"Dammit, Steve. Boss is going to be p.i.s.sed." He shoved the guy he called Steve and then noticed Parks was closing in on them. They began to push each other and trip over one another as they leapt back into the Escalade and tore out of the parking lot.

Cade shook his head and tried not to laugh at the mess-ups the lackeys Gaylen had sent continued to make. He looked at the damaged vehicle. Poor Parks, he wasn't going to take this very well. He loved his SUV. He fell to his knees in front of his broken headlights, his hands stretched up to the heavens and cried, "My Baby!" before collapsing into tears.

Chapter Eleven.

Annie sat on the old floral couch and looked at the wall. She put the gla.s.s of Sangiovese down on the small, wood side table and leaned forward. She had lit candles in the living room and poured a gla.s.s of wine in an effort to relax. She hoped it would trigger something as she looked at the wall where she posted all the notes on the case. There were pictures of the players with different color yarns attaching them to other players and pieces of evidence, but so far nothing was connecting them. There was no common thread.

Just this afternoon she had received the information that S2 had spread from Kentucky to Florida and now to Texas. She had looked through the file before the game but couldn't figure out how it had gone from Miami to Houston. Hence the wine and candles. She took another sip of wine and looked at the cases. The only common factor was that the buyers were all high school athletes. With a sigh, she slouched back against the couch. This was what her Friday nights had consisted of for years now, and boy it was almost as depressing as the fact she couldn't figure out the connection in these cases.

The knock at the door surprised her. Maybe the Rose sisters had taken pity on her again and brought her some food. They had surprised her once a week with some home cooked goodies that made her excited every time the door rang. She did kind of feel like Pavlov's dog, but if it was any more of the pumpkin spice cake that Miss Violet had dropped off last week, she'd happily drool. Suddenly giddy to see what goodie awaited her, she got up and hung the picture of some saint over her notes before bounding to the door and quickly opening it.

"Hi." Oh c.r.a.p. That was not who she thought it was going to be.

"h.e.l.lo, Cade. What brings you by tonight?"

She tried to hide herself behind the door. She was wearing a pair of baggy flannel bottoms from Victoria's Secret and an old Florida State t-s.h.i.+rt that was a size too small. She had kind of filled out some since college. She was definitely not in any kind of outfit to see Cade in, especially when she desperately wanted to apologize for the punch. It was a good punch, though, but he didn't deserve it. She knew that now.

She just didn't really know how to deal with men who might care for her, and she believed that he did care for her. She was used to men putting her down, always thinking that because she was a woman she could not do what they did. They didn't want to be her partner in the field because they didn't trust a woman to have their back. They didn't want to go undercover with her because they never thought she'd be able to pull it off. And they never wanted to hang with her after a case because she wasn't one of the guys.

"Something happened after you left that I thought you should know about. Can I come in?"

Oh double c.r.a.p. He looked so good in his jeans and black pullover. Of course, not as good as he looked out of them. She took a quick look down at her black flannel pants with pink polka dots and shrugged. It wasn't like he was interested in kissing her again.

"Sure." She opened the door and waited for him step inside. "I'm guessing what happened wasn't too bad since you are smiling. Come into the living room. I was just having some wine and trying to find the common connection to all the cases that have appeared in Kentucky, Florida and now Texas." She walked into the living room and took the saint picture down, leaving him to follow.

He stopped in front of the wall and took a quick glance at it. He stood with his hands on his hips, the same hips that she had dreamt about straddling. She downed the rest of her wine and coughed when it went down wrong.

"You okay?" Cade turned and asked.

"Yes," she croaked. She took a seat on the couch and watched as Cade grinned. Oh, no, don't do that. She needed more wine to handle s.e.xy smiles.

"Wine?" she asked and bolted straight up.

"Sure." He followed her to the kitchen and took the gla.s.s of wine she poured for him. Cade took a sip of wine to hide the smile on his face. She was so fl.u.s.tered and it was such a good look on her. So was that s.h.i.+rt she was wearing. It fitted her like a glove and outlined those b.r.e.a.s.t.s he desperately wanted to feel. It was a shame he would never get that chance. She had made it clear he was to keep his hands to himself. It was strange for him. Most women flung themselves at him and his brothers. As a result he actually hadn't wanted to date anyone, anyone until the redhead sitting on the couch next to him punched him, that is.

Now he couldn't stop kicking himself for kissing her. It was a great kiss, but it had scared her off, and for that he'd always be mad at himself. So, he was stuck longing for her from afar. He was nice when he pa.s.sed her in the hall but didn't impose himself on her. He looked for her every game but made sure she didn't see him looking at her. G.o.d, he was a mess.

"So, what happened after the game?" she asked.

"Ah, the triplets came back for a visit on command from Gaylen."

"The Three Stooges?"

"No, the steroid triplets."

