by Gennita Low
Greta met his direct gaze, trying to gauge how much trouble this man was going to cause her. Since right now she needed information from him, she would let him have the advantage. She nodded at her men to let him go. Johnny brushed imaginary dust off his shirt, then went to sit on his couch, crossing his legs and reposing back, with his arms stretched across the back of the sofa. She didn’t like the satisfied glimmer that had entered his eyes.
“It’s been a particularly rough night,” he said, a strange smile on his face. “I have a feeling I know who you’re talking about, but you’re dealing with Johnny Chic and you’ve insulted me by coming to my club without dyeing your hair or wearing a wig. For that, any information is now going to cost you double. Your causing trouble at my club will add another twenty percent surcharge. And, for roughing my new clothes up, there’ll be another ten percent fine.”
Greta narrowed her eyes, taking a few steps toward the man sitting in front of her. “Don’t threaten me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t threaten anyone. This is my business. You’re in my world, so you’ve got to do things my way. Kill me and you won’t get out of here alive. And even if you do, whoever hired you won’t be happy because my backers will come after all of you.”
“You don’t know who I am,” Greta said softly.
He shrugged. “The cameras in this place will identify you to my handlers. Kill me and they’ll know everything about you within a few hours.” He smiled again. “But I really don’t use threats in my business. Treat me with respect and I’ll broker a deal for you.”
Greta walked around the office while she decided on her next steps. She didn’t want to, but she had to compromise. The police were out there looking around. It wouldn’t be long before they found the body in the alley. Fortunately, she’d gotten there before Lily and her companion had gotten a name. She didn’t want anyone to know about her just yet.
The fact that the police weren’t swarming into this club right now hinted at how much pull Johnny Chic had with the local law departments. Maybe she hadn’t lost everything yet; maybe Gunther had been lying about Lily selling the device. These new covert games were the absolute Scheissdreck. A sense of frustration edged her temper. Ten years ago, no one would’ve dared to play with her like this.
She turned back to Johnny Chic, plastering a smile on her face. “I apologize,” she said pleasantly. “I’ve been rude, but I didn’t understand. I don’t need you to broker a deal, just answer a few questions. Would it soothe your ruffled feelings if I told you that my agency will pay you what you ask and double, if the information you give me is correct?”
Johnny smiled back. “My information’s always correct. And yes, the terms are accepted. If you’ll make the necessary calls and wire the cash right now to the account number I’m going to give you, as soon as I have confirmation, I’ll answer all your questions.”
Of course she wasn’t going to call headquarters and ask for money. Gunther would be waiting for that piece of news. No, she wouldn’t give him that kind of fun. She’d just have to use some of the money her poor dead nephew had left behind in their joint account.
“Of course. Just write down your price and account number,” she said.
She looked at the note he passed to her. It was an exorbitant amount, but it’d taken her this long to catch up with Llallana, and she wasn’t going to walk away empty-handed now.
Greta made her call, knowing very well that she was on the losing end of the deal here. However, she felt that she deserved this loss for not being prepared. She hadn’t wanted Lily to be killed off yet, and these people Gunther had sent were obviously not following her orders. He’d wanted her to fail, wanted her comeback to be tinged with failure.
No fucking way, as an American would say. She’d spent ten years in the States observing how Americans messed up their lives when it came to preparation for the future. She’d always had a future goal in mind and she would get it.
She finished the transaction over the phone. One quick transmittal and all that money gone. Sometimes she hated modern technology. She gave Johnny a brilliant smile.
“All done. Now, shall we talk?”
She would take care of Gunther later.
* * *
Reed pulled into the underground garage and headed to the back. He wondered briefly whether he had done the right thing; then, glancing at the woman beside him, decided that it was the best option until he could contact T and headquarters. That was, if T was all right. The last time he’d been able to communicate with Nikki, she’d said T was going into the alley to investigate. When someone had shot at him and Lily, he hadn’t stayed long enough to warn his handlers.
The mic button on his jacket had disappeared in the river somewhere and Nikki’s end had been silent since that jump off the bridge. The receiver must not have liked water.
No phone, no sign of T, no communication, and possibly two snipers hunting them down. Not to mention the vehicle that had gone after them. If he’d been alone—he glanced at Lily beside him—he could have gone into hiding and waited, even with his drenched clothing. But he didn’t want to risk Lily’s catching pneumonia. Besides, he still didn’t know how serious her injury was.
Without a phone and with an injured woman, this was the first place that had come to mind; he knew he could enter without any questions asked.
She’d remained unconscious through the drive. Damn. Not only had she been immersed in icy water but she’d also almost drowned. Her body was still in shock from the experience, as well as the loss of heat.
“Lily?” he called out, but she didn’t even stir.
He stopped at the executive parking spots and parked right in front of the private elevator. No one was around.
Leaving the car on, he pulled at the door release, looking over at Lily again. She was out like a light. He frowned at the red stain mixed with the muddy streaks on her clothes. Damn it, how seriously hurt was she? Leaning over, he touched her cheek. Despite the heat being on, she felt like a block of ice.
