Sedona Suspect Read online

  I chuckled and headed for a barstool. “Sloan offered to buy me a beer so I came right over.”

  She grabbed a mug from the cooler. “Blue Moon?”

  “Let’s shake things up today. How about…” I eyed the taps behind the bar. “Howlin’ Hefeweizen?”

  She pulled the tap. “Good choice.” She put the mug in front of me with an empathetic smile I’d seen too many times since Deacon passed away. “How are you holding up?”

  She was referring to losing my brother. She didn’t even know about Natasha. I’d only told Vance about my mate.

  I shrugged, taking a swallow of the beer. “I’m still standing.”

  The door opened behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Miller Sloan enter the bar. He sat beside me and shook my hand. It seemed odd not to clasp forearms with a fellow wolf, but Sloan wasn’t a member of our pack—or any pack—so he didn’t use the traditional pack greeting.

  “Good to see you.” He nodded to Madison. “I’ll have whatever he’s having.”

  “You got it,” she said as she went to the tap.

  He studied my face for a long moment before he finally said, “It sucks out part of your soul to lose your twin brother.”

  I stared at my glass. “I was hoping we were here to talk about the judge situation, not poke at fresh wounds.”

  Madison delivered his beer. “I’ll be in the back if you need me.”

  “Thanks.” He took a drink of his beer and met my eyes. “The court has accepted the judge’s resignation and wishes him well for his treatments. I’ve been monitoring his e-mail, but so far nothing from the senator. We’re in the clear for now, but I’m going to need to get to Washington, DC, soon.”

  “You can’t kill the senator. People would expect a public statement. We wouldn’t be able to cover it up like with the judge.”

  He nodded. “That’s why I’m going to bring Jett.”

  “Does Jett know?” I took another swallow.

  “Not yet.” He ran his finger along the condensation on the glass.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Is that why we’re here? Do you think I have an in with Jett?”

  “No.” He looked at me. “I was actually hoping you could persuade Natasha to join me on the trip, too. We lost most of the files regarding Severino’s contacts in the fire, but Natasha has met some of them through her work as Severino’s assistant. I thought she might be able to point some out to me. I’ve sent two e-mails, but she hasn’t answered.”

  “Sorry.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I don’t know where she is.”

  “She left?” He looked surprised.

  I nodded, the bitterness tying a knot in my gut. “This was her chance to start over, so she took it.”

  “Wow.” He rubbed his chin. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”

  I raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve known her for over twenty years. She always seemed focused on the next mission. I thought—”

  “That she enjoyed being an assassin? That killing for money was her dream?” I shook my head. “She was groomed for that life. She wasn’t given a choice.”

  He raised a brow. “You were close.”

  “Close enough.” I was regretting this beer already.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I never found my mate, either.” He released me and shrugged. “It’s not the end of the world.”

  I clenched my jaw, biting back the words. Finding your mate and then letting her go felt like the end of the fucking world.

  Sloan finished his beer. “If you hear from her, would you pass on my number? I can take her to a couple of events in DC and see if she recognizes any of Severino’s contacts.”

  If I heard from her, I sure as hell wasn’t going to pass on any messages for Sloan, but I nodded. “Will do.”

  Sloan got up, but I caught his arm. “Tell me something before you go.”

  “Sure.”

  “Have you given up on your mate? Do you think she married someone else and moved on?”

  He paused, his gaze going distant before he shook his head. “I don’t know if she’s still out there, but I try not to think about it. The wolf keeps searching, even though the man would rather move on.”

  I nodded slowly and met his eyes. “I hope you find her.”

  And I meant it.

  Although I’d only had Natasha in my arms for a short time, it was worth every second. She walked into my life right when I needed her most.

  Now I just needed her to walk back in.

  CHAPTER 23

  Natasha

  I propped my head on my elbow, eyeing the paint chips and carpet samples spread across the card table in the dining room. Just one more module to go and I’d have my certificate from the Interior Design Institute’s online program. I’d spent the last month setting up new bank accounts in my new name, moving into my first apartment in Mesa, Arizona, and starting interior design classes online.

  In spite of all that, it wasn’t enough to distract me from thinking about Dex. When I’d walked out of that hotel room, I’d been cavalier about taking six months to carve out a life for myself. Obviously, I’d never been in love before because even one month without seeing him or feeling his touch had seemed like a lifetime.

  But I hadn’t called him. I knew if I heard his voice, I’d be on my way to Sedona before I ended the call. I glanced over at the little plaque with the Pride and Prejudice quote, and a smile crept up on me. My life had changed radically in the past few weeks, but I was enjoying getting to know myself without a gun. I hadn’t even done any target practice.

  But this new life was about to get complicated. Tomorrow night was the new moon. Since I’d shifted up on Lookout Mountain last month, I was planning on using the location again, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. Shifts were stressful enough without worrying that a human might cross my path.

  My phone rang, and I almost shot out of my chair. I could count on one hand the people who had the number to this burner phone, and one was Dex. I grabbed it, and my heart sank when I saw Vance’s name on the screen.

