My Addiction (Club Desire #2)(59)
Dex thought back and then shook his head. “No. There were a few horrible Doms I met. Senator Balkins, for one, but I didn’t have a chance to talk to him other than saving Kate from a night with him. And you already know about Stanton.”
Tanner’s yawn sounded over the line again. “Balkins is still fine, as far as we know.”
Dex blew out a breath. Balkins was an ass, and there was a tiny bit of him that wouldn’t have minded if he had been on the main hit list. But the fact that he was still healthy might say something too.
“You sound like shit, Jason. Why don’t you get some sleep, and I’ll make my way home?”
“All right, Dex. Get back here as soon as you can. I have someone watching your place in Phoenix to make sure it’s secure. Why don’t you go straight to Club Desire, and I’ll meet you there?”
Dex shook his head, convinced he hadn’t heard correctly. Something else was going on here. “Jason?” He hadn’t meant it to come out as a question, but he did have lots of them he was hoping his boss could answer. “I’m fine with that, but why didn’t you ask me to meet you at the FBI office, downtown? It seems like there are a few puzzle pieces missing.”
“Sorry, Dex. We aren’t sure if you’ve been made or not, but just in case, we want to keep your FBI life and the rest of your life very separate while we sort this out. We can discuss it in detail when you get back.
“Wait until you get to Phoenix to let Miss Fretwell know you’re gone. Even then, be very sparing in the information you give beyond that you were called back to work on an urgent matter, and aren’t sure for how long.” Background noise drowned out Jason’s voice for a few long seconds, but Dex couldn’t make out what the sounds were.
“Sorry about that, Dex. Anyway, if you can be vague about the location of where you were recalled to, that might be a good idea as well. Until we figure out if you’re a direct target, and who is involved, it’s better not to invite trouble.”
Dex clenched his jaw. Even without all the details, he could understand the need for discretion, but he didn’t have to like it. After the night he and Kate had shared, such a cold goodbye would hurt her. He just hoped that once all of this was sorted out, she would forgive him.
He should be telling himself that until she was cleared of any wrongdoing, he shouldn’t even consider seeing her again. But deep down, he knew Kate had done nothing wrong. Now he had to prove it.
Because the thought of never seeing Kate again squeezed his chest and tightened his throat. That wasn’t an option, so he would just have to find a way forward.
Dex kept watch in his mirrors as he took side roads and then freeways, and made unexpected direction changes. He didn’t see anyone tailing him, and he needed gas for the long, unplanned drive to Phoenix. He pulled into the next gas station he came to and cut the engine. “Jason, both you and Shapiro have asked me some odd questions, and you have a protection detail on Kate. Have you found something new on her? Or is she in some kind of danger from last night? I need to know what we’re dealing with.”
His boss cleared his throat. “Some details that made the rounds were apparently those you only told Miss Fretwell.”
Suspicion snaked through him before a flash of anger filled his chest. “How the hell would anyone know if it was something I only told Kate?”
“We’ll talk when you get back here.”
Dex resisted the urge to slam his hands against the steering wheel as frustration tightened his chest and started a throb behind his eyes.
Chapter 18
Pinpricks of pain against her stomach and a plaintive yowl finally woke Kate. She slowly opened one eye and wished she hadn’t, as the midday sun poured in through the window and into her face.
After she had said goodbye to Dex this morning, she had forgotten to close the blinds before falling back into bed.
Her entire body was pleasantly sore and had that well-used feeling. But she could easily go back to sleep for another eight hours or so, if the exhaustion weighing her down was any indication.
Rusty continued to knead her stomach with his claws, reminding her he wanted attention. She needed to check his water and litter box before she moved on to other concerns. But first, she had to get out of bed.
Right now that task seemed as difficult as climbing Mount Everest. Dex had pushed her body to new heights of pleasure in several different ways over the last couple of days, and all of that hard-earned bliss had taken its toll. Although she could never regret it.
She slowly rolled over onto her side, a baby step toward getting out of bed, earning an annoyed yowl from Rusty.
Dex’s masculine scent teased her nose, and she couldn’t help the large smile that curved across her whisker-burned face. She reached up to touch the abraded skin, but that only brought another smile.
Memories of the last two days flooded back, and she buried her face against the sheets, breathing deeply to imprint as much of his smell on her mind as she could.
Rusty head-butted her shoulder, and she reached around him to hug and pet him. “I’m coming, buddy. I’m sorry.”
When she finally made it to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, she admitted she wouldn’t get far without a shower.
She fumbled for her phone on the nightstand, disappointed to see no messages from Dex but four emails from Merestone, and one from another client. She scanned them briefly and sighed at the full day of work ahead of her. She still had three projects from Merestone that she hadn’t finished this morning, although they had said she had until the end of tomorrow to complete those.