Justice Served Part 45

"Jesus." Mitch.e.l.l caught her breath, struggled to focus. "I don't know. They're here illegally, but they're victims too."

"Even Irina?" Sandy asked, her tone casual. She stilled her movements but kept her ngers resting against Mitch.e.l.l's s.e.x.

"Yeah, I think so. I can't see her having set up any part of that operation." Mitch.e.l.l rolled her hips and turned onto her back, unseating Sandy in the same motion. She caught Sandy as she started to topple onto the mattress and pulled her down on top of her body.

"What'd you do that for?"

"I gotta see your face if we're gonna talk about this stuff." Mitch.e.l.l opened her thighs and settled Sandy's hips between them. She kept an arm curved around Sandy's small waist. "And you know what you were doing was gonna make me crazy."

"Maybe," Sandy said with a small smile. "But it relaxes you too.

And then you don't notice when you're talking about stuff you don't want to talk about."

Mitch.e.l.l raised her head and caught Sandy's mouth in a hungry kiss that de nitely made her forget what she'd been talking about.

When she dropped her head back to the pillow, her body was buzzing.

"Pretty smart."

"Is she under your skin?" Sandy asked quietly.

"Not the way you think." Mitch.e.l.l looked directly into Sandy's eyes. "I don't want her. I don't love her. But I feel...sorta responsible for what's happening to her."

Sandy rolled her eyes. "Jeez, rookie. You didn't put her on that ship or force her to shoot those videos or make her train those girls, or whatever she did with them."

"I know. But...I connected with her. And I used her."

"Most cops wouldn't care about that."

"Rebecca would."

"Yeah yeah." Sandy stretched out full-length on Mitch.e.l.l's body and nuzzled her neck. "And so do you." She caressed Mitch.e.l.l's chest, her abdomen, the tops of her thighs with slow, soothing strokes. "So * 304 *

Justice Served you're going to keep asking around, and I suppose you're probably gonna go see her."

"I don't know. I'm sure the feds will keep them here until they nd out everything they can about the smuggling operation. The girls probably know something about the local organized crime operation too." Mitch.e.l.l caught Sandy's hand and pressed it between her thighs, keeping her ngers over Sandy's. "There's probably nothing I can do to help them."

Sandy eased a nger on either side of Mitch.e.l.l's rm c.l.i.toris. "But you're going to try."

"Yeah," Mitch.e.l.l said, a hitch in her voice. She squeezed Sandy's ngers hard around her. "Probably."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Mitch.e.l.l's belly was on re.

"I know you gotta." Sandy slicked her tongue over Mitch.e.l.l's lips, darted inside her mouth, and teased at her with quick icks. She matched the movements with her ngertips between Mitch.e.l.l's legs.

She watched Mitch.e.l.l's eyes glaze over and her eyelids utter nearly closed. "And I know you're mine."

Then she proved it.

v Rebecca turned her head toward the door as a shaft of bright light cut across the room. "I thought you were going to go home and get some sleep."

"I was. I did." Catherine crossed to the bed, leaned down, and kissed Rebecca. "I couldn't sleep." She stroked Rebecca's cheek with the back of her ngers. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Carefully, Rebecca inched toward the opposite side of the bed and patted the s.p.a.ce beside her with the hand that did not have the intravenous line attached. "Want to stretch out?"

Catherine kicked off her shoes, then unb.u.t.toned her suit jacket and draped it over a nearby chair. She'd showered and changed when she'd gotten home. At the moment, a few wrinkles were the least of her worries. Taking care not to jostle the bed, knowing that Rebecca's headache must still be brutal, she eased down beside her lover. She grasped Rebecca's hand, entwined their ngers, and leaned her cheek * 305 *

RADCLY fFE lightly against Rebecca's shoulder. "I always have a hard time falling asleep when you're not beside me."

Rebecca brushed her lips over Catherine's hair. "I know. I'll try to get home earlier from now on."

"Now there's something to look forward to." Catherine closed her eyes and sighed. "Is this investigation over?"

"Our part of it. For now," Rebecca answered quietly. "We've exposed the human smuggling operation, crippled the Internet p.o.r.nography ring, and freed some of the victims. We've taken a respectable chunk out of organized crime, but it takes more than this to break its back. We'll gain ourselves a few well-positioned informants within Zamora's organization, and that will help us in the future."

"Just one chapter in the book," Catherine murmured.

"Yeah," Rebecca agreed. "That's what police work is all about.

The story never really ends."

Rebecca closed her eyes, and together, they slept.

* 306 *

About the Author.

Radclyffe is the author of numerous lesbian romances ( Safe Harbor and its sequels Beyond the Breakwater and Distant Sh.o.r.es, Silent Thunder; Innocent Hearts, Love's Melody Lost, Love's Tender Warriors, Tomorrow's Promise, Pa.s.sion's Bright Fury, Love's Masquerade, shadowland, and Fated Love), as well as two romance/ intrigue series: the Honor series ( Above All, Honor; Honor Bound, Love & Honor, Honor Guards) and the Justice series ( Shield of Justice, the prequel A Matter of Trust, In Pursuit of Justice, and Justice in the Shadows).

A 2003/2004 recipient of the Alice B. award for her body of work as well as a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society, Pink Ink, and the Romance Writers of America, she lives with her partner, Lee, in Philadelphia, PA, where she both writes and heads Bold Strokes Books, a lesbian publishing company. She states, "As an author, I know how much more it takes to 'make a book' than just adding a cover to a ma.n.u.script. Done with respect and love for the craft, creating a book is a never-ending joy. As a publisher, my mission is to provide that experience to every author at Bold Strokes Books."