  “Hey, Vance. What’s up?”

  “Hi. Glad you’re still with us.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not dead, just have a new identity. Is everything okay?” I pressed my lips closed before I could ask about Dex.

  “Yeah, just calling to see if you want to come shift at the ranch here with me and Chandler tomorrow night.”

  Did I hear him right? I pinched my brows together. “With your pack?”

  I could hear the smile in his voice. “Only two of us are jaguars, but if you’re really asking if Asher is on board with my idea, you should know Asher was the one who suggested it.”

  Okay, that did something to me. Had I expected them to be angry with me for leaving Dex? Apparently, I must have. “I’d like that.”

  He was quiet for a minute. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “I think between me and the general, your name is cleared. In case that’s what’s been keeping you away.”

  “Thanks, Vance.” I started to say goodbye and stopped myself. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  I tapped my fingertips on the table. “When Kaya told you her wolf recognized you as her mate…how did you make the transition to the pack? We’re loners, you know?”

  “It’s been a team effort.” He chuckled. “She sees the best in me, and I like seeing my reflection in her eyes. She makes me a better man, the guy I want to be.” He paused and added, “I killed Gil and Ray. The assassin Nero trained is still inside me, but now I only let him out when it’s to protect people I love. That’s an important part of the transformation.”

  I thought about that for a second. “When General Sloan brought the judge to the storage unit, we had the waterboarding station ready with a car battery on the side in case he needed added incentive to talk, but…I don’t think I could’ve gone through with it.”

  “So the deprogr
amming has already started.” His Aussie accent was thick. A bell rang in the background. “I’ve got a customer. I better run.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Come shift with us.”

  “Talk to you soon, Vance.”

  I ended the call and looked over at the plaque. If I went to the ranch to shift, would Dex be there? Should I ask him to be? I had his number in the phone, but I hadn’t trusted myself to use it. He hadn’t called me, either. Probably for the same reason.

  And in a weird way, it made me love him even more. He was giving me the space I asked for, even though it was more than likely making his wolf punchy. I took my phone over to the bed and sat on the edge, staring at the screen.

  I opened the contacts, and my finger hovered over Dex’s name. I still didn’t have any new non-killing job experience for a résumé, I had one more module to complete my interior design certificate, and I hadn’t bought any of my own furniture yet other than the card table and chairs and an air mattress.

  But I had gotten the new bank accounts set up and found an apartment all on my own. I also hadn’t reached out to the other jaguar shifters at the satellite facility in search of any contracts for a hit. I’d made progress.

  And I missed him.

  I pressed his name.

  CHAPTER 24

  Dex

  I looked over at Gage. “Hold it steady.”

  “Doing the best I can,” he answered with a grunt as he propped up the frame for the wall.

  I lined up the steel bracket and drilled it into place. “All right. You can let go.”

  Gage had really stepped up since I’d lost Deacon, and I made sure to tell him how much I appreciated him as often as I could. We both took a few steps back, eyeing our work.

  “Think we can get one more side fastened before we call it a day?” Gage asked.

  I chuckled. “You’re the muscle here. It’s up to you.”

  He grinned. “What’s that make you?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” I raised a brow. “The good-looking one.”

  “Fuck you.” He laughed, bumping me with his shoulder as he bent down to pick up the other frame.

  I was fastening the next bracket when my phone started ringing in my pocket. I finished the next screw before I dug my phone out. When I saw the name on my screen, I almost dropped my drill.

  “Tash? Is everything okay?”

  Please don’t let this be a dream.

  I hadn’t slept well since the night she’d left so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. I held my breath waiting for a response.

  “It’s good to hear your voice.”

  It was fucking heaven to hear hers. “I’ve missed you.” I stuffed the cordless drill into my tool belt and walked back toward my truck.

  “I’ve missed you, too. So much.”

  I leaned against the tailgate and closed my eyes, imagining she was standing right in front of me. “Did you find an apartment?”

  “Yeah. I’m almost done with an online Interior Design Institute course, too.”

  I opened my eyes as a smile tugged at my lips. “You’ve been busy.”

  “I had to be to stop myself from running back to Sedona.”

  My heart was going to fucking explode, but I tried to keep it flirty instead of pouring out my emotions over the phone. “I’d be okay with that.”

  Her voice softened. “Vance called to invite me to shift at the ranch tomorrow night.”

  I owed Vance a beer. A case of beer. Maybe two cases.

  She went on before I could respond. “I wondered if maybe we could meet up for lunch or something?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, but something in my gut knotted up. “Wait a sec.” I stared at the Red Rocks in the distance. “If your plan is to come out for a visit and then leave again, I—” Fuck, I wanted to see her even if it was just for a minute. It was the leaving that would tear me up. I cleared my throat and forced the words out. “But if you’re leaving again, I…I don’t know if I’m up for that.”

  She was quiet and finally said, “If I come out there tomorrow, I don’t think I could turn around and go again. That’s why I called. I… Would you…want me to come back?”

