A chill slithered down the full length of her spine. “So, our only hope is to force Lansing to call it off?”
“That’s one option,” Declan said. “If we can prove he paid to have you and Kasey shot, we can have him arrested.”
“How will that help?”
“Müller will have no more financial incentive to finish the job.”
Chasyn sighed. “Think he’ll just cave when we confront him with the credit card scam?”
“If we can get his DNA and show the withdrawals, that’s probably enough for the cops to arrest him.”
She sat back against the seat. “He’s guarding his DNA like it’s a state secret.”
As he pulled into his driveway, he said, “He’ll screw up eventually and my guys are right there waiting on him.”
Chasyn followed him inside the secure house. He flipped on lights and went directly to the coffee pot and turned it on. “Coffee?” he asked
“I’d prefer water,” she answered, going to the fridge and selecting a bottle from the shelf. It was amazing how comfortable she felt in his home after such a short period of time. It was just as amazing that she was so fixated on the man standing a mere few feet from her. In the midst of danger and chaos, part of her brain processed genuine attraction. It was stupid and ill-timed, but it was there nonetheless.
Okay, so she was attracted to him. What woman wouldn’t be? That didn’t mean she had to act on it. Chasyn continued her internal monologue. So he was proverbially tall, dark and handsome. So what? She’d dated attractive men before. Yeah, but they didn’t have his particular skill set or his piercing blue eyes. There was something dangerous about him. Not in a way that made her fearful. No, it was more like he had a way of making her feel safe and protected.
Right. Because that’s what he’s being paid for.
Chasyn leaned against the counter. No more than three feet separated them. “How much is this costing my parents?” she asked.
Declan turned and met her gaze. “Does it matter?”
She nodded. “I mean they’re financially comfortable but hardly in the same league as, say, Kasey’s father.”
“Don’t worry; I won’t bankrupt them,” he said, then flashed her a disarming half-smile before his expression grew serious. “I should have anticipated Müller might go after them, so now I have a personal stake in catching the bastard.”
“You couldn’t know he’d kidnap my parents,” she insisted. Just saying it aloud frazzled her nerves. No one could have, but she understood what he was feeling. She hadn’t considered that her parents might be in danger. She didn’t want him to feel responsible, so she said, “Besides, you had no way of knowing that Lansing had hired someone of his caliber to finish me off.” She set her water bottle down and rubbed her bare arms.
Placing his mug on the counter, Declan closed the distance between them in two steps. He was close enough for her to feel the heat coming off his large body. Declan crooked his finger underneath her chin and tilted her head back. Quietly, he regarded her as his warm, coffee-scented breath washed over her face.
It felt as if the room closed in. Like there was nothing in the world but his handsome face and enticing closeness. All she had to do was reach out and wrap her arms around him and pull him to her. She felt a taut rope of desire stretch between them. As the seconds ticked by, the sensation only grew. Chasyn noticed the pulse at the base of his throat. It was calm and even, whereas she could feel her own pulse pounding in her ears. When it became unbearable, she reached out and flattened her palms against his chest. Only then did she feel his heart racing beneath her touch.
“I swore to myself I wouldn’t do this,” he said softly as his head dipped closer to hers. “But I really want to kiss you right now.”
His hands brushed her shoulders, then tentatively ran through her hair. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t think a kiss will hurt,” she said in a breathy tone she barely recognized.
“I was talking about your stitches,” he clarified.
“Oh.” Chasyn dropped her hands to his waist and slipped her fingers beneath his belt and pulled him against her. “My stitches are a non-issue.”
“Good,” he said with his mouth just millimeters from hers.
Gently, Declan kissed her. His mouth was hot and his hands began a slow exploration of her back. His fingers lingered on each vertebrae as his tongue engaged with hers and the kiss deepened.
Chasyn literally felt weak in the knees. But raw need propelled her to do some exploring of her own. With her hands nearly trapped between them, she ran her nails gently over his chest, then lower to trace the outline of his muscled core. She felt him shudder slightly when she reached the waistband of his jeans. His kiss became more urgent when she tugged on his shirt and was treated to the feel of solid, bare flesh beneath her exploring hands.
Declan’s hands had reached her butt and he pressed her closer, so that she could feel the extent of his arousal. Then he reached for the hem of her top and slid his hands up from her waist. His palms rested on the sides of her bra while his thumbs fanned out to find her nipples. It took only one brush of his thumbs to make them erect and Chasyn moaned against his mouth. Her head was spinning and her body was on fire.
Declan responded to her groan of pleasure by breaking off the kiss and running a path of tender nibbles down her throat, lingering on her exposed collarbone. All the while he continued to explore her breasts. She ran her hands over his back, enjoying the solid feel of his heated skin.
His mouth dipped lower just as his cell phone chirped.
“Seriously?” he groused as he slowly disengaged and took out his phone. “Kavanaugh,” he said gruffly.
The desire in Chasyn’s belly didn’t subside when he took a step away from her. His expression grew pensive as he listened to whoever was on the other end. He let out a few grunts and the occasional “uh-huh” but ended the call as abruptly as it had started.
