Padme couldn’t help feeling excited. “And you’re sure the people I love will be protected?”
Lisa smiled grimly. “Oh, I am sure.”
She drove them to a house outside the city. Inside, Lisa set up the phone call. “We’re having to reroute it a lot,” she explained to Padme, “If Ingles’ people even caught a whiff, they’d find him.”
The second she heard Enver’s voice on the telephone, Padme felt like bursting into tears. “Pad?”
“Oh, god, Enver, Enver…” Her legs gave way and Lisa steered her into a chair. “Enver, I love you so much, god, I love you.”
His voice was full of emotion. “As I love you, my darling one, I have missed you more than I can say. Are you okay, are you alright? That terrible day…I thought I’d lost you, but they wouldn’t let me see you.”
“I’m fine, totally fine, I just…god, Enver, it’s been hell without you, not knowing if you were dead. I finally got what you were trying to tell me.”
“I’m sorry we had to go through all that subterfuge – I apologize for having to drug you to get you to the hospital so we could get the last set of co-ordinates to you, but I was getting desperate. I knew Ingles was honing in on you. He’s reading your mail, he’s bugging your calls. I’m so scared he’ll try to kill…” his voice choked off, and he couldn’t finish what he said.
“Fifty seconds,” Lisa said firmly. Padme started to panic. “We don’t have long, just know I love you and I’m coming to be with you and we’ll figure this out together.”
“Yes, we will, when we do, I’m going to marry you, Padme Kaur. What you have done for me…god, I love you.”
Lisa was making a wind-up motion with her hand. “I have to go now, but I’ll see you very soon. I love you, baby, so much.”
“Ti amo, Padme Kaur, ti amo. Trust Lisa, she will do everything you need.”
“Soon, darling.”
“Soon.”
The connection was broken, and Padme felt bereft but happy. She handed Lisa the phone back. Lisa immediately took out the SIM card and snapped it in two, then used her high heel to smash the phone. She bent over the laptop and typed in some code Padme couldn’t understand. Padme studied her. Everything about the other woman said efficiency and cool ruthlessness.
“Are you military?”
Lisa smiled at her. “Ex. I’m a freelancer now – well, I say that, I’ve been working for Enver for about five years exclusively.”
“He’s a great guy.” Padme felt a shared kinship with this woman because of her link to Enver.
Lisa nodded. “He is. Forgive me, Padme, but I don’t even think you know just how great a guy he is.”
Padme wasn’t stung by the comment. “I know. Believe it or not, the thing I’m most looking forward to is to get to know him without any of this crap hanging over us.”
Lisa nodded, her eyes sympathetic. “That’s the hope once we get you to the location. Padme, I’ve reached out to Arlo Forrester on Enver’s behalf, and so he knows what the situation is. We agreed that between Enver’s men and Arlo’s security team, we can protect your mother, Harpa and Cosima, and your partner, Dale, if necessary. I will be your protection until we can get you out of the country.”
“You don’t mind the babysitting job?”
Lisa grinned. “Did you?”
Padme laughed. “No, but seeing you here today…I just realize that all those years training to be an Agent were, if not wasted, but I failed to see that it wasn’t me. Which is scary because I don’t know what else is.”
“You’ll find your path and listen…you took three bullets for Enver – was that all because you love him, or because your training kicked in?”
Padme considered and had to concede. “Both.”
“See? So, don’t be down on yourself. You’re what, twenty-eight? All due respect, but you’re a baby. Plenty of time to find your calling.”
Padme smiled at her, gratefully. “I kind of have a girl crush on you right now.”
Lisa laughed. “Well, I’m flattered. Look, let’s get back to the apartment. I’ll do a sweep of anything that might have been tampered with.”
Padme blinked. “Were you the one who drugged my orange juice?”
Lisa smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I needed to get you to a neutral place where Ingles couldn’t get in so we could deliver the last message. Until you knew where Enver was, he didn’t think you’d trust me to help you.”
“I wouldn’t have. I’m vaguely embarrassed you know about the lemon tattoo.”
