Chapter 2 – Let the Games Begin
Kate could feel the sand under her eyelids as they fluttered open. She groaned. She wasn't in her tent on the site, but in a hotel room, and the sand wasn't from the constant dust, but lack of sleep and a slight hangover. She rarely drank, but everyone she talked to last night kept giving her glasses of champagne, and she'd always been taught that it was rude to refuse.
She grabbed the remote for the blinds and closed them. The light sensitivity would fade in a few minutes, but for now she wanted it dark. The events of the night flashed across her closed eyelids.
She'd talked to so many people, answered so many questions, not only about the find, but about her own history, how she'd become an archeologist, about why she'd chosen to work in a country and a career that was so hard for a woman to work in.
She glared at the closed blinds, thinking of the bright day outside. She needed to get to work; there were still a hundred things to do to get the exhibit ready, display cases to be set, last minute clean up of artifacts so they were presentable to the public. Instead of getting up, she let her head flop back onto the pillow. She'd get moving in an hour.
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Ray glared at the man in front of him. FBI or not, the son of a bitch was pissing him off.
"I want it done, or I'll have your ass in prison."
"I told you, I'll find him, but I can't if you keep dragging me in here like this."
"I own you, Donovan." Ray turned on his heel, slamming the office door behind him. He'd show that son of a bitch who owned who.
He thumbed his phone and put it to his ear. "What have you got, Lena?"
"On the archeologist, not much; her life is pretty much an open book, except that crazy medical file you gave me." Lena said in her usual efficient way. "On the guy who set the shit up, damn, I WISH I had a sugar daddy like that. I'd even fuck him…" He grinned as he slid into his car.
"One hundred million dollar trust fund, that's what's available, not the total amount by the way, set up when she was born, the entire family is subsidized and not by the federal government. Six mortgages on the family farm, and it is not small, around seven hundred acres or so. Mortgages have been in amounts upwards of a million dollars each, all paid off after six months. The last one taken out ten years ago, right before her father died for ten million dollars. That was all spent on the mother's cancer treatment. She got the best care, and none of it insured."
"So this guy is loaded."
"Yeah, but nothing on the accounts as far as activity in twenty years, set up to run automatically, even the mortgage accounts. Whoever this guy is, he knows his stuff. Trace hidden, hard to track accounts, everything from a numbered account offshore…"
"You said hard?" He said.
"But not impossible, not for me."
"What'da got, Lena?"
"Creed Industries, all the accounts, everything traces back to Creed Industries."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
He took a deep breath. This was not good. Victor Creed was the toughest son of a bitch on the planet, and that was on a good day, and he'd been rumored missing for close to three decades…rumored, because Creed Industries ran smoothly, not like a company missing its owner and CEO. He just hadn't been seen publicly in that time. His close friends claimed to talk to him, even have him at private affairs, but he hadn't been photographed in nearly thirty years. Some said it was ego, something happened that scarred him, or his vaunted stamina was finally wearing down and he didn't want the world to see him as old, others that he was really dead, and his heirs were quietly running things, using his reputation as a smoke screen.
She thought he was in LA…that was possible, but if he was, he wasn't going to be easy to find, hell the paparazzi would have found him by now if he was in LA.
"See what you can dig up."
"You got it, boss."
He glared at the phone a second before he dropped it back into its cradle. He still had that damned counseling session with Abby today, and still had to deal with Connor and the damned school shit.
The damned thing rang again. This time it was Lee.
"What."
"Tommy and that damned trannie again."
"What now?"
"Just get here."
He hung up. Some days it just wasn't worth the pay.
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She glared at the cosmetic jar in front of her, the smooth alabaster flawed by a tiny crack she was trying to cover up. If her headache didn't pass soon she was going to throw the priceless artifact across the room. She still had time. She wasn't going to let anything stop this exhibit. It was her one contribution to the world, unless Donovan found him, her legacy, and she wasn't going to screw it up.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Hello?"
"Kate, it's Frank."
"How are you, are the kids okay?"
"Yeah, I was calling to say we saw it…" She heard the smile in her brother's voice. Somehow she was the one chosen to inherit her father's latent genetic anomalies. Franklin still had a chance to pass it on to his kids, but so far, neither of her nephews had shown any sign of it.
"Did I look okay? Zahi picked the dress. I hated it." She said.
"You looked fantastic, drop dead." He laughed.
"You know I really wish you wouldn't say that." She said chuckling.
"You're not going to die. He'll show up. It isn't like you didn't send a big neon signal up last night. You found Cleo fucking patra for God's sake."
"I know, but that will be just a blip."
"Yeah? Like Tut is a blip."
"And how many people even remember Carter?"
"Most of them, he's in every history book, just like you will be."
She shook her head. Frank was the positive one in the family.
"So how's the farm?"
"Drought's kicking our ass, but that's true all over the state." He replied, serious for once.
"Do you need money?"
"No, we've done well the last few years and I have crop insurance this year. Everyone's fine, Marj just wanted me to let you know you looked great last night."
"Tell her thanks." Kate smiled. She really did like her sister in law.
"I will. Now just get out there and find your man." Frank said.
"Up yours." Kate replied, hanging up.
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He dropped his keys on the table. The kids were around, somewhere. He thought he could hear Connor playing video games in the living room.
"I told you counseling would help." Abby was saying as she came into the room behind him.
"Sure."
She grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. "I really think it will be good for us."
