Heat of the Moment

by Diana Duncan

  Kate’s fondness for chocolate was no secret. “Have you followed her, checked up on her?” He dealt out the photos Kate had taken from the hospital, showing the blurred silhouette of a man with long blond hair lurking in an alleyway. “Is this you?”

  “Why do you ask this?” Blond brows knitted, and then he gasped. “Someone is stalking Katherine?” Bristling, he leaped up. “And you think it is me? Her devoted admirer and friend!”

  “Sit.” Liam leaned across the table. The kid was sharp. And his shock and anger genuine. Despite the evidence, Liam’s gut believed him. Those instincts had kept him—and a lot of other people—alive through numerous bomb diffusals. “Has she had a disagreement with anyone lately?”

  “Janine,” he spat. “Always. She is pure bitch, that one.”

  A male voice intruded through the intercom. “O’Rourke, telephone. Female caller says it’s urgent.”

  Kate had already called once, worried about Etienne and still wanting to come down. Liam hadn’t been able to speak to her. “One sec.” He made a split-second decision to toss the kid a grenade and see how adeptly he juggled it. “I doubt her sister has the skill to plant explosives in her car.”

  “Une bombe?” Etienne’s eyes widened. “Mon Dieu! You should have said so!” He jumped up again. “Before he became CEO by marrying the bitch, Daniel developed chemical formulas for the company! He possesses both the knowledge and skill!”

  Liam’s pulse stuttered. “Whoa, that’s a big leap in logic. Why would her brother-in-law want to kill her?”

  He tsked. “Your investigators are lax, monsieur. Daniel was engaged to Katherine, and they had a falling out. They try to make nice for Aubrey’s sake, but I do not believe he has ever forgiven her. When he looks at her, there is ice in his eyes.”

  Liam started. Daniel was Kate’s ex? Damn, why hadn’t she said so? Maybe she was embarrassed her fiancé had married her sister. When the intel hadn’t sparked on Tyler, he’d assumed the vibes between them were family tension. He went cold. He’d blithely dropped her at the hospital. So much for gut instincts. They were screaming now. Too late. In all probability, he’d delivered her gift wrapped to the psycho intent on killing her. A madman likely angry and desperate after they’d beaten his “game.” Time was up, and the stalker knew it. He would make his final move.

  Checkmate.

  “O’Rourke.” The intercom crackled. “Your caller is insistent. She threatened to come down here and kick butt.”

  Kate! He had to warn her! He sprinted out and grabbed the phone. Murphy twitched his ears from his prone position beside the door. “Kate…listen. Have the FBI agents detain—”

  “Liam, this is Zoe.”

  “Zoe? I’ll call you back.” He started to hang up.

  “Wait! You need to hear this. It’s about Daniel Tyler.”

  The hair on the back of his neck rose. “Spill it. Fast.”

  “It was buried deep, but I followed a string of leads and hit the jackpot. Tyler has pulled off an identity switch, complete with dental records and fingerprints. His parents didn’t die in a car crash, their car was firebombed. His foster parents died in a suspicious house fire.” She snatched a quick breath. “And his maternal grandfather was Phillipe Marché!”

  The mad bomber who’d run rampant in Europe before blowing himself sky high. The founding father of Les Hommes de la Mort! Adrenaline spiked. “Thanks! Gotta go!”

  He punched in Kate’s cell number. It rang eight times. Crap! He called dispatch and asked to be connected to the hospital. C’mon! His boot tapped a rapid tattoo as he was transferred to the fifth floor nurses’ station. He said it was a police emergency and asked for Kate.

  After an interminable wait, someone picked up. “I’m sorry,” a female voice said. “Ms. Chabeau just headed to the elevator with her brother-in-law. They said they were meeting you.”

  The familiar sensation of drowning constricted his lungs. “Get the agents guarding Aubrey and have them detain Mr. Tyler.”

  “I’ll try. But I’m not sure they can catch up with them.”