Lisa hitched up her top and showed Padme a tattoo of Dumbo. “Courtesy of a bottle of tequila and a bad idea. So, we’re even.”
Padme laughed. God, she missed laughing; the last few months had been so stressful, painful with everyone walking on egg shells around her.
“You mentioned Dale…does he know about you?”
Lisa shook her head. “And that’s important – no-one can know, Pad. I know it will be painful, but I chose Arlo because he has the resources and money to fend off any attack. Dale Fortuna is a good guy but no-one, not even your mother, can know that you’re leaving the country.”
“Okay.” Padme let out a long breath and Lisa studied her.
“If you’re wondering if Enver is worth it, I can tell you – he is. He adores you, he loves you totally. When you were shot, and we had to get him away, it took me and some huge guys to wrestle him onto a private jet. All he wanted was to be with you. We had to sedate him in the end.”
“Really?”
Lisa nodded. “His language when he woke up was…colorful. We finally got through to him when we got the news you were out of danger. It would have been dangerous for both of you if he’d come back to Seattle.”
Padme nodded. “I see that, and I’m glad he stayed away. It’s easy to say now but the last few months…I’ve never known such pain, physically and emotionally.”
Lisa put a hand on her arm. “You’ll be together soon. Come on, let’s go back to your apartment.”
It was two days later when Lisa came to find Padme at the bookstore. “Cn you get off now? I need to talk to you.”
Padme nodded. “I’ll just see if Beth can spare me.”
In five minutes, they were walking down the block to a coffeehouse, not the same one she had met Ingles, but a more private, secluded one down an alleyway. They were the only customers, and so Lisa kept her voice low and careful.
“Pad, it’s a go. We’re going to be extracting you on Friday.” She flicked her eyes around the room. “This place is a cover. You’ll come down here after your shift at the bookstore, grab a coffee and then use the bathroom. We’ll get you out from there. A decoy will be sent from here to trace your usual path back to your Mom’s place.”
Padme, eyes wide, nodded. “Good…god, this is so quick.”
Lisa studied her. “Pad, we cannot risk any hint of suspicion on Ingles’ part. This means…you can’t say goodbye to anyone. Anyone. If your mom, or any of your friends ask what your plans are for the weekend, you can make plans with them – except only you will know you won’t be keeping them. Pad…we’re going to be doing something that may upset you but it’s for your own safety, and for Enver’s, but it’s a little…well…distasteful.”
Padme searched Lisa’s eyes. “What?”
Lisa hesitated slightly. “Pad…in a morgue in a private funeral home just outside Seattle, there’s a body of a murdered young Indian American woman. This woman…she was stabbed then pushed in front of a train. What’s left of her… we have a contact in the coroner’s office, and we’re going to need some of your DNA.”
“Don’t say it.” Padme felt sick. “No. No, Lisa, I can’t do that to Severin, to Dale, to my friends. And what about the family of this poor girl?”
“She’s a Jane Doe, Pad.”
Padme stared at Lisa unhappily. “So, I would be ‘dead’?”
Lisa nodded. “But of course, that would mean…”
“I could never come back, never se
e my mom, my friends again.”
“But you and Enver would be safe.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“Nothing is one-hundred percent. Padme, I work for Enver and by extension, as his partner, for you as well. I promise you this…I will never, ever lie to you.”
Padme half-smiled. “So, if I asked you if you thought this was the right thing to do?”
“I would say yes. To keep you both safe and together for life.”
Padme sat thinking for a while, then drew a shaky breath in. “Okay. How does this work?”
Lisa gave her a smile. “You’ll know on Friday – I’m not risking any hint of this plan getting out. The moment you step into that bathroom, you will be under orders, okay? No arguing, no deviating from the plan. I’ll be with you some of the way - the last leg of your journey, you’ll be alone. We have all the travel documents you need.”
On Thursday night, Padme went to dinner with her mother. Severin knew something was going on, but Padme kept her word to Lisa and said nothing. “Just hormonal, Mom,” she told her with a half-smile when Severin asked for the hundredth time if she was okay.
