by Lexi Blake
“Kayla, I don’t think we’re alone out here. We need to move. We’ve got no cover,” a deep voice said from behind him.
“Who the fuck is that?” Had the whole damn club come out to witness his humiliation?
She started to put an arm under his. “It’s Riley. I would have taken Dec or Shane with me, but you gave them the night off. I wonder why. You thought I would be easier to get away from? I saw you sneaking out and Riley was the only one close. He wouldn’t let me take his Jeep alone and you took the keys to the car. Though I noted you didn’t take the car. I suspect Jared’s in on this. Whatever this is.”
This was about to become a clusterfuck of a situation. Not only was she out here in the middle of the fucking night, but she’d brought Riley Blade with her?
“Leave right now,” he commanded. “Go back the way you came and maybe I’ll think about not firing you and everyone from your firm. I’ll think about not calling your boss and telling him he’ll never get another job in this town again.”
“You do that. I would love to see you take on Big Tag,” she insisted as she managed to get him to his feet. “And he would fire me for letting my client get killed by a rattlesnake. Want to explain why we’re hiking this super-scary canyon at night?”
“If you want a little night hike, might I suggest the trail that leads to Griffith Observatory,” Riley supplied helpfully. “How’s that ankle? You took that fall hard.”
He hated the fact the other man had watched him go down. Hated even more that he’d been the one to bring Kay out. “I’d like to know what you’re doing with my sub.”
“If I hadn’t given her a ride, she would have found another way,” Riley explained. “Did you want her up here alone?”
He got a good look at the other Dom. Riley Blade looked long and lean against the moonlight. Dangerous, and he looked mighty comfy with that big.40 in his hand. “I didn’t want her to come at all. Now get her out of here.”
Kayla stood at his side. “I’m not going anywhere, Josh. You’re hurt. You can barely walk.”
“I’ll manage. Now get the fuck out of here and take your boyfriend with you.”
A low groan split the silence. “Don’t go sulky child on me now, Josh. I told you why he’s with me. If anyone should be pissed it’s me. You have a girlfriend out here? You meeting her for a quickie?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t…” Fuck. This was not the time for a goddamn relationship discussion. It was certainly not the time to realize he was an asshole for being jealous when she’d never once given him a reason to be. Maybe he was handling this wrong. He was being aggressive and Kay responded to something else. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Baby, I need you to let me do this. Please. Let Riley take you back to the parking lot and I’ll meet you there. It’s important to me.”
She looked up and was about to speak when another sound split the air.
Gunfire. His time had just run out.
* * * *
Kayla heard the sound and pushed Josh down, rolling his big body to her left where the trail slid down. God, she hoped they weren’t rolling into the canyon to their deaths, but she had to take the chance. Her back bumped into the trunk of a tree after they’d rolled through some truly thorny bushes. Pain flashed through her as Josh’s full weight landed against her.
“Are you okay?” Josh’s voice was a whisper.
They were in the wrong position. “Yeah, but I need to get in front of you.”
“Absolutely fucking not. She’s shooting at you. She doesn’t want to kill me.”
“She? Who’s out there?” And where had Riley gotten off to? She’d seen him moving before she’d jumped on Josh. “What does she want?”
Instead of the answers she wanted, a cell phone trilled and Josh cursed.
He shoved his hand into his pocket and brought the phone to his ear. “I did not invite her along.”
Though the phone was to his ear, she was close enough she could hear an eerie robotic voice over the line. “You know what happens when you disobey, Joshua.”
A chill went through her. This wasn’t something Josh wanted. This wasn’t some business he was trying to hide from the press. He was in trouble, the kind that had him doing near suicidal stuff like jogging through the canyon at midnight.
“I wasn’t trying to. I was doing exactly what you asked and I got waylaid by a fucking rattlesnake,” Josh growled into the phone. “If Kay hadn’t come along, I would have died and then where would you get your cash? Because I assure you there’s no way you’re named in my will.”
There was silence for a moment. “I would have handled it. I’m not a bad shot myself. Get rid of your friends and complete the transaction or I’ll take them out one by one and you’ll still give me what I want.”
“I won’t,” he replied quickly. “You hurt her and I swear you won’t see another dime out of me. You hurt her and you better kill me because I won’t care about anything else. I’ll spend every dime I’ve got tracking you down and making your life even more miserable than you’ve made mine. Or you can let me make the drop and get the fuck out of here.”
“Send the girl.”
Oh, the girl was so ready to be sent. The girl was ready to meet whoever this bitch was and show her exactly how the girl handled threats to her man.
“No.” Josh’s tone had gone completely flat.
“Let me go,” Kay said.
His eyes found hers and she shivered at the anger she saw there. She’d known he would be pissed. When she’d seen him fall, heard that damn snake rattle, she’d known the game was up and she would have to scramble to save her job. She hadn’t hesitated. There had been no mental list of pros and cons, not a thought in her head about the mission. All she’d cared about was saving Josh.
That voice came over the line again. How many times had Josh heard it? How many of these “missions” had she sent him on?
