by Jodi Redford
A warning growl broke from Jerrick. “There will be no making up where he’s concerned.”
“Oh for Pete’s sake, would you get your mind out of the gutter? That isn’t how I meant it at all.”
“Not on your end, but that sneaky son of a bitch would love nothing more than to get in your pants.”
Not about to trigger him into another round of territorial relationship rules, she decided to let the subject drop and instead focused on the task ahead of them. “I still have some concerns about the heist.”
Jerrick’s expression hinted that he’d seen through her distraction maneuver, but amazingly he didn’t call her on it. “Now’s the time to go over them.”
“Well, assuming not all of Casper’s files are hard-wired, what are we going to use to transport them from the club? Because I’m thinking we’d look damn suspicious strolling out of there with a bunch of compu-tronics and file folders.”
“During our tour, I noticed a dolly outside the kitchen. That’ll be your station. Second you hear that alarm and everyone’s evacuated, haul yourself up to the penthouse. Hopefully by that time I’ll already have the lab cleared and ready to go.”
His fingers stroked her nape as they began walking in the direction of her apartment. He’d been touching her a lot in the last sixteen hours. Recalling in vivid detail the sexiness in some of those touches, she shivered. She held no doubt that he desired her. And they’d already gone over the whole growly and possessive part of the equation. But she still had no sense of whether his feelings for her extended beyond lust and responsibility.
Her heart heavy, she pushed her uncertainty aside. Now wasn’t the time to brood over their future. Not when she wasn’t certain what the immediate here and now held. “What’s our exit plan?”
“There’s a side door on the lower west wing that leads directly into the alley. Odds are no one will be evacuating through there, which means it’s our best shot.”
“Okay, I like that strategy.”
He gave her a familiar look she’d seen countless times in the past. Although it’d been at least five years since she’d last been graced with it, it still managed to flare an ember of dread since she knew all too well the speech soon forthcoming.
“Avi, if anything goes wrong, you have to get the hell out of there and hunker down somewhere safe. Don’t make any stupid moves if we get separated.”
“It’s never happened.”
“Just because it hasn’t yet doesn’t mean it can’t. I need to know you’ll take care of yourself first and foremost.”
“Would you do the same?”
He averted his gaze, all the answer she required.
“It’s hypocritical to expect me not to be concerned for you when all you do is watch me like a hawk.”
“It’s my job to protect you. Now more than ever.”
She squinted at him. “Because you slept with me?”
“No, damn it. Because I tied you to me. You damn well know the ramifications that come with that.”
“Hot sex every night and morning?” she suggested in jest and valid hope.
He grunted. “That’s the consolation prize for the other bullshit that isn’t so pretty.”
“Like what?”
His gaze flicked to her, the dark solemness in its depths unmistakable. “My existence is steeped in a criminal stew. You were there. You know the nastiness that I can’t merely wash off at the end of the workday. It was never my intention to bring you back into it, but I’ve been doing a piss-poor job of it, haven’t I?”
“I don’t care about that.”
“You should. You’ve built a respectable life for yourself, and I’m a stain on that.”
She whirled on Jerrick, surprising him and the crush of people walking from behind. “Don’t you dare speak of yourself that way to me. I won’t have it.”
Taking her by the arm, he steered her to a nearby shop window, safely maneuvering them out of the line of traffic. “I might not be honest about everything in my life, but I am this. I make no bones about what I am. What I do. But I’m not a fool to think it’s acceptable in the eyes of society. Your own family condemns you for being associated with me. You think that doesn’t affect me?”
Her thoughts immediately veered to the ugly scenes he’d been a party to with Leena. “I’ve already told you that it’s no consequence to me what my sister thinks. Furthermore, she stopped by my shop yesterday and made it all too clear that her grudge against you has nothing to do with your career and everything to do with your DNA.”
He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Bloody fantastic. Another human who despises me for my genes.”
“See? Your job isn’t the issue.”
