SurpassingPleasures

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An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication





www.ellorascave.com

 


 


 

Surpassing Pleasures
 
ISBN 9781419922213
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Surpassing Pleasures Copyright © 2009 Anny Cook
 
Edited by Helen Woodall
Cover art by Syneca
 
Electronic book Publication July 2009
 
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
 
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
 
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.  (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
 
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.









Surpassing Pleasures

Anny Cook







Dedication

 
For every teacher who had a part in my life. Thank you from my heart.
 
 
 
Trademarks Acknowledgement
 
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Fiesta: Ford Motor Company
GPS: Thomas H. Calhoun
McDonald’s: McDonald’s Corporation
 







Chapter One

 
Zip knew it was going to be a bad week when she found a body in the ladies restroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t her first discovery of a body so she didn’t scream or do any of the other stereotypical sissy stuff but it did piss her off. No woman should have to deal with a dead person when it was that time of the month—unless it was somebody the woman had finished off herself.
The woman’s short blonde hair was mussed, sticking out in all directions. The knife protruding from her back was a pretty clear indicator that death wasn’t accidental. And the pool of blood surrounding her left little hope that she survived, so Zip elected to go for help.
She backed out into the hall, bumping into Sebastian Spade, her brother’s coworker.

“Zip?”

“Body in the restroom,” she blurted out. “Dead body.”
He tugged her out of the way, pressing her against the wall next to the door. “Don’t move.” He slipped his gun from his holster, opened the restroom door with his shoulder and peeked inside. Damn. It certainly looked like a body to him. Approaching the woman, he leaned down and checked for signs of life though experience told him the woman was gone. He blew out a quick breath, pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched his partner’s number on speed dial.

“Yeah?”

“Me. Your sister just found a body in the restroom.” Before Quill could ask any questions, Seb turned off the phone and went back in the hallway to join Zipporah. “Quill’s on his way. Do you need to sit down?”
She crossed her arms tightly over her chest to hide her trembling hands. “No. I’m okay until he gets here.” Her quick visit with her brother Quill at the local FBI office had turned out to be a bad idea. She thought about asking for her purse, still on the restroom floor where she’d dropped it, but decided that was a bad idea. Maybe Quill or Seb would be able to return it to her later.

Seb crouched next to her while they waited. “How about telling me what happened?”
She rubbed her arms with trembling hands. “I stopped in the restroom to brush my hair. It’s windy outside. A-and there she was on the floor.”
“Did you recognize her?”
Zip shook her head. “I didn’t see her face.”
He just nodded and straightened up as Quill rushed down the hall toward them.
After that, things went downhill fast. Zip spent the next few hours in the company of another of Quill’s team members while the crime scene was processed. Finally, her brother produced her bag and sprung her from the cold sterile office so he could take her to lunch. Ensconced in a back booth in a small restaurant not far from the office, Quill silently regarded his younger sister. Once their waitress brought them coffee, he asked, “What happened? I know you told everyone else your story but now I want you to tell me what you didn’t tell them.”
“She was one of us.”
Disturbed by her news, he dropped his head. “You’re sure?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Since you were the one who found her, I wasn’t permitted to enter the crime scene.” His wry answer almost disguised the chagrin he suffered at the slight. Almost. It had been a long two weeks for Quill and his exclusion from a crime scene was just one more item in a growing list of slights that threatened his job since the fiasco at Marshalwoods Tech.
“I see. What are you not telling me?” she asked.
“As of now, I’m on paid vacation until further notice. Someone up the line decided I would be less of an embarrassment if I wasn’t around for a while. Apparently it wasn’t very professional to allow myself to be drugged and bound to the very young woman I was investigating. Especially since we were half-naked.”
“Going home, Quill?”

“Seems that way.”

“Maybe I’ll come with you. I’m ready to spend some time with Momma and Pa.” She sipped her coffee with a sad meditative expression. “I have enough vacation time to last me through New Years. And things are slow at work. It would be nice to be home for Christmas.”
He nodded agreeably. “I thought you might feel that way. I cleared it with Seb for you to go home. If he needs to talk to you, he knows where to find you.”
Her dark eyes speared him with a clear look. “I don’t need a matchmaker, Quill.”
“No, you don’t. I imagine Seb can take care of his romancing on his own.”
Scowling at him, she stuck out her tongue. “So he can, big brother. So he can.”
“I figured. Do you want to ride with me or are you going to take your car?” Quill ripped a packet of sweetener open and dumped it in his coffee. “’Cause if you’re going with me, remember your bags have to go in the back of the truck.”
“No, I won’t be ready until tomorrow. I’ll drive down on my own.”
Quill watched her pour most of the little pitcher of cream in her coffee and shuddered. “Care for some coffee with your cream?”
“Oh be quiet. Just because you’re all manly and drink your coffee black, don’t mess with me. Why would one of us be in the Federal Building?” Her forehead wrinkled above her dark brows as she puzzled over the conundrum.
His eyebrows shot up. “Why were you in the building? She could have been visiting someone, the same as you. Or meeting with an agent. A better question would be what did she know that led someone to kill her?”
“Did the killer know what she was?”
“There’s a thought. Maybe. The other side certainly has more agents than our side. If Seb breaks down and gives me a name, I’ll ask Pa to check with his sources.”
She glanced up and smiled when she saw the man walking in the door. “Speaking of Seb…”
Quill looked back over his shoulder before sipping his coffee. A tall, bald black man stood at the cashier’s counter, gesturing toward their booth. “Good. He can sit with you. These booths aren’t big enough for two men our size to sit together.”
Sending him a look that promised retribution, she moved over next to the wall and dumped her purse on the table top. “Uh-huh. Here. You get to take care of my bag.”

Seb slid in next to her with a deep, relieved sigh. “I was hoping I picked the right restaurant. Do either of you know a woman named Mercedes MacLeish?”
“Mickey Mack?” Zip blurted out.
“Well, I guess that answers that question.” Seb was quiet while the waitress served their food. He ordered coffee and a burger and she went off to place his order. While Zip and Quill started on their lunch, he filled them in on what he knew. “Apparently she was supposed to meet with Greg Petrov. Greg told us she claimed to have information about the white slavery ring he’s working on.”
Quill grunted in acknowledgement. “If Mickey said she had information, then she had it. I wonder who knew that she was going to meet with Greg?”

Seb leaned back in the booth and stared at his odd partner as he brooded. “Is she another one of your strange little group who knows things but can’t explain how they know them?” he asked with a longsuffering expression. “You know, she just has a hunch that turns out to be correct?”

“Yep.” Quill chewed a mouthful of burger while he tried to remember who Mickey’s group manager was. He swallowed and pulled out his phone. After punching in a series of numbers he waited. “Pa? Who is Mickey Mack’s next of kin?” He sipped his coffee while he listened. “Uh-huh. Okay. Thanks, Pa.”
Their waitress delivered Seb’s lunch and refilled their coffee before slapping their check on the table. She stomped off, leaving the men to stare after her, mystified at her odd behavior.
With a snort, Zip laughed. “She made a pass at Quill and he ignored her.”
“She did?” Quill frowned at his sister, certain that she was teasing him.
“She did. You’re oblivious since you met that woman at Marshalwoods Tech. What was her name? Oh yeah. Unity.”
“Drop it.” Seb caught her eye as he sipped his coffee and shook his head before turning back to Quill. “What did your father say?”
Quill shrugged. “Pa’s listed as next of kin. I thought she was with another group. He says no. She transferred here from California about six years ago when her family died.”
Zip dipped a steak fry in the puddle of catsup on her plate and took a hearty bite. “If Mickey was watching someone, it was most likely someone at that halfway house she works for.”

Seb nodded. “I’ll pass that on to Greg. When are you going down to the country, Quill?”

“This afternoon. I need to talk to Greg before I go. Harry assigned me to follow up on a tip we received about young women disappearing down in our neck of the woods. No reason to hang around here. I’ll work on my house while I check things out, though Momma will no doubt have me hauling stuff out for Christmas. Why?”
“I was hoping for a ride. I need to talk to your father and my car’s in the shop. But I can’t leave until tomorrow. I have appointments this afternoon.”
Quill pointed at Zip. “She’ll be happy to bring you down. She’s not leaving until tomorrow anyway.”
Zip stuck her tongue out again at Quill. “Thanks for volunteering me, brother. Just remember that what goes around comes around.”
Sliding her a dark glance, Seb asked, “Is it a problem?”
“How are you going to get back home?”
“I’m sure I’ll work something out.” He leaned closer and muttered in her ear, “You might want to escape after a couple of days at home.”
“You can always dream,” she assured him. “In the meantime, when shall I show up at your place?”

Seb reluctantly took his PDA from his pocket and checked his schedule. “Is two o’clock too late?”
“No. I’ll be able to fit in my manicure. That will work just fine.” She pointed a thick steak fry at him. “Just be sure that you’re ready then. If we leave on time, we’ll be home for supper.”
“I’ll warn Momma,” Quill said as he picked up their check. When Seb would have protested, Quill merely met his eyes with a quirk of his brow and Seb subsided. Quill slid from the booth. “I’m going to take off. Seb, you’ll see that Zip gets back to her car?”

“Of course.”
Seb’s smooth reply didn’t fool Zip or Quill. There was never any chance of her getting away without discussing her discovery of the woman in the bathroom.
With a sigh, she settled back against the booth wall and waited for him to begin the questioning. To her surprise, he calmly finished his lunch, placed some worn bills from his wallet under the edge of his plate and stood up. While she was sliding across the booth, he snagged her bag from Quill’s side of the booth and handed it to her when she was standing. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she conceded.
“Then I’ll walk you to your car.”
Since her car was in the lot near his office, it was a fairly long walk but neither of them minded. There was no conversation other than the silent one that raged between their bodies. The cold wind that whipped at their heavy coats did nothing to cool down the heat that flared up every time his body brushed against hers.
The gathering darkness of late afternoon threw her parking spot at the far edge of the deserted lot into cool icy shadows. Seb walked around her car, carefully checking for anything out of place. Then taking her key from her, he started the car, switching on the heat. When she would have brushed past him to slide behind the steering wheel, he stopped her, blocking her way with his body as he bent his head to kiss her.
“Seb…”

“Shhh. I have to hold you.” He unbuttoned their coats, jerking the heavy fabric out of the way until they were plastered breast to chest, belly to belly as he pressed her back against her car. “I’ve waited long enough. Don’t even try to tell me that you don’t want me.”
Her protest faded to a whimper as the hard ridge of his cock rubbed against her soft mound, massaging her clit through the layers of warm fabric separating them. His mouth covered hers, smothering that whimper, stealing her cries as their lips and tongues dueled in the cold air.
Her fingers brushed his shirt buttons aside so that she could touch the smooth, dark skin that covered the rippling muscles beneath the soft fabric. She found his tiny, tight nipples and plucked at them as she desperately sucked at his tongue.
Their lips parted as they struggled for breath. He burrowed beneath the collar of her coat, searching for that tight, tender spot where her neck met her shoulder. Something drove him to cover it with his lips, baring his teeth against the soft skin. Abruptly, he bit down, not enough to break the skin but enough to stake his claim.
She cried out as he thrust against her, his rigid cock nudging her over the edge. She shuddered in his arms as he held her close, so close that she could count the heavy heartbeats in his chest.
Soothing the bite with his tongue, he lifted his head and looked in her troubled dark eyes. Then he kissed her lips gently, tenderly before tilting his face back to meet her eyes once more. “You are mine, Zipporah Jericho. I’m tired of dancing around. Before this night is over, I will make sure that you’re convinced of that.” He leaned back far enough to re-button her coat while she silently shivered in the cold. “Get in the car. Go home. I’ll be there in a little while.”
When she was seated with her seat belt firmly fastened, he slammed the door shut and watched her back up and drive away. He wasn’t fooled into believing that the war was over. No, the battle was just beginning but he was through with waiting. Tonight he would launch his campaign to win Zip Jericho.
Zip drove home in a blur of exhaustion and shock. When she reached her apartment, she collected her mail, climbed the stairs to her landing, unlocked her door and entered without having the vaguest recollection of how she’d arrived there. Wearily she went into her bathroom, stripped off everything including her coat, climbed into the shower and turned on the water as hot as she could bear it. Even then, she couldn’t seem to get warm.
Abruptly, she began to cry. The day filled with such highs and lows dragged at her soul. Eventually, she ran out of tears. Drearily, she scrubbed her body until she felt clean. Turning off the water, she took a deep breath and climbed from the tub. It didn’t take long to finish her evening routine. Wrapped in her heavy terry robe, with a towel wound around her wet hair, she stumbled into the bedroom, fell across the bed and crashed.
It was there that Seb found her hours later when he let himself into her apartment with the emergency key she’d given him the year before when she had the flu. To his way of thinking, this definitely qualified as an emergency. He left her undisturbed as he straightened up the bathroom and put away her coat. Silently, he contemplated the box of tampons sitting on the back of the toilet before making his way back into the bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he climbed into bed with Zip, cuddled her against his warm chest and jerked the comforter over them.
“Seb?” she muttered drowsily.

“Shhh. Go to sleep.”

“’Kay.” She snuggled closer and dropped back into the deep well of night.
 
The red numbers on the clock glared in the suffocating darkness when Seb woke with a start. Zip was fighting with the covers, muttering in her sleep. Abruptly, she shouted, “No!” and sat straight up. Seb glanced quickly at the clock before he reached out to touch her. Four a.m.
“Wake up, Zip.”
His deep voice was a steady anchor in the black terror. “Seb?”
“I’m here.” He tugged her down against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. “Right here. Want to talk about it?”
She rubbed her head over the smooth muscles. “Not yet. Why are you here?”
“I could lie and say that I figured you would have nightmares.”

“But?” Even in the pitch blackness he could feel the shape of her face change when she smiled.
“Actually, I was going to seduce you in the middle of the night. Of course that was before I discovered this was not the best week in the month for that.” He tucked her head beneath his chin and gently rubbed her lower back.
“Oh.” Her body stiffened as comprehension flowed through her tired brain. “You’re getting awfully pushy, Seb.”

“Nah. Patience is my middle name.”
She snorted, huffing moist air across his warm skin. A rash of goose bumps stood up in protest. “Not even on your best day. You don’t even know how to spell it. If you look up insistent in the dictionary, your picture will be right there. We’ve been dating off and on for a year now. I’ve been busy. You’ve been busy. But you just keep on coming on.” Slyly, her tongue flicked out, lashing at his tight nipple.
“Uh, Zip? Darlin’, that’s just cruel.”
She sucked the little nub, letting him feel just the edges of her teeth. “Seb? Shut up,” she whispered before moving over him so she could reach the other one. “Let me touch you. I’ve wanted to touch you forever.”
“Well, then. I’m all yours.” He lay back and abandoned himself to her will.
Zip was overwhelmed by the hot, smooth bounty under her hands. She straddled his waist and leaned down to nibble at his plump lips. “So, big boy, what did you have in mind when you broke into my apartment? What if I shot you by mistake?”
“You have a gun?” he demanded, distracted by the way she was sucking on the skin beneath his ear.
“Sure I have a gun. Doesn’t everyone?” Zip moved up so that she could lick his shaved scalp. She skimmed her fingers over the soft little prickles where the hair was growing in. “Why do you shave your head?”
The bedding shifted when he shrugged. “I shaved it off for an undercover job. And I liked it so I kept it that way.”
“I wonder what I would look like if I shaved my head?” she teased as she smoothed her fingers over the bare skin in little circles.
“No.”
“No? Are you sure? Think how it would feel if I rubbed my head all over your flat belly.” His taut abdomen rippled between her legs, nudging at her swollen folds. “Hmmm. That feels like you might like the idea.”
“No. I love the scent and feel of your hair. If you want to do something with your hair, wrap it around my cock and stroke it while you suck me off.”
Zip chuckled. “You sound like you’re issuing a dare. Never dare a Jericho. It’s a dangerous undertaking.”

“Yeah? Why is it more dangerous than daring anyone else?” His breath hitched as she slid down his body, nibbling and sucking points that she found of particular interest.
“I just might take you up on it, you know. Show me your cock,” she dared. “Turn on the lamp.”

“Now?”


“Now. I want to see what you’ve been hiding in those sexy suit pants.” She tugged on his blue silky boxers in frustration.
“Wait a minute.” There was a faint click and then the small lamp threw out a dim circle of light. She moved between his legs, clutching at the waistband of his boxers. He lifted his hips as she pulled them down.
When his cock popped up in all its glory, she squeaked in shock. “Sebastian Spade! That will never fit!”
“Sure it will. Just not this week, so calm down. I thought you wanted to play with it.” He breathed a sigh of relief when she sat back on her heels, slipped the shorts over his ankles and finally tossed them in the direction of her dresser. He wasn’t used to sleeping in anything except his skin.
Seizing his rigid length in her hands, she leaned closer until she had an eye-to-eye view. Clear fluid welled up in response to her gaze. Her tongue lashed out and slurped over the dark broad head as she gave him a tongue bath. “Mmmm. You’re pretty tasty, Seb. Salty.”
Slurp. “Beefy.” Slurp. She inhaled his scent, closing her eyes as she became engrossed in defining his flavor. “Man. You taste male.”
“I hope so,” he whispered as he buried his fingers in her dark hair. “Damn, Zip. Suck it.” His voice trailed off before he could descend into the humiliation of whimpering as she slid her lips down, taking the entire head of his cock in her hot wet mouth.
When she hummed deep in her throat, he broke out in a fine sweat. Where did she learn that trick? Ah, what did it matter if she knew what kind of power she had over him? He cradled her head in his hands, thrust gently in her mouth and groaned. Who was seducing whom, he wondered hazily.
Zip wasn’t averse to sucking Seb’s cock but she wanted to explore the entire landscape—not just the main attraction. She pulled back and inspected him inch by inch, noting the heavy vein running along the thick length. She stroked the soft skin, absorbed in the way it moved over the firm muscle beneath it.

“Zip?”

“I want to look at you first, Seb. Men are so different from women.”
“Well, I’ll admit that we’re more up front and center,” he admitted dryly.
“You’re not circumcised.”

“Nope. I was born out in the country, delivered by a midwife. Mama didn’t hold with cutting on baby boys.”
Her tongue flickered out and tickled the soft skin. “I like it.”

“Yeah? Show me.” His hips arched up from the mattress.
“Spread your legs so I can play with your balls.”
He moved at once, making room to proudly display his heavy, plump testicles. “Better?”
She immediately cuddled them in her hand, gently massaging while she took his cock back in her warm mouth, savoring the taste and feel of him. She sucked him in deeper, enjoying the way he filled her mouth. Her tongue lashed just below the fat crown, tickling the ridge.
Unable to remain still under her teasing, he rolled his hips, gently thrusting through the tight grip she had on his staff. Clutching the sheets in his fists, he groaned as she gently massaged the sensitive skin behind his balls. Her hair brushed across his groin as she shifted so that she could take his cock deeper. And when she hummed, her throat vibrated against the tip and he came with an uncontrollable rush of hot semen, groaning and whimpering.







Chapter Two

 
At precisely two o’clock the next afternoon Zip stood shivering on the porch as she rang the doorbell at Seb’s small bungalow. Earlier that morning when she reluctantly opened her eyes, she found herself alone in her bed. The apartment echoed with a cold emptiness. She staggered out to the kitchen where she discovered that Seb had made coffee and that almost redeemed his absence. A morning and early afternoon filled with packing, her manicure and errands hadn’t kept her mind off their interlude in the hours before dawn. She felt edgy and uncertain. It was one thing to bravely seize the moment in the dark but now it was the bright light of day. What would happen when she had to face him now? Would he still want her?

Seb flung the door open, reached out and tugged her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly, taking his time. By the time he lifted his head, she was breathing like a winded runner and he was harder than a rock. It was likely to be an ongoing situation, he suspected as he tilted his head back to study his woman in the bright afternoon sunlight. Actually, Zip looked pretty good considering all that had happened the day before. The extra sleep had smoothed out some of the edges. “How do you feel today?” he asked.
“Better.” Zip flushed deep pink across her cheeks as she recalled her daring the night before. “What time did you leave?”
“After you fell back asleep, I got up, made coffee and took off so I could get home in time to shower and dress for work. I don’t know why they call it rush hour. The bus I traveled on was crawling. I should have taken a taxi like I did last night, but I didn’t want to wait for it. I had an early morning appointment or we would still be in bed,” he assured her with stunning frankness. “Believe me, leaving this morning was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Oh.” She stood there on his front porch, unsure of the next step. With a deep breath she backed away and started down the steps. “Well, hurry up and get whatever you’re bringing with you. We need to get on the road.”
“I’m not going to let you slip away, Zip,” he warned. “So don’t even think about it. Go get in the car. I’ll be there as soon as I lock up.” Seb disappeared inside for a moment before reappearing with a duffle bag, which he dumped on the porch so that he could slam the door and lock the dead bolt. With a last check on the door, he swept up his bag and trotted down the steps. Moments later he tossed it on the backseat before sliding in the front next to her. Briskly, he clipped and adjusted the seat belt. “Okay. Let’s hit the road.”
Her dark eyes skimmed over him in one long comprehensive sweep. Comfortable running shoes, snug, well-worn, neatly pressed jeans and a dazzling white t-shirt covered with a supple black leather jacket. With a small grin, she just shook her head. Trust Seb to do the unexpected. His colleagues might wear polo shirts. His peers might wear baggy shorts. But Seb was not one to follow any fashion drummer except his own.
“What?” He frowned as he looked down at his clothes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Seb. You just always surprise me. I don’t often see you dressed in something other than a suit. I like it.”
“I didn’t have on a suit last night.”

