Julianna folded her napkin. “I don’t know if things will ever feel normal again. Living on the run like this is taking its toll on me. Not having any of my own stuff makes me feel unsettled.”
“You know, it has been long enough, maybe we could go to your apartment so you can get your clothes and stuff. There’s room upstairs.”
“Really?” Maybe having her stuff would make her feel better.
He tossed their containers into the trashcan. “Yeah, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Julianna bit her lip. “We get blown up into little bits.”
***
Julianna’s breath caught when she walked inside her apartment. She’d half expected it to be tossed, but it wasn’t. Instead, it looked the same as it did the day they’d been smoked out of it. Almost as if none if it ever happened. Reid stood watch while she grabbed her clothes and everyday purse out of the closet. Extra handbags were no longer important. All the shoes she’d spent hours picking out didn’t matter much either. She didn’t plan on attending any cocktail parties for a long time.
It was surreal to be back in her apartment, where everything had started. When he’d suggested they go get any of her belongings she wanted to keep and bring them to the Chopstick Kitchen apartment she was elated. Since ETE 7 had paid her rent, she’d have to move out soon anyway. To be able to have her own clothing, makeup, and shoes would be the first step to some sense of normalcy. Well, as much normalcy as an assassin could have. Boss was the last living threat of ETE 7 and he was hiding from them—not trying to kill them, at the moment. Of course they wouldn’t let their guard down, until he was found and dealt with.
“Can you get this zipped?” She sat on top of the largest suitcase.
Reid chuckled and walked over to zip the overstuffed luggage. “You know the other closet is half this size, right?”
“I can make it fit.” She’d spent a lot of time shopping for the perfect outfits, though the garments didn’t seem as imperative as they once had. Still they were hers and ETE 7 had taken enough from her already.
She reached up to the shelf to grab her Jenga game. If she ever got bored enough to play it again that would be a surprise. Nonetheless, she tucked the box under her arm. She gazed at her bed and frowned. It would cause too much attention to have her bed moved out. She sighed and walked into the living room where Reid was waiting by the door, his Glock drawn.
He put his gun away. “Ready?”
Julianna took one last look at her beautiful apartment. “Yes.”
“Are you sure? This is it, no coming back. Anything else you want to grab?”
“I have everything I need.” She took a step outside. “Wait! I need to grab one more thing.” Julianna ran back to her bedroom and opened the nightstand. She picked up the gold necklace and dropped it into her purse. She needed all the luck she could get.
***
Julianna tried to hang her wardrobe in the new closet. There were too many clothes for the tiny space. Clothing was crammed and squished. She crossed her arms, frustrated.
“I told you it would be a tight fit.” Reid smirked.
She stood back and frowned. For some reason she was unnerved. “It’s too messy.”
“A little mess never hurt anyone.”
Julianna grew angry, though she didn’t know why. She removed the clothes one by one and placed them neatly on the floor. She’d have to fold half of them back up and store them inside her luggage, then at least the closet would be tidy.
“So when you went back inside for something, you came back out and I didn’t see you with anything else. I’m curious, what did you go back for?”
She folded her sweater. “My necklace.”
His fingers twirled a strand of her hair. “Necklace? Can I see it?”
Julianna raised an eyebrow. “Yes, it’s inside my purse. Just a gold chain that’s kind of my lucky charm.”
Reid removed the necklace and held it up. “Interesting.” For a moment he just stared at the chain. “Jewels, either the necklace I gave you survived the explosion, or you bought another one just like it.”
Her eyes widened. “I did?”
“Yes, it’s the exact one I gave to you the night I proposed.”
“I just bought it at Reeds’ Jewelers one day on a whim.” Her mouth dropped open. “I must have been drawn to the name, but didn’t know why.”
“Yes, I got your necklace and ring from Reeds.”
“Wow.”
He handed the gold chain back to her. “You may remember more than you think.”
She clasped the necklace in her hand. “That’s reassuring. Maybe my memories aren’t buried as deep as the doctor thought.”
***
Their first lead on Boss didn’t pan out. Boss left no clues as to if and when he’d been there. According to Fuller’s files, Boss had stayed at the apartment a few months ago. Nothing was left inside the closets or cabinets; even the air duct was empty, unless dust bunnies counted. Boss had once told Reid that the insides of ducts were good hiding places in a pinch. Reid shouldn’t have expected any less, the man had been their teacher after all.
“Don’t be disappointed, we knew this was a long shot.” Julianna kissed Reid on the cheek.
Reid tried to smile for her sake, but his anger and frustration were winning out. “I know. But now we only have two places left to check. I want that SOB.”
“I know. So do I.”
Reid looked at Julianna. She stood with her arms crossed underneath her perky breasts. The skin-tight jeans paired with a dangerously low cut top distracted him for a moment. Now that Julianna had all her clothing back, she’d been teasing him with her sexy outfits. Not that he minded. If she was going to seduce anyone from now on, he would prefer it be him.
He opened the door. “Let’s go. Maybe the next address will be better.”
They walked outside to the red car Reid had borrowed. He’d chosen the color for Julianna. Though the car wasn’t near as hot as her.
