“It’s two in the morning,” she said, glancing at the time on the microwave.
“I’m not tired.” He sauntered toward her and stopped in front of her, waiting for her to move. He was so close she could reach out and touch him. She wanted to, oh how she wanted to, but she didn’t. She told herself to do it, to touch him and to hug him and to tell him how much he meant to her. She opened her mouth to say it, but somehow she didn’t. She backed up and let him pass. She let him walk out of the apartment.
Julie stood there, barely able to breathe, thinking of how it had felt when she thought he’d let her walk away that day they’d gone to lunch. She rushed for the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Luke and Blake talking. She let her head drop to the door. Now was not the time for confessions and she knew it. She had to wait until he got back.
But an hour later, she lay in the bed waiting and he didn’t come back. Then another hour later. And yet another.
Chapter Twenty-Four
There was darkness, so much darkness, and she was cold. Her bones were brittle and her body ached. She stretched and tried to move, only she was trapped. She tried to roll over but she hit a wall. Panic rose inside her and she started to kick and punch until her knuckles ached and she could feel the blood oozing from them, and a wave of heat suffocated her. She screamed as flames surrounded her, as the fire burned the ice in her veins...
“Julie, honey, wake up! Julie!”
Julie blinked awake. “Lauren?” She pushed to a sitting position. “What happened?” Her gaze lifted to find Luke at the end of the bed, staring at her with an unreadable look.
“You were screaming bloody murder in your sleep.”
“Nightmare again?” Luke asked softly.
She nodded. “Yes. About Elizabeth.” Cici jumped on the bed and smacked Julie in the face with her tail.
“That’ll wake you up,” Lauren laughed.
“She’s got all kinds of evil ways to wake a person up,” Julie said, running her hand down Cici’s back and noting the 9 a.m. time on the clock. “I thought you weren’t coming in until lunchtime?”
“We went standby and got in earlier.”
“I hate that you left your honeymoon like this.”
“I hate that you didn’t call us sooner.”
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Luke said.
“Luke,” Julie said quickly.
He glanced back at her, arching a brow.
“I had something else to tell you last night, but Blake showed up.”
He stared at her for a long, intense few moments, before he said, “I’m not going far. Not yet.”
Not yet. There was an underlying meaning to that answer, she was certain. There was still hope. He left the room and Lauren lowered her voice, “Yowza, what was that?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
***
Julie and Lauren talked for a good hour before Julie showered and pulled on a pair of black sweats and a red t-shirt Lauren had brought her. Sooner or later she had to go shopping – that was, if she lived through this mess.
Feeling ridiculously nervous about seeing Luke, she opened the bedroom door to find Luke, Royce, Blake, and Lauren sitting in the living room. Lauren stood up from the couch she shared with Royce and held a finger to her lips.
Julie stopped at the edge of the room, across from the leather chair Luke occupied and knew this call had to be Arel. After a few seconds, he ended the call. “It’s not good. Arel wants me to deliver a certain piece of art by tonight.”
“That’s impossible,” Blake said in disbelief.
“Tonight?” Royce asked.
“The impossibility seems to be the point. It’s that or he gave me another option.”
“The journal,” Julie said, remembering what Luke had said when her apartment had been trashed about not underestimating Arel.
“So basically,” Royce said. “He wants the journal.”
“You can’t give the journal to him,” Julie said. “It’s part of the proof you need to take down the cartel.”
“We’ll just have to copy it before we give it to him,” Blake said. “He has to know that.”
“And he probably knows that might not even be admissible in court,” Lauren said, putting her criminal law degree to work, “and certainly it would leave room for speculation about tampering with documents.”
“It’s less damning to Arel than it is to the judge and Dragonfly,” Luke said. “This is the kiss of death for them.”
“How does Arel know about the journal?” Lauren asked.
“Maybe they tortured Elizabeth before they killed her,” Luke said. “Maybe they tapped the sister’s phone. There are too many possibilities. We need me inside this operation to take down Arel. We have to give him the journal.”
“Agreed,” Royce said.
“Agreed,” Blake added. “So how does this go down?”
“I’ll get a call and instructions,” Luke said. ”
“Of course,” Royce said. “Giving us no time to plan.”
“I’ll call Hendrix and Murphy and round up the rest of our team for a planning session,” Blake said, pushing to his feet.
“It should be a simple drop, shouldn’t it?” Lauren asked. “It’s what he wants.”
“We don’t ever assume anything is simple or as it seems.”
***
An hour later, Luke and his brothers had Murphy and Hendrix on speakerphone, trying to get a grip on just how many people they needed to be involved tonight.
“I don’t mean to be the Grim Reaper,” Blake said, “but this could all be about the journal, not about trust. They get it and take Luke out. We need to be ready for this.”
Luke had already thought of that. “It’s a strong possibility.”
“Which makes my immediate concern is that we’re headed back to the island and that means moving out now,” Blake said. “We need a team there yesterday.”
“It could be in the city,” Murphy said. “Arel does the unexpected.”
“We have to be ready for both,” Hendrix said.
