Unbroken Read online

  I closed my eyes and savored his strong arms around me. When I opened them we were face to face, a mere inch separating our lips. I wondered what his lips would feel like pressed against mine. Would he be gentle and soft, or would his kiss be hard and demanding just like he was? I wanted to know. This might have been the most uncharacteristic thing I had ever done. I was not bold and I was not brave, but right there and right then I had to know.

  I lifted up to my tippy-toes, giving me the extra height I needed to lean in and press my lips to his. His full lips were soft and gentle. He didn’t move a muscle as I gave him the first experimental peck. I pulled back a centimeter and licked my lips before I tried it again, this time with a little more confidence. I brushed my lips against his. He met me halfway and added his own peck.

  Wow.

  My body was alive, flooded with sensations I had long ago forgotten. I was hot all over from one chaste kiss. He pulled me in tighter, not allowing our lips to pull apart. I could feel his erection on my stomach. I wasn’t sure if that scared me or excited me more. Emboldened by his reaction, I licked the seam of his lips, begging him to open.

  His tongue brushed against mine in a timid swipe, almost as if he was testing the waters. He had not moved other than to pull me closer. He made no attempt to deepen the kiss or to rush me along. He was allowing me to control the pace. As much as I appreciated what he was doing, I needed him to take over. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do next.

  “Please, Reid,” I whispered against his lips.

  “Are you sure?” he asked as he licked my bottom lip.

  “Yes.”

  14

  Mine

  Reid

  Her soft plea was all I needed. One hand went low on her back, locking her in place. The other worked its way up her back and into her silky hair. My fingers massaged the back of her scalp until my need took over. With a soft tug of her hair, I tilted her head to the angle I needed and thrust my tongue into her mouth. The meet and greet was over. All niceties flew out the window the minute she gave me permission to kiss her. It was my turn to take.

  I had waited and longed for this moment for years. Her lips were pillow soft. She tasted like desire, need, and hunger all rolled into one. It was a flavor I wanted to savor for the rest of my life. The soft noises she was making made it so hard for me not to take this any further. Her kiss was perfect. Our tongues danced and my cock begged for me to take her. I slowed the kiss and sucked her tongue into my mouth. One more small nibble to her bottom lip and I broke the kiss. Ava continued to peck the corners of my mouth. I allowed her to explore and loosened my grip on her hair. I had no doubt her desire would be pooling in her panties.

  The thought of her pussy getting wet from my kiss was heady. My cock was throbbing in my jeans. One more brush of my cock against her hip would have me exploding in my pants. I couldn’t wait to have her naked and spread out before me, mine to touch, to lick, and own.

  Soon.

  The first crack in her fortress had been made. I needed this first chip to be deep and lasting. Strategically placed for maximum impact. As badly as I needed her, she wasn’t ready. I had already taken advantage of the stressful situation, any further than this and I would never forgive myself.

  The loud shrill of my phone broke the moment. Normally, my phone was on vibrate, but, in light of the situation, I couldn’t afford to miss a call.

  Ava pulled back and opened her eyes. I was worried I’d see regret. She smiled at me and I was elated to see the gleam in her eyes. Her hair was beautifully tousled and her lips were swollen and red. My heart swelled and I beat back the urge to pound on my chest like a Neanderthal. I caused that. I mussed up my woman and reddened her lips.

  “Go. You better get that. It could be important,” Ava suggested.

  With one last peck on her lips, I reluctantly let her go and went in search of the still ringing phone.

  “Reid,” I clipped.

  It was Roni. “Hey, boss, Sally Levenson from the medical examiner’s office called. She said it was urgent. I also wanted to update you. Rick and Austin are on their way back to the city and the cleaners are en route to the garbage dump. Rick took phone one, Austin took two, and I have four,” she informed me.

  She was damn efficient and, not for the first time today, I was thankful to have her.

  “Shit, I forgot about Sally. I’ll call her back. Thanks for the update. Can you please ask Austin to go to the café and pick up the deposit? He knows what bank to drop it at. Any issues taking out the trash?”

