To his credit, he hadn’t flinched under the assault. “Of course. Oh,” he said suddenly, “my uncle wants to get us all together for dinner Sunday night.”
Elizabeth nodded.
“And I thought, tomorrow night, we’d go to the ballet. Have you ever been?”
She shook her head. “I’d love to. But what about tonight?”
“I thought you wanted to go out to eat,” he said, reaching for his coat. He glanced back at Elizabeth and stopped.
She looked up at him through her lashes, charmingly coy. “May I make a request first?”
“Sure,” Will said. They stared at each other awkwardly for a split second before Elizabeth placed two hands on his chest and shoved him, hard, towards the bed.
Will took a few steps backwards and sat on the edge of the mattress. Elizabeth was standing still, waiting patiently for his attention, and he swallowed, noting how her hands were hovering over the hem of her sweater and then slowly, slowly, pulling it over her head. She hadn’t been wearing a shirt underneath, he saw, but a black camisole. A black, silk, barely-there camisole that outlined her breasts. His fingers curled into fists and his heartbeat increased as her hand hovered over the button of her pants. With a gentle movement, she released the button and then slowly, slowly, pulled down the zipper, her eyes locking with his as she stepped out of her pants to reveal a pair of shimmering, matching black panties.
Will reached up with both hands to pull his own shirt off, almost desperate in his haste, but Elizabeth shook her head and glided over to sit in his lap and undo his buttons one by one.
Afterwards, Elizabeth kissed him and scuttled off to the bathroom with promises of more for the rest of their weekend. Will tossed his arms behind his head, irrationally exultant and pleasantly sated. He replayed Elizabeth’s seduction in his mind, the innocence of it that belied the act itself, and felt some stirring for a repeat performance. He tried to think of something other than Elizabeth standing there in her black lingerie, attempting to look sultry but instead appearing rather shy, and sighed happily. Usually lovemaking with them was a frenzied affair, but tonight, it had been slow and tender. This approach was promising. Very, very promising.
Will reached for the door to the restaurant, but Elizabeth wasn’t watching. Instead, she tugged at her dress. Will put his hand over hers.
“Stop it,” he said. “You look great.”
“It’s not really my style,” she said, her forehead wrinkling. “I can’t move very well in it. It’s too tight.”
“It’s not too tight,” he said for the third time since they had left their hotel only two blocks away. He anticipated her other complaints. “It’s also not too short or too bright. It’s knee-length and regular green, and it fits you perfectly.”
Her expression was skeptical, but she squeezed his hand. “I miss Kit,” she groused. “That’s the last time I let someone else buy me clothes.”
“Elizabeth,” he said warningly. “We wanted something for Saturday’s ballet and Sunday’s dinner, and you didn’t want to shop. The hotel does this all the time, and you didn’t seem to mind last night.”
She shrugged. “I think it shrank overnight.”
“Maybe it was the gigantic breakfast you ate,” he said, sounding frustrated.
She stared daggers at him. He just stared back.
“Okay, I get it,” she relented with a frown. “Nothing’s changed since yesterday. Fine.”
He smiled mischievously. “Yes, you are.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but he ignored it to ask, “Can we go inside now?”
They arrived just after his uncle and Senator Everest. Oscar, Laura Annesley, and Georgiana were already at the table in the corner of the room, and they stood to greet everyone.
“You look great, Elizabeth!” Georgiana said enthusiastically as Elizabeth removed her coat. “Oh my gosh, I love that dress!”
Will chuckled, and Elizabeth elbowed him. “Shut up, you.”
They greeted everyone and sat down, Elizabeth taking the seat next to Senator Everest, who greeted her with a bright smile. Will sat at the head of the table next to Elizabeth, facing his uncle at the foot. Elizabeth didn’t even blink when she opened and read the menu, despite the high prices, and Will leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I knew you could do it, Bennet.”
“Maybe you’ve created a monster, Darcy,” she whispered back sarcastically. “Maybe I’ll become so used to your ridiculous spending, I’ll bankrupt you.”
