The woman did not look like a grandmother, that was for damn sure. Cobb’s groin tightened, and he took note of how easily she affected him. “What about Heath, Ryker, and Denver?” It was time for Cobb to finally catch up to them and kill them, like they’d murdered his brother. It was time for them to suffer, and now that Ryker had a woman, he would get to see her die first. Should Cobb feel badly about betraying Isobel? She wanted them alive.
Their deaths were more important. This battle he’d win. And instinct told him that to keep Isobel’s interest, he had to outmaneuver her. On every front. His chin lifted. Causing her pain would force her to bind to him. To want him only. Oh, she was going to know pain and soon. She’d love it.
She smiled. “We’ll find Heath and the boys, I promise. In fact, if I can get the Gray brothers to cooperate—”
“They’re gone.” The Gray brothers had escaped years ago.
Her lips thinned. “I’ll find them. They’re our best bet for finding the Lost boys.” She stood and reached behind her for her bra clasp.
“I hate it when you call them that.” His dick was going to punch through his zipper.
She shrugged. “They lived plenty of their lives at the Lost Springs Home for Boys, so it fits. But I won’t use the nickname if it upsets you.” The bra dropped to the floor, and her still-pert nipples hardened before his eyes.
Cobb stood, unable to sit any longer. With his gaze trapped by her tits, he yanked off his shirt. If she was manipulating him, he didn’t give a shit, so long as she used her mouth first. “I’m tired of hunting them. It’s time for blood.”
“Agreed.” She smiled and shimmied out of her skirt. “Look at the wait as a positive sign. If Heath truly is working with this Anya, and if they’re pretending to be engaged, maybe they’ll develop feelings. How nice will it be to torture and ultimately kill her with Heath watching?”
Cobb’s dick hardened further. He felt eighteen years old again. Stronger and younger than Daniel by far. “Good point,” he grunted, on full alert as she drew down her thin panties. He had an affinity for torture, and one of the things he appreciated most about Isobel was that she supported him in that need. “You’re an amazing woman. Are you all mine, Isobel?” Sometimes he still wondered.
Her smile filled the whole room. “Of course, Elton. How could there be anyone else?”
Good question. He was smart enough to know he didn’t have all of her. To get that, to own her, he had to let his true nature forth. She responded to darkness, and he could be darker than even she imagined.
He reached for the button on his pants.
CHAPTER
18
Anya stepped out of the shower, more than a little pleased with the water pressure. The shampoo and conditioner supplied by Zara were high-end and smelled fresh. The bathroom was a little old but functional, and the walls were the same cool tattered brick.
She tugged jeans and a shirt from her bag and quickly dressed before finger combing her hair and clipping it at her nape to dry. Finally, she swiped mascara across her lashes and smoothed lip gloss over her lips. Just to be presentable, of course. She wasn’t trying to look pretty for Heath.
Not at all.
Right. She sighed and headed for the bedroom. She stopped cold, and her entire body went into overdrive. Heath sat on the bed, his shoes and socks off, his hair ruffled. “How’s the shower?”
Her mouth dried up. She cleared her throat. “Great water pressure.” He was on the bed. The king-size bed with obviously new sheets and a black comforter, between two simple wooden nightstands. A luxurious shag rug covered the worn wooden floor and provided warmth. No other furniture had been placed in the room. “So. One bed.” Again.
He nodded, looking beyond sexy and rumpled. “At least for tonight. We can figure out the rest tomorrow.” His polite tone was going to get him punched in the throat.
“What’s the plan?” Her stomach rumbled.
He stood and stretched, revealing smooth, long lines. “There’s a diner across from our soon-to-be decoy place of business, so we thought we’d all grab something to eat and then look around.”
She frowned, her heart thrumming. “Decoy business?”
“Yeah. This is the safe house, and the decoy building is across town but not close to your and Loretta’s temporary apartment, in case the killer is watching that. He’d be suspicious if we let you go back there. We’ll use the decoy offices to draw in the killer but we’ll stay safe here in the meantime, and definitely at night. Well, until we don’t want to be safe at night.”
“Oh.” It was her first undercover op. “Makes sense.”
He jerked his head to the bathroom. “Are you finished? I could use a quick shower.”
“Yes.” She waited until he’d taken his bag into the bathroom and shut the door before grimacing. Why did she have to pretty much attack him in bed earlier? One kiss from the guy and she’d forgotten her entire existence. Man, he knew how to kiss. Warmth spread throughout her belly at remembering.
But now he was as distant as he’d been the first time they’d met. All because of a couple of bruises on her ribs. Was that it? There seemed to be secrets upon secrets surrounding him. If he wasn’t wanted by the law—which made sense since Reese hadn’t mentioned anything—then what was the deal? Why wouldn’t he level with her?
How could she be so attracted to somebody she didn’t know? Her father, her hero, would be so surprised. And yet she needed Heath to do the job—to avenge her sister. That was what she had to remember. The rest could take a backseat.
