Dead No More (15 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Saturday, September 27, 9:00 p.m.

L
ILY
PULLED
UP
to the elaborate gates sheltering Rowland’s estate and took a deep breath to still her racing heart. They needed answers. And she knew of at least one surefire way to get them. She pressed the house intercom located just outside the gate.

“Addison Moore to see Rowland James.”

The gates opened, granting her access.

She slowly pulled her Maserati into the circular drive, parked and got out, tugging down the skintight red dress she’d thrown on. Bottle in hand, she made her way to the front door. It opened before she could knock and JB, Rowland’s ever-present bodyguard, stared at her, his eyes cold, detached.

“Mr. James is in his study.”

Lily let JB show her the way. He opened the door, ushered her in and shut it behind her, never saying a word. Rowland sat in one of the two chairs facing the large fireplace in the back corner of his office.

“Addison, darling. This is quite the surprise.” Rowland rose to his feet, searching her face.

“Rowland, darling, I know it’s late, but I took the liberty of bringing along a bottle of Screaming Eagle.” She held up the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that had cost her nearly two grand. It was a shame to waste such a brilliant bottle of wine, but...

She let her lips curve up suggestively. “I thought we could celebrate ARME’s new technology on our own.”

“I like the way you think.” He smiled and walked over to his bar, pulled out two red wine goblets. “Celebrating with you sounds...invigorating.”

Oh, you have no idea.

“As long as we have privacy tonight, it will be.”

Fire danced in his eyes, and a cruel smile crossed his face. He handed her the glasses. “Excuse me for a moment while I make sure that happens.”

She watched him walk out the door—
well, that was easy
—then quickly uncorked the wine, poured the crimson liquid and let three droplets of gamma hydroxybutyrate drip into Rowland’s glass. GHB had no color, smell or taste, but it would knock him out for several hours at least. Rowland would have no idea what hit him. It was a powerful and dangerous drug, and Lily prayed it worked fast, because she sure as hell had no intention of sleeping with him.

He came back in and she handed him the doctored wine. They toasted, and she tipped her head back, letting the tart liquid flow down her throat.
Damn, this wine is good
.
Worth every penny.
He mimicked her movements, quietly watching her. She took another sip, and he followed her pattern.

“I must say, Rowland,” she said, stepping closer to him. “My luck changed the night you blew into my world.”

“Not luck, my dear. Fate.”

“To fate, then.” She raised her glass.

“To fate.”

He downed the last of his wine, took her glass from her hand, set it down and pulled her to him, kissing her hard.

“Come with me.” He took her hand and led her out of the office.

Please kick in. Please kick in.
The last thing she wanted was to have to sleep with this monster. She allowed a soft laugh to escape her lips as she stumbled after him. He stopped, pushed her up against the wall and kissed her, pushing his hand under her dress. She laughed, wiggled away and danced backward, curling her pointer finger in a come-hither motion.

He followed, pushing her through his bedroom door and shutting it behind them. Again he shoved her up against the hard surface of the closed door. She allowed him to kiss her, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it. Not until the drug kicked in. He pulled her dress over her head, his eyes burning into her.

“So beautiful,” he murmured, kissing her neck.

He reached behind her, unfastened her bra and slid her straps off her shoulders, one at a time. She raked her fingers through his hair, anything to buy her more time. Time for the damn drug to kick in.

Rowland stepped back and unbuttoned his shirt, never taking his eyes from her body. His face showed no sign of the drug she’d given him. Lily’s throat tightened. She was going to have to sleep with him, or her cover—and their mission—would be shot to hell.

Might as well take control of this nightmare.

She grabbed his hands. “Let me.”

In another life, one where she didn’t know that the man hell-bent on taking her to bed was a sociopathic psycho who’d murdered hundreds of people, she could have easily been captivated by the handsome man, fallen under his enchanting spell. But she knew exactly what he was, and his barely leashed brutality scared the shit out of her.

Putting her hands on his chest, she guided him toward the bed, careful to keep her scars hidden from view. When he bumped into the mattress, she pushed him down, made him sit, then took her time unfastening every button of his shirt. Pushing it down off his shoulders, she dragged her fingers across his strong chest. Judging by the heat in his eyes, he took it as foreplay.

