The Forbidden Claim

An eRedSage Publishing Publication This book is a work of complete fiction. Any names, places, incidents, characters are products of the author’s imagination and creativity or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is fully coincidental. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form whatsoever in any country whatsoever is forbidden. Information: Red Sage Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 4844 Seminole, FL 33775 727-391-3847 eRedSage.com

The Forbidden Claim An eRed Sage Publication All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2012 eRedSage is a registered trademark of Red Sage Publishing, Inc. Visit us on the World Wide Web: http://www.eRedSage.com ISBN: ISBN: ISBN: ISBN:

9781603107815; 9781603107846; 9781603107839; 9781603107822;

1603107819 1603107843 1603107835 1603107827

The Forbidden Claim The Forbidden Claim The Forbidden Claim The Forbidden Claim

Adobe PDF MobiPocket HTML ePub

Published by arrangement with the authors and copyright holders of the individual works as follows: The Forbidden Claim © 2012 by Kelly Gendron Fiona Jayde © 2012 by Artist Printed in the U.S.A. ebook layout and conversion by jimandzetta.com

The Forbidden Claim ***

The Forbidden Claim is a story about a man who for years has worked undercover in a world of malevolence. He's so deep into his cover that when Jinx Collins clashes into his life, he fears he will become the very evil he's been fighting against. Jed wants to own Jinx, and in his heart he knows that is forbidden. He surrenders to his badly behaving desires and allows himself to claim ownership of Jinx's body. But Jinx wants him to take ownership of her heart. By the time I finished this story, Jed Kane had broken my heart more times then I'd like to admit, but in the end I still fell in love him . . . I hope you do too!

Chapter One Jed Kane glanced over at the two men lying on the ground. Whatever was in the syringe the woman had jammed into their throats worked fast. The agents had dropped to the ground like flies plummeting from a bug zapper. The woman was an unexpected surprise, from her bright blond wig to a body hotter than the blistering Miami swelter. “What I gave those two… not so lethal,” she said, revealing the gun and pointing it directly at him. “But this certainly is!” Confined to the backseat of the scorching van, Jed remained calm as she hiked her three-inch heel onto the back bumper. The short piece of material that was supposed to be a skirt crept up her thigh. Her legs weren’t exactly long, but every inch of them was worth a thorough inspection. She leaned down, rested her elbow on her naked thigh, and revealed the needle in her hand. “So,” she said, rolling it between the tips of her fingers. “Are you going to be a good boy, and come along willingly, or do I have to put you to sleep too?” Jed choked back a chuckle. Clearly, this woman has no idea who she’s dealing with. “Don’t doubt me. I'll knock your ass out with this needle. I might look small, but I'll have no problem dragging you over to that car.” She dropped her crimson high heel to the ground and straightened to her full stiletto-enhanced height, as if to prove her claims. “So what’ll it be?” Her hip shifted with her apparent annoyance. “Are you going to give me any trouble here?” Of course Jed planned on giving the risky little lady all sorts of trouble. But not until he found out what she wanted and why she decided to kidnap a murderer from a governmental vehicle. If Aztec been the one in the van, this woman and her risky stunt could have given him the opportunity to escape. Jed going undercover disguised as Aztec was meant to draw out the mastermind behind the human trafficking ring. The plan was to 5

leak the story to the media about Aztec offering information in exchange for being admitted to the witness protection program. That was meant to lure out the mastermind, get him to come after Aztec, and make an attempt to stop him from talking. It had taken Jed years to track down Aztec. So far as Jed was concerned, Aztec deserved a death sentence, which was legal in the state of Florida. That was one of the reasons Jed waited until Aztec left New York and followed him on the flight to Florida prior to handing him off to Gil, his FBI contact. But the outstanding warrant in Florida was questionable. Jed needed to find the stash house where Aztec and his people were holding their victims in Florida. Then they’d have enough to keep Aztec in the state. Maybe send him and the unidentified mastermind to the chair. Time, though, was not on Jed’s side. And his gut instinct told him there was no way this woman could be Aztec's boss. Actually, he doubted she had anything to do with the human trafficking ring at all. “All right then. Let’s go.” She glanced toward the street. “Come on,” she persisted, gesturing the gun to lead the way. Okay. Jed decided he'd follow her, but not without a suitable scare first. He came up from the seat with a quick start. “Uh-uh!” She back stepped from the van. “Slow it down, Aztec.” She stumbled a bit, but caught herself and promptly steadied the gun. Jed bit back another laugh. Mission accomplished—as always. Body off kilter from the padded orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, Jed crawled out of the van one foot at a time and hunched over. He took in his surroundings, noting the late-model Saab convertible parked along the side of the road. No license plate. Jed silently commended her. Kidnapping a killer not so smart, but at least she was intelligent enough not to put plates on the getaway car. She’d even chosen a perfect area for her ambush. It was isolated, without another soul in sight. “Keep moving.” She nudged the gun at the Saab, and when Jed made it to the vehicle, she opened the door. “Now get in, nice and slow. No funny business.” 6

The Forbidden Claim Jed sat on the seat and managed to shift his legs over until he maneuvered into the vehicle, a tight fit for his six-two height. He was practically kissing his knees. She closed the door. Flinging a pair of handcuffs at him, she pointed the gun at his hands and then at the door handle. Weighing his options, he hesitated. She arched a thin eyebrow. “If you don’t want to cooperate, I could always use that needle on you.” Jed knew he was capable of taking over the situation right then and there. But if he abided by her request, the option would no longer exist. Although his judgment growled at him in protest, he realized he might never find out who she was or what she wanted unless he stuck with her, so he lifted his wrists to the handle. “Smart choice,” she glibly said and secured him to the door with the extra set of handcuffs. She started to pull off her heels. “Besides, let's not forget, I’m the one with the gun.” She smirked and then reached her arm into the backseat. After retrieving a pair of sneakers, she rested her hand on the side of the door and wiggled her tiny feet into them. “But we need to get out of here.” She looked back and forth at the road. “My detour for that black SUV tailing you probably only gained me two, maybe three extra minutes.” With her sneakers on, the wiggling diverted to her hips, and so did Jed’s gaze. She took off the flimsy skirt and threw it into the backseat to join her heels. Luckily, for the sake of Jed’s eyes, she wore a pair of sweat-shorts. But as she paraded around the car, the shorts left nothing to the imagination when it came to the curvy shape of her backside. Jed shifted in the seat, assuring himself that it was just to get comfortable and not from the sight of the criminal's hot little ass. She got in, slammed the door, turned the key, and put the car into drive. She checked the rearview mirror and smoothed her lips together. “We’re going to take a short ride. I have some questions for you, and if you answer them… ” Her head turned to face him. “If you continue to be a good boy and tell me what I want to know, I might just let you go.” Nodding, she smiled. “Okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer, as though the decision had already been made. She shifted her attention back to the road. 7

Her fake hair barely moved in wind as she topped her speed at seventy in a forty-MPH zone. She turned down an unpaved road, dirt clouds spitting up around them. A mile in, a quaint beach house came into view, clearly their destination. The car slowed and came to a complete stop. After retrieving the gun from between her legs, she got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, and unlocked the handcuffs securing him to the handle. She pulled open the door and waved the gun at the house. “Depending on how well you cooperate, we shouldn’t be here long,” she informed him, ushering him to the front door. “It’s open. Go on in.” Jed turned the knob, cautious about what he was about to walk into. It was quiet. If anyone else was there, they sure weren’t making it known. He smelled bleach and cleaning supplies. The kitchen was spotless, furnished with all the modern-day appliances and a homey breakfast nook. Watching his every move, she closed the door. “Over there,” she instructed, nodding at the table. “Have a seat.” He lowered to the chair as he started to cool down from his uncomfortable forced commute in the heat. He took another survey of the room, this time noting the knives displayed on the counter, as if on purpose. Every muscle in his body tensed. He could already hear his better judgment cursing and berating him. Jed prepared himself. Could this little Dixie have a more sinister side to her? Perhaps he’d misjudged her, and those heels of hers. She stood slightly taller than he thought, almost five-six. She tipped her glasses down to her nose. Bright blue eyes flashed at him before running a full scan over his body. Even though the A/C was doing its job, her racy glance heated him up again. She took the glasses completely off and lowered the gun. She held his gaze as she slowly slid her hand over to the counter. She didn’t pick up the meat cleaver or the ten-inch cutlery knife. Instead, she went for what would have been Jed’s preference, the Mark II tactical military dagger. It looked practically carcinogenic from its black oxide coat to the razor-sharp point. Jed observed her from hooded eyes as she tested the spear point 8

The Forbidden Claim with the tip of her finger. With her glasses now gone, her petite oval face flattered her almond-shaped eyes. The V above her plump top lip thinned out with her crafty grin. “Are you ready to answer some questions?” She flicked her perfectly manicured fingernail over the sharp peak of the serrated blade. Making her first mistake, she stepped slowly and without caution toward him. She stopped and pushed a manila folder over at him across the table. “The picture inside is of you and a girl. All I want to know is her name, who she is. That’s it.” She opened the folder to reveal the photo. “Give me that, and I’ll let you go.” Jed glanced down at the picture. The real Aztec stood at the side of a car. It wasn’t a full face shot, but Jed could make out his side profile. The girl in the picture, who appeared to be getting into the vehicle with Aztec, Jed knew well. Perplexed and disturbed, he struggled to appear unaffected by the familiar face in the photo with Aztec. He shifted his eyes back up to the woman who was still twiddling with the weapon. Still sensing she couldn’t possibly be mixed up with Aztec, he studied her. Why the hell is she looking for Lucy? “Wellll?” she said, arching an eyebrow and impatiently stretching out the word. Jed didn’t offer her an answer. Lucy did have a past, and it had collided with Aztec’s. He wondered, though, how the little lady knew that. Maybe the picture was all she had to go on, the only thing tying Lucy to Aztec. Could she be the one Lucy had been looking for all these years? Jed needed to think over the situation and get more facts before he rushed to any conclusions. She crouched down between his legs—her second mistake. The Southern belle was putting herself into a very dangerous position. She placed her hand on his thigh and sighed. She lifted the knife, set her elbow on his other thigh, and then heedlessly waved the blade. “Not going to answer me?” Another exaggerated breath escaped her plump and luscious lips. “You can leave here in one piece, or I can start cutting off body parts until you talk.” With the extra set of handcuffs removed, Jed was able to take over the situation at any time. He allowed a cynical grin to evolve. 9

Her head retracted. “Oh, not taking me seriously, huh?” No, Jed certainly wasn’t taking her seriously. “Hmm. Still no answer?” Her eyes snapped up at him. She diverted the tip of the knife down between his legs. “Because I'm warning you, I know exactly where I’m going to start cutting.” Threatening my manhood? That’s strike three…. **** Jinx Collins didn’t see the swift movement. She wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe a karate chop to her wrist. Whatever he did, it knocked the knife from her hand, and he imprisoned her wrists with his strong hold. His large body jolted up from his seat, taking her with him. Jinx, staggering from the loss of control, peered into his eyes. Forgetting for a moment that he had clearly taken the upper hand, she tipped up on her toes to get a better look at him. “Something’s not right here.” She strained closer. “Aztec’s in his fifties, but your eyes—” She gasped. “You’re not Aztec!” “You’re right about that, little lady,” the overpowering man snarled from the thick whiskers surrounding his mouth before he slapped the handcuffs—the ones he’d just had on—around her wrists. How’d he get them off? He rotated Jinx around and pushed her down into the chair he had been sitting in. With the tables turned, she sat up straight. She wasn’t sure what just happened or who her captive-turned-captor was, but she wasn’t about to back down from the overweight, scruffy-looking beast who had foiled her plans. He leaned over, and those disturbing green eyes—not Aztec’s malicious brown—looked down on her. How had she missed those, too? She chalked it up to the anticipation of finally identifying the girl in the picture, the one with the moon-shaped birthmark on her left cheek. Jinx remembered riding bikes with that girl. Hers had been pink with training wheels, and the girl’s was purple. She had memories of herself as a child lying in bed at night, the girl leaning over her, kissing her on the forehead. And there was the indescribable memory triggered by sushi. Whenever Jinx heard the 10

The Forbidden Claim word, she would see the girl’s face. Having been adopted at the age of six, she was sure the strange mishmash of memories meant something. She felt certain that finding out the identity of that woman might bring her closer to knowing who she herself really was. And Aztec was supposed to answer those questions for her. Jinx glared at the imposter. His dark, nearly black hair looked like it hadn’t seen a comb or brush in weeks. Picking up the knife, he came to her unhurried, dangerously disciplined. Holding the knife, his face sweaty and strict, he inclined until he was inches from her. His eyes darkened with flecks of amber, breaking up the sea-green shade. “Who are you?” Something's terribly wrong here! Jinx needed to find out why he'd been in the van that was supposed to be transporting Aztec from jail. “I think the more important question here is, who are you? And what do you want with the girl?” “Seeing as you're not Aztec, what I want with the girl is none of your damn business!” “Oh, it sure the hell is. Look, you kidnapped me, and—” She lunged forward. “I thought I was getting Aztec!” “Who do you work for?” “What are you talking about. I work for no one.” Jinx was on this crusade alone. She'd taken the time off from work, rented the beach house, and made every effort to safely capture Aztec. The agents she'd drugged would be waking up in about an hour with nothing more than a headache. “Then what do you want with Aztec?” “I told you, I want to know who that girl is—” The brute interrupted her. “You want me to believe you’ve gone through all this to find out the identity of some girl in an old photo?” “I don’t care what you believe, and I’m through with talking to you,” she said, turning her head away from him. He pulled up a chair. Straddling it, he leaned over the back and tapped her cheek. She snapped her head around and glared at him. “I’m not through with you yet. Should I use the tactics you 11

planned on using to get me to talk?” “I wasn’t going to cut off your”—her gaze slithered down to between the man’s legs—“I mean Aztec’s… well, you know.” Resting his arms over the back of the chair, he calmly went on, “Listen, crazy lady—” “I’m not crazy!” He dropped something between a snort and a grunt. “After that stunt you pulled, the multiple felonies you've just committed, I wouldn’t consider you sane,” he said, his voice measured and convinced. “I knew exactly what I was doing,” she spat, insulted. “Is that so? Why don’t you tell me what you did? Perhaps if you hear it out loud, you’ll come to understand how crazy it really was.” Jinx refused to entertain his wishes. “Once Aztec goes into the witness protection program, I won’t be able to find him. He'll be gone for good and I can’t get to him in jail.” Truly, she had tried. “I was just going to borrow him. I would have returned him to their custody when I was done.” It was the truth. She wasn’t going to let Aztec go. She had planned to bring him right back to the jail when she was through with him. “Return him? He’s not some damn sweater you buy at the department store. You attempted to kidnap a murderer. A sick, deranged individual. The man is responsible for buying and selling human beings, children for Christ’s sake! It took decades to catch him, and you just” —he snarled—“you thought you could borrow him for the day!” She hissed at his condescending tone. “Do you know who the woman in the picture is or not?” “At this point, the only woman you should be worried about is yourself." He swayed dangerously closer to her. “I’m not letting you go till I find out exactly who you are.”

12

Chapter Two Jinx sat in the chair, returning his harassing stare. His forehead glistened. His skin was flushed. “Hmm. Ya know, you don’t look so good,” she thought, and then said it aloud. He swiped a hand over his forehead and got up. At his full height, he was a couple inches taller than Aztec’s six feet, and Jinx wondered how she’d missed that little detail too. His fingers came to the top button of the orange jumpsuit. He undid it, went for the second, and then the third. Confused, she asked, “What the hell are you doing?” “I’m sweating my ass off,” he said, continuing on to the fourth button. “It’s cool in here,” she said, desperately hoping he didn’t intend to strip right in front of her. “Yeah, says the little lady in her skimpy short-shorts and tank top,” he retorted before he started to unfasten some kind of straps at his shoulders. What the heck is he wearing? She watched as he pulled the thing from his body. An empathy belly, like a pregnancy vest without the breasts. He tossed it on the table. From his broad shoulders, he pushed off the top-half of the jumpsuit. It fell to the ground, revealing his lean waist. He pulled his sweatshirt over his head, and his muscle-toned biceps flexed as he hurled it to the ground. Jinx couldn’t resist. She leaned in, anxiously waiting and hoping the tight t-shirt was next, but it stayed on as he started to step out of the orange suit. “You’re certainly not Aztec,” she drawled in amazement, still trying to adjust her eyes to the new and improved mystery man before her. With the last step, he kicked the suit to the side and gave her a fleeting look. “I thought we already came to terms with that,” he said, standing there in a pair of nice-fitting jeans. “Yes, but now I’ve gotta come to terms with this.” She waved her 13

bound hands at the tight, hot male body in front of her. “With what?” “With this. With you,” she said with one last wave. He rubbed his beard until his fingers started to pick at it, tugging from the base of the thick hairs. The scruffy whiskers lifted from his face in one clump. That’s fake too? It sure was, and the face hidden behind all the coarse hair was a heart-stopper. The man was exceptional, from his striking, deep-set eyes to his tan, ripped body. Those exotic eyes, strong cheekbones, virile lips, and set jaw, sparked a new sensation inside of her—something hazardous but incredibly exciting. Attempting to fend it off, she heaved a sigh. “This is just great.” She slumped back into the chair. “I've been taken hostage by a guy who looks like he just stepped out of a damn GQ magazine.” He swept those dark sexy eyes over every inch of her body. “Looks,” he said, finishing the bold but rigorous survey to meet her eyes, “can be very deceiving.” No shit! Just seconds ago, Jinx had thought the hot, buff guy before her, who was eating her up with his carnal inquest, had been Aztec. A killer. After a long, compelling stare, he turned to the vest he’d taken off and flipped it over. He unzipped the backside and started to pull out items. He shoved a wallet into his pocket and slipped a gun into the back of his jeans. He checked his cell phone for messages and punched at a few numbers, probably responding to the sender. And then it hit Jinx. “You’re a decoy, aren’t you?” Had she sacrificed everything, jeopardized her career and risked going to jail, all for a damn decoy? “Wait. If you're a decoy, where's the cavalry? Your backup? Why aren’t they here hauling my ass in for the multiple felonies I've committed?” Jinx had known there would be risks, but out of all the probabilities of what could have gone wrong today, this man certainly wasn’t one of them. He casually leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his robust chest. “I have no plans to get the authorities involved.” She gave him a thorough inspection. The thought was farfetched, 14

The Forbidden Claim but she asked it with a hint of sarcasm anyway, “So I'm getting a free pass? You're going to let me go?” A cocky grin appeared upon his face. “That depends on how well you cooperate.” “Cooperate! First, tell me who the hell I'm going to be cooperating with!” Jinx seriously needed to question what was going on and what she had gotten herself into. “And where's Aztec?” He stepped forward. His powerful body devoured the space between them. “Enough with the questions." “But—” He scowled. “You don’t know when to shut up, do you?” No. Laura and Jarvis, her adoptive parents, had always encouraged Jinx to speak her mind, to hold absolutely nothing back. It had gotten Jinx into trouble when she was younger. But over the years, she'd learned to control the quirky outbursts. It had to be Aztec's look-alike causing her childhood antics to come out for an unwanted, annoying visit. He came closer. Her heartbeat quickened. Is GQ guy really making me nervous? Nah! It took a lot to get Jinx nervous, and she hadn’t reached her breaking point yet. At least, she didn’t think so. He stopped in front of her. “You can call me Jed,” he evenly said. “Well, Jed, you can keep calling me ‘little lady', because I’m not about to exchange names with you.” She paused, reconsidering for a moment. Did she really want to be called 'little lady'? “On second thought, call me Jinx,” she said, deciding giving him her unusual-but-real name couldn’t hurt. It sounded phony. Who'd actually claim to be a jinx, a damn curse? Indifferently, he gazed down at her, perhaps thinking the same thing. “Now that we have that settled, and we've come to an impasse, you're obviously not going to tell me who you are. So do you think you could let me out of these?” She raised her wrists, indicating the handcuffs. “I need to use the bathroom,” she lied. She needed a minute alone away from his completely male body and alluring dark 15

eyes, so she could try and figure out what the hell was going on. “Sure,” he said, a smidgen too turbo for her liking. “Stand up.” His suddenly calm, smooth voice provoked her further. I’m not nervous, she assured herself. Just a little leery. Wait… don’t the two mean the same thing? She jolted up, not giving either meaning a chance to hinder her courage. She lifted her arms in waiting. His strong hand came over hers. He thumbed the metal between the cuffs, and they clicked open. Handcuffs that unlock with just a swipe of the thumb? Must be something new. She inspected them, looking for some kind of release button, wondering who exactly this Jed was. The U.S. Marshals don’t have things like this. Jinx knew firsthand, considering that she was one. She went to pull her hand away, but he caught it and yanked it back to him. Not letting it go, he placed the cuffs on the table. He picked up a bracelet and clipped it around her wrist. Another nifty gadget? She examined its heavy metal. “What’s this thing?” she asked when she couldn’t figure it out. Applying a similar bracelet to his own wrist, he simply replied, “Insurance.” Still lost, she countered, “For what?” “If you get more than fifty feet from me, it will send out a shock,” he explained, with little emotion. “You can go now,” he said. When she didn’t budge, he specified, “To the bathroom." His roguish smile tightened, "But I'm warning you, don’t try anything crazy.” He pressed forward, pushing aside the already suffocating air between them, “Jinx.” “I don’t think I want to test out this bracelet,” she answered sarcastically, glancing down at the device around her wrist. “No, you don’t,” he advised. “The shock will be very painful.” She scrutinized him. “How painful?” “Don’t worry. When you fall to the ground from the electrical shock, I’ll just pick you up and carry you back here.” “Sure,” she scoffed. “It's strong enough to literally knock me on my ass.” Shrugging his shoulders, he simply answered, “Knees, back, ass… 16

The Forbidden Claim yeah, one of those.” She skeptically studied him, a hesitant grin trying to tilt her lips. “Come on.” “Go ahead and try it. But if you do attempt to run, I can guarantee you one thing,” he said. “What’s that?” “When I do catch you—” He leaned in, and as if consuming the air around them wasn’t enough, he extracted it from her. Jinx struggled for her next breath. He dropped his voice to a near whisper. "I will personally give that body of yours another kind of shock, one that will definitely have you on your back.” ****

Jed followed her through the kitchen, past the dining area, to the large open living room, until she disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. He punched a few numbers into his phone and heard the familiar voice pick up on the first ring. “Jed, are you okay? Where are you?” Cutting right to the chase was something Jed liked and, in fact, preferred. “I’m all right. How’s Gil?” “I just got word the sedative is starting to wear off. Gil and the other agent are coming to—what happened out there?” Jed could hear the worry in her voice. “You’ll have to ask those two. All I know is that the van doors flew open and a woman stood there pointing a gun at me. I saw Gil go down, but the other agent was already on the ground. I didn’t call for help because I assumed you were listening to the conversation and would send someone to get them. I didn’t want to blow my cover until I found out what she wanted and if she was working for Aztec.” “Is she?” “No.” “Well, then who is she, and what did she want with Aztec?” It was a good question, especially since it had to do with Lucy. He wanted the answer sooner rather than later so that he could get rid 17

of the little lady and her annoying pouty red lips. “Still working on that. Did you call it in?” “Yeah. I stuck to the plan and told the police that the sting went as planned, without any incident—just like Gil said, no matter the outcome. They want to hear it from him, but he can’t call it in, not in his current condition.” They’d never intended to keep the local authorities apprised of what happened. Jed had taken the job knowing that from the beginning. Gil had hired him, and that was where his orders came from. He had no problem with that. It was personal for Jed. It had taken years to get to Aztec, but Jed wasn’t going to be satisfied until he found Aztec’s boss, because he knew there was no way Aztec was running the show. Jed had met the man. He was smart, yes, but nowhere near intelligent enough to manage the human trafficking ring. Someone else was definitely calling the shots. “They can wait,” he told her. “Have Gil call them when he comes around.” “Okay. Do you want me to tell him to bring in the authorities to take care of the girl?” “No. I don’t think we need to do that,” he said. The woman in the bathroom wasn’t a threat. Crazy, maybe, but not a threat. “Do you need me to send any extra hands then?” “Nope. I got it under control.” He glanced over at the bathroom door. “All right. I’ll be on standby if you need me, but don’t forget tomorrow night. The Bollan’s girl. I’ve got it all set up. The pickup’s at The Black Flagon, ten o’clock.” “Shit.” He shoved a hand through his hair, but his fingers got stuck. He needed a shower. “I’ll be there,” he said, hoping he’d be finished with the little lady by then. Otherwise, he’d have to stash her away somewhere while he went to do the Bollan job. They couldn’t stay where they were, because he couldn’t be sure who else knew their location. “Good. It took me some finagling to get the buy,” she said. “Yeah, yeah. I know. When are you going to be back at the safe house in Miami?” “Two, maybe three days, tops, why?” 18

The Forbidden Claim “Send me a text when you know for sure. I need to meet you there,” he said as he walked over to the door and put his ear up against it. “Why? What’s going on, Jed?” He took a step back. “That woman who’s after Aztec. She was looking for someone.” “Who?” “You,” he said abruptly, interrupting Lucy as she started to hammer out the questions. “That’s all I know. I don’t know why yet, but I’m working on it. If I find anything else out, I’ll call you.” “But—” He stepped back to the door and heard rustling. “Gotta go. I’ll call you later.” He clicked the phone off and shouldered the door until it burst open. Those skimpy sweat-shorts and that nice ass filled Jed's eyes as she tried to maneuver her way out of the window. He took the few steps to get to her, reached out, and snatched her around the waist. Not considering her much lighter weight, she crashed back into his body. Tresses of hair smothered his face. Her head flipped over her shoulder. The wig was gone, and her dark hair deepened the blue in her eyes as they flashed up at him. “Hi,” she chirped with a crafty smile. His brows knitted together. “Seriously?” he asked, loosening his hold. She twisted around in his arms. “Yeah.” Peering up at him, she placed her small palms on his chest. “What do you expect me to say?” She flipped her hands with a so-you-caught-me gesture before returning them to his chest. Instinct told him to remove his hands from her hot little body. But Jed stood motionless. He needed to let go—and should have— but as her smile dissolved, he became lost to the kittenish gleam in her canted eyes. She feathered her fingertips lightly over his chest and Jed stiffened. “Well.” She lifted a hand and slipped it around to the back of his neck, “I'm patiently waiting for that other shock. The one you personally were going to give me if I tried to escape.” She scrapped her nails along his neck. A rush of goose-bumps rippled right down 19

to Jed's toes. He glared at her. Anger surged through him from her foolish but bold act, and from his reaction to it. He wanted to grab her and shake her. Although he wasn’t Aztec, he certainly was a killer, and this Jinx was too daring for her own damn good. He wanted to teach her a lesson and give her another well-deserved scare. He snatched her hands and slammed her into the wall. “Don’t try to seduce me,” he warned. “There's no way I’m letting you go.” “Seduce you?” She tossed back her head and giggled as if it were the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. “Jed.” She sobered, but the fearless minx didn’t shrink back from him. Instead, she pressed her body up against his. “Don't mistake my curiosity for seduction.” Jed pinned her hands to the wall. If closeness was what she wanted, he'd give it to her. He thrust his body forward, pressing his pelvis, hips, and his growing erection into her soft form. She tensed beneath his firm hold, and his action was rewarded by the flicker of fear he caught in her eyes. “Don’t' mistake this GQ guy”—he pushed her hands harder to the wall—“for a man who wouldn't hurt you to get what he wants.” Trepidation slipped from her. “And what exactly is it that you want, Jed?” She glanced down at their molded bodies, drawing attention to his hard male heat, and then she looked up at him. Fuck! Jed could feel his own self-control slipping. He needed to back away. Clearly his insubordinate rod was almost ready to surrender to her sexual advances, ready to take what she was offering in return for her freedom. “Right now, what I want,” his mouth was so close, nearly brushing hers, “you couldn’t handle it.” “Try me,” she purred, her warm breath feathering on his lips. Damn! She made him hard. He inched closer to temptation. Her small firm breasts pressed into his chest and her breaths quickened as he rounded to her ear. “I think I'll wait until you tell me exactly who you are," he said, lowering his already rasping voice, “before I satisfy your curiosity and play with you, little lady.” He drew back, determining if he didn’t retreat, the disloyal throbbing hardness between his legs would stop at nothing to get what it wanted. This woman. Her. 20

The Forbidden Claim And with that knowledge, Jed did what he should’ve done when she fell against his body. He let her go. Seeing the flash of relief in her eyes reassured Jed that he'd made the right decision. It appeared, for all the purring the kitty was doing, her nails weren't ready to give him a scratch. Not yet. Jed went over to the window to close it. While latching the window, he caught her reflection in the mirror. She was going after his gun. “Don’t even try it,” he advised the little lady, who apparently hadn’t learned not to touch something when it was hot. She grimaced. Her head turned, and she met his reflection. “Wouldn’t think of it.” She smirked and crossed her arms over her heaving breasts. Jinx gazed at him, figuring things could be worse. At least he wasn’t Aztec, a known killer. The threat he’d made to hurt her, well, that just put a kinky twist in her already painfully aching pussy. She realized her scheme, the risky strategy of seduction, hadn't been all pretend. Deep down, in the pit of her devious desires, she wanted Aztec's decoy. She wanted to tell him the truth about her identity, if only so he’d satisfy her sexual curiosity. It'd been difficult to resist, not only him, but also the bathroom window. She’d assumed he’d catch her before she managed to squirm her way to freedom, but considering her few options, she thought it was worth a shot. If nothing else, it allowed her to test the waters. Now she knew getting away from the man, whoever the hell he might be, was going to be harder than she anticipated. She went into the living room, plopped down on the plush sectional, kicked off her sneakers, and curled her feet under her bottom. She knew Jed wasn’t going to relax long enough to give her another chance to escape anytime soon, so she might as well make herself comfortable. She smiled, knowing she still had an ace in the hole, hindered only slightly by the bracelet around her wrist. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, she thought. “What do you find so amusing?” he asked as he flashed his eyes at her. When she didn’t answer, he eased into the chair adjacent to her. Her smile drifted. Her body became warm. Heating up, she 21

rubbed her moist hands together and fanned herself to cool down, but when he leaned his forearms on his thighs, holding her gaze and refusing to let her go, the warming sensation heightened. With her heart running rampant, she wanted to scurry from his unruffled, dominant glare, but she refused to back down. What’s he thinking? Or maybe he’s still waiting for an answer. Regardless, Jinx was no longer smiling. Her budding desire for the man wasn’t funny. Rather, it was overpowering and aggressive. Afraid to say anything for fear her voice might quiver and give away the odd sensations taking over her body, she swung her legs over the sofa, crossed them as if she were closed for business, and placed her arm along the top of the sectional, trying to appear in control. She lifted her chin and dared Jed to make the next move. His move, though, was a slow burn of the eyes that followed the rustle of her naked legs. She fidgeted and re-crossed. He slid back into the chair and spread his hands on his thick, muscular thighs. Holding that scorching gaze, he torched her. Oh hell no. She had to extinguish the out-of-control blaze. To shake things up, to shake him up and move that sexy, languid gaze of his off her half-naked body. It was either that or jump off the sectional and rip his clothes from his body until he was completely naked. “Jed? Hmm,” she mused. “What?” he inquired with little interest. “Ya know, you don’t look like a Jed.” She lifted a finger to her lip, a mistake because it only drew his attention there. She quickly put her hand back on the sofa. “What are you? Latino?” she asked. Following her hand, his gaze tiptoed up her arm to meet her awaiting eyes. “We’re not here to discuss my nationality,” he dryly responded. “I’ve got nothing else for you, so why don’t you pacify me?” He did, which surprised her. “My parents are from Brazil.” “Portuguese? Hmm.” She looked at the exotic man before her. Well, that makes sense. “Do you know what they say about Brazilian men?” One of his perfect dark brows rose. “They who?” “The Internet. My downtime is dedicated to surfing the Web.” 22

The Forbidden Claim She shifted on the cushion. “Anyway, they, the Internet, that is,” she clarified when he didn’t release his arched brow, “they say Brazilian men are very codependent.” “Is that right?” Jed inquired, still holding that stranded brow in a skeptical arc. It did sound ridiculous, yes. But foolish, or not, she needed the distraction, anything to distance herself from the strong sexual attraction she felt toward him. “Yeah, but I’m thinking you’re not that type of guy. You’re the exception to the norm, aren’t you, Jed?” “First,” he said, raking his eyes over her, “if that were true, I’d need someone to be dependent upon.” “Uh, Jed….” She started to mock him but paused, catching on to what he meant, and confused by his confession. “Are you trying to convince me you have nothing? No one to rely on?” If it was true, it was a little sad. “All I’m saying—” He stopped talking and slapped his hands on his sturdy thighs before he stood. “All I’m saying is that I’m through entertaining this conversation.” “Ah. So you’re just done talking about it, huh? Just like th-that?” she stuttered as he started toward her. He leaned over her and pressed his hands into the cushion on either side of her head, trapping her. Her heart pedaled. With his tempting lips inches from her hungry ones, she had no idea what he was about to do. All she knew was that she had to rattle him somehow—to shake the seemingly unshakeable—and she remembered how she’d accomplished that mission impossible earlier. How she'd succeeded in getting him away from her with nothing more than a little tease. But she knew if she used the same sexual tactics, she also risked taunting the irritating attraction she had for the man. But she was nearing desperate. “Jed.” She smiled. “Are you going to kiss me?”

23

Chapter Three Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her toes. His gaze dropped to her lips and stayed there. Jinx feared her plan had been thwarted. She wondered if he was considering going through with it. His dark eyes slowly lifted to hers. “If I intended to kiss you, Jinx, you'd know it and you'd feel no need to question my motives.” With bated breath, and in astonishment, she gazed at his enticing face. Her heart skipped a beat as he ran the pad of his rough thumb along her bottom lip. “You’d like that, though, for me to kiss you. Wouldn’t you?” His voice hummed with sex appeal as he pulled his thumb away. “I don’t know.” She played with her tongue, teasing it with her own words. “I really couldn’t say. That is, until you actually do it.” Her body tensed, prepared for the possibility of a kiss that would send her straight to La-La Land. “Tell me why you’re looking for that girl, and maybe I’ll let you find out.” A dash of relief sprinkled over Jinx, uncertain if she was ready to find the imaginary Land of Jed. Moreover, he was giving her a choice, offering her an out. An out she had to take, as much as it pained her. “Sorry, Jed, but I think I’ll pass. I’m not that curious.” “Somehow, we’re going to have to make you that curious.” His gaze roamed her face. “Because you’re not leaving here until that happens.” She leaned her head back, portraying boredom, as though she was not bothered by his nearness. “Until what happens? Until I kiss you, or until I answer you?” She didn’t think he was capable of getting any closer, but he managed to. “If I were you,” he said, lowering his head until his mouth was inches from her cheek, close to her ear, “I’d start talking. 'Cause given your options, that’s definitely the least dangerous.” His raspy voice tickled her insides, and she imagined he could easily 24

The Forbidden Claim tickle her outsides too. “Well, I’m not going to talk.” Wait… did I just agree to the more dangerous kiss? He came back around in front of her, a look of delicious challenge etched on his face. A challenge Jinx had never been up against, but one she couldn’t resist. No doubt, he thought her a naïve, simple-minded gal, intimidated by his powerful enticement. She was okay with that, as she’d mastered the guise of naiveté to perfection and wasn't too proud to use it to her advantage. Let people think what they want, Jinx thought, knowing her intelligence, her training, and the physical abilities she’d mastered were up to snuff, even if she chose to hide them until the timing was just right. That time hadn’t yet come. “Oh, Jed.” She swatted his chest with her hand and giggled. He glared at her, looking as if he wasn’t the slightest bit amused by the girly-girl hit. “You like playing games, don’t you?” she teased, but she heard the hint of nervousness in her own voice. “I told you, I'm not going to play with you until I know who you are.” His demeanor changed to dark and deadly. He snatched her wrists. “Or, until I know why you want to know who the girl is,” he snarled. Jed was angry, but so was she. Clearly, he wasn’t going to supply her with the answers she was looking for until she ’fessed up, and that wasn’t about to happen. She decided to divert the conversation to more pertinent, solvable issues. “I’m hungry, Jed. Do you plan on at least giving me some bread and water, or do you prefer to practice cruel and unusual punishment to get what you want from your prisoners?” A rumble sounded deep in his throat. It could’ve been a growl. She snickered at the beastly noise, but she found it somewhat intriguing. He released her wrists and walked to the center of the room. His hand went up to his hair, but when he couldn’t get his fingers through it, he rubbed the shaggy dark mess instead, leaving Jinx to wonder what it’d look like clean and combed. It was not that his hair looked bad, per se. In its current state, that messy, carefree, 25

just-woke-up shag had some appeal to it. But then everything about the man seemed appealing except his attitude. He took a deep breath, and his tense shoulders relaxed, “Isn’t there anything here to eat?” She smiled on the inside. So there is an ounce of a good guy in there. “No. I never intended to stay,” she confessed. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he glanced up at her. “What’s the address?” “Why?” “I’m going to order my starving pain-in-the-ass hostage a pizza, that’s why,” he grumbled. **** They ate in silence, and then she convinced him to let her sit outside on the patio. As he sat there cuffed to her, only somewhat hindered by their nearness, he had time to think about the past few hours. His gut was still telling him Jinx didn’t have anything to do with the human trafficking ring, but he wasn’t letting her go. Not until he discovered what she wanted from Aztec and why she was looking for Lucy. Frustrated and exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions the crazy woman had sent him on, he was in need of a nap, if only a short one. He was sure an hour of rest would do the trick. He glanced over at his captive. Her wild, loose curls danced in the wind. She sheepishly smiled at him when she noticed him looking at her. He returned a begrudging, crooked grin, accepting the fact that she wasn’t going to willingly give him any chance for respite. In spite of the calming rhythm of the waves in the bay and the stillness of the coming night, he was restless. He blamed that on her. The insanely tempting and fiercely beautiful her. It was her fault he couldn’t relax. And the worst of it—that hankering need to taste her and discover what it would take to make her moan out in ecstasy—well, that wasn’t going away either. “Jed,” she said as she touched his thigh, rousing him and every muscle beneath the soft pressure of her hand. Shit! Why does she have to keep touching me? No other human being—besides Lucy 26

The Forbidden Claim anyway—had ever touched him so fucking freely before, at least not without an invitation. He didn’t know if he was annoyed or awakened by her provoking little caresses. He looked over at her. On the wooden deck, she sat inches away. Handcuffs bound them by the wrists. He should have felt that movement of her hand toward his leg, but his mind was on other things, and those things took her tender, seemingly innocent touch to a whole new level. “I’m tired,” she said with a sigh. The thought of where that tiredness would lead her, to a bed, tempted his sexual fantasies further. When Jed went after Aztec, he had told himself that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t kill Aztec when he found him. The personal conviction Jed placed upon himself was what had kept Aztec alive. He needed to do the same for Jinx, to keep her untouched, safe from his threatening want. But Jed was only a man, and forbidding himself to have her wasn’t the same as denying a kill. It would only heighten his carnal need for her. He decided to give her a chance to save herself from him. “Tell me what I want to know, and you can go home and sleep in your own bed.” She leaned her shoulder against his and peered up at him, stroking his thigh and ignoring his wager. “Where are you going to make me sleep? On the sofa, on the floor, or do I get to sleep in a bed?” Batting her eyes at him, adding sugar to her light sweetness, she said, “And are you going to sit there and watch me?” Watch her sleep? It had crossed his mind. He couldn’t trust her. “You can have one of the rooms upstairs. Or are you crazy enough to jump out a second-story window?” he asked, aware he shouldn’t let her out of his sight. “No,” she said as she smiled up at him. In that instant, Jed realized just how dangerous she was. This Jinx—if that really was her name—there was something about her that frightened him. Her smile whispered with promises of his deepest desires. **** Trying to get comfortable on the sectional, Jed crossed his arms. 27

It was impossible. Jinx was directly above him. Where, against his better judgment, he'd put her to bed for the night. Flipping through the channels, he found the news. A story covering Aztec confirmed there was no deal to be made. He was to remain in custody until the trial. If Jinx hadn’t been looking for Lucy, Jed would’ve handed her off to Gil. Jed hadn’t wanted to bring it up to Lucy when he talked to her earlier. He wanted to keep her out of it until he uncovered Jinx's motive. Lucy had been through enough, and he had no intention of putting her through anything more, or giving her any false hope. When Jed brought Jinx to the bedroom upstairs, after he'd checked the room and determined the window was too far a jump for even a crazy chick who’d tried to kidnap a murderer, he asked her again about Lucy. She offered him one of those bittersweet, cheeky smiles and gave him a couple gentle pats on the arm before saying, “Goodnight, Jed.” It was those small touches—an arm, shoulder, or thigh—that boiled his blood and ignited his sexual appetite, not to mention those wide, raw eyes. Jed didn’t think it possible, but he could have sworn those eyes actually purred at him. Either that or something strange was going on inside him, because he could hear her just from a glance. A soft noise hummed straight to his loins, a sound that stroked him from the inside out, persuading him. Coaxing him. Damn, it was fucking daring him to touch her back. Jed knew how to touch a woman, but he didn’t know how to do it with a tender hand, the kind a woman like her no doubt expected. Blocking out that noise all day had been a disastrous struggle, one he hadn’t mastered yet. A loud thump traveled to his ears. Jed shot up from the sectional and took the stairs two, three at a time. He threw the bedroom door open and saw it—a sheet knotted around the leg of the dresser, drawn up and out the window. Shit! was his first and only thought, a thought so loud that it echoed in an audible, “Shit!” **** Jinx lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was time to 28

The Forbidden Claim recollect, to sort out her feelings, and to separate her craze for the mysterious man who held her captive. It was time for her to break free. Her scheme, kidnapping Aztec, seemed to have busted up in more places than one. Either Jed didn’t have the answers she was looking for, or he refused to supply them. Jed. His name danced in her head, playing games with her sense of logic and reasoning. She’d exhausted her wits and tempted herself long enough with him. It was time to retrieve her ace in the hole, time for her to stop thinking about Jed, and time for her to get the hell out of there. She moved her body to the edge of the bed and eased her legs over the side. Soundlessly, she stripped the sheet from the mattress. She carefully tied it to the dresser next to the window. She eased up the blind, retrieved the gun she’d taped earlier to the windowsill, and shoved it into the back of her shorts. Her fingers shook as she unlocked the latch and lifted the window. Peeking over her shoulder to be sure Jed wasn’t standing there with his arms crossed over his annoyingly hunky chest with that irritated look scurrying all over his handsome face, she relaxed. The door was still shut. She hadn’t tipped him off to her escape. She’d been as quiet as the half-moonlit night. Placing her hands on the floor, she pushed her feet up and shimmied backward through the window. When she was almost completely out, her hand slipped, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the sheet. Her body slammed into the side of the house. She tensed from the near fall. It was at least fifteen or twenty feet to the ground. She tensed even more from the loud sound that cracked out into the quiet night. Grabbing and releasing the sheet, little by little, hand under hand, she climbed down from the window. “Shit!” Jinx heard his voice and craned her head back. She was met with jaded, infuriated eyes, every line in Jed’s face stressed and crinkled as he strained to peer out the window from above. “Hi, Jed,” she chirped up at the angry man, elated to finally have the upper hand. She bent slightly at the knees to make the fall and then landed straight on her feet. Her confidence was boosted by her 29

perfect jump. She tilted her head back in pride to offer Jed one last can’t-catch-me smile before she started to run, but he was gone. Shit! Ready to test the bracelet and get out of there before Jed made it out the door, Jinx took off running. After ten, then twenty feet, she glanced over her shoulder. No Jed. Thirty, then forty feet, and then another glimpse. Jed was exiting the front of the house. She ran harder. She had to be at fifty feet. She braced for the pain, but there was nothing. Where’s the shock? Shouldn’t I be knocked to my ass by now? With another fleeting glance over her shoulder, she stopped dead in her tracks. Jed was kneeling on the ground, his left hand gripping his right arm. His face was distorted as if he was in the pain she should have been experiencing. What’s going on? She stood there staring at him, but he didn’t move. She began to walk toward him—five, ten feet closer. He dropped his hand from his arm. Struggling, he pulled himself to his feet and immediately started toward her. Back-stepping, she stumbled. He moved quicker. Screw this shit! Jinx turned and started to run again. What happened? Why didn’t the thing zap me? Confused, she swiftly looked behind her. Jed was lying on the ground this time, with his hand across his chest, clutching his right arm again as he thrashed his long, lean legs on the ground. What the hell! Jinx looked at the bracelet and noticed that a red light was flashing on it. She stepped back into the fifty-foot radius, and the red light went out. She back stepped, and the light came back on. No way! Did he really put the wrong one on me? If he did, it had to be intentional. The man didn’t strike her as an idiot. Bullheaded maybe, but not an idiot. Gazing at him, catching the red light in the corner of her eye, she hurried back into the safe zone— his safe zone. The closer she got to him, the smaller her chances of getting away became. He lay on the ground, not even flinching, so still she wondered if he’d had a heart attack. 30

