SiNN (8 page)

Cubrero’s mind raced, returning to what Danielle had told
him about Lea’s attraction to two men in the audience.

Clearly, she’d left with them. They weren’t ordinary
admirers who wanted to sleep with her, but men who had enough power to ask what
she was doing and take her phone, disconnecting the call.

Police would do that. Or the feds.

Cubrero’s body shook with savage rage. He squeezed the phone
so tightly, the plastic snapped. Resisting the urge to hurl it across the room
and make any undue noise, he placed the device on Danielle’s desk, then stepped
back to consider this unexpected turn of events.

Lea was no longer alone. She might be in police custody…or
with U.S. Marshals. Already they’d taken her mother from his grasp. No doubt
the woman had told them about Lea.

Fuck.

With his hands gripping the back of a chair, he forced
himself to breathe as deeply as he could, refusing to give up. Manuel Morales’
testimony had taken his father from him when he was only a boy, giving Cubrero
no choice except to bide his time, to wait too many years to learn the
traitor’s location. Weeks ago, he finally had. Days before, he’d tortured
Morales, making him pay for his treachery with his life. For his sins, his wife
would also pay. The same as his daughter.

Cubrero would find them both, proving to his subordinates
that he was without remorse or mercy, never forgetting a betrayal. And that
dealing with the devil would be easier and far kinder than having to face him.

Lea glared at Jake.

He stood outside the building’s front doors, the panes of
glass bleeding brighter colors onto his coppery complexion and black clothing.
Coolish wind lifted his hair, sending it in all directions, making him seem as
untamed as their surroundings. The noise of boisterous insects and rushing
water sounded from within the vegetation around them, so dense and dark it
appeared the stuff of nightmares.

Neither it nor Jake cowed Lea. Her shoulders tightened.
“Give it back to me,” she ordered, extending her hand for her cellphone. She
needed to speak to Danielle, to tell her friend where she was, what had
happened and that, no matter what, they’d be together again.

Ignoring her, Jake slipped the instrument into his jeans’
front pocket.

Lea couldn’t believe it. What in the hell did he think he
was doing? She wasn’t a prisoner. Had he somehow forgotten she was the freaking
victim?

From behind, Toby approached, his shoes slapping the stone
walkway.

Jake didn’t bother to look at his partner. Nor did Lea. A
gust of wind blew her ponytail into her neck. She clawed it away. “I want my
damn phone.”

“Did you listen to nothing we’ve said?” Jake shot right
back.

“Apparently not,” Toby said. “Didn’t I say she needed to
know what we were up against? Didn’t I try to tell you that?”

Jake looked like he wanted to slug him. “I get it, all
right?”

“As long as you do.”

Lea spoke through her teeth to them. “Danielle’s my best
friend. She dances at The Second Circle. She took my last act tonight. I was
just going to—”

“No calls,” Jake ordered.

Lea’s body bristled. She advanced until the tips of her
running shoes nearly touched his boots. He didn’t budge. Given his size, he
wasn’t intimidated or moved to do what she wanted.

Breathing hard, Lea tried to reason, “I have to let her know
I’m all right. She’s my best friend.”

“Former friend,” Toby said, his words cutting through the
night’s noise.

“You can’t contact her ever again,” Jake explained. “You
can’t contact anyone you used to know, Lea. They could lead Cubrero to you.
That’s the way this works.”

Lightheaded, Lea thought of Danielle, the sole constant in
her life, the only genuine love she’d had all these years.

“We’re never gonna stop being friends,” Danielle had said
when they were only nine.

She’d made Lea promise that if the system ever separated
them, they’d find each other and would run away, hiding out until they were
adults and could do whatever they wanted. A childish plan that had kept Lea
going until they’d reached eighteen. After that, she didn’t think she had
anything to worry about. She and Danielle would never be apart.

Only now, Jake and Toby were saying she wouldn’t be able to
tell Danielle any of this? She was just supposed to disappear without a trace
with no one hearing from her again? What in the hell did they think Danielle
would do? Lea knew the young woman would be sick with worry over what might
have happened. She’d never believe that Lea had simply abandoned her as so many
others had.