She took it as a lifeline.

“Take off your panties,” he ordered, his voice husky.

She obliged, but slowly, every cell in her body regretting coming to this house of horror as he reached out, ran his fingers over her bare skin. His arms encircled her waist, pulled her naked body between his legs.

“Darling, Addison...” Then he blinked in confusion, his eyes rolling into the back his head as he slumped against her.

It’s about damn time.

Unfastening his belt, Lily pulled off his pants and boxers, throwing them on the floor in a heap. She tugged back the covers, entangling his body in them, as if they’d just enjoyed their romp in bed.

Grabbing Rowland’s button-down, she shoved her arm through one sleeve, then the other, fastening a few buttons. If, and that was a big
if
, someone else was still here—that damn bodyguard, a maid—and saw her walking around, she’d appear to be a slightly intoxicated guest...or at least that was Lily’s hope.

Glancing over her shoulder to see that he was still out, she headed straight for Rowland’s office. She closed the door behind her, then made her way to his desk. She sank into his chair and tried the top drawer. Locked. She pulled at the next one. Locked. Frustrated, she flipped on the small table lamp and thumbed through the papers on his desk.

Bills, old receipts, a handful of business cards. Nothing incriminating.

She hung her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Please don’t let this be for nothing.
Turning her attention to his home computer, she keyed in a simple command that should have unlocked a back channel.

Nothing. She tried another command.

Still nothing.

“Damn it,” she whispered

She glanced at the clock, cringed. She needed to get back, couldn’t afford to get caught. Wiping down the keyboard, she flipped off the desk lamp, let her eyes adjust to the darkness swirling around her and headed back to Rowland’s bedroom.

Creeping back in, she slid under his covers, pushed her naked body close to his and stared at the ceiling, fighting the heaviness threatening to pull her into a deep slumber.

She should have listened to Derek.

* * *

L
ILY
WOKE
TO
faint sunlight streaming in the window and the weight of Rowland’s arm draped over her bare stomach. She didn’t move, barely breathed. How was she going to get out of this mess, especially if he wanted an encore? He stirred, lifting his head and reaching under the sheet to caress her.

“Good morning, handsome.”

“Addison, darling.” He cupped his hand around her breast, hard. A startled gasp popped out of her mouth and Lily froze. He released his hold and pressed his lips to hers. “I missed you last night.”

“What do you mean?” She turned on her side and pulled the sheet up to cover her nakedness. “I was here.”

Rowland stretched and reached over the side of the bed. Lily followed his movement with her eyes and then tensed, coiled to jump.
Too late.
With lightning speed, he grabbed her, flipped her onto her back and straddled her. He gripped her throat with one hand and shoved a blade against her belly with the other.

Her head spun. How had he found out? What had she done to trigger this reaction? Lily commanded her breath to settle, her heart to slow.

He pressed down on the blade and searched her face. “Who are you, and why are you really here?”

She clawed at his hand, fought to breathe. He released his hold a fraction, just enough to allow her to speak.

“I don’t...what are you talking about? I’m Addison Moore, from Alabama.” She gasped for air. “I’m sure you’ve already done your research on me. You know I’m telling you the truth.”

“But you didn’t come up to Omaha for the autumn foliage. And as much as I like to think you’re warming my bed because you find me irresistible, I’m not an idiot. Imagine my surprise last night when I woke to find you gone.”

He woke up? Shit.
She was good as dead. Her mind tumbled over itself, scrambling for an excuse, any reason, to give her more time.

“Wine doesn’t always sit with me.” She stumbled over the words. “I went to the kitchen to get something to settle my stomach.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Addison.” The tip of the blade bit into her flesh. Panic tore through her as he glared down at her. “Who are you?”

Lily clambered to find a reasonable explanation.

“You’re right,” she blurted out. The pressure against her belly subsided. Barely. But it gave her enough of a reprieve to lie with conviction. “I represent a very motivated buyer who’s interested in ARME and is willing to invest heavily in the company.”

A motivated buyer? For the love of God, was that the best she could come up with? She swallowed the bile in her throat.

