Silent Weapon Read online

  Feigning uncertainty, I allowed the child to tow me to her room. She picked up the book we’d started yesterday and showed it to me. She pointed to the book and then to herself. I want you to read some more to me. She tapped the book again, then her chest.

  The sweet little girl looked so hopeful. How could I say no? But I had work to do. The beds were all taken care of and the laundry, save for the bundle in my arms, had been tossed down the chute, but there were a dozen more little things to do downstairs.

  “Let me finish up with my work downstairs and I’ll read to you when I take my lunch break. That okay?” I infused as much excitement as I possessed just then into the words. Not for a second did I want her to think I didn’t want to read to her. But I had to remember why I was here…that had to take precedence.

  Tiffany looked past me. I turned around to find Luther Hammond waiting in the open doorway. My face heated with embarrassment. What would he think with me standing in the middle of his daughter’s room with a bundle of laundry in my arms? Getting fired was very close to the top of my don’t-want-to-happen list, right under don’t get caught.

  Hammond spoke to his daughter as she loped over to him, the love for her evident on his face as well as in his posture. How could he love his daughter so much and have such little regard for the life of others? I barely resisted the urge to shake my head at the paradox he represented.

  When he looked up again he moved in my direction. My heart bumped out a faster rhythm but, incredibly, I kept my composure in place when every instinct screamed at me to make my excuses and get out of there.

  Hammond lifted the PDA from beneath my load of laundry and entered a message that read: Your kindness toward my daughter means a great deal to me. Never concern yourself with your duties if she requests your attention. You have my permission to use your own judgment in how you utilize your time.

  “Yes, sir.” I hoped my voice didn’t squeak, but my throat felt tight with trepidation.

  He laid the PDA back against my hip, then patted my arm once, reassuringly, before leaving the room. I worked hard to control my breathing so that Tiffany wouldn’t see how anxious the scene had made me. She yanked at my arm and I looked down at her.

  Grinning widely, she said, You don’t need to be afraid of my father. He likes you. She glanced back at the door. More than Cecilia, I think.

  As hard as I tried not to react to Tiffany’s words, I couldn’t resist a glance at the door. Having Cecilia overhear a comment like that was not a good idea.

  Tiffany pulled at my arm again. We have a secret. She pressed her finger to her lips, then added, I’ll never tell.

  By the grace of God I kept my own smile in place. Lying to myself any longer was out of the question. This child knew my secret. I could only pray that she would keep it.

  I skipped lunch to make up for the time I’d spent with Tiffany. Technically I understood that it wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t want Connie or Marjorie to start looking at me with the same suspicion that I now saw in Cecilia’s eyes. When she’d discovered me reading to Tiffany in the middle of the morning her expression had turned blatantly accusing, as if she fully suspected that I was out to get her job.

  Trying to influence her otherwise would be pointless, so I didn’t. I just went about my chores and ignored her. Probably made bad matters worse, but I didn’t care. I had a job to do and it didn’t include appeasing her.

  I mentally stopped myself for a moment. Okay, that was catty. Was I jealous of Cecilia? Maybe. She was beautiful and had all her senses. Sure I was envious. She was an au pair and I was a mere maid. A smile tickled the corners of my mouth. But I was also an undercover agent and she was just…a bitch with a fancy job title.

  A tap on the shoulder brought me around and face-to-face with Marjorie. She was several inches shorter than me and a couple of decades older, fifty maybe. Her hair had gone gray and she, apparently, didn’t care. But she had nice brown eyes. I would wager there wasn’t a jealous or vain bone in her body. I liked her more every day.

  She entered whatever she had to say into the PDA: Thanks for covering for me yesterday. She made a yucky face. Twenty-four-hour bug or something.

  “No problem. I was glad to do it,” I assured the kind woman.

  She nodded appreciatively, then entered another message: Do you mind picking up the dry cleaning at the guest house and putting it into my car? The cleaning team failed to do that this morning. I’ve got my hands full cleaning up after Connie right now, but I’ll take it into town when I go home this evening. I’m just afraid I’ll forget it if it’s not in my car.

