by Katie Reus
“Yeah?” She slid her arms around his waist. Since she hadn’t put her heels on yet she had to look up at him.
“Just talked to Grant. One of his guys saw Glenn entering his apartment.”
Athena sucked in a sharp breath. “When? Is he positive?”
A smile tugged at Quinn’s mouth. “I asked the same thing. About an hour ago and Grant said unless he’s got a twin—and I know he’s an only child—then his guy is convinced it’s him. Still, Grant’s going to head down there and try to get a look.” There had also been recent activity on White’s credit card and cell phone, all in the Miami area. Whatever he’d been off doing the past few days, he was home now—and far away from Quinn and Athena. That didn’t mean Quinn was letting the guy off his radar but for now it was a relief not to worry about White for the next couple days.
She squeezed him tighter and laid her head against his chest. “I know we’ll have to be careful when we get home but at least now we can relax the rest of the today. Well, relax being a relative word because it’s going to be insane today. Maybe…” She pulled back to look up at him, her blue eyes just a little wicked. “Maybe we can stay Sunday too and get home early on Monday. I don’t mind going straight from the airport to work.”
As that familiar hunger surged through him, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. She’d been insatiable the past three days. They both had. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d quickly become addicted to her. “I bet we don’t even leave the room,” he murmured against her mouth.
“What do you think room service is for?” She nipped his bottom lip playfully.
Hell yeah, he thought, deepening their kiss. The next two days were going to be amazing.
* * *
Today was the day, Glenn thought as he parked his stolen van a few houses down from his first destination. He’d been covertly watching Athena and Quinn the past few days, mostly keeping his focus on the woman. He hadn’t wanted to tip his hand and if Quinn sensed eyes on him, it would make him even more vigilant. What he’d first noticed was that the woman had two guards from the hotel pretty much at all times when she was at the tradeshow.
The first day Glenn hadn’t been positive they were shadowing her, but the second it had been clear. Which meant Quinn somehow knew Glenn wasn’t in Miami. Not hard to figure out how. Bastard had probably cased his apartment, maybe even tracked his credit cards or phone. Quinn wouldn’t mind breaking the law for his own gain. So Glenn had done the last thing he wanted to and asked his cousin for a big favor. It might come back to haunt him later, but for now it was helping him cover his tracks.
He and Henry looked like brothers, the only real difference between them was about two inches in height. But they had the same build, coloring, hair, everything. People always commented that they looked like brothers so today he’d taken advantage of it.
His cousin had agreed to go to his place to check on it and get his mail. Glenn had also asked him to buy a few things for him—with Glenn’s credit card—so that when he got back home he would have groceries. Easily explainable to his cousin. Getting his cousin to use his phone was a bit trickier so he’d told him he was calling it because he couldn’t remember where he’d left it. Henry answered it, telling him it was in the master bathroom on the countertop.
Which gave him an alibi in Miami for today. If he was a betting man, he’d guess that whoever Quinn had sitting on his place would report that he was in Miami. Getting back to Florida after what he planned to do would be tricky, but luck had been with him so far. He was banking on it lasting, refusing to settle for anything less. Quinn deserved to pay for what he’d done.
The neighborhood he was in was quiet enough, but it connected with a busy street. Glenn slipped from the van, thankful for the cooler February weather. His gloves, knit cap and jacket weren’t out of place. His fake beard was still on, but he’d dropped the padding for this job. He needed full range of movement.
He felt a little guilty for what he had to do, since the guy he was about to kill wasn’t involved in this, but getting access to the tradeshow was paramount. The security had been good but today was the last day so he knew he’d have an opening to get Athena out and away from Quinn. Or he would have one if he played this right. He’d paid a shitload of money for the right equipment to jam one of the hotel’s video feeds but it wouldn’t last long.
His soft-soled boots were silent as he hurried down the sidewalk. He checked his watch. Almost time.
