11
“Where are we going?” Delilah asked after following Mac for another five minutes. She appreciated his help, but it seemed as if he was just running without plan or destination in mind.
“We’re s-s-s-staying invisible,” Mac said over his shoulder.
Delilah sighed and stopped Mac with a hand on his shoulder. “Mac, I really appreciate your help, but we can’t just keep running all night; we need a plan or at least a safe place to hide out.”
“She’s right,” Carson said behind her. His voice was low in the dimly lit hallway, sending shivers through her body.
“What d-d-d-do you have in mind?” Mac stuttered nervously.
Suddenly there was static on the radio she had taken off the man she had killed. “Shhh,” she said, turning the volume up on the radio.
“Are the doors barricaded downstairs?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Good, we’re secured up here as well. Devilbunny says the police are headed this way. You make fucking sure they don’t get in.”
“We’ll do that.”
“Good.”
Delilah guessed the man shouting orders over the radio was the guy in charge. The voice wasn’t familiar; he hadn’t been in the ballroom while they were there.
“The cavalry has come!” Mac said, relieved, when the static started up again.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining our little party tonight; we’re truly honored for your presence. We apologize for any inconvenience you have suffered at our hands, and we can assure you any resistance will only result in more … inconvenience for you. You might wonder why we’re here tonight, why we chose this hotel and this event. The answer is simple. The wealthy pricks of the world represent only one percent of the population. One percent that has it all, that think they’re better than anyone else because of their fucking money. We’re here tonight to teach you a little lesson. A lesson that will stay with you hopefully long after tonight. It’s time you realized that you’re not better; you’re not fucking more important than the rest of us. We’re here to teach you just that.”
“It’s like a political speech,” Carson said, shaking his head.
Delilah nodded, listening further as the man described exactly how he planned on making sure that every single person in the ballroom would never forget the night they were held hostage. As he spoke, Delilah realized one thing with absolute clarity; the leader of the group was a sociopath. A self-proclaimed leader to what he thought of as the masses. His skewed view was believed by his followers, and Delilah was certain he had no intention of letting anyone go. Even through the cadence of his voice, she could hear he loved the power he had. He would use it until he had nothing left to lose.
She glanced at Carson who was also listening to the radio. For years, she had believed him to be a sociopath, someone that only had his own goals and own gain in mind, but now she wondered if she might have been wrong.
Every time his striking blue eyes met hers, she felt the answering heat pool between her thighs. She’d never had such a strong reaction to a man before; her mind had never been clouded by desire for someone she barely knew.
They heard sirens approach, and Carson cursed under his breath. “They’re going to surround the building; we won’t be able to get out without being shot. They’ll think we’re part of the gang.”
“Not if … shit, you’re right. There’s no way we can walk out the doors without being suspected.”
“What do we do?” Mac asked, looking from Delilah to Carson.
Carson leaned closer, placing his hand on the small of Delilah’s back. The heat of his hand made her whole body come alive; her nerve endings snapped and sizzled as they begged to be soothed by him. She caught her breath and turned her gaze to meet him. His eyes had darkened; clearly he had felt the reaction as well.
Their eyes held for a moment, confusing Delilah even more before he turned to Mac. “We need a safe place to hide until this is finished. Somewhere they won’t find us...”
“The penthouse is secured,” Mac said with nod.
“No. They’ll go look for him there. There is no way we can go there. What about my room?” Delilah couldn’t believe she was offering shelter to the man that killed her sister. She couldn’t fathom why her body surged with lust at his touch either.
She gave her room number to Mac, who nodded. “That might be a good plan. That room has an adjacent room as well. We might be able to use both.”
“Good. Come on, let’s go.” Carson glanced up and down the passageway before turning to Mac. “How do we get there without being seen?”
“This way,” Mac said with confidence. “I won’t mind resting for a bit. My nerves are frazzled.”
Delilah tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn’t feel the need to tell Mac that it was going to be a long night yet.
Mac started walking ahead of them and Delilah felt Carson’s hand close around her arm. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, why?” Delilah asked, surprised.
“You seem to be handling this very well.”
She could read the suspicion in his eyes and shook her head with a wry laugh. “Carson, if you think I’m with them, you’re a bigger asshole than even I thought you were. If I were with them, you’d be dead by now.”
Satisfied with her answer, Carson nodded. “All right.”
“Can we go now?” Delilah asked, looking down at his hand that was still around her arm.
“Sure.” He let her go and Delilah instantly missed the feel of his hand on her skin. She took a deep breath and headed after Mac. He was moving slower than before and they caught up with him in a few seconds.
“What do you think they’re after?” she heard Carson ask behind her.
“Money, hostages, who knows?”
“I think they wanted me,” he said a little quietly.
“Who wouldn’t?” Delilah smirked. Maybe Carson Royal was a self-conceited prick after all. “You’re such a dish,” she added sarcastically. As soon as she said the words, she wondered if he didn’t feel guilty for all the lives lost if, in fact, they had just been after him.
“I didn’t mean …” Carson started.
