Necessary Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  What the hell was he going to do with her?

  She wasn’t going to sit back and let him handle this. He couldn’t protect her.

  The only thing left was to work with her, and he didn’t know how to do that.

  “I can explain,” Ivy said after a prolonged silence.

  He glanced over his shoulder, a sense of urgency returning.

  “We don’t have time for that,” he said, scanning the walled-in courtyard for the delivery driver.

  He saw her crawl out from under the desk and straighten from the corner of his eye.

  Shit.

  He turned his head, taking in the full impact of Ivy in a tiny, strapless dress over her bikini that barely covered the essentials. His mouth went dry and not for the first time he wished he’d stolen a quick glance at her during the interview. He wasn’t a saint, so why had he tried to play the good guy? What the hell was he doing?

  “Why? What happened?” Ivy asked.

  Delivery driver.

  Right.

  “Jabir cut our joyride short because he had a water truck coming in.”

  Ivy’s brow wrinkled. “Okay, so...?”

  “If you listen to him talk about the house for any length of time he’ll talk about how the house gets its water from a small, supposedly secret aquifer reserved only for the royal family. He doesn’t need to bring in a water truck for anything.” Besides, Killam’s gut was telling him this was important. That it was out of place and therefore needed to be looked into.

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “What are we doing?”

  He couldn’t very well go sneaking around the house together. Not with her in that eye-catching outfit. Christ, the urge to look at her breasts was strong. “Why are you in here? Shouldn’t you be at the party?”

  For a split second panic crossed her face. “Everything’s fine.”

  Shit. “Ivy...”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I broke up a cat fight and got blamed for it by Yousef, okay? I’m banished from the pool.”

  Women didn’t get banished from a part of the party. They got kicked from the party entirely.

  “You should go back to the women’s wing before someone misses you.”

  She stamped her foot. “No one is in the women’s wing.”

  “I don’t care. I can’t be seen with you.”

  She shrugged. “Then let’s not be seen.”

  God save him from women. From agents who thought they knew better. From every damn thing.

  He drew in a calming breath, but it didn’t work. “Ivy. Please? Go before we are found together and we’re both in trouble.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “No. Logically, no one is looking for me. Everyone is outside. This is the perfect time to look around. You go find your driver while I locate the server room.”

  Shit.

  She was not going to give up. And she wouldn’t sit anything out. She was determined to be a pain in his side.

  Work together.

  He dragged a hand over his face. “You can’t run around the house in a bikini.”

  “I’m not just wearing a bikini.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Stop stalling and let’s get moving before Jabir comes back.”

  Killam glanced around.

  The white and yellow of her outfit would stand out.

  There.

  He scooped a black silk robe off the floor next to a sofa and held it out. “Put this on over that. If anyone sees us, maybe they’ll think... Just put it on.”

  She slid the garment on and belted it so the hem hit her at mid-calf.

  It was Jabir’s, though how it had wound up here was anyone’s guess.

  “Happy?” She held out her hands.

  He wanted to say no.

  Even with her covered from collarbone to ankle, he still had the uncomfortable attraction to her simmering under the surface.

  “Fine. Two rules, .” He held up his fingers. “One, you do what I say when I say it. Understand?”

  Her flat stare made him question any answer she gave him. “Fine.”

  “Two, we’re done when I say we’re done. Looking around is not worth breaking cover.”

  “Okay.”

  That went far better than he could have hoped. Then again, he didn’t actually trust her to listen to him.

  Killam sighed and glanced at the doors.

  They had two options. Go out through the foyer and up the stairs. Only, now that Jabir was in the house, two guards would be inside. Or go through the main atrium and duck into the hall, hoping for the best.

  He’d rather not get on the guard’s radar for fooling around with one of the girls.

  “Come on,” he muttered.

  There was no way the two of them could get anywhere near the delivery guy or Yousef. Killam would have to let that go for now and hope to figure it out later.

  There were always odd deliveries. It was a fact. For all Killam knew, the delivery guy could be bringing contraband alcohol or drugs, something that made perfect sense. Or he could be something else altogether.

  Killam cracked the far door and peered out into the main room.

  Now that Jabir was there, everyone was outside. Judging by the splashing in the pool, he’d dove into the water. Not surprising since he’d been complaining of how hot and dusty he was after taking the convertible out.

  Killam stepped out of the doors, peering around.

  Every eye was focused away from them.

  He waved at Ivy to follow and together they quickly walked down the hall.

  A wide stair led to the second floor. He passed it, resigned to the fact that he really was snooping around.

  “What about cameras?” Ivy asked.

  “There aren’t any inside. He doesn’t exactly want evidence of what he’s up to. If it got into the wrong hands, he could be in some serious trouble.”

  “Well, that’s good for us.” She kept her voice down and didn’t quite walk next to him, just a little behind.

  For a woman like her, that was a conscious decision.

  She was smart. He’d give that to her. She just didn’t know the ropes.

  “With Jabir out in the party, we might run into house staff tidying up. Though I hope they did that while we were out,” he said.

