“Two,” Jake said.
Rhys let out a long sigh as his arms fell away from her side.
“Knock on that door one more time, Jake,” Rhys shouted loud enough for the whole house to hear, “and I will snap your wrist.”
The knocking stopped and all was quiet. Tessa heard footsteps receding from the door and a faint voice calling out, “He’s up.”
A second later, Rhys sprang out of bed, and Tessa had a brief moment to admire his naked backside as he walked over to the door and retrieved the pile of clean clothes that Jake had left behind. He deposited them on the foot of the bed and kissed the top of her head before pulling on a pair of jeans.
“You can go back to sleep if you want,” he said, pulling on a clean shirt. “I need to go teach my friend some manners.”
Tessa smiled as she watched him go, but she didn’t waste any time getting out of bed and finding her own clothes. No matter how tired she was, she couldn’t, in good conscience, curl back up in bed while people were out there getting ready to fight her battles for her.
Tessa raked her fingers through her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She opened the bedroom door and was instantly hit with the scent of something delicious. She followed her nose into the kitchen.
She found Mason standing over Charlie’s stove, ladling batter onto a hot griddle. And that wasn’t all. Next to the pancakes were bacon and scrambled eggs.
Charlie turned from feeding slices of bread into a toaster the moment Tessa stepped into the room.
“Good morning,” she said with a wide smile. “There’s coffee in the pot if you’d like some.”
“Thanks,” Tessa said. She took a cup from the collection on the counter and filled it.
Rhys and Jake were seated at the large marble island in the middle of the kitchen. Jake lifted his head from his own cup as she took a seat on the empty stool next to Rhys. There was a devilish twinkle in his eye as he greeted her with a smile.
“Your boyfriend, here, informs me that I owe you an apology for being a rude alarm clock this morning.”
Tessa felt a flutter in her chest at his casual use of boyfriend, but she didn’t correct him.
Neither did Rhys.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said.
“It’s just that none of us could remember a time that Rhys overslept. He’s usually the first one up,” Jake went on, teasing her with a wicked grin. “Must have been something special to keep him up so late last night.”
Tessa met the big man’s gaze without flinching.
“I think you misunderstood me, Jake,” she said, leaning closer. “When I said don’t worry about it, what I really meant was, stop talking about it.”
“Got it.” Jake’s smile didn’t fade as he lifted his hands in mock surrender.
Mason laughed as he filled a plate for her and handed it over. “Looks like you’re not having any problems fitting in around here.”
“Wow, Mason,” Tessa said, looking down in amazement at the overflowing plate in front of her. “You can run a makeshift battlefield hospital. You have an understanding of nanotechnology. And you can make one hell of a breakfast. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“I’m sure there’s something,” he said, tossing the kitchen towel over his shoulder. “But I haven’t found it yet.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Rhys said, cupping his hand over her knee. “The only thing he truly excels at is bragging.”
“I can see you’re going to be a fun partner today,” Mason said.
“Speaking of which,” Rhys said, pushing back on his stool and standing up. “We’d better get going.”
“I’ll let Carter know that we’re hitting the road,” Mason said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “He wants updates every quarter hour until we’re back.”
“Is that unusual?” Tessa asked, as a nervous flutter took wing in her stomach.
“Not for Carter.” Mason waved his hand dismissively, but didn’t meet Tessa’s gaze.
Tessa’s stomach turned over and the eggs in her mouth turned to dust.
Carter was concerned because he had a damned good reason to be.
Suddenly, Tessa didn’t want Rhys to go, and this time it had nothing to do with a lack of trust. The truth was she was afraid. Boyd’s men had already found him once. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t again.
Tessa grabbed his hand and held it tight. She knew she couldn’t stop him from going. She even knew that she shouldn’t. But that knowledge didn’t do anything to stop the worry gnawing at her belly.
“Be careful,” she said.
Rhys must have read the concern in her eyes, because he wrapped his hand over her shoulder, and leaned in close.
“I will,” he said. “Jake is going to stay here with you, just in case. And when I get back we’ll figure out everything we talked about last night.”
It was tempting to believe him—to hope that in just a few hours things would start looking up. That, maybe with the help of his friends, they could find a way to bring down Boyd and put her life back together again.
Tessa nodded, but didn’t let go of his hand.
Rhys looked down into her eyes for a long moment. Tessa knew that they were in a kitchen full of people, but for a moment it felt like it was just the two of them.
He slid his hands under her hair, holding her face as he leaned down and kissed her deeply.
“I’ll be back soon,” he whispered against her lips when he was done. “I promise.”
He pulled back, and Tessa looked out over a sea of astonished faces.
Charlie was the first to recover.
“Holy shit,” she said. “Either Rhys just showed actual affection, or one of you laced my coffee.”
“No,” Jake said, giving a little laugh as he put his mug down on the counter. “I saw it too.”
Rhys turned to Mason, as if no one had said a word, and nodded. “Ready?”
“Y-yeah.” Mason stared at him wide eyed for a moment before nodding back. “Let’s go.”
