Catch Me If You Can

by Liliana Hart

  “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly. “I thought you wanted to make love?”

  She tried to grab for him and set his pulse racing, but he took hold of her hands again, this time bringing each one to his lips and kissing the tender skin on her palms.

  “We are going to make love,” Shane said, looking deeply into her eyes so she knew exactly what he meant.

  “No, that’s not what I want.” She pulled against his grasp, but he held tight. “I’m not ready for this.”

  “Just relax, Rachel. I’m going to take good care of you.” His breath steadied now that he was back in control, and when his eyes met hers they were calm and confident. His fingers entwined with hers and he lead her to the bedroom—to the bed they’d shared merely hours before. But this time there would be no mindless coupling in the dark. This time things would be different.

  ***

  Rachel watched as he switched on the bedside lamp and turned down the bed. Simple gestures that shouldn’t have made her heart stutter or her palms go damp. But they did. How had things gotten so out of control? It was her own fault. She’d wanted the freedom of release. A few restless minutes that would take her mind off of the misery. But instead she’d gotten more than she’d bargained for. She had a feeling that making love with Shane, making real love, was something that time wouldn’t heal. And she wasn’t prepared to deal with the aftermath.

  “Listen, Shane, I don’t think I’m cut out for this…this,” she gestured toward the downturned bed and the thick white candles he was lighting. “Romance,” she blurted out.

  He smiled patiently and came back to her, taking her hands and leading her toward the bed. She wanted to cover her nakedness, but he wouldn’t let her. He was still fully clothed, and Rachel had never felt more awkward in her life. She was as nervous as she was the first time, only now it mattered. This mattered.

  He treated her like porcelain, fragile and precious. Her fingers reached for the edge of his shirt and drew it over his head. His skin was warm and hard against her softness, and she reveled in the different textures of him. His mouth roamed over her lazily, lingering and savoring until she was mad with wanting him.

  The scent of his desire overwhelmed her, the rich and heady smell that was a mixture of male and soap. She pressed her face against the hollow of his throat and absorbed him. She was restless beneath him, her body arching against his and her fingers bruising his flesh, but he wouldn’t give her what she wanted. He took his time, his mouth soothing against hers as he delved into a kiss hot enough to melt.

  Whimpers of delight filled the room and she realized they were coming from her. Had anyone ever paid this much attention to her? Only Shane. His patience was endless and his desire for her maddening. She didn’t know there could be so much.

  Millions of tiny explosions rocketed through her body as his passions grew with intensity and his needs became greedy. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the depth of feeling she had toward Shane. She’d never made love before. Been loved. And now that she knew what it was like she was afraid she’d never have it again.

  But when they finally joined, all the doubts and fears went away. His mouth took hers once again in a scorching kiss, and she clung to him as they plummeted over the edge of oblivion.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They spent another two days lost only to each other. They made love and slept and healed, both of them ridding themselves of the wounds they’d learned to live with. They fed their bodies and their souls, telling each other the secrets of their pasts they’d kept concealed for so long. There was no awkwardness between them, only satisfaction and love, though the word had remained unspoken.

  It was past midnight and they were both curled together in sleep when they heard the series of beeps telling them someone was about to enter their sanctuary. Shane reached for his gun, unmindful of his nakedness, and he ran into the living room, thinking only of protecting Rachel and giving her a head start to escape.

  “Get dressed and get into the other bedroom,” he said, his attention on the opening metal door. He saw her out of his peripheral vision and swore. She had the sawed-off shotgun in her hands and was crouched low in the bedroom doorway.

  “I’m not leaving you here,” she insisted.

  “Dammit, Rachel,” he said. “Can’t you ever…”

  “Rise and shine, sleepyheads,” a familiar voice interrupted from the entryway. “We’ve got a plan and a small window of opportunity to take advantage of it,” Jones said.

