“I’m open to suggestions on where to lead him” Kane said. There were few unpopulated places in L.A. A parking garage was their best bet, but even that was going to have people passing through.
“I have the perfect place,” she said, staying close to his side. “My family has a training area outside the city.”
Outside the city? “How do you propose we get him to follow us there?”
Ahead of them, a group of young men wearing leather and looking too young to even drive were parking their motorcycles. “There,” she said, nodding toward the closest biker.
Damn. The parking garage would have been easier. Kane let go of her as he punched the kid in the jaw, knocking him to the ground, dazed.
The rest of the group stared at him in shock as he straddled the bike, but he was more interested in Enzo.
The thug turned at hearing the scuffle. Their eyes met. There was no guilt in the man’s face. Just rage. Anger. And the desire to get what he wanted no matter the cost.
“Get on,” he said, and Holly jumped on behind him.
The bike roared to life, and she wrapped her arms around Kane’s waist. He wove through cars, watching the rearview mirror as Enzo wrestled a bike from one of the other kids and came after them.
Chapter Eighteen
“Here,” Holly shouted over the engine of the motorcycle. Thanks to Kane’s driving skills, some of which had her shutting her eyes and hiding her face against his back, they were ahead of Enzo. Not so much they’d lose him but enough to buy them a few minutes of planning, now that they were at the property her family called home.
She prayed time and home-turf advantage was enough to stop him. She wasn’t losing anyone else. Especially not Kane.
“Over there,” Holly said, pointing toward a path to the right. He killed the power, and she hopped off as he pushed the bike down the path and ditched it behind a giant scrub oak. Lights came into view, and they both dropped to the ground.
Enzo was closer than she’d thought.
“Where to?” Kane whispered as the mobster flew past them.
They dusted themselves off. “This way,” Holly said. Taking his hand, she guided him along the path toward the main facility, relying on her memories and the moonlight that lit up the land.
They jogged up the rolling hill separating the entrance to the facility from the main training area. Below, the lights of Enzo’s bike lit up the night. He’d stopped outside the gates.
She knew what he was reading, The Acrobats Extraordinaire. Welcome. She and her mother had hung the midnight blue sign, silver script highlighted with gold leaf, the day the troupe arrived, finishing their long trek from Pensacola, Florida, to the west coast.
Her family. She’d asked her mother for the “full production” in order to get the full distraction potential when she broke into the penthouse, which meant they should all be gone.
She sure hoped so, or this was going to get even more difficult.
She refocused her attention back on their pursuer. From their vantage, she watched Enzo in the light of the bike, checking out the area. Had she made a mistake by leading him here? She knew if she didn’t capture him tonight, it was possible he’d come back and hurt them.
Good luck with that. Still, the idea he might try was a powerful motivator.
“We don’t have to do this,” Kane said, as if reading her uncertainty. “We can call the police. Let them take care of it.”
Tempting.
Except for Tammi Lynn. Her soft drawl as she begged for her life. The torture of knowing she was going to die and being unable to even make an attempt to save herself and run because of what she’d done.
Holly stared into the darkness.
“I’m calling the police,” Kane, taking her hand in his and pulled her to him. He stared into her eyes, begging her to listen. “It was Enzo who pulled the trigger. You have to remember that.”
She wanted to believe him. Wished she could brush off what happened. She couldn’t. This was her fault. Her mess to clean up. Her killer to catch.
“I won’t risk anyone else,” she whispered. “If we do this right, he won’t be able to hurt anyone. Ever.”
He hesitated and she hoped he was done with his attempts at persuasion. A few more tries and she might give in, but he gave her a sharp nod instead of more argument. “Lead the way.”
Thank you. She started back along the path. It cut over the hill, then down a steep slope, bypassing the winding dirt road that skirted the hill and entered the facility from the back. With the family gone, the main lights were off, and only the soft glow of solar lighting marked out the paths among the training areas. Sticking to the edge of the trees, they worked their way along the edges, watching for their quarry.
“Wow,” Kane whispered as they reached the flying trapeze, one of the five main training arenas. Even in the dim light, the ladder leading to the platform glimmered. Set at forty feet, it was taller than the average platform, but that’s what sold tickets and brought work—taking chances. “This is a circus,” he said, his voice tinged with awe. “A real circus.”
“Of course it is,” Holly said, trying not to feel paranoid. Right now, she needed to focus.
They passed the single-point trapeze, used for singular, dancelike acrobatics. “Wow, this is…” He hesitated, craning his neck upward to follow a set of cables to their termination point four stories up.
“Dangerous?” Holly filled in.
“Yeah, but it’s also—” Gravel crunched. Holly paused mid-step, her foot still in the air, and Kane cut himself off mid-sentence. More crunching sounded through the night air. Someone else walked through the arenas.
Enzo. It had to be. He passed in front of one of the path lights, making it flicker. She held her breath, waiting for him to pass. The sound of him walking faded, and she put her foot on the ground and allowed herself to breathe again.
Kane pulled her into the trees. “That was too close. Tell me you have a plan.”
The plan was to get Enzo here, and now, but she had no idea. “Sorry. Not sure. Yet.”
