Sweet Seduction Serenade

by Nicola Claire

  "Take it easy, cowgirl. It's just me," Ben murmured, his eyes flicking over my body, no doubt looking for obvious signs of injury, and then flicking around the vehicle just as quickly. "Are you hurt?"

  "N...no," I stammered.

  "You wanna put the safety on that thing and aim it somewhere else maybe?" he asked, casually, tilting his head towards the Glock in my hand, which was currently trained on his chest.

  I shakily did what he requested, placing the gun down in the footwell I was kneeling in and running both hands through my dishevelled hair, pulling loose strands off my face in an effort to calm myself down.

  "You scared the darn crap out of me," I admitted, my voice still a little wobbly.

  "Yeah, well, you scared the darn crap out of us firin' at the targets," he returned, then casually added, "Duck." I did, without hesitation, and he leaned over my body and fired two rounds out of the shattered window above my head. "Good girl," he muttered, releasing his magazine and nabbing another from his vest and reloading.

  "Is Nick OK?" I asked, as soon as he pulled back to his side.

  "Mad, furious, shoutin' commands and damn near havin' a heart attack when we all realised you were armed and shootin' your cousins."

  I hadn't realised how much I needed to hear that, my whole body abruptly shutting down and making me slump into the footwell, racking shakes throughout my entire frame, a hiccoughed sob escaping my lips.

  "Hey there, cowgirl, it's all right," Ben said soothingly. Then in a more level and professional voice, he added, "Nah, she'll be right. Just relieved you're alive, I think."

  I blinked up at him puzzled, then slowly realised he wasn't talking to me. He had one of those ear pieces in his ear like Nick. He'd been talking, in fact, to Nick. The shakes doubled and I let an even more pitiful sob out of relief.

  "Eva," Ben said softly. "Hang in there, chick. Nick'll be here as soon as he's rounded up the other idiot out in the carpark."

  "There's three of my cousins here?" I asked, forcing myself back into the reality of the situation and darn well insisting my body quit the shakes. It obliged, but only reluctantly.

  "Four, 'sfar as we can tell," he replied, eyes alert and scanning the scene out of the window above my head. "You tagged Leo for Koki to finish off, Adam managed to get Tyler before he escaped, and Nick and the AOS are closin' in on Bailey and Ryder as we speak."

  "No Levi," I said a little flatly.

  "Not surprisin'," Ben commented. "He's more a control the scene from the peripheries kind of perp. My bet, he vanished as soon as the shit hit the fan."

  Yeah, I'd second that assumption. Levi, the coward, would have ordered his brothers into the fray and stood back waiting for them to drag my bullet ridden ass to him for his gloating. I crushed down the disappointment Nick hadn't yet managed to hog tie my cousin's legs.

  A sigh escaped my lips and then it occurred to me that the gunfire had ceased.

  "Is it over?" I asked, hopefully, anticipation chasing that emotion as I thought of seeing Nick again.

  "Yep, cowgirl," Ben announced, twisting round to open the door at his back. "Let me just confirm it's safe for you to exit first though, 'K?"

  I nodded back as he slipped out of the door, crouching low to the ground, his gun out in one hand, pointing at the tarseal to the side. His eyes darted around the carpark as his back shifted against the rear fender of the car to scan the immediate surrounding area. I held my breath waiting for the all clear.

  And then I saw Nick. Striding out towards the vehicle, his heated ice-blue eyes on me, his face set. The world disappeared, everything closed in on just him; storming towards me, thunder in his expression and lightning reaching across the space between us and piercing me in the heart.

  I sprang from the back of the Porsche, distantly hearing Ben shout something - probably to get my cowgirl butt back in the car - and ran the few feet into Nick's hard arms. He engulfed me in his embrace, I felt the hard butt of his gun in his hand at my back and the just as hard chest at my front crushing into me as he tightened his hold and pressed his lips against mine in a possessive bruising kiss.

  I gave as good as I got, devouring him from the mouth down. My relief at seeing him unharmed and whole almost blinding in its intensity, only matched by my desire right then to drop him to ground and taste every single inch ensuring he was indeed uninjured - everywhere.