"The bald ones with no necks?" she asked.

"Yup. They somehow found out I was unhappy with the team's performance and came to remind me to keep our deal."

"How did they know you weren't happy?"

"Anyone at the game could tell I was not pleased."

"Yes, but the triplets weren't at the game. Someone must have told them. And that someone is who we need to find." He watched as Annie jumped up and took a yellow index card from the small side table and wrote out 'Mystery Game Watcher' on it and stuck it on her board with a link to Gaylen. Annie stared at the wall for a couple more minutes, then sat back down on the couch. She turned to him, "What happened next?"

"Well, this is where it gets funny. I walk out of the field house and start heading for my car. When I'm about twenty feet from the car, I hear tires squealing. The triplets jump out with bats and start destroying the car." At her shocked expression he smothered a laugh. "But they destroyed the wrong car."

Her hand covered her mouth and he heard a m.u.f.fled, "No!" Her green eyes were wide in both horror and laughter as he watched the emotion play over them. "Whose car was it?" she asked through her fingers still covering her mouth.

"Coach Parks,"

"Oh! Poor Parks! He's such a nice man." She lowered her hand from her mouth and Cade couldn't tear his eyes from her lush lips. Just one kiss. That was all he wanted. "What did Coach Parks do?"

"He yelled at them and then they started arguing over what car they were looking for. Apparently the guy named Steve gave the others the wrong description. Then Coach Parks started yelling and running at them so they high-tailed it back to their car and took off. Parks started to cry then."

He watched as Annie's face turned red. Her shoulders were shaking, but she wasn't laughing. Then as if erupting, she laughed. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she grabbed his upper arm as she laughed.

"I shouldn't," she gasped out, "be laughing. Poor Parks! But it's too funny thinking of the guys messing up over and over."

Cade felt the rumbles in his belly as the laughter came. Annie's face was bright red, and he placed his hand on her arm, just as she was doing to him. Suddenly he wasn't laughing anymore. They were close and touching, and her eyes were looking into his. Suddenly he didn't know what to do.

"Um, more wine?" she asked as she broke eye contact and jumped up.

"Sure." He stood and handed her his gla.s.s, but she didn't move. She was standing right in front of him, and this time she met his eyes and held his gaze.

Cade watched as she leaned forward. Was she going to kiss him? No, she wouldn't do that. She made it clear, no kissing. But, she took another step forward. He felt the soft outline of her breast as it brushed against his fleece pullover. He watched as she tilted her chin up, offering him her lips.

Cade didn't know what to do, so he just stood still, debating. Kiss. Punch. Kiss. Punch. He was debating when the choice was taken away from him. Her lips met his. He felt her hesitatingly kiss him. He had to admit it wasn't his finest kiss. He was just too shocked to do anything. Finally his baser instincts won out, and he felt all restraint leave his body. It was definitely worth another black eye.

He opened to her then and felt her tongue tentatively seek entrance. That was his undoing. He was tired of being still. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her against him. Her body was so d.a.m.n s.e.xy. She was all lush curves and felt as a woman should. He applied more pressure to her lips and slipped his tongue around hers. G.o.d, he wanted her, and wanted her now. The couch was somewhere nearby, and all he cared about was getting her naked and exploring the fullness of those b.r.e.a.s.t.s and the gentle curve of her hip.

He took a step back and b.u.mped into the small side table on the far end of the couch. Thinking it was the couch, he moved to sit down, b.u.mping onto the table top instead. He put his hand out behind him to steady himself when his foot got tangled in the phone cord. He tried to kick it off, but instead lost his balance and fell back onto the table.

Annie couldn't believe she had done that. It was so obvious he didn't want to kiss her. But, she'd been thinking of kissing him before he came, and it just sort of happened. She had never chased a guy in her life, but it seemed to work. He had wrapped his arms around her and the kiss had turned hot!

And then it ended. What the heck? Annie opened her eyes and found Cade falling backward onto the table, the table covered with lit candles! He landed in the middle of the table, the action causing some of the candles to fall to the ground. Annie immediately stomped them out with her fuzzy socks.

"Wow. That was smooth," Cade murmured as he righted himself.

Annie was about to throw him a smile when she saw it. "Cade! Your arm. It's on fire!" she said slowly, not wanting him to panic and start running around making it worse.

He looked down at his arm, and she was pretty impressed that his eyes didn't even go wide. He slipped his arm out of the sleeve and pulled the fleece and the t-s.h.i.+rt stuck to it off. He folded it carefully, wrapping the s.h.i.+rt over the fire and extinguis.h.i.+ng it.

"Well, that was convenient. I wanted your s.h.i.+rt off anyways." She shrugged and stepped forward to grab the smoldering s.h.i.+rt and toss it in the sink. "Now. Where were we?"

