by Debra Webb
The hypnotic swish of the wipers lulled Kate toward sleep. Her lids felt so heavy…she needed to sleep…to rest her aching muscles and ease the tightness in her chest. She finally closed her eyes and welcomed the heavy blanket of inner darkness.
KATE SAT UP with a start as she felt the tires leave the pavement and bump over uneven ground. She glanced at Raine to see if he had fallen asleep at the wheel. He was wide awake and braking the car to a stop.
“Where are we?” Kate peered through the dark and drizzle in an effort to get her bearings. She saw trees but couldn’t make out anything else.
“We walk from here.” Raine opened his door and got out of the car.
It took a few moments for his words to register, then Kate realized he intended that they walk in the rain. “But it’s raining,” she protested when he opened her door.
He reached inside and unbuckled her seat belt, then glared at her. “No kidding.”
Kate sat there, stunned. She wasn’t about to leave another perfectly good automobile. Especially a nice warm one. He was definitely crazy—worse than crazy. He was…he was… Kate couldn’t think of a fitting description at the moment, but whatever it was, he was it.
“Get out of the car,” he ordered, giving her one final threatening stare. His breath fanned across her face. A muscle twitched in his tense jaw. The dim interior light cast his stony features in shadows and angles that enhanced the impatient scowl on his handsome face. She couldn’t possibly win in this battle of wills. Raine had no intention of giving one centimeter.
Kate exhaled in frustration. One corner of his mouth lifted the tiniest fraction—he’d won and he knew it. Raine straightened and waited for her to get out. Kate silently recited every swearword she could remember, twice. With equal measures reluctance and anger, she forced herself out of the nice warm car, then slammed the door. Raine had the grace not to allow that smile to completely form as he adjusted the collar of his leather jacket. Without another word, he strode toward what Kate recognized as the highway they had left behind. Raine had pulled the car onto a dead-end side road just far enough that it would be hidden from view.
Cursing under her breath, Kate struggled to unzip the thick collar of her parka and pull out the hood. By the time she had the hood pulled over her head, her hair was already damp. She shivered as the icy liquid slid down the collar of her sweatshirt and absorbed into the T-shirt beneath. Seething inside, she flung a few expletives at Raine’s broad back. As usual, he ignored her.
Once they were on the pavement, Kate could see that Bryson City lay only half a mile or so away. At least they wouldn’t be walking for long. It dawned on Kate then that Raine had abandoned the vehicle because it was stolen. Tucked in the cluster of trees, it would be days or weeks before the car would be found. The man left as few clues as possible. By the time the car was found and traced back to them, they would be long gone. He seemed to think of everything to cover his tracks. Maybe he was crazy. Yeah, right—crazy like a fox. Kate supposed that he had done the right thing, even if she was getting all wet. They hadn’t come this far just to get caught because he made a stupid mistake.
He’s managed to slip through their fingers. Kate frowned. That voice. She knew that voice. But what did the words mean? She looked at the man she struggled to keep pace with. Him? Whose fingers had he slipped through? The police? The other bad guys? Kate shoved her gloved hands deeper into her pockets and sighed. She had to remember. Every instinct told her that her life depended on remembering.
But she was too tired now to think about it anymore. She shuddered as the wind whipped the icy droplets against her face. God, how she hated to be cold. As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. She hated to be hungry, too.
When they reached civilization, Raine used a pay phone at a service station. Kate had no idea who or where he called. She was too wet and too cold even to wonder. She shivered almost uncontrollably now. The only thing on her mind at this point was getting somewhere warm and dry. She didn’t care if she ate, only that she got warm.
After the brief call, she followed Raine to a seedy-looking motel on the edge of town. She wondered vaguely how he managed to keep from shivering as she did.
Because he’s a machine, that’s how. He doesn’t have any feelings, she added decidedly. Jack Raine, if that was his full name, was a cold, heartless killing machine. Kate shuddered at the thought. Then she remembered the way he could make her feel with just the right look. Maybe he wasn’t all machine.
