She ignored him as she stepped down into the lounge area.
Noah was reading a magazine, but dropped it at her approach.
Viper smiled sweetly. “Jafari?”
Noah nodded. “Maggie,” he said, hesitating over the name. “I understand you have some merchandise I might be interested in.” He spoke in a thick accent.
Viper glanced at a dainty gold watch on her wrist. “Yes, well, you’re not the only one interested in it, so your offer better be good and fast.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Have you got the money?”
Luke froze. The money. Was she expecting a show of money before letting them see the suit? If so, they were in trouble. He had no idea where Jafari would have stashed his payment.
Noah laughed. “Ah, well, let’s see the merchandise first. Then I’ll decide the amount I’ll pay. You can decide how you want it delivered.”
Luke’s cheeks puffed as he let out a silent breath of relief. Viper would probably prefer to have the funds transferred to an account in Switzerland, or the Cayman Islands. If they could get that information, they could possibly trace funds from any number of her previous missions.
Viper’s lips twisted as she cocked her head to the side. She thought it over for a moment. “Very well.”
She lifted the bag on to the coffee table, unlocked it, lifted the flap and pulled out a large wad of dark material.
Luke wandered closer. So this was the miracle suit, huh?
It was made of a dark material shot through with metallic fibers that caught the light, giving it a shimmery effect.
Noah nodded. “Very pretty, but hardly invisible.”
Viper held up the fabric, letting it unroll. A hood with a pull down mask was attached to the collar, and it appeared to be a full suit, with gloves and padded boots. To Luke’s surprise, she shook out the suit. His instinct would have been to treat the suit delicately.
Viper pulled a bowie knife from the bag. Noah straightened as she shoved the blade at the fabric.
“No!” he protested.
Viper gave a throaty laugh and turned the suit around. “As you can see, it’s quite robust.”
Luke started breathing again when he saw the suit wasn’t damaged. He met Noah’s gaze in relief. Noah’s expression remained grim.
“Now, let me show you what it can really do.”
Viper rolled the collar down. “These suits are code activated.” A device was sewn into the fabric, with a series of small keys. She glanced at Noah. “Obviously the successful buyer is also buying the activation codes.”
Noah nodded, his brow wrinkling as he and Luke watched her movements closely.
Her fingers moved inside the fabric. “Enter the code, flick the switch and voila!”
Luke watched in amazement as the suit seemed to shimmer and vibrate, then slowly fade from view.
He slowly walked around the lounge, squinting. There was a faint dark outline, but if you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss it. The suit had literally disappeared before his eyes.
It was invisible.
“Amazing,” Noah’s eyes flicked to Viper. “I’ll take it.”
Viper chuckled softly as she turned off the suit and rolled it up. She placed it gently in her bag. “Not until I have the money.”
Noah grimaced. “Yeah, about that,” he said, dropping the accent.
Viper’s face sobered. In an instant, she had whipped two guns out of the bag and aimed both at Luke and Noah as they pulled their weapons.
Luke paused. His eyebrow rose. “Well, will you look at that? A standoff.”
“You’re not Jafari,” Viper commented dryly as she looked back and forth between them.
Noah shook his head. “Nope. And you’re not Maggie, Viper.”
Viper gritted her teeth and tilted her head to one side, then the other. Luke heard the faint crack of joints as she released the tension in her shoulders.
She hissed. “It’s a pity you won’t live long enough to brag about this,” she said, firing both weapons.
Luke dived over a table and overturned it as Noah leaped over the lounge, both shooting blind in a bid to avoid getting shot themselves.
Luke crawled along the floor as glass splintered above him and bullets thudded into the wall.
Damn. This wasn’t part of the plan.
Chapter Fifteen
Maggie reared back from the door at the sound of gunshots.
She cast about wildly. Noah’s gun. Jeepers. It looked nasty. Bigger and nastier than the gun Luke had given her. She picked it up off bed. Heavier too.
