Evil Without a Face (24 page)

The woman shook her head, not giving any thought to her proposition.

“No, the alliance wouldn’t allow it.” She looked adamant. “As it is, I’m pushing this investigation. Like you, I’m going it alone, but if I can give them Globe Harvest on a platter, I may convince the alliance to give me the resources I’d need. Having you involved would only complicate things.”

The woman’s expression softened. “I know you have no reason to, but you’re gonna have to trust me.”

Trust? She wasn’t exactly a master of the concept. She didn’t always trust herself to do the right thing. How could she place her faith in a ruthless woman like Alexa and her secret alliance? Her organization sounded like no more than a group of international vigilantes. Yet, did she have a choice? If she wanted Nikki to be rescued and play a part in taking down Globe Harvest, she had to trust someone. More lives were at stake. Could she afford to let her ego get in the way if Alexa had a better shot at shutting down Globe Harvest and rescuing Nikki?

Besides, Seth had copies of the pages, she reminded herself again. And Alexa had told her enough about the analysis her alliance had done to locate a few of the Globe Harvest locations. Maybe Seth could benefit by the input if she chose to move forward with her own investigation.

With a show of reluctance, Jess walked into her bedroom
and retrieved the documents from her nightstand drawer. When she returned, Alexa was standing by her front door. But before Jess handed over the pages, she had one more thing to ask.

“If something should come up, how do I get in touch with you?” she asked. When Alexa hesitated, she added, “Come on. Throw me a bone. You said it yourself. I gave you this priceless opportunity. I might have something to contribute after you’re gone.”

The woman thought about it, and after a moment, pulled a long gold chain over her head. The chain had a gold locket with a beautiful sapphire-cut stone in the center. Jess wasn’t much for jewelry, but this piece caught her eye.

“Keep this with you. Press down on the stone only in case of an emergency. And I mean that, Jessica. Only for emergencies,” Alexa warned with a stern look. “It’ll send out a beacon no matter where you are, and the alliance will contact me. Once I get that call, how can I reach you?”

Jess started to give the number to her cell phone, but stopped when she noticed Alexa wasn’t jotting it down.

“Why aren’t you writing this down?”

“I don’t need to. Tell me once and I’ll remember.”

Yeah, right
. Jess narrowed her eyes, but gave her the number again. After all, she’d already handed over her precious pages. If Alexa wasn’t on the level, whether she had her phone number or not wouldn’t matter.

“Call me gullible, but I’m gonna ask this anyway. I’d appreciate knowing what happens after your operation goes down. Call it…a need for closure. And Payton’s niece is still missing. Even if you put a stranglehold on Globe Harvest, that doesn’t mean we’ll ever find her.” The truth of Payton’s situation twisted in her gut as she said the words. “Surprise me. Have a heart, will ya? Give me something.”

The woman considered her plea and her expression softened. “You’ve earned that much, Jessica. I’ll see what I can do.”

When Alexa slipped through her front door, Jess noticed it had begun to rain outside, which contributed to her somber mood. After locking the door behind her late night visitor, she was left with an aching hollowness, a recoil to the nebulous ending of her investigation into Lucas Baker. She had nothing but her hope that Alexa would do as she’d promised. She looked down at the locket in her hand and rubbed her thumb lightly over the gemstone.

“For emergencies only,” she whispered.

She replayed the conversation with Alexa Marlowe in her mind and hoped she’d done the right thing. If the woman had told the truth and the Russian had flown out of Chicago, enlisting the aid of Alexa and her mystery alliance might make all the difference in finding Nikki alive. Jess’s gut told her it was worth the risk, but she had no idea if Payton would feel the same. Petrovin escaping with Nikki and leaving Chicago would be enough of a blow.

How would she tell Payton? He had to know what had happened. She had no choice but to clue him in that she’d relinquished control to another person—a stranger—who made promises of alliances and resources. Would he be relieved, or would he resent her unilateral decision to leave him out of this very important change in plan?

