by Lyn Stone
"Yeah, well...it was a wild impulse."
She didn't comment. The distant yodel of sirens told him her silent treatment wouldn't last long. If he knew Dani, she would have her say before company got in the way.
Then she glanced at him, just a brief flick of her head in his direction. As their eyes met, Dani muttered the dead-last thing he would have expected. "Thanks."
And then she smiled.
The local cops arrived, along with two ambulances. Dani phoned Mercier while the paramedics dealt with wounds and loaded the shooters into the waiting vehicles. She and Ben rode back with the police who would be escorting the four prisoners through further treatment at the hospital.
"Mercier's sending backup. He says they traced Bruegel to Frankfurt, where he disappeared again. He could be on the run if he suspects we're on to him, or headed this way to handle the stamp deal himself." She sounded very official. All government agent. Even that turned him on.
She had thanked him for putting her safety first. Deep down, he wanted her to really thank him for caring, to take him to her bed and keep him there, touching, loving, belonging.
Not likely to happen. Dani Sweet was too freaking independent. She didn't need any man.
If she could only love and want him, that would be enough. But she didn't need him.
She was focused on the job and he should be, too. "We need to interrogate Kelior as soon as possible. If you want to go ahead and see about Cate, I can do that."
"I figure they'll have to sedate him. It will probably be morning before we can get any answers." Dani shoved her hands through her hair and shook her head as if to clear it. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I need to be the one to question him."
"Don't you have a rule about waiting until he's lucid?" Ben asked.
Dani took her time considering what he said. "I'll have to wait until he can understand his rights or nothing he says will be admissible in court."
Ben shrugged. "Nothing says I have to wait. Maybe it's monkeying with the rules, but I'm not restricted by a badge. I'm just the pissed-off banker trying to get his money back."
"The local police don't know that," Dani reminded him. "You've been riding on my creds. They think you're my partner."
"Goes to show you how dangerous it is to assume things."
"No, I'm sorry, Ben. I can't let you do it. End of discussion."
"Okay," he replied. No need to discuss it any further.
They arrived at the hospital shortly after the ambulances and watched the men get off-loaded and wheeled through to the emergency treatment area with well-armed, uniformed police flanking the gurneys.
Ben reached for her hand when she started in after the last gurney cleared the door. "Wait a minute," he said, drawing her to one side, out of the way of the ER traffic.
"What?" She looked up at him, her hand clinging to his. He expected impatience, which would have been justified. They had work to do here. Instead he saw exhaustion and a need to be held.
The adrenaline rush that had carried her through this far had waned. He knew the feeling. With his free hand, he cupped her chin. He let his fingers trace the line of her jaw, then rest there, just touching for the sake of touching. She closed her eyes and leaned into the caress.
Ben took a deep breath and threw caution to the winds. What was the worst she could say? The next few hours would be a whirlwind. More of her team would be here by morning to replace Cate and to assist with the investigation now that there were suspects in custody. He might not get her alone again.
"Will you stay with me tonight? After you see about Cate? After we've finished with Kelior and the others?"
Her fingers threaded through his and she sighed. "Ben, you know that's a bad idea." She shook her head, but it looked to him more like regret than an outright refusal.
"Is that a no?" he asked, to make certain.
She looked confused and maybe even a little desperate. He let go of her hand when she tugged on it.
He watched her turn away from him, then look back over her shoulder. "No," she said, the word clipped. Her lips pressed together, then parted again as she added, "No, that's not a no."
Ben smiled. But she was already gone, whisking through the doorway to the emergency room.
Chapter 16
Ben finished with Kelior in record time. The man was so goofy on morphine, he spilled everything. But Kelior's confession was disjointed. Pieces were missing.
"Did you check on Cate?" he asked Dani as he joined her in the hallway.
"What were you doing in Kelior's room?" she demanded in a gruff whisper.
"Nothing that will impede your investigation or prosecution," he assured her.