  He didn’t waste a reply. Once Daniel lured Kate out of the hospital, Liam would never find her. He slammed down the receiver and spun on the officers clustered outside interrogation. His brothers weren’t among them. Con and Aidan had returned to their wives after the bust. Knowing Grady, he was bungee jumping off Hoover Dam. “Send a black and white to the hospital—no lights or sirens! Detain Tyler, Daniel Ellis on suspicion of attempted murder, arson and terrorist activities. Dark blue Ford Five Hundred, get his plate number from dispatch. Consider him armed and dangerous.” He thrust out his hand. “Phone and weapon.” The group stared. “Toss me a friggin’ phone and weapon! Now!”

  A slender redheaded female detective threw him a flip phone, which he shoved in his pocket. Her 9 mm sailed through the air next. He thrust the gun into his waistband. “Murphy, come!” With the dog loping at his heels, he tore out of the station.

  He broke every traffic law in existence and sped along the shoulder most of the way. He cruised the hospital’s front parking lot. An empty police car was parked at the E.R. Apparently, lights and sirens trumped old-fashioned horsepower.

  He pulled up behind it and downshifted. His peripheral vision caught movement, and he swiveled. A dark blue Ford nosed out of the parking garage and entered traffic. A man and a woman were inside. He verified the license number. Daniel and Kate.

  Liam wheeled through the turnaround. Staying three cars behind, he drove with one hand and dialed with the other. He wasn’t taking any chances where she was concerned.

  Baby brother connected on the sixth ring. “Yo.”

  “Grady!” he barked. “Get your bird in the air and track me. I’m in the Mustang, tailing a dark blue Ford Five Hundred east on the twentieth block of Flamingo Road. Pull the uniforms out of the hospital and get their asses on the road. Mobilize SWAT and the bomb squad. I’m calling from…” He keyed up the screen and recited the cell number. “Stand by. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up and glanced at Murphy, on alert in the passenger seat. “Let’s hope this is much ado about nothing, partner.”

  Unfortunately, his churning gut didn’t believe it.

  Liam kept his gaze fixed on the blue Ford. Tracking a dark car at night through an unfamiliar city wasn’t his idea of kicks. He glanced in the mirror. Without backup. His fingers clenched on the wheel. If Daniel lost him, Kate was dead.

  Kate glanced at Daniel’s relaxed profile as he navigated an unfamiliar street. “This isn’t the way to the police station.”

  “I’m thinking of buying and remodeling a casino as an investment. I was hoping you’d take a look. With your artistic eye, you’re the best judge of potential.”

  “At this hour?” She frowned. “Besides, Liam asked you to bring me to see Etienne.” She’d been in the elevator when Liam had phoned the nurses’ station, and Daniel had taken the call. “I’ve been under Hanson’s hammer and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Who knows what they’ve done to him?”

  He made another turn. “It’ll only take a few minutes. I met an architect and designer on site this morning for proposals. When the hospital phoned about Aubrey, I left without the papers. They weren’t cheap, and I need to pick them up.” The car bumped down an alleyway, the interior eerily dark. They’d been the only car on the road for ten minutes. “Nobody in the family cares about creative projects. I’d appreciate your input.”

  His entreaty made her squirm. When Janine had announced her intent to marry him a month after the breakup, their father had promoted him to the top. And Kate had understood Daniel’s true ambitions. He wanted to run the fast-growing company, and didn’t care which sister he had to marry. He hadn’t been able to push Kate to the altar, but Janine was all-too willing. When Kate had expressed reservations, the family had accused her of jealousy. A nasty scene she didn’t care to repeat. She was the last person who wanted to collaborate with Daniel. He and Janine were manipulators, and she kept her distance.
However, for Aubrey’s sake, she always made the effort to be civil. “Make it quick.”

  He parked in front of a rambling, dilapidated building. She slid out of the car. The run-down area was sparsely populated and surrounded by warehouses and factories. What was he thinking? “You’ll never convince customers to come down here.”

  “You’ll understand when you see my plan.”

  Uneasiness crept over her. In spite of the warm night, she shivered. Suddenly, she did not want to go inside. Maybe the building was haunted. He tapped a keypad and opened the door. She backed away from the menacing shadows. “I’ve had a long day. I think I’ll wait in the car. I’ll see it another time.”

  “The deadline is tomorrow. This is your last chance.”

  Goose bumps prickled her arms. Okay, he’d officially creeped her out. Something in his mild tone was…off. What was up with that? She belatedly regretted not asking an FBI agent to accompany them. But she hadn’t wanted to compromise Aubrey’s protection. She shook her head. “Decide without me, then.”

