Absolution: The Hunter Mercenary Series (Book Two) Read online

  “I want you,” he muttered, as she stroked him.

  Her head dropped back as his fingers stroked through her wetness.

  “Sarah, my love,” he said, enjoying the way she reacted to him.

  When she gave him a rough squeeze, Dakota shook.

  There would never be enough of her. He had been a fool to leave her behind in DC.

  A total fool.

  “I need you,” she mumbled, as they both fell backward onto the bed.

  When he went to get on top, she stopped him.

  “Let me show you what lives in me for you.”

  His heart skipped.

  “Yes, please.”

  Sarah went to her knees before him, taking Dakota back in her hand. As she worked him, his body bowed, and she reveled in that power.

  She had it.

  When he dropped his hands and they clenched in the bedding, he was ready for her hot, wet mouth.

  Then it happened.

  Sarah tormented him with her tongue.

  “Yes,” he muttered. “I want more, Sarah. Give me all you have,” he begged.

  Well, ask and you shall receive.

  She swallowed him right to the base.

  He whimpered with pleasure as his one hand found the back of her head. She bobbed on his dick, and it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever felt.

  As Sarah’s mouth slid up and down his erection, Dakota wanted to explode.

  His girl was wicked.

  She set him free to stare up into his wild eyes.

  “Like that? Or like this?” she asked, going back to pleasuring the man she loved.

  It healed her heart.

  It gave her peace.

  In that moment of pleasure, all words were lost. Honestly, they didn’t need them. They didn’t need anything but this.

  It was amazing.

  “Sarah!” he moaned.

  Yeah, Dakota was enjoying it way too much. He was already teetering on an explosion.

  “Oh, shit!” he muttered as she rocked his world.

  It was so damn hot.

  “If you don’t stop with that wicked mouth of yours, I’m going to cum,” he warned.

  Sarah did just that.

  She set him free.

  Sarah climbed up his body. It was time. She needed to be filled with something that only brought her joy.

  HIM.

  “I want to feel you buried in me, Dak. I want you to fill me and all of the dents in my heart.”

  “Yes,” he said, as she lowered her body to his erection, and then it disappeared inside of her.

  “Sarah!” he hissed, his body tightening. His girl was working him hard, and he knew it was almost over.

  She bounced.

  She rode.

  She took him to the edge in a wild romp.

  Then, before he could stop, he was cumming.

  “Oh God!” he shouted, as all of the troubles in the world were then gone as they were pushed into the pleasure.

  Together.

  She shouted his name as the beautiful rush of heat gave her so much pleasure.

  Together, they tumbled.

  It didn’t take long for him to open his eyes, and when he did, he found her asleep. His sweet Sarah had raced into the storm to find some reprieve.

  He didn’t blame her.

  What they saw today…it was hard.

  Tomorrow would be better.

  After all, how could it possibly be worse?

  Chapter Eight

  Tuesday Morning

  New Orleans

  Police Department

  W hen Cordelia arrived at work, it was before seven in the morning. It was the ass crack of the day, and she was a cranky bitch. Last night was rough. Oh, not the fine man, and the delicious steak, but the fact that she’d gotten all bitchy and walked away.

  Her family was a touchy subject on a good day, but a bad one? Yeah, it was always a bone of contention. Cordelia was just grateful that she was able to brush it off and start the day anew.

  She’d slept for shit.

  She’d tossed and turned.

  Now she was grateful she wasn’t going to see Rogue Ravenscroft ever again. She’d embarrassed herself, and now she’d tuck her tail between her legs and hide. Hopefully, he wasn’t the killer, and she could avoid him all together.

  Or she could bring him his gloves.

  NO!

  Jesus!

  She had to stop.

  She was one bad choice away from throwing her career out the window over a man she had no business being near. There was no doubt in her mind that it was not going to end well if she kept chasing him. It was time to focus elsewhere.

  Like this case.

  Then, she had her meeting with her boss. While Cordelia thought it was to update him, she had the rug ripped out from beneath her.

  And it was a bitch.

  “Wait! What do you mean I’m off the case?” she asked her boss, Alessandro Anderson. “You have to be kidding me, sir!”

  Well, there went said career.

  This case was going to kill her yet.

  “The FBI called, and they want it pulled. They have some operatives handling it—I guess. They were vague about why Charlotte Shaw’s murder was so important.”

  She was irritated as hell.

  God!

  The FBI.

  She hadn’t seen this coming.

  “Well, why are we going to comply? We have to find that woman’s killer. I don’t care how scummy her life was. She deserves someone to fight for her!”

  Alessandro tried to calm her down. Only, each time he opened his mouth, she blurted out something to cut him off.

  “How dare they!”

  She was up and pacing.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you jump to conclusions, have a temper, and don’t listen?” Alessandro asked her.

  She stopped.

  “Sir?”

  “I am officially pulling you by their request. I am unofficially telling you to take some time off and maybe dig around. Only, we have to keep it quiet. Use your personal vehicle, snoop, and then REPORT to me.”

  She stared at him.

  “Are you telling me to break the rules?”