  Shane let out a breath and rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the warning, Wildcat. You’re lucky you’re not standing there with a bunch of holes in you.”

  “Nah, bullets don’t scare me. You should know by now I’m as good as Superman,” Jones said, flipping on some lights. “God Almighty, boy. Go put some clothes on. I’m too young to go blind.”

  “Don’t hurry on my account,” Carrie called from the doorway, causing Rachel to snicker under her breath.

  Shane blushed and hurried past Rachel to get his clothes, mumbling things best left unsaid under his breath.

  “Sorry, we weren’t expecting anyone this late,” Rachel said.

  “That’s the point,” Carrie said, coming in and making herself at home. “Though it wouldn’t have hurt Jones to knock first,” she said shooting him a dirty look.

  “What fun would that be?” Jones countered.

  Rachel went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. She knew Shane practically lived on caffeine and poured him a cup just as he came back into the room, fully clothed this time. She stuck with bottled water because her system was already jittery enough now that she knew things were about to come to a head.

  “So what’s this about a plan?” Shane asked.

  “We’ve got the bank president locked up in a safe place, and I’ve got men watching Angelo,” Jones said. “The bank president didn’t really want to help us out, claiming something about normal banking hours and customer privacy, but he was real helpful once I showed him a few photos of what Angelo is capable of. He’s a real prissy little fellow. Won’t let anyone call him anything but Mr. Norman, and he insisted we let him dress in his normal suit and tie before taking him. All we need now is Rachel and to swing by and pick up Mr. Norman and we can go get the list.”

  “I hope you’ve got someone you can trust guarding Mr. Norman,” Shane said. “I’d hate to get there only to find he’s had his throat slashed.”

  “I think Cutter and Jax would take offense to that,” Jones said.

  “Cutter and Jax?” Shane asked, surprised. “You called them in to help with this?” A smile split his face before he could help it. If Wildcat had called in members of the Alpha Squadron to help there was no way they would fail. Shane’s adrenaline surged and he found he was looking forward to the night ahead.

  “Yeah, you could say they owe me a few favors,” Jones said. “The whole team came running as soon as I called. Well, almost the whole team. It took everyone a couple of days to rearrange their schedules and get here, but they were more than glad to help out. Civilian life gets boring after a while. Cutter and Jax are keeping a close eye on Mr. Norman, and Merlin and Dixon are keeping an eye on Angelo’s activities. I couldn’t get a hold of Doc. He’s out of the country on an assignment.”

  “He’ll be pissed he missed the fun,” Shane said.

  “There’s no rest for the wicked.” Jones clapped his hands and got down to business. “You guys pack up your stuff and let’s get out of here. We’re under crunch time.”

  “Already done,” Rachel said, holding up the black bag of guns they’d found. “I haven’t breathed fresh air in almost a week, and I’m itching to finally do something instead of just sitting here waiting.”

  “You might want to put one of the sweatshirts in your drawer on,” Carrie said from her relaxed position on the couch. “It’s gotten cold over the last few days, and we’re supposed to have rain coming soon.”

  “Thanks, Carrie,” Rachel
said, noticing for the first time that she and Jones were both wearing jackets over their shoulder holsters. She grabbed a dark sweatshirt from the drawer and another for Shane before rejoining the conversation.

  “What do you have in mind once Rachel gets the papers from the vault?” Shane asked. “She’s still not safe until they’re in the right hands.”

  “Dominic Valentine’s attorney has been in protective custody since Dom went missing with the first set of papers and Agent Culver washed up on shore eight months ago. I’ll have Cutter and Jax go pick him up just as soon as we relieve them of their babysitting duties over Mr. Norman. I also have a federal judge lined up to sign search warrants for Angelo’s home and businesses.”

  “What about the other people on the list?” Shane asked. “They’re going to be out for blood even when the documents are turned over.”

  Jones sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Unfortunately, that’s something we have less control over. Until the list Dominic put together has been checked out and confirmed, there’s nothing we can do. Rachel will need to go into protective custody until everything is sorted out.”

