Kisses to Remember (39 page)

Miles growled as Claus approached, but one low command in German that Holden didn’t understand sent the dog running into the bathroom. Claus closed the door, and Eli took a more relaxed posture by the slider.

“You killed Sabrina.” Claus’s voice was a snarl worse than Miles’s.

“I had no choice,” Holden said. “If you guys cooperate with the police, you could probably be cleared of any involvement with DE’s illegal dealings.” He backed Johanna into the corner of the room.

“Whew.” Eli made a show of wiping his brow. “It’s so simple, Claus. Just cooperate with the police.”

Claus growled out a laugh. “Nothing’s ever simple.” He took a few steps closer, and Johanna’s hands tightened on Holden’s waist. “Besides, what makes you think that stupid bitch was in charge?”

“You actually did us a favor, Lancaster,” Eli said, his gun still trained on them. “Now
we
don’t have to kill Donovan.”

“How I love when things get crossed off my to-do list.” Claus waved his hand in the air as if making a checkmark. “Now there’s just the matter of you two, the boy, and the old man.”

“You stay away from my son.” Johanna pushed past Holden like an attack dog.

Holden grabbed her arm, but she jerked it free and stood her ground in front of Claus. If either of these dicks hurt her, Holden swore both of them would never see the outside of this hotel room again. 

The massive man reached out a hand and ran it over a few coils of Johanna’s hair. “
Solch feuer ist eine freude.
Such fire is a joy. What do you say, Eli? Shall we take her as a prize, a reward for the hard work of manufacturing weapons disguised as ordinary electronics?”

“Our genius should be recognized.” Eli grinned with a mouthful of crooked teeth. “But eventually, she’ll have to die too.”

“True, but let us enjoy her first.” Claus licked his lips, and Holden launched a fist into the bastard’s jaw. Pain exploded across Holden’s knuckles, and he cradled that hand against his chest. Claus’s jaw was steel.

 Miles howled from the bathroom, his claws scratching along the door.

Acting as if Holden hadn’t hit him, Claus said, “You and that mutt are mere puppies, Lancaster. Eli and I have roasted bigger dogs than you over an open fire back in Germany.”

Eli laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Ah, I miss the old ways, Claus.”

“Look, you don’t have to kill us,” Holden said, his other hand up as if in surrender. “Cut us into the deal instead.”

Johanna looked at him, her eyes showing understanding. How wonderful to be on the same wavelength. He could have done without the life or death situation and the aching knuckles though. Claus and Eli would eventually tire of the small talk. He and Johanna couldn’t distract them from their business for much longer. Johanna had to make it out of this alive. She had to. She had Kam and Ted to take care of. They needed her. He, on the other hand, was expendable. 

“We have all the partners we need,” Claus said. “Partners we can trust.”

Shit.
Holden had nothing to bargain with. Miles let out a low whimper in the bathroom.
Exactly. And why aren’t you a bigger, meaner dog, Miles?

As Holden tried to assemble a plan, the hotel phone rang, making both him and Johanna jump.

Claus stared at it for a moment. “Pick it up.” He yanked Johanna to his side of the room and pushed her toward the phone.

You’ve put her in danger again, jackass
. Holden didn’t want to make a habit of this. He searched the room for something to use as a weapon. The best he could come up with was the shower curtain rod, but he couldn’t get to it easily. Not with Eli’s gun still trained on him.

“Hello?” Johanna said into the phone. Her voice was remarkably steady. “Hi, baby.” She shot Holden a quick glance, but Claus pushed the nose of his gun into her back.

“Make it quick, beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.

She shuddered at his proximity, and Holden hated being thumbtacked in place by Eli’s gun.

“Yeah, I know food is gross in the hospital. I’ll make you whatever you want when you come home.” She paused as Kam said something. “I can bring you some Legos once I stop home. Holden suggested we get you a new set. How does that sound?”

