Relentless

by Leigh, Jo

  He wanted that bra off. And the panties. But in order to do that, he’d have to let her hands go. What she’d do with them was a little scary, but then, what was life without risk?

  The moment he released her, she shoved him so hard he ended up on his back. Quicker than he’d have thought possible, she climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. “You are a very foolish man,” she said.

  Her hair tumbled forward, and she brushed it over his face. Now her hands grasped his wrists, and her smile became an evil delight. “I can do anything I want.”

  He lifted his hips, which wasn’t easy. “Then why don’t you take off those panties.”

  “Maybe.”

  “What can I do to convince you?”

  She hummed as she mulled it over. “I think you can say—” She stopped, her mouth open, her eyebrows raised, as if her own words had shocked her.

  “Say that I love you?” he asked quietly.

  She sat up, releasing him, and a second later she was off him, off the bed, standing in her old-fashioned underwear like a lost child.

  He got up and pulled her right back into his arms. “I do,” he said. “I didn’t know it before, but I do. I love you. You’re amazing and I can’t even imagine how I didn’t see it.”

  “Don’t,” she said, as she pushed him away, her pale hands firm on his chest. “You can’t. We can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  She looked up at him with huge, wet eyes. “Because after…After tomorrow, I can’t see you again.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t you understand why we’re doing this? To give you time to get away. You can’t stay here, Vince. They’ll kill you. These people will hunt you down and kill you.”

  “I’ve dealt with killers before.”

  “Not like them. They’re professional assassins. They’re going to kill thousands. You think one cop is going to stand in their way?”

  “You’re still here.”

  “And Seth is going to die unless he has his hand amputated. Is that what you want? To stick around and watch me get murdered? It’s a miracle we’re all not dead. I can’t be there when it happens to you.”

  He stepped back, shocked at her intensity, at the way she was staring at him. “I’m not going to walk away from you.”

  She picked up her shirt and pulled it over her head. When she looked at him again, the fire in her eyes was gone. “Well, I’m going to walk away from you.”

  He couldn’t believe she was serious. After all this, after all they’d been through, she was just going to leave? He couldn’t imagine not speaking to her, not sleeping with her. “No,” he said.

  She had her pants halfway up her thighs. “What?”

  “No. This isn’t over. You’re still in danger.”

  She sighed, then pulled her pants up the rest of the way. She didn’t even look at him until she was fully dressed. When she did, he knew she wasn’t going to listen to him. There was such sadness in her eyes, it couldn’t mean anything else.

  She sat next to him on the bed and studied his face. Her hand, cool and soft, went to his cheek. He fought the urge to take her by the shoulders, to shake some sense into her. “I wish it could be different,” she said. Her voice broke and she cleared her throat as she turned away. “This isn’t my choice. If I had my way…”

  “We can make this work.”

  She shook her head. “It’s over. When I’m free. When there’s no one hunting us, we’ll see.”

  “We’ll see,” he said. “That’s it, huh? We’ll see?”

  She stood. “It’s the best I can give you. I’m sorry.” She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

  He reached for her as she walked away, but his hand dropped uselessly to his lap.

  Chapter 17

  Two minutes after Kate was supposed to have arrived at his mother’s house, Vince had convinced himself that something had gone wrong.

  He was tired after a mostly sleepless night alone, while Kate had been down in the basement, switching shifts with Harper and Nate. He knew Seth was getting worse, but he also knew that if he hadn’t told her he loved her, she would have spent the night with him.

  He couldn’t take it back now. Nor would he want to. It wasn’t his way to lie, not about something this important. If they never saw each other again, at least she would know the truth. And if he died tonight, which was far more possible than he cared to admit, he’d feel proud of loving Kate. He didn’t take the prospect lightly, or bandy the word about. Love and death, those were the things that changed a man. All the other stuff could shift him around a bit, but the big two? They went to the core.

  He wanted to get up, to go to the window, but that wasn’t part of the plan.

