Sweet Seduction Sacrifice (35 page)

"You can't possibly put someone you met only five days ago ahead of your own sister!" Nick was shouting into Dominic's stone hard, angry face.

"There has to be another way to get Katie, I will not allow Genevieve to be put in harm's way," Dominic said in a voice laden with frost.

"She is your sister!" Nick spat back at him. "Katie, for God's sake. What is wrong with you?" he demanded.

"What is wrong with you?" Dominic shot back. "You know you don't sacrifice one innocent for another, you find a different way to bend things to your will."

I stood frozen at the doorway, neither man realising I was there, too wrapped up in their battle of wills to notice me cowering in the shadows and listening to every pain-filled word. Something was wrong and it involved dear, sweet Katie, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what would make these two men fight in such an ugly way. I'd only ever seen comradery between them, two brothers who seemed to have a healthy respect and love for each other.

"There was blood at the scene, Dom," Nick said and my stomach clenched as I watched Dominic's jaw tighten with something akin to acute pain. "Katie's blood. By now she could be hurt even worse, we don't have time to find another way. Genevieve is our only hope."

"I won't allow it," Dominic persisted stubbornly.

"Then our sister's death will be on
your
head," Nick said, a look of pure hatred crossing his face. Nick was a handsome man, almost as good looking as his brother, I didn't like that hatred on his features. It was wrong to spoil such beauty with something so nasty.

"There has to be another way," Dominic began, but Nick interrupted, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

"There isn't! Genevieve for Katie, that's what the note said. And if you think I'd send Genevieve in there blind and alone, then you obviously have forgotten who I am. She'll be wired, tracked and shadowed. You know we're the best at what we do. But time is running out. Go wake her up."

"Mistakes always happen and I am not going to risk Genevieve on a weak plan like this."

"Who the hell is this woman to you, that you wouldn't move heaven and earth to save your sister?" Nick demanded and I thought it might be time to intervene, before Dominic said something he regretted. Or that would make it even harder to let him go in the end.

"I'll do it," I said, my voice only slightly shaking. "Whatever is required, I'll do it. For Katie."

Both sets of eyes latched onto me. Dominic's narrowing in anger, Nick's in thankful relief.

"Like hell you will," Dominic said in a low voice.

I stepped toward him, he stiffened as though my proximity would shatter his resolve. I kept going until I was flush against him. His arms still crossed his chest, he didn't offer me an in, so I wrapped mine around his waist, resting my head over his arms, forcing him to accept me. After a few moments of this uncomfortable one-sided embrace, he sighed and untangled his arms, wrapping them around my frame in return.

"Tell me what's happened," I instructed Nick, with a turn of my head to watch his face. He was looking at us both with an unusual expression. I couldn’t work it out, but he was no longer angry, or relieved for that matter. He looked confused and in a little doubt.

"Someone broke into Katie's house last night and took her. They left a note saying they'd exchange her for you."

I felt my stomach roll inside me. I'd suspected, from what I'd overheard, that this would be the case. But I'd hoped it wasn't, even though deep down I'd already known it wasn't to be, a small part of me couldn't comprehend anyone doing that to Katie - to get to me.

Oh God, this was all my fault. Beautiful, glamorous, lovely Katie was hurt and scared and in danger because of my fucked up world.

"Brett?" I asked and my voice wavered significantly. Dominic squeezed my body, pulling me tighter into his embrace.

"We suspect so," Nick answered. "It could be King, to get to Brett as he hasn't been able to get to you, but it's a bit too convoluted to be the case. My bet is it's Elliott."

Yeah, I agreed. I didn't know this King person, but from the side of Brett I was coming to see, this would be his sort of play. A direct hit to me, to force me out of hiding. How could I not do what he demanded when Katie was at risk?

"So, what's the plan?" I asked Nick and Dominic actually growled out loud at my words. Nick flicked a concerned look at Dominic, then returned his steady gaze to me.

"We don't have much time before the deadline given passes, so we have to work fast. Get you to the ASI offices, wire you, place a tracking device or three on you and your clothes, and then drop you at the exchange. Ben will shadow you. This is what he does best. Elliott won't even know he's there, you'll appear as though alone, just as requested, but you will
never
be on your own. Understand?"

I nodded and Dominic turned me in his arms, separating our bodies enough for him to look down into my face. He looked to be in absolute torture, I'd never seen such devastation on a person before. This was tearing him apart. His reaction seemingly out of proportion to our relationship. Like Nick said, we'd known each other five days, it shouldn't have been cutting him up to this degree. So, I could only assume that most of that devastation, plastered on his face, was for his sister. That made complete and utter sense.

"You don't have to do this," he said softly. "We can find another way."

I shook my head. "There isn't time and you know it. And I'll not be alone." Maybe if I said those words enough, I'd believe them.

"I promise you that," Nick added from over my shoulder.

Dominic's lips pressed in a thin line as he focused on my face, his eyes searching as though trying to memorise my features. Did he think this was the last time we'd see each other? Not a pleasant thought. But rather now, than later, when I'd committed my entire heart to his.

This would work, I'd get Katie safe and what better note to end our encounter on, than that.

"Genevieve," he said, most definitely in
that
voice. I stopped him before he could say anything else. I wanted to hear what was on those beautiful lips, but I couldn't bear it.

"No," I whispered, my finger coming up and pressing against his. "It's decided. My decision. Me for Katie."

"It's a sacrifice I'm not prepared to make," he managed to say against my finger. I heard Nick suck in a harsh breath at our sides, but I had eyes only for Dominic.

"It's
my
sacrifice to make and it doesn't mean the end," I pointed out, even though I was quite prepared for the fact that it was.