“Send the girl, Joshua,” the voice over the phone said. “Give her the key and send her. You won’t make it. She can. And if you don’t do it quickly, I’ll kill the man first. You don’t care about him, right? I’ve got a nice line of sight and I can take him out with a headshot, no problem. I’ll do it simply because I’m irritated.”
Riley? Where was he? She tried to look around, but Josh had her pinned and in this case, her experience was nothing compared to his sheer weight and strength.
She needed to make him understand. She couldn’t let Riley get killed. “Please, Josh. Let me do it. I don’t think you can make it down that path. Your ankle might not be too bad, but that’s uneven ground. What happens if you roll it again? You won’t be able to make it back up. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Those eyes of his were black in the dark, as black as the night, with only the whites of his eyes holding any color at all. He wasn’t her lover in that moment. He wasn’t her client or even her friend. He was her Dom and he was pissed.
He was in a corner, and she got the feeling it wasn’t going to go well for her when he found his way out.
He forced himself to sit up, the phone still at his ear. “You hurt her and you heard what I said.”
Kayla winced at the pain in her back. Now she couldn’t hear what was said from the other side. He’d moved, obviously unconcerned about whoever was out there. She glanced down and was happy for the tree she’d nearly broken her back on. If it hadn’t been there, they would have kept rolling and rolling, right down to the bottom.
“Then shoot me fucking now because I’m done with you. Do your worst,” Josh was saying.
She was silent, allowing him to deal as much as he could. It was apparent to her what the outcome was going to be. He winced every time he tried to move that right foot. He might be able to make it back to the parking lot, but it wouldn’t be without help. There was zero chance he could maneuver further into the canyon. Not on his own.
He needed her. He might not want to. It might enrage him, but he needed her.
After a moment Josh sighed and hu
ng up. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a small box. “You will take this down the trail. Stay on the east bank of the stream and you’ll come to some ruins. Go up the steps and turn north. There’s a shrine there. Put this box in the offering dish.”
That sounded super freaky. She took the box and got to her feet. “Okay. I’ll be quick.”
His hand closed around her wrist. “Do not look for her. She will kill you if she gets the chance. You have to leave the gun behind.”
“I don’t need a gun to take care of her.” She wanted to get whoever the hell was on the other end of that line in some hand to hand. She would make it last and that bitch would go down slow.
“Don’t you dare,” he said. “Do everything she tells you. I know you don’t give a shit that I’m the boss, but if you don’t do this and do it right, my career will be in the toilet. I will lose everything if you don’t give her what she wants.”
She hated the slight tremble in his voice, loathed how he struggled to stand. He was always strong, stalwart, and this weakness killed her. She tried to help him up, but he pushed her hand away.
“Don’t touch me right now.” His voice was low. He was a wounded animal, and those were the most dangerous kind. “You wanted to follow me and find out what I’m doing. Here’s your chance. That’s my whole future in your hands.”
But she had to wonder if it wasn’t really his past in her hands. This felt like blackmail, his desperation familiar to her. He had a secret. She understood what it meant to have a secret that could ruin not only her future, but end her life. What had Josh done or been through that could possibly be bad enough he was willing to pay blackmail?
She’d been so sure of him. Was he working for a drug dealer? That would do the trick. If someone had found that connection, it could ruin his career.
She couldn’t think about that now. Later, she would take out the information and carefully consider it, like a box to open and explore. For now, she had a mission. “I’m going. I’ll be right back and we’ll get you out of here. And Josh, I was only trying to do my job.”
“Your job is to do what I tell you to do,” he replied, the chill in his voice nearly making her shiver. “Don’t think this fight is done just because I give in on one front.”
She nodded and turned, catching sight of Riley. “You watch after him.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Josh’s gaze found Riley and she knew there would be trouble on that front as well.
Another problem for another day. She needed to get the job done and figure out a way to deal with Josh.
She couldn’t get kicked out. Not now. They were close to getting where they needed to go, and tonight had merely proven that Josh was in way over his head. Hell, he didn’t even know what kind of waters he was swimming in, much less that there were sharks circling. He thought this was his real problem.
Kay moved over the uneven ground, her natural grace allowing her to go quickly down the path. She found the stream, banking to the east. Certainly during the day, this was a kind of haven, but as she moved through at night, her flashlight picking up the flare of eyes watching her from scrub and bush, she couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t a place for her kind. Humans. At night this was a foreign world and she was the interloper. Something howled in the distance and she hurried the fuck up. There they were, the stairs she’d been told to find. They rose from the ground, a piece of humanity that had zero place out here.
Moonlight cast shadows around the small shrine. Built of roughhewn rocks, the semicircular shrine looked oddly at home in the canyon. In the deep gloom, she could see the statue of the Virgin Mary on her pedestal. The white rock she was sculpted from shone against the moonlight, giving the place an eerie glow. There was a smaller, kneeling statuary to her left, and a circular offering bowl that looked to be filled with pinecones.
At least it wasn’t something bloodier. With a long breath, she approached the shrine.
Yep, she’d feel better with a gun in her hand. And a couple of grenades. Maybe a flamethrower. Damn, but she missed flamethrowers. She was really more of an urban spy. She hated the fact that everything made sounds out here. Her boots crunched across the path despite the fact that she was trying to walk as quietly as possible. Wasn’t happening out here.