  Nate had cleared the way for Kate to enter and exit. He’d made sure Omicron’s bugs were intact in Vince’s mom’s house so that they’d take the bait but that no one was actually nearby. In fact, Nate was outside right now, with his surveillance equipment and an automatic rifle. But they’d all agreed that Omicron would be listening, not watching.

  Of course, this was just the first part of what was going to be one hell of a long night. But if Vince thought about everything that had to fall into place, he would go crazy. All he had to worry about for the moment was Kate’s arrival and their scripted conversation.

  He heard a car outside, but he waited to stand until Kate knocked on the door. The second he saw her in the flesh, he wanted to call the whole thing off. The woman made him ache. Not just for her touch or her scent, but in fear for her safety. He knew, clearly and with no hesitation, that if he had to choose between taking down Jeff and the Wu Chang and saving Kate, there was no contest.

  He pulled her into his arms and she clung to him. He inhaled deeply as he buried his face in her hair. When he kissed her, her cool lips turned warm and his heart raced for a whole new reason.

  Too soon, it was time to start the play. She stepped back, giving him a quiet nod.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I want to go see it,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Purchase House. I’m going to be leaving tomorrow, and I don’t want to go without paying my respects. I have something in the car. It’s not much. Just a couple of baseball mitts, but I figured the kids might like them.”

  “I don’t know, Kate. I appreciate the thought, but I don’t know how safe it’ll be there. Maybe you should just give the mitts to me. I’ll make sure they get there.”

  “No. It’s a huge part of your life, and I want to see it with my own eyes. So I can remember when I’m gone.”

  He pulled her back into his arms. “How’d you get to be so stubborn?”

  “Me? Stubborn? Nah. Just determined.”

  He laughed. “Okay. Let me get my keys.”

  “I’ll follow you,” she said. “I don’t want to leave the car here.”

  “Okay. But don’t lose me. That’s a really bad part of town.”

  “Right,” she said, playing her part like a seasoned actress. He wondered if she was nervous. If she had her gun ready. Probably under her big coat. Hell, she was used to this kind of thing.

  Once he was several blocks from the house, he got out his cell phone. Not the one Nate had given him. He dialed Jeff’s number, hating his partner more than he ever would have thought possible.

  “Stoller.”

  “Hey, it’s me.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Can you meet me at Purchase House?”

  “I guess. Why?”

  “I’ve got a solid lead on Tim’s killers. But I have to check something out before I make a move. If it’s there, we can go after them tonight.”

  “We? You’re still suspended.”

  “Okay, then, you. But I tell you, Jeff, I’m pretty damn sure I know what happened. I want you there to get the evidence.”

  “Who is it you think did it?”

  “The Wu Chang.”

  “They di
dn’t have anything to do with Tim.”

  “I know. I can’t go into it now. Just get there. Half an hour, okay?”

  “Okay. I’ll be there.”

  Vince hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. Everything was in play as of right this minute. He hated that it was going to come down at Purchase House, but it was the only thing that made sense. Tim’s desk was there, his papers, his books. If there was anything to find, he’d find it in Tim’s office.

  Kate was still close behind as he drove slowly on surface streets. He knew that Nate had taken off the minute they’d left, and that he’d be in place, across the street from Purchase House, by the time he and Kate got there. All three of them had bulletproof vests on under their clothes. Vince just hoped they wouldn’t need them.

  * * * * *

  Kate adjusted her earpiece and murmured a quiet, “Nate?”

  “I’m in position,” he said, his voice so strong it was as if he was speaking from inside her head.

  “Roger that.” They were at Purchase House, which looked more like a warehouse than anything else, with a small sign above the double front doors that read: Purchase House—A Place To Grow. There were lights on in the parking lot and lights above the entrance, but the place seemed deserted. She knew that wouldn’t last.

  Vince was already out of his car, heading toward her. It was hard just looking at him. As always, he looked as if he’d just tumbled out of bed. His hair was all over the place, he hadn’t shaved, and to her he was the best looking man she’d ever seen. Everything about him made her want more. His long legs, that high, round butt, his perfect chest. But none of his physical attributes came close to the attraction of his heart and his determination. She admired him so.