  "Angel," he breathed against my neck, his lips now trailing down my throat, tasting me in exactly the same way I wanted to be tasting him right then. "What the fuck were you thinking making yourself a target?" he reprimanded, even as he was laying hot, wet kisses against my skin.

  "Adam and Koki," I started to explain what was about to happen when I'd fired on Leo at their backs, but I didn't get a chance to finish.

  A single gunshot rang out from behind Nick, loud enough to steal my breath.

  And then it occurred to me, as Nick grunted and jerked in my embrace, that unlike his ASI team, he wasn't wearing a bullet proof vest.

  His arms loosened their hold around my waist, as my eyes flicked up to his pain filled ice-blue ones and he muttered a, "fuck" out under his breath as we both fell to our knees on the hard asphalt of the carpark. Then more gunshots sounded harsh and rapid in the air all around us. A cacophony of noise that meant nothing when faced with the obvious agony in Nick's beautiful eyes right then.

  "How bad?" I asked, searching with my hands over his back and feeling only wetness across the middle and running down the side.

  "Upper right torso," he ground out between clenched teeth. "Missed my lung, but fuck it hurts. Put me on my other side, angel."

  I helped manoeuvre him into a semi-comfortable position, just as Brook arrived and started to do a quick survey of Nick's injury, running his hands over his chest and then lifting Nick's shirt and peering underneath.

  "Clean entry wound, no exit. Can you breathe unhindered?" he asked in a clipped tone.

  "Lung's clear," Nick semi-repeated, reaching up and brushing a hand across my cheek reassuringly. "Nothing major hit," he added. I wasn't sure if that was for Brook's benefit or mine, or maybe for himself.

  "I'll patch you up as good as I can now, we've got medics waiting off site," Brook advised. Nick nodded, releasing his hand from his gun, which now rested on the ground between us, and lifting it up to cup my face on either side.

  "It'll be OK, angel. Brook's our medic, ten years in the army, four years at med school. He knows what he's doing."

  I just nodded, seeing the evidence for myself, in the backpack of medical supplies he was now opening and his sure and steady approach to Nick's wound. "I know," I said offering a reassuring smile.

  "You need to find cover. Get back in the car," Nick instructed.

  "He's left on foot," Brook advised. "Adam, Ben and Koki are in pursuit. Not to mention Pierce and Stone. The AOS are securing the scene here. She'll be fine to stay with you, boss," he added, with a wink towards me.

  "What direction did he go in?" I asked, as casually as I could muster, which obviously wasn't casually enough, because Nick's hand - which now rested in mine - flinched.

  "Northwest on Boston, heading towards Mt Eden Road," Brook replied, helpfully.

  Nick swore, as I released his hand, then tried to reach for me, causing himself pain through the back which made his movements sluggish. Allowing me to pick his gun up off the ground and jump up and away from his outstretched hand.

  "Eva!" he shouted, a command to stop.

  "Be right back, cowboy," I replied steadily.

  Then ran.

  Chapter 30

  Son-of-a-darn-bitch!

  It's not that I think I'm a superhero. It was all a gut reaction to Levi Russell landing a bullet in Nick. A visceral reaction to my cousin harming my man.

  And when did I start thinking of Nick as that?

  I shook my head at myself as I pounded down Boston Road, my cowgirl boots sounding solid against the concrete footpath as I quickly approached the intersection with
Mt Eden Road, where I'd have to decide which direction to go in. I was attempting to hold the gun flush against my side, in an effort for it to be camouflaged against my body. The position made me realise I'd somehow lost the taser off my belt in the back of Nick's car. No doubt scrambling between the front and back seats had done it. But, brushing that aside, I worked to hide the gun I did have in my hands. It would do no good to run around wildly with a gun in my hand, Mt Eden shoppers and restaurant goers would not appreciate that. Besides, there were uniformed police everywhere. I had every intention of finding my loser cousin and none of being thwarted by a well meaning cop.

