Why? Why this building? This area?
She was so engrossed she screamed when a hand closed over her arm. The sound was quickly silenced by a male hand over her mouth, and she was pulled backward off the street into an alley. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest.
Thankfully, she recognized that touch.
And the strong chest pressed against her back.
Marc.
He removed his hand and turned her. Without stopping to think, she threw her arms around his neck and met his mouth halfway. The kiss they shared was a declaration. An affirmation of what they both knew but hadn’t yet vocalized.
He broke it off and hugged her to him.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
He kissed her forehead. “I talked to Jeremy. He told me you’d be here, so I had my men perform a shrinking sweep of the surrounding area.”
She shook her head in self-disgust. “I should have been watching my back as well as doing reconnaissance. I know better.”
He ran a hand down her back, cupping one of her ass cheeks possessively. “You don’t have to watch your back. I’m more than happy to do it.”
Heart still thudding in her chest, she rolled her eyes and asked, “Did you seriously just go there?”
He tapped her nose with one finger in reprimand. “Hey, no critiquing my sexual banter. I’m working the moment here.” He kissed her deeply again and said, “Promise me one thing.”
After a kiss like that—anything.
“Yes?” she asked huskily.
“Save that wig for later. I love it.” The devilish grin he shot her sent a wave of desire through her.
“This is not helping,” she said dryly, but in fact it was. I’m not alone. He came.
“Right.” Marc shook his head as if to clear it. “Do you have anyone planted in the area?”
Alethea pointed westward. “I have a dog walker if I need him, but I didn’t want to send him in until I knew what I was dealing with. I have a bad feeling about this. It was too easy to find him. He wanted to be found.”
“I agree. Jeremy voiced the same concern. That’s why we’re sweeping inward. I’m treating this area like a minefield because it just may be.” Marc turned his head away for a moment as he listened to his earpiece. “We just made contact with one of Stephan’s men. They were inside the loft when they were separated and somehow Stephan got locked inside. They heard another man’s voice and then Stephan told them to fall back and stay there until he contacts them.”
Alethea leapt out of Marc’s embrace. “Sliver has Stephan.”
Tight-lipped, Marc nodded. “It looks that way. I have enough men to surround the building. And snipers. I can set up a perimeter that he can’t escape and then we’ll lure him out.”
Alethea grabbed his arm. “No. Hang on. Why would Stephan send his men away?”
“Because someone has a gun to his head?”
No, that’s not it. I am way too nauseated for it to be that simple. “A gun would be a direct attack. That’s how you’d go after someone. Sliver is as much a coward as he is a genius. He’s not in that building. He’s nearby—watching. I know it.”
Alethea was used to people dismissing her theories, but Marc nodded in full agreement. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then asked, “Does all that watching require something we could trace? Like an unusually high amount of electrical usage?”
A smile spread across Alethea’s face. “You’re a genius.”
He shot her a humble smile. “No, but I’ve watched spy movies.” Then he pulled her back into his arms. “We’re going to get this bastard.”
Alethea wasn’t quite as confident. Having a hostage definitely gave Sliver an advantage. “What makes you so sure?”
The warm smile he gave her sent her heart beating wildly. “Because Sliver planned for Jeremy and Stephan. He even planned for me.” He hugged her closer and nuzzled her neck. “But no one—no one can prepare for you.”
She raised one eyebrow and leaned back. “I believe you just gave me a compliment.” When he smiled down unabashedly at her, her confidence rose. I hope to hell I’m half as good as he thinks I am. She took out her phone and called Jeremy. “Jeremy, I need you to hack into Con Edison for me.”
Jeremy instantly began typing. “We definitely need to start speaking in code. Okay, I’m in. What are we looking for?”
“Someone using enough electricity to power a command center in one of the nearby buildings.”
“Gotcha. Brilliant.”
Alethea looked up into a watchful pair of blue eyes. “It was Marc’s idea.”
Jeremy’s typing didn’t pause as he answered, “I like him.”
“Me, too,” Alethea said, then blushed when amusement filled Marc’s eyes and she realized he’d heard Jeremy’s comment.
“Found one,” Jeremy said with enthusiasm. “It’s across the street to the left. It has had at least two complaints from Con Edison regarding excessive usage.”
“We’ve got him,” Alethea said, and threw her arms triumphantly around Marc.
It took everything in Marc to resist picking Alethea up and carrying her as far away as he could from Sliver and the very real danger he posed. Over the years, Marc had stood proudly as the front line of Dominic’s security. He’d faced rebels, foreign police forces, and hired assassins.
Negotiating the deals Dominic and Jake had made over the years had taken them all into dicey situations, where the fact that they’d survived, had often been an inexplicable miracle. It was how Dominic had made his fortune. There wasn’t a country he wouldn’t deal with. No toppling government was too dangerous to bargain with. They’d checked their morality at the door and done whatever was necessary—short of murder—to achieve their goals.
Marc didn’t regret a moment of it. His loyalty to his boss had always come first. Without question. Without hesitation.