“Yeah.” She licked her dry lips as though the taste of him might linger. “I liked that even better.”
“So did I.” He shifted uncomfortably.
Her eyes flashed down to his lap, noting his cock pressed against his tight jeans. “That must be painful.”
“You offering to do something about it?”
Her face flushed hotly as she checked over her shoulder for traffic, pulling away from the curb when she saw the coast was clear. They were early enough that the traffic was still light. By the time people were heading home from work, they were well away from the city with little traffic except the heavy tractor-trailers screaming down the highway. Conversation was minimal but she didn’t find the silence uncomfortable like she had in the past. Something had definitely changed between them during the night. There was a breach in the wall that had kept them apart before. Zip was honest enough to acknowledge that it wasn’t just sex. Unexpectedly, she had found a safe haven from the dark terror of her dreams.
Two hours down the road Seb stirred as they came up to the next exit. “How about some coffee?”
“I could use something hot to drink,” she admitted. At the next exit, she left the highway and stopped at a donut shop. “This good enough?”
“Perfect. I didn’t have breakfast or lunch.”
She flashed him a disgusted look. “Why didn’t you say so? We could have stopped for a hamburger or something a long time ago.”
His shoulder jerked in that masculine equivalent of a shrug. “This is fine. I’ll get an egg sandwich instead.”
With a sigh, she turned off the car and fumbled behind the seat for her bag. “Come on. I hope they have a decent restroom.”
He gave the small building a hopeful once-over. “It looks pretty clean.”
They went in, pleasantly surprised to find a thriving store with a wonderful selection of baked goods and varied menu. Zipporah ordered a decadent chocolate-covered sweet roll with coffee and Seb ordered an egg and bacon sandwich on a flaky croissant and coffee. When their order was filled, they found a booth that was in the far corner away from the door.
Zip excused herself and went to the restroom. While she was gone, Seb studied the shop while he enjoyed his croissant and coffee. He noted the steady stream of customers who stopped to pick up a quick snack or coffee. The clerks weren’t inundated with customers but there seemed to be a constant flow, mostly ordering things to go.
When a rusty old truck backed into the parking spot directly in front of the door, Seb’s creep-o-meter sounded the alarm. Memorizing the license plate number as he scooted over against the wall, he ducked down below the high back of the booth as two scruffy young men came through the door. Something about the way they kept their hands jammed in the pockets of their greasy coveralls sent him into overdrive. The minute he heard holdup muttered he fished out his cell phone and hit Zip’s speed dial. Rapidly punching the keys, he texted, stay there 211 in progress. Then he fished out his pen and wrote the license number on his palm.
Zip snatched her vibrating phone from her side pocket and glanced at the ID. What on earth? For crying out loud. Couldn’t a girl go to the bathroom without him calling her? Her eyes widened as she read the message. Well, crap. Call 9-1-1?
The hand air dryer went off and she realized she could hear everything in the shop through the duct work—which meant that they would be able to hear her call. Even before she heard back from Seb, she added, No.
Almost immediately, he texted, Let 211 run course.
With an annoyed shake of her head, Zip reached out to her brother through their mental link. Quill? We’re going to be a little late.

What’s wrong?


We stopped for coffee. There’s an armed robbery in progress.


Anyone hurt? Over their link she could feel his instant anxiety.

Not so far. Seb said to let it run its course. We’ll call 9-1-1 after they take off. He’s out in the dining area so I figure he has a better handle on what’s happening.


Zip, where are you?

She snorted in irritation. I’m in the ladies room.
The last thing she heard before she broke the link was the sound of his laughter.

Seb slipped down under the table and watched the robbery unfold, storing up the details. With shaking hands the older female clerk emptied the money from the cash register into a paper bag while one of the men held a gun on the teenaged clerk. The minute the two young men rushed out the door and jumped into the truck, Seb crawled from under the table and punched in 9-1-1 on his phone as he roared, “Zip! Get out here!”
Keeping an eye on the women, he started streaming a report for the 9-1-1 operator. Zip appeared in the hallway leading to the restrooms, took in the scene in the restaurant and calmly herded the two bewildered clerks to a table near the door. “Sit down. Do you want some coffee?”
The older woman stuttered, “Wh-why did they do that?”

“Probably ’cause some people are just poison mean.” Zip went behind the counter and poured two coffees. She carried them back to the women. “What do y’all drink in your coffee?”

Seb turned so that the ladies wouldn’t see his grin. It always tickled him how quickly Zip’s Southernisms returned when she was dealing with Southern people. The first of the expected sirens lit up the afternoon. With a tired sigh, he wondered how long they would be tied up with the robbery.
The first officer through the door was a young Barney Fife. Seb wanted to bury his head in his arms and cry. When his eyes lit on Seb, Barney hitched his pants up and strutted over to Seb. “Hey, boy! Get yore ass over by the window and spread ’em. Yore buddies take off and leave ya behind?” he sneered.
No one moved as Zipporah ostentatiously studied his name tag for a moment, then drawled, “Officer Cannon, y’all might want to corral some of that enthusiasm. Agent Spade is with me.”
“Now ma’am—”
“I’ve always found it extremely insulting when men use that tone of voice,” she interrupted. “You’re barely wet behind the ears, young man. I suggest that you shut up before you make more of a fool of yourself than you already have.”
Just as it looked like the young officer would explode, a gray-haired officer pushed open the door, took in the scene in one sweeping glance and swore under his breath. “Delray, what the hell have you done now?”
“He was doing his level best to insult a federal agent,” Zip pointed out coolly.
The older man pointed to the parking lot and snarled, “Get out there and stay there until I come for you.”
His ears a fiery embarrassed red, Officer Delray Cannon wordlessly stomped outside, went to his car, hitched up his pants and got behind the wheel. After a minute during which Seb had an idea that the older officer was determinedly counting to twenty or thirty, the man took a deep breath and said, “I’m Sheriff Kemp. May I please see some identification?”
Silently Zip and Seb offered their leather identification folders. Sheriff Kemp stared at them for a few minutes, returned them and muttered, “Excuse me.” Then he went out and stood on the narrow sidewalk that ran along the front of the building, planting his hands on his hips and taking several deep breaths. While he was practicing his deep breathing and creative cussing, several more police cars pulled into the lot. Zip and Seb noticed that not a single officer left their car until the sheriff finally jerked the door open and came back inside.
Several of the officers quietly followed the sheriff a few minutes later. In a very calm voice, the sheriff assigned officers to take their statements, making sure that the officers were aware of their exact identities. During that process, the sheriff interrupted just one time to inform them with steely politeness that the robbers had been taken into custody thanks to Seb’s passing on the license plate number. Gravely, Seb thanked him for his courtesy.
With their statements taken, the sheriff immediately released them after asking them to stop by sometime the next week to sign their properly typed statements. Seb and Zip offered their business cards and went out to Zip’s car. As they pulled away, she observed, “I don’t think I would want to be Delray Cannon.”

Seb stared out the window for a while in stony silence. Finally, he asked, “Why?”
“Because unless I miss my guess, he’s going to be scrubbing the prisoners’ toilets until he’s old and gray.”
They were both silent as she accelerated onto the interstate. Then Seb again asked, “You think so? I’m not so sure of that.”

Zipporah flashed a quick glance at him, noting the stubborn, angry expression on his face. “In these parts, the sheriff is responsible for the behavior of his men. Delray Cannon embarrassed and humiliated the sheriff by treating you that way. It was twice as humiliating because we’re feds and of course, because you’re black. That makes him beholden to you in a very uncomfortable situation. And before all of this is settled, he will have to apologize, probably publicly, for the behavior of one of his officers. But first, he’ll talk to those two women back there and find out exactly what he’s going to have to apologize for.”

Seb frowned as he digested her explanation. “Why? In my experience officers in small rural departments follow the lead of their boss.”
“In this part of the country, that doesn’t necessarily follow.”
“Then why keep him on the force?” Seb demanded in disgust.
Zip looked over her shoulder before moving into the fast lane to pass an old clunker that was spewing out oily smoke. “Most likely, he’s stuck with him. Maybe he’s the mayor’s son. Maybe he’s the nephew of someone who has clout in that town or county. Delray Cannon is a screw-up that he’s stuck with so he does the best he can with the situation and tries to minimize the damage.” She flicked the turn signal and moved back into the right lane. “In any case, he’ll do whatever he has to do to get through life until Delray hangs himself by doing something so far out no one can cover for him.”
“That is whacked.”
“Yeah, it is. But it’s not as bad as it would be if the screw-up was in the sheriff’s position like our county. Then you have a county in real trouble. The only thing keeping Sheriff Sadler in check is his fear of Pa. As long as the good guys are in charge, then you deal with the idiots the best you can.”
“Thank you for stepping in and defusing the situation. It pisses me off when bigots like that are in power.”
“It pisses me off when people judge others because of color or appearance or sex.”

* * * * *

Two days later, when Quill dropped him off at his home, Seb was torn between anger and disgust. Zip had called it right on the money. When Quill stopped long enough for him to sign his statement for Sheriff Kemp, they’d both been embarrassed when the sheriff stiffly apologized for Delray’s behavior.
Quill parked in front of his small house and Seb knew he should invite his partner in for a cup of coffee or a beer but he just wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone to come to terms with the unsavory experience. Impatiently he growled, “Thanks! Talk to you later!” slammed the door and pounded up the steps to his front door where a note from his brother Nate was stuck to the small window pane.


Seb

,


Call Mama when you get back!


Nate

Stomach churning, Seb unlocked the door and went in, dumping his bag on the floor next to the couch. He grabbed the phone and punched in the numbers. “Mama?”

“Seb. Oh thank goodness you called. Sebbie, Georgie’s in the hospital. Someone beat that poor boy up.”

“Georgie?

Our Georgie?”
Seb trotted down the hall to the bedroom. If he was going to the hospital, he would need to change clothes.
“That’s what I’m telling you, Seb. Your nephew Georgie. He’s beat up terrible, son.” He could hear her voice trembling as she fought back tears.
“Okay, Mama. I’ll be right over.” He tossed the phone on the bed and grabbed his gray suit.
The phone rang the minute it bounced on the bed. Placing the suit on the bed, he grabbed the phone and went back for a shirt and tie while he answered.

“Seb?” He recognized his boss’s measured tones. Harry Langston was always calm and unhurried.
“Yes sir.”
“Quill said he just dropped you off at your home. You heard about your nephew?”
“Yes sir. I was just talking to my mama.”
“Well, we’re working with the locals on this. Michael Andrews will meet you at your mother’s house. Mike will liaison with the police but Georgie will probably be more comfortable talking to them if you’re there.”
As he selected a pale yellow shirt with a dark gray tie Seb thought about what his boss wasn’t saying. “Why were we called in?”

“Bias crime.”


Seb froze in the process of fetching socks and underwear from his dresser. “Race?”
“No.” Harry sighed in Seb’s ear. “Quill called in a report about your adventures the last couple days. I don’t see how this could be related to what happened to you and Zip but we’ve noted the details for the record. In Georgie’s case we’re pretty sure he was beaten because he’s gay.”
“Shit.”

“Exactly. The sooner you meet Michael, the sooner we’ll have something to work with.” Harry’s tone didn’t leave any room for argument.
“As soon as I’ve changed clothes, I’ll be on my way.”
“Good enough.” Harry hung up. After calling a cab, Seb tossed the phone back on the bed and headed for the bathroom. A shower and shave was necessary now that he’d shifted from family member to working agent. Tiredly, he rubbed his face with one hand, brushing over the prickly whiskers. No rest for the wicked and the righteous don’t need it, he thought, recalling one of his mama’s favorite quotes. He’d best get on with his plans. Georgie was waiting.
An hour later, rage washed over him as he stood at Georgie’s bedside wondering what kind of weapons the assailants had used on his nephew. According to the physician on duty, Georgie probably had permanent vision loss in his left eye. There were cracked ribs, internal damage and bleeding and other assorted broken bones. A long line of stitches ran from the top of his head down below the front of his left ear.
Georgie stirred restlessly in his sleep. His good eye flickered open and landed on Seb. “Hey, man.” His voice was slurred from sleep and painkillers. “Grandma called you, huh?”
“Did you think she wouldn’t? What the hell happened, Georgie?”

Georgie’s eye flittered around, lit on Michael and then went to the open door. “Wrong place, wrong time.”
Without a word, Michael closed the door and turned the lock before going to the windows and closing the drapes. Then he went into the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink to mask the sound of Georgie’s voice. Seb turned on the TV, flicking through the channels until he settled on the low drone of a news channel.
Then both men waited patiently for Georgie to speak. It wasn’t easy. Clearly he was fighting bone-deep fear but finally he began to talk. “Wen’ to a party last week with Jo-Jo.”
Seb’s spine stiffened in protest. “Yeah, yeah. I know you don’t like Jo-Jo. But he was s’posed to meet someone at the party and he didn’t want to go alone.”
“That should have been your first clue that you ought to stay away,” Seb said under his breath.
“Sorry.” The word was barely a thread of sound. Georgie took a couple of shallow breaths. “Never was as strong or smart as you, Uncle Seb.”
“Dammit, Geo. Tell us the rest.”
Georgie felt around in the bed, looking for the control. When his hands closed over it, he pressed the button to raise the head of the bed just a little. “Anyway, Jo-Jo met the man. I wasn’t paying too much attention ’cause I was nearly pissing in my pants. Later he told me the man was Carmine Giannola. But what scared the shit outta me was the man with him.”
“You recognized him?” Michael asked softly.

“Yeah. Don’t know his name. But he’s a Fed. He’s been hanging around that halfway house down the street from Grandma’s house, talking to some of the recent parolees. I warned Ms. MacLeish but she didn’t seem too worried about it.”
“Describe him,” Seb growled.
George uttered a soft snort. “He was a Fed. They all look alike, you know?”
Michael choked back a sharp laugh. “Well, try to remember something about him.”

“Heh.
Blond hair, blue eyes. Looks like a Russian. Short and stocky and mean.”

Seb paced over to the door and back. “Did he do this?”

“Nah. This was a couple of Carmine’s knee breakers. They were yelling the same old shit about faggots and crap but this didn’t have anything to do with being gay.” He sighed. “I haven’t heard from Jo-Jo since then. I’m worried that they got to him. Jo-Jo is always looking for a new scheme. I’m afraid he picked the wrong partners.”
“We’ll check on him. Get some rest.” Seb went into the bathroom to turn the water off while Michael unlocked the door. What neither mentioned was Mercedes MacLeish’s death—or the fact that her last contact was a blond, blue-eyed agent of Russian descent.








 Chapter Three

 
Four days later a small gray-brown dog sat patiently on Seb’s porch waiting for him to come home. After a while, the little Yorkie curled up in front of the door, resting her head on her front paws. In a dog’s life it seemed like there was a lot of waiting.
The sky darkened as the air grew chillier. A fine sleet began to fall. Shivering, the small dog pressed closer to the door, keeping watch. Her eyes brightened and she came to quivering attention as a cab pulled up in front of the house. A man opened the back door and climbed out. Slamming the door behind him, he hurried up the walk to the steps. The little Yorkie stood stiffly and yelped a sharp bark. The man halted, staring down in amazement at the dog, which waited, waggling its tail in welcome.
“Well. What have we here?” Seb bent down to scoop up the little dog. “Where did you come from?” He mounted the stairs, unlocked the door and carried his visitor inside. “It’s kinda cold out there for you, isn’t it?” he crooned as he snatched the afghan from the back of his couch and wrapped it around the shivering dog. He settled her on the end of the couch. “You stay right there while I hang up my coat.”
She cocked her head to one side, regarding him with shining black eyes. Then she gave a short yip before curling up contentedly in the soft blanket.
“So you’ve decided that you’ve found a sucker, eh?” Seb grinned reluctantly. “We’ll have to see about that. Somebody’s probably missing you about now.” He sighed. “I suppose I’d better post some notices tomorrow and check with the vet.” He turned away and went into the kitchen to locate the box of doggie things he’d put away when he lost his own dog the year before.
The dog snuggled contentedly in the soft blanket while Seb puttered around in the kitchen. Tomorrow—or the day after—would be soon enough to reveal the truth, she thought. Seb wasn’t gonna like it. No, not at all but the little dog knew that sometimes life didn’t go the way people thought it ought to happen.

Pa? I’m all set.



All right.

Quill’s hopping mad at the moment. He thinks he should be there instead of you. She could hear the echo of laughter as Pentecost Jericho chuckled over Quill’s reaction. You be careful, Zip.

I will, Pa.

Resting her little chin on her paws, Zip contemplated the warm room. Seb was a neat freak. Unlike Zip, who was content with a slap, dash and promise when it came to housekeeping, Seb was of the a-place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place school. She sighed. Well, they would work it out eventually.
A strange scent wafted past her nose. Lifting her head, she sniffed as she turned her head from side to side. Human.
No…two humans. She wiggled free of the blanket’s folds and jumped down from the couch, trotting purposefully to and fro until she located the strongest scent under the end table. Every nerve quivering, she worked her small body in close until her bright black eyes spied the tiny little receiver.
Backing hastily away, she began a systematic search through the house. By the time she’d located the third bug, it was evident to her that Seb’s home was well and truly covered. Seb’s boss’s instincts were working full-time. Zip ran from room to room as she worked out the logistics in her head. When Harry Langston had called her pa and asked for help, he’d only had a vague feeling that Seb was in danger. But the bugs indicated there was a much bigger operation in place than any of them had dreamed.
This wasn’t something that she could handle on her own and definitely wasn’t something that her particular talents were suited for. With a deep sigh, she sidled down the hall, her tiny claws clicking on the wooden floor as she went in search of Seb while she reported in to her pa.

Pa, we have bigger troubles than we thought. Seb’s house is bugged from top to bottom.

Her abrupt communication startled Pentecost. His children had always been polite, always using the equivalent of a mental knock before launching into a conversation. Clearly Zip was agitated.

Calm down.


There isn’t any room, not even the bathroom, where I could change and explain what I am without one of the receivers picking it up. This is almost overkill. And I’m not even sure that his cell phone isn’t bugged. It has the same scent as the other bugs.



All right.

Stay as you are. I’ll call Harry.


Seb was whistling when she trotted into the kitchen. “Well, there you are. I guess you decided that food was more important than heat, eh? I only found one can of dog food though I could swear that I had three left.”
She barked sharply, watching his face as he opened the can and dumped the food on a saucer. Hungry, she had to admit that it smelled pretty good. Her nose quivered in anticipation as Seb set the saucer on the floor next to the pantry door. While she daintily snapped up the bits of beef and gravy, she kept one ear on his rumbling voice.
“I called the vet and left a message on their machine. I suppose I’ll have to buy some more food if no one claims you.” He set his own plate on the table and pulled out a chair. “Not that I wouldn’t like to keep you but there’s so much going on right now that I’m not sure I have time to take care of a little beauty like you.”
The two ate in companionable silence. Suddenly Seb declared, “Beauty! That’s what I’ll call you.”
She wagged her stubby tail and yipped at him.
“You like that, huh? Okay, okay. Come here.” As she danced around at his feet, he cleared the table, loaded the dishes in the dishwasher and then scooped her up from the floor, heading for the living room. His phone rang as he stopped to switch on the TV.
“Hello.”
“Seb, I need you to toss some things in a duffle and meet me at the tavern around the corner from your house in twenty minutes. I have an emergency assignment for you.”

Seb frowned and held the phone away from his ear. How many damn emergency assignments could there be? He wasn’t the only damn agent in the FBI! He held the receiver to his ear. “I have a dog now! I can’t just take off without making arrangements!”
“Bring the dog with you. Don’t you have a carrier? I’ll arrange to board the dog while you’re gone.” Harry Langston’s voice told Seb a lot of things that he wasn’t verbalizing. The proposed assignment really was an emergency. And somewhere, somehow somebody’s assignment had gone to shit.
Blowing out a deep breath, he asked, “What kind of clothing?”

“Casual and comfortable.”


“All right. Twenty minutes.” Tossing the receiver back in the cradle, Seb carried the little dog down the hall to the bedroom. “Okay. So here’s the deal, Beauty. I have to go on an assignment. So you’ll have to stay at the boarder’s until I get back. Then we’ll be together, right?” He set her on the bed while he pulled his duffle out and swiftly repacked it.
Bright-eyed, she cocked her head and watched him retrieve his black leather Dopp kit from the bathroom. He dropped it in the duffle, then opened the drawer on the nightstand and removed a box of condoms. Tossing them in the duffle, he pursed his lips in a faint smile. “I know, I know. You think I’m optimistic. But I figure this emergency assignment is good for a couple days off when I finish. If I can wangle it, I’m going to see if we can’t spend a couple days with my woman. You’ll like her. And let me tell you, it always pays to be prepared!”
After zipping the duffle closed, he went out in the hall. Zip bounced on the bed and barked. Seb reappeared with a soft-sided carrier. “I’m coming.” He unzipped the carrier, removed a small sweater and slipped it over her wiggling body before lifting her into the carrier and zipping it shut. “Okay. That’s it, Beauty. We’re off to see what’s so damn important that I have to go out in the damp and cold night.”

Seb zipped up his coat, slipped a knitted cap over his head and opened the door. In the meager yellow light from the porch lamp he could see the icy sleet, hissing as it fell, coating the porch and steps with a shiny glaze. Irritably, he set his duffle and the dog carrier on the porch and shut and locked the door before yanking on his leather gloves. Whatever had gone wrong, it better be damn important. Hoisting the dog carrier and duffle in one hand, he clung to the handrail with the other, slipping and sliding until he reached the sidewalk. Immediately, he stepped into the grass. It crunched underfoot as he walked down the block, pausing each time he had to negotiate another stretch of slick concrete. By the time he reached the tavern, he was well and truly pissed off.
Relieved that he’d completed the trip without falling on his ass, he pushed the door open. A horn beeped behind him and a voice called his name. “Seb! Over here!” He turned, peering through the icy storm.
He didn’t recognize the car. Hesitation in the dim light saved his life. A soft cough followed immediately by the sting of flying plaster and he was stumbling backward through the door. As he crouched in the tiny lobby of the tavern, he heard the squeal of tires and the race of the engine.

What the fuck is going on? His thoughts raced back to Georgie and the story he’d shared with them earlier in the week. True to his promise, they’d searched for Jo-Jo but he’d dropped off the radar. Greg was in the clear though. He had a cast-iron alibi for the night of the party. He was at the hospital assisting in the delivery of his son with a host of witnesses. Now they were carefully sifting through personnel records for another possibility.
Hunched over, Seb backed through the inner door, dragging his duffle and the dog carrier. Everyone in the tavern turned to look at him with varying expressions of surprise and curiosity. “Someone just shot at me.” He carted his belongings to the other end of the bar in the silence that fell over the room. Except for the football game playing on the television over the bar, it was quiet.
Then Killer, the bartender, picked up his phone. Seb just shook his head at him. “They’re gone. And someone is coming to pick me up.” He set the dog carrier on the bar and unzipped the top enough for Zip to poke her head out.
“Whatcha got there, Seb?”
“This is Beauty. She was curled up on my porch when I came home tonight.” Seb gently scratched her behind her perky ears. “If any of y’all hear about a missing dog, let Killer know.” Seb was one of the very few people who knew that Killer, a barrel-chested, tattooed, bald ex-biker who kept a baseball bat under the bar, was really a woman. He shot Killer a look that said he would explain later. No fool, Killer just nodded and went back to serving customers.
A few moments later, Harry Langston shoved open the door and came in. Zip yipped sharply when Harry’s eyes settled on Seb. Unhurriedly, Seb gathered his belongings and gestured toward a booth in the far corner that was shielded on both sides by a sturdy wall. “Two black coffees, Kil.”