Severin had prepared a rack of succulent, delicious lamb, but Padme found she had very little appetite. Severin studied her daughter with concern in her eyes. “Pad…do you know how much you mean to me? If I had given birth to you, I could not love you more than I do.”
Padme felt the tears coming. “Mom…”
“It breaks my heart to see you so…broken. I can’t bring Enver back to you, but I wish I could. I see how much you love him.”
Padme let the tears escape then, and let Severin hold her, let her think it was Enver she was crying over rather than the fact she would never see Severin again after tonight, that Severin would have to go through the pain of thinking Padme was dead.
Friday came, and Padme went to work as normal. She was dressed in a sweater and jeans and her sneakers, her usual uniform to anyone’s eye but carefully chosen by Lisa to match the decoys. Padme had gotten used to being ‘escorted’ to work by Frederick Ingles’s men, and Lisa had shown her how to spot them, keeping them in her peripheral vision while pretending to ignore their presence. Assholes.
Padme unclenched her jaw, rubbing her cheeks to ease the ache. She hadn’t slept last night, and now she was hollow-eyed and exhausted. Being with Enver seemed still so far away, and the thought of the possibility of many days traveling made her feel sick.
Beth frowned at her young friend when she saw her. “You don’t look so good, Pad. Are you sure you’re up to working today?”
Padme nodded, half-smiling. “I am, Beth, thanks. Just didn’t sleep too well, is all.”
Beth clearly wasn’t convinced. “Well, alright, but you need a break, you go right ahead, okay?”
“Will do.”
It was almost lunchtime when Padme felt the burner phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to read the message.
Now.
She felt her adrenaline spike and looked around the store. It was empty, Beth at the register, reading.
“Beth? I might just run out for some coffee if that’s okay?”
Beth smiled at her. “Sure, honey. Look, it’s dead in here today, why don’t you take off for the day?”
“Are you sure?”
“Very.” Beth came to hug Padme and Padme clung to her.
“Thank you, Beth. For everything. I mean it.”
Beth released her and frowned. “Pad…are you sure you’re okay?”
Padme felt her eyes fill with tears. “I’m not…but I will be. Thanks, Beth.”
Padme walked slowly down to the coffeehouse, feeling Ingles’s men following her. She wasn’t worried; they never came in, just waited for her outside. She pulled her baseball cap down over her eyes and went into the café. She ordered her usual – vanilla latte - and turned to find a table at the back and wait for Lisa’s signal.
To her horror, Frederick Ingles was behind her. He smiled at her. “Hello again, Padme. Would you join me?”
Oh fuck. Padme felt panic well up inside her, but she kept her face expressionless. “And what if I say I’d rather not.”
He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Then I’d say I’d hate to ruin that pretty gray t-shirt you’re wearing.”
Padme felt him press something to her – she didn’t need to look down to see it was a knife. “Fine.”
They sat down, and he studied her. “You look tired. Beautiful, but tired.”
“What do you want, Ingles?”
“Just your company for a few minutes, my dear. Checking in, you know? Wanting to know how you’re spending your last days.”
She met his gaze. “Why not just kill me? I’m tired of all your empty threats, Ingles. Either kill me or leave me alone.”
Frederick chuckled. “I have to say the temptation to drive this knife into your exquisite body grows more acute every day, but I’m enjoying the anticipation. And there’s the risk that Toscano will disappear for good if he knows you’re already dead. No, I want him to be watching when I kill you.”
Padme was amazed she didn’t feel scared anymore, that she was growing immune to the horror of this man. “Answer me something. The testimony Enver gave…it put your operatives away, perhaps lost you some business, some government contracts. But I’ve done my research, Ingles, you may have lost face, but you’re still worth billions. Why not enjoy that and let it drop?”
Frederick’s eyes were alive with anger. “Honor.” His voice was crackling with dangerous energy. “Toscano thought he could take me down?”
“He did… and, to be honest, he succeeded, didn’t he? What are you now, Ingles? Little more than a poor little rich boy acting out. Go home, Ingles. Live your life. This insane revenge plan will only end one way.”
