The Temptation (13 page)

“Shit,” Ryan said. “They won’t let me in.”

Nick, Zane, and I carried our balaclavas so that we could ditch them in the first trash receptacle we came across and we pulled out our shirts to cover our pocketed weapons.

We took off down the stairwell. Bachmann had likely had enough of a lead that he wouldn’t be able to hear us coming down the stairs. We all wore athletic shoes, too, and didn’t make a lot of noise just as we had been trained.

“They’re coming out,” Ryan said when we were about halfway down the stairs. “I don’t see a weapon but I think he’s got it pressed to her back and is using his body to shield it.”

“Follow him,” I said as we ran faster down the stairs.

“On it,” Ryan replied. “He’s going for a cab so I’ll follow him in the van.”

Emergency crews were still arriving as Nick, Zane, and I burst out of the hotel and into the open after ditching our balaclavas. My eyes blinked against the brightness of the sun.

“Where are you?” I said over the earpiece to Ryan.

He gave us a play-by-play as he followed the cab. We got into the car that we’d rented at the airport and had parked with a police placard on the dashboard. We removed the placard and headed in the direction that Ryan and Bachmann were going, Nick driving.

“I think I lost him.” Ryan sounded furious. “Damn it.”

My heart sank as Nick slowed the car. “Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m still driving but I don’t see a cab with that license plate.”

I leaned back against the passenger seat. My face was flushed not only from running down twenty flights of stairs, but from anger as well. We’d screwed up. Now what would Bachmann do?

We arranged with Ryan to meet him at a rendezvous point. Zane, Nick, and I were quiet on the drive, each of us lost in our own furious thoughts.

Chapter 19

Rotten to the core

My phone rang just as we reached the rendezvous with Ryan. As we sat in the car, I looked at the caller ID screen. It showed “Blocked Caller”.

“I think it’s Bachmann.” I stared at the phone, afraid to answer it.

“Go ahead, Lex.” Zane met my gaze. “She’s okay. I’m sure of it.”

I answered the phone. “This is Lexi.”

“Your stunt at the hotel nearly cost your sister’s life.” Bachmann’s voice was cold but even. “It still might.”

“Just tell me what you want.” I tried to keep my tone calm. “Please don’t hurt her.”

“I want you to meet with me,” Bachmann said. “But if you bring anyone with you, or anyone follows you, I will start chopping off her fingers, one by one.”

“No.” The word was sharp as I spoke it. “I’ll meet you and I won’t bring anyone with me.”

“And you will come unarmed.”

I gripped the phone hard. “I’ll come unarmed.”

“I will call you soon.” Bachmann’s voice dropped an octave. “I am looking forward to our next chat.”

He disconnected the call.

“We won’t let you go alone.” Nick’s eyes were narrowed.

“I don’t have a choice.” Frustrated, I pushed my hand through my hair. “I need to get to Rori.”

“We’re not making any trades.” Nick’s voice was hard. “We’ll find her.”

“He’s right, Lex.” Zane studied me. “We can’t do that.”

I didn’t answer. We’d blown our chance in the hotel earlier. Would we have another?

We ate sandwiches at a deli while we waited for my phone to ring again. I didn’t feel like eating but Nick threatened to pin me to the floor and force-feed me and my brothers echoed that threat, so I gave in. Didn’t mean I liked it. But inside I knew I needed to because I had to keep up my strength. I just had to get something down.

When my phone finally did ring, it was Georgina.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“It’s complicated,” Georgina said. “We need to meet and talk in person.”

Twenty minutes after I told her where we were, she showed up at the deli. She looked exhausted but as beautiful as always.

“What happened?” I asked her.

“Rough night.” She gave an ironic smile. “Rough client.”

I frowned. “Didn’t you knock him out or something before anything could happen?”

She shook her head. “The bastard took my phone and purse and tied me to the bed. I had to go along with him to play the part.” She lifted up her sleeve, revealing a huge bruise. “He was on the rough side. I’ve got plenty of these to show for it.”

My brothers and Nick scowled. Ryan narrowed his gaze. “Give me his name and I’ll take care of him.”