  I came to a halt at the crossroads, swivelling my head in either direction, but coming up blank. Police cars cordoned off the road towards the CBD, but there appeared to be just as many up towards the township of Mt Eden Village as well. I calmed myself by surreptitiously checking the magazine of Nick's gun. It was a Glock of some description, slightly larger in my hand than the Glock 26. I checked the magazine and noted it still held six bullets. Not a full load, but enough. I slipped the safety on carefully.

  That done, I lifted my head and reassessed my options. Darn it. I had no friggin' idea where to go. Mt Eden township or towards the CBD? If I were Levi, which would I choose?

  A sound of pain-filled despair slipped out between my lips. I simply had no idea which way to turn. And on top of that, there was also a street directly across from me, heading towards suburbia and away from the cops. Would he have taken that one? I let a huff of incredulous air out at that thought. This was Levi Russell I was thinking about. Not an intelligent assessor of hazards. He was more a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants and come-out-guns-blazing type of guy. And as dumb as a box of rocks.

  My shoulders slumped. I might know my cousin, but I still had no way of knowing which direction to head in. I slunk down onto the curb, my butt no doubt in amongst dust and street debris, but my mind a jumbled mess of thorns right now, that I just didn't care. Staring numbly at the road surface I tried in vain to work this out in my head. Make a choice, Eva. Pick a direction and just go.

  But that son-of-a-bitch had shot at Nick. My head shook back and forth as though that simple motion would clear it of the image now front and centre in my mind. Nick in shock and obvious pain a split second after the bullet hit. Oh God. Levi shot at Nick. How many more bullets would my family rain down on Nick Anscombe? How much more can the man take before the next hit is fatal? All because of me.

  I think I was rocking back and forth now, making a small mewling sound that was entirely not cowgirl in any way, shape or form. I had to stop this. I had to stop Levi. I had to be the one to end this now. But how? Where had he gone?

  A frustrated cry escaped my lips as I clutched the gun tightly in my lap, feeling the grip bite into my palm comfortingly, as I stared blindly at the tarseal before my feet. Then through a haze of defeat and disappointment I registered what it was exactly I was looking at. I hadn't deciphered the small dark mark as anything other than dirt, but I'd been sitting here staring at it for several long seconds, and the sun had just shifted lower in the sky, striking the exact right angle to make the spot glint. Liquid. Not dirt.

  Blood.

  Levi's blood?

  My head shot up and a second later my body followed. I moved to the spot of fallen blood and looked around frantically. If he'd lost a drop here, there could be more. I took a step towards the intersection, scanning the ground, moving my head lower to catch another glint.

  There. Over a metre away, but another sun-kissed drop of blood. Yes! I could do this. I could track the bastard and make him pay.

  One drop led to another, the gap marginally shorter, the direction definitely Mt Eden Village. Not the larger and more easily lost within CBD, nor the quiet and forgotten streets of suburbia opposite. No, Levi Russell was as thick as two short planks.

  My heart started to pound in an excited, yet completely fearful anticipation. I wanted to confront Levi, but I now knew he was injured, bleeding, and therefore much more dangerous. And he'd been darn well dangerous before. Now he'd be desperate. But I couldn't let this go on any longer. I had to be the one to stop this, once and for all. It was because of me this was happening. And it would be because of me that it stopped. That Levi stopped.

  Fearful anticipation or not, I was going to find Levi and end this. Somehow.

  I slid the gun in the waistband of my denim skirt and pulled my T-Shirt out over the top to hide the butt. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. Then I set off at a clipped pace towards the police and the chaos of Mt Eden Village, scanning the road for more glints of tell-tale blood.

  The sun was getting low on the horizon, a softening glow covering Mt Eden itself as it loomed over the busy Auckland suburb. There were lots of people around, which was occupying the police quite nicely, heading out for dinner or a drink at the local pubs. Mt Eden is a popular dining and wining centre, Levi could easily hide in amongst this crowd, but the police presence was not to be forgotten entirely.

  A uniformed officer stepped out in front of me and held up his hand for me to stop. I forced a casual smile on my face, when he frowned at me.

  "You need to head home, leave the area immediately," he stated in a tone that clearly meant he'd been a cop for a while and knew how to control a crowd.

  "Sure thing, officer," I replied with a sweet smile. "My car's just up ahead." When he frowned even further, I added, "What's happening, anyway?"

