Without thinking, he turned them so that her back was against the SUV, and gave her a boost up before trapping her body with his and thrusting between her legs. Her pleasured hum vibrated against his lips, and he put a little swivel into his thrusts as he slid his hands inside her jacket and closed them over her breasts, thumbing nipples that were already so hard he could feel them through her shirt and bra.
She pulled back with a gasp, her head pressed against the SUV. ‘Oh God,’ she panted. ‘You need to stop. I can’t . . . Not here in the parking lot. Let me down.’
He ignored her, circling his hips against hers, lowering his head to suck hard on her right breast, the nipple like a pebble against his tongue.
‘Marcus,’ she groaned. ‘Please. Not here. Wait till . . .’ She gasped again when he lightly bit her. ‘Oh my God. You have to wait until we get home.’
Reluctantly he released her breast, giving it a parting nuzzle before kissing her mouth again. ‘You started it,’ he murmured against her lips. ‘Kissing me like that.’
‘You started it,’ she said, trying to get her breath. ‘I told you not to look at me like that.’
He lowered her feet to the asphalt and rested his forehead against hers. ‘Like what?’
‘Like you want to eat me alive. I would have jumped you in front of everyone if Diesel hadn’t intervened.’
‘That was twenty minutes ago.’
She bit his lower lip, then licked it. ‘Doesn’t matter. Makes me crazy. So crazy that we’re standing like this out here in the open.’ She pushed his chest lightly, then slipped around him to unlock the car door. ‘Get in, please.’
Still wound way too tight, he obeyed. ‘How long will it take you to drop off the bullet?’
She slid behind the wheel. ‘Ten minutes. I’ll go straight to Ballistics and won’t talk to anyone else.’ She said it like she was promising herself more than him. ‘I have to park this car and get mine, so make sure you take everything that belongs to you.’
Like the gun he’d stowed under the passenger seat. He tried to bend down to reach it, but gave up with a grimace. ‘Can’t yet.’
She shot him a heated glance from beneath her lashes before pulling into traffic. ‘Why ever not?’ she teased, making him laugh.
‘You’re evil, Detective Bishop. Get a guy hard as a damn rock, then taunt him about it.’
He choked a second later when her hand shot over to stroke him through his jeans. His head fell back against the headrest on a strangled groan. ‘Fuck, Scarlett.’
‘That’s the plan,’ she muttered.
He closed his eyes, thrusting into her hand desperately. Too damn close, he clamped his hand over hers, then forced himself to push her away. ‘You’re going to make me go off like a damn teenager. I won’t last two minutes when I finally get you in your bed. Talking about non-sexual subjects would be helpful.’
She grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and sped through the nearly deserted streets. ‘How about we debrief?’ she asked, her voice husky and so damn sexy he nearly came just from hearing her. ‘I got a voicemail from the forensic vet.’
‘Forensic vet’ got his attention. ‘Is BB okay?’
‘Yes. BB is comfortable and resting and you can visit her tomorrow if you like. The vet also said she got a viable sample of skin and blood from her teeth. The samples were delivered to CSU for analysis.’
‘That’s good,’ Marcus said, digging his fingers into his thighs. He still wanted her so much that he was trembling with it. ‘Um . . . I checked on Tabby Anders while I was waiting for you. She’s still unconscious.’ The thought helped deflate him. One more piece of bad news, he thought morosely, and he’d be able to bend over and get his gun from under the seat.
‘I checked too,’ she murmured. ‘When I ID’d myself to the nurse at the OR station when we were waiting with Lisette and the others. The nurse said Tabby was hanging on by her fingernails. She was hurt in so many places.’ Her lips thinned. ‘That Chip Anders has to be a real man to beat an old woman within an inch of her life.’
‘What about Mila and Erica?’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing yet. They’ve been searching for hours. The scent trail might be cold, but they haven’t found any blood or bodies, so that’s hopefully a good sign.’
‘We should probably join the search.’
She glanced over at him with a smile that said she understood how much it had pained him to offer to detour the two of them away from the privacy of her house. ‘I emailed Isenberg to ask her. She said no, that she’d rather we focus on the list. Can I send it to Isenberg’s clerk? She wants him to help us sort through the names, to see who had the opportunity to target you. And Tala and Phillip.’ She huffed in frustration, barreling over him as tried to answer her. ‘And Delores. Dammit, I forgot about her. I promised Stone I’d get her protection.’
She used the car’s hands-free to call in the request, finishing just as she pulled into the CPD parking garage and rolled to a stop next to her aging Audi. She handed him the keys. ‘Get in my car and wait for me. I’ll return the department car and deliver the bullet.’
‘Wait.’ He grabbed her wrist gently, rubbing his thumb over her pulse. ‘Rewind a second. You asked if you could send the list to the clerk. Not like it is. It’s got too much sensitive Ledger information on it. I’ll use the time you’re inside to clean it up, then I’ll email it to you. You can forward it to Isenberg’s clerk.’
‘Thank you.’ She leaned toward him, then sighed. ‘Cameras,’ she muttered.
‘Then hurry,’ he said, dropping his voice, laughing when she narrowed her eyes. He managed to bend his body enough to get his gun. ‘My laptop bag is in the trunk.’
She popped the trunk. ‘You should be fine here,’ she said, sobering. ‘But just in case, be ready to peel rubber.’
His brows went up. ‘You’re letting me drive this time?’
‘This time. Don’t get used to it.’ She waited until he was safely locked in the Audi before driving away to the parking area reserved for department vehicles.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Tuesday 4 August, 11.15 P.M.
‘How bad is it?’ Ken asked Decker when the younger man had finished stitching Demetrius up.
Decker peeled off his latex gloves. ‘He probably wouldn’t have bled to death, but I had to put twenty stitches in that arm. I’m glad you told me to bring something to knock him out with, although it would have been easier for me to get him up here if he’d been awake.’
‘You didn’t want to have to listen to him bitch,’ Ken said. ‘How long till he wakes up?’
‘The ketamine will wear off in a few hours.’ Decker tilted his head, curiosity in his eyes. ‘What did you whisper to him as he was going under?’
Luckily Ken knew drugs, and when Decker told him that he’d brought ketamine to knock Demetrius out, he had been thrilled. The person dosed was highly suggestible as the drug was taking effect, his first thoughts when waking influenced by whatever someone had said just as he passed out.
‘I told him that every cut I make with my knife will be fatal.’
Decker chuckled. ‘Remind me not to fail a mission.’
‘Yeah, well . . .’ Ken let the thought trail, wishing it hadn’t come to this, but not about to back off now. ‘Did you find those trackers?’
Decker was sober as he shook his head. ‘I know they were in the van, but Burton and I went over every square inch of it and Sean and I checked the box of electronics we brought in.’ He hesitated, then shrugged. ‘Which means we either dropped them, which is unlikely, or one of the Anderses did something with them, again unlikely as they were bound and blindfolded.’
‘Or someone took them,’ Ken said grimly. ‘Shit.’ He narrowed his eyes at Decker. ‘How do I know it wasn’t you?’