“I take bedrooms. You search rest of house. She’s here somewhere,” Alexei said in a thick muddled accent.
Viktor grunted.
Tabby felt along the countertop, until she found her kettle. It was still hot from the tea that she’d had earlier. She waited, trying to hear over the blood pounding in her ears. The door to the kitchen slowly opened. Tabby didn’t hesitate. She slammed the kettle against Viktor’s head, sending hot water careening over his face.
He screamed, then let out a flood of Russian curses as he fell to the floor.
She didn’t wait for him to recover. Instead, Tabby ran for the backdoor and pulled. The door didn’t budge. She’d locked it…and her keys were in the living room. Her gaze darted around the room. Viktor was already beginning to recover. No way would she make it past him before he grabbed her.
She could hear the pounding of heavy boots coming down the hall. Soon there would be two of them and she’d be dead. Tabby scanned the room once more and spotted the window above the kitchen sink. It was small, but she was sure she could fit.
She ran over to it and flipped the latch, unlocking the window, then pushed with all her might. The window frame creaked, then began to rise. Tabby climbed onto the sink and stuck her legs out the window. Viktor struggled to his feet and rushed her.
Tabby screamed, then screamed again, when she felt strong hands clamp down on her hips and pull her outside. Oh my god, Alexei had her! She was as good as dead. Tabby struggled, punching and kicking like a wildcat. His grasp loosened and she nearly fell, but never hit the ground.
Instead, Tabby found herself cradled against a hard chest. She looked up and saw Linx, his expression grim as he ran. A multitude of questions flooded her mind, but they could all wait until they were safe.
“We need to get to my car,” she said.
“Where is it?” he asked.
“On the street.” She pointed to the green Honda.
“Keys,” he gritted out.
Tabby’s heart sank. Like the keys to the backdoor, her car keys were also in the living room, hanging from a set of neat hooks. Then she thought about the other books she’d read. Could she do it? Did she dare try? What if Viktor and Alexei caught them before she could hotwire the car?
What choice did they have? Linx couldn’t run all night, especially carrying her.
“We don’t need the keys,” she said, praying that it was true.
* * * * *
Linx took Tabby to her car. His heart had nearly exploded in his chest, when he’d heard her cry out. If she hadn’t managed to squeeze out the window, he was pretty sure she’d be dead. He didn’t want to think about. If he did, he’d only anger the beast. And he didn’t think Tabby would appreciate that side of him after what she’d just been through.
Every instinct told him to stand and fight. But he wouldn’t. Not if there was a chance that she’d be injured in the process.
She grabbed a rock and busted out the back driver’s side window of her car. Linx frowned as she opened the front door and slid to the floor under the steering mechanism. Tabby reached into a hidden compartment on the passenger side and pulled out a metal instrument, then popped a piece of plastic off the column.
A minute or so later, she’d combined wires and slammed the metal instrument into the slot where the key normally went. She turned it a few times. On the third try, the engine roared to life and her radio blared. Tabby shut the radio off, then turned to look at Linx, her eyes wide with fear.
“Get in. They’re coming.”
Linx jumped in and Tabby sped off, barely giving him time to close the door. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Viktor and Alexei run to their car. Their headlights flashed and a low growling hum filled the air as they started their vehicle. They spun the car around in a perfect three hundred and sixty degree turn, then quickly gained on them.
“Hang on,” Tabby said. “This might get rough.” She cranked the wheel to the right and the cars back tires spun to get traction.
“Where are you going?” Linx asked. If she just stopped the car, he could take care of the men behind them. He didn’t mind given what they’d intended to do to her.
“The police station. No way will they follow us inside,” she said.
Linx wasn’t convinced. “They seem pretty determined. What have you done to anger them so?” he asked.
“I haven’t done anything other than try to get my sister away from that scumbag, Sergei. What were you doing here?” Her face paled. “Did you come with them?”
Linx wasn’t sure how to answer. Yes, he’d ridden in the vehicle with the men, but no, he wasn’t with them. At least not in the way that she was implying. He couldn’t exactly tell her the truth. He knew Tabby wouldn’t believe him. Linx needed to find out what was going on. There had to be more to the story than she was telling him.
He pulled out his weapon and pointed it at the car behind them.
“What are you doing?” Her head jerked to the side so she could see him. “You can’t just shoot them. Someone will see you.”
A car honked.
She barely avoided a collision.
“Keep your eyes on the road,” he said.
Tabby did as he asked, though given the covert glances she shot his way she didn’t want to. “We’re almost to the police station. If that’s a gun, you’d better put it away.”
“It’s not a gun. It’s a camera.” Linx aimed his magnetic pulse weapon. Viktor’s and Alexei’s engine died instantly. The car slowly rolled to a stop. “You can slow down now,” he said. “They are no longer behind us.”
“What did you do?” Her knuckles were white as she slowly eased her grip on the steering wheel and relaxed her foot on the pedal.
“Recorded their license plate,” he said. It was a lie, but a believable one.
“Can I see it?” she asked.
“See what?” He looked at her.
“The camera.”
“I’d rather you didn’t. It’s a very sensitive piece of equipment,” he said. “Now let’s go somewhere that we can talk.”