“Unlikely,” he said with a grin, straightening in his chair.
“Which part?” she asked tartly, but then grinned back.
The waiter came over to take their order, and as he walked away, Georgiana excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Will watched G go, and his gaze landed on one of the waiters. His eyes narrowed.
“What?” Elizabeth asked. She twisted around in her chair for a better look, but the man kept his back to them and returned to the kitchen.
“I’m probably wrong,” Will said. He took a sip of his water but kept an eye on the kitchen door. “I just thought I’d seen that man somewhere.”
“Have you eaten here before?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Mystery solved,” she told him.
He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s it.”
Elizabeth’s response was drowned out in the ear-splitting shriek of a fire alarm. She stiffened involuntarily at the sound as the room was thrown into chaos. People rose, grabbed their belongings, and hurried towards the entrance to escape the sound. At the same time, the kitchen staff began to run out of the back into the main dining room, soot-streaked and coughing. A cloud of thick black smoke billowed out behind them.
The evidence of a real fire animated the crowd, and some people in the rear of the began to panic and shove those ahead of them in a frantic effort to get through. “I have to get G,” he yelled to Elizabeth, who was putting her coat on.
Elizabeth nodded, and Will headed towards the bathrooms.
He took a few steps and then saw a commotion near the kitchen. G had emerged from the bathroom, but she wasn’t heading for the table or the door—she was swinging a heavy white plate at someone’s head with all her might. It connected, and the man staggered to the left, reaching for his ear and clutching something in his right hand . . .
Will launched at him like a missile. “Gun!” he yelled, though he wasn’t sure anyone would hear him over the alarm. He grunted as he felt his shoulder impact the man’s midsection. They hit the floor hard, and Will quickly pinned the other man down and reached for his right arm. Then Elizabeth was there, landing on the man’s wrist with her knee and twisting the weapon away.
“He was going to shoot Elizabeth!” G screamed over the racket.
“G!” he shouted. “Get outside!” He couldn’t see her well, but he caught a glimpse of her shoes as she ran off.
There was the crack of a finger bone, a scream, and then the gun spun away across the tile, back towards the tables. Elizabeth whirled to lunge after it.
Will glanced up and behind him, still pinning the would-be gunman as he struggled to escape. The weapon struck a pair of black heels and stopped.
Senator Everest crouched to collect the handgun. She checked the condition of the weapon and held it ready.
The man tried to pull his arm free, and Will quickly pulled his fist back and landed a punch, the knuckles of his middle and index finger making solid contact.
There was a shot from behind him, and then someone threw a chair through the plate glass window on his left. The room cleared out as customers fled. Oscar dropped down beside him and helped Will and Elizabeth hold the man down. Will took off his belt and secured the man’s hands behind him.
“Who took the shot?” Elizabeth asked, finally free to look around. She was silent for a moment before she said, “I didn’t know Senator Everest could shoot.”
Oscar chuckled as he removed his own belt and handed it to Will. “Army
National Guard,” he informed them. But Will was focused on something else. The man’s face had been so familiar . . .
“I knew I recognized him,” he said to Elizabeth. The smoke was getting thicker, and he tried to take shallow breaths. “It’s one of your fake cops.” He pulled the man’s head up by his hair to show her.
Elizabeth blinked. “Goring,” she said. “That’s Goring.” She turned her head to scan the room. “Is that Spinoza?”
Will saw a figure slumped against the wall, one hand flung out. Uncle Terry and Senator Everest were standing over him, but there didn’t seem any rush to provide aid. Dead, he thought. Uncle Terry was holding a second gun. Spinoza’s, he presumed.
“Why are you here?” Elizabeth demanded of Goring.
Goring just snorted, and Will kept a hand on the back of the man’s neck until two security guards from the restaurant removed the belt and put him in handcuffs. He pushed off the man’s back and helped Elizabeth to her feet as several firemen rushed past them into the kitchen. He surveyed the room and seemed satisfied. “Get outside, stay with G.” He took a few steps towards his uncle.
