Pandora's Box (8 page)

Tyler
shrugged.
 
“Everybody has a past, and I don’t listen to rumors.
 
I like to base my opinions of people on what I see, not what others tell me.”

She went down to the next name on her list, ignoring his protest.
 

“After DeMarco and I broke up, I was feeling a little insecure about my femininity.
 
Doing what I do for a living attracts a lot of nasty comments.
 
People seem to think a woman can’t be hard and in control on the job, be tough, carry a gun and still be soft when the situation merits it.”
 
She shrugged carelessly.
 
“I guess I was kind of doubting my ability to capture a man’s attention and hold it for more than five minutes.
 
So I got drunk one night, very drunk, and I went to bed with Chavez.”

“Chavez?”
 
Tyler
made a face, sending her into a fit of giggles.
 

“I told you I was drunk,” she said between bumps of laughter.
 
“It only happened once and I’ve regretted it every moment since.
 
Makes for a difficult work situation.
 
Chavez and I can barely look at each other now.”

“What about
Walker
?”

So he had heard the rumors?

She laughed harder.
 
Her stomach hurt, and tears filled her eyes.
 
She couldn’t stop.
 

He finally asked, “What’s so damn funny?
 
Did you sleep with
Walker
or not?”

If
Madison
didn’t know better, she would think he was jealous.
 
The mere thought of
Tyler
wanting her killed the laughter.

“Not,” she said.
 
“
Walker
is the last guy I would ever climb into bed with.
 
After he found out about my one-night with Chavez, he started coming on strong.
 
I turned him down, of course.
 
Several times.”

“And he got pissed,”
Tyler
finished the story for her.
 
“Yeah, I’ve seen it before.
 
He wants you.
 
You burn him, but you go off with someone he thinks isn’t fit to wash his feet.
 
So he tells everyone you’ve been with him to settle the score and to keep himself from looking like a loser.”

“It didn’t work.”

Tyler
tilted the beer bottle to his lips and took a long drink.
 
Madison
watched his throat work.
 
Heat burned a trail through her.
 
She had to fight the urge to touch him.
 
There was something so familiar about him.
 
Maybe they’d met in a previous life.
 

A slow grin formed on those sexy full lips.
 
He confessed, “I’ve read your file.”

“Yeah?
 
Anything interesting?”

“Loads.
 
You’re a damn good agent.”

Her eyes narrowed on his handsome face as she tried to decipher his expression.
 
He’d be an excellent poker player.
 
There wasn’t a hint of emotion riding on the surface.
 
Oh yes, this man was definitely a kindred spirit.

He added, “If we work together, I think we can find the person trying to assassinate my father and clear yours in the bargain.”

“Nice try.”
 
She smiled.
 
“I work alone.”

Before he could stop her, she grabbed her coat and made a hasty exit.
 
Out the front door, the chilly night air smacked her in the face, sobering her more than a gallon of coffee could.
 
Her breaths emerged as frosty fog.
 
In seconds her teeth began to chatter and her hands burned from the unbelievable cold.
 
Oh, why hadn’t she thought to wear gloves tonight?

Tyler
caught up with her a step from the curb.
 
His steel fingers encircled her arm and jerked her backwards, spinning her around to face him in a dizzying rush.
 
It took a great deal of control to keep from sharing a karate move with him.
 
She could have him on the concrete, gazing up in silent wonder before he could blink an eye.

Madison
took a deep breath and counted silently to ten.
 

He said, “We’re not finished.”

“Yes, we are.”

“You think you have all the answers, don’t you?
 
You’re so smug.
 
Well, guess what, honey?
 
You haven’t even asked the right questions yet.”

She was going to regret this.

“Okay,” she said.
 
“What are the right questions?”

“Well, to begin with,” he pulled her close until they resembled a couple sharing intimacy.
 
His hot breath fanned her cheek and disturbed the hair near her ear.
 
He smelled like musky cologne.
 
He whispered, “You might want to ask yourself who’s been following you since you left the charity ball tonight?”

If he meant himself, she already suspected as much.

He pushed her away and stared at her, unblinking.
 

She would have said something, anything to fill in the silence.
 
However, she got distracted by a red speck of light moving up
Tyler
’s chest.
 
It hovered for a moment.
 
Then the tiny dot traveled up his throat, chin, the bridge of his nose, and kept moving until it rested on the center of his forehead.
 
Her stomach lurched sickeningly as she realized someone had a rifle trained on
Tyler
.

And they were probably in the process of squeezing the trigger.

******

Chapter Four

In quick succession,
Madison
’s hands went to
Tyler
’s shoulders and she stepped a couple inches to the left.
 
Ready to waltz?
 
