Chapter 4

"What is it, Tom?" Charles Richards asked in concern at the look of total shock on his partner's face.

Tom Seldon replied, disbelief echoing in his voice. "That's why I knew I'd seen this man before. That's who this is. Major Bradley Williams ... my former commanding officer in Marine Intelligence. We all thought he was killed on a reconnaissance mission in September of 1944. His tags were sent to us along with a statement that they were taken from his dead body. I was sent back to Okinawa a month later to finish the mission. I tried to find out if it was true, but there were no traces of him. We all assumed he was dead. No one has ever seen him or heard from him since."

Dawn Estevez sat down on a chair next to Tom. "You knew my Uncle Brad? And you're saying he's still alive? Where has he been all these years? Why hasn't he been in touch with us?"

Tom stared sadly at the petite brunette with the angelic face, her hazel eyes widened in shock. "If he's been up to what I think he has, there's a very good reason why he hasn't been in touch with his family."

Dawn frowned in confusion. "What are you saying? Are you saying he's mixed up in your investigation? That's ridiculous! Uncle Brad wasn't a criminal He died a war hero!"

"We don't know anything for sure yet. But we'll have to contact Bureau headquarters in Washington and give them this information and see what they can find out. I'll tell you what I can if I find out anything concrete. I'm sorry, Dawn. And I hope I'm wrong about this, but I have to ask you to keep quiet about this until the investigation is closed. Do you understand?" Tom asked gently.

She nodded numbly.

Barbara felt the need to lighten the mood. "Gee, I guess I'm the only one of us girls who hasn't been any help with this investigation! Tom, Charles ... you boys want me to take a look and see if there's anyone I recognize from my past?" she purred in her throaty, feline voice.

Everyone looked at the exotically beautiful blonde with the cat-like blue eyes and frowned.

Then Tom and Charles glanced at each other. Their eyebrows went up as if to say, "It couldn't hurt..."

"Oh, come on, you guys! It was just a joke!" Barbara exclaimed. Everyone chuckled quietly.

"I bet ... a quarter." Rick Estevez said nonchalantly. He should've bet fifty cents ... He just knew he had this hand with three Kings! But he didn't want to scare her away...

Diana almost smiled. "I'll see your quarter and raise you another one." Come on, Rick, you just know you've won this hand...

He had her now... "OK ... I'll see your raise!" Rick flashed his thousand-watt smile. He threw another quarter into the pot and turned his cards up. "Three Kings, little lady. What about you?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk ... Not quite enough, amigo. King-high straight!" Diana smiled as she turned her cards over.

"Madre de Dios! How the hell did you beat me again?" Rick exclaimed.

"Didn't you learn anything from my story about beating the pants off of Tex playing Texas Hold 'Em on my honeymoon, Rick? I'm real good at this game!" Diana drawled smugly with her slight southern accent as she raked the pot toward her pile of change.

She and Charles had nearly wiped everyone else out. She chuckled quietly to herself. I'm not exactly cheating ... I can't help it if you people can't hide you're tells! And Charles letting me know when he has a good hand is helpful, too... She looked across at her handsome husband and kissed at him.

Rick frowned and then laughed. "OK ... I see what's been going on here! You two are cheating together somehow because you can communicate telepathically!"

Diana chuckled and looked slightly guilty. "Oh, no, Rick ... we'd never do that to our friends! It's my skill at reading how you bet that lets me win. I told you ... I'm very good at this game. I was also very lucky that the third King showed up! You know what they say, 'Lucky at cards ... unlucky in ... love... '" Her voice trailed off.

She looked at Charles and frowned. Then she closed her eyes. I didn't mean that, sexy man! I'm very lucky to have you! I just meant...

I know what you meant, pretty lady. Maybe everything that has happened to us is just bad luck! The dark forces of the universe can't stand that we love each other so much, so they're throwing everything they can think of at us to tear us apart! I won't let that happen ... Will you?

Never. Diana opened her eyes and smiled at her handsome husband. His dark brown mustache curved and the dimple appeared in his right cheek. The love in his clear gray blue eyes was plain to see. I do love you, Charles ... so much... Her eyes mirrored his.

"Hey ... earth to Charles and Diana! Have you two forgotten that there are six other people here?" Tom asked as he waved his hand between their gazes. "You two are getting pretty damn good at these private conversations! The rest of us are going to have to ask you guys not to say anything about us that you wouldn't say to our faces. We love you guys, but we have to know that we can trust you!"

Charles and Diana glanced around the table at their friends' concerned faces.

Charles stated, "We men have known each other for only a few months, but after everything you guys know about our pasts, everything we've been through together, everything we've talked about, the things I've said ... How can any of you doubt that I would say anything to Diana that I wouldn't say to you?! I trust you guys with our lives ... I would never do or say anything against any one of you. I feel closer to you than I do to my own brothers! Especially you, Tom."

