Provoked

by Riley Murphy

  Be ready.

  Charlie put her cell on the night table debating on whether to text anything back. Although the messages had come from Cat’s phone, she couldn’t be sure it was still in her sister’s possession at the moment. That was the biggest downside to Cat being resourceful.

  Charlie had one knee on the bed, ready to shed Neil’s shirt and affect a dead-sexy naked pose for his return, when she heard arguing. As the angry voices from downstairs got louder, she went to investigate, nearly running down the long hall, past the back stairs to the main set that lead to the front door, when she thought she recognized the second voice.

  Jude Wilde.

  She came to an abrupt halt at the railing beside the steps and tried to calm her racing heart. What the hell was he doing here and where was her sister? Had their ruse been discovered? Was he here to tell on her? She didn’t want to stick around to find out.

  She’d taken one careful step back, hoping to sneak away before either man saw her but it was too late.

  “Cat! Get your ass down here.”

  Charlie froze. Jude thought she was Cat? He didn’t know Cat. What the hell?

  “Please go back to my room and wait for me.”

  Her gaze shot to Neil and she swallowed. She was just about to nod and do exactly as he said when Jude swore. “Like hell she will. She’s coming with me.

  “No,” Neil said, but his eyes never left her. “She’s going to do as I said, and then you and I are going talk like civilized men in my study.” He indicated to the direction of a room off the hall with a curt nod, before he swung back around to say something else to the furious guy behind him. Jude looked fit to be tied and before Neil went on the attack, Charlie raced back to his room. To her phone. To find out what the hell was going on here. Cat better have a good explanation.

  She typed:

  WTH? Jude is here!!!

  And when she pressed send, her phone immediately beeped, only it wasn’t her phone.

  “Hello.”

  That calmly spoken greeting made her jump so quickly the cell fell out of her hands and she spun around, coming face to ass with her twin who was halfway through the window. “Cat?”

  Her sister dropped to the floor and turned around. She was grinning the way she used to when she’d pulled off a mega-feat. Charlie was in no mood to deal with her sister congratulating herself.

  “Jude’s here. What the hell is going on? He called me Cat as if he knew me or something. Did you know him before?” Charlie put her hands on her hips, just like in the old days when Cat got them into shit. She was prepared to be the voice of reason and get them the hell out of it…whatever it was.

  “He’s here because I left him a note saying that I was on my way here. It was the fastest way I could reach you.” She rubbed her hands together, as if she was brushing off dirt and then smiled. “I locked myself in the trunk and once he came inside I hopped out and climbed the trellises to the balcony. It was an easy reach to the window from there.”

  Charlie wasn’t interested in those kinds of details. “Then shouldn’t I be Charlie to him?” She scowled. “And, I’m not even going to ask how you knew what room—”

  “Only light on the second floor. He still thinks I’m you. Dumb ass didn’t know what the nickname of Charlotte was so I told him it was Cat. Worked out great. I wasn’t confused once.”

  Charlie narrowed her eyes and then pointed to the door. “Well both of those angry men downstairs think we’re the same person. How are we going to fix this?”

  Cat waved her off which was really annoying and said, “We don’t have much time. We gotta get out of here. Where are your clothes? Does Master Cannon know you’re wearing his shirt?” She went right by her and began looking around the room, checking under the bed. “Did you make me look like a wuss tonight? Tell me you didn’t cry. You better not have begged. I never beg. At least not on purpose.”

  Charlie crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t going anywhere. “If this is about you getting bull-headed because Wilde pissed you off, you can forget it. I’m not trading.”

  “Trading?” Cat snorted and ducked around her, quickly checking one night stand drawer before heading around the bottom of the bed to go to the opposite side and checking the other. “Wilde would eat you alive. The guy is,” she paused in the action of opening the drawer as though thinking on her next words prior to saying, “complicated and too high strung for a woman like you.”

  “Oh really? Since when are you an expert on me and men?”