  If only…

  No. She wasn’t going to go there. Hadn’t she learned her lesson yet? That she was stuck in this purgatory until they destroyed, once and for all, Omicron and all it stood for. That for her, the regular rules didn’t apply. She couldn’t get a good job, she couldn’t live in a nice place, she couldn’t even have a real bank account. And, most certainly, she couldn’t have a man like Vince.

  He opened her door and she stepped out into the cold November night. Her gun was in a holster that placed the weapon squarely in the small of her back. Driving wasn’t terribly comfortable, but that was nothing. She needed to be able to get to it in a heartbeat, which meant the ankle holster wasn’t right. She grabbed the bag where Nate had put the baseball mitts and steeled herself for what was to come.

  Vince took her hand and headed toward the entrance. He had a set of keys, and she wondered if he’d always had them or if he’d gotten them just for tonight. It didn’t matter. The key turned and they went inside.

  He turned on a bank of fluorescent lights and she got her first good look at the place. It was huge, with a vast open area in the middle. On the right, there were offices, all of them with big glass windows. On the left was a kitchen and rows of tables. There were easels, bookshelves, toys, a row of computers on the back wall. She saw rolled up mats, bright pictures on the walls, boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. It was easy to see how this place drew in children, especially from this neighborhood. Here it was warm and safe, with good food and respect served daily. A haven. And the man who’d created it was lying dead because a bad cop wanted more money.

  “Heads up,” Nate said. “Jeff’s coming in. There’s another car behind him, but it’s heading toward the back.”

  Kate stiffened as she relayed the information to Vince. “There’s an exit over there,” he said, pointing toward the office. “That’s how we get out. Remember what I told you about the escape route?”

  She nodded. “Over the fence, then across the street to Nate’s truck.”

  “You ready?”

  “No, but let’s do it anyway.”

  He gave her a kiss, and she could tell he wanted to say something else, but he stopped and led her to Tim Purchase’s office. Again, he used the key ring, and once they were inside, he set the bag on the floor. He unlocked the door leading outside, but left it closed. Then he moved in front of the ugly metal desk, pulling her beside him.

  “They’re going to attack from there,” he said, pointing toward the bathrooms. “I’m thinking Jeff will keep us occupied while they sneak in. Right under our line of sight.”

  “Omicron hasn’t ever shown much finesse,” she said. “They’ll burst in the front door with all the firepower they can muster.”

  “Don’t wait to see who gets who. Just run like hell and make it over that fence. It’s not tall, but it’ll slow them down if they put up a chase.”

  Kate nodded, her heart thumping in her chest. She wanted to get out her gun, but it was too soon. Jeff still had to come in and distract them. God, she hoped she’d been right about all this. It had sounded good on paper, but what if the Wu Chang knew about this exit? What if Omicron decided not to waste time and just blew the place up?

  “Stop it,” Vince whispered.

  “What?”

  “You’re thinking too much. Just relax. Be ready.”

  She smiled. As much as she wished it was all over, she dreaded that moment more. With the end of the Wu Chang, with Jeff in jail and Omicron subdued, at least for the moment, she’d have to say her final goodbye. It was simply unthinkable.

  The front door swung open, and Kate got a look at Jeff Stoller for the first time. He was smaller than she’d expected. Wholly unremarkable. His hair was a muddy brown that matched his overcoat. His face seemed pasty with a bright splash of pink on either cheek. The only thing that made him stand out was his smile. As broad and pleasant as a kindergarten teacher’s. No wonder no one suspected him.

  “What have you got there, Vince?” Jeff called out. “I thought it was just going to be the two of us.”

  “Yeah, well, Kate wanted to see the place.”

  “Kate, huh?” Jeff walked inside the small office and stood square in the middle of the door. “So you’re the famous eyewitness.”

  “That’s right,” she said.

