Move the Sun (Signal Bend #1)(22)

Finally, he cleared his throat with a grin of surrender and removed his hand. “Okay, you win. May I please come in? I need to talk to you about a couple of things.” She stepped back and let him in.

She turned to head to the kitchen and finally get her cup of coffee, but Isaac grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. His mouth was on hers before she had a chance to say anything. He fed his hands into her loose hair and held her head to his.

The kiss was deep, demanding, and . . . persuasive. Lilli gave into it for a few seconds, savoring his taste and the lush feel of his beard. Then she put her hands on his chest and pushed back. “Dude. That’s not talking.”

He growled and wiped his mouth, eyeing her thoughtfully. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.” With a grin, he added, “Didn’t seem to mind much.”

She rolled her eyes. “I think we’ve established the attraction. But that’s not why you said you were





here.” Now she finally made it to the kitchen. “Want a cup? Fresh brewed.”

“Thanks. But don’t put any crap in it. What you drink isn’t coffee. It’s practically dessert.” He leaned against the doorway of the galley kitchen.

She ignored his gibe and poured a cup for him, handing it to him hot and black. Hers, she fixed the way she liked it, creamy and sweet. Then she nodded to the little Formica dining table in the corner of the living room, and they sat down.

“So, what brings you lurking today?”

He grinned. “Lurking is such a sinister word. I prefer visiting.”

“Uh-huh. Why the visit, then?”

“Thought I’d update you on my progress solving the mystery that is you.” He already had her undivided attention, but her ears perked up a little more at that. He took a swallow of his coffee. “It’s good. Strong.”

She waited, and he leaned forward, putting his hand on the table alongside hers.

“My guy tells me that what’s between him and your info is military grade. The word he used was weaponized. Spent a long time poking at it, but he couldn’t get through. He was worried about keepin’ at it.

I told him to back off. So I doubt we’ll be poking at your story anymore. Not like that, anyway.”

Lilli nodded and waited. There wasn’t anything she had to say to that. She could tell him that backing off probably did save the club, and his hacker especially, a lot of grief, because eventually they would’ve tagged him. But she didn’t. She just waited for him to continue his move. She knew he wasn’t done. He wasn’t conceding, not this quickly. She sipped her coffee.

He ran his fingers lightly along her forearm. “Question I have for you is what’s the military—or the government, anyway—doing protecting the information of an unemployed chick living out here in the sticks? Gotta tell ya, Sport, that has me paying attention. I’m starting to think maybe your interests and mine are gonna complicate each other. I can’t have that.”

Lilli pushed her coffee cup aside and leaned toward him. They were nearly head to head. “That sounds on its way to a threat. Is that why you came today? To threaten me?”

He shook his head. “Just making sure all the pieces are on the board, baby. It’s my job to protect this town, these people. There are things about you that make you seem like a threat. Can you ease my mind about that?”

Okay, it was time to make a move of her own. “Isaac, I tell you truly, I don’t even know what it is you do that might make me a threat to you. I can tell you truly that I have no interest in your club. No professional interest, anyway. And I can tell you I’m no kind of cop. Don’t even like them. Really can’t stand them, in fact. From what I’ve seen, you’re more of a cop than I am. That’s the best I can do.”

For long seconds in which the silence was thick around them, Isaac regarded her, his eyes squinting slightly. Then he shook his head. “I don’t know why, but I’m inclined to believe you. I’m not happy about it, and I want you to understand what I mean when I say I will protect my people no matter what. But we’ll play a little longer, I think.”

Lilli finished her coffee and took their cups to the kitchen. She didn’t offer him a refill. Instead, she walked to the sliding door and opened it. “Well, thanks for the chat, Isaac. Have a great day.” He sat where he was for a few seconds, watching her, then languorously stood and strolled over.

He leaned down and pressed a soft, sensuous kiss to her lips. “I’ll see you soon, Sport.”





CHAPTER SIX


Isaac’s burner buzzed as he walked back to his bike. He yanked it out of his pocket and answered.

“Yeah!”

It was Showdown. “Holding our friend here, thought you might want to drop in.”

“On my way.” He ended the call and mounted his bike.

He was having a shit week. Mountains of uncertainty and risk rising up out of f*cking nowhere all of a sudden. He felt deeply conflicted about Lilli, and he was going out on a limb for reasons he couldn’t explain. He needed to get inside his head some and understand whether he was making the right calls there.

But now he had to focus on the other trouble.

He was running point on a shipment into St. Louis today, so he would talk to Kenyon Berry, leader of the Underdawgs, the crew at the end of their pipeline. If the Northside Knights, whose interests had always been in crack, not crank, were making a run at the Missouri meth trade, Kenyon would know about it and have something to say.