He offered her a droll look. “No, instead it’s my heritage. Infinitely easier for me to overcome.”
“Why do you have to be so bullheaded about this?”
“Not stubborn. Pragmatic. I won’t wear blinders in this situation.”
She gripped his hand, the depth of her feelings conveyed in the circulation-stealing clench of her fingers. “I’m not being blind either. I know full well the obstacles we face. But I’m willing to endure every single one of them because I love you.”
A fraction of the tension ebbed from him, but the indefinable dark emotion in his eyes didn’t abate. He hugged her to him, his lips a gentle stroke upon her forehead. She slipped her free hand beneath his jacket and covered his heart. Hers squeezed, well aware that the responding words of his devotion failed to fall from his tongue.
“We’ll speak more of this later, Avi. No force will tear me from you, but I need to be smart about this and insure your safety.”
For her wellbeing, maybe. But he could do nothing to protect her heart.
She couldn’t even manage that.
Chapter Twenty-Five
There were a thousand and one ways this job could go to hell in a rocket-powered handcart. Studiously shoving aside those nauseously numerous possibilities, Jerrick secured his chest harness in place. If all went well, it’d be the last time he’d have to wear the contraption.
He fingered the leather strap consideringly. Unless Avi wanted him to wear it on occasion. She seemed to enjoy the look of it. And if he were being completely truthful with himself, the notion of strapping her to him while he fucked her against a wall held massive appeal.
As always, the thought of her stirred a chemical reaction in his blood, raising not just his cock, but the briskness of his heart rate. His emotions were in a constant upheaval where she was concerned. He knew she waited to hear the words from him. Why was it so damn impossible for them to slip past his lips? It wasn’t that he didn’t love her. Gods, did he ever. With an intensity that threatened to crush him.
And there lay the crux of the matter.
He’d denied the dream of her for so long, giving voice to it terrified him. To speak the truth in his heart courted the all-too-real risk of it being ripped away from him. He’d given his devotion to Leena, pledged his undying love, and look at what happened there. His long-ago affection for Leena was a pale shadow of his love for Avi. If the goddesses wished to annihilate his soul once and for all, they had only to take her from him.
The pinch in his chest impossible to ignore, he abandoned the bathroom and joined Avi in the main living quarters. He inclined his head, and she preceded him down the stairway.
The drive to the club was a tense, nerve-wracking one. Between the clusterfuck of the road conditions and the massive scope of the job ahead of him, his blood pressure straddled the danger zone. He had to keep his cool. Hold desperately to his wits. Because there was no greater hazard to a thief than an uncollected mind.
They reached the lot parallel to the club, and he parked well away from the other vehicles. He was relieved to note that there weren’t many. Sunday was apparently a light day for getting their kink on. That, or they were enjoying the final weekend of Amora Moon away from the club. He reached for Avi’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “
Remember, not until you hear the alarm.”
She nodded, and he slid his free hand behind her head, pulling her in for a searing kiss. He put the depth of his emotions into the act, conveying his love in the only way his mind would allow him.
He slowly relinquished the kiss and brushed her cheek. Before his chest grew any tighter, he opened the door and climbed out. They made their way together to the gate, and the guard let them in. Once their belongings were checked in, he passed Avi a subtle look, her cue to get the ball rolling.
She gifted the attendant with a felicitous smile. “Is Mistress Dominitri about this afternoon? I was hoping to have a word with her.”
“She is, but she’s in attendance with out-of-town guests.”
A brief flash of panic skittered across Avi’s features, threatening to oust her interest. Jerrick pressed two fingers to her shoulder blade and fizzled a silent sigh of relief when she relaxed.
Composure reasserted, she cleared her throat. “Would you mind letting her know I wish to speak to her when she’s done?”
He sent her a mute signal of approval. With any luck, she’d be able to keep Francesca away from her apartment while he rang the alarm. During all of the chaos, it’d be an easy enough matter for Avi to give Francesca the slip and make a run for the dolly.