“She’ll be looking for me,” Lea argued, needing them to
understand. “She won’t accept the fact that I’m simply gone. She’ll go to the
police.”

“We know,” Jake said. “They’ll give her the cover story
we’ve prepared for whoever’s asking about you.”

Lea couldn’t believe it. This insanity had already gone that
far without her even knowing about it or being able to stop it? A wave of
dizziness swept over her again. She locked her knees to keep standing. “Which
is?”

Toby shook his head. “We can’t say.”

Jake spoke softly. “Sorry.”

Was he serious? Did he believe his apology made it all
better or would stop Danielle? They clearly didn’t know her. “You obviously
don’t get it. She’ll never accept what they say. She’ll never stop looking for
me.”

“Lea, she will,” Jake said. “And it’s for the best. You
don’t want Danielle putting herself into danger, do you?”

The thought brought bile to her throat. She recalled what
Toby had said about Cubrero slicing off the face of one of his victims. A young
woman.

Oh God, no. Lea shivered so violently her teeth rattled. “Promise
me she’ll be safe.” She fisted her fingers into Jake’s shirt. “You can’t let
anything happen to her.”

“It won’t…as long as you do what we say.”

She had no choice. Lea knew that now. On a hard swallow, she
lowered her head, more defeated than she’d been in all her years of foster
care, her endless nights waiting futilely for her mother. Would she ever see
her again?

Unbearably weary, craving comfort, Lea leaned against Jake,
resting her cheek on his shoulder.

“Open the door,” he ordered Toby, his chest rumbling with
his words. “Let’s get her inside.”

So they could do what? Make more plans for her future that
would begin in a few short days? The enormity of what she faced slammed into
Lea, a mixture of dread and sorrow causing her to shudder.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Jake held her tightly
to him. “Come on,” he said, “it’s getting cold out here.”

Was it? She’d barely noticed. Unable to help herself, Lea
lifted her face and asked, “Where’s out here?”

How far was she from the life she’d made, her only friend,
her schoolwork and future? How many miles or states, people and occupations did
she still have to go?

A touch of sadness softened Jake’s features. He murmured, “A
place where you’ll be safe.”

He wasn’t going to tell her.

Lea sighed. So did he, his breath brushing her forehead, its
scent sweet and clean. His warmth and strength soothed, reducing the sting of
his words.

“Don’t leave me,” she asked. Not tonight. Not until he and
Toby had no other choice.

Understanding sparked in Jake’s expression, along with male
need he seemed unable to resist. Tightening his arm around her shoulders, he
drew her nearer, keeping her close.

Toby exhaled loudly, his disapproval of Jake holding her all
too apparent.

Beneath his censure, Lea caught Toby’s sympathy for her
situation, along with renewed longing. She may have been his charge, but she
was also a woman he wanted, no different from Jake.

Lea lifted her hand to urge Toby closer, craving both men
tonight, wanting their presence and desire to give her a sense of being safe,
cherished, no matter how brief it might last. It was all that she had.

Toby didn’t see her invitation. Already he’d turned, opening
the door, leading the way inside.

Lea lowered her hand and entered the building with Jake, her
body snug against his as though they were on a date, not a mission to flee a
madman.

Flooded with light, the front room boasted a wooden ceiling
that was probably thirty feet high and smelled faintly of pine. A fireplace
constructed of stone stretched the length of the wall. Circling its hearth were
burgundy leather sofas and chairs, comfortable and inviting. Chandeliers of
what appeared to be antlers hung in various parts of the room. Their lights’
soft amber glow rained down on the rustic tables, iron artwork on the walls and
the gleaming hardwood floors.

Drawn back to the sofas, Lea imagined their scent matching
Jake’s, the supple leather caressing her skin, his heated body on top of hers,
confining, demanding, his mouth and hands exploring, while Toby watched or participated.

Lea’s body went unsteady with arousal, washing away her
sorrow and fear. She encouraged the pleasant sensations, not wanting to think
about the coming days, just now. Here with these men, in a house that was
decidedly secluded and breathtakingly beautiful. “What is this place? Does the
Marshals Service own it?”

Were hidden cameras monitoring them? Is that what the
government did to people they protected, making certain those individuals
followed the rules and didn’t put themselves or anyone else at risk?