"I ought to arrest you!" she snapped.
"Do what you have to," he said. "But first, how's Cate?"
"She's awake and grousing about the hotel's lack of security and the fact that she never got dinner. Apart from horrible dizziness and the expected pain in her shoulder, she seemed okay. She insisted I carry on. So, what did you find out?"
"Kelior was definitely in it to set me up," Ben told her. "And for his cut, of course." He slugged down the cup of coffee she handed him, excellent brew for hospital fare. "Belken's just muscle. He was in it for the money."
"You think Kelior was holding something back, don't you?"
She had not yet gone into the darkened room where Kelior was isolated, cuffed to a hospital bed and hooked up to an IV and monitoring equipment. The police guarding his door never offered any objection to Ben's questioning the prisoner.
"In his condition, I expect he's giving me all he knows," Ben answered. "Bruegel told him that I tried to finger him as a Taliban agent. He also thinks I set his mother up to be killed. Bruegel told him I had been manufacturing proof against him. Apparently, Kelior believed I was still determined to continue that after I got well enough to pursue it again."
"You think he really is an agent?" Dani asked.
"No, if there had been any question of that, he would never have been allowed to go on the Afghan mission in the first place. He admitted that he, Belken and some guy named Terrence planned the bank job. This Terrence, whoever he is, supplied the account numbers and the gunman."
"One with Middle Eastern looks and accent. Interesting," Dani said. "Wonder whose idea that was."
Ben continued. "Bruegel's. Kelior acted as lookout while Belken waited in the Caymans to collect their share and forward the rest on to the Swiss bank as this Terrence had ordered."
"So, like we figured, Bruegel called Belken in Grand Cayman from Ellerton to tell him you were alive and on the way, and also to get rid of you," Dani said, sipping her coffee and grimacing as they rode the elevator down to the ground floor. "It was Belken on the boat."
"Right, along with a hired gun. He did contact Kelior by satellite phone after the boat flipped, so he survived, at least long enough to do that. I guess if he managed to call Kelior, he could have gotten in touch with someone in Grand Cayman to rescue him, but Kelior hasn't heard from him since."
"You think their cut of the money went down with Belken in the boat?"
"That's what Kelior's afraid happened. Anyway, that call was how Kelior was able to reach Toronto in time to get the bomb on our plane. He waited around, found out we survived that, too, and flew straight here. He beat us by a couple of hours, thanks to our layover in Iceland."
"Wonder how he found three little helpers so fast."
Ben shrugged. "Kelior's father's from Greece. So are these guys. What Bruegel told Kelior made him damned desperate to get rid of me. But he had no clue who you were or that the feds were even involved."
"So where's the rest of the money?"
"Kelior didn't say before the morphine put him under. We'll question him again in the morning. I want to get back into the Persand site and take another look at their personnel files. Maybe we can find this Terrence guy."
Dani smiled ruefully. "You're going to be really busy the rest of the night.
"
He headed for the nearest cab parked just beyond the hospital doors. "Get in. You're about to see the speediest hacking job in the history of computers."
The black cab upholstery smelled of expensive cologne and cigarette smoke. The driver sat still, his gloved hand flexing on the wheel, awaiting instructions.
Through the interior window Dani provided him an address adjacent to the safe house where their gear was now stowed. She regretted that they weren't going back to their rooms at the Bellevue Palace hotel. There would be at least two other agents at the safe house. She needed to be alone with Ben.
Ben slid in beside her, moving her purse from between them so they could sit close. He fastened her seat belt for her, then quickly did his own. His gaze locked on hers. "At last," he muttered, the words crushed between his mouth and hers.
Dani didn't deny herself the pleasure of his kiss. What was the point? There wouldn't be any privacy for it later.
His tongue traced her lips, exciting nerves there that triggered immediate arousal. She loved his mouth.
His palm glided over her waist, around to her back, fingers slipping just inside the waistband of her slacks to rub the indentation of her spine. She loved his hands. His touch.