Yesterday he’d followed the van of catering staff back to their headquarters. From there he’d waited, watched, then followed a man home who’d been at the tradeshow. Glenn had picked a guy with the crappiest car, reasoning he’d have lax security at home. It wasn’t a guarantee, but he went with the odds. Once he’d seen the guy’s place, he’d sat on it for a few hours last night, just watching. No one else had come or gone so unless the guy had gotten a really late night booty call, he should be alone right now.
If not, Glenn would deal with anyone else that got in his way.
Walking briskly, he held his head high and tried to appear as if he had every right to be here. Using shadows to hide his movements, he made his way to the guy’s carport. He used a moldy plastic kid’s pool as cover. Glenn couldn’t figure why the guy had one propped up in his carport, but he didn’t really care. The guy also had dirty car parts, a fax machine that looked decades old and a rusted bicycle without wheels.
Now, he just had to wait for the man to exit. Then he’d take his uniform, force him to call in sick and…likely kill the man.
It wasn’t that Glenn wanted to, but this guy was in the way of Glenn getting to his wife. Because in the end, that was all that truly mattered. He needed to make Quinn not only suffer, but to spill his guts as well. Glenn needed to see Suzanne, and Quinn was the only one who would be able to tell him where she was. That bastard had been the one to convince her to leave him, to press charges. He must have been complicit in helping her hide.
When he heard the rattle of the doorknob turning, Glenn set aside thoughts of what had to be done and took a quiet, steadying breath as he withdrew his pistol. He’d kill the guy with a knife, but for now he would use the gun as a threat. His heart rate and hand were steady.
Time to take care of business.
* * *
Athena’s feet were killing her, but she didn’t even care. They were in the last stages of breaking down the tradeshow and the week had been a huge success. She’d just gotten off the phone with Harrison and he informed her that he’d been hearing positive things so far. There’d been a few blips but overall, it had run smoothly.
Better than all that, that psycho Glenn White wasn’t in Vegas. It made it easier to move around today without feeling as if a dark cloud was hanging over her. Quinn had been more relaxed too.
As she strode down one of the aisles of displays being broken down, her cell phone buzzed. “Yeah?” she answered, immediately recognizing the number of the owner of the catering company.
“Athena, it’s Jodi. I’ve got a bit of a situation. There’s a van that’s not supposed to be parked by the kitchen exits and it’s blocking one of our vans. I can’t figure out who it belongs to but I need it moved because we’re almost loaded up.”
“Where are you now?”
“Kitchen.”
“I’ll be there in a sec.” She ended the call then held up a hand to signal Raegan, who was talking to one of the vendors.
Smiling brightly, as seemed to be the norm for Raegan, she strode over, her heels clicking quickly with her movements. She wasn’t that much taller than Athena, maybe five feet five or six, but she was a lean woman and it made her appear taller. Today she’d pulled her dark hair back into a twist at her nape. “Hey, boss.”
Athena snorted. “Stop calling me that.” She was only two years older and it felt weird.
“Only if you stop snorting when I do it.” Raegan’s grin just grew wider as she fell into step. “So what are we doing now?”
“Today’s been pretty smooth though, or at least it seems like it, right?” she asked as they sidestepped a vendor breaking down a display of GPS systems.
“Exceptionally so.”
“Can I ask you something totally non-work related?”
Athena shot her a glance. “Ah, sure.”
“Have you ever dated more than one guy at once?”
She had to think about it. Quinn might be her first lover, but she’d dated in college. Well, a little, the last two years of it. Once she’d been more comfortable in her skin dating had been somewhat more enjoyable. “Not really. I mean, I went on dates in college, sometimes with a different guy week to week, but I was never exclusive with any of them and now that I think about it, I guess there wasn’t any overlap.” Because deep down, she was a one man kind of woman.
“Okay.” Raegan’s pretty mouth pulled into a frown as they reached the kitchen.
