“Do you see something, Ms. Roane?”
The question came from Stephan. She already knew the man had a less-favorable view of her than his employer. Stephan didn’t trust her. If this had been a different kind of job, that might have concerned her at some point. With this particular job, his distrust made no matter.
Encompassing both men with her smile, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I thought I saw a shadow…as if someone else other than those two on the snowmobile was there. I was wrong, it was nothing.” She straightened. “You’re right. This wasn’t helpful at all.”
“That was my belief, too,” Mendoza said.
The man sounded tired, a bit forlorn. She had a cure for that.
“I do appreciate you showing me, though.” He would never know how very much she appreciated it. “Even if it didn’t give me any additional information, every stone needs to be turned and examined if I’m to find Gabriella and bring her home safely.”
She gave one more dazzling smile, this one specifically for Luis. “And you have absolutely nothing more? No ideas at all? Conjectures on who the culprit might be? Thoughts on why she was taken?”
“No, none at all. We are at a standstill.” His brow furrowed as angry frustration gleamed in his eyes. “There’s nothing more I can give you.”
Exactly what she had expected, but she had needed to make sure.
“Now I’d like to see what you have,” Luis said. “You’ve been quite mysterious with your findings.”
And there was a reason for that. Reaching down, she picked up the small briefcase she’d brought with her, placed it on the credenza and click opened the snaps. “I do have a couple of things I’m hoping you can shed light upon.”
She slid her Glock 19 from beneath a concealed compartment and whirled. One bullet went into Stephan’s ugly forehead, another to his chest. The man never knew what hit him.
Before Mendoza could react, she turned the gun on him. The old goat’s eyes were wide as saucers. Ivy smiled. This never got old.
“But…why?” Luis said.
“Mr. Bianchi is tired of waiting. He will take care of matters from now on.”
“But…but my treasure… Our agreement...”
“Has been canceled.” She put a bullet in his head, one in his chest, and because it had been a special request, a bullet went into each of his knees and then one to his groin. Overkill in her opinion, but unless the deviations inconvenienced her, she did her best to please her clients.
The instant Mendoza went down, she double-checked her work. Assuming both men were dead without checking was sloppy wet work. She’d learned the hard way never to be sloppy.
Assured that both men’s hearts had stopped beating, she returned the gun and silencer to her briefcase and then went to work. She downloaded the photos she’d been shown as well as a couple of other interesting-looking files onto a flash drive. There could never be too much information. She then uploaded a damaging computer virus that she kept on hand for times such as these. One could never be too careful.
Pleased with her day’s work, Ivy closed her briefcase and, skirting Luis’s body, walked out the door. Another gun was beneath her jacket, close at hand. Several guards eyed her as she went out, but that was the norm. Despite her disguise of a short blond wig and overgenerous curves, she was still a beautiful woman. Who wouldn’t gawk?
No one tried to stop her. She, like so many, had been here for a business meeting with their employer. The goings-on behind those closed doors were not their concern. Of course, once they found two dead men, their feelings might change. But for now, she freely made her way to the black BMW she’d chosen for this particular job. Opening the door, she slid inside, started the engine and then she was off. Five miles down the road, she turned into a small lot and parked beside a red Lamborghini—a present to herself a few weeks back. She got into her shiny new toy and drove away.
The BMW had been stolen from a dealership in Caracas two days ago. Cameras from the dealership would show a stout woman with frizzy red hair and an unfortunate overbite helping herself to the car. The beautiful Ivy Roane was not a suspect.
She waited until she was a comfortable hour away from Mendoza’s estate before she pulled off into a restaurant parking lot. Retrieving a phone from her briefcase, she pressed several keys.
Within seconds, a heavily Italian accented voice said in English, “It is done?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Any witnesses?”
“None.”
“How many?”
“Just the two you hired me for.” She rolled her eyes. She didn’t go about killing people for no reason. What was the point if there was no opportunity for gain?
“Very good. Your additional funds are being transferred now. Did you get any more information?”
“No.” She knew better than to show her cards. “They had nothing else to give.”
“Then you’ll proceed as agreed?”
“Yes. I’ll be back in touch soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
She clicked off the phone and replaced it in her case. Then she pulled out another phone and sent a text message: “Phase one complete.”
Immensely satisfied, she restarted the engine and pulled back onto the road. Settling back into the luxurious leather seat, she felt a small smile curve her lips as she considered what she had learned. Jonah Slater might be involved in this. If she played this right, she would get two prizes. Gabriella Mendoza would go to Bianchi for him to do God knew what with—wasn’t her concern or business. And she, Ivy Roane, would have Jonah Slater’s head on a platter.
Oh yes indeed, if everything worked out the way she wanted, this was going to be an epic win on all fronts.
Chapter Thirty-three
Utah
Gabby threw the ball as hard as she could, watching with delight as Chamo raced after it. They still had a miscommunication on what he was supposed to do with the ball once he retrieved it, but he was getting better. At least he had stopped carrying it into the lake.
