Heat of the Moment

by Diana Duncan

  Caught red-handed, they froze in place as two women strolled into the room.

  Chapter 10

  9:00 p.m.

  Liam remained motionless and unblinking while the elderly duo explored. In the enforced stillness, his thoughts wandered to Kate. He’d quashed his raging fury at the demented bastard who was toying with her, and put her and a gravely ill child at risk. Along with hundreds of innocent bystanders. Anger would only cloud his reason. Compromise his effectiveness. Psycho wanted to play? Liam tensed. He would play…hardball.

  He would win this deadly competition.

  Besides, Kate didn’t need his anger. He’d finally breached her icy reserve. She’d let down her guard and admitted her fear. She’d sobbed out her anguish in his arms. She needed his tenderness and understanding. His heartbeat tripped. She’d begun to trust him…and he wouldn’t betray her trust.

  Should he push forward? Or hang back and let her make the tactical decisions? He gritted his teeth. He’d never teetered on an uncertain tightrope over a woman before. Just Kate.

  “Shirley,” the short, plump lady called. “Get a picture of the dog.” She pointed to Murphy, immobile at Liam’s feet.

  “Rin Tin Tin!” The two women walked closer. “Isn’t he realistic, though? I can almost see him breathing.” Peering through thick lenses, Shirley inspected Liam. “Stars and garters! Forget the mutt, Jean. Check out the stud muffin.”

  “What a pretty pirate. I wonder who he’s supposed to be?”

  “The brochure said this was a ‘hands-on’ experience.” Shirley uttered an impish chuckle as she snapped an instant camera. “I wouldn’t mind a handful of that.”

  Liam bit his cheek to contain a snicker. Though the mission would be seriously screwed if they were discovered, the scenario was too ludicrous. Watch those grabby mitts, grandma. Or you’re in for a big surprise.

  Shirley’s attention riveted on the four-poster bed. “My memory isn’t what it used to be, but I sure don’t remember Rhett catching Scarlett doing the mattress mambo with Errol Flynn.”

  “Mercy!” Jean huffed as the women hurried to the display. “What sort of museum is this?”

  Clearly the more urbane of the two, Shirley snapped photos. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, dear.”

  Liam slid a glance sideways at Kate. Her shoulders trembled with suppressed mirth, and bright laughter danced in her eyes. Moisture flooded his eyes with the effort to curb his chuckles. If his brothers heard about this, they’d bust his chops forever.

  Shirley peeked into the next room. “Engelbert Humperdinck! Let’s take pictures of us kissing him! We’ll tell Willa and Bonnie back at Sunset Village that he was the real deal!”

  “Ooh! They’ll be so jealous!” Tittering, the ladies left.

  A whoosh escaped Kate. Giggling, she doubled over. “Ohmigosh! If that woman had grabbed your buns…”

  Letting his chuckles loose felt great. “Manager Snippy would be searching for a defibrillator.” He snapped his fingers at Murphy and glanced around. “It’s too crowded to bypass the door alarms. We’ll have to try a covert exit out the front.”

  People had crammed the museum. Good. More bodies upped the odds of evade and escape. Tourists in Sin City expected spectacle, and nobody paid attention to their period clothing as they wended their way forward. Kate gazed at the canine. “I’m amazed by how still Murphy sat. He didn’t twitch.”

  He gave his partner a fond glance. “Murph knows his stuff. He has to freeze on command, or we could both go kaboom.”

  Yeah, yeah, I’m not just another pretty muzzle. Murphy sniffed. Rin Tin Tin, my tail feathers.

  They cautiously approached the main entrance, and Liam scowled. Probably suspicious after his unusual request, the manager lurked near the front doors. Had Lady Luck gone into a snit tonight? With a head case on the loose and three bombs threatening Vegas, he needed every ounce of good fortune.

  He slid his arm around Kate’s waist, halting her midstride. “Watch for an opportune moment,” he whispered.

  Vibrating with tension, she nodded. Trying to blend, they waited behind the shifting crowd. Eventually, the manager stalked to the far end of the foyer.

  “Go for it.” Arm in arm, they strolled out the doors.

  Just as they reached the archway to the Rialto Bridge, the manager’s nasal shout rang out. “Hey! You two! Come back here!”

