As his hands continued to roam from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to her a.s.s, she felt the coils tighten. Close...oh, so close. As though he heard her thoughts, he reached around and moved his fingers over her slick c.l.i.t, tweaking it slightly. The coils released quickly as the o.r.g.a.s.m hit her, the twinges flowing outward.

His b.a.l.l.s tightened and he was close to coming. With a final thrust, he powered through his o.r.g.a.s.m as his fingers clutched her hips, binding her body to his.

Coming together, they both screamed out their torturous pleasure. Collapsing onto her back, he held her with one hand, using the other to keep from crushing her against the bed. Barely able to think, he managed to roll to the side, pulling her along with him. Their sweaty bodies, entwined together, panted until their breathing slowed in unison.

Luke lifted his hand with effort and pushed a few damp strands of hair back from her brow before sliding his fingers along her cheek. Cupping it, he held her gaze, searching her eyes as though trying to discover the mystery of the ages within their depths.

"What are you looking at?" she whispered self-consciously, noting his intense expression.

"Just wondering how I managed to get so incredibly lucky to have found you," he whispered back before his lips grazed hers.

They lay in each other's arms until necessity called him to take care of the condom. Walking back into the bedroom, he crawled into bed, tucking her into his embrace once more.

Penny sat for a few minutes staring at the computer monitor, her lips pulled in as her thoughts swirled. Thrilled that her message had been received and answered, she hoped the person, who had given the name of Charlotte, would reply back. We're running out of time...I wonder if David's made up his mind for sure?

Hearing a slight noise behind her, she immediately cleared the history before hitting the power b.u.t.ton, turning off the computer.

"Miss Owens?" came a woman's voice that, thankfully, was not directly behind her.

Twisting around, she saw a pretty, Asian woman standing just inside the room. Dark navy clothing paired with a white blouse, created a professional ensemble in Penny's eyes. "Yes, that's me."

The woman walked into the room, her dark, beady eyes focused directly on Penny with only a flicker toward the black computer monitor behind Penny's head. "Contacting someone?"

"No...no," Penny lied, instinctively wary. The nurses had seemed friendly, but this woman's serious stare made her nervous. "Just doing a little research." Seeing the woman's scrutiny, she shrugged and said, "I'm looking for cheap places to live."

"I see," the woman replied, her face impa.s.sive. "Your...friend, David, has just signed the paperwork for his surgery."

Blinking rapidly, her heart sinking, Penny pinched her lips but said nothing.

"The agreement with him is that you will be able to stay in our facility. Of course, that is an expense to us. Is there family that you can stay with? Friends?" The woman crossed her arms, exposing for a brief second the head of a dragon tattoo on her wrist. She immediately shifted her hand so her jacket covered her wrist, leaving Penny to wonder if she had imagined the image.

Shaking her head, Penny answered, "No. No one. Just David."

For the first time since entering the room, the woman's lips curved into a slight smile. So slight that Penny was not sure it was real. "Well," she said, "I guess we'll just have to take care of you then."

Swallowing deeply, Penny asked, "Will I stay here? Both of us?"

The woman took so long to answer that Penny wondered if she had heard her, but finally she said, "No. After the surgery you will both be moved somewhere else."

Nodding, Penny said nothing. With one last glance to the blank monitor behind Penny's head, the woman turned and walked out of the room. Releasing a long breath she had not realized she had been holding, Penny stood on shaky legs and made her way back to the women's dorm room. Afraid of being caught, she decided to visit David much later in the night to decrease the chance. And to give the creepy lady a chance to leave!

Glancing over her shoulder at the computer, she sent up a prayer that Charlotte would read her message...and respond. Hopefully before David went under the knife.

Chapter 24.

Luke poured over the information he procured about Lin w.a.n.g. Her parents emigrated from China when they attended college and then remained, finally obtaining U.S citizenship. Her father had died seven years ago, just as Lin graduated from college, and her mother continued to live in their house in California. Luke knew that Lin's background would produce little information not already known, considering she had been investigated to become an FBI employee.

Hacking into her bank accounts, he found nothing unusual. Small savings, although it appeared she lived frugally. Her Bureau paycheck managed to pay her bills plus leave some for savings each month. Noticing regular withdrawals, he quickly traced that she sent some money every month to her mother. Not a significant amount, but enough to probably a.s.sist her mother with her living expenses.

Abandoning his seat to stalk over to his coffee machine, he looked down at Charlie bent over her computer. Jack had moved a desk into the corner of the room for her to work, against her protestations. Luke knew that she felt self-conscious when everyone was there, but he convinced her that they were more efficient when they worked together. She relented, and now seemed to enjoy having a designated s.p.a.ce. The other Saints filtered in and out of the room throughout the morning, but with no meeting scheduled, Luke focused on Lin w.a.n.g.

Standing at the coffee maker, he hesitated. What the h.e.l.l...I need the caffeine. Grinning at the reminder of why he was so sleepy today, he fixed half a cup. I'd gladly deal with an ulcer if I could spend every night wrapped up in Charlie's body.