Jess slipped on the gold necklace and headed for her bedroom to freshen up and change. Payton had given her the number to his cell phone and his room at the Marriott in Oak Brook so she could contact him directly. But what she had to say needed to be done in person.

All she wanted was to give Payton hope. But in her heart she knew it wouldn’t be that simple. For her, nothing ever was.

Marriott Hotel
Oak Brook

In damp clothes and hair to match, Jess stood outside Payton’s hotel room staring at the peephole of his door as if its glaring eye watched her in return. Once she got out of the rain and hit the air-conditioning inside the hotel, she’d taken on a chill. Her fingers were like ice. At least with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans for warmth, she had two less moving parts to give away her jitters.

Chewing the inside corner of her mouth, she finally mustered the courage to raise a hand and knock, but stopped again to glance at her watch. A little past two in the morning, five minutes after the last time she checked. She wondered why she’d come at this hour. A short time ago, back at her place, driving straight here seemed rational. Now, standing in the quiet hallway, it felt like a colossal bonehead move.

She was about to knock on a man’s door in the middle of the night. Even if she had a legitimate reason to speak to him, a part of her felt the awkwardness of her intrusion on a personal level. But if she waited until a decent hour to wake him, he might resent her unilateral decision all the more, as if Nikki didn’t rate in importance enough to inconvenience
him. Yet rolling him out in the middle of the night had its risks too. She had no idea how he’d take her midnight encounter with Alexa Marlowe.

Jess suspected that no matter what she did, she’d be damned one way or the other, but did she have another reason for being here at this hour?

Her attraction to Payton played more of a role than she wanted to openly admit. If she only had it in mind to talk, she could have phoned from the lobby and given him warning that he had a late night caller. Instead, she’d chosen to stand at his door like a damned schoolgirl, debating what to do next.

And she couldn’t deny that she felt completely outclassed by him—a chronic condition on her part, and one of the reasons she’d always made the wrong decisions about men. Venturing a toe into Payton’s world implied she felt worthy of the endeavor, and she knew that wasn’t so. She’d never tried setting the bar too high; that simply wasn’t a consideration. But lowering her expectations hadn’t been an answer either. For the first time, a man like Payton had made her feel normal and accepted…even attractive. She was wholly unprepared for how he made her feel, and it scared her, yet she couldn’t cut and run.

“You’re such an idiot, Jess,” she muttered, running another hand through her damp hair. Finally, she shrugged. “Oh hell, this is business. This ain’t no prom date.”

She clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes, raising her hand one more time. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door and waited, listening for any sound from inside the room. Other than the faint drone of the ice machine down the hall, she heard nothing out of the ordinary until the slide of a chain and the tumble of a dead bolt told her she didn’t have to knock again.

When the door opened, Payton squinted into the bright hallway, dressed only in navy pajama bottoms.

“Hey…what’s up?” The deep rumble of his voice hit
the pit of her stomach and bolted through her body like a tantalizing spark that she never wanted to end.

“Ah, hi.” She grinned and rocked on her heels. “I, uh…”

Words failed her as Payton raked fingers through his tousled blond hair, brushing loose strands from sleepy blue eyes. While he was distracted and not fully awake, she took advantage of the moment.

She trailed her eyes down his bare chest and rock-solid abs, not doing a very good job at exercising restraint. She had never seen a man who looked so good in the flesh. His broad muscular chest and arms made her feel petite and feminine, an odd sensation that left her confused about who she was and what she wanted. And the stubble on his chin made him look dangerous and overloaded with testosterone, a serious addiction for her. Everything about this man left her hungry for more.

“I need to…talk.” She swallowed, wincing after she heard a noticeable gulp deep in her throat. “That is, we need to…” Finally she sighed and asked, “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Payton stepped aside to let her by, leaving the tantalizing smell of his warm skin in his wake. She walked into the dimly lit room and stared at his rumpled bed, a sight that sent a rush of heat to her face…and other parts of her body.

Slowly, she turned toward him as images flashed through her mind of him—of them together—the feel of his hands on her breasts and his warm wet tongue on her skin. She had something important to tell him, but standing here now, all she craved was a simpler life. All she wanted to be was a woman alone with a man, free to do whatever was in her heart.

