No Mercy Read online

  “Nothing yet.” George sounded slightly irritated. “This is high tech and slightly unusual. The passwords are encrypted and breaking them is going to be a bitch.”

  “I have something that might help.” Dylan stared at the notepad, where it had landed near the door. “It’s not much, but it can’t hurt to look at it.”

  “I’m open to whatever you’ve got.”

  “I’ll send you a copy. Hold on.” Dylan retrieved the pad and took a picture of the pad and sent it to George’s email. “Get it?”

  “What the hell is it?” George asked.

  Dylan explained the chart. “It’s missing information.” He put his fingers to his forehead. “Think you can get anywhere with what I sent?”

  “It’s something to go on,” George said. “I’m going to do my damnedest to get you answers.”

  “Thanks, George,” Dylan said before he disconnected the call.

  For a few seconds he stood there, his thoughts returning to the cards. If only there was a copy of Tom’s, like Leon had made—

  Blood pumped faster through Dylan’s veins. God, he was mentally running on empty with everything that had happened, or it would have been too obvious to him. Of course Tom would make a copy. The question was whether or not the copy was at the hospital versus his home. The hospital would likely balk at the warrant, but since it was for information unrelated to any patients, it ultimately wouldn’t be a problem.

  Dylan looked up the number on his phone for the Copper Queen Hospital and asked for Dr. Emma Miller. When the answering nurse said Dr. Miller was with a patient, Dylan told the nurse who he was and that it was a matter of life or death.

  He was on hold for about ten minutes before she answered.

  “Dr. Miller here.”

  “This is Agent Curtis.” Dylan shifted his stance. “We talked about Tom the other day, and the postcard he received from an old friend?”

  “Yes.” She sounded cool, and he wondered if she was perturbed by his call. She verified that when she added, “Is that why you took me away from my patient?”

  “This is very important.” Dylan pressed the phone tighter to his ear. “Did he mention making a copy of that card?”

  “I’m not sure.” Her words were brittle, as if she might be at the breaking point. “Is that all?”

  Dylan tried to keep his cool, too. “Think a little harder, Dr. Miller. Please.”

  A moment of silence, and then she said, “I think he did. I was distracted at the time and in a hurry. It was so trivial that I didn’t really think about it.”

  Dylan’s heart beat faster. “Thank you.”

  When he got off the phone with Dr. Miller, Dylan called Trace. “We need a warrant to search Dr. Tom Zumsteg’s office at the hospital. We’re looking for a photocopy of the postcard mailed to him by Nate O’Malley. We might get lucky and he left a copy of the postcard at work.”

  “You’ve got it,” Trace said.

  “What is that?” Belle sat on the couch, an uneasy feeling crawling through her belly as Dylan holstered his phone. She looked at his handwritten list he set next to the spread-out copies of the postcards. She cocked her head as she scanned the page with the B & B insignia at the top. “Did you figure out something?”

  “I don’t know.” He sat next to her and explained what he’d done by listing what words were wrong and substituting the correct word in the following column. “This could be interpreted any number of ways.”

  She nodded and looked at each postcard again. “You wouldn’t think he’d make it too difficult, but he probably didn’t want to make it too easy, just in case someone caught on.”

  Dylan tapped the capped end of the pen on the notepad. “I have George, our tech guy, trying his hand at figuring this out. He’s a phenomenal code breaker.”

  They sat in silence and she could almost see the wheels churning in Dylan’s mind. After a while, he leaned back and blew out his breath.

  She studied him and couldn’t help her mind from wandering and admiring his naked torso—all he had on was a pair of worn Wrangler jeans. Damn but he’d grown some muscle over the years. His hair was tousled from sleep but he looked wide-awake as he studied the pieces of paper in front of him. She wanted to run her hands all over that incredible body yet another time.

  His muscles grew tenser and it was clear he was getting frustrated again. She wanted to do something to ease—at least temporarily—the stress he had to be feeling right now. Well, there was something she could do for him.

  “I’m going to take a bath.” A zing traveled straight between her thighs. Her nipples tightened in the cool air as she stood and let her robe fall open, exposing her breasts. “Care to join me?”

  The look of hunger that swept over his expression was all the answer she needed. She turned away and let the robe drop to the floor.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw him pulling something from his back pocket before pushing down his jeans and stepping out of them. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that he’d been commando beneath his jeans, and his cock was rigid and ready for her. The intense look in his gaze made her shiver.

  He closed in on her before she could make it into the bathroom. She gave a delighted laugh as he swept her into his arms and held her to his bare chest. His skin was hot against hers, and the heat radiated throughout her own body.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the skin-to-skin contact and the power of his embrace. It felt so good being carried by this big, powerful man, who happened to be the same man she’d fallen in love with in high school—only in a bigger package.

  His eyes were smoky and he exuded the kind of intensity that made her feel like she was all he could think about. Just as he was all she could think about.

  He placed a foil packet on a vanity table before he set her on her feet in front of the old fashioned claw-footed tub. “I think it’s going to have to be a bath instead of a shower.”

  She grinned. “This might be a little tight.”

  “We’ll make it work.” He looked so serious, she almost laughed.