Her upcoming works include selections in Stolen Moments: Erotic Interludes 2 from Bold Strokes Books, After Dark from Bella Books, Hot Lesbian Erotica from Cleis, the next novel in the Honor series, Honor Reclaimed (Dec. 2005), and the romance Turn Back Time (Feb.

2006).

Look for information about these works at www.boldstrokesbooks.

com.

Other Books Available From Bold Strokes Books Course of Action by Gun Brooke. Actress Carolyn Black desperately wants the starring role in an upcoming lm produced by Annelie Peterson, a wealthy publisher with a mysterious past. How far is Carolyn prepared to go for the dream part of a lifetime? And just how far will Annelie bend her principles in the name of desire? (1-933110-22-8) Justice Served by Radclyffe. The hunt for an informant in the ranks draws Lieutenant Rebecca Frye, her lover Dr. Catherine Rawlings, and Of cer Dellon Mitch.e.l.l into a deadly game of hide-and-seek with an underworld kingpin who traf cs in human souls. (1-933110-15-5) Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher. After nine years in the Rangers, dealing with thugs and wild predators, Sergeant Chip Coppelli has learned to spot trouble coming, and that is exactly what she sees in her new recruit, Katryn Nagata. But even so, Chip was not expecting murder. The Celaeno series. (1-933110-28-7) Distant Sh.o.r.es, Silent Thunder by Radclyffe. Ex-lovers, would-be lovers, and old rivals nd their paths unwillingly entwined when Drs.

KT O'Bannon and Tory King-and the women who love them-are forced to examine the boundaries of love, friendship, and the ties that transcend time. (1-933110-08-2) Hunter's Pursuit by Kim Baldwin. A raging blizzard, a remote mountain hideaway, and more than one killer for hire set a scene for disaster-or desire-when reluctant a.s.sa.s.sin Katarzyna Demetrious rescues a stranger and unwittingly exposes her heart.

(1-933110-09-0).

The Walls of Westernfort by Jane Fletcher. All Temple Guard Natasha Ionadis wants is to serve the G.o.ddess, and she volunteers eagerly for a dangerous mission to in ltrate a band of rebels. But once she is away from the temple, the issues are no longer so simple, especially in light of her attraction to one of the rebels. Is it too late to work out what she really wants from life? (1-933110-24-4) Change Of Pace: Erotic Interludes by Radclyffe. Twenty- ve hot-wired encounters guaranteed to spark more than just your imagination.

Erotica as you've always dreamed of it.

(1-933110-07-4).

Fated Love by Radclyffe. Amidst the chaos and drama of a busy emergency room, two women must contend not only with the fragile nature of life, but also with the mysteries of the heart and the irresistible forces of fate. (1-933110-05-8) Justice in the Shadows by Radclyffe. In a shadow world of secrets, lies, and hidden agendas, Detective Sergeant Rebecca Frye and her lover, Dr. Catherine Rawlings, join forces once again in the elusive search for justice. (1-933110-03-1) shadowland by Radclyffe. In a world on the far edge of desire, two women are drawn together by power, pa.s.sion, and dark pleasures. An erotic romance. (1-933110-11-2) Love's Masquerade by Radclyffe. Plunged into the often indistinguishable realms of ction, fantasy, and hidden desires, Auden Frost discovers a shifting landscape that will force her to question everything she has believed to be true about her self and the nature of love. (1-933110-14-7) Beyond the Breakwater by Radclyffe. One Provincetown summer three women learn the true meaning of love, friend ship, and family.

Second in the Provincetown Tales. (1-933110-06-6) Tomorrow's Promise by Radclyffe. One timeless sum mer, two very different women discover the power of pa.s.sion to heal and the promise of hope that only love can bestow. (1-933110-12-0) Love's Tender Warriors by Radclyffe. Two women who have accepted loneliness as a way of life learn that love is worth ghting for and a battle they cannot afford to lose. ( 1-933110-02-3) Love's Melody Lost by Radclyffe. A secretive art ist with a haunted past and a young woman escaping a life that proved to be a lie nd their destinies entwined. (1-933110-00-7) Safe Harbor by Radclyffe. A mysterious newcomer, a reclusive doctor, and a troubled gay teenager learn about love, friendship, and trust during one tumultuous summer in Provincetown. First in the Provincetown Tales. (1-933110-13-9) Above All, Honor by Radclyffe. The rst in the Honor series introduces single-minded Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and the woman she is sworn to protect-Blair Powell, the daughter of the president of the United States. First in the Honor series.

(1-933110-04-X).

Love & Honor by Radclyffe. The president's daughter and her security chief are faced with difcult choices as they battle a tangled web of Washington intrigue for...love and honor. Third in the Honor series.

(1-933110-10-4).

Honor Guards by Radclyffe. In a journey that begins on the streets of Paris's Left Bank and culminates in a wild ight for their lives, the president's daughter and those who are sworn to protect her wage a desperate struggle for survival. Fourth in the Honor series.

(1-933110-01-5).

By the Author.

Romances.

Safe Harbor.

Pa.s.sion's Bright Fury.

Beyond the Breakwater Love's Masquerade Innocent Hearts.

shadowland Love's Melody Lost Fated Love.

Love's Tender Warriors Distant Sh.o.r.es, Silent Thunder.

Tomorrow's Promise Honor Series Justice Series.

Above All, Honor A Matter of Trust (prequel).

Honor Bound Shield of Justice Love & Honor.

In Pursuit of Justice Honor Guards.

Justice in the Shadows.

Justice Served Change Of Pace: Erotic Interludes.

(A Short Story Collection).