* * * * *
Tabby knew he was lying, but right now she didn’t care because whatever he’d done had gotten Alexei and Viktor off their backs. She tried to slow her breathing. That had been close. Sergei was obviously done messing around. “You really should’ve stayed out of this mess.”
“If I had, you’d be dead.”
She flinched as the truth struck, then slowly met his eyes. “Sergei Belovich is a very bad man. He doesn’t forget, when someone wrongs him. And he never forgives. If Alexei and Viktor saw you…”
“They did. I made sure of it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” Linx looked at her, his gaze piercing her soul, then he slowly grinned. Two amazing dimples appeared on his cheeks, making Tabby’s heart flutter and her breath catch, but the warmth of the smile didn’t thaw the chill of his stormy blue eyes. “Sergei and I have one thing in common, I don’t forget either.”
* * * * *
Chapter Four
Tabby and Linx drove around for another hour. It took that long for Tabby's hands to stop shaking. Linx kept a wary eye out, but Alexei’s and Viktor's vehicle hadn't returned.
"Pull over there." Linx pointed to a brightly lit coffee shop.
Tabby parked the car, but couldn't bring herself to turn it off. Linx reached over and twisted the screwdriver sticking out of her steering column.
"You are safe for now." He pulled the tool out of the ignition and placed it in the center console, then opened his door.
No she wasn’t. Sergei had made that abundantly clear.
Linx stood outside her window. She noticed he was scanning the streets. Finally, he reached out and knocked on the glass. "Unlock your door."
It took Tabby a minute to do so. Linx opened the door and held out his hand. With trembling fingers, she reached out. He pulled her up and held her until her wobbly legs steadied.
"Let's go
inside and get something to drink."
Tabby stared at the passing cars, then allowed her gaze to trail up and down the sidewalk. "Are you sure it's safe?"
Linx's blue eyes glistened under the streetlights. "You are safe with me."
She so wanted to believe him, but after tonight she didn’t think she’d ever feel safe again. He walked her over to the door and held it open until she stepped inside.
The walls of the coffee house looked as if the Sixties had exploded and dripped down them. Funky light fixtures hung from the ceilings above the six booths inside. A smattering of stools and low tables covered the rest of the floor. A narrow path led from the door to the bar where orders were placed. The air smelled of rich coffee beans and exotic spices.
Linx rested his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the counter. Tabby knew she should pull away. He was a stranger. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to. The warmth of his touch chased the chill in her bones away, relaxing her tense muscles in the process. She found herself leaning into his touch.
"Two cafe lattes, please." She started to reach for her purse, then remembered that it wasn't there. Tabby sighed.
Linx dug into his back pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "Allow me." He dropped a few bills on the counter. "Why don't you grab us a booth?"
Tabby nodded. She found a booth that gave them a good view of the front door and the street beyond. If Alexei or Viktor showed up, they'd see them coming. Part of her wanted to go to the police. It was the logical thing to do. But Tabby knew if she did that, Sergei might hurt Taylor.
Linx came over to the booth carrying two cups of steaming hot coffee. He placed one in front of her and the other on the table. Instead of sitting across from her, he sat down next to her, forcing Tabby to move over. He might say he wasn't worried, but that didn't stop him from wanting to watch the door.
He waited until Tabby took a sip of her coffee, then spoke, "Tell me what's going on." His voice was low, unthreatening, but there was a thread of tension running through it.
Tabby sighed. "Honestly, I don't want to get you involved."
"You might not have noticed, but I'm already involved," he said, his frustration obvious this time.
"There's still a chance Alexei and Viktor didn't see you." It was remote, she knew. But she’d take any chance she could get.
Linx laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "I told you that I made sure that they saw me."
“Why would you do something like that?” Tabby took another sip. "This is my fight. Not yours. If you're smart, you'll leave this city and never come back."
Linx's lips canted. "Fortunately for you, I've never been accused of being bright."
She shook her head. "Why would you want to get yourself killed over a stranger?"
His eyebrow quirked. "I have no intention of dying."
"Nobody does, until the moment comes." Her voice faded under the weight of sorrow. Her parents had been so vibrant, full of life. One day they were there, the next the police were knocking on the twins' door with news of the accident. From that moment on, life turned into an endless blur of foster homes and distant relatives, who wanted nothing to do with them.
The second Tabby and Taylor graduated, they moved out and had been living on their own ever since. It had been rough going those first few years, but eventually Tabby graduated from college and landed a job at the library. Taylor had drifted from job to job, boyfriend to boyfriend, trying to fill the emptiness left behind from their parents' death.
* * * * *
Linx watched the pain flash across her face. Her throat worked up and down a few times as she choked on it. He hated to see her like this. She’d gone from being a fighter to being fearful and he didn't like it one bit.
She was right about one thing. They were strangers.
He wasn't foolish enough to believe that he knew the woman. Linx wasn't even sure that he wanted to know her better, but he was a Phantom Warrior. And a warrior never turned their back on a woman in need.
"Why don't you start from the beginning. How did your sister meet Sergei?" he asked.
