Raeburn barked orders at his men and then moved in her direction.
"Oh goody," Riley said.
Riley felt Eric's eyes behind her. Mark was a cat with only one life. He'd messed with the wrong woman, and now he'd better pray to whatever beast he prayed to for redemption. He had failed to be anything good in life.
“Riley.” He said as he sat down at the table. “I see we’re all here.”
"Yes Mark, we are all here," Riley repeated. His good looks were only a front to her now, a false door that led to a dangerous hollow and ugly place. "Let Eric and the others go."
"Not that easy. You see the way I see it, you allowed two of your men into my hotel, and four others have joined them. I'm feeling a little threatened and have changed my mind about making a trade." He picked up his napkin and set it on his lap.
"I figured as much," Riley muttered feeling the blood rush into her face.
“You’ve changed a bit. I like it.” He said picking up the bottle of wine uncorking it. “Dinner is going to be…exciting.”
Riley sighed softly patiently waiting for one opportunity to end this. “I don’t think so.” She said softly.
“Let’s ask Eric and the others. Shall we.”
He stood up and before Riley could stop him. He stepped in Eric and Blake's direction. Her heart quickened, and she started to say something. Then she remembered the baggy inside her bra. Mark stepped away from the table and headed towards Eric, who climbed to his feet. Distraction! Mark gestured one of his muscles over to the table.
“What do you think, Kid?” Mark laughed.
While all eyes were on Mark and Eric, Riley reached in her dress and recovered the bag. She let the fine white powder fall into the palm of her hand and then into her water glass. She purposely hit the edge of the table while wiping the drug off her skin. The white powder spread then turned into a transparent and unknown weapon.
“You’re like a bull in a china shop Riley!” Mark's voice from the past hung in her head like led. The wineglasses teetered. Riley did what would set him off; she nudged her wineglass spilling it.
"You're an asshole," Eric said.
One of Mark’s heavies pulled Eric out of his chair. He restrained him as Mark all suave strutted past him, spun and threw him a sucker punch at Eric’s stomach. Eric doubled over but made no sound. Eric wasn’t fighting back.
Riley rushed to Eric's side pushing the muscle away. "You're pathetic." She said looking at Mark. "Mark? Really? Let him go and hit him. See what happens?" She clenched her teeth together furious. Blake looked at her, his eyes staring into hers. By the look on Blake's face, there was something she didn’t know.
“Get back to our table Riley.” He said. “Now! Or I’ll shoot him and end this now.”
Eric sat dead still in his seat. He made no move to defend himself or her. Riley looked at the barrel staring her in the face and let Eric slip through her fingers. He slid into his seat. As she walked away, she glanced back at Blake who nodded slightly.
Mark was all about control. Riley wasn't ready to show her ex-husband what new skills she'd learned while he was away trying to steal the world, but it was coming. She looked over toward Dragon who was standing off to the side. He too gave her a hard look reminding her to follow his instructions.
Riley stepped back to the table looking down at the mess. Mark took his seat shaking his head. She sat.
“Always the clumsy one. You always were a fumbling oaf!” Mark said looking down at the wine on the table.
He reached across for Riley’s wineglass. He swished the burgundy liquid around. By the looks of the glass, it was an expensive wine. He switched her glass for his and did the same with her water glass. Riley was already one-step ahead. Enough time had elapsed allowing the fine powder to dissolve. She only hoped there would be no aftertaste.
As the women at the other table giggled, Riley felt a twinge of Deja vu. A sudden calmness washed over her. Mark was no longer concerned about Eric or her because his eyes were on the blonde sitting at the other table. That's what it had been like with Mark. She knew in the first weeks of their marriage that she'd never been enough for him. Riley learned to shove it away and ignore it. It was more than embarrassing when he'd gawk at other women with her right beside him. Many times, they'd flirt or egg him on, which made her feel even worse. Now Riley despised him, so she didn't care. He was wasting her time.
"It is entertaining." He said.
"Why is it that men always want what they cannot have?"
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
When Riley thought everything was going as planned… The room filled with a different group of suits and dresses. People of class and money had gathered. The soft chatter of conversations combined with the aroma of food played with her senses, but she felt an immediate unrest. Riley slipped into another vision. She tried to look interested letting her fingers cross over the wineglass staring at the delicate fluid trapped inside. Mark played the role of the rich man well. But Riley knew Mark was a liar. He pretended he was better than most and it showed even in the way he ate. She swirled the salad around on her plate. Though they were sitting together, She and Mark were two worlds apart.
