The tunnel split in two directions. At one time, it led to a secret entrance on the outskirts of the property, but after some exploring, she discovered it’d been completely covered by a slab of concrete and a storage building. She turned right, plunging into the bowels of the home. She navigated the slight incline, batting down cobwebs left and right. Spiders didn’t bother her. Mice either. Terrorists, suicide bombers, child abusers…those were the things that made her skin crawl.
She was so busy destroying an elaborate web, she almost smacked into a wall. The tunnel dead-ended at Mullins’ study, so she’d reached the end of the road. She ran the beam of light along the wall, finding seams where the mechanism operated. She checked for any kind of trigger to activate the opening. When she didn’t find any, she took a deep breath and pushed. It took muscle, but the panel rotated and suddenly, she was inside the devil’s lair. She marveled at the design that allowed for the bookcase to soundlessly swing open and closed seamlessly. As soon as she was through, the wall eased back into place. You’d never know there was an opening behind it. Now her problem would be finding the trigger that opened the portal so she could leave. She glanced at the shelves covered with hundreds of books. One of them might be the trigger, but it’d take hours to find. Dammit, why hadn’t she stuck something inside to block it? Rookie mistake.
Sticking the light in her mouth, she unzipped the pouch hidden inside her yoga pants and removed the cameras and listening devices. She positioned two cameras so they encompassed the desk and another aimed at the door. The listening devices were scattered throughout the room. No one would be able to whisper a prayer without the mics picking it up.
A warning tickle creeped down her neck. Someone was coming. She quickly removed one of her earrings and tossed it on the floor just as the door swung open and a bright light blinded her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Chapter Eighteen
Hunter Malone pinned the exotic beauty with the beam of his light. Her green eyes were rounded in fear and she looked poised to flee. Finding her inside Mullins’ very private space was a serious offense. The man had gone to great lengths to secure it and only three people had access. He wondered what her story would be.
When Mullins asked him to sit in on the interviews for a fitness instructor, he’d been annoyed. What the hell did he care if Mullins got centered or offered up a prayer to Ra or whatever the hell you did when you practiced yoga. Why the man thought he needed to bend himself into a pretzel was beyond him. He figured he just wanted to watch a beautiful woman stretch. Hunter would’ve hired the first candidate just so he didn’t have to sit through another two interviews. Then he went to fetch Talia Levy and felt like he’d been sucker punched by a prize-winning boxer. All the air left his lungs in a rush. She was fit and toned, probably five seven or eight with long black hair, olive skin and light green eyes. To call her beautiful was an understatement. She was drop dead gorgeous. There’d been no doubt Mullins would hire her. She looked like the women he’d been escorting to political events in the six weeks Hunter had worked for him.
He’d almost laughed out loud when Mullins announced his entire security detail would take part in the classes. Hunter didn’t plan on doing any of those fruity moves. Then he’d met the teacher and figured, what the hell. He’d see what all the fuss was about. It’d been harder than he thought and he had to admit, he felt an inner calmness once the session ended. Still, it wasn’t something he planned on practicing. Just because Mullins wanted to prepare himself for his run to the White House didn’t mean they all needed to follow along. Still, he was a healthy male and watching a beautiful woman flex and stretch her body wasn’t a bad way to spend an hour a day.
Hunter hadn’t been surprised when Mullins offered Talia room and board. It would give him easy access. What did surprise him was that he hoped she had better judgment than to hop into bed with the senator. During the reception, he’d watched her cling to Mullins’ arm, bat her lashes and laugh at everything the man said. Disappointment punched Hunter in the gut.
She’d better get her fill soon because if he had anything to say about it, Mullins wouldn’t be here in a few weeks.
The woman covered her eyes to block the glare of the light, pulling him from his musings. He lowered the beam to her chest. “Are you going to answer my question?”
“Lo siento, pero no hablo inglés.”
He almost smiled. She didn’t speak English his ass. She spoke flawlessly yesterday, with barely a hint of an accent. He answered her in Spanish. “Lo siento pero sé que lo haces.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you are?”
“You met me yesterday. And you well know it. I escorted you to your room. I even took your class.” There had been an instant chemistry that was impossible to deny.
“I do not remember you,” she denied. “I met a hundred people.” She waved a breezy hand. “You expect me to remember every little worker bee?”
Ouch. Nothing like a beautiful woman brushing you off as forgettable. “Malone. Security.”
“Malone,” she repeated. “Is that first or last?”
“What does it matter,” he retorted. “I’m just a lowly worker bee you have no need to remember…except that I’m the one who holds your fate in my hands. Tell me why you’re in Mullins’ private office…locked, I might add.” And that was something to think about. The door had been locked when he noticed a strange light flickering under the door when he passed by on his way to the kitchen. Either she possessed wicked lock-picking skills and the supernatural ability to bypass the biometric sensors, or she had help. The senator wouldn’t allow her inside, so that left Ike Morris. The thought of her being in cahoots with Morris was almost worse than her jumping into bed with Mullins.
