you come see me?”
“Yes, it’s been a decent amount of time.”
“Tell me about your day.”
She shifted restlessly on the bed. Then cleared her head. “An adventure course was just finished at the school. Do you know what they are?”
“I did one two or three times. Aced them!”
“Of course you did.”
* * *
The next day Will walked into Diego’s house with Katie Donovan. God, Diego hoped this isolation was almost over.
“Hey, buddy. Detective. Got any news?”
“First off, how’s the shoulder?” Katie asked.
“Still sore. Jon’s got me lifting a few weights and it kills. So, news?”
“I met Will on the way in. I want him to hear this, too.”
“Appreciate it.”
“We got nothing on Denise Lomax, Diego. We brought in a few gang informants. They think she skipped town because her whole gang died. They heard she had a cousin upstate. And there’s been no threats to you at all for over two weeks.”
“Why did you think she was a threat?” Diego asked.
“Just her very existence is a danger. But she’s taken no action. So, I can’t keep officers here without any evidence.”
He felt joy in his gut. “Then I don’t need to be cooped up in the house?”
“Nope, you’re sprung.”
Will jammed his hands in his pockets. “Can you get around outside? Drive a car? Go back to work?”
“Not yet, but my family can take me places. I’m a long way from thinking about the future.”
“Call your mother and sisters to tell them they can see you.” Will laughed. “They’ll probably rush right over.” He regarded Diego. “I have news, too. Even though I have more furlough, I have to get back to work. I got a call that I’m needed in DC.”
“You stayed longer than I thought you would, buddy.”
A small smile. “I wanted to tell you in person.”
Katie straightened. “I’m leaving.”
“Could you wait for me, Detective? I want a word.”
“Yeah, I’ll be in my car.”
When she left, Will said, “Is Caleb helping you?”
“I don’t know. I still have dreams, but no daytime flashbacks.”
“Keep seeing him.”
“I will. Now go. You got a plane to catch.” Diego stood. “I’d hug you but that’s out of the question with my injury.” Diego held out his hand. “Thanks, buddy. You made this a lot easier.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll call you in a few days. See how you are.”
* * *
Will slid into Katie Donovan’s car. It smelled good. Female. She turned in her driver’s seat. “What do you want?”
“Why are you so irritated with me all the time?”
“Because you’re irritating. What do you want?”
“You sure you’re making the right decision here?”
“If you got a better idea…”
“No. If nothing’s happening, I agree that you can’t keep your people on. I’m still worried about Diego. Maybe I should find private security for him.”
“I doubt he’ll accept that. He seems really done with all this. But I’m worried, too. I’m having black and whites drive by every day and some detectives sit out front occasionally.”
“To give the pretense of coverage.”
She shrugged. “It’s the best I can do.”
“You’ve done a good job, Katie.”
“Wow, high praise from you.”
“I mean it.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“I enjoyed seeing you.”
She rolled her eyes.
His eyes narrowed on her and he gave in to temptation. He leaned over and kissed her. She tried to pull away…at first. Then she fell into the kiss. Her mouth was hot on his, demanding, probing. He met her demands, made his own. When it got too hot, he forced himself to pull back. “You pack quite a punch, Donovan.”
Her eyes were wide as the full moon above them. “Um, you’d better leave, Will. Now.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, it was that good for me too.”
Will exited the car and got into his. He didn’t have any idea why he kissed her. Now, he was incredibly aroused. That must be why he felt bad about not seeing the detective again.
* * *
“Mmm. Delicioso , Mama.”
“ Sí .” Angelica Rodriguez liked nothing better than feeding her family. The lunch had been perfect.
Sara said, “It’s nice to have time with you, little brother.”
A grin. “We’ll have more now that the threat is over.”
Sofia put down her fork. “I don’t understand how the police know it’s over. For two weeks we were all in danger and suddenly we’re not.”
“Apparently, we weren’t all in danger. The cops were just being careful.”
Elena sighed. “It was a pain in the ass, if you ask me.”
“Elena!” Mama said.
Diego glowered at her. He’d asked her to be careful with her swearing.
The girls insisted Mama sit with him while they cleaned up. The hustle and bustle felt familiar. Safe.
They chatted for a while, then he said, “All right, everybody, time to go home.” He’d given them ample time to fuss over him but now, he wanted Annie here as soon as possible.
“I have to leave anyway,” Sara said, picking up her purse and slinging it over her shoulder. “I have to get my kids off the bus.” She kissed Diego’s cheek then Mama’s and left.
Sofia followed suit. “I need to get back to school.”
Elena, too, made her exit.
When they left, Mama watched him. “I want to stay, but I won’t. I suspect you’re having another visitor.” She looked at the clock, “Now that school’s out.”
He faced her squarely. “I am. Please be happy for me.”
“She makes you happy. I do not understand that after all that has happened. But I will leave.” She stood and kissed him. “ Ten cuidado, hijo .”
“The threat is gone, Mama. No need to be careful.”
“I did not mean the gang. Adios .”
Since Diego had showered and dressed this morning, he used the bathroom, combed his hair. It was getting too long. Maybe he wouldn’t need to cut it…He had a flash…
Still on the ground, somebody yanked him up by the head. He forced himself to go limp.