“Due to his rather questionable connections, he flies off the radar.” Lily knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t help it. Not when it meant the difference between life and death. “He sent me to vet you, to vet the company before he approached.”

Rowland’s eyes narrowed. Lily’s heart bucked against her chest.

“I swear to you...” Fearful tears that were not at all contrived rolled down her cheeks. “It was purely a business transaction. I hadn’t planned to end up in your bed, Rowland.”

Which was true. She’d expected the drug to kick in long before it had. The intimacy of last night, and their nakedness now, made her skin crawl.

Rowland eased off the pressure on the knife. He brought the blade to her face, traced it down her cheek, her ribs, and rested the tip back on her stomach. The muscles in her abdomen tightened, pulling away from the cool metal.

“Set up a meeting with this client of yours.” He leaned his mouth close to her ear. “Immediately.”

He brought the knife to her face again. Lily flinched, but after a moment he removed it, wiping the blade on her pillow. She didn’t move, barely breathed. How was she still alive? He rolled off her and walked toward the bathroom. Scrambling out of bed, she pressed her hand to the wound, assessing the damage.

Nothing more than a shallow cut.

He stopped at the bathroom door and turned. “Do
not
underestimate me, Addison. If I find out you’ve fucked with me, I’ll kill you. I’ll take my time doing it, and I will enjoy every agonizing second until you beg me to end you. And then I’ll track down everyone you’ve ever loved and do the same to them.”

She reached for the sheet, wrapped herself in it and pressed her back into the corner. Lily didn’t doubt he’d make good on his word. What the hell was she going to do?

“And, Addison...” A cruel smile spread across his face. “I own you. I expect you to warm my bed tonight.”

She swallowed hard and nodded.

“Now. Get the fuck out.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Sunday, September 28, 9:00 a.m.

L
ILY
PULLED
HER
jacket tight. Her head swam. The cut in her belly, though shallow, pulsed with a dull ache. She took a deep breath, hoped the café would be empty of prying eyes and stepped into Keystone. Derek and Ben glanced in her direction.

“I’ve been made.”

Ben slowly put down his coffee mug. “What do you mean, you’ve been made?”

Derek didn’t speak. He eyed her, glancing between her face and the hand shoved into her jacket. She refused to look at him and prayed he wouldn’t see past her makeshift bravado.

“Rowland knows something’s off.” She lowered herself into the closest chair.

“Lil.” Derek’s eyes narrowed. “What happened?”

She shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet his eyes.

“How did Rowland make you since I saw you last night?” Ben’s brows scrunched.

Lily cleared her throat, continuing to avoid Derek’s gaze, and locked on to Ben’s confused face. “This morning—”

“This morning.” Derek jerked back as if he’d been struck. “You were with Rowland this morning? Is that why you broke contact last night?”

Heat burned her cheeks. She gnawed the inside of her lip. Partially to keep the tears at bay, because she hurt like hell, but also to keep her mind off Derek’s tone. He sounded hurt, confused and royally pissed.

Derek glanced at the clock.

It was barely past nine in the morning.

Lily cringed. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she’d been at Rowland’s last night. And it wouldn’t be a far leap to envision what might have happened between last night and this morning.

Why did it matter if Derek knew she’d been with Rowland? He looked over at her, veiled pain swimming in his eyes, and the bravado she’d been struggling to maintain crashed and burned. She hung her head.

It mattered to her because
Derek
mattered to her.

The only sheets she wanted to warm were his.

She’d fallen for him, and fast, which was the last thing she’d expected. Or wanted, for that matter. But now she’d gone and screwed it up before they ever even had a chance.

“I went to his house last night and apparently miscalculated the sleeping agent I’d slipped into the wine. I didn’t have a choice. Nothing happened,” she clarified quickly, but the dull look on Derek’s face slashed her heart to pieces. “I slipped out when he finally dozed off to riffle through his office.”

“Damn it, Lily.” Derek slammed his hand on the table. She jumped, and a pain-filled moan escaped her. “We decided to leave that monster be.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “But you were gone. My night was free.”

She stopped short and winced.
Her night was free?

Ben’s eyebrows arched.

Lily heard herself running at the mouth, understood that she was babbling like an idiot, but she couldn’t stop. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. The kicker is, I didn’t even find anything. I couldn’t slip out in the night like some hooker, so I went back to his room.”