But he wasn’t as generous when it came to Alethea’s life. She had the heart of a Marine and the kick-ass attitude to be an honorary one, as far as he was concerned. He thought back to the men he had fought beside and lost, and closed his eyes briefly. He couldn’t lose Alethea, too.
But he also knew she wouldn’t leave, no matter what he said. She understood the risks and yet she wouldn’t leave this battleground willingly. He held her closer and breathed in her perfume.
Sophisticated.
Bold.
Just like her.
Oblivious to Marc’s inner turmoil, Alethea continued to direct Jeremy as she put him on speakerphone. “Are you able to cut off the electricity to that apartment? The one across the street?”
“I can shut off the whole building. The street, if you need it,” Jeremy answered.
“Good. Marc has men in the area. We can surround him where he is and, if we take away his eyes and ears, Marc can extricate him. But we’ll need to time this perfectly.” She met Marc’s eyes. “If Sliver has that loft rigged somehow, we’ll have to make him believe that keeping Stephan alive is his bargaining chip.”
Her eyes held the answer Marc feared. “While you . . .?”
Alethea met his eyes boldly. “I’m going to free Stephan. I’ve never met a security system I couldn’t breach.”
Except mine.
She flashed a smile at him, acknowledging that she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. “Honestly, I didn’t try that hard with yours.”
Jaw tight, Marc demanded what he knew she couldn’t promise. “You get in. Get Stephan and get out.” Then he surprised even himself by saying, “Because I won’t lose you now. I have every intention of marrying you.”
Alethea pulled back with irritation rather than the rosy, pleased flush he’d expected. “Marry? Are you seriously picking this moment to ask me?”
“Who said I’m asking? We belong together.” His smile became more confident as he said it out loud.
“No.”
His smile dimmed. “No?”
She put a hand on either hip. “This is not how you a
re going to propose to me. I want flowers. I want you down on your knee. All that hokey romantic stuff. And a ring. Something tasteful.”
There’s the woman I love. Tough as nails on the outside, but on the inside, wanting to be loved and cherished just as much as any other. It was a heady combination for him. She would indeed be a real partner to him in life, but she also needed him—just as much as he needed her.
Marc kissed her until the anger left her, and then teased, “How about I just toss you in my trunk, marry you quick, and make it up to you during our honeymoon?”
Before Alethea could answer, Jeremy’s voice rang out from the phone she still held in one hand. “Uh, guys? I don’t want to interrupt, but this is getting awkward. Do you want to call me back when you have a timetable?”
Back to business. Marc took the phone. “Jeremy, I may need a direct link to Sliver’s phone, in case we need to negotiate with him.” He quickly kissed Alethea’s upturned nose, then set her back from him.
He’d said what he needed to say, and although she hadn’t said yes, she’d given him an answer he could work with. “Once we do this, it has to go down fast. Sliver’s too smart to be kept off-balance long. We don’t want to give him time to come up with plan B.”
Jeremy said, “I can’t imagine this failing. Not with the two of you working together. Is there anything else you need?”
Marc held out a hand to Alethea.
She placed her hand in his and wordlessly accepted the meaning behind his offer.
“I have what I need right here,” Marc said, as he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. “And we’re going to kick some ass today.”
After they outlined a plan to Jeremy, there was no time to second-guess it. Marc radioed his men and put everyone in position to move in once the electricity was cut. Alethea would use that brief chaos to free Stephan. Jeremy sent over the specs for both buildings.
Marc gave Alethea one final, deep kiss. When they separated, she said softly, “Don’t you get killed, Marc. Don’t you dare get killed. I didn’t mean it when I said I don’t need anyone.”
He checked his watch, had Jeremy start the countdown to blackout, and said, “I’m not going anywhere. I have a proposal to plan.”
She gave him a cheeky smile. “Go big or go home.”
Jeremy interrupted their banter. “Blackout in ten minutes. Good luck guys.”
Marc hung up the phone and walked out of the alley side by side with Alethea. After she crossed the street, he signaled his men to close in and then sprinted into the other building and up the stairway to the fourth floor where, if they were correct, he’d find the only man he’d ever looked forward to killing.
Chapter Nineteen
Stephan flipped his wallet open and took out a small photo of Nicole. He remembered exactly when it had been taken. Last Christmas, at his uncle’s home. They’d been opening Christmas presents in a large group and one of his young cousins had tackled Nicole to thank her. She’d rolled back onto the couch with him, laughing. Her eyes had sparkled with so much love and laughter when she’d righted herself, that he hadn’t been able to resist snapping a photo. She’d never been more beautiful to him or more a part of his family.
He gave the photo one last look, then placed it in the pocket near his heart. I’m sorry, Nicole. You deserve a better man than I am. I brought this on us and I wish there were a way I could spare you from what I have to do.
Forgive me.
He cleared his throat and said, “Sliver, I’ve decided to take you up on your deal.”
Sounding gleeful, Sliver answered, “Excellent. I knew you would. You win this way.”
“Yes. I do. But I have one condition.”
“You don’t get to make conditions,” Sliver protested angrily. “I’m in control here.”