Charles paused and frowned. "And if you guys ever make me spill my guts like this again, I'll beat the shit out of all of you!" Everybody laughed.

Diana looked at each one of her girlfriends. "We've known each other for years and I'm sorry if my sudden ability to communicate with my husband without words makes you nervous. You know it's the same for me. I trust all of you with my life ... and you know how hard it is for me to trust most people. As long as we're all honest with each other, there shouldn't be any problems!"

"There's only one problem," Jon North said authoritatively. Everyone looked at him. "Diana Richards, if you insist on keeping your ill-gotten gains from tonight's poker game, I will arrest you for cheating at cards! I have my handcuffs waiting out in my car." He smiled widely. Yeah ... he'd like to slap cuffs on all these women so the men could have their way with them ... His deep green bedroom eyes darkened with lust as he glanced at all the women.

Charles grinned mischievously. "Ohhh ... Detective North! I like the way you think! Did you bring enough cuffs for all of them?" Then he laughed at Jon's startled expression.

"Oh, shit! And see how easy it is to forget that Charles can read our facial expressions and know just what we're thinking sometimes? I can't help what I think when I'm around these women! They shouldn't all be so damn gorgeous!" Jon exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Just what were you thinking, Jon?!" Barbara asked testily.

"Do you want to tell her ... or should I?" Charles asked, still chuckling.

Jon's face reddened. "I was just wishing that I had enough handcuffs for all you women so we men could have our way with you!"

There was a moment of silence as the women looked stunned.

The men were snorting, trying not to laugh. It didn't work. They roared with laughter. The women eventually joined in.

On their way home a little while later, Barbara was leaning against Jon with her head on his shoulder, stroking his inner right thigh. "Barbara, love. You're making it very difficult for me to keep my mind on the road. Would you please stop that while I'm driving?"

"You're going to have to cuff me, Detective, if you want to keep my hands off of you!" she purred at him.

The exotic little seductress was just asking for it! He could hardly keep his hands off her, too...

She had never had sex in a car ... that was why she was trying to seduce him ... Barbara ran her right hand up the inside of Jon's left thigh and cupped his crotch. His thick cock was already hard as steel. "Oooh, Detective North ... that's some concealed weapon you're carrying!" She moved her hand up to lower his fly and carefully stuck her hand inside his pants and shorts to stroke his hot, hard shaft.

Jon smirked. "Careful how you handle it, pretty girl. It's loaded, cocked and liable to go off at any moment!"

Barbara smiled as she worked her fingers down to the base of his thick shaft. "Oh my, detective ... are you telling me that this thing has a ... hair trigger!" she purred with laughter as she grasped a few strands of his pubic hair and tugged on them.

"THAT'S IT!" Jon growled. He whipped the steering wheel to the right and pulled off onto a side road that wound up the hillside to a fairly deserted area. He parked the car and turned it off. He leaned across Barbara, opened the glove box, pulled out his handcuffs and slapped them around her wrists.

He opened the driver's door, got out and pulled her across the seat until she climbed out. He shut the driver's door, opened the back seat door and shoved her down onto the seat sideways. Then he grabbed her cuffed wrists, lifted her arms above her head, pushed her to lie down on the backseat and hooked the chain of the cuffs around the door handle on the other side of the car.

Barbara parted her lips to say something but Jon put his hand over her mouth. "You're my prisoner. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent ... I can't guarantee what I'll do to you! Do you understand?" She nodded silently, but he could see exactly what she was thinking in her beautiful gray blue cat-like eyes.

"Oh, yes, Detective! Strip-search me! Do whatever you want with me ... I'm yours..."

"Well now, pretty girl ... I guess I'm going to have to check you for concealed weapons, too!" Jon said huskily in his deep, sexy voice. He was kneeling on the floor of the back seat with his feet hanging out of the open door. He put his hands at Barbara's wrists and dragged them down her arms and the sides of her body. Then he stroked them up the front of her body to her heaving breasts. "Ah, ha ... what do we have here?" He slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

Jon nearly came unglued. My God! She wasn't wearing a bra! When did she take it off? It must've been before they left Charles and Diana's house...

He dragged in several deep breaths to calm the throbbing of his shaft. He shoved her blouse to her sides, exposing both of her beautiful breasts. His eyes feasted on her small, heaving globes ... the tiny pink pebbles of her nipples poking firmly upward, begging for his lips and tongue.

"I should arrest you for indecent exposure, pretty girl. But I'll forget that charge if you come for me!" Jon cupped both of her breasts with his hands. He bent down and laved her tiny pink nipples with his tongue and then drew one between his lips, fluttering his tongue on the hard pebble.

Barbara's hips bucked. "OH, MY GOD, JON! OH, GOD, OH YES! Ohhhh, Ohhhh yesssss..."

Jon grinned sexily at her when he straightened up. Then he looked serious. "You wouldn't try to pull something over on me, would you, pretty girl? I have to make sure you didn't fake an orgasm to get out of that indecent exposure charge!"