The volume level instantly raised as they stepped inside, the voices seeming to echo in the smaller space. “Uh uh, you can’t leave me hanging like that. Why are you asking?”
Athena wasn’t exactly surprised when Raegan’s cheeks flushed. “I had a couple dinner dates with one of the security guys from the hotel this week. We’ve only kissed, but today, oh, you remember the man we met Tuesday?” When Athena nodded, Raegan continued. “Well, he called to let me know he’d be in Miami next week and wanted to know if I wanted to have dinner with him.”
She nodded approvingly. “Nice.” Rhys Maxwell was a handsome man by any standard. Blond hair, blue eyes, he looked more like a tan surfer than a billionaire with holdings in…well, whatever. Lots and lots of stuff.
“I don’t know why I was getting hung up. I mean, I only went on a couple dates and it’s not like we talked about the future—I leave tomorrow. I don’t know why I feel so guilty saying yes.” The frown was back.
She didn’t respond because it sounded like Raegan was having an internal battle more than looking for real advice. Athena called out to one of the servers from the show. “Where’s Jodi?”
Though he was in the middle of packing up serving trays, he nodded to one of the exit doors. “Out back.”
“Thanks.” As she and Raegan maneuvered their way through the expansive kitchen, she frowned when she realized the exit door was propped open and there was no security guard standing there. She’d been very specific with the entire staff about this, both in-house and outside hires. If any doors remained open there had to be a guard.
“That’s not supposed to be open, is it?” Raegan asked, concern in her voice.
“No, it’s not.” And Jodi was going to get an earful when Athena found her.
Outside a chilly breeze rolled over them. A van with the catering company’s logo was backed right up to the exit door but there was more than enough room to maneuver around it. The interior was half-packed but she didn’t spot a driver or any other employees around.
When she stepped around to the side of the van she realized what Jodi had been talking about. This section of the hotel was for employees only and was more or less a loading area, with a row of ramps for vans or delivery trucks to come and go.
Another van with a florist logo on the side was parked directly in front of the caterer’s. Sighing, she pulled out her cell and called Jodi.
When she heard a phone ringing, she continued down the side of the ramp, looking for Jodi. As Athena reached the front of the other van, an icy fist clenched around her chest. Raegan sucked in a breath behind her.
A man was crouched down in front of the vehicle, holding Jodi’s phone—and a gun.
“Drop your phone,” he said quietly. With a thick beard that had to be fake, a ball cap and sunglasses, Glenn White wasn’t easily recognizable but she knew his voice immediately. It sent chills scratching down her spine.
Athena wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. The drop off the ramp was too high up and if she tried to backtrack she’d just slam into Raegan.
“Both of you. Do it or I shoot. I’ll start with your knees.” His voice was dead calm as he lowered the weapon, aiming right for her knees. The calmness scared her more than anything. Like he’d have absolutely no problem just pumping her full of bullets.
Heart thudding, Athena did as he said, praying that someone from the kitchen saw them and alerted security. Or that someone in actual security saw them. There were plenty of surveillance cameras out here. Seconds ticked by, but felt like eons as she stared at the gun.
Next to her Raegan let her phone fall too. It clattered to the ramp.
Gun out, he pointed it at them menacingly. “Move to the back of the van.”
With no choice but to do as he said, they both started backtracking along the side of the van. Athena couldn’t stop the fear filtering through her or the thoughts of Quinn. The thing developing between them was intense and amazing. The thought of losing it all because of a lunatic was too surreal.
“Stop,” White ordered as they reached it.
Athena knew he was going to put them in there and she refused to go. He would kill her anyway. She’d rather die here than her family never knowing what happened to her. “You can fucking shoot me but I’m not getting in there.” Her voice came out surprisingly strong. Inside, however, she was trembling with terror. He hadn’t actually ordered them in the van but she knew it was coming.
“Fine, how about I shoot her?” White grabbed Raegan by the arm and held the gun to her temple.
