KanesBounty

by A. S. Fenichel

  “Yes.” There was less confidence in the one word than there had been in everything else she’d said since they entered the hotel room.

  Kane leaned back and closed his eyes again. “You’re safe, Lena. I never take what isn’t offered freely and willingly. Though if you’re offering, I’m not saying no.” His cock jumped at the idea, but he pushed the urge away.

  There was a long pause and he could feel her considering the idea. Surprise could not begin to describe his emotion at that moment. He’d expected repulsion, but she was scared, not repulsed. He opened his eyes and watched her. She suddenly looked small and fragile. All her bravado had left her.

  His chest tightened and he couldn’t suppress the need to know what had happened to this woman. “It won’t change the fact that I have to turn you in, Lena. Just get some sleep.” He knew his words would make her angry, but also ease her trepidation.

  It had the desired effect. “You’re no better than your friend, Wade.”

  He felt his mouth quirk up on one side. “At least I didn’t punch you in the head.”

  * * * * *

  Kane didn’t sleep, but he kept his eyes closed and his senses open. He knew the moment another hunter was on the property. He even recognized who it was and it was not a comfort.

  He eased off the bed and shook her awake. Her bare arm felt silky and warm under his touch. Damn, everything about this woman aroused him. “Lena, wake up. We’ve got trouble.”

  She was awake and alert in an instant.

  “Put your shoes on and try to close your mind off or they’ll track us.”

  He took his own advice and shut down his senses. Now that he knew who was after her, there was no point leading them to the room.

  “Who is it? I thought they would arrest Wade.”

  “It’s not Wade.” He took her by the wrist while tossing his duffle over his shoulder.

  “Who, then?”

  He could see the whites of her eyes in the dim light, but she had closed off her mind more naturally than most people could. He didn’t have time to think about it. “Troth Banta. He’s a mercenary, used to be Special Forces. What the hell did you take? No way Thorn calls in guns this big for money.”

  “I didn’t take anything from him.” Her voice was only a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear.

  She had shut her mind off, so he didn’t know for sure if she was lying or not. Though, at the very least, he thought she believed what she said.

  It didn’t matter, she was his mark and he’d captured her. That made her his responsibility until he turned her over to the courts. No one, not even Troth Banta, would harm her while he breathed.

  He turned to her and grabbed her chin. “Listen to me very carefully, Lena. I know you don’t trust me and you have no reason to. But if you run, Banta will catch you. I promise you, you’re better off with me than with him. If you want to go back to your ex, fine. I’ll send you out there and I don’t have to risk my neck.”

  “I can’t go back,” she said. A flash of fear crossed her face, but she had amazing command of her mind and he felt nothing from her.

  “Then stay close to me and don’t make a sound. Do everything I tell you, and since you’re so good at it, keep your mind closed off.”

  She nodded and he released her chin.

  He had questions, lots of them, but they would have to wait. He pushed the table out of the way and opened the door. She did as he’d told her and stayed close, so close her spicy scent filled his head. Keep your eye on the ball, Kane.

  He ran down the hallway to a fire escape leading to an alley. They reached the ground a minute later. At the corner of the building, he peered around.

  Four heavily armed men flanked Banta. It was a typical Psi assault team. All dressed in black, wearing body armor and ammo vests. Kane looked down at the petite woman tucked close behind him and wondered what she could have done to warrant this kind of attention. Banta was the tallest at six and a half feet, but the others were all big. Every one of them probably outweighed Lena by a hundred pounds, yet they felt they needed five men to catch her. He looked down at her wide eyes. She was terrified. None of this made sense.

  “I know you’re on the ground, Kane,” Banta barked.

  Kane pulled back behind the dark corner. They squatted and listened.

  “We just want the woman and the stones. You’re hired help, man. You don’t have to get hurt in this. You have no investment in this woman. She’s trouble and you know it. Send her out with the stones and you walk away. Thorn will compensate you for the bounty you lose.”

  When he turned toward Lena, her face was only inches from his. She watched him, and he could see she thought he would turn her over. Everything the mercenary said was true. He should not care what happened to one mark. All he should care about was getting paid for his trouble. What did it matter who signed the check?

  “Shit,” he said under his breath. He took her hand and moved to the right, around the back of the hotel. The alley was dark and they crossed to the other side unnoticed, heading down another alley between two houses and into the street one block over. They held hands and could have been mistaken for any loving couple on a stroll.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Back down by the river.”

  “Are you crazy? It’s too crowded. We’ll be seen.”

  “The crowd will make it harder to spot us. Plus, we can find a taxi and get out of here.”

  “Don’t you have a car?” Her voice was filled with disdain.

  “Sure. Banta was standing right in front of it when he called my name. Do you want to go back and get it?”

  “I’ll pass.”

  He chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”

  The crowds down near the river were the perfect cover. Kane held tight to Lena’s hand. She could bolt into the sea of people and he’d have a tough time finding her, or worse, Banta and his men would pick her up.

  Why did he care what happened to this woman? She was nothing to him, yet he did care. This is going to be a problem.