Tabby's knuckles turned white as she gripped the coffee cup. "We had a rough childhood growing up. My parents died when we were in our early teens. Our home life after they passed was unstable to say the least. I did my best to adapt. Taylor rebelled."
“You never wanted to do the same?”
“No,” she said.
Linx let the lie pass. He lifted his cup to his lips and took a drink. It tasted bitter, but like all cats, he liked the cream. "How did she rebel?" Linx was pretty sure he knew how, but he wanted to hear it from Tabby.
She sunk lower into the booth. "Taylor always liked the boys with bad reputations. It started out innocent enough, but soon she was sneaking out of our bedroom at night to meet up with them. By the time I enrolled in college, she'd been through a string of hot losers." Tabby put her cup down. "It was like she couldn't get close enough to the danger. You know?"
He did, but Linx didn't say so. Much of his childhood had been spent courting danger and bedding women. Each was dangerous in their own way. It seemed that he and Taylor had much in common. The only difference being he was as deadly as the danger he courted. "So how'd she meet Sergei?"
Tabby ran her fingers around the edge of her coffee cup. "She applied to be a cocktail waitress at one of his clubs. He told her that she was 'star' material and would be wasted waiting tables. He convinced Taylor that all her problems could be solved by dancing." She snorted. "What a crock!"
"So your sister started dancing for him?"
Tabby nodded. "Yes, but it wasn't long before they were dating. She introduced me to him at a charity event. Until that moment, I didn't know who'd she had been seeing."
"What about you?" Linx asked.
Tabby frowned. "What about me?"
"You've mentioned your sister's colorful social life, but you haven't mentioned anything about yourself."
* * * * *
She fidgeted. "There's not much to tell. I went to school and worked full time to keep a roof over our heads. There was no time for socializing. Not really." Tabby cringed as the words left her mouth. She sounded pathetic. Like she didn't have a life.
An ache started in her chest and blossomed as the truth spread.
"I dated. Some." God, that sounded even worse. "Listen, this isn't about me. We're here to help Taylor."
Linx sat back. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"You didn't upset me," she snapped.
His lips twitched. "I can see that."
Tabby crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you have family?"
Linx hesitated, then said, "Not in the manner in which you speak."
"Then you have no idea what it's like. When you have family, you’ll do anything to keep them safe—even if it’s from themselves."
"I am trying to understand." You're not making it easy was left unsaid.
"Sergei is a dangerous man. People who are around him for long end up getting hurt or worse. It's only a matter of time before Taylor draws the short straw," she said.
Linx’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Short straw?"
"Before he hurts her, too."
“Ah.” Linx looked at her, his blue eyes unreadable. "Is that why he sent men to your house?"
Tabby nodded. "Sergei knows that if I get access to my sister, I can talk her into leaving him. He doesn't want that to happen. His ego couldn't handle it."
"From what I witnessed, your sister wasn't being held against her will," he said, watching her closely.
She met his gaze. "I love my sister, but sometimes, she's an idiot and doesn't know what's good for her. This is one of those times."
“Sometimes we have to let the ones we love learn from their mistakes,” he said.
“True,” she said. “As long as it doesn’t cost them their lives.”
Linx looked at her. Really looked. For the first time in her life, Tabby felt like she was being se
en. It was both exhilarating and disconcerting. She tried not to squirm in her seat, but Tabby failed. She’d never had a good-looking man focus his attention on her. She had no idea what Linx saw when he looked at her, but he seemed to reach some kind of conclusion because he said,” I take it that you have a plan.”
Could she trust him with her secrets? God, she wanted to trust him. Something about the man drew her like a lodestone. Tabby found herself wanting to tell him everything, when she’d never really been a sharer.
Sure, he'd helped her escape Alexei and Viktor, but how well did she really know Linx? The answer worried her. It was one thing to drive through town in order to escape two assassins, it was quite another to let him in on her slightly illegal—okay, very illegal—plan to stop Sergei.
"I appreciate all the help you have given me, but you've done enough," she said. Tabby couldn't risk telling Linx the truth. Too much was riding on her success. What if he went to the police? What if he was the police? What if he wasn’t and he went to Sergei with her plans? She shuddered and picked up her now cold coffee. She couldn’t take the chance.
His dark brows lowered dangerously over his eyes. "Are you dismissing me again?"
It was Tabby's turn to frown. "I wouldn't call it dismissing."
He turned to face her. "Then what would you call it?"
"Saving your life." She blew out a heavy breath. "I won't be responsible for your safety." It was hard enough being responsible for her and Taylor.
His jaw clenched. "I never asked you to be."
"No, you didn't.” She shook her head. “But I'd still feel responsible if I brought you in on my plan," she said.
"So you do have a plan? I knew it," he said triumphantly.
Tabby scowled at him. She hadn't meant to admit that much.
"I think tonight proves that you're in over your head. Even the best warriors sometimes rely on others," he said.
"All tonight proves is that I'm getting close and Sergei is worried," she said.
Linx's humorous expression vanished in an instant. "Sergei is not worried about you. You annoy him. He wants to rid himself of the annoyance."
Jordan Summers Page 3