When he was finished with the call, he didn’t reach for her. Chasyn felt self-conscious and discretely straightened her clothes. Guess the moment’s over, she thought as she looked at his deeply furrowed brow. “What’s wrong?”
“We have to ride out to the compound,” he said. “You have a video from Müller.”
* * *
Declan mentally berated himself as he sped down the back roads of unincorporated Palm Beach County. He was supposed to protect her, not seduce her. Especially not someone like her. She was a happily-ever-after girl and he was a temporary guy. Of course, knowing that and keeping his hands off her seemed to be a challenge. Chasyn was soft and sweet and pliant and hot. A combination he’d never come up against before. He could still taste her skin and smell the faint floral perfume she wore. It was as distracting as the memory of feeling the weight of her breast in his hand. If he didn’t stop replaying that in his mind, he’d probably get hard again, so he forced himself to keep his full attention on the road.
Chasyn was unusually quiet during the ride. She was probably trying to figure out where his mind was. That made two of them.
They reached the isolated compound, parked and entered the hangar. Ziggy and Gavin were the only two people in the building. Ziggy uttered an excited greeting, then led them all into the computer station.
“This came in about an hour ago,” she explained. She clicked the mouse and the freeze-frame came to life.
Chasyn’s father was staring right into the camera lens, his expression strained. He was tied to the same chair with the white backdrop and the plank floor. Based on the size and pixilation of the image, Declan was certain this video had been taken with a cell phone.
“Chase, baby,” her father began. “He won’t release either of us until you meet him at Carlin Park. Until then, Mommy and I just want you to go to your happy—” The video ended abruptly.
He turned to Chasyn, who was ashen. “Your happy what?”
“Let me think!” she fairly barked. “I don’t call my mother �
�mommy’. At least not since I was about seven.”
“Is this some sort of code?” he pressed. “Did something important happen when you were seven?”
“We moved,” she said. “From Fort Lauderdale up to Jensen Beach.”
“A good thing?” Declan asked.
She nodded, then her expression brightened. “My happy place!” she exclaimed.
“Fort Lauderdale or Jensen Beach?” he asked.
“Bathtub Beach,” she corrected. Müller must be holding them somewhere near there.”
“Ziggy,” Declan said. “How many marinas are there in a five-mile radius of Bathtub Beach?”
“Twenty-seven,” she answered after a speedy trip across her keyboard. “If we pull Joey and Sam off of Lansing, we can probably hit all of them by the morning.”
Declan shook his head. “Not both. We need Lansing’s DNA. Gavin?” he asked, turning to his friend. “Get a hold of Chuck, Adam, and Joey, and show Müller’s picture to every Harbor Master and Marina worker you can find.”
“What about us?” Chasyn asked. “I need to find my parents before Müller hurts them.”
His better judgment told him to lock her away in his house but he knew she wouldn’t go for it. Not when he saw the determined thrust of her chin. “I’ll ask the questions, you’ll stay locked in the car. Deal?”
“But—”
He placed his finger to her lips. “Non-negotiable.”
Her slender shoulders slumped but she nodded her agreement.
* * *
Chasyn was an open nerve as she fidgeted in her seat during the forty-minute drive up to Martin County. Absently, she pressed against the stitches on her forehead, struggling not to itch them even though they were driving her nuts. And that wasn’t the only thing getting on her last frazzled nerve. Declan’s apparent ease in switching gears was amazing. The minute he’d walked into his office, he had turned back into the personification of professionalism. She still had rubber legs from their brief encounter but he was all calm and collected.
Then there was seeing her father duct taped to a chair. Just the thought of it made her heart hurt. The situation was closing in on her. She was terrified of facing Müller but she was more terrified that he’d kill her mother and father when they were no longer useful. She had no choice but to put her full faith in Declan and his crew.
They pulled off I-95 at the Kanner Highway exit. It was a nondescript section road lined with strip malls and gas stations. Next, they headed east toward the water. Most of the marinas were located on the Intracoastal, though there were some at the inlets. Working off a list generated by Ziggy, Chasyn directed Declan to the first one on the list.
As he pulled the SUV into the lot, he took his nine millimeter out of the console and racked the slide. He drove at a crawl.
“What are we looking for?” she asked softly.
“A white SUV or a 2013 Taurus.”
“Right.” Chasyn started scanning the sparsely populated parking lot. The sun had set, so it was dark save for a sliver of moonlight. The marina was dimly lit, mostly shadows cast by the lights on the piers in the marina beyond. There was nothing she could see that matched either vehicle. That was disheartening.
Declan parked next to the marina office. “Stay put and keep this close,” he said, sliding the gun into her lap.
“What about you?”
He reached across her and took a second weapon out of the glove box. “I’m good,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Keep low and if you see anything suspicious, lay on the horn.” He took the color photo of Müller with him and locked her inside the car.
“Good tip,” she muttered.
Chasyn crouched down in the seat as her eyes darted in every direction. She twisted the rearview mirror so she could have a clear view of the pier areas and watch as Declan went into the Harbor Master’s office. She checked her watch. It was just after seven o’clock.
For two minutes, she only had the sound of her own breathing as company. The only people she saw were a young couple sitting on their boat drinking wine. Then Declan returned.
