Ah, yes. There was that trick. Not this time. She needed to prove they could work through something while keeping their clothes on.
She snapped her fingers to win back eye contact. “Then just ask.”
He blinked a few times. “Becca—”
“Jarrett, you’re an adult and I am done pretending you rule the world.”
“I can put you on the street.”
The ultimate threat. He hadn’t pulled that one out for days. Amazing how the words still slashed through her, whipping and ripping everything they touched.
The jackass.
She lifted her chin and dared him to do it. “Go ahead.”
Tension streaked through the room, cutting through the sudden silence.
They settled into a staring contest. When he didn’t say anything, she lifted an eyebrow in a silent “bring it on” message.
“Fine.” He gritted the word out through clenched teeth. “Would you go upstairs for a few minutes?” Every word sounded harsh as if covered in sandpaper.
“Please?”
He pointed at her. “Don’t push your luck.”
The man had no ability to lose with grace. She shook her head as she walked over to stand in front of him. She held out her palm. “Give it to me.”
“What?”
Poor thing looked ready to smash a fist into the wall. She understood the feeling. It washed over her quite often when dealing with him.
She wiggled her fingers. “I need the keys and secret passwords and whatever the hell else a human has to use in this place to pass from one floor to another.”
“The security card stays with me.”
Apparently he wanted her to magically appear on another floor. “You are the very definition of stubborn.”
“Right back atcha, sweetheart.”
“It appears we’re at another impasse.”
He swore under his breath. “Come with me.”
Turning around, he took off. Didn’t even wait to see if she’d follow. She’d chalk it up to his confidence in his power over her, but she really thought he was tired of dealing with her. She was fine with either outcome. She’d made her point. The bullying and sexual game playing, other than the fun mutual kind, was over.
Using more strength than seemed necessary, he lowered the black door to the security keypad. The plastic cracked under the treatment. Rather than swiping his card he typed in a sequence. Seven-nine-zero-two-eight. She knew because she went up on silent tiptoes behind his back to watch him do it.
The elevator doors slid open. She stared inside. “Why not use the card?”
“It’s synched to me. If I use it here, I have to use it upstairs. You can use the code one-one-four-nine-eight to get into the condo. It’s a guest code.”
Good thing she’d been trained to memorize numbers. “Let me guess, you’re changing the number tomorrow.”
“This afternoon.”
“Your trust is lovely. Really.” She stepped on. Thought about slamming the door shut in his face.
He must have sensed it because he put his foot in the threshold and hand over the door vent. He leaned in. “Trust has to be earned.”
“Jackass.”
Now he smiled. “As if you’re the first person to point that out.”
• • •
She made it upstairs and inside the condo. First thing she did was find a pen. With the guest codes for the elevator and condo now tucked in her bra, she headed for the office. Jarrett had something planned and she had every intention of watching it through the security cameras.
Sitting down, she pulled out the keyboard and started typing. The second-floor hall popped up. Her gaze went to the open conference room door but not inside. But someone would come. She could feel it. All she had to do was wait.
• • •
Jarrett stood at the far side of the conference room table, looking at the documents Becca put together. Not that he saw a damn word. The black lines blurred as he wrestled to get his anger back under control. Between Becca pushing him and Elijah declaring he’d be in the conference room, ready or not, for a meeting, Jarrett had just about had it with the former Spectrum agents.
Damn ungrateful. Both of them.
He looked up in time to see Elijah walk in. Scowl, stiff shoulders and all.
“For the record, demand my presence again and I will shoot you.” Jarrett was sorry he didn’t have a weapon on him. “This time I won’t go for a shoulder wound.”
Elijah stood in what could only be described as a fighting stance, with his hands behind his back and his feet slightly apart. “I need a status.”
“On?”
“You’re confining me to the condo and messing with my files in the conference room.”
These days this guy threw blame in every sentence. Never mind he’d had Jarrett arrested or came asking for help when he didn’t deserve it. No, this shithead thought everyone owed him something. Jarrett once again wondered what Wade saw in the guy. He insisted there was more to Eli than the anger festering now, but Jarrett didn’t see it. From his experience, hot sex only went so far.
Reaching for his last bit of patience, Jarrett repeated the explanation he’d given Wade. “I’m trying to figure out a way out of this for all of us.”
“You think you can get to the bottom of this mess faster than I can?” Elijah leaned in. “I’m fucking trained for this work.”
“And that got you really far, didn’t it?”
“Don’t test me, Jarrett.”
“And do not threaten me, Eli. This is a game you will lose.”
Wade appeared over Elijah’s shoulder. His gaze flicked from Elijah to Jarrett. “What’s going on in here?”
Sonofabitch. Jarrett wanted to keep Wade out of this. Had sent him on a storage room run downstairs to get him away. Nothing was going right today.
“Our guest is dissatisfied,” Jarrett said.
Wade’s eyes narrowed as he stepped up even with Elijah. “Eli, why are—”
“Because someone had to.” He held up a hand as he turned on Wade. “You make promises. You tell me to be patient. We’ve got that bitch in the building and—”
“Enough.” Anger filled in all the space left behind by Jarrett’s expired patience. He let the white-hot rage pouring through him wash over everything. “You’re done here.”