Gazing at him now, she thought she saw hunger stirring in his blue eyes—or was that merely wishful thinking on her part? She had no idea and didn’t care, but she heard the sound of own voice in the back of her mind.

Lord, Jess, what now? What the hell are you gonna do now?

A beautiful woman dropping by his hotel room in the middle of the night sent one clear message to Payton’s brain. For him, at this hour, things got real simple. Jessie probably had something important to say.

And generally that involved talking. Talking didn’t rate high on his list of favorite things to do with his mouth at this time of night.

And to complicate matters, she looked like she just stepped out of the shower, and smelled of herbal soap and flowers. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and kiss her. She was a strong intelligent woman, but he sensed a part of her was broken inside—a part he wanted to protect. Jessie had an edge of sadness to her, but that wasn’t the main thing on his mind right now.

Not now.

Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, she hadn’t worn anything provocative. But with a woman like Jessie, her sensuality had more to do with her than anything she put on her body. When she walked by him, real slow, her thighs flipped his switch. And with her damp hair and clothes, her nipples had tightened from the AC he had blasting in the room. A major distraction. He wasn’t sure he could stay focused. But what always sent him over the edge with Jessie were her lips. He caught himself staring at them all the time, like a starving man eyeballing a thick juicy steak. He had it bad.

And at this hour, with her all to himself in his room, he felt his need for her, exposed and raw. He couldn’t hide his feelings, not anymore. Against his better judgment, he took a step toward her and his body reacted. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word. Speaking would spoil the moment, sever whatever connection they had between them. He wanted her to make the first move, and searched her eyes for the trigger.

Did she feel the same? Why was she here…at this time of night? Payton licked his lips and swallowed, hard. What came next would depend on her.

“I’ve got something,” she began, avoiding his gaze, “that I think you should know.”

After a long awkward silence, he finally said, “You came to talk?”

His question stopped her cold. She blinked twice, unable to hide her immediate reaction.

“Well…yeah.”

By the look on his face, she hadn’t misread the situation. It was not her wishful thinking. Payton hadn’t expected conversation. It would have been easy for her to make the first move. And only the good Lord knew how much she wanted to do just that. She sensed he would have followed her lead, but she owed him an explanation. If he still felt the same after she told him why she’d come, maybe she’d let sweet nature take its course.

“Damn, it’s freezing in here, Alaska boy. You got the AC cranked so you don’t thaw?”

“What can I say? I like it cold.” He went to the thermostat and turned down the air-conditioning. “I got a jacket you can wear if it’ll help.”

She might have taken him up on his offer, but by the look on his face, it seemed as if he hoped she wouldn’t.

“No, really. I’m good.” She rubbed her hands together and began. “Someone came to my apartment a little while ago. That mystery blonde from the explosion wasn’t a figment of my imagination after all.”

“What happened?” He locked his eyes on her and wouldn’t let her go. “What did she want?”

“Besides practicing her breaking and entering skills? She had an interesting way to get my attention.” Jess pulled a chair from the desk and sat. When she did, Payton slumped to a corner of his bed. “And she’s prone to drama, but basically
she told me her name is Alexa Marlowe. She wouldn’t tell me much about the organization she works for, except to say it’s a private international alliance that specializes in criminal cases with tough jurisdictional boundaries. I figured it for a well-funded vigilante group, but I could be reading into it. I have no idea if she was telling me the truth. At least, not until I can do a little digging.”

“What else did she say? Did she tell you anything about Nikki?”

In record time Payton had made the leap she’d expected. If the blonde had been there that night, she could’ve seen Nikki and helped her out of the inferno. He was shooting for the Cliff Notes version of her story, and she couldn’t blame him.

“She told me the name of the Russian, Stanislav Petrovin. And it was like you figured. Alexa pulled me from the fire and had called out to you, so I’d be found. She chased after Petrovin through a tunnel and barely escaped the blast. After she got clear, she heard helicopters, but in the dark she couldn’t tell where they went.”

