by Susanna Carr
“You can finish it on Monday,” he decided. “We’re going.”
Her eyes narrowed at his tone. “I’m staying.”
“No, you’re not.” Eric ran his hand through his wet hair. He knew his demands were the wrong tactic, but the rising alarm he felt was breaking through his cool facade. He had to keep Julie hidden for the next few days if he wanted to protect her.
“Go if you want.” She motioned at the majestic snow covered mountain in the distance. “You need a break before you go back to ICE. But I’m staying here. We can meet on Monday.”
He tossed his hands in the air. “Why would I leave when the whole point was to get you out of town?”
“We can have a romantic getaway—” She paused. “Oh.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. The wobble in her voice. The disappointment.
“I’m so stupid.” She slapped her palm on her forehead. “That’s why you let me tie you up.”
He reached for her. “Julie…”
She jerked away from him. “I thought it was an act of trust. That you trusted me and my decisions.”
“I do.” He trusted Julie in ways he couldn’t trust his team back in D.C. But she was still a rookie on the job.
“You let me tie you up because…” Her eyes looked shiny and she blinked rapidly. “You would have done anything to keep me from leaving the hotel.”
“What we did last night has nothing to do with hiding out.” It was important for her to understand that. The light bondage had been an exchange of trust and power. He knew she wouldn’t have tried it unless she trusted him with the dreams and desires she wasn’t fully comfortable with. “I wanted you to live out your fantasy.”
“No, you didn’t.” She took another step away and pointed accusingly at him. “You’re trying to hold me back.”
“I’m not. I’m trying to protect you.”
She shook her head. “I can protect myself.”
“No, you can’t.” His voice rang out.
Julie flinched as if she had been hit. “Thanks, Eric. Thanks a lot,” she said bitterly. “What happened to ‘you have good instincts’ or ‘you have raw talent’? What changed? Or was any of that true?”
“I wasn’t lying.” She had talent, but it wasn’t enough. Not for the challenges she wanted to face.
“You don’t really believe in my abilities, do you?” She strode to the table near the door and grabbed her purse. She had to get out of the hotel room. “You think I have good instincts as long as they aren’t tested.”
“Okay, listen.” He followed her, tightening the towel that rested low on his hips. “This situation isn’t the time to try out your skills.”
“If you had your way it would never be the right time.”
“Probably, yeah. And I have every reason to feel that way. You treat the world as if it’s some amusement park. Those guys saw you interfere with their goal. They are going to hurt you.”
“Not if I share the information first. Then it’s a waste of time to pursue me. But unfortunately I need more pictures if I want them put away.”
“So you’re going to walk into the lion’s den with just a cell phone and a pair of shorts.” He shook his head at the idea. “Your plan is crazy. Suicidal.”
“I prefer the terms bold and daring.”
He didn’t even want to consider the logistical problems of her plan. The potential drawbacks. The severe consequences if Mercedes or Tiffany recognized her. And they would.
“I’m not going to let you do this.”
She tilted her head. “Seriously? You’re putting your foot down? You won’t let me?”
“That’s right.” He knew he was taking a big risk but he couldn’t support her plan. “I won’t be your backup or sidekick. In fact, I’ll get in your way until you see reason and give up.”
“Wow.” She rubbed her forehead. “You don’t know me at all.”
“Julie,” he said as he approached her carefully, “I’m not the enemy.”
She gave a harsh bark of laughter. “You just threatened to get in my way.”
“I want you to be happy.” He placed his hand on her arm.
She removed his touch with a fierce shake of her arm. “No, you want to keep me fenced in.”
“That’s not true.” He wanted her to follow her dreams and become the woman she wanted to be. But did she think she needed to face danger in order to live fully? “I want you to play it smart. Careful.”
“At a distance,” she added, mimicking his tone. “In full armor. Maybe put me in a plastic bubble.”
“Julie, it’s not like that.”
“Well, I’ve lived like that before and I was barely existing. It was like my life was on hold.” She unlatched the door and grabbed the handle. “I’m not going to live like that again.”
“You don’t have to, but it doesn’t mean you have to be reckless.”
“I want a fire burning inside me every day. I want to live outrageously.” The light dimmed in her eyes. “And I’m going to do it with or without you.”
“I want that for you, too.”
“No, you don’t.” She opened the door, clearly restraining her anger, and stepped into the hallway. “You can’t take me out of my cage, let me spread my wings and then think I’ll go back in quietly.”
“Julie, don’t walk out. We’re not finished.”
“Yes, we are. Goodbye, Eric,” she said softly and closed the door.
* * *
JULIE HURRIED AS FAST as her stiletto heels would carry her. She ducked her head as she rushed to the bank of elevators. An older man passed her in the corridor and gave her a sidelong glance. She knew it looked like she was doing a walk of shame in her black party dress and heels.
She had shared a beautiful night with Eric. She thought she had finally found someone who understood her and appreciated her strengths and weaknesses. Julie pressed her lips together as her mouth trembled. But Eric didn’t think she could take care of herself. That she needed a bodyguard day and night.
