by Katie Reus
“I did a lot of digging into Neal’s background this morning.”
He frowned. “You haven’t been up that long.”
“Well…I woke up at three and worked for a couple hours. You looked so peaceful sleeping I didn’t want to bother you.”
Roman didn’t respond, but he was beyond surprised he hadn’t stirred.
“Anyway, I did a lot of digging earlier and when I woke up again not too long ago something was bothering me. There were a few emails referencing a sale of a boat, but nothing directly to him. To this corporation. I’ve never heard of the corporation though, not being linked directly to Powers Group. So I started digging into it and I can’t be sure without more investigating, but I think it’s a front for Neal. For what, I have no idea, but I don’t think it’s for anything real. Using the information on the ‘business’, I tracked down that boat. It’s still owned by the company and according to credit card records from the same company, it’s docked at a local marina.”
“What kind of boat?”
“Forty-foot cruiser… The type someone could stay on. Live on, if need be.” She bit her bottom lip, watching him expectantly.
Wow, she was good. Really good. “You think Lynch is on it?”
She shrugged. “Probably not, but it’s worth checking out, right?”
“Yes, it is worth checking out. The police can do it immediately.”
She bit her bottom lip even harder and shook her head. “How am I supposed to explain to them what I found?”
“Did you break any laws gaining the information?”
Taylor looked down and crossed her arms over her chest, but didn’t answer.
“Damn it,” he muttered.
Clearly exasperated, she threw up her hands. “What I did was only a little illegal. And if we see that he’s there, we can call the police—anonymously. He might not even be there, but it’s a lead and I don’t want to pass it up. And I don’t want to give the police bad intel and have them waste resources when we could just check.”
He half-smiled, shaking his head. “Only a little illegal.” Her eyes widened as she looked at him in semi-shock. “What?” he demanded.
“I’ve never seen you smile like that before. And that doesn’t even really count, but…it looks good on you.” She grinned, sidling closer and wrapping her arms around him. She wiggled slightly, playfully rubbing her breasts against him. It didn’t matter that they were clothed, she definitely wasn’t wearing a bra and he could feel her hard nipples protruding through her shirt. He bit back a groan.
Fuck. He was so screwed. He set his coffee cup down and grabbed her hips, holding her close. “Are you seriously trying to use your sex appeal to get me to do what you want?”
“Absolutely. And logic. Mainly logic. We need to check this out. It’s the middle of the day, we can go just the two of us and not tell a soul. I trust Escobar but I don’t want anyone to know about this. What if one of the security team members is involved and they tip off Neal? I can’t risk that. Hugh deserves justice. The less people that know, the better. If we tell the cops and we’re wrong, they waste a lot of resources and risk tipping him off anyway. A team of cops showing up? He’s going to see that. But two people—”
“One person,” he bit out. “If we do this, I’m the only one checking out the boat. You will at no time reveal yourself publicly anywhere. Anywhere. Got it?”
“So you’re saying yes?” She practically jumped up and down with glee.
“I’m saying you’ll leave the checking out to me,” he muttered. He hated the idea, but she was right on all counts. If they could call in an anonymous tip on Lynch and get him arrested, the slimy bastard would flip on the guy who’d shot at Roman. Which would eliminate all threats to Taylor.
That was the carrot she was dangling in front of Roman and she had to know it. To finally get her safe, to get the men responsible for coming after her and killing her friend, was too much to pass up.
Roman knew he could keep her safe too. That wasn’t an issue. And he agreed that the less people who knew what they were doing the better. Keeping the knowledge of this to just the two of them literally eliminated any potential leaks. He didn’t like it, but he also didn’t like sitting around doing nothing. He’d planned to get her out of here today and into a new place anyway. They could make a couple stops before hitting their new safe house. “You’re going to need to change into less noticeable clothes. At least your shirt. Something plain. And we’re going to have to make a couple stops before we head there.”
She rolled up once on the balls of her feet, but it seemed as if she was restraining herself from jumping up and down.
“And,” he stressed, “you do whatever I say, when I say it. If I say run, you start sprinting away. Nothing I say is up for debate.”
“Even if you ask me to strip naked in public?”
His lips twitched. “Yep.”
She nodded once. “Deal.”
* * *
“What are you doing? Did you see him?” Taylor demanded the second Roman slid back into the SUV.
He got into the middle seat instead of the front seat since she was sitting there and he wanted to be close to her. The windows were darkly tinted and it was almost impossible to see inside. They’d been parked along the exterior of the marina for the last hour, not in the actual parking lot, but on the curb against the public sidewalk that lined the southeast side of it.
Oversized, white benches and clusters of big palm trees lined the walk, making it a perfect place for people to jog and walk their dogs. The sidewalks were triple the width of normal ones and this section was made specifically for that reason; so locals could exercise and stay active in their community.
Unfortunately it meant there were a lot of damn people around and he needed to get onto Lynch’s boat unseen.
“No, but I don’t think anyone’s on the boat. All the blinds were open and I couldn’t see anyone moving around inside. There were too many people around though. Some kind of open house type thing on the boat next door.” He was pretty sure they were trying to sell the neighboring boat. Next time he was going to approach as a salesman of sorts. Just act confident and enter the boat. If Lynch was inside, he’d just disarm the fucker and call the cops. If he wasn’t, Roman would play stupid and get the hell out of there, hopefully without being shot by the owner.