Holden heard Kam’s joyful shout and his eyes stung. What if he never saw the kid again? What if Claus or Eli sent Kam’s mother to an early grave? Why didn’t the hotel stock the bedside tables with guns instead of Bibles?

“What are Legos?” Eli asked.

“Shut up.” Claus glared at Eli.

“Which set do you want, the hotel or the police station?” Johanna squeezed her eyes shut as she listened.

“Finish up,” Claus said as he pushed Johanna’s hair out of the way and sniffed along the back of her neck.

Holden took two steps closer, and Eli immediately rushed forward. He grabbed Holden by the neck, causing Holden to let loose a pained cry. His neck already killed him. Eli’s meaty fingers clamping down on him was unbearable, and he was pretty sure he’d broken something in his hand hitting Claus. Holden hated being this powerless while Claus pawed Johanna.

Eli brought Holden down to the floor. He let go of his neck, but flipped him so his face was pushed into the carpet. Pinning him in place with his knee, Eli rested his gun against the back of Holden’s skull.

“I’m just waiting for Claus to give me the word, asshole.”

From his position on the floor, Holden couldn’t see what Claus was doing to Johanna. He could only hear her as she spoke to Kam.

“Okay, baby. I’ll tell Holden and Miles you said hi. Is Pep still there?”

“Thirty seconds,” Claus said.

“Get some rest so we can take you home. I love you.” Johanna’s voice cracked a little on those last three words.

“Hang up,” Claus said.

The phone hit the receiver. Holden wiggled a little, but Eli only applied more weight to his back, which felt ready to snap.

“Just kill us,” Johanna said. “Get it done, but leave my baby alone.”

Holden hated the defeat in her voice. It was the same defeat mocking him in his head. The same defeat that was keeping him from formulating a way out of this.

“Not here,” Claus said. “The sounds of gunshots tend to draw a crowd.”

“Too bad your man here didn’t lose his memory for good.” Eli knocked the nose of his gun against Holden’s head. “If only we could scramble his brains again.”

“Guess we’ll have to blow his brains out instead.” Claus’s enormous booted feet came into view, followed by Johanna’s bare feet.

Holden moved his arm just enough so he could touch her toes. She pressed her foot into his palm and that simple connection cleared away his hopelessness. These stupid shitpigs were not going to win. Johanna had asked him to marry her, and dammit, he was going to fucking live happily ever after with her.

****

Johanna was all done with the rollercoaster ride this day had been. She just wanted to go home, have Kam snug in his bed, Ted lazing on the couch, and Holden making love to her in the barn. In no way did she want to spend the evening—an evening where she had actually gotten engaged—with these two German gorillas.

She’d sent Kam a clue on the telephone. She could only hope the kid had picked it up. He hadn’t said anything, but she had always counted on him, even when he was younger. He’d amazed her time and time again.

Tonight needed to be one of those times.

In the meantime, she couldn’t put all her eggs in one ten-year old basket. Claus was getting far too touchy with her, and Holden looked to be in considerable pain with Eli’s knee nearly cracking his spine in half.

“Bet you wished you died in that plane crash, don’t you?” Eli drew a circle on the back of Holden’s head with the nose of his gun.

“If he had, he wouldn’t have been able to fuck this beauty.” Claus pressed his hips against Johanna, nudging his erection into her back.

Eli gestured to the broken sliding glass door. “From what we saw, she’s an amazing lay.”

Johanna’s skin rippled at the thought of Claus and Eli watching her and Holden together. That had been a private, almost sacred moment. They had no right to witness that.

Claus ground his arousal into her with more force. When he reached a hand around to cup her breast, nothing but Holden’s T-shirt to keep him from touching her nipple, something snapped in her brain. She wasn’t going to stand there and let him get off on fondling her. Screw that.

At the same time Johanna decided some action needed to be taken, Miles came racing out of the bathroom. He’d worked the door open as she’d seen him do at home on occasion. He zeroed in on Eli’s leg and clamped his jaws down on the man’s ankle.

