Allegiances

by Cynthia Eden

  “I wasn’t—”

  “In case you missed it before, Sullivan...” Her chin lifted. “Our marriage is over. You signed the divorce papers, remember?”

  And he felt that shot, right in his heart. “Yes, I remember.” He wished he could forget. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was poison. She didn’t need me.

  Though he’d always needed her.

  “Get out of the elevator. When I need you, I’ll be back.”

  He turned away from her. Exited that damn elevator. No one else was on the floor. It was way past operating hours. He wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten up to his office.

  Celia has her ways... Celia can do anything... Hadn’t he heard folks say that about her time and again when he’d been working with the CIA?

  Hell, most of his family didn’t even know about the work he’d done for the government. Most of them didn’t know a thing about Celia.

  Mac knew.

  And Sullivan...he’d tried so hard to forget her. An impossible task.

  Before the elevator doors could shut, he lifted his hands, pushing against them. His gaze held hers. “What about when I need you?” It was a question torn from him.

  She blinked in surprise. Or maybe in shock. A faint furrow appeared between her eyes.

  “You said that...when you need me, you’d be back.” Sullivan inclined his head toward her. “What about when I need you, C? What then?” Her old nickname rolled off his tongue. C. So simple, but...

  It was our link. Only I called her that.

  Back when she’d been his.

  She laughed. It was a hollow, bitter sound. Not Celia’s real laughter. He’d heard that light, musical sound once before. A lifetime ago. When would he hear her real laughter again?

  “Oh, Sullivan,” she said, her lips twisting in a cold smile. “We both know the truth. You’ve never really needed me. You wanted me for a time, but you never let me get close. When the chips were down, you turned on me.”

  Because he’d been told she betrayed him. Told again and again as his blood drained out in a dark, dank hellhole.

  “Don’t do that again,” she warned him. “Don’t turn on me. I...I don’t have a lot of options. I have to count on you.”

  “You can.” He would never betray her again, and Sullivan would do whatever was necessary to prove that to her. He exhaled slowly and backed away. His hands fell back to his sides. The elevator doors began to close. “And just for the record...I think I need you more than I need anyone or anything else.”

  He saw the flash of surprise on her face.

  Then the doors closed.

  * * *

  BREATHE. BREATHE. BREATHE. Mentally, Celia James repeated her little mantra.

  Only it was hard to breathe because she could still taste Sullivan. She could still feel his lips against hers. And when he’d dropped his last little bombshell on her, she was pretty sure her whole world had spun out of control.

  She hurried across the darkened Austin street. She could hear the distant buzz of traffic. Random horns. Voices drifting on the wind. But...

  Sullivan. Sexy Sullivan McGuire. He was what consumed her right then. And that was the problem with him—he always slipped past her guard. He always made her too nervous and aware. She couldn’t afford the way he made her feel, not now. Not with all the other craziness happening in her life.

  She was leaving the CIA. Leaving the agency that had been her life for far too long and...

  I’m being hunted. She had enough going on without developing a new addiction to Sullivan.

  Right...as if that were a new thing. She’d been craving him from the moment she looked into his green eyes. Then she’d heard the deep rumble of his voice. Seduction. Just straight-up seduction. She’d been lost before they’d even shaken hands and had been officially introduced.

  She’d never looked up and just wanted. Until Sullivan, she’d always been so carefully controlled in all aspects of her life. But Sullivan had pretty much obliterated her control. He’d made her want to live for something other than the job.

  When he’d left her, the job had been all she had left.

  I won’t make the same mistakes with him. Not this time. This time, she called the shots. He owed her.

  Time had been kind to Sullivan. He was tall, fit, with powerful shoulders that had only gotten broader in the years they were apart. His dark hair was still thick, and her fingers had itched to slide through those heavy locks.

  No, her fingers had just been itching to touch him. Sullivan had always attracted her. Like a moth to the flame, she’d been pulled right to him.

  Not the same mistakes. Not!

  Celia jumped into her car. She cranked the engine and drove away as fast as she could.

  She’d only gone about four blocks before she realized she was being followed. That was four blocks too many. She should have spotted the tail instantly. But she’d been distracted...

  By Sullivan.

  Her hands tightened around the steering wheel. She’d thought that she’d made a fairly clean escape when she’d sneaked down to Austin. She hadn’t realized that the hunter on her trail had gotten so close.

  And dammit, I led him straight to Sullivan.

  Because if the guy on her trail had been waiting outside McGuire Securities...then he’d know about Sullivan and her connection to the McGuires. She’d gone to Sullivan for help. She hadn’t intended to drag him straight into her nightmare. At least, not this fast.

  She kept her left hand on the wheel even as her right activated the car’s Bluetooth so she could call Sullivan. She’d memorized his cell number days ago—she had a knack for remembering pretty much everything. One of the reasons why she had been a good agent.

  Had been.

  He answered on the second ring. “Sullivan.”

  “It’s me.” She glanced in her rearview mirror. The headlights behind her were getting ever closer. Surely the guy wasn’t going to hit her? Not on a public street.

