“So, Morales was working with Roy?”
“Looks that way. From what we’ve uncovered Morales was working with Roy back when he was investment banker, helped him cover up some illegal business practices. Covered his tracks pretty well, but he’d gotten sloppy lately, especially since any money Roy had been bringing in dried up. Desperation makes people fuck up.”
“Why would Morales have taken me if he wasn’t getting paid?” I asked, confused.
He shrugged. “We’re not sure. He could have been promised a big pay out. Likely Roy would have just taken him out.”
“Jesus.” I muttered. “What a mess.”
“There is some good news in all of this,” he replied, stroking his fingers over my shoulder. “We got a solid shot at Morales. Brought him to headquarters. We know where he was meeting Roy. Theo and Sid are headed up that way now.”
“That is good news,” I agreed, more than ready for this ordeal to be over with.
“The other good news,” he continued, and I could hear the grin in his voice, “is that I have the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, warm and wet and pressed against me. I think this whole bath thing has grown on me.”
I grinned from ear to ear.
“But”—his voice was a low rasp— “I’m working toward what happens after the bath.” He pressed himself into my backside, making his intentions clear.
And with that, the bath was over. But our afternoon was just beginning.
****
It was early evening when Travis’s phone rang. We were lounging in bed, too sated to move after hours of nothing but making love. It had been the most perfect day despite the circumstances that had kept us indoors.
“Yeah?” Travis answered as I lay against his chest, his fingers weaving through my curls. He listened intently, his fingers pausing as he tensed slightly. “Well, shit. Can’t say I’m surprised. Let me talk to Em, and I’ll get back with you. Give me five. Yep.” He ended the call with a deep sigh, tipping his chin down toward me. “How much luck have you had over the years reasoning with Mabel?”
I snorted. “Reason and May don’t go together. Why?”
He groaned. “I thought as much. She just arrived back at her place. Sid was there—we’ve had a man posted there every day, since we weren’t sure exactly when she’d be back. She’s refusing to leave. I believe the words she used were, ‘no one can tell me I can’t sleep under my own roof, even a hot as hell muscle head.’”
“Muscle head?” I stifled an incredulous laugh.
“Hot as hell muscle head,” he amended dryly. “She doesn’t know the details, just that her place was broken into. I think we should head over there and talk to her.”
“Okay,” I agreed, sitting up and stretching stiff muscles. “We can do our best, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
His hand stroked my naked back reverently. “Damn, I wish we could stay in bed.”
I turned to offer a contented smile. “Me too. It’s been a great day.”
“The very best,” he agreed as we both rose from bed and headed for the shower.
“We should stop and pick up her favorite Chinese on the way,” I suggested with a sigh. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to be easy.”
If I’d known how right I was, I would have made Trav stop for something with a bit more firepower than Chinese.
Like whiskey.