“Point and shoot,” she told herself, running to the door. That’s what Luke had said before. Just point and shoot. She opened the door and peered down the hallway. It was still empty.
The door opposite opened, and a middle-aged man with thinning hair looked out. At the sound of the next shot, he slammed the door shut.
Maggie flinched at each gunshot, her hands trembling. Luke was in there, with a killer.
The sound of a door being flung open had her peering back down the hall. A tall woman with a long tawny braid over one shoulder backed out, firing repeatedly from the two guns she clutched, a drape of dark material over one shoulder.
After the fourth shot, there was a click as one of the guns stalled. She tossed it to the side and changed grips on the one gun she still retained.
Luke flew from the room and tackled the woman. Her gun went flying down the hall. Maggie watched as the man she loved wrestled with an Amazon in the hotel corridor.
He rolled on top, raised his fist and hesitated. It was enough time for the woman to grab the stalled gun and smash it into the side of his head, knocking him off the top of her. She smoothly rolled to her feet, punched him in the face and took off running down the hall.
Toward Maggie.
Maggie looked at the gun in her hand. She couldn’t do it. With her eyesight, she’d probably end up hurting somebody else. She ran back to the cart, lined it up at the door, and gave it a mighty push as the woman ran past.
The heavy cart slammed into Viper, knocking her sideways into the wall opposite. Her head thumped against the surface, and Maggie cringed when the woman’s hair moved at the contact. Viper’s stunned gaze quickly turned to fury as she spied Maggie, and scrambled for the weapon she’d just dropped.
Maggie snatched her own firearm from the cart and pointed it at the woman. She swallowed. It was like staring at a mirror. The woman looked almost exactly like her.
“Don’t move,” she rasped at the fallen woman. She hesitated for a moment. This woman had caused so much trouble for everyone, but especially for Maggie. “Why? Why me?” Maggie demanded.
Viper sneered, and leveled her own gun at Maggie. “You were perfect. Under the radar. Nobody takes any notice of you. You had remote access to the project, and no security around you.” The woman’s voice was low, throaty. “It was easy to get to you. I was tempted to kill you in Dublin, it was so easy.”
Icy shock washed over Maggie. “That was you? In my hotel room?”
Viper nodded. “And now I get to finish the job.”
Tension whipped through her. Oh, God. Point and shoot, point and shoot. She squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. Viper laughed and cocked her gun.
Maggie squeezed again. Still nothing. She looked up. The woman was aiming her gun and preparing to shoot. Maggie didn’t think. She just hurled the gun.
The heavy weapon hit Viper square on the nose, and Maggie heard a sickening crack as the woman’s head snapped back and hit the wall again. She slumped to the floor, blood streaming from a nose that looked like it was about to fall off her face. She was unconscious. Luke staggered up to her, holding his head. “Maggie, are you all right?”
She glared at him, adrenalin still coursing through her veins. “Point and shoot, you said. Point and bloody shoot.” She started to shake. God, the woman had nearly killed her.
Luke’s winded chuckle reached her ears as he bent down and picked up the weapon. “Noa
h’s gun has a safety.”
Maggie’s knees gave out and she slumped to the floor. A safety. She swallowed the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. “I’m not cut out for this.
He fell to his knees beside her, wrapping her in his arms. Noah stumbled down the hall toward them, holding his left shoulder. A crash sounded down the hall as Drew burst through the fire exit. He slowed down when he saw them.
“What happened?” he asked, walking up to them. He glanced at Noah. “What’s wrong with you?”
Noah jerked his chin at the unconscious woman. “She winged me.”
Drew snorted. “You let yourself get shot by a girl?” He looked down at the unconscious form. “Pity. She’s got great legs.”
Luke tightened his embrace. “God, I was so scared for you. Are you all right?” He ducked his head low to stare at her.
Maggie smiled at the look in his eyes. There was concern, worry, and something deeper, warmer. She realized she probably wore the same expression. She nodded.
“I’m okay. What about you?”
