by Arianna Hart
He crossed to the door, opened it cautiously, and looked in both directions before slipping out without a sound.
Jane locked the door behind him. Weariness flooded her body and she sagged against the wall. Now she could curl up in bed and hide under the covers.
Maybe, when she woke up she’d realize this had all been a bad dream.
Right.
Chapter Three
Lex waited until he heard the lock snick into place before he strolled down the hall. At least he knew why his place had been trashed and why they’d hit Jane’s too.
Anything that came from Sarah was bad news. That woman could cause problems even while asleep. Now he had to figure out how much trouble she’d stirred up and whether or not he wanted to risk his ass to get her out of it.
He jogged down the eight flights of stairs and slipped out as discreetly as possible. The lobby was nearly empty at this hour.
Once a safe distance away from the hotel, Lex ducked down an alley and whipped out his satellite phone. He punched in the long series of numbers that would connect him to his boss.
Steven “Mac” McLean was the owner of Elite Investigation Services, Inc., a company consisting of former military, cops, private investigators, FBI and CIA employees. Mac hired them out with the skill of a chess master, according to what was needed and who was best suited for the job.
The company had only been in business for five years but already their reputation had grown. Even the government hired them when they didn’t have the manpower to throw at a case.
Whether it was protection, recovery or investigation, EIS gave the client one hundred percent. And they were paid well for their results.
Lex had been on assignment in Paris working on a child custody case for a frantic mother when the call came in for him to abort and come home. He’d had enough information to turn it over to the locals by that point, but it still rankled to leave something half done.
“MacLean,” Mac barked into the phone.
“What the hell is going on?” Mac’s phone would ID him and his location so he didn’t waste time with a greeting. “I get the emergency abort call, and come home only to find my place trashed and a package from Sarah waiting for me. I’m hungry, tired and seriously pissed off.”
“What package from Sarah?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“When did you get it?”
“Today. Why?”
“Because she’s dead.”
The words caught Lex by surprise. Not only had Sarah Canterbury been a former CIA agent who worked for EIS, she’d been his former lover. Although things had ended so badly that he never expected to hear from her again, finding out she was dead was still a shock.
“What happened? How?”
“She was hit by a car in Pennsylvania. It appeared to be an accident but witnesses say she was running from somebody.”
Lex took the box out of his pocket and looked at the date on the packing slip. Three days ago.
“It’s dated the fifth. She must have shipped it right before she got killed. But why me? We weren’t exactly close.” Anymore.
“I don’t know why she sent something to you instead of to the office. Maybe she knew…”
“Knew what?” Warning bells clanged in his head, something was seriously wrong here.
“Several of our operatives have run into trouble lately.”
“What kind of trouble?” The bells rang louder.
“Covers blown, resources gone missing, things like that. Most of the problems have involved work we’re doing for the government, but some of the botched missions have been purely EIS jobs. I’d love to blame it on a leak in the government, but I have to prepare for all contingencies, hence the recall.”
“Mole,” Lex said and swore a blue streak. Mac thought EIS had a freaking mole.
“I don’t want to believe it, but I’m running out of explanations.”
“Do you have any suspects?”
“A couple, but until I can verify them I want you out of sight. I’m not going to let anyone else die because I don’t want to believe we have a traitor.”
“I’ll lie low for a while but I’m going to need some cash—make that a lot of cash. If our covers are compromised I’m going to have to come up with one of my own and that ain’t cheap.”
“I’ll make a blind drop. After that, do not contact me for any reason. Get away and stay away. I’ll contact you once I’ve caught the spy.”
The anger in Mac’s voice vibrated through the phone. EIS was more than just his company, it was his passion. The idea that someone would betray him must be tearing him up.
“Roger that. What was Sarah up to? I’ll need to watch my back and I don’t like the idea of operating blind.”
“Don’t get involved, Lex.”
“I don’t plan on it, but I’m not going to walk around with a big target on my head either.”
He wanted to open the box and see what Sarah thought was worth dying for, but he couldn’t risk it out here in the open. He’d wait until he was in a secure location and alone. He definitely didn’t want the good doctor getting mixed up in any more of this.
Lex heard Mac’s sigh loud and clear. “She was working on a fraud case in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Some woman gave her life’s savings to one of those TV Evangelists and her son wanted to nail the guy. Claimed he was a con artist preying on old ladies. Sarah agreed to check it out.”
“Fraud? That doesn’t sound like something worth killing over.” His gut told him there was more going on here than a snake-oil salesman conning the blue-haired set.
“And yet, she was. Stay out of it, Lex. I’ll make the drop two miles north and a mile east of your current position. Give me an hour to arrange things. I don’t want to go through our usual sources on this.”
Lex had forgotten his phone had a GPS tracking device hooked into EIS’s computers. He’d have to ditch the phone along with his current fake passport and credit cards. Good thing he’d had Jane put the room on her card.
“One hour, got it.” That gave him plenty of time to find out what Sarah had sent him.
***
Jane let the hot water wash away the tension in her neck and shoulders. If she didn’t relax she’d end up with a migraine. And wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake?
