I Belong to You (Inside Out #5)(19)

“One minute you want to f*ck me. The next—”

“I always want to f*ck you. I just want to do it my way. With your pleasure at my mercy. Your hands tied up. Your legs tied up. Your clit on my tongue.”

“Stop.”

“Why? Am I making you wet?”

I glare, my only defense against an answer I’m not going to give him.

“I’ll find out myself,” he says, dragging my hemline upward before I know his intent.

I grab his hand and my skirt. “Don’t even think about it.”

“We’re both thinking about it.”

His cell phone rings and he stiffens, drawing a deep breath before his hands fall away from me and he steps back a good foot. He pulls out a phone I haven’t seen before and quickly answers, “Give me a minute.” He covers the receiver. “I need to take this,” he informs me.

I manage a nod despite my reeling senses, but his energy has changed, and his eyes harden along with his voice as he adds, “Alone.”

The slap of the dismissal shakes me to the core, jolting me into a flicker of a memory of the past I never wanted to visit again. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the flashback. Mark Compton really is the apple. He’s stealing my control, to create his own.

I leave the room, pulling the door shut behind me. “The end,” I whisper. I will not let him play these games with me.

Mark . . .

I watch Crystal leave, and am cursing at the look on her face before she’s gone. Then I curse the damn disposable phone that chose the worst time to ring—when I should be glad that it stopped me from doing something we would both regret. I hadn’t meant to do what just happened, and that’s a problem. My plan to make her hate me won’t work if I can’t keep my damn hands off her.

Punching the Answer button, I say, “Give me good news.”

“Kilmer started the morning out with some devastating financial news that he spent all day trying to correct, but failed.”

“What happened to no names?”

“It leaves room for confusion, and I know you don’t like confusion. Trade out the phone. Text me the number and I’ll call you from another line.”

“Fine. What other news do you have for me?”

“There’s chatter about Ava in some of my circles.”

“What kind of chatter?”

“She was seen at a dive motel known to be popular with unsavory types, since they keep no records.”

“When? Where?”

“The day before yesterday. That’s all I know. I’m meeting the source tomorrow.”

“You don’t know if she’s still in Cali?”

“No.”

“Was she alone?” I ask.

“According to the information I was given, she was with a known mercenary.”

“A mercenary. By choice or as a prisoner?”

“My source wasn’t willing to disclose the information.”

“Let me guess,” I say through gritted teeth. “He wants money. Translation: You want money.”

“Another ten K.”

I’m irritated, but if Ava’s befriended a crazy killer, I need to know. “Ten K up front. Another five-K bonus when I get answers.”

“I can live with that arrangement.”

“I’m sure you can. I’ll transfer the money later tonight.”

“Then you’ll have answers tomorrow. This might be a good time to think about what you want me to do with Ava when I have her.”

“Find her. That’s what matters right now.” I end the call and tuck the disposable phone in my pocket to retrieve my regular cell, punching in Blake Walker’s number.

“I have a reliable lead that Ava is alive and well,” I say when he answers. “What have you heard?”

“From whom?” he asks, ignoring my question.

“I’m not willing to disclose that information.”

There’s a short pause. “You’re going after her on your own,” he says. It’s not a question. “You still want vengeance.”

“I’m keeping my ear to the ground to protect my family.”

“Then give me your contact’s info, and let me protect them for you.”

“I pay you to protect my family—and so does San Francisco law enforcement, since they’ve now contracted you as well. And I trust your people, Blake. But if your family could be in danger, would you wait for someone else to protect them?”

Considering he’d confessed to me his own vigilante quest to kill a man who’d murdered someone he loved, we both know the answer. A beat passes. Then two. “Just promise me you’ll give me a chance to act on anything you find out before you do.”

“I promise to be as transparent as you,” I say, making it clear that I’m aware he’s dodged my question about what he knows about Ava. “And you make sure your staff is vigilant about watching for unusual threats.”

“We were in airport security right after 9/11. We know how to look for the unusual. But I need an assurance that you won’t act—”

“Just do your job, Blake, and make sure Jacob pays special attention to Crystal Smith.”

“I’ll call him when we hang up.”