He cursed and got out of the car quickly. There was a security box by the elevator, and he punched the required code, then the password. It asked for him to swipe his special ID card through the slot, but of course, he didn’t have it on him. So he punched the No button. A moment later a voice came through the speaker.
“Can I help you, sir?”
“Get Petr on for me, please,” Reed said.
“Yes, sir.”
Out of habit, he checked the area while he waited, although he’d made sure no one had followed him here. This particular part of the garage would usually be quiet.
“Mr. Vincenzio?”
“Yes, it’s me, Petr, and I don’t have an ID card to get into the elevator,” Reed said. “Can you come down and accompany me up, please?”
“Of course. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m sorry, we didn’t know you were coming.”
“It was a last-minute thing,” Reed said dryly. “By the way, Petr, bring down a blanket, and I’ll need someone you can trust to move the vehicle I came in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Reed went back to the car and waited, keeping a worried eye on Lily. She hadn’t stirred. He thought of her struggling out in the water, almost drowning out there. He understood the fear. Being in water in pitch darkness took a lot out of one, especially after a jump like that. She hadn’t been afraid of the height—she had made that jump without any hesitation.
He’d gone into the ocean at the darkest hours before, so the unexpected late-night swimming hadn’t been a shock to his system at all. Training came like second nature. In the ocean, he’d had to rely on his underwater compass to tell him whether he was going up or down, but tonight, he’d just kicked and allowed himself to float to the surface. He was just glad that it hadn’t been shallow water, or they’d have been dead meat already.
After his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he’d quickly realized that Lily was in trouble. Everything had been a blur as
he’d gone into search mode, looking for telltale signs of splashing. He’d turned one way and then the other, feeling the freezing water more and more, trying to figure out the most likely place she’d have landed. For one sickening moment, when he’d thought she was gone, something very unusual had happened—a strange but familiar tightness had squeezed his insides.
If he hadn’t been so focused on finding Lily, Reed would’ve stopped to register and analyze it. He hadn’t felt this way since the first time, when he’d been assigned to a child hostage situation and he’d had to take out the target before the hostile killed the hostage. He had failed.
When he’d spotted those hands above the water…he couldn’t describe the sense of fierce relief that had engulfed his whole being as he’d swum hard toward them. Nothing else had mattered. He’d just wanted to get her out of danger.
The elevator door opened and two men came out, one of them holding a box. They stopped short at the sight of him.
“Are you all right, Mr. Vincenzio?” the older man asked, a concerned look entering his eyes.
“I’m fine, Petr. Sorry for dropping by so suddenly. Now you know why I couldn’t walk through the lobby,” Reed said wryly. He opened the passenger door. “Thank you for coming down so quickly.”
Petr took in the whole situation at a glance and, nodding at the man standing by him, he took a few steps forward. “Do I need to call a doctor?”
“Not yet. I’ll let you know when I get to the suite. I’m afraid I’ll be muddying the carpet up a bit.”
Petr nodded briskly. “Yes, Mr. Vincenzio. Here’s the blanket. Carlo here will drive the car out to the service station.”
“Thank you.”
Reed slowly slid Lily out of the car so he could gather her into his arms. Petr helped him wrap the blanket around her. At the touch of her cold body, the older man exchanged a glance with him. Reed knew he probably hadn’t missed the blood either.
“Go ahead, Carlo, and call me when you get back,” Petr said, then followed Reed into the elevator. He punched the floor number. After a few moments’ silence, he added, “Here’s the keycard to the suite and elevator, sir. I’ll send up a fresh change of clothing and hot cocoa for you—and the lady.”
“Thanks again, Petr. I really appreciate your taking care of things.” Reed frowned worriedly at Lily. He’d never seen a woman in such deep sleep. He was pretty sure she hadn’t fainted in the car. “Be on call, just in case I need medical help.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll also inform your father that you’re here.”
The ping of the elevator signaled their arrival at the floor. Reed paused by the open doors. “Not yet,” he said. “I’ll call him myself after I’ve taken care of my guest, if you don’t mind. In fact, Petr, shut off the phone system till I say so.”
“How would you get hold of me, sir?”
“From the elevator box downstairs.”
“Of course.”
Reed didn’t want any interruptions for as long as possible, especially from his family.
The suite was more a spacious penthouse, with every possible amenity to make life very comfortable. His family used it for short stays as well as a guest suite for business clients.
He strode past the elegantly decorated living room into the master bedroom. His shoes were probably leaving mud marks on the white carpet. He’d forgotten how huge the place was as he walked into the adjoining bathroom, which was the size of a small bedroom.
Hesitating a moment, he lay his bundle down carefully on the small lounge chair by the tub. She mumbled something as she stirred.
“Lily,” he called softly.