  Liam glanced over his shoulder and saw the guy running toward them. “Not in this lifetime, buddy.” He grabbed Kate’s hand. “Time to leave.”

  They zigzagged through the throng, with the manager screeching behind them. “Thieves! I’m calling the cops!”

  “I am the cops,” Liam muttered.

  They hit the moving sidewalk that traveled over the Rialto Bridge. Kate stumbled, and Liam kept her on her feet.

  “You haven’t truly lived until you’ve jogged on a moving sidewalk wearing an antebellum ball gown,” she panted.

  “Pass. Petticoats are itchy.” Worried about Murphy managing the Travellator, he looked to his left. Murph was fine. Hundreds of hours of obstacle course practice had paid off. Murphy loved “chase.” Though usually, the dog was the one in hot pursuit.

  Their eyes met, and the dog gave him a toothy grin. Havin’ some fun now, buddy!

  “Security!” the manager screamed. “Stop those two!”

  “Just like a damn monkey on a cupcake.” Liam towed Kate around knots of openmouthed onlookers. The safety-tipped sword he brandished in his right hand gave slow movers extra incentive to get out of his way. “Can’t shake him loose.”

  He glanced back again and swore as three uniformed security guards joined the chase. “Great! The more, the merrier.”

  Kate looked behind them. “Should we stop and explain?”

  He yanked her along faster. “And they’ll believe us…why? The local precinct will get involved, and we’ll be snafued in red tape for hours. Abby Normal said no publicity.”

  They charged into the second floor of the Venetian Hotel, connected to Madame Tussauds by the bridge. With seconds to spare, they piled into an elevator. Liam punched the button for the main floor. He pivoted Kate to the back wall and blockaded her view of Murphy. Gasping for air in the tight bodice, she didn’t notice that she was in a confined space with the dog.

  Liam’s libido noticed the proximity to Kate. Her chest heaved, and the gown framed a mound of tempting cleavage. The scalding memory of her warm, soft breasts pillowed against his chest surged through his system, and he jerked his gaze to the ceiling. Damned inconvenient time for a lust attack. He whipped the sword against his thigh and focused on the sting. Hellfire, anytime she was in the same hemisphere, he got turned on.

  Thankfully, the descent was fast. The elevator spewed them out into the lobby. Kate pulled his hand. “This way!” Since she seemed set on a destination, he let her take point.

  Moments later, a second elevator pinged, and heavy boots thundered down the marble hallway behind them.

  “In here.” Kate blasted through an unmarked doorway around the corner from the check-in counter.

  Baggage carts littered the room. “Where are we?”

  She indicated a large conveyor belt. “At the entrance to an interior tunnel. It transports patrons’ luggage so that the hallways are not cluttered.” She stabbed a button on the wall, and the belt ground into motion. “All aboard.”

  “Jim!” A man bellowed outside. “Which way did they go?”

  “Murphy, hup!” The dog jumped onto the belt. Gathering Kate into his arms, Liam followed. He barely pulled her prone in time to avoid banging their heads as they chugged past a rubber flap and into the tunnel. The enclosure was about four feet square.

  “Dammit!” A male voice shouted. “They’re not in here. Check the corridor on the other side of the fountain.” A door banged, and then the belt slid them too far into the tunnel to hear.

  Side by side on the moving conveyor, Liam looked at Kate, snug in his embrace. “And a good time w
as had by all.” She laughed, and he hugged her. “How did you know about this?”

  “When my father won the contract to supply the hotel’s cleaning products, the owner invited us for a tour and lunch.” She grinned, and his heart flipped. He’d ensure she had reason to smile more often. “There’s also a gigantic boiler under here. Aubrey was fascinated with everything. It was a fun day.”

  “And happily for us, informative.” He glanced around the rapidly dimming tunnel. “Where does it lead?”

  “To a centrally located area in the basement where the bags are collected and disbursed to individual floors.”

  He stared into her luminous brown eyes, mere inches from his. “This is the second time you’ve come to my rescue today.”

  “Merely returning the favor.” Her shapely mouth curved in a grateful smile. “What would I have done without you today?”

  As they descended into total darkness, the awful truth crashed into him. She would have died.