A sigh billowed through her as she snuggled closer, ignoring the cut of the seat belt, not even minding the obstruction of shoulder holster and weapon.
He broke the kiss, laughed a little at his own breathlessness, and gave her waist a fond squeeze. "Sorry, got carried away."
"Me, too," she admitted in a whisper. He cut off the words with another heady kiss. She didn't mind at all. She loved his kiss.
She loved him. The realization hit her all at once, though she grew still and stopped reciprocating. The truth scared her.
How long had she known this man? Less than three days? And yet, she seemed to know him better than she had her two previous lovers, even after months of dating and actually living with them.
He must have noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "What is it?" he asked, his mouth only a fraction of an inch away, his words tickling as he spoke them.
"N-nothing," she answered, seeking his mouth again. But he avoided the kiss.
She took a breath and ran her tongue over her lips, savoring his taste. He didn't love her. Couldn't. How could anyone be expected to fall as fast and hard as she had? It was incredible. And frightening.
"Something's wrong," he said softly. "Tell me."
Dani didn't know what to say. She could hardly admit the truth. He would probably laugh out loud. And probably run like hell as soon as he could get away. She braced a hand on his chest and pushed back. "Too much, too soon," she said with a breathless little laugh.
"Oh." He looked around, as if noticing for the first time that they were stuck in the backseat of a weird-smelling taxi, doing forty miles per hour down a dark alley.
"An alley?" She tensed just as he did. The taxi slammed on brakes and the lights went off, pitching them into total darkness. No streetlights. No dash lights. Nothing.
"I have NVGs and can see you clearly. Toss your weapons in the front seat," the cabbie commanded. "Or I will kill you."
By this time, Dani already had her pistol in her hand, safety off. She could fire through the back of the driver's seat, but he could still get a shot off. Several, even if his gun wasn't an automatic. He would be dead, but so would they. At this range he couldn't possibly miss, even without night-vision goggles.
She felt Ben release her seat belt and heard the click of his as he reached over and dropped something���his borrowed weapon, she supposed���into the front passenger seat.
"Victor," he said as he did that. "I wondered when you'd say hello."
The driver laughed. "Did you? You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands." He cleared his throat and Dani sensed a movement. She could smell gun oil very close to her nose. "Get rid of your weapon, honey, or I will blow you away."
"Go ahead, Dani," Ben murmured. "Do as he says."
Never give up your weapon. Never. Her instructor's voice filled her head, demanding she stick to her training. But she had no choice. Dani reached over carefully and dropped her H&K into the front seat.
She had a backup in her purse if she could only get to it. Unfortunately, the purse was on the other side of Ben. And even if she had the little .22 in her hand right this minute, she wouldn't be any better off than she had been with the H&K.
"What's the plan now, Victor?" Ben asked, his voice just shy of taunting. "You know the feds are after you, right?"
Bruegel laughed. "You always did underestimate your men, Michaels. How stupid do you think I am? There's not a shred of evidence that I had anything to do with this."
"There is now," Ben argued. "We have Kelior and he's been singing like a canary in heat."
"No good," Victor said, a smile in his voice. "All I did was make him aware that you had it in for him. That you were the one who had his mother killed last year when she was on a shopping trip to Paris. He's convinced you were undercover instead of recovering."
"Why, Victor? What have I ever done to you? I saved your worthless hide after that truck blew up."
The ensuing silence lasted several seconds. The vehicle seemed to become dense with a sense of loathing. She could hear Bruegel's harsh breathing as he tried to bring his fury under control. "That's just it. You saved me. And for what, Michaels? So I could walk around on an aluminum leg? No woman will so much as look at me now."
"They weren't all that interested before, if I recall. So you resort to treason, Victor? Because of a missing leg? Why didn't you just come after me?"
"If you hadn't insisted on dragging that damned family to the border, I'd have come home whole. You are a traitor and I mean to see you branded one if it's the last thing I do. You put that damn Pashti schoolteacher and his brats ahead of us, your own American men!"