“I don’t care what you meant,” Delilah said over her shoulder before keeping her gaze straight ahead. One moment he confused her with his touch and the next … the next she wondered if he was the man she’d painted in her mind or someone completely different.
12
Delilah slipped her keycard through the slot. The light flashed green and the door opened. They stepped into her room and she couldn’t help but think how much differently the scene had played out than she had planned.
In her plan, she and Carson would’ve come to her room alone. She would have seduced him just enough to make sure he was rid of his armored vest before she ended his life. Carson and Mac followed her in.
“Fancy room for a security guard,” Carson commented dryly, and Delilah chose to ignore it.
She walked straight to the phone, hoping to contact the police and inform them of their location. The line was dead. She pulled her cell phone out of a drawer and switched it on only to find the signal dead. While she did that, Carson tried the internet on his phone.
“Everything’s down,” Delilah said, shaking her head.
Carson nodded. “They must have jammed the signals and cut the lines or something.”
“This is b-b-b-b-bad,” Mac said nervously.
“We’re safe for now. No one knows we’re up here. Let’s just jam the door in case.”
Delilah followed Carson’s gaze to a large dresser in the corner. After a bit of a struggle, they manage to move it in front of the door. Mac wiped the sweat from his brow before moving towards the locked door leading into the adjacent suite. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rest for a bit. My back is killing me. Call me if anything changes.” Without waiting for Carson and Delilah to agree or disagree, he pulled out his set of keys and unlocked the do
or. He moved into the adjacent suit, shut the door again, and locked it behind him.
Delilah felt the anticipation hum in her veins. How long had she waited for the moment to get Carson Royal alone? There was no one here to protect him from her; no one to stand in her way if she wanted to end his life right now.
But she wouldn’t kill him while he wore a bulletproof vest. No, she needed to get him out of that first. She wanted him defenseless, begging for his life. Only then would it avenge her sister’s murder.
“I’ve never met a security guard that dresses as well as you do,” Carson said with a wicked smile as he moved towards her.
Delilah gave him a sultry smile. “It helps to distract the attention from my employer.” She took a step towards him, hating the way her blood zinged in her ears at his proximity.
His hand stroked up her left arm, achingly slow. “I’ve never a met a security guard that’s as beautiful as you.”
Delilah felt her breath caught in her throat and moved a little closer. “Maybe you’ve been looking at the wrong security guards.”
Carson laughed a sexy sound that made her nipples prickle. “You’re different from any other woman I’ve ever met, Avery.”
She couldn’t let herself be affected by his words. She couldn’t let him dissuade her from doing what she had come to do, but she was helpless when he looked at her with that piercing blue gaze. Instead of the bright blue it had been earlier tonight, it was now darker, clouded with desire.
“You’re different from what I expected too,” Delilah said, almost to herself.
“Who do you work for?” Carson asked in a low voice, his finger tracing over Delilah’s shoulder, over her collarbone, before dipping into the V between her breasts.
Her breath hitched at his touch; it was exquisite, the heat from his fingertips scorching a trail of need over her skin. She hated that she couldn’t control the desire that pulsed between her thighs. She hated that she ached to touch him as well. But she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Her hand reached for his face; she trailed her thumb over his lips, surprised to find them soft.
“My employer is confidential,” she whispered, mesmerized by his mouth. His tongue slipped out, moving over her thumb before nipping her thumb between his teeth.
Her knees weakened, her heart fluttered, her mind went completely blank as she saw Carson move towards her. Her hand dropped to his shoulder as his mouth brushed against hers. It was the tenderest kiss she had ever experienced. Her heart that had hardened to stone over the years slowly crumbled as his tongue swept into her mouth.
His hand skimmed over her back, cupping her rear before dragging her closer. The passion, the fire, was so intense, Delilah was helpless to deny it. She felt the thick ridge of his arousal through his pants and pressed her hips against it.
Carson groaned into her mouth; she swallowed it with a deep kiss. Her tongue sought his as they stroked and teased each other. She felt the wet heat pool between her thighs and had never wanted a man to touch her as much as she wanted Carson to in that moment. Her breasts were swollen against the gold fabric of her dress; her skin glowed with need as Carson’s hand trailed up her back.
The kiss slowly started to change from gentle to demanding, and Delilah reveled in it. His mouth was firm but soft. She took and she gave without question; she had never been so consumed by a man before.
She was vulnerable for the first time in her life.
Delilah quickly stepped back, shocked at how far she had let this go. She had been helpless to stop what had happened between them, helpless not to touch or to taste him, but that wasn’t why she was here. She quickly put her hand to her mouth, hoping to wipe away the memory of their kiss.
Carson shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes cold as they met her gaze. “Why did you lie about being security? Why do you have a gun?”
Delilah felt her heart skip a beat as she met his gaze. The fiery blaze of passion was gone; all that was left now was suspicion.
13
Within seconds, she produced her polymer gun and aimed it at him. She forced her hands to be steady as she could feel her unsteady heartbeat pounding in her chest. She was supposed to seduce him; instead, he had seduced her and caught her off guard.