  “I’ll be glad to.”

  Marjorie entered directions on where to look and I was off. Any excuse to get out of the house was fine by me. The sun was still high in the sky and the weather was perfect. The cleaning team had come in and started the vacuuming while I read to Tiffany. Two men and one woman, the team worked efficiently. In just a few hours they’d finished their tasks, leaving gleaming surfaces all through the house. If I’d had time to follow along and watch, I’m certain I would have found them quite amazing and picked up invaluable tips.

  Locating what looked like a large walk-in closet off the kitchen on the first floor of the guest house wasn’t difficult. The main chute brought laundry down from all the upstairs bedrooms. A commercial-size washer and dryer took up space on one wall, while shelves of fresh linens, sheets, blankets, towels and the like lined another. The open plantation shutters on the one window allowed for looking out onto the deck and the magnificent view behind the guest house. The bag marked with one of the city’s dry-cleaning business logos sat next to the washing machine.

  Just as I reached for the bag, movement on the deck stole my attention.

  Vargas had walked to the banister and lit up a cigarette. A plume of blue smoke rose above his head and was then carried away by the ever-present breeze that mountaintop living afforded. This man was a complete enigma. He never spoke to me. Had only said hello that first time we were introduced and nothing since. When in the main house he paid no attention whatsoever to Cecilia, but I hadn’t forgotten their secret rendezvous the other night. I wondered about that.

  A frown worried my brow as I thought about what Tiffany had said. She believed Cecilia was interested in her father. If that were the case, then why the affair with Vargas? Maybe Tiffany was wrong. Then again, maybe Cecilia was more calculating than I knew. She certainly had no use for me anymore. Not that there was any real love lost, but I didn’t need or want her causing me trouble.

  I hoisted the laundry bag into my arms and started to head back to the main house when Cecilia joined Vargas on the deck. Okay, I had to see what these two were up to now. Hammond and Conrad were in a meeting. Tiff and the rest of the staff were back at the main house. These two could be up to most anything. Mainly I just wanted to see what they would do next, given the opportunity.

  Letting the bundle fall back to the floor, I eased closer to the window and pressed against the wall right next to it so I wouldn’t be easily seen if either of them looked in this direction.

  Cecilia started off on a rampage. Since her back was to me I had no choice but to watch for Vargas’s responses to get some gist of the conversation.

  She’s just a maid. A deaf one at that. She’s no threat to you, doll.

  I’d been right. Cecilia was threatened by my relationship with Tiffany. And maybe the child was correct as well in her assumption that her au pair was after her father. I could see that.

  Cecilia flung her arms high and went on another tirade. The move jerked her blouse loose from the waistband of her skirt. Vargas noticed.

  All you have to do, he said, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her close, is keep your cool until this is over. Mathers will take care of the rest. Hammond won’t even know what hit him.

  I went ice cold. I tried to assess what those last two statements meant, but my mind could wrap around only one possibility. Vargas and Cecilia were plotting with Mathe
rs to overthrow Hammond or maybe kill him. My heart pounded so fast I could hardly breathe, but I had to pay attention…had to see if Vargas said more that would help shed additional light on their plans.

  If you lose your cool, you’ll blow the whole plan. We have to keep the status quo until the time is right. Any wrong move right now could ruin everything. All eyes are on Hammond. We have to do this right.

  Vargas pulled her closer still and she pounded on his chest with her fists. He only laughed, then said, I know how to take the fight out of you.

  He ripped off her blouse. I gasped. Almost backed away, but some morbid fascination held me in place. He pulled her bra down and sucked violently on the bared breast. Her fingers fisted in the fabric of his jacket and her back arched, giving him better access to the flesh he plundered so ruthlessly.

  My trembling fingers went to my lips. I told myself to turn away, but somehow I couldn’t. I needed to…see. I rationalized my actions with the idea that I might learn more information. But it was a lie. I simply couldn’t look away. The cold hard fear that had filled my veins gave way to a forbidden heat…a lust that burned red hot. Truth was, I missed the feel of a man’s hands on my body. I needed to be wanted. A wounded moan welled in my throat.

