by Katie Reus
She would too. He could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw.
And the truth was, he couldn’t physically restrain her and keep her captive. Not knowing her history. Hell, he couldn’t do it no matter what. Not to Sophie. “We’ll drive by, check out the area, and if it looks safe, I’ll double back and enter from the backyard. Do you know what kind of security system she has?”
“She doesn’t have one and she keeps a key hidden in case she locks herself out. Not that breaking in should be a problem for you.” He didn’t miss the wry note in her voice.
“Where’s her key?”
“In the fake plant hanging on the front porch. It’s in a small magnetic holder.”
His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He couldn’t comprehend that kind of naivete. “Please tell me you don’t have a key anywhere outside your place.”
“No.”
Thank God. “Do you at least have a security system?”
“No, but I live in a safe neighborhood.”
He snorted. “That’s going to change.”
“Excuse me?” She lifted a dark eyebrow.
“When this is all over, I’m having one installed for you.” She could make whatever she wanted out of that. He knew there was no future for them, but if he could take care of her, even in a small way, he was going to. She looked surprised but didn’t respond.
Since he already knew Hannah’s address, he took the shortest route there. Sophie was silent on the short drive over. As they cruised by Hannah’s bungalow-style home, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Is her garage door normally closed?”
“Yeah, she keeps her car parked in it.”
He didn’t slow his speed as they cruised past, but there weren’t any vans or cars parked across the street. That was a good sign. But it didn’t mean her house wasn’t being watched.
“So, what are we doing now?”
“We aren’t doing anything. I’m going to park and do a little recon. You are going to wait in the vehicle.”
“The hell I am. This is stolen. What if the cops stop me while I’m sitting in it?”
Doubtful, considering he’d switched the plates. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I’ll follow you and you can’t stop me.” She unsnapped her seat belt as he steered into a spot behind a parked car on the street over.
He bit back a frustrated growl. Her stubborn streak had definitely not faded with time. “This’ll be easier if I can get in and get out without worrying about you.”
“She’s my best friend. I’m going.” Her fingers were already wrapped around the door handle.
Sighing, he said, “Come on.”
The street was quiet, and after a quick scan of the houses on the neighboring street, he picked the only house with a chain-link fence as opposed to a privacy fence. To give her credit, Sophie didn’t chatter and she stuck close to him. After the past couple of days they’d had, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to check on her friend. Jumping the fences was easy enough and there weren’t any big dogs or men with weapons waiting for them either.
When he was sure they weren’t being watched, he jimmied the back lock—which was worse than Mandy’s. He could have gotten the key, but didn’t want to expose himself more than necessary.
As they entered, all his survival instincts were on high alert, but there was no one in the house. He could feel almost immediately that they were alone. It was indescribable, but that sensation he got when danger was near wasn’t knocking away at his brain as it had so many times in the past.
The living room looked lived in, but nothing was broken or tossed. Same with the kitchen. When they reached the only bedroom, he leaned close to Sophie and tried to ignore his body’s response when his mouth grazed her ear. Under different circumstances he’d give anything to suck her earlobe between his lips and feather kisses along her soft skin. “Check to see if her suitcase and clothes are missing. I’m going to check the garage.”
She nodded and her hair tickled his nose. As she brushed past him, his cock went on full alert. It didn’t matter that the timing was inappropriate, his body just reacted around her. He deserved a fucking medal for keeping his distance over the past couple of days. Especially when she’d made it clear she’d welcome him into her bed. But if he crossed that line now, how the hell could he go back to his life without her?
He couldn’t.
Pushing back his hunger, he hurried to the garage and opened the door. He swept his flashlight around the empty space and froze when he spotted shards of glass and a red scarf near the garage door. It could mean any number of things, none of which he was informing Sophie about. If Vargas’s guys had taken Hannah, they’d have taken her car and disposed of it somewhere. That was why the house wasn’t a wreck. If the police were called, nothing in her house would look out of order.
As he pulled the door shut, Sophie’s subtle, exotic scent tickled his nose. The mango, citrusy smell would be forever etched in his mind. He schooled his face before turning toward her. “Her car’s gone.”
“A lot of her clothes and toiletries are gone too,” she whispered back. “That’s good, right?”
“Yep. Let’s get out of here.”
Once they were back in the SUV, some of the tension built up in his shoulders loosened a fraction. He felt guilty about keeping what he’d seen from her, but if he told her she’d be eaten alive with worry. And he wouldn’t do that to her. Not when she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
She sagged against the leather seat. “I still can’t believe all this is happening.”
“I know, and I’m sorry you got dragged into any of it. I know I said it earlier, but you really are handling this better than any civilian I’ve ever worked with.” True, he hadn’t worked with many, but the few he had normally lost their heads. Hell, he’d worked with trained agents who lost their shit during gunfire.
She chuckled and shook her head.
Something told him that her time in foster care had a lot to do with her coping. She’d grown up learning to hide her emotions and put on a happy face for the world. Except with him. With him, she’d always been herself. Where most people had thought she was a snob growing up, he’d figured out early that she was just quiet. She’d moved around too much to let people in. Something he understood.