“It puts the lotion in the basket,” an electronically modified voice said.
Good to know someone had a sense of humor. And a working knowledge of pop culture. Kayla placed the packet Josh had given to her on the bed of pinecones. “Okay, Lecter, your move. You going to shoot me or let me get my boy out of here?”
“Your boy? That’s a little arrogant of you, don’t you think?”
Where was it coming from? The voice was low, but it seemed to come at her from every direction, the sound bouncing around and confusing her senses. “I’m the one taking care of him.”
“You’ve known him for a whole ten minutes. And by know I mean that in the biblical sense. You’ve spread your legs for him but you have no idea who he is. You have no idea the things he’s done.”
“I don’t care. I’m his bodyguard and yeah, I sleep with him because he’s really good at it, but that’s the extent of our relationship. So make your decision. Do I go or do you want to throw down right here?” She closed her eyes. It wasn’t like she could see much anyway.
“You’re a violent thing, aren’t you?” that voice asked. “You think you can solve everything with a bullet, but I’m more subtle than that. Smarter. I think I’ll forego the fight today, but don’t think this is over. If you stay with him for any amount of time, you’ll deal with me.”
“And you are? I would love a formal introduction.”
“I bet you would.” The voice sounded eerily amused. “Again, I believe I’ll forego that. The question now is how do I ensure you leave? I think you might enjoy staying here and trying to catch a glimpse of me.”
“Nope. I’m ready to head out. Not for nature.” Kay still couldn’t figure out where that voice was coming from, what direction to defend.
“I think you might hang around, or that friend of yours might. He looks a bit dangerous, like he’s had some training that goes beyond Hollywood. No, I think it’s good that I brought some friends along, too. Get out of here or I’ll have one of my snipers blow Josh’s head off. If you’re not in the parking lot in ten minutes, Josh is dead,” the voice pronounced.
“Why would…”
“Your time starts now,” the voice insisted.
Kayla took off, her boots pounding along the path. Sure enough, when she made it back to Josh, there was a laser painted on his chest. And another had a bead on Riley. Josh stared down at the red dot and she saw the moment Riley got the picture, too.
“She’s got at least two shooters on us,” Kay shouted. “Riley, pick him up. We’ve got ten minutes or they fire.”
Josh grunted as Riley tossed him over his shoulder.
Kay started to reach for her gun.
The dirt two inches from her hand exploded.
So whoever was out there was damn good and wanted her unarmed. Fuck. “Let’s move. I’ll take the front and light the way. We can’t stop so if we come up against momma mountain lion, expect a fight.”
“Lead the way,” Riley said.
She started back up the path, praying all along that Josh was worth more to that bitch alive than he was dead. Because if he wasn’t, she feared they were all in trouble.
They jogged along, Josh arguing quietly that he could walk and she and Riley ignoring him entirely. She breathed a bit when they reached a patch of trees. She glanced back and those red lasers that had been following them were gone.
“She’s not going to kill me,” Josh said. “She wanted to get you away from the drop site. That’s all. She’s long gone now.”
“I’m not taking the chance. We’re not stopping until we get back to the club. Then we’re getting in the car and we’re going home. When we’re at home, you can decide if you want to fire me o
r give me a heads-up the next time you decide to try to kill yourself.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, she knew that wasn’t the way to handle Josh, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
He’d almost died. If that damn snake had gotten him, he could have died out there. He wouldn’t have been able to walk, and even if he’d been smart enough to call her, she might not have made it in time. She would have raced out and found his big body growing cold on the trail.
Anger flared now but she tamped it down as they made it to the steps that led back to the parking lot. She put a hand out, stopping Riley. If someone was going to jump them, this would be the place to do it. The lot was dark and they could come at her from all sides.
And she’d lost her fucking favorite SIG. Agnes. She and Agnes had been together for a long time, and now she was likely getting a rubdown from a rattlesnake. Some asshole would find it on the trail and she would have questions to answer because that sucker was registered.
“Are you still carrying?” She moved to the side of the steps as Riley came down, showing no sign that he was bothered by Josh’s weight. Big Tag kept his men in shape.
“Reach into my right boot. There’s a semi in there.” He stopped, allowing her to pull the small gun free.
“You keep a gun in your boot?” Josh was squirming, trying to look around. “There are no weapons allowed in The Reef.”
“I keep it in my Jeep. I actually do quite a bit of hiking. And it’s all legal. I can show you my license to carry,” Riley replied.
Shit, she might have blown his cover, too.
There was a beeping sound as Riley unlocked the Jeep and then tossed her the keys. “I’ll get him in the back. You start up the Jeep and get us out of here.”
“I have to get the motorcycle. Jared’s motorcycle,” Josh insisted.
“He can get it later.” She wasn’t going to split them up. Besides, Jared should understand there was a price when he lied to her.
She moved around the edge of the lot, ensuring the way was clear. She winced when she walked by Jared’s bike. It had been pushed over and she could see where someone had viciously slashed the tires. “They got to the bike. Let’s hope they left us a way out.”
