Chapter 11 #3
“I want you.” The words were out of Vash’s mouth before she realized she’d thought them. Mortified, her head fell forward to press her forehead into his shoulder. She just had to get through another six hours until they parted, a few of which he’d sleep through. “Forget I said that.”
“Why?” His hand at her waist dropped to the curve of her ass and molded her into the thick ridge of his erection.
Her entire body lit up like a live wire. He was hard and ready for her, and she craved him—one last time before she sent him on his way with Raze and got her head back in the game. “You need to take it easy and get some rest. Tomorrow, we hit the ground running.”
“So you do all the work. I’ll just kick back and come.”
She bit him in the pectoral with her fangs.
“Ow! Damn it.” He shoved her back. “Go easy on me. I’m in recovery.”
“Which is why you need sleep, not sex.” But god, he tasted good. She licked her lips, making sure she didn’t miss a drop.
His eyes glittered in the darkness. “You’ve revved me up. Now the sleep won’t come without the sex.”
“Cry me a river. Listen, I have something to tell you.”
He covered her mouth with his hand. “I called mine first.”
Vash growled. His grin flashed before he released her.
“Get on with it, then,” she snapped.
“Can’t.” There was nothing even remotely apologetic in his tone. He popped open the brass snaps holding her vest together and took possession of a heavy, tender breast. “All the blood has flowed into my other brain. Have to take care of that first.”
The sheer audacity of his statement stunned her into silence for a moment. “What’s gotten into you?”
Whatever it was, she liked the effect it had on him. He was a serious guy by nature; this more relaxed version was hitting many of her hot buttons.
“I’m about to get laid by the hottest woman on the planet. That tends to cheer a guy up. Plus, I’ve got a present for you. It may not be quite as lifesaving as the one you brought me today, but hopefully it’ll turn out that way.”
Warmth twisted through her, along with shards of near-painful delight as he tugged on her nipple with his thumb and forefinger. “What is it?”
“I’ve got a lead on Charron’s killers.”
Her breath clogged behind a tight throat. “What…? How…?”
“Adrian.” Elijah pulled her closer. “I asked him what he knew. He’d heard the rumors about your mate and sent Jason to investigate.
The lycans who admitted to being involved were interviewed.
He doesn’t recall their names or what their story was, only that they didn’t relay the events the way you told them to me or he would’ve terminated them himself. ”
“Sure he would have.”
“Vashti, he was never told Charron had been slaughtered in the manner you described. He knew only that your mate was dead and lycans were involved. If he’d heard differently, he would’ve had the matter looked into more closely. I believe that.”
“He wouldn’t give a shit.”
“I think you’re wrong.”
“Whatever. I’ve known him a hell of a lot longer than you have.
” She blew her hair off her face and pushed away.
Refastening her vest, she began to pace.
“I need names, El. I don’t care what those lycans said.
I know what I saw, and I know Char. He would never have done anything worthy of a death like that. He was a kind, gentlehearted man.”
“The interviews were recorded and uploaded to the cloud.”
“Did he give you access?”
“No. He doesn’t have the password.”
“As far as excuses go, that’s bullshit. He’s lying.”
He crossed his arms and looked straight into her eyes.
“No, Vashti. He isn’t. Each outpost has a separate login to the cloud.
It was a safety precaution that prevented a full-system breach at the outpost level.
I know he’s right because Stephan broke into the system at Navajo Lake.
There was no access to information about the other outposts. ”
“So who has the password?”
“Jason and Armand. Unfortunately, Jason was at Navajo Lake, and Armand was still at the Huntington outpost—where the interviews were taken—when the revolt happened. Both Sentinels are presently considered missing in action.”
She strode up to him and gripped his belt loops. “You can get the data.”
“If there’s anything left of the place, yes. But regardless, the names of those lycans are in the cloud. So even if Huntington is trashed, it won’t be the end of the road.”
Taking a deep breath, Vash struggled to get her emotions under control. If pressed, she wouldn’t have been able to identify them. Elation, maybe. Fear, certainly. More than a little confusion, as well.
Where did one go when they reached the end of the road?
And twining through the mess of her mind was her acute awareness of the man she held on to.
She was working on something for Char while in a compromising position with another man, and she didn’t feel guilty.
She searched for the sense that she was doing something wrong… being disloyal…but she didn’t find it.
“I can’t tell you what this means to me, Elijah,” she said quietly.
His warm hands encircled her wrists. “Then show me.”