Simultaneously, Tamara whacked Alain with the poker from the fireplace, and the gun flew out of his hand. He used the poker to flip her onto the floor, and she grabbed for the gun. I went for my shoe, my weapon of choice. I caught her in the temple, and she was down and out.
Alain had rebounded and found a gun by now, but he looked impressed. He grabbed me and led me to cover behind a massive couch. He went back to work.
I peered around to see Eduardo in the process of kicking the shit out of the shaved-head guy, and then he was down with a thud. Becky was wedged under an overturned upholstered chair, crying into a pillow.
It was suddenly silent. At least I think it was silent—my ears were ringing from all the noise.
“Stay here,” Alain said, and he went to check for more bad guys.
Jimmy descended the stairs dragging a handcuffed Felix, the cameraman, by the collar, his gun still drawn. He dumped the guy on the floor in the parlor, and said the second floor was secure.
As he headed toward Becky, he stepped over the headless body. “Nice job with the Katana, Lambrecht. How’d ya hide that in your pants?”
Our secret agents thought that was funny. As I watched him track blood on the rug, I almost puked.
He lifted the chair off Becky and tried to comfort her. She wasn’t used to all this secret agent shit.
David seemed fine except that he was covered in blood. It looked like he was checking his handiwork as he examined all the bad guys draped all over the place, removing weapons from the bodies. I heard him say something about it being all clear, and Alain lifted Tamara from the floor like a piece of spaghetti. She was coming to, and he slapped handcuffs on her and sat her on a chair.
She glared across the room at David and yelled, “I’ll see you burn in hell, Lambrecht.”
Now there’s a line I’ve heard before, from David’s father-in-law, George Aldridge, no less. David just wiped the blood from his face and gave her that sarcastic little lip curl. Tamara would have to get in line.
Chapter Sixteen
It turned out that once those secret agents create that havoc and pile of bodies everywhere, they have a whole other group that comes in to clean up the mess. Very handy.
I wasn’t much sturdier than spaghetti myself when Alain hauled me up from behind the couch. He kissed me on the forehead, which could have been dangerous, since I had pulverized glass stuck all over me. “Excellent job, Agent Glori.”
“That’s President Glori to you, Darlin’.”
He smiled that sexy smug smile he has, and that did it, my legs gave out. He carried me to his car and sat me in the passenger seat.
“I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“No. No.” I flailed my arm. “I just want to go back to the hotel. I’m fine. Please, Alain.”
“Okay.”
We drove off after deciding that Jimmy would take Becky to the hospital. She seemed okay, just shaken up and sort of hysterical. What would you expect?
I was happy the Ross Hotel had a private entrance and elevator for us. I looked like shit, and the last thing I needed would be paparazzi snapping pictures.
He didn’t say a word, and I didn’t protest when he brought me directly into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes and his, and placed me in the shower with him. He propped me up and silently washed the glass and dust and blood off both of us.
My mind was overwhelmed. I let the tears flow. I didn’t care. I focused on the mess of a bruise where Tamara had hit him with the poker. I marveled to myself at how it could be just a bad bruise and not a broken bone or something.
He lathered my hair with shampoo and massaged my scalp with such a heavenly touch; I thought I’d slide to the floor. After he rinsed the suds away, I mumbled something about conditioner. Yeah, I know I’d just been kidnapped and almost murdered, but some things are just ingrained in me. Never shampoo without conditioner. He obliged.
That job done, he rubbed me down with a huge soft towel, and I thought I was in paradise. As he leaned down a bit, I kissed him on the mouth. Before I really could comprehend what I’d done, his tongue was in my mouth and we were on my bed.
I was so drained, I used whatever was left of me to focus, and I felt like I melted right into him.
It was sweet, and it was wonderful, and it was all night long. We’d drift off to sleep still entwined, and I’d wake up to his kisses. I never wanted it to end. But it did.