  Cat opened her mouth as if she was going to answer and Charlie held her breath. Was her sister finally going to confess about how well she had known at least one of Charlie’s men?

  One moment she looked ready to spill and the next she was swearing. “Shit. Did you hear that? They’re arguing again.” She rushed to the doorway and cocked an ear. She seemed to make her mind up about something, and then nodded. “We don’t have much time. I hear Master Cannon is an expert at negotiations. He’ll talk Wilde down and when he does we’re doomed. Unless…” She eyed the window and sighed. “Screw finding your clothes. You’ll have to leave like that. We’ll get out of here the way I came in and then we’ll scout the neighborhood. There has to be some kind of car I can jack.”

  Charlie caught her by the arm as she passed. “Tell me what’s happened that changes our original plan. Did Wilde find out about me? About us?”

  “No. I told you he thinks I’m Charlotte and I go by Cat. But it’s only a matter of time before one of them, probably Master Cannon, figures out that there are two of us. If they argue long enough they’re bound to realize that Cat couldn’t have been in two places at once, got me?”

  Charlie let go of her arm and stepped back. “You did this on purpose. You wanted us to get caught. Why?”

  “Yeah, well, you stole more than the money from Wilde and he wants his shit back.”

  “Let him report the theft to the police.”

  “You know he can’t do that. Can we argue about this once we’re out of here? It’s going to take some time to locate a car I can hotwire. These days, without the tools on hand, it’s nearly impossible. Damn.” She eyed the nightstand almost longingly. “Most people leave a spare set of car keys lying around. That’s why I was checking the drawers.” She must have sensed Charlie’s discomfort. Her twin usually did. “Okay, what?”

  Charlie knew the words ‘I happen to know where a spare set of keys and a car is available’ was written all over her face. Oh no. Things weren’t that dire that she’d be telling Cat about Neil’s Cobra. She’d rather confront Wilde right now than touch Neil’s cherished automobile. He’d never forgive her. “Nothing.”

  “I see you’re trying to hide something. Is it a possible way out of here? If it is, you better start talking.”

  Charlie shook her head. How bad would it be to confront Wilde about the money and the map? She’d heard he’d won both those things in less than an hour playing high stakes poker. The third item she’d taken? He’d stolen it, so in her mind he had no claim on it.

  “Charlotte.”

  “I don’t think I’m going anywhere except downstairs to tell Wilde I took his stuff and if he wants it back, he’ll have to report me to the police.”

  “I thought I told you. Men like Wilde don’t deal with the police. They handle their own nasty business themselves. Besides, it’s not the map he’s interested in. He doesn’t even care about the money. He wants the relic.”

  “Relic?” Charlie ran a hand through her hair and frowned.

  “Some metal Aztec stick guy you took.”

  “Is that what he thinks it is? I can’t…I’m not giving it back.”

  “You may have to.”

  “No. He stole it from the museum. Besides…look, I’m sure it has something to do with the map. I don’t know how, but it does. That night when Mom and Dad argued? Dad mentioned it. It’s not a relic. I think it’s a key.”

  “How long have you known Wilde possessed the map? W
ere you ever going to tell me?”

  “A few months. I’ve been looking into that stolen shipment from the Dalton for a very long time. And yes, I was going to say something to you when the time was right.”

  “You weren’t the only one I’ve been calling tonight. Mom and Dad know what’s going on. Dad says Mom’s refusing to get on a plane until we finish this for her.”

  “He told her? She’s not well. She has to go.”

  Cat’s whole demeanor changed. She was no longer the tough tomboy ready to take on the neighborhood when she whispered, “Dad was crying.”

  They looked at each other for a millisecond and then both of them shot forward at the same time to meet in a hug. Drawing strength from her twin’s embrace Charlie knew what she had to do. “I’ve got a plan to get us out of here, but you have to promise me, you’re going to be careful with it.”

  One last squeeze and then her sister let her go. “With what?”