"I'm pretty sure I was about to do something like this." She felt herself be scooped up into arms. She thought for a moment to fight it, but when had she ever let herself be treated like a woman? No, she was going to enjoy it.

He carried her through the door to her bedroom. She felt right in his arms. He looked over her head and into the room and froze for a moment. A twin bed? That was seriously going to limit his smoothness in bed.

"Is everything all right?" He heard the nervousness in her voice. He would do whatever it took to banish any signs of nervousness.

"It's perfect. Now, I think it's unfair you have seen me naked, but I haven't seen you naked yet."

"I had my eyes covered, remember."

"Liar." He set her down and brought his lips to hers. Softly, slowly he tasted her. He reached for her s.h.i.+rt and stripped it off before looking down at her. She was gorgeous, and he was going to show her just how amazing he thought she was.

He ran his hands down her sides and over the curve of her hips. Her skin was so soft. It was ivory and there was a sprinkling of freckles covering her shoulders. He leaned down to kiss them. He worked his way up the column of her neck and grew bolder when he heard her moan in satisfaction.

His hands slid under the elastic band of her sports bra and cupped her breast. His hand got stuck, though, as he tried to remove it to help take off the blasted thing. Smooth, Davies, real smooth. He was so nervous. He knew it already. He just wasn't going to admit why it was so different this time. Cade slid his hands down her hips, under those cute pajamas, and down her legs while he pushed them to the ground.

It was going to be hard to make himself take his time. He felt himself losing control, something he prided himself in never doing. But getting a glimpse of her lush body was enough to snap any control he had left. His mouth came down on hers as he felt her fumble with his b.u.t.ton as she tried to push his pants down. Screw control. It was overrated. There was something to be said for uncontrollable s.e.x. He led her backwards a couple of steps and lowered her to the bed. New goal: to make sure she enjoyed it so much she'd forget to punch him.

Trevor Gaylen looked out over his domain. The gym was full, and the profits were up in both the legal and illegal incomes. All those thirty-something men down there getting wind of a new drug and thinking it would turn them into teenagers again had turned into a very profitable secondary market. Denial. It was a profit maker, that's for sure.

Before getting into S2, he had sold leftover biochemical weapons materials to middle-aged women, promoting the promise of youthful appearance. It was a great way to dispose of all the outdated weapons materials no longer selling on the black market. S2's new secondary market worked the same way. Men hit their mid to late thirties, their wives started to have babies, and they were faced with the fact they were no longer eighteen. Or, what he was seeing more of, was the thirty-seven year old bachelors trying to get laid at the college bars and being turned down because they were too old. S2 made them feel young again. They could lift more. They could run faster. They could trim up and get those six packs they always wanted.

It all boiled down to denial. Denial you were too old to nail sorority girls. Denial you were too old to keep up with the high school players on the rec room basketball courts. Denial you were now a mature woman and had wrinkles. And what did all that denial equal? Money.

At the knock on his door he turned to the video monitor that sat on his desk. His men were here. He pressed the buzzer that unlocked the door and waited for them to file in. The three men he had sent to remind Coach Davies to stay on track were staring at their feet. The three imbeciles who had previously failed looked like they were gloating, for their failures were now being replaced with newer failures. They were all screw-ups. It was hard to find good drug soldiers these days.

"I got a call from Boss. Said the wrong car was destroyed. Also said it drew a lot of unwanted attention from parents when the owner of the car started screaming and Coach Davies started laughing. Do you have anything to say?"

"I read the note with the information wrong. I don't know why I thought it was a Ford. They both looked the same and were parked near each other. It was my mistake, sir."

"Well, Steve, I respect someone who takes responsibility for his mistakes. But, because you made that mistake you will now be the carrier of the new s.h.i.+pments coming in. If you get caught, your punishment will be the jail time you get. If you don't get caught, there will be no punishment." Gaylen took a seat in his black leather desk chair and pulled out the most recent sales information.

"The latest orders are in. This is a big order, Steve, so don't mess it up. Remember, this is your chance. Pick it up tomorrow and deliver it to our contacts at the Convention Center. The Personal Trainers of America are having their annual conference in Lexington this year. They'll be arriving Friday, and their product must be delivered to them soon after.

"Ross has really expanded our market with his NFL and trainer contacts. We will have new markets in Georgia, California and New York by the conclusion of the conference. Texas is booming while Florida is holding strong. All in all, business is going well. If Steve manages the pickup and drop, we'll all be looking at some bonuses."

He paused and let it soak into their dimwitted minds. They certainly had more in common with dumbbells than lifting. However, they were loyal and you could never beat that.

"Now, back to our main problem. Boss says Coach Davies is wavering on his end of the deal. I'm afraid we need to send him a reminder of what will happen if he decides to no longer partic.i.p.ate in our deal. Doug, you take your crew and make a little visit to remind the Coach of the repercussions of getting cold feet."

