17. Chapter 17 #2
“So what made you leave our meeting?” Kate asked. “The guys wouldn’t tell me anything and told me to ask you.”
“I’m embarrassed to admit how archaic this is, but I’m territorial concerning you.
When you got close to Sid, my instincts kicked in, and I tried to dominate the room without meaning to.
We are all pretty dominant dragons, so it could have gotten very ugly even if we are friends. I left to control myself.”
“That’s why you left me with Lewis…”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his still sore jaw from Sid’s hit. “I had to go upstairs and release some pent-up energy with Sid.”
“Do you feel better now?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid that may change around the others.”
“Hmm…As much as I fancy the idea of a man fighting over me, we need to be a cohesive unit. I’ll do what I can to help.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for understanding.”
Her cheeks glowed with a soft pink tinge. She stared at the ground, still holding his hand. His pulse throbbed.
“What brought you guys together?” she asked, tilting to avoid another pedestrian on the sidewalk.
“A friend introduced us all on a Tattered…Archfiend hunt. The enemy was a complicated son of a bitch. We stuck together afterward because we’re all Rogue.”
“Rogue?”
“Our dragons are too dominant to allow another to rule us…or other reasons have forced us outside the dragon community.”
“Like an outlaw?”
He laughed. “To some, I guess that’s pretty accurate. We may live here as long as we obey the laws. But we also don’t receive help from others.”
“I’m glad you have a family.” Her voice held a wistful edge.
Along the link, the strum of longing tugged at him.
He couldn’t imagine a life of always being orphaned.
How did that bubbly personality survive?
He had a feeling it had a lot to do with Naomi—the woman who’d helped Kate.
And even if she were gone, Raz couldn’t help but feel like he owed her.
When they reached the bar, a black luxury SUV sat out front, its trunk open. Sid carried a bag and packed it in the rear.
“How nice of you to join us,” Lewis said, walking out of the bar with a bag on each arm.
“Slackers,” Sid muttered with a cheeky grin as he made his way inside.
Despite the light vibe they gave off, he felt the familiar static that filled the air between the men before a dangerous mission.
They might be on the sidelines, but they needed to figure out the truth before they committed themselves to entering the submarine.
Playing it cool helped steady their nerves.
Lewis threw the bags into the trunk and turned to the pair of them, his gaze scrutinizing. “At least you seem to be feeling better.”
“I got a few kinks out this morning.” Raz shrugged.
Kate giggled. “Nice pun there, hot rod.”
Lewis laughed, and Raz joined in, feeling the tense worry ebb from his muscles.
Sid groaned as he brought out more luggage. “The last thing I want to hear about is you getting laid while I was stuck here.”
“I told you to get a hotel room,” Lewis said.
“And pay out the wazoo for a night? No thanks.”
Raz rolled his eyes and stepped in between the other two to stack the bags he’d carried with the others. “Are we all set?”
“Once Caige shows his face.” Lewis shut the trunk.
“I’m here.” A voice rumbled from behind the vehicle.
He arrived, shoulders bent, coffee in hand, with nothing but a backpack.
Always right on time and looking worse than he did the night before.
Though Raz would too if he had to use his dragon’s energy every second of his life.
Caige’s sweater hood hid most of his face, but the Illusion he used to conceal his appearance today gave him a younger, scrappy adult look with a twisted nose bridge and sunken cheekbones.
“And where’s everyone else’s?” Sid pointed toward Caige’s thermos.
“Back on Ninth.”
Lewis sighed. “I’ll stop on the way out. Let’s get going.”
Caige pivoted and jumped into the front seat.
Sid opened the back door. “Ladies first.”
Raz kept his dominance in check, his feisty attitude rearing fire along his spine.
“Thanks.” She slid into the last row and stretched her legs out on the seat, back against the door.
Confident. Dominating any space she entered.
He wanted to share a part of that space.
Raz lifted her legs and sat with them in his lap.
Sid took up the whole middle with his laptop and computer.
Once Lewis took the driver’s seat, the SUV moved.
“What are we all feeling?” Lewis asked.
“Coffee,” Sid said.
The dominance in the vehicle pushed at Raz’s skin. His dragon was on fire, roasting him on the inside. Drawn to Kate, he pulled her pant leg up enough to wrap his hand around her ankle. Soothing energy flowed through his veins upon touching her.
She met his gaze and smiled.
“I know you briefly explained it before, but what is a Hackers Gala exactly?” Raz asked, sitting on the king-sized bed of the opulent president’s suite after their long road trip.
“Ziegler, one of the leaders of organized crime in Germany, made it up,” Kate said from inside the master bathroom. “It’s a gambling showcase for hackers. The first one to hack wins the purse.”
He pictured her surrounded by the most wanted criminals that could buy their way off that list. His insides boiled, nerves twining his stomach into a knot.
He thought he could handle the idea of her going in alone, but that was before they got to Detroit, and reality hit him in the face. “And you received an invitation?”
“Of course, technically my partner did, while I’m his representative. I’ve been working this avenue for a while now.”
“How did you learn Matsuda uses Ziegler’s hacker for his cybersecurity?”
“When you’ve done this for a while, you recognize someone’s fingerprints. Just like my lip print, these people lay claim to their work.”
That kissable lip print still haunted his dreams, even if he could kiss those lips. “And you’re sure your code won’t work without this access?”
Something slapped against the countertop in the bathroom. “Yes. I have to log in remotely as well as directly into the sub’s security cameras. Without access, Matsuda will see us steal the Bell.”
“Do you think Matsuda will be attending tonight?”
Adrenaline laced with dread swirled across the link. It was apparent she feared that possibility. Fire burned the back of his throat.
“He doesn’t concern himself with such trivial pursuits,” she said. “His time is too precious.”
“Said as if you’ve heard him say it before.” He couldn’t help but pry.
“Possibly.”
She stepped into the bedroom in a long, bright-as-sin red dress that clung to her curves.
Makeup chiseled out her already high cheekbones, shadows broadened her small nose, and a dark eye cream framed her thick eyelashes.
She’d curled her bob to match playful waves.
Instead of that damn pink lipstick, a red color glamored her lips.
My fucking…How is she this talented?
His engorged dick strained against his pants as he straightened. “Do we have a few minutes?”
A natural blush brightened her cheeks. “Sorry, hot rod.”
She placed her still-socked foot on a chair, hiking up the long slit of her dress to slide something up her leg.
“What’s that?” he asked, looking away from the tantalizing bare skin.
“A poly-fiber lock-picking kit.”
She walked to the full-length mirror. Her defined muscles and unblemished skin beckoned him.
He glided across the room and traced his finger up her silky spine, up the cascading jewels crossing her upper back, and over the crystal-laced collar of her halter.
It covered the bite mark he’d given her when they first had sex, which stung more than he wanted to admit.
Sliding his hand up under her hair, he massaged her scalp and tugged softly.
She stepped back into him, ass cheeks cupping his fucking erection. Every muscle coiled in his thighs as he forced himself not to ease the ache in his pants and grind against her.
“Raz,” she whispered.
He nibbled the sensitive skin under her ear, drawing in her expensively sweet scent. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to slide that dress up again?”
She fell against him like putty, breath flooding from her lips, and he wrapped an arm around her hips to hold her up.
“Come on, you two. Time’s ticking,” Lewis yelled from the other room, breaking the spell.
Raz’s stomach tangled once more. Their eyes met in the mirror. He trusted her abilities, but this was an organized crime leader she was facing alone. If shit hit the fan, he hated to think what would happen. His dragon clawed at his insides with the instinct to protect. I can’t lose her…