  “Neil’s car. It’s a Cobra.”

  “Sweet.”

  The gleam was back in Cat’s eyes, worrying Charlie. “It only has 318 miles.”

  “It’s new? An anniversary edition?”

  Charlie shook her head. “No, it’s a 1966 and it’s signed by some woman named Carol.”

  “It has a Carol Shelby signature? This I gotta see.”

  Charlie took her hand and pulled her out of the bedroom door. “We’ll go down the back stairs. I can get my clothes. They’re by the pool with my purse.”

  “He has an indoor pool in this castle?”

  “Shh, shh.”

  “He didn’t make you go in it, did he?”

  She stopped halfway down the steps and turned, placing her index finger over her lips while she scowled.

  “All right. But can you blame me? I know how you feel about the water.”

  “Shh, shh.”

  “You shush.”

  Charlie let it go when they reached the pool room. Quickly she got dressed, grabbed her purse, and then led her sister to the single bay garage. She gave Cat a minute to drool over Neil’s car, before she said, “We better get out of here. The key’s in the ignition.”

  Cat walked over to the exit door and examined it. After a few seconds she swore. “Damn it. We can’t get this open without making all kinds of noise. I was hoping to be able to pull the pin and hoist it manually to buy us some time, but he’s got the chain babysat by a laser sensor. It’s coded.”

  “The code’s 1966.”

  “You know his security codes already? Exactly what did you guys do here tonight?”

  Charlie wanted say, “not enough”, but wound up giving a noncommittal shrug instead.

  Cat repeated the numbers out loud as she punched them into the key pad. “Okay, that did it. I’ll pull the pin. You’re going to have to lift the door while I start the car. We have to do this fast.”

  Charlie nodded and swallowed the sick feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. She hated having to leave Neil and she despised herself for stealing his car, but she and Cat had no choice, they had to do it. She handed Cat her purse and moved to lift the door. She couldn’t afford to look back. The future of her family depended on Cat and her moving forward.

  What if he’s your one? Your soul mate?

  “Are you fucking crying?”

  “No.” But she was. Over what? A man she would have been proud to call her partner. Her lover. Her friend, and she was currently screwing him over in the worst way imaginable. He’d never forgive her for this.

  Never.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Neil let the man rant about Catherine. He was still unclear on what was bothering the guy more. The fact that Catherine was here with him tonight, or the fact that she’d taken some of his shit. He made a mental note on that last topic. He’d deal with her over it as it seemed his little tiger had some kleptomaniac tendencies going on. First with the photographer and then with the philanderer.

  “And how the hell did you get her in bed so fast? She must have still been warm from mine.”

  The thought of that burned him enough that he had to address it. “We never made it to my bed. She needed some instruction before she’d be given the privilege. I do intend to correct that oversight as soon as you’re on your way, though.”

  “Instruction?” Wilde went to the window and peered through the blinds. Was the guy paranoid? “Who the fuck do you think you are? God’s gift to the fairer sex? Privilege?” He snorted, letting go of the window coverings, and swung around. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Cat likes things rough. I tried scaring her and it only turned her on.”

  Neil sat forward, picked up a pen from the desk, and tapped it against his open palm. He was trying to decide what to do with the guy because he wasn’t staying here. With that decision made, he threw the pen down and sighed. “Catherine is staying here with me tonight. She’s—what was that? Did you hear something?”

  “Sorry, buddy, but she’s coming with me.”

  “Not on your life. There it is again. It sounds like…something clicking.” Neil got up and walked to the door. He was reaching for the handle when Wilde answered him.

  “Kill me then because she’s mine.”

  Click, click, clack.

  Vroom, vroom.

  Neil very calmly opened the door. Very elegantly he walked to the front entrance even as Wilde stalked up from behind him coming to his side.

  “Are those headlights? Is that a car? Who’s leaving?”

  After Neil opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, he said, “Cat.”