  He put the stopper in the tub after running the water until it was warm. In the meantime she found a small bottle of complimentary bubble bath and poured it all into the tub. It wasn’t long before bubbles were rising and the tub was filling.

  She tested the water with one foot. “Oh, this is going to be heavenly.” She turned off the water and climbed in, her back to the faucet as she sank blissfully into the bubbles. Her breasts were covered in bubbles and her hair wet from sliding down so far.

  “Bubbles,” he grumbled, but she could tell he was teasing. He stepped into the tub and eased down. He was so big that the bubbles were still below his chest. “Come here.” He gestured to her with one hand.

  She moved to him and he took her by the waist and had her sit astride him. She almost moaned at the feel of his rigid cock pressed against her folds. The urge to rise up and bring herself down on his erection was almost overpowering.

  Water dripped from her hair and trickled down her breasts, droplets like tiny kisses on her skin.

  He raised his wet hands, water rolling down his arms, and he cupped the sides of her face before bringing her in for a kiss. She wiggled closer to him so that her nipples rubbed his chest and her thighs were snug around his hips.

  His kiss sent thrills through her body, and she trembled with need for him and only him. Last night hadn’t been enough. Maybe she could never get enough.

  He sucked her tongue before slipping his own tongue into her mouth. He moved his mouth over hers in a demanding kiss that nearly made her wild.

  Water sloshed over the edge of the tub as she squirmed on his lap, grinding her hips so that her clit rubbed along the length of him. The friction shot spikes of arousal through her belly. She moaned with pleasure.

  He brushed bubbles from her breasts before he lowered his head to suck her nipples. She gasped and slid her fingers into his hair, holding his head so that his face was pressed
close. He moved his mouth to her other nipple and sucked it into his mouth. Her nipples were so sensitive that every lick and suck sent tremors throughout her.

  She skimmed her palms up the hard muscle of his chest, over his shoulders, and down his powerful biceps. He gently tugged at her nipple with his teeth and she dug her nails into his arms and leaned her head back.

  “I can’t wait.” He raised his head before reaching with one hand to grasp the packet off of the vanity. He tore open the packet and she shifted on his lap so that he could sheathe his cock.

  Her heartbeat increased and her breathing roughened as she rose up on her knees while he placed the head of his cock against her entrance. Their gazes met and held as she sank down on his cock. Her eyes widened at the sensation of him stretching her, sliding deep inside her. Even though she’d had him last night, she was amazed at how full he made her feel.

  She braced her hands on his massive shoulders and started riding his cock. She slid up and down the length of him, gasping with every thrust of his hips. The water around them splashed over their skin and sloshed over the side of the tub. Her knees and thighs were pinned between his hips and the slick porcelain.

  “That’s it, precious.” He grasped her waist. “Ride me. Fuck me.”

  The way he said fuck me was so incredibly erotic that it almost shot her straight into an orgasm. She managed to hold onto the fine lines of control and rode him even harder than she had been.

  “God, that feels good.” Her words came out breathy and filled with the sound of need. “Don’t stop.”

  “I don’t intend to.” He thrust up hard, causing her to gasp. “I plan on taking you until you can’t walk straight for the rest of the day.”

  She groaned. Every word he said just made her feel like her body was going to burn up completely.

  He eased one hand from her waist and moved it between their bodies to slide his finger into her folds. He stroked her clit and she couldn’t have stopped the cry that tore from her if she’d tried.

  She threw her head back, her hands clenching his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin.

  So close. She was so close to coming with his big cock inside her. She felt her orgasm growing like a ball of light inside her. Expanding, becoming bigger and brighter with every stroke of his fingers, every thrust of his hips.

  And then she was gone.

  Starlight fractured her mind. Shards so bright that she could see them behind her eyelids. She came with a shriek, her cry echoing inside the small bathroom.

  Her body throbbed and her body felt so sensitive, like the lightest touch would make her come again.

  He ground his hips against hers and it was enough that another orgasm hit her hard and fast. She cried out and could barely breathe from the wild sensations coursing through her body.

  A moment later and he shouted as he came. He thrust his hips several more times before stopping. His breathing was harsh and ragged as he tried to regain control. And then he pulled her into his arms and brought her face against his wet chest as he stroked her damp hair.

  His words came out husky but firm. “I’m never letting you go again.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “I’m never letting you go again.”

  Dylan’s words stayed in Belle’s head, refusing to leave. It gave her a feeling of exhilaration, like she was running up a mountain, a fresh breeze on her face, and not one bit tired as she headed to the peak.

  And then her stomach felt heavy, as if thick sludge slithered through her intestines. She had to tell him. But when she shared the truth with him, told him everything, he wasn’t going to want her any more.

  Maybe worse, he might try to kill her stepfather. Not that the bastard didn’t deserve it, but she didn’t want anything to happen to Dylan. She didn’t want to see this brave, amazing man behind bars for the rest of his life.

  “Is something wrong?” Dylan eyed her as she braced her palms against his chest and straightened on his lap, water splashing as she shifted.