“Got it.”


Seb followed Harry to the booth, setting Zip’s carrier against the wall. “What’s up, Harry?”
“All hell’s breaking loose out there tonight,” Harry muttered as he pulled out a card and pen. Jotting down a few words, he shoved the card across the table toward Seb.

Your house is bugged from top to bottom. So is your phone. Cell too.


Seb froze as he absorbed the ramifications. He motioned for the pen and added his own news. Someone was waiting for me. Took a shot at me out by the entrance.
“This weather is not the best for traveling,” he observed softly.
“I’m sorry to call you out. Your contact will be here in just a little while.” Dump the phone!
When Killer arrived with their coffee, Seb placed the card across the phone and moved it to the table edge so he could see it. Killer glanced at the card, then picked it up with the phone, nodded at Seb and walked away.
“What the hell is he going to do with it?” Harry demanded.
“Put it in the safe.”
With a fast gulp of coffee, Harry slid out of the booth. “Let’s go. I want you under cover.”

Seb stood up and slipped a bill under his coffee mug. Zipping up the carrier, he grabbed it and his duffle and led the way to the bar’s back door. Without a word, Killer flipped the light switch for the dim yellow bulb that lit the alley, plunging the narrow strip of cracked concrete into hissing darkness. They stepped out into the stormy night.
“Give me the dog,” Harry commanded softly. “We both need a free hand.”
Slowly, they picked their way to the end of the alley, cased the surroundings and Harry headed for his car, parked in the last space next to the alley. He started it and pulled it into the alley next to Seb. Seb jumped in but not before noting the headlights flare on a car down the street on the other side. “Busted.
Move.”

He twisted in the seat until he could watch their back trail. “Where’s Beauty?”

“Beauty?”


“The dog.” Headlights were coming up fast. “Move it.”
Harry swore. “I am. Wouldn’t do us much good to have an accident, would it?” He slid around a corner, narrowly missing a parked car. “When the hell are they gonna salt the roads?”
The car following them fishtailed across the street, bounced over the curb and back down, straightened out and kept coming. Seb wished he had a way to call in reinforcements. Harry fumbled in his coat pocket before pitching a cell phone in Seb’s lap. “Here. A temporary replacement. See who you can rustle up.” He slid around another corner onto a wide boulevard and picked up speed. Seb fastened and tightened his seat belt as he snapped out a situation report. Abruptly, Harry crossed three lanes and threw the car into a u-turn around the center island, heading back the other direction. The car following them slid across the intersection, smashing into the light pole. Harry turned right at the next corner, pulled into an alley and stopped behind a hefty SUV. “Out! Leave the dog. I’ll take care of it.”

Seb grabbed his duffle and headed for the SUV, unsurprised when he found Quill and his brother Tate waiting for him. The vehicle was moving almost before he had the door shut, with Harry on their tail. Quill turned right at the end of the alley. Harry turned left.
“Down,” Quill said as he turned back onto the boulevard and slowly passed the smashed car. Two men were standing under the streetlight, talking to the cops. Bubble lights flashed in the night as cops and ambulance crew milled around in the falling sleet. “What the heck have you been up to, Seb? That’s Carmine Giannola’s boys.”
“Fuck. This has to be related to what happened to my nephew Georgie.”
“What’s wrong with Georgie?”
“Someone beat the crap out of him.” Seb sat up and peeked over the backseat. “We’re pretty sure it was Carmine’s boys but I’m not even on the investigation. Michael’s the liaison. Where are we going?”

“To the country. You get to join me in my enforced vacation, you lucky dog.” Quill drove up the ramp to the interstate and headed home.

Zip, what’s going on? Tate demanded while keeping one ear on the conversation between Quill and Seb.

Harry just dropped me off at my apartment. I won’t be too far behind you.


Why don’t you wait until morning? Tate urged. The roads are treacherous. You can—

Tate? Where are you?

He didn’t like the sudden change in her tone at all. What’s wrong?
Naked, she stood in her kitchen doorway and surveyed the rooms. I’ve had the same visitors as Seb. Only they trashed my apartment.
Tate looked around them for inspiration. He pointed at the fast food restaurant on the corner. “Quill, pull into that McDonald’s parking lot.” Zip, we’re waiting at the McDonald’s on Smith and Seventeenth.

Be right there. Her voice was grim.
“What’s going on?” Seb asked as Quill parked the SUV in the darkest part of the lot and killed the lights.
“We’re waiting for Zip. Someone trashed her apartment.” Quill sighed. “What is going on? There’s no reason to trash her apartment if this is something that is connected to one of your cases.”
“Maybe it’s connected to Mercedes MacLeish, the woman Zip found in the restroom. Georgie said he warned Ms. MacLeish about a Fed who was hanging around the halfway house down the street from Mama’s place.” A heavy silence fell over the SUV. Finally Seb couldn’t stand it anymore. “What? What’s so special about that woman?”
“Obviously, she knew something she shouldn’t know,” Quill said softly. “Whatever it is, someone is willing to kill to keep it a secret. And it might possibly be connected to Carmine Giannola.”
Two blocks away, Zip hurriedly stuffed clothing in a soft leather backpack along with the contents of her purse, a large pocketbook that was too big to fit in the pack. After one last look around, she took the pack and stepped out on her dark back porch, shivering with cold because she was still naked. After locking the back door, she dropped the key in her pack and quickly shifted, not into the small Yorkie but into a sturdy black lab. Grasping the straps of the pack in her mouth, she picked her way down the steps, across the backyard into the dimly lit alley. Clinging to the shadows, she trotted the two blocks to the McDonald’s, halting next to a clump of bushy hedges that shielded her from the street and the parking lot.
She dropped the bag under a bush, shifted so she could unzip it and started plucking clothes from the pack, hastily yanking each piece on as fast as she could. She was really annoyed when she discovered that she’d forgotten shoes. Again. Snatching up her bag, she ran across the parking lot, slipping in the icy slush, jerked open the door and jumped into the backseat next to Seb.

Seb stared down at her bare toes. “Where are your shoes?”
“Um, I forgot. Didn’t want to go back for them.”
Quill and Tate suppressed grins at her confession. All the Jericho kids had experienced the disconcerting problem of missing shoes. Clothing was easy to remember. Shoes, not so much, until you forgot them on a cold snowy night. The next time you weren’t so likely to be caught without shoes. Except Zip. She always forgot.
When Quill started the SUV and backed out of his parking spot, Zip asked, “Can you please run through the drive-thru and get me a hamburger? I’m starving!”
“The next one down would be a much better choice, don’t you think?” Tate asked.
“Oh all right.” Zip crawled over the backseat into the cargo section of the SUV and rummaged through a plastic box filled with odds and end. A few minutes later, she returned empty-handed.

Seb frowned at her. “What were you doing?”

“Wiping off my feet. Pa keeps a couple of old towels in the emergency box.”
He bent over, unzipped his bag and extracted a heavy pair of wooly socks. Tossing them in her lap, he grunted, “Put those on. It’s too cold to go barefoot.” After zipping his bag closed, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Now would someone like to explain what the hell is going on? How did Harry know that my apartment is bugged? How did Quill know that Zip was going to meet us at that McDonald’s and why doesn’t Zip have any shoes?” Though he really didn’t expect explanations, it seemed that hope did spring eternal.
The silence was deafening while Zip yanked on the clean socks and fastened her seat belt.

“Right. Let’s try for an easy one then. Where are we going now?”

“Very slight change of plan. We’re going to take you down to Zip’s place in the country. Keeping out of sight could be a good thing for both of you right now.”
“Would it now? Why do you suppose that’s so? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that a lot of people are heading out of town all at one time?”
Quill shifted lanes to pass a tractor-trailer while he thought about that. “Who else besides you and me, Seb?”
“Suko’s taken a sudden leave of absence. Claimed a family emergency in California. Janet asked for two weeks of vacation. Supposedly she’s in Maine. Greg’s on family leave because of the new baby. And Helga called in sick day before yesterday and hasn’t been back.”
“Helga?” Quill’s voice rose in alarm. Helga hadn’t missed a day of work in fifteen years.
Finally, Seb pointed out what everyone else was thinking. “Someone wants the office empty.”

“Call Harry.” Quill checked the next exit sign to see where they were.
“And tell him what? Don’t go to the office?”
“No, wait. Let me think about this.” It occurred to Quill that Harry might have his own plans for the office. Normally he never would have approved that many leaves, especially the vacation leaves. Actually, if the office was that short-staffed, Harry would have recalled Quill to come back and man the phones. Suddenly, Quill was sure that Harry had an operation running. “Never mind.”
“You think he has something in place?”

“Yeah. So we’ll get out of his way.”
“Can I please have a hamburger?” Zip inserted pitifully just as they topped a low hill, revealing a giant golden arches lighting up the sky.
“Who’s buying?” Quill teased.
“I am,” Seb snapped.

“Ooooh.
White Knight to the rescue!”


Seb looked down at his hands, turning them over in the faint light. “Last time I checked, I was black. Well, at least I’m dark brown.”
Taking his hand in hers, she lifted it to her lips and brushed it with a kiss. “I always wanted a Black Knight. They’re such bad boys while those White Knights are so namby-pamby.”
Tate laughed. “Seb’s got enough bad boy for all of us.”
“Do you?” she murmured against his warm palm. Her tongue flicked out to tickle the sensitive skin.
He grinned as he cupped her chin. “I’ll be happy to demonstrate at the first opportunity. Move over here next to me.”
Zip unclipped her seat belt, scooted to the middle of the bench seat and snapped that belt around her hips. Seb stretched his arm around her shoulders, tugging her close. “That’s better,” she sighed as Quill exited the highway. “Much better.”

Seb’s fingers nudged her breast. When he realized that she wore no bra, he shifted so that he could toy with her nipple, pinching it between two fingers.
She arched into the tiny pain, stifling a gasp of pleasure. A ripple of delight clenched in her belly as slick fluid trickled from her pussy. She moved her hand until it covered the ridge beneath his zipper.
Suddenly Seb’s jeans were uncomfortably tight as his cock surged under her fingers. With his free hand, he pressed Zip’s fingers tighter against his jeans. Reluctantly, he moved his hand to her arm when Quill slowed and turned into the parking lot at the McDonald’s. Though Zip’s family had clearly indicated their approval of his pursuit of Zip, he respected her too much to be caught feeling her up in the backseat.
“Sit up for a minute,” he murmured. As soon as she straightened up, he undid his seat belt and fished his wallet from his back pocket.
The weather was bad enough to keep most of the normal travelers off the road so their trip through the drive-thru was quick. In a few moments, Quill pulled into a parking space near the exit and they enjoyed their meal in comfortable silence.
“I know there’s probably a good reason but why are we sitting in the truck in the cold when we could be eating inside where it’s warm?” Zip asked as she munched on French fries and catsup.
Quill yawned. “One, it’s easier to see the cars that drive through the lot. Two, it’s harder for watchers to see how many people are in the truck. Three, you don’t have any shoes.”
“Shoot. I forgot about the shoes.”
“That’s why I’m the big brother.”

“Snot.”


“Termagant.”

She tossed all her trash in the bag and offered it to Seb. He stuffed his papers inside and handed it up to Tate who finished collecting the trash before jumping out long enough to put it in the trashcan.
When Quill pulled out of the parking lot, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “No one on our tail but keep an eye out in case they reacquire us down the road. There’s a rest area about six miles from here.”
“Take the Bulls Gap exit. It would be a lot harder for them to follow us on that road.” Tate kept his eye on the side mirror as he mentally went over the alternate route. “It’s darker than the inside of a barrel out there and that road has twists and turns so it’s hard to get up much speed.”
“It’s also probably slicker than a skating rink,” Quill objected.

“Yeah?
So? I didn’t say anything about driving on it. Pull into the parking lot behind that hotel there. For that matter, we could spend the night there and go on in the morning.”

“Seb?”

“Sounds good to me,” Seb grunted. “I’m beat.”
“Tell them you want two rooms on the bottom floor. That way we can keep an eye on the parking lot from our rooms.”
“Better yet, I’ll park the SUV down on the other side of Tony’s barbeque place. It’s dark enough down there that no one will see it.” Quill pulled under the portico and went into the hotel lobby. A few minutes later, he returned with plastic key cards for their rooms. “We’re in luck. This place is empty in the middle of the week.”







Chapter Four

 
Without discussion, Seb and Zip took one room while Quill and Tate took the neighboring room. Once their door was shut and locked, Seb silently regarded Zip’s sock-clad feet before commenting, “Why don’t you take a shower to get your feet warm? Then you can put the socks back on. I still can’t imagine how you could forget to put on shoes.”
“Someday I’ll tell you all about it,” Zip promised quietly before going into the bathroom and firmly shutting the door behind her.
With a shake of his head, Seb located the remote for the television and pressed the power button to see if he could get an update on the weather. Given everything that had happened, he would be a lot more comfortable once they reached Zip’s cabin in the woods near Jericho Hollow.
Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good. A solid area of freezing rain covered the entire eastern end of Tennessee and it wasn’t forecast to move out until well into the next day. The forecaster was cheerfully warning of possible power outages and impassible highways. Why were the forecasters always smiling when they were delivering bad news? Seb yawned and flopped back on the bed while he clicked through the channels.
When the bathroom door opened, letting out a cloud of steam, Seb turned his head to ask Zip if she felt better but no sound left his mouth. His jaw dropped instead as he stared at the delicious sight—Zipporah as naked as a jaybird with a mostly bare pink pussy.
He rolled from the bed onto his feet, shucking his clothes in a hurry. “Holy cow, you’re beautiful!” Kicking his jeans away impatiently, he moved to tug her into his arms.
“You were commando,” she observed with a pout. “I could have held you in my hand in the car!” She wrapped her fingers around his cock. “I could have tasted you!”

“With your brothers in the front seat? I don’t think so. I’m rather fond of that particular body part.”
“I would have been very, very quiet.” She tilted her head back so that she could nibble on his stubbly chin. “Very quiet.”
“I wouldn’t have though. When you have my cock in your mouth, I groan and whimper and howl. Somehow, I can’t be a quiet lover when you’re sucking on my cock.” He captured her mouth, nibbling and licking her lips. “Just like you can’t be quiet when I’m licking your pussy.” When he slipped his tongue in her mouth, rubbing it against her tongue, seeking her honeyed taste, she moaned. “Just like that.” He rocked his hips, thrusting his cock in the warm grasp of her hands.
“Are we going to take advantage of that big soft bed, or are we going to play around?” he whispered in her ear before biting down gently on the soft lobe.

“Ummm. I want to do it all,” she admitted huskily. “Everything you’ve ever thought of, everything you’ve ever dreamed about. I want to do that with you.”
He slid his lips down her neck to that sensitive spot where it met her shoulder and nipped her. “What about you? Don’t you have any dreams of your own?”

“Just you, Seb. However, whenever, wherever I can have you.”
“You’re sure about that? Absolutely positive?” he asked as he grasped her wrists and pulled her hands behind her back.
She nipped his lower lip before tilting her head back so that she could look him straight in the eyes. Her pussy clenched and her belly tightened at the heat she saw there. “Positive. Whatever you want.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled sharply. Then he stepped back from her. “Get on the bed on your knees. Close your eyes and keep them closed. I’ll be right there in just a minute.”
Zip knelt on the bed with her eyes closed, listening intently as Seb moved around the room. The low buzz of noise from the television blocked most of the sounds so that she really had no clue what he was doing. She heard a faint jingle and the hiss of a zipper but couldn’t put enough pieces together to decide what he was up to.
Then she felt him moving around the bed, positioning the pillows in front of her, near her belly.
“Okay. Lie down so that the pillows are under your belly.”
Silently, she obeyed, positioning herself as he requested.
“Turn your head to the side and place your hands behind your back.”
Uneasily, she followed his directions. Then she felt the smooth touch of steel as he fastened his handcuffs around her wrists. Deftly, he nudged her knees farther apart.
“I know that this is an awkward position but are you uncomfortable?” he inquired.
“No.”
“Okay. Relax. Keep your eyes closed. I want you to feel.”
Zip was feeling all right. With her legs spread, she could feel his eyes staring at her pussy. Feeling helpless and restrained made her hot. Her pussy clenched as more fluid trickled out, dampening the swollen folds on display for his pleasure. Then she felt his tongue slither from her clit to her anus in one long slow lick. Her body tightened at the sensations bombarding her.

Seb blew out a tiny puff of air. Chills ran up Zip’s spine.
He poured a small puddle of lotion in his palm from the tiny lotion bottle in the bathroom. When it was warmed a bit, he smoothed it over her back from her shoulders to the soft generous curves of her ass, taking particular care to rub his thumbs very slowly down the dark crease separating her cheeks. She flinched when his thumbs brushed across her tight rosette.

“Problem?”

After a moment, she sighed. “No. I just wasn’t expecting you to touch me there.”
“Then perhaps you really aren’t prepared for my idea of anything,” he pointed out gently. The silence stretched until he thought she would refuse and though he would be disappointed, it certainly would never be a deal-breaker for him. There were some things he was prepared to fight for but anal play wasn’t one of them.
Zip concentrated on the sensations as he touched her. Why was she so shocked, she wondered? It wasn’t as though she’d never heard of the idea. When she reached early adulthood, her parents had made sure that her sex education was thorough and extensive—just as they had with all their children. They strongly believed that ignorance was irresponsible and dangerous. So why was she so resistant? Then it occurred to her that her resistance wasn’t aimed at Seb’s plans but was due to her own fears about losing control. This was Seb. If she couldn’t trust him now, then she would never trust him.
Under Seb’s soothing hands, her entire body seemed to slacken. Only then did he realize how tense she’d been. It was as though somebody had released all the air from a balloon. “Zipporah?”
“Yes?”
“What is going on, honey?”
“Either I trust you. Or I don’t. But I can’t have it both ways.”
He dribbled a little of the lotion in his palm and dipped his finger in the small pool. “So that’s a yes?”
“Do whatever you want, Seb.”
“I’m not into pain, Zipporah. If you don’t enjoy it, then I don’t either. I’m all about mutual pleasure. And I understand the word stop.”
Zip chuckled into the coverlet. “I know that. Onward, Seb. Let’s see how this works. I’m still not convinced that you’re gonna fit in my pussy, let alone my ass.”

“Ahhh.
A challenge. I do love a good challenge, sweetheart.”
“Uh-huh.” Zip jiggled her butt enticingly.
Unable to resist, Seb smacked her twice, once on each cheek. “You turn the most amazing shade of rose.”
“Oh!” she gasped. “Do that again!”
“Oooh, you like spanking, huh?” Perfectly willing to provide her with whatever she desired, he smacked each side again.
Heat seared her, sizzling from her tingling ass to her pulsing clit. It was a most amazing sensation. Zip tried to press her thighs together to relieve some of the pressure and found her way blocked by Seb’s legs.
He tapped her butt. “Uh-uh. If you need relief, I’ll provide it. All you have to do is ask.” Abruptly, he changed his mind about the handcuffs. After unlocking them and helping her put her arms down next to her body, he scooped his finger in the lotion and rubbed it all around her rosette until he felt the muscles relax. Then he pressed inward as he whispered, “Push out.”
Immediately, she obeyed, hissing when his finger sank in to the first knuckle. “Your finger is huge!”
“My hands are the same size they were yesterday.”
“Yesterday your finger wasn’t in my ass.”

Seb grinned at her tart rejoinder. “Well, let’s see if my other finger is too big for your pussy.” He turned his hand sideways and slowly slid his middle finger inside her slick sheath.

“Seb!” Not quite sure which way to move, she finally hiked her ass up, presenting herself for his pleasure—and hers. Working carefully, he slid his fingers deeper until he could go no farther. She groaned and pushed against his fingers, grinding her clit on the pillows in frustration. “More,” she whimpered.

Seb stretched out over her, pressing his chest on her back, and growled in her ear, “Are you ready for my cock in your pussy?”
“Yes!” She could feel his hard hot length cradled in her slick swollen folds. “Now!”
“Don’t be so impatient, honey. We’ll get there.” He sat up so that his butt was resting on his heels, slid his fingers free from her body and swiftly slipped on a condom. Placing the fat head at her entrance, he pressed forward, rocking his hips until the head slid inside. Then he halted, letting her decide when she was ready. She was so tight Seb wondered if she was going to nip the tip of his cock right off. He dribbled a bit of the lotion on her anus, lined his finger up and pressed inside.
The effect on Zip was electric. She rocked back, bearing down as she pursued Seb’s thick cock. With a final push, his cock was seated inside to the hilt, the crinkled skin of his balls rubbing against her clit.

Seb felt as though he’d been caught in a vacuum cleaner, sucked up and squeezed in magic rippling fingers. With the grip she had on him, he wasn’t sure he would be able to slide back out. Cautiously, he pulled away, sliding from her pussy with all the majesty of an ocean liner.
“No! Don’t take it out!” Zip yelled. “Put it back in!”

“In a minute.” He halted with just the tip inside. “This is the way it works, you know. Out, in, out, in…”
“But I like it in!”
“Well, yeah. But don’t you like the motion? I like the way it feels sliding in and out,” he explained.
She snorted under her breath. “You guys spend all your waking thoughts trying to get your cocks in someone’s pussy. Then you want to take it right back out. That doesn’t even make sense. Only a man would come up with a plan like that.” Slyly, she tightened internal muscles, nipping at the broad mushroom head. “Put it back in.”

“Bossy.” He thrust his hips forward, sliding through tight, slick flesh.

“Ahhhh.” Zip ground her ass against his belly. “Is your finger all the way in?”

Seb wiggled his finger, rubbing his cock through the thin tissue separating her two passages. “Feel that?”

“Yeah. Isn’t there any more?”
His finger brushed the hard shape of his cock. “No. That’s it.” He slid his cock back out and in a couple of strokes. “Better?”
“Harder. Faster,” she gasped. “Now that I know how wonderful it feels to have your cock inside me, I may never let you take it out.”
With his free hand, he smacked the smooth curve of her ass. “Good little girls aren’t greedy.”
“Good little girls don’t have any fun.”

Seb felt the growing tension in her pussy. He slid his fingers around to her belly, down between her legs so he could pluck at her clit.
She screamed into the bedding as her body gathered in the tremendous throes of an orgasm that seemed to go on forever. Her entire body shuddered and twitched, shocking her with the power of her release.