  In her ear, Nate spoke again. There were four men coming in from the back entrance. Gang members. And it looked like Omicron had arrived, only they were coming in dark. Again, four men, wearing black, crossing the parking lot from the east. She could hear a soft shuffle, and she knew he was adjusting his rifle. She had to fist her hand so she wouldn’t go for her Glock.

  “I can see why Vince has been so careful with you.”

  “Pardon me?” she said. “I don’t understand.”

  “You’re just his type.” Jeff turned to smile at Vince. “So what’s this evidence you found, buddy?”

  Vince moved around the desk, reaching into the bookcase to pull out a large volume. She couldn’t see the title, but she did see that from that position, he had a good bead on Jeff and everything against the back wall.

  It would happen any second. The Wu Chang would come in and be faced with the killers from Omicron. She imagined it would be quite a battle, but she wouldn’t stick around to make sure.

  “I’ve been busy,” Vince said. “Talked to a couple of people. Word is, it wasn’t Tim skimming the money at all.”

  “You didn’t hear?” Jeff said. “There was ten grand coming his way from one of the labs.”

  “Ah, but my sources tell me that the envelope was planted in order to get the scent off the real scumbag. That Tim found out who was making the deals, taking the money from the meth labs, and that he was going to come forward.”

  “Who’d you get that from? Eddie?”

  “Among others.”

  Jeff shook his head. “Too bad. I heard Eddie was killed yesterday. Some dispute over a vial of crack.”

  Kate could feel Vince’s anger, even though he was standing on the other side of the office. She just hoped he didn’t explode before the time was right.

  “You heard that, did you?” Vince asked.

  “Seems to me that bad things keep happening to your sources,” Jeff replied, looking straight at
her. “They all either end up dead or disappear.”

  “Now!” Nate said, so loudly she jumped.

  Jeff’s eyebrows lowered as he lost the bright smile.

  All at once, the doors in the back and the front of the building slammed open. She reached behind her and pulled out the Glock, but not before Vince had his weapon in his hand.

  Gunfire went off in the cavernous space, so loud it hurt. Jeff lunged at her, grabbing her coat with one hand and shoving his own weapon into her belly.

  As the men outside the office sprayed each other with death, as screams became louder, Kate tried to get her gun between herself and Jeff before he pulled the trigger. Only, Jeff was knocked flat by Vince’s body, flying over the desk and knocking them both against the wall.

  He swung his fist into Jeff’s face, hard. Then again. Red blood spattered against the beige. Above them, the glass shattered and Kate ducked behind the desk.

  It was bedlam, and it was all she could do to not scream. But Nate’s voice was in her head, and he was screaming at her to get out. That he could see the door, and where the hell was she?

  But she couldn’t leave, not when she couldn’t see where Jeff’s gun was. She looked over the desk and saw bodies lying on the great concrete floor. An Asian boy, not more than seventeen, his mouth and his eyes wide open. An Omicron assassin, his hand resting on top of a red toy truck. But there were still men alive, still men shooting. She counted two men from Omicron, and three from the gang. One of them, of the three, was one of Tim’s killers.

  But her attention was pulled back to the struggle in front of her. Jeff had gotten the better of Vince, and he was hitting him, hard, with the butt of his gun.

  She stood and aimed her weapon at Jeff, but if she shot him now, there was every chance she’d hit Vince, too. In order to get a clean shot, she’d have to move, get to the open side of the office.

  Her plan shattered as she watched Vince’s body drop like a stone, his head hitting the floor so hard it bounced. Then, before she could react, Jeff was on his feet. She took aim at his heart and pulled the trigger, but her aim was knocked off course by a tremendous crash as the rest of the office windows were blown apart. Jeff rocked back, screaming in pain. He looked at the blood coming from his arm, then at her. In a move that made her gasp, he dove onto the desk, straight at her before she could lift her gun again. His head rammed her stomach and she hit the bookcase behind her. She gasped, the wind knocked out of her. Jeff got off the desk and looked back at Vince, who still wasn’t moving.