***
I half-opened my eyes to see him go through the door to his “adjacent” room, and listened to the sounds of him finding his clothes and getting dressed. I felt like I’d dissolved in the bed. When he poked his head through the door, it was all I could do to sit up and face him.
“I have some business to take care of. Are you going to be in California for a while? I’ll get Eduardo to take care of you.”
I felt hot tears well up. Why did he have to do this? Just when I was beginning to have a glimmer of hope.
Damn it. I could be as cavalier and thoughtless and hard as he was. I was an actress after all.
“No need. It’s over now. I’m sure Eduardo wants to get home.”
He gave me that “you still haven’t answered my question” look.
“Okay. Okay, I haven’t decided how long I’m going to stay here. I need to check on Becky.”
“All right.” He came over and kissed the top of my head. “Don’t leave the hotel until you hear from one of us. I mean it, Glori.” He turned and went back to his room, shutting the door behind him. I heard him shut the door and then those damn tears let loose.
***
My phone rang incessantly, but I couldn’t be bothered to pick it up. I was exhausted and crying, and I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I knew the guys would let everyone know I was okay. At least physically.
I finally cried myself to sleep underneath my pillow. I’m not sure if it was Jimmy’s voice, or the fact that I was about to asphyxiate myself, but I woke up to him slamming on my door.
“Just a minute.” I jumped into my sweats and threw cold water on my face. I opened the door and greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Jimmy looked to be in excellent health—just some scratches on his face and hands. He wore jeans and a tee shirt. “You okay?”
“Fine, hon. Just tired.” I looked him up and down.
He gave me his shy grin.
“Okay, so where do you keep the guns when you have regular clothes on?” I hardly ever saw him wearing something other than fatigues.
He took a seat and patted his ankle.
“Oh. Alain always insists on wearing a jacket, no matter how hot it gets. Anyway, you look great. Violence suits you, I guess.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
We both chuckled.
I couldn’t resist. “Was it just me, or was David actually having fun in there last night?”
“He really gets into his work.”
“I’d say so. Can’t wait for the DVD.”
Jimmy guffawed. “You’ll be waitin’ a mighty long time.”
“But seriously, Jimmy, how do just four guys beat thirty-four?”
“Teamwork.”
“Cool.” I thought about the teamwork we had with Glori Cosmetics and now with my swimwear line, and partner-in-shoes, Becky.
I found some orange juice in the fridge, and we shared it. “Hon, I need to go check on Becky. Do you know if she’s home?”
“Yeah, and she’s gonna be fine—just shaken up, that’s all. You need to talk to everyone at home. They’re all callin’ and wonderin’ why you didn’t check in. And Aubrey has something she wants to ask you.”
The juice almost slipped back out of my mouth. “What about Aubrey?”
Jimmy actually blushed. How could he blow some guy away one minute and shyly blush about Aubrey the next?
“She said yes, when I asked her to marry me.”
I jumped up and hugged him. I was genuinely thrilled for both of them, and proud that I helped them see they
really were meant for each other. “Congratulations. That’s so cool. When’s the wedding?”
“She wants to make it sometime in June.”
***
Jimmy gave me the news that I needed to be “interviewed” by the powers-that-be in the secret agent world.
I fell onto the bed. “I suppose that’s gonna be pretty much the fun time we had the day I first met you, huh?”
He nodded. “Pretty much.”
“And Becky?”
“She’s all set. They came to the hospital to talk to her. She’s fine, and she’s home. I can take you over there when we’re finished.”
He waited in front of the TV while I got ready in the bathroom. I noticed that Alain had taken care of the mess of bloody clothes we’d made. Where they went, I had no idea.
When I returned to Jimmy, the news stations were still non-stop about the incident at the Everett estate. No one knew yet about Senator Everett being a drug trafficker, but I figured it probably wouldn’t be long before it leaked somehow. Sure enough, Jimmy told me Amanda James, our favorite reporter, had contacted General Pearson.