The Forbidden Claim Jinx sprinted towards him. She reached behind her back, pulled out her gun and yelled, “Stop!” halting his sudden movement. “Put your hands above your head where I can see them.” Her voice was controlled and steady as she came to a halt at his feet. She pointed the gun at his chest. “Don’t underestimate me, Jed.” He obeyed her command and raised his hands out and up. His shirt lifted, revealing an impeccable abdomen with a thin line of hair that disappeared into his jeans. With a great deal of effort, Jinx diverted her eyes from that enticing trail and was greeted by his hooded gaze. “I think I’ve done my share of underestimating you, little lady,” he said between clenched white teeth. “That’s all right.” She positioned herself over him, crouched down and straddled him. She shoved the gun against his chest and then smirked. “Most people do,” she said, reaching behind his back to apprehend the gun he'd been going for. He arched forward, pressing his solid chest even harder against her gun. “Not a mistake I’ll be making again.” Each word was a guarantee that sent a thrill down her spine. She matched his determined glare. Unwilling to give in to his intimidating eyes, she tilted closer to him. “Like the mistake you made by putting the wrong bracelet on me?” With one strong push of the gun to his chest, Jinx rose to her feet and took a step back. “What, Jed?” She released the magazine from his gun and tossed it to her left side. “Got nothing to say about that?” She racked the slide of his gun, making certain there were no bullets left in it before she threw it to the right of her. An arrogant grin curled his lips. “You haven't escaped yet, have you?” With the gun still pointed at his chest, she glared at him. “Actually, I have. And we're right back to where we started, me with the gun, and you rendered defenseless.” She smiled proudly. “So, before I do head out, just tell me, are you okay? That shock didn’t damage anything, did it?” She ran her eyes over his body, being sure not to take a rest period at his midriff. Rising up on his elbows and forearms, he grinned. “Before you go, why don’t you come back here and see for yourself?” 31

“Yeah, right.” An odd, nervous laugh tickled her throat. “Like that’s gonna happen. Now tell me, how do I deactivate this thing?” She waved her braceleted wrist in the air. After a three-second wait of staring at Jed’s blank expression, she huffed. “Look, if it comes down to you being electrocuted to death or me getting the hell out of here, you can kiss your ass goodbye.” “My ass?” His voice dropped, deep and alluring, “Right about now, I'd rather have a go at that kiss you were asking about back at the house.” “Too late. That ship has sailed.” She wanted to drop her gun and take him right there on the ground. “You’re just looking for a way out,” she rationalized aloud. He’d had the chance before to kiss her and hadn’t taken it. Besides, naïve had been kicked to the curb. But, damn, she did want him. He was delectable. With a leisurely stroll of his gaze up and down her body, he finished the heated journey at her eyes. “Okay, if you don’t want to play, go. Leave me here,” he dared, as though she didn’t have the courage to do it. “Look, if you tell me how to turn this thing off, I’ll deactivate it when I get far enough away,” she said, no trace of pleading in her voice. She wasn’t about to grovel to save his ass. But the obstinate man, the bull-headed jackass, remained silent, as if he lacked any concern. “Fine,” she sighed. “Take off your shirt.” “Changed your mind?” His eyebrow lifted. “Now, you want to play?” “No, take it off.” She impatiently gestured with the gun. He shrugged and pulled his shirt from his body. After a blatant and thorough eye gobble, Jinx couldn’t help herself. “Holy shit!” flew from her lips, and again she cursed Laura and Jarvis Collins for the maddening outburst. His eyebrow arched even higher. “Was that a compliment?” Again, she was unable to stop herself. She grimaced and nodded. “You really have no filter for your thoughts, do you?” he harassed before he threw his shirt at her and gave her a badgering little grin. “No,” she admitted, shaking her head, and her nowhere-to-befound senses. “No, I don’t have much of a filter. Most men have a problem with it. It probably intimidates them, and I guess I can toss 32

The Forbidden Claim you right up there with the rest of them.” She walked alongside his body, pointing her gun down at him. She stopped and placed a foot on either side of his head. His eyes rolled back, straining to look up at her. “Toss me? Learn from my mistake, Jinx, and don’t go underestimating me or go stockpiling me with the other men you've come into contact with. If you do, you could find yourself in all kinds of trouble.” Jinx smiled, lifted the gun, and aimed it directly at his groin. “Put your hands on your stomach,” she said ignoring his threat. She followed his hands. He eased them down to the tight, rippling muscles of his naked abdomen. She continued to watch his hands as she started to lower her body until her ass rested on his stout chest. “Hey, you missed my face. I mean, you were trying to get me to kiss you there too, weren’t you?” She snapped a look over her shoulder. She hadn’t expected that to come out of his mouth. She caught the mischievous but daring gleam in his eyes. “No,” she hissed, aware of the full-ass shot she had offered him by the maneuver. The immediate image of his mouth on her pussy sent a jolt of excitement through her body. Would his tongue be thick and warm? Would it be fast or slow? “But I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” “I wouldn’t know. I’d have to try it first,” he retorted. “But you do have my interest piqued. I'm now wondering what you might taste like.” Jinx felt an instant wetness pool between her legs. “If you’d like to satisfy my curiosity, move back a few inches,” he said. “I’d be more than happy to tell you.” She stared at him, worried the moisture building between her legs might seep through onto his naked chest. “Is this what you do when you’re put into a difficult situation? Barter with sexual favors?” “Hey, whatever works. But I guarantee you my bartered favors will put you in a difficult situation. They’ll have you crying out and begging for more.” From the confidence dancing in his eyes, she didn’t doubt that for a minute. “Sorry, but I’m not the bartering type of gal. And, it takes a lot to get this girl to beg.” She twisted her head around, 33

denying herself another glimpse of his tempting eyes. She pinned her knees into his hard biceps. Once she was confident she had a good hold on him, she lowered the gun to the ground, picked up his shirt, and tied it around his hands. “Your loss,” she heard him tease. “It’s not my loss, considering I don’t know what I’m losing,” she said, giving him another thorough shot of her rump as she stood up. Knowing the shirt wasn’t going to hold him very long, she needed to find something to tie his feet up with. But after a quick search, she realized there were few resources around for that. I’ll just have to improvise. With a struggle, her fingers snatched the bottom of her tank top and managed to get the thing off. And in the process, she also managed to re-awaken Jed’s attention. At that moment, she was glad she’d chosen to wear the lace push-up bra. She liked the way Jed was looking at her. When she went to tie his ankles, she bent over a tad more than needed, enjoying the intense glow in his eyes. “Now you’re just teasing me,” he huskily drawled. To her surprise, her small breasts became engorged and swollen, and the bra tightened from his words. Wait a minute. Who’s teasing who here? She glanced down at her breasts and then back at him. “Come on, Jed. You’ve seen one set, you’ve seen them all.” His eyebrows flicked. “That might be true, but now you got me wondering what those might taste like.” Her center squeezed tight. Following a failed attempt to shake off his hot, fierce look and his teasing, enticing words, she finished tying his ankles together. “You think this is going to hold me?” His eyes didn’t move from her chest until he finished the statement. “Yep. At least long enough to give me a head start.” Unable to help her next risky movement, on all fours Jinx crawled over him. Her tongue slipped out to moisten her lips, which were inches from his. Every muscle in his body went rigid and hard beneath her. His face was still and severe. Jinx wanted desperately to steal a kiss. And from the flinch of his bottom lip, she was sure Jed was holding back and wanted something too. Well, he was holding back 34

The Forbidden Claim something in his mind, but—Hot damn!—there didn’t seem to be anything that could hold back the rock-hard bulge forming in his pants. As bad as she wanted to investigate that situation closer, she resisted, fearing she’d be rendered powerless by the outcome of her wanton action. “Until we meet again,” she said. Jed lifted his head. His lips grazed hers. It wasn't a kiss, but a definite connection, a tantalizing union. “You can be sure of that, Jinx,” he huskily drawled. “Of what?” “That we will, in fact, meet again. And when we do, nothing can stop me from taking you.” She caught her breath from the sheer promise and suggestion in his voice. She threw her body to the side, jumped up to her feet, and ran like hell from that almost-kiss, from his heated promise, from the Wonderland of the mysterious Jed.

35

Chapter Four Evil has no boundaries; it knows no compassion. It takes away the sun as it casts a dark cloud over the innocent—the vulnerable ones who are unable to protect themselves. It fills their dreams with a reality of nightmares. The evil leaves a scar stitched closed within the soul, a lost wound sealed off forever from the healing sun…. They called him Boy. He chose not to remember his real name. That kid—the one who should have been going to school, playing baseball, and laughing with his friends—didn’t exist anymore. He hadn’t seen the sun in one, maybe two whole years. He couldn’t be sure if it was day or night, for there were no windows in the cell of his home. The long hours and endless days meshed together like they did for other children during summer break from school. School. The last time he’d darkened the door of a school building, he was eleven. Now he was twelve, or maybe even thirteen. A teenager, though he couldn’t be sure. His birthday was just another memento of his past he refused to remember. When life is one long, continuous day without dawns or sunsets, birthdays never come. One thing he was sure of was that it was raining. He knew because the water trickled through the cracks of the cold stone walls. It pooled in various spots in the dank room. The dampness penetrated his frail skin as if it were tissue, freezing his small bones like brittle sapling branches in a vicious ice storm. The only light came from an old lamp, the bulb naked of any shade. Sometimes when he stared at it too long, imagining it was the sun, the brightness blinded him. Other times, when he huddled around it to feel its warmth, it almost burned him. But as he stood there barefoot in the puddle, that lamp became something else altogether. A possible escape. Even though school was an ancient part of his past, he remembered some of what he’d heard there. “Electricity and water don’t mix,” the teacher—the one whose face he couldn’t recall—had 36

The Forbidden Claim said. He knew that lamp and rain would be bad together, but he wondered just how bad. He envisioned breaking the bulb in the water that circled his frigid feet. He knew the light would go out once he fractured the thin glass of the bulb, and darkness would engulf him, but he had to wonder, Will my light go out too? Will it take my hurt away, kill this awful pain, and destroy this fear? Will it free me forever? He blinked, and the bright reflection of the bulb blurred his vision. The boy stumbled back from his weak thought. No! I cannot let them break me. I cannot let them win. I haven’t suffered this long to take my own life. Stepping back, he bumped into the only other thing that furnished the room. His bed. The sheets were stained with a grotesque grayish-yellow hue from his dirty feet, and his blanket was filthy from the soil and grime of his unclean body and worn transparent in spots because it was really all he had to clutch and wrap himself in. The boy crawled onto the bed and pulled that dingy excuse for a cover over his malnourished body. Trying to banish the imprint of the bulb from his vision, he squeezed his eyes shut. He shivered, heaving a heavy sigh, and pushed back his tears. Will I ever be saved? **** Jinx followed the officer into the private visiting room at the correctional facility. There was a camera mounted in the upper right corner of the room, and the stench of dirty men and rancid socks slightly dissipated. It was replaced by some kind of tolerable generic deodorizer. The small room, with its dingy, white-brick walls, contained a table and two chairs. Aztec sat in one of them. His head was bent down. His arms were lost beneath the table. The orange jumpsuit hung loose around his large body. His dark, overgrown hair was streaked with gray. He looked scary, like something a child would expect to find in his closet or under her bed in the middle of the night. 37

“Leave us,” Jinx instructed. The guard didn’t question her request. He had no reason to, her being a U.S. Marshal, but Jinx still held her breath. After all, it was a personal visit, and she was using and abusing her authority. When she'd stopped by the office earlier, to see what she could find out about Jed, no one seemed to have a clue about the decoy. Barney, her co-worker, didn’t know the reason why, but he had heard that Aztec's transfer had been cancelled and his restrictions lifted for governmental officials. Without hesitation, the guard gave her a short nod. “Call me if you need anything, Marshal Collins,” he said and left the room to stand watch outside the door. Aztec raised his head. Jinx’s palms started to sweat when his beady brown eyes, nearly as black and empty as his soul, shot to her from across the room. Jinx knew why he was incarcerated and what he’d done. While reading his file at her office, she came across the picture of him and the girl. This man, the monster, who for years had purchased, kidnapped, and sold children, could have the answers Jinx was looking for. Aztec sat right across the room from her. Bars and handcuffs and armed guard aside, she was uneasy in his presence. Rubbing her hands together, trying to wipe away the perspiration, she took a few steps closer to the table. She decided against sitting and lowering herself to his level. She grasped the back of the chair across from Aztec, matching his offensive stare. The lines around his eyes and the gray in his full beard gave away his age. This time, she knew that she had the right guy. Unquestionably, it was Aztec sitting at the table, and not another lookalike. “I’m U.S. Marshal—” “Jinx Collins,” Aztec said, cutting her off and finishing her sentence, his voice monotonous and flat. His shark-like eyes held her captive. They were fixed, resolute, and unbinding. He tilted his head up at her. “Yes, I know who you are, Ms. Collins.” Taken aback by his words, confused as to how he knew her name, she searched his face for an explanation. She saw nothing there. His expression was as empty as his eyes. Pushing her curiosity aside, anxious to get on with the reason why she was there in the first 38

The Forbidden Claim place, she said, “I don’t want to talk about your pending case. I’m only here to ask you one thing.” She pulled out the file, wedged between her arm and side, withdrew the photo, and placed it on the table. “Who’s the girl in this picture with you?” Aztec’s gaze slid down to the table. A short second later, those cold eyes slithered back up to hers. He shrugged. “I’ve seen many girls in my lifetime.” Not the answer she wanted. “I don’t care about the many girls you’ve seen.” Elevating her voice, she tapped her finger on the photo. “I want to know about this girl! Tell me who she is.” He grimaced. “I don't recognize her.” “You don’t recognize her, or you don’t want to tell me who she is?” To her surprise, the evilness dissipated. His eyes softened. “I’m sorry I can’t help you, Ms. Collins,” he gently said, as though he were genuinely remorseful. Why the sudden change in his behavior? Is he fucking with me? “If you don’t remember the girl, can you tell me where this photo was taken? Or when?” “I don’t recall,” he continued in the same calm tone. After a long and thorough inspection, she determined Aztec wasn’t going to talk. Defeated in a way she wasn’t comfortable with, she turned to leave the room. “Jinx,” Aztec called out to her, bringing to life a trickle of hope. Inspiring an irrational thought that he could be included in her theory that everyone has some good inside. But when she glanced over her shoulder, good was not what she saw. His icy gaze and vacant soul lacked human compassion. He had allowed children to be beaten, raped, and killed. Even condoned it. Like no one she’d ever encountered in her lifetime, he was a sinister type of malignant being. “Don’t think you can disguise yourself from me,” he said. “What the hell are you talking about!” “My sweet child.” His eyes lightened once more. “You can’t hide from me. There was a time when you called me Papa,” he said. What? Why the hell would he say a thing like that? Is the sick 39

bastard getting off on it, like some kind of call-me-Daddy fetish? “Fuck you!” She would not fall for his declaration, for whatever sick and twisted game he was playing. “Now, now," he chastened, “that’s not the way my little girl talks.” “I’m not your little girl,” she hissed. Having had enough of the creeps for one visit, she made her way for the door, but he insisted on having the last word. “You have a scar on your right hand around the bottom of your thumb, and another on the right side of your stomach. You also have a birthmark on your left shoulder, and then there are your eyes….” He trailed off, aware he had her full attention. He leaned back and relaxed into the chair, as if he was proud of himself. Jinx dissolved, for it was all true. Her skin cooled, moistened, and crawled. “Like I said, don’t think you can hide from me,” he taunted. “I know who you are.” “You’re not my father,” she slowly mumbled under her breath. “You can’t be.” His vile words seeped into her ears and seemed to slither to the core of her stomach, causing the bile to churn and burn. She refused to accept it. Aztec wasn’t her father. A sick bastard, yeah, but he couldn’t be her father. The notion was unacceptable, inconceivable, and absurd. He had to be fucking with her. “Screw you!” she said, jerking the door open. “Jinx, wait—” he called out. No! She wasn’t going to turn around. He didn’t deserve another second of her time. “Go to The Black Flagon tonight and look for a man named Balin. He might be able to help you find out who the girl is. Be sure to tell him I sent you.” Her back was still turned to him. Her feet deadlocked to the floor. “But my sweet, sweet child, please be careful. This place I am sending you to is, well, it isn’t safe.” With her knuckles whitening around the tight clutch on the door handle, she whipped her head around. “That doesn’t surprise me. But I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she informed 40

The Forbidden Claim the cold-blooded murderer, who peered at her with such deceptive concern. It sent her stomach churning once again. “Yes. So I’ve heard.” His lips curled into a devious grin. “Jed Kane isn’t a man most could so easily escape.” The mention of Jed, the mysterious decoy, got her attention. It pulled her back into the room. Quick strides inspired by his words brought her to stand across from the killer once more. “Jed? What do you know about him?” His grin melted away, revealing a serious façade. “I know he’s dangerous to be around. Stay clear of him, my sweet child, or you’ll find yourself in harm’s way. In a place where I won’t be able to protect you.” Her hands went to her hips. “Protect me? What, from behind bars? In case you haven’t noticed, you’re not in a position to protect anyone.” Jinx didn’t need to be warned by a murderer to stay away from Jed. Jed Kane. She already knew he was dangerous, but Aztec’s comment piqued the interest of her adventurous side—that “let’sget-in-trouble” side—and she yearned even more to see Jed again. Still, she had to wonder how he was tied in to all of this. Moreover, why does Aztec believe in that warped mind of his that he can leave the jail to protect me? And from what? A night of hot, hard, and no doubt spine-tingling sex with the mysterious Jed Kane? She glared at Aztec, the man responsible for the Jed problem in the first place. But then again, he was also the only man who held the answers about the girl with the half-moon birthmark. Aztec lifted his hands and placed them on the table, heaving his shoulders forward. “Just because your papa’s in jail doesn’t mean he’s not always looking out for you.” Again with the Daddy shit? What’s with this pervert? Jinx’s hands fisted at her side. “Screw you,” she snapped again, fed up with Aztec’s insinuations and bothered—hot and bothered, actually—by the relentless thoughts and remembrances of Jed. Aztec had waved a bone in front of her, The Black Flagon, and she had to take the bone and run with it. She had no other leads. She headed for the exit, afraid that if she stayed, her investigative 41

personality would start pressing the lunatic for an explanation of his claim that he was her father and why his eyes were nearly tender, almost caring. **** Jed stood in the far corner of the room with an arm resting on the bar and his hand wrapped around a glass of whisky. He was comfortable, fitting right in at the dark, smoky watering hole. He’d invested years of his life to gain respect in this corrupt, shallow society. The bar was filled with bottom-feeders, the lowest of the low, and every one of them knew him as Jed Kane. He had friends in low places, and among them he had no need for a pseudonym or fake ID. He'd traveled all over the world and spent years infiltrating the human trafficking ring. He was a known buyer of children and woman, not to mention a very wealthy man who would shoot another human being without batting an eye for crossing him or for taking what was his. In this circle of malevolence, Jed Kane was a well-known, respected, tough motherfucker—all thanks to Fin Smith. Fin, an undercover agent, had discovered seventeen-year-old Jed hunched over a dead man in an alley. Blood splashed all over his youthful face from the knife Jed had plunged into the man’s chest. Not yet a man himself, Jed was consumed with rage, an uncontrollable temper, and a vengeance born of a life on the street and the malice that comes along with it. With no education and no future, he was working as a bottle runner, a dishwasher, and an errand boy for the owner of Grave’s Tavern in the slums of New York City, somewhere between A Avenue and Manhattan Plaza, earning his relatively good wages in the place where the bums warmed their hands over barrel-fires and druggies scored their crack. After a few months working as Grave’s lackey, Jed began to notice the young girls coming through the back doors, bruised and drugged. He caught on to the exchange of money and the takings. It wasn’t long before he fully understood what was going on. They 42

The Forbidden Claim were being sold. Jed vowed to avenge those young girls and began to tail the human traffickers who were selling them. When he couldn’t get to them, he went after the buyers. He knew the cops weren’t going to listen to some punk living on the streets, so he had no choice but to spend all that pent-up rage by killing those heartless savages. He was on his second kill when Fin found him. Fin could have turned him over to the cops, but instead he took Jed in and gave him a safe place to rest his head at night. He became Jed’s mentor, educating him with books and teaching him important skills he would need to survive, like how to fight and protect himself. Fin was an older model of the man Jed was today, a freelance “agent,” bound by no rules. In those earlier, messier days, Jed was unable to control his hatred for the trash and decided the best way to take out the garbage was to kill them. His vengeful, murderous spree ceased when he met Fin. Of course, he occasionally had to put a bullet in someone, but at least he’d gotten to the point where he heavily weighed his options before pulling the trigger. Vince Rocko swaggered into The Black Flagon. The delivery boy would have been easy prey for Jed back in the day. Jed hadn’t quite figured out who Vince was trafficking for, but he was working on it. Gil, an FBI agent who worked with Jed—on the down-low, of course, and the one who got Jed into the van as Aztec’s decoy—was waiting outside for Vince to leave so he could tail him. Vince pushed his way through the crowd. His arm draped possessively over the shoulders of a young girl who couldn’t have been more than seventeen or eighteen. Jed tried to get a good look at the girl to be sure it was Emily Bollan. He’d studied her photo carefully before making his way to the bar, but from his current vantage point, her head was bent down and hobbling on Vince’s puny shoulder. Her eyes were hooded, struggling to stay open. “Kane.” Vince nodded to Jed and then gave the bar a nervous sweep. Jed took one last swig of whisky to drain the glass as he viewed Vince through the sliver of his eyelids. “Rocko,” he grunted and 43

slammed the glass on the bar. “How much?” Jed asked, nodding toward the girl and shoving his hand in his pocket. After another jumpy glance of the room, Vince said, almost in a whisper, “Ten.” With his hand midway into his coat pocket, Jed stopped. He had to be sure it was Emily, considering that the ten grand he was about to shell out wasn’t his. Not this time, anyway. “Fuck, Rocko, she’s snowed.” He grumbled, with his hand still lost in his leather jacket. “Let me see her face. Vince’s eyes snapped back and forth from the girl to Jed’s coat. He moved his shoulder to try to wake her up a bit. “Hey,” he said, trying to rouse the girl as he gave her another quick jolt. She barely responded as her head rolled over Rocko's small shoulder. Jed reached out, placed a finger beneath her chin, and lifted her drowsy head. As he did, he heard shouting coming from the far left corner of the bar. He flicked his eyes up to do a quick scan. Noticing nothing unusual beyond the raised voices, he brought his attention back to the girl. Her shadowy, sunken eyes rolled back, and her head swayed with Jed’s slight pressure. Her cheeks were sunken, her skin ashen, and she was a few pounds lighter than the girl he’d seen in the photograph. But it was definitely Emily Bollan. Today’s your lucky day, Emily, Jed thought as he pulled the envelope from the inside pocket of his leather jacket. The voices became louder in the bar. Jed shifted his head to the left. As his gaze sifted through the drinkers and pool players and sloppy dancers, he caught sight of a man holding a woman. Jed started to hand the money over to Vince and was about to look away when the woman’s eyes, the one in the argument, locked on his. He had to squint to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating, and his eye twitched with antagonism. It was her. His little lady! Her choice of hair color this time was red, and she was dressed in a skin-tight strapless blue dress, guaranteed to catch eye-popping attention and get her into all kinds of trouble in a place like The Black Flagon. She saw Jed but quickly dismissed him, flipping her head back toward the man holding her. Her arm came up, and Jed 44

The Forbidden Claim cringed when he realized she was about to put her finger in the man’s face. It wasn’t the kind of thing she should be doing to a guy like that in a bar like this one, and especially not while wearing a dress like that. “Here,” Jed said, shoving the envelope into Vince’s thin caved chest before he grabbed Emily by the arm. She stumbled a few times as he started through the crowd with her. He made eye contact with Jinx and started to head that way but felt Emily slipping away. He pulled the helplessly drugged girl into his side, wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling, and went back to forging past the pack of bottom-feeders. Filled with rage, he quickly forced his way over to the insane little lady. Jinx saw him approaching. Oh yeah. That’s right, Jinx. You’d better keep an eye on me ’cause I’m coming to take you. **** Jinx walked into the bar. It looked as if it may have once been a classy place, but obviously the patrons occupying it now… well, they’d certainly done a number on the establishment. The mirror behind the bar had a large crack in it, which she presumed to be the result of a bottle or someone’s head slamming into it. The woodwork was tarnished and scarred with nicks. The floor was so tacky that her high-heeled shoes stuck to it with each step. Stale beer and a hint of vomit burned her nose and sent her stomach into somersaults. After safely arriving at the long bar, Jinx ordered a beer. She didn’t ask for a glass. For one thing, she always liked drinking out of a bottle, and for another, she couldn’t trust that anyone in the place was capable of washing dishes. She gulped down half the roomtemperature ale, hoping the few ounces of alcohol would loosen her up and ease the tension she was feeling from the watchful eyes brushing over her bare flesh. Of which there was plenty, considering the scanty coverage of the little dress she’d chosen for the occasion. She knew she couldn’t show up in a place like this in her usual attire— casual slacks, a jersey cami, and a blazer. She 45

needed to dress the part and play the role. She left naïve parked on the curb. “You sellin‘ something, or are ya lookin‘ to party, honey?” Jinx turned her head to the left, already knowing what she was going to find— an average-sized man with a shaved head and arms painted with tattoos. Since she knew she wouldn’t be able to get any information from this “Balin” Aztec had mentioned from some slaphappy drunk who was falling all over the floor, she scoped out her prospects prior to positioning herself at the bar. As she looked at her selected suitor, she decided she’d chosen well. The man appeared to be in control, aware of his surroundings, and not drunk off his ass like the majority of the lowlifes occupying the place. “What’s the going rate?” He leaned in toward her, until she could see the deep pockmarks on his face. Up close and personal like that, he looked even meaner and uglier. When she didn’t answer right away, he thought she required an explanation. “You know, the price for a whore these days.” She smiled, took a sip of her beer, and set it back on the bar. Always make ’em wait—at least while you’re trying figure out what the hell to say next. “That depends. Why? You lookin‘ to buy?” The man’s dark-eyed gaze rolled over her skin, and a shiver ran up Jinx’s spine. When she swayed back a bit, he followed her. “Hey, I didn’t say I was for s-sale,” she stammered. “No?” His horrid breath stank of cheap cigarettes, and what few teeth he had were grotesquely stained. “Aww, come on, sweet thing. If you ain’t for sale, why the hell would you be in here looking like that?” Jinx grabbed her beer, thinking that perhaps she’d chosen the wrong guy after all. She took a step back. The man snatched her by the arm. “Hey!” His grip tightened. “Just where do ya think yer goin‘?” She tried to break free, but he had a tight grip on her arm, so tight she wondered if he was pressing bruises into her flesh with his grubby fingers. “Let me go!” she yelled. “Listen, ya fuckin‘ little tease.” His voice came louder. “You walked into the wrong bar, and getting out of here isn’t going to be that easy.” 46

The Forbidden Claim The shiver in Jinx’s spine convulsed. Fear whispered inside of her, warning her of its impending arrival. No one knew she was there. She glanced around the room. Eyes seemed to scurry away from her as if they didn’t want to be bothered or were too afraid to get involved. Then, a shield to her approaching fear flashed into view. A strong, indestructible armor. Jed? Jed! It was the mysterious Jed Kane, albeit slightly different than she remembered him. His hair, the flippant, dark mess, was a tad more managed, and it looked shorter. He wore a slim, plain leather jacket with a short stand-up collar, a jade t-shirt, and jeans. Yes, he was still smokin‘ hot, but the fierceness in his face was even hotter. His glare shot across the room and reached right into her. She gulped when she realized he didn’t seem all that pleased to see her. Nevertheless, she didn’t care. She needed him, even if she had to wonder what he was doing there. “Hey!” The man jerked her arm, rousing her from Jed’s threatening expression. “Look, buddy.” She pointed her finger up at the brute and then glanced back over at Jed just in time to see him pulling an envelope from his jacket pocket and thrusting it at the guy standing in front of him. He apprehended the young girl like she was his property and then started in Jinx’s direction. His dominant eyes were fixed on her. She heard his threatening whisper in her ear. Nothing will stop me from taking you. Jinx looked again at the man in front of her. She needed to iron things out before Jed made it to them. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble here.” She glanced over at Jed, who was closing in on her. The girl was now under his arm, tucked snug and close to his body, as though he were holding her up. “I’m just looking for someone.” The man still had her arm in the clutches of his grubby hand. “The name’s Balin. Do you know him?” He peered at her, considering, as if the mere mention of Balin’s name had struck a chord of concern within him. “Why? Are you Balin’s bitch?” Her gaze shot back, and her forehead tightened. “No! I’m no one’s bitch!” 47

The man smiled, baring those rotten mustard-colored teeth. “If Balin doesn’t own you,” he said as a devious gleam sparked into his black eyes, “you’re coming with me, sugar.” “Uh, that’s not gonna happen, Declan.” Jed’s large hand broke the man’s hold, freeing Jinx from his tight grip. “This one belongs to me.” It was an announcement, not only to Declan, but to the entire bar. Declan’s lip curled, but he didn’t react to Jed’s strong and forceful action. “She’s yours, Kane?” Noting the apprehension in his voice, Jinx could only assume this Declan knew Jed well, and he looked as if he was terrified of him. “That’s what I said.” Jed’s hand clasped the back of Jinx’s neck. “She’s mine,” he said again, and then he turned toward her, glared at her through provoked eyes, and pulled her to him. Then, to prove his point, he kissed her. While she’d imagined kissing him, far more often than she should have, she had never imagined it would be quite so fast and hard, or that he’d have another girl slung around his arm, or that’d he’d be claiming her like a Neanderthal straight out of some cave. But then again, as long as she’d known him, nothing Jed had done was ordinary or expected. Nevertheless, that kiss set off a chain reaction, with everything in her springing to life, bunching together and then exploding from the unexpected touch of his effective lips. When he eased back from her tingling mouth, he scowled at her. Clearly, he hadn’t liked the kiss. She wanted a retry. It was an ambush, and she hadn’t been prepared for the abrupt attack. Even after Jed’s barbaric declaration of ownership, even with another girl fixed firmly to his side, and even with that unpleasant look upon his face, Jinx wanted another chance at the kiss. She hadn’t been ready. She opened her mouth to blurt out the foolishness running through her head, but Jed’s hand moved up to the back of her skull, redirecting her head toward him. Forgetting what was going on around them, abruptly speechless, her mouth watered. Am I gonna get another go at it? Another chance to kiss him? God, that mouth of his is so…. Finally, she had her courage in check, with anticipation on the brink of making her cry out for him to hurry. But Jed’s mouth never 48

The Forbidden Claim made contact. Instead, he leaned to her left. “I’m really not in the mood to kill anyone today, Jinx, so no matter what happens, I need you to keep your mouth shut.” He whispered it softly, but his breath and the words seemed to somehow sear her ear and chill her body all at once. Then he shifted back in front of her. “Got it?” Dumbstruck and lost to the power lurking in his sea-green eyes, like a woman in a trance, Jinx helplessly nodded her head. Her options were limited. She could abide by Jed’s demands or be left to fend for herself. Although she had a gun in her purse, she couldn’t go shooting up the place. Besides, it wasn’t as if Jed was going to give her a choice anyway. “Hey, man,” Declan said, infringing on their intimate moment, “if this bitch is yours, you oughtta keep her on a tighter leash.” With his back to the man, Jed slowly inhaled as his eyelids lowered. A millisecond later, he exhaled and partially opened his eyes. “Here.” He pushed the young girl at Jinx. “Hold her.” He turned around and cold-cocked Declan right in his smug, pocked face. Declan fell to the ground, and at the same time, the girl slipped from Jinx’s hold. Jinx pulled the girl up and wrapped her arms around her thin, frail body to steady her so she wouldn’t fall to the floor like Declan. Jed grabbed Declan by the front of his shirt and lifted the top half of his body from the sticky surface. Jed’s hand fisted. He wound up, preparing for another strike. “Kane!” A man’s voice hushed the cheering patrons that had huddled around, egging Jed on, thirsting for a bar fight to accompany their liquor. Jed glimpsed the speaker from the corner of his eye, a man in his late twenties or early thirties with a sweet and honest face, smiling at Jed as he moved through the crowd. “You know the rules, and he’s not worth it, Kane. Let him go.” The man gave Jinx a quick onceover. “Just take your, uh, possessions and get the hell outta here. You need to go cool off.” Possessions? Jinx thought, insulted. Another Neanderthal. And then it hit her. She looked at the inebriated girl in her arms. The 49

envelope? The exchange? Oh my God! Jed was paying for this girl! Jinx knew human trafficking was a real crime and not some urban legend to scare young girls into being careful, but she had no idea it was happening right in her backyard. Maybe Jed Kane isn’t who I thought he was. “You’re right.” Jed dropped Declan to the floor. “He’s not worth it.” The man came up to Jed and gave him a few firm, commending pats on the back. Jinx saw Jed shrug, fending off the man’s patronizing gesture. “No, he’s not, and I would hate to have to permanently kick out one of my finest customers for brawling in my bar.” The man crossed his arms over a wrinkle-free black dress shirt. Mocking blue eyes twinkled with his arrogant smirk. The pretty-boy had a way about him, and that way looked as if it rubbed Jed wrong. It was rather obvious that Jed didn’t like the man. He didn’t try to hide it as he matched the man’s wayward grin. “You should think about keeping such garbage out of your bar,” Jed said before he walked over to Jinx and pulled the girl from her, securing her under his arm. “Declan’s an ass, yeah, but he’s harmless,” the man said. Jed reached out and took Jinx’s hand in his. “Harmless or not, keep him the fuck away from me or I’ll take my business elsewhere,” Jed warned. “Now, now Jed.” The man tried to soothe him, the worry of losing Jed’s business clear in his voice. “I’m serious, Balin. I see his face in here again, and you won’t be seeing mine.” Balin! That’s Balin? Before she was able to respond to the shocking revelation, Jinx found herself being yanked through the bar by Jed. Lacking any struggle, he pulled Jinx straight out the front door and away from the man she’d been looking for. Jinx knew she had to get back in there and confront Balin about the girl in the picture, but Jed wasn’t letting her go. Upset, fuming, and baffled about what had just happened, a tumult of emotions came at her in one full sweep. She glared up at Jed and glanced at the teenager. “Did you just buy this girl, Jed?” 50

The Forbidden Claim He stopped, turned, and tilted his head down to her level. “Yes. And to think, Jinx, I get you for free.” He glowered at her. “Get me?” “Yeah, I got you,” he said, jerking her hand and bringing her perilously closer to him. “Just like I told you I would. Now tell me what the fuck you’re doing in a dive like this, especially dressed like that.” “That’s none of your damn business!” “It is when I have to rescue you from—” “Rescue me? No one asked you to barge over and claim me like your luggage at the damn airport. I was managing just fine on my own.” She arched nearer until she was inches from his angry face. “I got away from you, didn’t I?” “Yeah, but I got you back.” He dropped his gaze to her mouth. “Didn't I?” “You won't have me for long!” “For as long as I want, Jinx.” He drew his gaze from her lips, “Tell me, are you still on your quest for the girl in the picture? Is that what you’re doing here?” “Yep, and I’m not going to stop until I find her, so if you know anything—” She paused, catching the guarded look in his eyes. “Do you know her, Jed?” She didn’t take time to ponder if it would be a brave or stupid move before she snatched the short collar of his leather jacket. “If you know something, you need to tell me.” Jed coolly removed her fingers from his coat and twirled the girl in his arms until she met with Jinx’s body. “Take her.” He let her go, leaving Jinx no other choice but to seize the teenager before she collapsed to the floor. He flipped his phone open and dialed. “Change of plans,” Jed spoke into the phone, snapping his gaze around the front of the bar. “Meet me around back.” He clicked the phone shut and placed his hand on Jinx’s elbow. “Let’s go.” He ushered her toward a sleek, black Maserati convertible, confirming her suspicions that Jed Kane was not only an arrogant man, he was a rich, arrogant man. The girl started to slither downward, her body becoming completely limp. Jinx thrust her arms under the girl’s dead weight. “Jed!” She stumbled, and he jumped in, taking the girl firmly into 51

his hands. “Is she okay?” Jinx inspected her. She was as flaccid as a ragdoll. For all Jinx knew, she might be dead. Jed lightly slapped the girl’s cheek. “Emily?” He tapped her again, raising his voice to a husky whisper. “Hey, Emily.” Her eyes fluttered, as if she was desperately trying to focus. “You.” Hyper-flexing her neck, she looked up at Jed and exhaled, squinting at him. “You know my…my name?” A faint, warm smile touched Jed’s lips, and it slipped through a tiny crack into Jinx’s heart. “Yes. You’re Emily Bollan,” he said, “and you’re going to be okay now.” After another blink of the eyes and a weak shake of the head, she warily studied Jed before she asked, “How?” Yeah, good question. What the hell is going on here? Jinx stood frozen, waiting for some answers. Jed bent over and whispered into the girl’s ear, but—damn it to hell!—Jinx couldn’t make out a word he said. “Oh.” Emily exhaled the word with what sounded like a sigh of relief. “What did you say to her?” She needed to know the truth. She needed to know if she was attracted to a man who was responsible for purchasing human beings. She needed an explanation for the transaction she’d witnessed. Ignoring her, Jed opened the car door and gently helped Emily into the back seat. He turned to Jinx. “Get in,” he barked, without any shred of the kindness he’d shown to the young girl. “What? I’m not going with you!” “Yes, you are.” He scooped her up, Neanderthal-style again, and tossed Jinx over his shoulder. Ignoring her kicking and shouting, he walked around the car and plopped her down into the back seat next to Emily. Resting his hand on the door, he glared down at her. “Do I need to handcuff you to the vehicle?” “No,” Jinx spat, crossing her arms over her heaving chest. Neither the bar fight nor his manhandling of her had fazed him. If she tried to bolt, he’d catch her without even running out of breath. The man was as tough and agile as he was gorgeous. Besides, she still had her gun in her purse. 52

The Forbidden Claim After a long, thorough examination, he slapped the car door, moved to the driver side, pulled the door open, and got in.

53

Chapter Five Jed pulled into the back of the dark parking lot behind The Black Flagon, where Gil was already waiting in the idling black SUV with the lights off. Not wanting to blow Gil’s cover, Jed had to convince Jinx to remain in the car. He got out of the convertible and opened the passenger door to retrieve Emily. “What are you going to do with her?” Trepidation quivered in Jinx’s voice. “I gotta get her out of here,” he answered. With no further explanation he reached to assist Emily out of the backseat. Jinx's hand touched his arm. “Jed—” He glanced down at her hand, and then looked back up at her worried eyes. “You’re not going to hurt her, are you?” The question struck an odd sensation in Jed’s heart. She thought him an animal, a man who preyed on the weak, a man who needed to buy young girls to satisfy his sexual gluttony. For the first time in his life, he actually cared what someone thought of him. He actually gave a damn, and that didn’t sit well with him. He pulled back from her burning touch, helped Emily to her feet, secured her around the waist, and looked down at the crazy chick who was screwing up his head. “Stay here,” he said. There was no time to convince her he wasn’t a monster. Besides, deep down, in some sense, he was. After all, he’d walked away more than once from women and children, leaving them in lifethreatening situations. “I mean it. Don’t move. This isn’t exactly the kind of neighborhood where you want to go on a midnight stroll by yourself.” His eyes lingered on her cleavage, which was begging to free itself from the tight fabric enclosure. “Especially in a dress like that.” Awkwardly crossing her arms at the mention of her breasts, Jinx darted a nasty look his way, warning him she might not adhere to his command. 54

The Forbidden Claim “When I get back, we’ll talk about the girl in the picture,” he added, hoping the promise would entice her to stay put. Jed turned with Emily and started for the SUV. Gil exited the gas-guzzler. His military haircut, thick neck, square jaw, and solid body marred by tattoos made him look like some kind of WWE wrestler. “What’s up, Jed? Why’d you pull me off Rocko detail?” Jed looked over at Jinx one last time to make sure she was still where he’d left her. “Uh, something’s come up. I need you to take Emily to the drop-off site.” “What could be more important than finding Rocko’s boss?” “The woman from the other day, and—” “Wait. You mean the one who drugged me? The same one you let go?” “Yeah. So I fucked up. I put the wrong one on her,” Jed tried to argue, but Gil’s disbelieving snort told Jed he wasn’t buying it. Aren’t they ever gonna let me live this down? he wondered. When he’d called Lucy for the GPS location of the bracelet so she could remotely deactivate it, he’d had to tell her that he’d put the master bracelet on Jinx, and that he was getting shocked every three minutes. Lucy instantly figured it out. She knew Jed too well and was aware that he’d done it intentionally. She’d promptly blabbed the story to Gil, and they’d been giving him jabs for it ever since. The GPS coordinates had led Jed to a hardware store, where he found the bracelet on the ground in the parking lot. He realized then that Jinx must have marched herself right into Mr. Handy, purchased some bolt cutters, and cut the damn thing off. In that moment, his earlier suspicions were bona fide. He wasn’t dealing with some two-bit criminal. She was smart enough to make getting rid of that tracking device a first priority, and she’d handled it like a pro. Then there was Jed, standing in the parking lot of a hardware store, kicking himself in the ass and pounding his forehead like the fool he was, right in front of some old guy in Carhartt overalls who was throwing big bags of cement into the bed of his rusty old pickup. Disregarding Gil’s unrelenting chuckles, Jed shook the girl under his arm. “Emily?” 55

A little less lethargic now, she focused on him. “This is my friend,” he said, glancing over at Gil. The girl sluggishly followed his eyes, sizing Gil up. Gil smiled, the dimple in the center of his chin digging out an unbecoming crater. “He won’t hurt you, Emily. He’s going to take you to your parents.” She turned back to Jed, the light of hope coming to in her pale, amber eyes. “My parents?” “Yes,” he said, softening his tone. “Your parents have been looking for you, and they sent me to find you. No one is going to hurt you now, Emily. You will be safe with Gil here. I promise.” Gil reached out for her as he opened the door. “Do you need help getting in?” Emily curled her arms around her upper body and shook her head. Even with her extremities shaking violently, she managed to get herself into the backseat. Gil closed the door and walked to the driver side. With his hand on the door, he turned to Jed. “Did you find out what the woman wants with Lucy?” “No. I don’t even know why she showed up at the bar. I haven’t had a chance to interrogate her. I needed to take care of Emily first.” “Better get to it. Lucy’s in shambles over the whole thing. You should tell her something to ease her mind.” “I’m not holding anything back,” Jed said, irritated that Gil would dare to question his integrity. “The woman has a picture of Lucy and wants to find her. That’s all I know for sure, but I plan on getting the truth out of her.” He was annoyed and not accustomed to explaining himself. Gil pulled the door open but stopped before he moved all the way into the vehicle. His eyes narrowed as he peered out the window of the SUV. He twisted his head back in Jed’s direction. A scornful grin slid across his face. “You didn’t secure her to the car, did you?” Jed rushed to the front of the SUV and looked over at his car. It was empty. “Fuck!”