Seb struggled to hold back but the rhythmic convulsions tugging at his cock were more than he could bear. Lava-hot seed spurted out in waves as his cock jerked in her grasp. Slowly, he bent over her back, fighting for breath as the last bit of semen shot out. He gently freed his finger, wrapped his arms around her waist and turned them onto their sides, still joined, still throbbing inside.
“I think I died,” she whispered.
“That’s why they call it the little death.”
“Do you suppose Quill and Tate heard me scream?” she asked uneasily.
“We’ll know tomorrow if Quill punches me out over breakfast.”
She turned her head so she could see his face. “He wouldn’t.”
“Oh yeah, he would. If he thought I’d hurt you, he’d pound me into the floor and stomp me flat. That’s what big brothers do.”
“Quill’s too civilized. Cage might do something like that but not Quill.” She sighed and snuggled contentedly in his arms.
Deep in his chest, Seb’s laughter rumbled, shaking them. “Honey, you don’t know your brother very well. Let us hope you never see him when he’s upset.” With a deep breath, he reluctantly separated their bodies and rolled away, sitting up on the side of the bed. “Quill takes his responsibilities as the oldest son very, very seriously. Don’t ever forget that.”
She rolled so that she faced him and brushed her hand down his damp back. “Where are you going?”

“Bathroom. Necessary as condoms are, they’re a pain in the ass to deal with afterward. Also, very unsexy.”

Zipporah grinned. “I think it’s very sexy because it shows you care. You’re a man who is willing to take measures to protect us both. That’s incredibly sexy to me.”
He bent to kiss her, taking his time. It occurred to him that he really hadn’t spent much time on foreplay and in retrospect that wasn’t very fair to Zip. “I’ll be right back. We skipped over a few parts the first time around.”
“Okay. Hurry.”

* * * * *

A heavy fist pounding on the door jarred Seb awake. He stumbled from the bed in the dark room, blearily noting Zip’s absence. When he passed the closed bathroom door and heard the low hiss of the shower, some of the tension in his chest dissipated. He peeked through the peephole and found himself eyeball to eyeball with Quill.

“Just a minute!”

“Geez, Seb! How late were you gonna sleep?” Quill grumbled. “I’m hungry!”

Seb yanked on his jeans, zipped and buttoned them and returned to fling open the door. “You were hungry when you were born. I’ve never known a time when you didn’t want something to eat.”
“Well at least I get up before noon!”
“So do I. I’m just not awake until then.” Seb went to his bag and plucked out a clean shirt to put on. “I don’t suppose you brought coffee.”
“You suppose correctly. As soon as Zip gets out of the bathroom, we’ll go upstairs and see what they have for breakfast.” Quill’s eyes swept the dim room, absently noting the box of condoms on the nightstand.
His eyes met Seb’s in silent query. With a steady look, Seb’s answer was clear and firm. Zip wasn’t a one-night stand. Seb had long-range plans for their lives together. With an accepting nod, Quill turned back to the door. “We’ll meet you upstairs in the lobby. If you don’t give my sister a nudge, we’ll drink all the coffee before you get there.” The door snapped shut behind him.
In the silence, Seb contemplated the short encounter. Message sent. Message received. And he was quite sure that Quill had deliberately chosen to arrive while Zip was in the shower. With a deep breath, Seb flipped the switch for the desk lamp, located the remote for the television and turned on the local weather while he found clean socks in his bag. He was thankful that he’d dragged his butt into the shower before sleeping the night before. After listening to the weather, he was twice as grateful. The sleet and freezing rain had changed to snow.
He stomped on his shoes and quickly tied them before rapping on the bathroom door. “Hurry up, woman! Your brothers are waiting for us!”
The shower stopped. “What?”
“Your brothers are waiting for us. They want breakfast!” Seb heard muttering and odd thumps. Then she flung open the door.
“They’re always hungry. Tell them we’ll be ready in ten minutes.” She looked down at her bare feet. “May I keep the socks you loaned me last night? I’ll replace them when we get home.”
He contemplated her bare feet with the bright red polish on her toenails. “They are yours. I have plenty of socks so don’t worry about it. Now get dressed.”
She surprised him when she reached out to cup his crotch. “Are you commando?” she demanded huskily.
“You could always find out for yourself.”
“If I do, we’ll be late for breakfast. Very, very late,” she added as she gently squeezed the rapidly expanding ridge in his jeans.
“Oh well. In that case, you’ll just have to wonder.” Reluctantly, he backed away, leaving room for her to exit the bathroom. “Get dressed while I shave.” He went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. When he got a good look at the steamed mirror, he wondered how he was supposed to shave without ending up with dozens of nicks. He located the switch for the exhaust fan and flipped it on, hoping the mirror would clear a bit while he brushed his teeth. Women
.
When he finally opened the door, Zip was waiting on the end of the bed, clicking through the channels on the TV, pausing when something caught her eye. “The weather’s worse. The economy isn’t good. And world peace is unlikely in the foreseeable future.”

“News summary?”


“Yep.
Same old, same old.”

He tucked his Dopp kit in his bag, tossed the box of condoms on top and zipped it shut. “Are you ready?”

“Oh yeah. I need coffee.” She bounced to her feet and headed for the door.
“You need creamer with a dash of coffee. And a pair of shoes. But in the meantime, you should put on my socks.”
Blankly, she looked down at her feet. “Knew I was forgetting something,” she muttered as she stomped back to the bed and unearthed the socks from the bedding spilled on the floor.
As Seb watched her yank on the socks, he realized that he very seldom saw her wearing shoes unless she was in public. He had a notion that he was going to spend a great deal of their future lives keeping track of her socks and shoes. There were worse things to worry about though. If all he had to do was keep her shod, then he could deal with that.

* * * * *

When they finally bounced down the potholed driveway to Zipporah’s cabin, Seb breathed a long sigh of relief. The back roads—hazardous under the best conditions—were positively lethal when covered with snow and ice. As far as he was concerned, Carmine Giannola’s thugs could follow him with his best wishes. They were city boys, most likely to end up in a ditch, fender deep in the snow where they would freeze to death because they were unprepared for winter weather. It would serve them right.
The drive that should have taken less than an hour had stretched out to nearly three hours with thirty minutes lost while they hauled the SUV out of a ditch themselves and then helped a young couple with a squalling baby haul their sorry excuse for a car out of another ditch.
When Quill rolled to a stop in front of the cabin, there was a long silence. Then Tate drawled, “Well, we made it.”
“That we did.” Seb held his hand out in front of Zip. “Hand over the keys. I’ll go unlock the door and then come back for you.”
She bit her lips to hide the smile that wanted to escape. “You’re going to carry me over the threshold?”
“Yeah, I am. Keys?”
She slapped her keys onto his palm. “This should be interesting.”
“I’ll say,” Tate muttered. “I have to get a picture of this.” He hauled out his cell phone and waved it at his sister. “I’ll record it for posterity.”

“Twit. Your time will come, Tate Jericho. I want to be front row and center to see some woman make you act like a complete fool!”

Seb chuckled and hopped out. He picked his way up the snow-covered stairs and across the porch. When he had the door unlocked, he reached inside, found her heavy outdoor broom and brushed the snow off the porch and stairs before setting the broom next to the door. Then he stalked down the stairs to Zip’s side of the truck and opened the door.
“Okay. Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied tartly.
“Turn on the seat and face me,” he instructed softly. When she was in position, he ducked, set his shoulder against her belly and backed away with her slung over his shoulder.
“Seb, you rat!”
Tate was clicking away—mostly taking pictures of her butt—and she silently threatened him, Your day will come, Tate!

Oh but it will be worth it! Tate slipped his phone back in his pocket and opened the door, stepping down in the trampled snow. He hauled Seb’s bag and Zip’s backpack from the backseat and carried them to the porch where he dumped them. “We’ll get going, Seb. The sky is looking like it’s about time for a second round of snow.”

“Go on, Tate. Call when y’all get home.” When Zip tried to wiggle free, Seb smacked her butt. “Stay put.”
Tate snickered and trotted back to the SUV.

“Coward!” Zip hollered.
“You bet!” He slammed the door shut and put his window down. “I may be younger than you but I’m no fool!”
Quill just shook his head and turned the vehicle around to head back down the narrow lane. “If she finds out about Louella, your life won’t be worth a plugged nickel, brother.”
Tate frowned in the dim light from the dash. “What makes you think it’s worth anything now? Without Louella, life’s pretty grim.”
“Maybe she’ll change her mind.”
“I doubt it. Her ideas were pretty firm about shifters. And she was pretty upset when those guys locked us in that burning shed and then I still didn’t find her cousin Andrea. Nah, she won’t change her mind.”
“But what if she suddenly shows up here?” Quill persisted as they bumped up the lane to Jericho Hollow.
Tate was silent for a few minutes before finally answering, “From Oklahoma? I’ll marry her quickly before she has time for another about-face.”
“That’s what I thought.” Satisfaction oozed in Quill’s voice. “That’s the way I feel too. If I ever get my hands on Unity again, I’m not letting go.”
“You reckon Seb is serious?”

“As a heart attack. That boy’s been panting after Zipporah for over a year. I wouldn’t let him within fifty miles of her otherwise.” Quill flashed a stern glance at Tate. “Just because she’s grown up doesn’t mean that we don’t keep an eye on her. She’s our sister no matter how old she is.”
“I know that, Quill.”
“Well then. You know that Seb will no doubt be your brother-in-law as soon as he can get her to the preacher.”







Chapter Five

 

Seb and Zipporah were eating dinner when Seb’s temporary cell phone rang. He hotfooted across the room to the hook where his coat was hanging and dug the phone from the pocket, flipping it open to see who was calling. “Harry. Huh. Hello?”

“Seb!”
Harry’s voice boomed so loudly Seb had to hold the phone away from his ear.
“What’s going on?”
“We had a break on Georgie’s case. He recognized an agent from Nashville and asked Mike about him. Turns out, Georgie saw him playing with Carmine Giannola’s boys in a place he shouldn’t have been. Once Georgie fingered him for Mike, we ran the rest of the case down pretty quickly.”

Seb stifled a curse. “My mom?
My family?”

“They’re all fine. We have a few more things to clear up but the agent is on ice and Georgie is safe. Since you’re already down there in Jericho territory, I want you to help Quill with a little assignment I gave him. He’ll fill you in on the background.” Harry coughed harshly several times. “Damn cold. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Abruptly, he disconnected, leaving Seb with a dead phone and a lot of unanswered questions.
Zip watched him from the table, her fork halfway to her mouth. “What happened?”
He returned to the table and sat down, hiding a smile as the salad piled on her fork slid from the tines, landing on her sweatshirt-covered breasts. “Oh suck a duck!” Zip picked the slippery pieces of lettuce from her shirt and dabbed at the fabric with her napkin. “What did Harry say?”

“A lot of nonsense. First there was some bullshit about how Georgie’s case is all solved. Then he babbled about some agent from Nashville who is a dirty cop. And then he told me to help Quill with his case since I’m already down here in Jericho territory. And he acted like I wouldn’t know anything about Quill’s assignment or Georgie’s case. I wish Mercedes MacLeish had a chance to talk to Greg before she was murdered. We could use a clue about this white slavery ring.” Seb gulped milk from his glass while he considered. “It’s all bullshit. What I wonder is what the hell is going on? Or was it for someone else’s benefit?”
“Maybe he’s trying to fool someone else? He swapped out your phone so maybe his is bugged. Could he be trying to set someone else up with this information?”
“Well, hell! Why not draw them a map? Add an X marks the spot, Sebastian Spade is here. If he’s trying to kill me, that’s a good way to do it.”
“Forewarned is forearmed,” she said calmly. “Eat your dinner.”
He stabbed his fork in a piece of pot roast. “Aren’t you worried? If he was setting up Carmine Giannola for a sting, it could backfire, leaving us hip deep in organized crime thugs.”
“True. However, it’s been snowing all afternoon. You saw how difficult driving was. I imagine that we’ll have plenty of warning before they get here—if they come. In the meantime, you need to finish your dinner so you have enough energy to fight crime.”

Seb chewed on that for a while before pointing his fork at Zip. “You have eating on the brain. I bet if I hollered fire, you would make sure you had a snack before you ran outside.” He paused to consider that picture before adding, “Barefoot. You would no doubt leave your shoes behind because your mind was on food.”
She grinned in silent acknowledgement. “That’s why I have you.”
“I knew it! I knew I would spend my life keeping track of your shoes!” He groaned when his phone rang again. “Now what?”
“Maybe it’s Quill.”
Peering at the screen, he was relieved to see that she was correct. “Hello,” he grumbled.
“We finally reached Momma’s.”
“What took you so long?” If Seb had had any hair, it would have been standing on end in alarm. “I thought you just forgot to call. You should have been there hours ago.”

“Nope. We were occupied.”
“Well? Don’t stop now,” Seb urged irritably. “What happened?”
“We were towing Giannola’s boys out of a snow bank.” Seb could almost see Quill savoring the moment before he added, “There were illegal weapons clearly visible in the backseat.”
“Damn.” Seb leaned back in his chair while he pictured the scene. “Probable cause.
Search and seizure.”


“Yep. They’re all cozily locked up at the state police barracks. And Tate and I are about to put on some dry clothes and have dinner.”

“You lucky dog!”

Quill snorted. “Yeah, right. You’re warm, dry and likely have a full stomach while I’m dripping all over Pa’s kitchen. I’ll talk to you in the morning!”

“All right.”
Seb folded the phone and attacked his dinner with renewed enthusiasm. “Giannola’s thugs are in jail. We should be safe enough for tonight.”
“So… Ice cream?” Zip offered with a sly smile. “Apple pie?”

“You.
Naked in bed.
All night.”

She cleared her dishes from the table while he finished eating. After rinsing them, she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him to contemplate his plans for the evening. There were so many things he wanted to do, so many things he wanted to try with her that he wasn’t sure where to begin. She said she was willing to try whatever he desired but he was still uncertain about how far that would take them. Zip was awfully independent when it came down to it. Control was a big issue with her. Seb didn’t need to be in charge of their life outside the bedroom but he knew himself well enough to admit that he wouldn’t be happy if he wasn’t calling the shots in the bedroom.
When he cleared his plate, he carried his dishes to the sink and rinsed them, wiped the table down and flicked off the light over the sink. He heard water running in the bathroom so he decided to occupy himself by lighting a fire in the fireplace. He checked the wood box for sufficient fuel, pleased to find that someone had made sure it was filled.
After he had the logs arranged, he set the fire with the scratch of a hearth match before making sure the door was locked and the curtains were drawn. Next he turned down the bed, folding the bedding neatly across the foot of the bed. Finally, he undressed and stretched out on the bed to wait for his woman.
In the bathroom, as Zip brushed and flossed, she debated her options. She was very well aware of Seb’s need for control in the bedroom. Quill had discussed it with typical male bluntness the first time he saw them together. With a brotherly lack of tact, he’d taken her for coffee and launched into a specific explanation with graphic details that Zip had found arousing and exciting instead of off-putting. So now, her only question was how to convey that to Seb.
She washed her face, brushed her hair and took a deep breath before she opened the door and went out to join him. Her eyes slid lovingly from his head to his feet as she appreciated the wonderful bounty spread out on her bed. Yum. Sleek chocolate curves and planes flowed from the pillows to the folded bedding at the foot.
Zip sat down on the side of the bed with her back to Seb. “Do you remember the day we met?” she asked.

“Like it was yesterday. Quill and I were talking in the hall. It was pouring down outside and you came running in, soaking wet in your pretty spring dress. It was clinging to you like a second skin. Your nipples were as hard as little pebbles. I wanted to strip you bare and lick you dry.”
“I know. Your cock was hard. I could see it pressing against the zipper of those sexy suit pants you were wearing. I could barely keep my hands off you.” She twisted so she could see his face. “Quill took me out for coffee when we left. He didn’t even allow me time to go home and change into dry clothes.”
“Why?” Seb frowned at the thought of her walking around in public in the thin wet dress with her nipples poking against the damp fabric.
Zip chuckled. “The dress dried pretty quickly, you know. And he had something important to say. He saw how we caught fire just from a glance.”
“Don’t tell me he warned you off.”
She shook her head as she turned away so that he couldn’t see her smile. “He wanted to tell me what you like in the bedroom.”

“Quill? How the hell would he know?” Seb rolled from the bed, stalking around so he could squat down in front of her. “Zipporah? What did he tell you?”
She cleared her throat. “Um, he went out with Taliniesha Jones after you broke up with her. I guess that when she explained why you weren’t dating any more she was very specific about what you wanted.”
“That woman needs a zipper on her mouth! Not only does she not understand the meaning of discretion, she probably can’t spell it either!”
A startled laugh burst from Zip. “According to Quill, you likely weren’t dating her for her intelligent conversation.”

Seb stood up and moved so that he was standing close enough for his engorged cock to brush her lips. “Suck me, Zip. I’ve been waiting all day for the touch of your mouth on me.”
Willingly, she cradled his cock in her hand as she nibbled lightly at the broad tip. He growled deep in his chest. Flicking him a challenging glance from under her lowered lashes, she opened her mouth and took him inside. She slithered her tongue along the ridge while she gently stroked his staff, enjoying the sensual way the soft skin moved over the firm muscle. With her other hand she cupped his plump balls, playfully massaging them with her fingers.

“Zipporah! Quit screwing around! I need you!”
His admission was all that she’d been waiting for. Immediately, she sucked harder, taking him deeper as her touch firmed on his cock. His fingers brushed through her soft dark hair as they curled around her head, holding her, guiding her as he rocked his hips, thrusting in her wet silken mouth. She tilted her head back, taking him deeper until the head lodged in her throat. Then she hummed.

Seb shouted her name when the vibrations shot up the length of his cock. He tried to pull away but her grip tightened just enough to get her message across. She wasn’t through with him yet. After a brief internal struggle, he surrendered to her wishes, allowing her to love him the way she needed to. In her tender care, he discovered something vitally different. Her mouth and hands, her lips and sly tongue weren’t about control. The way she touched him and explored every part of his genitals told him they were precious to her. It was arousing and heart shattering in a way that he’d never experienced before.
Then she took him deeper in her throat, fluttered her tongue along the heavy vein running up the underside of his cock—and hummed again. Seb came apart. Hot semen pulsed in her throat as tears trickled down his cheeks. His legs trembled. Chills raced up his spine. With a last gentle caress, she released him and he crumpled to his knees in front of her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her as though he would never let her go.

“Seb? What’s wrong?” she asked hesitantly. “Didn’t I do it right?”

“Hell yeah.” He sat back on his heels, tracing one finger along her jaw before brushing her swollen lower lip. “I’ve never had it more right than that,” he said firmly. “Never.”

“Why the tears?”


“Because it was perfect.
Absolutely perfect.” Cupping her head with gentle fingers, he leaned into her, covering her lips with his in a kiss that told her all the things he couldn’t find words to convey. He tasted himself as he slicked his tongue over her lips before thrusting inside. Their tongues met in a twisty dance of question and answer. He pulled back, his breathing labored and short.
“Lie down. I want to taste your pussy.”
She flopped back on the bed while he lifted her legs so that they were draped over his shoulders. “Do guys really like to do this?” she asked curiously.

“Oh yeah.”
Seb spread her soaked folds, absorbed in the pink delight revealed. “I could spend days with my face buried in your pussy.” He inhaled, savoring her scent. “Your pussy smells incredible.” He nibbled on the flushed swollen outer lips before searching out her perky clit and lightly sucking it.
Zip writhed mindlessly as he feasted, alternately plunging his tongue in her pussy and slithering it through the delicate outer petals with occasional forays down to the tempting rosette at her anus.
“I wish we had some toys,” he muttered as he slid two fingers inside her pussy.
She grabbed his smooth head, pressing his face back against her clit. “Make me come and I’ll give you a whole chest full of toys!” she babbled.
He tilted his head so he could peek up at her face. “Oh yeah? I was thinking about playing with them tonight. You have a naughty toy store within walking distance?”
Zip waved an arm aimlessly in the general direction of the corner. “Over there. Big box. Now put your mouth back where it belongs!”
He covered her clit with his full lips and sucked with just enough pressure to bring her to a small climax. She thrashed in frustration. “Sebastian Spade, I’m going to—”
“Love me,” he promised as he slid her up on the bed so that her legs weren’t hanging down. He stood up and went in search of the big box. When he found it, he contemplated it in silence for a few moments before removing the lid. It was definitely a big box. And it was stuffed to the top with every toy imaginable—all of them still in their original packages. As he picked through the different items, it was clear that she had spent considerable time and money on acquiring her collection.
He held up two packages of brightly colored ropes. “Bondage?”
Zip rolled over on her stomach and buried her face in the pillows. “Quill said you liked something called Shibari. I looked it up on the internet and then I asked Ernald at the Pussy Cat Toys store to help me pick out what we needed.”

Seb could barely believe the muffled explanation. “You bought me ropes because Quill told you I wanted to tie you up? I’m gonna kill him.”
She lifted her head from her nest of pillows and stared at him. “Why? Isn’t that what you want?”

“Hell no. Oh, I don’t mind experimenting a little but I’m not that kinky! A vibrator, a butt plug and some lube and I’m good to go.”
“Well, shoot. I was kinda looking forward to trying it. Just toss the ropes back in the box. I’ll return them.” She rolled on her back and sprawled across the bed. “So did you find enough toys so we can get back to the fun?”