Georgina shook her head. “It’s all part of the game.” She raised her hand before anyone could say anything else. “You need to hear what I have to say.”

We were quiet as Georgina took a deep breath. “I’m not positive how he’s involved, but Charles Carter is a part of this whole mess.”

“RED’s SAC?” I looked at her with shock.

She nodded. “He was with one of the call girls. Fortunately he didn’t see me but I got a good look at him.”

“That would explain how Lexi was found,” Nick said, his gaze furious.

I stared at her in disbelief. “That must be why the operation was shut down.”

“And why we weren’t allowed to use RED resources to locate and rescue Rori,” Zane said.

“You don’t think Oxford is in on it, do you?” Ryan asked.

“Never.” I shook my head. “Our ASAC is one of the most moral people I know and I could tell she wasn’t happy with what was handed down to us. She was just following orders.”

“And that’s not all.” Georgina paused. “The man I was with last night was the President’s Chief of Staff, John Maldonado.”

This time the shock was so great that everyone stared at her. No one said a word.

“Shit,” Ryan finally said. “No f’n way.”

Georgina nodded. “It was definitely him.” She pushed hair off her forehead and another big bruise was on her temple. “And he is an animal in private. He’s nothing like the cool, calm, and rational appearing man that we see in public. He has an absolute ruthless side.”

I realized my mouth was still open from the surprise. “This is worse than we thought. Much worse.”

Nick had a cold look in his eyes and Zane was shaking his head. “Just how deep does this go?” Zane asked.

“He likes to talk,” Georgina said. “He went on about how I and ‘the rest of the whores’ should be grateful to him or we wouldn’t have a job. Every time he hit me he’d tell me I should be on my knees, thankful for everything he gave me.”

Ryan looked like he was about to come out of his seat.

Georgina spoke like it was all part of the job. She was smooth and professional and one of the strongest women I’d ever known. But something told me that this particular job bothered her more than any other she’d been on.

“John Maldonado and Charles Carter.” Zane shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Not to mention the two other politicians I saw who went into Bachmann’s penthouse,” I said. “Who knows what parts they all play in this mess?”

After we finished discussing everything, we headed to a different hotel. We didn’t want to take the chance of running into any of Bachmann’s men who were now no doubt aware that I was around. Not to mention the break-in and the dead man in the penthouse. Law enforcement would likely be all over the place and we didn’t have RED to cover up anything.

We checked into a hotel—not quite as ritzy, but still nice. Ryan went back to the other hotel to recover our things because he’d been in the van the whole time and likely no one would recognize him.

Bachmann still hadn’t called back.

When Nick and I were in our room, I rubbed my arms with both hands. My skin felt like ants were crawling all over me and I wanted to squirm.

“Why doesn’t he call, damn it?” I paced the length of the room that had a king-sized bed. “He’s had plenty of time.”

“Let me see your shoe.” Nick sat on the edge of the bed and held out his hand.

I frowned but took off my right athletic shoe and handed it to him. He stuck something between the treads.

“A GPS transmitter.” He handed the shoe back to me and I looked at it. The device looked like an ordinary pebble stuck in the treads. “Should be undetectable according to our gizmo guys at RED,” Nick added. “Just in case.”

I sat on the bed next to him, still holding my shoe. “You worry too much about me.”

Nick placed his warm hand on my thigh. “Maybe I do.”

I glanced at his hand on my thigh. “I can’t let anything happen to Rori.” I raised my head and looked at Nick again. “I’ll do what it takes, even if it’s just a slim chance.”

“You can’t help her if you’re dead.” A hard look was in his eyes.

“I don’t know what else to do.” I found myself with my head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me and held me close.

In all my years, after everything I’d been through as a sniper, an assassin, and a RED agent, I’d never felt so helpless as I did right then. My sister was in the hands of one of the most evil and ruthless men the world had known and I didn’t know what to do about it.

“I’m not going to let him hurt you or Rori.” Nick’s voice was low, his breath warm against my ear. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”

I turned my face to him and the shoe tumbled out of my hands as he kissed me.