Her leg circled around his and struck hard, hitting him behind the knees.
 
She swiped
Tyler
’s legs out from under him.
 
Fast as lightning his hands gripped her arms.
 
They went down together.
 
She landed on top of him and the breath left her body in a dizzying whoosh.
 
He rolled her beneath him.
 
Time froze.
 
There was nothing outside of the feel of his hands on her back, his breath on her cheek.
 

A car window exploded overhead and fragments of glass rained down on them.
 
Madison
moved fast.
 
She pushed against
Tyler
’s solid chest, ignoring his attempt to keep her flat beneath him.
 
He rolled to the side.
 
She pulled her gun free, checked the clip, and flicked the safety off.
 

A woman screamed, perhaps distracting the shooter.
 
Madison
took advantage of the opportunity.
 
She crawled on the sidewalk to where the parked car ended, peering around the front tire with
Tyler
close behind her.
 
If she could just figure out where the shots were coming from, she could return fire.

On the other hand, she had to be careful not to hit a civilian.
 

Tyler
rubbed the back of his head and winced.
 
“When someone tries to shoot me, a verbal warning would be much appreciated.”

“There wasn’t time.”

“You aren’t the only one with quick reflexes.
 
I’m a trained Navy SEAL.
 
I think I can take care of myself.”
 
Tongue in cheek, he said, “I was taught how to duck during the first week of boot camp.”

“Fine.”
 
Madison
shrugged.
 
“Whatever.
 
So tell me, Einstein, what do we do now?
 
We’re pinned down.”

“He can’t shoot us both.
 
You go left and I’ll go right.
 
We’ll catch him in the middle.”

“I like the way you think.”
 
She smiled in spite of her vow to steer clear of the president’s son, and her admiration for him grew.

A vintage rock song began to play, muffled by denim.
 
For a moment
Madison
couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
 
With a grimace
Tyler
pulled his cell phone out and answered the call, ignoring
Madison
’s incredulous look, eyes wide and mouth open with disbelief.
 

“Brett?”
Tyler
said into the phone.
 
“Talk to me later.
 
I have a situation here.”

He disconnected the call and put the cell away.
 
After a moment he noticed
Madison
’s expression.
 
He shrugged.
 
“Sorry.
 
Old Navy buddy of mine.
 
He’s known for his horrible timing.”

“So?”

“If I hadn’t answered, he would have kept calling.
 
He’s persistent.”
 
Tyler
lifted the cuff of one pant leg, exposing another holstered gun.
 
He freed it easily before returning her smile.
 
“Funny how familiar this feels, like we’ve worked together before.
 
Be careful.”

She took a deep breath before leaving the safety of her hiding place.
 
She ran as fast as her long legs could carry her, ran several steps before darting to the other side of the street.
 
Why couldn’t the bar have been on a dark street?
 
The streetlights glared down at her, showcasing her every move.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw
Tyler
cross the street half a block down.
 
A car horn blasted next to her.
 
Another vehicle stopped short, sending her racing around the trunk.

Moonlight bounced off the rifle’s barrel before the perp pulled it back inside the window.
 
He had taken up residence on the third floor of a vacant building across the street from the tavern.
Madison
plunged into the building and raced up the stairs.
 
She had no idea if
Tyler
had seen her go inside or not.
 
Going in without backup was a rookie mistake, but she didn’t have time to find
Tyler
.
 
The perp could get away.

She reached the third floor hallway in record time.
 

Dressed in black with a ski mask to conceal his identity, the bad guy stepped through the second doorway to the right.
 
He held a huge rifle diagonally across his chest.

Madison
kicked high to the left and swung her leg to the right in a sharp angle, catching him on the side of the face.
 
A sharp grunt of pain escaped the mask.
 
He hit the wall, turned fast in her direction, but he didn’t even try to aim his weapon at her.
 
It remained at his side.

His brown eyes widened, looking directly at her.
 

She recognized those eyes.
 
It couldn’t be true.
 
The dagger of betrayal stabbed through her heart for the second time in one night.
 
Without a word the perp took off.
 
This time she didn’t try to stop him.
 
No need.
 
She knew where he lived.

Numb from head to toe,
Madison
left the building.
 
She moved slow, unsure of everything including the ground beneath her feet.
 

“What happened?”
Tyler
stopped next to her, gasping for breath.
 
“I couldn’t find the shooter.
 
When I looked back, you were gone.
 
Did you find him?”
 

Madison
wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilled to the bone.
 
She hated lying to
Tyler
, but she didn’t feel like she had a choice.
 
“I saw him.”
 
She shrugged.
 
“I guess I had too much to drink and it slowed my reflexes.
 
He got away.”