Part 16 (2/2)

She shook her head. aI donat know Jeffas friends, but we should make sure to have the funeral director make us a copy of the guest sign-in list.a Roman nodded. aIall go take care of that now.a aHow are you holding up?a She lifted her head and smiled as Gabe moved in next to her and slid his hand in hers. aIam doing okay. Did I mention that you clean up nice?a Gabe looked so different, and yet not at all out of place in a dark suit, his hair combed back away from his face. She was so used to seeing him in a do-rag and tank top, with worn jeans and boots, his tattoos showing, that she almost couldnat accept him looking like a businessman.

aWhat? I can do suits.a She arched a brow. aYes, you certainly can. You look very handsome.a He leaned in and whispered in her ear. aMakes you want to leave Dante and run off with me on my bike, doesnat it?a His comment caught her by surprise, and she laughed, nearly out loud. aStop it, d.a.m.n you. Iam supposed to be solemn.a aBulls.h.i.+t,a Gabe said as Dante and Roman surrounded her. aJeff wouldnat have wanted our tears. Head have wanted us to laugh and celebrate his life.a aI agree with that,a Dante said. aAnd then head want us to kick the s.h.i.+t out of the son of a b.i.t.c.h who killed him.a Roman nodded. aAnd thatas our job, to make sure we catch the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who did this.a They were right. Jeff wouldnat have wanted them to be down and depressed. aWeall catch him. In the meantime, weall head out tonight and have a drink in Jeffas honor,a she said.

aAnd a roll of the dice at his favorite casino,a Gabe said.

Annaas lips curved. aJeff would have liked that. Iam game.a Despite the night starting out so badly, theyad had a great time at the casino, doing shots and shooting c.r.a.ps. By 2:00 a.m., though, Anna was yawning and barely able to keep her eyes open, so she and Dante left. Roman and Gabe decided to play on.

Normally alert on caffeine and adrenaline, Anna was appalled to realize shead fallen asleep on the way home. Having Dante in her life was making her lazy.

But it was also nice, she realized as she laid her head on his shoulder when they walked to the front door, to have someone to lean on at the end of a really hard day. He opened the front door, flipped on the lights and did the customary search of her house.

She yawned, though she woke herself enough to be alert for anything out of the ordinary. Everything in her house was secure, so she kicked off her shoes and fell onto her back on the center of the bed, letting her eyes drift shut.

aIam too tired to even get undressed.a aSo youare going to sleep like that? In the middle of the bed on top of the covers?a aThinking about it.a aI donat think so.a aIam immobile. Youall have to sleep on the couch.a aWanna bet?a aYeah. How much you got?a He grabbed her feet and started rubbing them, and she moaned.

aThatas not going to get me off this bed. If anything itall ensure Iall fall asleep faster.a Except he moved from her feet to her calves. She felt the press of his body on the bed as he straddled her, his hands sliding under her dress to caress her thighs.

She s.h.i.+vered.

aOh, thatas nice. But Iam still not moving.a He slid his hands higher, found her panties and drew them down her legs. All thoughts of sleep fled as her body came to life in a roar of desire, especially when he pressed a soft kiss to her inner thigh.

aIam pretty sure,a he murmured against her skin, athat I can get you to move.a She shuddered out a sigh. aGive it your best shot.a When he put his mouth on her, her hips shot up and she clenched the blanket, lifting against the heat and wet of his mouth. She could only think of the pleasure he gave her. He was the center of her universe right then.

Yeah, he made her move, all right, made her rock against him until she shattered so fast her head spun.

Then he was above her, his face so d.a.m.n beautiful she had to reach up and touch him, to a.s.sure herself he was real, that she hadnat fallen asleep and dreamed all this.

But when he kissed her, when his lips swept across her mouth and the velvet softness of his tongue rasped against hers, she knew it was real, that he was solid and hard and hot against her.

This was life and she intended to celebrate it tonight. After all the death surrounding her for the past weeks, she wanted nothing more than to feel utterly, completely alive.