As much as she wanted to stay in the shower until she wrinkled into a prune, she knew she should get out soon. How long had Lex been gone? The last thing she needed was for him to show up while she was naked.
A tiny thrill zapped her out of nowhere and she remembered his lips on her neck.
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the very last thing she needed.
No, no, no! Get those thoughts right out of your head. Lex D’Angelo was the classic bad boy and she was smart enough to know that any attraction she might be feeling was temporary. How many women had she counseled who repeatedly fell for the exciting bad boy, only to wind up hurt?
Women were drawn to them because they were forbidden fruit. Then they were shocked and surprised when those tempting bad boys treated them like dirt. Jane had never understood the attraction before. Why would someone want a man like that?
But, after spending an hour with Lex, she was beginning to understand the appeal. There was something very sexy about the barely leashed aura of danger surrounding him.
However, she was much too smart to give in to something as fleeting as hormones.
Too smart or too scared?
Jane shut off the water and wished she could shut off her thoughts as well. She wrapped a towel around her chest and sighed. The decision not to take her underwear didn’t look quite so smart right now. She’d washed the pair she had worn earlier and hung them on the towel rack to drip dry. Her bra should be okay for another day or so.
She’d have to get some new clothes soon. If she was supposed to “lie low” for a while she couldn’t do it with only one pair of underwear. Jane combed her short hair. It had an a
nnoying tendency to curl if she didn’t use styling products.
Since her gel was splattered all over her bathroom floor, she had to make do with drying and combing it.
Now, what was she going to sleep in? Her silk pajamas had been covered in glass. She had either the pink cashmere sweater she’d worn all day or the gray UConn T-shirt she planned on wearing tomorrow.
No way would she sleep naked when Lex could come in at any time. She slipped the T-shirt over her head. It came to mid-thigh and hid the fact she wasn’t wearing underwear. With her energy flagging by the second, Jane brushed her teeth using the complimentary hotel toothbrush and rubbed some of the complimentary hotel moisturizer on her face.
Her eyes had dark circles under them and her pale skin appeared sickly under the fluorescent lights. Great, she looked like a walking corpse with frizzy hair.
The image saddened her more than it should. Jane turned off the lights. It was only eleven o’clock at night but she was more than ready for bed. The sheets were cool under her bare bottom. She felt exposed and uncomfortable with her near nakedness but was too tired to care.
***
A hand clamped over her mouth for the second time that night, woke Jane out of a rare, deep sleep. Panic shot through her and she struggled to get away.
“Shhh. It’s me, Lex, okay?”
Jane nodded her head rapidly. Reality rushed at her when she remembered where she was and with whom.
“Someone found us. I saw a guy flashing your picture at the desk clerk when I came upstairs. We have to get out of here fast.”
He threw her jeans at her and turned his back to give her some privacy. Quickly Jane yanked her pants on, flushing at the thought of going without underwear or a bra, but she wasn’t about to walk to the bathroom in just a T-shirt to get them.
When she was dressed, he grabbed her purse off the desk and handed it to her while she slipped into her pumps.
“Are those the only shoes you have?” he asked as he dragged her to the door. “Never mind, we don’t have time to be picky.”
“Wait! My bag is still in there—”
“We have to go.” He yanked her out the door.
“But my things—”
“I’ll replace them,” he growled, the ding of the elevator echoed in the hallway.
Lex bolted for the door marked “stairs” and dragged her along behind him. The clatter of her heels on the concrete steps echoed loudly.
“Lose the shoes,” he barked when she stumbled down another flight of stairs.
Jane wanted to protest but he didn’t give her the chance. With one steel-muscled arm, he drew her against him and lifted her off her feet. Before she could catch her breath from the feel of his rock-hard body pressed along hers, he’d yanked her shoes off her feet and thrown them out the access door on the next floor.
“Maybe that’ll throw them off. Come on.”
The concrete was cold and gritty under her bare feet. Her head swam with questions but she didn’t have the breath to ask any of them. Who were they running from? Where had he gone anyway?
They didn’t stop at the doorway marked “Lobby” but continued down another flight of stairs. Jane’s feet hurt from pounding on concrete and her legs burned from the unaccustomed exercise. Weekly cardio kickboxing classes hadn’t prepared her for running down eight floors.
Lex put a finger to his lips and shoved her behind his back as he opened the door. By the smell of oil and the feel of chilly night air, Jane figured they’d ended up in the parking garage.
After a few seconds Lex slipped silently out the door. How could he move in boots without making a sound? Even without shoes she made more noise than he did. Somehow she didn’t think that was a skill he practiced as a photojournalist. More questions tumbled around in her head.
Lex slid them around until they were behind the cover of a handicap van. His eyes scanned the area as he held her back. What was he waiting for?
Little clouds of condensation formed in front of her face as she gasped for breath. A shiver shook her frame and she could see that her nipples stood out clearly under the thin T-shirt. Jane tugged her hand out of Lex’s grasp so she could wrap her arms over her chest.