We drove through a media circus waiting at the gates of the Ross Hotel, and ended up at that same old base where Agent Jimmy Hollinger interviewed me the day Cindy and I were attacked, and Alain and Raphael came to our aid. It seemed like an eternity since that day.
Jimmy escorted me to a different conference room this time. David and Eduardo stood in conversation with two men in uniforms. After the introductions, they sat me down with the glass of ice water I’d ordered, and Colonel Somebody asked me to tell the whole story.
I really wanted to be helpful and all, but I was tired, and still upset over everything I’d been through. So I decided to give them a brief summary. “Hon—I mean, Colonel—it just boiled down to a love triangle.”
After the guy got over the “hon” thing, he smiled at me, and asked me to continue. He seemed intrigued with the love triangle idea. I wanted to wrap this up and leave.
I saw the twinkle in Eduardo’s eye, and it gave me the inspiration to go on. “Senator Everett was a crook. His teenaged daughter Tamara had a crush on Colonel Johnson, and he was a crook. Then as time went on, she found some guy she called ‘Z’—the greatest assassin the world has ever known. He was the love of her life, but Colonel Johnson still had feelings for her. So I figure Colonel Johnson wanted to get rid of Senator Everett and continue his trafficking business with Tamara. Plus, he needed to get rid of this new guy Z. Perfect. Get Cupid to get rid of Senator Everett. Then pretend to want revenge on Cupid, cuz he killed his girlfriend’s dad. Send Z to Carmel to kill Cupid. Oops. Cupid kills Z. So now, Cupid is the world’s greatest assassin, and Colonel Johnson is happy cuz Z is out of the way. He’s free to pursue Tamara. And she focuses on getting rid of Cupid, with the Colonel’s continued support. Until the Colonel ends up dead. But you know that story.”
“That’s well thought out Miss Coulson,” Colonel Somebody said.
“Thanks. Am I dismissed now?”
“Are there any characters you’re leaving out of the story?”
I rolled my eyes heavenward. “Albert Santoro—major drug dealer and business associate of Colonel Johnson and Tamara Everett. You probably know more than I do about that. Senator Everett hated the guy. Tamara and the Colonel found him useful.”
Colonel Somebody nodded.
I took a breath. “Oh! Agent Gilbert. Agent Gilbert had a fling with Tamara. It pissed Colonel Johnson off, so he killed Gilbert. But first, Gilbert told Tamara about the existence of Cupid. She didn’t know Cupid was David until later.” I sighed. “I don’t know anything else. But if I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you, Miss Coulson. You’ve been a great help. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
“No, I’m tired, hon. I need to get going.”
As the Colonel started chuckling, I remembered I called him hon again. I reached for Jimmy’s hand, and he helped me out of there.
David and Eduardo caught up to us at the elevators and thanked me for a job well done. I had hugs from three of my favorite secret agents.
***
Jimmy drove me to Becky’s place in West Hollywood. When we got inside, she thanked Jimmy again for helping her the night before and for arranging the guards to keep her safe from the wacko paparazzi. She looked pretty good for someone who just went through hell.
Then I made her take me to the shoes we were trying to get to on Saturday night. That perked both of us up, and we ended up giggling and raving over every pair. Jimmy shook his head as he watched us from the doorway.
We agreed on the styles we wanted to introduce first, and modeled them for Jimmy, just to make sure. Yeah, once the shoes were on us, he appreciated them a whole heck of a lot more.
Becky told me I didn’t need to personally meet with these production people if I didn’t want to. We were both pretty exhausted. So I asked her to go ahead with what we had. I trusted her to do a great job.
***
On the way back to the Ross Hotel, Eduardo called to invite us to dinner. I told Jimmy I was too tired, and when he relayed the message, Eduardo “ordered” me to join them. He said I hadn’t eaten anything in who-knows-how-long. I needed to eat something. It was nice that someone cared.
I let out an automatic sigh. “Alain won’t be there, will he?”