Elizabeth’s skirt had ridden up nearly to her hips and she was tugging it down. She glanced up and shook her head. “I don’t think so, cowboy,” she replied gesturing outside. “Annesley’s with G, and I’m not leaving.”
Oscar gestured that he would follow Goring outside, and Will nodded.
Elizabeth’s phone buzzed—two long tones, one short. She grabbed it out of her coat pocket.
“You’re answering a text now?” he asked, incredulous, and began to cough. “Are you crazy?” He put his hand on her shoulder and steered her away from the worst of the smoke.
“It’s an emergency signal,” she said shortly.
“An emergency signal from whom?” he asked, his voice dangerously close to a growl.
“Abby,” she said bluntly, reading the message. Her eyes widened, and she grabbed his arm. “I have to get back to the hotel,” she said. “Now.” She ran to the door.
“Wait!” he exclaimed as she pushed her way outside and waved to Annesley to indicate they were leaving. Both Annesley and G appeared perplexed, but he had no time to stop and explain. Elizabeth was already beginning to run down the street, heels in her hands.
He caught up to her in no time. “You’re going to trust Abby?” he asked as they ran. “I thought you cut off all contact?”
“I did,” she responded, making a right turn at the corner.
“And you really don’t think she had anything to do with FORGE?”
Elizabeth increased her pace. “Trust me, Will. It wasn’t her.” She tossed a quick, hard look at him and then focused her eyes straight ahead. “I need you to trust that I know her.”
Will adjusted his own stride. It was hard to trust Abby, but he did trust Elizabeth. “What did she say?” he asked.
“Someone’s using my code to perform a hack.” Elizabeth reached the door of their hotel and tossed it open before dashing inside. “Whoever it is, they’re trying to set me up to take the fall.”
As they hit the second landing, Will’s phone rang. He grabbed it and saw it was Oscar.
“Where are you?” Oscar asked. “The police need to talk to you and Elizabeth.”
“Back at the hotel,” Will said, breathing hard as he reached the top of the third flight of stairs. “Hang on.” He unlocked the door. Elizabeth darted inside first, then he entered and automatically flipped the deadbolt.
“They’re working to stall it on their end. I just need my laptop . . .” she said, then stopped dead in her tracks. Will nearly ran into her back.
There was a man sitting at the desk with Elizabeth’s laptop open in front of him. He was trim and muscular and holding a gun. Despite the seriousness of their predicament, Will noted that he was getting very tired of running into men with guns. His phone was still in his hand, down by his side, and he slid it up into his sleeve.
“Well,” the intruder drawled, “if it isn’t the royal couple.” He motioned them inside. “Come on in.”
“Captain Carter?” Elizabeth asked, though it wasn’t really a question. Her hand reached behind her for the doorknob.
Carter. Carter, the one who’d taken credit for her software?
“Oh, let’s not have any of that,” Carter said calmly. “I’d hate to have to put a bullet in Prince Charming.”
“What do you want?” Elizabeth asked, her voice steady.
“Oh, I think you’ve worked it out,” Carter said. “I demoted you to IT so the authorities would think you were having delusions of grandeur if you accused me of stealing your work. I outrank you, and I’d just say was that you were bitter when I wouldn’t approve you for ECP. But damn, Bennet, even in the geek squad you made friends with a senator’s son and got famous. There went that plan.” He shrugged nonchalantly.
Will took a small step forward, eyes on the gun.
Carter clucked his tongue and reached out a hand for Elizabeth. She didn’t move. Carter pointed the gun at her chest and gave Will a wink. He stopped in his tracks.
“I don’t know why you were even upset about my taking credit,” Carter said to Elizabeth. “The software was buggy as hell.” He waved her over to the desk. “We worked out the problems toying with your boyfriend’s palace and his little company. That should have also discredited you nicely, but no dice. I even paid some frustrated actress to play you tearing up a bar, make you out as unstable.” He shook his head at Elizabeth and moved his target to Will, who leaned back. “But you’re like Teflon. Nothing sticks.”