  “You’ll want to come inside, Katherine.”

  She took another step back. “Wrong.”

  A loud snuffle made her jerk her head up. A huge dog prowled around the corner. The brownish-black beast had a square head and massive jaws, and his shoulders reached her rib cage. A spiked metal collar protected a muscular neck as thick as her waist. He saw her and stopped, blocking her way to the car. His head lowered, and he rumbled a deep, menacing growl.

  Heart racing, she stumbled through the doorway’s yawning black maw. Any ghost lurking inside was preferable to that monstrosity.

  Daniel waved. “Champion discourages the bad elements.” His smile sent chills down her spine. “I paid a fortune for him. He was bred as a fighting dog, and has killed every opponent.”

  Bile stung her throat. “That’s awful!”

  “He gets the job done.” He followed her inside and shut the door. Suffocating blackness closed around her like a giant fist. Daniel grasped her elbow. “This way.”

  She couldn’t face the beast outside. She was forced to let Daniel lead her down the dark, twisting hallways, until she was completely lost. Casinos were built without windows and a purposefully confusing floor plan. If gamblers couldn’t see outside, they had no sense of time passing. Making them wander through mazes of rooms enticed them to stay longer, spend more.

  Daniel squeezed her elbow. “I have a present for you.”

  An unseen threat beat against the edges of reason, as formless as a crow battling a reflection in a window. Daniel was family, for Pete’s sake. Yet she couldn’t shake the foreboding.

  To heck with reason, she wanted Liam. Kate slid her hand inside her purse. Her last call had been to the police station. She pushed the send button and forced a casual tone. “Where are we, Daniel?” She’d reveal her location through conversation. Liam would figure it out in a heartbeat, and come for her.

  Daniel opened a door, and lights loomed ahead. Light should have helped, but fear had trapped her in icy claws. They turned a corner and entered a huge room. Slot machines hunkered on the floor, glowing eerily. A ladder canted against a wall, flanked by a toolbox and two large empty metal cages. More dogs? She shuddered. Black moiré silk-draped booths surrounded the perimeter. A single calla lily in a crystal vase speared from the center of each table. More black moiré smothered the walls.

  She was locked in a giant coffin.

  Panic bled through her. Her pulse pounded as she saw the spotlights angled from the high ceiling. Each cold, white eye was frozen on a picture. Her heart stopped. Her photos!

  Daniel’s lips thinned in a smug line. “I went to a lot of trouble to prepare this gift for you. Do you like it?”

  Confusion tangled with horror. This had to be a freakish misunderstanding. Maybe he’d found her missing photos and this was his odd way of returning them. Ordinary men didn’t suddenly turn into monsters. “I d-don’t understand.”

  His face was as scarily impassive as his voice. “You’re reasonably intelligent, Katherine. The game is over. You understand the matter at hand.”

  He’d deliberately emphasized the phrase to hurt her. Shock waves thundered, echoed and died, leaving vast, arctic silence. Shaking fear poured into the breach. Daniel was the man stalking her? The man she’d almost married. Janine’s husband. Aubrey’s father. The brother-in-law who’d sat across from her at holiday dinners, who sent flowers to her mother on her birthday. Her stunned mind couldn’t comprehend it. Didn’t want to accept it.

  Daniel was the bomber who had tried to kill her and Liam.

  Liam. Kate eased her hand inside her purse again and touched her phone. The unit’s reassuring warmth met her chilled fingers. Their conversation was being transmitted to the police station. She only had to stall until the cavalry arrived. “I don’t get it at all. Why don’t you explain it to me?”

  “Nice try.” He smiled, but there was no feeling behind the vile gesture. “But it won’t do you any good. I’ve blocked cell signals for a mile around the casino.”

  She started. “How did you know—?”

  “I’ve watched your every move for over three years. You’re nothing if not predictable.”

  She swallowed dismay. “Liam will find me.” Her never-say-die bomb tech wouldn’t let her down. She had to believe…or she’d wig out. Surviving Daniel’s warped agenda required the same technique as surviving his bombs. If she panicked, or lost hope, she was dead. Meanwhile, she’d get out of here. “He’ll come.”

  “Pathetic.” His lip curled. “I don’t know why I ever saw potential in you.”