“No,” Jimmy said. “He had to leave town.” He gave me his sad puppy dog look. Then he had the good sense to change the subject.
When we got to their suite, we found the two of them sprawled everywhere drinking beer. The tantalizing smell of pizza drew me in. I suddenly realized I was hungry.
I plopped myself into the inch of space on the couch beside David, as Eduardo offered me a beer. I smiled a weary smile up at him. “Hon, I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since that infamous Pentobarbital incident. No thanks. I’m probably better off keeping what few wits I have left about me. At least I think that’s how the saying goes.” They all thought I was cute and funny, and Jimmy found me some mineral water.
I used David’s knee to push myself up and to the pizza boxes, neatly piled on the coffee table. “I am starving, though.” I pried open the smaller box on top.
Eduardo motioned to me. “Don’t bother, that’s vegetable, the double cheese and meatball is on the bottom.”
Jimmy came from out of nowhere to snatch the huge box and instantaneously made two plates full, offering one to me as I sat cradling the small box.
I lifted one eyebrow. “Can’t I have vegetable?”
He looked at me like I was nuts. “Vegetable pizza?”
David put down his beer and offered me an empty plate. “It’s nice to see there’s another normal person here.”
That’s when we all lost it.
***
After our little pizza party, David got up to check in on his wife. I made a well-timed trip to the restroom and intercepted him as he clicked off his phone and appeared in the open doorway to his room.
“So with three little ones, I’m not surprised she was awake at six in the morning.”
David actually smiled. “That’s sleeping in these days.”
“I need to ask you a question, hon.”
“Okay.”
“Did Debbie come in contact with this Z character in Carmel?”
“Why do you ask?”
I exhaled a long breath. “Because my friend Debbie wouldn’t have been able to handle that. She’s not that strong.”
“You’d be surprised.” David often had a certain look in his eye when he was around his beloved wife. And that same look was there now.
“Wow.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. My eyes clouded. “So now I know why you’re the greatest assassin in the world. You had some real motivation that day. An angel to protect.”
“It was the grace of God.” The way he sounded, this revelation was news to him too.
The look on his face—I’ve never seen it before or si
nce. David was a changed man. I guess Cat the Prayer Warrior won that battle.
I looked him in the eye. “Yeah. The grace of God. The prayers of a tiny little prayer warrior, and an angel for a wife. Like I said—now I know why you’re the greatest assassin in the world.”
I was right, and he knew it.
***
That night, when I returned to my room, General Pearson called and begged me to come back to Salzburg with the guys. Before I could let out a protest, he informed me Alain was not due back until sometime in October. Pearson must have been desperate. That was more information than he’d ever given me about one of his missions.
He said they’d be shorthanded without Alain, and I guess all the little secret agent wannabes were backing up the schedule. So it was “imperative” that David, Eduardo, and Jimmy get home and get to work. Meanwhile, he didn’t feel “comfortable” with me here in California with just any old bodyguard.
Yeah, what the General didn’t say was he didn’t want to see what I’d get myself into next. And when I thought about it, did I really want to be blamed for leaking news about the crooked Senator, or stumbling into some other disaster? So I called Cin and told her I’d be coming home, and I thought she’d leap through the phone lines she was so excited.
The next day, my three heroes and I were on a series of military planes zigzagging around the globe all the way to Salzburg. Talk about a slow boat to China. I was proud of myself, though. I used the time to write out my plans for the Christina Fund. Cat and Cisco would be impressed.
***
The whole family was waiting for us at David’s house, and we had such a great welcome home. I felt like my heart was full. And that was unusual for me.
Of course, David grabbed hold of his wife and was not going to let go. Eduardo and Nita left in a hurry—like we had no idea where they were going. Aubrey squeezed me, she was so excited to see me, and then she asked me to be her maid of honor. She kept telling me what a great friend I was, until I cried; I was so happy for them.
In the Name of Glori (The Redemption Series: Book 3) Page 20