“So what are you doing back here?” She was practically jumping out of her seat as she squirmed there, wanting immediate results.
He shot her a look. “You do investigative work, Taylor. I need to wait before heading back over there.”
She let out a frustrated sigh. “I know, I know. I’m just being impatient. I get that you can’t just loiter around his boat without being suspicious.”
“His?”
“I’m calling it that until I know otherwise. I have a good feeling about this.” She reached up and fingered the blonde wig they’d gotten for her, the new weight of it probably bothering her.
It was likely unnecessary considering she wasn’t getting out of the SUV, but he wanted her in disguise. She also had on a small white fedora-style hat with a blue ribbon around it. Combined with the blue and white striped shirt with three-quarter length sleeves—she’d informed him the shirt was something called a French sailor style. Whatever it was, she looked casual and the style was perfect for hanging around the marina. She looked like she was ready to head out for a day of sailing. So if anyone saw her—and they wouldn’t since she wasn’t leaving the damn vehicle—she’d blend in.
He slipped off his own ball cap and sunglasses as she asked, “So, how long are you going to wait to try again?”
Roman scrubbed a hand over his face. “Half an hour to an hour.”
Sighing, she scooted closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for doing this.”
He didn’t want her thanks. Shifting slightly, he tightened his arm around her shoulders, loving the feel of her up against him. She was a perfect fit. When she tu
rned to look up at him, he was once again captured by her bright blue eyes. Every time he looked at her he was struck by how much he just plain liked this woman. No doubt the attraction was incendiary but what he felt for her was different than anything he’d experienced before.
“What’s that look?” she asked.
“Nothing.” Leaning down, he nipped her bottom lip between his teeth, unable to resist a quick taste.
When her cheeks flushed and she let out a moan, leaning into him, he pulled back, breathing hard from a simple kiss.
“We can’t do anything,” he murmured, unwilling to risk her safety.
“Tease,” she muttered.
He snorted. “A tease? Last night there was follow-through.”
When she just looked at him, that simmering hunger right beneath the surface, he glanced around, looking at his surroundings. He wanted to get inside her so badly his dick was already hard and aching. Nothing was out of the ordinary but… “Fuck, you’re trying to kill me. We can’t do anything here.”
“Not even fool around a little?” she whispered, the atmosphere of the SUV subtly changing.
There was no way in hell because he knew he’d never stop at just kissing her. And the truth was, it would be beyond irresponsible. He glanced around again, his erection almost painful by now. He desperately wanted to take her here, right where they were close enough to people to see them but not be seen. The thought of it was hot. But it would be a huge security lapse, because the moment she touched his cock, there was no way in hell he’d be able to concentrate on anything but that. “I can’t risk your safety like that,” he finally said, turning back to her.
Her smile fell but she didn’t seem angered, just disappointed. “You realize you’re making me want you even more.” She let out an overdramatic sigh. “And you’re right but no more teasing. Last night was amazing but I want everything from you soon.”
“Everything? Does that include…” He trailed off as he reached out for her. He slid his hand down her side, over her hip and around to her backside. He cupped her hard enough that she understood his intent. “Here too?” Normally he had a filter but apparently he’d lost it. Being with Taylor did that to him because he wanted to claim every inch of her. She wasn’t like any other woman he’d been with. Everything about her was so open and honest.
Her eyes went wide, as if she’d never considered the possibility. Her pretty mouth opened once, then snapped shut. She stared at him for a long moment, clearly thinking. When she spoke next, her voice was raspy, uneven. “It’s something we can discuss at a later date.”
He grinned then, unable to help himself. “At least it’s not off the table.”
Just like that her gaze went heavy-lidded as it dropped to focus on his mouth. “I swear if you smile at me like that again, all bets are off and I’m jumping you.”
Almost against his will, he did smile, full-on. Something he rarely did.
To his surprise she covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “You’re a menace,” she said, groaning.
For the first time in…hell if he could remember, Roman felt lighter, more at peace. The situation notwithstanding, being around Taylor was a breath of fresh air. He was insanely attracted to her, but he genuinely liked her. Way more than was good for his sanity.
After another forty-five minutes of waiting—and flirting—he changed shirts. She stared at him hungrily when he’d stripped, her clear lust setting him on fire and making him think of nothing but what it would be like once they were finally alone and able to act on their need. After he was dressed he put on a fedora-style hat himself, then headed out. But not before checking the small caliber weapon he’d left for Taylor. Because even if the threat level was low, he sure as hell wasn’t leaving her unarmed. She knew a little about weapons thanks to her former boss, Hugh. He’d still watched her handle it and made sure she knew how to use it.
He returned from his scouting mission less than ten minutes later and found the weapon he’d given her on the backseat. The magazine was empty and loose bullets lay scattered on the floorboards. Roman’s heart lurched as the bottom of his world fell out.
She’d been taken.