Neither Jake nor Toby answered.

“Another secret I can’t know?” Lea asked.

“It belonged to my mother,” Toby said.

Surprised, she noted the bronze artwork displayed in lighted
nooks on either side of the fireplace. The Southwestern-style pieces glinted
beneath all the lights and appeared as outrageously expensive as everything
else in here.

“Who owns it now?” Lea asked.

Jake withdrew his arm from her.

The loss registered immediately. She wondered if he’d back
away, putting more distance between them.

He did not. He seemed comfortable with their proximity, as
though they were already more to each other than a federal officer and a
potential victim…they were a man and a woman irresistibly attracted to each
other.

Lea sensed his lust. She recognized her own.

Toby’s frown said he wasn’t pleased. With his glare on Jake,
he answered her question. “I inherited it from my mother.”

Despite his stoic tone, Lea heard a hint of melancholy. She
wondered what had made him so cautious, reluctant to break the rules and simply
do what he wanted, as Jake seemed to. “I’m sorry. When did you lose her?”

Tossing his jacket on the sofa nearest him, Toby backed
away, his movements edgy, like a caged animal or a man who didn’t appreciate
personal questions.

Lea could see he was uncomfortable with temptation.

He put more distance between them. The chandeliers’ lights
gleamed dully off his leather shoulder holster and the butt of his gun. Warm
air poured from the vents in the ceiling, making the room almost too hot. At
least for him.

Beads of perspiration shone on his temples.

“Two years ago,” he said at last, turning toward the dining
room visible through a wide doorway.

Past the long roughhewn table and eight chairs, Lea saw
another doorway leading into the kitchen. Copper appliances shone beneath the
overhead lights.

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” Toby asked.

She wanted him and Jake. Their heat enveloping her, their
strong bodies demanding everything she had, delivering her to pleasure and a
dreamless sleep.

When she didn’t respond, Toby glanced over.

He seemed so lonely, the same as her and no different from
Jake. Lea had sensed that unwanted solitude in him too. She wanted to offer her
hand to Toby as she had outside, but did not. He wasn’t Jake. He wouldn’t come to
her immediately.

But he would come. She’d make certain of it.

As though he’d read her thoughts or sensed her challenge,
something passed over his face. Caution? Lust? A bit of both?

Heat curled in Lea’s belly at his sudden intensity.

It didn’t last. “What do you want from the kitchen?” he
asked.

“A beer. If you have it.”

He spoke to Jake. “You and I will stay down here. Lea can
take her drink up to one of the bedrooms on the second floor.”

“No,” she said immediately, determined to have this one
night and the few others they were giving her. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Toby frowned. “It’s just upstairs.”

“Please,” she said to Jake.

Unlike Toby, he didn’t try to hide his feelings. Desire,
naked and unashamed, sharpened his rugged features. “It’s all right. You can
stay down here.”

“She should go upstairs,” Toby insisted.

Jake’s expression darkened. He spoke in a slow, even tone.
“She said she doesn’t want to.”

“She doesn’t know what she wants,” Toby argued.

“Yes, I do,” Lea said, going to him. “And so do you.”

Color crept past his shirt collar and up his neck, flooding
his face.

Not waiting for his denial, Lea pulled the elastic band from
her ponytail, releasing it. Lifting her hands, she drove her fingers through
her hair, shaking it out, letting it tumble over her shoulders.

Toby’s brows drew together. He struggled for a moment, then
stared at the thick tresses resting on the swell of her breasts.

She didn’t stop. She wouldn’t until she got the intimacy she
craved, even if it was only physical. In her world, that was a lot. And by God,
she’d have it. Grabbing the hem of her tee, Lea pulled the garment off,
flinging it aside.

Toby followed its journey for a moment, as though he
couldn’t believe what she’d done. And then he stared at her breasts, confined
by icy blue satin and lace. “Don’t,” he ordered, choking out the word.

Softly, she coaxed, “Why not? If you’re worried about me
getting pregnant, it’s not going to happen. I’m well protected. I wouldn’t do
to a kid what was done to me. I don’t sleep around either, if that’s what
you’re thinking. So you don’t have to worry about getting anything from—”