Page 28 of Special Agent Joseph

Peeling his eyes away and feeling like the biggest piece of shit because he knew he deserved her anger, he went to the kitchen to ask Maria if Megan could borrow a pair of her yoga pants. When he approached, the housekeeper shook her head at him, her gaze in one way condemning and the other weirdly sympathetic. Before leaving to do as he asked, she muttered words like idiot and a Russian favorite she’d used more and more often… n?´?… a demeaning word that basically meant the same but had more oomph spoken in her accent. After hearing it more than once… aimed at how he let the dog run free in the house, he’d looked it up.

Fearing another argument he’d lose, Joe let her bring the clothes to Megan while he stayed in the kitchen. Not wanting to get into more of the brown stuff he was already up to his neck in and with no idea how to remove himself, he took the easy way out. Jesus, when he let his dick take control, and his brain have time off, see what happened?

Now he had to reopen the subject and explain that she had everything wrong. That his senses told him he’d never before experienced anything like that incredible night. Maybe it hadn’t been exactly fun because of his remorse for taking advantage, but he’d do it again in a hot minute. Whether his memory had been erased or not, he absolutely knew it to be true.

After Maria had their breakfast spread on the table, she’d scurried out to her own little house, hiding no doubt. Therefore, he waited alone, his stomach in an uproar, and his hands clammy. By the time Megan joined him in the kitchen, he’d thought up at least a half dozen ways to approach the subject, not sure that any would work.

Ignoring him as if nothing happened, Megan sat at the table. Clearly not willing to reopen their earlier conversation, she helped herself to a slice of toast, spread it with peanut butter, and poured another cup of coffee. Seconds later, in a voice stilted with pissiness, she opened the conversation. “I need to call an Uber so I can get home and pick up my car. Can I borrow your phone?”

“No.”

Shocked by his response, her head swiveled to look at him. “What’s with this ‘NO’ bullshit? I’ll walk if I have to, but we’re done.”

“Not gonna happen. I need to speak, and you need to listen.” He swallowed hard before starting. “We both know I have no memory of my past. And from what I’ve been told, I’m an asshole… one who should be in jail. Obviously, I don’t deserve a wonderful woman like you. That’s what I meant by saying what I did. So now you know.”

“Huh!” Stunned, Megan stared at him. Her expression went from… what the fuck? To eventually grinning at the stupidity of his remark. But all she did was nod like the crap made total sense. “Fine. Now will you drive me home, so I can get my things?”

“Yes. But so you know, my informant just messaged me. He thinks they might have a trace on Lucia.”

Chapter Twenty

In all her sixteen years, Lucia had never been this happy. The sensation of being free from her worries felt incredible. Every one of her senses registered extreme joy. Pleasures that made her feel safe and carefree seeped throughout every part of her body. She leaned her head on Raphael’s shoulder, sharing her sense of well-being. Acknowledging a sudden deep connection to him and her surroundings, she let herself float. While love drifted between them, her trust in him became absolute.

When he began to take off her clothes, she helped. When he had his way with her body, she laid back and allowed him to do as he wanted. She soared with him and wondered why she’d never had such an experience before. After all, it wasn’t her first time having sex, but it was the most pleasurable. When they finished, he wrapped her in his arms and told her about all kinds of plans he had for their future.

“You’re my girl now, Lucia. We belong together.”

“I’m glad we found each other. I was scared being in this part of the city alone. You saved me. I trust you.”

Raphael nodded. “Those other creeps wanted to steal from you. They would have raped you, taken your money, and left you in the alley. Not me. I’ll take care of you. Since I left the army and my family kicked me out, I’ve been on my own. It’s lonely.”

Lucia looked into the face of the man who’d scared away the others earlier and then led her to this back room where he lived. At first, the squalor had bothered her, but he’d been kind. “Don’t be worried, little bambino. I stay here because I can lock the door. But I’ll be moving to a better apartment soon. Come, I have food.” He’d heated a can of spaghetti, shared the meal, though he hardly ate, and then offered her one of the blue pills he himself had taken. At first, she’d refused, questioning what it was. “I’ve never taken any kind of drugs before. What is it?

“Pyro. Es pretty, si? And makes you feel good, baby. Real good. Try. It won’t hurt you.”

Lucia looked into his dark brown eyes and saw only his eagerness to be her friend. And she needed as many friends as she could get. Everything she’d left behind had stunk to high heaven of corruption and sin.

Here, with him, she felt good. Now that they’d had sex, she felt even better. Grown up, able to make her own decisions, she took the next pill he offered and once again lost herself in his arms, his searching lips, and the surrounding clouds of murky joy.

Chapter Twenty-one

Megan hated her dependence on Joe, having to accept his hospitality when she knew he was a loser, a no good abusing son of a bitchin’ crook. And the thought that they’d had sex made her cringe. Well, until she let her mind uncover some of the fog from the night before and found only a strange eagerness for a replay of their physical encounter.

Girl… seriously?

Whatever magic he’d woven, however he’d behaved, her body craved more of the same. She’d never felt quite so loose, so physically hmm… satisfied as she did today.

In his shower, washing away the haze of last night’s happenings, her body tightened in memory of having been taken. When she closed her eyes, flashes of the passion broke through, and whenever it did, her body’s delight and her brain’s eagerness to repeat the performance made her crazy.

All she wanted to do was to stay away from that lunatic, but she also wanted to find the kid, and he had a lead whereas shehad nothing. Even the earlier phone call to the FBI, speaking to Sheila herself, brought no results. It was like Lucia had fallen off the face of the earth. And that made no sense. Las Vegas was a small town… well, the areas where one might figure on finding a runaway fell in that category.

Megan knew that all the airports, train station, and buses had been searched. Knowing the teen had cash, they’d even checked out rental cars and private planes on the off chance she might have chosen methods she’d used in the past with her grandfather. Nothing. All the while, they scoured cameras from every departing area where the kid might have gone, they found zilch. She’d vanished and from everything they’d learned, she hadn’t left the city.

Therefore, if Joe truly had a lead, she needed to stay with the man. Drying her tender body, spending longer on certain sensitive areas than usual, she again let her mind wander back to the night before. When she closed her eyes and drifted, all kinds of heated passion took shape until forced, she tightened her body, removed her hands, and pushed away the memories.

By the time she’d finished with her ritual and reappeared, Joe stopped pacing in her living room and turned to look her way, his eyes lighting up when he saw her.

“What?”

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