  He laughed.

  “Are you telling me that wasn’t your plan anyway, Detective?” he asked.

  “Well…”

  He wasn’t done.

  “Want to be the FBI’s bitch?”

  “Hell, no!”

  “You tell me what you find with her death, and we’ll work it on the DL.”

  She relaxed.

  Yeah, this would work. She could do it on the DL and have some backup from her boss. The captain was all about the job. He lived it. He was there all kinds of hours, and always interested in what was going on with his detectives.

  “I’m in,” she stated.

  “Your partner is taking some personal time, so do the same. You won’t be missed,” he said. “I’ll make sure you’re covered since you’re going to be working this on my orders. Just don’t get caught! You need to keep it quiet, Detective.”

  Oh, she could do that.

  Yeah, she wasn’t giving up. Cordy couldn’t. There were too many unanswered questions—like that house.

  Who owned it?

  Why was Rogue leaving there?

  Who were the women?

  Now that she was thinking straight, she knew she should have asked him all of those questions last night. Only, she’d been charmed, and that pissed her off.

  He had distracted her.

  Was it intentional?

  Well, Cordy knew where she was heading first and foremost. It looked like she was going to be scoping out the joint the rest of the morning.

  “Okay, sir.”

  “Remember, you need to do this on the DL. I’d like to keep my job, Detective. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and I have a truck payment.”

  She laughed.

  Oh, she was well aware.

  She’d seen his big truc
k in the parking lot. It was fancy as hell. Someone dumped all his salary into compensating for his dick. Yeah, she’d better keep that to herself. Her boss was letting her break the rules.

  She’d run with it.

  “Head out and keep it off paper. Face-to-face only,” he stated. “I don’t want the FBI going to the commissioner and saying I was playing games.”

  “I hate games.”

  “And that’s why you’re doing this. Carry on. I know you can get down to the truth, Detective.”

  She headed out and grabbed her things from her desk. There were some snacks, paper, and pens. She was ready.

  Now, if she could only stop thinking about Rogue, she might be able to keep this her focus. The damn man was running through her head.

  Cordy took a deep breath before hopping into her personal ride.

  She needed a distraction.

  Hopefully, this was going to be just that.

  * * * H U N T E R * * *

  Base

  Tuesday

  Debriefing

  Together, as a team, they catered to Storm the best they could. She’d slept most of the night, and the rest, Sarah stayed up with her, watching old movies in the living room.

  Now, it was about getting some more food into her, making sure she was settled, and then getting down to business.

  Yes, they needed to go there.

  Before Elizabeth’s scientist arrived, they needed to get as much intel from Storm St. Clair as possible.

  That meant everything.

  Details.

  Information.

  EVERYTHING.

  Dakota hoped she was strong enough to get them out. They were going to need her to be actively part of this if they were going to find Carter Foley, Chesky Jensen, and Rosemary Harrington. The weight of this was on her.

  Hopefully, she didn’t crack.

  “I’m ready,” Storm stated. “Whatever Stella gave me calmed my nerves,” she stated, holding up her hands to show them that they were steady. “Thank you.”

  “It’s no problem,” Stella stated, sitting on one side of the woman while Sarah took the other side.

  They were flanking her to give her any extra strength she needed for what was coming. No one wanted her to hurt, but this was a necessity.

  “We hate to make you do this,” Dakota stated. “We need everything you know so we can find the woman who sold you and the man who bought you.”

  She closed her eyes as he said those words. They were brutal to hear out loud. Storm knew she’d been sold because she was a Fed. She knew that was why Rosemary Harrington sold her to that sick asshole, Carter Foley.

  Punishment.

  It was punishment for trying to infiltrate her operation.

  “I know. Just do it.”

  “What happened? Start at the beginning,” Dakota asked, trying to keep as much compassion in his voice. This was going to take kid gloves.

  “I was undercover. I was trying to get into the ring—just as a player not a piece of ass. I was trying to make my presence known. I knew that Rosemary used local madams to get girls, and I was trying to prove I could be a dealer.”

  They listened.

  So far, they knew what she was saying. Elizabeth had mentioned in the file that another madam had been involved. Stephanie something or other.

  Sarah took her hand in hers and held it.

  Storm squeezed it, and she found the strength to continue—somehow.

  “Well, I was almost there. I had a meeting with Rosemary Harrington. I was going to butter her up, offer her some money to play the game, and then do my thing. I’m really good with talking myself in and out of situations. I had a file of girls’ pictures. They were all cops and Feds, ready to go under to do the job. I had done my research, and I was ready. I had backup. Plus, I knew what I looked like would help. People look at me and they see a young person. I’m usually considered harmless.”

  They listened.

  “I show up, and she gives me a beer. We’re at the strip club, but it’s slow. I mean almost dead inside. There’s my handler, Marshall, and some dude working the bar. I’m not alone, and I feel safe. I assumed that Marshall would have my back and call in backup.”

  “Well, the bartender and Marshall are both dead. They paid for their involvement.”

  Yeah, someone had mentioned that. It was blurry, fuzzy, but she recalled someone telling her that.