  “I can’t imagine living like this. I mean, he’s basically a child. A really big kid.”

  “You have no idea, princess.”

  Ivy snorted.

  He grinned. He couldn’t help it.

  “Where are you staying?” she asked.

  “Third-floor, Sunrise Suite.”

  “Does that mean something?”

  “It means I’m one of the important guests.” A fact not lost on Killam. He had a lot of liberties to lose, besides his life. But it also meant that if they were caught together, there was a slim chance they wouldn’t get the full punishment.

  “Where are we starting?”

  He didn’t reply as they approached the corner that turned toward Jabir’s wing of the house.

  For the most part, this part of the house was empty. Someday, if Jabir ever did what his family thought he should, he’d settle down, get a wife and have children. Killam doubted Jabir would ever give up his party girls. Killam pitied that future woman and was glad she wasn’t in the picture now.

  He’d been in Jabir’s wing a few times, so he knew that the first floor was comprised of a collection of rooms, like a family living room, a space set aside for the women of the family, a private gym and sauna plus a hot tub. Killam had seen a few parties moved to these spaces, but he’d never stayed long.

  The second and third floor were mostly bedrooms, bathrooms, and two that Killam had no idea what their use would be. Playrooms, possibly?

  The fourth floor was Jabir’s personal domain, where few were invited. The only reason Killam had been invited up there the few times he had was because Jabir had broken his leg or was too sick to venture far from bed.

  All of the best rooms were
on the upper floors so as to catch the cool air when the windows were open. Not that Jabir opened his windows. He had air conditioners in most rooms to handle the heat.

  He stopped at the corner and peered at the double doors leading into Jabir’s wing of the house.

  No guards, which meant Jabir really was out in the party.

  Killam wasn’t sure where the server room could be. It seemed like something far too important to be relegated to the servant’s wing. And yet, Killam was fairly certain he’d seen most of Jabir’s wing on one trip through or another.

  Now or never.

  “Stay behind me,” he told Ivy as he took the first step toward the doors.

  This was such a monumentally bad idea.

  He grasped the cool, golden door handle and pulled. It opened easily, blasting him with cool air.

  Killam peered down the long haul.

  Somewhere distant a vacuum cleaner droned.

  He stepped in, grabbed Ivy’s arm and pulled her after him. He closed the door behind them, then waited, frozen in place.

  Ivy pulled out of his grasp, her gaze also focused down the hall.

  “Look around. Stay close. Be quick,” he whispered.

  She nodded and together they went to the first doors, opening them, peering inside and moving on.

  The first three he looked in on were dark. The next he knew was the gym.

  Down the hall, the vacuum turned off.

  He froze for half a second, then glanced at Ivy. She stood still with her hand on the door to what he thought was a closet.

  A cart rolled out of one of the far rooms.

  Killam crossed the hall in two steps. Ivy opened the closet and they dove into the darkness, only the space didn’t feel right for a closet. It was open. The air wasn’t stale. His hand covered hers and together they ever so quietly shut the door.

  He swallowed and turned, staring into what he’d always assumed was a closet.

  Ivy’s shoulder pressed against his.

  “What’s down there?” she whispered.

  A light farther down illuminated the stairs descending to a basement level.

  Killam hadn’t known there was a basement. He knew about the cave cellar where Jabir kept his contraband, but that was one room.

  This was something else.

  He glanced at Ivy as she looked at him.

  “We go very slowly,” he said.

  “What’s down there?”

  “I have no idea.” He reached for his hip, only to recall that he wasn’t carrying a gun. It wasn’t allowed on the premises. “Stay behind me. If I say run, you run.”

  “Okay.”

  He still wanted to bundle her up out of this, but that wasn’t an option. She wouldn’t go and there was very likely someone in the hall right now.

  They’d have to press on.

  Killam descended the stairs, conscious of Ivy’s presence. She waited a moment before following, giving him a good amount of room to maneuver.

  Combat Engineer.

  He couldn’t forget that.

  She’d likely pushed forward into situations just as dangerous as this one plenty of times. He had to stop seeing her the way she was dressed. She wasn’t just a party girl. She’d been a soldier. Someone who’d been on the front lines.

  Killam went slowly, examining the ceiling for signs of cameras and the floor for shadows or movement. A steady hum began. Like the hum of computer fans.

  He felt an itch on the back of his neck.

  Ahead of them, the hall turned.

  He flattened himself to the wall on his left and went to his knees, crouching to peer as far ahead as he could.

  No people.

  Jabir didn’t have cameras inside the house. Killam hadn’t told Ivy about the ones outside that caught everything.

  Killam crawled down a few more stairs, and there, barely visible on the ceiling of the basement level, was a camera. He threw out his arm and sat up so his face would be out of the shot. It was unlikely the camera had caught him based on the angle, but he didn’t want to risk it.

  “At least one camera,” he whispered.

  Ivy crouched on the stair with him on the opposite wall, leaving enough room for them to maneuver in the wide stairwell.

