by Alexa Verde
Rachel drew another shaky breath and blinked several times, then stared into the darkness, letting her eyes adjust to it.
A squeaking sound reached her, and she flinched. Were there rats here? A shiver ran down her spine.
The door opened, and light filled in the room. She squinted against the light. Two men entered. One was tall, heavyset, square-jawed, and armed, if the gun holster he was wearing was any indication. He wore a black leather jacket and an indifferent expression on his face. She’d seen him the previous night as one of her kidnappers, though her memory of him was blurry. She switched her attention to his companion.
Grandma’s date.
Mr. Clark Hill.
While the heavyset guy stood guard near her, the old man wobbled to a chair opposite her, leaning over a cane, and lowered himself into the chair with a groan.
Clearing the cobwebs in her mind, Rachel glanced quickly over the tiny room, trying to determine her chances for escape. Two chairs were the only pieces of furniture. The walls were bare and dirty, and the cement floor looked dirty, as well. She hoped for a window, but the only small window was boarded up from outside.
Not much hope for escape there. Especially not if someone was nearby, ready to reward her with a bullet if she tried.
She switched her attention to the person in front of her.
“Why?” she asked. “I’ve never done any harm to you.”
Mr. Hill waved her off. “Oh, this is strictly business. I work for different clients, and one of my clients was interested in skills you happen to have.”
“What skills?” Rachel did her best to sound puzzled.
The old man shook his head. “Don’t play dumb with me, Ms. Evans. I don’t like to employ the methods other people do. Unless I have to.” He said it simply, as a matter of fact.
Rachel’s stomach tightened. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“You’ve done security consulting for several wealthy men. You have knowledge of their homes’ layouts, what kind of valuables they have, the vulnerabilities, and how to use them to your advantage. And you have the set of skills needed to break inside homes and open safes.”
Rachel swallowed hard. “If you know this, you know that I’m good at my job. All the vulnerabilities the homes had were fixed.”
Mr. Hill sighed. “Well, that’s a pity. Then my client has no use for you. And you know what that means, don’t you?”
Rachel raised her chin though her insides were shaking. She’d have to bluff. “Yes, I do. But you’d dispose of me after the work is done, anyway.”
“Not necessarily. We could use your skills in other states, maybe even in Europe.”
“I will not return to stealing,” Rachel said firmly. “You can kill me if you want.”
Rachel meant it. Fear squeezed her rib cage, but she held her head high. She couldn’t return to stealing.
She was a Christian woman now, with Christian values.
She couldn’t, wouldn’t live with guilt eating up her insides anymore.
“My answer is no,” she said firmly.
The heavyset man moved closer to her, and she braced herself for pain.
None came.
The old man tsked. “Well, well. So brave. You know I’m not going to kill you. At least, not right away. But Sean is a totally different matter. And a sweet old lady, your neighbor. I needed her to learn more about you, but she’s of no use to me now. Same goes for Sebastian Mora.”
Rachel’s heart sank, and it became difficult to breathe. “You could still kill them even if I agree to your… ideas.” She pushed the words past the hard lump in her throat.
Hill nodded thoughtfully. “Sure. But at least then you’d know you’ve done something. Their deaths wouldn’t be on your conscience.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said with conviction she didn’t feel.
“I wouldn’t do it myself, of course. I’ll just give orders.”
“You ordered Butler to be killed,” Rachel whispered, a bitter taste in her mouth. Her mind reeled, desperately searching for a way out.
“Yes. But Sean couldn’t break the code to the safe. That was when I knew I needed your skills and knowledge.”
Rachel gritted her teeth. She had to find a way to help Sebastian and his sweet grandmother, and even her brother. She knew from the get-go she wasn’t going to win this battle. She also knew that after one of the jobs, this quiet, composed old man would order to have her murdered.
After all, she’d seen his face.
She should feel horror.
Instead, every cell in her body filled with determination, if not to survive, then to keep Sebastian and his grandmother alive.
Hill studied her. “Frankly, why wouldn’t you want to use your skills? You could become rich fast.”
“Because I want to live my life right.”
He shook his head in disapproval. “That’s a luxury reserved for people who don’t have your past.”
“It’s not a luxury. And my past doesn’t define me. It’s my present that matters.” Rachel realized she meant every word. Why had it taken her so long to see this?
She said a silent prayer and felt calmer.
God was in control.
Not Hill, not his burly companions, and not Rachel herself.
God was always in control.
“Okay, enough of this.” The old man got up from the chair, grimacing. “You know what your options are.”
Rachel pinned him with her gaze. “Why are you talking about them in plural? By the looks of it, I only have one option.” She had to stall for time and make Hill think she’d cooperate. She’d hope and pray Maya and her husband had worked behind the scenes to set up the trap.
And if all else failed, Rachel would have to pay the ultimate price, but not without putting up a good fight first. She looked away because she didn’t want the old man to see fire in her eyes, didn’t want him to guess her thoughts.
The man’s smile was eerie. “I was told you were a smart girl.”
She glared at him.