“Kurtis, we’ve worked together for a long time. You know how much I hate Dominic. But you also know that I need a guarantee that this will be clean. I won’t make a phone call unless you clear this building of people. Tell them it’s a gas leak.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because, just like me, you don’t want witnesses. The more people involved, the more risk there is that the truth will come out. You kill them, you bring unwanted attention to both of us. Get rid of them and I’ll make sure Dominic comes alone. You won’t have to blow up the building. You can bide your time and pick him off with a sniper shot if you want. Clean. Or drug him and take him somewhere else to dispose of him. I don’t care. But if you think I’m going to let this become an FBI investigation that lands me in prison, you’re insane.”
There was a long pause, then Sliver asked, “How do I know I can trust you to follow through if I clear the building?”
Stephan chose his words carefully. “You were right. I never stopped hating Dominic. My life will be better without him. My only regret is that you’ll be the one who gets to kill him.”
After another long pause, Sliver said, “I’ve just sent a message via the gas company’s computer to the woman downstairs. Gas leak, just as you said. Immediate evacuation necessary.”
Stephan heard the phone ring downstairs. Followed by a rustling, then a door slamming. Stephan watched from the window to ensure that she did indeed leave the building with her child. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw both enter a taxi moments later.
His relief was short-lived. “Now, make the call,” Sliver demanded.
Stephan put a hand over the photo in his pocket and said, “Go to hell.”
“But you said . . .”
Stephan laughed in triumph. “How can someone be so smart and remain so gullible? Dominic is my family and, to an Andrade, family is everything. I would never give him to you.”
With a voice that held a hint of desperation, Sliver threatened, “You think I won’t press the button? You think I won’t blow you up? You’re wrong. If you won’t make the call, you’re worthless to me. At least I can enjoy watching you die.”
“Do it, you coward. If killing me gives Dominic a heads-up on where you are, then I die happy. Your plan for revenge has gotten sloppy, my friend. How does it feel to know that you won’t live much longer than I will?”
Chapter Twenty
Jeremy’s phone call drained all color from Dominic’s face. He looked across the room at his sister, who was sitting stiffly on the edge of a chair, watching him. Her expression turned hopeful when their eyes met.
I can’t tell her what’s really happening. I swore I would never be the reason she cried again.
Abby was at his side in a flash. “Who was that?”
Even though he wanted to, he couldn’t lie to her. “Jeremy.”
“What did he say?” She grabbed his arm desperately.
Dominic pulled her to him and just held her for a moment. Not since the birth of Judy had he felt so unsure of what to do. Stephan was wrong; Kurtis was not his fault. I did this to my family. I let my anger divide us and gave Sliver the advantage. “Jeremy is working with Alethea and Marc as we speak. They found Stephan. Sliver has him.”
Nicole stood up and swayed. “What do you mean, Sliver has Stephan? Has him how? Has him where? Is he hurt?”
They were past sugarcoating the events. “Somehow Sliver locked Stephan in his loft apartment. Stephan ordered his men to fall back. Alethea and Marc think that means Sliver rigged the building to explode.”
Abby wrapped her arms around Dominic’s waist and hugged him tightly. The shiver he felt pass through her tore at him.
It should be me in that loft.
With tears in her eyes, Abby asked, “What does this guy want?”
Dominic looked down and tucked a stray hair tenderly behind one of her ears. God, I love this woman. I know she won’t want to hear what I have to say, and I hope she forgives me. “Me. He wasn’t expecting Stephan to show up.”
Nicole rushed to her brother’s side. “If he doesn’t want him, he’ll let him go, right?”
Dominic shook his head slo
wly.
Abby sensed a change in Dominic. She searched his face for confirmation of what she knew was coming. “Don’t go, Dominic. Marc is already there. He won’t let anything happen to Stephan.”
Dominic slowly released Abby. “You know I have to do this,” he said softly. “Jake, I need your helicopter.”
Abby covered her face with both hands and started to cry.
Jake shook his head. “This is what he wants you to do, Dom. He wants to lure you out. This is a game to him.”
Very gently, Dominic took Abby’s hands in his and leaned down to kiss her wet cheek. “Abby, you came into my life and made me a better man. I know what’s important now. I can’t sit here while a member of my family is in danger.” He turned and touched his sister’s shoulder softly. “You will have your wedding day, Nicole. I’ll make sure of it. And your husband will be my brother.”
Nicole threw herself in her brother’s arms and sobbed.
Fresh tears streamed down Abby’s cheeks, but she met Dominic’s eyes and nodded. She gripped her hands in front of her. “You get this guy, Dom, and you make sure he can never hurt us again.”
Lil didn’t try to stop Jake when he went to stand beside his business partner. Instead, she took her sister’s hand in one of her own and Nicole’s hand in her other. She said, “They aren’t going in alone. Alethea is there and I’ve never seen her fail.”
Abby hugged Lil and looked up at the ceiling. “I swear if no one dies today I am going to hug that woman until it gets embarrassingly awkward.”
Dominic was suddenly all business. “Marc said they have the ground covered. I want to be in the air in case Sliver has an upward escape planned. We’ll land on the roof.”
Jake instructed one of the security men to relay a radio message to his pilot. “Are we taking anyone with us?”
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