Luke stared at her for a moment. “I’ll be fine,” he reassured her as he trailed a hand down the side of her face to cup her chin.
Noah slumped against the wall, his face paler than usual. “Damn, Fletch, why’d you hesitate?”
Luke shot him a sheepish look as he settled next to Maggie. “I have a hard time hitting a woman.”
Viper stirred, eyelids fluttering.
Maggie snorted. “I have no problem hitting a woman,” she said, and yanked at the tawny braid. “Particularly if that woman is a man.”
She pulled harder. There was a faint tearing sound, and the long haired wig detached from the head, the medical adhesive tape pulling the skin briefly before peeling off, taking some hair and what looked like skin with it. Maggie gaped. The man was wearing some sort of rubbery mask.
“Oh my God. It’s like the end of a Scooby-Doo show,” she said, more to herself than anyone in particular. At least that explained Viper’s uncanny likeness to her. She shuddered. Freaky.
Noah started to laugh.
Viper groaned and his eyelids rose. His pale eyes glared at the faces surrounding him. He started to bolt upright, but Luke’s fist smashed into his jaw, tearing more of the mask and rendering him unconscious for the second time.
Maggie frowned at the fallen man and started shaking her head. “Viper is a man.” She glared at Luke. “You confused me with a man?” So after all this, she bore absolutely no resemblance to the real culprit. She fought off the hysterical urge to laugh.
Noah doubled over with mirth. “How are her legs now, Drew?”
Drew shot him a dark look. “Shut up, Noah.”
Noah laughed harder.
Maggie and Luke stood by the car while Drew handled the authorities. Drew had contacted the FBI at Viper’s arrival in the hotel reception, and several police units were called to the hotel when the shots were first fired.
The show of force was impressive, Maggie had to admit. She could hear Noah’s protestations as he was wheeled into a waiting ambulance, and her lips twitched. The big guy wasn’t going quietly.
A frown tugged at Maggie’s brow. “I still don’t get it,” she said, turning to Luke, who stood beside her. Bruises were beginning to appear on his cheekbone and temple, giving him a rough, dangerous look. As if he needed any help in that department.
Luke trailed a gentle finger down her arm until he could clasp her hand in his own. She trembled at his caress. Since the fight in the hallway he’d touched her at every opportunity, making sure she was within reach, as though wanting to reassure himself of her safety. He shifted his stance so that he leaned back against the car, and drew her closer between his thighs.
She tried to ignore the sudden pool of warmth washing over her, standing this close to him. She forced herself to focus on his answer.
“I’m sorry about the motel,” he said roughly. “I used a facial recognition program on the CCTV footage from Tek-Intel, and compared it to your DMV photo. The results showed it wasn’t you breaking into the research facility.”
Maggie’s frown deepened. “Facial recognition? But that’s hardly conclusive. Most available programs have a very low success rate as they require similar lighting and orientation to be able to complete an accurate comparison. That CCTV footage and my driver’s license photo would hardly be considered similar,” she said.
Luke’s lips curved, and her gaze was drawn to his lips. “I used a new program, using three dimensional mapping.” He tugged her closer and ducked his head. “You realize you’re arguing about how I was able to prove your innocence, don’t you?”
She lifted her gaze. His cobalt blue eyes twinkled, and she realized he believed her. He really believed her. She took a deep breath. They had proof of her innocence.
“So, this is all over?” she asked, barely daring to hope.
Luke inclined his head. “Mostly. You’ll need to be debriefed, and we’ll need to iron out the formalities with the authorities, but yeah, it’s over.” He grimaced. “Well, we still need to track down the party who hired Viper, but you’re free.”
Free. Maggie hesitated. It was what she wanted, but Luke spoke with a finality that was ringing alarm bells in her mind. It was over. Was it over for them, before “it” had even started?
“The Feds are going to have to interview you, so stay here while Drew and I make the arrangements, okay?” He squeezed her hand. “Will you be all right with that?”