  “Good. May they burn in Hell for what they’ve done to women,” she said, picking up the coffee cup.

  Her hand was steadier, and Stella was watching her to make sure they didn’t task her system too much.

  “Go on,” Dakota stated.

  “The beer was bad. It didn’t take long to kick in. It made me dizzy. I felt sick. She drugged me and before I knew it, someone was carrying me to a trunk out back. They duct taped me, and then I was gone.”

  She wiped her eyes.

  Sarah handed her a tissue.

  “It was that fast. We’re talking minutes. I was telling Rosemary I could traffic in some sweet ass, and BAM! I’m part of it in the worst way.”

  That made them sick.

  “How long have you been in the same house?” he asked, needing to know if she was in Vegas or always New Orleans.

  “It was always the same house. I heard them talking. I was in the trunk, and I heard them. They were talking about hush money in the form of pussy. At the time, I didn’t understand. When the drugs wore off, I did. I was the payment to the man who bought me. I was trouble for Rosemary, and he was willing to hold onto me for her.”

  “Anything else?”

  “There were voices. There were names. Everything was pretty blurry for me.”

  They looked at each other. That piqued their interest. As of that moment, they didn’t have many names. Chesky was the main one, and they would love some more.

  “Who?” Dakota asked.

  She hesitated.

  “Just talk it out. What comes to you comes to you,” he said, being gentle. “If you give us the pieces, Storm, we can put them together. Nothing is too little or insignificant. We can work with tiny clues.”

  She hoped so.

  “There’s only one name I heard over and over again. She had her hate on for someone.”

  “Who?” he asked again.

  “She loathed someone she called Danny Boy.”

  “Danforth?” Sarah asked, hoping that was one more name she’d possibly heard.

  “No. It was always Danny Boy.”

  “Well, that might fit,” Dakota offered. “If she was being blackmailed by Danforth, that would explain why she took Mercedes and Stella. We thought it was all about Maxine’s revenge, but what if this all played into it?”

  Stella wouldn’t be shocked.

  “They took you too?” Storm asked, glancing over at the woman.

  “Yes.”

  “How long did they have you?” she asked.

  “A month. My sister is still missing, and they killed my stepmother.”

  That emotion played over her face. Storm actually reached for Stella’s hand and held it.

  That bond was instantaneous.

  They’d both been victims.

  “I’m sorry. Did they rape you too?” she asked, trying to find someone who understood.

  “No, but they were about to. My husband saved me. That’s how we met.”

  She glanced over at Zayn.

  “I’m glad he did. I wouldn’t want what happened to me to be something anyone else feels.”

  Stella gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “We have you now. Do it, and we put it away until you can face it again,” she stated.

  “Yeah,” Sarah stated. “Purge, and we move on.”

  She closed her eyes and did what they asked.

  “Were there any more names?” Dakota asked, going back to questioning her. While he wanted to rush, he knew she couldn’t handle it, and the two women wouldn’t let him. They’d shut him down. Stella and Sarah felt posse
ssive of her, and he’d respect that. They were getting something.

  That was better than nothing.

  “I heard the name Taz. I heard the name Chesky. There was a Jake and a Jasper. That’s it for names. I heard them enough that they stuck.”

  Oh, Dakota was grateful she did get them to stick.

  “Do you know what they look like?” he asked, hopefully.

  Tears filled her eyes.

  “You mean can I identify the men who raped me repeatedly for a whole year?”

  He nodded.

  “I don’t think so. When they took me to the ‘parties’ they were wearing masks. I was tied to a table and raped. I was drugged through most of it.”

  Zayn put his fist through a wall—clear through the other side.

  Storm actually jumped.

  “When I find Chesky, I’m going to strangle him with his own intestines!”

  “Babe, take it down a bit,” Stella said, as Storm’s eyes were huge.

  He took a deep breath.

  “Chesky Jenson took my sister a long time ago,” he said, explaining it to the scared woman. Hopefully, she’d see why he was angry. “He raped and sold her to men as an easy lay. They destroyed her.”

  She calmed.

  “I’m so sorry. I know that has to be so horrible for you and your family.”

  “It killed my mother.”

  “Thank you for doing what you do, Hulk. It means a lot now that I’ve been someone’s victim.”

  “It’s Zayn,” he said. “You can call me Zayn.”

  “Thank you, Zayn.”

  Dakota knew the worst was to come. They hadn’t even dug into the rapes yet. They were skirting them. This was going to prove how tough Storm was.

  This might just break her.

  “Can we go on?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  Sarah signaled that she was taking over. She knew what her fiancé was thinking, and where it was heading. She’d been in an interview a few times before with him.

  “Where were the parties held?” Sarah asked. “Were they always in that house?”

  She nodded.

  “They were always upstairs. He didn’t like to let me out of his sight. He kept me on a leash, and he enjoyed being brutal. You saw my body.”

  Yeah, they did.

  It made sense that they’d do it at that house. She couldn’t escape, if she did, their game was up. The people behind this had to know that with Storm’s rescue, they were at risk.