The baby blew bubbles and laughed. “Dee, Dee, Dee.”
Hammer grinned. “If Uncle Deacon could see you now.” He turned back to the screen and continued his search, things Noel would be sure to ask him about later. But Hammer didn’t have anything else to go off of. If he assumed the code was meant for him, which he could no longer ignore, he needed Noel’s resources to learn as much as he could before going off alone to investigate.
With Noel and Addy around to care for Little Dee later, and Deacon with Solene, that freed up Hammer to checking on a few things. And the sooner the better.
Deacon and Solenespent the day making phone calls and writing down notes. Solene insisted Deacon take a long nap to make up for his half-sleep the previous night.
After his nap, he went outside to set a few traps and double-check their security for possible breach points. Solene organized their notes, wondering why she kept coming back to the same names.
Everything problematic with their current situation had evolved from an operation the guys did in Sinaloa, Mexico. Little Dee, they assumed, also came about from Sinaloa. Except none of them were the father. Yet for some reason a mystery woman had given Noel her child. Had she slept with Noel, or did she just want him to have the baby? And if so, why? Noel wasn’t dad of the year in any respect. He was an assassin. God, his codename was Ice.
But he’d never hurt a child. Never go against his conscience. So maybe the baby’s mother had known that and wanted someone good to take care of her child while she…what?Oy, Deacon is right. There’s just not enough information.
Going back to the Mexico theory, though, it would seem the Diablo Blanco Cartel was to blame in some fashion. From what she could see, Jonas Hood had been a Business contractor, and a successful one at that. But somewhere along the way he’d lost his moral compass. Instead of putting down drug runners to stop the drug trade, he’d decided to help the Diablo Blanco cartel rise to power. From what she’d read, Jonas didn’t just dabble in cocaine, he also liked women. A lot. A slaver, then?
She shivered, feeling so far out of her depth. The ugly reality Deacon and his friends dealt with had touched her, and it made her realize how lucky she’d been for so long, not having to deal with such darkness.
But now that she’d seen it, she couldn’t look away. Solene didn’t run from problems. She tackled them, fixed them, and moved on. And this problem involved her best friend and a baby. No sense in wishing she wasn’t involved, because she was.
A glance at Jonas Hood showed a handsome blond with cold eyes. He had a build like Deacon, all muscle and strength. He specialized in information gathering, also like Deacon. She didn’t have much else on him except that he’d worked a few jobs with Noel and Hammer, as well as another man also on their list—Romero Burleigh. The guy still alive and residing in India.
She planned to ask Deacon for his files on Burleigh when a yawn caught her by surprise.
“Okay, away from the computer, you.”
She started, not having heard Deacon return.
He placed his hands on her tight shoulders and squeezed. Instead of relaxing, her tension rose. The heat from his palms felt wonderful, but that same heat traveled to other parts of her body and made herwant.
“Man, are you tight.” Deacon leaned down to whisper, “All over, ain’t ya, sweetheart? Just hot and tight and wet.”
She bolted to her feet and out from under him. “Deacon, really.”
“Well, hell. I thought we were sharing here. Being honest with each other.”
“Since when?”
“Since we bonded at your place, and I don’t just mean sex. You know, when my mouth was on you and my fingers were—”
“I remember exactly what you were doing, thank you.” Was it hot in here or what? “Look, Deacon, we’re obviously attracted to each other.”Be an adult, responsible yet smart. You can do it.“But aren’t you supposed to be all professional and refrain from sex on the job? That’s distracting, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Really distracting. But necessary.”
“For?”
“For me to clear my head. Right now, it’s filled with how good it’s gonna be when we’re finally together.” He groaned and looked down at himself. “I can’t help it. I’m always hard around you.” He gave her an understanding nod. “Oh, I know you’re still afraid of me.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the risk you’re going to have to take. But it’s okay. I was kidding before about you falling in love with me. You’ve already fallen. Just admit it.”
She sputtered. “Are—you—what… Deacon, you’re nuts.”
“And hard and really wanting inside you.”
“So romantic.”
“I’m honest. Sure, I can seduce women. I have, truth be told. But there’s nothing to gain from fucking you except an orgasm, if you think about it.”