“Another dead asshole.” The Cobra went on to the next guy.
Something exploded…
He found himself white knuckling the sink. Hell . He thought these would fade now that the threat was over. He sucked in a breath, but it wasn’t enough. He dropped down onto the toilet seat.
He’d replayed in his mind how he thought he was going to die. Good thing he had another appointment with Caleb tomorrow. He’d force himself to talk about this latest attack. Man, he was getting sick of all this.
* * *
Annie was nervous. And she shouldn’t be. She’d made love with this man innumerable times. But that was years ago. She’d had lovers since, but this was Diego ! The most masculine man she’d ever known. His lovemaking would be enthusiastic even though he was injured. The thought made her shiver. She brushed her hair then stared at the worried blue eyes in the mirror.
Stop it, Annie. You know you want this .
She did.
So she left her home hurriedly and arrived at Diego’s house around five; it felt odd parking in the driveway, with no officer standing guard at the front to let her in. She stepped up to the porch and opened the door. “Hello.”
“Come on in,” he called out. He’d put on denim shorts and a button-down shirt. His smile was thousand-watt. “Hello, Annie.”
“Hi.” She crossed into the living room and kissed him on the mouth.
Afterward, he gestured to the couch. “Hmm. Let’s sit. Want a drink?”
“Sure. White wine.”
“I ordered some bottles of Kendall Jackson just for you.” He headed to the kitchen and returned with two glasses. He handed her one then sat on the couch next to her. “What shall we toast to?”
“To us, of course. To tonight.” She sipped the tart, ice-cold wine.
His hand shook some. He closed his eyes, embarrassed. “Hell, Annie, I’m trying to keep myself from throwing you over my shoulder and carting you to bed. Of course, I can’t do that, but you get the gist.”
“Why aren’t you dragging me to the bedroom?”
An innocent expression played across his face. “I’m being civilized.”
“Ah. Then let’s talk.”
“Like hell.” He stood, set down her glass and his, then walked to the foyer. She heard the front lock snick. He returned, drew her up and took her mouth in a hot kiss before leading her to the back of the house.
The three large windows on one wall allowed the afternoon sun to peek in through the blinds. His bedroom was done in beige and blue. A shelving unit stood tall across from his bed. It took up the whole…”
Diego drew her around. Stared down at her; brushed his knuckles over her cheek. She was so lovely it made him hurt. “I want you, Annie Stefano. So goddamned much.”
“I want you, too.” Her hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, slowly opening them, kissing the skin she bared. She eased it off his shoulders carefully, so she didn’t hurt his wound. The stark white bandage—it was smaller now—stood out on his swarthy complexion.
He put his hands on her pretty pink top and pulled it over her head mostly with his good arm. The bra beneath it was the same color. She always liked fancy lingerie. He kissed one lacy breast then he dispensed with the garment.
He unzipped her capris and they fell to the floor, too. He got hard when he saw the why-bother panties. Reaching out, his hands were shaking even more as he resisted ripping them off and instead pushed them down. She disposed of his shorts and he drew her close. Torso to torso. Legs entangled. She sighed. When she drew back, she asked, “How are we going to do this?” They’d liked all the positions of lovemaking.
“No missionary. Side by side wouldn’t work yet either. I’ll have to sit up against the headboard.”
Her beautiful blue eyes gleamed with desire. “Oh, I love that one. Do you need help getting on the bed?”
“No, I can do this.”
He sat close to the nightstand and with his feet on the floor. Using his good arm to brace himself, he eased back as far as he could then swung his legs onto the bed and against the headboard. He inched himself over a little at a time to the middle of the bed.
“That looks exhausting.”
“Usually. Not now. I’m ready for you.”
She glanced at his crotch. His erection was impressive.
He said sexily, “Straddle me, darlin’.”
Annie was careful as she climbed over him. She sat on his lap, avoiding his genitals for now. He drew up his knees and she leaned against his legs. “My favorite position,” he said, fondling her breasts, kissing them, then taking a nipple in his mouth. She bucked back into him. “Not too much love, or I’ll come.”
His hands probed her folds then entered her. “You’re wet.”
“Please, not this way. I want to feel you inside me this first time.”
He removed his hand. She leaned over and touched his penis with her tongue. He bucked this time. “Same goes for me. We can play later.”
Coming up on her knees, she impaled him inch by inch. When he was in to the hilt she felt the tears on her cheeks. She saw his face was wet too. They’d lost this wonderful, wonderful thing.
Then he started to thrust. Her body spiraled up and up; she erupted with pleasure too quickly. Him, too. She heard him call out, swear, say her name as the orgasm kept coming for them both.
Diego collapsed back against the headboard, covered with sweat, sucking in air. When she sat up and moved, he could barely stand the aftershocks. Finally, they both calmed. She laid her cheek against his chest and he put his hand in her hair. Threaded it through heavy locks he’d missed more than he realized. He’d convinced himself he didn’t need this anymore, didn’t need her, but he was wrong. Very wrong. He loved this woman like no other and didn’t plan to let her go.