““That will mean splitting up, which will leave Luke with less support,” Royce said. “I don’t like it.”
“But not splitting up,” Hendrix countered, “could mean he ends up with no support.”
“I’m staying with Luke,” Blake said and he glanced at Luke. “Jesse knows the city like his own stink, man. We need him and we need manpower.”
Luke considered a moment, fighting personal feelings to focus on the reality of a grim situation. “Fine. Call him.”
“I’ll stay here too,” Hendrix said. “I know this city pretty damn well myself. Murphy should go. One of us needs to be at both locations since we’re accountable to the task force.”
Royce eyed Murphy. “You, me, and my man Kyle, on the island?”
Murphy nodded. “Works for me. We still keeping the rest of the task force out of this?”
“Until we know who Dragonfly is,” Luke said. “Yes.”
“I say Luke wears a wire,” Blake said.
Luke shook his head. “They’ll pat me down. I’ll have to try and record with my cell phone.”
A general mumbling of approval filled the room.
“This call could come at any moment,” Luke said. “So we need to get this rolling now.”
Murphy ran a hand over his hair. “I just hope this really is a test. If Luke is in Arel’s circle after this, then maybe we really can get answers about our missing agent and shut him down.” He eyed Luke. “So don’t go getting killed, how about it?”
Luke didn’t plan on dying and he knew that meant keeping his head clear. If he went to his apartment, if he let himself get worked up over Julie, he wouldn’t.
***
Julie spent the afternoon with Lauren, who offered her a much-needed distraction by way of honeymoon stories and pictures, especially since Luke hadn’t so much as called her.
They were sitting at
Luke’s kitchen table, where Julie had her laptop open, trying to do a bit of work, when Lauren’s cell rang. Julie listened to her talk to Royce, and watched how her friend glowed just talking to her new husband.
Lauren ended the call. “They’re still working on preparation. I’m going to head out to stay with Royce on the island later.”
“Okay,” Julie said, rising to her feet and refilling her coffee cup, trying not to think about how badly she wanted to see Luke and talk to him.
“You want to talk about Luke?”
“Not yet,” she said. “But eventually.”
“That’s closer to talking about him than we’ve ever gotten, so I’m pretty pleased with that answer. You normally shut me down when Luke comes up. Just know that I’m here when you need me.”
“I know,” Julie said. “And thank you.”
The door to the apartment opened and shut. Luke appeared in the doorway and Lauren got up. “I need to go unpack.” She hugged Julie. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Julie and Luke stared at each other. The door opened and closed again. They were alone. “I had to go last night. I didn’t want to lose you. Luke, I–” She set her cup down and ran to him, throwing her arms around him. He didn’t hold her, didn’t touch her, but she wasn’t going to back down. “I don’t want to lose you. Don’t shut me out because you think I meant something I didn’t. I’m not used to feeling like this. You’re not just some ‘bedroom buddy’. I don’t know how to prove that–”
He kissed her, oh god how he kissed her. Hot, passionate, deliciously possessive. She lifted to her toes, trying to get more of him, trying to show him how much she needed him.
He tore his mouth from hers, tangled his hand in her hair and stared down at her. “I’m going to protect you at all costs.”
“I know.”
“You won’t always like it.”
“I know that, too, but you have to accept I’ll do the same for you.”
He kissed her again and lifted her to the counter, sliding her legs apart to press his hips between them, bringing his mouth just above hers, before his lips curved. “I’m not your bedroom buddy?”
She smiled at the term ‘bedroom buddy’ he’d pulled from some random hat. “Sure you don’t want to reconsider that?”
The door opened and closed and Blake called out, “Luke!”
Luke pressed his forehead to Julie’s. “Leave it to my brother to have crap timing.”
Blake walked into the kitchen. “Oh hey, you two. Glad to see you made up.” He sat down at the table. “I got the map of the city to review with you, Luke.”
Luke made an exasperated sound. “We’ll continue this later,” he said to Julie and set her on the ground.
“Anyone else hungry?”
Luke gave her a look that said ‘yes.’ He was hungry for her. And for the first time ever, a lustful look in a man’s eyes made her heart skip a beat.
***
It was nearly eleven o’clock and Julie paced the small space in front of Luke’s fireplace while he and Blake watched. Luke patted his chair. “Will you please come sit down? You’re wearing a hole in the floor.”
Blake motioned to the television. “ESPN is on. You love sports.”
“When are they going to call?” she asked.
“They’ll call,” Luke said and his cell phone rang. “See?”
Blake stood up and crossed his arms in front of his chest, ready for action. Luke punched the button and listened and then hung up.
“Well?” the entire room asked at once.
“Subway car number nine at midnight.”
“Shit,” Blake blurted and started to pace in the very same area Julie had just been doing the same. “Shit, shit, shit, shit.” He dialed Royce and gave him the news. He ended the call and gave them a quick update. “Hendrix and Jesse are on his way up from the street. I’m going to meet them at the side door so he won’t be seen. I’m sure you both know this, but the tunnels will make surveillance impossible. We need to talk this out.”
