Angel in the Shadows

by Amy Deason

  Once he’d decided to follow her, Seth took a few minutes to slip out of his plain, boring disguise. It didn’t take any time to remove the glasses and contacts. He could have changed his suit for something a bit stealthier but he didn’t want to take the time and chance losing Madison. On the ferry, he tried to keep her in his sight while staying out of hers. The less she was aware of him the better. She’d wandered down to the lower deck and he intended to follow but then he had caught sight of Stacy and Jason. Ducking out of the way, he cursed this unexpected interruption. It was stupid and risky to be here but now that he was, he was just going to have to stay out of trouble. But the fact that Jason was here was not a good indicator of things to come. There was only one reason for him to be with Stacy. Her number was up.

  Jason Hughes was a hired killer. That was his only job. His pretty-boy face attracted attention and his charming demeanor allowed him to get in closer than most of Vance’s other cronies, making him very effective. After all, who expected death to come from the hands of someone that looked like an angel? As soon as they were out of sight, he made a call, letting Charlie in on this little development. Understandably, she wasn’t happy with this new information but ordered him to hold back on any action. Although he didn’t particularly care for Stacy, it seemed wrong to sit back and do nothing. He was sure he could do something to interrupt what was about to happen without drawing attention to himself.

  He had just reached the top of the stairs when he heard a pain-filled scream followed by a heavy thump. Seconds later, he was nailed by a terror-stricken woman. And not just any woman. Madison. He caught her easily enough and without a second thought, he yanked her into the storage closet. She fought him like a wildcat, her fear and terror lending her a strength surprising for someone her size. Twisting and turning, she tried to slip out of his grasp. When that didn’t work, she did the only thing she could and sank her teeth into his hand. Her teeth were sharp and bit clean through his leather glove, slicing into his flesh underneath. He didn’t even register the pain and ripping his hand away, he assumed she would try to scream and run.

  Surprisingly, she didn’t but she had the audacity to try and knee him in the crotch. Women. They always have to go for the crotch. Aggravated, he pushed her knee away. “Don’t do that, it only makes me grumpy,” he replied. “Don’t scream and don’t try to run. If you do, he might hear you and then I’ll have to kill him.” And that would be another huge mess to deal with. God, what had he gotten himself into?

  She was determined; he had to give her that. She was going to keep fighting him unless he handled this situation differently. Making a split decision, he flipped the switch on the wall, lighting up the room. Her eyes widened in recognition.

  “Don’t scream,” he warned, glaring at her. Too late. She opened her mouth to scream and make a run for the door. This woman was impossible. He grabbed her around her waist and hauled her back, throwing her against the wall, slapping his hand over her mouth again, and letting his eyes roam over her skin. The neckline on her dress was low and in a second of pure male weakness, he let his eyes trace over her breasts as they heaved against the tight, black material.

  “I told you not to scream,” he growled. “Don’t do it again. Now be quiet and I’ll let you go understand?” He doubted that she believed him. He wouldn’t if he were her. He removed his hand slowly, ready to slap it back across her mouth should she try and scream again. She didn’t. Gasping for breath, she didn’t move as he held her pinned against the wall but she glared at him with those rich-brown eyes. They flickered with fear before being replaced with something entirely different. Something akin to determination. She was obviously terrified he was going to kill her but perhaps she wasn’t going to go down easily. In spite of himself, he had to admire her fighting spirit and the fact that she’d had the sense to quell the fear in her eyes.

  Silly girl, she had no idea how close to death she really was. He let his eyes trail over her once again, slowly, from head to toe, pausing at her breasts before continuing downward. Standing awkwardly, she was favoring her left foot. Probably a sprained ankle from the look of it. And her right knee was a mess of blood and torn skin. That was something that would have to be taken care of later. But right now, he needed to know exactly what the hell was going on.

  Chapter 6

  The man standing in front of her was so different and yet the same as the one she had met only a few short hours ago at Vance’s mansion on the hill. She tried to make sense of what her eyes were telling her. The bland assistant persona was completely gone, replaced by a strikingly handsome man. He still wore the dark suit, only now his dull-brown eyes were a frosty blue and intense, framed by long, black lashes. The dark hair was no longer neatly combed back but instead, it lay loosely, framing his face, emphasizing the richness of his eyes. And the indecipherable accent in his voice was gone; he was just as American as she was.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Madison asked, bewildered. She stared at Seth as if she had never seen him before.

  “Tsk, tsk. Such language.” His lips pursed together mockingly, her eyes following the subtle motion. “It’s nice to see you, too. You could show me a little more appreciation. I mean, I did just save your life.”

  “Forgive me for not showering you with gratitude,” Madison said wryly. Smarting off to this man was probably not the most intelligent thing to do, especially given the current situation. But between her fear and anger, she seemed to have lost her sense of self-preservation for the moment. “Who are you? Is Seth Reynolds even your real name?” she spat out scornfully.