Dante lifted her dress over her hips and slid inside her in one smooth movement that made her gasp, made her draw her knees up and plant her feet on the bed so she could rise to meet his thrusts.

They were silent, but they didnat need to speak. Their bodies did all the talking as they moved in unison, both of them knowing exactly what to do, what to say to each other. It was as if theyad been doing this forever, not as if this was only the second time theyad made love.

And when he gripped her hips and drove deep, she felt the hot stirrings of o.r.g.a.s.m once again and raked her nails down his arms, demanding he give her that release.

He stilled, smiled down at her and then lowered his body on hers, kissing her with an intensity that brought the climax she sought. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and rolled through the o.r.g.a.s.m, felt his body tighten and held him as he came, this time not afraid of the intimacy. Instead, she needed it, needed to feel close to him, to feel him shuddering against her as she did against him.

He stayed on top of her, his face buried in her neck as they breathed together. It was almost as if there was something he wanted to say, but hesitated.

She wondered what it was, because he rolled to his side and pulled her with him. She listened to the sound of his heartbeat, content to just be with him.

aI like being with you, Anna.a Somehow she didnat think thatas what head wanted to say.

She wondered what he really had on his mind.

Dante had lived a solitary existence for so many years that getting close to Anna had come as a shock.

Oh, sure, theyad been in love before, but that had been teenage love. And h.e.l.l, what had he known about it back then? Head had no example to learn from. He sure hadnat had much love and affection as a kid, no great parental guide of a loving couple to emulate. His time with George and Ellen had been short. Head grasped the concept of a loving family, but they hadnat been his from the start. He hadnat trusted in the permanence of it. And then head had to leave.

Life in the army and in Special Ops was all about working on his own. He hadnat put down roots, hadnat had time or opportunity to fall in love. His thoughts over the years had always come back to Anna, had always centered on her. He figured it had to do with the trauma shead gone through and how guilty he felt over leaving her after that night. He never thought it had to do with love. He didnat know love.

Now he wasnat so sure. Yeah, he felt protective, especially with a killer out there targeting all of them. She was vulnerable and he needed to make sure nothing happened to her.

But what would happen after the killer was caught? And what about now?

Making love to her was different than being with other women. He couldnat explain why. It was justadifferent.

G.o.d knows she wasnat easy. She was one of the hardest women he knew. She had issues. Lots of them.

So why, lying next to her like this, did it feel so d.a.m.n right?

And what the h.e.l.l was he going to do about it?

Eighteen.

aAha,a Anna said a couple days later as she reviewed the tox-screen reports on George and Jeff. aFirst, the packets found on George and Jeff were cocaine, which wasnat found in either of their systems.a aNo surprise there,a Dante said.

aAgreed,a she said. aBut the b.a.s.t.a.r.d did drug Jeff. Tox screen verified he had a high enough dose of morphine to knock him out fast.a She handed a copy of the report to Dante, who nodded. aHead have been unconscious in under a minute.a aYeah,a Roman said. aA lower dose and you party. A high one like the amount found in Jeff and you pa.s.s out fast.a Anna studied the report. aEasy enough to get if you know a dealer, or you can get some from a friend. But getting some from a friend usually means pills. This was injectible, not party. The M.E. found a puncture wound on Jeffas upper arm. Someone would have to know just how much to give him to render him unconscious so he could transport him to the alley and finish the job.a Dante grimaced. aSo he finished him off while he was out cold? Pansy-a.s.sed f.u.c.ker.a aIt looks that way,a Roman said. aIad like to get my hands on the son of a b.i.t.c.h, give him a taste of his own medicine.a Anna nodded. aMe, too. Who would do this? And what reward is he getting out of beating an unconscious man to death? Thereas no fight in him. It doesnat make sense. I donat understand his motivation.a aI donat think the killer has a motivation, or gets any pleasure from killing,a Dante said. aHe just wanted Jeff dead.a Anna closed her eyes for a brief second, mourning Jeff all over again.