“How much longer until we get there?” she asked, drawing his attention to her mouth.
“Soon, I promise.” Though he wondered if that was a good thing. They would soon be sharing a room again, and he only had so much restraint.
“Thank God.”
Flashing neon lights and throngs of people wearing skimpy dresses and designer clothes passed them in a blur as they cruised down Ocean Drive. He’d never been to the hostel, but he recognized some of the landmarks from their Web site’s photo gallery. After turning down a few side streets, he located it off Washington Avenue.
“This is the hostel?” Sophie stared at him as they pulled into the semifull parking lot.
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s so . . . nice. I backpacked through Europe one summer and never stayed anywhere like this.”
Jack shrugged and unloaded their bags. The simple two-story building was located in the Art Deco district, and as long as no one was shooting at them he didn’t care where they stayed. He wouldn’t mind sleeping on the beach if he had to. Especially if he had Sophie to keep him warm.
As soon as they walked through the front door, they were greeted by two giggling, drunk college-aged girls who placed leis around their necks. There were eight other people in the lounge area. Jack quickly assessed them. They all looked drunk but harmless. And they weren’t paying Sophie or him any attention.
The flashing purple lights and modular seating reminded him of a club. Sophie was right. This wasn’t like any hostel he’d ever stayed in either.
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br /> “Which way do we go?” Sophie asked.
To the right was a bar area, and the room to the left of the lobby had a pool table and a row of computers. “Let’s try this way.”
As soon as they stepped inside, a man about his age wearing a white polo shirt greeted them. The man stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Mark, the owner. Are you folks looking for a place to stay?”
Jack took his hand and smiled. “My name is Robert Smith. I called earlier about the private room.”
“Oh, right, dude. Sorry, the one with the two twin beds is gone, but I’ve still got one private room left. Only one bed, though. That a problem?”
The thought of sharing a bed with her was too damn tempting. He glanced at Sophie—hoping his internal reaction wasn’t visible on his face—and she shrugged. “Nope. Show us the way.”
They followed the man through the computer room and down a plain white hallway.
The owner opened the last door on the left and turned to face them. “There’s a dollar-fifty happy hour every night from six to eight. No curfew, but if you come in after three, try to keep it down.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Jack fished out enough bills to cover three nights and handed them to the man.
The outer areas might be bright and colorful, but their matchbox-sized room was painted a dull white. No cheap art hanging on the walls, just a bed, a nightstand, and a plastic plant.
Sophie sat on the edge of the bed. “Want to hit the shower first?”
“No, you can. I’ll take the floor, so don’t worry.” He unzipped his bag and pulled out the plastic bag she’d shoved her stuff into earlier.
To his surprise, her lips pulled into a thin line. “We’re both adults. After everything I’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours, I think I can handle sleeping in the same bed with you.” She snatched the bag from his hand and before he could respond, she’d slammed the bathroom door behind her.
• • •
Sophie turned the shower on before collapsing onto the closed toilet seat. His offer to take the floor had been sweet, but for some reason it had seriously pissed her off. It was as if he’d just lit the match on her temper. And deep down, she knew why.
Thoughts of Sam had been bombarding her all day. They’d been mixed in with every other crazy thing that had happened. Watching Jack move, the way he’d stood up for her, protected her . . . it was fucking with her head. And all she could picture was one of her last memories with Sam. Not the last, but this one was brutal enough because it had been the beginning of the end for them. She hated that she kept seeing Sam when she looked at Jack but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to banish the memory that wouldn’t go away, but it was impossible. The treacherous images played over and over like a bad movie.
Sophie stretched out on Sam’s bare chest, resting her chin on her hands as she watched him. They were in his bedroom, where they usually hung out when Ms. Bigsby was gone. His bed was bigger and softer and she liked it better because it smelled like him.
“What are you doing?” he murmured, a half smile playing across his hard features, but he didn’t open his eyes.
Pale eyes she swore could see right into her soul. He was the only person she’d ever truly loved. She hadn’t told him. She couldn’t find the courage yet. If she did, she was afraid he’d be taken from her. Things between them were so good, and in her experience, good things didn’t last long.
“Watching you fake sleep,” she whispered, wishing he was kissing and touching her. She loved it when he touched her. He made her feel so treasured. As if she mattered.
The humming sound of the air conditioner was steady and loud, filling the otherwise quiet house. Ms. Bigsby was away for her bingo night and there weren’t any other kids in the house except them.