56

The Forbidden Claim **** What in the hell is Jed doing with that girl? Jinx couldn’t just sit in the car and wait to find out. Although she didn’t want to think it, and felt guilty for thinking it, she knew Jed could be handing Emily off to some sick and deranged person, selling her to the highest bidder. She had to find out one way or another, and do something about it if she could. Taking in her surroundings, she noticed garbage dumps and a few stranded vehicles. It was quiet, other than the muffled male voices coming from the direction of the SUV. She decided to climb out of the convertible instead of using the door, which would make too much noise. She scooted up onto the frame of the door, swung her legs over the edge, and eased her feet to the pavement. She stood stationary for a few seconds, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness as she stared at the SUV. Jed was still hidden behind the dark, tinted windows. She took a soft, catlike step toward the voices, hoping to sneak up and crouch down by the wheel well so she could listen to be sure Emily was all right. But when she took her next stealthy, soundless step, a hand came over her mouth and another secured her around the neck. When it came to flight or fight, Jinx’s first instinct was always the latter. But instead of yelling out or kicking and punching, she simply froze, caught completely off guard. “Don’t say a word,” a voice whispered in her ear. With her gun zipped inside her purse, clamped in her hand at her side, Jinx decided her best option was to follow instructions. She didn’t make a peep. The hand yanked her head back. “Look at me,” the unfamiliar voice demanded. Jinx craned her neck until her attacker’s face came into view. Her eyes widened at the sight of Balin, the bar owner Jed despised and the man Aztec had sent her to find. He lifted a manicured brow and flashed her that pretty-boy smile. “Were you looking for me?” Of course she had been, but meeting him under the current circumstances wasn’t part of the plan. She’d hoped to have a 57

civilized—or at least somewhat civilized—conversation with the man inside the bar, not to have him strangling her in a dark parking lot. Jinx nodded. “Where’s Kane?” He glanced up at the SUV. “Is he over there?” Jinx nodded again. She was confident that if she tried to scream, Jed would hear her and come for her, but she remained silent. She didn’t want to risk messing up Emily’s rescue, if Jed was, indeed, rescuing the girl. Her gut told her Jed wouldn’t hurt Emily, but the U.S. Marshal in her pushed Jinx to check on Emily nonetheless. What do I do here? she thought as Balin’s grip tightened around her neck. She needed to talk to her current abductor, but she had to wonder if he was more of a threat than Jed. Confused, she didn’t utter a word. “Move,” he commanded, “but don’t make a sound.” With his hand still over her mouth, he turned, taking Jinx with him and pushing her forward, to the side wall of his bar. He stopped in front of a platinum Mercedes, released her waist, yanked her purse from her tight grip, and opened the door. “Get in.” Too impatient to wait for her to obey his commands, Balin shoved her into the driver’s side of the car and came in behind her, pushing her over to the passenger seat like a bag of groceries. “What do you have in here?” He said, waving the purse in his hand. He wrapped his fingers around the thin fabric, no doubt feeling the gun. He grinned and tossed it over his shoulder into the backseat. “Aztec sent me.” She wasn’t sure why she said it, but it was the only thing that popped into her head. After putting the key into the ignition, Balin looked over at her. His angelic face was distorted. It had morphed into something menacing, and an evil smile curled his lips. “Did he now?” Yes, a murderer in jail had sent her to Balin. Swiftly recognizing her mistake, Jinx squirmed in the seat. Why had she followed the directions of a notorious killer? Balin put the car in drive and started out for the street, keeping his headlights off so as not to attract attention until they exited the parking lot. As they pulled away, Jinx looked over her shoulder. She longed 58

The Forbidden Claim to see Jed, but there was nothing. No shining lights from a vehicle and no one running after her. As a sense of abandonment began to overtake her, fear began to stack up like a wobbly tower of building blocks. They drove for approximately fifteen minutes, both of them silent, until they rolled up to a gated fence. A man, obviously some kind of guard, opened the large metal barrier and waved them in. After snaking his way around a curved driveway, Balin clicked a remote, and one of the three-car garage doors opened. He parked the vehicle inside. As the large door came back down, trapping her inside, another block was stacked on that unsteady Jenga tower of dread. Balin got out of the car, and Jinx trailed behind. Then she stopped. “I need my purse. I have to show you something.” It wasn’t a lie. Along with the gun, the purse also contained the photograph. Balin looked at her with a smile that seemed to belong on some highway billboard. “Believe me, what I want to see isn’t in that purse,” he said, skimming his gaze over her body. She crossed her arms and planted her feet. His brows furrowed. His charm was tethering. “Let’s go,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “Listen, you can have my gun,” she said, “but I’m not going without my purse.” He stormed at her, every feature ugly with rage. She didn’t expect the backhanded smack he sent across her face. Its violence knocked her off balance. She flung the strands of the wig from her face and wiped her lip, noting the blood. “I said I’m not going anywhere without my purse,” she insisted, though she realized Balin was indeed a dangerous man and that she’d put herself in a very dangerous position. He raised his hand again, but Jinx glared at him, holding her own as she prepared for another stinging strike. “Son of a bitch!” he harshly complained, realizing she wasn’t going to give in. Seemingly defeated, he dropped his hand and yanked the car door open to retrieve her purse. Keeping the small bag in his own hand, he escorted her through the door into a large kitchen. There was stainless steel everywhere—the fridge, stove, sink, the pots and pans 59

hanging from a rack over the countertop, though she couldn’t imagine the blond pretty-boy using them. It smelled clean, though she couldn’t imagine him cleaning the place either. She assumed he must have a maid, but it appeared no one else was in the house. She followed him down a hall, past a dining area with an extravagant art deco dining table. They came to a stop at a sitting room. The house, with its white carpet and lush black leather sofa and other extravagant furnishings, boasted his financial status, and she was sure his income from the shabby bar wasn’t enough to pay for it all. Balin wandered over to the small bar and poured a drink. She waited, anticipation trickling to her toes. He sauntered over to her. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up. Jinx’s lip throbbed with its own heartbeat, but she met his gaze steadily, refusing to submit to her fear. “What are you? Twenty-four, twenty-six?” He ran his finger up and over her lip. “You’re too old.” He snapped his finger in front of her face as if it disgusted him and took a sip of his drink. After what appeared to be deliberation, he said, “Aztec should know better.” “He didn’t send me to you just so you could, uh, get laid,” she declared. Or did he? Clearly, such a bold statement piqued his interest, and he studied her. “Then why did he send you?” “He thought you could help me.” “Help you?” he huffed incredulously. “I’m looking for someone. I have a picture of her in my purse, and Aztec said you might be able to tell me something about her. Let me show you,” she said, starting for her purse. Balin reached out and stopped her. He squeezed her arm so tightly Jinx could feel the blood vessels breaking, and the pain in her lip shifted to the instant bruise. “I don’t want to see that. You think I give a flying fuck about some girl in a picture?” “But you might know her,” she argued. “I’m not sure Aztec even sent you to me, or what game you're playing.” His gaze dropped to her chest. “And you may be a little too old for my liking, but perhaps we can come up with a use for that mouth of yours.” 60

The Forbidden Claim Her eyes flew open, aghast as her ears caught his meaning. There was no way her mouth was going anywhere near his revolting body. Since it was impossible to take flight, Jinx turned to fight just as his hand reached for the back of her head. Her knee came up, and she slammed it hard into his crotch. As he doubled over with a grunt, she hit him in the back of the neck with a vicious knife-hand strike. “You fucking bitch!” Still hunched, Balin threw his body at her. His head slammed into her stomach, and she fell to the floor. Scurrying to get up, Balin landed alongside her, close to her feet. He rolled over, and just as she was about to stand, he pulled her back down on the carpet. He threw his body on top of her. She felt his hand pull up her dress and roughly search for her panties. The blocks of fear began to fall one after another. She knew what he meant to do. He was stronger than she was—she knew that—and the pervert had her pinned to the floor. She had to do something to stop him, and before she could think of anything else, the words spewed out of her mouth. “Aztec’s my father!” “What?” His hand halted at the hem of her panties. “He’s my father,” she lied again. While she was disinclined to believe the repulsive idea, she had no qualms about using the lie to save herself from a brutal attack. She had his attention, and the flicker of concern in his eyes informed her that the declaration may have just saved her ass—perhaps literally. “Yes, and he told me to tell you that he sent me.” Balin pushed back from her body. Not waiting for his permission to follow suit, she shot up from the floor. Readjusting her tangled dress, she watched Balin with careful eyes. He stared back at her as though he were deciding whether or not he believed her. What kind of power does Aztec have over Balin? “I’ve never heard of Aztec having a kid,” he finally said. “Yeah, neither had I. Until today.” Another skeptical look scuttled his expression. “What the hell does that mean?” She was dying to tell someone about Aztec’s ridiculous story, although Balin was definitely not on the list. “When I went to see him in jail today, he informed me that I was his daughter.” 61

“You saw him today?” “Yes. That was when he told me where I could find you,” she said. Once more, he scrutinized her, shook his head, and grabbed her roughly by the arm. “I gotta check this out.” He propelled her out of the room to a set of stairs. “Keep going,” he insisted, nudging her at the bottom step. They went up two flights of stairs in sequence, and then he stopped at a door. Jinx noted the deadbolt on the outside as he shoved her into the room, and with a loud click, she was locked in. **** Obviously upset about something, Balin threw his phone on the bar, lifted his drink, and turned. He paused, glass midway to his mouth. Surprise, uncertainty, and then panic flashed in his eyes. Jed sat on the sofa, arms crossed over his chest and his legs propped up on the coffee table, watching with gratification the show of emotions. He greeted an unsettled Balin with a shrewd grin. “Kane,” Balin slurred and took the intended swig of his drink while his eyes scampered around the room. “If you’re looking for your goons,” Jed said, dropping his feet to the floor and standing, “I can assure you they’re not coming.” Balin slowly set his glass on the bar, irrefutably freeing his hands to prepare for an ambush. “What do you want, Kane?” “Only what’s mine.” Jed took a step toward him as Balin raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t know what Jed was talking about. “The girl who was at your bar,” Jed reminded him. Balin shook his head and grimaced with deceptive disappointment. “She’s not here.” “No?” Jed’s eyes wandered to the bar, and Balin followed them to the purse, the one she’d been clutching all night. Three quick strides landed Jed right in front of him. He gathered the front of the man’s shirt in his hand, and without warning, punched Balin in the face. He held tight to Balin’s shirt, so he wouldn’t have the luxury of falling to the floor from the hit. Balin tried to return a defending fist, but before he could make contact, Jed slammed him in the face a second time. Then, just for 62

The Forbidden Claim good measure, Jed did it again. Blood spewed from Balin’s mouth and his left eye swelled shut almost instantly. Defeated, Balin dropped his arms. Lifting him by the shirt, Jed pulled Balin up and met his bloodied face. “Tell me where she is,” he snarled. “I can’t, Kane,” Balin grumbled beneath a fattened lip. “I have my orders, and she stays under my watch until I hear otherwise.” It wasn’t the answer Jed expected. “Orders? From who?” He waited two seconds before he had his fist drawn back again. When it came to the involvement of Jinx, Jed discovered he was not a very patient man, and he had no problem beating it out of Balin if that was necessary. Waving his hands in the air, Balin rushed out, “Aztec!” He exhaled with relief when Jed dropped his hand at the admission and repeated, “It was Aztec’s order.” “Aztec? That doesn’t make any sense. He’s in jail.” “Yeah, but on a bullshit charge from over twenty years ago. You know as well as I do that the Feds aren’t gonna be able to hold him much longer. He’ll be out soon, and I’m not looking to piss him off when he gets released.” Although there was some truth to the statement about Aztec’s case, Jed wasn’t worried about Balin’s life or whether or not Aztec might ruin or end it. “She belongs to me,” he said. Fuck, Jed cursed, damned for believing in the decree. “What’d you pay for her, Kane?” Balin asked and tried to sweeten the ante. “Whatever it was, I’ll pay you double.” The offer infuriated Jed even more. Jinx was priceless. “I don’t want your damn money!” He curled Balin’s shirt in his hand, strangling the man. “I want her!” “Kane,” Balin wailed, beginning to panic, “Kane, you know Aztec’s moved production here to Miami. He’s affiliated with very influential people who are more than willing to do his dirty work while he’s in jail. They’ll come after me, and you too. Let her go. It’s not worth it, man. She’s just a whore, right? They’re a dime a dozen.” Jed flinched back his clenched hand, itching to wallop Balin for the crude remark. He bridled, “Who? Who’s running the show in his 63

absence?” Jed had no qualms about ending Balin right there, but it would make his job a lot easier if he got some information first. “I don’t know shit. Do you?” He broke for an answer, but Jed offered none. “Fuck, no one does. That’s why he’s been so successful all these years,” Balin said, shaking. “I’m not fucking around with Aztec’s orders. He’ll kill me.” “The way I see it, you can die right here, right now, or you can take your chances with Aztec later. If you don’t tell me where she is, I am going to kill you, Balin.” Jed pulled his gun from the back of his jeans and aimed it at his head to prove his point. Balin started to stutter, “Up-upstairs. She’s… the girl’s upstairs.” Vanquished, he heaved a heavy sigh. “On the third floor.” The old Jed would have shot him, but thanks to Fin, he refrained from such impulsive behavior. Instead, he cracked Balin on the side of the head with the blunt end of his gun, knocking him out cold. **** After trying to jimmy the door to no avail, Jinx sat down on the king-sized bed and pulled the wig from her head. She fingeredcombed her real hair, attempting to untangle the coiled chaos, but that was just about as unsuccessful as her attempt on the door. She dropped her hand and sighed, angry with herself. From the moment she decided to go through this whole scheme, kidnapping Aztec, she knew it was well thought out but not very wise. Driven by finding out the truth about her past, she had disregarded the consequences. As for listening to Aztec, she was now locked up in a criminal's home. She looked around the room for anything that might help her make an escape out the window, but the small room was spare. From the third floor, the bed sheet wouldn’t be long enough, and in spite of the escape attempts Hollywood likes to portray, tying two sheets together wasn’t reliable or safe. The knot would seldom hold the weight. She went over to the window, pulled out the screen, and poked her head outside, looking for a ledge, a gutter, or any way to shimmy down. She found zilch, nada but a far and treacherous drop 64

The Forbidden Claim to the cement patio below. She knew it would be a bone-crushing fall from that height. “Why am I always finding you in this position?” Jinx’s heart swelled from the familiar sound of Jed’s voice. She pushed back from the window with a smile and turned to find him leaning against the doorframe with one hand tucked in the pocket of his jeans. Control and confidence emanated from his cool grin. She wanted to whimsically caper over to him, picking up naïve from the curb along the way, but she instead took her steps slowly toward him. When she was about a foot away from his strapping form, she shoved her fingertips in to her back pockets. “Hi, Jed," she said with a smile. “Just what kind of crazy are you getting yourself into now, Jinx?” Bypassing his smart-ass remark, she asked, “How did you find me?” Jed chuckled and glanced around the room. “I heard you were asking around about Balin at the bar and assumed you were with him. In case you haven’t already realized it,” he dropped his voice and leaned in, “he’s not a very nice man.” She tiptoed close to his ear. “How very kind of you to come all this way just to tell me. I didn’t know you were such a nice guy, Jed.” “Yeah? Well, don’t go telling anyone.” “It’ll be our little secret.” Jed focused in on her mouth. His nostrils flared and a deadly darkness filled his eyes. “What the hell happened to your lip? Did that asshole put his hands on you?” She ran her tongue over the knot. “Oh, that. I guess it’s pretty swollen, but it doesn’t really hurt that much.” Jed grabbed her by the arms. “What did he do to you?” he growled, but when Jinx winced from his rough grip, he loosened his hold. He cupped the side of her face with his large hand. His thumb barely feathered over her lip, and he took a deep, shallow breath. “Did he touch you?” Lost in the tenderness of his touch, Jinx had to take a second to think about what he’d asked her. When it hit her, she shook her head, feeling the palm of his hand slide along her skin. “If you’re 65

asking if he raped me, then no,” she answered matter-of-factly. It had come close to that, but she wasn’t about to reveal this to Jed . He was already looking rather murderous. But Jed’s vision of death showed in the green gems of his eyes. He released her and headed for the stairs. “Jed?” She jumped down a step to block him, pressing her hand against his solid chest. “What are you going to do?” “I’m going to have a talk with Balin,” he answered, each word dripping with lethal intent. “Get out of my way.” “Oh.” She sighed, not budging an inch. “Good, because I want to have a word with him too. I still need to show him the picture.” She laid a hand on his arm, and a muscle twitched beneath the soft leather. She couldn’t stand back and watch Jed murder someone. She was, after all, a U.S. Marshal. “You did say you weren’t in the mood to kill anyone today,” she reminded him with her best smile. “Yeah. I guess I did,” he said, cocking a brow. “You sure did, and like I said—” “You and that damn picture,” he scowled. “It’s going to get you in trouble, Jinx, and for some reason, I just know I’m gonna end up right smack dab in the middle of it.” He grumbled under his breath. “So,” she went on, disregarding his griping, and raised her own brows, “you won’t kill Balin?” Jinx hadn’t thought that by the end of the night, she’d find herself trying to convince Jed Kane not to commit murder. Of course, in his defense, she had pulled him into the predicament. Following another long inhalation, an aggravated hand knifed through his dark hair and he sighed. “No, but he’s going to pay for this.” He lifted her and set her softly at the top of the landing and took a step down. She tapped his shoulder, wanting to stall him until he cooled off. He still seemed too hot-headed to return to Balin. “Why'd you kiss me at the bar?” His brows knit together. “To save your ass,” he barked gruffly. “And I thank you for that, but there was a connection between us, wasn’t there?” He said nothing. He simply shook his head before he started to descend the stairs. 66

The Forbidden Claim Jinx chased him, taking the steps a few at a time to keep up. On the last one, she passed him again and kicked her leg out onto the rail, barring his forward progress. His face tensed with confused irritation. “What the hell are you doing?” She looked down at her bare leg, realizing she was in a very provocative position, and told him the truth. “I’m stopping you. I want an answer.” He followed her eyes down to her naked leg and reached out. He gripped her ankle with his strong fingers, but if he had any intention of removing it, he must have changed his mind. Instead, he loosened his hold and ran a single finger up her ankle, along her calf, and farther up to her straining thigh, past the hem of her dress. Jinx’s heart knocked wildly in her chest, which was unable to hold her breath. “You want to discuss connections?” he asked and met her eyes as he skimmed his finger over her wet panties until he reached the top of them. She struggled for air. He pinched the thin material together between his fingers and started to shift them back and forth. “Tell me how this connection feels.” He quickened the motion and gazed into her eyes. “How it feels against your wet pussy?” Jinx’s leg almost fell from the action, and from his deliberate, lewd words. He gave the material a few more aggressive tugs, and she almost lost her balance again. She reached out and latched onto the arm that was doing the dirty deed to her damp, needy place. Standing on one foot and being massaged by her underwear was strange, but purely erotic. She couldn’t help but to roll her head back and close her eyes to absorb the stimulating sensation. “Hey! Look at me,” he demanded. Her eyes snapped open. “I want an answer, too.” It was something Jed liked to do, she was discovering. To toss her own words back at her, only in a more intense, more maddening way, as he’d done when she’d almost sat on his face. Now Jinx wished she'd moved those few inches back when she 67

was sitting on him the night before. At least then her orgasm would have come from his mouth instead of the thin material she wore beneath her dress. “Shit!” She writhed beneath his touch, trying to figure out what was going on down there between her legs. “Shit? That’s not quite the response I was looking for,” he jeered, “but I guess it'll have to do.” He continued to press her swollen flesh with deliberately tantalizing friction. “Yes,” she snapped, “Damn it, yes, I feel it.” She started to wave her free hand in the air, panting. “Oh God, I feel it!” The chafing was making her hotter as he roughly stroked the material, his finger, or whatever the hell it was along her sensitized clit. “Oh!” She squealed and squirmed. Unable to control her overwhelming desire, she slapped him on the arm. “Oh my." She hit him again. “Oh God! Am I going to cum from the feel of my own damn underwear?” she muttered. “I don’t know.” His head tilted slightly to the side, “Are you?” “No, I’m not!” she decided, and placed her hand on the forearm delivering his sinful touch. To her surprise, the rubbing stopped. Am I nuts? Am I absolutely crazy for making him stop? No, that’s not it, she told herself. I’m just… determined. “At least I’m not gonna until you answer my question. Did you feel the connection back at the bar?” “The only connection I want to feel starts right here.” He snatched her by the wrist, placed her hand over the impressive bulge between his legs, and then slipped a finger past her panties. He forced it deep inside her. “And ends right in here,” he harshly grunted. She gasped from the blissful intrusion, from the hardness of his arousal in her hand. Hell, she gasped at the abrupt way he’d taken her all over again. She squeezed his arousal, as if that might somehow magically give her some sexual relief. He forged deeper inside of her. Was he searching for her G-spot—Oh, Yeah! He found it and scraped it a few times. Jinx ground her hips into the motion. “Jinx, you're so wet.” He withdrew and plunged back in. “So tight and hot, wouldn’t take much to get you to cum, would it now?” No, it wouldn’t take much more of his touch to bring Jinx to her 68

The Forbidden Claim much overdue orgasm, or for her to beg him to take her right there on the steps, for that matter. “What's wrong? Got nothin’ to say about our little connection now?” He pulled her elevated leg around his lean waist, grabbed her wrists, and slammed her back against the railing. Her pelvis thrust forward, straight into his powerful erection. "See where curiosity and a simple kiss will lead you? Bound and wanting. You are wanting, aren't you? ’Cause all that wetness between your legs is certainly telling me you are." She realized her need to resort to begging had vanquished. Jed would take her right there. She was hesitant to answer. Unsure if Jed was a good guy or a bad guy, Jinx was certain of one thing. He was definitely a very bad, bad boy. “You haven't even kissed me yet,” she said taking the opportunity to slow things down. “And I'm not going to. You want this as much as I do.” Jinx wished she didn’t. But truth be told, he was right. Kiss or no kiss, she wanted him fast and hard. “No response? Then I'll take that as a yes.” His heated gaze raked over her panting body. Pushing her wrists into the wall, he ground his body into hers. The handling was rough, but like the primitive animal sounds he made, she found it turned her on. One of those deep, masculine groans rumbled from him as he rubbed his bruising hardness into her pelvis. His lips clamped down onto her neck. He savagely sucked her flesh, and left a few bites in between the exploit of his ravishing mouth. Shamelessly, she wanted more. He lowered his head. Her thighs clenched when she felt the top of her dress being pulled down just before his mouth made a beeline to her beaded nipple and latched on. She arched back to watch his teasing lips, but as his teeth bit down on her nipple, she flipped her head back and cried out from the sudden of pain. A gush of heat ran through her. “Well, I no longer need to wonder what your breasts taste like.” He nipped her hard bead, “They're delectable.” He pressed his cock harder against her, “Now, should we cure my curiosity about what that warm, wet pussy of yours tastes like?” “Yes,” she exhaled. She tried to catch her breath, but she lost it 69

once more when she looked down. He was gazing up at her with those green eyes, those seductive and glittering gems. “Yes, I think we should, but….” She struggled to reply, though things were getting out of control. “But not until you have answered my question.” Her erect nipple lingered below his half-opened mouth as he gazed up at her. “The connection,” she reminded him. “I thought I just proved it to you. We definitely have a connection, Jinx.” “No. I’m not just asking about sexual connection, but the… shit!” she hissed as he bit her nipple again. “Hot damn, stop that! I can't think.” She took a few deep breaths. “I don’t know how to explain it.” She nibbled her lip, trying to get it together. “It was like being connected by… the soul?” From the expression on his face, Jinx knew she’d made a mistake in blurting it out. He dropped her leg and lifted her top back up. Damn it, Jinx. You had to open your big, uncensored mouth again, didn’t you! Once more, she cursed Laura and Jarvis Collins for raising a freethinking and outspoken child. “If you’re looking for some type of connection that leads to a long-term relationship, you’re not going to find it here,” Jed sternly informed her, and then he pushed himself past her sexually infused body. He didn’t give her another look as he carried on down the hall. When she was able to put her disheveled emotions and clothes back together, she followed him into the room where Balin had attacked her. She had nearly been raped an hour earlier, and Jed had practically given her an orgasm in her could-be rapist’s home. The crazy thing was that she had been prepared to have sex with Jed right there on those damn steps. The man was irresistible and very talented. He even used her panties in the most provocative way. She’d always considered thongs sexy, but she had no idea they could be so arousing or manipulated in such a way. She was startled from her thoughts when she entered the room and saw blood splashed on the white carpet. Jed picked Balin up off the floor and pushed him onto the sofa. 70

The Forbidden Claim “Hey!” Jed said as he kicked the out-cold Balin a few times, causing him to stir. Jinx didn’t think twice about the well-deserved asskicking Jed was giving the man. She took the opportunity to recover her purse. She still needed to ask Balin about the picture. As she opened it, she caught Jed peering at her from the corner of his eye. “I’m not going for my gun. You get a pass tonight.” She pulled out the photo. “You may have left me, uh, unfinished,” she said, then glanced over at Balin. “But you did save me from this scumbag.” Dismissing her as if not worried in the least about her gun, he too looked at Balin, who moaned and opened his eyes. “Balin.” Jed’s thick voice was packed with a threat that startled even Jinx. “You’ve taken something that is mine.” Jinx didn’t know why, but her heart fluttered from Jed’s words, just as it had back at the bar when he’d claimed her the first time. Her free but lonely heart longed to be caged, and she sensed Jed was the man to do it. “You know what the price is for that?” Jed leaned in, bearing down at Balin’s one good eye. The other was swollen shut. “Where is she?” Who? Jinx thought. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Balin echoed Jinx’s thoughts. “Your trophy. I’m taking her. She belongs to me now.” Okay, what the hell was going on? Trophy? Jed turned to leave the room. Jinx took the few steps to Balin and shoved the photo in front of him. “Who’s the girl in this picture with Aztec?” Jed paused, glancing over his shoulder at her. Balin moved in for a closer look, then snapped his eyes up at Jed. “Do you know who she is?” But he wasn’t talking about the girl in the photo. “Did you tell him? Does he know that you’re— ” Balin was unable to finish his sentence. Quickly, Jinx pulled her gun from her purse and slammed it against his head. She had to. She wasn’t ready for Jed to find out that she was suspected of being Aztec’s spawn. Jed jerked his head back at her quick action, then shook his 71

head. “I’m not even going to ask.” He walked out of the room. When Jinx wandered into the kitchen in search of Jed, she noticed a door cracked open. She peeked inside. Stairs led down to a dark basement. She put her hand on the rail. “Jed?” She took a cautious step and then another. Rounding the corner of the basement, Jinx stopped when she finally caught sight of him. His knees were bent, and he was crouching close to the floor. He waved a hand. “It’s all right. Come here.” She placed her hand on the door and lightly pushed. It slowly swung open. She gasped at what she saw next. Jed held his hand up to halt any further movement. A young girl, no more than four or five, was standing in the far corner of the room. Small and frail, she clung to a stuffed animal for dear life. Her large brown eyes darted back and forth between Jed and Jinx. Dark knotted curls flowed over the straps of her dirty sundress. “That’s it,” Jed gently coaxed. “Come here, honey. I’m not going to hurt you.” The child’s bare feet pitter-pattered across the cold cement floor until she stood in front of Jed. He swept her up into his arms and shifted her over to his hip. Carefully, he pushed the stands of hair from her face and whispered into her ear. The child listened, nodded her head, and a little smile lit up her face. What’s he saying to her? Jinx wondered. Jed moved back from her ear, and the child placed her tiny hands on his cheeks. In response, Jed gave her a warm smile. Having never seeing anything so beautiful in her life, Jinx nearly died right there. Her hard-ass did have a heart, and when he chose to, he sure knew how to show it. He turned to leave the room, the child in his arms. Awed by the display of affection, Jinx blinked to snap herself out of her trance. She touched his arm, “Who is she?” Jed pulled his reassuring gaze from the child and glanced at her. “A casualty,” he said in a low, brooding tone before he left the room.

72

Chapter Six Jinx followed Jed and the girl out of the house, past the still unconscious guard lying on the ground, through the gate, and down the street where his car was parked. He clicked his alarm, and the lights flashed on the convertible. He stopped just before he made it to the car. Jinx finally caught up with them. He looked at the little girl. “Maria, this is… uh.” He paused, not sure how to introduce Jinx. “Hi, Maria. My name is Jinx.” Jed’s brows slanted. “It's really Jinx?” Used to the reaction, she didn’t take his suspicion to heart. “Yes,” she confirmed evenly. Jed turned back to Maria. “Jinx here,” he said, giving Jinx a quick once-over before returning to the child. “She’s my friend. I need to make a phone call, so would it be okay if she helps you into the car?” From under her little, hooded eyes, Maria surveyed Jinx for a few seconds and then nodded. Jed handed the child over, and her little hands reached out for Jinx. When Jinx pulled Maria into her arms, the child embraced her. Her light weight brought something to life in Jinx, despair and sorrow for what Maria must have been through. Jinx had to stop the images and the thoughts. They sickened her stomach. Jinx pulled a smile from her aching heart. “All right, Maria,” she said as she opened the back door of the vehicle, and with the convertible top now up, she leaned over to place the girl gently in the seat. “Let’s get you buckled in.” Maria’s arms tightened around her neck. “No, no, no!” “What’s wrong, honey?” “Don’t let me go!” she cried. “I wanna stay with you.” “Okay, okay,” Jinx cooed, trying to calm the shaking child. She wasn’t about to distress Maria. She'd been through enough already. 73

Jinx backed out of the car, closed the door and got into the front seat, positioning Maria sideways on her lap. It was difficult and awkward, but she somehow managed to fasten the seatbelt around them both. “There,” she said, running a hand over Maria’s hair as the child rested her head on Jinx’s shoulder. “Is that better?” Maria looked out the window at Jed, who was walking in circles as he talked on the phone. She shifted her large, brown eyes back to Jinx. “Is it true?” “What, sweetie?” “Can I play outside tomorrow? Like the man said?” Her timid voice shook as she looked back at Jed. “In the sun?” Jinx nodded. “Is that what he whispered to you when we were in the house?” Maria shook her head and did what she’d done to Jed earlier. She placed her baby hands on Jinx’s face. She crawled up close to Jinx’s ear. “He said"—she dropped to a whisper—“don't be scared ’cause I'm here to save you.” Then Maria slid back into Jinx’s lap. Her soft voice and tender words threatened Jinx’s eye with a swelling tear. “And then he said I can play in the sun. Was he lyin‘?” “Oh, no, sweetie. He's a nice man, and he wouldn’t lie to you. He did save you, and if he told you that you can play outside tomorrow, then you will.” Jed got in the car. “What?” he said to Maria. “You didn’t want to sit in the back seat?” “She’s fine,” Jinx snapped in Maria’s defense and squeezed her close. Jed held her gaze for a long minute, his face flat and hard. Jinx wanted to know what he was thinking, but he pulled his unreadable eyes from her, put the key in the ignition, and headed down the street. They drove for about half an hour, until he pulled up to a house and parked the car in the driveway. By then, Maria had fallen asleep on Jinx’s chest. Quietly, so as not to wake the slumbering child, Jinx asked, “Where are we?” “It’s a safe haven for children like Maria. They’ll take care of her and try to find her family.” Jed glanced down at the fragile child in 74

The Forbidden Claim her arms. “Do you want me to take her?” Her arms tightened around Maria. She didn’t want to let her go. “No. I’ve got her.” Jed’s eyes lingered on Jinx again before he gave her a nod. He came around to the passenger side. With Maria still asleep in Jinx’s arms, Jed helped them get out of the vehicle. An elderly woman in a floral dress exited the house and met them on the porch. “Hello, Mr. Kane,” she said with a warm-voiced welcome. He tilted his head. “Mrs. Bessel.” “Oh!” Her hands clasped together joyfully as her gaze drifted to Maria. “What an angel.” She sighed. “Her name’s Maria. That’s all the information I have for you, I’m afraid.” **** Evil has no shape. It hides within anything alive or dead… but be sure it does hide. It lurks behind the shadows, in dark and damp places. It may even bathe beneath the sun, but it is always there, and if you do not watch for it and hold caution against it, it will get you…. The door flew open, and the evil, with all its ugliness, came storming in. Its soot-ridden claws reached out, and it wrapped its grimy hands around the boy’s frail arm and abruptly ripped him out of his filthy bed. The boy offered no fight, for he had been down this path before and lost that vicious battle many times. His dangling feet skidded across the loose stones on the ground, the sting from the instant wounds already started to burn. Fully aware of where he was going—to the shower—the boy refused to go willingly or freely. While he chose not to fight, surrendering or going meekly was out of the question. He was aware that any normal human being would want to be clean and smell of fresh soap, but the boy also knew why he was being showered, and the thought sank an unbearable sadness to the pit of his stomach. The awful act, the evil makes me do. It is so… so bad. The boy 75

tried to rationalize it the only way his immature mind was able to. He thought of it like riding his bike in the street. That was bad and wrong, too, but the ride was always much smoother and easier on the pavement, even if he wasn’t supposed to pedal there. However, this time, the boy did not choose the course on the smooth pavement to relieve his own ride. Instead, he did it for them. He did what he knew was wrong to ease and calm their suffering. He saw the horrible pain in their eyes, and when he saw it, the boy had no other choice: He must do the bad thing… for them. **** After a thorough inspection of Mrs. Bessel’s credentials, Jinx finally allowed her to take Maria. Jed escorted Jinx back to the car and found himself commending her yet again for being so cautious with Maria and checking out Mrs. Bessel before letting the child go. She sat almost too quietly as he put the car in drive and took off. He’d known all along that Maria would come right to him. He’d seen that broken, desolate look before. That look on a child’s face, created by the hand of evil. It was the look worn by children who’d been held hostage, tormented in unspeakable ways, and trained to do whatever they were asked. They feared for their lives and knew better than to disobey a command by any adult. Watching Jinx with Maria woke a strange feeling in his heart. It reminded him of home, family, and love— three needs he thought were nonexistent for him, things he never had or thought he’d ever want. “Now where are we going?” Her forced tone roused him from his unbearable reflections. “We’re not going anywhere until you answer a few questions,” he said, pulling over to the side of the road. He parked the car and shut off the engine. Silence stirred within the dark night. The streetlights cast shadows through the windows, masking Jinx’s face. She slanted her dark blue eyes at him, and they glistened against the luminosity. He longed to reach out and pull her to him, to kiss those supple lips and fill her wary eyes with a wild, disobedient desire, but he 76

The Forbidden Claim was sure he’d scare her away with his brutal, carnal needs. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve known this Southern belle a little over twenty-four hours, and I’m already building houses and fucking white picket fences in my head. He had to get rid of her. Figure out what she wanted with Lucy and ditch her. Otherwise, he’d submit to the growing need to have her. He took a deep breath, inhaling through his teeth so she didn’t catch on to his frustration. “Balin planned to keep you locked away, just like Maria,” he harshly snapped, unable to refrain from the open display of his exasperation. “When did you see Aztec?” Jed really hadn’t known, but he assumed that was who sent her to The Black Flagon, to Balin, and her reaction confirmed it. “About that, did you know all along Maria was there? If I wasn’t there, Jed, would you still have come to save her?” “No.” Maria was, as he’d said, a casualty. In his lifetime, Jed had to turn a hardened face away from many Marias of the world. He knew most men like Balin had a Maria locked in some room or basement. Jed came into contact with those men daily, but he had to be patient and try to suppress the need to save the innocents one by one. His goal was the big fish, the great whites in the center of the human trafficking pool. It was the only way to save them in greater numbers. “No?” Jinx slowly repeated the word, and all the color in her face washed out. Jed knew what she was thinking—that he was a monster—and she was right. “I can’t believe that.” Her voice quivered. “You couldn’t be so… so cold. So heartless.” Jed’s insides cracked a bit. Now she’s defending me? He had to set her straight. “It’s the truth.” Jinx went from dazed to angry. “How could you, you… you cruel bastard!” “That’s right, Jinx. I’m a bastard, but it doesn’t really matter what you think of me.” Disappointment, disgust, and loathing twisted her beautiful face. “But why? Why would you leave her there? How could anyone see a little girl in a place like that, with a sicko like that, and—” 77

“I cannot and will not explain myself to you.” It wasn’t a lie. Jed would not blow his cover for anything—not even for the first woman who had snuck into his heart and in a mere day's time, no less. Especially not a woman of that caliber. She wielded too much power over his senses already. He was starting to feel things he’d never experienced before, and the one feeling that had him claiming her for himself wasn’t letting her go tonight. “Aztec ordered Balin to kidnap you.” He changed the subject, desperate to wipe that look of hatred off her face. “You don’t know that,” she snapped. Is she trying to defend Aztec now? The thought enraged Jed all the more. “Yes, I do.” He leaned in toward her, trying to stay calm and reserved. “Balin told me,” he ground out between his teeth. She arched back from his gruff, low bark. Her eyes were still wide, but now from alarm, not disbelief. Her hand fumbled with her purse. Jed shook his head and put out his hand out. “Give it to me,” he said, gesturing her to give up the gun. “I get a pass tonight, remember?” He smiled, attempting to lighten up the situation. “I saved you, remember.” He didn’t see defeat in her eyes, but she shoved her purse at him with an exaggerated huff. “Good girl,” he teased. “Smart girl.” “Screw you!” Of course she was angry, but Jed liked the new flare of furious spunk that illuminated her blue eyes. It diminished some of the disgust. “Did you go see Aztec in jail?” “I don’t have to tell you anything.” Her hand hit the door handle. Jed grabbed her arm. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned, ready to manhandle her to keep her in the car, to keep her safe by his side. “Let go.” She flung around, forcing her dark curls to bounce and whip across her flushed cheeks. She darted him a nasty look. “It was a setup, Jinx.” He softened his tone. “Aztec used your obsession with that photo to get you to go to The Black Flagon so Balin could kidnap you.” “You don’t know that!” Utterly confused by her nonsensical need to protect Aztec, Jed 78

The Forbidden Claim desperately tried to figure out why she was fighting him on this particular issue. But like so many other issues with Jinx, he came up short. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you listen to him? To a killer?” “Jed, thank you for rescuing me.” Her low, callous, almost patronizing voice made Jed feel like bad news was coming. “But you’re no better than Aztec if you plan on holding me hostage again.” Jed wanted to laugh at her complete lack of logic and understanding of what she was saying. She tilted her head. “Are you?” “Nice try, Jinx. You may be a huge pain in the ass, but unlike Aztec, I don’t want to hurt you.” He grinned at her snarky expression. “And I most certainly don’t want to kill you,” he pointed out. “If that was what I wanted to do, you wouldn’t be around to have this conversation with me now.” “Then what in the hell do you want with me? Why won’t you just leave me alone and mind your own damn business?” Finally, she’d offered some logical questions, though he wasn’t sure if she was ready for an honest answer. Besides wanting her for his own selfish reasons, Jed also wanted to find out why she was obsessively looking for Lucy. “Open the glove box,” he said. When she just sat there like a stubborn child, refusing to move, he nodded his head at it. “Go ahead,” he firmly insisted. She popped it open and gave him a sideways glance. Surprised she had finally obeyed his command, Jed relaxed. Maybe I can convince her to forget that little confession of mine, he thought, though he didn’t really deserve that because he would have left Maria in the care of a monster without so much as a second thought. Still, he hoped he could get Jinx to see past that part of him, past that ugly thing that lived inside of him. “There should be a scarf in there. Take it out.” She rummaged through the compartment until she found the black piece of material Lucy had bought for Jed to keep his neck warm while they were in New York. Jed had never worn it, but he would finally be able to put it to use now. “You’re not tying me up 79

with this thing,” she said, wringing the scarf in her hands. “I’m not letting you take me captive without a fight, Jed. You oughtta know that by now.” He chuckled. “I won’t need to.” She smirked. “I’m not going with you willingly, if that’s what you’re thinking.” “Oh, we’ll see. Or at least, I will. Tie the scarf around your eyes.” “Blindfold myself?” She shook her head, her body starting to tremble. “That is not gonna happen.” Noting her distress, Jed watched suspiciously as she continued to quiver. “I have a phobia,” she admitted. “Some people are afraid of spiders, small spaces, heights, or whatever. You could cram me in a tiny closet with a million tarantulas at the top of the world’s tallest building, and that wouldn’t bother me. I can handle all those things just fine. Hell, clowns don’t even scare me. But one thing I can’t do—won’t do—is wear a blindfold. I absolutely will not do it!” Jed yanked the scarf from her death-grip. “Her name’s Lucy.” A sudden interest piqued in her eyes, and the confusion on her face broke up some of the terror. “Who?” “The girl in the picture.” He had her. Jinx’s body stilled, and that freezing effect reached her eyes. “Her name is Lucy?” **** “Her name is Lucy” He knew who she was all along! Speechless and numbed by the revelation, Jinx hadn’t even felt him put the scarf around her neck, and she certainly wasn’t aware he’d tied it. Every nerve in her body was inhibited, caught in some kind of freeze-frame paralysis. She gazed at him in astonishment. She was no longer concerned about Aztec or wondering if Jed was as cruel as he portrayed. No, in that moment, Jinx’s only interest was finding out more about the girl in the photo, about Lucy. Her gaping mouth moved, “You know her?” She hadn’t even realized Jed had taken her hand into his until the nerves started to 80

The Forbidden Claim come back to life as he caressed it. “Yes,” he huskily answered, holding her eyes in the beam of his, like the slow lull of his stroking fingers. “Close your eyes,” he coaxed. Baffled by his strong but tender contact and his calm, smooth voice, Jinx found herself lowering her lids. “Can you feel me touching you?” “Yes,” she said. The connection was like a chisel, chipping away all her suspicions about Jed being a brutal, heartless bastard. With everything inside of her, she knew there had to be a reason for his callous admission about Maria. “I’m going to hold your hand,” he said as she felt the scarf being pulled up over her eyes. Her body tensed, but she didn’t fight as she had threatened to do. “I will be right here. I won’t let you go, Jinx. I promise.” “Jed.” She gasped from his comforting words, anxious to know something more—no, everything—about Lucy. He hushed her, lightly squeezing her hand to remind her that he was, indeed, right there, just as he’d promised. “Jinx, I can’t let you see where we’re going. It’s too dangerous for Lucy.” “For Lucy? Why? Is Lucy in trouble?” “That’s not for me to say. But I will take you to her if you can convince me during our ride that you mean her no harm. Deal?” “Who is she? How do you know her? Why didn’t you tell me before if you knew—” “Jinx, convince me,” Jed said again. She decided she could do that. Besides, it was high time she told someone about the memories that haunted her, and it might as well be Jed. She heard the engine rev and felt the car start to move. Jinx relaxed back into the seat, forgetting about the blindfold, relieved that Jed’s strong hand was still entwined with hers. “Okay,” she started slowly. “I’m adopted. My adoptive parents are down-and-out hippies, free spirits, I guess you could call it. We traveled a lot and never really stayed in one place for very long. I didn’t have a home to call my own. I didn’t resent them for it, but I think they may have resented me.” Jinx paused, thinking how sad her childhood must have sounded. She didn’t want his pity. She 81

only wanted to find Lucy, and some answers. “After I graduated from high school, they deserted me. I always felt like I was just another thing they wanted to check off their list of experiences, and then they were ready to move on. Parenting me held them back from their carefree lifestyle. I’ve seen them twice in the past eight years, and I had to kick them out of the apartment the last time they visited because I found them smoking pot in my place.” She didn’t reveal to Jed that it was because a U.S. Marshal couldn’t risk people doing drugs in her residence. “Pot? As in marijuana?” he asked, and she could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. “Yeah. Anyway, it drove me crazy growing up like that, with all the instability and go-green shit! Not that it’s a bad thing that they made me want to save the eco-system, but I couldn’t have a puppy or a cat because they said, ‘Humans should be ashamed of themselves for caging and holding a living thing captive for personal enjoyment.’” “Well, free spirits or not, it sounds to me that they at least had good intentions,” Jed said, and Jinx could hear the rationale in his voice. “Yeah, but you know what they say about how that road is paved. They raised a very free-spirited daughter, but a very lonely girl.” The vulnerable confession slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it, and she wished she could snatch the words out of the air before they landed in his ears. Why the hell did I tell him that? She blamed it on the security of his hand, still caressing hers, and on being blinded by the scarf, unable to see the pitiful look that was probably lurking deep in those green eyes of his. “Jinx,” he said, his voice oozing with compassion, “it’s okay.” Her stomach tightened. There was something about the way he said her name, something about the sound of that deep, sexy tone. Jinx could imagine hearing it in her bedroom, being whispered in her ear in the middle of the night. “Jinx,” she repeated, laughing off her ridiculous fantasies. “You know, they got me when I was six, and I didn’t even come with a name. They let me pick my own. Judas, my father, used to say to Laura, my mother, “Jinx! You owe me a beer!” whenever they said 82

