Drake Sisters 06 - Turbulent Sea

woman could turn him inside out with one look. And dark eyes drowning in tears were enough to turn stone into molten gold.
    She sighed and turned her head so her cheek rested against him. 'Do you think he was using our band, traveling from one city to another in order to run drugs or something?'
    He brushed tears from her cheeks with his fingertips. 'Or something.'
    She pulled away just enough to look up at him. 'You knew he was dead, didn't you, when you came up the mountain? Did you see who did it? Do you know why?'
    'If I saw who had done it, I would have told the detective and I would have called for help immediately. Do you think I had anything to do with that man's death?'
    'No. No, of course not.' She wrapped one hand around the nape of his neck and rested against his solid strength. 'But the detective was suspicious, I could tell.'
    'It was dangerous handing him Nikitin,' Ilya pointed out. 'Nikitin isn't kind to his enemies, and you've skated for a while on the edge of slighting him by refusing his invitations to his parties.'
    'Branscomb was going to get that connection anyway,' Joley said and reluctantly pulled away from him. 'There was someone with Dean at the party. I saw him with three other men and the group of girls. One of three was another member of my crew. I recognized that I'd seen him working on the equipment, but I never saw his face. The others I'd never seen before, and I assumed they were other guests. I was hoping Dean might know the names of the other girls so the police could question them.'
    'You're not thinking of finding the other man who was with Dean.' Ilya made it a statement. 'Joley, you always rush into things without thinking. You're not a cop, you're a superstar, with cameras on you every second. You can't conduct a secret investigation into a murder or a child's disappearance.'
    'Well I can't just do nothing! Dean was in my crew. He worked for me. And the girl went to a party thinking she was going to party with the band. My band. Sarah and Elle would investigate. They'd never let it go until they found out the truth.'
    'Well you aren't your sisters. Stay out of it and let the professionals handle it.' Even as he said it, her eyes flashed fire and her mouth set in a firm line. Her chin lifted a little and he cursed under his breath. Joley was a powder keg, and telling her what to do was the same as lighting a match.
    'Like you? You said you were going to talk to Dean, that you were looking into that girl's disappearance.'
    He had the urge to shake her. 'You're not a defiant child, rebelling against a parent. I'm telling you this is dangerous and to stay the hell out of it. What good is it going to do if you get yourself - or Brian or Jerry - killed?'
    Joley paled visibly. 'Why would anyone want to kill Jerry or Brian?'
    'They asked Walters questions, didn't they? Has it occurred to you that whoever killed him might not have wanted him to answer questions? He knew something and they didn't want it out, so he's dead. This friend of his, still on your crew, is either part of what Dean was into or entirely innocent. If you question him, you could draw attention to him and the killer might think he knows something, or worse for you, if he's in on it, they might target both of you for execution.' He stepped closer to her again, catching her arm and pulling her against his body. 'You stay away from all of them. Don't ask questions and let the cops take care of it.'
    Her large eyes darkened, glittering with anger, and he felt lust hit with a hard punch to the gut. His belly burned and his blood pooled hot and demanding in his groin. He bent his head, one hand anchoring in her hair, and he took her mouth, effectively stopping the protest he knew was coming. Heat spread through his body, rockets went off in his head, and colors burst behind his eyes. He pulled her closer, locking her tight against him, so that he could feel every lush curve of her soft, feminine body.
    She tasted just like the honey he remembered so vividly from the beehives outside of the school where he'd spent so many years being trained. He'd stolen that, too, just as he stole his kiss from Joley. And like he'd accepted the stings he'd received as a child, he would accept whatever punishment Joley meted out, because in the end, the pleasure spreading through him at her taste, the feel of her soft skin and silky hair, the fire in her rising up to meet the fire in him made any and all retribution worthwhile.
    It wasn't