There was commotion outside the room, and heavy footsteps reached her ears. What was going on?
The door opened, and Sean and another one of her kidnappers pushed Sebastian inside, their weapons trained on Sebastian’s head. Rachel schooled her features to look neutral. But everything inside her was trembling. Worry for Sebastian squeezed her rib cage.
How had he ended up here?
This was her battle, not his.
But she’d dragged him into this, and now he’d have to pay with his life.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she didn’t let them spill.
“Boss, he was lurking around. What should we do?” Mr. Bulky Guy said.
“Whatever you were supposed to do, it wasn’t bring him here!” the old man growled. “Well, it’s already done. Just shoot him, I guess, and dump the body into the river.”
“Wait!” Rachel screamed.
Hill turned to her, his smile eerie again. “Why?”
“Hold on. If you know so much about me, you know it’s Sebastian Mora. If you do anything to him, you might as well shoot me right now and get it over with. You’re losing one of the most important reasons for me to follow your instructions.”
Clark Hill shrugged. “You said it yourself. One of the reasons. Mrs. Mora’s and your brother’s lives are still at stake.”
Rachel did her best to sound persuasive. “Mrs. Mora lived a long and happy life. As for my brother… he betrayed me. Why would I take a risk for him?”
Sean muttered something under his breath.
“Because despite everything, you love your brother,” Hill said softly.
“Pleeeease. Do you really believe that?” Rachel added mocking notes to her tone. “After he brought me here, most likely to die?”
“Rachel, he promised me…” Sean started.
“That’s enough.” The old man’s gaze became thoughtful. “Ms. Evans, I realize that you’re infatuated with
this Mora, but—”
“Infatuated?” Rachel interrupted him. “I’m in love with him!” She was bluffing again, of course.
No, she wasn’t.
She was telling the truth.
She was in love with Sebastian Mora. Her heart was full of love and tenderness toward him that she couldn’t explain even to herself. Her heart was also breaking that both her love and life might be cut short soon.
Rachel hadn’t thought she could fall in love so fast, especially when she considered her heart had closed to romance after Ryan’s death.
Sebastian stared at her, his gaze gentle. “I’m in love with you, too.”
Her heart nearly stopped in her chest.
Was this possible?
Sebastian loved her?
If not for the circumstances, she’d be euphoric.
But as it was, she couldn’t embrace him, couldn’t kiss him, couldn’t even reach out and touch him even though he was so close. Rachel didn’t even allow herself to smile to show how much his words meant to her. She didn’t want to give Hill more ammunition against her.
The old man snorted. “This is all very sweet, but I couldn’t care less. In fact, I don’t like this. An extra murder is always an inconvenience. Well, I’ll let you be for the rest of the night. Ms. Evans has a job tomorrow night, so she needs rest. The owner should be out of town then. I’ll come back with details in the morning.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened. “A job?”
Rachel shrugged. “Disable alarm, clean out a safe, things like that.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then I’m going with you. In case there are complications with the owner returning or neighbors checking out the noise.”
She groaned. “No!”
The last thing she wanted was to drag Sebastian into more of a mess than she already had.
Hill raked gnarled fingers through his white hair. “This might be a good idea. I’ll be watching you through the cameras, in case you try something funny. And unlike you, Ms. Evans, Mr. Mora probably isn’t okay with his grandmother dying soon.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened.
The old man laughed. “That’s what I thought.” He nodded to one of the guards, the one standing near her. “Stay here. If the man tries to escape, shoot him. If the woman tries to escape, stop her and report to me.”
Then the three men were gone.
Rachel’s mind whirled. Maya had promised to run it by her superiors and try to set up the trap for her kidnappers. Had her friend had a chance to do it?
Because now the people trapped were Rachel and Sebastian.
Rachel swallowed the bitter taste of disappointment in her mouth.
She’d been so shocked and glad to see her brother after all these years that she’d let her guard down. She hadn’t expected him to turn her over to kidnappers.
Probably nothing had been set up yet.
Rachel had no clue whether somebody had talked to the authorities in McAllen, whether McPherson would be aware of the setup or would meet Rachel with gunfire. On both of her jobs in McAllen, each owner had a nice collection of rifles, mostly for hunting but also for their own protection, just in case the alarm didn’t work.
Back at the hotel, Rachel was supposed to fight, attract attention. But she’d been afraid to do it because of her brother. When she’d realized she was wrong, it’d been too late to change anything.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered to Sebastian.
“I’ll find a way for us to escape,” he whispered back.
“No talking!” The bulky man punched Sebastian in the jaw.
Rachel gasped and resolved not to say a word more. Tears prickled behind her eyes, but she kept them at bay. She asked for forgiveness silently with her eyes.
Sebastian replied with a small shake of his head, as if telling her she had nothing to ask forgiveness for.
Rachel put all her love into her gaze, into a teary, tiny smile that tugged on her lips. His broad shoulders were squared, and his eyes honest and gentle at the same time. She knew he’d take a bullet for her, and he’d probably allowed Sean to capture him so she wouldn’t be in this alone.
But how could she let him die for her?