  Compensating for lack of sight, his other senses sharpened. Painfully aware of the woman in his arms, he knew the instant the realization hit her. She jerked, stiffened. “Without you…” she choked. “The car bomb would have killed me.”

  “But it didn’t.” He urged her closer, delighted when she slid her arms around his neck and nestled into him. Her breath teased his lips, and her summer meadow scent curled around him. “Do you believe in fate?”

  “I—I’m not sure. What exactly do you mean by fate?”

  “I believe that we’re born with a specific amount of time allotted by the Big Guy.” He stroked the dainty contour of her ear, and she shivered. “I have respect, a healthy amount of fear, but I don’t worry over each bomb. It’s either gonna take me out, or it’s not.” He shrugged. “I could get flattened by a bus on the way to pick up Kung Pao chicken for Murphy.”

  “We were brought together today as part of a higher plan?”

  “Not just today. Maybe it all started two years ago. Because your number’s not up. We have places to go. A mission to complete.” As the conveyor chugged along, Liam traced her collarbone with his fingertips. His palm grazed the enticing swell of her breasts bared by the gown. Her breath hitched, and his body tightened. You’re skating on dangerous ice, boyo. Yet he couldn’t stop touching her. “We have psycho butt to kick.”

  “I wish I had your unwavering faith, Liam.”

  “Faith is merely the ability to trust in what you can’t see. I do it every day. So do you.” He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. Her fragrant skin was as soft and delicate as a flower petal. “Most people don’t have the fortitude to pick up the pieces after a disaster like you’ve suffered.”

  “I’m not anyone special.” Her voice wobbled. “I did what I had to. I go one day at a time, and don’t expect too much.”

  “Don’t shortchange yourself.” Inhaling her essence, he gave in to the temptation to cruise his lips down her slender throat. Was gratified when she trembled with need beneath his mouth. The same need that shook his very existence. “Life goes by fast, Just Kate,” he whispered, nipping the sensitive cord where her neck joined her shoulder. “Live every moment to the hilt.”

  She arched beneath his questing lips. Her reply was a breathless gasp. “I don’t know how.”

  “I do.” Her fevered response to his touch hit him with a double whammy of dizzying power and fierce protectiveness. He longed to tuck her away in an ivory tower and keep her safe forever. He longed to strip off her clothes and bury himself in her heat, to thrust into her until she shuddered in completion beneath him. Until she cried out his name in surrender.

  He submitted to his craving and captured her sweet lips. They parted on a low moan, and he sank into the hot silk of her mouth. Desire exploded, and the flash fire incinerated rational thought. He skimmed a hand down her spine, cupped her bottom. She rocked her hips against him, and he groaned.

  She scrambled his circuits. Fired his blood. Made him ache with blazing need.

  He pressed his lips to the swell of her breasts. She gasped as his tongue delved, feasted on her sweetness. His words ground out husky with passion. “You have on too many clothes.” Engulfed in a white-hot haze, he struggled with the laces on the back of her dress. They tangled, and he groaned again. “No wonder those dudes in tights carried big-ass swords.”

  “Liam!” She murmured a shaky but insistent plea.

  “I know, honey.” He yanked at the knots. “I’ll get it undone if I have to use my teeth.”

  All he could think about was having her. Possessing her. Gifting her with such staggering pleasure that she wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or see.

  He yearned to bind her to him body and soul…so she would never leave him.

  She tried to speak again, but he stole her mouth, stroking his tongue against hers. He loved the way she felt, the way she tasted. The way she smelled. The way her lush curves cradled his hard angles. Loved how her body melded into his as if she were made for him. He loved her intelligence and courage and her loyalty to her undeserving family. He loved her artistic talent. Loved the quick, snarky wit she hid from the rest of the world.

  Realization roared in his head, striking him deaf, blind and senseless. Shaking, he broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck. He couldn’t breathe. His heart pounded so hard it threatened to burst from his chest.

  He loved her.

  Kate was his soul mate.

  Pain tore his heart. And if she chose to walk away from him after this was over, he could not make her stay. Confronted by his worst fear, he swallowed a bitter lump of anguish.

  All too soon, he might be forced to let go of everything he was so afraid to lose.