The shadows hid his expression, but she imagined it was less than pleased. “I can always try to shoot him,” he said, more than a little serious.
As much as she appreciated the offer, she wasn’t going to ask him to kill for her—even if it was putting down a murderer. “No one dies, not even him.”
“Then we better come up with something before your family returns.”
Her gaze darted from building to building. Arena to arena. Now that the moment was on her, she wasn’t sure what to do. If she were in the air, she’d know. Skyscrapers were her arena. Harnesses and carabineers her weapons.
But Enzo had a gun, and what use was a rope against a bullet? She pressed her hands against her temple, trying to hang on to a single idea long enough to give it an honest evaluation.
“It’s okay,” Kane said, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her. She let herself rest against his chest, like she had at the hotel. The security of his embrace calmed her mind. Ideas and plans formed and reformed at a pace less frenzied until she locked on the flying trapeze.
Air was her weapon.
If she could get him to follow her to the platform, she’d come up with something. She wasn’t sure what but something. “If we lure him to the trapeze, I think I can take him” She said.
“How?”
She swallowed hard, uneasy at what she needed to do but not seeing an alternative. “All I have to do it is hook him to the ropes and I can push him off. He’ll be left hanging midair. Helpless.”
He squeezed her hard. “That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard,” he whispered.
For a beat, she wondered if she’d heard right. She leaned back, leaving the safety of his arms. “Excuse me?”
He stroked the hair back from her face. “You’re overthinking this. There are two of us and one of him. That gives us the advantage. We lure him into a trap and ambush him. Much easier than trying to ge
t him to climb a forty-foot ladder.”
A week ago, she’d have fought the idea. Protested and done what she wanted. But he made sense, and she needed his steadiness and his experience.
“You okay?” he asked. “I know that sounded harsh, but we don’t have time for a debate.”
She rose on her toes and kissed him. “I’m good. “Now c’mon, I know the perfect place for an ambush.”
…
“The stables?”
They stood outside the building, pressed flat against the wall to hide their silhouettes. There was an array of buildings Holly could choose from. Why pick the one that was most likely to be filled with manure?
“It’s perfect,” she whispered. “Contained. Plus, there’s a loft. You can get the drop on him from above.”
A ten-foot drop to try and land on someone? Sounded painful and unnecessary. “You’ve seen too many movies. I’ll tackle him as he runs past. Less chance of me breaking my leg.”
“Fine, do it your way,” she snapped.
His way? He’d shoot the thug.
He appreciated Holly didn’t want to kill the man, but as far as Kane was concerned, Enzo was more rabid dog than human. But Holly’s face when she heard Tammi Lynn’s death stayed his hand and kept his gun in his back pocket.
For Holly.
Of course, if Enzo pointed his weapon at his girl, all bets were off.
“Slowly,” she said. Opening the side door, he followed as she made her way to the main aisle running between the stalls. The stable was pitch black compared with the outside. Even when his eyes adjusted, it was difficult to see.
Definitely no shooting. He’d probably hit a horse.
“What’s the plan” Kane asked once they took up post in an empty stall.
“I’ll lead him here,” she said, sounding less determined. He wondered who she was trying to convince. Him or herself. “You tackle him.”
As long as Enzo didn’t kill her. “No.”
“What do you mean ’no’?” She crossed her arms, and he knew she was glaring at him. Mouth tight. Chin jutting out. Let her be pissy. She wasn’t going to play bait to assuage her guilt.
“I’m not going to have you shot.”
She sighed in exasperation. “I’ll be running in the dark in a location I know like the back of my hand. I’m fast. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“I don’t like it.” Shooting Enzo was starting to sound better and better.
“Neither do I,” she said, “but I don’t see us as having a lot of choice.”
He should have called the police as soon as they arrived.
Too late now. Even if he did, Holly would do what she wanted anyway. He’d worked with her enough to know that much. They were in the thick of it, and the best course was to end it as fast as possible.
“Use the ear piece,” he pulled out the communicator from his pocket and turned it on. “Let me know when you’re close.”
She nodded, at a loss for words. “Thanks,” she said, her voice low. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re always prepared.”
Warmth washed over him, but he pushed it back. Later. “Just be careful,” he insisted. “No chances.”
“I won’t.”
He’d heard that before. More than once. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet. “I mean it.”
“I don’t have a death wish,” she assured him, leaning her forehead against his. Her breath hitched in her throat. “I want him caught. That’s all.”
He believed her. “I can do that.”
He found he couldn’t let her go and buried his face in her hair. I love you. He wanted to say the words. To whisper them in her ear or scream them from the top of the stable, but a declaration would only distract her. There would be time enough for love when Enzo was subdued, and Holly was safe.
Instead, he showered her with tiny kisses. Working his way from her mouth to the tip of her nose and to the sweet, curved spot where her neck met her shoulder.
He loved her laugh but needed her focused. He set her back on her feet. All business—it was what would keep them both alive. “As soon as you run past, I’ll have him.”
“Counting on it,” she said. She hesitated then slid back out the door.