Tessa was left a little breathless as Rhys walked out of the kitchen with Mason and Jake.
Charlie leaned up against the counter, crossing her arms and arching her brows.
Tessa tried in vain to push back the blush that spread like wildfire across her cheeks.
“What?” she asked, looking down and pushing her hair behind her ears.
“Nothing,” Charlie said, but quickly changed her tune. “Okay, not nothing. What the hell was that? I’ve known Rhys for a couple years now, and in all that time I’ve never seen him change facial expressions, let alone kiss someone with enough passion to earn an NC-17 rating.”
“Really?” Tessa asked, unable to hold back a smile at the thought that she was the only one that had managed to break through those high walls of his.
“Yeah. Really,” Charlie said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad to see you two together. You’re obviously a good fit. You definitely bring out his human side, and he…well, let’s just say I was glad that I had those noise canceling headphones last night.”
Now, Tessa was blushing in earnest. “Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be,” Charlie said. She twisted her coffee mug back and forth between her open palms. “The truth is you give me hope. I mean if you two can find each other under such crappy circumstances then maybe there’s a chance for the rest of us.”
Just then the kitchen door swung open and Jake walked back in. He headed straight for the coffee maker.
“You’re single?” Tessa asked.
“Terminally, I’m afraid,” Charlie said.
Tessa arched her brows. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “You’re amazing.”
“It’s nice that you think so,” she said. “Now if only you could convince someone else. Preferably someone tall, dark and handsome.”
Tessa thought she noticed Jake stiffen at Charlie’s words, almost as if he knew something she didn’t.
“Did you have so
meone in mind?” he asked. “Cause you know that sounds like—”
“No,” Charlie said, fast and hard, cutting him off. “Not thinking of anyone in particular.”
“Sounds like who?” Tessa asked, figuring it was only fair to turn around some of the teasing she’d received that morning.
“Just someone we work with,” Jake said.
“Someone who has absolutely no interest in me.” A rosy glow bloomed on Charlie’s cheeks. “Trust me, I am so far from this guy’s type it’s not even funny.”
Jake coughed into his mug.
“But he’s your type?” Tessa prodded.
Charlie pursed her lips before answering. “He’s a friend, and a co-worker, and that’s all.”
“If you say so,” Jake said.
“I do.” Charlie pushed off the counter. “Now, why don’t we go out into the living room, turn on the television, and forget that we were ever talking about this.”
“Sounds good to me,” Tessa said.
“No promises,” Jake said as he pushed open the kitchen door. Charlie followed him out.
Tessa slid off her stool and grabbed her coffee mug, a few steps behind.
She’d just put one foot down on the hardwood floors of Charlie’s living room when there was a loud crash. The front door flew open, wood splintering as it hit the wall behind.
Jake spun around, ready to grab the gun at his side.
He never got the chance.
Three deafening cracks sounded from the busted doorframe as men clothed in head-to-toe black stormed into the apartment. Jake’s body jerked back hard and crumpled to the floor.
Tessa opened her mouth to scream, but was drowned out by more gunfire.
Charlie didn’t make it two steps before she was hit. She instantly slumped against the couch, blood spreading across the front of her shirt.
No.
Dear God, no.
The breath froze in Tessa’s lungs. The mug fell from her hands, shattering on the floor.
This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t.
They’d all just been laughing and joking. Jake and Charlie had been sharing secrets and telling little white lies.
They’d been alive.
But now—
No.
Her brain refused to accept it.
She wasn’t given much of a choice, a second later, when cruel fingers bit into her arm and wrenched her around. Tessa forced her gaze away from the horrific scene in front of her and into a pair of frighteningly familiar eyes.
Dylan.
“H-how?” Tessa said.
“I just had time to crawl away from the house before the cops arrived,” he snarled at her. “And now, as you can see, I’m here to make good on my promise.”
“You shot them,” Tessa said, shaking her head, trying to push out the shock. “You have to let me call 911. They’re my friends. You can’t let them die.”
“If they were such good friends, you should have known better than to involve them,” he snarled. “I told you I would find you, and I would bring down anyone who stood in my way.”
Tessa twisted and squirmed in his grasp as reality seeped in. “You’re just going to stand there while two people die in front of you? You’re a psychopath.”
“And you’re finally beginning to understand,” Dylan said, a sick smile spreading across his face. “Now, where is Rhys?”
“He’s not here,” she spat at him.
Dylan didn’t look away from her as he spoke to his men. “Do a quick sweep of the apartment,” he said. “Shoot anyone on sight.”
“I told you, he’s not here.”
Dylan’s fingers twisted deeper into her arm. Sharp pain radiated out from his touch, hammering home the point that she was back under his control. And this time she wasn’t going to get away.
Not until Boyd got what he wanted.
Tessa’s heart clenched at the thought. She couldn’t let that happen. It didn’t matter what she had to do, she couldn’t allow herself to go with him.
She glanced at Dylan’s left arm. She could make out the bulky bandage under the sleeve. Like Rhys, it looked like he was still plenty capable after being patched up.
