Clementine’s sexy saunter as she approached me. Her fervor laced with a hint of coyness. The way her touch burned my skin, slowly thawing the ice of ten years. A groan escapes me, and my eyes open immediately, latching on to Melanie’s picture on the wall.
What the hell am I doing?
I close my eyes, hoping to get Clementine out of my head.
But there she is. Sprawled on the bed, her black hair spread over my white-and-blue pillowcase. I kiss her soft mouth, touch her velvety skin and sink into her wet, tight heat. She softly moans my name and I come with hers on my lips.
“Clementine.”
Fuck! I’m lusting over a girl fifteen years younger than me.
If that’s not enough, I’m doing all this in my bedroom. The only place where my wife still lives.
Filled with guilt, I walk out of the room.
Stop this fucking noise.
It takes me a second to realize it’s my phone ringing on the kitchen table. I get up from the living room couch and… fuck, the whole world turns upside down.
I fall back. Shit! I’m hammered.
My cell phone ringing stops, but then starts again.
Who the fuck is it?
I look at the time and it’s four in the morning. Getting up carefully this time, I hobble to the kitchen.
“Adams.” My voice is half-drunk, half-drowsy.
“Where are you?” Lukas asks, worry lacing his voice.
“I…” It takes me a while to recognize my surroundings. “I’m at my house.”
“What the fuck, man? Your house isn’t safe. Where’s Clementine?”
“She’s staying the night at Vanshionista.” My mouth sours at the thought of the events that led to this.
“What the heck is going on, Keith? We haven’t found the guy behind her abduction yet. The kidnappers now know she is close to your family. How can you leave her without any protection?”
Lukas’s words hit home. “Dammit!” I pull on my hair. Clementine is alone, without security.
“What’s going on between you two?”
“There is nothing between us,” I grunt in response.
“That’s not how it appeared this morning. She looked like you stole her cat or something.”
Cat. Fuck! Snowy is alone in the apartment.
“Lukas, can you check on the cat? She’s been alone since morning.” My stomach hardens.
I’ve failed all the girls in my house.
“I’ll check on Snowy and Clementine. But you be here tomorrow, Keith. We need to catch this guy before he hits us again.”
* * *
“The only information we have on Mikhail Lebedev so far is that he is not associated with one particular group, but he moves drugs for several. Many times in the past, his name came up in trafficking cases, but it was never confirmed.” The police chief flips on the light and turns toward Connor. “I need your help and your best people on this.”