The Forbidden Claim something in unison. You know, like fifth graders do? They thought so much alike they could practically complete each other’s sentences, so he seemed to jinx her a lot. I was only six, and I thought it sounded cool. Jinx!” she chirped sarcastically. “It does, and it suits you,” Jed said. “I looked it up when I was eight. Do you know what it means?” He remained silent, waiting for the definition. “Bad luck. A curse,” she finally said. A short chuckle hummed throughout the car. “Well, it also means other things, like casting a spell or charming someone.” She heard Jed clear his throat before he continued. “So I guess it isn’t all bad. And as for luck, I don’t think it exists any more than spells or charms do.” Jinx wasn’t the least bit superstitious either. At least they agreed on something, and it was nice of him to say. “After meeting you, do you know what I think jinx means?” Jed asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “I think it means an independent, crazy, but beautiful little lady whose integrity may get her into trouble.” Beautiful? He’d lost her there. Did he just call me beautiful? For the second time in less than an hour, her nerves and emotions went berserk. “I also think you’re like your parents, carefree. You’re smart, too, Jinx, but you try to hide it all behind an act, and it isn’t true to who you are. That makes you appear foolish, which I know you’re not.” Even though she couldn’t see him behind that makeshift blindfold, he was certainly seeing right into her. Sitting there, she tried to accept Jed’s gallant compliment, but she had to defend her longtime friend, naiveté. “It works.” She shrugged. “You may believe that,” he retorted, but he left the statement incomplete and blatantly open-ended. Then he changed the subject. “So tell me about Lucy.” “Lucy?” she mused. “It’s strange to be able to give her a name. Lucy,” she said again. “I only have vague memories of her, to tell you the truth.” “Memories?” His tone was short and inquisitive. “Yeah. I see her laughing with me, and I get a good feeling 83

whenever a flash or a memory of her pops into my head. They just happen, right out of nowhere. I recall her putting me to bed and kissing me goodnight. I don’t think she’s old enough to be my mother, but there’s definitely some connection between us.” “Who do you think she is?” “Not sure. I tried to find my biological parents, but my adoption papers are sealed.” Even as a U.S. Marshal, Jinx had no authority to break the seal on those records, and she had most definitely tried. “I thought she might know something about my family, where they are or who I really am.” “So this really has nothing to do with Aztec?” “No! But the picture was the first thing I found that made Lucy real instead of some vague shadow hanging around in my memories.” “How did you come across the photo?” She couldn’t tell him that, at least not yet. She wasn’t sure who Jed really was or what side of the law he was on, and the less she knew about him and he knew about her, the better it would be for them both. “I can’t tell you how I happened on the picture, Jed,” she said, “but I assure you I mean Lucy no harm.” She felt his hand slide from hers, and he gave her a soft pat. “All right,” he said flatly. Jinx heard the engine shut down, and Jed pulled the blindfold from her eyes. “But you will tell me eventually.” He smiled at her. It had to be the sexiest, the most potent twisted smile she’d ever seen in her life. Jinx knew if that smile held just an ounce of the power Jed had over her, and if he persisted, she’d helplessly reveal everything to him—the whole truth—from her being a U.S. Marshal right down to the aching need to feel his naked flesh against hers. The one thing she would leave out, though, was the possibility of Aztec being her father: That was one grimy detail she figured would be a moodbreaker. He flicked his brows. “We’re here.” **** Jinx followed Jed up to a small ranch house with white shingles 84

The Forbidden Claim and green shutters—an ordinary, plain home sitting on a nondescript suburban street. During the day, Jinx imagined kids on bikes and skateboards, the mailman greeting the neighbors by their first names, and the smell of barbecue wayfaring from a nearby grill. And right in the middle of this quaint community, there’s Jed? He didn’t seem like a white picket fences kind of guy. The inside of his place consisted of necessities such as furniture, but it was absent of anything personal. There were no pictures, knickknacks, or dainty curtains. The windows were covered only with dark blinds. “This is, uh… your house?” she tersely blurted out, failing to filter out her shock. Glancing over his shoulder, evidently not offended by her comment, he shot smiling eyes her way. “One of them, yes.” “You have more than one?” “Yes.” He continued down a hallway and stopped in front of a door, which he pushed open. “This will be your room. There should be something in the dresser you can wear to sleep in.” “My room? Something to sleep in?” Baffled, she gawked at him as his words registered. She looked into the bedroom. It was vacant, clean, dull, and empty, just like the rest of the house. “Wait. Where’s Lucy? I want to meet her.” He shoved a fist into his jeans and slouched back against the doorframe. “She’ll be here tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” Noting the screech in her own voice, she cleared her throat. “I’m not sleeping here, Jed.” “Okay,” he said with a mock grimace. He shrugged and pushed himself from the doorframe. “So you want me to take you home?” A growl sounded out into the hallway, and it didn’t come from Jed. He smiled. I’m not going anywhere, and he knows it. Damn him! She seethed without saying a word. “Look.” He pointed to the window. “You’re on the first floor. You won’t have that far to go if you decide to jump,” he said, still wearing that mocking smile of his. Paying no attention to his jab, she squinted at him suspiciously. “She’ll be here tomorrow?” “Why else would I bring you here, to my home?” “One of them,” she reminded him, “and don’t insinuate it’s 85

supposed to be some kind of honor for me to be here.” He glanced around the house. “You’re right. This place means nothing to me.” His glance landed back on her. “But then again, not many things do.” Did he know how heartbreaking those words sounded? No, and he didn’t care. As he said, nothing mattered to him. He’d planned on leaving Maria behind, but he’d come for her. Why? Who the hell is this Jed Kane anyway? One answer came to mind. He was the man Jinx couldn’t help but fall for, strong and untamably masculine. Looks aside, she needed to consider the whole man. She knew nothing of Jed Kane. One thing she was sure of. In order to meet Lucy, she had to tolerate him a few more hours. “Who do you work for?” she asked, needing to know if she was attracted to a criminal. “Like you, Jinx,” he answered, cocking a brow, “I work for no one.” She believed it. She couldn’t imagine him answering to any kind of authority. But that didn’t tell her what was imperative to know. Jinx looked him directly in the eyes. “Do you make your money from human trafficking? Do you buy women and children, Jed?” His left eye twitched, and a look of fury tightened every muscle in his face. Her insides screamed, warning her to step back. She stood her ground. “Tell me you don’t,” she rushed out, desperately wishing she hadn’t asked him, afraid of the answer. “No,” he said. Her heart slid back up from her stomach. “I can’t tell you what you want hear about Maria, Jinx.” Slump, back into her gut it went. “I don’t want you to tell me what I want to hear, Jed. I want the truth. Tell me that,” she pleaded, crowding him. He stood unresponsive. It infuriated her. “Answer me!” “Why do you care?” he asked. “You’ll meet Lucy tomorrow, and then you’ll be on your merry little way.” “Because I need to know!” Unable to stop herself, she punched him in the chest. “Are you that merciless? How could you just leave her with that monster?” 86

The Forbidden Claim “Fuck!” he snapped. “It’s because I can’t save them all!” With a push, he disengaged from her and walked away, leaving her standing speechless, trying to understand what he meant. **** Jinx flipped her phone open to look at the time. One a.m. She tossed it on the bed with a sigh. Standing in nothing but a long tshirt, the only appealing thing she could find in the dresser, she debated her next risky move. She knew that if Jed caught her roaming around the house in the middle of the night, there’d be a price to pay, and she wasn’t certain she could afford it. She was flat broke when it came to Jed Kane. His last words had kept her thoughts preoccupied for the past two hours.“Because I can’t save them all.” Did that mean he’s one of the good guys? She wanted to believe that. Her heart deemed it to be true, but she had to think with her head, and he confused her head. In fact, Jed seemed to instill a constant bewilderment in her. She needed to get out of the small, stuffy room to seek out the truth. Jinx walked to the door and put her unsteady hand on the knob. Giving her head a confident shake she pulled the door open and stepped out into the dark, vacant hallway. She tiptoed through the shadowy house, her heart thumping against her chest wall. She expected to bump into Jed with every turn, but she didn’t see, hear, or smell him anywhere. The basement door was partially open, inviting her, daring her to venture into its darkness. She took her steps ever so lightly, not allowing a single stair to creak and give her away. Fear was knocking again, begging to come in, but Jinx ignored its thunderous pounding. What am I afraid of anyway? What could I possibly find down here? A lost soul? Another Maria? She ignored the thought. Jed was hard and tough, and maybe he had difficulty showing tenderness, but she was sure he wasn’t a monster. She refused to even consider the possibility. She was falling for Jed. She’d actually begun to need him, and that was what scared her most. Suddenly, heavy breathing and a faint grunting sound echoed in 87

her ear. The first door she came to was locked. Jinx crept along the cold floor until she was close to another door, which was partly ajar, allowing a sliver of light to creep out into the darkness. The sound became louder. Trembling, she placed her hand on the door and cautiously gave it a push. It inched open, and she had to gulp back a gasp at what she saw before her.

88

Chapter Seven Hanging from a pull-up bar with his back to her, Jed heaved his body off the floor. Muscles rippled down the length of his arms, and the power bunched at his shoulders, bulging an impressive tattoo on his sturdy back. He was branded with a black circle with slashes of black ink spreading out from it, like some kind of ominous sun with dark, distorted rays. It enhanced the resilient strength of his supremacy. His overwhelming, completely male silhouette hypnotized her. The impossible perfection of his body, the surreal and breathtaking vision before her, drew her helplessly into the room, closer to him. Jed was like a dream, but the dangerous thing was, Jinx could reach out and physically touch him. And oh how she wanted to! Nearing his potent body, she noticed that the flesh beneath the black ink on his back was raised. Up close, she focused on the strange tattoos. Scars! The ink was meticulously placed to camouflage old wounds. Are those… whip marks? What the…? A wave of pain washed through her, weakening her already wobbling knees as she took in each and every brutal slash. From the looks of it, someone had beaten him nearly to the point of death. What happened to you? Who are you? Perhaps Jinx had found her lost soul after all. As he heaved his strong body higher for another chin-up, Jinx, without thought, placed her palm on his deeply scarred but powerful back. In midair, Jed spun around. Jinx lifted her arm in defense just as Jed’s knife-cut hand came to a halt upon her forearm. When he looked into her eyes, the fierce attack grimace left his face, replaced by angry relief as he surveyed her defensive stance. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. The unexpected action left her speechless, and she shrank into the instant security of his embrace. “Fuck, Jinx.” His quickened breath heated her neck. His hand ran over her head, and his fingers tangled in her hair while he 89

pressed her face against his warm, steely chest. His chest heaved, and his heart beat fast and hard against her cheek. Jed took a few more deep breaths and uttered, “I could have… hurt you.” He exhaled the words with a shudder. Jinx, too afraid to respond, worried he’d explode, stayed inert and mute in his tight hold. Her sturdy body now felt small and feminine encased in Jed’s solid wall of muscles. The alleviation of her trying strength was sublime. She could’ve remained in the protection of his arms for eternity. His tensed muscles relaxed, settling into a soft pillow beneath her flesh. She wasn’t ready for him to let go—for her second of eternity to depart so quickly—but his body shifted back from hers. Jinx latched on to his hard biceps, holding him there, and looked into his eyes. “But you didn’t hurt me.” She smiled. “Besides, I was prepared to defend myself if I had to.” “That’s where you’re going to run into a problem, Jinx,” he said, his eyes wicked and assured, and his voice whispering danger, the hot, ripping-the-clothes-off kind. “There’s no protecting yourself from me.” “Why would I need to? You said you wouldn’t hurt me.” Take that! Let’s see you start explaining your way out of that one, Jinx thought. Hell, no, she hadn’t misread his meaning in the least! He could, in fact, easily take her in any way he wanted, and Jinx knew she’d be defenseless to any of his whims. Jed gazed at her, speechless, and it angered her. “Did it disgust you, Jed?” The remark caused a deep wrinkle in his forehead. “What are you talking about?” “The kiss at the bar,” she said. If he wasn’t going to broach the undeniable tension between them, then Jinx had to. Besides, she was hungry for another go at his lips. “I saw the loathing in your expression. Shit, Jed, you didn’t even try to hide it.” She held her breath and waited for his response. She needed to know if the pentup sexual desire was really one-sided, if the mythical Land of Jed existed only in her head, or if he would carry her over the threshold of his intangible world. “You shouldn’t have been at the bar,” he said dryly, and with no 90

The Forbidden Claim trouble, he broke from her grasp and took a few steps back. Jinx wanted to reach out and touch him. “You didn’t answer my question.” “Answer me this, Jinx. Before you entered this room, what did you think you’d find?” The first thing to pop into her head was what she hadn’t admitted to herself she’d dreaded when she started her brave, or foolish, journey down the stairs. A child, a woman chained to a bed, another Maria. Yet she wouldn’t say it. Her heart had never believed it. Jed reached for the pull-up bar, and as he leaned toward her, every vital muscle bulged right before her eyes, sending her once again into a lustful tailspin. “Sorry to disappoint you, Jinx.” The viciousness in his tone oozed with knowledge, as though he’d read her mind once again. “I certainly didn’t expect to find you working out,” she said. That, at least, was the truth. She tugged on her suddenly short t-shirt. “But I guess to keep up with a body like that, you’d need to, even if it is one in the morning,” she blundered on. Dismissing her, Jed raised his other hand to the bar, revealing the primal beauty of his strength. His hands tightened on the bar, and the waist of his drawstring pants slipped down over his perfect pelvic area. Jinx’s eyes slithered down him, greedily gobbling up the magnificent sight. “Go to bed, Jinx.” She opened her mouth to object but snapped it shut. She’d become accustomed to his hostility, and she knew the prospect he would explain himself to her was completely out of the question. The obstinate man was going to drive her right to the place where he thought she already was… crazy! She turned, gave the back of her shirt another tug, and started toward the door. “But for the record,” Jed said, halting her march, “it didn’t disgust me.” Jinx looked over her shoulder and once again trailed her eyes along his enticing body. “I was annoyed,” he continued, his words flat, “to find you at the bar. To keep you safe, I had to claim you like some damn savage.” 91

Twisting on her toes, she faced him. “Savage is not always a bad thing. It really didn’t bother me.” “No one has the right to own you, Jinx,” he said aggressively. “Not even me.” She padded over to him and noticed his hands tightening on the bar. Are his knuckles turning white because of my nearness? “You didn’t mean it, then?” His jaw flinched as she reached up and settled her hands on his tense forearms. She slowly slid them down the length of him, resting her hands over his bare chest and glancing up at him. Blasted by the heat in his observant eyes, her stomach lurched with an incredible need. “Are you saying, Jed,” she started, feathering her fingers lightly over the ripples of his hot, tight stomach, “that there’s no part of you that wants me to be yours?” “Jinx….” In a low growl, he hissed her name and closed his eyes, blocking out the hunger she’d seen flickering in them. “Because,” she said, not about to stop now, and with her courage refueled, she confessed, “the thought of belonging to you? I kind of like it.” Unhurriedly, Jed lifted his hooded lids. A new mischievous gleam sparked in his emerald eyes. “Is that right?” he huskily inquired, a sexy smile pulling at his lips. “Yes.” She touched the side of his face with her palm. “That’s right,” she seductively replied. Hands clutching the bar, Jed peered down upon her mouth, then up to her awaiting eyes. “What are you going to do, Jinx?” he dared with his deep, gruff voice. “Are you going to kiss me?” He raised a brow, tempting her. A lump of anticipation traveled from her watering mouth to her throat, right down to her jittery gut. Is he baiting me? At her hesitation, Jed’s arrogance increased. “Well,” he said, bending down and holding her gaze, “I’m right here.” Invitation accepted. Panic squashed. She wanted it! She wanted him. Jinx’s fingers slid to the back of his neck. She placed her lips against his and held them there. The simple union exploded with more passion than anything she’d ever experienced. She moved 92

The Forbidden Claim back, but the touch lingered long after the loss of their contact. Taken aback, she looked up at Jed, wondering if he’d felt it too. A brazen desire shimmered from his seductive eyes. He was feeling something, and he wasn’t trying to hide it. Not giving him the chance to recant, Jinx kissed him again. This time, she took his bottom lip into her mouth. In response, he encased her upper lip with his and lightly suckled—a responsive action that spun her head. She wanted more of him, that uninhibited part of Jed she knew existed, but damn it, his lips were tempered and gentle. Why isn’t he claiming me now? Pulling me into his arms and wildly kissing me? She arched back, and once more his magical kiss stayed behind with the absence of his touch. After a detailed survey that ended upon her lips, confidence trickled into Jed’s expression. “Have you satisfied your curiosity? Can we finally put this to rest?” The only thing that would satisfy Jinx was him in the bed up in that hot and stuffy room. “Is that what you want? To put this to rest?” She placed both hands around his shoulders, secured his neck, and drew him to her. Again she kissed him, found his lips sealed, and withdrew. “If you don’t stop, I—” His lips moved with her next three pecks. Jed’s hand dropped from the safety of the bar. He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her against him. He was rock-hard and ready, manhandling her as if the jabbing of his hard male heat into her belly was going to scare her. His hand slipped down her lower back, over her ass, to her inner thigh. His fingers slithered beneath the lining of her panties and grazed the pooling wetness between her legs. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to lose control,” he said with a growl. The pressure of his fingers was so close to her moist and desperate center. Her hips itched to move toward them. Struggling for oxygen, she breathed, “I was hoping you would.” Her words came out in a gasp. She needed him, yearned for his touch. With the brutal attack of his mouth, Jed crushed her next intended peck. He plunged his tongue between her lips and fought for hers until they tangled together. As he stroked her with his sinful invasion, Jinx slackened from his entrancing kiss. His large 93

warm hands captured her by the ass without missing a beat. As his mouth continued to work its seductive magic, he forced his hostile, exceptional arousal harder against her. “Put your legs around me, baby.” She was ready to give him anything he wanted. She followed through with his command, unsure if she did it because of the dominant tone in his voice or because he’d so lustfully called her “baby” instead of “little lady,” like he usually did. His strong fingertips dug into her flesh. “Squeeze me,” he said, shifting her up and then down over his arousal. “Squeeze me tighter, baby,” he groaned, and his aggressive need grated between each word. She went mad. Her muscles clutched around him. He fought against her strength, grinding against her with relentless desire, his erection leaving its rock-hard impression on her sensitive skin. “Jed.” She exhaled his name, the painful pleasure consuming her. He incarcerated her mouth, searching for her tongue, and deepened the kiss. She melted and became one with him. She’d imagined it would feel good, but she had certainly underestimated the power of Jed. She was completely lost in him, lost in the moment she hoped would last forever. Breaking from her, Jed slowed his movement long enough to look into her eyes and pull her into him. “You can feel what you do to me, can’t you?” Jinx opened her lips, but for once, words failed her. “Answer me,” he commanded, propelling her with his taut hips. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I do, Jed. You feel so, so good.” “Take your shirt off. Let me look at you.” His sexy drawl gave rise to her hands, and she pulled the thin material from her heated body as if his words had her, an obedient marionette, on his strings. He absorbed her with his ravenous gaze. “You’re so… so beautiful.” All her vulnerability was vanquished by his audacious declaration. Jinx, in awe, had finally captured her savage. Jed’s untamed, deliberate control wildly excited her, and eagerly, with 94

The Forbidden Claim every inch of her body and emotion in her heart, she longed to please him. “Grab the bar above you,” Jed said, glancing up at it. Confused, Jinx followed his eyes. “I need to free up my hands,” he said, squeezing her ass and bringing attention to the fact that he’d been holding her up the entire time. “I want to touch you.” He stepped in a foot closer, “Can you reach it?” Hesitantly, she lifted her hand and clutched the bar. “Now the other.” Jed nudged, and she hastily obeyed, her flesh already crawling with anticipation for his touch. With her legs wrapped snugly around his lean waist, Jed eased his hands from her bottom and ran them up to her hips. He slightly shifted back from her, and her body was stretched out before him. Naked, unabashed, and held hostage by her own hands and legs, through her own strength, Jinx deserted her freedom. “You look hungry, baby.” He drew a finger along her pelvis and circled it around her belly button. “Starving to be nourished by my hands,” he feverishly said as his other hand fell lightly upon her cheek. Peering into his eyes, she nuzzled her face into his palm. “Please don’t stop touching me, Jed,” she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. With his lips slightly turned up, Jed roamed her naked body, declaring her as his with every possessive stroke. “I have no intention of stopping.” Her stomach flinched as his finger moved from her belly to her hard nipple. He pinched it and then molded her warm, tingling breast. She arched up, offering herself to him, curbing a threatening moan. His other finger stroked her lower lip until he slipped it into her mouth. “Suck my finger,” he instructed. She obediently obliged, taking her time, slipping her lips over it. “Oh, yeah… that’s it,” he encouraged, his eyes hungry. “You make me so hot. I want those lips all over me.” He watched her thoroughly taking his finger into her mouth. Jinx wanted them all over him too, every inch of his massive 95

body. After a few thorough sucks, he pulled his finger from her and placed his hand behind her back, arching her toward him. “Now I want to hear exactly what you feel from my touch.” He bent his head inches from her aroused peaks. If he was going to put his mouth on her breast, Jinx knew he’d be rewarded, and… Shit! His hot lips covered her erect nipple. He grazed her with his teeth. The delicious sight of him there caused the warm liquid to pour from her womanly core, straight to the juncture between her legs. His tongue licked and greedily tasted her dimpled flesh. A strong hand cupped her other breast, squeezing and massaging her relentlessly. Her hips rocked. She vaulted closer to his mouth, begging for more. “Oh my God!” she wailed, writhing beneath his splendid electric touch. “Jed,” she panted. She tightened her hands on the bar. Her limbs were sore, but the torture of his mouth was ten times worse. She called out his name again and again. He pulled his mouth from her swollen flesh. “I like the sound of my name coming from your mouth.” He stood, took her nipples between his fingers, gave her a knowing smile, and started to pinch. “Now, give me what I want.” He squeezed the tender beads a bit harder. “Come on. Give me a moan, baby.” He twisted her nipples. “I want to hear you cry out in pleasure from those sweet lips, begging for more.” The unbridled words tore her insides, shredding them to pieces, stealing her might. Jinx couldn’t hold it in any longer. “You can have whatever you want,” she groaned. “Anything,” she cried out. Jed bent down and caught her next moan in his mouth. She let go of the bar and drove her fingers into his thick hair, dragging him in closer. He struck her neck with his talented lips. “Anything?” he whispered heatedly into her ear before giving it a lick. “Yes,” she rasped, and tugged him to her. “Anything!” He suckled her neck, and Jinx’s strength depleted from his prominent touch, forcing her legs to drop from his waist until her feet hit solid ground. His hand slid over her breasts, down her 96

The Forbidden Claim trembling belly. “You’d better be careful, baby.” He looked up and snared her half-opened eyes. “Anything can be a very dangerous word.” He slipped his hand beneath her panties and plunged a finger deep inside. Unprepared for the overwhelming sensation, another painstaking moan escaped her partly opened mouth. “Keep making those wonderful little sounds.” He delved deeper into her, withdrew, and then went deeper still. “Keep on doing that, and I will show you just how dangerous I can be.” His finger came completely out of her, and he stroked her tender clit, building a tantalizing circle to her pulsating core. “Please do.” She gasped for air while Jed played an accelerating tease over her sensitive nub, stroking her into ecstasy, taking her finally to his world, to the Land of Jed—an erotic, sinful place with no boundaries. **** What the fuck are you doing? Jed silently cursed. Jinx was so hot, tight, and willing, and he couldn’t stop. Hunger took over his willpower, and beauty captured his eyes. Jinx continued to feed the growing fatal appetite of the beast that dwelled deep inside him. He was consuming her. She was powerless. Fuck, he was powerless. Her body was created for him. Her sweet moans, those passionate responses, were only for his ears. That mouth, the taste of her… son of a bitch! He silently cursed again. The forbidden desire hit him, and the realization trampled him. With everything that he was, he wanted to own her. But he couldn't. In his world, ownership of another human being was prohibited. Jed couldn’t even have her, as much as he wanted to, because it wouldn’t be fair. His life was already written in stone, damned to hell by the unforgivable things he’d done. “Please do,” she whispered from the shallows of her breath, and the words chipped away pieces of his cold heart. She was so close, dripping wet, and he knew what to do to soothe her suffering, to make her cum, but the pleasure would not only be hers. It would also, selfishly, be his. 97

“I can’t,” he huskily said and moved his hands from her body. “You can’t?” Jinx said, coming to, her heavy-lidded eyes opening wide. She placed her hands on her hips, “What do you mean, you can’t?” “I’m not going to fuck you.” He reached over, picked up her shirt, and tossed it at her. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, and you don’t deserve this.” She snatched her shirt from his hand. “How dare you tell me what I deserve, Jed Kane!” Hastily, she pulled the shirt over her head. Dark curls streaked across her livid face, and she went back to her hip-clenching stance. Loathingly, she scowled at him. “You want me to fuck you?” he snapped, unsure if the question was nonsensical or if he actually wanted an answer. Whether he chose to admit it or not, he was nuts about her, and the more he was around her, the crazier he became. So, finishing what he started, for once, wasn’t important. In reality, it was detrimental. He’d gone down that same road before, allowing a few tiny toes of another woman into his heart, and all he wound up with was more blood on his hands. Already, Jinx had toes, fingers, legs, and her head in the cold hollow of his chest where his heart should have been beating. He couldn’t let her in any further. He needed to distance himself. So, he decided to tell her the truth. Tell her that he would, in fact, hurt her. “I’ll fuck you, Jinx, and then I’ll drop you where I found you and have no problem walking away.” He snarled. “Is that what you want?” She stared, considering his face and his words. Wait. Is she actually thinking about it? Even if she decided it was indeed what she wanted, it wasn’t intended to be a fucking proposition. Perhaps he needed to make himself clearer. “I don’t hang around after I get laid, no matter how good it is, baby.” He discerned the obvious. Jinx would be more than merely good. Unaffected by his crass words, she shifted her head and glared at him. “That’s fine. I can handle it.” She nodded at him curtly. “You walk away if that’s what you usually do,” she spat, “but don’t you dare leave me here feeling like this!” “Believe me, I’m in agony too,” he said, slipping the confession in. He wanted nothing more than to throw her on the floor and dive 98

The Forbidden Claim into the wetness his fingers had been touching moments ago. He longed to slide through all that welcoming sweetness and delve from the beginning to the end of her. He yearned to hear her cry out for him, scratch his back, and buck his ass with her strangling legs, begging for more. “You don’t deserve someone doing that to you.” He took a step closer to her. “And if you don’t know your own self-worth, then let me tell you.” He was tempted to reach out and touch her, but he found the strength to inch away from those perilous eyes. “You’re worth a lot more than I can offer you.” He flashed an amorous look over her trembling body. “A hell of a lot more, Jinx,” he said under his breath, just before he walked out of the room. **** Jinx hadn’t slept a wink all night. She tossed and turned in the small twin bed, stewing over Jed’s last words and the way he had abruptly pulled himself from her. Even without the answers to who he was, Jinx had been so close to surrendering to him, to having him. The recurring doubt—whether or not Jed was a good guy—was not so important while he was touching her, kissing her, and taking her out of this world with his brazen and shameless words. She loved the way he talked under the influence of desire. She couldn’t think of anything else. She’d only wanted more of him, and just when she was starting to want him, he took himself away from her. It frazzled her, disappointed her, and made her angry. He left her wet and incomplete. Prepared to face him, she found a tank top and a pair of khaki shorts. Though they were a tad too big and hung low on her hips, they did the job of covering her unfinished body just the same. Still slightly sore from the sting of his rejection, she squared her shoulders and walked out of the bedroom and through the hallway. She halted at the doorway to the kitchen. Her stomach did a slow dive past her knees, straight down to her now immobile feet when she realized he had company. A tall, slender woman with short hair pulled herself back from Jed, back from an intimate embrace, as if she were backing away 99

from a kiss. Jinx’s heart cracked. She slowly took in the woman’s long legs, narrow waist, and slender arms, which were still wrapped around Jed. When the woman swayed back, the dark mass of short, wavy hair moved with her, and Jed’s green eyes came into view over her shoulder. They were bold as always, but blank. He didn’t let Jinx’s gaze go. Jinx desperately wished she knew him better so she could read that blank stare and know what he was thinking, but the man was a ball of frustrating ambiguity. The woman was too familiar with Jed, too damn intimate for Jinx’s liking. Are they lovers? “Jinx,” he finally said. The woman looked over her shoulder and did her own quick once-over of Jinx. Her hands gradually fell from Jed’s body, easing Jinx’s discomfort a bit. Her chocolate eyes became creamy as they softened, “You’re Jinx?” “Yes.” Jinx glanced up at a vacant Jed. With her heart breaking and her insides churning, she desperately needed to know if he was in a relationship with the woman. But typically for him, he offered her nothing in the way of an explanation. The blasted man remained speechless and gorgeous, as always. “I’m Lucy.” Jinx stood dumbfounded by what she’d walked into. Jed holding Lucy. How did he do it? My one obsession for the past ten years, and he just… shit! He just took it over! Did her new addiction for him supersede even meeting Lucy? If they’re lovers, is that why he stopped last night? Why he said he couldn’t do it? Did he have a sudden attack of guilt? “Jinx,” Lucy said, taking a step toward her. Jinx didn’t know what to feel as she watched Lucy turn and give Jed a tense, quick look. He pulled his gaze from Jinx and peered down at Lucy with a small, warm smile that seemed to ease Lucy’s anxiety. Jinx observed the exchange, and knew what she felt. Her heart went from merely breaking to shattering. But she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. She had come on the crazy journey to find Lucy, not Jed. She had to get back on task, find out who Lucy was, and see if Lucy could help unravel the mysteries of her past. 100

The Forbidden Claim She summoned up a genuine smile, “Hi, Lucy. Yes, I’m Jinx.” Lucy walked over to her, analyzing every inch of her. She reached out and took Jinx’s hands in hers. She lightly touched them, inspecting them, pausing at the scar around the bottom of her thumb. “Jinx, would you mind lifting your shirt a little?” Her gentle eyes greeted Jinx’s with the strange request. Not questioning her, Jinx pulled up her shirt. Lucy reached out, feathered her fingers over the scar on her side, and then smiled. “You did that when you were trying to get a jar of cookies out of the cupboard. You knocked over a glass as you fell from the counter, and you landed on it.” Stunned at the memory she couldn’t recall—she had never known how she got that scar—Jinx was at a loss for words. Lucy also appeared a little breathless. “Can you turn around?” Jinx again abided by her request. Lucy pulled the strap of her tank top to the side and tenderly touched the birthmark on Jinx’s shoulder. When she felt Lucy’s hand move away, Jinx turned to face her. Lucy’s eyes were glossy with tears. She placed a warm hand on her cheek. “Jinx, you’re my sister.” “Sister?” Jinx hadn’t expected that. A close member of the family maybe, or a babysitter or cousin, but not a sibling. If Lucy truly was her sister, she wondered how and why they had been separated. “Yes,” Lucy assured her, wrapping her arms around Jinx. Shell-shocked, Jinx stood with her arms dangling at her sides. She glanced up at Jed, as if he could give her some clarification, but his expression remained flat. He simply gave his brows a flick, crammed a fist into his jeans, and walked out of the room. Lucy withdrew and took Jinx’s hand again, stroking it. “Yes, you are my sister, and your given name is Divia Shores.” Tears swelled in her eyes. “I’ve been looking for you for so long. You look just like Mom. She was so beautiful.” “Was?” Jinx understood the comment but still wanted to hear it with her own ears. “Why don’t you have a seat at the table? I’ll get you a cup of coffee and we can talk.” Sitting down sounded like a good idea, for Jinx’s legs had turned 101

to mush from the shocking news. I have a sister and our mother might be… dead? **** “Our mother died when you were just four.” Lucy took a sip of the steaming coffee. “It was a brain aneurysm. She was only twentyeight.” She set the mug on the counter and lifted her soft brown eyes to Jinx. “The doctor said she didn’t suffer. It was instantaneous. After she passed away, we were put under the care of Social Services, and—” Confused, Jinx interrupted, “Social Services? What about our father? Why didn’t he take care of us?” “Our mother was… well, I guess you could say she had a tough life. Her parents were alcoholics. She ran away from home when she was sixteen and lived mainly on the streets until she got pregnant with me at the age of eighteen. My dad was killed in a drug deal gone bad. Mom struggled with her own addiction for years, but finally, after she had you, she seemed to straighten out.” “So we have different fathers?” Jinx asked. “Yes, and I’m sorry I can’t tell you who your father is.” Lucy reached out and placed her hand tenderly on Jinx’s. “Mom never told me his name. She just said she had to leave him behind in her past, as part of her commitment to stay clean.” Jinx didn’t need to hear any more. She got the message loud and clear. Her father was no good. Like Aztec, the king of no good? “But how did we get separated?” Lucy sighed and slid her hand back to her mug. “We were staying with a foster family, waiting for permanent placement.” She tightly embraced the mug with her hands again, as if she needed strength to talk about the memory she was about to recall. “I overheard our foster mother talking on the phone. It sounded like they’d found your father, but he didn’t want anything to do with me. A few days later, a social worker came to get me, and I tried to fight her.” Her voice cracked, and her eyes watered. “I didn’t want to leave you there.” Lucy sniffled and paused to recompose herself. “But I was only eight….” She drifted off as the remembrance drained the 102

The Forbidden Claim beautiful glow from her face. “It wasn’t your fault, Lucy. We were just children,” Jinx said, trying to soothe her sister. Lucy snapped out of her disheveled state. “I’ve been looking for you for years.” A faint smile curved her lips. “I knew he’d find you, if anyone could.” “Who?” Jinx’s head knocked back as she asked, “Jed?” “Lucy, the truth is, she found me.” Jinx followed Jed’s mundane voice and watched as he pushed himself from the casual lean he was holding against the doorframe. He walked into the room. His hair was dark and damp, and he was obviously fresh from the shower. His clean, brisk aroma filled the room, awakening her nose and offering a welcoming delight. Lucy beamed at Jed. “I know, but I also knew that if anyone could bring her to me, it would be you!” “Don’t try to give me credit where it’s not deserved. This little lady wasn’t going to stop until she found you.” He stopped to give Jinx a hard look that she was unable to read. “And she nearly got herself killed in the process.” “Yeah, but Lucy’s right.” Jinx gave him a spiteful smile for pointing out her foolishness and risky actions. “You were there, and you saved me. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t be here now, and I wouldn’t have found her.” Her smile widened. “So, Jed, although I don’t really know you, I can tell you this with certainty. You should take the credit because that is what you deserve.” She thought about his words from the night before, telling her why she did and didn’t deserve him. His dark eyes didn’t veer from her. “I’ve gotta head out.” He pulled away from her and glanced over at Lucy. “I’m going to Washington, but I’ll be gone for a couple days and don’t want to leave you here alone.” “I’ll stay here with her,” Jinx said. “I still have a few days off work.” Jed’s gaze slid over to her. “Oh, Jed, I’ll be fine,” Lucy said. “Don’t worry. No one knows about this place.” The strange comment struck Jinx’s curiosity. Holding Jed’s blank 103

gaze, she asked, “Are you concerned for her safety?” She tilted her head. “Is she in some kind of danger?” Surprising Jinx, Jed gave a straightforward reply. “Yes.” Jinx said the first thing that popped into her head. “I’ll keep her safe.” “You?” He snorted. “You can’t even keep yourself out of trouble.” She jumped up from the chair, wanting to knock the smug look off his face. “Listen here. I may have made some bad choices, but—” Another half-laugh and half-grunt escaped his throat. “Bad choices?” Her hand fisted, but instead of hitting him with it, she lifted it and darted a finger at him. “Yes, but I’m perfectly capable of keeping Lucy safe!” “Sure you are.” He grimaced in doubt. “I’m a damn U.S. Marshal!” In stunned unison, both Jed and Lucy said, “What?” with identical astonishment etched on their faces. “Fuck! Son of a bitch, a fucking U.S. Marshal?” Jed uttered under his breath and shoved a hand through his hair. He looked over at Lucy, who was still wide-mouthed, gawking at Jinx. “Lucy, we gotta get you out of here.” He cast Jinx a sideways look. “She can’t stay.” His eyes trailed suspiciously over her body. “It’s too damn dangerous.” “No, Jed.” Lucy walked up to him and rested her hand lightly upon his arm. “Just go to Washington, and I will take care of it. Don’t worry.” She slid her eyes over at Jinx. “I trust her, Jed. It will be okay.” “Lucy, you don’t even know her. You have no idea what might happen,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “You know exactly what I mean. Are you willing to risk it? Because I’m not sure I am.” Lucy brought her attention back to Jed. Jinx was totally confused. What does he mean by too dangerous? Does he think I’d hurt my own sister? Anger started to build a fire inside of her. “Please, Jed. Everything is going to be all right. Jinx will stay here with me, and we will get to know each other better.” She glanced over at Jinx. “I can trust you, can’t I?” 104

The Forbidden Claim “I have no intention of hurting you,” she said, slicing Jed her nastiest glare. She softened her eyes when she came back to Lucy. “And yes, you can trust me,” she said, knowing in her heart that it was completely true. She would never deceive Lucy or let anything harm her. “Great. It’s all settled then.” She tapped Jed on the arm. “You can be on your way, and we will be fine.” Jed growled grudgingly. Clearly he wasn’t happy about the arrangements, but he turned on the balls of his feet and started for the door just the same. He stopped when he was about to pass Jinx and leaned into her. Hurt by his insinuation that she would be a danger to her sister, she turned her head away. “You stay right here until I get back,” he said. His finger touched her chin, and with the strength of his large hand, he pushed her head back to face him. “I’m fucking serious,” he said, getting closer, if that were possible. “If you’re not here when I get back, I will hunt your ass down, and I will not be responsible for what I do to you. Understood?” Finding an even nastier look than the one she had given to him earlier, she hissed, “Yes.” He started to move back. Oh hell no! Jinx was not about to let him threaten her and just walk out the door. She was going to the have the last word. Oust him. She snatched him by the shirt and placed her lips close to his ear. “Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been sleeping with my sister, Jed?” Jinx pushed him away from her, eager to see his guilty expression after what he’d done with her in the basement. But his eyes were smiling at her, and—hot damn—so was his mouth! She could have sworn she actually heard him chuckling as he walked out the door.