No. Dylan was nothing like Rhys. One look in his eyes told Tessa that he was running on nothing but hate and rage at this point.
And if she used her head, maybe she could use all his hostility against him.
Rhys might never forgive her, but maybe some day he’d understand.
But first she had to see if she could help her friends out.
Tessa drew in a deep breath, gathering together all of her courage, before swinging back and punching Dylan in his wounded shoulder as hard as she could.
He let out a howl that echoed off the walls, but his grip loosened on her arm. Tessa wrenched away, and ran over to Jake’s side, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she went. She kept it close to her body, hiding it from Dylan’s view as she dialed 911. She practically threw herself on top of Jake as she slipped the phone under his shirt.
A ray of hope shot through her when she noticed his chest rise and fall.
Thank God.
His breathing might be shallow but at least he was alive.
For now.
Dylan was on her a second later, dragging her to her feet. He pressed the cold barrel of his gun against her head. His eyes were hardened coal as he scowled down at her.
“Try that again, and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Tessa taunted him. “Kill me? Go ahead, do it. Shoot me right now.”
“You think I won’t?” Dylan said, a deranged smile twisting his lips. “You think I give a shit that Boyd wants you alive. It would be worth facing his anger just to paint the walls with your brains right now. Maybe I’d wait for Rhys to come back just for the satisfaction of seeing the look on his smug face when he found you.”
“You don’t have the guts, you fucking coward,” she spat at him.
The hard muzzle of the gun dug deeper into her temple. “Are you so sure about that?”
Tessa closed her eyes.
This was it. She drew in a shaky breath and held it.
A long moment passed as Tessa waited for the end. The sound of Dylan’s cold laughter chilled her down to the bone.
“Oh, you’re clever, Doctor, aren’t you?” he said. “I see what you want. But you’re not getting out of this that easy. I’m going to hand you over to Boyd, and this time you are going to tell us everything.”
Tessa opened her eyes as the bottom dropped out of her belly.
Just then, Dylan’s men came back to the living room.
“We’re clear,” one of them said.
Tessa thrashed against Dylan’s hold as he started pulling her toward the front door, so much so that he tossed her toward one of his men, who had no problem pinning her arms to her side as he lifted her off the ground.
“Too bad,” Dylan said as he walked out to the elevator. “Guess I’ll just have to wait to put a bullet in your lover’s heart.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Dr. Rosenthal is a hell of a woman,” Mason said as he took the turn away from downtown San Jose and onto the freeway.
“Yes. She is.” Rhys didn’t look up from wiping the last of the black ash off his hands.
The secret nature of their mission had required them to remain as quiet as possible while they were inside the storage facility. Neither one of them had said a word as they’d gathered all her boxes of papers and prototypes into the center of the unit and torched the pile.
Even though Rhys had understood why it had to go, a part of him had hated watching everything that Tessa had worked for, everything she’d dedicated her life to, go up in flames.
But at least now she would have a chance to build something new. Something better. Something that really would help all of mankind, just like she dreamed.
And there was no doubt in Rhys’ mind that she was strong and resilient enough to do it.
“Are you
in love with her?” Mason asked when they were another mile down the road.
Rhys’ heart began to pound at the mention of the word. But it wasn’t from fear.
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Mason tilted his head to the side. “Does it?”
Rhys looked over at Mason from the passenger’s seat. “She doesn’t make me weak, if that’s your concern.”
“No one in their right mind would ever accuse you of that,” Mason said with a laugh. “And you don’t have to be so defensive. I’m not writing a report for Carter.”
“Then why do you ask?”
“Just curious. She doesn’t seem like your type is all.”
“She’s too nice, you mean,” Rhys said.
Mason shrugged his shoulders.
Rhys recognized the diplomatic non-answer for what it was. He wasn’t offended. Mason was right. Tessa was too nice for him. Too kind. Too good.
But when she was with him he felt like he could be those things himself.
Not that it was any of Mason’s business.
Rhys turned his head and looked out the window again.
“Well, you’re a lucky man,” Mason said.
“Yes,” Rhys said. “I am.”
They drove down the freeway again in silence for a few more miles. Rhys checked his watch. It was almost time to call and report in to Carter again. He was just reaching for his phone when it began to ring. Carter’s name popped up on the screen.
A sudden sense of unease twisted Rhys’ stomach as he put the call on speaker. Carter never called early for a check in. Never.
Mason must have been thinking the same thing because he looked over at Rhys. His brows pulled together in an uncharacteristic show of concern.
“Hey, Captain,” Mason said.
“What’s your location?” Carter asked. His voice was tight and shaky.
Rhys felt every muscle in his body tense. He knew instantly that something had happened. Something bad. Something so terrible that he almost didn’t want to hear what Carter was going to say next.
“We’re headed back now, just driving up 101,” Mason said. “What’s going on?”
Carter didn’t answer right away.
The knot in Rhys’ stomach tightened.
“How fast can you get back to the city?” Carter asked.
Rhys Page 14