Marie Harte - Roane

“Forever,” he demanded.

“Forever,” she agreed. “So long as we know who’s really in charge.” He opened his mouth to argue, but all that came out was a groan. “Yes, hellcat. We both know who’s really in charge.”

“You are, my bossy lover,” she teased. “When I say you are.”

“I love you, baby. So much.” He ended on a groan as she showed him who was boss.

Diego and the promise of good food returned. The team added a new member to its ranks for the first time in three years. And Evan’s recent discoveries about the female he’d been tracking excited him to no end. All valid reasons for Evan to ignore his private, rarely used e-mail account for days.

Finally free to simply relax, Evan decided to catch up with the rest of the world. Hale had called to let him know the squad was back in town and that it might not be the best time to interrupt Roane and Caitlyn upstairs. The pair had things to settle.

Positive progress toward a bright future. Evan hummed as he sat in one of his labs in front of his computer. He entered his password to access his mail and scrolled down his many messages. Office gossip from a few of the labs he contracted, trustworthy sorts from whom he regularly ordered medical supplies. A few jokes from his favorite biochemist at Hopkins. Some more news from the military friends he kept in touch with.

And a note from Elliot Pearl.

Scowling, Evan deleted the brief message after a quick read. When would Elliot learn he wanted nothing more to do with the man? Their relationship, such as it had once been, was over. Despite his interest -- purely scientific -- in what Elliot might be working on, Evan refused to reply. He would not get sucked down that hole again. Not after dealing with that cold-hearted bastard before.

Still, Evan couldn’t help wondering. Why Caitlyn? Why so many brutal failures on Elliot’s part? Why haven’t you tried to take me out of the way yet, Elliot? What the hell are you up to?

Kelly sat in a booth between Hale and Derrick, across from Zack and Ace. “Do you think Caitlyn will be all right?” She forced herself not to cover up. She wore a half shirt and shorts over her bikini, but the way the Ace and Zack kept looking at her, she felt naked.

“She’ll be fine.” Hale patted her arm.

Zack frowned.

“Why the hell did you two go to the beach?” Derrick asked, confusion on his arresting face. “You know what’s out there, Kelly. The PPA might not be an immediate threat to you, but they want Caitlyn bad.”

“No, they don’t.”

The others stared at her.

“We ran into Simon Dunn on Monday, the day you guys left.”

“What?” Ace bit out in a voice so menacing, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

“Explain.” Zack didn’t change expression, but his gray eyes darkened.

“Look, you can all sit there like big men, expecting Caitlyn to sit pretty and wait on you guys to live her life, but it’s not going to happen. She’s an independent woman. She needed to get out. Come on, guys. You locked her up for a month with no parole. Besides, with what she can do and my gun, we were safe.” Hale grunted. “There is that. You’re Annie Oakley with that thing. But it might have been a better idea to wait for us, as backup.” Kelly shrugged. “You can’t watch over her twenty-four-seven. And hey, it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission -- especially around you guys. Gimme a break. We went shopping. We took the ferry into Delaware and had fun. You remember that concept?

Everything was fine. We just happened to run into Simon Dunn on the way.”

“I want details.” Ace drummed his fingers on the table. His fingernails lengthened, and she swallowed, growing nervous even while a part of her was fascinated. She’d never seen any of the guys change.

Ace dug his nails into the tabletop.

“We were in a mall,” Kelly said quickly. “We were looking at some clothes in a store, and there he was. Simon glanced at Caitlyn and waved. He said ‘Nice to see you.’ If Caitlyn hadn’t dragged me away, I wouldn’t have known who he was. He seemed so pleasant, so normal.” So handsome, she didn’t say, but the look on Ace’s face suggested he was aware of Simon’s appeal.

“I’ll kill him.” Ace’s quiet announcement worried her, so much so that she reached across the table and took his hand in hers.

“It’s okay, Ace. He didn’t do anything more than that. He and his buddy saw us. They made sure we saw them. Then they walked away. I had my gun. Caitlyn had her claws.” Kelly frowned. “But they really didn’t want us. I felt his indifference.”

“What?” Ace ran his fingers over her hand, and the heat that traveled through her body would have knocked her on her ass had she not already been sitting down.

She swallowed hard and jerked her hand free. Ace’s tension, thankfully, abated.

“I just meant that you could tell he was sending us a message. They don’t want Caitlyn.

At least, not now.”

“Then what do they want?” Hale murmured.

Kelly wished she knew. Though Simon had breezed by them with little fanfare, later, on the ferry, she’s met his friend again.

While Caitlyn used the restroom, she’d waited outside by the railing, taking in the summer breeze off the Delaware Bay.

The same male who’d walked with Simon earlier suddenly stood next to her. Brown hair. Even features. Nothing out of the ordinary, save he was tall and obviously muscular in jeans and a T-shirt.

Then he sniffed her. Like a dog. He smiled and turned into six feet, three inches of blatant intimidation that she was savvy enough to beware.

“You take care, Kelly Malloy,” he said in a low rumble. “I’ll be seeing you later.” He licked his lips and bent to whisper in her ear. “Count on it.” Frozen in fear, she’d stood there like a damned idiot when he sniffed her again.

The bathroom door opened and caught her attention. Caitlyn came out with a frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s…” No one stood by her. “Not a thing.” Kelly forced a smile. “Can’t wait to get back and see the look on Roane’s face when he sees what you bought him.”

“Kelly?” Hale looked concerned.

Forcing yet another smile, Kelly shook her head. “Wish I knew what they wanted. But you know, I’m kinda glad I don’t. I figure if I stick to policing Doc and his bad habits, some of my cleanliness might rub off on you guys,” she directed around the table.

They laughed, but Zack and Ace watched her carefully, as if sensing there was more she hadn’t told them. Admit to this booth full of testosterone that she’d been threatened by one of the PPA? No way.

Kelly had no intention of giving up her independence any more than Caitlyn had. She knew how to use a gun, and she’d be damned if she’d let those jerks with the PPA scare her into kowtowing to cheap threats and intimidation. So the guy who’d sniffed her had freaked her out. Sniffing wasn’t illegal. Zack and Ace did it all the time.

“What?” she asked when Zack smirked.

“For a woman who wasn’t hungry, you nearly ate all my fries.” She had a bad habit of eating off his and Ace’s plates. “If you two weren’t so slow, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” She took his last fry, dipped it in ketchup, and tore it in two.

“Now, Derrick. I believe you owe me fifty. Hale, we’re even. And you two…” She paused when she caught the intense look the “boy toys” shot her. “Twenty each.” Derrick swore. “You did something. There’s no way Caitlyn fell for Roane’s sorry-assed gifts. Flowers.” Derrick snorted. “Gimme a break.”

“I still say it was the sex.” Hale grinned. “Hard for a woman not to fall for a man who can ring her bell. Right, Kelly?”