“My software was buggy because you weren’t using it for its intended purpose,” Elizabeth said smoothly. “I wrote it that way.”
Carter laughed. “You know, that professional pride is going to get you into trouble one day.” He smiled. “Oh, wait—it already has.”
“Why are you here?” Will ground out between clenched teeth.
Carter grinned. “He speaks!” He turned to Elizabeth. “Turns out you put in more than one backdoor, and your friends in low places are looking for them. I need you to show me where they are. All of them.”
“There’s only one back door, and I’m guessing you’ve already found it,” Elizabeth replied evenly.
Carter sighed. “I’d love to play this game with you, but my time here is limited.” He kept the gun on Will and motioned that she should sit at the desk. “I could just kill him,” he said. “I’m a lot better at it than my civilian partners seem to be.” He shifted the gun to aim it directly at her. “I can’t be too angry about them missing so many chances at you, though, since we also missed the extra back doors.” He lowered his voice and said something that made Elizabeth’s eyes widen with fear and move to Will before she reasserted control. Will knew that Carter had threatened him. He knew that was the only way Elizabeth could be convinced to cooperate.
His brain sorted out everything that had happed with a sudden blinding clarity. The apartment, FORGE, the cops at Elizabeth’s door—probably the SUV on the highway and possibly even the nail in their tire. Not Wickham. Not Barker. It had been Carter all along.
Carter waved the gun at him. “Move the sofa in front of the door,” Carter instructed. “If the police show up, they can shoot you and save me the trouble.”
“How’d you find us on I-80?” Will asked as he worked. When the sofa was in place facing the door, he allowed the phone, with his call still live, to fall to the cushions. He felt a small sense of relief—he was worried he might have inadvertently ended the call, or that Oscar might have.
Will faced Carter, waiting.
Carter smiled smugly. “Just followed the media. Too bad the timing was off with the tire. A highway accident would have been perfect.” He handed Elizabeth a zip-tie.
“Put it on your boyfriend. Make it tight and show me.” He waved his gun a little lower. “You want to have children, I’m guessing?”
“Sorry,” Elizabeth whispered as she put his hands behind his b
ack and pulled the ties taut. Will didn’t mind. It would make them easier to cut.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “Just stall.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t pursue it. She glanced at the sofa, and he thought she might have seen the phone, but she didn’t react. Instead, she held up his bound hands for Carter’s inspection. He nodded. “Put him on the sofa and come here.” Elizabeth settled Will on the cushions with his back to the desk, facing the front door. The moment she left him to approach the desk, Will turned to follow her progress. He reached into his back pocket for his penknife. It took a few tries to get it out and then open, but he did it. Fortunately, Carter’s attention was now focused on Elizabeth.
It would take some work, but he was pretty sure he could cut through the restraint. He began to rub the plastic against the small blade, grateful he’d remembered to pack it in his checked bag.
“Who’s being hacked?” Will asked, only half-expecting an answer.
“Quiet,” Carter demanded without even glancing over.
Will almost smiled.
“Val-u-Mart,” Elizabeth replied from the desk, her fingers flying over the keyboard like G’s did when she played the piano. “They’re using my software to find the vulnerabilities and then uploading malware to extract information. Credit cards, probably.”
Val-u-Mart was an international company, the biggest retailer in the US. His heart began to pump a little harder. “Have they gotten anything?” Who does he plan to sell this information to?
Carter growled and raised his gun. “I’d give you another concussion, but I need you. I don’t need him.”
“Will,” Elizabeth said before Carter was finished speaking, “hate to cut you off, but I have to concentrate.” Carter smirked at him and returned his attention to Elizabeth.
Will continued working the plastic with his penknife. Up, down. Up, down.
Elizabeth grunted and leaned into her work as Carter watched.
Just as Will felt the plastic give way, Elizabeth pushed away from the laptop. “This is the only back door I have, Carter. Why do you need it?”
“No reason,” he said, quickly grabbing the laptop and spinning it around to study the screen. He held the gun steadily on Will.
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