She would not cry, Julie decided as she slapped the button for the elevator. Not right now. She needed to be alone and in private before the tears started to fall.
Staring at the illuminated floor numbers, she waited impatiently for the elevator. A thought she had been trying to push aside came rushing through her mind. Had Eric felt anything for her, or was she just some woman to pass the time? Did he encourage her to dream knowing the whole time she would never have a chance to act on those dreams?
Had it all been a pick-up line that she fell for?
She didn’t want to think that Eric was that kind of man. He was honorable and he cared. But he didn’t think much of her. She had fallen in love with a man who didn’t think she was capable of crossing the street by herself.
“Come on,” she muttered to herself as the elevator doors slowly opened. She stepped in and pressed a button. Crossing her arms, she stood in the corner and propped herself against the wall. She didn’t feel as if she had any strength left to stand upright.
Once the elevator started to make its descent, Julie’s eyes stung with tears. She would never see Eric again. Her wild fling hadn’t ended the way she’d hoped. She had secretly wished Eric would have stayed in the Seattle area to be with her.
Julie shook her head at the fanciful idea. She really had to stop fantasizing. All it did was lead to heartache.
But she wouldn’t stop dreaming. She wouldn’t quit pursuing her dream. One day she was going to be a woman of action. She would lead the life she always wanted.
She’d show Eric. Julie’s eyes narrowed as the anger bubbled inside her. She would show everyone that she could take on the world. Yes, she could be impulsive, and yes, she didn’t always follow the plan. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn�
�t, but she shouldn’t have her world limited because she made mistakes.
It took a moment for her to see that the elevator had stopped on her floor. She walked out onto the marble mezzanine. It was quiet and empty. No one was around this early in the morning.
She studied the nightclub entrance as she headed for the sky bridge. It looked different in the day. Cold and tired. She didn’t know why everyone wanted to party at that place.
Julie crossed the sky bridge, her legs heavy and slow. She didn’t want to imagine what life was going to be like without Eric. She thought they were a team. Partners. The idea of going it alone wasn’t as exciting.
He was more than her partner; he was her mentor. Her inspiration. She couldn’t wait to embrace the day, knowing she would be with Eric. But if he couldn’t support her dreams, she had to move on.
The emotions clogged her throat, threatening to suffocate her. She took a thin breath and wiped the tear from the corner of her eye. She had to stop feeling this way. Superspies didn’t cry. Famous detectives didn’t get emotional. They got mad, they got drunk and they shot a few people.
She didn’t have that luxury, but she wasn’t going to curl up in her bed for the rest of the weekend. That was the old Julie. This Julie had a job to do.
Julie entered the garage elevator and hit the button for her floor. She didn’t notice anyone else was nearby until three people stepped into the elevator after her.
“What floor?” Julie asked. She glanced up when they didn’t answer.
Mercedes stood in front of her. She wore the same dress as the night before. Her hair was messy and her makeup was smeared. She looked more intimidating than she did in the nightclub.
Julie didn’t move. Her throat tightened and she couldn’t speak. She stood frozen as the fear congealed in her stomach.
“Why don’t you take your picture now,” Mercedes drawled.
Julie gave a quick glance at the other two in the elevator. Would they intervene? They were both men. Big and muscular. One had a crew cut and wore jeans and T-shirt. The other was bald and wore a T-shirt and cargo pants.
“They are with me,” Mercedes said with a fake smile.
Of course they were. They had an ex-military vibe about them. She never met a mercenary before but she knew one when she saw him. At another time, another place, she’d gawk and ask questions. Right now she was keeping quiet.
She looked at the alarm button near the door. It would require her to lunge for it. She’d only get one chance, but that was all she needed. Julie rocked on the balls of her feet just as Baldy blocked the button panel and pushed her away.
“Have you been waiting for me all night?” Julie asked. Eric had considered it a very real possibility, but she thought he had been paranoid.
“You shouldn’t be surprised. You knew how incriminating the pictures are for me.” Mercedes held out her hand. “The cell phone.”
“What makes you think I didn’t post the pictures online?” she asked. Let them think that it was already too late. That they should run and hide than attack.
Mercedes took a step closer and grabbed her by the hair. “You better have not,” she growled in Julie’s ear. “For your sake.”
Okay, she made a bad call there. Julie winced as Mercedes pulled her hair. She should just give her the cell phone. She was outnumbered and out of options. The pictures weren’t worth getting her ass kicked.
“Fine,” she groaned. “I didn’t post them.”
Mercedes let go of Julie’s hair and pushed her head back. “Give me the cell phone.”
Julie really wanted to hit back. Pull and kick and bite. Next time, she promised herself as she opened her purse. She frowned when she didn’t see her cell phone.
“It’s not here.” She shuffled the items in her small bag before she patted down her dress. She had no idea why she’d done that since her dress had no pockets.
Mercedes looked at the two men. “Hold her down.”
“Wait!” Julie held up her hands to ward off the men. Where was her phone? She just had it. It was on the table in Eric’s room. “I remember where I put it.”
