Page 72 of Steel Vengeance
Damn that dream.
If he hadn’t kissed her, he wouldn’t know how sweet she tasted or how good it felt to hold her in his arms. It would have been easier not to know. Now, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
He tensed as her hair tumbled over her shoulder, brushing against his hand. Soft and silky. Was there no end to the torture? Breathing in, he asked, “What’s on it?”
“Almost there,” Blade replied, tapping a few keys. A folder popped open, displaying a list of phone numbers. “Here’s his call log.”
“Oh, God.” Sloane’s face went pale as she scanned the numbers.
“What?” Blade glanced over his shoulder.
“That’s Matthew’s number.” She pointed at the screen, her finger had a slight tremor. “Or at least, it’s the number he gave me. I’ve dialed it enough times to recognize it.”
“Makes sense Jeremy would be calling him,” Stitch reasoned. “He was his boss too.”
“It doesn’t prove he was involved in the drug trafficking,” Blade added. “But it does establish a connection.”
“Most of these are going to be burner phones.” Stitch nodded to the rest of the numbers. There were no contacts associated with them. No contacts in the phone at all.
Blade nodded. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we can’t trace them. I’ll send this to Anna at HQ. She might be able to track where they were used.”
“Too bad we can’t hear the conversations,” Sloane mused.
“We’d have to plant a bug for that,” Blade said. “Wasn’t enough time.”
“On the bright side, we’ll still get his close contacts.” Stitch stepped away from Sloane, her perfume was making him lose focus. “Even if we don’t know who they are.” He was way too close to burying his face in her neck, letting his lips wander along her soft skin. Christ, he really needed to pull himself together. This was getting out of hand.
Soraya’s face flashed through his mind, but he pushed the memory aside. For once, he didn’t want to dwell on her or feel the weight of that sadness. Right now, he was with one of his team brothers and a beautiful woman. Couldn’t he just enjoy the moment? He wasn’t going to act on anything, but there was no harm in appreciating her presence and feeling a little thrill. Just being a regular guy for a change.
Blade sent the file off to Anna, then shut the laptop. “Alright, you two. I’m going to head to my room, call Lilly, and then crash. How about we meet for breakfast? Say 0800?”
“Sounds good,” Stitch agreed, thumping him on the shoulder.
Sloane smiled and said goodnight.
Stitch knew his buddy was giving them breathing space. The chemistry between him and Sloane was too tense to ignore, and Blade was no fool. Stitch had caught his quick glance at the double bed before leaving, but he hadn’t commented on it. It was too soon for jokes about him and Sloane.
Now that Blade had left, an awkward silence fell over the room.
“Um, I guess I’ll go take a shower,” Sloane said, straightening up.
Stitch sighed. They needed to clear the air before it self-combusted around them.
“Listen, about last night.” He blurted out the words before he could stop himself. “It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
She gave him a cautious look.
He decided to lighten the mood. In the Navy, humor was often the best way to cope with tough situations. “But if it does, you have my permission to slap me.”
He got a weak smile in response.
“I’m serious,” he added with a grin. “If I cross a line, wake me up. Kick me in the shins if you have to.”
“Okay.” Her shoulders eased and some of the pressure dissipated. “Just remember you said that. I don’t want to get wrestled to the ground because you think you’re under attack.”
Wrestling her to the ground—nowtherewas an image.
“I promise I’ll never hurt you.”