Eli let out a roar. “Get it off me, Claus! Get the beast off me!”

Claus made a move to lower his gun to the dog. Johanna took a chance and pummeled her boney elbow into Claus’s groin. The huge man went down to his knees, his hand cupping his stones as his mouth opened and closed, opened and closed. Only strangled, almost squeaky noises emanated.

Miles gnawed on Eli’s ankle while the man’s cries reached a near hysterical range. He’d rolled off Holden, and Johanna reached down to yank Holden to his feet.

“We gotta move, handsome.” She pulled him toward the gaping hole that used to be a sliding glass door.

“Not that way!” he shouted, but a glance back revealed the door to the hotel’s hallway was blocked by a man-eating dog, a shrieking dog biscuit of a man, and a groaning Sasquatch.

“Trust me.” Johanna whistled for Miles and the dog chomped down on Eli’s leg one final time before releasing him and bolting for the balcony beyond the shattered glass.

The balcony was small and up three stories from the ground. Jumping down wasn’t an option, but the neighboring balcony was within range.

“This way.” Johanna climbed over the iron railing of their balcony and hopped over to the next one. Holden did the same and they both called for Miles who cleared it gracefully.  The three of them repeated this until they had made it around to the front of the hotel. The sight she had so desperately wished for greeted them there.

Police cars. A dozen of them. Lights flashing.

“Thanks, Kam,” she said to the night sky.

“Why are we thanking Kam?” Holden asked as he waved his arms to flag the nearest officers.

“He’s the best listener in the world.” Johanna added her flailing arms to Holden’s and suddenly a spotlight blasted them.

“Johanna Ware? Holden Lancaster?” a female officer asked through a bullhorn.

“Yes!” Johanna and Holden said together.

“Go to Room 319,” Johanna shouted down. “That’s where the bad guys were last.”

The officer signaled to a team behind him and they rushed into the main hotel entrance. Turning back to Johanna and Holden, the officer said, “We’re clearing out the hotel, then we’ll open the room behind you.”

Johanna and Holden waved their understanding and slumped simultaneously into the white plastic lounge chairs on this balcony.

“My heart is going a mile a minute.” Johanna patted her chest.

“At least both of our hearts are still going.” Holden flexed his hand and grimaced.

“Concussion, amnesia, stitches, and now busted knuckles. You
are
a handful, Mr. Lancaster.” Johanna pulled herself off her chair and made Holden scooch over so she could squeeze into his. She took his hand into her lap and straightened his finger, eliciting a groan from him. “We need some ice, pronto.”

“I’m useless.” Holden took his hand back. “I did nothing to get us out of that.” He gestured to the hotel behind them.

“Umm, correct me if I’m wrong, honey, but did you or did you not defend me, my son, and Ted from almost certain death by Sabrina earlier today?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

Johanna pinched his lips closed with her index finger and thumb. “It was my turn to save us, Holden, and you know what? I had help.”

“Kam. How?”

“I asked him if he wanted the hotel or the police Lego set.” Johanna gave him a smug smile.

“Genius.” Holden shrugged. “I don’t get it, Johanna.”

“Kam already has the hotel
and
the police set. He’s got a thing about getting repeats. Drives him nuts. We actually keep a list of what he has and what he wants. I was hoping if I asked him about ones he has he’d pick up on the hint.”

“And in true Kam fashion, he did.” Holden smiled. “God, I love that kid.”

“And you’ve only known him for a month. Imagine how much you’ll love him after years and years.”

“That’s going to be a lot of love.” Holden traced Johanna’s cheek.

“Maybe too much.”

“No such thing, my lady. No such thing.” He brushed his lips against hers. “And I plan to remember each and every kiss.”

Johanna slid her arms around him and pressed her lips to his cheek. “I’ll make sure you do.”

Miles scrabbled up onto the lounge chair with them. Johanna pulled the dog into their group hug, letting him lick the underside of her chin and then Holden’s fingers. She was so looking forward to a lifetime of kisses to remember.