“Why are you here, Avery?” Carson asked carefully, holding up his hands. “Tell me the truth.”
Delilah, still aiming the gun at him, felt the tears burn the back of her eyes as she met his gaze. She could kill him now, but she needed to tell him why she was killing him first. “Does the name Molly Blake mean anything to you?”
Carson frowned before his eyes widened. “The victim of the self-driving car?”
“Yes. That victim was my sister.” Delilah ground out the words, forcing the tears back. “My name is Delilah Blake, and I’m here to make you pay for her death.”
“I’m sorry about your sister,” Carson said, taking a step closer to the gun. He was just inches from the muzzle and Delilah knew if she fired now, she would blow off his head.
“Really, are you? I find that very hard to believe. You didn’t even apologize; you didn’t even care. All you cared about was your stupid car. The pittance you gave my family for a settlement wasn’t even enough to sue you for manslaughter. You son of a bitch.” For the first time since Molly’s death, the grief overpowered Delilah. She lowered the gun slowly as she shook her head. “After Molly … both my parents became alcoholics. Do you know what it’s like to watch your parents try to drown the memory of their daughter? Do you know what it was like for me and my brother? My brother didn’t have a fucking childhood because of you. You cost me my family, my childhood, my sister, all because you wanted to make money. You couldn’t wait to test your goddamn self-driving car. Afterwards, the press said it was a foolish move to test it on public roads, but you didn’t care. All you cared about was your goddamn ego and your bank balance. You didn’t care. You insulted my family with that settlement. Molly’s death couldn’t be paid off; you insulted us by trying.” Delilah felt the tears start to stream over her face, unable to stop them. Sobs racked her shoulders even as she felt her knees give in.
She sank to the floor, crying for the loss of her sister, the horrific decline of her family, and most of all for showing weakness in front of the man who had caused it all. What was she thinking coming after him? She wasn’t strong enough. She closed her eyes with hands, hoping to hide the tears, hoping to shrink into the thick white carpet, hoping never to see Carson’s face again. She heard his footsteps and knew he was going to leave before she regained her senses.
But when she felt his hand on her back, she stiffened. “Don’t touch me,” she said between sobs.
Carson felt his heart twist at her words. Just moments ago, he had wanted her, body and soul, only to find out she had come to assassinate him. A clever man would flee, would get as far away from her as possible, but Carson found himself moving towards her.
The grief in her cries stabbed at his heart; the guilt he had tried to ignore for so many years took over. He wanted to console her, to wrap her in his arms and apologize for the heartache he had caused. Instead, he slid his hand onto her shoulder before kneeling in front of her. “Aver—Delilah, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve caused. I know this is hard for you to believe, but I planned to make things right tonight. This ball, everything, it was to make things better. I wasn’t the person that authorized the test drive; it was the project manager at the time. I take full responsibility for what happened, but I need you to know I wasn’t the person that authorized that test drive. Afterwards, I found out that project manager was cutting corners, pushing the project too fast to make a name for herself in the world of artificial intelligence.”
Delilah sniffed quietly before meeting his gaze. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen from crying as she spoke. “Who was it?”
“Jeanine Gibson. I fired her right after. I know the compensation was a joke. It was my father who insisted that the payoff be small to avoid ad
mission of guilt.”
“But you were guilty!” Delilah cried.
“I know, I know, baby. I’ve regretted it ever since. When I buried my father a year ago, I vowed to make everything right. All my sins have caught up with me, and I know I can’t repair the lives I ruined, but I’d like to try at least. I was hoping to try tonight.”
“How—how can you change what you did?”
“I’ve got a black box in the hotel vault. It contains checks. I know it’s just money, Delilah, but I was hoping to give it to the charities in attendance. I’ve also made arrangements with my lawyer to give your family stock in the Royal Corporation.”
Delilah wiped her nose and frowned at Carson. “How much?”
“Twenty-five percent,” Carson admitted. “I know it won’t bring Molly back, but having your family on the board will help us make safer decisions in future.”
Delilah’s eyes widened. “You want to give us twenty-five percent of your company. That’s …” Her voice drifted off as her face paled. Carson knew why; twenty-five percent of his company was the equivalent of half a billion dollars.
“Yes, it is. And it’s the least I can do. I was planning on finding your parents after tonight. But now that I’ve found you, I think it’s best if you take control of it. You can give them whatever amount you feel suitable. I know it’s not enough, but I need to know that I’ve tried.”
Delilah shook her head. “I came here to kill you. For years, it’s all I’ve dreamed about.”
“Dream of this instead,” Carson said, unable to keep himself from touching her. He pulled her towards him; this time the kiss wasn’t gentle. It was demanding, driven by passion. He swept into her mouth with the need of a man that hadn’t tasted desire in years. A man that couldn’t stand another moment without touching the woman he desired.
He tasted the salty tears on her lips; tasted the sadness in her kiss even as she met him with demands of her own. Her hands reached for his face, framing his jaw as she pulled him closer.
Billionaire's Killer Page 5