  “Nope. Everything is five by five, boss man. I’ll let Austin know. Speaking of Ava, how’s your woman holding up?” Roni’s nosiness knew no bounds. She might be asking under the pretense of concern, but I knew her. What she was really asking was had I made any progress with Ava this evening. She wanted the intel before anyone else.

  “Everything is five by five,” I threw her own words back at her. “I better call Sally. If she’s calling me after hours, it must be important.”

  “Right. Have a good night,” Roni drew out the last word in a singsong voice. The call disconnected and I shook my head. Nosy broad.

  I could feel her before I could see her. The invisible tether that had always tied me to her was even stronger now. Clichéd? Yes. Made me sound like a pansy-assed-pussy? Probably. Did I give two shits? Fuck no.

  “I have to make one more phone call. Pick out a movie and we’ll watch it when I’m done.”

  Her hand on my back alleviated any fear I had about her regretting our kiss. The soft touch was reassuring and comforting. I loved that she was freely touching me.

  “Is everything ok?” she asked.

  I turned to pull her into me, bending down to gently touch my lips to hers. A soft peck on her lips was all that I could allow. My need to take her was great and my control was holding on by the thinnest of threads.

  “Yea, sweetheart, everything is fine. I have to call the coroner back about a case. No worries, though.” I gave her one more peck and pulled back. I wanted to gauge her reaction to our newfound closeness.

  “Alright, go make your call. I’ll wait to start the movie.” She made no move to pull away from me. “Are you okay?” She tilted her head to the side and studied me.

  “I am more than fine. I am fucking fantastic. How are you?” I asked.

  She closed her eyes and breathed in deep. After a long exhale, she answered. “I am more than fine, too. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure exactly what is happening here. I’m a little scared and a whole lot nervous. I’m not real good with people and reading between the lines.”

  The message alert on my phone beeped, breaking the moment once again. Fucking phone.

  “Go. Handle your business. I’m fine, I promise.” She pulled away from me and wrapped her arms around her middle.

  That bothered me, I didn’t want Ava in a protective posture. I unwrapped her arms and held both hands.

  “We’ll finish this conversation after I make my call. Everything will be fine. We’ll take it one step at a time. Nice and slow. The only thing I want you to promise me is that you won’t run. If you get scared, we talk about it.”

  “Okay, I can do that.”

  I pulled the phone out of my pocket and read the text:

  on my way to handle the deposit. Mac has your whereabouts. Trash is handled -A

  Perfect. One less thing for Ava to worry about. I knew she was putting on a front that she would be okay if she had to close the café for a few days. The rent on that place had to be a mint. The café was in an upscale area. It would be devastating for her if she had to shut down for any amount of time. I wouldn’t let that happen if I could help it. Her world was already turned upside down because of Jimmy Kelley. I’d be damned if she lost her business because of him, too.

  I dialed Sally’s personal cell phone. I doubted she would still be in her office.

  “Sally Levenson,” she answered.

  “Hey, Sally, it’s Reid. Sorry to call
so late, but Roni said it was urgent.”

  “Hey, thanks for calling. It’s been a day.” Sally exhaled loudly.

  “Don’t I know it. Whatcha got for me?”

  I grabbed a pen, and looked around for something to take notes on. A to-go menu caught my attention. That would have to do for now.

  “I’ve got a weird one for you. I’m sorry to bother you, but Mac’s not answering his cell. This one pushes weirdness to the nth degree.”

  That was weird. Mac always picked up when Sally called.

  “It’ll be hard for you to top the cloves, Doc.”

  “You’d think. But you’d be wrong,” she said with a sigh. “This guy was stabbed in the gut. It’s what killed him. But the freak who did it...I dunno...but he poured condensed milk into the wound.”

  I absentmindedly jotted down notes as she spoke. The fuck, condensed milk?

  “Condensed milk? Are you sure? Like the perp opened the wound and dumped milk into his stomach?”