Kate could only guess what her financial standing might be, but somehow she knew that this place—she scanned the shabby room once more—was beneath the usual for her. The term “motel” had been used very loosely, in her opinion.
“There’s only one bed,” she said, suddenly noticing among the decrepit furnishings the one bed, slightly wider than the last one they had shared, but singular nonetheless.
“This was the only room available. You heard the manager say so yourself. So put a lid on it and get in the shower. We have to get out of these wet clothes.” Raine cut her a look that dared her to argue with him. He dropped his coat onto a chair behind him and quickly moved his hands down his shirtfront, releasing button after button with stiff, clumsy fingers.
“What are you doing?” Kate retreated a step only to bump into the lone bed.
“The same thing you’re going to do, if I have to help you do it.” His hard-edged tone and the implacable expression on his face reinforced his words.
When Kate hesitated, he added, “Don’t worry, I’m too tired to be dangerous.”
At that same instant he peeled his shirt off his shoulders, revealing more than Kate needed to see right now. Her mouth went incredibly dry. He walked into what was obviously the bathroom and came out wiping his awesome chest with a towel, wordlessly offering her the first shower. He might be tired, but somehow she doubted the other. She decided right then and there that it would be safe to assume that Raine was definitely dangerous, even in his sleep.
Kate hurriedly unzipped her parka, shouldered out of it and dropped it to the floor next to the bed. Without sparing Raine a glance, she walked past him and locked herself in the minuscule bathroom. She stared at the still-unfamiliar reflection in the mirror. Her dark hair was wet and disheveled. The smudges under her eyes looked black against her pale skin. She was a mess. Shivering to the point that her teeth chattered, Kate quickly stripped off her wet clothes and stepped into the shower with the water as hot as she could tolerate it.
After unwrapping a new bar of soap, she closed her eyes and allowed the heat to relax her sore, stiff muscles. The wonderful sensation of liquid warmth was almost enough to make her forget about food. Almost, Kate thought as she rubbed the soap into a lather. She hoped they wouldn’t have to wait for their clothes to dry to get something to eat. She was starved.
Since their pathetic excuse for lodgings didn’t offer amenities such as shampoo, Kate had no choice but to wash her hair with the bar soap. She worked the lather into her hair, then she moved to her shoulders and arms, and on to her breasts. The steam rose around her, filling the tiny room with moist heat. Kate’s breathing became slow and shallow as vivid memories of her shower with Raine reeled through her tired mind like images from a hot, steamy movie.
His broad, muscular chest and strong arms. Hands that were both gentle and comforting as he’d held her in his arms, warming her with his own body heat. Kate vaguely remembered him drying her skin and then carrying her to his bed. She braced her hands against the dingy, tiled wall when the terrifying events of yesterday and today replayed before her eyes. Raine stepping between her and Vinny, the out-of-control car ride, the loud, echoing sound of gunfire, the helicopter, and then the long trek across the mountain.
Just when she had decided once and for all what a bad guy Raine was, he did something like putting his arm around her in the truck, protecting her when she felt uneasy. Buckling her seat belt when she couldn’t. And now, letting her shower first. Nothing about him fit one p
articular mold. And absolutely nothing about him could ever possibly be considered less than dangerous.
Then there was the intense desire she had seen in his eyes this morning and the lean, hungry look she’d noticed there tonight. Maybe he wanted to be nice to her in return for sex. Her eyes popped open and she pushed the water and hair back from her face. After all, they were pretty much joined at the hip for the duration of this little adventure. And he hadn’t exactly said that they hadn’t done it already. Surely if she had slept with a hunk like Raine, she would remember. Kate shivered involuntarily despite the hot water warming her skin.