  “Everything is fine.” She smiled and to her surprise she felt an instant warm bubble in her chest as he returned her smile—the way he looked at her was like magic. Maybe for a few minutes she could pretend that they could have a relationship…pretend that she really could be his and he could be hers.

  The bubble burst and the heaviness returned to her belly. She needed to tell him.

  She would wait, though. She had to find the right time, and now was not it.

  God, this rollercoaster of emotions was going to drive her out of her mind. How could she feel such elation when she didn’t deserve it?

  As she let his cock slide from inside her, she reached for the small bottle of hotel shampoo.

  He disposed of the condom and insisted on washing her hair himself. The feel of his big, strong hands massaging her scalp as he lathered her hair was heaven. Soap rolled over her shoulders and down her breasts in thick rivers of bubbles. When he finished shampooing her hair, he helped her rinse it under the faucet with clean water. He repeated the process with conditioner, working it into her hair and rubbing her scalp. Yes, it was heaven. She gave a sigh as he rinsed her hair beneath the faucet until the conditioner was out.

  His touch was erotic, sending prickles of awareness through her at every touch.

  When he was finished, she pushed wet hair away from her face. “My turn.” After getting his hair wet beneath the faucet, she grabbed the small bottle and poured a dollop of shampoo onto her palm. She sat on her haunches to reach his head more easily. She slid her fingers into his hair and began working the shampoo into the wet strands and bringing it to a full lather.

  When she finished washing his hair, she soaped his body with a washcloth and soap, loving the feeling of touching his big, powerful body. She rinsed him off, sliding her palms over his muscles, taking advantage of the time she had to explore the bigger version of his body that she had once known so well.

  It was her turn next, and he took the cloth and soap from her. He soaped her in slow, easy motions, gently running the cloth over her breasts and down to her belly before rinsing her off.

  Belle had never had such an intensely wonderful sensual experience. The way Dylan touched her was almost like he was making love to her all over again.

  The water was cool once they had finished bathing each other. He climbed out and clasped her hand to help her out of the tub before taking one of the B & B’s thick and fluffy towels and drying every bit of her body. They put one of the towels on the floor to soak up the water they’d sloshed everywhere.

  Joe remained on silent vigil near the front door, as if intent on protecting them at all costs. His presence comforted Belle. Between Dylan and the German shepherd, she couldn’t feel safer.

  Dylan’s phone rang and he retrieved it. When he disconnected the call, he told Belle that the agent had arrived with the change of clothing. Dylan had given Belle’s clothing sizes to Sofia yesterday afternoon; he had clean clothes in his duffel bag.

  Dylan finished dressing, put on his shoulder holster, and sheathed his weapon. He also holstered his phone and slid his credentials into his back pocket before heading downstairs to meet the agent.

  While Dylan was downstairs, Belle stood in front of the bathroom mirror and dried her hair with the B & B’s blow dryer. She wore only the towel secured around her and had to use her fingers to comb out the strands of hair as she blow-dried it.

  Her hair was pretty much dry by the time Dylan returned. He laid a stack of clothes on the bed and then handed her a medium-sized duffel bag. She peered into the duffel and was grateful when she found a smaller bag with a toothbrush and other essential toiletries, and even a tube of neutral-toned lipstick that could go with almost any complexion. The agent who had gathered the supplies had to have been a woman who understood the power of lipstick.

  It didn’t take Belle long to pull her hair back into a ponytail, wash her face, brush her teeth and put on a touch of lipstick. When she was finished, she dropped th
e towel and went to the bed to check out the clothing the agent had brought.

  Dylan watched her with hunger in his gaze, as if he was ready to take her back to bed. But it was time to get going, and she knew it as well as he did.

  “I want to see Christie.” Belle tore off the price tags and then stepped into the new jeans that the agent had dropped off. “I want to make sure she’s okay.”

  Dylan frowned. “A couple of agents will be on your protective detail here.”

  “I’m going with you.” Belle shook her head, her words hard and firm. “I refuse to be left behind.”

  For a moment he just studied her. “All right.” He watched as she pulled on a dark blue cable knit sweater. “We’re not staying long. I need to talk with Christie about her postcard and Nate, and then we’ll head on out. It’s too dangerous having too many of us at the same location.”

  “Thank you.” She felt lighter from relief as she moved toward him, her bare feet sinking into the carpet. She’d expected him to argue more against her accompanying him. “I need to see her for myself and make sure she’s okay.”

  “I do, too.” He reached out and cupped the side of her face. “It’s bad enough that Nate and Tom are gone, and Marta’s in serious condition in the hospital. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

  She raised herself up on her toes and brushed her mouth over his. “I trust you to keep us all safe.”

  He slipped his hands into her hair and kissed her.

  While Belle finished dressing, Dylan checked out and paid the bill. He felt edgy, uneasy. It was an intense, unusual feeling, and had everything to do with losing friends and needing to protect the living. The CoS had been family to him, and he knew the others felt the same way. Yes, they’d drifted apart over the years, but the true bond had never broken. Even when Belle was gone, he’d still felt somehow tethered to her wherever she went.

  Belle was fully dressed by the time he returned, her dirty clothes in the duffel along with the toiletries.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her yet again. “I want you to stay by my side. I’m not taking any chances.”