Seb joined her on the bed. “I can’t believe you were willing to let me use those ropes and toys on you. What if I hurt you?”
She folded her arms behind her head and studied the ceiling. “It’s like I told you in the hotel. Either I trust you or I don’t. If I trust you, then that includes a bone-deep belief that you won’t hurt me. Or insist on doing something really distasteful. I’ve known you over a year now. We’ve had a few dates but we’ve also spent some time together with my family and yours. Sometimes how a man acts around family can show a woman more about the kind of person he is than all the dates in the world. Are you kind? Are you respectful? Do you volunteer to help? Are you comfortable with children and animals? Those are the things I was looking for and the answers were all a resounding yes.”
“Men think more linearly,” Seb observed dryly.
“I know. Do I get a hard-on? Will she let me stick it in her pussy?”
“You have a wicked tongue.”
“You love it—especially when it’s licking your fat cock.”
“I do,” he admitted. “I also love your sharp wit.” He turned his head and stared into her dark brown eyes. “Since I’m such a linear guy, have I completely ruined the mood?”
She took his hand and placed it between her damp thighs. “Does that feel like the mood is ruined? All you have to do is look at me and I’m ready.”
“What about all that stuff about women taking longer to be aroused?”
Zip frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re tired or stressed or maybe their men don’t cuddle them as much as you do. You’re always touching me. The last year has been like one long year of foreplay. And when you look at me you smolder.”
“Smolder?” he said incredulously. “What the hell does that mean?”
She squeezed her thighs together, trapping his hand between them. “You’re doing it now. You’re looking at me like you can’t wait to put your cock inside me. If I had panties on, you’d barely restrain yourself from tearing them off. Oh yeah,” she moaned at the flare of heat in his eyes. “You definitely smolder.”
He shifted so that he was stretched out between her legs, his upper body supported on his elbows. She shuddered as his rigid cock slid across her clit. He bent his head and nibbled and sucked the tender skin from her jaw to her shoulder before nipping her a little harder on her shoulder. “I want to return the favor. Are you going to let me light your fire?”
“Get the matches.”
He nodded. “Okay!” He hopped up and went to the box. After rummaging around for a few minutes, he returned with several items. “Here we are. One small butt plug in a lovely purple color.
One pale pink bullet vibrator.
One vibrating dolphin-shaped dildo.
One package of batteries. And finally, a bottle of raspberry-flavored warming lube.”
“All of that?” she observed dubiously. “Where will your cock go if we use all this stuff?”
He fetched his pocketknife from his jeans pocket and cut the packaging open. “I’ll think of something. In the meantime, I’m going to take your toys into the bathroom for a quick cleaning. Rule number one. Always wash your new toys before using them. While I’m doing that, you break out the batteries.”
Intrigued by the idea of actually using the toys with Seb, she quickly opened the battery package and set it aside, then picked up the lube bottle and read the directions. Warming lube. Wasn’t she already warm enough? Heat flashed through her when she realized that Seb was going to use the lube to insert the butt plug up her ass. She shivered as she pictured wearing the plug while he filled her pussy with his cock. At the hotel when he’d stuck his finger inside her, it seemed so big. What would the plug feel like?
What if he wanted to put his cock in her ass? A sudden wash of cream trickled from her pussy and she pressed her thighs together. Did she really want him to fuck her butt? Her pussy clenched and pulsed. Evidently the answer was yes.

Seb returned from the bathroom with the freshly washed toys. At the expression on her face, he stopped dead next to the bed. “What were you thinking about?”
“How it will feel to have your thick cock in my ass.”
His brain froze for a moment, then he curtly directed her, “Get on your hands and knees with your ass facing me.”
Shaking with surging arousal, she immediately obeyed him.
“Good. Cross your arms and put your head down on them. Lift your butt and spread your legs.” Seb had trouble concentrating on the sharp instructions he was barking at her. He wanted to fall on her, shove his cock in her slick pussy and pound away like a madman. Knowing that she would let him do that kept him at the very edge of his control.
Snagging the bottle of lubricant, he squirted a tiny pool in his palm. Then with one trembling finger he daubed it all around her anus, making sure that her tight opening was thoroughly coated. “All right. When I push in, you need to push out. Ready?”
“Ready.” Her whisper was so quiet, he nearly didn’t hear it.
“Now,” he said as he pressed forward. His slippery lube-coated finger slid in without a problem.
Zip gasped and pushed back, instinctively seeking more.
“Hold on. We have all night so there’s no hurry.”
“That’s what you think.”

“Shhh. Just relax. You want more?”
She whimpered softly. “Please.”
With his middle finger he scooped up the remainder of the lube. Withdrawing almost to his fingertip, he slid it back in slowly, adding a second finger.
“Yes!” she hissed as he thrust in and out, in and out until her muscles were relaxed and open.

Seb felt like his skin was shrinking too tight to bear, watching her take his fingers with such enthusiasm. If he didn’t bury his cock in her pussy soon, he would explode. Drawing a deep steadying breath, he asked, “Do you want the plug now?”
Her chest curled under as she lifted her ass eagerly, spreading her legs in invitation. “Hurry,” she urged.
“No hurry,” he countered. “This is about pleasure.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. I need your cock inside me. Get on with it so you can fuck me before I go crazy!”
When he smacked the smooth firm curve of her ass on his left, she jerked, then hiked her ass higher. “Again?” he asked hopefully.

“Again.”

His hand came down on the right side. “Your ass turns such a pretty shade of pink. I love the color and heat.” He withdrew his fingers and picked up the butt plug. After lubing it generously, he pressed it against her rosette. “Push.” He’d prepared her well. The plug slid in with minimal discomfort, just taking up a bit more space than his fingers.

“Seb?”

“What is it, sweetheart? Are you in pain?”
She writhed, twisting and pressing back against his hands where they cupped her hips. “I need you. Please?”
“Hold still.” He reached for a condom, ripped it open and slicked it over his aching cock with shaky fingers. Concerned that she might not be quite wet enough, he drizzled a few drops of the lube along the condom, spreading it out with a couple of strong strokes. Then placing the tip of his cock at the slick opening, he thrust in, sliding into her warm, very snug passage. Little tremors pulsed along his cock as she adjusted to his loving invasion. He pressed deep, filling her to the hilt.
With a shuddering sigh, she said, “Oh, that feels wonderful. Your cock is so big!”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I suppose you want me to just leave it in?”
“Oh, I like it when you move,” she admitted.
“Good.” He settled into a slow, steady in-and-out rhythm that lit up every nerve in her pussy in a series of mini orgasmic explosions. In spite of her urging him to go faster, he steadfastly held to his unremitting tempo, moving quickly enough to keep her on the edge of climax, yet slowly enough that she didn’t quite reach the peak she was striving for. Her slick walls tightened around his pistoning cock until he could hold off no longer.
He cupped his fingers over her mound, lightly strummed her erect little clit and grunted out one word. “Come.”
Suddenly the peak she’d strived for was right there. With a wild shriek, she submitted to his growled command as waves of fiery contractions rippled through her belly. They seemed to surge endlessly as he continued his ceaseless thrusting until finally, her body went lax beneath him, satiated and exhausted. A final thrust and he burrowed deep, his cock spurting hard and hot as his own climax claimed him.
Slowly, they rolled to the side, still joined. Seb wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as he tried to comprehend the incredible gift he cradled in his arms. She was his woman. All his in every way he needed her or wanted her. His arms tightened as he tucked her head under his chin and uttered the words that wouldn’t stay silent.
“I love you, Zipporah Jericho. You’re mine.”







Chapter Six

 
When he woke in the darkness just before dawn, Seb was alone. He knew immediately that Zip wasn’t in the cabin. He didn’t need to get up to search for her. She was gone. Burying his head in the pillow, he gritted his teeth and wondered what had driven her to leave. Was it the words he could no longer contain?
With a curse, he crawled from the rumpled bed and stalked into the bathroom. On the vanity counter, the toys were lined up on a towel, still damp from cleaning. He frowned down at them as he stood in front of the toilet. If they were still damp, how long ago did she leave?
He leaned over, flushed the toilet and washed his hands while he studied himself in the mirror. He didn’t think he looked scary. Maybe he was a tad scruffy with a bristly beard but not enough to frighten a woman out of her bed at dawn. Especially when the snow was a foot deep.

Seb went back out into the main room of the cabin in search of clothing and coffee. He found his jeans neatly folded on the chair by the bed, pulled them on and zipped them, then padded barefoot across the room where a pot of coffee was waiting on the counter. At times like this, he wished he was a morning person. He had the feeling he was missing something significant…some especially important detail related to Zip.
A clean empty mug was sitting next to the coffeemaker. Absently he poured the dark aromatic liquid in the mug and carried it to the table. Sitting there hunched over his steaming coffee, he contemplated the events of the past week. Surely it was longer than that? No…just one week and one day. Wearily, he yawned before taking another sip of his coffee. When would Zip come back?
An odd buzzing captured his attention. Then he realized it was his cell phone and he leaped up and rushed across the room to the bedside table. Maybe it was Zip. Snatching it up, he punched the talk button. “Yeah.”
“My, aren’t you civil this morning. Usually you growl at me.”

“Quill. I thought it might be Zip. She seems to have disappeared this morning.”
“She’s having coffee in the kitchen with Pa. She’ll be back before too long,” Quill assured him. “I need to run something by you.”
“At six fifteen in the morning? It better be good.”
“Unity Brooks is here. At my parents’ place.”

Seb stomped across the room and sat down at the table. He stifled the urge to beat his head on the wooden surface. “Why is she there?”
“She’s dog sitting.”

Seb swallowed a hearty gulp of his cooling coffee. “Dog sitting. You’re messing with me, partner, and it’s too damn early in the morning for that.”

“Nope. I kid you not. She was out walking the dog she’s taking care of and saw two guys carting a body out of a neighboring apartment building. Unfortunately, they saw her too. They didn’t want to leave any witnesses. This morning while they dumped the body in the woods over on Stonycreek Road, she escaped. I ran into her when I was out for my morning run.”
“Of course you couldn’t resist taking her home.” Seb squeezed his eyes shut as he considered all the ways Unity’s presence was going to complicate the assignment that Harry had dumped on him. “I don’t suppose you found anything else interesting while you were out prowling around in the dark?”
“No. But I think you’d better call in the team. I’d feel better if they were nearby.”

“Yeah. Okay, do I dare call Harry and bring him up to date? And where shall I stash Michael and Suko?”
“I thought Harry rented a hunting cabin for them.”
“I’ll check with them after breakfast. Maybe by then Zip will be back.” He yawned again. “She’d better be. Where are you taking Unity?”
“We’re going to settle at my cabin. I figure that’s the safest place in the county.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you later after I get the rest set up.” Seb disconnected and tossed the phone down on the table. He felt like he’d been running nonstop for days. Harry’s little assignment that was supposedly to keep Quill busy was getting more complicated by the minute. If there was a white slavery ring in this area, Quill hadn’t found any evidence of it, even after checking out every plausible cabin and outbuilding in the county. Seb was beginning to wonder if Harry was just trying to keep them out of the way. Abruptly, on a hunch, he called Suko and set up a meeting at midmorning.
When he finished the call, he stretched, yawned one more time and shoved his chair back. Time to find something for breakfast. And then he would dress and see if he could track down his woman.

* * * * *

In the small snowy clearing, Zip paced impatiently as she waited for her sister Ellie to show up. Shivering despite the heavy coat she wore in the St. Bernard form she’d chosen, she briefly debated shifting to a husky form but decided to remain as a St. Bernard. After all, the insulating layers of fat should keep her warm enough. And she didn’t plan to hang around in the woods all day.
Ellie padded into the clearing in the wolf form she favored, snorting in sisterly contempt when she saw the St. Bernard. That’s the best you have? You couldn’t pick some form that was a little more slimming?

Oh shut your trap! I’m not worried about whether or not I’m skinny! I just want to be warm
. Zip tromped around on the snow until she’d hollowed out a comfortable spot to curl up. I’m glad you finally showed up.

What’s wrong, Zipporah? Ellie sat on her haunches next to Zip and cocked her head.
Zip’s head rested on her stocky forelegs. I think Seb’s going to ask me to marry him.

And? This is bad? I don’t think so. You and Seb are made for each other.


How am I going to tell him about the angel stuff? That will be enough to freak him out. And then the shifting? He’ll probably run back to Knoxville so fast we won’t see him for the dust! Her big body shuddered when she sighed. I love him, Ellie. He’s going to really come unglued when he finds out I was the Yorkie.

Elisheba shook her head irritably and stretched out in the snow next to her sister. Isn’t that just like you? You’re always expecting the worst. Sebastian’s a very intelligent man. You can’t tell me that he hasn’t wondered over the last two years that he’s partnered Quill. Even if he doesn’t know exactly what we are, I bet he suspects something. He wouldn’t be a very good agent if he didn’t.

That’s true, Zip replied gloomily. He’s been asking a lot of questions about Mickey Mack. Ever since someone killed her, Seb’s been pushing Quill for answers. Things are getting so complicated.
Ellie touched her pointed nose to Zip’s soft broad one. You’re not worried because he’s black and you’re white?
Snorting, Zip shot her a look of disbelief. Get real. Color? I love his dark skin. It reminds me of a yummy chocolate bar. I can barely wait to get my mouth on him.


Yeah, yeah.


Enough about your sex life. Too much information!



Jealous, little sister?





Nope. My day will come. Until then, I’m content watching you other lunatics mill around in chaos. It’s better than a circus.


Hah. Just remember what goes around, comes around.



Speaking of going around.

Quill’s woman, Unity, showed up this morning. She’s back at Jericho Hollow.

Zip’s head jerked up in surprise. Unity Brooks? What’s she like?

Not quite what I expected. Cushy.
Long, long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Hurting underneath. I think she had a really rough life. Ellie’s tongue flickered out as she slowly licked her lips. I think she’s perfect for Quill though. Once they get past the awkwardness, they’ll probably light a bonfire in Quill’s bed. That’s always a good sign, isn’t it?
she asked slyly.


Smartass.






Snot.


Ellie stood up and shook the snow from her heavy fur. Pa’s cooking breakfast this morning. Are you coming?


Maybe for a cup of coffee.

Then I need to get back to the cabin before Seb wakes up.

Ellie trotted to the edge of the clearing, then turned her head to stare at Zip. Too late. Quill’s already called Seb to tell him about Unity. Care to change your mind?
Zip clambered to her feet and shimmied her heavy body. Snow flew in all directions. Nah. Just let me grab my clothes from the hollow tree where I usually stash them. After I have some coffee, I’ll think of something on the way home.


Your funeral.

Hope you remembered shoes this time. Ellie disappeared in the pearly dawn lit woods. Leave your clothes. I have a sweatsuit you can wear.
After coffee with her folks, Zip shifted back into her St. Bernard form and headed home. She waded through the snow drifts until she reached the hollow tree where her clothes were stuffed in a plastic bag. Shifting, she dressed with chilly haste in sweatshirt and pants and stuffed her feet in her snow boots while she jerked on her hooded jacket. Though she didn’t need them, she made sure that her gloves were still in her pockets. Seb was sharp. No need to try to explain why one of her gloves was left in the woods. Then after poking the big dark bag back in the hollow, she trudged through the snow to her front porch, stomped her feet to clean them and trotted up the stairs.

Seb flung the door open just as she reached for the door knob. “You’re back! Breakfast is ready!” He brushed a kiss across her lips and turned away to rescue the pancakes on the griddle.
Dragging her jacket off, she draped it over the hook by the door before toeing off her boots. Her thoughts were circling like demented butterflies, darting to and fro. “Why are you awake this early?”
“I guess I missed you. I woke up and you were gone.” He scooped the pancakes onto a plate and poured more batter on the griddle. “How many pancakes do you want?”
“Three.” Frowning in puzzlement, she joined him in the kitchen area. “Why aren’t you upset?”
“Why should I be? Just because I woke up alone? I’ve done that most of my life. It might have been nice if you’d left me a note but I’m a big boy.”
She poured herself a mug of coffee, doctored it with extra cream and a sweetener and cautiously sipped. “You’re really angry,” she said in surprise.

“A little. More than that, I’m disappointed. You hold your secrets to your chest as though they were a fabulous pirate’s treasure. Trust isn’t about what you’ll let me do to you in that bed over there. It’s about sharing your heart. And you clearly aren’t ready for that.”
“Some of the secrets aren’t mine to share,” she blurted out.
“Okay. I can understand that. I know that there’s something about your family that none of you are willing to talk about. But you have your own secrets and feelings, Zip. And you guard every part of your heart with a vengeance.” When she would have spoken, he stopped her with a curt motion of his hand. “No. Not now. Just sit down and eat.”
He set a plate in front of her piled with pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. “Eat.” He plunked the syrup and butter on the table in front of her and slapped down the utensils and a paper napkin.
Sliding the last of the pancakes on his plate, he switched off the fire and placed the spatula in the sink. After pouring himself another cup of coffee, he gathered his plate, utensils and mug and carried them to the table, choosing to sit across from her. They ate in uncomfortable silence.
Finally, Zip set her fork down and looked at him. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m not sure what you want from me though.”

“Right now? I just want to finish my breakfast in peace. After I’ve eaten and taken a shower, maybe I’ll be awake enough to talk. But as you know, I’m not much of a morning person.”
It dawned on her that he’d been worried. She bit her lip to hold back a smile. “No, you’re not. I still love you anyway.”
His head jerked up as he stared at her. “What?”
“I love you. Even when you’re cranky. Finish your breakfast. Take your shower. When you’re ready, we’ll talk.” She finished the last of her pancakes and took her dishes to the sink. “The coffee’s nearly gone. Shall I make another pot?”

Though he honestly wanted to growl and grump some more, Seb nodded his head. “Michael and Suko will be here around ten o’clock for a meeting. They’ll want coffee.”

“All right. I think I’ll walk over to Momma’s about then. We need to plan the tree decorating party for tonight. When I come back, I’ll drive my car over here so we have our own transportation. Did the shop ever finish with your car?”
“No. They’re waiting for some part to be shipped from Detroit. I swear that it would probably be cheaper to buy a new car.” He shoved back from the table and carried his plate to the sink. “I’ll go take my shower. Just leave my coffee mug. I’ll have another cup after I get dressed. Maybe then I’ll be awake enough to sort through the mess Quill dumped on me at the crack of dawn.”
She washed and rinsed the plate and set it in the drainer. “Want to talk about it?”

“Maybe after my shower.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, sliding them up to cup her breasts. “No bra. Ummm
.”

“Shower. Unless you would like me to join you?” she asked, leaning back so her head rested on his shoulder.
Curious, he slid his hands down her pants, delightedly discovering her lack of panties. “Oh yeah. You can join me and explain why you’re running around in the woods with your pussy open and ready.” His hand slid down between her thighs, gently exploring the damp slick folds. “You’re wet.”
“I was planning to wake you up by stuffing your cock in my pussy and going for a ride.”
Her breathing was speeding up as his fingers slowly circled the outer edges of her opening, spreading her cream, preparing her for the thrust of his fingers. His other hand was burrowed under her sweatshirt, busy tugging and pinching her tight nipples in turn. When her knees wobbled, he swung her up in his arms and carried her to the rumpled bed where he swiftly stripped her bare. “Ride now. Then we’ll play in the shower,” he groaned as he dropped his jeans to the floor and rolled on the bed until he was sprawled on his back next to Zip.
She captured his hard cock with her hand, stroking it lovingly. “Missed me, huh?”
“Ride me.”
Getting to her knees, she straddled his thighs, teasing him by slowly dragging her wet pussy over his cock before lifting to take him inside.

“Stop.”

“What?”

“Condom.”

Their eyes met in a silent clash of wills. Then she twisted until she could reach the foil packets on the night table. She plucked one from the pile, ripped it open and unrolled it over his penis.
He covered her hands with his, clasping them around his cock. “No child of ours will be an accident,” he explained quietly. “When we’re ready, we’ll create our children with joy and purpose and love. We’re not ready for that, are we?”
“No,” she admitted.
“In the meantime, I anticipate making love with you on a daily basis, maybe even on an hourly basis, because I can’t keep my hands off you. Now quit teasing us both and put my cock in your pussy.”
“Oh well, if you’re going to be like that…” She lifted up, positioned the tip of his cock at her slick opening and slid down his length like a warm welcome home. When they were joined together as deeply as possible, she laid down on his chest, sliding her hands under his arms so she could hold him close.
He lifted his knees and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head beneath his chin. “I love holding you like this,” he whispered. “I could stay this way all day.”
Zip could feel him pulsing high up in her pussy. She clenched around him in response. For long moments those were the only movements they made, deep internal questions and answers, a silent discussion that satisfied their souls.
Finally, Seb lifted his hips, thrusting hard, demanding a different response from her. She met his demand with her own, rocking, straining to take him deeper, harder, as though they could become one entity. He cupped the back of her head as he took her lips with his, nibbling, licking before conquering with his tongue. It wasn’t enough.
Even as he realized his need to possess her as completely as possible, she tore her mouth free long enough to plead, “Stick your fingers in my ass!”
He dabbled his fingers in the slick cream that surrounded his cock before carefully pressing them against her tight opening. She was ready, easily taking them inside, joyously accepting his possession. They forged together, reluctant to separate in any way. Wordlessly, they urged each other on, reaching for that peak together until he cried out, “Now! Come with me!”
And she surrendered to his call, shuddering, tiny internal convulsions tugging and milking his cock so that he yielded control in a scalding jet of seed. Still wrapped in each other’s arms, they dozed for a little while, luxuriating in their mutual climax.
Eventually, she lifted her head, smiling down at him and chided, “There’s no time to take a shower with you now. Your team will be here pretty soon.”
With his eyes shut, he groaned. “It was worth it. Every single second.” His arms tightened around her waist. “Wasn’t it?”

“Definitely.” She sat up and cautiously crawled from the bed before lightly slapping his muscular thigh. “Up and at ’em!”
“Do I have to?” he whined.
“Somehow, I suspect that Michael and Suko wouldn’t find your nekkid form nearly as enticing as I do.” She picked up her sweatpants, shook them out and stepped into them before slipping her sweatshirt over her dark tousled head. “I’ll make the coffee while you’re in the shower. Then when you’re dressed, I’ll take my turn. That way, if they get here early, you’ll be ready.”
He opened his eyes and shot her a considering look. “What time is it?”
“No. There is not time to play in the shower,” she firmly declared before scooting out of reach.
“We’d save water. It’s our duty to conserve whenever we can. Why in some parts of Australia they’re only allowed to take four-minute showers!”
“Uh-huh. Well, if you want to conserve water, don’t let it run while you shave.”
He stood up and looked down at his flaccid cock. “There is nothing sadder than a used condom,” he observed mournfully.
She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Oh I don’t know. It could be worse.”
“How do you figure that?”
“You could have a hard-on with no condom available. That might be sadder yet.”
“Not if you gave me a BJ special.” He shuffled into the bathroom and shut the door.
Zip chuckled when she heard the toilet flush and then the shower started. Seb was such a guy.







Chapter Seven

 
By the time Zip hiked through the woods to Jericho Hollow, it was nearly noon. As predicted, Michael and Suko had shown up early, anxious to pick Seb’s brain while they slurped down fresh coffee. Zip happily escaped, leaving them with a plentiful supply of sandwich fixin’s, the use of her computer and two boxes of homemade Christmas cookies.
When Suko’s eyes lit speculatively on the bed, Zip was glad that she’d taken time to strip the sheets and stuff them in the washer while she remade the bed with fresh linen. Gingerbread-scented tart burners simmered on the mantel, banishing the last earthy tang of sex. Surely they would assume that Seb was having sex with her but advertising that fact with a cabin that smelled like a bordello was something else. Seb had just rolled his eyes and clucked like a chicken at her when he strolled out of the bathroom, damp and naked, and surveyed the neatly made bed.
From the pile of folders Suko’d unloaded from his briefcase, they had plenty to keep them busy for the next several hours. Zip banished thoughts of Seb from her mind, concentrating instead on the list of chores ahead of her as she helped her momma prepare for their annual tree decorating party.
Over the years, the party had morphed from a simple event that centered around decorating the Jericho Christmas tree to an all-out Christmas celebration that included a contest for best outdoor tree decoration, a Christmas cookie swap, caroling at the county rest home and the cherished tradition of Pentecost reading the old familiar passage from Luke that reminded them of the reason for the celebration. Dinner was a potluck meal of wonderful food provided by the guests.
Thank goodness that Ellie had volunteered to supervise the outdoor tree decorating contest. The only rule was that everything on the trees had to be homemade and edible for the wildlife. That rule was instituted after a deer choked on a plastic ring one year.
As she trotted up the back steps, stomping the snow from her boots, Zip noted the crates and boxes of Christmas decorations piled on the back porch. It certainly looked as though Rack and Cage had been busy. She opened the kitchen door and burst into warm yeast-scented chaos.