“You think you can kick me out?”
“I’ve officially reached the point where I don’t care how long you survive outside these walls.” The phone in Jarrett’s pocket buzzed, but he ignored it.
Elijah shook his head. “Holy shit, you’re going to do it.”
The dropped mouth suggested the man finally understood he’d gone too far. About fucking time, as far as Jarrett was concerned. “Yes, you’re leaving. Consider this your half-hour countdown.”
Elijah didn’t move. “Not that. I mean, you’re going to turn over whatever files you originally held back.”
“What are you talking about?” Wade asked as he grabbed for his phone.
“He has leverage to keep the CIA out of here, to keep all law enforcement away, and he’s going to give it up. For her.”
Jarrett should have seen Elijah putting the pieces together. “This is not your concern.”
“It’s the only answer to why you’re alive and not rotting in jail.”
Wade’s gaze kept roaming as he clenched his cell. “Let’s calm down.”
“Listen to me.” Elijah grabbed the phone out of Wade’s hand and chucked it across the room. It smashed against the wall next to Jarrett and broke into pieces as Elijah turned on him. “I’m not letting that happen. Whatever you have is protecting all of us. Without it, we’re dead.”
“Eli, what the fuck?” Wade’s yelling now matched Elijah’s. “There was a building alarm.”
“Tough shit
.” Elijah whipped a gun out of nowhere and aimed it at Jarrett.
He should have seen that coming as well. The man was on the edge and trained. He’d been frisked, but Wade had firearms, and Jarrett guessed Elijah found them.
Jarrett refused to flinch or show any sign of fear. “You will never make it to the front door.”
Elijah laughed. “You think Wade will kill me?”
“No, me.” Becca stepped from behind Wade, taking his gun out of his belt as she went.
While everyone froze, the barrel pressed against the back of Elijah’s head. A second later, she shielded her body with his much larger one.
That fast, Wade whipped out a second weapon from his ankle and aimed it at her. “Drop it.”
The standoff snapped Jarrett out of his stunned silence. “Wade, no.”
Anger pulsed off Wade. “Now, Becca.”
“I will kill Elijah.” She shoved the gun until he lifted his hands. “See, he’s smart enough to know I’ll do it. Follow his lead here, Wade.”
Wade looked at Jarrett. He nodded for Wade to listen to her because he needed to defuse this . . . whatever it was.
When she shifted, Jarrett saw the gun in one hand where it aimed for Elijah’s head and the knife she held to his throat with her other hand. Wade must have seen the double attack too because he slowly lowered the weapon to the conference room table, swearing and shaking his head as he went.
Putting the knife between her teeth, she reached over and took the gun right out of Elijah’s hand and tucked it into the back of her pants. “I’ll hold this.”
Damn, that was sexier than it should have been. Jarrett shook his head to stay focused.
“Move one inch in any direction, Elijah, and I will blow your head off.” When Wade stepped forward, she waved the knife in his direction. “Nuh-uh. That goes for you, too.”
Wade’s jaw tightened. “You have my attention.”
“Then step back. And hands up.”
Jarrett was about to call Wade back when she pressed the gun hard enough to push Elijah’s head forward. Looked like this self-described sex toy was done playing games. The trained warrior was now fully in attendance.
Jarrett didn’t hate the change. Even undercover, she’d been tough and athletic. Now that he knew she possessed skills to bring a man Elijah’s size down, he knew she’d hidden her true strength from him all those months ago.
“Shoot her,” Elijah said as he glanced at Wade.
“His extra one is on the table and I have the other, you idiot.”
For some reason Jarrett found comfort with the idea of her being armed. But he’d bet Wade still had another weapon on him somewhere. Becca wasn’t the only tough person in the room.
Wade watched her as his hands went up. “Let’s all calm down.”
She brought the tip of the knife right against Elijah’s throat. “No one kills Jarrett.”
Wade nodded. “We agree on that.”
“Whatever else happens in this room, he stays safe.” She glanced around as she said it.
Elijah closed his eyes. “For fuck’s sake.”
Jarrett didn’t know what to think about her stand, but it sure didn’t piss him off. Elijah, on the other hand, did.
“On your knees.” She gave the order to Elijah and her hands stayed steady.
He shifted his weight. “That’s not happening.”
Wade’s hand started to fall. “Eli, be careful.”
“You should stop doing whatever you think you’re doing unless you want a bullet in your kneecap.” She glared at Wade until he obeyed. “And don’t bother trying to use logic on Elijah here. He always did have to learn the hard way.”
“Shit.” Elijah jerked when she pricked his skin with the tip of her blade. He gave Jarrett a furious glare. “Maybe you can tell her what’s going on before she actually does some damage.”
Jarrett’s gaze went back to Becca. Her eyes were wild with hate and her body practically vibrated with fury. He decided to call an end to this for her sake, not Elijah’s. “Becca, I think—”
“I don’t know how you got in here or upstairs with all the security, but Jarrett can fix that later.” She pushed against the back of Elijah’s head until he swore under his breath and his knees started to buckle. “In the meantime, everyone thinks you’re dead, so let’s go ahead and make that happen.”