  “You hear that?” She cupped a hand around her ear.

  “Sounds like computer fans or electrical humming.”

  She didn’t smile. In fact, her face was grim. “I think we just found the server room.”

  “Yeah.” Killam glanced back down the stairs. “We should get out of here. Make a plan for later.”

  Ivy nodded and stood.

  He turned and they crept back up the half-dozen steps to the small landing. Peering around at the shadows, he was reasonably certain this had been a closet at one point. There were even shelves with cleaning supplies on one side. Which meant this basement addition was newer than Killam’s relationship with Jabir.

  That would be important.

  Killam put his ear to the door, but didn’t hear anything. He held up a finger to his lips and looked at Ivy. She nodded. He twisted the doorknob and cracked it just enough to peer down the hall.

  The cleaning cart sat outside another room.

  He waited and watched for several moments, but no one emerged from the room.

  Best to go now.

  Killam reached out and found Ivy’s hand. He opened the door and together they stepped out, moving as one. He shut the door and they strode quickly to the doors barring entry to the wing.

  Ivy automatically turned her back to the doors, watching the hall, while he braved a look out.

  If the cleaning woman saw them they were busted.

  He didn’t see movement in the thin crack, so he opened the door farther and stuck his head out.

  Clear.

  Killam yanked Ivy through and shut the door a little too hard. He didn’t quite jog, but he didn’t set an easy pace either as they fled the wing.

  Quickly he ran through their options. They had to talk. He needed to make sure Ivy didn’t do anything rash. She seemed like the type who might.

  Decision made, he pulled her into the elevator alcove and jabbed the button, holding her arm so she had to stand right behind him.

  Voices and sounds from the party enveloped them.

  If one person ventured upstairs or if they crossed paths with someone coming down, they’d have to answer questions. Uncomfortable questions.

  “Come on,” he muttered under his breath as the elevator came down to the ground floor.

  With luck, his body would block someone from seeing her.

  The doors opened on an empty elevator.

  Luck was with them today.

  Killam stepped in, dragging Ivy with him. He jabbed the third floor button while she glared and said nothing.

  The doors shut and he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What are we doing?” Ivy demanded.

  “We’re going to talk somewhere safe.”

  “Like your bedroom? Really?”

  He snorted. Any other time it would be a line, but not here or now.

  The elevator opened up on the fourth floor. There weren’t many rooms up here since each was more spacious and had the biggest beds Killam had ever seen.

  He planted his hand on the small of Ivy’s back and propelled her forward. Windows made up the wall on their right, while beyond the railing on their left was the atrium of the house and the party. They stayed well away from the railing, all the way to his room.

  Killam opened the door and stuck his head in first to ensure the cleaning staff wasn’t there. Satisfied, he stepped back and Ivy darted past him.

  No sooner was she out of sight than two men came around the corner.

  “Killam! Haven’t seen you in a minute, my man,” Zak said. He was the shorter of the two men and always seemed to be trying to make up for the height difference.

  Great.

  He spent a moment slapping palms and making pointless small talk with the cousin
s that had weaseled their way into Jabby’s good graces. They were pathetic hangers on in Killam’s book. They didn’t do anything besides party.

  Killam detested the men, but he couldn’t let them in on that fact.

  After promising to show off the latest cars that evening, Killam slipped into his room.

  Ivy had removed the robe and was pacing at the far end of the room. “That was close.”

  “They didn’t see a thing.” And if they had, they would have given Killam a wink and a nudge. They also wouldn’t forget what they’d seen.

  “How certain are we the server room’s down there?” She stopped pacing and planted her hands on her hips, facing him.

  With the sunlight streaming in behind her, making her hair glow like a halo, she looked like an angel. A very deadly angel.

  “Without looking as certain as we can be.”

  “Okay, then how are we going to get in there?”

  “We need the cameras off-line.” He had an idea. It wasn’t a good one, but it would work.

  “Could we flip some sort of breaker?” Ivy suggested.

  Killam grimaced. He was going to cash in this favor big time. “I’ll handle it.”

  “How?”

  “I know a guy. He’s not a fan of Jabir. If I ask him to, I don’t know, mess with the power lines, he’d do it for laughs.” Of course it would take money and time.

  “How long?”

  “At least a day.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it. Even if that’s not the server room being without power will disrupt everything. We could get a look around.”

  “There is some kind of back-up power, so this won’t be a long outage.”

  Ivy nodded, but he got the feeling he wasn’t going to be able to dissuade her.

  Fuck.

  At least it would get them both out of here fast.

  He nodded at the door. “I’ll work on this. You need to get going before someone realizes you aren’t where you’re supposed to be.”

  Ivy sighed and scooped up the robe.

  “I can take care of that,” he said.

  She glanced down at it. “Actually, I want it.”

  Killam wasn’t ready for the surge of jealousy. She wanted something of Jabby’s?

  “For Nor, I mean,” she added hastily.

  Nor.

  Sweet little Nor.

  Poor kid.

  Killam shoved his hands in his pockets.