But was it wise to tell them the truth? Should she say it was in the room, or should she keep it far away from them? The most important picture of Mercedes returning the USB stick didn’t come out, but she still had one good picture. If she lost that, she had nothing.
“Where is it?” Mercedes voice was growing higher and more impatient.
“I left it in…my car.” She wanted to kick herself. The car? Bad, bad idea. Her self-defense course warned her to stay away from cars. If the bad guys tried to take her from one place to another, she was as good as dead.
Mercedes glared at her. “I don’t believe you.”
Great. She wasn’t thinking fast enough on her feet and now she had to lie convincingly. “It’s true,” she insisted. Julie flinched when the elevator bell chimed. “In fact, I’ll take you there right now.”
“Why are you being so cooperative all of a sudden?”
Yeah, that did seem suspicious. She was trying to lie and think several steps ahead while her mind was racing as fast as her pulse. “Do you want the phone or not?” she asked.
Mercedes motioned for her to exit the elevator. “Lead the way.”
She should have said it was in the hotel room, Julie decided as she walked down the ramp to her car with the two men flanking her. But she didn’t have a hotel key. She needed to figure a way to get into her car and create a barrier between her and the bad guys.
“What kind of car?” Mercedes asked.
“It’s the light blue MINI Cooper. Right there in the corner.” Eric had been right. It really was a bad idea parking there. There was no security camera coverage or emergency call button. If she got out of this unscathed, she would always find the safest parking spot from now on. Hell, she would splurge for valet parking.
Julie looked around the parking structure. It was deserted on a Saturday morning. Too early for the shops to be opened. If she screamed for help, would anyone hear? If she kicked off her shoes and ran, would she get far?
She reached inside her purse. Crew Cut grabbed her upper arm and wrenched it behind her back. Julie gasped in pain.
“No sudden moves,” Crew Cut warned her.
Her eyes watered from the sharp shooting pain. “I was just getting my keys. I swear.”
Crew Cut waited for Mercedes’s nod before he let her go.
“That’s going to leave a bruise.” Julie rubbed her arm. “My God, you guys are suspicious.” She pushed the button on her key. Her heart was beating wildly, the need to flee rushing through her bloodstream, as she placed her hand on the handle.
“Stop.” Mercedes pulled Julie away from the car. “Tyler will look.”
“Tyler?” Crew Cut’s name was Tyler? Oh, that was so disappointing. She expected a nickname like Spike or Bruiser.
She cringed as the man sat in the driver’s seat. He was too big to sit straight in her car. She watched with growing dread as he rifled through the discarded coffee cups and candy wrappers.
“Uh…sorry about the mess.” How was she going to get out of this one? She gripped her car key in her hand. She’d use it as a blade if she had to defend herself.
Tyler looked around the console and in the glove compartment. “I don’t see a phone.”
“It’s gotta be in there. Keep looking.” She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to find an emergency exit sign. “You can’t miss it. It’s bright pink.”
Tyler ignored her and looked at Mercedes. “No phone.”
“Here, let me look.” She just needed to get in the car, lock the door and drive full speed ahead. Maybe swerve a little so she could run over Mercedes’s Louboutins.
“I don’t think so,” Tyler said as he got out of her car.<
br />
“Maybe I should call it.” Her eyes widened as she considered the idea. She’d call Eric. They may have just had an argument, but he’d drop everything to help her. She knew it deep in her bones. “I always have to do that when I put down my phone.”
Mercedes glared at her. “You are getting on my nerves. Stop talking.”
“You want the phone,” she reminded her.
“I’m not falling for it. You and I both know you’d call that hottie you’re working with.”
Damn. Mercedes obviously read the same books.
“Julie!” Eric’s voice echoed in the parking garage. Julie whirled around and saw him running toward them. He was shirtless, barefoot and wearing a faded pair of jeans.
Eric’s presence was all the distraction she needed. As Tyler went to block Eric, Julie turned and swiped the metal key across Baldy’s face. He let go of her arm and howled, clutching his face. She pushed him with all her might and lurched for the open car door.
She scrambled into the seat and was about to slam the door when Mercedes blocked her. Julie clawed and kicked. Mercedes took the blows as she pressed something cold and metallic against Julie’s neck.
“Sweet dreams,” Mercedes said with a wicked laugh. Julie heard a crackle of electricity. She went rigid as the pain coursed through her body before everything went dark.
14
JULIE WOKE UP WITH A START. Her heart leaped against her chest, her throat squeezed tight and her muscles locked as if under attack. She noticed three things: she was not in the parking garage, she was lying on thick beige carpeting and she felt as if she’d been run over a few times.
She groaned and gingerly touched her neck. Mercedes must have used a Taser. There was no wound or burn yet the electric charge had been enough to make her drop.
Julie slowly sat up and noticed the room she was in. It was designed to impress and intimidate, from the big expensive desk to the bookshelf that had very few books but plenty of awards. Weird art hung on the walls that only a twisted soul could appreciate. Then again, she might be a little judgmental about someone who would use a Taser and then dump her on the floor.