Annie hung up the phone with her boss after updating him on the case and begging for a rookie to be sent to the school for an a.s.sembly on drug abuse. He wasn't too happy about it, but that was what rookies were for. She had done thirteen a.s.semblies when she was a rookie in Miami. Much to her surprise she had really liked it. She liked interacting with kids and being there for them, especially the ones she knew she could help. This undercover gig wasn't so bad. She actually liked going to work although it was strange to not be armed. She was getting used to it though.

A knock at her closed door had her looking up through the gla.s.s window to see who it was this late after school. "Come in," she said when she saw Trey's face.

"Am I interrupting you, Miss Hill? " he asked with a slightly nervous look on his still maturing face.

"Not at all, Trey. What can I do for you?"

"I need help." He sat down in one of her visitor's chairs as if the weight of the world were on his young shoulders.

"Are you in trouble?" She'd be shocked if he was. He seemed the perfect young man.

"No, ma'am, but some people I know are doing something that makes me uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure it's illegal and it's affecting the team. I just don't know what to do because I know they'll be in trouble." Trey pushed back a long lock of blonde hair that had fallen forward and into his eye.

"Who will they get in trouble with, Trey?"

"Their parents, Coach, and shoot, ma'am, I don't know who else, but I'm guessing the police wouldn't look too kindly on it."

"What are they doing that could get them in trouble? Are they in danger?"

Annie held her breath. This was it. It was her break. If Trey would just un-shoulder some of the load, she could make her case.

"I don't think they are in danger. At least they don't act like it." He paused and looked up at the ceiling before looking her in the eyes again. "I just don't know if I should turn them in and risk ruining the rest of their lives."

"Do they know what they are doing is wrong or that it could ruin the rest of their lives? It seems if you tell me what it is, I can help you make that decision. You don't have to do this all on your own." Annie kept her gaze steady but gentle.

"That's it!" Trey bolted from his seat. "I'm going to talk to them first. Straight up. I'm going to make sure they understand what they are doing to the team and what the consequences are if they get caught. I am the captain of this team, and I need to act like it. Thanks, Miss H!" And with that her best lead walked out the door.

Chapter Twelve.

Annie pulled the baked spaghetti out of the oven and almost cried for the first time in her life. Things had changed, and she wasn't entirely sure what to think about it. Almost a week ago she and Cade had made love for the first time, and since then they had been together every night.

Usually Cade would pick up dinner after practice, and they would talk about their day and about the case. They would watch some television, which would inevitably end up with their clothes tossed around the room and them naked on the couch some time later.

She would then kick him out when it started to get late. There was just something about spending the night sleeping with someone that was just too intimate and serious for her brain to handle. Cade seemed to take it well though and never complained when she started glancing at the clock.

One thing she had made clear was that there was to be no affection at school. She didn't particularly like the fact that people knew about her personal life and wanted to keep it separate as much as possible. First off, she wasn't one of those touchy feely people who liked public displays of affection, and she would never even think of doing that at school. Second, she knew it didn't make sense, but in her mind if you were in a relations.h.i.+p, it made you vulnerable. She was vulnerable to speculation from her peers and friends and vulnerable to her enemies because they now knew her weakness. It also had the bad side effect of people judging her on her relations.h.i.+p as opposed to the job she was doing.

Annie stared at the burnt meal and began to try to sc.r.a.pe off the blackened top as she thought about when she was younger. When she was fifteen, her foster mother had been a serial dater. She had depended on man after man to give her an ident.i.ty. She would be so and so's girlfriend, never herself. She would depend on the boyfriend of the month to provide for her and in return she was his doormat.

Annie had been mortified by it and had taken pains to always be the one in control and to never lose her ident.i.ty in a relations.h.i.+p. As a result, she was more inclined to go on a couple of dates and then the relations.h.i.+p just drifted away into nothingness. The men usually were intimidated by her anyway and because of that tried to exert control over her. She would not let them make her fit their concept of a "normal" woman who would sit eagerly by the phone waiting for them to call or who would do whatever she could to make him happy. She always got a kick out of that.

Being the simpering trophy girlfriend just wasn't her style. She was too busy to worry if he called her or not. Most of the time she forgot about calling him at all, and most of his calls went to her voicemail. But, as she sc.r.a.ped another burnt layer off her failed attempt at cooking, she realized that this time was different. Cade didn't complain about her job. He didn't complain about the fact she didn't call him. He didn't complain about the fact that when at school she wanted to keep it professional. He didn't even complain when her fears surfaced, and she hurried him from the house when it got late. Fears of those nights at the foster home always surfaced. It was why she couldn't spend the night with anyone. Not realizing it, she stabbed the ca.s.serole dish with her knife as the flashback a.s.saulted her.