“Zip! Finally! Here, stir the frosting,” Delilah directed absently.
Zip peeled out of her coat and tossed it on the hook by the back door, kicked off her boots, leaving them on the snowy doormat, and aimed a kiss at her momma’s cheek while she took over the stirring of the decadent fudge frosting. “What’s the plan?”
“Um, finish frosting the cake, eat lunch, vacuum and clean the living room, make a fast run through the rest of the house.” Delilah squinted in thought while she nibbled at her bottom lip. “Then we need to set up the kitchen for the buffet.” Her eyes flashed open. “I forgot the paper plates!”

“Send Rack.” Zip swirled the spatula through the frosting one last time and turned off the fire. Lifting the pan, she carried it to the table where the cake was sitting. With a practiced twist, she poured the liquid fudge over the prepared cake, watching as it flowed down the sides.
“He’s at Quill’s watching Unity. So’s Tate.”
“I thought Tate was going to sleep in today. He’s still awfully tired from driving straight through from Arkansas.” Zip set the pan back on the stove. “What happened to him in Arkansas, anyway? He’s been acting weird.”
Ellie chuckled while she finished cutting the last of the biscuits and lining them up on the pan. “A woman happened to him. Name of Louella.”
Zip turned around to face her, planting her hands on her hips. “A woman?
Never. Just wait until I get my hands on that weasel!”
“Leave him alone,” Delilah said firmly. “She sent him away. Couldn’t deal with the shifting.”
Zip sat down at the end of the table. “Oh no.”
“Speaking of shifting, how did Seb handle it?” Ellie asked.
“He didn’t. We never got around to talking about it. First we, uh, were sidetracked and then Michael and Suko came over for a meeting so…” Zip sighed. “Maybe later this afternoon.”
“Uh-huh.” Ellie slid the biscuits in the oven and set the bowl in the sink, squirted a few drops of dish soap in it and filled it with hot water. “The longer you put it off, the more chances that he’ll find out on his own. I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Keeping one ear on their conversation, Delilah tapped her chin as she scribbled down a list for the grocery store. “Napkins.
Cream of tartar.
Toilet paper. Must have missed that aisle the last time I was there,” she muttered. “Paper towels.
Paper plates. I was going to have Cage take me shopping but I don’t have time to run to the store right now. I wonder if he would take the list?
Zipporah, if you don’t tell Sebastian, it will definitely backfire on you. Trust me on this. Hand me the money jar.”
Zip shrugged into her coat while she stomped on her boots. “I’ll go to the store. I need to start my car anyway because it’s been sitting here for the last few days. And since Seb is eating me out of house and home, I need to stock up on a few things. Give me the list. I’ll settle up with you when I get back.”
“I’m sure Cage can go,” Delilah protested. “He’s acting kind of strange the last couple of days. Maybe he needs to go to town.”
“Maybe he had a fight with Penny. Let him work it out, Momma. I’ll go.” Zip snapped up the list, stuffed it in her pocket and went out the door before her mother could think of another reason to keep her there.
Over two hours later, she parked next to the back porch and sighed. The grocery store was insanely busy for a Tuesday afternoon. She supposed that it could be because of the surprise snow storm but jiminy, there were a lot of people in line. By the time she slammed the car door and went to the trunk, Pentecost and Ellie were there, ready to help carry the groceries in. “Leave the three bags in that corner. Those are my groceries.”

“Got it!” Pentecost grabbed the last of the bags and slammed the trunk lid shut.
Inside, Delilah quickly put things away while Zip shrugged off her jacket. “How much do I owe you?”
“Not enough to worry about.” Zip shook her head and smiled. “It’s not like you haven’t been feeding and clothing me for most of the last thirty years.”
Pentecost slapped his hand down on the counter. “Think of it, Del! We could have been mooching off the kids for years!”
Kissing his whiskery cheek, Zip slipped an arm around his waist. “I love you too, Pa. Now, what do we need to do to finish up the party preparations?”
“Everything is pretty much done since you took so long to shop,” Ellie snapped as she set the paper plates on the table. “Why don’t you take your groceries home and check in with Seb? Maybe you can squeeze in a quickie.”
“Elisheba Jericho!” Delilah frowned at her youngest daughter. “Don’t be snotty.”
Zip lifted her coat from the hook and slipped it on. “That’s okay, Momma. Someday she’ll understand. I didn’t get it myself until I met Seb.” Her lips brushed her mother’s soft cheek. “We’ll be back in time for the party.” She went out the door, halting on the porch to take a deep breath of the cool air. Then she grinned. Actually, a quickie sounded like fun. With renewed zest, she ran down the steps to the car.
As she opened the door, her head jerked up in shock when Cage’s mental roar of rage blasted her mind.

They’ve taken Penny!

Pentecost and Ellie burst out the kitchen door. Pentecost pointed to Zip’s car. “You wait for your momma. Ellie and I will go pick up Quill,” he yelled as he urged Cage to calm down long enough to get some answers.
Zip didn’t question his decisions. Delilah was already hustling down the stairs as she struggled with her coat. When one of her gloves dropped to the ground, Zip swooped down to pick it up before nudging her mother into the car. Doors slammed shut. Zip turned the key and shifted into reverse.

Where are we going, Pa? She backed up far enough to turn down the bumpy driveway.

Chamfers farm.

At the road, she turned right and picked up speed. Did anyone call Seb?

He’s on his way, Quill chimed in. Wait at the end of the Chamfers turnoff for him.

Okay. What happened? Zip asked as she slowed down for the turn onto Stonycreek Road.

Cage said that Cyrus sold Penny. Pa’s still getting answers.

Zip turned onto the wider road and speeded up. “Quill’s not sure what happened yet and Pa’s still talking to Cage,” she reported.
“Well I’m sure we’ll find out when we get there.” Delilah was the picture of placid assurance as she sat with her hands clasped on her lap. “Your father no doubt will have it all sorted out by the time we arrive. In the meantime, Cage will know that we’re all on our way to help however we can.”

* * * * *

While Michael steered his bright yellow Fiesta over snow-covered roads, Suko called out the turns on the GPS unit and Seb listened to Quill’s fragmented report over his cell phone.
“Turn left here! There’s Zipporah and Mrs. Jericho.” Suko unfastened his seat belt as Michael stopped next to Zip’s car. “Someday you’re going to get a real car instead of this dune buggy,” he grumbled as he opened the door.
“I love this car,” Michael protested. “This is the car I learned to drive with. It was my mom’s car!”
“Yeah, well, maybe you should baby it, you know?” Seb climbed out of the tiny backseat. “Keep it in the garage so it doesn’t get scratched up. And get a nice big SUV for work.”
“Are you kidding? The gas would cost me a fortune!” Michael pulled over in front of Zip’s car and parked. “Now what?”
“Zip’s going to lead us up to the barn. We’ll decide what to do once we see the layout. Mrs. Jericho’s going to wait with the cars.” Seb and his men followed Zip through the woods until they reached the back of the barn. She led them inside and pointed out the study window. “That’s where Cage said they were.”
“Speaking of Cage, where is he?”
Up in the barn loft Cage yanked his shirt over his head, stomped on his shoes and slid down the ladder and seized Seb by the arm. “They’re in the study! Cyrus told Joe-Bob that he sold Penny!”
It was clear to all of them that Cage was walking a very fine line. If they didn’t move quickly, Cage might take things in his own hands. His hands shook as he shoved his disheveled hair back from his face. Zip slipped her arm around his waist and hugged him close. “We’ll get her back.”
“They might be hurting her,” he burst out angrily.

“Cage.” Zip grabbed his jaw and tugged until his eyes met hers. “Let Seb do his job. Come on. Let’s go upstairs and sit in the loft.” She urged him up the ladder in front of her. When they were comfortably settled on a bale of hay, she led him through the events that led up to his presence in the barn.
Slowly, he explained that he had finally concluded that Penny needed to know about his shifting abilities. They had agreed to meet at the waterfall on the creek but when Penny didn’t show up, he knew something was wrong.
From the details he provided, Zipporah thought that Penny hadn’t been taken very long before Cage arrived and that gave her hope. The sooner they found her, the less likely she would suffer permanent damage.
While she kept Cage occupied, Seb crept up to the house and crouched in the bushes under the window. There wasn’t any problem hearing what the two men were saying as they were shouting at each other. It was quite an eye-opening yelling fest. As he squatted under the bush, he contemplated the inner workings of the local law enforcement. Deputy Joe-Bob Harris was in the process of shaking down old Cyrus Chamfers.
His phone vibrated on his hip. Flipping it open, he smiled when he read the message from Quill. Warrant on the way. Ten minutes to go.

So. Quill’s uncle Kenaniah came through. His daily chess games with the county judge, Walker White, had paid off! Seb was still amazed at the close relationships people had in small counties but whatever worked was just fine with him. He quickly texted a message to Suko and sent it off. If everything worked out, they would have Penny back by the end of the day. If everything worked out.
In the barn, Zip left Cage in the loft while she filled in Seb’s team. When she went back upstairs, he was gone. Micajah Jericho, what do you think you’re doing?


Finding Penny.





Cage! Wait for Seb! Her frustration threatened to explode in a spectacular fit of temper. Stomping over to the open window at the back of the barn, she saw the dent in the fluffy snow where his bundle of clothes had landed and the jaguar tracks that led away into the woods.

Leave him alone, Zip. Quill’s calm mental voice in her head settled her temper. If he finds her, we’ll be right there. In the meantime, he’s keeping busy and feels like he’s doing something useful.
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the hay. How in the world will we find her?

Maybe Cyrus Chamfers has the answer. Uncle Kenaniah’s here with the warrant. We’re rolling down the driveway.

Time seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time. Delilah drove Zip’s car down the road and parked it next to the barn. Zip sat in the car with Ellie and her momma while they waited to see what would happen next.
In the house, Seb and Michael talked to Cyrus Chamfers while Quill and Suko dealt with Joe-Bob Harris. Cyrus stubbornly kept his mouth shut. Seb had to give him high marks for understanding the deep crap he was in. If they prosecuted him, he’d go to prison for a long time, likely for the rest of his life.
On the other hand, Joe-Bob was a few bricks short of a load. In a very short time, he couldn’t talk enough. Eager for the investigators to understand that he hadn’t had anything to do with Penny’s disappearance, the words spilled out so fast that they ran together. “I seen them carry her out to the van,” he boasted loudly. “Right away I told myself that there was suppin’ funny goin’ on.”
“Uh-huh. Then what happened?” Suko inquired while studying his fingernails.
“Then I told Cyrus I’d tell if he didn’t gimme money.” Joe-Bob sat back and folded his hands over his ample belly. “No flies on me, no sirree. I knowed what was goin’ on. And Cyrus paid up.”

“Really?”
Suko frowned down at Joe-Bob. “I can’t see that happening. If it was me, I would have told you to take a hike.” He picked at a loose thread on his jacket. “Say, are you sure you don’t want a lawyer?”
Joe-Bob flapped his hand at Suko and smiled. “Don’t need to be payin’ no lawyer. I’m a poe-liceman. You just ask whatever you want.”
“So how much did Cyrus give you, Joe-Bob?” Quill asked quietly.

“Hunnert dollars.
I ast for fifty but Cyrus, he done me right proud. Said as how I was gonna help him and tell the sheriff that Penny done run off ’cause she’s knocked up and all, I done earned it.”
Quill stared out the window, facing away from the deputy so he wouldn’t see the fury on his face. “Wow. I didn’t know Penny was pregnant.”
“No, no. That’s jus’ what Cyrus was gonna tell ever’ one. Boy howdy, was he pissed off when he found out she weren’t no cherry anymore. I never seen anyone so mad.”

Suko tapped his pen on the table. “How did he find out about that, I wonder?”
“Reckon it were that little Chinaman poking his fingers in her pussy. Cyrus said they went right in. Said that now her ass was the only thing worth selling.” Joe-Bob shook his head in amazement. “Sure don’t unnerstand why anyone would want to fuck a woman in the ass. That’s jus’ disgustin’.”
“Where did they take Penny?” Suko asked finally.
“Shorely don’t know. Cyrus done shut his mouth about then.”
“I wonder why.” Suko’s tone was so dry it tugged a smile from Quill even though he was in a rage.
“I’m going outside for a minute,” Quill announced abruptly just as Marty, their computer tech, poked his head through the open door.
“I need to take the computer back to the lab and Jackie says she needs you and Seb to come look at the stuff she found in the safe.”
Leaving Suko to keep an eye on Joe-Bob, Quill joined Seb in the study. Together they contemplated the contents of the safe. Then Seb slapped a hand over his face and groaned while Quill silently flipped through the pile of photographs. Little girls in various poses—all naked, all blonde.
Very carefully, he placed them back in the safe face down and went out into the woods far enough away to prevent him from wrapping his hands around Cyrus’ scrawny perverted neck. As he paced up and down, working on his anger management, Tate’s deep voice interrupted his thoughts.

A very large blond Viking just broke down the door to the cabin.


Where are you?
Hiding in the woods?


Actually, I’m sitting in the doorway, listening. He’s taking Unity out of the shower. Sounds like he’s planning on taking her somewhere. What do we do?

Quill considered quickly. They’re not likely to kill her there. Go with her.


As what?




Frustrated and angry, Quill snapped back. Do whatever it takes, Tate. Make sure you stay with her. I’m willing to bet that they lead us to the hideout where they have the girls stashed.

Yeah, well I hope you show up with badges before we’re stuck standing around with our dicks in our hands!

Impatiently, Quill paced in the woods waiting for Tate or Rack to report in. His skin felt too tight. His gut roiled while he paced back and forth past the old fallen log where his parents sat waiting patiently. Time was running out.
Tate and Rack were rattling around in a filthy bucket—as chipmunks—in the back of the beat-up white van. After morphing into different animals a couple times so Unity would see them and realize that she wasn’t alone, they settled down in their hiding hole for the rest of the trip. When the van slammed to a stop, Tate and Rack shifted to squirrels and scampered out the open driver’s window into the trees. Once safely behind a line of pines, they scouted their surroundings. Quill?
Quill didn’t remember when he’d been so glad to hear Tate’s voice. Where are you?
he demanded quickly.

I think this is the old Clapsaddle Cabin.


That place is falling down! Are you sure?



Pretty sure.

The cabin has certainly seen better days. If we get a strong wind this winter the roof will go for sure. Tate hopped across the clearing and skittered up on the windowsill. There was very little light inside but he made out the sprawled forms of several naked women. How many women did you say were missing, Quill?

We know of six.

Quill, Zip, Seb, Michael and Suko were already dashing through the woods toward the old Clapsaddle Cabin. While all of them were decent runners, it would still take time to reach the cabin through the woods but that was the most direct route.
Pentecost and Cage were riding in Penny’s pickup. Cage had trotted out of the barn the minute he heard the news. Delilah drove Zip’s car, leading the group around the long way. Ellie drove her father’s truck. There was a general consensus that they were going to need transportation for the captive girls. Delilah considered the problem of several cold naked girls and gathered up a pile of Penny’s quilts and stacked them on the front seat.
Tate counted everyone he could see. I count ten women. One of them is Penny. And one is Unity. That leaves eight. He studied the big blond man and the man sitting down. There are two men. One is a big blond guy with a nasty scar running down his face. He looks like a Viking throwback. The other one is a little Asian who looks to be running the show. I would keep Cage away, Quill.

What’s going on? Quill’s voice rose in anger.

At the moment he has Penny on her knees in front of him with her hair wrapped around his hand. Do I need to draw you a picture?


No. When Quill shared Tate’s report with his team, Zip was so angry he could feel her vibrate. He stopped long enough to caution her, “If you’re not in control you can blow this for us. I don’t want to just catch them. I want to put them away.”
“I’ll put them away,” she growled.
He looked at his younger sister with affectionate worry. “My way,” he reiterated.
“Your way they’re back out on the street in a couple of years. Unity and Penny will never be free. My way they don’t have to be looking over their shoulders.” Zip bared a mouthful of sharp white teeth and flipped her dark brown braid down her back. “My way is better.”
“Zip—”
“While the two of you are arguing, time’s wasting,” Seb pointed out impatiently.
Snarling, Zip rounded on him and stopped dead as he held out a bared dark brown arm. “Take a bite if you’ll feel better,” he offered. She turned away and walked off in the direction of the cabin.
Quill stared at him in astonishment. “What did you just do?”

Seb shrugged and bit his lip to keep from smiling while he jerked his jacket sleeve back down. “If she wants to nibble on a man, I have plenty of territory to cover. I’d love for her to put her mouth on me—anywhere her heart desires.” He quirked an eyebrow.
“Any objections?”

Quill shook his head and turned away. “No. No objections. Let’s get this over with.”
“Yo, partner!”
Quill turned to face him.
“I bought her a diamond ring for Christmas,” Seb revealed with a serious expression on his dark face. “She’s going to wear it—even if I have to tie her down to put it on her finger.” He frowned uneasily. “She’s a hard woman to pin down.”
“Good luck, partner.”

Seb stared as Quill walked away, wondering why he had the firm notion that Quill was laughing at him. Shaking his head, Seb trailed behind him, determined that when they were through with this mess, he was going to get some answers.
Quill pressed his hands to his head as though one of his major headaches was coming on. He paused and signaled Seb to fall in next to him. “Call in the troops. It’s getting messy. As soon as they show, the Jericho family will bow out.”
“You’re sure?” Seb shot him a worried look. “What’s going on?”
Quill swiftly filled him in as they approached the back of Clapsaddle Clearing. “A green truck with a camper shell just showed up and there are more girls in the truck.” Through the trees they could see men carrying naked women to the truck and shoving them in through the low door. “We need backup now.”

Seb stopped and called in but the unit was twenty minutes away by chopper. It was going to be up to the team in place to take the kidnappers down. He caught up with Quill and shared the latest developments with him. Quill nodded but his expression said he was wondering what else could go wrong.
When they reached the edge of the clearing, Seb tried to see where Zip had gone off to. The rest of the team was huddled at the back corner of the cabin but she was nowhere in sight. “Where’d Zip go?” he demanded in a fierce whisper.
The men shrugged and one pointed across the clearing. Seb caught a fleeting glimpse of her moving through the trees on the other side of the camper truck before she abruptly disappeared.
The sun was going down, leaving the woods in deep shadow. Seb squinted through the trees, nearly positive he could see a woman’s silhouette undressing. He shook his head and looked more intently. His eyes widened when he realized he was gazing at a full-grown tiger. “Uh, Quill?”
“I see her,” Quill muttered beneath his breath.
“Her?” Seb inhaled sharply.
Quill reached out and squeezed Seb’s arm tightly. “Later. We don’t have time for this right now.” In his mind he was pointing out with bitter sarcasm, Good choice, little sister, since everyone knows tigers are indigenous to the tropical state of Tennessee!

Oh, stuff it in your ear. Zip morphed into a large, dingy mixed-breed dog. How’s that? Better?


Too late.


Seb’s already seen you—or was that the idea? Now’s not the time to screw with his head. Keep your romance problems out of my case!


Seb shoved the extraordinary display to the back of his mind and concentrated on Quill’s plan. There was no time, no place to deal with the shocking new information bombarding him. Even as he listened to Quill, his mind was racing off in all directions, connecting bits and pieces of information stored over time. “Hell yeah. You bet, partner. There will be a whole lot of explaining to do later!”
“I’ll take this side. You go around the other side.”
Grimly he moved along the building until he was in the place assigned to him. Oh yeah, there was definitely going to be some loud talking when this was all over.







Chapter Eight


 


Well crap! Zip trotted to the edge of the woods, keeping her eye on Seb as events suddenly took on warp speed. Why couldn’t he be blind in one eye and as oblivious as a butterfly? That’s not the way I wanted him to find out. I should have gone deeper in the woods.
Edgy and nervous, she sidled closer to the truck, alertly watching the clearing as a huge blond man carried a limp naked woman to the truck. Then a short oriental man walked out on the porch. Without warning, the action stopped in a clear snapshot.
Quill shuffled along the side of the cabin until he had a clear line of sight. Resting his gun on the porch railing, he cleared his throat and observed, “So, Cho—still up to your old tricks, eh?”
All activity in the clearing ceased as everyone froze in shock. Then Cho turned to face Quill and smiled. “Well, well. Mr. Angelo. We must stop meeting this way. People will talk.”
The blond giant edged closer and Quill shook his head in admonishment. “Don’t move, Brian. I might have to shoot you and Cho wouldn’t like that. He would have to do his own dirty work.” When Brian dumped the woman he carried on the ground Quill breathed a silent sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t using her as a shield, it made it easier to control him.
Cho shook his head in disgust. “Idiot! He would not shoot you as long as you had the woman!” He shot an angry glance at Quill. “You see what I must work with!”
But Quill refused to be distracted. Unity had crawled close enough to grab the young woman’s ankle and was dragging her away from Brian. Already Michael and Suko had cuffed the men who arrived with the truck. All that was left was Cho and Brian.

Seb held his gun pointed at Cho and motioned for him to get down on his knees. “Down, Cho.
Flat on the ground. You’ve done this often enough, you should know the position.” He scowled at the smaller man. “Keep the hands where I can see them!”
No one paid attention to the two squirrels that chattered at Brian’s feet but Rack and Tate were prepared. Brian was too calm, too prepared. When he lunged for Unity, Zip, snarling angrily, shot out of the woods and leaped for his shoulder. Growling and snapping she distracted Brian long enough that Unity could scrabble beyond his reach. The squirrels bounded into the woods. Seconds later Zip was joined by Rack and Tate who had morphed into dogs. Zip felt the sear of a knife on her flank and then saw the flash of the knife as it sliced across Rack’s chest. In sharp, bloody moments, Brian was dead.
Cho took advantage of the seething, shocking events to roll to his feet and dash into the woods. Seb turned to pursue him but Quill called him back.
“What! He’s getting away!”
Quill shook his head before saying only one word. “Cage.”
There was a lone howl from the trees followed by a terrified, high-pitched scream. Abruptly, the scream cut off and silence fell over the clearing except for low sobs from the terrified women. Delilah and Ellie began handing out quilts and comforting those of the captives who were conscious. No one seemed to notice when the dogs quietly trotted into the safe anonymity of the woods.