Oh, God. Athena’s stomach roiled. Raegan’s eyes were huge, her skin pale and…her smart watch caught the light. A tiny glimmer of hope flickered through Athena, but her terror pushed most of it back. She couldn’t let Glenn see it anyway. She held up her hands. “I’ll get in but please leave her here. She’s not part of this.”
He just snorted and shoved Raegan at her before opening the back door to the van. Then he tossed them zip ties. “Tie your wrists together tight. Use your teeth to pull it closed. Make it quick.” He glanced down the side of the other van, his agitation clear.
They did as he said, then climbed into the back of the empty van, urged on by his gun. There was nothing but two metal poles running along the ceiling. She’d seen dry-cleaning vans before that delivered and they’d had the same layout.
Smiling, he pulled out two sets of cuffs. “Glad I came prepared with two.”
He jumped in the back with them and slammed the rear doors shut, using his gun as a barrier. As he started to hook Raegan’s wrists to the pole, Athena rolled back from her kneeling position and kicked at his chest. It was hard with her odd position and secured wrists, but she clipped him in the thigh with her heel.
Grunting in what sounded more like annoyance than anything else, he moved lightning quick, slamming his fist into her jaw before she could defend herself. Pain shot through her face.
“Fucking bitch,” she heard him mutter as her head lolled back. She didn’t pass out, but everything around her was hazy.
“Oh my God! Athena, are you okay?” Raegan’s voice sounded far away.
It hurt too much to answer, but she was aware of her wrists being raised, then heard the distinctive click of the handcuffs around the pole.
As if from the far end of a tunnel she heard him moving from the cargo area to the driver’s seat. The van rumbled to life and she jerked backward, sliding against the cold metal floor until she thumped against the door.
“Athena, talk to me,” Raegan whispered.
“I’m okay,” she managed to push out. She was pretty certain he hadn’t broken her jaw since she could talk. She wanted to tell Raegan that Quinn and Travis would find them, that the smart watch Raegan had on might save them if the guys remembered she was wearing it. But she was afraid White would hear her so she kept her mouth shut and prayed.
Chapter 12
Quinn was about to slip his cell phone back into his pocket when it rang in his hand. When he saw Iris’s name he answered immediately.
“Yeah?”
“We’ve got a problem with the video surveillance in the west sector…directly outside the kitchen the tradeshow staff are using.” He was already moving before she’d finished. He’d seen Athena heading to the kitchen and Iris wouldn’t be calling him unless this was important. Quinn grabbed Travis by the arm, but didn’t say anything as he started moving through the vendors packing up their displays. He didn’t need to. They’d worked together enough to operate as a unit.
Iris continued. “I’ve got guys on the way to check it out but previous feeds show a woman who owns the catering company heading outside, then Athena and Raegan not long after. Now we don’t have a visual… It’s coming back on. Something’s not right.” She cursed.
His heart stuttered in his chest. It was just a computer glitch, he told himself. “I’m on my way there now.” Quinn and Travis moved through the kitchen, ignoring the shouts of protest as they barreled through two men carrying a stack of glasses.
“The fucking door is propped open,” he growled, barely registering the sound of glass shattering behind him. They burst outside. He motioned to Travis to move around the right side of the catering van while he went around the left side.
“I see you guys,” Iris said.
Withdrawing his weapon, he continued down the side of the van. If there was a threat Iris would have seen it on her end, but he wasn’t taking a chance. Where the hell was Athena? If she’d come out here, there was nowhere else to go except out to one of the roads that ran through the hotel and casino’s property.
As he rounded the front of the van, Travis did the same on the opposite side. Quinn’s heart felt as if it stopped dead in his chest when he saw Athena and Raegan’s phones on the ground. He recognized the cases to both. Fear surged up, raw and cold in his chest. “Call the cops now. They’ve been taken,” he said to Iris, not needing to specify who. His gut told him who was behind the kidnapping too. “Check your exterior cams—”