  Wilde rushed by him and went to the top of the steps as the Cobra squealed out of the drive and fishtailed on the street. “Nice car. Damn, Cat can drive, can’t she?”

  Neil watched as the community gate opened before his car disappeared around the corner. A perfectly controlled turn given the speed. “Yes, tonight she’s driving like a pro.” But before he could add that this afternoon she’d hit every pothole in the road, Wilde was down the front steps heading for his car that he’d parked on the street. Neil couldn’t let him go, so he went after him, grabbing him by the arm just as he reached his car. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going after her.”

  Neil shook his head. “Not a chance. You’ll only spook her which will cause her to do something stupid. I don’t want her to get hurt.” He waited until some of the tension between them eased and then he let go of the guy. “Besides, this vehicle couldn’t hold a candle to the Shelby.”

  “So we’re just supposed to let her leave?”

  “There’s no we here. I’m not your buddy and she’s not the girl for you.”

  “Says who?”

  “Me.”

  Neil was shocked that he was not only saying these words, but that he truly believed them. Cat had somehow managed to get to him. She was a thief and a brat. A handful, but damn, if she was anyone’s girl she was going to be his.

  Wilde glared. “You have no idea what you’ve done. You should have let me go after her.”

  “Why? Why is she afraid of you?”

  “Is that what you think?” Wilde snorted. “That chick isn’t afraid of anything.”

  Neil recalled how scared she was in the pool, and scowled. She had fears and judging by how fast she’d pulled out of here, Wilde was one of them. “I’m going to ask you again. Why is she afraid of you? Why’d she run?”

  Wilde’s head fell back and he stared at the night sky for a second and then leveled his gaze back on him. “She ran because she stole something from me. Something I need back before a person I care about gets hurt. You don’t know what kind of shit-storm you’ll be getting into if you intervene.”

  Neil recognized sincerity when he heard it. “Try me.”

  “A very powerful man is expecting me to deliver the item she stole from me to him, before an important international event takes place in his community.”

  Neil really listened now. There were a number of diverse communities in their town,
but there was only one that had an important event coming up. This year, that leather community’s annual auction promised to bring bidders from all over the country. He’d knew better than most why. “The auction.”

  Wilde pushed a hand through his hair and frowned. “You’ve heard about it?”

  “Do you know who I am?”

  The guy shrugged. “Yeah, you’re Cat’s rich ex-boyfriend.”

  Neil grinned. The guy had guts. No brains, but guts. “I’m Neil Cannon.”

  “And I’m Jude Wilde.”

  “Of Cannon Motors.”

  Wilde’s eyes showed his surprise, before the implications began to dawn on him. “Cannon from Cannon Custom Motors? The slave owner?”

  Typical pedestrian vanilla. The mere mention of the term Master and it’s assumed that a man must own a harem of slaves. “I’m known in certain circles as a Master.”

  “Then you know Kelli Sharp and you probably know more about the event than I do.”

  Neil knew Kelli. The last time he’d seen him was that night in Max’s club, two years ago when everything went to shit. Neil never should have turned his back. Even though it wasn’t his call that night, he should have been paying better attention. There was a reason Kelli had come across town to Max’s club, and when Neil helped to put the fire out and heard Kelli growl in between the sub’s screams, You’re not so pretty now, are you, boy? he knew what part of the reason was.

  Kelli had a score to settle with the guy. And Neil had a score to settle with Kelli because of it.

  “Do you know him?”

  Neil nodded. Problem was he didn’t know Wilde well enough to let him in on how much. Kelli’s club, and the patrons that frequented the place, were hardcore edge players. Sharp ran the place military style and didn’t like the less edgy players to hang around. There was a reason for that. The annual auction he’d held every year had become somewhat of a spectacle, and if what Neil suspected was truly going on during those times proved to be true? Kelli was going to be locked up for life. “So this item that Cat has, Sharp needs for the auction, and if you don’t get it back and deliver it as promised, a person you care about gets hurt?”