they wouldn’t bother him until morning.
Shifting at the sound of the door opening, he drew in his breath. Brittany couldn’t have painted a prettier picture if she’d been in a sheer gown. She’d brushed out her long golden hair. Her face was free of makeup and freshly washed.
Walking to her, he took her hand, taking the few steps to the bed. “Get in and I’ll lay on top.”
“No. I want you in bed with me.”
“Brit, that’s not a good idea.”
“We’ll only do as much as you want, Scott.”
Throwing back his head, he laughed. “I believe that’s my line, sweetheart.”
Laying down, she held out her arms. “Stay with me tonight. We’ll worry about the rest tomorrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fuse’s eyes cracked open at the tapping on Brittany’s door. The warm body next to him drew his attention from whoever stood in the hall.
Brittany was draped across his chest, their legs tangled together. His hand moved up to her bare back, causing his body to harden once more. He didn’t think it possible to be aroused a fourth time in as many hours.
They’d slipped under the covers at close to four in the morning. Turning his head, he was surprised to see eight blinking on the clock. He didn’t want to leave her, had no desire to break the fragile connection they’d built last night.
The tapping returned again, a little more insistent. Slipping out from under her, he pulled on his pants, not bothering to close the button as he padded to the door and opened it partway. Deke stood in the hall.
“Yeah?”
“Get your beauty sleep?”
“Bugger off, unless you have something important to say.” Fuse dragged fingers through his indigo black hair.
“Get dressed and join us in the office. We’ve got updated Intel.”
Fuse leaned his back against the closed door, staring at the bed, and the woman he hadn’t been able to resist. She’d known he wouldn’t refuse her.
“Witch,” he muttered, grabbing his shirt and boots. Dressing, he sat on the edge of the bed, carefully sliding strands of blonde hair from her face. He thought of the last few hours.
Brittany had again voiced her love for him in a drowsy voice before succumbing to sleep. Fuse wanted to say the word back, but couldn’t. After all this time, he still felt the pain of her rejection, the sting of her words.
Fuse couldn’t quite accept her apologies, or fervent assertions of love. He wanted to, but something held him back. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving.
Deke, Mitch, and Gunner were joined by Rock, Ghost, and Wrangler. He ignored their smirks as he passed by them to get a cup of life-affirming coffee. No one spoke until he took a couple sips, resting a hip against the counter.
Deke spoke first. “One of Mitch’s men, Dom Ferretti, speaks Russian. Ethan called, requesting Dom meet him at the hospital to interrogate one of the prisoners. It didn’t take long to get his name. Pavel Drozdov is one of Viktor’s top men. Beyond that, Drozdov had little more to say. Ethan’s going to run his name through the various agency databases.”
“Did he say anything else useful to us?” Rock crunched an empty bottle of water in his large hand, setting it aside.
“According to Dom, Drozdov was cocky and arrogant, believing he’s untouchable. Ethan will hold him for arraignment on a laundry list of charges. The sheriff doesn’t believe it will be hard to tie him to Viktor and the Butovo Bratva. The judge he’s likely to face is tough and unyielding. He doesn’t waver at the appearance of slick attorneys from the east coast.”
“Hell, the judge is from there.” Ghost tossed back the last of his coffee, crossing his arms. “He came here to retire, but was persuaded to deal only with the most difficult felony charges. The man sticks to the law, but has no sympathy for men such as Drozdov.”
“I believe Ethan will push the district attorney to charge him as a domestic terrorist.” Deke poured another cup of coffee. “None of this helps us determine if they’re continuing their search for Brittany.”
“Unless their goal has changed regarding the senator, there’s no reason for them to give up,” Ghost said.
“What about the death of their men?” Fuse asked. “Plus the arrest of four others. Their rep is they continue until they’ve gotten what they want.”
“Hell, Fuse. They don’t care about those who died.” Wrangler, who’d remained silent until now, swiped a bottle of water from the counter. “The Russians have one