  The retort escaped before she could stop it. “Likewise.”

  His glare made her go cold. “Don’t count on rescue.” He extracted a remote from his jacket. “The cops will be too busy picking up pieces of tourists all over the Strip.” He stabbed a button…waited…stabbed it again. A scowl distorted his choirboy features. “What the—?”

  Pride buffered her shock and fear. “If you’re attempting to detonate the device at the Venetian, nice try. But it won’t do you any good. We disarmed it.”

  He raised his head in ominous imitation of the menacing guard dog. “You think you’ve won.” Ice frosted his gaze. “But I will take everything from you.” He pointed the remote at the gruesome art gallery and pressed another button. A photo popped, sizzled and then blackened beyond recognition. “Your precious photographs are wired. The entire casino is one huge bomb.”

  Sick, creeping dread assaulted her, and hot tears pressed behind her eyelids. “Why do you hate me? Why are you suddenly determined to ruin everything that’s important to me?”

  “When we met, you were pitifully eager for my attention. So malleable. A lump of clay, awaiting a sculptor. Then your accident left you fragile and wounded. Lost. I wanted to save you. Instead, you pushed me away. Turned your back on me.”

  “You didn’t want me, Daniel. Because of my scars.” Scalding anger melted some of her terror. Good. Mad was better than scared. She raised her chin. “I saved myself.”

  “You would have been my greatest accomplishment. But you proved surprisingly stubborn. Annoyingly independent. You improvised a future without me. One you didn’t deserve,” he spat. “You got a glamorous career and international renown. I got saddled with a whiny, useless wife and a defective kid.”

  She grabbed the life preserver. “You dote on Aubrey. If the photos are destroyed, she won’t get her transplant. No matter how upset you are with me, you’d never endanger her welfare.”

  “And the Oscar goes to…” He laughed bitterly. “I’m sick of the stench of hospitals. Of maudlin white coats dispensing hundred dollar pills and false sympathy. I don’t give a rat’s ass about the brat. She’s not even mine.”

  Her jaw dropped. “What?”

  “Ironic, isn’t it? A doctor dropped that bombshell after tissue typing for the transplant. No wonder Janine jumped at my proposal.” He grimaced. “I thought I was playing her, but your sister
one-upped me. I’ve been forced to act the devoted family man until my plans were set. Between the sick kid and Janine’s tantrums, my life has been a living hell. And it’s your fault.”

  “Marrying my sister was your decision. I’m sorry it’s been difficult.” She held up a trembling hand. “But none of this is Aubrey’s fault. You’re the only father she knows. She looks up to you. Depends on you. She doesn’t deserve to suffer.”

  “Collateral damage.” His features hardened into a stranger’s. “A favor, really. We put down dogs for less.” The civilized mask disintegrated, and his vacant eyes revealed the horrifying truth. She faced a cold, amoral entity with no empathy. No conscience. He’d just pretended to be human. Driven only by ego, he felt no compassionate emotions. The embodiment of evil wouldn’t be satisfied by destroying her possessions.

  He planned to destroy her.

  Dizziness threatened to swamp her, and she sucked in a deep, shaky breath. Hold it together. Keep him talking. Ego was his sole gratification and his greatest weakness. Challenge it. “The nurses know I left with you. Liam will never stop looking for me.” Dead or alive. “He’ll nail you. You might get your ‘revenge’ but you’ll spend the next twenty years on death row.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks to electronic wizardry, ‘Liam’ called and requested I bring you to him. The nurse will verify it. Phone records will confirm it. I’ll be back at the hospital with a rock-solid alibi while you and your lover are burning alive. After I’m done with you, you’ll welcome death.”

  Fear tightened her chest. Daniel reeked confidence. “Like Liam will let you torture and kill us. Get real.”

  “He will come for you. After I invite him in—sans weapon—to save your life. Then I’ll test him. How long do you think it will take him to break? To beg?” Triumph gleamed in his eyes. “He’ll be revealed as your stalker—postmortem. Another tragic example of a man killing his obsession and himself.”

  Stay calm! Liam was too smart to fall for a blatant trap. Unless he lost all reason at Daniel’s threats against her. He wouldn’t…would he? She gulped. “That’s totally implausible.”