  “Reynolds, Jamison, Stewart. I’ve used many names.” He shrugged his wide shoulders indifferently, not answering her question. “I don’t think any of that matters right now,” Seth replied coolly. “The important thing is to get you off of this ferry alive.” He took hold of her arm. “You’ll have to come with me . . .”

  Madison jerked away, out of his reach. “The hell I will,” she said vehemently. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t even know you.” She crossed her arms defiantly, meaning to stand her ground no matter how much her stomach was churning right now.

  “We don’t have time to argue about this.” His lips flattened in frustration and his blue eyes drilled into her.

  “I’m not arguing. I am not leaving with you,” she said stubbornly. She may be shaken but it would be suicide to just agree with this man. There was no telling what he would do with her. Or to her.

  Seth stared at her, the irritation bleeding from his handsome face, leaving only a mild indifference. “What happened down there?”

  Suspicious about the change in conversation, she eyed him carefully. “I just saw a man kill Stacy down there and now he’s after me. Then I ran into you, whoever you are.”

  “Jason killed Stacy?” Seth’s gaze sharpened on her, a sheen of interest momentarily lighting his dark sapphire eyes.

  “Yeah, I . . . wait. I didn’t tell you his name. You know who he is?” she exclaimed, aware that her voice shook but she was beyond caring. “Oh my god, are you his partner?” Instinctively, she tried to back away from him but the wall was already firmly lodged against her back.

  “If I were, would I have told you to be quiet?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  His eyes, blue and piercing, stared into her like ice-cold steel. “Trust me, if I was going to kill you, you would have been dead the moment you ran into me.”

  There was no doubt in her mind that what he said was true. He probably could kill her quite easily but he hadn’t. Not yet anyway. There was no guarantee how long her luck would last but she didn’t intend to wait around and find out. She had to get out of here and away from Seth. But just how she would accomplish that was a problem, especially with him blocking the doorway. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to just push past him. Silently, she cursed herself for not taki
ng any of those self-defense classes Robert signed her up for. Now would have been a good time to use whatever skills she might have learned.

  “I don’t intend to kill you but I will if I have to. If you’ll just come with me, it will be easier on both of us,” Seth reasoned.

  It sounded so logical until you factored in that he was a complete stranger pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Then all logic went out the window. “Oh yeah, I’m just supposed to go off with a stranger after I nearly got killed. That makes perfect sense. Why didn’t I think of that?” Madison snapped, flinging her arms wildly.

  Seth’s lack of expression never changed. She didn’t know if she should be angry or scared. Fright wouldn’t get her anywhere but anger might be useful to her. Holding on to that small amount of anger kept her from going into complete hysterics.

  Crossing his arms, he leaned away from her as far as the narrow space would allow. “I don’t expect you to trust me but I did keep Jason from catching you. I don’t know how long I can do that if you won’t cooperate with me.”

  Madison didn’t like the way this was going. The more he talked, the more sense he was making. If she left with him, she might never be seen again. But on the other hand, if Jason got his hands on her . . . Well, she knew where she would end up. And it wouldn’t be anywhere good.

  “Decision time’s over, Ms. Sinclair,” Seth said abruptly.

  Before she could even react, he leaned forward and pressed himself against her, kissing her fully.

  The intimate contact startled her into stillness, silencing any protests she might have made. He pinned her against the wall with his body and she could feel the heat coming off of him in waves as his chest pressed down on hers. It was no lover’s kiss. His mouth bore down on hers, filled with fierce determination and without a hint of mercy. It was like nothing she had ever experienced and she was left reeling. Regaining her senses, she tried to jerk away but it was like moving underwater, slow and impossible. His hand slid up her neck, softly, gently, cupping the base of her head in the palm of his hand followed by a sharp pinch. Then quite suddenly, she was falling, tumbling, and Seth’s blue eyes followed her down into darkness.

  Seth stared at the woman crumpled in his arms, cursing himself. It had been a mistake to kiss her but it was the only way he could get close enough to drug her. But that was so much bullshit. Even as he thought it, he saw the lie for what it was. There were hundreds of ways to inject her with the sedative that didn’t require kissing her. He had wanted to kiss her so he did. Simple as that. But it wasn’t as simple and he damn well knew it. Even as the angry words spilled from her mouth, her lips had looked so soft and inviting that he couldn’t help himself. And that was a major problem. He wasn’t one to give in to urges or whims, or act unexpectedly. He did only what he had to, what was necessary. And Miss Sinclair’s lips, no matter how inviting they might have been, were not a necessity. He could have injected her immediately but she didn’t resist him at first so he took a few extra seconds to taste her mouth on his. Enticing. But then the shock of his unexpected actions wore off and she tried to fight him, breaking the mood for him.