Fists slammed onto narrow hips. “Fine. If you must know. I have lost an earring. It was a very special gift from my savta…er, grandmother.” She peeked up at him. Interesting. Savta was the Hebrew name for grandmother. She’d been trying to push herself off as Spanish, but she was most definitely Israeli. “I have looked all over the house and this is the only room that I did not get the chance to search.”
“Why were you in here in the first place?” Mullins didn’t bring people in here…unless it was to conduct illegal activities.
“Mrs. Anders was giving me a tour of the house and Gene…oops.” She covered her mouth and smiled. “Mr. Mullins called us inside.”
She was cool as a cucumber. She didn’t miss a beat. He was sure she let the Gene comment slip to let him know she was tight with their boss. Would she be the next bimbo to warm his bed?
The thought made his stomach sour.
“Why are you looking for it now?”
“I only realized it was missing right before the reception. I did not have time to look then. I do not want to wait any longer to find it. It looks like this.” She showed him an earring before securing it in an ear. “Now, it is late and I would like to get my beauty sleep.” She raked him with a mocking glance. “I am sure you could use it too, no?”
Zing. Another direct hit. Man, he should be bleeding from the wounds she was inflicting on his ego. “How did you get in?”
“What do you mean? The door was unlocked.”
He shook his head. “Nice try. The door is never unlocked. You need a pass code and a fingerprint. Are you working with Morris?”
“Who is Morris? I do not know this name.”
That sounded sincere. “The person who let you inside.”
She huffed. “Are you hard of hearing? I just told you, the door was unlocked.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. She met his stare mutinously. Damn, she had Hunter questioning himself. Was it possible Mullins forgot to lock his door? He had downed practically an entire bottle of scotch.
“Help me look for it and then we can go on our merry ways.” She shoved him towards the black leather sofa and then made a shooing move with her hand. “Look over there.”
Hunter’s mou
th sagged open. He was six four and a solid two-twenty. He intimidated men just by glaring at them. This woman wasn’t the least bit afraid of him. When she got down on her hands and knees to peer under a chair, he forgot to breathe. The black pants she wore molded to her heart-shaped behind and it was all he could do to keep from reaching out and shaping the taut globes with his hands.
She glanced over her shoulder and pinned him with a glare. “When you are done checking out my ass, could you help me look? Please,” she added, insincerely if you asked him.
He forced his gaze away and flashed the beam along the floor. Something shiny reflected in the light. Well, I’ll be damned. He bent down and fingered the dangly red earring. She did lose an earring. “What does it look like?”
She huffed out a sigh. “I just showed it to you.”
“Remind me.”
She mumbled something under her breath.
“What was that?”
“I said, it is a teardrop shaped ruby with a solid gold post.”
He was pretty sure that wasn’t what she’d said, but her description matched the one in his hand. “Is this it?” He held the earring aloft.
She gasped and jumped gracefully to her feet. “You have found it!”
She reached for it but he held it out of her grasp. “What are you doing?”
“How do I know this is yours?”
She rolled her eyes…and her head. He bit back a smile. Jerking her chain was the highlight of his evening.
“I just described it to you, durak.” The last word was whispered under her breath. Did she just call him stupid…in Russian, no less? How many languages did this yoga teacher speak? He didn’t hide the smile this time.
“Est-ce que je mentirais à toi, chérie?”
“How should I know if you would lie to me? I do not even know you. And I am not your sweetheart.”
So, that made French, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian and English. He loved a multi-lingual woman. Languages came easy to him…probably a result of traveling all over the world with his military father growing up. He spoke seven himself.
He reached for her but she gasped and jerked back. “Easy, princess,” he cajoled. He brushed the hair from her face with his fingertips and held the earring to the matching one in her left ear. Her hair smelled of flowers and felt like spun silk. He had the overwhelming urge to bury his hands in the sleek strands. “It’s a match,” he announced.
She jerked the earring from his grip. “Well of course it is.” Without using a mirror, she slipped the hook-shaped post into her right ear. “I told you that it was.”
So, the princess had a bit of a temper. It brought color to her high cheekbones and a sparkle to her sea-glass eyes. For a second, he thought she might be able to kick his ass. Why that turned him on, he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried. He bent down and touched his lips to hers.
Sparks ignited from the contact. Her lips were soft and lush and when she gasped, he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Her hands gripped his shirt, but she wasn’t pushing him away. They fisted in the material and pulled him closer. He groaned and gave into the urge to plow his hands into the silken strands. She hooked a leg around him, bringing their bodies in perfect alignment and he couldn’t hide the fact that he was achingly, painfully aroused.
As quickly as it started, the kiss ended when she suddenly lurched back. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do.” Lifting her chin, she spun around and marched to the door. He didn’t think he could walk if his life depended on it.
What the hell just happened? One minute, he was busting a rogue employee for invading the boss’s private lair, the next he was swapping spit with the most intoxicating woman he’d ever met. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts of burying himself in her sexy curves, he took several deep breaths and willed his body to stand down. Wasn’t going to happen.