What was going on behind Derek’s guarded eyes? Lily felt as if she was going to throw up or cry...or both.

“This morning, Rowland went a little crazy.” Her voice trembled.

Derek’s attention snapped to her face. “Define
crazy
.”

“Crazy like he had a knife to my stomach?”

“Shit, Lily.” Ben groaned.

Derek’s eyes narrowed and his gaze went from her face to the hand tucked into her jacket, then back to her face. His eyes hardened. “Did he hurt you?”

“’Course not.”

He got up, silently walked over and squatted in front of her. Without a word, he reached for her hidden hand, gently coaxed it away from its hiding place, revealing a small crimson stain. His face darkened.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” he said in a quiet, deadly tone.

Lily looked down at him pleadingly. “It’s really nothing. Just a small cut. It barely hurts.”

Which was true. The cut in her stomach paled in comparison to the way her heart ached at Derek’s hooded expression.

“It’s Rowland’s way of leaving me with a constant reminder of his brutality.”

“Ben, got that suture kit handy?”

Derek scooped Lily up into his arms and headed for the back room. She instinctively looped an arm around his neck—being close to him was as natural as breathing—and laid her head against his shoulder.

Why, oh, why did she have to go to Rowland’s last night?

Derek gently set her on Ben’s desk and, without a word, peeled open her jacket, lifted her shirt again. He shook his head and looked up at her. “This isn’t as bad as I’d imagined, but, Lily, what were you thinking?”

Lily tried to say something, anything, but nothing came out. She pressed her lips together tightly. Derek had asked her not to do anything heroic, and she’d gone ahead and done just that. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

Stupid, stupid woman.

“I told you no heroic shit.” His tone was soft, gentle even. Nothing like the tongue-lashing she expected.

“I know.” There was nothing else she could say, not when she wished she could turn back the hands of time.

Silence greeted her.

Lily peeked out from under half-closed lids. Derek had moved away from her and now leaned against the opposite wall.
Perfect
.
Could this morning get any worse?

Ben walked in and knelt down in front of her. “Sorry, Lil, there isn’t a numbing agent in this kit.”

Yep, it could.

“Do it.”
She gripped the chair. “It’s not that bad, and I’m not going to the hospital. Too many questions. We don’t have time.”

“Lily girl.”

“Do it.”

Ben swabbed the edge of the small wound. “What possessed you to go to Rowland last night?”

“We needed answers.”

“We needed—” Derek choked on the words. “Are you kidding me? We discussed this. Right before I walked out. Or did you forget that little conversation?”

And there it was. The tongue-lashing she’d expected. Her heart sank. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. “I know.”

“Lil—”

“Derek, I get it. It was the wrong move.”

Ben pushed the torn skin together and pressed down on the butterfly bandage. She bit her cheek and focused on that dull pain rather than the searing ache in her chest. Ben didn’t say anything. Which Lily appreciated. She could only handle one lecture at a time.

Lily glanced over at Derek. He hadn’t moved from his perch against the wall. She couldn’t read him, and that aggravated her and scared her all at once. If she’d known last night would have ended up in this disaster, she might have reconsidered taking the chance.

Maybe
.

Derek pushed off from the wall. “Wait. How are you alive?”

And there, ladies and gentlemen, was the million-dollar question. Given everything they’d uncovered about Rowland, she should be laying in a pool of blood on his floor, not currently getting her ass chewed out by the man she was rapidly falling for.

Was this Rowland’s sick, twisted game of cat and mouse?

“Lil?”

She scrunched her nose up. “I made up some wild story about a motivated buyer who sent me to vet Rowland and the company.”

His eyebrows arched. “And he bought that?”

She nodded. “He demanded I set up a meeting with my client. Immediately.”

Ben whistled. “Well, I’ll be damned...”

“Unbelievable,” Derek muttered.

Lily couldn’t look at him. If there had ever been anything between them, she’d gone and blown that to smithereens. Why’d she have to give in to her heart? She should have listened to reason and stayed away from Derek. She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
Stupid libido.