Dominic stared at me for several seconds and then to my, and Nick's relief, he nodded. One short bob of his head in acquiesce.

I turned to Nick and pulled myself slowly from Dominic's relentless grasp.

"All right then, let's do this."

Nick nodded, flicked his gaze over Dominic and then turned towards the door out of the room.

I grabbed my shoes, slipped on a bra and then one of my T-shirts - it would do no good to rile Brett wearing Dominic's clothes - then tied my hair up in a ponytail on top of my head. I brushed my teeth quickly, splashed water on my face, and then, make-up free, I met Nick and Dominic at the front door.

There was a tense silence between them, heavy with accusation, but at least they weren't fighting again. I couldn't stand that. Dominic meant the world to me and by extension his brother had a place somewhere in my heart. Watching them so angry with each other was torment, and I didn't have enough energy to combat that
and
the fear trickling up my spine at what Brett had done and would do once Katie and I were swapped.

The drive to the ASI offices seemed to take forever. I sat in the back of Nick's SUV, Dominic sat in the front passenger seat while Nick drove. No one talked. Finally we made it to their underground garage in Newmarket, the sound of the tyres on the smooth concrete grating on my nerves. My head was pounding; tension, lack of sleep and too much wine making me grumpy and jumpy in equal measures.

I cringed when the doors of the car slammed and echoed throughout the garage space. Dominic swiftly came over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leaned down and whispered, "Does your head hurt?"

I flicked my gaze up to him, once again surprised at how much he noticed and how much notice of me he took, and smiled reassuringly back at him.

"It's OK, I'll grab some aspirin from somewhere, Nick's bound to have something."

He nodded and led me after his brother into a lift. We went up two floors and exited into a well appointed reception area. No one was manning the front desk, it was still too early. Nick took us through a key-card locked door and down a hallway, several closed doors on either side. Then through another key-card locked door into a room full of men.

I was so surprised to see others there, I actually made a small sound. All eyes turned to me. If Dominic hadn't been holding me tightly I think I would have turned tail and run. Even if I couldn't have got through those locked doors back to the reception area, I would have given it a good try. I was acutely aware that all these ASI men knew, and probably loved, Katie and that that they no doubt blamed me for her current unacceptable state.

I swallowed past a dry throat, recognising Eric - whom I'd met at Sweet Seduction that first day, but not seen since - Ben, my shadow and Adam. I was also tremendously relieved to see Detectives Ryan Pierce and Harvey Stone there, in amongst several more faces I didn't know. If the police were on board then things couldn't be that bad, could they?

"Eric, wire her up," Nick instructed heading over to a table at the rear of the room which most of the men had been surrounding when we arrived.

Eric stepped forward, offered me a small smile and then nodded towards a table to the side. This one had a multitude of devices on it. Tiny electronic pieces, wires, cameras, all manner of things that meant absolutely nothing to me, but were obviously important to the plan. Dominic deposited me with Eric, gave him a glare for good measure, which Eric accepted with a nod and then turned to Nick and the police detectives on the other side of the room.

"What's the police doing about all of this?" he demanded, voice low and gruff.

"We're here unofficially," Ryan advised and on those softly spoken words the room fell silent and Dominic's anger blasted each and every one of us.

"What do you mean?" Each word was forced out of him.

"The Police Department would not condone an exchange, even with the security ASI can provide. We don't negotiate with hostage takers. In order for Nick to carry this off, we're remaining out of it, until the last minute, when Elliott can be cornered and taken down."

"And you approve of this?" Dominic demanded and at first I didn't know who he was talking to, but the detectives looked at the floor and everyone else seemed to sink in on themselves, so that just left Nick.

Nick's eyes met Dominic's, he looked just as pained as his brother, but no doubt for different reasons.

"She's our sister, Dom. I'd do anything."

"Even compromise my woman?" he shot back and I swear the entire room sucked in breath along with me.
His woman
. He meant every word and they knew it.

Nick closed his eyes for a long moment then reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Finally he answered.

"You can take out retribution when this is over and Katie is safe."

"You better fucking believe I will, Nicholas." The use of Nick's full name carrying obvious weight.

"I promise you, Dom," Nick went on, "I will do absolutely everything in my power to protect Genevieve. I will lay down my life to keep her safe, if need be." What?

Dominic stared at his brother, nodded once and then turned his back to the room, returning to me.

Eric had been painstakingly sewing in tracking devices in the hem of my T-shirt and cuff of my jeans as this had been going on. Somehow managing to focus on what needed to be done despite the histrionics between Dominic and Nick.

"Lift your T-shirt up," he instructed. "I need to attach one to your bra just to be safe."

At those words Dominic loomed over us both, giving Eric a glare but effectively blocking me from the room. To his credit, Eric didn't blanch or even blink, but immediately focused on the seam of my bra, sewing in another tiny tracking device, hiding it from sight or feel. Dominic yanked down my T-shirt as soon as Eric was done, making a clear statement in that one forceful, but somehow sweet, move.

"One last one in your hair tie," Eric announced.

"Really?" I asked, it seemed a bit overkill, four in total, but who was I to know.

"I always err on the side of caution, Gen," he said softly, taking my hair tie and somehow concealing a device in the weave of the band, then handing it back to me. "Right," he announced. "Tracking devices done, a couple of those act as microphones, the ones on the T-shirt and Jeans. Can't use the larger combined units on your bra or hair tie, so we just have to hope he won't strip you."

"What?" I said in a pathetically small voice. Dominic wrapped an arm around my shoulders and hauled me into his chest, the front of my body to the side of his. One hand slipped up my back soothingly, then rested on my skin at the base of my head, on my neck. It was reassuring to have that contact, but my heart had skipped a few beats on Eric's last words.