Then she caught a glimpse of him. Another man much taller, darker and far more of a man than Mark could ever dream of being. His sleek pale gray suit and black silk tie were the best money could buy. His hair jelled back making it appear darker, longer. His face was clean-shaven exposing every ounce of his strikingly good looks. There was no cowboy hat on his head, but Riley knew it was Lucas. A warm rush flowed through her, and her heart skipped a beat. Mark must have noticed a change in expression because he found a reason to question her.
“You’re turning red Riley?” He said. He pointed with his finger while holding onto his wine. “You only flush like that when you’re nervous or excited?”
Classic music flowed softly from the speaker above. It calmed her. The instruments called to her. Riley wanted to go to him. Security, she hadn’t felt it in so long.
“I need to use the ladies room.”
She stood up abruptly bumping the table with her leg. Mark rolled his eyes as if disgusted by her.
“Take your time.” He said.
She stood up slightly buzzed from the wine. Mark stood up, and his napkin fell to the table. He motioned his muscle to follow her. Riley brushed against Eric as she passed him.
“There’s a bomb.” He whispered.
Once in the bathroom, with the muscle outside the door, she looked in the mirror lifting her hair to see the splashes of red covering her chest and neck. This memory was changing. She realized it was no longer a memory but a vision. She hasn’t left the table.
The sound of his voice and the blondes were distant in her ear, but she could hear them. Riley struggled to see the relativity to this moment. This isn't the time for a vision, not now. Where is the real me? She was wasting precious time.
“Be careful Riley,” Lucas said from behind. “You need to get everyone out. He’s going to blow up the hotel.”
“What can I do Lucas?”
"Finish it," Lucas said. "You have less than an hour. Get the kids out."
"What kids? Where are they?" She whispered. The muscle snuck his head in, and she waved him off.
Lucas was behind her, and she could see his reflection in the mirror. He pressed his finger to his lips and then looked at the door. Riley understood. He stepped in closer to her. He bent forward his face only inches away from her. Riley could've turned around and let him hold her.
“The fitness room. You need to ask Mark about the kids. Jack will hear you. Understand. Let Jack know about the others.”
Riley nodded. "Okay," she said.
"Distract him as long as you can." He said, and then he was gone.
Riley's fingers slid over Eric's shoulders as she passed by him. "I love you," She said silently.
“Riley,” Mark said. He pushed the blonde off his lap.
She's changed the dream. S
he was the one in control of her vision, but she wasn't in control of what Mark has already done. He has planned.
"Holy shit Riley," Mark said in a firm tone irritated. “You’re a Diviner!”
“What?” She said. “I can hear you.”
“Clean yourself up. Your nose is bleeding.” He said shoving a napkin her way. “You just became more valuable to me.”
"What've you done Mark?" She asked looking over at the women at the next table, but they never left their seat engaged in conversation. Riley forced herself not to search for Jack's position and felt a new calmness pass through her knowing he was nearby. Jack was there. He would always be her hero. The person who always had her back and always would.
Mark grinned at Riley, and she knew he was rolling in self-gratification. His words rolled off his tongue like fire. "What haven't I done?"
"Where are the kids?" She asked. "Why are you holding children in this hotel?"
Mark’s fist struck outward connecting with her cheek. The blow sent her to the floor. “Don’t demand anything out of me. I am the one in charge here.” He yelled.
"You've been working out." She said trying to climb gracefully back to her feet, but the dress so tightly wrapped around her thighs confined her movement. Riley made it back to the chair and gently touched her cheek.
"I'm curious Riley. What have you been doing for the past two years? I tried to find you, but you were nowhere in sight. Until I went back to the house and discovered you’d been there.” He said. “Emily’s son was kind enough to tell me about your visit.”
“I’ve been busy.” She said. Lucas’s voice repeated in her head, “Distract him.”
Riley picked up Mark's glass of wine and took a long sip. He watched her and smiled entertained. "You've been busy?"
She wasn’t sure what to tell him. How did she keep a conversation going with someone she despised so much, but then in a new world, you learn to do many things you would’ve never dreamed of doing? Therefore, she started to make up a story.
"I was looking for you, Mark. I thought maybe we might be different." Riley said. "Plus I'd like to have my truck back."
“We are different Riley. I burned your truck.” He said without empathy. “The scars on your body tell a story. Don’t they? What about those fresh ones on your calf there?”
Knowing Jack could hear this, she squirmed just a little. "You like cameras don't you?" She said. "If you wanted to watch me dress why didn't you just ask?"
“I don’t have to ask anymore. I just do. Where did all the scars come from? Do tell.” Mark sneered.