  “And how long will that take?” Rachel asked.

  “Optimistically, it could be as short as a few weeks. Realistically, it’s more likely to be closer to a year,” Jones answered.

  “No way,” Rachel said. “I did just fine for the eight months I was on my own without the FBI’s help. There’s no way I’m going to be trapped in another place like this one for a whole year. I know how to disappear.”

  “Yeah, except one of Angelo Valentine’s men found you anyway,” Shane said.

  “I’ll admit I made mistakes the last time,” she said. “But I promise I can disappear so no one can find me if I really wanted to. And that’s exactly what I’ll do if they try to force me into being held in protective custody.”

  “Now, Rachel,” Jones said.

  “Don’t bother,” Shane said abruptly. “We’ll argue about this later. Let’s just get out of here and get things done.”

  The air was brittle with cold, but Rachel inhaled the icy air with relief. The night was black and the moon barely visible through the gathering clouds in the sky. They left the stolen Honda in the garage and piled into Wildcat’s big black SUV.

  Rachel knew Shane was angry at her, but it wasn’t something that could be helped. She couldn’t very well ask him to give up the business he’d created and go on the run with her. That wouldn’t be fair at all. And it’s not like the future had even come up in the last two days, even though it had seemed that there was some kind of future in store for them.

  Rain splattered against the windshield as the navigation system on the dash led them back to civilization. It wasn’t until they passed a familiar sight that Rachel knew where they were.

  “Why are we back in Joplin? I thought we were going to Chicago?” she asked.

  “We’ve got a private flight chartered to get us there tonight. It’s a nine hour drive by car, and I think our sneak attack would lose its effect if we showed up in broad daylight tomorrow,” Jones said.

  Rachel was obviously too tired to think rationally or she would have realized this already. “How can you keep all of this stuff you’re doing for us off the FBI radar?” she asked. “Won’t you get in trouble?”

  “Nah, but I’m calling in a lot of favors. You’re lucky so many people owe me,” he said with a cocky smile. For some reason Wildcat’s confidence reassured Rachel, and she could tell by looking at Shane that he believed in his friend’s abilities with equal certainty.

  The Joplin airport looked much different now that they weren’t being chased by gun-toting maniacs. Wildcat drove the SUV straight onto the tarmac next to a small twin engine plane that was already running and had the stairs let down for passengers to board. It was obviously a company plane of some sort as the logo on the side read NJEnterprises.

  They got out of the SUV and into the steady drizzle. A man stuck his head out of the open door, and Rachel got a glimpse of one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. He was GQ cover model material, but when she got closer she could see the scar that marred his left cheek and left him not so perfect.

  “Let’s move it, people,” the man said. “The weather’s only going to get worse and the temperature’s dropping.” His head disappeared back into the cabin.

  “Son of a bitch,” Shane said, pushing her up the short flight of steps after the man. “Is that you, Jax?” he asked when they finally got inside.

  “And who the hell else would be flying your ass around? Just like old times, right, Ace?” And then the man smiled and Rachel was caught momentarily speechless. The man was a lethal weapon, and from the wink and slow appraisal he gave her she was willing to bet he knew it.

  Shane pulled her close and bared his teeth in a possessive gesture that had her raising an eyebrow. “Rachel, I want you to meet Nikolas Jacks. Don’t ever believe anything he ever tells you. Jax, this is Rachel Valentine, and she’s too smart to fall for your Casanova routine. So don’t even bother.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel,” Jax said, taking her hand and ignoring the low growl of warning Shane emitted.

  He took his time kissing her hand, and the twinkle in his eyes was contagious. She had a hard time not laughing out loud at the easy way he played Shane. She decided he was harmless enough, but probably a handful.

  “Are you going to make us stand in the rain all night, Jax, or are we going to ever get this death trap off the ground?” Jones asked from behind.