Chapter 13
On the other side of the marina, Taylor folded her arms over her chest as she watched the man sitting on a white bench across from her. After basically kidnapping her—at gunpoint—he’d told her they were taking a stroll so they could chat.
He’d been incredibly polite about it, but that didn’t matter. Maybe it even made it worse. The man had somehow opened the locks on the SUV she’d been in with a keyfob. He clearly had some sort of master electronic key. Which wasn’t unheard of. But it was impressive—and scary. Terror streaked through her, the jagged edges piercing all her nerve endings as she tried to keep her cool. More than anything she was a little numb, which was the only thing keeping her from hyperventilating.
He’d grabbed the gun Roman had left for her and within seconds the man had taken it apart, emptying the bullets. Then he’d ordered her to come with him so they could chat for a few minutes. When a mother with a double stroller had paused by the SUV to tie her shoe he’d given Taylor a deadly, speculative look. As if to say he didn’t care who got hurt if she didn’t cooperate.
So Taylor had gone with him. But only because they were still in a public place, and she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. If he’d tried to get her into a vehicle she’d have screamed and fought for all she was worth. She’d rather get shot than be kidnapped. People walked by every few minutes and cars drove past on a consistent basis. None of that would help her if he decided to pump her full of bullets though. A shiver rolled down her spine as she imagined it happening.
“You and I are in a bit of a quandary,” the man finally spoke, his slight accent betraying his heritage. She wasn’t actually sure if he was Russian but that was what she’d dubbed him in her head. His dark aviator-style sunglasses with silver rims made it impossible to see his eyes. He was huge, with broad shoulders, but his build was more sleek than muscular.
She glanced around, wishing Roman would somehow find them. Her heart beat an erratic tattoo in her chest, thumping out of control so loudly blood rushed in her ears. She and the Russian hadn’t gone far, but it was out of sight from the SUV and the dock where Roman was. If he was back from his recon mission, he’d be looking for her. “I can’t see how that’s possible when I don’t even know you.” But she guessed that he must be working for Neal. That thought made a cold sliver of fear skitter over her skin. He could have just killed her in the SUV though, she reminded herself. Whoever this guy was wanted her alive. Because bringing her out of the SUV to kill her in a public place didn’t make any sense.
“True, but we have a mutual acquaintance.”
“So you’re working for that bastard?” she asked, unable to hide the bite of anger from her voice. Because really, who else could he be working for? She might have suspected he was the man who’d come after her at Vadim’s house, but this man had dark hair and tattoos. The description of the man Roman had interacted with was so plain and unassuming. Not this guy. This man was memorable, like a jungle animal roaming the streets wearing a black suit that did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that he was a predator. Which meant Neal had two guys working for him.
To her surprise, the man snorted. “For him? Lynch owes my boss money. And Lynch told me that you stole his money.”
“I didn’t steal anyone’s money. And how did you know where I was today?” Because she and Roman had been incredibly careful coming here.
He paused for a long moment, watching her, though all she could see was her own reflection in the sunglasses. Which was pretty unnerving, and was probably why he wore the damn things. That and the way he was so still was freaking her the hell out.
“I saw your friend scouting Lynch’s boat. Then I spotted you messing with your hair when he got into your SUV. I wasn’t even certain it was you because of the wig, but you have a beautiful fac
e. Hard to forget. This,” he glanced around them, “was just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Now tell me what we’re going to do about Lynch’s money—my money.”
A surge of adrenaline pumped through her at the confirmation that she’d been right in tracking down Neal’s boat. That meant he could be nearby, close enough to bring down even. Was he on the boat? Maybe Roman had already called the cops. She hoped so. Unfortunately she was pretty sure this guy was a hit man of sorts. If he collected money for someone maybe he was more of an enforcer. Which was terrifying.
She cleared her throat, trying to tamp down her nerves. “Neal Lynch stole from the company I work for. That money has been returned to Powers Group.” She decided not to confirm that yes, she was the one who’d liberated the funds from that thieving monster. “So whatever he owes you is on him. If he owes you so much, why not just take his boat?”
The Russian stilled, his head cocking ever so slightly to the side. “I have checked. The boat is not his property.”
She shook her head. “The boat belongs to one of his fake corporations. It’s his and it’s worth over five hundred thousand.” And as far as she’d been able to find out, he hadn’t bought it with Powers Group money.
“My boss only takes clean products.”
She frowned, not understanding. “The boat is clean. I mean, it’s under a corporation’s name, but he could transfer it to you. Hell, I could transfer it to you or whoever you work for with a clean bill of sale. Title and everything. The owner would be responsible for future docking fees wherever they keep it and yearly tax fees, but…it’s clean.”
Another long pause. “Right now Lynch is being protected. It is in my interests that he is not arrested. Yet. If you transfer his property to me, he is fair game. If not…things could get messy. Starting with that friend of yours.”
Taylor’s hands balled into fists, her jaw tightening. Threatening the man she cared about, especially after she’d just lost someone, wasn’t in this guy’s best interests. All her instincts told her to lash out, but she reined in the stupid part of her brain and took a deep breath. “Just so we’re clear. If I transfer ownership of the boat, Neal is no longer protected? And you will leave me and my friends alone?”