Midnight Pursuits (28 page)

He grinned. “Told ya.”

“Yeah, you told me.” She sighed, then reached for the metal canister at their feet. “God, it's so hard to breathe.”

There was a sharp hiss as she raised the canister to her mouth and sucked on the regulator. Then she handed him the oxygen so he could have a turn.

Ethan's lungs expanded to allow the much-needed air inside. “How long have we been here?” he asked after he'd set down the tank.

“According to my watch, five hours.”

Fuck. It had seemed like a lot more than that. Fortunately, each canister contained enough oxygen to last six hours, and they had four of them, so they could survive for at least a day until the team found them.

If
the team found them.

But Ethan didn't even want to consider
that
possibility.

•   •   •

Somehow, despite her best efforts, Juliet fell asleep. And as she slept, she dreamed. Strange, vivid dreams that played in her mind like a movie on the silver screen. In one dream she was running from Deke. He was chasing her with a lit cigarette, waving it around, telling her in a singsong voice what he intended to do to her.

In another dream, she was at the hospital with Henry, listening to the sound of his heart monitor. A constant
beep-beep-beep
that abruptly transformed into one long, high-pitched chime as a solid line moved along the screen.

Sometimes she was in bed with Ethan in the dreams, sighing in pleasure as his tongue danced along her body and teased her into oblivion.

Other times she was wandering around in a thick, green fog, unable to see two feet in front of her, arms flailing as she attempted to find something solid to touch. A wall, a car, a person. Except there was nothing to latch onto, and it was so hard to breathe in the fog, so hard to—

Juliet woke up with a gasp. Her eyes were watering, her throat drier than a desert. She felt something heavy on her shoulder. Ethan's head, she realized. He'd fallen asleep too, his bare chest rising and falling unevenly.

When she checked her watch, she saw that they'd been out for more than six hours. Six hours of breathing in the smoke slowly filling the room. She fumbled for the oxygen canister and took several deep pulls. Then she gently nudged Ethan and coaxed him awake, bringing the regulator to his lips.

“How long has it been?” he mumbled drowsily.

“Six hours. Which brings our total to twelve. We've been stuck here for half a day,” she said in a glum voice.

“We still have time. We have enough oxygen to last anoth— Did you hear that?” Ethan instantly became alert, straightening up as he glanced at the door.

“I didn't hear anything.”

“Shhh. Listen.”

She went quiet and listened, straining to make out whatever it was that snagged his attention. But all she got in response was silence. And more silence. And then some more silence. And then . . . a creak.

Followed by a loud mechanical groan.

“Son of a bitch, they actually found us,” she whispered in wonder.

There seemed to be a flurry of activity beyond the door. After twelve hours of sitting in complete silence, their surroundings had suddenly come alive. Creaks and thuds. Bangs and crashes. Metallic clangs.

And then a voice. A muffled male voice.

“. . . anyone in there . . . can . . . hear us?”

Juliet cleared her dry throat and called out, “We're in here!”

But her voice was so hoarse, it was no louder than a whisper. She tried again, only to break into a coughing fit that had Ethan touching her arm with concern.

“You okay?” He sounded equally hoarse.

Frustration rose inside her. They had to let their rescuers know where they were, damn it.

Her teeth dug into her cracked bottom lip, and then her gaze landed on the oxygen canister in her lap. Inspiration struck. She quickly picked up the canister and started banging it against the steel strips on the wall.

Metal collided with metal, making a loud ringing noise that the folks out in the hall would most certainly be able to hear.

Sure enough, after a beat of silence, the voice spoke again, clearer this time.

“We've got something over here!”

More creaks and thumps echoed in the air for what felt like hours. There was a heavy pounding on the door, as if someone was attempting to push it open, but the fallen chunks of concrete blocking the way rendered that impossible.

Juliet heard voices again, low and muffled. For a second she feared their rescuers would give up, but she didn't need to worry. The whir of a power tool met her ears, and then the metal door began to vibrate. The high-pitched shriek lasted for several minutes. She and Ethan sat there in total silence, their fingers still intertwined as they stared across the room.

With a noisy groan, the door was suddenly lifted out of its frame.

And a beam of light blinded Juliet's eyes.

“You folks all right?” The sharp inquiry came from an unfamiliar man, nothing but a black silhouette, thanks to the flashlight in his hand.

“We're good,” Juliet croaked.

“Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Her muscles were sore as hell as she carefully rose to her feet.

She was immediately overcome by a wave of dizziness and had to close her eyes for a second to regain her equilibrium. When she felt steady enough to move, she held out her hand to help Ethan up.

A tortured noise left his mouth as he attempted to stand. His chest was covered with gashes and dried blood, but even though he was visibly in pain, he managed to stay upright, leaning against Juliet for support.

Smiling, she brought his hand to her lips and brushed a kiss over his blood-caked knuckles. “Ready?”

His white teeth shone in the light as he smiled back. “Never been more ready in my life, sweetheart.”

Two days later

“So I guess this is good-bye.”

Noelle stood in the center of the small hangar and put out her cigarette as she watched D approach. He wore cargo pants and a tight-fitting sweater, the edge of a white plaster cast poking out of his left sleeve.

“I guess so,” he replied in his gravelly voice, black eyes shuttered.

She shot him a knowing glance. “A permanent one, right?”

“It was gonna happen eventually.”

She stifled a sigh, knowing he was right but at the same time wishing it was happening under different circumstances.

No, fuck that. Wishing it was happening on
her
terms.

But from the moment Jim had arrived in Madrid, she'd known that her liaison with Derek Pratt had officially reached its end.

Ah, well. At least Juliet had gotten her man, though what her girl saw in that sweet-natured rookie, Noelle would never know. Still, there was no denying that Juliet cared deeply for the kid. She hadn't left his side since the two of them had been literally dug out of that bunker. Even when they'd been taken to the hospital to be treated for the effects of smoke inhalation and for Ethan's wounds to be looked at, Juliet had demanded the staff give them beds right next to each other.

The couple had been released from the hospital a few hours ago—they were currently loitering near one of the two gleaming Gulfstreams sitting on the tarmac. And they were holding hands. How sweet.

Juliet did look happy, Noelle had to relent. The former thief was laughing at something Abby had just said, while her new boy toy chatted with Morgan—whom Noelle knew was aware of her and D, even though his blue eyes were focused on the rookie.

“Let me guess,” she said dryly. “Jim convinced you what a
dreadful
idea it is for us to be sleeping together.”

“No.”

“No?”

“We shouldn't be sleeping together because I was wrong.”

Noelle furrowed her brow. “Wrong about what?”

“About us.” D ran his hand over the stubble dotting his jaw. “When I said we were the same, I was wrong. I'm an emotionless asshole, but you, baby, are not an emotionless bitch.”

“I have to disagree with that.”

“Disagree all you want, but we both know it's true. I used to think you were dead inside, just like me, but there's still some life in you.” He shrugged. “If we keep fucking, I'll end up killing that last shred of humanity you've got left.”

It took all her willpower to mask her shock. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was babbling about, but he didn't give her the chance to speak.

He just offered a brisk nod and took a step away. “See you around, Noelle.”

•   •   •

As Abby and Kane drifted toward the metal staircase by the door of Morgan's jet, Juliet turned to Ethan with a frown. She'd been trying to contain her displeasure all afternoon, but as she watched him shift in discomfort for the hundredth time that day, her frustration finally boiled over.

“I'm taking you back to the hospital,” she announced.

“Nah, I'll pass.”

“You're in pain, damn it. You need some good old-fashioned pain meds. And I still want that burn specialist to look at your back and chest.”

“There are burn specialists in San Jose,” he replied. “I'll see one when we get there.”

“You're so fucking stubborn, I just want to kick you.”

“Look who's talking. You're the most pigheaded person I've ever met in my life.”

Juliet scowled at him. “Is this what our future looks like? Bickering like children?”

He flashed that boyish grin. “Well, I
am
a kid, remember?” He raised his eyebrows. “With that said, I'm pretty sure my maturity levels are a million times higher than yours.”

“Oh, shut up. I'm not the one who got tortured and refuses to seek medical attention.”

“No, you're just the one who decided to hang around while a bunker was blowing up.”

“Because I love you, you big oaf! Wow. I can't believe you're actually complaining that someone loved you enough to want to
die
by your side.”

He burst out laughing. “I think that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me.”

Juliet had to grin. “I've always been somewhat of a sweet talker.”

Rolling his eyes, Ethan moved closer and swiftly brushed a kiss over her lips. “Seriously, though, the hospital can wait. I have more important things to do first.”