  “Celia, what—”

  “Watch your back. I think I brought my trouble straight to your door. I—” The car behind rammed into her, and Celia’s words ended in a sharp scream. Even as that cry escaped, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel and fought to keep her car steady.

  “Celia? Celia?” Sullivan roared.

  “Watch yourself,” she said.

  Her car had hurtled forward at the impact, but, thank goodness, she hadn’t hit anyone or anything else. She shoved the gas pedal down as hard as she could. Her car shot forward, but the vehicle behind her, the one with the shining lights—

  Killed the lights.

  “Celia, what is happening?” Sullivan demanded.

  She cut across the lanes, moving fast. She knew this city well, so she’d be able to disappear. Hopefully. But if that guy hit her again...

  What is he thinking? Attacking in public?

  “I’ve got company,” she said as she fought to keep both her voice and the car steady. “The kind that isn’t so friendly.”

  “Where are you?” he barked.

  “Escaping,” she told him honestly. And she was. She’d just turned down a dark side street. Celia turned off her own lights and whipped into the nearest parking garage. “Bye, Sullivan.”

  “No, Celia, wait—”

  There was no time to wait. There was only time to survive. She was good at surviving. Celia jumped from her car and ran as fast as she could toward the shadows of the parking garage. She wouldn’t have much time. She could already hear the engine of the other vehicle. An SUV waited a few feet away, and she rushed behind it, crouching down just as the squeal of tires reached her ears.

  I knew my time was limited... I just didn’t realize how close the hunter was to me.

  Her heart slammed into her chest as the car braked just a few feet away. She reached into her boot and pulled out the knife she still kept strapped to her ankle.

  Some habits sure did die hard.

  She slipped around the SU
V, keeping low and making certain not to make so much as a sound. The way she figured it, Celia had three options.

  Option one...she could try to break into one of the parked cars and get a ride out of there. She would have to switch cars and temporarily borrow another if she went with the escape-in-a-vehicle option, because her car—with its busted bumper—wasn’t going to get her far.

  Option two...her eyes narrowed as she searched the garage’s dim interior. Instead of stealing—um, borrowing—another car, she could rush for the nearest exit and escape on foot. Escaping on foot gave her a maneuverability advantage, but it sure wasn’t the fastest option.

  And, finally, she had option three.

  She could fight.

  Since she was armed with a knife and she had no idea what type of weapon the hunter had, fighting might not be—

  “I know you’re out there, Ms. James,” a man’s booming voice called. “So why don’t you just save us both some time? Come out here...and let me put a bullet in your lovely head.”

  So he has a gun. Good to know.

  “Because I have only one directive. Kill you. And I won’t stop, not until you’re dead.”

  That news was just rather unfortunate. Too bad for him, though. The unknown man wasn’t going to achieve his directive any time soon—she had no intention of dying.

  Her gaze slid to the red Exit sign she’d just spotted.

  Knife versus gun wasn’t such a good fighting option.

  So I think I’ll go with my second choice. Time to run...

  * * *

  “CELIA? CELIA?” SULLIVAN ROARED. But she wasn’t answering him. The line had gone dead.

  He shoved the phone back into his pocket, grabbed the white envelope she’d given him and then he rushed out of his office. He was in the elevator before he realized—hell, he had no idea where Celia was. He only knew she was in trouble. That she’d called him—telling him to watch his back.

  And she’d screamed.

  She could be hurt. And I don’t know where she is. I can’t help her.

  The elevator took him to the ground floor. He rushed outside. Looked to the left. To the right. He didn’t see anyone, but he wasn’t going to stand there and keep making himself a target. He hurried to his car. Jumped inside.

  “Celia...” Sullivan whispered her name as he cranked the vehicle and pulled away. “Where in the hell are you?”

  Chapter Two

  When he got home, Sullivan locked his door and reset his alarm. He’d driven around the damn city for far too long, searching in dark alleys, looking for any sign of Celia before he’d had to give up and head to his place.

  He was sure that she’d been involved in some kind of accident. He’d heard what he thought was the crash and crunch of an impact when they’d been talking, but no accidents had been reported—he’d double-checked that with one of his contacts at the PD.

  Celia had seemingly vanished.

  Sighing, he turned on the lights. Tomorrow, he’d search for her again. He would find her.

  “You’re starting to go soft,” Celia said, her voice calm and clear. “I mean, really, you didn’t even know I was here?”

  He spun around and found her sitting on his couch. She was leaning back against the cushions with her legs crossed in front of her, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  She’s been here while I was searching the whole city for her? Frantic? He’d been imagining her broken body tossed away. And she’d been in his home.

  “How long have you been here?” Sullivan asked her. Her voice had been calm. His was tight with fury and fear.

  Celia pursed her lips and glanced toward the clock near his TV. “About an hour. I was starting to think you must have been out with a hot date.”

  He stalked toward her. “I was out looking for you. I was tearing up the damn town because I thought you’d been hurt. I thought someone was after you and—”

  “Someone was after me. Or rather, someone is after me.” She didn’t sound particularly worried. Her gaze held his. “A tail followed me from your office. He tried to take me. Or, actually, I think he was more interested in killing me than taking me. But that doesn’t matter.” She shrugged, moving her shoulders lightly against the leather of his couch. “He failed in his attempt.”