Julie’s eyes met Luke’s. “How bad is this setup?”
“No cell phone reception,” he said. “And once I’m on the train, I’m on my own.”
Julie held up the train schedule she’d been studying. “That train is an express to Queens. That means no stops for at least fifteen minutes.”
“But you can take a gun, right? They can’t check you closely in the middle of the subway.”
“Unless they’ve found a way around that.”
“We’re here,” Blake said, hurrying back into the room with Hendrix by his side.
“That train is an express to Queens,” Jesse said.
“We just figured that out,” Luke said.
“So someone needs to be on the train when it arrives. Someone they won’t recognize.”
“They don’t know me,” Hendrix said, sitting down on the couch. “I’ll do it. I’ll head there now.”
“I’ll go with him,” Jesse chimed in.
“I’ll tail Luke in case they try to get to him before he gets to the subway,” Blake said and glanced at Luke. “I’ll go get a uniform of guns and knives on, and meet you in the garage in five minutes?”
Luke gave a nod. “That works.” His attention went to Julie and when Blake exited the apartment, she darted towards him and hugged him.
“I have a really bad feeling about this,” she said. “Don’t you dare get killed, you hear me?”
“Sweetheart,” he said, softly. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”
“You better.” And once again, she found herself thinking that she’d only just found Luke again. She couldn’t lose him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Julie sat in the kitchen of Luke’s apartment finishing off a pint of ice cream from his freezer because what else did a girl do when worried senseless but eat ice cream? But now it was gone, and she was still a wreck, so she thought the only other logical thing to do was to go back to her pacing in front of the fireplace.
She tossed the empty pint and was headed that way when she heard what sounded like the ring tone for Blake’s cell. Sure enough, there it was. She frowned. This was so not like him, and so not well timed.
She grabbed the phone and answered, afraid someone on the team was looking for him. Immediately, a man with a heavy French accent said, “Call me the minute you have the journal. Do not fail me, or you will be a dead Dragonfly.”
The line went dead. She looked at the phone and flipped through the numbers. It wasn’t Blake’s phone at all. It belonged to Hendrix.
Julie couldn’t breathe. Her hand went to her chest. She dialed Blake. No answer. She dialed Luke. No answer. She dialed Jesse. No answer. They were all in the tunnels. Finally, Royce answered. “Hendrix is Dragonfly. I can’t reach anyone to tell them.” She quickly told him what happened.
“Keep trying to call them,” he said, “and I will too. I’m stuck on the ferry.”
Julie hung up and kept dialing over and over. No answer from anyone. She had to warn Luke. She ran for her purse and headed for the door.
***
The Flamingo Hotel was yet another dingy dive of a place that fed drugs, prostitution, and other sordid habits. Alone in the room she was given, Gina sat on the edge of a bumpy bed with an ugly orange bedspread, pondered how well Marco knew the people at the front desk. They had treated him as if he was their boss or something.
Gina wasn’t sure what it was about Marco that made her want to please him so, but she did. Perhaps it was simply his exceptional body and phenomenal skill as a lover.
Then again, there was a distinct possibility it was their mutual love of money that intrigued her. The ruthless way his mind worked was downright evil, giving him a dangerously alluring air that clung to him like a well fitted suit.
It was downright sexy.
Tonight’s agenda was brilliant. She’d told the judge she didn’t have the journal so she’d make it up to him until sh
e did. She couldn’t wait to see the judge’s face when ... A knock sounded on the door, drawing her attention.
“Time for the show,” she whispered with anticipation dancing through every fiber of her body.
Stopping at the broken mirror that sat on top of the scuffed white dresser, she smiled at her image. Dressed in a fire engine red lingerie set complete with garters, a tiny lacy bra, barely-there panties, and spiked heels, she was deliciously ready for action.
The knock on the door sounded again. “Anxious,” she said with one last look in the mirror as a devilish smile tilted up her painted red lips.
Sashaying to the door she opened it and leaned on the wall in a sexy come-hither way that displayed her body. “Evening, Judge.”
Judge Moore gave her a heavy-lidded, slow perusal. When he was finished, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her as he maneuvered them both into the room and pushed the door shut.
“You look good enough to eat,” he said as he spread his hands around the bare cheeks of her backside and pressed her against the hardness of his body.
“Slow down, baby. Tonight, we’re going to play a little game.” She pushed out of his arms.
The judge started unbuttoning his shirt. “I like games.”
“Good,” Gina said smiling seductively. “You have to promise to follow my rules. Tonight, I’m in charge.” Gina walked up to him and pressed her palm against his bulging zipper. “You’ll be rewarded for good behavior.”
The judge covered her hand with his own making her press harder. Gina tsked. “Not yet, Judge. I won’t play at all if you don’t obey.”
He stared at her as if deciding how serious she was, and then reluctantly released her hand. Gina stepped back and leaned on the dresser. “Get naked. I want to watch.”
“If I do, what do I get in return?”
Her eyes narrowed, her voice hardened. “No questions, no demands. I’m in charge. Want to play or not?” The words were like the flick of a whip.
Dangerous Secrets Page 20