Her heart was so unbelievably light she felt as if it could burst with happiness. She wasn’t pregnant. The day of her insemination was exactly one month ago yesterday. Every pregnancy test she had taken showed up negative, and today, for the first time in months, she had started her menstrual period. Never had she been so thrilled to see that arrive.
This morning, she had come downstairs to tell Jonah the good news. His face had lit up, and he had actually picked her up and whirled her around in a circle. Tonight, they were going to celebrate with a special dinner and a movie of her choice. And tomorrow…she shivered. Tomorrow, he was going to show her how to defend herself.
He had brought up the subject a few days ago, asking her if Raiza had trained her in self-defense. She had been intentionally vague, telling him that Raiza had trained her some, but she could always use some pointers from a professional.
His face had been serious and sexy at the same time as he explained that every person, man or woman, needed to know the basics of self-defense. And as she was being hunted, he said, she needed more than basics.
She could have told him his concern was unnecessary. As soon as Gabby had physically recovered from Rudy Bianchi’s attack, Raiza had begun training her student. Raiza had combined her knowledge of jujitsu, Krav Maga, and old-fashioned street fighting to create her own type of self-defense. Training four days a week for almost a decade had turned Gabriella into the kind of fighter who could take on anyone. Not only had Raiza’s training given Gabby the assurance that she could handle the Rudy Bianchis of the world, the discipline and knowledge required had instilled a confidence in her charge that could not be taken away.
No one, other than Raiza, had known about her training. If Luis had ever found out, he would have put a stop to it immediately. Raiza would have either been dismissed or even killed for doing such a thing. Her friend and trainer had known this but believed the risk was worth taking.
When Jonah
had suggested the training, she had almost told him but had held herself back. Perhaps it was sneaky, but she wanted to show him what she could do. She looked forward to his delight.
Hearing a sound behind her, she smiled as she watched Jonah head her way, his long, lean limbs eating up the distance in seconds. His walk was all male and, to her mind, shiver inducing. There was a self-assurance and cockiness in his movements, making her more aware of him as a man than anyone she’d ever known.
“Have you and Chamo worked up an appetite yet?”
She could feel the blush coming before the color heated her cheeks. His innocent question called to mind other appetites. Unfortunately, other than a few heated glances she’d caught when he thought she wasn’t looking, nothing, not even a kiss, had occurred since the night they’d arrived at the cabin. Even when they were lying in bed together and she could feel his body harden with want, he did nothing.
Taking the hand he held out for her, she went to her feet. “I was thinking I’d try to make breakfast this morning. I’ve watched you for weeks. I think I’m ready to try on my own.”
His eyes glinted with humor. “I’ll grab the fire extinguisher and be right there.”
Laughing at his teasing, they walked hand in hand back to the cabin. Though Jonah’s smiles were still rare, she loved that he was relaxed and comfortable enough with her to tease her.
She held back a sigh. Raiza had trained her to protect herself and to survive. She only wished she’d taught her what to do to make a man fall in love with her.
***
“Breakfast was delicious.”
In the process of moving around the rubberized, overdone omelet on her plate to find an edible bite, Gabby looked up at Jonah and snickered. “It was not.”
No, it hadn’t been, but she’d looked so earnest and serious as she was cooking, he didn’t have the heart to tell her just how bad it was.
“You’ll get the hang of it. That was just your first try. Takes practice, that’s all.”
“Yes, but will our stomachs survive the practice?”
“How about this? You practice every other day, and for the rest of our meals, we’ll rely on my limited skills and the microwave.”
Her relief obvious, she dropped the fork onto her plate. “Sounds like a plan to me. Thank you.”
Holding up a thin, charred, unrecognizable strip, he grinned. “Now, about this bacon.”
She snorted with laughter and, without a hint of warning, threw a tiny scrap of bacon toward him. Without missing a beat, he scooped up a spoonful of omelet and flung the yellow lump toward her. It landed exactly where he had intended, in the middle of her forehead.
Her eyes went wide with surprise, but it took her only a second to catch on. Showing she knew how to get into the game, she took a handful of omelet from her plate and threw hard. Her aim was as true as any pro baseball player, smacking him in the face.
“That does it.” He scooted his chair back. “The war is on.”
Snagging the flour canister on the counter, he flipped the top, scooped a handful and threw. The white powder landed on her head, turning her hair instantly gray.
Letting out a carefree giggle, she jumped from the table and grabbed the egg carton on the counter. “One step closer, and it’s eggs a la Jonah.”
“Sounds like my kind of dish.” He leaped for her just as an egg landed in the middle of his chest.
Her eyes wide with both alarm and laughter, she turned and sped toward the door.
Jonah was on her in a flash. “Oh no you don’t.” He grabbed her arm to pull her back into the kitchen. “We’re not finished.”
Gabby momentarily froze as those words clicked something inside her. He was here! He had found her. Shrieking with horror, she did the only thing she knew to do—what she had been taught. She whirled, delivering at uppercut to his jaw and a targeted kick to his stomach. Lost in terror, her only focus was survival. She didn’t hear the harsh voice shouting her name. Preparing a double kick, one to his groin and again to his stomach, she shrieked again when her assailant grabbed hold of her, holding her arms at her sides, not allowing her to move.
