Off Limits(134)

Chapter 28





Kade





When Vince and I got back, Rita greeted me at the door with a flying hug, which I hadn’t gotten from her in ages. “Congratulations, you big goof!” she said, squeezing my neck so hard that I felt like my head was going to pop. “You sure move fast when you want to!”

“Ack, you’re choking the surgical patient,” I groaned in mock distress. She unwrapped her arms from my neck and plopped down, chagrined. “So I guess Alix told you.”

“Told her what?” Vince asked, carrying two bags. “By the way, we got your cheesecake.”

“Thanks babe. Set it on the counter in the kitchen, please?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Vince said, walking past.

I gave Rita a look, and she smiled back. Ma’am? I mouthed.

Rita nodded. “Alix and I talked.”

“Okay, later then,” I said. “Let’s enjoy some gourmet cheesecake, and you can fill me in on the progress.”

Inside, I found Alix relaxed and comfortable, if perhaps a little tipsy. “Hey babe, you should try this stuff Rita showed me. Shoo-hi.”

“Chu-hi, and I think you’ve had enough, sis,” Rita said. She picked up two empty cans and took them into the kitchen. “Had no idea you’d be a lightweight with this.”

“What? I’m just hungry, that’s all,” Alix said. “Really, Kade, I’m fine. I’m not good to drive, but I’m not drunk.”

“It’s okay,” I said, sitting down. “Just, let’s switch to water for the rest of the night. Okay, Princess?”

“Yes, Kade,” she said, her voice much more serious. “By the way, I asked Rita to be my maid of honor.”

“Okay, guess I know what you all are talking about,” Vince said as he came in from the kitchen. “Congratulations, you two.”

“We can talk about that later,” I said. “I really want to hear about what the progress is on finding Sydney.”

“Hold on,” Rita said, glancing at Vince before turning in her chair to her computer. The printer on top of the desk hummed to life, and seconds later a shipping invoice came out. “He ordered . . . shoes, of all things,” Rita said, handing me the printout after turning in her chair. “Some designer online shop or something.”

“That fits with his mindset,” Alix said. “He’s always had a bit of a thing for really clean, really high-fashion shoes. Let me guess, Italian sneakers?”

“Looks like it,” I said. “And he’s having it delivered to an address in Salinas. That’s up by Big Sur.”

“Big Sur,” Rita giggled, then grew sober. “Sorry, the chu-hi must have affected me too. I think we all need some food.”

“Salinas? Why would he choose there?” Vince asked.

Alix spoke up, all traces of her previous alcohol consumption gone. “He’s from Stockton, remember? Salinas is nearby, and it’s a bit run-down. There’s a lot of people that he could hide with, and he’d still be able to play the big fish in a small pond. Best of all for him is that Salinas tries to put itself forward as a sort of artsy or wine country place. He can go from one end to the other of the Salinas population, and as long as he stays out of people’s business he could keep doing that for a long damn time.”

“That may come to bite him in the ass,” Vince said with a feral grin. “He may know some people in Salinas, but so do I.”

“Come, let’s get some food, and we can talk plans,” I said. “Rita, do you have any real food, or are we just having cheesecake?”



* * *



Alix





After we’d all gone out for a bite to eat, Kade and I barely got back into the hotel room before he was all over me, kissing me and caressing my body through my jeans and blouse. I was delirious with arousal as his lips found my jawline and nibbled, sucking on my neck and sending ripples of desire and want through my body.

“My Princess,” Kade said, picking me up and carrying me through the main room into the bedroom. He tossed me down on the bed, the momentary free-fall both thrilling and arousing. He stared at me, his eyes glimmering in the lights from the harbor and the main room. “Strip.”

“Yes, Kade,” I said, reaching for my jeans and pushing them down.

“Only you have ever caused this much loss of control in me,” Kade whispered as he climbed on the bed, his hands resting on the curves of my ass. I shivered and pushed back, my whole consciousness focused on the feel of his hands on my sensitive skin.

“Turn over,” Kade said. He stretched out next to me, his body smooth and still lean. Even the glaring pink scar in the middle of his body was nothing more than a sign to me that he loved me. “Kade?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“Before we go to Salinas to stop Sydney, I want to stop somewhere with Rita. We chatted about it before you and Vince got back, and she thinks it’s a great idea. It’ll give time for you and Vince to coordinate with his friends as well.”

Kade thought about it and nodded. “As you wish. You’re not giving me details because you want it to be a surprise, right?”