  As I watched, Vargas pushed up the hem of Cecilia’s skirt and ripped off her skimpy panties. My hand trapped a gasp as he hefted her legs up around his waist. Her fingers were in his hair and she kissed him frantically…as if she couldn’t get enough of how he tasted.

  As he braced her against his torso with one hand he used the other to wrench open his trousers and pull himself free. I stumbled back a step at the sight of his hard, upright sex. He brought her down onto him in one brutal plunge. Her entire body reacted, tensing, bucking. Her mouth had opened in a cry of ecstasy that stirred memories of my own cries of need…sounds I’d almost forgotten.

  I backed up another step. I couldn’t watch any more. Watching them brought to the surface just how badly I ached to know that kind of fulfillment once more. How had I let my personal life fall apart? I grabbed for the bundle and turned to go, but bumped into an immovable wall.

  Mason Conrad.

  For several seconds I couldn’t breathe much less speak. Need still throbbed deep inside me…angst still tightened my throat. Finally I managed to say, “I’m sorry. I…I came for the laundry.” I wanted to be afraid…to be embarrassed. Instead every part of me that made me female was either stinging with anticipation or drenched with want.

  His gaze dropped to my breasts and I felt certain he could see the rock-hard peaks of my nipples through my clothing. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I didn’t have to look behind me to know that beyond the window the sexual activity had likely increased in ferocity.

  He reached down and took the heavy bundle from me. The move prompted another harsh intake of breath. He noticed.

  The bundle fell to the floor. He moved in closer to me, his eyes searching mine for resistance, I presumed. I could muster none. His hands came up to cup my face and I shuddered with the shivery sensations cascading over me.

  I shouldn’t do this, he murmured just before his lips descended to meet mine. His kiss was gentle, not at all like the one I’d witnessed beyond the window. He tasted hot and sweet, like cinnamon gum. His lips felt firm and velvety. At first I couldn’t move…just stood there enjoying the taste and smell of him. The feel of those firm lips moving on mine. I reached up and placed my hands against his chest, felt the contours beneath the fabric. He felt warm and hard, like I’d detected before. Muscular and male.

  He drew back from the kiss and stared into my eyes. The smile that tilted the corners of his mouth made my heart flutter even more than his noninvasive kiss had. How was that possible?

  He took one step back from me and reached for the PDA. I watched his big, strong hands as he entered his message as deftly as if those powerful hands had been made for such delicate work rather than what I knew for a certainty he was entirely capable of.

  I accepted the PDA and read his message. I shouldn’t have done that. Forgive me for being unable to actually regret it.

  I laughed softly, glanced quickly over my shoulder and was thankful the coupling had concluded. When I met Mason Conrad’s eyes again, I said, “I wouldn’t want you to regret the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had.”

  Sweet. He shrugged. I can live with that.

  I bit down on my lower lip to stem the laughter that bubbled up in my throat at his typical male reaction. No guy wanted his kiss to be called sweet, but he couldn’t know I’d understood.

  I read his new message on my PDA: I’ll try to do better next time. That is, if you’re interested in a next time.

  I couldn’t say for sure what possessed me just then, but I let the PDA drop back to my side and I reached up and grabbed him by the ears. “What’s wrong with now?” I pulled him down to me and kissed him with all the crazy, mixed-up feelings churning inside me.

  I’d never cared for porn movies or the whole voyeurism thing, but I had to admit that watching two people have savage sex combined with the fact I had deprived myself for more than two years had me wanting more now.

  I thrust my tongue into his mouth and explored to my heart’s content. His hands rested on my hips, but he made no move to push the moment to the next level. I leaned into him, felt my body mold to his. He was so warm and as hard as a rock. He felt big and strong and I wanted him.