105

Chapter Eight “I can’t believe he thought I would hurt you,” she said after the door closed behind Jed. Her heart had been broken twice in the same day. First she’d discovered that Jed was with her sister, followed by his misguided and ridiculous assumption that she would harm Lucy in any way. “Oh no, sweetie,” Lucy said and walked up to her, placing her hand on Jinx’s arm just as she had done to Jed. The tender gesture reminded Jinx that he belonged to her sister, and her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. “He wasn’t worried about me.” Lucy ran her soft fingers over Jinx’s face. “He was concerned about you.” Jinx’s forehead tightened. “Me?” “Yes. When he found out you were a U.S. Marshal, he knew you shouldn’t be here. It could hurt your reputation to be around him.” “Why? Who is he, Lucy?” “Sometimes he doesn’t act it, and I don’t think he believes it, but Jed is one of the good guys.” “Who does he work for?” Lucy’s smile seemed to stroke Jinx’s heart like a gentle hand upon her face. There was an instant connection between them, a newfound bond that was instantly and forever unbreakable. “You’d better take a seat,” Lucy said. They settled again at the table, and she began the story of her life. “When I was taken from the foster home, I wasn’t brought to a new family. The social worker who took me brought me to a stash house. She—” “You mean…?” Jinx couldn’t get the words out. “Yes. She sold me to an evil man. I survived years of being tossed around from one sick bastard to the next, but I became hooked on the drugs they injected into me. At the age of eighteen, I was let go. Too old for the last man who purchased me.” “Oh, Lucy! I’m so sorry.” Jinx wasn’t the crying type, but a tear 106

The Forbidden Claim formed in her eye. “Jed found me strung out on crack, passed out on a slum street in New York City. He took me to his apartment and stayed by my side for weeks while I went through withdrawal. He never left me, though I was absolutely horrible to him. I would have walked out on me, but Jed didn’t. After I got clean, he put me through college. I’ve been with him ever since, working to bring down human trafficking rings around the world.” “So who does he work for, and why is he so worried about me being here?” “Technically, he doesn’t work for anyone. See, a secret agent trained him, and Jed slipped into his place when he retired, but he was never officially hired and doesn’t know the origin of his information and instructions. He’s been arrested a few times while undercover, but was released by the next day. No questions asked, no reasons given.” “And he does all this without knowing who he does it for?” Jinx asked incredulously. “Oh, he used to be determined to find out. He tried for years, but whoever they are, they’re well protected. His contacts don’t know any more than he does. Finally he decided his energy was better spent doing what he’s paid to do. He believes passionately in his work. He’s so good at it that he gets side jobs, too. People in high places hire him to find their loved ones. You remember that girl the other night? At the bar?” “Emily.” “She was one of his private cases.” “I saw him making the buy, and I thought….” She paused, guiltridden for her misjudgment of Jed. “You’re supposed to think that, Jinx. In human trafficking circles, Jed is known as a wealthy buyer. He actually is wealthy, and he doesn’t think twice about using his own money to purchase a child or woman he stumbles across, and setting them free, so long as it doesn’t blow his cover. It’s essential for him to maintain his cover. Over the years, he’s helped thousands of victims, and if he’s discovered, that will end.” “He said you’re in danger. Who from?” 107

Lucy slouched back into the chair. “The man who first purchased me.” She looked up at Jinx. “Aztec.” Jinx went numb. The man who might be her father had bought her sister. The thought sent bile sizzling into her throat. She was going to be sick. “Jed spent years tracking him down. Aztec’s circle is the worst of the worst. He sells children from eight years up. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of money involved, and security is tight. Getting in the door is nearly impossible.” Like a slap in the face, the reality of what Jinx had attempted to do—kidnap Aztec—dazed her. Jed had every right to call her crazy. Maybe she was, yet it had brought her to Lucy. “Aztec’s in jail because of me,” Lucy continued. “I’m supposed to testify against him, but it happened twenty years ago and the charges may not stick. Jed’s trying to find his current stash house here in Miami for a stronger case against him. Jed doesn’t want me to have to go on the stand, but if it’ll lock that monster up for good, I’ll do it.” Jinx’s body turned to stone as she realized why the picture was in Aztec’s file. It was evidence. Her could-be father had stolen her sister’s life from her. Jinx felt as if she were crumbling. She doubted Lucy could ever forgive her if she learned that Aztec might be her father. Not to mention that Jinx had seduced the love of Lucy’s life. Jed’s selfless sacrifices to help the innocent only made her want him more. Yet, Jed was Lucy’s. After all her sister had been through, Jinx realized she’d have to learn to accept that. **** The next day, Lucy told Jinx stories about their past together. Jinx used to call her sister Sushi because she couldn’t say Lucy. Their mother was a waitress on the late shift, which explained Jinx’s memories of Lucy putting her to bed at night. When Lucy asked about her life, Jinx said her adoptive parents were kind to her. That was true, but Jinx left out that they had created a lonely woman unable to find love because she was fearless, eccentric, and outspoken. Finding Lucy meant a chance to 108

The Forbidden Claim find family love. Lying in bed, she wanted to cry just thinking about it. She decided she had to wipe the slate clean. It was time to confess to her sister exactly what she had done. Jinx knocked on Lucy’s bedroom door. Lucy opened it. When she saw Jinx’s face, she paused. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was filled with genuine concern. “I need to tell you something.” Jinx pressed a shaky hand to her head as she entered and sat down on the bed. “What is it?” Lucy sat beside her. “I know there’s some kind of unspoken rule about this, between sisters… ” Jinx stumbled on her words. “I think I’ve already messed up and broken the rule. I would have never had done it, Lucy, if I'd known—” “Jinx, calm down.” Lucy reached for her hand and in an almost motherly way, stroked it. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. What are you trying to say?” Jinx closed her eyes, willing the strength to tell Lucy the truth. She didn’t want to lose her sister, but she needed to start their relationship out right, not with a lie or an omission. She squeezed her eyes shut. “I seduced Jed.” She waited to hear the gasp, but instead, Lucy’s light giggle filled her ears. Jinx cracked an eye open. Instead of anger, a mischievous little smile had crept onto her sister’s face. “You…” She giggled harder. “You seduced Jed?” “Yes,” Jinx said, perplexed. “I made him kiss me.” She lowered her eyes to Lucy’s hand, which continued to hold hers. “That, among other things,” she admitted. “And what did he do?” Lucy inquired, sobering slightly. “When you made him kiss you?” “He stopped it, Lucy. He told me I didn’t deserve him, but I can see now he did it because he’s in love with you, and I’m so, so sorry—” “Wait.” Lucy pulled her hand away and extended it out into the air as her laughter came back. “You think Jed and I…?” She shook her head. “Oh no, honey. I’m not with Jed—not like that.” “But I saw the way he looked at you, the way he held you.” “We’ve been together for years, but there’s never been anything 109

between us. He’s like a brother to me. He’s been the only family I’ve known since I lost you. Jed may have a” —She grinned— “A healthy sexual appetite, but well, let’s just say I only see their faces once, if at all, never the same one twice.” She lifted her finger to her mouth in thought. “Well. Except for Nadine.” “Nadine?” Jinx’s relief vanished. “Yes. It was about five or six years ago. She came around for a few weeks, and Jed seemed to care for her. I’d confirmed a stash house. He usually checks out a site before we proceed with bringing it down,” she explained, “but the night he was scheduled to go in, Nadine was in some kind of work accident, minor injuries, but she was in the hospital. Jed went to see her and was late arriving at the stash house. When he got there….” She swallowed hard. “Jed found the five women being held captive dead, murdered execution style by a shot to the head. He blamed himself and thought his cover had been blown. I pleaded with him to lay low for a while. but he ignored me. He went after Otis Lambert, the man who’d held the women. Lambert was new to human trafficking and we didn’t know much about him. Jed was relentless and a pain in the ass during those weeks. He didn’t stop until Lambert turned up dead.” Lucy gave her a grim little smile. “Ironically—or not—Lambert was shot execution style, point blank, through the head.” “Jed?” Jinx guardedly asked. “I’m not sure. We found out Otis Lambert came from a well-todo family. He had a few more loose screws than the garden-variety perverts that run in trafficking circles. He’d shot those women just because he could. Jed’s cover wasn’t blown. Even if he’d arrived in time, he’d have found them already dead. But ever since, Jed hasn’t brought any woman around more than once.” “Misplaced guilt is easier for him than love, you mean?” Lucy shook her head. “I don’t know that he loved her. I don’t know if Jed’s ever been in love, or would even know what to do with an emotion like that. I have enough trouble trying to get him to show his feelings to me, and I’ve known the man for years.” “Yeah, I’ve noticed. Why is he like that?” Lucy smiled. “He’s seen a lot of ugly things, And he’s done things that he thinks he should be put away for.” 110

The Forbidden Claim “You said he thinks he’s not one of the good guys.” “Yeah, he thinks he’s a bad guy doing bad things. For good reasons, yet he can’t forgive himself for all those bad things.” **** Evil manipulates the brain. It reaches in and tears apart our defenses with its malevolence. The malice that grows from our innermost fears has no limits. It will feed off you. It will not be satisfied until nothing is left of you but a cold, numb carcass…. Soft whimpering, a familiar sound, brought the boy to his feet. He shuffled back, hitting the cold stone wall. He ran a hand over the bright white t-shirt and could still smell the soap on his hands as he brushed them over his sweaty face. Shaking, he tried to get himself under control. He needed to be calm for her. Light came through the opening door, and with it, a new girl. That made the boy cringe. The new ones were the most difficult to calm. Puffy lids surrounded her dark brown eyes. The whites were clouded to bloodshot red, and they glistened with tears. The door slammed shut like thunder, and the girl, who looked nine or ten years old, jumped and let out a little squeal. “It’s okay,” the boy said, not leaving his ritual position. “He’s gone, and he probably won’t be back for a while.” He kept his voice low and calm. The girl sniffled back a tear and swiped the back of her hand over her red little nose. “Who are you?” He smiled at her courage. Most of them cried hysterically for hours before he could get them to talk to him or even acknowledge his presence. “You can call me Boy. What is your name?” “Becca,” she said as she began to tremble. The boy knew from experience that he needed to keep her calm before she went into a fit. He took one step to test the waters, and Becca skidded back toward the door. He lifted his hand. “No, no.” He returned to the wall. “It’s okay. I’ll stay right here. I promise I will not hurt you.” Cautiously, she watched him. “Why am I here? Where’s my mom and dad?” 111

“I’m not going to lie to you. Bad people have taken you, Becca.” “Are you bad?” “Like I said, I won’t lie to you, and I won’t I hurt you.” She eyed him suspiciously. “You can sit over there.” He waved his hand at the bed. “I’ll stand right here.” After many minutes of silence, and watching him, and inspecting the sparse, dank room, Becca inched over to the bed and settled on it. Another hour of small talk, and the boy had inched his way closer to her, until he sat next to her on the bed. “You said the people are bad?” “Yes.” Becca’s lip quivered. “Am I going to die?” The boy knew that look. Becca was about to break, but he had to keep her strong. He placed his hand over hers, and when she didn’t flinch from his touch, he wrapped her hand in his. He looked into her eyes, their brown irises now full and bright. “Becca, I’m going to tell you a story, and when you feel like you can’t fight any more—or even if you feel like you’re going to die—I want you to remember this story, okay?” Her lips quivered at the mention of fighting and death, but she bravely whispered, “Okay.” He asked the usual question. “What’s your very most favorite animal?” “I like bunnies,” she said. He felt her hand squeeze his. “All right.” He smiled at her, and for the first time since she’d been kidnapped, Becca smiled back. **** After all she’d been through in the past few days, sleeping was impossible for Jinx. She lay in the bed, staring up at the empty ceiling. It was a relief to know Jed was not her sister’s lover, but she wondered why he hadn’t just had sex with her and walked away like Lucy said he’d done with all the rest. It was hard to grasp how messed up Jed’s life was, working for God only knew who, thinking he was responsible for those five women’s deaths, believing he 112

The Forbidden Claim didn’t deserve happiness. At least, that was what she’d gleaned from her conversation with Lucy. Lucy. Jinx couldn’t wrap her head around her sister’s brutal life either. She didn’t want to think about the rapes and the beatings she knew victims like her sister endured. It was no wonder Lucy had turned to drugs to dull the pain. But Jed saved her, just as he’d saved Maria, Emily, and Jinx herself. Lucy said Jed had saved untold numbers over the years. Shit, he's a saint! He’s not at all the monster he believes himself to be. Jinx wanted all of Jed, even if that included the unknown, the scary parts he felt he needed to hide from her. Damn it, she wanted it all. She sat up and fluffed her pillow and then lay back down. Lucy didn’t know who her father was. Jinx still wasn’t ready to share that it could be Aztec, the man who’d ruined Lucy’s life. Not unless she was sure. Now that she knew her real name, Divia Shores, she could investigate when she returned to work on Monday. It was only a few days away. Jed was due back the next day, and Jinx had already decided to hightail it out of here in the morning. She wanted Jed, but first she had to uncover the truth about herself. She doubted Jed would be able to handle it if she was the offspring of the man he’d been trying to bring down for years. **** Jinx smelled Old Spice, and the raunchy old-man odor was mixed with a hint of cigars. Her body was light, strangely small, and was held up by an extremely powerful force. She lowered her head onto a solid object sheathed by a soft material, and the horrid stench became stronger. Her eyes were open, but she couldn’t make out anything. The blackness blinded her, but there were thin strands of faint light fighting to get through. “You’ve got her,” she heard a man say. “That was the deal. What more do you want?” The solid object holding her started to shake as a rumble vibrated through to her ears, followed by frightening laughter. “How easily you offered her to me,” the voice said between evil cackles. 113

“You said if I gave her to you, we’d be even,” she heard the weaker voice say. “No man should give up what’s his.” She felt a pressure on her head as the man holding her stroked her hair. “No!” the weaker voice cried. “Please! Please, don’t kill me!” The fear in the voice made Jinx lift her head. She twisted, struggling to see through the darkness. She started to tremble uncontrollably. “My sweet child—” She was pulled, her head jostled against a hard form. “Shh. Lie down. Everything’s going to be all right, my sweet child.” Jinx’s ears were covered just before the deafening sound of a gun being fired split them. She screamed hysterically. “Jinx!” A familiar voice called out, but she couldn’t stop the convulsions or the screaming. “Jinx, wake up!” The strong voice broke through her strangling cries. Her face was being held tenderly. “Baby, wake up.” Though it was dark, Jinx made out Jed’s outline. “Yeah, that’s it, baby. Look at me.” “Jed?” she whispered. Her heart was still banging against her chest. “You were having a nightmare.” She shook her head, and her face slid along his hands. “No, it wasn’t a nightmare. It was—” She quivered as the reality of it hit her. “It was a memory. He, he—” “Just relax. Take a deep breath and calm down. You’re safe now.” Jed’s whisper was hoarse. His thumbs fanned her cheeks, his eyes gently searched hers, and he soothed her. The strength and assurance that flowed from those tender, green eyes seemed to absorb her newfound fear, taking it from her. Her mind started to clear, and as the trepidation washed away, she gasped. “I was in his arms and he killed him!” “Who?” Jed brushed his hand over her forehead. “Who killed him? What are you talking about?” “I don’t know,” she said, wishing it were only a nightmare that could be more easily dismissed. She reached out for him. “Please, Jed. Just hold me.” 114

The Forbidden Claim The look in his eyes told her he wanted to run, but he scooped her into his comforting arms and drew her to his warm body. “Go to sleep, Jinx.” He nestled her head against his soft but solid chest with his hand. Without questioning her any further, he assured her, “I won’t leave you. I’ll be right here, baby.” **** Jed somehow ended up right where he’d told himself he wouldn’t go—back into Jinx’s gripping, threatening trap. But when he heard her screaming, a blinding need to protect her invaded him, and that damn trap had snapped shut. He cared for nothing else. With his bare hands, he’d kill for her. He’d steal another’s life to keep her safe. Damn, he’d sacrifice his own life for her. Absentmindedly, he caressed her hair. He could hear her breaths evening out. She was sleeping in his arms, a very dangerous place. Jed had managed to control his rage over the years, but something in Jinx stirred the tiger within him. It was a continuous battle, fighting his desire and his need to protect her, even from himself. Unable to perform the act of love, he was wary of what he wanted to do to her body. He knew he was confusing his dormant rage with his necessity to be with her, and the two emotions clashed perilously. The door to her room opened, and in its crack the whites of Lucy’s eyes were illuminated by moonlight. She took in the sight— the devil holding an angel. Not one word fell from her lips, but Jed knew what she was thinking. He had no right to be there, no right to be the one to offer Jinx comfort. He knew in his heart he should get up from the bed and allow Lucy to take his place, but he selfishly refused to do that. He didn’t want to let Jinx go—at least not yet. Maybe tomorrow would be different, but he could make no promises. He closed his eyes to block out Lucy’s and pulled Jinx closer to his body as he heard the creaking of the door as it closed. ****

115

“She’s my sister, Jed!” Jed fetched a mug from the cupboard. He was prepared for this confrontation and had expected it. He shoved a hand through his hair and turned. “I know.” “Then what are you doing?” Lucy glared at him, unwilling to back down from his black mood, as always. “Do you even care about her?” Jed’s eyes moved away as he took a swig of the steaming coffee. Lucy stood and went to him. “Jed Kane, you look at me.” When he refused to budge, she moved until she met his eyes. “I won’t let you hurt my sister, Jed.” Anger shot through him, and his hand tightened on the hot mug. “Do you think I want to hurt her?” Lucy’s eyes softened. “No. But I can’t let you break her heart.” “No shit!” He shifted the cup in his hand and took a second much-needed swig of coffee. He held the burning liquid in his mouth so he wouldn’t say anything stupid, like how he really felt about Jinx. He cared for her, but it went deeper than that. When he thought about her, all he could hear was Jinx suggesting they were connected souls. Jed rationalized that wasn’t possible. He wasn’t even sure he had a soul. But there was no denying the connection between them. “Jed,” Lucy said, and he heard everything else she wanted to say before it fell from her mouth. “I know,” he barked. “Don’t worry. It ends right now.” “That’s not what I’m asking.” Lucy sighed. “I just want you to be honest with her. She’ll never understand you without knowing the truth.” Jed grabbed her by the arm, more forcefully than he’d intended, “She will never know the truth,” he snapped, and Lucy’s eyes widened with fright, waking him from his fury. He let go of her arm and stepped back. “The truth about what?” Jed’s whole body tensed at the sound of Jinx’s voice. Rage tried again to become his companion, but he suppressed it. He raised his eyes to Jinx, who was standing in the doorway, awaiting an answer. He cracked a one-sided grin. “Good morning, little lady. Sleep 116

The Forbidden Claim well?” “You know very well how I slept.” She stalked into the room and gave Lucy a fleeting glance. “What were you talking about?” Lucy turned away and sat down at the table. Jed knew she’d hold her tongue. Lucy never had any trouble confronting him, but she was forever faithful. “Nothing you need concern yourself with.” He took another gulp of his coffee and set the mug on the counter. “You’ll be gone after today, Jinx. Of course you’ll see Lucy. But as for me, I don’t ever want to see you again.” He finished his proclamation—one he’d made not only to her but also to himself—winked at her, and left the room.

117

Chapter Nine Jinx tilted her head at Lucy. “What the hell’s wrong with him? What bug crawled up his ass this morning?” Lucy started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” “You,” Lucy said, catching her breath from her laughter. “He just said he never wants to see you again, and you don’t seem to care.” She heaved her shoulders. “You just brushed it off.” She giggled. “Yeah? Well, that’s because whether he likes it or not, he’s going to see me again. Why are you laughing?” “I adore you, Jinx.” Lucy sobered slightly. “Tell me, how did you meet up with Jed after you escaped him? And that was pretty smooth of you, by the way. He told me the whole thing. He had to, considering I was the one who had to remotely shut down the bracelet that was zapping him.” “I feel a little bad about that,” Jinx admitted. “A little. But it was Aztec who—” Lucy completely sobered. “Aztec?” “Yes. I went to the prison and confronted him about the picture I had of you and him together, and—” “Jed!” Lucy yelled his name. “Jed!!” He strutted into the kitchen. “What?” he calmly replied as he hitched a thumb into the pocket of his jeans and settled back against the counter. “Jinx is leaving today,” Lucy said. “Yeah, I know.” “You have to go with her.” “What? No way!” Jinx wanted Jed, but first she had to get her life in order. “Yes.” Lucy glared at her. “If Aztec saw that you had a photo of me, he’ll realize there’s a connection between us. He might send someone to trail you, hoping you’ll lead them to me.” She turned to Jed with stern eyes. “You didn’t tell me she’d seen Aztec. You knew 118

The Forbidden Claim she was in danger. What were you planning to do? Let her leave here unprotected?” “No. I was going to keep an eye on her,” he returned dryly. “An eye? That’s not good enough! She’s my sister!” “You made that perfectly clear.” “I want you with her every second of the day,” Lucy declared. “While she’s at work, at home, everywhere.” Jinx really didn’t like the sound of that, and from the look on Jed’s face, he wasn’t thrilled either. His smile became a snicker. “Are you sure about that, Lucy?” Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, I’m sure.” “Fine,” he grumbled, “but tell your little sister here that she’s to listen to me and must do exactly as I say.” “Wait one minute!” Jinx protested. “I haven’t agreed to any of this.” “Please, let him stay with you until Friday,” Lucy coaxed. “Then you can come back here with me for the weekend. And, Jed, that’s enough,” she said, darting him a glare. “Jinx is a U.S. Marshal, so don’t treat her like a child. And she doesn’t need to be bullied, either. Just watch over her for me, okay?” “No problem.” Jed pushed himself from the counter and flashed his wicked eyes at Jinx. “But she’d better behave, or there’s no telling what I might do.“ “Jed, I know you will do… as you always do,” Lucy said, refusing to take Jed’s visible but unspoken bait. “What’s that?” Jinx blurted out, wanting to be a part of their read-between-the-lines code-speak. This secretive shit was getting on her nerves. Lucy gave Jed a fond smile and turned to Jinx. “He will do what is right.” **** Jed dropped the oversized duffle bag on the hardwood floor. The spare bedroom Jinx had given him was plain, but comfortable. The double-sized bed was probably too short, and his feet would hang off the end, but the pale blue sheets looked cool and welcoming, like 119

the rest of her apartment, which was decorated with white walls and light earth-tone accents. The curtains, furniture, and even the pictures on the walls were in tranquil colors. It was immaculately clean, with not a speck of dust dirtying the warm atmosphere. Jinx poked her head into the doorway. “Need anything?” Yeah. To get the hell out of here, he thought. “No.” She was wearing something like an oversized man’s t-shirt. Her dark curls wildly brushed her beautiful face. “I know where the bathroom is, and it’s getting late….” He trailed off, hoping she would get the hint. She tapped the door jamb. “Okay,” she said, but she didn’t move. “What time do you go to work?” “I leave here a little after seven. Why?” “So I know what time to get up.” He lifted the duffle bag to search for a toothbrush and to veer his attention from her large eyes, pursed lips, and bare legs, the ones that had been wrapped so tightly around him only a few nights ago. “Jed,” she whispered. He didn’t want to look at her. Fuck! Doesn’t she know it’s killing me to be here, at her apartment, sleeping right down the hall from her? Why can’t she leave it alone? Leave me alone! What the hell does she want anyway? To see how hungry she can make the monster before I give in and devour her? “I know you care about me, Jed.” His gaze shot up at her. He hadn’t anticipated those words, but then again, the chick didn’t know when to curb her tongue. Should I deny it? Admit it? He chose to ignore it. He tossed the bag into the corner of the room, forgetting about the toothbrush. “Go to bed, Jinx,” he replied caustically. “We have five long days to get through.” She smiled sweetly. “Just admit it, and I’ll be a good girl and go to bed.” “A good girl?” He took a risky step toward her. “A good girl wouldn’t want someone like me caring about her.” Her eyes roamed him freely, and she fearlessly stood her ground. He took in her essence and her fierce gaze. “What I feel for you is something you should fear, not encourage.” 120

The Forbidden Claim She giggled. “Fear?” Jed took another step toward her. “Yes, Jinx.” He stroked her body with his gaze, feeling the fire mount in him. “I don’t want to care about you, I don’t want to make love to you, and I sure as hell don’t want to play fucking house with you. I’m only here because Lucy asked me to be, and she matters to me.” She swallowed hard, and he watched the lump slither down her delicate throat. “Then, what do you want to do with me?” “I want to own you,” he viciously confessed. “And in my book, feeling like that about another human being is forbidden.” She giggled again. That infuriated him. “You’d better take this seriously.” She paused, brow furrowed. “I think you believe what you feel for me is wrong.” She reached out and touched his arm, sending a nearly unbearable electric pulse through him. “But there are other ways to want to own someone. Good ways. I have free will, Jed, and that free will wants to take you into my bedroom and have you all for myself. I want to be yours, Jed. I want to hear you call me yours.” His eye twitched, and his muscles bunched. “See? That’s what you don’t understand.” He glared down at her, maintaining his discipline. “I don’t give a fuck what you want. I couldn’t give two shits about the good or the bad way I feel or whatever way you’re trying to rationalize this in that crazy head of yours.” He leaned in and growled, his rage boiling over. “I want to take you, keep you, and own you in a way that is unsafe to your fucking free will.” She lifted her chin. “You don’t care what I want?” “Nope,” he assured her flatly. Her hand fell from his arm. She eyed him for a few long seconds. Then she turned on her heels and walked back into her room, slamming the door closed behind her. Jed grimaced. Well, that was easier than I thought. All I have to do is… is be mean to her? He could do that, though he wasn’t certain for how long, as he was already haunted by the sadness he’d seen in her eyes. He hated to admit that to himself. **** 121

Banging filled her ears. Jinx pulled the sheet over her head. “Hey!” She heard Jed’s stern voice call, and then the sound—that annoying loud, knocking—started up again. She tossed the sheet from over her head, pitched up on her elbow and looked over at the door that Jed was filling. “What?” “Do you run?” “Run?” She blinked, still trying to wipe away her nighttime cobwebs. Focusing, she saw Jed standing there in a t-shirt and athletic pants. He looked appealing, but she groaned. “Yeah,” he said, his gaze flicking to her and lingering. But he grumbled, “I need some kind of exercise while I’m stuck here.” “Yes,” she hissed and threw the sheet off her body. “I run.” And, oh boy, did they run! Normally, Jinx ran five miles, but Jed pushed her to eight. Even though she was ready to fall on her face somewhere around the six-and-a-half-mile mark, she wasn’t about to give Jed the satisfaction of knowing he was pushing her too hard. When they returned to her apartment, she took a shower. And then, just when she was ready to give up on him, she walked into her kitchen to find breakfast set out on her two-person nook. An omelet and some toast. “You… cook?” Jed glanced up from the newspaper. “Yeah. I know how to cook, clean up after myself, and look, I can even read.” He ruffled the paper in his hand condescendingly. “I am human, ya know.” Jinx remained immobilized, though she wasn’t sure which had paralyzed her, that he’d cooked her breakfast or that he’d so bitterly defended himself. He almost seemed concerned about what she thought about him. “Believe me,” she returned, pulling a stool out and letting her gaze take in his body as he had done in her bedroom earlier, “I am well aware that you’re human.” She sat down, tried to disregard his alluring scent, and picked up the fork sitting next to the inviting plate of food. “This looks good. Thanks.” The next three days went by without a hitch. Jed waited out in the car while Jinx checked into work each morning to get her case files for the day, and he remained in the car while she looked in on her clients. One time, he did go inside a store after she’d been there 122

The Forbidden Claim a little too long, but he didn’t blow her cover. She was talking to Jim Galan, an ex-con involved in WITSEC, the Witness Security Program, because he’d given up his partner in a racketeering scam. Jed moseyed around the place and bought a candy bar before he followed her out to the car. They were running out of small talk, and even with all that small talk, Jinx hadn’t gotten to know Jed any better. Still wounded by his harsh words—that he didn’t care what she wanted—she had kept her distance. When he first lashed out at her, crying seemed fitting, but in bed that night, when his words had a chance to sink in, she understood. She figured it out. He was afraid of his feelings. As Lucy had said, Jed wouldn’t know what to do with an emotion like love. It wasn't that Jinx was foolish enough to think he was in love with her. But he had strong feelings for her, and those feelings were evidently kicking the shit out of him. Why else would he have come to my room at his house and held me all night after the nightmare, or memory, or whatever the hell it was? She still hadn’t figured that out. Who was the man that had been shot while she was being held by Aztec. “My child.” It was Aztec’s voice. He had called her the same thing when she’d visited him in prison. The man holding her in her dream was Aztec. She checked out every government database she had access to, but she couldn’t find any information on Divia Shores. For the heck of it, she logged onto the WITSEC site, and there it was. Divia Shores. She couldn’t open the records, though. She wasn’t sure what aggravated her more, the bold red letters flashing “access denied” or the fact that she’d been enrolled in WITSEC since she was six years old and never knew it until now. The necessity of discovering if Aztec was really her father only pressed harder. But with Jed watching her every move, she couldn’t get to Aztec to confront him about the dream, or about the man he’d killed. She could hardly tell Jed, “Hey, my daddy is the man who put my sister through hell—the one you’ve been tracking for years.” She had thought about it, but her heart fought her and won again. Then there was Lucy. Jinx had to be certain about Aztec before Lucy found out. She had no desire to lose a sister, only to gain a 123

murderer for a father. Thursday came, and Jinx knew she only had one more night with Jed. But as the day continued on as had the others, she started to worry that she might never see him again once he left. They sat in the car watching Billy Crump, a teenage kid brought into WITSEC a few months back with his parents. She had received a call from his father, who was worried Billy was hanging with the wrong crowd. Jinx normally didn’t get involved with domestic issues of that nature, but she had a soft spot for Billy. He’d been through a lot. She couldn’t relate to what he was going through, being pulled away from his friends back home, but she wished it were otherwise. She’d never had a chance to have childhood friends for long. She shrugged it off. Those years were gone, and there was no getting them back. Jed was in the passenger seat, vigilantly scoping out the surroundings. She wondered what his teenage years had been like and what had brought him to hunt down scum like her could-be father. “So,” she began, rolling her fingers over the steering wheel, “how long did you look for Aztec?” Jed cocked his head at her, as though considering whether to go there with her. Finally, he simply answered, “Years.” “Was it because of Lucy?” “Yes, and because he goes after the young ones. He doesn’t work like most in the States. They buy them for pennies from other countries, sometimes from their own parents. Aztec, on the other hand, kidnaps his victims. He steals them from their homes.” The sunshine through the windshield had no chance against the anger turning Jed’s eyes black. “Right now, there are children being held hostage, locked up somewhere.” He stopped, and Jinx assumed he was unable to say the words. To say what happened to children under Aztec’s control. “And that’s what you do, Jed? You save them?” “You make it sound so fucking righteous,” he snarled. “I’m sorry.” She could see his indignation. “I didn’t understand Maria’s situation,” she explained, disregarding his lashing out. “There’s no understanding. You were right.” He looked straight into her heart. “How could I knowingly leave a child in that situation?” 124

The Forbidden Claim If he wanted her to believe he was a monster, Jinx wasn’t falling for it. But she was falling for Jed. “Lucy told me you’ve saved thousands over the years, and without recognition, not one single ‘thank you’! It’s a selfless and righteous thing you do. You can try to deny it,” she said, “but I see you.” She refused to let his glower back her down. “And do you know what I see?” “No,” he responded flatly. “I see a good man.” Jed’s eyes diverted, and he took a deep breath. “What’s your boy doing out there?” Jinx gave him a break. She’d said what she felt, and he had listened. She saw Billy pause in front of the five-and-dime with another boy. They had been talking, but she saw the other boy had a knife in his hand. Jinx flew out of the car. She heard Jed yelling for her, but all she could see was Billy getting stabbed on her watch. Billy saw her coming and bolted. Jed’s footsteps heavily behind her. “I got the one with the knife!” he called out. “Of course you do,” she muttered, but without argument she followed Billy into the apartment building. Billy was more apt to stop for her than than some huge guy coming at him like an angry freight train. She climbed the neglected stairs, five flights up, and pushed the exit door open. The sun blinded her. Billy turned, caught sight of her, and started to run again. His feet speedily padded until he soared into the air and landed hard on the adjacent rooftop. “Billy!” she called, sprinting toward him and praying he was all right. She stopped when he lifted his head from the ground. Her heartbeat slowed down a smidgen. He pulled himself up, and then the little shit went back to running. “Jinx!” She glanced over her shoulder to find Jed at the door. The freight train had come to a complete stop, but the steam continued to violently chug, and the engine silently roared. He was easily twenty feet away, but he was livid. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned in a low, harsh tone. 125

Her smile grew from the inside out. She knew Jed read her smile for what it was—defiance. Jinx flipped around and started to sprint. She needed to build up enough speed to clear the jump. She pushed off hard and landed safely on the other roof. To save herself from falling from the impact, she did a somersault, then stood up. The freaking freight train came full steam at her. Once Jed’s foot made contact with the rooftop, Jinx headed in the direction Billy had gone. The crunching of Jed’s feet became louder. He was going to pass her. She shot a look behind, pointing. “Billy went through that door!” she yelled, hoping he could catch up to the boy before she could. Jed grabbed her wrist, spinning her around. She stumbled, but those strong hands held on tightly, stopping her from the fall. His fingers dug into her flesh as he shook her. “He’s getting away!” The look on his face chilled her. His nostrils were flared, his eyes narrowed, and his jaw was hard and tight. His chest heaved with each breath. Jed was, literally and figuratively, fuming. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he yelled. Dread and fury merged in his dark green eyes. Plain as a pig on the sofa, Jed was worried about her. The expression on his face was that of a parent disciplining a child for doing something dangerous. Her adoptive parents had always spoken to her in soft, gentle tones, even when they reprimanded her. Jinx had never been yelled at for anything, let alone out of caring concern, but she found she kind of liked it. His violent show of affection, in a strange way, turned her on. He shook her harder. “Fuck, Jinx! You could’ve killed yourself,” he seethed, and shoved her from him. Jinx staggered backward, her ankle twisted, and she fell onto her bottom. But this time, Jed made no effort to save her from the fall. Sitting on the rooftop, she flipped her curls from her face. Jed stood with his hands fisted at his side. The sun was almost gone behind the building, and his shadowy silhouette resembled some dark, mythical creature of the night, some wonder created by the gods, volatile but utterly gorgeous. 126

The Forbidden Claim “Jed, I knew I could make the jump,” she calmly answered, attempting to ease his temper, but the comment seemed to amplify it. Moving forward, he loomed over her. “Take your pants off,” he snarled. Every muscle in her face scrunched up. “What?” she choked. “You heard me,” he said. “What are you going to do?” Taking in her surroundings, she sneered up at him. “Are you gonna try to screw me right here on this rooftop?” With structured control, Jed crouched down in front of her. “No,” he said between clenched teeth. Ready to scamper back from his threatening tone, from the destructive gleam in his eyes, she straightened her bending backbone and briskly asked, “Then why the hell do you want me to take off my pants?” Jed closed in on her. His scent invaded her nostrils. His hardened features didn’t crack when he candidly replied, “I have to punish you for the stupid stunt you just pulled.” Her palms flattened on the ground as she tensed, ready to flee. “Punish me?” Her voice came out high pitched. “Yes.” A sardonic smile curved his mouth. He placed a finger beneath her chin, getting her full attention. “You’re fearless, Jinx, and I don’t think you’ve ever been properly punished for it, for the foolish things you do.” He leaned in closer, and Jinx went from nervous to shivery. “Now, unbutton your pants and wiggle your little ass out of them before I do it for you.” Wait! If he doesn’t plan on fucking me, what the hell is he planning? No! He can’t mean… As the notion hit her, she gasped. “Are you going to spank me?” That mischievous smile turned cold. “The thought did cross my mind,” he said, dropping his finger, “but right now, I’m too pissed off. I can’t trust myself not to hurt you.” “Then what the hell are you going to do?” His hand went to her pants. He pinched the button with his finger. “I’m going to place my mouth on your pussy.” His eyes shot up at her. “And then I’m going to lick you until you cum.” “Well,” Jinx stuttered. She heard the metal hiss of her zipper as it 127

went down. “Well, that doesn’t sound like a punishment to me.” “That’s because,” Jed said and gathered the sides of her slacks into his hands, “that’s not the punishment.” Lost to the heated look in his eyes, vanquished by the threat of the mysterious, naughty punishment, she fretfully asked, “Then what is?” “After you cum,” he said, yanking her pants off, “you’re going to want me—probably beg me—to be inside you.” He stripped her panties from her body. “But I’m not going to satisfy your want.” He inched down between her legs. “And that is going to be your punishment.” “How can you be so sure you’ll even make me cum?” A cocky grin fastened upon his handsome face. Brushing off her comment he said, “Lift your hips.” Unable to stop them, Jinx gave in, and her hips rose. “Now take your fingers and place them between your legs. Open yourself up for me.” Jinx’s hands slid over her chest, past her quivering belly, and for a second time, she did as he requested. Jed followed her hands. “Damn, baby. You’re glistening already,” he snickered. “Wet and ready. You can’t wait for me to taste you, can you?” “No,” she lied, her stomach tying in a knot of expectation. Locking onto her heated glare, he bent his head. The tip of his tongue slithered out of his mouth, and he flicked her clit with it. She almost dropped her hips from the searing poke. He lashed her sensitive nub a few more times. As he hovered over her, as she saw his dark eyes and felt his hot tongue, Jinx forgot she was on a rooftop, forgot it was only meant to punish her in the end. The moist thickness of his tongue entered her opening. Her ass muscles tensed, and she thrust forward, needing more. It was her first time being fucked by a tongue, and her body became weak from the consuming feel of it. Her hips slowly drifted downward as every cell in her body collected in her womanly chasm. Jed’s hands caught her hips before they hit the ground. “Come back here,” he hoarsely grunted and greedily pulled her up to his wicked mouth. His lips encased her clit, suctioning around her 128

The Forbidden Claim warmth as he started to suck. Her head fell back. She groaned from the sheer, erotic contact. A sudden vibrating sensation started to tickle her where his mouth was. She became still, quiet. Jed was humming, like a harsh purr or maybe a growl. Jinx wasn’t sure what it was, but she didn’t want it to stop. It put her mini vibrator to shame. This new sensation was controlled not by batteries, but by Jed’s magical mouth. She pulled herself open wider for him, and his firm hands moved to her backside. He squeezed her ass. His licking, sucking, and the sound and vibration all intensified as he roughly nuzzled her with his face and jerked her ass with his merciless hands. “Oh shit,” she panted, “Je—” His name caught in her throat. “Jed, that feels sooo good. Yes! Oh yes, do it some more.” The hum tickled her, quivered her tender flesh. “What the hell are you doing to me?” Her hips writhed beneath his stronghold. A finger slipped inside her, then another, and she sucked in a sharp breath from his probing. “I’m preparing you. I’m gonna make you cum, baby.” He smiled wickedly. “And you’re almost there, aren’t you?” He pushed his fingers hard up into her. He curled them inside her and found the spot, which he freaking hit again and again. “Jed!” she implored. “Oh that’s it, Jed. You got it… right there!” “Right here?” he teased, striking the spot harder, digging her with his fingers. “Yes! Do that, Jed. Oh yes! Please don’t… don’t stop!” Jinx cried. Shit! She was going to cum, but she didn’t want it to end. His hand moved from her ass, and he pitched forward over her body and reached behind her neck. He pulled her close to him, his fingers still hitting the spot. “You’re making me so fucking hard. You want me inside you. Don’t you?” His voice had changed. It was lustfully hoarse. “You’re imagining me filling you right now, aren’t you?” His relentless fingers simulated his words, ravishing her. “You want me, don’t you, Jinx? Say it, Jinx. Tell me you want me to take you.” “Yes,” she shallowly whispered, looking into his passion-filled eyes. She groaned. “Tell me, Jinx.” 129

“I want you so bad, Jed. Take me, Jed. I want it hard, deep, and fast!” “You want me to fuck you?” “No….” She shook her head, making every effort to deny the truth. She didn’t want it to stop. “I need to hear it, unless you want me stop what I’m doing. Say the words, Jinx. Tell me how bad you want me.” He started to withdraw his fingers. “Son of a bitch!” Out of frustration, she punched him in the back. “Damn it!” She caught his glossy gems, those sexy emerald eyes wickedly smiling at her with satisfaction, and she gave him another hard whack on the back. He grinned with that sexy, knowing smile of his, and then forcefully impaled her with his fingers. “Let me hear the words,” he taunted. Unable to take it any longer, Jinx forwent beating him up and grabbed his sturdy shoulders instead. She needed something strong to hold on to when she finally released. “I want you inside me,” she whispered shallowly from her burning lungs and tossed her head back. Her throat was dry. She huskily capitulated and divulged the truth. “I want you to take me.” “Look at me.” Jed’s throaty tone coaxed her to lift her head. “Yes, you do. I can see it in your eyes, feel it all over your dripping wet pussy. I can even feel it inside you. You're so tight, baby.” Drowning in the deep green sea of his eyes, Jinx struggled for each breath. “Tight and hot, baby, I want to watch you.” He picked up the thrusts of his fingers. “I want to look in your eyes when you cum for me.” Gazing up at the mesmerizing and insatiable Jed, Jinx was unable to hold back the overwhelming sexual energy he had created by his hot words and superb touch. Joining the movement of his fingers, she let Jed fuck her with them. “Don’t stop!” she called out as the waves of ecstasy took over her body. The shuddering contractions previously confined to her internally had finally exploded. “Oh, Jed!” “That’s it, baby. Give me what I want. Give me that cum.” His 130

The Forbidden Claim hooded eyes wouldn’t let her go. She blinked with every spasm, but he held on tight, making the experience that much more incredible. As the last wave shot through her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Abruptly he took over the situation, wildly claiming her mouth. His hands palmed her cheeks, and he deepened the kiss. He pressed his arousal against her, grinding her with it. Her hands ran down his strong arms to his chest, and when she made it to his waist, she started to undo his buttons, anxious to have him inside of her. But Jed pulled back from her. His palms hit the ground and his arms straightened. He lingered above her. He heaved a heavy sigh and searched her eyes. “And so the punishment begins,” he said before he cruelly winked at her and jumped to his feet. For a millisecond, Jinx thought he was going to cave, to give in to her and give her what she most wanted. But the damn man was adamant about making her suffer for jumping the buildings. A point needed to be made, and he was going to make it. She secretly admired him for his strength, for the will to stop and not take her right there on the roof. He was a real man, made up of discipline and authority, and able-bodied in more ways than one. Jinx pulled her pants up and, with much difficulty, managed to get back on her feet. Her legs were still shaking from the orgasm and from that kiss. She ran her fingers through her hair and gave him a sideways glance with a thought. “Tell me, Jed. What are you being punished for?” His forehead wrinkled. “Me?” She walked over to him, smiling at his addled expression. “Yes, Jed, ’cause we both know that right now, you’re hard as a rock. You want to screw me, and you’re obviously punishing yourself by not satisfying your needs. So what is it, bad boy? What have you done that you need to be punished for?” Jed snatched her arm, “You really want to know?” “I asked, didn’t I?” “Meeting you, Jinx. That’s my fucking crime. Colliding with you. But believe me, I’m being punished every second of the day for that.” He pushed her toward the door. 131

**** “Where is he?” Jinx looked from her car to Jed. “Did you let him go?” “What were you going to do? Arrest him?” Jed walked toward the car. “He was just a kid. Billy was looking to buy a knife from him. You were right, though. Billy’s mixed up in some kind of gang. He’s trying to get out of it, so he wanted some protection. It seems like something his parents should be involved in, not a U.S. Marshal.” He stopped at the car. “Toss me the keys. I’m driving.” “No. I want to drive.” She followed him over to the driver side. “Don’t you remember, Jinx, that I don’t give two shits what you want? Now hand over the keys.” He had to hurt her. It was that or succumb to taking her forever, claiming her as his. The threat had heightened, especially after discovering the taste of her. She was tangy but sweet. The light scent lingered in his brain, fogging his ability to be in charge of his sensibilities. He couldn’t allow her to occupy his thoughts or senses, for he always had to stay alert. He was with her to keep her safe, but the only thing he really wanted to do was taste her again. “Fine.” She whipped the keys at him. He caught them, along with the wounded look in her eyes before she rounded the car and got in the passenger side with a slam of the door. Yep, she’s hurt. Mission accomplished, he thought as remorse did a slow drip into his heart. It was the end of the day, and Jed knew they’d be heading back to her apartment. He wanted to drive to get his mind off her. He could force himself to pay attention to the road, the stop signs, the lights, or anything other than what he wanted to do to her, with her. What he didn’t want to think about was the fact that they were indeed going to her apartment, where they would be confined together, alone. Unable to trust himself with her, he considered calling Gil and asking him to take over his babysitting duties. Jed couldn’t succumb to that either, though, or to his weakness and lack of control. He had to bite the bullet and get through the next twentyfour hours. 132

The Forbidden Claim Jinx didn’t bother to hide her attitude. Apparently, he’d upset her, but he couldn’t figure out if it was due to leaving her feeling completely unsatisfied after she came or because he’d again informed her he didn’t give a shit about what she wanted. Truly, though, he did care, and he wanted her to want him, even if he couldn’t tell her so.

