Arch Enemy by Leo J. Maloney Read Free Book Online Page B

may not come from Smith, but there are higher powers at work here. If the day comes when their patience runs out, neither of us will be able to do anything to stop it.”

Chapter 7
    M organ pulled into the driveway of his two-story ranch-style home after 9 P.M. The suburb of Andover, Massachusetts, was fast asleep. The full moon gave the snowy nighttime scene a sense of unreality, sharpened by the contrast with the carnage he’d witnessed not twenty-four hours before.
    The search for Mr. White among the Acevedo employee records had yielded nothing. Kirby said he’d have the analysts look into it and sent him home.
    Morgan shut off the engine of his red 1970 Oldsmobile 442 as the garage door ground shut. He squeezed past the boxes that read ALEX on the sides. From the kitchen door came the muffled barks of their German shepherd, Neika. He opened the door and she squirmed through, tail wagging, to sniff and lick at his hand.
    â€œHey, girl,” he said, running his hand through her soft fur. “Did you take care of your mother while I was away?”
    She snorted and whined with delight.
    Morgan called her in to the dark kitchen and locked the door, resetting the alarms and leaving his heavy coat on the rack. Everything was still, illuminated by moonlight filtering in through the window—the tan striped wallpaper, the white cabinets, the copper pots and pans hanging on the walls. On the black granite countertop, nothing was an inch out of place. He felt his muscles relaxing, knots unwinding, breath growing slower and deeper.
    Home. He was home.
    He wondered, as he trudged up the stairs, whether Jenny was out, or already asleep. When he reached the upstairs hall, he saw soft light peeking from under the door to his bedroom. He turned the knob and walked inside.
    Jenny was on the bed. Not out, and definitely not asleep. She was reclining on the pillows propped up against the backboard, a black negligee and sheer stockings suggesting the outlines of her soft, well-toned body. Morgan’s gaze followed the curve of her waist, the smooth lines of her legs, and the angle of her shoulders. Her light brown eyes were devouring him, heavy-lidded with desire.
    â€œI stayed up,” she said, red lips curling into a teasing smile. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”
    Two weeks of heat and mosquitoes, of stink and sleaze. This was his reward. And worth every minute of it.
    She crawled toward him on the bed. He bent down to give her a kiss, taking in her warmth, her fragrance, basking in the animal fire of being in her presence.
    Without drawing her lips away from his, she stood up from the bed and pushed him against the wall, her body flush against his, her skin hot where they touched. She tugged at his buttons with desperate fingers.
    â€œI missed you.” Her breath hot against his ear. “Damn it, I missed you.”
    He pivoted, lifting her by the waist. She wrapped her legs around his powerful abdomen as he pinned her against the papered wall of their bedroom. They clawed at each other in a whirlwind of frantic desire, as if trying to pull each other closer than was possible to make up for the distance that they had endured.
    Later, they lay in bed together, Morgan’s exhausted muscles drained of tension. Jenny was curled up against him, her brown hair spread on his chest. He ran his fingers along her scalp.
    â€œYou,” she said, eyes closed, voice tinged with sleepiness, “are the best.”
    They kissed. Morgan enjoyed the closeness, being off his feet, and the comfort of his bedroom.
    â€œHow have things been around here?”
    â€œMmmm, lonely,” she said without opening her eyes. “Better now that you’re here. But I’ve been keeping busy. Work all day, party all night.”
    â€œHussy,” he said, tickling her ribs.
    She squirmed and giggled. “Stop that, you ass.”
    They kissed and Morgan lay back on the pillow. “How’s