“Reid, tell me something about us that I can’t remember.”
He glanced over at her. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Like where was that picture of us I found in our kitchen taken and who took it?”
He grinned. “It was taken at our place. I took it. I have long arms.”
She laughed. “Why did you take it?”
His heart ached. He’d stared at that photo for weeks after the explosion just to remind himself he hadn’t made the whole thing up. Julianna’s laughter, their relationship and their engagement. When she’d disappeared without a trace, it felt as if he were going insane. “Since we had to keep our relationship secret, you wanted proof that we were a real couple, in case something happened to one or both of us. It was the only picture we had of us together.”
“Oh.” She turned her head away.
“Sometimes we were so happy we were afraid if we got any happier something bad would happen. And then it did.”
She reached over and held his hand. Her eyes were wet with tears. “I’m sorry for the heartache I caused you.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“No, but just the same, I’m still sorry.”
“Thanks.” Reid squeezed her hand and pulled into a storage facility. The office was closed, so they should be able to get in and out without any problems. Fuller’s notes listed the place as one that Boss frequented.
Julianna bit her lower lip. “I wonder what Boss stored here.”
Reid handed her a ski mask. “It’s hard telling. I’m just hoping the place hasn’t been totally wiped out like the apartment.” Reid parked the car and they got out. They didn’t have the key card for the gate so had to climb the fence. The gray building was made from concrete blocks and the white vinyl doors rolled up to open. Some were the size of a two car garage, but most were single car sized. Padlocks were fastened to the occupied units. They walked past all the A units to the Bs. When they got to B 19, a small unit, Reid attached his si
lencer and shot the padlock off the door.
“Cross you fingers.” Reid bent down to roll up the door.
Julianna held onto her necklace and nodded.
“It’s empty.” Reid kicked the wall. “Shit!” He limped over to the door.
“Are you okay?” She went over to him. “You know, it’s not too smart to kick concrete.”
He pressed his lips together. “You think?”
She shook her head. “We should get going before the cops show up.”
Reid looked at the security camera. “Let’s go. Maybe we’ll get him at the last address.”
She frowned. “Doubtful, but we’re not quitters, right?”
Reid put his arm around Julianna. “No, but I’m starting to wish we were.”
***
Hope was getting harder and harder to sustain. Julianna frowned at the empty apartment. The flat white walls stared back at her, mocking her. Reid put his hands on her shoulders and massaged her tenderly. “We’ll get him. He can’t hide forever.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. She’d been so sure this would be the time. The time they would reclaim their lives. But here they stood, duped once again. “I’m not so sure anymore.” She slumped down on the dusty hardwood floor.
“I am.” He eyed her. “Let’s not worry about this today. We need a vacation.”
Laughter bubbled up though her chest and out of her lips. “A vacation… from hunting and being hunted?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t think you just get to take a vacation. It’s not like we have a choice.” She sighed and looked at the cracks in the floor. “I don’t want him to win, Reid.”
“He won’t. We are not giving up, just taking a twelve hour break. I have an idea.” He smiled at her and held out his hand.
Julianna reached up and let Reid pull her up on her feet. She brushed her hand across her dirty backside. “What kind of idea?”
“I want to take you on our first date. Maybe it will jog your memory. If not, it was one hell of a date and that I don’t mind revisiting.”
Would she ever get back the person she lost in that explosion? Would Reid? She hesitated. “I don’t think it is a good idea to try to recreate something that was so perfect in your mind.”
“Perfect?” He laughed. “No one said anything about perfect. I said it was one hell of a date.”
Julianna cracked a smile. “Now I’m intrigued.”
They left the apartment complex. Julianna glanced out of the passenger side window then back at Reid in curiosity. “Who asked who on our first date?”
He smiled. “After our accidental first kiss, I asked you.”
“Accidental?”
“You dropped your phone in the shooting range parking lot. We both went for it at the same time. Our heads crashed together and somehow that led to our lips crashing together.” He laughed. “The sexual tension had been high before that moment. But until then, we’d both managed to keep our forbidden desires inside.”
Julianna smiled. “I can see that.”
“After that kiss, or kisses rather, I asked you if you wanted to go have some fun. You nodded and got into my car.”
“And we went on our first date, just like that?”
“Just like that.”
They rode in silence both lost in their thoughts. Finally Reid parked the car in between two tall buildings near the water.
Julianna narrowed her eyes. “It’s late… everything is closed on the inner harbor.”
Reid grinned. “As was it on our first date.”
She followed him down the darkened streets to the blackened water. Ships and sail boats rested on the edge. The moon light bounced off the icy ripples. A gust of wind stirred her hair. She shivered. “I must have been brave letting you take me to the water at night. I must have trusted you.”
“You were fearless.” Reid jumped onto a sail boat.
Her heart raced. “What are you doing?”
He held out his hand. She hesitated and looked around them. The only noise was water sloshing on the sides of the boats. She reached for his hand and jumped aboard. Reid picked the lock and they went below to get out of the wind. He turned on the light. The interior of the boat was as beautiful as the exterior. The cream colored, U-shaped leather seating invited her to sit. She slid onto the chilly seat.