  Every muscle in his body locked down. “Take you?” Sullivan repeated. “Kill you?”

  “Um...you know, the usual in our business. When forcing me off the road didn’t work, he followed me into an old parking garage. I’d slipped inside there, thinking to use the place for shelter.”

  “Celia...”

  “Like I said, he followed me. Jumped out of his vehicle. Gave me some nice line about how it would be easier if I just came out so he could put a bullet in my head.”

  His vision reddened as fury burned in his blood.

  “I wasn’t in the mood for that bullet, so I got away.” Her words were said so simply. As if she hadn’t just faced some life-or-death battle when he was far away and couldn’t help her at all.

  “How?” Sullivan demanded.

  “The parking garage was dark, but it wasn’t empty. Other people approached from the elevator bank, so he had to put up his gun and act not killer-like. When I heard those folks approaching, I slipped away into the shadows and got out of there as fast as I could.”

  So the guy was still breathing. “He’s a threat to you.”

  She just stared back at him.

  “You saw him, though,” Sullivan said, thinking quickly. “You got his description. With your contacts, you can find out who—”

  “I didn’t see him. I didn’t stick around to get a full physical description. He had a gun, I had a knife, and with civilians in the area, I didn’t want to risk them.” Her fingers tapped along the arm of his couch. “So I left, without looking back. And as quickly as I could I...came here.”

  Her words gave him pause. “You came to me?” Sullivan stood about two feet away from her. He wanted to close that distance, scoop her up and hold her tight. Because he wanted that so badly, he kept his muscles locked and didn’t move another step forward.

  “I’m afraid I’ve brought you into this mess as a target. It’s obvious that I went to McGuire Securities tonight, and if the guy after me has done any digging into my past, he’ll know about you.” She rose and came to stand right in front of him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shine a bright target on you.”

  Sometimes, he forgot how delicate—physically—she was. She barely came to his shoulders as she stood there in her bare feet. He saw that she’d kicked her heels away, and they lay overturned next to his coffee table.

  His hands lifted and his fingers curled around her shoulders. “You know I don’t mind danger.”

  “That debt I was going to call in? It wasn’t to protect me,” she said. Had her eyes ever seemed bigger? Bluer? “I can protect myself. It was...I needed you to help me vanish.”

  He frowned at that bit of the news.

  “I’m leaving the CIA. I’ve been compromised.” She gave that bitter laugh again. The one that made him worry she’d changed—too much—since they were together. “Compromised again and again. I thought I could get away clean, but it sure seems my enemies aren’t going to stop hunting me.”

  “You know who they are...”

  “Actually, I don’t. I’ve made a lot of enemies in my time at the agency. I joined right after college, was recruited straightaway. I was perfect for them, after all. No family. No close friends. No ties that would hold me back. I could become anyone they wanted me to be, and for a while, I did.”

  His hold tightened on her. “You have ties now.”

  “No, I don’t. And that’s why it was going to be so easy for me to leave.”

  But what had happened? Why was she quitting the agency? “The CIA was your life.”

  “Was it?” Her eyelashes flickered and then she seemed to notice that he was touching her. He felt her stiffen beneath his hands. “I’m sorry I b
roke into your place. After everything that went down tonight, I just needed to make sure you were all right.”

  She’d been worried...about him?

  “But no one saw me enter your home. I was careful this time.”

  She pulled away. He let her go, but the temptation to hold her—it was far too strong.

  “Maybe I will call in that debt you promised me one day. My plans have changed now, so who knows?” She pushed back her hair, tucking a lock behind her left ear. “Remember what I said before, though. Watch your back.”

  She was walking away. Again. And he knew that if she slipped away, he wasn’t going to see her again. Despite her words, she wouldn’t be back to call in her debt. He suspected she wouldn’t return to him at all. “Who is going to watch yours?” Sullivan wanted to know.

  Celia tilted her head back as she gazed up at him. “Oh, Sully, be careful,” she chided him. “It almost sounds as if you care about what happens to me.”

  I do. I never stopped caring, no matter how hard I tried. Some obsessions couldn’t be conquered. “Stay here,” he heard himself say, his voice way too gruff.

  Celia shook her head. “What?”

  He cleared his throat. “Stay the night. You said yourself that no one saw you come into my place. That means you’re safe here. Stay the night. Get some sleep. Then you can make a new plan of attack or escape—or whatever the hell it is you want to do—in the morning.”

  She bit her lower lip. After a moment, voice strangely subdued, she said, “You know that’s not a good idea.”

  “Do I?” It had sounded like one damn fine idea at the time.

  “Yes.” She sighed out that answer. “Sully, you know that—”

  “I still want you.” There. He’d said it. This time he wouldn’t have lies or secrets between them. He’d tell her everything, because he wouldn’t crash and burn again. Neither would she. Not on his watch.

  “No.” She put up her hand, as if to ward him off. “Stop it. Just...stop it.”

  No way. He wasn’t stopping. He could see her slipping away, and if she did—what would he do then? Go back to the bleak, empty world he’d been living in since he lost her before? Go back to looking at crowds—and always searching to see if he’d find her?