Walker (Bowen Boys, #1)(21)
He was just settling down in front of the television when there was a knock at the door. He got up to answer it, not even bothering to close up his robe. Whoever it was had come uninvited and he wasn’t going to make himself look good for intruders. It was Nestor.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve had to order my own food, and my clothes are getting wrinkled just laying in the suitcase. Get them fixed right now.”
The man looked ready to speak, but simply nodded and walked to the bedroom. When he was gone Conrad sat and waited, trying to think up things to berate the man for when he returned. His list was huge before Nestor came out of the room.
“You should also know that they haven’t a clue who I am here. What kind of orders did you give them when you made the arrangements for me to stay here? You did tell them who I was, didn’t you?”
“No. You haven’t made arrangements with the locals yet, and I wasn’t sure they’d welcome you with open arms if you didn’t speak to them beforehand.” Nestor didn’t even look at him as the door was knocked upon. “Your dinner is here now.”
Nestor tipped the young man after he’d set everything up. Conrad made a mental note to have Nestor around every time he had to tip someone so he wouldn’t have to spend his own money. Not that he didn’t have plenty of his own because keeping the vice president happy had some great perks, but he didn’t have to spend it all on this trip.
Nestor was moving toward the door again when Conrad cut into his well done steak. He thought he was simply showing the other man out when he realized that he’d gone out again. Shouting for him didn’t work and he was ready to get up and go after him when his own phone rang. He answered it without bothering to look at the caller ID.
“You there yet?” Jerry had taken the time to call, the bastard. “You should have called me the moment you landed and not had me call you. Do you know what it’s like to have to sit around waiting for information to come to you instead of going out and finding it?”
Conrad almost said that he was forever bringing him the information and not him going out and finding anything. But he pushed back his dinner and took several calming breaths. “I only just landed an hour ago and had to get to the hotel. There are things going on here that I’m still trying to sort through.” Namely, his disappearing aide, but didn’t tell Jerry that. “There was also the matter of me making arrangements with the local yokels so that they wouldn’t have a fit because I’m in their town unannounced.” He was glad that Nestor had given him that bit of information before leaving again.
“I suppose that would be the best course of action. Where is that cunt now anyway? Do you have any other information than what you had this morning?” He’d told him that he thought that she’d escaped somehow and that was why he was here in this town now.
“No. She might have been in the house like I said, but I’m not sure. She’s much too smart for her own good.” And his as well, Conrad thought. “I’m going to go to the locals in the morning and see what they have on the house, then go from there. For all I know, they might have found her body by now.”
“We won’t be that lucky. I don’t know why you hired her in the first place. Women have their place and it’s not in an upright position.” Jerry laughed at his own joke. “Find her. Then maybe I’ll have the chance to show her just what I think she should have done with that mouth of hers rather than speak out of turn.”
Conrad hung up after a few more minutes of getting his ass handed to him. Jerry was nothing but thorough when it came to blaming others for things that they may or may not have had anything to do with. Like hiring McCray. She’d been working for the CIA a lot longer than he had.
~~~
Walker watched her sleep. She was lovely to look at awake, but when she was sleeping as soundly as she was right now, she looked positively angelic. Which he was reasonably sure she wasn’t. He glanced back at the bags he’d opened after she’d lost consciousness. He found himself grinning again at that.
He’d never rendered a woman unconscious before. They’d been satisfied, yes, but not out cold like she was. He traced his finger down her neck to the bite he’d given her on her shoulder. He had a feeling that she’d be pissed enough to knock him unconsciousness before all was said and done.
They’d mated. And completely too. Once they’d exchanged blood, she was as much his as he was hers. And there would be no going back now, no matter how mad Khan would be. And he would be too. His parents, however, would be thrilled beyond words.
When Caitlynne stirred he watched her eyes flutter open and her face light in recognition. She didn’t move as her smile went from a frown to looking at him as if he’d committed some heinous act. When she started to sit up, she lay back down quickly and he reached for her wrist. He had a chance to feel that her pulse was strong if only a little fast before she jerked her hand away.
“What are you still doing here? I thought you would be gone when I woke up.”
He shook his head and started to tell her he didn’t have a way to get away even if he wanted to when she spoke again.
“I will make arrangements to replace you truck as soon as I get up. Don’t you have anywhere you’re supposed to be?”
“No, not right now.” He ran his fingers over the curve of her breast that the sheet wasn’t covering. “We could make love again if you want. I know that I would certainly like to. You’re very delicious.”