This would work. It had to. He couldn’t afford any other outcome.
They left the entrance behind and journeyed into the bar. Alcohol was out of the question given the task ahead of them, but the intimate seclusion of the space provided an ideal spot to coordinate the next stage. Lifting Avi’s wrist, he synched their compu-timers. When the displays hit the minus sixty, he’d feign an urgent need for the restroom. That’d begin the next countdown—precisely seventy seconds to get up to the sixth floor and hit the fire alarm. If the sisters of fate were on his side, he’d be able to make it up to the penthouse before the conveyance was called down to any of the other floors. If he were really fortunate, the penthouse would be empty. Gods be damned if Francesca was up there with her guests.
Shoving that worrisome thought to the farthest corner of his mind, he clicked the set button on their timers. “Slight change of plan. Send the dolly up on the elevator, but get your ass out of the building with the others. We’ll meet up in the parking lot once the coast is clear.”
She blinked at him. “Are you crazy? You can’t do all of it on your own.”
“This is a better plan. Trust me.” Knowing she was seconds from balking, he seized her mouth in a fierce kiss. Their timers beeped, and he broke away from her. He detected her angry inhalation as he stood.
“Damn you, Jer. Don’t do this to me.”
Risking her wrath later far preferable to endangering her any more than he already had, he released a breath and strode into the main anteroom. The corridor was blessedly empty, saving him the pretense of hitting the restroom. With no suspicious members to question the motive of a sub venturing too far from his mistress’s side, he ducked into the elevator and punched the button for the sixth floor.
Well under the seventy seconds he needed, the elevator slid to a smooth stop, and he stepped out into the Lust Ballroom. The sisters of fate smiling on him again, he noted the vacancy of his opulent surroundings. Not only would his actions go unnoticed, he wouldn’t have to worry about immediate competition for the elevator.
He strode to the fire alarm boxed in the far corner of the room. A twinkle overhead caught his attention. Sighing in regret, he gifted the Artur’ak chandelier a wistful eye. He hesitated, cocked his head, considering, before admitting defeat. “Alas, our beautiful dream must part here.” Feeling a tad weepy inside, he pulled the alarm cord.
A shrill, obnoxious noise instantly filled the air. He was relieved to note that none of the sprinklers activated. Thinking of all the priceless oil paintings in the downstairs hall getting soaked was enough to give him an ulcer.
He booked it back across the room and leapt into the elevator. His fingers flying faster than he could type, he keyed in Francesca’s pass code. The conveyance ascended and a few seconds later deposited him at the penthouse. Wincing at the musical ping that preceded the docking of the conveyance, he tensed, his gaze peeled to the brass doors. They slid open, and he steeled himself for the possible setback awaiting him on the other side.
Scantily lit only by the spotlights centered on the jade screen, the front room hosted no visitor other than himself. Hushed silence added another layer of paint to the picture of stillness. Still, he knew better than most that looks could be deceiving. He systematically swept the entire apartment. Once he was satisfied it was clear of any intruder beyond himself, he halted in front of the lone steel door at the end of the hall. The solitary lock was almost an affront to his skills. Within seconds the tumblers gave way beneath the persuasion of his pick, and he tugged the door open. Judging from the whine of its hinges, he’d be the first to enter since Casper’s passing.
He flicked on the overhead tubes, casting the small lab in a stark glow of white light. A long table contained beakers and various other paraphernalia he couldn’t begin to recognize much less name. Bypassing that, he strode to the workstation centered in the room. The desk was a disaster area with papers and folders scattered everywhere. Casper might have been a scientist, but he sure as hell hadn’t believed in neat order.
“Bloody fantastic.” Shaking his head, Jerrick re-synced his timer, setting it for fifteen minutes. If he couldn’t narrow down his search within that time frame, he’d just take everything and figure it out later.
