Hot Contract (8 page)

“Let’s go,” she said, not looking back. She
didn’t want to see the look in Keegan’s eyes.

He’d told her to stick close, but Makena was
family and he’d helped her before. The security cordon around her
aunt’s party was subtle and unobtrusive, but tight enough to kill.
Only family and trusted friends could get from the parking lot onto
the grounds.

Makena slung an arm around her shoulders and
steered them toward the food. Running lights rushed overhead as
more people arrived. The long communal tables were full.

Makena found them seats on a low stone wall
in the quiet darkness beyond a makeshift helicopter landing pad,
and handed her a porcelain plate. “No lectures, yeah? Just
eat.”

Jen stabbed at a quail egg. “Damn it, Mac!
He’s leaving in six days!”

“Who’s leaving?” her brother Percy asked.

At six feet four inches tall, Percival
Stalling had long since outgrown his geeky awkward stage. His dark
green polo shirt was neatly pressed and his khakis fit too well to
be from anywhere but his favorite tailor.

He picked an egg off Makena’s plate and
frowned down at it, the harsh lines of his face tired, like he
hadn’t slept well. To Jen’s knowledge her brother had never had a
normal life. He’d created StallingCo Security the day he’d turned
seventeen, with Makena in charge of operations, and four years
later, put their cousin Tris in charge of intelligence. It was the
youngest grouping of corporate officers ever. And it worked right
up until the day Makena had left, his loyalty to Jen taking
precedence over his loyalty to StallingCo.

She eyed her brother. “Keegan Dalfrey.”

Percy shot her a sharp look. “Dalfrey? Of
DalCon? Black hair, green eyes?”

“Blond hair and gray eyes. And what do you
know about him?”

“Makena?” Percy’s expression closed.

“I’m out of the loop. Throw me an info-dump.
If your father is running this show, you’ll need back-up.”

“I still have Tris.”

“Tris might be related to us, but he isn’t
your friend. You think I don’t see the rage? You bottle it up like
it won’t explode, but you’re that,” Makena slapped his hands
together, “close.”

Percy stared at Makena, then back at Jen. The
situation between the two of them had never been resolved. Her
middle-of-the-night departure from the family compound had strained
their once-tight friendship to the breaking point.

“Understand I can’t keep much of a
surveillance team on Jen. When she was disinherited, material
interest in her died. If word spreads that we’re involved with her
again, Dad will have a potential hostage situation on his hands.
But three months ago, Tris began to hear rumors of a group fixated
on the inter-island geothermal linkage.”

“The Pele Project,” said Jen.

Makena groaned and buried his face in his
hands.

Percy looked at him thoughtfully. “Yes,” he
said. “The Pele Project. Threats began pouring in instantly. I left
for Singapore a week later, some problems with our Tri-Weapons
division. Apparently, Dad took things into his own hands and
contacted DalCon. Risk factors must have escalated to a point where
he couldn’t ignore them. DalCon is based out of Seattle. They call
themselves consultants, but they’re troubleshooters. Most of their
staff is former Special Forces.”

He glanced at Jen. “I imagine they briefed
you.”

The quail egg churned in her stomach. “Who
linked it back to Dad?”

“Tris detailed Intelligence to you at the
beginning of your time with the Project. Ops took care of the
logistics of running a long-term low profile surveillance.”

Makena lurched back, squinting into the
darkness. “Shit! Tris is here?”

Percy gave him a cool look. “Tris is in
Singapore. Want to talk to him?"

“Hell, no—that man is so whacked he hits
sanity from behind. Are you crazy?”

“Sure, Makena.” Percy’s voice was flat. “I’m
insane.”

Jen dropped her plate. “Tris doesn’t think
so.”

Her brother looked incredulous. “You talk to
Tris?”

“We e-mail.”

“Please don’t.”

“We’re not allowed to talk?”

“Tris can do whatever he wants. You on the
other hand...” Percy hesitated. “No.”

“He’s in so much pain. Don’t you even talk to
him?”

Makena came out of his funk. “There’s
something wrong with him.”