“Who do we know that we can read in on this case?” Ben swabbed around the butterfly stitch and gently pressed a clean bandage over it. “Derek, do you have access to anyone with the skill set to pull off something like this...without getting Lily killed?”

“Yeah.” Derek rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve got someone in mind.”

“How quickly can they be read in?” Ben put his kit back together and stood.

“I’ll see if they can be here this afternoon.” Derek threw Lily a stern look. Her heart nearly broke in two. “Is there anything else we need to know?”

Heat rushed into her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes tight, shutting out the world. Maybe then the room would stop spinning and she could get her footing back.

“Lily.”

She opened her eyes. Ben’s face was blank. She took a deep breath. “Rowland wants me back tonight.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” A dumbfounded look crumpled Ben’s features.

The light blue of Derek’s eyes darkened to a deep sapphire. A muscle in his jaw jumped. “No. Fucking. Way.”

Lily sat up, the hair on her neck bristling with indignation. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Derek. But what the hell am I supposed to do?”

“It’s simple. I’m not putting your life on the line for this bastard.” Derek crossed his arms. His face was set. “You’re done.”

She jerked back as if he’d sucker punched her. “Take me off the case now, and we blow this mission. We’ll figure something out.”

Ben had been strangely quiet. Lily glanced over at him. Surely he didn’t agree with Derek’s reasoning.

“She’s got a point, Derek.” Ben finally spoke up. “She’s been backed into a corner. We all know—”

“You.” Derek pointed a finger at Ben. “Stay out of this.”

Ben threw up his hands and walked out.

Lily chewed her lip, waited for Derek to continue with his rant. When he didn’t, she spoke softly. “This isn’t your decision, Derek. It’s mine. I’m staying on this case.”

“It’s not my—” Derek broke off, looking livid. “This is my case, babycakes.
I
brought
you
on. Not the other way around.”

“And for good reason.” Lily straightened her back as much as she could without pulling apart her newly stitched wound. He wasn’t the only warrior in the room, damn it.

“I could order you off this case.”

Lily’s mouth dropped open. Had he really pulled that card? The fall from partner to grunt had been short and fast
.
She took a deep breath. “But you won’t.”

His eyebrow arched. “Oh, no?”

“No. I agree. Going back tonight isn’t happening. But pulling me off this case is the wrong call.”

Derek glared at Lily. She refused to move. She wasn’t backing down, not this time. “It’s the wrong call, Derek.”

“This is bullshit.” Derek kicked at a chair and sent it flying across the room. Lily jumped. He walked to the door, jerked it open, walked through and slammed it behind him.

Emptiness swept through the room and wrapped its cold hand around her throat, squeezing hard. Whatever moment they’d shared, whatever they’d once had, was gone.

Lily was sure of it.

* * *

D
EREK
HAD
NEVER
met another human being who pulled such opposing emotions from him.

He paced on the brick sidewalk outside Keystone Café, hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders hunched against the morning cold. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to kill Lily himself for deliberately disobeying a direct order, or applaud her brilliance for getting out of Rowland’s home alive.

He massaged his temples wearily. That damn woman was going to be the end of him.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed the only person he trusted enough to help get her out of this mess.

“What’s wrong?” Marcus Moretti, Derek’s brother, demanded.

“Can’t a man call his brother?”

“Not at seven-thirty in the damn morning,” Marcus grumbled. “Not unless it’s an emergency. Which leads me back to my first question. What’s wrong?”

“Shit.” Derek glanced at his watch. He’d totally spaced on the two-hour time difference between Omaha and San Diego. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries.” A toddler’s giggles in the background pulled a smile to Derek’s face. “I’ve been up with Liam for an hour. Talk to me.”

Derek paced. “I’m in deep, man. My asset—”

“You mean the woman you’ve not stopped talking about since you landed in Omaha?”

“Yeah, that’d be the one.” Derek ran his hand over his head. “She’s been made.”

“Shit.”

“My thoughts exactly. But she gave our target some crazy-ass story about representing a motivated buyer wanting to invest in ARME, and now we need to set up a meet with this client immed—”

“Say no more. We’ll be on the next plane out.”

“Thanks, brother. I owe you.” Derek hung up, relief washing over him.

Maybe, just maybe, they’d all get out of this alive.