21. Derek
Derek
I didn’t expect last night to go the way it did, for Alexis to drop her walls and let me in.
She caught me off guard in the best way possible, and I felt as if I were floating; like this was all just a dream.
One where I would wake up in bed alone, just as I always did.
But this morning, I woke up wrapped around her, and I didn’t want to let her go, even for a second.
Burying my face in the crook of her neck, I breathed in deeply, reveling in her intoxicating scent. This woman, one I had been chasing for over six months, was finally mine; every inch of her was mine .
My pretty viper. My everything.
Alexis was sound asleep in my arms; we fucked for what felt like hours last night before both of us passed out from exhaustion.
I don’t recall a single surface in this room that she didn’t come on.
For the first time in my life, my dick was actually sore from so much sex, so I could only imagine how she was feeling.
Trailing kisses down the back of her shoulder, I stopped and groaned when I heard my phone go off on the nightstand. Don’t answer it; it’s not important. Another ding, and I growled, glaring over my shoulder at it.
This better not be Dean… I swear to god.
I slowly rolled onto my back to stretch out and pick up my phone without waking Alexis. Once I had it in my hand, I rolled right back to where I was and unlocked the screen to check my notifications.
Fuck.
Of course, it was Dean, and it was something I couldn’t put off or avoid—not today.
Dean: We have a name, and it checks out. You’ll want to see this. Get here ASAP.
I responded to his text, knowing there were two places he could be referring to.
Me: Where is “here”?
Dean: The office. I shouldn’t have to tell you why .
I laughed as I read his reply. I knew exactly why we weren’t meeting at Eli’s apartment, and if it didn’t cause me to grin from ear to ear…
Dropping my phone onto the bed and looking down at Alexis, I sighed. I wasn’t looking forward to leaving her, especially after last night and the fact that she was still sound asleep in my arms. But time was of the essence, and I had a job to do, even though I wished I didn’t.
As gently as possible, I slid my arm out from under her neck, pressing my lips to her temple and kissing her lightly before climbing out of the bed. She stirred before rolling over and hugging the pillow, pulling it into her chest and nuzzling the side.
I could have stood there, staring at her for hours; she was perfect in every way.
As quietly as possible, I pulled on my jeans and T-shirt, picked up my phone, and took one last full view of her before leaving the bedroom and apartment.
Hopefully, this wouldn’t take too long, and I could get back to her before the afternoon. We spent more time fucking than talking last night, and I knew there was a lot left to unpack between us.
Arriving at the CIA office, I made a beeline to the elevators and took the first available one to the fifth floor, where I met with Dean and Eli. Shutting the door behind me, the two stopped speaking mid-conversation, and Dean had a grim look on his face. Not a good start.
“What’s the name?” I started, not wanting to waste any time.
“Adrian—” Dean sighed. “Adrian Valtores, and before you ask, I’ve already run a background check on him.” He added, handing me a single sheet of paper.
A complete background check coming out to one single sheet of fucking paper? You’ve got to be kidding me…
“This is a little light for a full background check, don’t you think?” I questioned, looking over what little information Dean had handed me. I stopped halfway down the page when another name stood out to me.
“Madison Scott?” I raised a brow, looking back up at Dean, and he pressed his lips into a hard line.
“I was waiting for you to get to that part. She is his ex-fiancée. They apparently dated for a while before it ended, and he essentially disappeared.” He scratched the back of his neck before placing both hands in his pockets.
“Have you reached out to her? Will she give us more information on him?” I asked, pulling my phone up and searching my contacts for her name.
“She won’t. I tried.” He sighed. “Madison doesn’t want anything to do with Adrian or even answer simple questions about him, for that matter. Said she—and I quote— would rather stab herself in the eye with an ice pick than relive the years they were together . ”
“Great… so where does this leave us?” I lowered the hand that held my phone, placing it back in my jeans.
“If I may?” Eli cut in, stepping forward from where he leaned against the desk.
“By all means…” I gestured my hands out before dropping them at my sides, knowing there wasn’t anything he could say that could make this worse.
“You know where the hideout is and who you are looking for. Why not just get a group of agents and law enforcement to raid the place?” Eli looked between Dean and me, and I sighed, crossing my arms and pressing my thumb between my brows.
“You know exactly why Eli. If Minneapolis PD hasn’t interfered with them before, they aren’t going to now. Someone there is working closely with them, and they are sweeping everything under the rug.” It pissed me off, but that was how Anathema worked.
They threatened and pulled every single string they could to remain at the level they were. Untouchable. Every single government entity was their puppet to manipulate and corrupt.
“What else did you find, Dean? There has to be more than just his previous relationship with Madison.” I rested my hands on my hips before pacing in front of the door.
“I’m sorry, Derek, his record is clean. Which isn't surprising, considering he has a long list of contacts he currently holds power over.” Dean shrugged. "The man's been working overtime."
Fuck!
I punched the wall beside the door out of frustration, my knuckles splitting from the impact .
“Get Madison in here,” I ordered, flexing my hand from the pain and looking down at my bleeding knuckles.
“But she—”
“I don’t give two fucks what she said. Get her in here. Now.” I growled, and without another word, Dean sighed, pulled out his phone, and stepped out the door behind me.
If I had to go to her townhouse and drag her ass here, so be it. Madison had information on Adrian and would give it to us, no matter how much she refused.