He seemed interested in what Riley had to say, and for everyone around her, this was good. She had his attention, and she was going to make the most of it. She prayed Jack understood what she'd said. If he did someone would rescue the kids and get them to safety.
“Before I tell you my story, I’d like to hear yours.” She said.
He paused, leaning back in his chair and then smiled. He loved the attention and Riley knew it.
“From the moment I left the house that night or the next day?” He asked.
Games always game with Mark. "Oh, start from the beginning. Don't leave anything out."
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt…. too much anyway." He said. "The moment I drew first blood or the time when the brown-eyed vixen tried to claw my eyes out. They happened about the same time. However, you Riley were planning a much longer trip weren't you?"
"Yes," Riley said and waited. The conversation kept circling back to her.
"I was there that night. Wouldn't have missed it for the world. I watched you with that high fluting man and his lovely wife. The little girl. You wanted children, didn't you? Too bad for her though." He paused there looking straight into her eyes. Riley felt her stomach churn. The image of the little girl had always stayed fresh in her memory. "I thought I watched you die. I left you there. I took your truck nearly running over you as I left. However, someone took you because when I came back the next morning to bury your sorry ass, you were gone. Gone!”
Riley felt an intense heat creep through her skin. It crawled from her stomach up towards her face. She couldn't possibly fathom anything this man did or said. She hated him with every ounce of strength she had. Riley was sick she'd ever given herself to him. Then Jack's face popped up in her mind, then Megan's smile and then Jack carrying Megan. The pony Jack had bought for her. Utah and Eric, the team behind her and this new family she'd die for. The man across from her, however, was no more than dog shit on someone's lawn.
Sam appeared at the table. She glanced at Riley setting down their plates. Her hands were steady. She made off before Mark could complain about something and he always did.
“Cat have your tongue?” He said. “I told you it wouldn’t hurt too much.”
Riley had nothing she could throw out on the table that would hurt him. However, there was one secret that she knew would make his world spin, the way she responded to him.
"Wow," Riley said. "You can't blame me for wanting to leave. Did you know about the money? What gave me away?" Riley asked.
"What money?" He fired back, and she felt like lifting her finger in the air to mark down one for Riley.
"The money I was taking out of your accounts and hiding in the safe below the bed." She said feeling a twinge of satisfaction. After all, she'd waited over two years for this moment. Right?
“My money?”
"Mmm hum." She said taking a bite of her salad seemingly unaffected, but she was. "Come on. You must have known." She wondered when the drug would start affecting him and hoped it'd work to her advantage. I wanted to grin when he took a long sip of water and then wine. The one trait
What Mark didn't have was a strong sense of taste. "I took quite a bit over the year," she said.
Riley saw him tense and then settle back. He polished off the water. “Interesting.”
“How’s your salad?”
“Mine, oh I don’t know. I haven’t even touched it.” He said ever so slightly offbeat. Riley had punched him where it hurt.
"I also applied for a Sheriff's position in Prescott. I got the job." Riley raised her glass of wine into the air as if performing a toast. He picked up his, and they touched glasses.
"Hum." He said, "I would've never thought. You're clumsy and forgetful, but hey that could be fixed. I guess."
He was tolerable right now, but Riley wasn't done yet. She wanted to test the waters to see just how far she could go before drowning.
"You didn't know about the money, or the safe did you?"
"No." He said looking over at the blonde. She watched him, and his body swayed just a little.
The drug was kicking in.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
"He does have kids in the building," Jack said softly.
"Copy that," Mustang replied first. "They've already been located."
"I'll send for transport. Send the kids out the way we came in." Ryan said.
“Copy. Over.” Mustang said.
“Copy. Over.” Jack added.
Jack sighed careful not to make any movement that would risk his position. It'd taken all of his power not to move when Raeburn blasted Riley with a right hook. Once they got the kids out, then they could make their move on Raeburn. They'd have only seconds to get everyone out safely. If all went well, he'd be the one flying the helicopter out with his team in it.
There were only two ways into the dining room and two ways out. Jack planned to have Conman take one and Adam would take the other. They were going to have to go in hot though careful not allow their own team to catch cross fire. They all trained together. The team worked together, but that didn’t stop a growing knot in Jack’s stomach.
Below Jack, Riley kept Mark engaged in conversation. She found a way to pull his train of thought away. Eric and Blake were sitting calmly, waiting. Whatever she had put in Raeburn’s drink was taking effect.
Sam left the room, and as she passed, Eric and Blake gave her a slight nod
. There were no disruptions. His team was doing what he needed them to do.
In the Shadow of the Tiger (The Fighter Series Book 2) Page 31