"Yeah." He grabbed a glass himself, and the bottle of Scotch. He didn't even think, just poured his usual three fingers neat.
"Really, Ray? I thought we agreed ta try spending more time as a family?"
"One drink won't hurt."
"Whatevah."
"You cookin'?"
"Yeah." She cocked her head at him, and he knew she was pissed again.
"Maybe I'll need another drink." He muttered.
"I heard that." She shouted as he took the bottle and his glass to the living room to watch Connor.
"Can I have some?"
"No."
"Dad…"
"I said no." He poured him another one. He just couldn't seem to get his usual buzz.
"Fine." Connor flipped his headphones back over his ears and Ray glared at his son. He really should make Connor turn that shit down; it was going to blow his ears. Ray could hear the damned dialogue through the noise dampening earphones.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, kiddo?"
"Did you…" He knew what she was asking as she took the last two steps in one leap.
"No." He patted the couch next to him and she sat down. "Later."
"Okay."
He put his arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on her head. His girl always smelled like her lemon shampoo, but for some reason tonight the scent was stronger, and not just lemon, just a little too much like a woman for his taste. She was just his little girl.
He stood up, and walked into the kitchen. Abby was putting one of the frozen lasagna's in the oven and he groaned and poured another drink.
"Really, Ray?"
Saved by the phone, and this time it was someone he wanted to talk to, Avi. He shrugged at Abby as he answered the phone.
"Boss, I tracked Mic, but you're not gonna like it."
"Where?"
"Baja, jail."
"Get his ass out and here." Ray growled, feeling it in the back of his throat. He didn't normally make sounds like that, but it felt familiar at the same time. Something was going on.
"On it."
He hung up. Avi didn't need courtesy, the former Mossad operative was always brief, which was one of the reasons Ray hired him. That and he could kill quietly and efficiently, and dispose of skeletons.
Abby started screaming as soon as he reached for his keys.
"You're not goin' anywhere, do you hear me." She shouted.
"Sorry, baby. Work." He pulled her tight against him, letting her feel just how much her tirade really turned him on. "I'll be back later."
"Ray…Ray….RAY!" he could hear the last through the thick oak front door as he climbed into his car. He loved the woman but her voice could get on his last nerve.
Still sober as a church mouse, even after three large glasses of scotch, he drove out of the neighborhood. Abby hated it, which was one of the reasons he wanted to stay, to keep her pissed off. She was a great anger fuck, and living here kept her furnace stoked.
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She slid her door key into the lock and slipped into her room. She hated hotels, missed her small condo outside of Cairo, or her tent. She chuckled. She missed sleeping on an army cot instead of a king sized temper mattress. She was losing her mind.
She dropped her briefcase that had her notes from the afternoon's restorations, and the sketches she'd made to document what was accomplished. Dinner had been takeout one of the USC grad students ordered for her, and as usual she hadn't even tasted it. She had to finish before…
She closed her eyes. It had been only one day. How much progress could he make in one day?
She took off her jacket and dropped it on the chair. Her blouse, finally able to unbutton, she left on, but loose and out of her skirt. She kicked off her simple black pumps and glared at the television. She had no interest in what the rich and famous of LA were doing so she just left it off. She hadn't worn stockings today, so she let her toes curl into the carpet, letting the control go just a bit to let her toe claws slip out and comb the carpet. She stopped short of cutting it, grinning.
Her unique abilities certainly served her well in her career. The healing, the senses, all combined to give her a more than competitive edge against others, even if her gender was a liability. Her finger and toe claws had saved her more than once, and once even saved others.
She turned to go to the bathroom to start a bath when she heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Donovan." She jumped. Damn the man, right when she was ready to relax.
She was buttoning her blouse as she opened the door slightly enough to let him in. He wasn't wearing his jacket, but his shirt was tucked neatly into his slacks. She could smell alcohol on his breath, but he didn't seem intoxicated.
"Have you found something?" She asked.
He just looked at her, and then glanced around the room. He walked to the windows, and inspected them. He glanced at the silent television, and just nodded. She stood in the entry to the room, dumbfounded. He walked past her, and locked the room door.
"Yes." He said, almost to softly to hear, then he grabbed her, pushing her back against the solid room door, fingers of one hand digging into her hair, the other at the small of her back, pulling her body along the length of his. His lips locked onto hers and she moaned.
There was no gentleness in what he did, efficiency, but he wasn't gentle. His mouth was demanding, and the animal inside her relished it. She didn't stop her hands from grabbing his shirt, pulling it out of his pants, as his hands moved, his body pinning her to the door, to remove her skirt. She gasped at the cool air against her legs as he lifted her, slamming her back against the door, his arousal rubbing against her in powerful thrusts.
She couldn't catch her breath, but he didn't seem to care, as she heard the sound of silk ripping, and her panties were thrown across the room. She not only heard, but felt his hand, his knuckles rubbing against her as he unfastened his buckle, the chink of the metal buckle loud in the room.
That caught her attention, and she began to struggle.
"Stop." She hissed as she managed to pull her mouth away, but he didn't listen, his teeth grazing her neck.
"I said STOP!" She roared, claws ripping into his back through his shirt, finally getting his attention.
"What the fuck…?" He growled.
"Let go of me." She growled back, he dropped her onto her feet and she pushed him back, dropping into a crouch, ready to strike.
Author's Note.
I know Cliffhanger…