Seb scrubbed his dark face and demanded, “What the fuck am I going to write in the report?”
Tilting his head back and pursing his lips, Quill replied, “I didn’t see anything unusual. Did you guys see anything?” Michael and Suko shook their heads and carefully looked away from Seb.
Michael scratched his head. “Not me. I didn’t see a thing.”
Carefully brushing the dust from his dark blue blazer, Suko concurred. “Me, I saw nothing. Some dogs dashed into the clearing and attacked that one,” he jerked his chin toward Brian’s ravaged body. “Then they ran off.” He looked around him at the cold woods. “Probably in Kansas by now.
Better be in Kansas!” Raising his voice, he made sure that it reached the woods.
Delilah snorted. “The way they were running they’re most likely in California. What are we going to do with these young women?”
“Seb’s unit is on the way. I’m taking Unity home with me.” Quill’s cold tone allowed for no objections as he walked across the clearing where she still crouched naked on the ground. He peeled off his coat and shirt and handed the shirt to her before slipping his coat back on. As soon as she was covered, he wrapped her with the quilt Del handed him. “You’ll know where she is. And I would imagine that Cage will insist on taking Penny home with him.”
At that moment, Cage stalked out of the woods, dressed but still vibrating with raging violence and went directly to Penny. He picked her up in his arms, quilt and all, and silently carried her down the track to the truck. No one asked where they were going. No one tried to stop him. Pentecost tossed him the keys to the truck as he passed and Cage caught them one-handed.

Seb strolled over to the cabin and sat on the sagging steps. He hauled his radio out again and began to talk. Michael and Suko dragged the two remaining prisoners to the cabin and cuffed them to the porch railing.
Michael leaned close and whispered, “I would be real still. You can’t tell what kind of wildlife might come out of the woods around here. You wouldn’t want to attract any attention.”
Quill urged Unity over to the steps to sit down next to Seb, while he listened to the one-sided conversation Seb had with whoever was on the other end. After a minute, Seb nodded and stuck the radio back in his pocket. “ETA ten minutes. The sheriff, some guy named Marcus Sadler, is hopping mad about us arresting his deputy.” He rubbed his bald head and sighed. “You would think everyone would be thrilled that we shut this ring down…”
“No one wants to deal with the aftermath.” Quill looked around trying to spot Rack or Tate or even Zip.
As though summoned by his concern, Zip ambled out of the woods looking as though she’d just awakened from a leisurely nap.
She wandered over to the cabin and sat next to Unity. In a soft voice she spoke to Quill. “Tate and Rack went to get your truck. They’ll meet you at the end of the road.”
“You’d better take off with Unity before the troops get here, partner. It’s going to be dark soon so you should have no trouble slipping away. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Seb shot Zip a grim look. “You have a few explanations to make, Zipporah. Don’t even think about taking off until we’ve talked.”
Zip feigned unconcern and looked away. While she watched Seb organize the chaos in the clearing, she wondered how to explain her family and their talents. She couldn’t exactly blurt out that she was an angel. Most humans had very strange ideas about angels and their missions on earth.
It was dark by the time all the women had been taken away to the small local medical center where they were housed together in their own wing with the thought that they would feel more secure and comfortable. As she eavesdropped on the conversations in the clearing, Zip gradually relaxed, confident that the caregivers would treat the young women gently.
In the dim glow of the porch light, Seb came to stand in front of Zip, scrubbing wearily at his face. “I’m not going to be finished with this mess until late tonight.”
“I pretty much figured that out.”
“We still need to talk.”
“We can do that when you wrap this up. In the meantime, Momma has a party starting in about an hour. So far it hasn’t been cancelled so I need to go help out there.” Zip stood, stretching stiff muscles and moved close enough to tentatively touch his arm. “Why don’t you meet me there when you finish up?”
In angry reaction, Sebastian yanked away from her fingers and backed off. “I don’t think I want you touching me right now.”
Zip’s head snapped back and her spine stiffened in outrage. “Well I certainly wouldn’t want to contaminate you—or your clothes—by touching you.” She spun and walked away.
Galvanized into action, he caught her shoulder, turning her to face him. His frustration and anger exploded. Jerking her close, his lips covered hers, taking possession in no uncertain terms.
Zip shoved him away, slapping him in sudden fury. The violence shocked both of them. Then she grabbed him by the ears and kissed him back. Anger and hurt morphed into heat and longing that threatened to get out of hand.

Seb crushed her to his chest with shaking hands. “We’re getting married. Whatever weird shit is going on, we’ll work it out. I have to go talk to the local law enforcement now. I’ll collect you at your parents’ place.” He nudged her chin up so that he could see her face. “You hear me?”
On a rush of terror and hope, Zip nodded and said, “When you talk to Quill, ask him about angels.” Then she stepped back from his embrace and ran into the dark woods like demons were pursuing her. As she raced through the woods, dodging patches of snow and thorny branches that snagged her clothes, her stomach clenched and roiled. It wasn’t going to be that easy, she was sure. When Seb realized that she wasn’t the only Jericho who kept secrets, there was going to be a world of hurt and disappointment. Maybe even broken trust. She stumbled over a dead tree limb that lay across the trail, catching herself at the last moment by wrapping her arm around a small tree.
Standing there, her breath roughly soughing in and out, she gathered her composure and determined to put her fears away until later. There was a party to deal with—a party that was usually one of the highlights of the Christmas season for the Jericho neighbors. Instead of madly rushing about in the woods like a lunatic, it occurred to her that she had no party clothes at her momma’s cabin. Looking around her, she reoriented herself and struck off in a new direction, heading for her own cabin, uncertain whether her Momma had returned her car or not. If not, then she still faced a hike through the woods after she cleaned up and dressed.
Shaking her head, she decided the day had certainly gone downhill since she made love earlier with Seb. She wished she could go back and do so many things over. She prayed that Seb would listen with an open heart when they finally had a chance to talk.

* * * * *


Seb yawned as he quietly walked up the back steps at Jericho Hollow. He just wanted to find a bed and collapse but Suko had warned him that the local sheriff was headed for Quill’s cabin and he had no idea how long it was going to take to deal with him. He had a notion that his business with Sheriff Kemp was going to be a joy to remember compared to dealing with Sheriff Sadler. He didn’t want Zip to be stuck indefinitely hanging out at her parents’ place. With a soft knock, he opened the door and edged into the crowded kitchen.
Pentecost nodded at him as he efficiently filled containers with food and packed them in two baskets on the counter. “Everything squared away?”
“Not quite. The sheriff is over at Quill’s place. I need to go over there but I wanted to let Zip know that I’ll be a while.”
Nodding toward the living room, Pentecost said, “She’s in there leading the singing. If you want, you go on ahead over to Quill’s. I’ll let Zip know before I follow you with the food.”
Fighting off another yawn, Seb frowned at the baskets in puzzlement. “Food?”
“Tate and Rack are over at Quill’s. I reckon they’ll be hungry about now. By the time you corral Marcus and send him on his way, I’ll be there.”
With a dull nod, Seb went back out and crawled into Zip’s car. From the looks of things at the party, it wasn’t going to break up anytime soon. He should be back in plenty of time to take her home.
When he rolled into the clearing at Quill’s the sheriff’s car was still there. Seb sat in the car for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and organizing them before he slid out and shut the door. He was so tired and hadn’t been impressed with the local law enforcement people he’d dealt with so far. Facing another one was not on his to-do list at all.

Seb quietly opened the front door and stepped into the room in time to hear Marcus denying that Joe-Bob would blackmail anyone.
“You’re wrong, Sheriff Sadler. Joe-Bob demanded fifty dollars from Cyrus to keep quiet. Cyrus paid him a hundred just to be on the safe side.” Seb went directly to the coffee maker and poured himself a mug. He immediately took a swallow, a hearty slug of straight black coffee, before turning to Marcus. “I heard that conversation myself. He’s been charged with blackmail, conspiracy to kidnap and whatever else we can think up.”

“The fool!” Marcus bitterly looked at the men around him. “What am I going to tell my sister?”
“Tell her she should have given him money for beer and bowling,” Seb replied coolly. “He said that’s what he wanted the money for. Apparently, she gets his entire check and pays him an allowance. She refused to give him extra money for beer and the bowling tournament next month.” He shook his head in amazement. “The day I give my check to my wife…”
Quill shook his head then. “Don’t make any statements you might have to retract, Seb. Things like that come back to haunt you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Trust me. Better not to say anything rather than have to take it back.” Quill took a cookie and dunked it in his coffee. “What else can we help you with, Marcus?”
Marcus shoved his chair back from the table and stood up. “How do I get in to see Joe-Bob? The Fed I talked to wouldn’t give me any answers.”

Seb dug a card out of his pocket and offered it to Marcus. “Call me tomorrow morning after ten and I’ll arrange for you to see him.”
Reluctantly, Marcus took the proffered card and went to the front door. “Tell Cage if I had known anything I would have told y’all right away. He probably won’t believe it but I don’t hold with kidnapping and such.” He went outside, shutting the door softly behind him. A few minutes later they heard the car head back down the dark road.

Seb took a deep breath and looked at his companions. “Your pa said he’ll be over directly with supper. Your momma and the girls are hosting the Christmas tree party like nothing ever happened. I’ll never be able to figure out what makes women tick.”
Unexpectedly, Tate laughed. “Seb, if we knew the answer to that we would all be millionaires.”
“So, good buddies and friends, tell me all about being angels,” Seb suggested straight-faced. “According to Zipporah, y’all have all the answers I need.”
Rack and Tate swallowed their coffee the wrong way and choked. Quill bestowed a Cheshire Cat smile on Seb and shook his head. “My, my. What did you do to Zip to get that kind of response?”
“I kissed her.” Seb licked his lips as though searching for a hint of Zip. “First she slapped my face. Then she grabbed me and kissed me back. I told her we were getting married and then she said to ask you guys about angels.” Suddenly he grinned, his teeth very white against his dark skin. “Hey! I just now realized! She didn’t say no! Hot damn!”
“Well now! That calls for a celebration!” Tate jumped up and went to the refrigerator, extracting a plastic container of cookies. He grabbed the bowl of stale cookies they’d offered to Marcus and moved them to the counter. “Here now, don’t eat those!” Then he set down the container from the fridge and peeled the lid back, revealing a dazzling array of tightly packed Christmas cookies.
Quill grabbed a couple. “Peanut butter balls! Momma didn’t tell me she made them this year!”

“Yep. And the pecan bars and the pinwheel thingies. Mmmm
.” Rack lifted the waxed paper so he could peek at the next layer. “Snickerdoodles!”
There was the rumble of a truck motor in the clearing and a few minutes later Pentecost pushed the door open after a perfunctory knock. “Good! All of you are still here. Tate, there are two more baskets of food on the porch.” He carried a large basket in, placing it on the counter. “Your momma sent enough food for a small army. It ought to feed Quill and Unity for a week.”
Quill got up at once and went to wake Unity while Seb and Tate retrieved the baskets from the porch before the wild critters in the woods were attracted by the smell of food. Rack and Pentecost unpacked platters of sandwiches, raw veggies and fruit chunks.
It was a silent meal. Everyone was so hungry and tired that there was no energy left for conversation. Finally, Unity sighed and pushed back her plate. “Thank you, Mr. Jericho. I was starving.”
Pentecost nodded. “May as well call me Pa. The way Quill’s lookin’ at you, I reckon you’ll be a Jericho as soon as he can arrange it.”
The others choked but Quill smiled contentedly. “You’re right, Pa. I’ve been thinking a Christmas wedding would be perfect.”
“Hold it! Wait one doggone minute!” Unity sat up straight and shook her finger at Quill. “I never said I would marry you. You didn’t even ask!”
“I know. You know why too. As soon as the riffraff clears out, I’ll take care of that.” He flashed her a soulful look and she groaned.
“Stop that!” she scolded. “Close your eyes!”
Confused, he asked, “What? Why?”
Before she was forced to answer, Pentecost stood up and carried his plate to the sink. “Seems like that’s our cue to clear out. Rack and Tate, I’ll give you a lift home. Seb, I’ll see you for breakfast. I believe we have something to discuss.”

Seb looked him in the eye. “Yes sir, we do. What time shall I be there?”
“Six a.m. sharp.”
Without even the smallest flicker or flinch, Seb nodded. “Fine. I’ll be there.”
Quill bit his lip to keep the smile from showing but Seb knew him too well. Of all his friends, Quill was the one who knew how hard it would be for him to be awake that early in the morning.
“Go ahead, Quill. I don’t mind. I’ve sure enough had a few laughs at your expense.” Seb carried his plate and utensils over to the sink and began rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher while Pentecost put the rest of the food away in the refrigerator.
Once the cabin was clean and the front door jury-rigged to provide minimum security, the men filed out, leaving Unity and Quill alone at last. Seb’s phone rang just as he pulled out of the clearing behind Pentecost. “Hello!”

“Seb? I’m home. Ellie just dropped me off.”

Seb slowed down to a crawl as he steered around a pothole. When the heck was Quill gonna get his driveway fixed? “Okay. I’m just leaving Quill’s place. I’ll be there shortly.” He closed his cell, stuffing it in his pocket and for the first time that evening he concentrated on the questions he’d deliberately put away for most of the afternoon. He knew what he’d seen that afternoon.
Unless he was willing to accept the fact that he was losing his mind, then something, something very far out of his experience had taken place in the woods near the Clapsaddle cabin. And that something involved Zip. And Quill. Because clearly his partner had not been surprised or shocked. Actually, now that he thought about it, Michael and Suko had not seemed particularly surprised when the dogs killed Brian. Or when Cage tracked down Cho. Did that mean that Cage could shift too? And were the other dogs with Zip more than just dogs?
As he turned down Zipporah’s driveway, his stomach cramped as his supper threatened to make a reappearance. Acid churned away. Was he the only one who didn’t know what Zip’s secret was?







Chapter Nine

 
By the time Seb parked in front of the cabin, Zip’s belly was tied up in knots. She heard the door slam and then the sound of his footsteps pounding up the stairs and across the porch. For a normally quiet, light-footed man, he sure was making a lot of noise.
He flung the door open so hard it bounced back from the wall. Well that answers my question about his mood, she thought. Pissed off doesn’t begin to describe it. And I can’t honestly say I blame him.
“Does everyone except me know this big secret?” he demanded with quiet fury. “Am I the only one walking around like a clueless asshole?”
Carefully, she sat down at the table. “Define everyone.”
“Michael. Suko. Hell, for all I know, half of Tennessee!” He held his head in his hands as though to keep it from exploding. “What the fuck is the big secret and why am I the only one who doesn’t know?”
“As far as I know, Michael and Suko have no official knowledge of the Jericho family secret,” she stated softly. “As far as I know, the only one who does is Unity and that’s because Quill’s going to marry her.”
“She can know but I can’t? What am I? Chopped steak?”
At that Zipporah flared up, “When have we had time to talk today? Between your meeting and the great bust?” She jumped up and rushed over to him, poking his chest with her finger. “You! You announced that we’re getting married, instructed me to wait at my parents’ and went to finish rounding up your prisoners. When was I supposed to explain anything?”
“Last night? This morning?
The day before that?
Sometime in the last year? Fuck! I’ve been Quill’s partner for three years! Could he maybe mention that his sister sometimes changes into a dog or a tiger?”
That was the moment that Zipporah realized that Seb didn’t have a clue—that her brother had not explained anything to him. Her knees gave way as she slumped down on the floor on her butt.
That shocked Seb enough to capture his attention. He squatted in front of her and tilted her head up. “What the hell is going on?”
“Sit down, Seb.”
Reluctantly, he sat on the floor in front of her. “What is it? For cryin’ out loud, just tell me.”
“I’ll remind you that you said that when you freak out,” she said with a sad smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Just get on with it.”
“Yeah, let’s get on with it.” With a deep shuddering breath, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “Well. The Jericho family…we’re angels.”
“Angels?” Seb shook his head as though to clear his hearing. “Angels? Like with wings and halos and shit like that?”
She snorted in sour amusement. “Not exactly. We’re working-class angels. No halos. No wings. Just plain ordinary working-class angels. That’s why we can shift.”
“Huh.” He looked around the cabin, wondering where the cameras were because sure as God made little green apples, this was one of Quill’s pranks. “So…you can tell Quill he can come out from wherever he’s hiding now. I’m not laughing but I’ll admit this was one of his better tricks.”
“It’s not a trick.”

Seb could see that she was quite serious. “Come on, Zip. This is ridiculous.”
“Yeah, it is. I’m wasting time. You’ll never believe I’m telling you the truth unless I show you. Just don’t say that I didn’t warn you,” she said as she stood up and rapidly stripped off her clothes.
“Well, that’s one way of getting my attention!”
“Good. Keep your eyes open.” She smoothly morphed into her Yorkie shape and sat down on her haunches, giving a sharp yip.
In slow motion, Seb collapsed back on the rag rug in front of the fireplace. “Beauty? I have lost my mind,” he announced to the ceiling.
She jumped on his chest and stomped up until she was nose to nose with him. Her beady black eyes sparkled as she quivered with excitement.
And she morphed into a tiger.
With a strangled shriek, Seb froze. She weighed a ton. Struggling for breath, he stared with terrified fascination into her glittering golden eyes and firmly reminded himself, It’s Zip. Zip is the tiger. Really. I don’t have to piss my pants ’cause this is really Zip.
A deep rumbling purr vibrated in her chest as though she was satisfied that she had his undivided attention. Before he could freak out too badly, she morphed into a small gray tabby kitten, purring and kneading his chest so enthusiastically he could feel the sharp little claws poking through his shirt. He took a deep breath and gently pried the claws loose. “So. What else do you have in your repertoire?”
She hopped down to the rug and in rapid succession, morphed into a striped chipmunk, a shaggy brown pony, a baby elephant—lightly brushing his face with her damp trunk—before shifting into a guinea pig. She whistled and wriggled her little body and then morphed back into her human form. Naked, she sat down cross-legged on the rug next to him and waited for him to speak.
He lay there with his eyes closed, his mind a complete, total blank. He knew that she was waiting for him to say something but what was there to say? He couldn’t even think of a question to ask. The soft rustle of skin brushing against fabric had his eyes flashing open. Zip stood up and went to her dresser.
When she turned away, he noticed a long cut trailing down the back of her thigh. She rummaged in the drawers until she found a long flannel nightgown and slipped it over her head. After tugging her heavy robe on over the gown, she padded out to the kitchen and fixed a cup of tea. All that time, as he intently watched her move around, his brain refused to process what she’d shown him.
She gingerly sat down at the table and sipped her tea, wondering whether she should call on her father for help. She’d been prepared for all sorts of scenarios but Seb had her worried. He wasn’t reacting at all like she thought he would. He might just be thinking things over but his lack of movement was a little scary.
“Can you change anytime you want to?” he finally asked.

“Uh-hmm.”

“And you always have to take all your clothes off?”
Zip couldn’t suppress her chuckle. “We-ll. I don’t have to but my clothing budget is limited. I would rather strip than constantly replace my clothes.” Seb sat up then and she began to breathe a bit easier.
“What happened to your leg?”
She shrugged. “Brian had a knife. He got in a good nick on Rack’s chest too.”
“So the other two dogs were Rack and Tate?” he guessed.

“Yeah. Rack’s still queasy. He’s never killed anyone before.”
“When did you plan to tell me about this shit? Or did you not plan to tell me at all?” he asked as he climbed to his feet and joined her at the table.
“Oh I planned to tell you,” she assured him. “That was my plan for this afternoon. Of course I wasn’t counting on Cyrus Chamfers screwing that up. And I thought I might sort of gently get around to mentioning the shifting part…”
That surprised a bark of laughter from him. “Tell me, Zipporah. How do you gently bring up the subject of shifting?”
“I can tell you that it wouldn’t have been in the middle of a delicate operation!” She crossed her arms over her breasts and scowled. “I was angry and worried about Unity and Penny so I wasn’t thinking straight!”
With reluctant delight, he made a new discovery about his woman. “You lost your professional distance because you were acting girly!”
“What? I was not!”
“Yeah, you were.” He stared at her as he struggled to rekindle his anger. He wasn’t ready to forgive her just yet. But somehow, her cranky confession of her loss of control deflected his rage. All he felt now was weary—too weary to continue the discussion, too weary to even think about all the shocks of the day. All he wanted to do was go to sleep.
“I was distracted,” she said. “Just distracted.”

“Yeah? Well, I’ve had enough weird input for today. I’m going to bed. Maybe in the morning it won’t seem so strange. I’m supposed to meet your father at six o’clock. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be able to help me wrap my mind around angels and shifting.”

Seb went into the bathroom, firmly shutting the door behind him, leaving Zip to wonder how her life had suddenly taken such a turn for the worse. Drearily, she got up from the table, poured the rest of her tea down the sink and rinsed her cup before turning out the kitchen light. After folding back the covers, she slipped off her robe and crawled into bed. As she tugged the covers over her shoulders, she hoped that Seb wasn’t too mad to hold her in the night. If there was ever going to be a night for bad dreams, this would be it.