Jess got up from the chair and joined Payton on the mattress, touching his arm as she continued.

“Alexa said she didn’t see Nikki in the control room. As far as I’m concerned, that means one thing. If Sam doesn’t find your niece’s body at the bomb site, we’ve got no choice but to assume she’s with the Russian.”

It had been days, and they would have no idea where the bastard took her. She didn’t say those words aloud, but that thought would hit him soon enough.

“But Jessie, why did she tell you all this? What did she want?”

“She wanted the documents that I saved from the fire.”

“What? You gave them to her?” Payton stood and walked to the far side of the room, his back to her, hands on his hips. After a long moment, he asked, “What do you think she’s after?”

She got up from the bed and joined him, only getting a glimpse of his profile in the dim room. Partially drawn curtains painted his bare chest with a strip of city lights. And with the rain, the glimmer dappled his skin in rainbow-colored prisms.

She searched for words to comfort him.

“I believe she’s after the bastards who took Nikki, Payton. And it sounds like she’s got the resources to make good on her promises. But that doesn’t mean we sit around and wait. Seth still has copies. I don’t think she knew I had another set, and I certainly didn’t tell her. She mentioned the pages contained coordinates of some kind. Maybe that tidbit will help Seth make faster progress. Harper’s a whiz at this brainiac stuff, I swear. I’ll call him first thing, but if Alexa has access to an organization that can track Globe Harvest on a grand scale, I figured we had nothing to lose. I hope you agree.”

She watched Payton’s jaw tighten, but couldn’t read him.

“I just feel so…powerless,” he said. “If it was a matter of money, I would spend every last dime to get her back, but damn it! We’ve got nothing, Jessie.” He turned and moved toward her, frustration etched across his face. “We’ve got nothing.”

What he said triggered her memory of Alexa. The woman’s words surged through her mind.
You’re a loose cannon, Jessica…it can get you killed, along with anyone innocent caught in your cross fire
. She felt the weight of the chain and sapphire pendant under her shirt, the only lifeline she had to Alexa and her covert alliance. Yet no matter how much it would mean to her to hear that Alexa had stopped Globe Harvest, her part in the victory would feel hollow if they never found Payton’s niece. She still felt responsible for the Russian taking Nikki out of Chicago.

“You gotta know…I might have made matters worse, Payton. I meddled and put Nikki into a worse situation with Petrovin.”

Payton took another step and pulled her into his arms. “No, that’s not true, Jessie. You led us to her.”

But nothing he said would console her. She fought the tears that stung her eyes. “You may never find her, even if Alexa can rally the cavalry.”

And still he held her, despite what she’d told him. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, unsure she deserved his understanding.

“All I wanted was to give you hope of finding her…but I think I’ve screwed this all up.”

He rocked her where she stood, murmuring reassurances in a low voice. His words didn’t register at first. Her guilt and pain masked them. But eventually what he said sank in.

“Jessie, you’re one of the bravest people I know. You’ve taken on a battle that’s not yours to fight alone. You did the right thing.” He raised her chin and brushed back her hair. “You shed light on this organization and now others are involved. People with real clout. The FBI is on the case, plus Alexa’s group. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve gone above and beyond. And I’m grateful. Nikki didn’t have much of a chance until you came along.”

She couldn’t look him in the eye, despite his compassion. Nothing would free her from the blame.

“But Petrovin has taken her to God knows where,” she said. “And all we have are the documents I took from the control room. What are the odds that Alexa will find her in the few locations listed on that damned report? My luck is for shit lately.”

“I don’t know. I’m not much of a gambler, but I’d put my money on you…any day.”

Stunned, she looked up at him, touched by his faith in her. From almost the first time they’d met, in the chaos after the explosion, she had felt a connection to him. It was as if they’d known each other in another life. He had an ease about him. And yet he was a kindred spirit, wearing his scars on the in
side without excuses. This time when she gazed at him, she found more than commiseration in his eyes.

“You were right before.” She stared at his lips and felt the warmth of his skin through her damp shirt. “I didn’t come here…just to talk.”