Maybe the intense awareness between them was simply hormones. Or, maybe the man was flat out horny. Kate shivered at the thought of Raine’s naked body moving over hers. Banishing the images, she turned off the water, pushed the curtain aside and stepped out of the tub. She pulled a clean, rough terry-cloth towel from the stack on the back on the commode. Kate hugged the towel to her breasts as she leaned forward and swiped the fog from the mirror. Would a man like Raine consider her attractive? she wondered.
She bit her lower lip and studied the reflection staring back at her. She was attractive, she supposed. Kate turned her head slightly and inspected the ugly bruise on her left temple. It had turned an unflattering shade of reddish purple. She lowered the towel from her breasts and scrutinized them as well. They weren’t large, but, she decided as she surveyed her nude body, they did seem properly proportioned to the rest of her. Her waist was slim, her hips flared a bit, and her legs were long and toned.
All in all, Kate felt reasonably satisfied with what she saw. Now, if only she could remember the past and the personality that went with the body.
Raine pounded on the closed door, startling Kate. Her heart thudded out her panic at the possibility that they had been found already. Were the bad guys here? Raine pounded on the door again. Instantly Kate covered herself with the towel as if he might see her through the door.
“What’s the holdup?” he demanded impatiently.
Kate pressed a hand to her throat. Thank God. He only wanted his turn. She blew a breath out slowly and licked her lips nervously. “Just a minute,” she yelled back.
Quickly, she dried and wrapped a clean towel around herself. She retrieved the brush from her purse and hastily tugged it through her hair. Kate gathered her wet clothes and took another deep breath before she opened the door. He waited, blocking her exit, irritation etched in his features.
“Hang your clothes over by the heating unit. I’ve turned it on high so they’ll dry faster.” Raine had already undressed, leaving nothing but the towel draped precariously around his narrow hips.
Kate kept her gaze above his waist as she waited for him to step out of her way. The scattering of hair on his chest was blond too, she noticed, and it looked gold against his skin. Several thin, jagged lines drew her attention. Scars, she realized. Before she could ask about them, he stepped aside.
Kate hurried past him. She couldn’t look him in the eye, not after the thoughts she’d had in the shower. God, she must be insane, fantasizing about a man who was a thief as well as a killer. And a kidnapper if she added the fact that he had dragged her, unwilling, into this nightmare. She draped her clothes over the heating unit next to his and valiantly fought the impulse to turn around. Kate knew he was watching her, she could feel his gaze on her body.
She straightened, swallowed hard, then turned to face him. He stood at the closet with the door open. “I’ll need you to wait in here while I shower.”
Anger unfurled inside Kate. “You’re kidding,” she suggested, giving him an opportunity to retain his current status as a gentleman in her opinion.
“I never kid,” he deadpanned. “I can’t trust you not to make a run for it.” He opened the door wider and motioned for her to step inside. “I won’t be long.”
Raine slipped down Kate’s opinion poll several notches, all the way back to jerk, in fact. She recognized the futility in arguing with him, so she squared her shoulders and stamped across the room. Kate paused at his side and shrugged. “Why not? I’ve been subjected to numerous other indignities since making your acquaintance.” She stepped into the tiny, dark closet and kept her back turned until he closed the door.
Kate huffed a disgusted breath. Of all the amenities for a dump like this to have—a real closet. She stood stone still in the middle of the unadvertised and unusual feature and mused over the irony of it all.
RAINE EXHALED in disgust as he closed the door and jammed a straight chair securely under the knob. He didn’t exactly feel good about locking Kate in the closet, but he couldn’t risk her running. And, though she appeared harmless enough, there was something about her that ate at him. He knew better than to get involved with Kate. She was an unknown factor…a risk. Swallowing back that ridiculous guilt he felt every time he so much as raised his voice to the woman, he entered the bathroom, leaving the door open so he could keep an eye on the closet door.
Raine stepped into the hot spray of water and closed his eyes. He pressed his forehead against the tiled wall and allowed the hot water to sluice over his tired muscles. He relaxed a moment longer before making short work of washing and rinsing. He didn’t want to leave Kate stuck in the closet for too long. She might beat on the door or scream at the top of her lungs. Raine had quickly learned that Kate was almost as unpredictable as he was. And that was a helluva scary thought. Especially since he still didn’t know much about her.