  He spotted a red-and-white cab dropping off a group of young women dressed to party in the upbeat, touristy, river walk area. When the last one exited, he held the door open and ducked his head in.

  “Can you take us to the airport, buddy?”

  “Sure thing, jump in.” The driver’s thick Georgian accent welcomed them.

  “Thanks.” Kane let Lena precede him into the backseat.

  It was nearly ten at night when they finally reached the airport terminal. He paid the driver and took Lena’s hand again. He didn’t know why so many people were after her, but for the moment, she was still his mark and he was not letting her go.

  They moved inside to the departures board. A long list of cities, times and whether or not the flights were on time or delayed flashed above them.

  “There are no flights to Boston until morning,” she said.

  “Doesn’t matter. They’ll be waiting at the airport in Boston.” His eyes ticked down the screen. Once he found what he was looking for, he took her hand again and tugged her toward the ticket counter. “Act as if you like me and follow my lead.”

  He spared a glance down at her. There was the most adorable scowl on her face. He wished he was the guy who could kiss the crease between her brows away. Shaking his head, he turned back to the woman at the counter. “Ma’am,” he started in his best Southern accent. “We just got a wild hair to take a trip. Packed our bathing suits and toothbrushes and here we are. Can you find us a nice beach somewhere so we can relax for a few days?”

  For her part, Lena leaned into him and rubbed her hand across his chest. She rested her cheek on his biceps and sighed. God, what he wouldn’t give for her affection to be real. He gave himself a mental shake. Even though he tried to banish the feelings, his cock would not stand down. Her touch mixed with her scent was too much.

  The blonde behind the counter smiled and looked at them. “Do you have your passports?
”

  “We sure do.”

  She tapped on her computer keyboard. “I can get you on the ten fifty-nine flight to Cabo San Lucas, but you’ll have to hurry and I only have first class left.”

  Lena squeezed his arm hard. “That would be just perfect, ma’am. Nothin’ is too good for my sweetheart.” He kissed the top of Lena’s head. Her hair was soft and warm.

  He dug in his bag, produced two US passports and a credit card he handed to the ticket agent.

  She looked at them and started typing. “Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, I hope you have a wonderful trip. You may have time to call for a hotel room before you board, but you better go to the gate first.” She smiled and handed him back the passports and card.

  Two boarding passes printed in the tray in front of him. He grabbed the papers and signed the credit card receipt. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. You’d better hurry.”

  He nodded, took Lena’s hand and rushed toward security.

  He handed her one boarding pass and a passport.

  “Laurie Johnston?”

  “Yup, Mr. and Mrs. John and Laurie Johnston.”

  “This doesn’t look anything like me.”

  He glanced down at the picture of a dark-haired, brown-eyed woman in her late twenties. “Close enough.”

  She didn’t say more as they reached the security line and had to produce the ID and boarding passes. The agent looked at the picture and then at her before signing his initials and telling her to have a good trip.

  The gate was at the other end of the terminal. By the time they reached it, the plane was boarding, and they were in first class, so they rushed right up to the attendant scanning boarding passes, made their way down the jet bridge and into seats 2A and 2B. He put his duffle under the seat in front of him and sat down in the roomy seat.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  He looked at her. Her eyes had dark rings under them and she stared at him. He had no idea how to answer her question. Why was he doing this? Why didn’t he just turn her over and forget about her? She was trouble, anyone could see that. “You need to get some sleep.”

  “So do you,” she said. “Why are you doing this, or should I ask what are you doing?”

  “I’m protecting my mark. You’re my responsibility until I turn you over to the courts.” It was only half a lie. She was his responsibility, but taking her out of the country to protect her from a slightly insane mercenary probably went beyond his purview.

  Her full mouth turned up in a sad smile. “You should have turned me over to Banta.”

  He leaned forward until his face was just a breath away from hers. “You’d be dead or worse if I had done that.”

  “Wouldn’t be your problem. Wouldn’t be your fault.”

  He couldn’t help himself, he drifted forward. His lips touched hers. What are you doing, Kane? It was a long, closed-mouth kiss. Her lips were soft and pliant. She didn’t move away or move in for more. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a second to enjoy her essence. Then he pulled away and opened his eyes.

  She smiled at him and he had no idea what she was thinking. Her mind was still sealed as if it was a steel trap.

  “I don’t know why I did it. I couldn’t let you die. I’m breaking about ten different laws taking you out of the country.”

  “Do you still plan to turn me in?”

  He shrugged. “It’s my job.”

  She frowned and turned away from him.

  The cabin door closed and announcements were being made as they started to pull away from the gate. He didn’t know why he wanted to protect Lena Cruz, but he could not have turned her over to an animal like Banta. The thought of him touching her made Kane’s skin crawl.

  “Get some sleep, Lena. When we’re in the air, we can talk and you can tell me why everyone is so keen on getting to you.”

  Her frown deepened, but she turned toward the window and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Two

  When she woke up, Lena’s ears pounded from the air pressure and she had to clear them before she could face opening her eyes. An untouched glass of water sat on the small tray between their two seats.