Seb opened the door and said, “You can’t go to sleep until I check your leg.”
“Tate took care of it,” she grumbled.
“I don’t care if the Angel Gabriel took care of it. I want to check it out.”
“Gabriel doesn’t do wounds. He’s usually the one inflicting them.” She yawned and climbed out of bed. “It’s fine,” she assured him as she ambled into the bathroom.
“Turn around so you’re in the light and hike up your gown.” He squatted down so he could examine the marred skin. “I think it needs some antibiotic cream.”
Unwilling to argue with him, she merely said, “In the medicine cabinet.”
A few minutes later, he spread a light coat of cream on the angry cut, wrapped it with flexible self-sealing gauze and sent her off to bed while he put everything away. He came out of the bathroom, doused all the lights and climbed into bed. Without a word, he reached out for Zip and stripped off the flannel nightgown before tugging her against his chest so that their bodies were spooned together under the heavy blankets. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day,” he whispered.
In the early hours of the morning Zip’s screams jolted him awake. As he fought to subdue her struggles with the heavy covers, his voice rumbled in the darkness. “Zip, it’s all right. Come on. Wake up! Zip!”
From one moment of searing terror to the next of total awareness, she stilled in his arms, adrenaline still pumping, her heart still thumping in the heavy black silence. “I’m going to turn on the light.” Seb reached out and flicked the switch on the bedside lamp before shoving the twisted covers down to the foot of the bed. “Come on, Zip. Sit up,” he urged as he grabbed her robe.
She trembled in the aftermath of the nightmare, shivering and sweating in reaction. Her teeth chattered as she huddled on the side of the bed. “Wh-what?”
“Up. Let me help you put on your robe. Then I’m going to run a hot bath for you.”
“It-it’s the mid-dle of the night.”
“Yep, it is. But we’re both awake and you’ll feel better after a relaxing bath.” He stuffed her arms in the sleeves of her robe and zipped it up. “Come in the bathroom while I run the water.” He nudged her into the bathroom, shut the toilet lid and made sure she sat down. He was counting on the bright light in the bathroom to help dispel some of her residual fear.
When the tub was partially filled, he dumped some bath salts in the warm water, stripped her robe and the bandage on her leg off before steadying her as she stepped in the tub. Once she was settled with a small flinch when the water touched her cut, he climbed in behind her, cradling her against his chest while the warm spray thundered at their feet. The water level neared the top and he twisted the knobs closed with his toes.
They soaked up the warmth of the steaming water in silence. Finally, he said, “This is the second time you’ve had a nightmare—that I know of. I think it’s time for you to tell me about them.”
She shuddered, even in the bright light and shelter of his strong arms. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
His arms tightened as she trembled. “Then tell me this. Does it have something to do with what happened yesterday afternoon?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. Though I’m sure it triggered the dream.”
“Well? What is it?”
“I don’t know. People with fangs chasing me.
Black tunnels and scary creatures reaching out to catch me.
Claws and teeth gnashing.”

“That would scare the crap outta me,” he rumbled in her ear.
“The sounds are…terrifying. Shrieking and howling and roaring louder than a train. And the scents are sharp, acrid like burning chemicals.” She shivered and burrowed closer to him. “Just hold me for a while.”
He propped his chin on top of her head. “How long have you been having these dreams?”
“I don’t know. Seems like a long time. Since my teens, I think.” She turned to the side so she could bury her nose in the hollow of his neck and delicately inhale, taking in his familiar scent.
“You ever talk to anyone about the dreams?”
She shook her head, rubbing her cheek on his soft skin.

“Why not?” he asked softly.

“Counselors don’t believe that demons are real.”

Seb had to think about that for a few minutes before he accepted the inherent, unpalatable truth behind that statement. If he was willing to acknowledge the existence of angels, then surely there would also be demons to balance out the spectrum of good and evil. He shuddered when he considered the new realities in his life. Just for a few moments he longed for the bliss of ignorance and blind innocence. Then in a rush of shame and horror, he recognized the true scope of his responsibilities if he chose to share life with Zipporah and he broke out in a cold sweat, uncertain of his adequacy to meet the tasks in front of him.
She sat up on her knees, facing him. “What’s wrong?”
“I just realized what a future with you would really entail and it scares the shit out of me. How the hell can I protect you from demons? It’s bad enough worrying about muggers and rapists. I was concerned about you living in my neighborhood but shit! The punks in my neighborhood are nothing!”
She leaned forward and cupped his jaw in her hands. “No one expects you to protect me from demons or muggers or anything else. Certainly I don’t have that expectation. Your sole responsibility is to love me. Everything else will fall in place. If you can’t love me because of the shifting and the angel stuff…well, that would grieve me but I could understand that it’s difficult to accept.”
His hands curled around her wrists, tugging her hands down so that he could gently kiss each palm. “I don’t think there’s anything—known or unknown—that could keep me from loving you. That doesn’t mean that I feel adequate to the task of being your husband and protector. I just need to think about things and talk to your dad. Maybe I won’t feel so shaky about the future then.” He kissed her palms once more. “Now I think it’s time for us to try to get some more sleep. Are you ready to go back to bed?”
“If you’ll hold me while we sleep.”
“Try to stop me.”
He pulled the plug to empty the tub and they got out, soberly drying each other before they went back to bed. Zip curled up in his arms under the covers and slid into sleep almost before her head nestled on his shoulder. But Seb lay awake, speculating about a life married to an angel.
When the first faint gray light showed in the small window above the kitchen sink, he eased Zip off his shoulder and slid from the bed. After shaving, he dressed, put on his boots and coat and went outside on the porch. Consulting his watch, he decided he had time to walk so he could leave the car for Zip.
As he walked through the woods to the Jericho cabin he struggled to organize his thoughts and questions for Pentecost. Memories nudged him, memories of odd incidents with Quill or Zipporah’s other siblings. And with the memories was the realization that Harry, his boss, must obviously know about the Jericho family. They were involved in too many operations for it to be otherwise. He frowned as he thought of Zip’s insertion in his home as the little Yorkie, Beauty. What was her purpose there?
Before he knew it, he was walking into the clearing behind Jericho Hollow. Taking a deep breath, he crossed over to the back porch and went up the stairs, knocking the snow from his boots.
The back door opened before he touched the knob and Delilah smiled in welcome. “Come in, Sebastian! I’ve been waiting for you.”
Uncertainly, he halted on the porch and frowned in confusion. “I thought I was meeting Mr. Jericho this morning?”
“Well, we decided that I might be the better person to talk to you. After all, Pentecost can’t really relate to the true adjustments when you’re a human marrying an angel,” she pointed out wryly. “I can.” She motioned for him to enter the warm cheerful kitchen.
With a nod, he went in, toed off his wet boots and padded over to the table where two mugs of coffee and a plate of fresh yeasty cinnamon rolls waited. He pulled out Delilah’s chair and waited until she was seated before slipping into his own place.
“I suppose you have a ton of questions,” she said, helping herself to a roll.

Seb snorted under his breath. “Yeah. You could say that.”
“Why don’t I give you a quick rundown of the basics and then you can ask me the questions you have left?” She shot him a quick grin and confided, “I’m using you for practice, you know. I’ll need to have the talk with Unity sometime before Christmas.”
He ripped open a sweetener packet and poured it in his coffee. “All right. I’m willing to be your guinea pig.” Seb winced as he remembered Zip, whistling and wriggling in her guinea pig form the night before.
Delilah chuckled. “Yes, we are more conscious of all the expressions using animals, aren’t we? Don’t worry about that. Angels don’t get upset about that sort of thing. They’re too busy worrying about more important stuff.”
He helped himself to a roll. “Exactly why are they here?”

“Intervention. I think that’s the best word to describe their mission. Primarily, they serve as guardians for the peacemakers in the world. There aren’t enough of them,” she added sadly. “And there is such a great need.”
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Zipporah is my guardian?” Seb pointed his fork at Delilah. “I don’t want her in danger just to save my ass.”
Delilah bit her lip, obviously trying not to laugh. “Hmm. Well, as far as I can tell your ass is just fine. I’m sure that Zip will keep close tabs on that particular portion of your anatomy.” She watched in fascination as his face flushed a deep cocoa brown. To give him time to recover, she asked, “Would you like me to tell you how I met Pentecost?”
He ducked his head in embarrassment. “I bet that’s an interesting story.”
“I was at the zoo with a church group, wandering through the primate section. Pentecost was entertaining several gawkers by leaping around in the enclosure. He was a baboon,” she added casually. “There were two men—representatives of the main organized crime groups in the area—who were standing nearby. I, of course, was young and oblivious to all the undercurrents. I was just there, enjoying a rare day off from work.”

“A baboon?”


“A screaming, leaping, howling baboon.”


Seb tried to imagine it, then grinned at the picture she painted. “Then what?”
“Suddenly there was a lot of police activity. Most of the bystanders were quietly steered away from the area. I didn’t pay much attention, except to be happy that I was safely away. But Pentecost followed me home. Later he told me he shifted to a gull and rode on top of the bus.”

“A gull.
Naturally. Eventually you had to get off the bus. I can’t wait to hear the rest of this.” Flavors exploded in his mouth when he bit into his cinnamon roll and he moaned in appreciation.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying the cinnamon buns.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Where was I?”

“Getting off the bus.”

“Oh yes. Well I went on home. It was warm in my apartment so I opened the windows—even the tiny window in my bathroom though it didn’t have a screen. And I wandered around in the apartment picking up and folding laundry. After a while it was so warm I decided to take a bath. I was relaxing in the tub when I looked over at the toilet and realized a cat was sitting on the closed seat on top of my robe.”
“Uh-huh. That must have been a surprise.” Seb chuckled and lifted his cup for another sip of his coffee. “Let me guess. He shifted and suddenly you had a naked man in your bathroom.”
“You’re right.” She nodded as they shared a companionable smile. “Before I could let out a scream, he leaned over and kissed me. Me!
In the tub naked!”


Seb snorted his coffee. Delilah jumped up and fetched him some paper towels. “Sorry!” His voice was muffled behind the wad of towels.
She laughed. “I should have warned you,” she admitted as she cleaned up the coffee from the table.
He finished mopping up and got up to go into the bathroom to wash his face. “I would suppose that Mr. Jericho found a way to convince you that he wasn’t dangerous,” he said as he walked around the table.
“Don’t you think it’s about time you called him Pa?” she asked. “Are you going to marry our Zipporah?”
He stopped in the doorway and turned to face her. “What if I can’t protect her from the bad guys? She already has nightmares, you know? Brian cut her leg yesterday in that fight. I don’t want her to be hurt anymore.”
Delilah dumped the paper towels in the trash and moved to wrap her arms around Seb in a motherly hug. “Seb, Seb. You can’t prevent bad things from happening any more than you could if she was human. All you can do is love her. That’s what she needs.” She patted him on the back. “If you love and support her that will be enough.”
“I couldn’t bear it if something happened to her,” he mumbled against her shoulder.
She leaned back and soberly stared him in the eyes. “All of us go home eventually. All of us. In the meantime, spend every minute you have loving each other.” She patted his shoulder again and released him. “Now I think it’s time you cleaned up and went home and asked her to marry you. Properly.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“We’ll expect y’all for dinner.”







Chapter Ten

 
By the time Sebastian walked up the steps at her cabin, Zipporah had settled several things in her mind. For one thing, she thought that Seb might be a bit intimidated at the idea of marrying an angel. Marrying someone who could shift into a real hairy bear when they had PMS was probably scary enough. And the prospect of wrangling a bunch of rowdy shifting angel rugrats wasn’t likely to be very attractive either.
While she showered, dressed and straightened up the cabin, she mulled over the different possibilities. Finally, she decided that she needed to romance her man. She’d been so busy running the other way so that he wouldn’t find out her secrets that it was just conceivable that he didn’t realize how much she loved him. She tried to remember if she’d ever actually said the words. Had she?
Well she had said she loved him yesterday morning at breakfast but they were joking around so he might not have believed that she loved him—the kind of forever, until-death-do-us-part kind of love. That was the real deal. That was the kind of love that you didn’t talk about when you were in bed because it was the kind of love that stayed around, even when you were angry with each other.
She munched on her toasted English muffin while she thought of ways she could show him how much she loved him. A glimmer of an idea came to her. She looked at it from several different angles and then nodded her head in decision. Perfect. It was exactly the right thing to do—if he would cooperate.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she winced. Not much time to get ready! Bustling around, fitting in urgent phone calls while scrabbling through her clothing looking for the perfect outfit, she was barely ready when he opened the cabin door.
“Oh good, you’re home,” she declared breathlessly.
“What’s wrong?” Frowning, he noted her coat and purse lying on the bed. “Do you have to go somewhere?”
“Both of us are going out. Will you start the car while I put on my coat and lock up?”
“Sure.” On his walk home, he had planned exactly how he was going to ask her to marry him. He’d worked out the details, complete with candles and massage oils and the fuchsia pink bondage ropes. Why wasn’t she cooperating? He shook his head. His plans would be delayed a couple hours it seemed. He went out to the car and started it, still puzzling over Zip’s sudden urge to leave the cabin.
She dashed out on the porch, slamming the door behind her. A quick check to make sure it was locked and she was trotting down the steps to the car. When she was seated and belted in, she shot him a mischievous grin. “On Dancer!
On Prancer!”

“Where are we going?”

“To town. I have a couple things to pick up and then we’re going to White Star Diner for breakfast. Mamie’s expecting us. Roll ’em. Time’s a-wasting.”
 
Reality shifted as Seb moved into an alternate universe. Who was this perky version of Zipporah? And what did she want? He drove slowly down the bumpy driveway until he reached the road. “Which way?”
“Left to the end of the road and then turn right.”
He slid a cautious glance her way. The woman in the seat next to him looked like Zipporah. But she was sitting perfectly composed with her gloves on. In the unlikely event that Zip was wearing gloves, she always stripped them off as soon as she got in the car. And she had on a tight skirt and stockings. Who was this woman? “Where are we going first?”

“Abbott’s Jewelry on the main square.” She smiled brightly, showing an inordinate number of white teeth.
Thoroughly confounded by such uncharacteristic behavior, he was suddenly seized with the conviction that he shared the car with a demon shapeshifter. What should he do? He’d neglected to ask any of the Jerichos how to fight a demon. Would a bullet hurt a demon? Or did he need a stake? He racked his brain as he tried to remember if there was anything in Zip’s car that he could use for a stake.
For her part, Zip was growing more nervous by the minute. Seb was acting very strangely, not at all like she expected. Instead of appearing to be anxious to spend time with her, he was flashing suspicious looks her way as though he expected her to shift into a Tasmanian devil any minute.
When he parked across the street from the store she turned to him in trepidation. “Do you mind waiting for me here?”

“Nope.” His curt reply was jarring.
“Thank you. I’ll be right back.” She slipped from the car and loped across the street, rushing into the store. Jeremy Abbott was waiting for her near the back. “Come on back, Zipporah! I believe I have exactly what you wanted!”
She pulled off her gloves and picked up the item Jeremy had picked out, turning it over so she could see all sides. Finally she smiled, sure that Seb would be pleased. “How long to engrave it?”
“I’ll do it right now. Five minutes. Just check and initial the order you dictated over the phone.” Jeremy shoved a neatly typed form across the counter.
After checking the wording and spelling, she nodded and scribbled her signature at the bottom. “Thank you for your help with this, Jeremy. It’s perfect.”
In the car, Sebastian waited, his belly roiling nervously. When his cell phone buzzed, it was almost a relief to have something else to think about. “Hello.”
“Hi, Seb, it’s Michael. We’re ready to head out. Just thought you should know. They’ve positively identified the body dumped in the woods yesterday morning. It was Georgie’s friend Jo-Jo.”
“Fuck. Do we have any more on the MacLeish woman?”
“Other than what Georgie told us? Nope. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there’s a connection though.”
“Okay. I’ll be checking in with Harry shortly. Zip has some crazy notion that we need to eat breakfast at a diner.”

“White Star Diner? Has to be…it’s the only diner in town. We’ll probably see you there.”
“Later. Here she comes.” Seb hooked his cell back on his belt as Zip slid back into her seat next to Seb, indicating a store two blocks down on the right.
“Okay. Next I need to stop at Sarah Jane’s Florist Shop.”
He started the car and backed up on the strangely empty street, wondering where all the people were, and drove down to the florist. As he pulled up in front of the shop his cell buzzed against his hip. Zip plucked it from his belt, flipped it open to see who was calling and handed it to Seb. “Harry. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She hopped out, gave the door a shove and ran inside while Seb reluctantly punched the talk button and barked, “Hello, Harry.”

“Thought I would bring you up to date.”

“Is this where you give me some song and dance shit about mysterious secret agents? Or are we going to have a real conversation?” Seb asked impatiently.

“A real communication.”

“So you knew about the Jerichos, didn’t you?” Seb’s stomach tensed as time stretched unbearably in the tricky version of professional truth or dare.
Then Harry took an audible deep breath and replied, “Yes, I knew.”

“How long?”

“Pentecost and I go way back.”
“Well, crap.” Seb leaned his head back against the headrest and squeezed his eyes shut. He was pretty damn tired of all the circles within circles.
“Do you want the news?”
“Hell yes.”
“Georgie and your family are off the hook. We arrested Alexsey
Yakovlev late last night for the murder of Mercedes MacLeish, among other things. In a move that was no surprise to anyone, he wants to make a deal. He offered to roll on Carmine Giannola. If the deal goes through, it’ll probably clear up a lot of questions.”
“That’ll be good news for a lot of people. I’m supposed to meet with the sheriff later on this morning. After that, I’ll probably head back home.”
“I’ll see you in the morning unless I hear otherwise.”

“All right.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Your house has been de-bugged. And Zip’s apartment too. When are you going to marry that girl, anyway?”
“Someday I’ll have a few minutes free and I might ask her,” Seb bitched. “Here she comes. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He put his phone away while she got in the backseat, maneuvering a huge bouquet of flowers and heart-shaped balloons. He turned in his seat and stared at the riot of colorful blooms. “What the hell is that?”

“A surprise.” He could hear the laughter and anticipation in her voice. “Please drive to the diner now. We’re running late.”
Providentially, there was an empty spot right by the door when he pulled into the parking lot at the White Star Diner. By the time he shut off the car and walked around to help her, she was backing out butt first with her arms full. He waited patiently for her to move past him and slammed the door. When they went inside, a roly-poly woman with bright Lucille Ball curls greeted them at the door with a huge smile. “I have your table all ready!”
“Seb, will you hang my coat on the hooks over there?” Zip asked as she fumbled with something she was trying to remove from her pocket.
“Sure.” He slipped her coat from her shoulder, absently noting the small box in her bare fingers. While he hung up her coat and then his, she went on ahead to the table and fussed over the flowers, arranging them just so. When he joined her, she pointed to the seat next to her.
A tiny box was sitting in the center of his paper placemat.
He stared down at the box for a moment. “It’s not my birthday and it’s too early for Christmas.”
“Just open it,” she replied softly.
He flipped the top back, inhaling sharply as realization crashed over him. It was a wedding ring.
When his eyes flashed to her face, she slipped from her chair and kneeled next to him. “Will you marry me, Sebastian Spade?” The diner was so quiet that her words were audible all the way in the kitchen—a kitchen that was silent as everyone waited for his answer.
His brain froze as relief poured through him. “You’re not a demon!” he blurted out.
Time stopped. The people around them gaped in astonishment. Zip leaped to her feet, grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
In that instant, Seb realized that he’d spoken his thoughts out loud. He shut the box, stuffed it in his pocket and went after her, catching her just outside the door. In full view of the better part of the town, he wrapped his hand around her wrist, snapped his handcuffs over it, then twirled her against the window and captured the other wrist, handcuffing it as well. Once she was secured, facing the avid customers of the White Star Diner as they watched the show, he pressed against her, holding her in place.
Her ass wriggled impatiently against his groin. “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” he warned. “The way I feel right now, it wouldn’t take much for me to hike your tight skirt up over your hips and claim you in front of the whole town.”
“You’ve got to be kidding! Are you insane? You just called me a demon!”
His lips rested on her neck just below her ear. Nipping the soft skin sharply, he said, “Nope. I distinctly declared that you aren’t a demon. Though I admit that you had me going there for a while this morning, wearing your gloves and acting weird.”

As always when she was rubbing against him, his cock rose to the challenge. He nudged her with it and nipped her neck again. “You’re going to marry me. I’m going to marry you. Doesn’t really matter who does the asking or telling. I have all the rings in my pocket. The only thing you get to decide is how soon…providing it’s by New Year’s Day.”
Zip closed her eyes. “I wanted to give you a romantic breakfast and show you that I love you. It’s all ruined!”
“Oh I don’t think so. From my point of view, it turned out pretty good. Give me your answer so I don’t have to punish you in front of all these good people who are waiting for you to give in.”
She choked back a laugh. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you? What if I turn into a lion and stomp your ass into the ground?”

“Nah. You love me. You’ll never hurt me. Just like I’ll never hurt you because I love you. So, what’s it to be?” he asked as he rocked a little closer.
“Yes!” she wailed. “Now take me home so you can stick your cock in me!”
He turned her around and hoisted her over his shoulder. Swatting her heartily on the bottom, he headed for the door. “Shame on you.
Ruining my romantic breakfast. Mamie made it just for me, right? Well if you behave I might give you a bite or two.”
“You are so not going back in that diner!”
“Oh yes I am. There are some things a man just has to do.”
Mamie was waiting with the door wide open. When he walked inside, the customers were clapping and laughing. Zip blushed a fiery red when she saw that Tate and Rack were sitting with Seb’s team.

Seb settled her in her chair and sat down at his place.
“The handcuffs!” she whispered fiercely.
“I don’t think so. You just sit there nicely. I’ll feed you. When we’re finished, we’ll go home and play with those ropes from your toy box.”
Their breakfast was the talk of the town for months—how Zipporah Jericho finally met her match and fell in love. Seb, the devil, had taken his time feeding her pancakes and eggs at a snail’s pace. If she hadn’t been in a position to watch his cock pressing insistently against his zipper, she might have even believed the performance. As it was, only she noticed the fine tremors in his fingers as he held the fork to her lips. When their eyes met, she welcomed the heat smoldering in their depths.
Once their breakfast was finished, Seb removed the handcuffs and knelt down next to her on the restaurant floor. He fished a glittering ring from his shirt pocket and held it out. “Will you marry me, Zipporah Jericho?”
What was she supposed to do with the man? “Of course I’ll marry you! Now take me home!” The diamond sparkled on her finger, proclaiming to anyone she met that she belonged to him. And if there was some private speculation about their after-breakfast activities, well that was all right too.






About the Author
 
Anny Cook learned to read at five years old. Learning to write was a natural extension. Through her adult years—while a wife, mother, grandmother, fast-food cook, warehouse book packer, Girl Scout and Cub Scout Leader, perpetual college student, executive secretary and adult education teacher—writing served as the anchor that kept her sane.
Well, maybe not exactly sane, but close to it. Today, after thirty-five years with kids, cats, dogs, guinea pigs and hamsters, she and her husband are empty nesters. Sigh. Finally, there’s time—and quiet—to write in peace.
 
Anny welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
 
 
 
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Also by Anny Cook
 
Flowers of Camelot 1: Chrysanthemum
Flowers of Camelot 2: Honeysuckle
Flowers of Camelot 3: Daffodil
Flowers of Camelot 4: Magnolia
Kama Sutra Lovers
Mystic Valley: Everything Lovers Can Know
Mystic Valley: Traveller’s Refuge
Mystic Valley: Cherished Destinies
Mystic Valley: Love Never-Ending
Rescuing Clarice
Winter Hearts
 
 

Also see this author’s titles at Cerridwen Press (www.cerridwenpress.com):

 
Mystic Valley: Dancer’s Delight









 
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
 

www.ellorascave.com