  “I didn’t believe it myself. And at first, I thought it was just poured over the wound. But no. This whack job stabbed the victim, opened the wound, and funneled that shit into the body. I’ve never...I mean never, seen something like this. It’s beyond freaky. It’s Hannibal Lecter insane.” Sally sounded as perplexed as I was.

  “First, we have a body with cloves shoved down the throat, and now this? Do you think we could have a serial killer on our hands?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m scared. Serial killers are methodical. Practiced. They have rituals. There’s nothing really similar between that addict and this guy. The girl was strangled, then stabbed. This guy took a knife to the gut. It could be? But it’s not typical.”

  “Remind me again, the cloves were placed in her throat postmortem correct?”

  “No. She was alive. She breathed them in sometime before death. This guy was most definitely dead...or dying. There’s no way to tell,” Sally corrected me.

  Something was wrong here. I underlined the words, cloves and condensed milk. I needed to remember to have Austin run another search.

  “So, other than both victims having some sort of food placed in the body right before they died, or as they were dying, we don’t have any other connection. I gotta tell you, Doc, that is one hell of a coincidence. I don’t like this. When do you think you’ll have your report ready?” This wasn’t a coincidence, but I didn’t want to freak the doctor out any more than she already was. For now, I would keep my opinions to myself. Besides, it was best I talked to Mac before I made too many assumptions.

  “I’ll finish it up tonight and shoot it to you and Mac. I agree, it’s weird. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Call me if you need me. I might not answer right away. I’ve got plans this weekend, but if you need me, just shoot me a message.”

  “I appreciate the heads up. Plans, eh? Wouldn’t happen to be with Derek from the cafe?” I taunted her.

  That reminded me, Austin said he’d run that check on Derek Lemar. He came back spotless. No priors, independently wealthy, it seemed he was well respected in his circle. He also supported the arts which I knew was a big deal for Sally.

  From the very first case she worked for us, Mac and I both took an immediate liking to her. A few years back, I’d thought Mac was going to ask Sally out. Then, in a passing conversation, Sally mentioned her husband had passed away. I watched Mac’s eyes cloud over in pain, and much like he did with Ava, he now religiously watched over Sally.

  There was one issue that Austin said he wanted me to look at and had emailed me a dossier on Derek. Now that it sounded like Sally would be spending more time with Derek, I would have to look back over that email. I should’ve felt bad for prying into her life, only I didn’t. When Sally was in her role of ME, she was commanding and competent. But, when Sally was just Sally the woman, she was shy and reserved. It was a shame, the woman had no clue how beautiful she was.

  “Ha! Don’t be prying into my life. Not unless you want me asking you about that waitress you had your eyes on,” she ribbed me back.

  So, Sally did catch me staring at Ava’s ass yesterday at the café.

  “Touché. Have a good evening, Doc. Enjoy your weekend.”

  “You too, Reid. Goodnight.”

  I quickly disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the kitchen table. Clove buds in the Jane Doe’s throat? Condensed milk, in vic number two’s gut? Something told me that this shit was going to get worse. Doc wasn’t lying, this was creepy as fuck. As perplexed as I was about the dead girl in the alley, I was eager to get back to Ava. I scribbled a few more things I wanted to remember on the menu and left it on the counter. I would worry about cloves and milk tomorrow.

  Tonight, I wanted to concentrate on Ava, and Ava only. I was still reeling from our kiss. I wanted more of those. I was desperate to touch her again, feel her soft body pressed against mine. I wanted to hear more soft moans as she lost herself in our desire.

  I found her curled up on the couch with a far-away look in her eyes.

  “A penny for your thoughts?” I inquired.

  “Crap, you scared me. I didn’t hear you end your call. Everything okay?” she answered.

  It didn’t escape my notice she had changed the conversation to me.

  “Nothing that can’t wait a few days. Did you pick out a movie?”

  I didn’t want to push her to talk, but I wouldn’t allow her to curl into herself and try to close me out.