  “Liam!” Kate said insistently into his ear. “We’re at the end of the line.”

  Tell me something I don’t know.

  “Hey!” She tugged on his hair. “What’s wrong with you?”

  The sting jerked him back to reality. He looked up and saw a large room piled with luggage. The conveyor belt had spilled him and Kate halfway out onto a platform and then stopped. He had to try twice before he could speak. “Hellfire.” He scrubbed a trembling hand over his jaw. “I’ve lost my freaking mind.”

  “It’s okay. You had company.” Her breathing was ragged, and she was quivering. She gave him a crooked smile. “We both got carried away. Again. Sheathe your sword, Ace.”

  Pull it together, boyo. Or your ass is grass, and Stalker Boy will be the lawnmower. He fell back on humor, his Kevlar shield against life’s ambushes. “Don’t invite a guy to sheathe his sword unless you’re willing to accept the consequences.”

  Laughing, she sat up and attempted to smooth her tousled hair. Her gaze flew past him, and her chuckles died. “Um…is Murphy doing what I think he’s doing?”

  Murphy had exited the conveyor ahead of them. Sitting as rigid as a statue, the dog stared at the opening from which they’d just emerged. His nose was pointed, his ears stiff.

  The hair on the back of Liam’s neck prickled. Crap! The dog’s shrewd gaze connected with his. Lucky for you, partner, while you were nuzzling your female, I was on the job.

  “Kate, don’t move.” On his back, Liam slid past the rubber flap and into the tunnel. He glanced up at the roof and swore.

  He eased out and stared at Kate’s stricken face, and forced his tone to convey steadiness he didn’t feel. If she panicked, they were dead. “You want the good news or the bad news?”

  “G-good.”

  “We just found a bomb.”

  “That’s good?”

  “This one doesn’t fit the pattern. Stalker Boy planted his earlier bombs in public arenas. This is his ace in the hole…he didn’t expect us to find it. The cocky SOB thinks we’re following his clues to Treasure Island. Now I have a chance to disarm the device before he’s aware we’ve located it.”

  “Wonderful.” She gulped. “What’s the bad news?”

  “We’re next to the boiler.” He inhaled deeply as the pressing weight of hun
dreds of lives settled on his shoulders. “If this puppy blows, it’s gonna wipe out the entire block.”

  Horror assaulted Kate, and the room whirled. “Should we evacuate the hotel and casino?”

  He shook his head. “If Psycho sees a mass exodus, he’ll detonate. There won’t be time to get everyone to safety.”

  “All right.” Clinging to his steadfast green gaze, she drew a fortifying breath. “What do you want me to do?”

  Liam slowly rose from the conveyor belt and patted Murphy. “Good boy. You did good, Murph. Stand down.” The dog’s vigilant posture relaxed, and he licked Liam’s hand.

  Liam tugged a Swiss Army knife from his pants pocket. “Search the bags, find a light.” He strode to the door. “Duct tape, wire strippers and a blast suit would be handy, too.”

  “Right.” She unzipped a suitcase. “What are you doing?”

  “Jamming the door lock against unexpected company.”

  “What if we have to get out in a hurry?”

  “If that scenario arises, we’re already screwed.”

  For the second time that day, she looked into the spectral mirror of imminent death, and didn’t like the reflection. She’d indulged in far too few pleasures. Had far too many regrets.

  She’d spent so much precious time living in fear.

  He returned to the tunnel, while she rifled through strangers’ luggage. “Jackpot!” She set aside a stack of paperbacks on how to win at games of chance. “A book light.”

  “Great.” His voice was muffled. Bring it.”

  “One more bag.” She dug deep. “Hey. Duct tape!” She dumped out an eye-opening assortment. “You don’t even want to know what else I found. But if you need batteries, we’re loaded.”

  He laughed. “Sin City.”

  She carried the book light and roll of tape to the tunnel entrance. “Here’s the stuff.”

  “Climb in with me. I need extra hands.” His arm reached out to guide her. “Slide in on your back. Don’t touch the walls.”

  Doubt taunted her. “I only have one hand to lend.”

  “I can’t do it without you.” His taut declaration hummed with significance, which she didn’t have time to analyze.