She looked so frail cocooned in that blanket. When she didn’t answer, he went to the shower stall, looked around, and turned on all four of the sprays. There was a tiled seating area at the back wall for use when the bath was converted into a steam room. He played with the spray positions, so that the spray from the shower heads would hit back there. As he waited for the water to heat up, he took the opportunity to get out of his soggy shoes. He knelt before Lily and took off the one shoe that was left. He hesitated, wondering what her reaction would be when she woke up and found herself in the shower with him. Only one way to find out.
He got up and opened the door to the shower. Steam poured out. He went back and gathered Lily into his arms again, stepping into the stall. Spray from four different directions hit their bodies.
He shook the water out of his eyes, then headed for the back, where there was a tiled ledge for sitting. She made a small sound and wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head under his chin. Reed looked at the muddy rivulets streaming off their clothes onto the tile. He could smell the river in their clothes. Maybe it was better Lily didn’t wake up.
He had to hand it to Petr. Beyond the initial show of surprise, his father’s regional assistant hadn’t asked anything about his disheveled appearance. Petr had always had that unruffled demeanor that was butlerlike. In his quietly efficient way, he administered Reed’s father’s hotels in the Eastern European division.
It took a minute or two before Reed actually felt blood flowing back into his legs. Used to hostile conditions in his job, he’d ignored the bite of the cold. He checked Lily’s face tucked against his collarbone. Her cheeks were flushed, her wet eyelashes incredibly dark against her skin. He slowly reached out and wiped the dirty smudges off her face, the pads of his fingers moving over her nose and her lips. Funny how vulnerable she looked when she was out like this. His hand combed her hair away from her face.
“Cold,” she mumbled, her voice a soft echo in the stall.
“I know,” he said.
There was no getting around it. He had to get her out of her clothes. Being in the icy water and wearing wet clothes had made her body lethargic. It was natural for the body to shut down and go to sleep. Besides, he couldn’t put her into bed in these clothes.
His hand reached around to the back of her top, and he slowly slid the zipper down. She stirred as the water hit her bare skin.
“I’m taking these dirty clothes off,” he said to her, hoping she could hear him. She didn’t say anything.
He paused. She wasn’t wearing a bra. He took a breath, then started to peel off the wet dress.
“Hurt,” she told him.
Her shoulder. Like it or not, he had to see how badly she was injured. And to do that…he pulled her top off her shoulders, sliding her arms off him so he could see her front. There was a nasty crimson gash on her forearm, but it wasn’t bleeding profusely. The bullet must have grazed her when she had leaned down to look at their assailant.
Get her clean first, then take care of the wound. Reed pulled the rest of the fabric down to Lily’s waist, trying to ignore the soft skin revealed underneath. Water washed over her as he tried to take the top off. He pulled it lower, his fingers working around the edges, concentrating on the flesh rather than what part of her body he was touching. He then realized it was the kind of dress a woman had to pull over her head.
Reed looked down again. He couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering. Her breasts were high and small, her nipples pink and erect. Drops of water settled on each areola, shimmering as they grew in size before toppling over, running down the sides of the soft mounds. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath.
“Dress,” he told himself firmly. “Off.”
He gathered her upper body against his bare chest as he worked with the zipper in the back. The damn thing just wasn’t coming off easily. All the while he could feel her slick breasts against him, sliding up and down, as he struggled with the top. He thought of the pink, erect nipples. Not good. His jeans were growing tighter by the second.
He tugged harder and heard the material tear. It came off easily then. He ran a tentative hand over her shoulder, wiping off the red and brown streaks. He caught sight of the bar of soap sitting on the dish nearby. He paused.
This was going to be harder than he thought.
He looked down at Lily again. Oka
y, he could skip soaping the front. She would understand…. The thought made his lips twist in self-mockery. He looked lower and shook his head. Whatever happened to underwear? He could see right through the thin material of her dark panty hose. There were tears here and there, caked with clumps of mud. Those had to come off too.
Water splashed on his head as he leaned forward and hooked his thumb under the material, tugging it downwards. He’d never taken panty hose off a woman before. They didn’t slide off like he’d thought they would. His hand went lower. He closed his eyes and pulled hard. He could feel the clingy material pulling away and felt the bare skin with his knuckles. He patted the area awkwardly.
You can’t get her clean if you don’t open your eyes, Vincenzio. Besides, he had to carry her out of the bathroom sooner or later.
It’s just a human body. He’d seen naked women before. Reed opened his eyes. And wished he hadn’t. He was never going to get out of his jeans in this condition.
CHAPTER 7
Lily had never felt such bone-deep cold before. All she wanted to do was go back to that nice, deep sleep. It’d been the best she’d had in months, the kind of sleep that had no dreams; dreams where she was always running.
Water. She was drowning all over again. She was too exhausted to fight. Maybe that limbo feeling was her dying or something. But the water wasn’t cold like before, it was deliciously hot. She could feel the steam in the air as she breathed. She stirred.
Ouch. “Hurt,” she said.
Someone was holding her very close. She could hear a heartbeat thudding against her ear. She wanted to open her eyes, to investigate, but even that seemed like an impossible task. Her eyelids felt as if there were weights over them.