“If your father beat your mother to death in
front of you and left you in the desert to die, you wouldn’t be
right either.”

Makena shook his head. “No one knows the
truth about Aunt Rainey.”

“Tris said—”

“Like he’s an objective witness—”

“Enough,” said Percy. “Tris has no bearing on
Jen’s situation. Whatever the deal, I can have you in a safe house
within the hour. It doesn’t have to be off-island. Take a vacation,
ride it out, I’ll get my people on it and squash it flat.”

Makena growled. “Don’t ask her. Tell
her.”

Percy turned on him. “Shut up, Makena! She’s
a grown woman. Let her make her own decisions.”

Jen moved away from her cousin. A whisper of
music drifted on the breeze. Percy smiled, once again her goofy
older brother.

She touched her fingers to his. “I can’t
leave.”

His hand turned up to hold hers for a
second.

“Why are you giving her a choice?” Makena
pulled at his hair.

“We grew up together and you don’t know?”
Percy stepped back and Security melted out of the darkness to form
a phalanx around him. He gave Makena a steady look. “Everyone gets
a choice.”

Percy exchanged words with his personal
assistant, Josh, and the next thing Jen knew, her brother was gone
and she was left staring up at three hundred pounds of all too
familiar bodyguard. She tried to push past the man, but he was
built like a rock, and refused to budge.

“I don’t need a perimeter,” she said, glaring
up at him.

Josh put his hands out, his broad face
creased with worry. “Please, Ms. Stalling—you don’t have the
authority to negate orders. We’d prefer you to stay cordoned off
until your security arrives.”

“Tell Percy I want you to go away.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Give me your radio and I’ll do it for
you.”

He repeated, “Please, Ms. Stalling. You don’t
have the authority.”

Which meant that she was stuck with Josh
watching her like she’d suddenly turned into a poisonous snake? He
wasn’t a friend like Rafe, but he’d been a part of her life for so
long, she couldn’t remember when he hadn’t been there.

Frustration threatened to choke her. “I want
to be alone,” she said, words tumbling over each other, trying to
get out.

There were so many people watching her, it
felt like she was in prison. Did it really matter if they wanted to
save her, or kill her? It was the story of her life. The Jen
Show.

Josh glanced to the side to see Keegan coming
out of the shadows behind the landing pad. “Thank God,” he
muttered.

Keegan caught her arm without a word and Josh
stared, eyes wide. Her hostility to touch was well known.

“We’re out of here,” he said.

Jen pulled away. “Leave me alone!”

“That again? Want to tell me what set you off
this time?”

“I want to be alone. I’ll sit over there,”
she waved her arm blindly. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to
leave.”

“That’s not the way it works,” growled
Keegan. “Work with me or die. It’s that simple.”

“This valley belongs to my aunt—”

“Which means it’s safe? Get a grip. Someone
is trying to kill you.” He gave Josh a challenging look. “I’m
taking her. Got a problem with that?”

Josh opened his hand palm up. “She’s all
yours.”

“I’m not a thing! You can’t just move me
around—”

“We just did. Get with the program.”

“I left the program, you jerk!”

Josh’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes went
from Jen to Keegan before flickering away with a pained,
self-conscious air.

“All right,” said Keegan. “We’ll go somewhere
where you can be alone.”

****

Corlis watched her brother drag the Stalling
girl away from the party. It was about time he did something smart.
If he was going to put her out as bait, he needed to get her
someplace where the sharks could circle in for the kill. Too bad he
was thinking with his balls.

It was bad enough that Conner was in trouble.
Keegan had to go and get himself tangled up with a Stalling. Of all
the women in the world, why her? Everything Corlis had heard about
the Stallings made the de Medicis look like wannabes.

She veered off to check the path into the
woods, and Fallon slipped past her on point, silent in heavy black
combat boots that made his already big feet look huge. He circled
back and slanted the lenses of his goggles in her direction.

His fingers flashed.
Small clearing. Water
on three sides.

She nodded, signaling back to him.
Safe
for now.

Fallon moved in closer, deliberately in her
blind spot.

Up close he was all wide shoulders and long
legs, his already impressive size bulked out by the jackets they
both wore.