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Sergeant. Find a seat and get buckled. I’m ready to fly when you are.”

  “I thought Jax was supposed to be guarding the banker,” Shane said to Jones.

  “Cutter and I have been babysitting that guy for twenty-four hours,” Jax said. “And if Wildcat here hadn’t offered me the chance to fly I would have shot the man myself. He’s been treating us like we were his damned servants, asking for crushed ice instead of cubed and a relish tray. What in the hell is a relish tray? Believe me when I say Mr. Norman is much safer without me there. Cutter is better at that kind of thing anyway.”

  “What kind of thing?” Shane asked. “Being around other people without wanting to kill them?”

  “Basically,” Jax said with a shrug. “The human race is just no damned good.”

  “I’ve told you more than once I know the name of a good therapist who would probably help you get over this phobia you have,” Jones said. “Now, both of you get the hell out of my way so I can sit down. Some of us work for a living and are tired.”

  There were a few good natured shoves between the men as they made their way into the small cabin. There was only enough seating for the four of them, but the chairs were oversized and made of light grey supple leather. Rachel sat in the window seat and Shane sat down next to her, immediately reclining his seat back and closing his eyes. The rain outside was hypnotic as it misted over the bright lights on the runway, but Rachel couldn’t relax.

  “We’re cleared for takeoff,” Jax said from over speaker. “We’ll arrive at Midway in about an hour and a half. I’m sorry to say this is probably going to be a bumpy ride with the weather the way it is. Stay buckled and grab some shut eye while you can.”

  That was easy for him to say, Rachel thought. The last thing she could think of right now was sleep. There were too many doubts, too many worries, playing havoc in her brain. She looked over at Carrie and Jones and saw they were already preserving their energy with a nap. And Shane was no better beside her. Wasn’t anyone worried besides her? If the plan didn’t work, they could all be dead by morning.

  Shane reached over and took her hand and squeezed it gently, telling her without words to relax. His touch did amazing things to her body, and she almost believed everything was going to turn out all right when he was near.

  The plane taxied down the runway, and the rain pelted against the windows harder. The plane shook and shuddered as it lifted in
to the air, defying gravity and taking on the storm around them. The plane dipped and she felt her stomach rise just before it gained altitude again. She squeezed Shane’s hand tighter and tried to think positive thoughts. Like maybe crashing and burning in a plane the size of a tin can was much more preferable over being tortured to death by her Uncle Angelo.

  Then again, maybe not.

  The plane shuddered once more and the engines went silent just before the lights went off inside the cabin.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rachel still had her arms around Jax after Shane had stowed all of their bags in another black SUV that was waiting for them at Midway International Airport, and from the look on Jax’s face he wasn’t minding the attention one bit. Jones and Carrie were already in the front seats of the SUV and the engine was running. It was just past two in the morning and their window of opportunity was shrinking with every minute.

  “Unhand my woman,” Shane said, rolling his eyes and jerking Rachel away from Jax’s embrace. “You’d think the man did something special by the way you keep fawning over him,” he said to Rachel. “He doesn’t need any help expanding his ego.”

  “Don’t be jealous, Shane. There was a moment back there when you were looking pretty worried,” Rachel said. “Just because Jax managed to work miracles and bring that sardine can on wheels back to earth safely doesn’t mean you should be rude.”

  Shane laughed at Jax’s indignant expression once he heard Rachel call his pride and joy a sardine can on wheels. “Let’s go, Sugar,” he said, giving Jax a smug smile over his shoulder.

  “But what about Jax? Shouldn’t he be coming with us?”

  “Should I be worried about this odd fascination you have with Jax?” Shane asked, shaking his head.

  “Well, he did just save my life. Yours too. But I think it’s cute when you’re jealous.”

  Shane rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Jax has got a few things to see to with the plane, but he’ll follow behind and grab Cutter so they can pick up your father’s attorney from protective custody.”