Hands still in the air, Wade took a step toward her. “Becca, no.”
Her gaze snapped to Wade. “He pulled a gun on your boss. What the hell were you doing to stop it?”
Wade looked at Jarrett and waited until he got the okay nod before talking. “It’s not what you think.”
“I think it’s time for Elijah to bleed.”
“Damn it.” Elijah switched to constant yelling. “Jarrett, tell her now.”
“You can’t kill him.” Jarrett gave the order in a calm but firm voice. No yelling. No thrashing around or panic. A simple command.
At the sound of his voice, her gaze slipped to him. Only for a second but enough to break the red haze that seemed to blind her. “Why not?”
“He’s been living here.”
She eased up, bringing the blade a fraction of an inch away from Elijah’s neck. “What?”
“Could you maybe lower the gun, or the knife? One trip and I’m out of here,” Elijah said.
Jarrett didn’t hate that idea. “Be quiet.”
She tensed and her attention shifted to Wade. “You’re moving again.”
Likely going for another weapon if Jarrett knew Wade. Much more of this and Jarrett would have a bloodbath on his hand. “Wade, stop.”
Too many gun-trained people stood in this room. All of them killed without regret. If Wade and Elijah figured out how to send the right signal and coordinate their efforts, they could go after Becca. Jarrett refused to let that happen.
Everyone finally looked at him, which was exactly what he wanted. All eyes on him and thoughts of stupid defensive moves gone. “Becca, Elijah didn’t break in. He’s been here, living here with Wade, trying to do the exact same thing you’re doing.”
“Minus the part about fucking Jarrett.”
Elijah just begged for a bullet. Jarrett fought back the temptation to grab a gun and do it himself. “I can let her kill you, you know.”
“I would advise against that,” Bast said from the doorway.
Everyone looked at him but Becca. Her focus centered on Elijah.
Just what they needed. More testosterone in the room. Jarrett walked around the table to stand behind Becca. He put a hand on her shoulder and felt the fury bubbling underneath the surface. “Bast, you’re early.”
He shrugged. “Timing sucks. It’s the story of my life.”
Becca still hadn’t moved. “You’re perfect if you want to watch me kill Elijah.”
Jarrett reached over her shoulder and put a hand over hers. With some effort, he pushed her hand down, taking the knife away from Elijah’s throat. When Wade took a step, Jarrett sent him back with a shake of the head. “It’s time to diffuse this situation.”
Elijah swore under his breath. “You think?”
“I’d shut up if I were you,” she said, her voice still raspy and low.
Bast cleared his throat. “Not to sound old-school about this, but how about we try talking for a second.”
Becca’s shoulders finally fell. She nodded at Jarrett. “Fine.”
Before Elijah could swing, and it looked like he was tensing to do it, Jarrett grabbed the one gun on the table and shoved Elijah into the side. He pushed off and turned. He might have sent them all into a second, deadlier round of fighting, but Wade stopped him with a restraining arm across his chest.
“Much better,” Bast said.
Becca held up both guns. “I’m keeping the weapons, except for the one Jarrett
has.”
Bast nodded. “I’m fine with that.”
Everyone started moving, or they did until Becca spoke again. “But I want an explanation.”
“You want?” Elijah acted like she didn’t have a right to anything.
Not that Becca bought the argument or flinched from his rough tone. Her yell matched his. “This was supposed to be my meeting with Bast, so I’ll set the agenda.”
“Actually, I do.” Jarrett used the tone that suggested everyone start listening. He still wasn’t sure why she’d stormed in, if she even realized the stand she’d taken on his behalf, but she clearly remembered how much she disliked Elijah, so Jarrett cut right to the point. “The easy version of all of this? Someone tried to kill Elijah and he needed to disappear, so I made that happen. He’s been here recovering and researching, trying to figure out why Spectrum imploded.”
Becca frowned. “What did you get out of all of this?”
“Information,” Bast said, jumping in.
“And then you showed up with a near identical story to Elijah’s, so now you’re both here, in my club and on my property, looking for the same answers.”
Wade snorted. “Simple.”
Becca snorted right back. “Hardly.”
“On that we agree.” Elijah pulled out a chair and dropped into it.
Bast gestured at the table. “Good, then let’s all sit down and start the meeting.”
TWENTY
Ten minutes later Becca’s heart still raced. She’d seen Elijah walk into the room on the security monitor and knew Jarrett was in there. She reacted. No thinking. She used the codes, got on the elevator and vowed to kill Elijah with her bare hands if needed.
Jarrett in danger brought all her skills rushing back. She thought about pressure points and where to knife Elijah for greatest impact and quickest bleeding. She’d heard the threats and her eyes focused on the gun at Wade’s hip. The rest blurred.
Except the part where Elijah lived in the building. She heard that bit of news just fine. Would have been nice to have that information sooner, though she had no idea how to process it or what it meant even now.
Leave it to Elijah to screw up getting killed. The man didn’t even have the decency to be dead.
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