Maggie met his concerned stare. A few hours of grilling to put this whole disaster behind her? She could do that.
“Sure,” she said. He smiled, a touch of admiration in his eyes, before he dropped her hand and turned to approach the large group of law enforcement.
Maggie frowned. She was innocent. They’d caught the real culprit. The whole world would shortly know of her innocence, if the presence of the arriving news crews was any indication. She should be jumping for joy and screaming hurray from the top of Mt. Rainier. So why did she feel so down?
She watched Luke’s retreating figure as he walked over to address the gathered agents and police officers. He turned briefly, and his lips kicked up in a sexy half-grin as he sent her a quick wink before turning his attention to the cluster of officers.
That’s why. He’d fulfilled his mission. He’d caught the bad guy, and he would soon be moving on to his next case.
After all they’d experienced together, everything they’d shared, it was time for them to take their separate paths, to walk away. He had no reason to stay.
Maggie bit her lip. Why did that thought hurt so much? Why did she feel sick in the tummy and have to fight the urge to bawl like a lonely tomcat on the prowl? She was a thinker, not a feeler. Yet she wanted to run up and throw herself at Luke, maybe cling to his leg as he tried to walk away. And there was no thought process happening there, it was all instinctive need.
Perhaps it was an emotional reaction to her mother’s death, and a desire to be with someone. Perhaps it was a reaction to the high emotion of the Viper situation. How could she tell if the feelings she had for Luke were real or just a side-effect of what had recently happened to her? Well, it didn’t really matter if Luke didn’t feel the same way.
She just wanted to hole up somewhere quiet and private with him, just to spend time and be. Not dodge bullets, not escape exploding houses. Just be.
She sighed. Who was she kidding? He’s probably on the next flight outta here.
A hard point prodded her back, and she straightened.
“My boss is very angry with you, Viper,” a deep voice rumbled from behind.
Maggie’s eyes widened and she slowly turned her head. An opaque eye glared back at her, its brown twin promising all sorts of hurt.
Tiny.
“Oh, God,” she choked, glancing down at the gun he held at her back. It looked like it could blow a nasty hole through her. Paralyzing ice swept through her veins.
“Now, why don’t we take this t
alk somewhere private?” His voice sounded like boulders rumbling down a hillside. Her heartbeat sped up.
She shifted her eyes to the side, and she saw Luke standing not thirty feet away, deep in conversation with the agents.
“No screaming. Otherwise things will get very messy. I’ll break your neck, just like I did that stripper. Then I’ll take out lover boy over there.”
The blood drained from her face. Nearly the whole Seattle Police Department stood only a few yards away, and a man held her at gunpoint. Luke was within shouting distance, but totally oblivious to her peril. What could she do? She thought of Kandy Karamel. Tiny had murdered her. He’d killed Kandy, thinking he was killing Maggie. The price of that woman’s life weighed heavily on her conscience. If it wasn’t for an unfortunate resemblance to a librarian, that woman would still be alive. She didn’t want anybody else hurt because of her, especially not Luke. She took a deep, ragged breath.
A large beefy fist grasped her elbow and tugged her to a dark blue pickup truck parked behind their vehicle.
Tiny opened the door and shoved her in. Closing it, he leaned down to the open window, making sure she could see the gun he now held inside his jacket.
“Don’t try anything, bitch.”
She shrank away from the door, watching him closely as he rounded the hood and let himself into the driver’s side. He started the car, keeping his weapon trained on her, and shot her a snide smile as he pulled the car into a tight U-turn and drove leisurely down the street.
Away from Luke.
Maggie twisted in her seat as she watched him shrink in the distance. She was screaming inside her head, but her lips remained tightly closed. If only there was some way of getting Luke’s attention without getting him killed. But his golden head remained bent as he listened intently to a senior officer. Then Tiny turned a corner, and Luke was lost from view.
Chapter Sixteen
Luke glanced up. He felt a tingling at the back of his neck, and looked over to where he’d left Maggie. Only she wasn’t there.
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