133

Chapter Ten Evil, as powerful as it may appear, does not exist without weakness. The lullaby sung by a mother to her baby; a fairytale read to a child by a father; the whispers of devotion between lovers: these are moments when Evil becomes defenseless. For, the most fierce, unconditional, and unbreakable thing in the world is Love. The boy looked at Becca. He knew what she was going to be put through when she was taken from the room, and it saddened him, especially since the only thing he had to offer her, to help keep her safe and protected, was a story. “Once upon a time, there was a bunny. She lived in the forest. One day while the bunny was outside playing….” He stopped and tilted his head at Becca. “What should we have in our story? A pond, a lake, or the ocean?” “A pond,” Becca quickly said. “Okay. How about a blue pond? You can see straight though to the bottom, and there are lots of frogs sitting on those big green leaves.” He paused and gave Becca a glance. “Lily pads!” she excitedly shouted out. “Yes, you’re right! That’s what they’re called, huh, Becca?” He praised her, aware that he needed to keep her in the story, so she could make herself part of another reality that wasn’t as painful as the one she was caught in. “The frogs are singing.” He stopped again. “Ribbet, ribbet!” Becca chimed in. The boy laughed. “Yep! Ribbet, ribbet. The bunny stops to watch them, to listen to them sing. She looks into the pond and she sees her face. Hmm… I wonder what color this bunny is.” “Purple!” Becca giggled. “She’s purple.” He made a funny face. “A purple bunny?” The boy laughed and shrugged his shoulders, “Okay. The purple bunny sees the sun’s bright reflection in the clear water. The wind ruffles her purple fur, and she starts to hop along until she is paw deep in a meadow. The 134

The Forbidden Claim grass is high, and there are tall, yellow dandelions, and um… um….” “Red roses, pink lilies, and sunflowers,” Becca said. “I love them. My grandma has those in her garden.” The boy could see the pain reaching her eyes from the memory, from the worry that she might never see her grandma or those flowers again. He jumped up from the bed and threw his hands out in the air. “Are they this big?” He jumped up, stretching his arms even wider. “Or this big?” A smile started to tug at her mouth. “Bigger!” she loudly said and then placed a hand over her mouth. The boy gave her smile to assure her everything was all right. “Bigger,” she whispered. He squinted at her. “Even bigger than me?” She nodded, and her smile was full and bright. “Okay.” He sat back down beside her with a puff. “Bigger than me,” he conceded. “Although this bunny is having fun hopping along and smelling the really big flowers, she wishes she had a friend to play with. Then—poof!—with that very thought, a fox comes strolling along into the meadow.” “A fox?” “Yes. He’s not much bigger than the bunny, and he looks very friendly with his wide smile, so when he asks her to play a game, the bunny says she will. The fox wants to play hide-and-seek. Have you ever played that before?” “Yeah. Me and Sarah from down the street like to play it in the cornfield across from our houses,” Becca said. “Well, the fox wants to go play deep in woods, but the bunny knows she’s not allowed in there, because her parents said it is dangerous. It’s dark and scary, but the fox tells the bunny he won’t play with her if she doesn’t go in there. The bunny doesn’t want to lose her new friend, so she agrees to follow him into the part of the woods where the sun never goes.” “How dark is it?” “Oh, Becca, it’s very dark! She can hardly see where she’s going as she trails along behind the fox,” the boy explained. Becca’s eyes widened. “Is she scared?” “Yep, and when a trap snaps around her paw, she becomes even 135

more scared.” “A trap? Like with those big, metal teeth?” The boy nodded. Becca’s eyes started to tear up. “Is she okay?” The boy knew the rest of the story was going to upset Becca, but to keep her strong, he also knew it had to be told. “No. She’s been cut, and she’s bleeding,” he said. “Where’s the fox, her friend? He can help her,” Becca exclaimed. “The fox is there, but he’s a very sly one, that fox. He lured the bunny into the dark woods so he could trap her.” Becca looked at him, and her eyes turned glossy. “This isn’t a very nice story!” “No, it’s not, Becca,” the boy agreed, but still he had to go on with his macabre tale. “The fox tricked the bunny. See, evil got into that fox, and it made him take that bunny. It wants the fox to hurt her.” “Why?” “Because that’s what evil does. The poor little bunny was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “Does….” Becca’s nose scrunched up, and a tear slipped from her eye. “Does the bunny… does she die?” “That bunny is very strong. The fox comes back every day and does very mean things to her. He hurts the bunny, and the trap is still cutting into the bunny’s leg. She’s still bleeding,” the boy said. “Stop!” the girl screamed and placed her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to hear any more!” The boy rubbed Becca’s hand. “I’m sorry, Becca, but I have to finish the story. It is very important.” He waited for Becca to relax, and once she settled down he asked, “Are you ready to hear the rest of the story?” “No.” She sniffled. “But if you think I need to hear the rest, you… you can tell me it,” she meekly answered and placed her hands in her lap. The boy smiled at her bravery. “Like you, Becca, the bunny is tough. She knows that just beyond the dark forest is the sun, and farther is her home, her mom and dad. So, that little bunny keeps fighting. With every single passing day, she takes whatever that nasty fox does to her.” The boy looked at Becca’s terrified gaze. “But 136

The Forbidden Claim because she chooses not to give up, one day she is rescued.” “How? By who? Tell me who rescues her.” “I’m not really sure, Becca,” he said and tilted his head thoughtfully. “See, this is your story, and the end of the story hasn’t happened yet. The man who stole you from your family, he’s like the fox. He has evil in him, but you must stay strong and not let that evil beat you down.” The boy reached out and took both of her small hands into his. “I promise you, Becca, that if you do that, you will be saved. Someone will rescue you. When it gets really, really bad, just remember the sun is not too far away.” Becca blankly stared at him. “Can you do that for me?” Another tear fell from her eye, and her lower lip quivered. “I… I can try….” “No! You must do more than try!” The boy squeezed her hands tight. “You must remember the sun, the pond, the singing frogs! Becca, never forget where you came from, your house, your friend Sarah, your mom and dad, and your grandma’s flowers. Promise me you won’t forget, Becca.” “Okay, okay,” she said. The boy smiled at her, but his heart squeezed tightly in his chest. Even the strong ones who remembered the sun didn’t always get rescued…. **** Jed followed Jinx into the apartment, closed the door, and turned to find her standing with her gun drawn and pointed directly at him. It was the first time Jed ever smiled in reaction to having a deadly weapon aimed at him. “What are you going to with that, Jinx?” She matched his jovial grin. “I’m going to use it to get what I want, seeing as though you’ve made it perfectly clear you don’t care what that might be.” She nodded toward the hallway. “Now, get moving.” Jed started down the hallway, uncertain what Jinx had up her sleeve. He knew what she had in her hand, but he was also aware she wouldn’t use it. His voracious curiosity drove him to play her 137

game, to let her have the upper hand until he needed to intervene. When he wound up in her bedroom, his cock did an excited jump in his pants. Fuck! Jed shot an undaunted look over his shoulder. “Are you sure you want me in here?” “You don’t give two shits what I want, remember?” She placed her hand on the door and with a slight push, it closed. “Get on the bed. No… wait!” She nibbled her lower lip, and Jed’s cock jerked again, growing another inch. “Take your shirt off, and then get on the bed.” Shit! Taking his clothes off meant it was going to be something sexual, and Jed knew he should stop it that very moment. His strength to fight her was rapidly depleting. With his smile entirely gone, replaced by his best intimidation, he tried to scare her from her risky scheme. The fearless Jinx stood unflinching with her gun in her hand, staring impatiently at him. “Come on!” she snapped. “Take it off!” Jed reached down and stripped his shirt from his body. She ran her eyes over his naked chest, and he could have sworn she touched him with her scorching rays. “Get on the bed,” she ordered. By God, Jed listened to her. The hungry beast between his legs convinced him to rest his body on the bed. That, and the fact he badly needed to know where she was going with this little game of hers. “Put your hands up on the headboard,” she instructed. Again, the unquenchable, starving heat growing in his pants encouraged him to abide by her command. He tried hard to decipher what her eyes were saying to him, raised his arms, and entwined his fingers around the spindles. He pulled his body up to get comfortable and offered her a smile he hoped would vex her. “You better be careful, Jinx. You are heading toward very dangerous territory, and I can’t be held responsible for what happens from here on out if you don’t retreat.” “Like I said before,” she scolded, pulling the government-issued handcuffs from her belt loop, “I’m not used to backing down from any battle.” She cuffed him to the bed. Jed let her do it. His eager cock betrayed him, forbidding him to 138

The Forbidden Claim interfere. Jinx took a few steps back, and the arousal in her eyes burned his flesh. She placed the gun on the dresser. Her hand slowly came up to her shirt. She undid the first button, then the next, and Jed watched, helplessly motionless, as she removed her shirt and bra. Her soft mounds and blushing nipples gave his loins a tug. He watched as she removed her slacks and panties. He watched in fear and in awe of her stark beauty. Her body was flawless, naked and glistening, a beacon to his cold heart. She was breathtaking, created only for him. “Now that you’ve revealed that beautiful body of yours,” he said, inhaling her with his eyes, “what do you plan on doing with it?” She tilted her head, and her soft curls cascaded down her bare shoulders. “You think I’m beautiful?” Taken aback by the timid look in her eyes and the pure uncertainty in her voice, Jed assured her, “Yes, Jinx.” He sucked in a much-needed blast of air to calm his raging desire. “You are very beautiful.” Shit, Jed silently muttered as one of those slender legs moved forward. Hypnotized by her, he couldn’t move any part of him, save only his heart, which raced. She placed a hand on the bed and crawled like a cat on all fours over him. Her breasts swayed with each alluring movement. Her wide blue eyes changed from uncertain to wanton. “How am I going to resist you?” he growled, more to himself than to her. The pretty smile on her lips proved she had heard him. “Why must you resist me?” she whispered. She straddled him, and he was confident she could feel what she was doing to him. His rock-hard cock fought his jeans, begging to press against her naked pussy. She slowly dropped a finger to his belly button, circled it, and then trailed down to the button of his jeans. She toyed with that button as if toying with his control. With his heart. “Jinx.” Jed swallowed more air and groaned. He felt the release. First the button and then the zipper. She scooted back and gathered the protective denim covering his male heat into her small hands. “Baby, you’ve got to stop this,” he warned, but she tugged. “Fuck, 139

Jinx,” he huffed. She pulled harder until his suffocating cock sprang free. She inched back from the bed, taking his pants with her, and tossed them aside. “I’m not stopping.” She grasped his left ankle and shifted it outward. “I don’t want to resist you, and this time I’m going to do what I want.” She latched on to his right ankle and spread his legs completely apart. She slithered back between them, dipped into the mattress, and came up. Her breasts chafed his heavy balls and wrestled against his cock. His shaft lightly slapped low on his stomach. Every muscle in his body cringed. His toes curled. He closed his eyes and prayed for strength, but none came when she rubbed him with those little, swollen breasts. He summoned enough strength to caution her, “You’d better plan on finishing this.” She sat back on her heels, inspecting him. “Oh, I plan on it,” she sweetly informed him. “Then do something,” he grunted, needing to let loose in the worst way. “Right now, Jinx. Touch me, baby.” He almost blasted off prematurely when she thumbed the tip of his head and slid the drops of wetness over his taut flesh. “Here, Jed?” she impishly asked. His muscles burned from the tension. She slid her hand down his shaft. “Is this where you want me touch you? Is this where it hurts?” “Yeah! Oh, baby!” He fought for his breath. “That’s it. Ease my pain.” “Have I caused you pain?” Her bewitching tone taunted him. He glared sharply at her. “You know what you do to me.” “Yes, I do,” she admitted slyly. “It’s all over your gorgeous face.” Placing her other hand under his balls, she scraped them teasingly with the tips of her fingers. “I want to put my mouth on you, Jed.” His lids lowered. “Jinx….” He gripped the spindles and struggled for another breath. “And since we’re doing what I want this time, prepare yourself.” He felt her warm mouth cover his head. His eyes opened, and he looked down to see Jinx bearing down on him, not only with her hot lips but also with her fixed, seductive eyes. “It drives me crazy when 140

The Forbidden Claim you look at me that way,” he hissed. She smiled at him with those purring eyes. Her tongue slithered down his shaft, wetting it, easing the slide of her mouth as she took him to the opening of her throat. She teased and scratched at the firm sac between his thighs. Jed couldn't remember the last time he’d cum just from a blowjob, but Jinx was good at what she was doing. Shit, she was fantastic—so amazing that he wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer. She tightened her lips, adding an inflexible suction to his cock, and his ass muscles tightened, his hips surged forward, and he plunged himself deeper into her mouth. “Take it, baby!” She gagged from his forceful thrusts, but she didn’t retreat. “Damn, you’re so good! You look so sexy.” He huskily exhaled with pleasure. Frenzied, unable to control the brutal stabbing into her mouth and elated she was taking it—taking him—he moaned. “Baby, I think you better back off. I can’t hold out any longer.” The pressure around his shaft lightened, and her lips soared above his full and throbbing head. “Are you trying to tell me,” she said, flicking her tongue over his pulsating tip, “that you’re going to cum?” “Yeah.” He drew in a heavy breath. “That’s what I’m telling you.” His back arched involuntarily as his cock sought her mouth. She licked her lips, and a crafty little smile sparked. “Then cum in my mouth. I want to taste you, to feel you slide down my throat as I swallow every last bit of you.” “Fuck, Jinx! That’s exactly what you’re gonna get talking like that.” He shifted forward. “Take me, baby.” He let out a harsh groan. “Take all of me into your mouth.” This time, his seeking head made it back into her mouth. Jed lost the ability to think, and all his resistance was gone. Inside her mouth he weakened, and his body jarred. He gripped those damn spindles for dear life. His balls lifted, and a warning rush of ecstasy flourished to the tip of his cock. “Jinx!” He jerked on the spindle. “Baby, I’m going to cum,” he roared as the warning turned to a hot charge of every pent-up sexual tension he had withheld from her for days. One of the spindles shattered in his hand. He slammed his palms up against the back of the headboard, forbidding them to touch her. He was 141

too wild to control himself. He needed her too much. Instead, he took all that hostility, all that need, and exploded it into her mouth. Jinx didn’t retreat. Continuing her sinful sucking, she drank his searing frenzy as it bolted straight to the back of her throat. He shook violently as she took the last drops into her mouth. Only then did he exhale with a deep shudder. Jinx moved up and rested her head on his heaving chest. He longed to reach out and touch her hair, but the safest place for his hands was to remain on the headboard. After a few seconds, his breathing evened out. Jinx turned her face up and Jed gazed down at her, wordless and wondering if she was wet, if giving him a blowjob had turned her on. His cock was no longer at half-mast. It stood ready and begging. Jinx’s reverent stare frightened him, but he still said nothing. He was falling, legs and arms flailing in the air. What he felt for her was eternal, endless, with no beginning. The feelings started in his heart and raced through his body, only to run again through his heart, twisting and flowing with the vitality of his being. Jed needed her. His control was fractured. Not a complete break, but definitely injured. Mending this fracture wouldn’t be satisfied by the tease she’d just given him. He wanted to give her every inch of him, and not only what her mouth could take, for she wasn’t able to take it all. A designing smile appeared on her face. “Now, Jed,” she said, placing her hands on his chest and pushing herself back from him. She ran her eyes over his stressed body to his engorged erection before coming back up to him. “Now, it’s time for your punishment to begin.” She got up from the bed, leaving him broken, and casually walked over to the dresser. Jed’s first thought was to let go of the headboard, grab her, throw her down on the bed, and bury himself so far inside her that she’d cry out with painful pleasure. An agony that would only be completed and satisfied by him. But he needed to regain his control before he unleashed his violent desires. She pulled something out of her drawer and sneaked a peek at him over her shoulder. “I’m going to go for a swim,” she said. She wiggled the bikini bottom over her slightly plump, luscious ass. “If you’re a good boy,” she continued, tying the top of her swimsuit at 142

The Forbidden Claim the nape of her neck and flirtatiously spinning around, “when I get back, I’ll let you go.” Jed raised a brow. “Good boy?” He chuckled, for she had no idea. “Damn, Jinx, I guess I’ll be handcuffed to this bed for an eternity.” “Hmm….” The sexy purr rumbled from her throat. With her devouring eyes, she gave his body a thorough lick and grinned. “Even better. You’ll be hog tied there, where I can keep an eye on you.” She raked his naked flesh with another heated gaze. “You’ll be mine forever.” She left the room. Jed groaned, dropped his stiff hands from the headboard, and wrapped them around his hard cock to give it a disciplining jerk. **** Jinx dove into the pool. Luckily, since it was getting late, none of the other tenants were in the mood for a swim. She had the cooling water all to herself, and she welcomed the peace and quiet of solitude. While she had lain on Jed’s chest, she was too close to slipping down the few inches it would have taken to have him inside her. The heartbeat in her wet pussy had begged for it, but she refused to take Jed that way. He would have to come to her willingly, but she couldn’t resist returning the punishment he’d given her. She chuckled at the thought, because his punishments weren’t really punishments at all. She anticipated the next risky adventure and hoped Jed would be there for it, so he could deliver another “punishment.” The notion of him spanking her returned, and she giggled again. It would be wonderful, she was sure, being handled by a man of Jed’s authority and dominance. I’d probably cum from the first smack of his hand on my ass, she thought. Jed was the best of the male species all bundled into one man, and as far as his cock went… hot damn! When she pulled his pants off and that magnificent arousal was revealed, she’d instantly understood why Jed was said to have a very healthy sexual appetite. It would take a lot to feed that thing. He was impressive, both his length and his width. She swam three laps and decided to do three more before she returned and freed him. She climbed out of the pool and grabbed 143

her towel. Jinx was proud of her blowjob, considering she’d had little experience. Jed’s face had revealed that she’d done an excellent job. Another little-girl giggle tickled her throat. She dried her body and hair and pulled the soft terrycloth from her face to glance up at her apartment. Jed stood on the balcony in nothing but a pair of jeans, his hands resting on the ledge. He leaned in toward her, appearing closer than he truly was. He’d broken free, and Jinx realized she was a fool to think mere handcuffs could hold him prisoner. Her little-girl giggles were replaced by a sudden fear. His gaze was not amiable. It was fierce, rebellious, and untamed. He glared down at her for an excruciating amount of time, those glowing, dark green gems telling her plainly that she was in all kinds of trouble. She sensed that whatever he was planning for her was going to be severe and demanding. Jinx climbed the stairs to her apartment, her heart about to jump from her chest. When she went inside, the place was quiet like the calm before Jed’s storm. In the kitchen, she stood in her bikini, wet and cool. The sound of the water dripping onto the tile was barely audible. She tiptoed to the hallway and expelled the breath she’d been holding. Jed’s bedroom door was closed, so she assumed he must have gone to bed. She relaxed and entered her room. “You think you can tease me and then walk away?” Jed’s low, harsh tone tapped up her exposed back. She turned on her toes to find him leaning against the wall, his thumb hitched into his unbuttoned and half-unzipped jeans. Jinx caught her breath at those intense eyes. Unfamiliar sensations rippled through her body. She stared at Jed, realizing she had finally found it—her fear. Innocence ran for cover, and outspoken bravery dropped its shield. From this day forward, Jinx realized, her freedom was forever caged. Her heart was captive within Jed’s. “Come here,” he demanded. His intoxicating eyes had Jinx padding her bare feet toward him, closer to the cage that held her freedom. Jed reached out and grabbed the back of her head. His mouth hit hers, and he struck at her lips hard like an angry viper until she opened to him. He drove his warm, thick tongue into her mouth, the same way he’d used it to 144

The Forbidden Claim pleasure her on the rooftop. His irresistible invasion enticed her into submission, and Jinx welcomed his ravishing kiss. Aggressive and greedy, he deepened his pursuit, demanding that she meet the insistence of his challenge. Yet, its allure was too powerful to fight. The moment she admitted defeat, Jed pulled his mouth from hers, his breaths hard and fast, his muscular chest puffed. He searched her eyes. His quickened breaths and hers were the only sounds in the room. Jed shifted slightly to the side. He pushed her head until she made contact with the wall. He came up behind her, detained her wrists, and pinned her palms to the wall with his strong hands. Caught between the wall and Jed, he shoved that proud, male body against her, causing his erection to slam against her ass. A whimper escaped her. The maddening power in that single primal action— like a wild animal proving its readiness to its mate—sparked an unruly blaze within her. Wet, firm lips struck her neck, and he nibbled her heated flesh. “I’m sorry, baby.” He chaffed her ear, though Jinx had no idea what he was apologizing for. The desperation in his voice thrilled her, yet something in it wounded her, too. The weight of his body retracted, and he removed his binding hands. She started to panic, but only because she thought he was going to stop. She pressed into the immobile wall, arching her back, swaying her ass, and pleading with him to come back. He stripped her bikini bottoms from her body, and a gasp escaped her. “I can’t resist you any longer,” she heard him rasp. Her flesh rippled with warm excitement. She sucked in a startled breath when his hands wrestled her top and apprehended her cold, perky breasts. “I need you.” He licked her neck and then sank his teeth into her flesh, savagely marking her. “I’m going to fuck you hard, baby.” Jinx cried out in fear and anticipation. With one hard thrust, his stiff cock entered her wet pussy. “And you’re going to take it.” His hands grabbed her hips, and he shifted them up and down. Still trying to adjust to the large invasion of the hungry beast that rested between his thighs, Jinx went wild. He ground her aching pussy against him, and her tender flesh came to 145

life from the tormenting but satisfying massage. “If you don’t want this,” he said, a low, animalistic sound rumbling from within him, “Fuck, baby, I… I can’t stop myself.” He pushed her away until he was almost completely out of her and then, with powerful force, brought her back to him. He pounded her insides with each vigorous plunge. “Don’t you dare stop,” she gasped, clinging to the wall for support. Hot, wet, and eager, she met each thrust. His hands slid to her stomach, and he bent his powerful body over hers, cradling her. His strong arms lifted her up and then down, impaling her with his shaft. “Tonight you’re mine,” he growled and embedded himself deeper, and deeper. I will always be yours, Jinx thought. If he meant to offer her only this one night, she desperately wanted him to know she would forever be his. Still, she couldn’t say the words. She was too terrified they might make him stop. Jed’s hold around her waist tightened. He pulled her from her feet and walked over to the bed, and he sat on the edge. She followed upon his lap, and with her back to him, he lifted her by the waist. Jinx pitched her toes into the floor, pushed up, and then pressed back down to meet his thrusting shaft. Jed slightly shifted, hitting a new spot each time she sheathed his hot, thick rod. Their rhythm slowed, and Jed leaned back. His hand ran up her belly, over her swollen breast. He rested his large palm between her chest and neck, and with a slight push, she fell back into his solid but cushioning chest. “Kiss me,” he breathed into her ear. She turned her head, and the green emeralds flashed down at her before Jed captured her mouth. Their bodies, still joined together, lay motionless. He devoured her, sipping her lips like a fine wine and giving her tongue a stimulating churn. Jinx raised her arms behind her and encircled them around Jed’s neck to ensure he would stay right where he was. Her inflamed breasts vaulted out with the movement, her nipples hard and throbbing. She caught Jed watching them from the corner of his eye. He broke the kiss and gave her the sexiest smile as his hands made their way to the jutting mounds. As he brushed them with his palms, Jinx restlessly arched closer for his touch. 146

The Forbidden Claim He added a little pressure and skimmed her nipple with his rough palm. “What’s the matter, baby?” he teased. She squirmed beneath his touch. He knew perfectly well what the hell the matter was. She was on fire. Slowly, he pressed down over her breasts. He squeezed them and let go, and then—damn it—he did it all over again. She felt each taunt straight down to her toes. She rolled her eyes back and came up with a moan. Jed was intently watching. “You feel so good in my hands. You're perfect.” He firmly caressed her breasts. Jinx observed as his large hands swallowed up her breasts. Everything about him excited her, the sight of him grasping her breasts, his deep, luring voice, and those dark, enticing eyes. “Look at your little nipples!” He rolled each one between his fingers and tweaked the tips. “They are begging to be touched.” Adding tension, he pinched her. “Oh, yeah, my baby likes that.” Jinx shifted her hips, grinding him inside of her. He squeezed even harder, and a twinge of pain shot to the tips—a pain that produced a rush of hot liquid straight down to Jed’s imbedded manhood. “Play with yourself for me, baby,” Jed said huskily. Jinx pulled her eyes from the torment he was doing to her aching breasts and shyly looked at him. Something had awoken. A necessity, some breathless impatience, lurked in his domineering eyes. He seized her uncertainty and ripped the hesitation from her fogged head. Jinx lowered her hand from the security of his neck and rested it over the curls between her legs. “Touch your clit, Jinx,” he gently ordered. She slipped her finger to the cleft of her wetness, and Jed squeezed her nipples. “Give it a rub,” he coaxed, pinching her again and holding it. Jinx found the tender nub and ran her finger over it, quivering from the sensation. “Yeah, that’s it, baby. Rub it for me,” he said. She again did as Jed asked. “Faster! I want every part of you turned on,” he rasped. With his muscles flexing, Jed jolted upward, deep inside her. 147

Jinx joined him as he crushed his molten member into her. She stroked her tickled-to-death clit. He tugged roughly on her nipples. She floundered over him, out of control. He indeed had every part of her sexually activated, ready to go off any minute. “Jed!” she called out, the sound amplifying the moment. “Oh, Jed!” Suffocating from the pleasure he was giving to her, she barely got the words out. “Jinx, don’t cum yet,” Jed abruptly commanded. “Wait for me, baby.” “But it feels so wonderful,” she admitted, so close to her release. His hands slipped under her arms, and he separated her from him, twisted her, and gently laid her on the bed. He crawled over her. Shit! She was so close to cumming! Jinx was ready to throw a fit when he left her, but when she looked into his glowing eyes, she thought she was going to die from their candid desire. There was no hiding it. Jed spoke to her with those glinting emeralds, telling her how badly he wanted her, needed her. His hand stroked her hair and face, finally landing softly on her cheek. “You make my heart stop, Jinx,” he said. In that instant, she died and was certain she’d ended up in Heaven. He eased his male heat just barely inside of her, and Jinx’s legs opened to welcome him. “I’m going to finish what you started,” he said, burying himself all the way. “Come closer. Wrap your arms around me and hold me tight.” He withdrew and plunged back into her. “And don’t let me go.” His hot whisper brushed her ear. The suffering in his tone broke and yet warmed her heart. The indestructible Jed was giving in, offering himself completely. Jinx did as he requested and hugged his strong, vital body to hers. She held him tight, never wanting to let go, so tight that his ass fought the strangling muscles of her legs as he pummeled her. “Oh, Jed….” She struggled for air. She wanted to tell him that she… she… what? She couldn’t love him. Or could she? “Tell me when you’re ready to cum.” Jed’s breath burned her ear. “I’m ready, Jed,” she choked out between the beating of his vigorous cock. 148

The Forbidden Claim He moaned a deep, husky male sound that stroked her insistently. Squeezing her ass, he seized full control and violently slammed into her. “That’s it! Harder!” she cried. “Do it, Jed! Oh God, give it to me,” she whimpered. “Now, Jed! Oh my God, please!” she stuttered from his brutal attack, “I’m…” she gasped for her next breath and belted out a wild scream. “Yeah, baby. Oh yeah, that’s it. Cum all over me.” He growled, and that sexy, bestial howl shook her growing orgasm, turning up the volume on her impassioned screams. “Shit, baby! You’re so tight and warm.” He groaned her name again. “I can't hold back, I’m cumming,” he groaned. “I’m cumming so fucking hard, Jinx,” he said, giving her one last ferocious thrust. He held himself above her, shuddered, and let out a loud, yielding growl. He gave himself to her, brazen, wild, and uninhibited. He'd done the unthinkable. Jed Kane had surrendered. Jinx lay with her arms and legs still clinging resolutely to him. The weight of his body wasn’t heavy. It was sturdy and safe. She could feel his erratic breathing subside, but letting go seemed impossible. She wanted to stay in his protective arms forever. Nevertheless, when it came to Jed, she rarely got what she wanted unless she tied him up and took it. Jed released her and rolled over onto his back. He knifed a hand through his dark hair. Jinx propped herself on an elbow and watched him struggle to recover. His tan skin glistened with sweat. His dark hair was tousled, and his brilliant, green eyes shimmered with satisfaction as he flashed her a sideways glance. He dropped his hand from the quick swipe of his hair. He reached out and palmed the side of her face. “Damn, Jinx,” he hissed. “You’re so sexy, baby.” A tear threatened Jinx from the honesty in his voice, from the smoldering passion in his eyes. “Well, Jed,” she muttered, choking back her sob, “you’re pretty damn good yourself, and that was out of this world.” He playfully cocked a brow. “Out of this world, huh?” he mused teasingly. “Oh, yes, I am very pleased, and I hope to be pleased again. And 149

soon,” she confessed. He blinked and gave her a crooked grin. “We have all night, Jinx,” he huskily bantered. She winced but needed to know. She gulped back her advancing reluctance and asked, “Only tonight?” Jed’s eyes softened, and he thumbed her cheek. “Yes, Jinx. We talked about this.” He slipped his thumb over her quivering lip. “Besides, tomorrow you’ll go stay with Lucy for the weekend. I have to check into some things and get back to what I normally do when I’m not looking after you.” That damn tear started to brew within her heart. “Are you telling me you feel nothing for me, Jed, other than an attraction?” She sniffled the tear back down her throat, refusing to allow it to surface. Jed pulled his hand from her face, and his jovial expression turned grave and uncompromising. “It doesn’t matter what I feel for you, Jinx,” he answered evenly. She sat up in the bed and let out a heated huff. “So you’re just going to walk away?” He placed his hands behind his head and replied coolly, “Yes.” Can I just let him do that? Can I let him walk away without a fight? No way! “Tell me you don’t care about me, Jed Kane,” she demanded, raising her voice. She glared at him as he rested back on the headboard, unruffled. His face, all hunky-dory and smug, enraged her, and she became livid. She was dying inside. “Say it, damn it!” “Fine. I care about you.” Ready to go off on him, Jinx froze. “What?” Did I hear him right? “I do care for you, Jinx,” he calmly informed her. “But….” He trailed off, as if to mull his words over very carefully before he let them escape. Impatient, Jinx snapped, “What, Jed? What’s the freaking but? What’s the problem?” “You’re a casualty,” he sighed. His robust chest lifted with the deep inhale and exhale of air. “You’re my casualty. I want to keep you, and believe me, I want to own you, baby, but I can’t.” “Why?” Wait… am I really asking to be owned? Hell yeah! I 150

The Forbidden Claim most certainly am! “You’re a U.S. marshal, Jinx, and I have the reputation of a buyer in the human trafficking ring. Look me up in any governmental database—FBI, your local police department, probably even America’s Most Wanted. You’ll find me there.” “But Lucy says they release you if you’re picked up,” she argued. “Doesn’t that mean your employer’s got to be part of the government?” “No. Not directly, anyway. Ever heard of deniability? I’m not boyfriend material for someone in your position. You can’t have me, and you shouldn’t even want me.” “But—” “No. This isn’t up for discussion.” Jed’s unyielding tone stabbed her in the chest. “It’s just not gonna happen, baby, so get it out of your fucking head. I warned you in the beginning. I’m not a sticking-around kind of guy.” Jinx pushed up from the bed. She had to get away from him. She wasn’t sure how long the dam would hold back her angry, heartbroken tears. Jed snatched her by the wrist. “Where do you think you’re going?” He pulled her back onto the bed and loomed over her, trapping her between him and the mattress. “Tonight you’re mine, remember?” “No, Jed,” she said, relieved that he’d turned her sadness into anger, causing the threatening tears to evaporate. “You may not be a sticking-around kind of guy, but I’m not a wham-bam-thank-youma’am kind of girl. I don’t want just a little piece of you. It’s all or nothing.” Jed’s eyes darkened to that empty, dull shade—lifeless, vacant and cold. “Well, if that’s the deal you’re offering, then nothing is all I’ve got to give you.” And with that, he got up from the bed and walked out of the room.

151

Chapter Eleven Jed sat outside the café in his car. His mood rankled. Jinx had pushed him too far, but he knew that in reality, it was his own fault. When he’d gotten up, he’d decided to go for his morning run without her. After she kicked him out of her bed the night before, he needed time to think, but while jogging those ten miles, the only thing he could think about was how he was going to get back into her bed. He returned to find her apartment empty. He was sure she’d dashed out the door as soon as she heard him leave. He was thankful he’d placed the GPS tracker in her phone. He picked up her location, and it brought him to a diner on Fourteenth Street, only a mile from the prison where Aztec was locked up. Jed took a guess she planned on seeing the killer again, but it was only seventhirty, and visiting hours didn’t start for half an hour. One thing he couldn’t figure out, though. What did Jinx want from Aztec? She’d found Lucy, and Jed couldn’t imagine what other business she could possibly have with the murderer. Fin had always told him to cover all his bases, so that was what he did. He’d paid attention to Jinx’s routine, and he knew she needed coffee to wake up. Since the coffeemaker was clean, dry, and cold, he assumed she must have stopped at the café to get her fix while she waited. He decided to call Lucy. She answered on the first ring. “Hey, Jed. How are things going with my sister? Wow. I can’t believe I can say that and actually know where she is. It’s still hard to fathom that she’s alive and safe.” Lucy took a breath, but when Jed offered no response, she nervously added, “She’s all right, isn’t she?” “Yeah, she’s fine,” Jed snapped back, still irked at Lucy’s little sister for giving him the slip. “Good. You had me worried for a second. Oh, listen.” She sighed into the line. “I’m not going to get back to the safe house until tomorrow, so—” 152

The Forbidden Claim “What do you mean? I got shit to do, Lucy, and you’re supposed to keep an eye on Jinx. This fucking babysitting duty needs to be over.” “I know, I know, but have you seen the weather report? My flight’s canceled. What do you want me to do?” “Fuck, Lucy, I don’t know. Just get your ass back here!” He flipped the phone shut, ending the frustrating conversation. This only enhanced the misery of his already unbearable situation. He needed to get away from Jinx, not be forced to stay another night with her. **** The diner smelled like bacon grease and week-old fries. Jinx had ordered toast and coffee, had quickly finished the toast, and was on her third cup of java. Back around the second cup, she had finally begun to relax and was enjoying the third without looking out the window every other second. Jed was nowhere in sight. Jinx glanced at her phone. A few more minutes and she’d be on her way to getting her first duck. She had to round them all up and put them in a row before she started her fight to keep Jed. Before she hit rock bottom and fell completely in love with him without his reciprocation. The first duck was clearing up the mess with Aztec and confirming that he was a liar. He simply couldn't be her father. The next duck was getting Jed back in her bed and to convince him to accept his own feelings and confess he deeply cared about her. She wanted him to claim her like he had at the bar, but this time she wanted him to mean it, from his heart. Of course he’d be doing it while he was deep inside her. That was a given. Everything else—his history and his background and all the little details she had yet to discover about him—would all fall into place. She was sure of it. She had to believe that those little ducks would march in a row. Otherwise, she was destined to live a free but lonely life. Jed was the only man she could see herself with, and anyone else would be a letdown. He was the one man patient enough to tolerate her, and when warranted, he was man enough to put her in her place. Jinx loved the times when she needed to be put in her place! 153

She paid the bill and left a few bucks for a tip. Just as she slid out of the booth, a sheriff entered the diner. She knew quite a few of them in the area, but she didn’t recognize this one. She gave him a quick nod and said, “Good morning.” He returned with a short tip of his hat. “Morning, ma’am,” he politely responded as he passed by. Jinx pushed the front door open. The parking lot was still pretty empty. She turned to the left to head to the back of the diner where she had parked her car. Rounding the corner, she glanced over her shoulder one last time to be sure no one was following her, Jed in particular. She relaxed when she realized the coast was clear, but when she snapped back around, she caught a flicker in the corner of her eye just before she felt the blow upside her left temple. Her first instinct was to go for her gun, but she wasn't able to reach her Glock. Instead, dizzied by the blow, she lost her balance as another impact snapped her head forward. Her vision blurred, and she knew she was about to pass out. She blinked, desperately trying to focus on the figure that moved into sight. Balin! She staggered, lost her footing on a rock and fell back hard. Balin leaned in, raising his arm. He clearly planned to finish her off with the butt of the gun in his grip. The gun descended. Jinx told her body to move, but it would not obey. She braced herself, preparing for the final, brutal contact. It never came. The gun sailed from his hand and went flying against the side of the building. Balin followed it. His body smashed into the brick building and fell limp. Jinx blinked at Jed standing in front of her, like some blurry knight in a dizzy haze of shining armor. Crouching down, he touched her chin and tilted her head to the side, inspecting her. In a harsh and shaky voice, he asked, “You okay?” As her vision slowly cleared, Jinx absorbed the visible show of affection. He looked terrified and mad as hell, sending her heart into a hopeful, whimsical dance. The expression on his face was clear as day. Without question Jed Kane cared for her. She rubbed her head. “Yeah,” she finally said. “I’m a little fuzzy, but I… I’m all right.” Jinx saw Balin start to get up and pointed as he rose. “Behind you!” 154

The Forbidden Claim In one fluid movement, Jed jumped up and spun around with his fists already in motion. But Balin’s swing made contact, catching Jed’s chin with a violent uppercut. Jed didn’t even flinch from the strike. Instead, he came back with his own swing, slamming Balin in the face repeatedly. Like a boxer hitting the heavy bag with trained ease, he cracked Balin over and over again. The bloodied Balin was aimlessly trying to get a hit in, but Jed blocked him with his forearms. Balin quickly began to lose any stamina he had, and he started to collapse to the pavement. As he fell, Jed grabbed him in a chokehold and positioned himself behind Balin. By the time Jinx got to her feet, Jed was squeezing Balin’s throat, and Balin was turning all kinds of funky shades, from crimson to violet. She couldn’t stand idly by and let Jed strangle a man. “Jed!” she called out. He didn’t respond. His eyes had a crazed look in them, as if Jed was gone and someone else had stepped into his body. Jinx moved toward them. “Jed, let him go!” She got even more nervous when a sheriff’s vehicle pulled up to the scene. “Jed!” The rapid sound of his breathing let up, as did his death grip on Balin. Jinx couldn’t tell if the man was breathing or not, but Jed seemed to see her now. His left eye twitched. The sheriff got out of the car. As he approached, Jinx recognized him from the diner. “Miss, please step back,” he instructed, pointing his gun at them. Jinx rushed out in a whisper, “I’ll tell him you’re with me—” “No,” Jed snapped. “Don’t say a word. Act like you don’t even know me.” “Miss!” the sheriff ordered. Jinx complied, backing away from Jed. “Now you, let the man go nice and slow,” the sheriff told Jed. To Jinx’s surprise, Jed lowered Balin to the ground and came back up with his arms in the air. “What’s going on here?” The sheriff’s gun followed Jed’s movement. “I was leaving the restaurant and that man,” Jinx said, pointing to the motionless Balin, “he attacked me.” “And you, sir?” the sheriff asked Jed, who looked guilty as hell. 155

“I was just walking by and noticed a guy giving a lady a hard time, so I intervened,” Jed said. “She looked like she needed help with this asshole.” The sheriff eyed Jed suspiciously. He walked over to him, patted him down, and pulled the gun from the back of Jed’s jeans. “It’s registered,” Jed told him. The sheriff stuck Jed’s gun in the back of his own pants and gave him another suspicious glance. “Got any ID?” Jed nodded. “You want me to get it?” he asked, and waited for the sheriff to give him the go-ahead before reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. He handed over his license. The sheriff turned to Jinx. “How about you? Got any ID?” “Yeah.” Jinx reached into the pocket of her jacket. “Jinx Collins. U.S. marshal.” She handed him her credentials. The sheriff raised a brow. “You’re a marshal?” “Yes, and this man here helped me,” she said. “He didn’t have to, but he was kind enough to assist. I’d hope you’ll treat him with the courtesy he deserves.” “I’m sure you’re grateful, Marshal Collins, but I have to follow protocol.” The sheriff walked over to Balin, squatted next to him and checked for a pulse. He must have found one, because he reached into Balin’s pocket and pulled out his wallet, which he promptly searched for an ID. He stood back up. “I’m gonna call this in. I think this guy needs an ambulance. Wait here, and I’ll be right back.” He headed for his vehicle. Jinx turned to Jed, ready to plead with him, but he didn’t let her get a word out. He simply shook his head at her. He glanced over at the sheriff. “Look, he’s gonna take me in. I need you to do two things for me.” “What?” “First, call Lucy and tell her what’s going on. Then go straight to your office and wait there. It’s the safest place for you right now.” “But—” “I need to know you’re going to be safe. If not, I am not leaving here without you, and someone is gonna get hurt.” His eyes slid over to Balin’s gun under a bush, a mere foot away, and then he cast a glance at the sheriff, who was by his car talking on the police 156

The Forbidden Claim radio. “Got it?” She understood completely. If she didn’t do what he said, Jed would do something very stupid, like grab the gun and take her away regardless who might get in his path, the sheriff included. She blew out a puff of air. “I promise.” “Good. Now, the second thing I need is to know why the fuck you're going to see Aztec.” Jinx bit her lip. She couldn’t tell him the truth. He would never want her if he knew she was the child of a killer, Jed’s very own nemesis. “You better fess up, baby. You’re running out of time,” he quietly warned. The sheriff ended his radio communication and turned to start back to them. Would he really go for the gun? Jinx searched his eyes. He certainly would. “When I went to see Aztec, he told me….” She bit her lip again. “Out with it,” Jed demanded with a glance at the approaching sheriff. “Quick.” “I think… that is, he may be my—” She pulled herself together. “My father.” She held her breath, waiting desperately for Jed’s response. His forehead wrinkled. “Why do you think that?” “Well,” the sheriff interrupted them, and Jinx was glad. “Marshal Collins, I know this man helped you, but I have to take him down to the station.” “Why? Isn’t his gun registered?” “I’m taking him in for questioning.” “Questioning?” She couldn’t stand the thought of him being treated like some dirt bag, after all he’d gone through for others. She forced the rising anger out of her voice. Quietly, colleague-tocolleague, she said, “The man stuck out his neck to save me. Whatever it is, can’t you let it slide this time?” The man looked apologetic, but did not back down. “Got no choice. If you want to speak with my captain you can, Marshal Collins.” “Look, little lady.” Jed calmly intruded on her escalating anger. 157

“It’s okay. I’ll go with the sheriff.” As the sheriff affixed cuffs to his wrists, Jed’s eyes caught hers. I’m just glad you’re safe, they said. Stay that way. Jinx read them loud and clear, but it took all her willpower to comply. The sheriff put Jed in the back of the vehicle and came over to Jinx. He handed her a clipboard. “Just need your statement, Marshal.” She could hear the ambulance siren screaming in the distance, screaming like her heart at seeing Jed cuffed and treated like a common criminal. She snatched the clipboard from the sheriff’s hand, jotted down the events, and gave Jed one last look before she got into her car and dialed Lucy’s number. Lucy explained that she was stuck at the airport, but reassured her Jed would soon be out. Instructing Jinx to head to her office, Lucy told her someone would take her home later. Like a good girl, Jinx went right back to work, just as Jed had told her to. She mindlessly riffled through some overdue paperwork. “Here.” Barney, her co-worker, roused her by tossing a couple of folders on her desk. “What’s this?” Jinx picked up the files and started to flip through them. She perked up. “New case files?” She hadn’t had a new case in three months, and new cases were about the only things that kept her going, aside from her search for Lucy. “Yeah. I opened them and did an informal greeting. I know you’ve been busy,” he said, “but this is the first time you’ve been here for longer than five minutes since you got back.” “Thanks,” she said, aware that her visits at the office had been short. And were likely to stay that way until this thing with Jed was resolved. “I’ll review them now, but I probably can’t do interviews until next week.” “Hey,” Barney said, waving his hands in the air, “do what ya gotta do.” The first case, Irma Sanchez, was a transfer from Buffalo, New York. She’d been a witness in the program for years. From the documentation, the transfer appeared to be due to employment 158

The Forbidden Claim relocation, something that rarely happened. Jinx skimmed through the case file and moved on to the next one. David Cameron was a fresh case. He was from New Orleans, set to testify against local police officers who were accused of police brutality following Hurricane Katrina. Because of the high profile case and recurrent death threats made against Cameron, he only agreed to testify if he and his family were placed under the care and protection of WITSEC. Jinx sank back into the chair and thoroughly reviewed the file. She was just finishing the last page when a strange voice called her name. She saw a burly man. He had auburn hair, scruffy whiskers, a crooked mouth, and he looked as though he’d been ridden hard and put up wet. “Are you Jinx Collins?” She knew the man from somewhere, but couldn’t put her finger on how. Then it hit her. He was one of the men she’d drugged when she kidnapped Jed. “My name’s Theo.” He scanned the room and looked back to her. “Jed sent me. I’ll be taking you home and staying with you until he gets there.” “Is Jed out? Is he all right? When will he—” “I’m afraid I don’t know, ma’am.” The man silenced her with his flat tone. He gave the room another inspection. Jinx followed his eyes. She was sure her co-workers—curious by the very investigative nature of their jobs—were wondering who the heck the man was. She’d never before had anyone come to her workplace. “Are ready to go?” he asked. “Yeah,” she said, eager to get away from the curious eyes. She grabbed her things and followed him from her office. When they got into his truck, she turned to him. “Theo, right?” He nodded in response and started the vehicle. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Sorry?” “Yes. About drugging you the other day.” He gave her a sideways glance. His dark brown eyes were menacing, making Jinx a bit anxious, but then his smile put her more at ease. “Ah. Don’t worry about it.” He shrugged his hefty 159

shoulders. “Believe me, I’ve had worse happen to me on the job.” “And exactly what do you do?” She wondered if he was like Jed, undercover and fighting crime in an unconventional way, another vigilante with no rules. He put the car into drive and pulled out into the street. “I work for the FBI,” he said. “The Bureau? How do you know Jed?” Not looking at her, he said, “Through a mutual friend.” “Oh.” Jinx decided not to press for any further information. For some reason, she felt the need to protect Jed’s identity, the way he was always protecting her.