He moved so quickly that no-one could have stopped him. He lunged for her and grabbed her throat. Padme heard the barista shout “Hey!” in alarm.
Frederick slammed Padme against the wall, his fingers squeezing her throat. “You little whore,” he spat, “What do you know about me? I am an Ingles.”
She felt the tip of the knife press against her belly. “Do it,” she said in a low steady voice. “Kill me. Because I swear to you, Ingles, this will be your last chance.”
Ingles’ face was red with fury, and for a second, Padme thought he might go through with it. Then they both heard the click of a safety being flicked off.
“You will take your hands off of her, right now, Ingles, or I swear to god, your brains will decorate the wall.” Dale’s voice was hard, unflinching.
Slowly, Ingles released her and she slipped away from him. Frederick turned and faced Dale, whose gun was still aimed at is head. “Just a misunderstanding, Agent.”
Dale put his gun down, but didn’t holster it. “Pad, you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You want to press charges?”
Padme hesitated. “No. I think Mr. Ingles got the message.” The last thing she needed right now was to go down to the field office to make a statement. She was already late for Lisa. “Have you got this? I need to go use the bathroom, straighten myself up.”
Dale nodded, throwing her a mile. “I got this.”
Dale eyed Frederick Ingles. “From now, Ingles, you stay away from Padme, got it? I hear you’re harassing her…we got a problem, understand?”
“You’re pretty full of yourself for a rookie agent,” Frederick said, his tone light but undercut with annoyance.
Dale didn’t rise to the bait. “Get out of here before I go against Pad’s wishes and haul your ass to jail.”
Fredrick smirked but picked up his coffee and drained it. “I’ll see you soon, officer.”
And he was gone.
Dale holstered his weapon, checking around the coffee house, seeing wide-eyed, frightened customers. “Relax, folks, he’s gone.”
The barista pushed a coffee towards Dale. “On the house, fella, and thanks.”
D
ale grinned. “Thank you. Mind if I hang out, wait for my friend?”
“No problem. Hope she’s okay.”
Dale grinned. “Pad’s suffered worse than that and survived. She’ll be fine.”
Ten minutes later, Dale checked his watch. He got up and spoke to one of the female baristas. “Hey, would you mind going into the ladies’ bathroom and checking on my friend?”
“Sure thing.” The young woman pushed her way into the bathroom and in a flash, was out again. “There’s no-one in there.”
Dale pushed past her and checked the place. Empty. At the far end, a fire door swung open and shut in the breeze.
“Fuck!” Dale yanked his phone out of his pocket. “Yeah, Fortuna here. I need to report an abduction. Frederick Ingles has Padme Kaur.”
Lisa listened to what Padme was telling her as they traveled to the airport. Lisa nodded. “Believe or not, that might help us. They might think Ingles took you, which would mean he might be arrested. That gives us more time to get you out of the country and to Enver.”
The first leg of the journey was down to Rio. “We’re trying to avoid Europe as much as possible,” Lisa explained, “as most of Ingles’s reach is there. South America and Asia, and a rather annoying New Zealand-Japan-Australia leg is a possibility. Until we’re sure you’re not being followed, we keep moving.”
Padme nodded, already feeling wiped out. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Enver safe.”
“And you, too, Pad.” Lisa reminded her gently, and Padme squeezed her hand.
“I can never repay what you have done for me, Lisa. You are a true friend.”
“Still think I’m a friend?” Lisa asked with a grin, fifty-six hours later after they’d flown from Rio to Jakarta to Nairobi. They were waiting in Nairobi for the next flight to Hong Kong.
Hollowed and high from sheer exhaustion, Padme laughed and cried at the same time. “The insides of my eyelids are sparkling,” she said, blinking a few times. Lisa looked sympathetic and annoyingly refreshed.
“I don’t usually condone this sort of thing, but I have an Ambien you can take. The next leg, we booked you on Business Class – with a bed. I’m not a monster, you need to sleep even if we’re dragging you all over the globe.”
His Sweet Torment: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 8