Soon Sophie wouldn’t be living here and she couldn’t wait. Only two months left until she turned eighteen—and in one month she’d graduate from high school. Sam turned eighteen in a month, a week before they graduated. He planned to join the Marines then. He’d told her he was thinking about waiting a month, but she could tell he didn’t want to wait, so she’d told him no. Besides, he’d have nowhere to stay except with friends for that month, and that didn’t make sense—even if deep down she didn’t want to let him go just yet. But she figured she’d rather him be in boot camp while she was still living here. Then when she was free, she could get a place of her own. She had a lot of scholarships for college lined up, but she’d found a small diamond ring hidden in one of Sam’s drawers. Well, it wasn’t hidden very well since she’d stumbled across it. She might be wrong, but Sophie was pretty sure he was going to propose when she turned eighteen. He was only a month older than her, but he’d probably wait. Even though he hadn’t told her he loved her, she knew he did. And the thought of marrying him, of finally belonging to someone, was heaven.
They were so young, but if he asked, she’d say yes. And she’d follow him anywhere. She could put off college for six months and then go to school anywhere with her grades. She’d applied to colleges all over the country simply because she could. And she’d gotten into ninety percent of them. So, wherever Sam was stationed, she could go. She was all about planning and there was no way she was giving up a man like Sam. He was totally it for her.
“What are you thinking of?” Sam’s deep voice had her blinking and she realized that she’d been staring off into space.
“What we did an hour ago.” She grinned when his face turned red.
Nothing ever seemed to faze him, but since they’d started dating and having sex, it was so easy to mess with him. She loved that he only got like that with her. With everyone else he was this big, tough guy. Not with her. He was just her Sam.
Before she could blink, he had her pinned flat on her back underneath him. He was wearing boxers, but she was still naked and could feel his reaction to her. It made her entire body tingle. Their first time had hurt a little, and he’d been nervous about making sure it was good for her, but ever since then it had been amazing. Sam liked to take his time and use his mouth on her in places that would have grossed her out only months ago. Now she loved it. Loved doing the same to him in return. As they started kissing and she grew even more turned on, the doorbell rang.
Sophie’s eyes flew open and Sam froze above her. Ms. Bigsby wouldn’t ring the doorbell and it was way too early for her to be back anyway. The older lady never left bingo night early either. Sam jumped off her and they quickly dressed as someone started knocking.
“Should we answer it?” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure why.
He nodded and she stayed behind him as they headed down the hallway and he peered through the peephole. “It’s the cops.”
Sam looked at her and shrugged as he opened the door. There were two police officers and one woman Sophie recognized from DHS. Dread settled in her stomach. She knew things had been too good to be true right now. Of course something bad would happen to mess it up. The cops and DHS meant one thing: they were moving to another home. And it was unlikely she and Sam would get to stick together.
Chapter 15
OSINT: open-source intelligence; information derived from publicly available sources.
Hannah sagged against the steel door after the guard slammed it shut. The sound of the heavy lock sliding into place made her jump. At least she wasn’t in front of that monster Vargas anymore. Just looking into his eyes had made her skin crawl.
“You okay?” Holly was stretched out on the bed, but sat up, her face worried.
“Yeah. That guy Vargas wanted to ask me questions.” Hannah just hoped he’d believed her lies.
“About what?”
“He wanted to know more about Sophie. . . . Has he asked you questions too?”
Holly shook her head. “No. He kidnapped me to use as leverage again
st my dad. I only have one purpose for him.”
“Leverage?” Sophie hadn’t told Hannah much and she was more than a little curious.
“My dad works with different flight companies to get into some really hard-to-reach places. His company has been around so long that they’re basically above reproach, and I think Vargas capitalized on his reputation. . . . Do you think Sophie was working with Vargas or something?”
“Hell no! Whatever’s going on, Sophie was trying to keep me safe. There’s no way she’d ever do business with some drug runner.” That much Hannah knew. Sophie had been her best friend since college. More like a sister actually. If she got too much change at a restaurant, she gave it back to the waitress. No way was Sophie involved in any of this—whatever this was. For a moment she felt bad for what she’d just said because it was obvious Holly’s dad was working with a drug runner or whatever, but that was the least of her worries right now.
Hannah glanced around the room, eyeing the ceiling, which looked like all slab concrete. Just like the walls. The entire room was concrete. No doubt to stop people from escaping through the ceiling. “Have you tried the window?”
Again, Holly shook her head and placed a finger over her mouth, then pointed toward the sink.
Frowning, Hannah crouched down by the sink and peered underneath it. There was a tiny black rectangular device that was blinking red. When Hannah stood, Holly continued.
“Trying to escape is pointless. They’ll just catch us.” Holly stood near the sink and turned the water on. She nodded toward the window, then motioned with her hands for Hannah to lean closer. “One of the guys must have just put this in while you were gone. They let me out for a walk and when I came back, I found it.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
They were both silent for a moment until Holly turned off the water.
“How were you kidnapped?” Hannah asked since this wasn’t the kind of information that could be used against either of them.
“I was in South America on a backpacking trip when two men took me. I’d planned to stay there for a month, then head to Europe for a couple months. They must have been tracking my family’s movements and honestly, my trip wasn’t a secret. I posted about it on Facebook, so for all I know, that’s how they found out about me coming here. Now I wish I’d just gone straight to Europe. I wanted to take some time off . . .”