On his way back to his computer station he set a steaming cup on her desk before he moved back to his seat to deepen his search.

Charlie smiled up at him, blushing as she noticed the flash of l.u.s.t in his eyes. Turning her gaze back to her messages, she re-read the one from Penny.

Hi Charlotte, I don't have a phone and I don't think I can use one here. They watch us closely they say it's for our protection, but I'm not sure. I'm at the Cheung Clinic in D.C. I don't now how long I can stay here. Hope to talk to you soon, Penny Charlie pulled up the Cheung clinic, seeing the clinic's founder was a surgeon, Dr. Jian Cheung. Jian? Turning toward Luke, heart pounding, she called out, "Can you do some digging for me?"

Dragging his gaze from his own monitor over to her, he responded, "Sure. I'm not getting anywhere with Lin w.a.n.g anyway. Whatcha need?"

"I've been in contact with a teenager who is on her own and has been in a clinic in D.C. It's the Cheung Clinic. She's got some concerns and I can see that it's run by a Dr. Jian Cheung. J.I.A.N. Do you think that was the name that Eli meant? Not J.U.N.? He misspelled the name? Oh, my G.o.d, maybe I've been looking at the wrong name all along. I don't have your tools for hacking into their accounts. If you can get me in, then I can do the searching."

Luke immediately began working on the research for the clinic, digging into their accounts. Charlie dragged her chair over so that she could watch his screen as well. He spent the next thirty minutes showing her how he hacked accounts, before turning over some of the investigating to her.

Scooting her chair back over she said, "I'll start going through the employee records if you'll check out the clinic's finances." Not sure what she was looking for, she began the arduous task of using various search words to go through the accounts. Homeless. Indigent. Teenagers. Runaways.

"Anything?" Luke asked.

"No. So far it looks like a regular medical clinic. But I'm going to dig more into this doctor. Can you get me into their emails?"

"Yeah, give me a few minutes and I'll send it to you."

The Saints filtered in and out of the room during the day as they worked on various missions, each smiling at the couple in the corner, heads bent together pouring over their data.

Seeing a message come in from Penny, Charlie breathed easier reading that Penny sent the phone number for a public telephone at a nearby library.

Good, I will call you tomorrow at 10am. Charlie messaged back.

Thank you. I really am looking forward to talking to you before it's too late.

Too late for what? Charlie asked, but received no answer. Chewing on the inside of her mouth, she hated the sick feeling creeping into her stomach. I've got to figure out what the h.e.l.l is going on!

Penny tiptoed down the noiseless halls to David's room, each step causing her heart to beat faster. Afraid that the clinic would not honor David's request that they stay together, she was leery of being sent away before having a chance to see him one more time. Entering his room, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey," she whispered softly, smiling as she observed him looking healthier than when they first came to the clinic.

His wide smile greeted her. Patting the mattress beside him, he said, "Hey, yourself. Come here."

Rushing to his side, she climbed up onto the bed, snuggling into his arms. "You look so much better," she a.s.sured.

"I feel a thousand times better," he agreed. "The cough is gone and they've been feeding me really well and giving me lots of vitamins and s.h.i.t. The doctor says that they want me healthy for the operation."

At the mention of the word operation, she sucked in a quick breath. David heard the change and lowered his chin to be able to see into her eyes. "You gotta stop worrying, Penny. I've got this covered."

Leaning up, her face tight with concern, she said, "I can't help but worry. Right now, you're well. We could walk out of here together. Right now. Not waiting for anything. I just don't see why you want to put yourself at risk."

David raised his hand to cup the soft skin of her cheek. "Do you remember when we first met?"

A small smile curved the corners of her lips. "Yeah," she replied. "We were both eating at that soup kitchen over on 21st Street. I was hoping no one would notice me when suddenly you sat down in front of me."

"I was so friggin' hungry and cold and was thrilled to find that place open," he said. "I didn't want anyone messing with me, so I tried to look older than I was. Got my bowl of chili and then turned around to see where to sit, looking for a place that wasn't too crowded." His thumb caressed her cheek as he continued to hold her gaze. "I looked over and saw the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. Like an angel sitting in the corner by herself. I knew then and there I wanted to meet you."

"I was scared at first," she confessed. "At least, until you spoke the first time; I thought your voice was so pretty."

"Pretty, huh?" he groused. "I should be insulted."

"No, no, don't be," she giggled. "I just mean that when you talked to me, I felt...safe."

Leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips, he said, "You're always safe with me, Penny. And that's why I'm doing this. It's for us. I hate not being able to take care of you. I never want you to have to go back to that piece-of-s.h.i.t stepfather of yours. I never want you to have to worry that someone else will try to take advantage of you." He saw her eyes darken with fear and he rushed on, "This money will set us up. I get three weeks of care after the surgery and paid well. They've a.s.sured me that you'll get to be with me during the three weeks. And then, we'll get a place to live."