She drank in his appearance, every little detail imprinted in her memory. Every second of simply being in his presence was acutely precious, especially because she knew she might not have many of those seconds left.
Rachel straightened her spine. In her mind, she went over the layout of the house of Carl McPherson, one of her clients in McAllen. A particular suggestion of hers gave her hope. Maybe it was a good thing McPherson was so paranoid. But the thought that she’d have to steal again made her nauseous.
No.
She wouldn’t allow herself to despair or to fall apart.
Her time would be better spent praying instead.
She’d made a huge mistake.
And now both she and Sebastian might pay for it with their lives.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RACHEL’S HEART POUNDED IN HER chest as she entered the spacious mansion the following night. She’d been right, and it was one of her McAllen jobs, in the house where the owner, Carl McPherson, had a large collection of rifles. At her suggestion, McPherson was supposed to have two large safes, one for weapons and another one for jewelry.
Sebastian moved slowly by her side.
It had frustrated her that she’d been able to disable the alarm fast enough. That had been one of the vulnerabilities she’d pointed out to Mr. McPherson. Apparently, he hadn’t followed her directions. Why would people pay for her consultation if they weren’t going to follow her advice? And to think that McPherson had been one of her favorite clients. They’d even kept in touch for some time after she’d completed the job.
Still, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to shoot if he caught her breaking into his house. The same suspicion she’d had several days before wormed inside her, but she didn’t have time to ponder over it.
As Rachel crept in the direction of the room in the back, where she’d advised him to locate the safe for jewelry, the one Hill was interested in, she reminded herself that in this case the client’s negligence had worked to her advantage. She knew the layout of the house well, and as she passed the living room, she glanced there, trying to distinguish the silhouette of the safe. It wasn’t there. Well, at least McPherson had followed that instruction, moving the safe from its previous location, where it had been out in the open.
She heard a light noise coming from the bedroom and stilled. Sebastian froze near her. Apparently, he’d heard the noise, too. She considered dashing for cover in one of the closets, but she didn’t have the opportunity to tell Sebastian about it.
Light flooded the hall. Carl McPherson stood with a rifle in his hands, his eyebrows drawn together.
So much for him going on vacation.
But then she’d had a feeling this would be the case.
“Move your hands where I can see them.” His voice said he meant business.
Her heart thundering in her ears, Rachel raised her hands in surrender and to show she wasn’t armed.
Now what?
She needed to find a way to placate McPherson before he put a bullet through her chest. But would he believe her?
“Who are you?” Sebastian lifted his hands.
“Better question, who are you?” McPherson’s frown deepened.
“Mr. McPherson, hopefully you remember—” Rachel didn’t have a chance to finish the sentence.
The next thing she knew, Sebastian pinned McPherson’s arms behind his back and threw the rifle aside.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. McPherson,” she mouthed. “We’re really not here to rob you.” She remembered where the cameras were installed, so she made sure to stand with her back to the one in the hall.
Was it her imagination, or did McPherson give her a curt nod? Had Maya had a chance to reach out to him? Of course, he was putting himself into too much danger by staying then. He probably wouldn’t have b
een allowed to do so. But fragile hope bloomed inside her.
Conscious of the cameras, she wiped any trace of hope from her eyes.
“We need a rope,” Sebastian whispered, making sure the struggling guy wouldn’t get away.
“Okay. Please be careful not to hurt him.” She dashed to the master bedroom, then to the closet, found a belt on one of the bathrobes, took the belt out, and was back in the hall.
She and Sebastian were wasting a lot of time, and they hadn’t even started on the safe yet. She hesitated when she began to tie McPherson’s hands. If she was right in her guess and tied him down, she’d put McPherson’s life in danger. If she was wrong and let him go, she’d put hers and Sebastian’s lives in danger.
Her heart hammered in her chest.
What should she do?
In the end, she decided to go with her gut feeling and tie his hands loosely.
Rachel waved to the sofa in the living room, and she and Sebastian dragged McPherson there, with Sebastian doing most of the work.
Then Sebastian headed in the direction of the rifle McPherson had dropped.
The disposable phone Hill had given her rang in her pocket.
She winced, then answered the phone. She could guess what Hill was going to say. “Yes?”
“Tell Mora not to touch that weapon or his grandmother dies,” Hill said. “And hurry up. You’re wasting too much time.”
The line went dead.
Rachel repeated Hill’s words to Sebastian. “Remember, they are watching us from the cameras,” she added.
A muscle moved in Sebastian’s jaw. Then he moved away from the rifle reluctantly.
Finally, Sebastian and Rachel made it to the large-screen TV mounted on the wall in the office. Of course, this was far from ideal, but her client had shot down her other suggestions. Her muscles strained and her hands shook a little as she and Sebastian removed the TV. The part of the wall behind it revealed a built-in safe.
The safe looked different, bigger and tougher to break in, than the one McPherson used to have. Maybe she shouldn’t have been upset her client hadn’t followed her directions because when he did follow them, it created difficulty for her.
“Can you open it?” Sebastian’s voice was low.