  "A suspect in an incident may be hiding here. Nothing for you to worry about, but you need to leave so we can do our job."

  Why is it that the police seem to think hedging will make a situation more palatable to the public? It was obvious something big was happening, even if I hadn't borne witness to the events at Mt Eden Prison, I could see the number of cops on the street, the number of flashing lights on their cars at either end of the Village and the number of black clad and seriously armed men swooping in between the throng of people like spiders scuttling across a rock hewn floor.

  I eyed the police officer innocently, blinking a few times to affect the ditzy cowgirl persona.

  "Of course, officer. As soon as I get to my car."

  He frowned even further, clearly stumped that I wasn't simply turning tail and running away screaming. Serves him right for making the whole episode a nothing to worry about moment. Shoulda told the truth.

  "OK, but be quick. We need to clear the area. Hurry," he added, but I didn't need to be told twice, thankful he wasn't insisting on escorting me to my "car".

  I nodded and half walked, half ran towards the main area of Mt Eden Village, my eyes scanning the road for more blood drops, and then sweeping over people as well. Both civilians and members of the AOS, spotting a couple of ASI guys in amongst the glut of people milling around on the street in confusion and a slow rising of fear. No sign of Levi, but I hadn't expected him to stand out.

  His blood, however, did. But only because I knew what to look for. The drops were closer together and slightly larger, as though he was losing more and more blood as the time passed. But they still wouldn't have stood out significantly in amongst such a crowded area. The cops and AOS were training their eyes on the faces of the people present, they had completely discounted the trail of blood on the ground which only I seemed to see.

  I slid in and out between the crowd, keeping my head lowered, avoiding any possible contact with any of Nick's ASI men. I knew they'd be looking for me, as much as they were looking Levi. Nick would have issued a command to apprehend me on sight - for my own safety of course. But I couldn't have that, because I had to be the one to stop Levi. This was all because of me.

  I glanced up at the rooftops of the buildings on either side of the street. Most of the shops had overhangs, shelter for the pedestrians from the rain and sun. But the tallest, allowing someone to watch the stretch of road across the intersection in the centre of the village, were at the intersection itself. One on the Stokes Road side; a two storey red brick building
with a cake store, a couple of gift shops, a book store and a café and espresso bar. The other was a black concrete building, the same height, but on the Essex Road side, containing just one restaurant, with access to the upper floors guaranteed, as further dining rooms were situated above the main floor.

  Somehow I knew where the trail of Levi's blood would lead and I wasn't at all surprised to have it confirmed. The Mount Restaurant, the black concrete sentinel on the corner, harboured several more glinting drops of blood, and one or two smears where people had inadvertently stood in them and smoothed the liquid beneath their soles on the pavement in front of the double doors.

  I slipped between the restaurant crowd outside, noting most of the staff were on the roadside as well, trying to get a look at the chaos out on the street. That would work in my favour, I didn't want to be bothered with a waitress seating me at a table and trying to sell me the specials of the day. The restaurant was indeed empty inside, so I scanned the floor for a suspended second and then thankfully found my trail of blood again. I scurried unhindered toward the stairs at the back and quickly climbed out of sight of any kitchen staff or returning patrons from outside, as the blood drops thickened and seeped slowly into the grain of the wooden treads beneath.

  Upstairs I wasn't so lucky, but the attention of the few remaining restaurant attendees and their wait staff was out the window, looking across the overhang to the police on the opposite side of Mt Eden Road. None of them batted an eyelid when I slipped along the back wall, following my breadcrumb trail of dark red droplets and climbed over the chain that said, private, staff access only, beginning my ascent of the final stairs to the roof.

  I pulled Nick's gun from my waistband as I came to the top of the steps and found the door to the roof unlocked and slightly ajar. Hesitating, I considered what I was about to do. I didn't have my cellphone on me, it was back in Nick's Porsche at the prison carpark, but I could go back down the stairs and pick up the restaurant's land-line, then get in touch with Eric at ASI. It was the sensible thing to do. Levi had proven himself capable of firing a gun, not just commanding one of his brothers to do it for him. Was I really equipped for this?