  “Is that for me?” she croaked.

  He turned and smiled. “Yup.”

  Her stomach did a flip-flop. Kane was devastatingly good-looking. She would have thought he’d be a male model rather than a bounty hunter when she noticed him in the bar back in Savannah. His height and broad shoulders hadn’t looked so good when she was hanging over his back, but she had to admit his ass had been outstanding from that vantage point. Then, when she’d seen those sapphire-blue eyes, her heart had actually jumped in her chest. If only he hadn’t been the source of her immediate trouble, she wouldn’t have minded a quick tumble in the hotel room with a man who looked like him.

  As it was, he was an enigma. He captured her, but then saved her, and now she wasn’t sure what he was doing.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  It was distracting having him so close. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man and even longer since she’d wanted someone. “As if I’ve been tossed around like a beanbag.”

  He laughed, but never took his gaze away from her. “It’s a strange thing about being a telepath. Some people are harder to read than others. You have a strong, complicated mind, but still I get a sense of what you’re thinking. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” She could not help wanting him. He was all hard male lines and warm musky scent. Everything about him screamed sex.

  He leaned over the console between their seats. His lips grazed her earlobe and his breath titillated her every nerve. “If you don’t change your line of thinking, I’m going to take you right here in this plane and I would much rather wait until we are in some nice beachside hotel with crisp white sheets and vodka in the minibar.”

  She smiled. Her body hummed with wanting him, but still the words that came out of her mouth were harsh. It was who she had become over the past few years. She didn’t like it, but there it was. “Is that why you’re helping me, Kane? Is it because you want to fuck me?”

  His tongue tickled her ear and he gave no reaction to her words. “I haven’t even decided if I’m going to help you yet, Lena. At the moment, I’m just protecting my mark.”

  He might have lied, but he didn’t. She liked the idea he would have sex with her, but he wouldn’t pretend it would stop him from turning her in. She chuckled.

  He leaned back in his own seat, but continued to watch her. “Tell me what it is you took from Thorn and why all these various hunters are after you.”

  “Do you have a last name?” she asked.

  His smile nearly had her spilling everything before she knew if he could be trusted. How was a girl supposed to combat perfectly straight, white teeth, full lips and a day and a half of dark beard?

  “Lakeland.” He didn’t say anything more, just watched and waited for the answer to his question.

  “I didn’t steal anything. I left with only what was mine,” she said.

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “But the thing that’s yours is what Thorn wants?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does Thorn use a sixth sense?”

  The question surprised her. “He’s a dowser,” she said before she could think of a reason to avoid answering.

  “So he senses the power in other people.”

  “And objects,” she added.

  “Do you use a sixth sense, Lena?” He leaned close to her again. His lips were only a millimeter from hers.

  “No, not exactly.”

  “But you have an item he desires, yet can’t use.”

  “Yes.” The word escaped on a breath.

  “If I kiss you now, it’s not because I want information, Lena. I just can’t help myself.”

  His soft declaration sent liquid heat directly to her pussy. She clenched her thighs together, heightening the sensation. “I know.”

  His
lips toyed with her bottom one, sucking it in gently and then releasing it. He did the same to her upper lip and she responded in kind. The kiss was gentle, lip to lip. He nipped at the corners of her mouth and trailed kisses along her chin and jaw before returning to her mouth and plunging his tongue inside. She gasped. He made love to her mouth and she felt as if she were the only person in his world. The other passengers ceased to exist. To her horror, if he had asked, she would have allowed him to fuck her on the plane. Her body responded to him and a soft moan escaped her lips.

  He pulled away. His breath was as unsteady as hers.

  Her gaze lowered to his lap, where a substantial bulge pressed against his jeans. Unfortunately, the end of the kiss brought with it the realization that they were not alone. She longed to touch his cock, caress it, have him deep inside her.

  “Please stop.” His voice sounded pained.

  “Sorry.” She’d forgotten he could read her mind. “Can you actually hear what I’m thinking?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I get a pretty good idea when the thoughts are that intense.”

  “Can you turn it off?”

  “Yes, but it’s uncomfortable. It’s like holding your nose or covering your ears.”

  “I would think it would be uncomfortable to hear what everyone is thinking.”

  He shrugged. “I’m used to it. I can focus it. Like being in a crowded restaurant, but only really hearing the person across the table. You hear the rest of the talking, but it’s background noise.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  He turned toward her again. “What is it you have that Thorn wants?”

  “The Stones of Adeline.”

  “What’s that?”

  Her instinct told her to tell him, but her training and experience with Thorn warned her not to say too much.

  “I won’t betray you, Lena. Even if I turn you over to the courts, I’ll never tell anyone what you tell me about the stones.”

  He was reading her mind. She shut herself off. She’d learned that trick in the last two years too. She could seal away her mind from interlopers. It was something she’d needed to learn while being married to Oscar. He was always trying to find out how he could use the stones, but get rid of her. It had become as simple as flipping a switch to her.