  I sat in the corner of the couch and pulled her close to me, forcing her to stretch out her legs. I wanted her close. I wanted to touch her as much as possible. If I wanted to have any chances of breaking down her walls I couldn’t allow her to go into her own head.

  She rested her head on my shoulder and relaxed into me. We sat there in silence so long I thought she had fallen asleep.

  “Tell me about the Army?” she asked.

  That was the last thing on earth I thought she’d ask about. In all the years I had known her, she had never asked me a single personal question. I doubt she even knew I had a brother.

  “Not much to tell, really. I started out as infantry, got recruited into a scout unit my second year in. When it was time to re-enlist, I changed my MOS to human intel. I served eight more years and got out.”

  There was no reason to bore her with all the details. I didn’t want to fill her head with all that I had seen during my deployments. Hell, I didn’t want most of the memories in my head either.

  “Tell me about your bracelet?” she whispered.

  My body stiffened and my breathing picked up before I could stop myself. Peters. He died saving my life. He should be here, with his wife and son.

  “Another time,” I answered.

  “Sorry, that was rude. I shouldn’t have asked. I just realized today at your office I don’t know anything about your past. I’m sorry I have been such a selfish bitch. I’ve been walking around like an ostrich these last five years.” She paused and took a deep breath. “But I want to know. I want to know everything about you. You already know everything about me. I think…I think I’m ready.”

  She was ready. Thank fuck! It was time for me to open up to her just a bit.

  “Peters. That’s who this bracelet is in memory of. I promise to tell you the story another time. But he died saving my life. I was injured in a firefight, he rushed out from behind cover to pull me to safety. When he did a sniper…a sniper…he was killed.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to say the words ‘head shot’. Peters was shot in the head while trying to pull me to safety. It is amazing what your mind will protect you from remembering. For years and years, I had wished I could remember the moment Peters died. I thought if I couldn’t remember that moment then I wasn’t honoring him or he would be forgotten. When my nightmares started, bits and pieces slowly came back.

  Then I wanted nothing more than to forget the memories of my best friend’s head exploding in front of me. Brain matter hitting me in the face, me covered in his bloo
d. All because he wanted to save my sorry ass. His son was an orphan because of me.

  “I’m sorry, Reid. Thank you for sharing him with me, and with JJ. He thinks your bracelet is real special. Thank you for that, for showing him what a hero is.”

  I was a little choked up and at a loss for words, which was a first for me. I didn’t know what to say to that.

  “I don’t say it enough, but you have to know I appreciate you and everything you do for me and JJ. I couldn’t ask for a better role model, you and Mac both. I know how much he loves you.”

  “I love him too, Ava. I would do anything for him.”

  “I know you do, Reid.”

  The phone rang again. Someone better have cut off a Goddamn arm. Or they’d better be bleeding, at least. The fucking interruptions were killing me! Every time Ava started to open up, the phone ruined the moment.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I have to get that.”

  She shifted her weight so I could stand and I instantly missed her soft body tucked into me. I was going to kill whoever was calling.

  I snatched the phone off the table and brought it to my ear.

  “What?” I growled.

  “Fuck, Reid! We have major problems. Suzie’s down, she’s barely breathing. I have a bus on the way. Michael has been notified and is on his way,” Austin said, out of breath.

  “The fuck?” I roared. “Where?”

  “Del Mar’s. I came in to get the deposit. The door was locked but, the alarm wasn’t set. No sign of a struggle in the dining room, kitchen is clean too. Ava’s office is a mess. Suzie fought like hell. She’s beat to a bloody pulp. Money was still in the deposit envelope on the desk, with more cash on the desk. This wasn’t a robbery. Rick is on his way to you to sit with Ava. You’re needed here.”

  “Motherfucker! Shit. Okay, ETA on Rick? Has Mac been notified?” I asked.

  “Five minutes, tops, on Rick. No, I thought you’d better call Mac,” Austin answered.

  “I got Mac. Out.”

  “What happened? Who’s hurt?” Ava asked.