Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
“Me? Why me?” Wraith said, his wide jaw twisted with indignation.
“’Cause you’re the most annoying one to listen to,” Havoc said.
Reaper, Rogue, and Viper laughed.
Atlas hid a smirk. “Hey, consider it a compliment that I’m trusting you with her.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he gave himself a mental kick in the ass.
“Awe, he’s in low-ve.”
“Eat a dick, Wraith,” Atlas snarled.
Ah, hell. He’d just let his emotions get the best of him. He might as well have put a bull’s-eye on his forehead.
Rogue’s brows lifted with interest. “Never thought I’d see the day when the single stallion would fall for a chick.”
Single stallion. That’d never been his nickname, but maybe that’s how they thought of him. “Don’t act like you had many girlfriends while you pined for Laine for six years.”
“Pined for her for more than that,” Rogue quipped, unabashed.
“Leave Striker be,” Viper interjected. “The more he gets laid, the less grumpy he’ll be.”
Atlas shook his head and managed not to roll his eyes. If they didn’t refocus on work, they’d grill each other for hours. “Did you get any intel on Damian’s phone?”
Havoc nodded. “Yup, we got through the password protection and read his texts. He was messaging someone while Molly was being attacked. Said his friend Shane was inside her place and would be done any minute.”
“Did you trace the number?”
Havoc’s mouth twisted. “Whoever he texted—presumably Rex—was using an encrypted line.”
Fuck.
“Doesn’t really matter,” Havoc continued. “We know where the asshole is and we’ll have him caught tonight.”
Atlas hoped to hell he was right. “Did we get a visual on the warehouse?”
“Yep,” said Reaper, who’d been mostly quiet. He sat on the couch, a laptop on the coffee table in front of him. “I tracked down blueprints of the space. It’s three stories, eight thousand square feet. Loading dock in the back and an underground parking garage.”
“That’s why we didn’t spot his vehicle when we drove through the industrial district last night,” Havoc said.
Atlas moved to the sofa and sat next to his friend. He studied the two-dimensional floor plan. The plumbing, electrical, and ventilation systems were all noted as well. “This is great, but where’s his office?”
“Harry said he’s on the top floor, southeast corner,” Reaper said.
Atlas leaned forward and pointed to the far right of the screen. “Must be right here then. Looks like his office window faces the alley. Where’s Harry now?”
Reaper grunted. “Home. He said he’s going back there this evening.”
“We should wait until he’s there,” Havoc said. “He can be our eyes on the inside.”
Trepidation ripped through Atlas. He didn’t want to wait five minutes, let alone several hours. He looked at Rogue, whose face was pulled into a frown. “We said we’d go ASAP.”
Rogue crossed his arms. “That’d be ideal, but if we know Harry will be there soon, then we should wait a bit. That place is huge and probably crawling with armed guards. If we can take out some of the guesswork, we should.”
Atlas glanced at his watch.
“One of us will stake out the warehouse,” Rogue said. “That way, we can keep an eye on all comings and goings. Who volunteers?”
Reaper raised his hand.
Rogue nodded. “Good. Suit up.”
Reaper stood, tucked his phone in his pocket, and moved for the door.
Atlas scooted into the seat he’d vacated. While he’d have preferred to leave now too, he also knew he’d be sitting in a car twiddling his thumbs until it was go time.
At least this way he could hang with Molly before he needed to take off.
Molly rolled onto her stomach on the fluffy bed. She’d just ended a call with her mom and dad, and her heart felt lighter, even though it hadn’t been an easy conversation.
She’d been so removed from normal life that it was hard to remember people were worried and waiting to hear from her. Her parents’ questions about what’d happened were insistent. She’d had to share a few details about how she’d been treated—which had resulted in colorful language from her father.
But she’d assured them she was safe and would fly home soon.
Now she needed to call Sandy. Her neighbor was probably sick with worry. The line rang twice.
“Hello?”
“Sandy, it’s me, Molly.”
“Molly! Oh my god. What happened? Where are you?”
“I’m so sorry. I-I was kidnapped two weeks ago. I’m safe now, but not home.”
Sandy immediately started crying. Molly spent several minutes reassuring her and trying to hide the sordid details of what’d happened.
“I got so worried when I saw you on the news. I followed all the media releases about your disappearance, and I learned you’d been found. I went by your place this morning, but you weren’t home.”
“I was home for a little while yesterday, but, uh, it became clear I wasn’t safe there. For now, anyway. I hope to be home soon and we’ll visit.”
She told her friend she’d popped by to check on the cat, leaving out the part about being attacked in her apartment. She promised to tell her everything when they could sit down with a cup of tea.
Molly disconnected after agreeing to meet in a few days after her friend’s next trip. Will things be better then? she wondered. Will it ever be safe for me to walk around freely?
It was hard to imagine what life would look like in the future, hell even the near future. She’d likely return home as soon as it was safe to do so, but all that thought did was ball her stomach into nerves at the idea of being away from Atlas.
A knock sounded at the door and her gut clenched. She didn’t want him to leave so soon. “Come in.”
Atlas walked in, shutting the door behind him. “How are you making out?”
“Good. I spoke to my parents and my neighbor, Sandy. It was nice to reassure them a bit that I’m okay.”
She remained on her stomach and Atlas stretched out next to her. His warm hand rested on her back. “I’m glad.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Not for a bit. We’re ordering pizza first. We sent Reaper to stake out the warehouse, though.”
“Ah, well, I guess I have you to myself for a little while longer,” she purred.
His hand swept beneath her waistband and gripped her ass.
Heat pooled in her belly. “Atlas. Your friends are in the next room.”
“I know,” he whispered. “They can’t see through walls.”
She chuckled and rolled onto her back so she could see him more easily. His hand traveled with her, sweeping around her hip to rest inches from the warm place between her legs.