Except that he wanted her—wanted her bad. Raine swore. He was a fool. A damn fool. He’d had the hots for the woman practically since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. She was just so bloody vulnerable. And beautiful, with an innocence that tugged at something deep inside him. Raine had spent so much time in the company of scum, he had forgotten that there were still truly innocent people in the world. Kate struck him as one of those. There was something undeniably attractive about that part of her. Something that drew him like a moth to flame.
And he would probably get burned…or worse.
He was a fool all right.
After drying off, Raine secured a towel around his waist and hurried to remove the chair and open the closet door. Kate didn’t look at him as she stepped out of her two-foot-by-four-foot prison. The towel effectively covered her slender body, but fully displayed those long, shapely legs. Need punched him in the gut again as he watched her walk straight to the bed and burrow between the sheets. Raine shook his head in self-disgust at how easily she could make him feel like a heel.
And want her even more. This woman was going to get him killed. Raine scrubbed his hand over his face and then through his hair. He had spent more than a dozen years facing death and dealing it out as well. For the first time in his life, he felt unprepared for the situation. He could look a target in the eye when that target took his last breath and feel little remorse, but every time Raine looked Kate in the eye something moved, twisted inside him.
This was bad, real bad.
Get a grip, Jack old boy, before you get yourself killed. He swallowed. Kate Roberts was just a woman. He only felt protective because she couldn’t remember who she was or where she came from. That was all.
Yeah, right. Raine jammed his hands at his waist. Kate’s memory loss was the least of their problems at the moment. Being with him was likely going to cost this pretty lady her life, that’s what bothered him. But he couldn’t chance leaving her behind at this point. Even if she turned out to be the enemy.
Shrugging off the thought, Raine walked to the bedside table and pulled the telephone book from the drawer. He was tired. He would be able to deal with all this better tomorrow.
“What kind of pizza do you like?” he asked as he thumbed through the Yellow Pages for a restaurant that delivered.
“I don’t care,” she said, her voice muffled by the cover. “I’m not going to eat with you and I’m not going to talk to you.” Kate kept her back turned, refusing to look at him.
“I’m dev
astated,” he muttered, then reached for the telephone and called in an order. How in the hell had he gotten himself into this situation? It wasn’t bad enough that Ballatore’s men were after him, even his own people had jumped on the bandwagon. The mole’s doing, no doubt. And, as if that weren’t trouble aplenty, he had to be saddled with—he glared at Kate’s back—a helpless and annoying female who pushed all his buttons.
He was definitely screwed.
Raine had always known that he was going to hell for his multitude of sins, he just thought he’d die first. Not once had anyone ever warned him that when he got his it would come in the form of a high-priority assignment gone sour and a woman who turned him inside out.
Kate continued her silent treatment even after the pizza and drinks arrived. The smell alone was enough to make Raine salivate. He sat down in one of the two chairs flanking the small table and propped his feet on the end of the bed. Kate continued to face the wall while Raine ate his fill. He commented frequently on the delicious ingredients and the thick crust, but she ignored him completely. He knew she needed to eat, but he couldn’t make her if she didn’t want to. Damn, the woman irritated the hell out of him.
Finished, Raine stood, scratched his chest and stretched his arms over his head. He was tired. He made himself comfortable on the side of the bed next to Kate’s back. She immediately wiggled to the edge, as far away from him as possible. Then, as soon as he had gotten situated just right and turned on the news, she edged off the bed on the other side and went to the table. He frowned. What the hell was she doing now?
Kate plopped into one of the chairs, picked up a large slice of pizza, and closed her eyes as she savored the taste.
“I thought you were on a hunger strike.”
She took a gulp of soda, then flashed him a look. “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to eat, I said I wasn’t going to eat with you.”