It all sounded so good, Penny was tempted to let go of her worry and just enjoy having someone else carry the burden for a little while. But the memory of the unsmiling Asian woman pushed to the forefront of her mind and the worry came back. Something's not right. But maybe talking to Charlotte can help me know what to do. Keeping these thoughts to herself, she snuggled back into David's embrace, her head on his chest, and listened to his steady heartbeat as he held her close.

Penny hustled into the large public library, checking behind to make sure she was not followed. She bounced between chastising herself for the paranoia that continually crept into her consciousness and thinking that she was crazy for a.s.suming someone cared about the comings and goings of a homeless teenager.

Feeling safe, she moved over to the neglected public phone booth, knowing it had been there since long before everyone had cell phones. Well, everyone except her and David. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she was just in time. Waiting only a few minutes, the phone rang and she grabbed it anxiously.

"h.e.l.lo?" she rushed.

"h.e.l.lo. Is this Penny Owens?"

"Yes, yes. Charlotte?"

"Yes, I'm Charlotte. How are you?"

Penny smiled at the calm voice of the woman on the other end of the line a.s.suring her, hoping she would be able to advise her. "I'm fine. I'm glad you called though. I don't know what information you're looking for, but I'd like to help. And...maybe you could just listen to some of my concerns."

"Absolutely," Charlotte agreed. "And I'll pay for your time. I can drive to where you are and meet with you."

Penny hoped the woman would keep her word, but more than the money, she wanted someone to talk to. "That's fine, but I don't want to wait too long. Can we talk now?"

Agreeing, Charlotte explained, "I'm trying to find out what services the Cheung clinic offers...besides what is listed on their website."

"They've been nice so far," Penny admitted. "They're taking good care of me and my friend."

"How did you hear about them?"

"Me and David were resting in the park," Penny stated, embarra.s.sed to admit they had been sleeping under a tree, "and a woman came up to us. She gave us water and snacks and said she was out helping people. She heard David's cough and gave us a card with the clinic's name on it. She said they could help even if we couldn't pay."

"Penny, can you be honest with me? Are you and David homeless? Do you have any family that knows where you are?"

Hesitating for only a second, she replied, "Yeah, we are. I've been on my own for about nine months and David's been homeless for a little less than that. We met last spring at a soup kitchen."

"And family?" Charlie prodded.

"No. David's folks died and he was in a bad foster home so he left. My mom let my stepdad...uh...get a little too close, so I booked it out of there."

Charlie's heart ached to hear the admission from Penny. "Okay, honey, let's go over what happened with the clinic. Did you go right away?"

"Yeah, we went that day. It was crowded with lots of people piled in waiting to see one of the doctors, but we didn't have to wait. We got straight in."

Her curiosity piqued, Charlie asked, "How was that?"

"Oh, the lady in the park gave us a card. She said to give it to the receptionist when we got into the clinic. At first, we were given a bunch of papers to fill out and told to sit with everyone else, but when David handed her the card, we got special treatment."

"Special? How special?"

"We were taken to a different part of the clinic, where no one else was waiting. We both got physicals and we got to stay."

Knowing none of this information was on any of the marketing websites for the Cheung Clinic, Charlie began to get a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Okay, Penny, I want you to tell me everything you can about where you are staying."

For the next several minutes, Penny described the small, but private, room David had been placed in and how they had treated his cough, as well as the small dorm room she had been a.s.signed to. "From what I can tell, they give extra care to those of us who have no money or no place to live."

"And they asked about family and contacts?"

"Yeah. David and I said we only had each other."

"So why are they letting you stay if he's better?" Charlie asked, typing all her notes into her laptop as Penny spoke. Hearing the hesitation, she prodded, "I just want to help, but need you to give me all the information."

"He's agreed to having an operation so he gets to stay and so do I."

"I thought you said he was better? He needs an operation?"

"Well, he doesn't need it, but he's agreed to it."

The airwaves were silent as Charlie processed the new information Penny gave her. Biting her bottom lip as the ill feeling in her stomach became more prominent, she could feel the young woman's reticence, but knew she needed more information. "What kind of operation?"

"He's donating a kidney," came the slow response. "They'll let me stay to take care of him."

Before Charlie could respond, Penny said hurriedly, "I've got to go. I think someone followed me. I'll contact you again." Hanging up before sliding down behind a bookshelf, she eyed the entrance to the library, watching as an Asian man walked in, looking around. She was unable to tell if he were looking for her or if he was just a random man who happened to be in the library. Jeez, I'm suspecting anyone who looks like they may have come from the clinic! As he moved over to the elevator, she grimaced. d.a.m.n, I just hung up on Charlotte and didn't even get her advice. Seeing the bank of computers on tables set up underneath a tall window, she slipped around the back bookshelves until coming to the one farthest from the front door.

Quickly logging into her email, she fired off another note to Charlotte. Sorry, might have been a false alarm. I don't want to be gone too long. Call again tomorrow. Same time. I'll be here if I can.

With a last glance around, she slipped out a side door and made her way unnoticed back to the clinic.