He began with the folders first. Assuming the research he was after was the only thing Casper had been working on prior to his death, the color-coded files would be the logical starting point. There were countless papers, all handwritten. Even if he’d known what he was looking at, Casper’s illegible scrawl made deciphering them an impossible task. Shuffling everything back in place, he made a pile near the door. Next he started on the desk drawers. In the upper one he located a book-sized black case. Springing the tabs, he eyed the syringes inside. Probably shouldn’t leave them behind.
His original plan of taking everything looking likelier than ever, he stashed the case with the folders and set about disconnecting the hard drives from the compu-mainframe. The portable tabs he could take with him. Checking the status of his timer, he quickened his pace.
Deciding enough time had passed for Avi to send up the dolly, he vacated the lab and strode into the main room. No dolly or elevator.
He glanced at his timer again. Shit. Something was wrong. She should have been able to send it up by now. Maybe she’d been waylaid by someone. Or she’d been spotted and forced to evacuate with the others before she could make it to the kitchen.
Pulse thudding, he punched the call button for the conveyance. A damn eternity passed before the chime announced its arrival. The doors pinged open. He started forward, only to slam to a stop when he noticed Avi with the dolly.
A growl slipped from his throat. “Goddamn it, I told you—” The remaining angry words dried on his tongue when he spotted Lex behind Avi. He frowned. “Tarker, what in the bloody fuck are you doing here?”
Lex pushed Avi out of the way. “Collecting my property.” Raising the electrolizer gun in his hand, he volleyed off a single, excruciating shot.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Avi jerked from the murky morass of unconsciousness with a painful jolt. Vision swimming, she scanned her surroundings, trying to make sense of the weird whomp whomp whomp noise humming in the distance. Maybe it was her brain slowly melting. It’d explain her horrible headache.
A nearby blur slowly morphed into a face. It took a moment to recognize it as belonging to the man who’d abducted her outside Club Rapture’s kitchen. She would have thought it a kind, completely harmless face, only she knew better now. Too bad she’d fallen for the illusion the first time around when he’d stopped her with a nervous profession of being lost and unable to find the emergency exit. Gods, what an idiot she’d bee
n to fall for that one.
“Apologies. I’m afraid you bore some of the electrolizer’s scattershot. Its effects should wear off shortly.”
She glared at him weakly. “You shot Jerrick.” Her heart wept at the words. Was he dead? No, he couldn’t be. He’d promised to watch over her for a lifetime. He couldn’t do that from the grave.
Misery welled in her throat, threatening to cut off her air supply.
“It was a necessary evil. I couldn’t have him fouling up my plans any more than they’ve already been.”
Her memory was gradually coming back in fits and bursts. After this man grabbed her and the dolly outside the kitchen, he’d shaken that scary weapon in her face and demanded she take him to Jerrick. She’d held him off as long as possible, but then the elevator had the disastrous misfortune of showing up and wresting the upper hand from her.
Head still throbbing, she stared at the man a little harder, a niggle of déjà vu taking shape. There was something familiar about his face, but also something missing. She squinted, trying to name it. Her fingers closed on her lens frame and slid it along the bridge of her nose. That’s when it fell in place with a resounding click. Eyeglasses.
Once she had that figured out, the recollection spun into her brain. This was the same man she’d seen with Jerrick that first day in her store. The one who’d said something about her being Jerrick’s bitch.
Oh gods. He’d known about the club, and now he was suddenly here, a part of all this. The coincidence was too heavy to be discounted. “Who are you? And don’t tell me a friend of Jerrick’s, because friends don’t shoot each other.”
The man gave her a despicable smile. “Something tells me that the friends in your boyfriend’s world think nothing of pulling guns on each other.”
Before she could question him further, another fierce rattle joggled her bones. Startled out of her wits, she jerked her focus to her surroundings. Her wooziness had worn off enough that she had no problem identifying the fact that she and her captor were strapped into matching white leather bucket seats. A bank of portholes across from them revealed the fluffy tops of dense cloud cover.