Reid opened up the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne, then grabbed a couple of glasses from the shiny cabinet as if he owned the place. The marine smell and the gentle rolling did seem familiar. But that was it. She didn’t have any memories flash.
She took a glass of bubbly from him as he sat down beside her and placed an arm around her. “Wait, how did you know there would be champagne in that fridge?”
“I had a hunch.”
She leaned back against his warm arm and took a drink. The bubbles tickled her tongue. She got about half way through the glass when Reid removed his shirt.
“This wasn’t on.” He pointed to her. “And yours was off also.”
She shivered. “I’m sure it wasn’t this cold.”
“True.”
She smiled and took off her shirt. Her lacey bra wasn’t enough to protect her nipples from the cold.
Reid stood up. “Did you hear that?”
She gasped. “What?”
“Security. We have to get out of here.”
Reid grabbed both their shirts and ran up the narrow stairs. She had no choice but to follow. The frigid air stung her skin as they jumped from the boat onto the dock. She looked around, but saw no sign of anyone. Reid ran bare chested down the sidewalk. She struggled to keep up.
“Reid! Wait! I don’t see anyone, give me my sweater.”
He glanced back. “We didn’t have shirts on running to my car the first time.”
“I’m freezing!”
He stopped and turned to her. “Okay.” He pulled her sweater over her head and kissed her right in the middle of the alley.
Julianna narrowed her eyes. “There wasn’t any security after us, was there?”
“Not tonight, but on our first date, yes.”
She slapped his arm. “You froze me for nothing!”
He gazed down at her perked nipples. “I wouldn’t say nothing.”
She bit her lip. “So we were chased from the sailboat, then what?”
He walked over to the car and opened the door for her. “Then we fogged up my Jag windows.”
Julianna got into the back seat. Reid got in beside her. She straddled him. “Like this?” Somehow she couldn’t get enough of this man.
His breath tickled her neck. “Exactly like that.”
She removed her shirt for the second time. His hands warmed her frozen skin. It wasn’t easy to maneuver in the car, but somehow they managed and as Reid promised, the windows fogged up.
Chapter 14
Julianna took another bite of her egg roll—a late dinner after spending most of the day in bed. Reid answered his phone. He did a lot of nodding, smashed a fortune cookie with his fist and then thanked whoever he was talking to.
After he hung up he grabbed her hand and squeezed. “We’ve got him.”
Her eyes widened. “Who was that?”
“Weasel. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.” He stood up and took the remainder of their food and threw it into the trashcan. He held the door of Chopstick Kitchen open for her. “I had Weasel keep searching online for any sign of Boss. He scanned the aliases that Boss has used in the past and when that didn’t work he combined a couple. He finally got a hit. There’s a house being rented out an hour and a half away to E. T. Brandon.”
She took a deep breath of cool air and climbed the stairs to their apartment. “Do you think it’s really Boss?”
Reid loaded his gun. “We’re about to find out.”
Julianna tried to remain calm. It was probably just another dead end anyway.
***
Reid parked the sedan at a gas station a block from the addr
ess Weasel had given him. He slipped the attendant fifty dollars to watch the car and promised another fifty upon his return if it was still intact. Even though it wasn’t their car, he didn’t want them to be stranded on foot in this area for long. Reid and Julianna both kept their Glocks in plain sight… the other weapons they carried were concealed. They hadn’t even walked a hundred feet before seeing a drug deal go down.
None of that bothered Julianna, but when they arrived at the row house sweat beaded around her neck. Her gut told her that he was inside. She followed Reid to the littered side yard. The windows in the back were all boarded up. While Reid picked the door lock, Julianna’s heart thumped inside her chest.
Without a sound they made their way through the eerily quiet house. The living room and kitchen were vacant. A sliver of light snaked across the floor in front of the bedroom.
Julianna held her breath as she followed Reid into the room. The mini blind was broken allowing just enough light into the room to see a man sleeping in the bed.
They’d found him.
She kept her gun trained on Boss as Reid whipped out a silver knife. The blade caught the moonlight as he pressed against Boss’ neck. His glassy eyes shot open. Goosebumps prickled Julianna’s skin as she reached to turn on the lamp. And now that she had seen the face behind the mask, Brandon Voss was without a doubt Boss and also E. T. Brandon, an alias for a man of many faces.
Held under Reid’s knife, Boss wasn’t larger than life like the mask had always made him out to be. He was as much of a fictional character as the superheroes displayed on Weasel’s walls. Who was the real man? The man that had once given her so much hope. How could he be he same man that had taken everything from her?
Reid held Boss down, ready to slit his treacherous throat if he didn’t give them what they’d come for. He could die fast or slow, it was up to him. The manic laugh that bubbled from Boss’ lips took Julianna by surprise. Reid tightened his grip on the blade, pressing it deeper into the other man’s skin, so close to making him bleed.
Julianna stared into his eyes. “Why did you want us erased?”
He glared at her with an evil that made her mentally shiver.
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