  He eased her supple body onto the floor of the closet, opening the door cautiously. There was no one in sight. By his estimate, they should be docking at Whitehall Station now. At this hour and in this weather, not many people were out, not even the most dogged New Yorkers. Perfect. He had only a few minutes before the ferry started to accept boarding passengers so he had to act quickly. Deftly scooping Madison from the floor, he pressed her head into his shoulder, effectively concealing her face. Taking another glance, he left the temporary safety of the closet, making his way down the steps toward the exit. As he walked, her head shifted slightly until her mouth was pressed lightly against his throat. Her warm breath swept over his skin like a caress. The smell of her skin was light and soft and it made his stomach tighten in pure male response. Gritting his teeth against the unexpected reaction, he forced himself to concentrate on getting them out of here alive.

  He was almost home free when he was approached by a young, blond steward. The steward’s green eyes darkened in concern and suspicion. Frowning at Madison laying in Seth’s arms, he stepped up and addressed him cautiously.

  “Is everything okay, sir?”

  Pasting a good-natured smile on his face, Seth met him just at the exit gate. “Yes, of course. My wife had a little too much to drink.” He wagged his head. “Tonight’s our anniversary and she celebrated a little more than I did,” Seth said lightly, hoping the man would just accept the story without causing a scene. He didn’t feel like dealing with him right now.

  The steward regarded Madison carefully then chuckled, all suspicion gone. “I’m sure that’s not the way you had hoped to end the night.”

  Seth forced a grin. “No, it wasn’t but she’ll make it up to me in the morning if her head’s not hurting too badly.” Like there was a chance in hell of Madison making anything up to him. When she woke up, she was going to be terrified and furious. Not a good combination.

  “Boy, I wish my wife would do that. She’d just tell me to leave her alone and let her sleep,” the steward grumbled good-naturedly. “Well, have a good night, sir, and Happy Anniversary,” he added, tipping his hat in Seth’s direction.

  “I will, thank you.”

  Seth stepped off of the ferry and entered the terminal, looking everywhere at once. At two a.m., the monstrous glass and steel building was nearly deserted which made things easier for him. The fewer witnesses, the less trouble for him. There was no sign of Jason but he couldn’t be too careful. Vance didn’t hire amateurs. The sooner he got Madison out of sight and somewhere safe, the better. The more he found out about her, the easier he could determine exactly how to deal with her. Charlie would need to be informed of this new change in direction so he would have to contact her as soon as he could. Outside, he sucked the frigid air deep into his lungs and hurried across the parking lot.

  His personal car waited close to the entrance of the terminal in case of emergencies. He hadn’t anticipated using it quite this early but now he was glad that it was here. Perhaps not the most inconspicuous of vehicles, the gunmetal gray Porsche was one indulgence he’d given in to. Fast and sleek, it outran just about everything and cornered like a dream. Which came in handy from time to time. Opening the passenger side door, he slid Madison’s warm, pliant body into the bucket seat and walked around the nose of the car, climbing in behind the wheel. The car started smoothly, engine purring, and he leaned over across Madison’s sleeping form to snap the seat belt into place. As he did, he inhaled the light perfume she wore. He lingered over her, studying her relaxed face.

  The anger and fear were gone, leaving only a calm, restful appearance. “Who are you, my dear, and what am I going to do with you?”

  Leaving the unanswered question hanging in the air, he shifted the car into gear and disappeared into the dark New York night.

  Chapter 7

  Seth closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He’d received his orders and they were just as he had expected. Get rid of the photographer. No big surprise there. The surprise had been his gut instinct to refuse. It shouldn’t bother him to kill her. He’d taken numerous lives in his career, women included. So this one should be no different. But she was and he didn’t know why. He went into the bedroom where he had left her and looked down at her, studying her as if the answer to his sudden reluctance to kill her might jump out at him. It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with her looks. By no means the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, he had to admit that she was pretty in an unconventional sort of way.

  Her honey-blond hair fanned over the tops of her pale shoulders. And her brown eyes, closed in sleep, were as ordinary as they came. In fact, all of her features were ordinary, nothing spectacular or model worthy. The rounded jaw and small, upturned nose. The hig
h cheekbones and soft, pink lips. Yet his eyes lingered the longest there, tracing the curve of her lips, full and lush, remembering the softness of them, the taste of them. A thread of need rushed through him before he snipped it. The last thing he needed to do was get attached to this woman that had gotten in the way of his mission. This woman that could destroy everything.

  Watching the fall and rise of her chest as she breathed, he leaned over her and ran his hands over her body, feeling for anything she might have hidden beneath the expensive dress. Not exactly a bothersome chore. Her curves were a little fuller than most women he’d dealt with, a detail that fascinated him. Finding nothing unusual, he turned his attention back to her chest. A common hiding place among the female sex.

  Peeling away the low neckline of her dress, his eyes roamed over the smooth skin being held hostage beneath a bra of black cotton and lace. Longing to release her from that uncomfortable prison, he ran his fingers along the soft curve of her breasts, selfishly allowing his fingers to wander. He traced the soft fabric and trailed over the rough-edged lace. Her skin was warm and silky against his fingertips as he slid them inside the bra. Exploring further, he found her breasts firm and supple beneath his hands. They fit perfectly into the palm of his hand, their heat pulsing through him. The sharp teeth of lust gnawed at him but he shoved them away with some effort.