Ben said nothing in his defense.
Bruegel's words came faster, spitting with venom. "But you. You had the best, didn't you? Face rebuilt���even better than before. Injuries all healed. You don't deserve to live, much less live the way you do!"
"You've done pretty well for yourself," Ben reminded him. "CEO of Persand. How'd you luck into that? Kill somebody?"
Bruegel gave a satisfied little grunt. "As a matter of fact, yes. My new boss. And he was kind enough to change his will first. I inherited his sixty-seven percent share of the company stock. With a little encouragement, of course."
"So now you kill us and go your merry way?" Ben asked. "She's a fed, Victor. They'll hunt you down like a rabid dog and you'll never even see a trial."
Victor laughed. "That's supposed to dissuade me, Ben?"
"You want to die, Victor? I'll kill you right now."
The laughter grew wilder and a little more distant. He had thrown his head back. A bright light suddenly flashed, nearly blinding Dani and certainly blinding the man wearing NVGs.
Dani ducked as far down as she could, expecting shots, but Ben was half over the seat, struggling with Bruegel. Suddenly the fight stopped. The flashlight, probably the one she carried in her purse, had rolled into the floorboard and cast an eerie glow over the interior.
Ben hung over the seat, his body tense as strung wire. A choking sound emerged from near the steering wheel. A last gasp and there was only the rapid breathing of her and Ben.
"Is he dead?" she whispered.
"I think," Ben said, shifting his weight. "I feel a pulse, but it's probably mine."
Dani opened the car door, flooding the vehicle with light. Ben had one large hand clutched around Victor's throat and the other pressing Victor's right wrist to the car seat. The pistol hung from his trigger finger.
Dani snatched the gun away and quickly ran around and retrieved theirs from the front passenger seat. "All clear unless he has a backup," she said. "I'll search him."
"Don't touch him," Ben warned. "Stay back."
Dani walked around, yanked open the driver's door and crowned
Bruegel on the temple, a knockout blow if she had ever dealt one, if he had been conscious to begin with. "You can let go now. We'll let a coroner check for signs of life."
Ben slumped back, released a harsh breath of relief and flexed his hand. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," she said with a sigh. "Let's put him in the boot and go wind this up. I'm ready to go home."
"We still don't have the money," Ben argued as he pulled Victor from behind the wheel and dragged him to the back of the car. Dani grabbed the keys from the ignition and opened the trunk, hoping to find something with which to bind Bruegel.
"Uh-oh," she said, but it was more in the way of surprise than warning.
"What is it?" Ben huffed as he dropped Victor on the ground. "The real cabbie in there?"
Dani nodded and pointed the little flashlight at the body.
Ben stuffed his clothes into his bag, cursing foully when it wouldn't zip shut. His mood had degenerated in direct proportion to how little he had seen of Dani since the taxi incident. Not once alone. Mercier was keeping her busy. Ben had gone back to the hotel to catch a few hours' sleep. It was midmorning and past the hour he should have checked out.
Bruegel had obviously gotten the money from Kelior's room before he'd come after them. Kelior's and Belken's share lay somewhere on the ocean floor along with Ace and his pal. Insurance would cover that portion.
The fact that Bruegel was still breathing didn't sit well with Ben. He didn't like to kill, but that one seriously needed to expire. The man wanted to die, too, that was the thing.
Someone tapped on his door. Probably the maid.
When he opened the door, Dani stood there, beautifully decked out in a fitted brown jacket of raw silk, unbuttoned to show a slinky yellow top and a beige skirt that reached nearly to her ankles.
"Classy," he commented, noting the lack of a shoulder holster. Made him wonder what was under the skirt.
"Thanks." Her suede, high-heeled boots clicked on the entry tiles as she brushed past him. "Jack said you were flying out commercial." Her amber eyes sparkled. Tears?