“Let me go, you bastard! Let. Me. Go!”
“Gabby, calm down. It’s Jonah. You’re safe. You’re safe.”
“No. No. Let me go. You can’t…you can’t…” She couldn’t breathe. Legs turning to jelly, she lost all strength and collapsed. Lost in a horror that she believed she had escaped, Gabby couldn’t hear anything other than her own screams.
“Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe.”
Jonah’s voice finally penetrated her terrorized, frozen mind. She was here with him, she was safe. Rudy Bianchi was in prison where he belonged. He couldn’t touch her. And she…
She looked up at Jonah, remorse replacing the horror. “I’m so sorry, Jonah. Did I hurt you?”
“Hey, it’d take more than that to damage a hard head like mine.”
Instead of the smile Jonah hoped he’d see, her eyes filled with tears. His heart pounded with both sorrow and fury. Sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, he held Gabby in his arms and cursed himself. He had been so damn focused on her courage and strength, he had completely missed that she was still hurting, still traumatized. The event could be pushed under the rug for only so long. She had received no formal counseling. As supportive and loving as Raiza had been, she hadn’t been trained to deal with the emotional aspects of what a young girl had experienced at the hands of a rapist.
And clueless idiot that he was, he had no idea how to help her heal. But he could encourage her, talk to her. When she started her new life, he’d make sure she got the counseling she needed. He didn’t care if he had to fly a therapist from one end of the globe to the other, she’d receive the best care money could buy.
“I can see that the self-defense training I suggested is a tad irrelevant. Now I’m thinking you should be the teacher.”
She gave a watery giggle. “Sorry about that. I wanted to surprise you. Raiza was a martial arts expert. Had even competed when she was younger. Luis expected her to use those skills to keep me in line or protect me. He never expected her to teach me.”
“In a way, I feel sorry for your grandfather.”
She lifted her head from his chest. “Why on earth would you feel sorry for him?”
“Because he’s such a coward and a bastard, so focused on himself, he’ll never know what an amazing granddaughter he has.”
“I don’t feel very amazing.”
“That’s because you’re sitting in the middle of a kitchen floor covered in eggs, bacon, and flour.”
She peeked over his shoulder and winced. “My first food fight and I ruined it.”
“No, you didn’t. That’s the great thing about food fights. There are no rules and they can begin or end anytime.”
Her eyes glowed with both tears and wonder. “You knew this was on my list.”
Before he could apologize for taking a peek at her list again, she cupped his face and put her mouth on his. Her soft lips tasted like heaven. Jonah groaned and pressed in deeper. She was sweetness, strength, and vulnerable, beautiful woman.
“Thank you, Jonah. You’re the only man I’ve ever known who wants to make my dreams come true, even when they’re silly.”
“They’re not silly.” Settling her into his arms, he hugged her tight. “They’re one of the many things that make you who you are.”
She sat up and touched the bruise blooming on his jaw. “You mean like almost knocking you into the next county?”
He worked his jaw, ridiculously pleased that it hurt to do so. “You pack a hell of a punch.”
She laughed and rose gracefully to her feet. “I’m glad you’re happy about that.”
Jonah stood beside her, and they both grimaced at the mess they’d made. “That’s the only bad thing about a food fight. The cleanup.”
“It won’t take any time at all.”
She was right. Less than half an hour later, the kitchen wa
s set to rights. He noted that even something that simple seemed to please her. Several times, he caught her smiling as she cleaned the table and stacked the dishes in the dishwasher. She, who’d always had those things done for her, was genuinely happy to be able to do them for herself.
“Promise me something, Gabby.”
In the middle of rinsing a plate, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Anything.”
Ignoring what her words did to his heart, he said, “When you get set up…in your new life, you’ll get some counseling.”
“I promise. I really thought I was okay. But when you said those words…I don’t know. Something just went off inside me. I remember Rudy saying those exact words.”
“Those kinds of triggers aren’t uncommon, but you need to know how to deal with them. If you feel up to it, maybe we should practice, using some of the other words you remember.”
She grimaced but nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Getting her agreement was the first step. The next step would be her allowing him to pay for her counseling sessions. He’d worry about that later. But he would not back down. Whatever she needed, he would make sure she had it.
Chapter Thirty-four
Jonah watched from the porch as Gabby and Chamo played fetch. Chamo still hadn’t gotten the hang of it yet as he tended to want to fetch the ball and take off. They’d been playing for over an hour, and Jonah could honestly say he’d never seen anyone more glowing or happy than Gabby. Or more beautiful. The expression on her face was priceless. This was one of her dreams—another one of her wishes that she’d written down—to play fetch with a dog. To see her simple wishes come true did something to his heart he hadn’t yet allowed himself to think about. Each day, he grew more enchanted with her. She was so damn likable and fun to be around.
Since learning she wasn’t pregnant, he had seen a light in her that was almost glowing in its intensity. Her laughter was a joyous sound that echoed around him, infiltrating all the parts he had believed frozen and dead.
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