When he felt capable of moving again, he made quick work of checking his listening devices, making sure they were still in place. As he slid his fingers along an edge of Mullins’ desk, he encountered a small bump…a very small one. He crouched down and flashed his light on the spot. With a fingernail, he pried off the black dot and examined it. “Well, I’ll be damned.” There was another device and this one was so small, it was virtually impossible to detect. Who else was listening in on Mullins’ conversations? It wasn’t here yesterday, which meant someone had been inside today. He reattached the bug to the same spot and stood. He’d bet money there were cameras as well.
Time to head back to his room and check his feed to see who else was interested in the comings and goings of Senator Eugene Mullins and his associates.
#
Hunter slipped inside the carriage house on the back edge of Mullins’ property. He unsnapped the harness holding his Glock and removed the leather holster. As part of Mullins’ security team, he was licensed to carry. He flicked on the computer monitor and accessed the program to bring up the feed in Mullins’ study. He rewound a few minutes and hit play. He watched as a flashlight suddenly snapped on and there was Talia. He sat up in the chair. How the hell did she get in? She didn’t enter through the door. He hit rewind and played the film again. Still nothing. After rewinding again, he went slower this time. There! Something happened with the bookcase. He stopped the frame, clipped an image of the shot and uploaded it to a photo manipulation program. He played with the tones and lighting until he could clearly see Talia slipping inside through a secret door.
He sat back hard in his chair. A hidden tunnel. That wasn’t on the original design plans of the house. How the hell did a yoga teacher know about it?
Pushing to his feet, he padded to the bed and used his thumbnail to pry up a floor plank. He withdrew his own biometrically secured safe and punched in the code. When it instructed him, he placed his hand on the screen. The lock clicked open. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. It was early in the morning but someone would be there.
When a voice came on the line, he said, “It’s Malone. I need a background check on a Talia Levy. I forwarded a copy of her driver’s license yesterday.” It looked legit but they could be counterfeited. “Make it a priority.” He disconnected and walked back to the screen, fast-forwarding to the kiss. His body reacted again, just seeing her sink against his body.
Who the hell was Talia Levy?
And what was her interest in Senator Mullins?
Chapter Nineteen
Layla checked the level of gas and decided to fill the tank at the next station she happened upon. She was making good time and so far, knock on wood, her car was holding up. She’d set her alarm for midnight so she could do most of the driving before rush hour.
She’d dreaded telling Tiffany and Sean about her plans but they’d been surprisingly supportive. They wanted their father stopped as much as she did and understood her need to be involved. If she wasn’t mistaken, they were excited for her to be reunited with Luke as well.
Speaking of Luke, he’d no doubt be pissed, but he wouldn’t send her away. She hoped. She planned on stopping by a grocery to pick up ingredients to prepare a nice dinner. The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, so she was hoping the way to forgiveness travelled the same path. She didn’t have the culinary skills of his sister, but she knew her way around the kitchen. Before her mother met Mullins, they used to experiment with recipes and create dishes of their own. Some of her happiest memories with her mom were spent in the kitchen.
Another reason she’d left so early was so Jade and Taylor wouldn’t have to lie to their husbands. She’d hated asking them to do so and even though they both agreed, it didn’t feel right. This way, she’d already be in Georgia when they found out.
An hour later, she navigated to the market closest to the neighborhood where Luke was staying. Keeping her head down, she scanned the shelves for ingredients, having decided on Italian. She didn’t have to worry about running into Mullins. He considered shopping a woman’s job. She couldn’t
remember one time he’d stepped foot into a grocery store when she’d lived with him.
When she rounded an aisle, she could see the collision happening but was helpless to avoid it. A woman checking the display on her phone crashed her cart into hers with a loud clang.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry,” the woman exclaimed. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Don’t shop and text, right?”
Layla was struck mute. The woman looked at her, narrowed her eyes and then they widened in shock. Her face paled. “Layla?” she whispered, reaching out a hand. “Am I seeing a ghost?”
Layla’s gaze skittered around and shook her head. A few people had turned to check out the commotion, but they quickly went back to their tasks. Stepping closer, she whispered, “No, please, Bev, don’t say anything. Not here.”
Her mother’s best friend’s eyes filled and she hugged her. “Oh, it is you! But, honey, what…”
Layla shook her head again. “There’s a coffee shop around the corner. Meet me there in half an hour and I’ll explain everything.”
Bev lifted a hand to her mouth and nodded, a couple of the tears spilling over. “It’s so good to see you. The twins?”
“Half an hour,” Layla murmured and then continued down the row, trying to reign in her emotions and focus. She needed to finish shopping and pay for her groceries. She wasn’t prepared to reveal her identity yet. If it had been anyone but her mother’s closest friend, she would’ve been able to brush past without anyone being the wiser. But as soon as she saw Bev’s face, it brought thoughts of her mother rushing back and she couldn’t move.
Her mother trusted Bev with all her secrets and fears. Maybe she told her about the abuse she suffered at Mullins’ hands. Maybe she confided her suspicions of his illegal activities. If so, having her identity revealed would be worth it.
Face the Music (COBRA Securities Book 9) Page 13