Be safe. Don’t die. Kane shut his eyes and focused on the job. The job. He still hated the plan, but as long as Holly, for once, followed his directions, it might work out.
Get Enzo on to the trapeze.
He smiled at the sheer lunacy of the idea. She’d obviously never been in the field, where the main idea was to keep it simple. The more complicated a plan, the more chances it had to fail.
He knew that all too well.
One of the horses made a snuffing sound, and Kane tensed. Something scuffed the straw. A steady beat. Footsteps. Human footsteps. Had Enzo come in through the door?
Kane readied himself, crouched low and watched as a dark silhouette worked its way toward him. Then past.
Now.
Kane ran at the man, legs pumping, and dove onto him, taking away any chance he would fire a shot. Enzo hit the ground with an oomph. He wrestled the man’s hand behind his back, pinning his wrists and shoving an elbow into his spine.
Enzo screamed and Kane froze.
The scream was shrill. Frightened. Feminine. Whoever he’d tackled, it wasn’t Enzo.
…
“Mom. What the hell are you doing here?” Holly had barely rounded the far corner of the barn when someone entered the door. Thinking it was Enzo, she’d held still then followed only to hear her mother’s scream.
A shrill cry of pain and fear that was sure to bring their target to them while everyone was in a convenient-to-shoot pile on the floor.
“I came home right after I talked to you,” her mother said, as Kane rolled off of her and pulled her to her feet. “I didn’t feel well. Then I heard someone in the barn and came out.”
Light shone outside the main barn door, beams filtering through the spaces between the boards.
Shit. Enzo was fast. Taking cover behind a stall, she pulled her mother with her in case Enzo took a shot at them. “You’ve got to get her to safety,” she whispered as Kane joined them. “Get her out of here.”
“I know you’re in there,’ Enzo yelled. “Now come out and bring the chip.”
“The plan’s blown,” Kane said, his grim expression telling her more than in words. He pushed her and her mother toward the back door. “It’s time to call the cops. Stay low. I’ll distract him.”
He pulled out his gun, all warrior. Ready to do battle for those he swore to protect.
No. No. No. Screw this. She knew what she had to do. She met Kane’s gaze and hoped that if she failed, he’d forgive her. She shoved her mother into his arms, almost knocking them both over. “Keep her safe,” she shouted as she sprinted out the door.
“You want the chip, come and get it,” she screamed, leading the thug away from her mother and Kane, daring him to follow.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she found herself heading toward the trapeze. Kane was right. Stupid idea. Complicated. But it was all she could think about as she ran. There was no room for anything else. Just the here and now.
A split-second decision.
She found herself at the base of the ladder and started climbing.
A bullet glanced off the railing near her head. She screamed, almost losing her grip. Only a few more feet, and she’d be safe on the platform.
Until he came up.
The ladder shook as he climbed behind her. She didn’t dare look down as she reached the platform.
Safety.
Thick, strong fingers wrapped around her ankle.
A shriek of fear burst from her throat before she could stop herself. She kicked out. Once Twice. Her foot connected with something hard. She hoped it was his head.
Enzo shouted and let her go. She crawled on to the platform and felt for the clip that secured the bar. She needed to get into the air. Her fingers clo
sed on the metal clasp. There. The bar released. She gripped it like a life preserver.
Strong hands grabbed her from behind. “Where’s the chip, bitch?” Enzo growled in her ear as he lifted her off her feet.
She was going to die.
Tammi Lynn flashed through her mind. Helpless on the floor. Begging. Too scared to fight back. Too weak to try and survive. She didn’t want to be that person. The one who let death take them without a battle. She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t fragile and helpless.
She wasn’t Tammi Lynn.
Still gripping the bar, she struggled. Kicked. “Let me go,” she screamed, flinging her head back to break his nose.
He dodged the blow and wrapped an arm across her chest to subdue her. “Stop it and give me the fucking chip.”
His forearm. Mouth wide, she lunged down and sank her teeth into his skin. The salty taste of blood flowed over her tongue, and she bit down harder, determined to make him hurt.
Enzo screamed and let her go.
One hand on the bar, she swung into the air, the sudden weight of her body almost breaking her grip before she could reach up with the other hand. Then she was flying through the night.
“Holly,” it sounded like someone was over her shoulder. “What’s happening? Are you okay? You weren’t answering.”
The earpiece. She’d been so scared, so focused she hadn’t heard Kane.
“I’m fine. Good. Where are you?”
“Down here.”
She chanced a glance below as she floated through the air. He was standing at the edge of the net.
“Did you think I’d let you do this alone?” he asked.
A piece of her had. Of course, now she knew that was a foolish idea. If their places were flipped, she’d be at his side. How could she have thought he’d offer less? “Of course not,” she lied.
Enzo stood on the platform, gun out, barrel glinting in the moonlight. “Get back here. Now.”
“What’s the plan?” Kane asked.
She couldn’t make out the details, but she knew Enzo was tracking her with the gun. Hitting a moving target in the dark with a handgun was almost impossible, but she didn’t want to take any chances. “If I kick him off the platform, can you take him?”
Undercover With the Enemy Page 21