“We’re going to skirt the edges of the garage until we get to that ramp over there,” he whispered in her ear and pointed across the garage. “Keep your head down and do what I do. Understand?”
She nodded mutely. What choice did she have? If she protested he’d probably just drag her along anyway. Jane opened her mouth to ask who they were running from, but he’d already turned away.
Lex crouched down and ran from the cover of the van. He stopped behind the bumper of an old pick-up truck. Jane tried to copy his movements but it was harder than it seemed. Her thighs ached from staying in a partial squat and her feet were going numb from the cold.
They sneaked from one car to the next, staying low and out of sight. By the time they reached the ramp that led to the parking lot where her car waited, Jane’s feet were blocks of ice and her legs protested every step.
Maybe she should have gone to kickboxing class more often.
“We’re going to have to make a run for your car. Not enough cover for us to get there easily. You go first. Stay as low as you can. I’ll cover you from here. Once you get in the car duck down below the window, and make sure the passenger door is unlocked. I’ll be right behind you.” He brought the gun out of his waistband and held it with the barrel pointing to the floor “Any questions?”
About a million. Her throat was closed tight with fear and she couldn’t get a sound out. She shook her head.
“Good.” Lex scanned the area again then gave her a nudge.
Jane took off running, fumbling to get the keys out of her purse as she gasped for breath. Small rocks cut into the tender soles of her feet and pain shot up her legs every time she put a frozen foot on the ground. Her teeth chattered from the combination of cold and fear.
When she was maybe ten yards away from the haven of her car she heard the ding of the elevator in the parking garage. The bell sounded abnormally loud in the quiet night.
The pop of a gun firing was even louder. Jane didn’t turn around to see if Lex was behind her. Fear goaded her with sharp spikes and she put on an extra burst of speed to reach her car. Her thumb stabbed the door-unlock button on her key chain and she jumped in.
The engine roared to life and she slid as low as she could go and still see over the steering wheel. Where was Lex? What was she supposed to do now?
Had he been shot? She’d heard more guns firing but she couldn’t tell which direction they’d come from. Her heart pounded like a trapped rabbit and she bit her lip with worry. Should she drive towards where Lex had waited for her?
But that was where the men with guns were. Jane wrestled with her fear and indecision.
Just when she thought she’d have to drive back and get Lex, the passenger door flew open and he dove in.
“Go! Go! Go!”
Jane shifted the car into reverse and screeched backward. Praying no one was behind her, she barely braked before slamming the car into first gear.
“Stay down!” Lex yanked on her arm.
“I can’t hit the clutch squished down like this.” She got into second gear as her side view mirror exploded. Jane screamed and stomped on the accelerator. She’d figure out some way to hit the clutch staying below the line of fire. Somehow.
***
Lex laid down some cover fire as Jane sped toward the highway. The smell of cordite in the close confines of the car made his eyes water. His ears throbbed from the report of the gun. The noise was deafening even to someone who was used to it.
Jane must feel like she’d been dropped in the middle of a rock concert. She’d have to deal. There wasn’t exactly time to outfit her with ear protection.
He fired a few more shots at the garage, keeping the goons in their position. It’d take them a few minutes to get to their car and hopefully by then, he and Jane wou
ld be on their way to New York.
“Take ninety-one south,” he ordered as he watched their tail.
The coast was clear, for now. They’d have to switch cars soon though. He’d wait to tell Janey that. She hadn’t wanted to leave her stuff in the hotel room, she’d probably go ballistic at the thought of ditching her car.
Now that would be a sight to see. His uptight little neighbor pitching a fit in a ratty T-shirt, jeans and bare feet. Lex didn’t think he’d ever seen her in anything but tailored slacks or suits. He knew for damn sure he’d never seen her without underwear.
Until tonight.
When he’d turned around to let her get dressed, he hadn’t expected to see her bare butt clearly reflected in the hotel mirror. He knew it was rude, but he couldn’t help watching her wiggle into the snug jeans. She had longer legs than he’d noticed before. And that ass of hers was damn near perfect.
It had shaken him up a bit to realize he felt a stirring of attraction for her. When she first moved in he’d thought about tearing up the sheets with her, but one of her haughty looks had killed any interest he might have had.
Something about her cool aloofness had put him off. He was used to women who were full of life, like his sisters. In his mother’s house not an emotion went unspoken. At length and at top volume.
Most of the girls he’d dated growing up were Italian girls with softly rounded hips and breasts. They were loud and had tempers equal to his. He enjoyed women who were soft and earthy, not frigid debutants who probably only had sex in the missionary position with the lights off.
Nothing she’d done in the year she’d lived across the hall from him had changed his first impression. Every time he bumped into her, she was frostily polite. The one and only time he’d tried to flirt with her she’d looked at him as if he was a bug that had crawled out from under a rock.
Granted, he’d just walked another woman out to her car after an enjoyable night together, but still. It wasn’t like he was propositioning her he was just being friendly.
Whatever. He wasn’t going to be flirting with her now. He had bigger problems to deal with. Such as why someone was tracking them down and shooting at them.