  “Yes.” I laughed, pinching the bridge of my nose to keep from blubbering. “In a heartbeat.” I sobered and swallowed the lump in my throat. “If you’re asking me if I stopped loving you, the answer is never. My arms are open whenever you’re ready.”

  Her voice wobbled. “I think I’m ready.”

  “Come home, Tash.”

  “I’ve never had a home before,” she whispered.

  I closed my eyes. “I built it for you ten years ago.”

  She sniffled. “I love you, Dex.”

  The call ended, and I wiped my nose. I turned around and went back to the jobsite. Gage straightened as I approached. “Everything okay?”

  “It’s going to be.” I picked up the next bracket. “Let’s get this done. I need to get out of here.”

  I got home and took a shower. I even shaved. Natasha was coming home tomorrow. I called my client and let them know we’d be back on the jobsite Monday. I needed tomorrow off.

  After pulling on a pair of gray sweatpants and skipping a shirt, I wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I was hungry, but nothing looked good. Maybe I’d just order a pizza.

  I took out my phone as the doorbell rang. I frowned and set my cell on the countertop as I went to the door. Each step closer confused me more. I swore I could smell Natasha’s scent. I opened the door, and there she was in a pair of black jeans and a blue tank, her hair back in a French braid. She was a damned vision.

  Her gaze wandered up my body. She raised a brow, shaking her head. “You’re all healed up.”

  I resisted the urge to flex. Barely. “Get your ass in here.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her into my arms, carrying her into the house and kicking the door closed behind us.

  She laughed as I kissed her over and over. God, I’d forgotten how amazing she tasted. I carried her to the couch and sat down. She straddled my lap, her fingers tangling in the back of my wet hair. I broke the kiss and stared into her eyes. “I thought you were coming out tomorrow.”

  “I couldn’t wait that long.”

  “Good.” I chuckled and kissed her again, and cupped her face in my hand. She was so damned beautiful. I lost myself in her eyes. “Welcome home.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

  “I’m just glad you’re here now.” I stood up, and carried her out of the room. “Just so you know, I’m never letting you go again.”

  She nuzzled into my neck, teasing my skin with her teeth as she whispered, “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “Deal.” I walked into the spare room and set her feet down on the cold concrete floor.

  She looked around at the drywall and the wires poking out of the wall sockets and the ceiling. She frowned. “What happened in here?”

  I shrugged, hoping this wasn’t the dumbest idea I’d ever had. “I needed to channel my energy while I was missing you so I tore everything out of this room in case you ever wanted to turn it into your office.”

  Her eyes shone, and the smile on her face told me I’d made the right decision. She rose on her toes to kiss me. “I’ve got to run out to the car. I’ll be right back.”

  She hustled out of the office, and I adjusted the bulge in my sweats. After Vance arranged for the judge to drop the charges against her, he had picked up her Lexus and returned it to her.

  I walked out to the entry as she came back in with a project board in hand.

  She held it up with a sheepish smile. “I brought this with me because I haven’t had anyone to share this with yet.”

  I grinned. “I’m glad you wanted to share it with me.”

  Her eyes sparkled and my heart pounded in answer as she held it up for me. “I had to practice for my design modules, and I kept picturing this house.”

  I studied her paint a
nd carpet samples and smiled. When it came to colors, I was pretty conservative, but her choices were bold and warm all at once. It was a reflection of her.

  It was perfect.

  “I love it.”

  “Really?” She beamed as she laid it on the counter, and I realized the assassin facade had fallen away. This was the real Natasha, the woman she’d been forced to repress for most of her life.

  And she’d allowed me to see her.

  It was like her smile put all the broken pieces of me back together. I wanted to worship every inch of her. “Maybe you could redesign the master bedroom.”

  She raised her eyebrows with a sparkle in her eyes. “Maybe.”

  I scooped her up and carried her down the hallway, drinking in her laughter as I laid her on the bed. Her hands ran down my back. She gripped my ass and kissed my shoulder. “I need you naked.”

  “You’re overdressed, too,” I growled as I got up and pulled off my sweatpants.

  She took off her tank and wriggled out of her jeans and underwear. I slid them off her feet and tossed them behind me without taking my eyes off my beautiful, naked mate in my bed. She laughed, smiling up at me, and if I could freeze time, I would have. I crawled up her body, loving the feel of her soft skin against mine.

  I ran my hand down her side and along her thigh. “I’ve imagined this so many times since you left.”

  “Me too.” She dragged her fingers from my shoulder to my forearm until she grasped my wrist and brought my hand over to her core. “But in my head, your hand was here.”

  I spread her lips and dipped my finger into her, finding her wet already. I kissed her and whispered, “Then what?”

  She guided my hand until her breath caught. “Then you made me come until I couldn’t walk.”

  I smiled as I got started making her fantasy real. Our tongues tangled as I rubbed her faster, enjoying the way her hips writhed, making me ache to bury myself inside her. She was so fucking hot.

  Suddenly she rolled me over and straddled my waist. I raised a brow staring up at her. “I wasn’t finished.”

  She reached behind her, tracing her fingers up the length of my erection until my hips rocked, aching for her attention. “You didn’t tell me what you imagined.”