160

Chapter Twelve Evil is filled with darkness, but sometimes the sun can find a crack and slip through…. The boy was awakened from his sleep by the feel of something small and warm on his face. He knew it was not Becca, for she had been taken away the day before. His first instinct was to recoil from the touch, but as he opened his sleepy eyes, he remained still. A small child was standing before him. She pulled her tiny hand back and hugged the stuffed animal she was holding. She smiled, and when the boy looked into her eyes, it was as if he was gazing at the sun. “Hi,” she said and waved her small hand at him. The boy sat up in the bed. He glanced over at the door that was partially opened, but Evil was not standing there. Puzzled, he turned back to the child. “How’d you get in here?” She pointed at the door. “Did someone let you in?” She shook her head. He got up and walked over to the door. When he poked his head out, he saw that the hallway was empty. The boy felt a tug on his tshirt and looked down to find those bright gold eyes glowing back up at him. “Are you the boy who tells stories?” Confused, the boy just stared at the child, who was the youngest of any he’d met in that place. “If I put my ear against the hole in the floor, the one where the air comes from, I can hear you.” She smiled again. “I want you to tell me a story about Misty,” she said, thrusting the stuffed animal toward him. “My unicorn.” “Do you live upstairs?” “Uh-huh,” she said, clutching Misty the unicorn against her small body. “Do you go to school?” “No, but Lucinda, the maid, teaches me how to write.” 161

“Do you ever leave the house?” “I get to play outside if someone is with me, and every Saturday, me and Lucinda go to the bank.” She smiled. “The bank man always gives me a lollipop when I smile at him. I like the green ones.” “You do?” the boy asked, returning her smile. Inside, he was trying to understand what she was doing here and if there was some way she could help him and the other kids who were locked in the basement. The impulse to run crossed his mind, but he didn’t think he’d make it out the door. Plus, if Evil found out it was the child’s fault, he would surely hurt the golden-eyed little one. They were two risks the boy was not prepared to take, but he hoped there was another way she could help. A safer way. The boy crouched down to the girl’s level. “You want me to tell you a story?” She happily nodded her head in response. “I will tell you a story about Misty,” he said and gave the stuffed animal a tap on the nose, “but first I need you to do something for me.” The girl’s eyes slanted. “What?” “Do you know how to write your address?” “Yes. It’s 436 Maplewood Drive,” she recited proudly. “That’s important if I ever get lost, so I can tell the policeman.” “Very good,” he praised. “The next time you go to the bank—” “We’re going tomorrow,” she beamed, squeezing Misty. “Do you want me to bring you a lollipop?” A flicker of hope sparked within the boy, but he pushed it away. Just because he knew what day of the week it was for the first time in what felt like years, there was no reason to get stupidly excited, only to have his hopes dashed yet again. “Good,” he sighed. “Tomorrow, when you go to the bank,” he began, but then he stopped and looked at the girl, unsure if he should ask her to help him. “Is there a man who stands at the door at the bank, dressed in a uniform?” She tilted her head, “The policeman?” “Yes! Yes, the policeman,” he hesitantly replied. “I need you to write down your address, give it to the policeman, and tell him there are children locked up in your basement and that they need his help.” 162

The Forbidden Claim The girl’s eyes shot open in the innocence of childish disbelief. “There are?” “No, no! It’s only a game—a secret game that you can play with me and the policeman. But nobody else can know about it because it’s a secret. Do you understand?” She nodded her head excitedly, happy to be part of the secret game. The boy placed his hands on her shoulders. “It is very important that you tell nobody else about our game, only the policeman. Do you think you can talk to the policeman with no one around?” “Yeah.” A sneaky little grin lit up her tiny face as she leaned in toward the boy. “He’s the one who gives me the lollipops.” “Well, he’s a nice man, that policeman,” the boy said. “If I play the game, you’ll tell me a story?” “Yes. If you promise me you will not tell anyone about our game, I promise I will tell you a story about Misty.” The child’s eyes sparkled with joy, and again the boy could feel the warmth of the sun touching his face…. **** The shower beat down upon Jinx’s body. After jumping out of bed to get to the correctional facility in the morning before Jed got back, she hadn’t had time to shower. She was reluctant to take one with a stranger in the house, but since Jed obviously trusted Theo, she thought it would be okay. It was getting late, and she was beginning to worry and wonder about when Jed would be released. Her muscles were tense, and she had a headache, no doubt from Balin hitting her repeatedly with his gun. She decided some aspirin would remedy the problem when she got out of the refreshing shower. She rinsed the shampoo from her hair and heard the door creaking, indicating that someone was coming in! Her hands instinctively covered her breasts as the shower curtain flew open, but there was no need, since the invader had already seen all of her. There was Jed, standing in front of her, his eyes wild with obsession and fury as he looked at her naked and wet body. He 163

reached out and wrapped his arm around her, and she bent her knees and lifted her legs to avoid slipping in the water. His mouth crashed down on hers before she could utter a word. His demanding, firm, heated kiss stole her thoughts, and any words that were about to form upon the very mouth he was attacking quickly departed. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up, and he deepened the long kiss, rendering her delirious. Her body floated in his strapping arms as he spun her until her feet hit the cold tile floor. Her body slid down his, and he pulled his delicious mouth from hers. She wanted more of him, but when she gazed up into his eyes, she could tell he wasn’t going to offer her any more. “Well,” she purred, “it’s nice to see you too.” She didn't loosen her hold around his neck. She refused to let him go, especially since she’d just gotten him back. Jed’s hooded glare lingered on her sore lips, which were still throbbing from his avid kisses, but she couldn’t help but wonder what else was going to come from that torrid mouth of his. “Get dressed,” he said. That was absolutely not what she wanted to hear. He released her and pulled her fingers from his neck. “We need to talk.” She shrank a little more, sensing it was definitely not the kind of talking she had in mind. Fuck! she cursed in her head, wishing Jed was gasping the word as he plunged deep into her. Jed started out of the bathroom, stopped to take a towel from the rack, and flashed his eyes once more over her naked body. She didn’t cover herself but stood stark and bold, allowing him to get a full look at what she had to offer. He took his sweet time observing her, as though he were eating her up with his eyes, or as if he was purposely trying to torture her. With a smug grin, Jed tossed the towel at her. She caught it and hastily covered all of her that Jed hadn’t gobbled up. Standing in her room, Jinx pondered what she had that was sexy to wear to bed. She rifled through her dresser, searched her closet, and finally found a skimpy black nightie. It was cotton, a less sexy fabric than silk or satin, but it would do the job. She walked past her 164

The Forbidden Claim guest room. Jed wasn’t in there, so she continued into the living room, where Jed was sitting on the sofa, shirtless and tempting as ever. The sheer power of his presence on her seven-year-old, beige, microfiber couch made the furniture look suddenly insignificant. How she had fallen asleep so many times while watching late-night television on the small couch, she wasn’t sure. Jimmy Fallon drifted from her mind as she gazed at the smoldering heat in Jed’s piercing eyes, darkening and scorching the bright green shade. From his reaction, it was safe for Jinx to assume he'd taken notice of her choice in sleepwear. Just as he had in the bathroom, he began to visually gobble her up all over again. Warmth seared through her, straight down to the panty-absent cleft between her legs. She gave the room a sweep. “Is Theo still here?” she asked, hoping that they were dangerously alone. Jed touched her nearly naked body with his eyes. “He left.” He pointed to the recliner across from him. “Sit down, Jinx,” he ordered, and the stern, unyielding tone tickled her insides, reminding her of that irresistible take-charge persona he revealed behind closed doors. Jinx obeyed and sat in the recliner. She was prepared to obey him all night long if it meant she’d get what she wanted, which was, plain and simple, Jed naked and nestled between her legs. He lounged back on her sofa and put his hands behind his head. Every muscle in his upper body rippled for attention, and she appeased them, granting each hard contour her full awareness. “What makes you think Aztec is your father?” The question sucked the desire right out of her, leaving her numb. “Take your time.” Jed leaned back on the couch, and ripple, ripple, pop, pop went his muscles. “I got nowhere to go,” he casually added. Jinx crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine.” The stubborn man wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted. “Then I’ll tell you. When I went to see Aztec about the photo of him with Lucy,” she said, crossing her legs, “Aztec claimed he knew me. He knew about the scars on my body, and I guess you could say that was pretty convincing.” She tilted her chin, making herself go on. “He said I 165

used to call him Papa.” She waited Jed’s disdain, certain that he’d want nothing to do with her now that he’d heard the truth. Dropping his hands from behind his head, Jed placed them on his thick, strong thighs. He leaned forward, sighed, and then intently looked at her before he said, “He’s not your father, Jinx.” “What?” Jinx blurted out. “How can you possibly know that?” “A few years back, when I tried to find you for Lucy, I discovered who your father was. His name was Chester Foster.” Jinx jumped to her feet. “You’ve known my father’s name all this time, and you didn’t tell me? What the hell is wrong with you?” Jed began to think he shouldn't have taken Jinx’s cue and blurted out the truth without considering how she’d react to it, but it was intolerable that she thought Aztec might be related to her in any way. Of course, the way she stood trembling with anger was hard to take, too. Causing her distress was hardest of all. He reached out and pulled her onto his lap. She struggled the whole way down and continued to pull away as he held her close, “Jinx!” He tightened his arms around her. “Stop!” “Let go of me, you, you—” She forced her feet into the floor, trying to push away from him, but Jed wasn’t letting go. Her rump came back down hard on his thighs and her head whipped around. Long, dark curls slapped him across the face, leaving a faint prickling trail along his skin. He smiled at that and at her feisty temper, but she saw his smile and it only made her angrier. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She shoved at his chest. “Shit, Jed. Why didn’t you tell Lucy? She doesn’t even know! Why would you keep something like that a secret?” Jed chuckled. He knew it was no laughing matter, but he found her adorable when she got mad. “If you stop trouncing me and relax for a second, I’ll explain.” Defeated, or else desperate to know the answer, Jinx dropped her shoulders and slumped back into his cradling arms. “Okay. I’m relaxed,” she snarled. Sobering, he ran a finger along her cheek and pushed the wild strands of hair from her face. The movement hushed her, calming her for real. He let his touches linger down her throat to rest on her collarbone, and caressed her with the pad of his thumb, dipping to 166

The Forbidden Claim the top of her cleavage, outlining the edge of her nightgown. He wanted to go farther but stopped. “Now you’re relaxed, baby,” he said. His voice was low and deep, exactly the way he wanted to be inside her. Deep… so fucking deep. His cock reacted to the thought and gave a quick jerk, but Jed fought the pleading hard-on, telling himself he wouldn’t take her again. “A few years back, when I helped Lucy look for you, I came across your father’s identity.” His hand shifted from her chest to her cheek again, and he brushed his knuckles against her face, almost unable to believe how soft she was. She was right where he wanted her to be, safe in his arms, and he found himself lost in her eyes. He didn’t want to tell her the truth, but she needed to know. “Your father came up dead about a month after Lucy was abducted. They discovered his body in his apartment. The smell, as well as the neglected pile of newspapers and mail, cued the neighbors to call the cops,” Jed could have kicked himself. It hurt her, the clumsy way he’d told her. Her eyes were beginning to water. He wrapped both arms around her, cradled her closer to him, and kissed the top of her head. “They never found out who shot him,” he said, running his hand over her silky hair. With her head resting on his chest, he could avoid her teary eyes, so he continued, “I chose not to tell Lucy because you’re all she’s ever had, the only thing worth holding on to. She believed in her heart that she’d find you someday, and after everything she’s been through, if I’d told her the man who was supposed to take care of you was dead… well, I couldn’t be the one to crush her hopes.” Jinx’s head came up. Her eyes seemed drier, which eased his anxiety slightly. “You couldn’t find me, Jed, because I’ve been in the witness protection program since I was six,” she said. “What? Why?” “Heck if I know. After Lucy told me my birth name, I looked it up at work and found Divia Shores, me, entered into the program in 1988.” “And you don’t remember anything?” She shook her head, and Jed could tell it frustrated her. “No,” she said and paused thoughtfully. “You know, now that I think about the dream I had the other night, it might have 167

something to do with what happened to me.” “What do you mean? What was it about?” Jed recalled holding her in his arms that night—the night he realized how he really felt about her, the night he discovered that she really did belong to him. He loosened his hold, and Jinx got comfortable as she lay back against his forearm. “I couldn’t see anything.” She bit her bottom lip and gazed up at him. “Everything was black.” She gave her lip another nibble. “I… I was blindfolded. That must be where my phobia comes from. Aztec was holding me. I’d recognize that man’s voice anywhere. He kept calling me my sweet child, just like he did at the jail when I went to see him. There was another man in my dream, too, begging for his life.” Jinx’s mouth dropped open. “He must’ve been my father. Oh my God! Jed, I remember! My father gave me to Aztec.” Jed didn’t want to hurt her anymore, but she needed to know everything. “Your father had a gambling problem. According to the reports, he had quite a few loan sharks after him at the time of his death. In fact, the police thought he’d been killed over one of his debts. The case is still open, but I don’t think they put much effort into it.” She gasped, for it was all starting to make painful sense. “My father gave me to Aztec to pay off his damn debt?” Fury and resentment filled her eyes. Jed didn’t want to hurt her, but he was relieved to let go of some of his secrets. He couldn’t care less what the reasons were. He’d selfishly take her angry rather than upset over the whole ordeal. Besides, seeing any pain in her eyes woke something vengeful and dangerous inside him. He’d do anything to make her happy. Her father, Chester Foster, wasn’t around to get his ass kicked, but Aztec was. If Aztec had kidnapped Jinx as a child, then Jed’s personal oath to let the man live was void. Aztec, in that instant, became a dead man walking, so far as Jed was concerned. But the truth about Jinx’s past would have to wait. First, he had to console her. “I’m sorry, baby,” he told her from his heart. “Why? It wasn’t your fault my father sold me. But I’ll tell you one thing. I’m glad Aztec isn’t my father.” She peered up at him. “You certainly wouldn’t have wanted me if he was,” she said. 168

The Forbidden Claim Stung by her comment, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “It doesn’t matter who your damn father is, Jinx. I still want you.” “Then have me. Take me,” she whispered in the sexiest voice he had ever heard. It took everything inside him to resist such an offer. He palmed her cheek. “I can’t, Jinx,” he resolutely said, not only to her but to himself, his willpower shattered from the humiliation in her eyes. After all, she had opened herself to him, only to have him shoot her down. “Yes you can.” She took his hand into hers and placed it between her legs. “I need you, Jed.” She didn’t have any panties on, and she was wet and ready. With an effort of will he pulled his hand from the warm and needy place between her thighs. “I want you, too, baby,” he said, clinging to his difficult but vital decision. “But I can’t be with you.” “Why?” “I can’t have you in my head, Jinx.” He stood up with her still in her arms. She stared at him, confused as he carried her down the hall to her bedroom. Putting her on the bed, he turned to her nightstand and pulled the drawer open. “Where is it?” he grumbled. “What?” Jinx lifted up on her elbow. “What are you looking for?” “Ah, here it is.” He inspected the dildo. Noticing how small it was, he wondered if he’d hurt her with his cock when he’ took her so violently, ramming himself into her the night before. He turned and looked at her. Seeing him look from the dildo to her, she must have caught on. “It’s average size,” she said. “You, on the other hand”—she glanced down at his crotch— “you are big. How’d you know it was in there?” “Seriously?” he grinned. “What woman doesn’t have a dildo in her nightstand, especially a woman as feisty as you? Here.” Jed handed it to her. “Since you’re obviously in need.” She snatched it out of his hand, frowning. But then she looked hopeful. “You want me to take care of myself with you right here?” “No, I’ll leave,” he said, and saw her anger. “Hey, I’m trying to help you out.” “No, you’re insulting me. You want me to send you away.” 169

She was right. But shit, it was killing him, and he couldn’t take anymore. Or was it that he wanted to go back to his own room and jerk off, imagining her in the next room fucking her pussy with the average-sized, make-believe cock? But Jinx showed no signs of outrage. Instead she lay back on the bed and spread her legs. “You don’t want to stay?” she asked, a smile as sweet as the taste of her curving her luscious lips. Every muscle in Jed’s body flared with heat. “No,” he grated out, heading for the door. A soft hum purred in his ears, growing louder. The sound of the vibrating dildo seeped into his muscles, heating his need to a raging boil. As if his hand had a mind of its own, it slapped the doorframe, preventing him from taking one more step forward. He dropped his head, praying for strength. “Are you sure you don’t want to watch?” Her sultry voice crawled up his back. Jed knew his willpower was gone. He surrendered to her… again. Jinx’s heart raced as she held the vibrator in her numbing hand. Jed’s dark hair, his rigid back, and that tattoo of his made his plank-hard resolve all the more enticing. The jeans he wore—the only stitch of clothing on his lust-provoking body—hung low on his hips and cupped ass she wanted to fill her hands with. He stopped and lowered his head. When he turned, his eyes, dark and seductive, possessed her. Unable to silence a moan, she knew she would do anything he wanted, anything to bring that strong body, oozing sexuality, closer to her. Jed went to the bed, fitting the tips of his fingers into the pockets of his jeans, and she wondered if he was trying to restrain himself from touching her. But then he pulled the waist of his pants down, revealing his smooth, taut pelvis. The thin line of dark hair, that inviting little path, led to the place where Jinx wanted to go. Her cheeks flushed. As the vibrating dildo buzzed in her hand she stared at him, overwhelmed by his presence, his powerful lure. He cocked a brow. “So?” he drawled. “Are you going to show me what you can do with that thing?” The dare made Jinx nervous. Whatever he pretended, this was not a casual mutual masturbation. It was everything, her chance to make him realize that the connection between them was worth 170

The Forbidden Claim every risk. To prove to him it was worth every danger it might bring. In answer, she lay back, inviting him with her eyes. “You’re very wet, aren’t you?” Not waiting for an answer, he reached out, as if playfully, and flipped the hem of her nightgown up to her belly. She grasped as cool air flowed along her exposed skin. As if he’d found confidence and control in the game he’d invented, he stroked his finger between her legs and dipped it into her. Her hips involuntarily pushed up at the delightful intrusion, and his brows arched at that. “Oh yeah, you’re nice and wet,” he said before he withdrew and gave her drenched pussy a light slap. Jinx groaned at its unexpectedness. “You like that?” he wickedly asked and spanked her pussy again. Her legs drove wider open. Jed’s hand came up and touched her arm, the one holding the vibrator, and he pushed down. “Put it inside you,” he directed. “You did say I could watch.” He let go, pulled her nightgown up over her breasts, and then returned his fingertips to his pocket. It was his gaze that had claimed her. She’d give him what he’d asked, what he’d demanded. She’d show him. Jinx arched her back, thrusting her engorged breasts forward, and slid the dildo deep inside her. “That’s it, baby,” he coaxed, watching intently. “Tease me.” Responding to his encouragement, she placed both hands on the end of the dildo and pushed farther. Her hips gyrated. “Harder,” Jed curtly ordered. His elbows straightened as he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. Jinx silently giggled to herself, for the physical restraint gave away how fragile his self control really was. His biceps and his chest flexed as if yearning to break it. He wanted her. Oh, how he wanted her. Jinx knew that if she could just keep the game going a little longer, Jed’s need for her would demand to be fed. And her abundantly wet pussy was more than happy to feed it. Maybe it was her turn to do a little coaxing. “Take off your jeans.” Enticingly she thrust the dildo faster and dropped her voice lower. “I want to look at you, Jed.” Giving her a seductive smirk, as if he were master of the situation and of himself, he slowly unfastened the button of his jeans. 171

Her mouth watered as his zipper came down. She licked her lips with the moisture as he stepped out of his pants and kicked them aside. Jed stood there, flaunting himself, glorious as ever. His erect hardness claimed—no, demanded—her notice. “Come closer,” she rasped. He leaned to her. The thought of what that swollen manhood was capable of excited her almost beyond finding the words. “You like watching, don’t you? You like watching me.” He casually shifted his bold view to between her legs. “Yes,” he answered, as if gallantly. “Almost as much as I adore fucking you.” He placed his hand over hers. “Let go,” he said. Jinx released the dildo, letting Jed take control of it. “I like watching you touch yourself. I know it makes you hot.” He pushed the dildo up into her. “Go ahead,” he said. “Do it for me, baby.” Without hesitation, Jinx willingly slid her finger over the sensitive nub. She watched Jed, feeling him slowly move the vibrator in and out of her. Suffocating with desire, she forced the breath from her lungs as she rubbed her clit, her hungry gaze lingered on his erection. “You’re somethin‘, Jinx. Naughtier than I ever imagined,” he admitted hoarsely. “Tell me,” he suggested, tilting his pelvis slightly forward, “what do you want?” She released a soft cry. “I want you in my mouth.” She moved her head closer to the edge of the bed, closer to his tempting, throbbing erection. The juices in her mouth were flowing, ready for the taste of him. “Fuck, Jinx,” Jed growled. The savage sound, the vulgar word, was what she had longed to hear, for she knew his need was too powerful for pretty words or pretenses. She knew he was open to her now, as unprotected from their unspoken claim on each other as she was. His free hand came up to the back of her head, and he pulled her toward him until her mouth slipped over his heated flesh. “Oh yeah, baby,” he grunted, holding her firmly fixed to him as with his other hand, he continued to pump the dildo in and out of her. “Damn, 172

The Forbidden Claim Jinx. You do that sooo good.” Her torrid need exploded into a thousand pieces, rushing through her body as she took Jed farther into her mouth. He plunged the dildo into her pussy faster, harder, and the intensity of his own need was etched into every line on his face. It looked close to pain, but he didn’t stop. He tortured her with that hurt, igniting her pussy and her mouth while he urged her finger to play with herself. “You’re gonna drive me insane, Jinx!” Jed tilted his head, closing his eyes as if in agony. Her heart stopped from the sheer, blazing ache he caused there. “You like that? Taking me in your mouth while I do you?” He propelled his hips, and she moaned around his taut flesh. “Is this what you think of when you’re masturbating?” Oh my God! Jinx moaned. She couldn’t take it anymore, Jed knowing her fantasies and fulfilling them. He was shameless, and it turned her right-the-hell on until every cell in her body was screaming. She frantically rubbed her clit and lifted her hips to meet his hard-hitting thrusts while working the suctioning of her mouth on his vein-rippled flesh. She wanted to tease the tip and take her time, but orgasm was inescapable. “Oh yeah, baby,” Jed said. He must have caught the desperate begging orgasm threatening to let go, for the sexiest grin sculpted his previously thin lips. “Ah, you’re gonna cum, aren’t you?” he whispered. She cried out around his cock, for she could hold back no longer. “Cum, baby. Cum all over the dildo I’m fucking you with. Cum while I’m in your mouth,” Jed roughly demanded, and that blinding, pulsating moment of release convulsed around the vibrator and sprang to his heated flesh in her mouth. She cried out and gagged, taking as much of him into her mouth as she could while she climaxed, and their separate needs met, mingled, and were one. Jinx’s hands fell on top of the mattress, and Jed tossed the dildo aside. His knee hit the bed, and he crawled over her, ready to devour her. She was still catching her breath, but he couldn’t wait. He had to be inside her. He bent down, and she placed a single 173

finger over his lips, impeding his kiss. Frustration raged in him. Surely she’s not stopping me now! He was prepared to forgo his oath, ready to surrender everything and take her. Out of breath, she softly said, “I want to hear you say it.” Confused, Jed regarded her, but except for the afterglow lightening up her face, he hadn’t a clue as to what was in her mind. “Admit it.” Her voice was shaky as she studied him beneath hooded eyes. “Admit that I belong to you and no other.” Her voice dropped with husky insistence. “Say I’m yours.” Jed glared down at her. Fury surged through him. Fuck, she had his cock, his damn heart in her hands, but she wanted a fucking confession. He lunged up from the bed. “Get on all fours,” he snapped. He saw his confusion transfer to her face. It somewhat satisfied him, but he wanted to punish her for demanding he say aloud what he wanted to deny, but could not. She rolled onto her stomach, raised herself to her hands and knees, and clenched the sheets tightly in her fingers, bracing herself. His satisfaction heightened as she obeyed, as her perfect ass swayed tauntingly before him. Jed got on the bed and positioned himself behind her. He slapped her ass cheek hard, a vengeance for stealing his heart. “That’s for being a naughty girl.” Her head jerked around, her eyes wide with surprise. The openness in her gaze made him snarl. He grabbed her hips and thrust his cock roughly inside her. “And this,” he said, pulling out and violently driving back into her, “this is for making me want you so fucking much.” Jinx whimpered. From the pleading look in her eager eyes, Jed knew it was out of pleasure. He pummeled her, and she fell forward. Jed needed to see her face. He wanted to look at her when he came. He pulled out of her, flipped her on her back, gathered her legs in his hands, and buried himself back inside. “Jed!” She gasped and moved against him, hot, wet, and abandoned. He dropped his weight onto her, trapping her beneath him. He 174

The Forbidden Claim cupped her face with trembling hands. “You belong to me, Jinx,” he harshly said, pushing his palms into the mattress and rising above her. He thrust into her, and she arched upwards to take him completely. “You’re mine, baby,” he confessed, claiming her again and again, marking the depths of her core. “Mine,” he growled as the blood rushed fiercely to the tip of his cock. All his emotions flowed from him and joined the heated blood pounding and beating to break free. He savagely took her harder, unable to control himself. Jinx writhed beneath him, meeting and devouring every wild and inhibited thrust. “Now, baby,” he grunted, his low voice almost inaudible even to himself, “cum with me right now!” The overpowering sensations, what he felt for Jinx, Jed hollowed it all out in a loud, deep moan. Jinx threw her arms around his neck and pulled her body closer to his. “Oh, Jed! Yes! Oh… yes!” The sweet sound of his name falling from her lips made him lose control. He gathered her into his arms, squeezed her tight, and ground his body into hers. He couldn’t get enough of her as he released another cry, spilling his hot liquefied emotions, desires, and need deep inside her. **** Lying in the bed, wrapped up in Jed’s arms, a place she'd longed to be since she set eyes on him, Jinx listened to his heart. It went from a rapid beat to a slow, fluent rhythm, a melody she could get used to playing again and again on her iPod. She wondered if he was sleeping, and when she moved back to look up at him, his eyes were closed. “Don’t even think about it,” he rasped. “What?” His eyes remained shut. “You’re not leaving this bed, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you kick me out again,” he told her. She giggled, recalling the last time they’d had sex. This time, she wasn’t going to give up that easily. Regardless of what he thought, they had to have a future. “And does that mean only tonight?” She 175

feared his answer, but needed to know. “Or does it mean for every night?” His eyes cracked slightly open, just enough for her to see that beautiful shade of green. He glared down at her, and as pleasing as those gems were, she sensed from their dark shadows that she wasn’t going to like his answer. “Just tonight,” he replied with firm assurance. “Oh,” she said, discounting his confidence. She had to. She made a little face at him. “Okay. If you say so.” “You saw what happened today,” he retorted gruffly. “Yeah, I saw.” She sighed and touched his strong jaw. Day-old whiskers were starting to roughen his smooth skin. “Does that happen every time you come in contact with the police?” “Yes,” he said. She ran her finger over his dark eyebrow. “And that’s why this isn’t going to work out. What do you think, Jinx? That you’ll bring me to your law enforcement officer picnics, that we’ll live together behind some white picket fence, that you could marry me and not get dragged down into my world?” She had no answer. She only knew she couldn’t let him go. She knew his work was his mission, his life, but couldn’t resist pretending. “We could go far away.” He closed his eyes, and a small smile curved his sexy mouth. “Sure. To a different time and place.” “In Jed’s world,” she mused. His smile grew a little. “In my world, we’d be together, buy a house, and own a dog named Wolf.” “Wolf?” she asked. “I’d prefer a wild, pure-bred wolf, but in the world of Jed, we wouldn’t be doing anything illegal, so I guess we’d have to settle on a black lab. Besides, our dog would need to be safe to have around kids.” That surprised Jinx, and she dropped her hand from his face and sat up. “You want kids?” Opening his eyes a sliver, he peered at her. “As I said, in Jed’s world.” “We’ll be together,” she proclaimed, believing it with her heart. 176

The Forbidden Claim She easily imagined having his children. His eyes sprang open, and that glistening color darkened. “It’s never going to happen, Jinx. Not only do I need to worry about your career, I have enemies, the kind of people who would love nothing more than to take away anything and everything that matters to me.” She gazed at him. “And that’s me? I matter to you?” “Can I deny it now? But I can’t be with you. I can’t come home to you, and I can’t be worrying about you. Do you think those scum balls wouldn’t notice you? A buyer in human trafficking ring doesn’t usually keep a U.S. marshal on the side, if you get my meaning.” “Is that what you meant when you said you can’t have me in your head, you can’t be worrying about me?” “It is precisely what I meant.” “And you think if we’re not together, you’re not going to care about me? You’re not going to worry about me?” Jed rolled onto his back and shoved his fingers in his hair. He took a deep, labored breath. “I won’t blow my cover, Jinx—at any cost.” “I don’t want you to. But some way, somehow, we’ll be together. You’ll make it happen. I believe in you.” He shot up and grabbed her by the arms. “Jinx, don’t fucking do that! Don’t you dare put your faith in me, damn it.” His nostrils flared and his left eye twitched, as it always did when he was angry. “There’s nothing,” he stressed, “nothing I can do. We have no future together.” “What are you going to do, then? Leave my bed and run again?” His tone was bitter. “Not tonight. Tonight, I’m not letting you go.” He pulled her into his arms. He fisted her hair, pulling her head back and forcing her to look into his intense eyes. “Tonight, you will sleep with me. Tonight, you are mine.” He kissed her hard, nearly bruising her lips. His kiss, swift and violent like his mood, only heightened her hunger for him. Not just for tonight. For always.

177

Chapter Thirteen Although they’d slept in each other’s arms through the night, the morning was quiet at Jinx’s apartment. Jed packed his things. He waited for her in the kitchen, finishing a cup of coffee. She attempted to strike up a conversation, but he only told her to get ready. She followed him in her car to his house, where Lucy was due back soon. Jinx didn’t feel safe in Jed’s makeshift home, and it didn’t help that her heart was on the verge of dying a thousand deaths. She was putting her things away in the spare room when she saw him standing in the doorway. “Lucy’s here,” he said, breaking the isolation of her morning. She waited, holding her breath. “I’ve got to head out. I should be back by Sunday night or early Monday morning to get you to work on time.” He crammed a hand into his worn-out, perfectly fitting jeans. He had on the leather jacket from the other night at the bar, the picture of the appealing bad boy. “Don’t leave here until then,” he ordered. “I mean it.” Jinx released the pent-up air from her lungs. Hands on her hips, she matched his stern glare. “Okay,” she snapped. “Promise me. Don’t make me handcuff you to the damn bed.” Her insides quivered at the thought of being tied to “the damn bed” by Jed. “I won’t leave because I’m not going to leave Lucy.” She waved him away, “Go!” That, at least, seemed to convince him. “All right,” he answered at last. “Now drop your hands and that smart-ass attitude of yours and come kiss me goodbye.” Tell the truth and shame the devil! Did I just hear him correctly? So why question it? He had just finished telling her they’d never be together, but now he wanted a kiss goodbye, like… like a lover. It was hard not to shake her head in confounded amusement as she moved toward him. He possessively wrapped his arm around her waist and jerked 178

The Forbidden Claim her the rest of the way, plastering her against his body. “While I’m gone,” he said, his voice husky and sexy. Lifting his hand, he sifted it through her hair to the base of her neck. “Stay out of trouble.” His thumb stroked her nape, and he leaned in. Jinx swayed eagerly, raising her lips for the touch of his, but he kissed her forehead instead. She smiled. “Shouldn’t be a problem. You'll be gone. It's around you I just can’t help myself.” She yearned to feel his mouth on hers, to enjoy his savage passion. His eyes twinkled. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I like you naughty, but I also want you safe.” And he delivered what she craved. Untamed, dominant, possessive, he claimed her mouth. **** “Why see Aztec again?” Gil asked when Jed got into the SUV. Slamming the door, Jed tried to put Jinx behind him. She was the reason he wasn’t heading to Detroit as originally scheduled. “I need to find out how he was involved with Jinx.” “That chick you’ve been protecting?” Gil gave Jed a sideways glance. “Yeah. She’s Lucy’s sister.” Jed justified himself, as if there’d be no other reason for him to be with her. “No shit?” Gil put the vehicle in drive and headed out onto the road. “I bet Lucy’s happy about finally finding her.” “She’s pretty stoked about it. I don’t know how happy she is about me being the one to watch over her little sis while she’s been gone, though.” That, at least, was all too true. “Why? What would Lucy have to worry about? Unless… oh my God! Tell me you didn’t.” It was impossible to keep much from Gil. Besides, Jed reasoned, if he knew he’d put more on the line to protect her. “Damn!” Gil gave a snort. “You always luck out with the ladies, but nailing Lucy’s sister? Man.” “It’s not like that.” Gil stopped at a red light and looked at him. “What do you mean? Like you have feelings for her and shit?” Going too far was going too far. “Sure,” Jed reminded him 179

cynically, “as if I have any right to have feelings for her.” The light changed. Gil took notice and moved with traffic. “Damn, Jed. Sounds like you got it bad.” What Jed had bad was the need to protect a woman he wished he could spend the rest of his life with. If he “had feelings,” then feelings were all he could afford. Why the hell did I kiss her goodbye? But he already suspected the answer. He’d wanted to give her hope. She said she believed in him, and he couldn’t stand to let her down. But he knew all too well that any hope he may have given, he would also eventually take away. “Hey, if you love her—” “Screw you,” Jed snarled from the corner of his mouth. “Okay, okay, man. Let me rephrase. If you care about her, then be with her. What’s stopping you? You rule your world, and not the other way around.” “Yeah. I rule my world. Fin used to say that,” Jed muttered. “Well, Fin was a smart guy.” Gil should know. Fin had introduced Jed to Gil before he retired. At first, Jed had been leery of an FBI agent who looked like he’d just stepped out of a WWE ring, but by now he trusted Gil with his life. Gil had come through during some pretty hard times in the past. He wasn’t a father figure like Fin had been, but Jed held the guy in high regard. “Give it thought, Jed. Anything’s possible,” Gil said as they pulled into the correctional facility parking lot. “You’ll need to use your FBI credentials to get me in to talk to Aztec. They’re only allowing government officials to see him.” “Ah. So you’re using me?” Jed ignored his dig. “When Jinx came here to ask Aztec about Lucy, the fucker told her he’s her father. It’s a lie. I’ve verified her father’s real identity. But apparently, Aztec knew about some mark on Jinx’s body. I want to know how.” “And why he’d bother lying to her?” “Exactly. I think maybe Aztec took her from her father, then killed him. Somehow, she had gotten away from him, then she was adopted. She doesn’t remember much before her adoptive parents took custody. Now, granted, she was only six or seven at the time, 180

The Forbidden Claim but she might still recall something.” “What’s your plan?” Gil asked. “You gonna just walk in there and make him tell you the truth?” “Nah. He’ll never do that. Not Aztec. But if I ask the right questions the right way, he just might answer them for me without knowing it. I can read Aztec’s face. Remember, I’ve been watching the scumbag for years.” “And what if Aztec took her? What do ya do then? The fucker’s already in jail.” “I’ll make sure he gets released,” Jed stated flatly. “Then I will kill the son of a bitch.” If Aztec had touched Jinx as a child, he was already a dead man. Gil shook his head. “Yep. You got it bad.” Jed scowled, but his phone rang and he dismissed Gil’s jibe. “It’s Lucy.” He flipped it open. **** When Lucy asked how her week with Jed went, Jinx didn’t lie. She simply said, “It was bizarre.” Bizarre as a rollercoaster ride. First, he wanted her, and then he didn’t. Recalling the kiss goodbye, her spirits lifted a little. It confirmed that he did indeed want her again. Even so, Jinx wasn’t content. She needed Jed to want her forever. A sneaky smile lit Lucy’s face, but she didn’t question her sister any further. She shifted the conversation to her visit to Detroit and the winter storm holding up her plane. She’d been there following a few leads for Jed on a new human trafficking ring. Jinx’s heart chilled like the weather Lucy described at the thought of Jed being so far away for the next two days. Instead, she focused on how lucky she was to have Lucy for those few days. She took a shower and changed into a clean pair of shorts and t-shirt. It was freezing in Detroit, yes, but Miami was hot, and Jinx welcomed the warmth. She’d take a sweat over a chill any day. “What’s all of this?” Jinx poked her head into the room in the basement that had been locked the night she’d found Jed doing pull-ups. She shoved that image from her mind. 181

Lucy glanced up from the laptop she was glued to, giving the room an anxious sweep. A tack-board hung on the wall with photos and newspaper clippings scattered all over it. An old metal filing cabinet stood adjacent to the desk Lucy was sitting at, and there were piles and piles of boxes filled with files and more photos and documents. “This is headquarters.” “Oh.” Jinx walked in, inspecting the chaotic room more closely. She was a bit hindered by darkness, since the only light came from a lamp over the desk. She assumed by Lucy’s guarded look that she wasn’t welcome here, but that wasn’t going to stop her. Hands in her back pockets, she nosed around. “So, this is where you keep all your information?” “No.” Lucy closed the laptop and twisted in the office chair to face her. “This is my headquarters. This room is dedicated to you, Jinx,” she said, gazing at her with those warm latte eyes that Jinx found so kind and trusting, even though she still didn’t know her sister all that well. As it all sank in, her heart swelled. She wondered how long Lucy had spent looking for her. It was strange to think someone cared enough about her to have a room dedicated to her, and the thought left her awestricken. “All of this can’t be about me.” Lucy let out a soft laugh. “Well, it started out that way.” Jinx sensed Lucy’s pride that she’d found her sister. Lucy was happy, and it glistened in her eyes. “But like Jed, I’ve become obsessed with hunting Aztec and bringing down his sick empire. Then there’s the ringleader.” “The ringleader?” Jinx asked, perplexed. “Isn’t that Aztec?” Lucy shook her head. “Someone else pulls his puppet strings. The day you met Jed—or kidnapped him, I guess—he was undercover. We were trying to lure the leader out by suggesting that Aztec had given him up and offering a chance to go into the witness protection program. Jed posed as Aztec during the ride from jail, hoping he’d be grabbed while he was vulnerable. But the one who nabbed him was you.” She smiled. Knowing that, Jinx was surprised Jed hadn’t killed her the day she’d captured him. Maybe all that had saved her was asking about Lucy. Even then, and even knowing Lucy was looking for a missing 182

The Forbidden Claim sister, he’d been cagey. But maybe that’s why he’d put the remote bracelet on her. Because he didn’t want to hurt her. “Did Jed tell you he might’ve found your sister?” Lucy huffed. “Not a word. He just said someone was looking for me. He wouldn’t let me near you until he was sure you were no threat to me. When he finally told me he was bringing you to meet me, I started to let myself get hopeful. Then, when I saw you….” Lucy quieted as she caught Jinx looking at a picture tacked up to the board. “You draw?” Jinx said, leaning in for a closer look of the young woman in the sketch. “Wow, you’re good! Who is she?” She wondered if the woman looked familiar because she was their mother. “That’s the woman who took me from the foster home,” Lucy said. “The one who kidnapped you?” Jinx asked, overcome by an uneasy feeling. “Yes. That’s just done from memory.” Lucy peered up at the sketch with hatred. Then Jinx remembered where she’d seen the woman. And she knew exactly where to find her. **** “Calm down!” Jed yelled into the phone. His heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach as Lucy told him Jinx was gone. “Tell me what happened,” he asked coolly, trying to calm his own nerves. “We were talking in the basement, in my office.” He heard the tremble in Lucy’s voice. “She noticed the sketch of the woman who took me from the foster home.” “Then what?” “That’s it. She complained of a headache and said she was going to lie down.” Lucy paused. “But now that I think about it—” Impatient, dreading, he snapped, “What, Lucy? What!” “Her headache came right after I told her who the woman was. She had an odd look on her face.” Lucy gasped into the phone line. “Oh my God, Jed! What if she recognized her? What if Jinx knows 183

her?” Jed doubted Jinx could possibly know the woman, but he couldn’t understand what other reason she’d have for leaving Lucy. “Send the picture to my phone.” “You’ve got to find her! If anything happens to Jinx…. Please, Jed! I can’t lose her again.” “Lucy,” her said gently, “don’t worry. I’ll find her.” He tried to sound more confident than he felt. When his phone chimed, he didn’t bother opening Lucy’s attachment. He already knew what the sketch looked like. He’d watched Lucy stare at it for years. “Let’s go,” Jed told Gil. As they entered the correctional facility, Jed plotted his next move. He couldn’t fuck it up. He absolutely, without fail, had to get Aztec to talk. Jinx’s life could depend on it. After clearing security, Jed followed Gil into the small room where Aztec sat with shackled feet and hands. A sinister grin wrinkled the lines around his soulless eyes. “Jed Kane,” he called out. “I hear you had a run-in with my little girl.” Every muscle in Jed’s body went up in flames of rage. All of Fin’s relaxing techniques turned to ashes and disintegrated into the stale air. He surged forward, but Gil’s arm caught him across the chest. Aztec let out a cynical laugh. “What? Don’t tell me the notorious Jed Kane is gonna let an FBI agent keep him on a leash!” “Jed,” Gil warned, “be smart. You go all crazy on his ass in here, and I can’t get you out of it,” he said under his breath. Jed took a deep breath and let the oxygen fill his straining muscles. The air neutralized his fogged, crazed head. He took a slow step toward Aztec and placed his fists on the table in front of him. “She’s not your anything, you sick fuck.” He leaned in closer to the bastard. “In fact, she’s mine.” “Fuck you,” Aztec roared. “She belongs to me.” His body jerked forward, but the shackles restrained him. Jed sat coolly, watching his tactic work. “What did you do?” he goaded. “Buy her from her father and then double-cross him?” He watched the man’s reaction, forcing his own fury into deep-freeze for now.“Did you take her? Did you,” he almost choked on the words, “use her?” 184

The Forbidden Claim “I would never hurt her,” Aztec spat at him. It was unmistakable. An undeniable sign of affection. It was deranged and twisted, but in his own sick way, Aztec cared for Jinx. And Jed could use that to his own advantage. He pulled out his phone and opened the picture Lucy had sent him. Placing it on the table, he slowly pushed it toward Aztec. “Who’s this?” Aztec bent his head to view the small picture on the phone, and his eyes diverted quickly to Jed. Jed took a chance. “She’s got her,” he said. Aztec’s fists slammed onto the table. “Fuck! How could you let this happen?” He snarled into his beard. “You were supposed to keep her safe! I thought if anyone could keep her safe from that bitch, it would have been you.” Rewarded, Jed let go for now his confusion over Aztec’s words. All he cared about was learning where Jinx was. With measured control, he bore down at Aztec. “I will keep her safe, but you’ve got to tell me where I can find the bitch you’re talking about.” Aztec dropped his shackled hands into his lap and sighed. Doubt played in his face before he settled back on the chair. He glanced tensely at the door and the guard watching them. Then he shot Jed an almost contrite look. “Leave, Kane. I can’t help you.” Jed closed his powerful hands on Aztec’s prison-issue shirt, yanking him up to his face. “Listen, fucker,” Jed hissed, desperately keeping himself in check. “If you don’t tell me where she is, I will kill you right here with my own bare hands.” He ignored Gil’s worried movement toward them. His eyes stayed locked on Aztec’s. As the guard stepped in, Aztec’s gaze cautiously drifted over him. “I don’t know where she is.” Jed glanced over his shoulder to see the guard looking fixedly at Aztec. Fuck! Jed realized the man was warning Aztec, threatening him. Is this damn guard crooked? Who the hell paid him off? One of Aztec’s goons? Getting Aztec to talk swiftly seemed impossible. Jed let go of him and took a step back. He riffled a hand through his hair and turned to Gil. “Let’s go,” he said. He needed to consider what had just gone down. **** 185

Jinx swiped her security card to get into the WITSEC office. It was difficult, if not impossible, to shake off the guilt she felt for sneaking out on Lucy, but she had to find out if her suspicions were spot on. She was almost certain where she’d seen the woman in Lucy’s sketch. The government building was accessible twentyfour/seven, even on the weekends, for marshals to pick up case files and get into the database. Jinx sat at her desk and pulled out the files Barney had given her the day before. She flipped open the case on Irma Sanchez, the witness who had been transferred from Buffalo, New York, two weeks earlier. The social worker who had entered WITSEC in 1982. According to the records, Irma had put in the request for a transfer to Miami on December 16, 2010, due to an alleged job opening. It was around the time Aztec was incarcerated. Jinx fanned through the pictures looking for the one she remembered, a photo of Irma Sanchez in her twenties, dated 1987. Finding it, she dropped the file on the desk, staring at it. The woman was a dead ringer for the one in Lucy’s sketch. She slumped on her chair. Can Irma Sanchez be the social worker who’d kidnapped Lucy? She’s a social worker, but what are the odds? Another crazy notion struck her. Can Irma be the leader of Aztec’s human trafficking ring? It seemed unlikely that she’d be able to mastermind such a thing while under the protection of the government, but then again, that very protection would keep her safe. Jinx pulled up Aztec’s file on the computer and started to compare known locations of the two over the years. The dates and locations coincided almost entirely. Irma Sanchez had put in for relocations two other times, and no one appeared to question her requests. The government had moved her each time, first to Arizona, then Buffalo, which just happened to be Aztec’s last-known place of residence prior to his arrest in Miami. Finding Irma’s address, Jinx decided it was time to pay her new witness a nice surprise visit. **** Jinx pulled up to the Victorian-style home. What a large house 186

The Forbidden Claim for just one person, she thought as she walked up to the front door. She recalled from Irma’s file that the woman reported no children and no spouse. Over the twenty-some odd years in WITSEC, she had supposedly been alone. Jinx rapped the doorknocker a few times and checked out the surroundings. A small foreign car, a silver Toyota SUV, and a beat-up, late-model Chevy van were parked in front of the three-car garage. It was safest to assume Irma wasn’t home alone. Jinx reached to her hip and released the snap that held her Glock, dropping her hand when the door opened. “Hello,” said a middle-aged woman with long, almost-black hair. “Irma Sanchez? “Yes,” the woman said with a smile. “I am.” “I’m Jinx Collins, the U.S. marshal assigned to your case. I believe you met my co-worker, Barney Perkins, when you arrived.” “Oh yes! Marshal Perkins said you’d be contacting me to schedule an introduction.” “I apologize for not calling ahead, but I was in the area, so I decided to stop by. Do you mind if I come in?” She caught a slight disturbance beneath Irma’s composure, but the woman rapidly recovered. “Why, certainly,” she answered pleasantly. “Come in.” She pushed the door open. “You live here alone?” Jinx asked, giving the vehicles in the driveway a quick onceover before she stepped into the foyer. Irma smiled again as Jinx heard the screen door creak closed. “Yes. My gardener is here in the back, and I’m having some work done down in the basement. These older houses always need something.” she trailed off as she showed Jinx to the living room. She placed her hands together, primly resting them over the waist of her plain, dark blue dress. “Would you like something to drink, Marshal Collins?” “No, thanks.” What Jinx did want was a look around the house. “I love these old homes. What year was this one built?” “I believe the realtor said 1876.” “It’s beautiful. Looks like the woodwork is original too,” Jinx enthused. “Would you mind giving me a tour?” Irma’s politeness hadn’t cracked, but her brow furrowed a smidgen. “Why certainly! Come this way and I’ll show you the 187

kitchen.” Jinx followed her through the entirety of the house, all the way back to a kitchen with what looked like a pantry door and a mud porch door. “As you can see, there’s a lot of work to be done. Are you sure you wouldn’t like something to drink?” “I’m fine,” Jinx said, searching the room until she found what she was looking for. “Is that the basement?” Irma didn’t glance at the door Jinx pointed to, which struck Jinx as odd. “Yes.” “Can I see it?” “Oh, it’s such a mess!” Irma waved her hand. “The men are putting in a sump pump.” “That’s okay.” Jinx smiled. “I would like to see it anyway,” she added in a tone that left no room for argument. Irma’s lips thinned. “As you wish, but as I said, it’s a mess, so you’ll want to watch your step.” She unlocked the door. That was odd too, if there were supposed to be workers down there. Jinx paused by the door, not about to get herself locked in if the woman had any such plan. “Do you mind going first and getting the light?” As cautious as she was being, she wasn’t prepared for the push. Jinx tumbled down the stairs, hitting her back, shoulder, and head before she landed in a heap of pain on a cold cement floor. “Get her gun!” Irma shouted. Jinx rolled and struggled to rise, but her bruised body obeyed her too slowly. A man grasped her from behind and roughly searched until he confiscated her gun. Irma slowly, serenely, descended the stairs. “Give it to me.” The man handed Jinx’s Glock over to the woman, who now had a look of malicious hate in her cold, black eyes. “Get her up,” she ordered. The man bent down, placed his arms under Jinx’s, and lifted her to her feet. Jinx noted that the basement was narrower than she’d expected, more passage than room. There were doors in what looked like a new concrete block wall. Every single one had a lock on it. Is this a stash house? Could there be children behind those locked doors? Jinx’s questions were answered when a figure filled the top of the stairs. 188

The Forbidden Claim No, two figures. A man shoved a small boy down the steps. The child’s eyes were vacant and dead, as if he’d been beaten into a submission. He gazed at her as if he no longer even hoped for rescue. It was a gut-wrenching sight. Jinx couldn’t help but reach out to touch his frail arm. The boy looked down at her hand and then back up at her. She saw nothing in his face, not even fear. “Take him to his room,” Irma barked, and the man pushed the boy from Jinx’s touch. “Hey!” Jinx yelled, desperately wanting to pull the child into her arms and run from this hellhole. Irma laughed harshly. “What? Do you think you’re in any position to save him?” Jinx ignored her as she watched the man deposit the boy in a room and lock the door. The desire to kill someone had never overcome her before, even on the job, but Jinx wanted with all her heart to kill the bitch. Is this what Jed has to go through? God! No wonder he has so many demons in his closet. He had no other choice but to put them there, to lock them away. “You won’t be getting your hands on that one.” Irma said soberly. “He’s mine. “Now get movin‘.” She nudged the gun in the same direction the boy went. Jinx vowed to herself she’d die before she left that helpless little boy in this place. The man pushed her down the gloomy hallway. They stopped at the third door, the one next to the boy’s. The other man, who had brought the boy down, unlocked the door, and Jinx was shoved into the room. She stumbled but caught herself. She turned around to find Irma standing in the door with the gun still in her hand. There was no other door, and no windows. A filthy mattress lay on the floor in a corner, and a small lamp fought to light the damp, musty pit. Jinx had to do something. Once that door shut, escape would be impossible, and no one knew she was there. Jed was in Detroit. On any other day, she’d have left word at the office about a home visit to a witness, but she’d bypassed that step this time. She shivered. Like the boy, she didn’t have the luxury of hoping for a savior. “Aztec always did have a soft spot for you,” Irma seethed, “but I 189

knew you’d be a problem.” “They’ll catch you,” Jinx bluffed. “When they come looking for me, they’ll fucking get you.” She lunged at the woman. “Hold it right there!” Irma yelled. Something in her voice made Jinx stop short. “You think you can have him? Well you can’t! He’s mine!” Irma waved the gun at Jinx like a lunatic. “Mine!” she hissed. “He’s a good boy.” She smiled, but it was cruel, sadistic. “He does what he’s told, and you… you can’t have him!” Jinx paused nervously. Clearly, the woman was unstable. And unpredictable. “You fucking bitch! I should’ve killed you.” The gun made erratic circles, aiming at Jinx’s head, her heart. Jinx tensed, looking for her chance. “But no! That fucking idiot Aztec wouldn’t let me.” The gun went so wide Jinx almost lunged, but the psychopathic woman steadied it at her, finger on the trigger. Her voice went unnaturally calm. “But this time, Aztec’s not here, is he?” Jinx felt the bullet rip through her flesh before the firecracker sound split her ears. The pain knocked her to her knees. She looked down and instantly became numb, for all she could see was red. The last thing she heard was the soulless laugh of that soulless woman.