  With my heart slamming mercilessly in my chest, I’m certain the roar of blood had affected my ability to think clearly. I couldn’t let this…

  He took the decision out of my hands and pulled back, breaking the intense connection.

  I fought to catch my breath. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head and struggled to clear it. “It’s just been so long since anyone touched me.” I looked directly at him then and said exactly what I felt. “Too long. I didn’t mean to let this…” I shrugged. “To let it get out of control.”

  For several seconds he just stood there staring at me. I could see in his eyes that he had enjoyed the kiss, that he wanted me, but I couldn’t read what he was thinking. Yet, I sensed the war going on inside him.

  That’s a real shame, he murmured, with no intention of my knowing his words.

  He pulled the strap of the PDA over my head and set the handy device aside on the nearest shelf. I lost my breath when he reached for me again. His movements slow, fluid, he turned me around and untied the apron, allowed it to fall to the floor.

  For the first time fear entered the scenario. I knew without doubt where this was headed. Could I really do this? Should I?

  My hand went to my mouth and I held back a tiny cry of anticipation when he lowered the zipper of my dress. His fingers trailed over my skin, then he pushed the fabric down my shoulders and I held it there, turned to him with a question in my eyes.

  I wish I could make you see that you don’t need to be afraid. That you don’t need to simply wish for something…

  The words touched me so but I couldn’t let him sense I’d understood. It was so difficult not to respond.

  He tugged the dress from my arms where I’d trapped it over my breasts. It puddled around my ankles. He lowered his face to my breast and suckled me through the fabric of my bra. I couldn’t push him away. I just wasn’t strong enough. I needed this more than I had realized.

  The fabric that separated his hungry mouth from my breast was suddenly gone. He ushered me down to the floor. The idea that I should stop this flitted through my mind, but I couldn’t resist. I needed this so desperately.

  I arched my back in anticipation as his mouth moved down my belly. My fingers got lost in his hair and I wondered how it could possibly get any better than this. When he dragged my panties down my legs and then kissed his way back up my inner thigh, I knew it was only going to get better.

  His attention reached my sex and my bottom came off the floor. I whispered his name. Fought to control the barrage of fiery sensations tugging at me. I felt myself coming alread
y. It had been so very long.

  His tongue was inside me, in and out, circling my opening in slow, teasing strokes. His lips moving over the flesh on fire for him. His fingers kneaded my bottom. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I pressed my hand over my mouth and stifled the cry that accompanied my release…my first in more than two years.

  When my body fell slack against the floor, he kissed his way up my rib cage, then settled against me as if my climax had cost him as much energy as it had me. He looked into my eyes a moment, then kissed my cheek.

  I reached for him but he pushed up to his knees, then stood. Startled and mortified, I scrambled to find my clothes. By the time I’d pulled on my panties and bra he was gone. I slipped back into my dress and tied my apron into place. I’d need a mirror to check my face and hair.

  I pressed my hands to my face, humiliation sinking fully. Now I comprehended the term pity fuck. Only he hadn’t actually taken it all the way, just gave me what I had been needing. How thoughtful of him.

  I grabbed my PDA only then, noticing that he’d left the poor deaf maid a message.

  Whenever you’re ready to do this right, let me know. I definitely want to touch you. Again and again.

  I set the PDA aside and ran a trembling hand over my face. Okay, maybe it hadn’t been about pity. I wanted him like that, no question there. But was it the right thing to do? Was getting close to him going to help me learn more? Or was my desire to pursue this avenue purely physical, purely selfish? Barlow had warned me to avoid this dicey territory. He would blow a fuse if he found out…

  Jesus, I had to find a way to get the information I’d just learned to him. Vargas and Cecilia were up to something and Mathers was involved.

  Going back into town this soon might be a risk, but I had to take it. This couldn’t wait.

  I pressed my hand to my chest. But first, I had to gather my wits…had to compose myself after my own forbidden encounter. Barlow could never know that part.

  Chief Ike Adcock was an ugly son of a bitch by anyone’s standards, but as far as Steven was concerned, he was a hardhearted bastard to boot.