aAt least now we have something. He used morphine in injectible form. We have a way of tracking him.a Roman stood. aIall do the legwork on that. Maybe my informants can tell me whoas out there selling it. Iall see if I can pull in some favors from some dealers and identify the guy who bought the s.h.i.+t.a Anna nodded. aMy guess is itas not someone buying in volume for resale. Probably a quant.i.ty larger than individual use, but smaller than a dealer would want. He doesnat need a lot of it. We also need to check local hospitals and see if thereave been any thefts of injectible morphine. It might not be a street thing.a aIam on it,a Roman said. aAlso, our guy Sam isnat squeaky-clean. Heas been arrested a couple times. Once for petty theft when he was eighteen. Another time a couple years ago for possession of marijuana.a aInteresting.a aProbation both times. Heas never done any time.a aSee, this is what happens when youare rich,a Dante said, focusing on Anna. aRemember what I told you at the Maclin house?a Anna nodded.

aWhat?a Roman asked.

Dante looked around. The precinct was busy today, but the other detectives were on the phone or buzzing around the squad room. aTrying to get her to give up the guilt about Tony Maclin. I told her if head have lived he might have walked.a Roman nodded. aLikely. Money buys good lawyers and a lot of freedom, unfortunately. Thatas why our boy Sam was sprung right after he called his lawyer.a She shrugged. aWe didnat have anything to hold him anyway.a aWe need to keep our eye on him. And on the alley,a Dante said. aTwo dead is enough.a aThe alley is under surveillance,a Anna said. aWeave installed surveillance equipment, plus have extra security driving through there on the hour, twenty-four hours a day. Our killer is going to have a hard time bringing anyone else there.a At least they had that much. Now they had to zero in on him and find him.

She took the report they got from Was.h.i.+ngton University and studied it. There were eight names on there that had gone to Tonyas school within the appropriate time frame.

Dante looked over her shoulder. aNow we need to narrow down that list and figure out which one of them could have been dealing drugs back then.a aI donat think weare going to get Samas cooperation.a Dante snorted. aNot likely. But I know someone who can help.a She tilted her head back to look at him. aWho?a aGabe.a aI donat see how Gabe can help.a Anna stood in the kitchen that night making a salad. Dante made up hamburger patties while they waited for Gabe to show up.

aGabe has connections we donat,a he said.

She laid the knife down on the cutting board and leaned her hip against the counter. aI thought you had all the connections I didnat have.a aGabe has all the illegal ones.a aAh. And you think he might be able to figure out what names on that list of medical students were involved with drug dealing?a Dante shrugged. aItas worth a try.a aYou also realize if Gabeas deeply tied to the mob itas likely he wonat tell you.a aMaybe he wonat. But when it comes to protecting the people he considers his family, he might throw us a bone.a She took the knife up again and started cutting. aAnd he might decide saving his own skin is worth more than family. Paolo Bertucci isnat someone you mess with. He has powerful connections.a aThen weall see how deep the brotherly bonds really go.a aI guess.a Dante knew Anna didnat understand the kind of ties head forged with his brothers all those years ago in the foster home. But it had gone deep, at least for Gabe and him, and head like to think for the other guys, too. He wished head stayed in touch with all of them, but especially Gabe.

He wondered if it wouldave made a difference in the life Gabe had chosen for himself.

He didnat fool himself into thinking he had that kind of influence on the choices people made or the roads they traveled. Gabe was who he was because head chosen it and was content. Nothing Dante did, whether head stayed in town or left, would have made any difference in Gabeas life.

The doorbell rang. aIall get it,a Dante said, ever mindful of the killer on the loose. One hand on the gun tucked into his pants, he looked out the peephole and saw Gabe. He opened the door and Gabe grinned back at him.

aChecking me out?a Gabe asked.

aYou know it.a aThen you should know Iam heavily armed,a Gabe said, sauntering in wearing loose-fitting dark cargos and a black sleeveless top, his hair covered up by an old, worn-backward St. Louis Cardinals ball cap. Even Dante had to admit the guy put out the vibes of a total bada.s.s. He was well muscled and looked like someone you didnat want to f.u.c.k with.

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