“Oh, really? Like what?” She placed her hands on his shoulders, careful not to apply too much pressure so she wouldn't irritate his injuries.

“Well, in case you forgot, I promised to lock you up in a room for a week and ravish you.”

“Ah, right.” She gave a mock sigh. “I guess I'm okay with that.”

“You guess? Bullshit. You're fricking dying for it.”

He planted another kiss on her mouth, which quickly transformed into a tongue-tangling make-out that made her heart pound. Jeez. She truly was addicted to this man.

“Get a room, you two!”

They broke apart at Sullivan's voice. The tall Australian wiggled his eyebrows as he walked past them on his way to the jet.

Ethan's teammate had a spring in his step as he climbed the stairs and disappeared into the cabin. Luke and Liam went in next, then D, who'd come from the direction of the hangar.

Juliet shifted her gaze and noticed Noelle standing near the hangar doors, an odd expression on her exquisite face.

“Give me a sec,” she told Ethan. “I just need a word with my boss.”

A minute later, she was face-to-face with the blond assassin, who looked resigned as she met Juliet's gaze.

“Let me guess—you'll be taking Jim's plane instead of mine.”

“Yes. But only so I can spend some time with Ethan on his compound. And then we're flying back to Belarus.” A lump formed in her throat. “The funeral home in Minsk is sending Henry's body to the Harkov property—Oleg Harkov agreed to let Henry be buried next to Zoya. I think Henry would have wanted to be close to the woman he loved.” She swallowed, pushed away the sadness, then smiled at her boss. “Oh, and just in case you were worried, you should know there's no way I'm ever leaving you to join up with Morgan's crew. I'd die of boredom.”

Noelle let out a melodic laugh. “Good girl.”

“I'm serious. No matter what happens between me and Ethan, my professional loyalties lie with you. Always have, always will.”

“We'll be in touch, then. I'll contact you when I have another assignment for you.” Noelle smirked. “Enjoy your rookie. I've heard boys his age possess some serious stamina.”

“Trust me, I know. Anyway, I'll see you later. Call me if you need me.”

The two women didn't hug, didn't even shake hands. They just exchanged a fond look and a smile, and then Juliet strode back to Ethan, who was waiting for her on the runway.

“I forgot to ask you,” he said when she reached him. “Did you talk to Stacie before we left the hospital?”

Juliet nodded. “Yeah, she's over the moon. Her father hasn't left her side since he got there.”

And, boy, did Stacie deserve it. The poor kid had been begging for her father's attention her whole life. It was sad that it had taken a kidnapping to open Leo Karin's eyes to his daughter's unhappiness, but the prime minister seemed to be trying to make amends. He'd even visited Juliet and Ethan in their room in the respiratory unit of St. Anne's, and thanked them profusely for protecting his daughter from the woman who'd tried to kill her.

Karin had no clue that they'd actually been protecting Stacie from Dmitry Orlov, but they'd decided not to tell him the truth. Alexei Mironov and his PRF rebels were bragging to the country that they'd executed the defense minister, and Juliet saw no point in letting the world know that Orlov had been responsible for all the deaths the PRF had taken credit for.

Truth was, a part of her wanted Mironov's cause to succeed. Dmitry Orlov was dead, but the entire system was full of corrupt, power-hungry politicians willing to go to any lengths to reach their goals. If the rebels managed to overthrow the government, then maybe the corruption would finally end. During his taped recording to the Belarusian media, Mironov had revealed the existence of Orlov's torture bunkers, horrifying the country's citizens and no doubt picking up hundreds of new followers.

“I'm glad she got her happy ending.”

Ethan's voice jerked her out of her thoughts. “Me too,” Juliet agreed. “She deserves it.”

“So do you.” His lips quirked. “Actually, I think out of anyone, you deserve the happy ending the most to make up for everything you had to go through in your life.”

She cocked her head. “When you say
happy ending
, do you mean it in the fairy-tale sense or the pornography sense?”

His chest shook with laughter. “God, I love you.”

“Love you too, kiddo.” Grinning, she took his hand and laced their fingers together. “Come on, let's get on the plane. I'm thinking if we're stealthy about it, we might be able to have a quickie in the bathroom.”

“No more quickies,” he said firmly. “I already told you, you're going to be thoroughly ravished.”

She pretended to pout. “But what if I don't want to wait?”

“Tough cookies.” A broad grin stretched across his face. “The anticipation is half the fun, remember?”