It was useless to turn. Her night vision
goggles maybe gave her forty degrees. He shifted around to where
she could see him and pulled the goggles down around his throat. He
couldn’t see her without them and maybe that was what he wanted.
They’d been friends long enough for her to feel the anger rising
off him. He was ready to leave, and wasn’t that what she wanted? No
complications.

He thought she hated him, and he was that
close to hating her in return. She saw herself all too clearly, and
what she saw she hated enough for the both of them. It started out
small, just one step, but by the time he reached out for her, she
was running. Corlis jerked her goggles down and hit Fallon
hard.

For a second Fallon was startled. Corlis was
strong, and his shoulders hit the tree behind him with enough force
to leave bruises. If she wanted him dead, he was dead. Let her kill
him.

He should have died with his unit months
ago.

Her hands locked around his face, and he
braced himself. The night stilled to a distant whisper of music.
Her lips were soft and tasted like raspberry energy drink. Every
cell in his body leapt to attention. He all but inhaled her, one
hand twisted in her holster, the other knotted in her hair, hard
and furious, lips and tongue working like he wanted to lick her
from the inside out.

To hell with control if it meant he had to
let go of her. He wanted everything. All of her. Every bit and
piece. He’d wanted her for so long, a taste wasn’t enough.
Frustration locked his arms around her. He had to get away, but
Jesus, it was like slicing off his face. His body had a mind of its
own. He wanted to nail her to the tree. The sweet scent of her musk
rose around them like they were already naked, driving him crazy.
Crazy helped. Crazy meant he could straight-arm her back, using
both hands when she dug in her heels and fought him.

“Don’t play me,” he snarled.

“I’m not,” she said.

The sudden tension in her slender body told
him more than words that she’d come back to herself. Something
flickered in his peripheral vision. Black...jersey? Corlis moved
with him, shoving him into a clump of ginger lilies.

“Aina,” she breathed. She pulled her goggles
back over her eyes. “Stay down.”

****

Keegan followed Jen to where the path cut
through a stand of trees and branched off. She took the darkest
path, all but running to get away from him.

“Wait!” he called.

She didn’t answer. He finally caught up with
her where the path dead-ended against a stream. Jen was a lurid
pink shape in the darkness under the leaf canopy. From arrogance to
cooperation in less than five minutes, he’d never figure her
out.

“What was that about?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Honey, you’re always telling me that, but
you never stop to explain. I can’t read your mind.”

“It’s a family thing,” she said flatly.

“That’s not enough of an answer.”

She turned away from him, holding her dress
in tight. “My aunt grew up at StallingCo. She doesn’t feel safe
without a massive presence.”

“No unnecessary chances, Jen. You think just
because you’re with your aunt the Aina can’t get you?" Keegan
stared down at her. "You’re arrogant and naïve and, honey—that's
one hell of a combination.”

“Get out of my way,” she said abruptly.

“Not until this is over.”

“The hell you can’t.” She shoved past
him.

The shove turned into a gasp as he grabbed
her and pulled her back. Her head angled back, eyes dark and wide.
There was nothing in their future but the end of the contract, but
holding her like this—touching her—brought a surge of feelings
Keegan had never thought to feel. He put his lips up against hers,
right there on her mouth, taking her breath for his own.

And whispered, “Fuck me already.”

“You are so the last person I want to sleep
with,” she said, not moving.

He felt the brush of her lips on his mouth
right down to his cock. His entire body hardened, and at the sound
of her involuntary groan, he almost jumped out of his skin.

A soft rustle was his only warning.

His sister stopped at the edge of the
suddenly too-small clearing, Fallon at her shoulder. “We need to
move. Aina three, maybe four minutes out.” Moonlight flashed off
her goggles.

“This place is too dark,” Keegan said. “I
can’t move fast without jeopardizing all of us.”

“Stick close, we’ll guide you. Fallon, grab
the girl.”

“Can’t grab her,” said Fallon. “She’s too
heavy.”

Jen stiffened. Keegan wanted to rip Fallon’s
throat out with his bare hands.