190

Chapter Fourteen Gil dropped Jed off at his car, and Jed drove straight to Jinx’s apartment, hoping she was there. She wasn’t, and from what he could tell, she hadn’t stopped by, either. Everything was as they had left it earlier that day. As he was heading toward her office, his phone rang. It was Gil. “Tell me you got something.” “I might,” Gil answered. “We just got a tip about a possible stash house. Could be Aztec’s. I’ll text you the address and meet you there.” Jed flipped his phone closed and waited impatiently for the text to come through. Farfetched as the lead might be, it was all he had to go on. The chiming of his phone had never sounded so good. He punched the address into the GPS and skidded back out into the street. Doing ninety miles an hour, Jed made it there ten minutes earlier than the GPS anticipated. He parked down the street, got out and made a thorough round of the grounds, in the backyard silently taking out a man with a sleeper hold. After checking front and back doors, he decided his entrance wouldn’t be a quiet one. He shouldered the back door until it burst open. At a motion, the hand holding his gun shot up, and without even thinking, he pulled the trigger, shooting another man. Only afterward did he notice the gun in the guy’s hand. Jed’s arm shifted back to the center of his body, and he moved into the kitchen. A woman stood in the middle of the room. This time he paused before he shot. She was quite a few years older, but she looked like the woman in Lucy’s sketch. “Where is she?” he demanded. When the woman gave him no answer, Jed put the gun to her temple. She gazed fearlessly at him. “I have no problem killing you if you do not answer me,” Jed seethed, his finger itching to blow the sardonic gleam out of the woman’s black eyes. 191

“Jed Kane,” she said, breaking into ragged laughter. “You’re too late, I’m afraid,” she announced hysterically. “Jed Kane is too late!” “Too late.” The words ripped through Jed. He began to tremble. “If you hurt her—” He slammed the gun into the side of the woman’s head, sending her tumbling to the ground. He kicked her body aside in his rush for the basement door. He made quick work of the lock and ran down the stairs. The moldy smell burned his nose with old memories, and his body broke out into a cold sweat. “Too late.” The bitch’s voice echoed in his head. If Jinx is dead…. The thought kindled a rage in him. Using all that rage, he kicked the first door open. **** The boy jumped up as a loud boom and then a thump sounded above his room. He stood motionless for many seconds. The thundering in his heart was the only thing he heard for a brief time, but then there came a new noise, a hammering. As he approached the door, the noise grew louder. The boy stepped back just as that hard pounding reached his door. He moved back into his ritual position and braced his shaking hands against the cold cement wall. The heavy door shuddered and splintered. It cracked bit by bit until the wood could no longer withstand the brutal force behind it, then burst open. A huge figure filled the place where the door used to be. The massive silhouette stepped in, and the light behind the man filtered into the boy’s dreary room. “It’s okay,” the man said, out of breath. “I’m not here to hurt you.” He took a few steps closer to the boy, allowing his face to come out of the dark shadows. The boy had never seen that man before, but trust didn’t come so easily to the boy. He remained fixed in his position. “No one will hurt you ever again,” the man said, stopping just a few feet from the boy. The boy trembled with fear, in spite of the promise. He suspiciously eyed the large stranger and looked at the door, waiting 192

The Forbidden Claim for Evil to arrive, but he was nowhere in sight. “Come on,” the man said, waving his hand as he started back in the direction of the door. “It’s all right. You can come out here with me.” When the man made it to the hallway outside the door, the boy took a cautious step. He took another and then another until he was standing in front of the man. He knew that Evil was somewhere. He could see the stairs to his freedom, and streaming from the top of those stairs was the sun. Hope slithered into the boy. “What’s your name?” The boy gazed up at the giant, and for the first time since he’d been captured, he said his name. “Jed.” The boy choked back a tear. “My name is Jedrek Kane, sir.” “How long have you been down here, Jed?” “What is today?” “March, 13th,” the man replied. “What year?” Jed looked longingly up at the top of the stairs. “1988,” the man said. The boy walked toward the stairs. “Then I’ve been down here for nineteen months, sir,” Jed said as he started up the stairs toward the sun. **** Blood pooled all around Jinx’s limp body. Jed dropped to his knees beside her and checked for a pulse. His own rapid heartbeat raced to his fingertips, but he managed to distinguish his from hers. It was faint, but at least it was there. He inspected her and saw a dark red stain on her right upper chest. Panic cut him to pieces. His quivering hands pulled her jacket opened, and Jed heaved a heavy sigh. The bullet didn’t appear to have hit any vital organs and looked as though it had only grazed her arm. He assumed she must have passed out from shock or loss of blood. Knowing she could still be in danger from the lack of blood, Jed reached under her and drew her to his chest. He put his hand tightly around her arm to stop the bleeding. Her eyes fluttered, and his heart leapt with relief. “Jed?” she whispered, and his heart swelled. 193

“Shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you, baby.” He pushed a few strands of hair from her pale face, “You’re safe.” “The boy….” She choked back a cough and tried to open her eyes. “Don’t move, Jinx. Just relax.” “No,” she said, struggling to look at him. For some strange reason, her bright blue eyes had kept their luster, and she gazed weakly up at him. “Jed, the boy! You… you have to save him.” “He’s all right, Jinx. There are agents here, and they’ve got him.” He kissed her on the forehead and pulled her back close to him. “You and your crazy stunt saved him and the other kids.” He could feel her relax back into his body. “Jed, I remember! I remember what happened to me,” he heard her softly say before her body went limp again in his arms. The doctors assured him that Jinx would be all right after she received a few units of blood and a little rest. He’d been correct in his hope that the gunshot wound wasn’t life-threatening. She would have a nice scar, but there was no permanent damage. Jed watched her while she slept. He’d been in that position before, but the woman in the that other hospital bed hadn’t owned his heart. Jinx did. Fair and square, she’d taken it right from him. Finding her like that and seeing all that blood had scared the shit out of him. He’d thought he had lost her for good. Jed knew he wouldn’t be able to survive something like that again. He had to do something about the way he felt about her, though he wasn’t sure what. He could see himself being with Jinx, but he could also see her being killed for it. One thing was certain. She was safe in his arms. The problem was, he couldn’t hold her forever. Jinx wasn’t the type of gal who was going to stay put. No matter what the stakes were, she’d walk right into the fire, and as much as he admired her for it, it scared the shit out of him. If he did choose to walk away from her, he wouldn’t be able to save the daring and insane chick from getting burned. Jed laid his head back against the wall. Being in that basement unlocked his darkest, most unwanted memories. He’d been kidnapped and led down to a basement like that. He’d gone in as a child and come out a man. The scars on his back were courtesy of Aztec. Jed had been beaten until he almost died. 194

The Forbidden Claim A faint sound broke through Jed’s torrid memories. Jinx was stirring. **** The pain in her arm was like a toothache, throbbing and annoying. Jinx’s eyes were heavy, but she managed to pry them open enough to see the white walls, bright lights, and Jed, who was sitting in a chair with his head tossed back, his eyes closed, and his legs crossed in front of him. His face looked stern and set. Almost angry. Jinx concluded she was in a bed, and from the sterile smell, she figured she was in a hospital. She tried to sit up, winced from the pain, and fell back onto the uncomfortable mattress. Jed was watching her now, his anger replaced with transparent concern. She was able to pull off a weak grin. “Hi,” she said, nestling her head into the flat pillow. Jed observed her, shifting to his blank, vacant stare, but then his eyes softened and a gentle smile turned up his lips. “Hey. How ya feeling?” “My arm hurts,” she admitted. “It’s just a graze. The bullet didn’t hit anything vital, but you lost a lot of blood.” His expression changed from caring to angry again. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? What the hell? Just pick one, she thought. “You sound mad.” “Hell, yeah,” he grumbled. “I was worried about you. But I don’t want to talk about that.” He stood up and walked over to her. He placed his palm on her cheek and then cupped her chin. She wilted from the tender touch. Jed feathered his thumb over her top lip. “Seriously, Jinx.” His voice lowered, and his thumb stroked her cheek. “You could have gotten yourself killed. Don’t do that again.” The sincerity in his green eyes tugged at her heart. “I’m sorry for what I put you through, Jed,” she said very genuinely. The fountain of emotions flowing from him—hurt, worry, and anger—along with her lack of sleep, absolutely crushed her. It was as if she felt 195

everything he was feeling, because she was in love with him. She had realized it the moment the bullet pierced her skin. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was Jed. He kissed her gently on the lips. No fireworks blasted off, but a warm spark of comfort and devotion fluttered to her heart and filled her head. “Close your eyes,” he rasped. But when she failed to comply, his tone stiffened. “That wasn’t a suggestion. You need your rest.” Jinx couldn’t help but smile as she shut her eyes. She loved her devilishly handsome and dominant brute. Between the strong narcotics and the pain, the next two days came and went in a blur. Each and every time she opened her eyes, Jed was sitting in the chair. Sometimes he was reading, other times he was sleeping, and every once in a while, she woke up to him holding her hand and gazing intensely at her. By the third day, she woke feeling more like herself, but Jed was nowhere to be found. Instead, a man with a clipboard in his hands stood beside her bed. He glanced at her. “Hello, Ms. Collins. I’m Dr. Watson.” He jotted something down before placing the clipboard at the foot of her bed. “You look well today. How are you feeling?” He came at her with a penlight. Not waiting for an answer, he pulled her eyelid up and shot the light in her eyes, blinding her. He withdrew it and snapped off the light. “Do you wear contacts?” “Yes, since I was a kid. I’m sensitive to light. My parents told me that if I didn’t wear them, I could go blind,” she explained. “Hmm.” The corner of his mouth tucked together. “Can you take them out?” “Yeah,” Jinx hesitantly said, but she did as the doctor asked. “They’re those ones you can wear a month at a time.” She pulled the last one out and dropped them into the saline he’d dumped into a cup. The doctor looked at them. “So are they prescription? Do they help you see better?” “No. I have twenty/twenty vision, my parents told me.” He made that funny sound again. “Hmm. Do your eyes get red and irritated?” “No.” 196

The Forbidden Claim “Hmm.” He again made the annoying sound. “Usually eyes become sensitive to the light due to contacts, not the other way around. Look outside. Does that bother your eyes?” Jinx turned to the window. The sun was bright, but her eyes didn’t feel any differently than when her contacts were in. She shrugged. “They feel fine.” “I don’t know what doctor told you to—” “Oh, it wasn’t a doctor, it was my parents,” she explained as he came at her again with the penlight. “Well, Ms. Collins,” he said after inspecting each eye, “besides the unique color of your eyes, I can’t see anything abnormal about them.” He put the light in his front coat pocket. “Try not wearing them for a while and see what happens. I can, with certainty, say you won’t go blind if you do.” He picked up the clipboard. “Everything else looks good. You should be out of here in a day or two.” He left the room. The unique color? Was that what he said? More like freaky, Jinx thought. The flecks of bright gold that speckled the dull brown of her eyes were strange and distinctive. They nearly glowed. Jinx only needed to look at them once a month, and she was fine with that. They made her feel like some kind of freak. Her parents had started her out with brown contacts, but Jinx convinced Laura and Jarvis to change them to blue, wanting her eyes to be far different from their original color. Now that she really thought about it, she’d never been to the doctor for her eyes. Or anything else, for that matter. Why did Mom and Dad make me wear them then? Could it have something to do with being in WITSEC? Did they even know I was in the program? No. They couldn’t have. Maybe the contacts started before I was placed with them. Maybe my eyes were a dead giveaway. But, she wondered, a giveaway of what? **** Jed laid the paper in his lap and looked at the bed. Minutes ago she had been facing him, but now her back was to him. He could tell from the sound of her breathing that she was no longer asleep. 197

“You brought my laptop?” he heard her ask. He glanced over at the bedside table where he’d placed the laptop. He knew she could see it from where she was lying. “Yes. You did say that in your downtime, you like to surf the Web.” He folded the newspaper, set it aside, and waited for her to turn around. The only movement he saw was the trembling of her shoulders. He got up from the chair and stood behind her. “Jinx, look at me.” It came out harsher than he’d intended, but if she was doing what Jed thought she was, he needed to know why. He heard a sniffle, and his heart caved. She was indeed crying. He reached out and carefully touched the shoulder above her injured arm. “Baby,” he huskily pleaded. Her head turned up at him, and Jed froze. Her eyes! He’d seen them before, and the memory left him numb and paralyzed. He pulled his hand from her and took a step back as she turned to face him. Those sunbeam eyes held on to him, shrinking Jed from the man he was back to the boy in that dark basement. The past few days, the horror of his childhood had been hitting close to home. He thought he had locked it away deep inside of him, but looking at Jinx, it all came back. Vulnerable and exposed, Jed searched her eyes. Could Jinx be the sun that saved me from the darkness? “Jed,” she cautiously whispered. The sound of her voice barely broke through the hold she had on him, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to confront the barefaced truth. “Your eyes,” he murmured. “Jinx, are those your real eyes?” She meekly nodded her head. His nerves came back to life, bursting with mind-boggling confusion. He practically fell from the powerful explosion. “You… you were there. It… it was you,” he said, taking another step back. Her brows furrowed, and Jed presumed she had no idea what he was talking about. She reached out and took hold of his wrist to pull his dazed body closer to her. “Jed,” she said, a tear falling from one of those magical eyes, “I love you.” Jed stared down at her. His life, as he knew it, crumbled all around him. Over twenty years ago, the very woman he was in love with was the same little girl who had saved him as a child. He had to 198

The Forbidden Claim walk out of the room before the sheer impossibility of it all consumed him.

199

Chapter Fifteen “Jinx!” Lucy came rushing through the door and stopped dead in her tracks. “Honey,” she paused, taking a slower pace as she neared the side of the bed. She leaned in and looked at Jinx. “Why are you crying?” “Jed. Where is he?” “I just passed him, and he asked me stay with you. He had to go meet up with someone,” “I told him I love him, and… he… he just walked away.” Jinx was stammering as she tried to hold back a brewing, hysterical cry. Lucy gave her a comforting hug. “He looked at my eyes, Lucy, and they disgusted him. You… you should have seen his face!” “Oh, no, honey!” Lucy pulled back and stroked Jinx’s hair. Normally, it would have calmed her, but Jinx was too upset. “Don’t say that. I wondered why you hid them. They are beautiful, Jinx.” Jinx frantically shook her head. “No. I know what I saw, Lucy. He said something about me being there, wherever there is. What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Lucy fell back into the chair with a long sigh. She shrugged. “I don’t know, but what I do know is that Jed does care for you, no matter what color your eyes are.” Jinx wanted to believe her sister, but Lucy hadn’t seen the way Jed had looked at her. “He has a weird way of showing it,” she said, attempting to brush away her tears. “Yeah, he does, but at least he’s showing it. You should have seen him when I got here the other day. He was a wreck! I thought Jed was going to lose it on the poor nurse when the doctor didn’t come right in when he beckoned him.” She chuckled. “I had to smooth things over. What happened, Jinx? Why’d you leave the safe house without saying anything to me?” “Yeah, about that. I’m sorry, Lucy. When I saw that sketch of your abductor, I knew I’d seen her before. She was a new witness of 200

The Forbidden Claim mine, transferred here from Buffalo. I didn’t want to put you in danger, so I had to sneak away to check it out.” “Irma Sanchez. She’s alive but in jail, and she will be for years, she and Aztec. Irma had no problem blowing the whistle on him, seeing as it was he who tipped the FBI off about the stash house location,” Lucy said. “What?” “Jed didn’t tell you? When I called to let him know you had gone missing, he was at the jail.” “But I thought he went to Detroit?” “So did I, but after he discovered Aztec might have been a part of your past, something about him being your father, Jed had to look into it. I swear, Jinx. I don’t know how Jed’s held back from killing Aztec, especially after what he did to Jed when he was younger, but—” “Wait. What Aztec did to Jed? What are you talking about?” Lucy’s eyes widened as though she suddenly realized she’d let the proverbial cat out of the proverbial bag. “Um… I…” “Out with it, Lucy. I want the truth!” “He’ll kill me, Jinx! Jed’s a very private person, and if I—” “Lucy, Jed is going to be with me for the rest of his life, even if I have to take him hostage again. So just tell me. I need to know.” Lucy grimaced and huffed, but Jinx patiently waited. She could tell Lucy was going to spill the beans. “Aztec kidnapped Jed from his foster home when he was eleven. He held him prisoner for nearly two years in a stash house.” Jinx’s mouth fell open, and she said something that resembled, “Oh my God!” as her skin started to crawl. “He stole Jed to… to….” Lucy was having trouble getting the words out, and Jinx wasn’t sure she wanted to hear them. She waited. It looked like Lucy was taking a gulp of imaginary water, and she swallowed hard. “They wanted Jed to have sex with the girls they held captive before they sold them. They wanted to film it and sell the tapes, but Jed refused to do it. First, they tried to starve him, but when that didn’t work, Aztec repeatedly beat him. That’s where he got the scars on his back. When Jed wouldn’t succumb, the 201

beatings stopped. Jed almost died, though, and that was how I found him.” Jinx gasped. “You saved him?” Her heart began to bleed for the man she loved. Her strong, defiant Jed had been tortured as a child, but he had never broken. Not then, nor any time after. “No,” Lucy said. “I helped him stay alive, but I wasn’t the one who saved him.” Why is she denying it? Jinx thought. Lucy had saved Jed, which was clearly why she was so dear to his heart. “Aztec let Jed live only because he became useful to him in another way.” “Another way?” Jinx was becoming nauseous just thinking about the answer. “If you look on the Web under survivors of the human trafficking ring, you’ll see comments about The Storyteller, a boy who helped young victims while they were captured. He’d tell stories to those and give them hope. His stories always left them with something to hang on to during the… the unbearable times. That little boy, The Storyteller, was Jed.” Tears streamed down Jinx’s face. “Oh, honey! Don’t cry. Shit! I didn’t mean to make you upset again.” Lucy got up and put her arms around her. “Damn it. I only told you because I know the stubborn man you’re in love with wouldn’t tell you, and to completely understand him, you needed to know the truth.” Lucy sat back in the chair. “He can’t forgive himself for what he did,” “Why? He didn’t do anything wrong.” “When Aztec kidnapped those girls, he put them in the room with Jed. Jed had to obtain their trust and calm them down, and he did that by telling them stories. Before that, if the girls didn’t cooperate and do what Aztec asked, he threatened to beat them. Once he had Jed, he didn’t have to do that anymore. He just told the girls that if they behaved and did what he said, he’d allow them to see The Storyteller. He used Jed like a pawn, so he wouldn’t have to mark up his girls with ugly bruises or kill them from the beatings.” Jinx’s stomach lurched. The acid burned inside her belly, and it made her want to puke. Jed blamed himself, and he did what he did 202

The Forbidden Claim out of guilt. It was why he refused to blow his cover and why he refused to accept the way he felt about Jinx. She was so torn. He deserved to be happy, to be loved, but she felt almost selfish for wanting to give it to him. In doing so, she’d be taking away his retribution. She could picture that little boy, The Storyteller, and her stomach did another flip. “Lucy,” she said, her voice quivering as she wondered if it was possible, “who saved Jed?” “He told me it was a young girl.” Lucy paused and gazed at Jinx thoughtfully. “She lived upstairs with Aztec and Irma. Jed didn’t think she was a prisoner. He thought maybe she was Aztec’s child or something.” Lucy looked closer at Jinx and tilted her head. “He said the girl who saved him had golden eyes, like the sun was shining through them.” Lucy’s eyes grew big. She shot up from the chair. “Jinx! Oh my God! Aztec took you, didn’t he? You… you were too young at the time for Aztec, so he was keeping you, waiting for you to get a little older.” Lucy stood with her mouth open as Jinx realized what she was getting at. “Your eyes! I never put it together before, but you’re the girl with the sun in her eyes, aren’t you?” “Yes,” Jinx whispered as the memories she had started to recall back at Irma’s stash house began to mesh. “I remember, Lucy. I remember the little boy. I could hear him through the radiator in my bedroom at night. I remember wanting him to tell me a story. I… I remember The Storyteller. I… remember Jed.” Jinx couldn’t hold it back any longer. She began to cry hysterically. **** Jed was packing his duffle bag when he heard a knock at the door. He looked out the window and saw Gil’s SUV in the driveway. Jed was in no mood to deal with Gil. He just wanted to get out of there. After finding out the truth, he had to finish what he'd started, and he knew exactly how he was going to do it. Sure, it would probably end up killing him in the end, but he knew he could never be with Jinx anyway. It was too dangerous for her. The least he could do was go out with a bang and take as many of those scumbags with him as he could. 203

Jed tried to ignore the pounding on the door, but Gil was relentless. He was even shouting. Shit, if Jed didn’t know any better, he would have thought the guy was kicking in his door. Jed yanked the door open. “What the fuck!” Gil smiled at him. “Hey, buddy,” he said, pushing his way inside. He glanced around the room and halted at Jed’s duffle bag on the floor. “Going somewhere?” “What do you want, Gil?” “I hear Jinx is almost ready for discharge from the hospital. Do you plan on staying with her? Is that why the bags are all packed and ready to go?” “It’s none of your business what I’m doing.” Jed put his hand on the door. “Now, if you don’t mind?” He gestured for him to get the hell out of there, but if Gil got the hint, he certainly wasn’t showing it. Gil put his hands on his hips and stared at him for a second. “You love her. Don’t you, Jed?” “I’m not discussing this with you.” Jed started to walk away. Gil placed his hand on Jed’s chest, stopping him. “I think you do.” He reached behind his back, pulled out an envelope and held it out to Jed. “What’s that?” “It’s a letter from Fin.” He gave it a short wave. “Take it.” Perplexed, Jed stared at the weathered envelope. “He said if there ever came a time when I thought you were in love. I should give this to you. So take it.” He shoved it at Jed’s chest, forcing Jed to take it before he let go, and walked out the front door. Jed went to the sofa and sat down. Deciding not to torture himself with what might be in the letter, he unfolded the paper and sat back to read the letter Fin had written for him. It was dated exactly one year prior to the man’s fatal heart attack. Dear Jed, If you’re receiving this letter, it means you’ve found your sun. It also means I am dead, or else I’d be telling you this instead of writing it to you. When I found you, you were full of rage and vengeance. You told me once that you could never be happy 204

The Forbidden Claim because you had lost your sun, and the light inside you no longer shone. Hearing your child say those words to you, it breaks your heart. Yes, Jed. You are my son. Your mother and I moved to the States from Brazil to help stop the increased human trafficking in the U.S. But after you were born, we had to get out. Your mother— God rest her soul—couldn’t look at you and not fight the fight. She wanted a safe world for her child. She secretly continued to go undercover without my knowledge, and it got her killed in the end. I was a mess after that, Jed. I couldn’t take care of you and decided to put you into an orphanage, a place where I thought you’d be safe. I faked my own death and made it appear as though I had died along with your mother. I guess in some sense, I had. But when I lost your whereabouts back in 1986, I recognized that I had made a terrible mistake. Then, when I discovered what had happened to you, it took me years to find you again. To rescue you. But when I did, I knew you weren’t ready for the truth. Your heart was set for revenge, and the only way I could help you was to train you to protect yourself. Your mother and I worked for an international secret co-op called FAHT, Fighting Against Human Trafficking. I inducted you into the co-op back in 1999, and I’m sure they’ve kept you protected. If you are receiving this letter, it means you’ve finally found your lost sun, and that you are in love. I’ve instructed Gil to contact the appropriate people to start working on the paperwork to absolve you of any crimes committed during your duty while working undercover. The choice is yours to get out, but I hope you will learn from my mistakes and walk away. You should know in your heart that there are others doing the job, and the burden doesn’t rest on your shoulders alone. I wish you happiness, my son. Love, Your Father The letter fell from Jed’s fingers. He sat paralyzed in utter disbelief. Anger erupted, but it was quickly extinguished by the respect he held in his heart for Fin, his father. The valiant courage of his mother, protecting Jed the only way she knew how, infused admiration for the woman who had given birth to him, a woman 205

he’d known nothing about until he read that letter. In some ways, she reminded him of Jinx. Jed feared he wouldn’t be able to stop her from doing whatever she set her mind to, just as Fin was unable to do with his wife. He couldn’t blame Fin for not keeping his mother protected. Jed was sure Fin had tried, but obviously Jed’s mother was fearless, like Jinx was and would always be. It made him love her even more. At that moment, Jed knew what he had to do. He picked up the duffle bag and walked out the door. **** It had been two months since Jinx had last seen Jed. Since he walked out of her hospital room after she told him she loved him. He didn’t look back or even offer her a goodbye. Her arm had healed, and she had gone back to work. On the weekends, she stayed with Lucy at the safe house, always hoping to see Jed come through the door, but he never did. Lucy swore up and down that she hadn’t heard from Jed either, but Jinx wondered if Lucy was covering for him because they were so close. The trial for Aztec and Irma was scheduled for the following week. Lucy was ready, and Jinx would be testifying too. She wanted to put them both away for what they had done to her sister and Jed. Jinx looked at the website Lucy had mentioned, the one dedicated to The Storyteller. Every time she read the blog posts, she cried. Jed had touched so many victims’ lives. They all praised him and declared him a hero who had helped them struggle through the pain and stay strong in order to survive. His stories, his kind words, and his demands for them to remember their lives and the people they loved helped them to stay strong. He told them if they held on to those memories, hopes, and positive thoughts, they would be rescued. Although Jinx couldn’t remember ever being hurt by Irma or Aztec in the same way as the other children, she clandestinely still wanted her story, the one Jed had promised her. That selfishness made her cry too. The sound of her phone chimed, and Jinx glanced at the screen. 206

The Forbidden Claim “Hey, Lucy.” “Jinx, are you busy? Can you come over?” The urgency in Lucy’s voice concerned her. “What’s wrong?” She rushed out, and her heart skipped, thinking something terrible had happened to Jed. “Is… is he all right, Lucy?” She held her breath, waiting for the answer. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Lucy sighed into the phone. “I haven’t heard from Jed, but I need to show you something. Can you drop by tonight?” “I’ll come over right now,” Jinx said, unable to wait until after she got off work. Apparently, whatever Lucy had to tell her was important, but Jinx wasn’t going to be able to get it out of her over the phone. “See you in a few.” She clicked her cell off. Thirty minutes later, Jinx was at Jed’s place. As usual, she let herself in, and when she couldn’t find Lucy upstairs, she wandered down to the basement. She found her in front of the laptop. “Hi.” Lucy smiled, and Jinx relaxed a smidgen. “You didn’t have to rush right over,” she said, gesturing to a chair against the wall. “Grab a seat.” Jinx pulled the chair close to Lucy. “What’s up?” Her heart was still thundering in her chest. “I was running through the web, checking out recent cases of human trafficking, and I found something crazy.” She clicked on a few different sites, and Jinx read through each one. “In the past two months, there’s been an increase in reported cases—an absurd amount, to be honest, and more than I’ve ever seen before in my life.” Jinx followed Lucy as she continued to click from one site to another. In San Diego, a brothel was raided by the local police, resulting in the rescue of twenty girls ages ten to eighteen. In Las Vegas, a pimp kept nearly thirty juveniles under his control in a two-story motel. According to the article, the pimp was brought down by someone working on the inside. In Detroit, a mail-order bride scam that lured women into the U.S. under false pretenses, forcing them to have sex with paying customers, was uncovered by the FBI. “These cases,” Lucy said, shaking her head as she frantically 207

clicked to each site. “Jed was working on them, but we don’t do it like this. We never take so many down in such a short period. It usually takes months, or sometimes even years.” “How many have you found?” Lucy stopped and turned to Jinx. “Cases? Twelve. If you mean rescues, my estimate is about 100 or 150.” Lucy slouched back into the office chair. “I’m worried though.” “Worried? Shouldn’t you be happy about something like this?” “I would, but it’s Jed. I know it in my gut. He’s behind all of this, and he’s going to blow his cover bringing them down so fast.” Blow his cover? Jed would never do that. Would he? “Won’t that put him in danger?” Jinx started to panic. “What is he thinking?” “I don’t know. Maybe he’s trying to get out and is taking down as many rings as he can. But I don’t see how he thinks he can walk away from this. He won’t be able to hide. He’s known in many states, and even the cops will be on his ass. He can’t live a normal life behaving this way.” Lucy stared at Jinx as it all sank in. Lucy knew what Jed had always tried to tell her. They had no life together. What is his problem? Jinx wanted to scream. Why is he being so foolish? She refused to think it, but she let the notion slip from her lips. “You don’t think he’s blowing his cover because of… for me?” She didn’t want to believe it. “Honey, either he’s on a suicide mission—which I highly doubt— or yes, he’s blowing his cover to be with you.” “No!” Jinx said, shaking her head. She knew he would get himself killed if he wasn’t careful, and she didn’t want that kind of guilt. “Make him stop!” She couldn’t have Jed’s death on her hands. She wanted him alive, even if it meant she couldn’t have him. “Find him, and make him stop, Lucy! He’ll listen to you.” “I can’t. I don’t know where he is.” Lucy kept talking, trying to convince her, but Jinx had become deaf to her words. It could be happening at that very moment. Jed could be in trouble, maybe dying, doing what she’d pushed him to do. She had told Jed she had faith in him to do whatever it took for them to be together, but she hadn’t realized that very thing might cost him his life. 208

Chapter Sixteen Jinx’s eyes were closed. She was in bed. But her nostrils recognized him right away. His lips grazed her shoulder and then her neck. “Oh, Jed,” she whispered in her dream. His warm, naked body pressed up against her back. She arched closer to it as his arm came over her and pulled her to him. “I’ve missed you, baby.” His thick, deep voice purred into her ear. Lifting her nightgown, his hand caressed her breasts, stomach, and hips. Afraid the dream would end, Jinx didn’t dare open her eyes. “I need you.” The heat of his words flourished through her. He slipped a hand between her legs, and she opened for him. His finger slid between the cleft of her pussy. He found her clit and stroked it. “Do you need me, Jinx?” If it hadn’t been a dream, she would have lied and said “No.” Anything to stop him from blowing his cover. But in the safety of her nocturnal delusion, she told the truth. “Yes, Jed. I need you.” “And you still belong to me?” he asked, as though he knew it to be true. She missed that seductive, confident tone. She longed for the power and control he had over her. “Yes!” she wanted to cry, but it wasn’t real, and he wasn’t really there. “I am forever yours,” she told her make-believe Jed. He plunged a finger into her, and she wept in total bliss. “That’s right,” he said, and she felt him fill her pussy with his hot, engorged flesh from behind. “You’re mine forever, Jinx,” he murmured and possessively took her with the supremacy of his molten masculinity. He took her again and again, driving himself deeper inside her. He played with her clit, stroking her to oblivion as they spooned each other in the most erotic way. Connected as one, Jed demanded her without words to surrender to him, and she was defenseless. She writhed 209

and whimpered and she thought she couldn’t take it anymore until Jed whispered into her ear, “I love you, Jinx,” and then he shuddered behind her with his release. Hearing those words, she joined him and climaxed along with him. It was different from any other time. It left her breathless and motionless. She started to cry. In her dream, she cried her damn heart out, and Jed silently held her. After what felt like a lifetime, She still hadn’t woken up. “Jed,” she whispered, “are you really here?” Fearful of ending the dream, she squeezed her eyes tighter and remained still as she waited for his response. “Shh.” He stroked her hair. “Don’t question this.” She decided to do as he suggested. “I’m going to tell you a story,” he said. She almost started to cry again. “Would you like that?” “Yes,” she responded, choking back her tears. “Okay. Keep your eyes closed.” He lightly brushed kisses on her shoulder, neck, and then her ear. “I will tell you a story about the wolf that was saved by a brave little unicorn.” Jinx caught her next breath in her throat as Jed’s finger traced her neck. “A magical unicorn named Misty, who held the sun in her beautiful eyes.” **** The next day, Jinx woke up to the lingering scent of Jed on her pillow. She dismissed it to the land of wishful thinking, but the wetness between her legs was definitely a result of the dream. The crying almost started all over again, but she was through with mourning her loss. She had to be strong and accept the fact that they were never going to be together. She strolled into her office, ready to begin the day with the understanding that the man she loved wasn’t going to be a part of her life. Just as she was about to sit down at her desk, Barney came 210

The Forbidden Claim storming over to her. His hands were out in the air, and his eyes were lit up like an excited child’s on Christmas morning. “You hit the big one!” He slapped his hands together. “The fucking mother lode!” “What are you talking about?” Jinx tossed her purse on the desk. “Your new case,” he said, as though she should have had some idea. “Holy shit, Jinx! I could only wish to get a case like that.” Evidently, by the way Barney was going on about her new case, she should have been ecstatic. But she’d lost the thrill for anything when Jed walked out on her in the hospital. She rubbed her head. “What is it?” she asked, dropping her hand to her side. “What?” Surprised, his mouth fell open. “You don’t know? They’re in there now, waiting for you.” Confused and frustrated, Jinx scrunched up her face, trying to fend off an emerging migraine. “Who? Who’s in where, and why are they waiting for me?” “In the conference room. Shit, Jinx, you’d better get your ass in there.” He gave her a little shove in the right direction. She swatted at him as if she was shooing away a pesky fly. “All right, all right! I’m going.” Jinx walked down the hall, straightening her slightly wrinkled jacket and tucking her camisole into her khakis. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and opened the door. Jed sat at the end of the long conference table, and she held on to the doorknob so she wouldn’t drop to her knees. “Marshal Collins?” She certainly heard the man calling her name as she entered the room, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Jed as he blankly stared back at her. The man said her name again. He then stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the man she had longed to get just one glimpse of for the past two months. The son of a bitch had the audacity to block that glimpse. “Yeah?” she mumbled and shifted slightly to her left to get another peek at Jed, who was now wearing a half-witted grin. Damn him! What’s going on here? She scowled. “Marshal Collins,” the man said again. 211

Irritated, Jinx snapped her eyes back at the man, who continued to interrupt her encounter with Jed. “What?” The man smiled at her. “I’m Agent Gil Martin. I work for the FBI, and this is Jed Kane. He’s been working undercover in a secret coop that will remain nameless for security purposes, and—” “Yeah, a secret co-op I had no idea I was working for,” Jed said behind the man. Gil glanced over his shoulder. “Jed,” he said in a stern, warning tone, alerting Jinx that they knew each other, “let me handle this.” Jed shrugged and waved his hand as if to tell him to go ahead. Jinx observed the communication between the two and decided to keep quiet. She was not sure if she should tell Gil, the FBI agent, that she knew Jed, or if she should ask Jed, point blank, what the hell was going on. Gil turned back to her, then shot a scornful look at Jed. “Jed has recently been put into a position that has caused some concern about his cover being blown. At this point, we feel that he will be in danger if he continues with his occupation. Therefore, we have decided to place him into WITSEC.” “What?” A thousand things ran through her head, but the most important one, and the most obvious, was what she was going to tackle first. “And just where are you going to place this… this Jed Kane?” She knew he had been all over the States, and she couldn’t fathom where he could possibly be safe. “Alaska,” Jed snickered, and she darted him an angry look for his cocky, self-righteous attitude. He had to know it was killing her to stand there with him only a few feet away. A sexy smile spread across his face, straight to her heart. “I have never been to Alaska, Marshal Collins,” he said, not taking his eyes off her. Jinx wanted to push the FBI agent out of her way and run to him. “Yes, Alaska, but he has one condition,” Gil said and then he glanced at the door. “Oh, good. Hello, Ms. Shores.” Lucy came in and nodded a greeting to the FBI agent as she approached Jinx and gave her a sisterly kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry. I was running a little behind.” Jinx stood baffled. Lucy had known what was going on, but she hadn’t said a word. Oh, shit. This can’t be good. 212

The Forbidden Claim “That’s okay. Have a seat.” Gil gestured to the table. “We were just about to go through Jed’s conditions for entering the program.” “Conditions?” Jinx did a full circle of the room, looking at all parties involved, and she ended with Jed. “What conditions?” His eyes changed from swaggering to intense, and she became nervous. She didn’t know what he planned to do. She wondered if he was going to take Lucy away from her. He stood up, and panic made a home inside her trembling body as he slowly walked over to her. He sieved a hand through her hair and clasped her behind the neck. “Are you taking Lucy with you?” Jed softly thumbed her nape and nodded. Jinx gasped for air, struggling for her next breath. “Can you give us a minute?” he asked the room, never once removing his rigorous gaze from her. She stayed fixed to Jed as she heard Gil and Lucy get up and leave the room. The sound of the door closing roused her to reality. She was finally alone with Jed, but she was speechless. She wanted to yell at him, hit him, and tear his clothes off, in that order. But she couldn’t move. He studied her face and took a deep breath. “God, I’ve missed you.” His raspy voice sent shivers down her spine, and oh how she’d longed to hear that voice again. “You are so beautiful,” he said, but he remained in place, as did she. He simply stared at her, almost in awe. “Jed….” His name fell from her lips in a whisper. He smiled at her, melting her iced-over heart. “So what’s it gonna be?” His tone was provoking, huskily taunting. “Do you want to come with this codependent Brazilian man to Alaska?” This time, her knees gave way. Jed’s arm came around her waist, catching her before she fell to the floor. “Wow!” he said as he pulled her to her feet. “I’m the one who’s supposed to get on one knee, little lady.” She almost fell to the floor again. “What’ll it be? Are you interested in becoming Mrs. Bennett?” Her tongue wouldn’t work, and her throat was dry. “Of course, I will be Mr. Bennett,” he said, “and we haven’t 213

decided about Lucy yet. She can share our name, but if she’s your sister, we’ll have to come up with another, and—” “Yes,” she whispered, finding her voice. After all these years, Jinx had finally found her family in Jed's eyes. “Yes, I… I want to be Mrs. Bennett.” Jed arched his brow. “And we can have a dog named Wolf?” The feeling in her lips came back, and she managed a smile. “Yes. Wolf.” She paused. “I had a dream about you last night,” she said, remembering the story Jed had told her in the dream. “Is that right?” He leaned in close to her. “In that dream, did I happen to tell you that I missed you?” She caught her breath. “Wait. You were there?” “Yes, and as I recall,” he said, coming a little closer, “I also told you that I love you.” That was it. She became flaccid in his arms. And, as always, her big, strong man didn’t let her down. He held her tightly to his firm body. Her heart swelled, realizing he’d done what she’d asked. He had made sure they could be together forever. Hers eyes began to tear up. “Well, Mr. Bennett,” she said, looking up at him and wielding her most seductive smile, “Are you going to kiss me?” Those glittering gems smiled back at her. “Yes. And I can guarantee you, Mrs. Bennett, that you will never have to ask me that question again. Kissing you is something I plan on doing often, and for the rest of my life.”

214

About The Author Writing, what other way is there to describe it- it's my conviction, I've been faithfully writing for three years but started about eight years ago. My other full-time job, when I'm not writing, I'm a nurse who represents a group of nursing facilities in the WNY area. I live in North Tonawanda, New York- a small suburb between Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

Red Sage Publishing

The Leader in Women’s Erotic Romance Sensual fiction written for the adventurous woman. Featuring the best in women’s ultra sensual and spicy fiction, satisfying your desire for more. Visit our website and discover delicious temptations and spicy fantasies!

www.eRedSage.com