“No luck,” he said.
Chasyn let out the breath she’d been holding. “On to the next one,” she said.
They repeated this process five times as they meandered up the coast. By the time they reached destination number six, she was starting to think this was a bust of an idea. Especially when they’d received calls from the others that they, too, had been unsuccessful.
“Last one,” Declan said as he went through the motions, then got out of the car.
Chasyn checked her watch again. Nine-fifteen.
Her hopes were dashed when she saw Declan come out of the building in under a minute.
“No luck,” she confirmed when he slipped behind the wheel.
Declan pulled his gun out of his waistband and set it in his lap. “Perfect luck. Müller is renting slip number seventeen.”
“He’s here?” she asked with a blend of fear and excitement.
Declan shook his head and grabbed his phone. He quickly called the other teams and told them to hurry to their location.
“Why are we waiting on them?” she demanded. “Can’t we just go aboard and check to see if my parents are here?”
“Too risky,” he said as he backed the SUV into a spot and cut the lights. “The counter guy said Müller left about an hour ago. He could be back any minute.”
“What can we do until then?”
“Watch and wait.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
For Chasyn, seventeen minutes felt more like seventeen years. She could hear and feel her heart racing in her ears as she kept her eyes trained on the quad-engine boat in Müller’s slip. It was white with blue accent stripes, with a triple deck rising up to a captain’s perch. Definitely a deep-sea fishing vessel, but from her vantage point, there were no signs of life on board. Which brought a lump of emotion to her throat.
“Finally,” she muttered when the last of Declan’s men pulled into the parking lot.
“Stay put,” he said.
As if choreographed, the whole team disappeared into one of the SUVs. She didn’t know what they were discussing, she just wished they’d do it a hell of a lot quicker.
Splitting her attention between the slip and the entrance to the parking lot, Chasyn drummed her fingers against her thigh as her sense of urgency multiplied with each passing second. She was a heartbeat away from just getting out of the car when Declan and his team emerged. Declan came back to the car, opened the door, and slid into the driver’s seat.
“What are you waiting for?” she practically yelled.
“Nothing,” he said as he racked the slide on his gun. “I’m staying with you while the rest of the guys check out the boat.”
“Isn’t there strength in numbers?” she challenged.
He tossed her a disarming smile. “My job is to protect you. Müller could come back at any second. I’m not leaving you out here alone.”
She could tell by his coiled body language that he wasn’t accustomed to being sidelined from the action. Chasyn watched as the group, all dressed in black and armed to the hilt, crept down the boardwalk toward the slip. Every few seconds, she would turn and look at the marina entrance, terrified that Müller might return and do God only knew what. She realized she’d been holding her breath and forced herself to let go. The tension in the air was as palpable as the pulse drumming in her ears.
She heard nothing but the faint lapping of the water against the pylons and the occasional distant sound of a bell on one of the channel buoys. The air was thick with the scent of the inlet water and her growing anxiety.
“What if they aren’t here?” she asked, just to break the tension.
Declan reached over and patted her knee. “Have faith. If they aren’t here, we’ll keep look— Shit!”
Chasyn’s head whipped around to see what had caused Declan’s sudden curse. A dark van was pulling into the parking lot. Müller was behind the
wheel. In one move, Declan pushed her toward the floorboards, then leapt from the SUV. Chasyn heard the pop, then a ping, then the sound of tires squealing. She poked her head up enough to see Müller ram his car into reverse and gun it. He backed into the street, cutting off oncoming traffic.
Declan jumped behind the wheel, started the car and said, “Get on the radio and tell the others we’ve got eyes on Müller.”
Chasyn grabbed the communication device from the console. “Declan and I are chasing Müller. He’s in a dark van heading north on A-1-A.”
There was a slight pause, then a crackle, then Gavin’s voice came back. “We have your parents.”
Chasyn squeezed her eyes shut. “Thank God. Are they okay? Can I speak to my mother—”
“Sorry.” Declan closed his hand around her fingers. “We need to keep the channel open.”
“You’ll catch him, right?” Müller was several car lengths ahead of them and moderately heavy traffic prevented them from getting any closer, although Declan was an excellent driver and weaved between slower cars, trying to close the gap. Chasyn thought for a minute. “What do we do if we catch him?”
Declan wove his way through the traffic; ahead of them Müller was doing the same. “First we get him. Then I beat the crap out of him. Then we turn him over to the authorities.”
Sounded excellent to Chasyn. “Try not to get us killed in the process. You may be doing the speed limit but you’re weaving like a maniac.” She held tight to the strap above her door as the SUV picked up speed.
“I’m chasing a maniac,” he said calmly.
Declan had gotten within three cars of Müller when he jerked into the left lane, then made a quick left, nearly slamming into oncoming traffic in the process. They couldn’t follow him for a few seconds, until traffic cleared the intersection. As soon as they turned, Chasyn could see the flashing red lights at a railroad crossing up ahead. Scanning the line of cars in front of them, they could see that Müller was third in line at the crossing.
“He’s trapped,” she said excitedly.
Trapped Page 12
