Page 25 of Avenging Kelly

Finally, London answered the chef. “Maybe, but I trust him. Even if there’s no chip in his neck, someone made the guy believe there is, and for that reason alone, I’m going with him.”

Tears welled in my eyes at his words. I vowed I wouldn’t do anything to disappoint him or allow him to come to harm. His trust in me meant everything.

* * *

“Let’s leave in the morning, okay? We’ll catch a ride with the evening shift at dawn as they head back to the mainland, and I’ll call Casper to find out where the social worker is. We can start there,” London suggested.

The energy coursing through my veins had me nearly unhinged, but I took a series of calming breaths and realized London made a good point. Until he could contact his people and find out if they had any leads on those who had assisted and carried out the kidnapping and sexual assault of my sister, we were wandering blindly.

Phillippe Trudeau and his wife, Bess; Richard Fleming, the pimp who’d put my sister on the streets; and Mrs. Charlene Devaney, the social worker who’d placed my sister with the Trudeau family in the first place, all of those bastards deserved to spend eternity in hell, and I was more than happy to put them on the fucking express train. The social worker was a good place to start.

“Tell Rafe to turn off the scramblers and make the call right now. That way, we won’t be wasting time in Seattle once we get the word. I’m going to my room. Let me know what you find out,” I suggested as I took the stairs to my room.

My head was still spinning with the discussion I’d overheard earlier. As I thought about it, I couldn’t find fault with Rafe. If I’d heard my story, I’d have been skeptical, too.

The only thing that could help was exercise, so I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and started with stretches. Once I felt loose, I began with jumping jacks since I didn’t have a jump rope. I moved on to burpees, jump squats, split lunge jumps, and pushups before there was a knock. I used my shirt to wipe the sweat from my face as I opened the door.

There stood London with a bottle of water. “Sounds like you’re tearing down the house,” he joked, offering me the drink.

I took it and twisted off the cap, downing the water in one gulp. His heated gaze as he took in my body made my cock thicken. The longer he stared, the more I wanted him. “Thanks for the water. Wanna come in? You probably have more questions.”

London hesitated at the door, so I went back to the middle of the room and dropped to the floor to do bicycle crunches when the door closed. London walked over to the bed and sat down.

“I called Casper and left a message for him to find Charlene Devaney and get us her whereabouts. He’ll probably call this evening, and then I’ll ask him to arrange for a rental car so we can find her. I think it’s smarter to stay off public transportation where you’ll need to offer an ID, though Casper provided a fake identity with a passport and credit cards if we need to leave the country. I can rent the car with my ID since they don’t know we’re together,” London explained.

Finishing the first set, I tried to catch my breath as I laid on the floor. “Is that possible? Could we have to leave the country to find them?”

I stared at him as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Can’t rule it out. Rats hide in lots of places,” he answered.

I sat up. “You don’t have to—”

He shook his head. “Don’t say it again. I’m coming with you.”

A smirk crossed his handsome face, his hazel eyes seeming to twinkle a little. “How often do you work out?”

“As much as possible. I have to stay fit for duty. You look like you spend a decent amount of time in the gym,” I said. God, he was fucking hot.

“We have a trainer at GEA-A. We all get into the gym every morning around five unless we’re in the field. I try to get in cardio when I’m working away from the office,” London explained.

Yeah, I could see the benefits of his routine, but I had a better idea of how to burn off restless energy. “You, uh, you seeing anyone? You got a partner?” I didn’t know if the man was gay or bi, and I wouldn’t make assumptions.

London chuckled. “Once bitten, twice shy. Years ago, I had a one-sided relationship with a man at my job. We had six months of fun, and then he showed me I wasn’t worth his time. All of it is water under the bridge. You?”

“Never had the chance. When I was in the Army, I was too afraid to pursue anyone, even though Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell had been overturned. Many of my fellow soldiers weren’t cool working with a gay guy, so I didn’t pursue anybody. I had a guy I messed around with in high school—we were on the wrestling team together. He moved to Los Angeles when he graduated. I wonder what he’s doing now?” I mused.

“Gimme his name and I can have Casper hunt him up for you,” London responded, not exactly smiling.

My last two sets of crunches were long forgotten. London moved down to the floor, and we both leaned against the side of the bed, just talking. He put me at ease, and I was grateful.

I grew up in Queens, but I was born outside of Albany. He grew up in a small town in New Mexico. His mother still lived there, while my mother lived in Queens.

London was telling me about his time in the Army when I couldn’t stand it any longer. “I really like you, London,” I admitted, just blurting it out.

I didn’t wait for him to react. I placed my left hand on his neck and pulled him closer, kissing him the way he’d kissed me a few days earlier. His lips were pliable and welcoming, and the heat from his hand as he touched the back of my neck and deepened the kiss made my heart flutter.

Our tongues swirled in a hectic dance that seemed to promise more, but I wasn’t sure what that actually meant. God, I really wanted to find out.

London maneuvered me onto the hardwood floor with no resistance from me at all. Feeling his body flush against mine brought a heart pounding rush that fed my cock. I rolled my hips up into his, the friction unbelievable.

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