His eyes darkened with primal need, and he wet his bottom lip with his tongue. “I want you, Molly.”
She squirmed as his fingers traveled south. Need sent waves of electricity through her bloodstream. “Atlas,” she said, this time with less reproach.
He moved his hand inside her panties, melting the rest of her resistance. He touched her sex and she bit back a moan.
Her legs dropped open. “Is that door locked?” Her throat constricted around the question.
He eased one finger inside her. “Yes.” He lowered his head and took her mouth in his.
She dragged her hand up his bicep and over his shoulder to cup the back of his neck. His tongue darted into her mouth, imitating the act he’d committed between her legs last night. The image shot through her mind as he sank two fingers into her.
“Mmm,” she cried out, the sound muffled against his lips.
He moved in and out of her easily, the abrasion of his rough knuckles an erotic contrast to his soft touch, driving her wild. “At-las,” she crooned, her voice broken. Pleasure filled every inch of her body.
His thumb touched her clit and her toes curled. She arched her back, a cry catching in the back of her throat. He pumped his fingers into her, pulling every ounce of her orgasm from her core. She shuddered, her muscles twitching, and her knees parted as wide as her leggings allowed.
More pressure on her clitoris made the last rush of her wetness burst from her loins. His mouth swallowed the moans that escaped, silencing her detonation.
Wetness made every gentle movement of his hand slippery. Her body went lax and he eased his fingers from her pants.
“Oh my god.” She swept her hand down his back.
He kissed her lips one more time. “That’s a preview of what’s to come tonight.”
She frowned. “I thought you wanted sex. I mean, right now.”
He chortled. “I always want sex with you, Molly. But there’s no way I can contain myself for the sake of your dignity with my friends in the living room.”
“I tried to tell you,” she said with a laugh.
He kissed her temple. “That’s okay. Later, we’ll both have a turn.”
Molly covered her face with her hands, a smile warming her cheeks.
He snagged her wrist and peeked beneath her fingers. “Why’re you hiding?” A playful smile lightened his eyes.
She dropped her hands away. “I’m not hiding. I’m just trying to figure out where the hell you came from.”
His face stilled. “I’ve wondered that about you, too.” He bounced an eyebrow. “I’ve also wondered how you’re single.”
She chortled. “Well, for starters, I don’t get out much. Plus, I’ve only been in Panama for six months.”
“People find love in a lot less time.” His tone was rough and thick, filled with . . . meaning?
No, he was just stating the obvious. “I haven’t met anyone recently who’s worth dating. I didn’t—”
He slapped a hand to his chest. “Jesus, Molly. Way to wound a guy.”
She patted his leg. “You know what I mean.”
Atlas was definitely worth dating. Worth getting to know.
Worth loving.
More importantly, he made her feel she was worth all those things, too.
“All right. As long as you don’t have a boyfriend waiting for you back in Illinois, maybe I can convince you to date me.” A lopsided grin turned up his lips.
Butterflies swarmed inside her belly and her heart flipflopped. “No boyfriend.”
He frowned. “Have you ever had a serious relationship?”
“Kind of. At the time, I thought I was in love. But it was a toxic situation and he was an ass. Now I’m grateful I caught him cheating with my friend, Becky—in our bed—so I could move on.”
His face pinched with anger. “You serious? Fucking bastard.”
“Yup, Brad most certainly was.”
“Is that what brought you to Panama?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe in a way. After we broke up and I moved out, he wanted me back. I’d moved in with my parents, and he kept sending me flowers, stopping by, things like that.
His attempts dwindled over the months, until I’d get only a random text or voicemail from him, clearly drunk.
So no, I didn’t leave because of Brad, but I wanted to start fresh and put distance between home and me. ”
“I’m sorry.” His jaw was clenched.
“Don’t be. If I hadn’t gone through all that with Brad, I might still be with the jackass—and I wouldn’t have met you.”
“You also wouldn’t have been kidnapped.”
She lowered her gaze. “I also wouldn’t have been rescued by a real-life soldier.”
He hooked an eyebrow. “If I come to Illinois with you, would you be mad if I beat Brad’s ass?”
A laugh bubbled from her throat. “No.”
“Good.” He kissed her lips and went to roll from the bed.
She caught his elbow. “Wait a minute. You’re not getting off that easy.”
He sent her a sexy flash of his teeth. “You’re the only one who got off, honey.”
She raised her eyebrows but couldn’t hide her smile. “We’ll rectify that later. I just shared my relationship history with you. Aren’t you going to do the same?”
He grimaced. “Do we have to go there?”
“That many, huh.” Disappointment pulled at her heart.
He crawled over her, pinning her down. “Yeah. Many. And not one of them compares to you.”
She blinked in surprise at his vehement tone.
“I’ve been with a lot of women, Molly. Only two relationships were semiserious. While no one cheated, neither ended well. Waiting at home while your man’s doing tour of duty isn’t an easy position. They were unhappy, and I was unhappy because of that.”
Her stomach tightened. Was that what would become of them? Would she be filled with bitterness and regret because he couldn’t be by her side or return home every night?
She didn’t want that. For either of them.
He rubbed his nose over hers. “Let’s save this talk for later. Right now, I’m happy to be right here. With you.”
She forced a smile. “Me, too.”
He eased off her and went to the door. “And Molly, I plan to collect tonight. So please wait up.”
She chuckled as he exited the room and shut the door.
Less than forty-eight hours ago, she hadn’t known this man. Hadn’t even suspected someone like him, so bold, so dangerous, and so protective, existed.
Now, she felt as if she’d known him for years.
She glanced at the clock. Very soon, he’d leave to complete his mission. There was no telling if he’d come back, or where they’d go from here.
And that realization made her heart hurt.