It was a kiss filled with the kind of passion that came from love. Not the I-want-to-have-sex kiss, but something genuine and real that made me feel solid inside. Whole. A feeling I had never experienced before.

When we drew apart he touched the side of my face. “I love you, Lexi Steele. I don’t know how many ways and how many times I have to say it, but I love you.”

Instant panic started to take flight inside me and then warmth replaced that sensation and I didn’t feel panic anymore. I felt a sense of rightness.

I reached up and touched the side of his face and caressed the line of his jaw. What if these were the last few moments I ever spent with Nick? What if this was the end? Would I die knowing there were things unsaid between us that I’d been too afraid to admit?

His eyes searched mine as if he knew what I wanted to say but couldn’t get out. But I needed to get it out.

“I love you, Nick.” I swallowed. “You were right about everything. I couldn’t admit to myself just how much I love you.”

He gave me a gentle smile before he kissed me again. My mind spun as I kissed him back. The love between us was so strong that it seemed to be alive.

We drew apart, our gazes locked. “You’re not going to die on me.” He rubbed his thumb over my lips. “Especially when I finally got you to tell me the truth.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I gave him a soft smile. My smile faded a little.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Other than all the hell that’s going on right now.”

“You moved to Arizona.” I shook my head. “I’m a Boston girl through and through and all of my family is here.”

He put his forehead to mine. “One day at a time.”

The kiss was different this time as he laid me back on the bed. We were in the middle of a crisis with lives at stake, but I needed Nick. Needed to make love to him and feel that I was a part of him. If things didn’t turn out right, these could be our last moments together.

He slid my shirt over my head and unfastened the front clasp of my bra. When my breasts were bared, he lowered his head and licked each of my nipples then lightly sucked on them. I moaned as I arched my back.

His fingers moved to the button of my jeans and his mouth slowly followed as he licked a trail to my belly button. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and pushed them along with my panties over my hips and thighs. He pushed off my remaining shoe and finished removing my clothing, including my socks.

My heart felt full as he stood and I watched him undress. He stripped off his clothing and then he was easing me up the bed so that my head was on a pillow and he was between my thighs.

I gasped as he slid inside me, stretching and filling me. He held my gaze and I couldn’t look away from all of the love I saw there. Slowly he moved his hips and I felt him as he moved in and out, taking my breath away.

So many sensations swirled inside of me that added to my oncoming climax. I’d never felt anything like this before, even with Nick. It was like admitting that I loved him had set me free.

His pace increased and he said in a low growl, “I want you to come with me, Lexi.”

“Yes,” I said.

I had a hard time focusing as my climax roared closer. He pumped hard, driving into me in a way that made me feel complete.

“Come now,” he growled. “Come now.”

My orgasm slammed into me and my body jerked with the power of it as I cried out. He shouted his own release and I felt his cock throb inside me as I pulsed around him.

He drew me into his arms and held me close as if he was never going to let me go.

Chapter 20

A time for truth

Sun was streaming through a crack in the hotel’s blackout shades when I woke. Surprised that I’d actually slept through the night, I tried to slide out of bed but Nick had me firmly by the waist. His big arm held me tightly and I couldn’t move without waking him up.

He kissed my nape, telling me that he was already awake. “Good morning.” Then he kissed the side of my neck.

“Morning.” I slipped out of his hold and sat up on the edge of the mattress. “Time to get my butt out of bed.”

He propped himself up with his head on his hand. “And what a nice butt it is.”

I threw a pillow at him and hit him square in the face.

We showered separately so that one of us could hear the phone if it rang, Nick taking a shower first. While I showered, he ordered breakfast and when we ate I found I was hungrier than I thought I’d be.

My thoughts were constantly on Rori and I wondered how she was doing and if Bachmann had done anything to her. I thought about what she’d looked like when she was being taken from the room by Johansen and Bachmann. She’d looked terrified. Her clothes hadn’t been torn and still looked clean, but there had been red marks around her wrists and ankles where she’d been tied.

I prayed that Bachmann had showed mercy on her. I didn’t care what he did to me, as long as Rori was all right.