Heat of the Moment

by Diana Duncan

  I’ve done my research. People know he’s been obsessed with you since your one-night stand. He searched for you for months. A book opened to one of your photos sits on his coffee table. His jealousy caused him to arrest your admin assistant. The bulk of his evidence against Etienne will be revealed as manufactured and planted.”

  “You set Etienne up to be arrested! You jerk!”

  Daniel smiled, hideous and empty. “Chemical residue will be found in O’Rourke’s hotel room and car, as well as components for making the notes. One final note will declare he coerced you into disarming bombs in hopes he’d impress you by ‘saving you.’ But after you refused his advances, you had to die together.”

  “Nobody will believe that.” At least Liam’s brothers wouldn’t. But she had the dire suspicion her family might. And the authorities, presented with tidy evidence wrapped in a black funeral bow, wouldn’t waste time or manpower to search further.

  “The fire will destroy all evidence of torture. They only have to believe until the kid expires. Then my unstable, grief-stricken wife will ‘commit suicide.’” He sighed. “The mourning husband will leave for a new start in Europe.” He deliberately set the remote on a table. “Powerful friends will give me a new identity and financing in exchange for my formula. Which I used your father’s company and resources to develop.”

  The scope and cunning of his gruesome plan made her queasy. “You trust terrorists to help you? And you call me pathetic.”

  He stalked toward her. “Why didn’t you just love me back, Katherine? Everything would have turned out differently.”

  She retreated and he advanced, hunting her. “You’re obsessed with me. You want to control me. That’s not love.” It hurt to breathe. To speak. “But it’s not too late. Nobody has to get hurt. We can just walk away and forget this ever happened.”

  “Forget?” He scowled. “You humiliated me. Wasted valuable time. Cost me years of needless effort. I’m not walking away.” He lunged at her. “And neither are you.”

  Chapter 15

  4:00 a.m.

  Heart pounding, Kate spun and ran, zigzagging between slot machines. Where was the door? With the walls drenched in black silk and blacker shadows, she couldn’t tell.

  Daniel’s harsh breaths rasped behind her. Ducking under the ladder, she shoved, and it clattered to the floor.

  Please, slow him down.

  “You have nowhere to run, Katherine.” Daniel taunted from close behind her. Too close. “Nowhere to hide.”

  Her frantic gaze wheeled around the room, searching for a way out. For a weapon. Fear rose in a choking wave. Flight was impossible. Which left fight. Desperate, she turned and swung the only weapon she had, her purse.

  The unexpected attack stopped him short. But before she could run again, he deflected the blow and caught her wrist. Laughing, he wrenched her arm. “You have more guts than I thought.” Her hand went numb, and her purse thudded to the floor. He yanked her against him. “You reject me, run from me, but you’re giving yourself to that cop, you bitch.”

  “No!” Terror screamed through her as she struggled to break his merciless hold. “Only once—the night Aubrey was born and my therapist told me I’d never regain the use of my arm! I’d lost you, I’d lost my career. I’d lost everything. I only slept with him because I was grieving and in shock.”

  “You both have to pay.” He shoved her and she fell backward into a booth. He loomed over her, his eyes merciless. “Like my parents. My foster parents. And Grand-père, when he outlived his usefulness.” He crushed full-length on top of her. “It’s my obligation. My right. He taught me that when I was seven.”

  His fingers fisted in her hair and yanked her head forward. Pain stung her eyes, blurred her vision. He slammed his mouth down on hers. She sank her teeth into his lip and raked her nails across his cheek. He reared back, and she punched the heel of her hand into his nose. “You have no right!” she yelled.

  Daniel swiped his palm across his face, and his fingers came away bloody. He spat a filthy name at her, captured both her hands in one of his and pinned them above her head. He slapped her. “Everybody has to pay.” His hand slithered down her neck and crushed her breast in a punishing squeeze.

  She screamed and tried to knee him. “Get off me!”

  He forced her legs apart and held her down. She bucked and fought, but he was too strong. “The more you fight, the more I like it.” He was breathing hard, his face tight with lust. “I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. And I’m going to make it hurt.” He shoved her dress up, clawed at her panties. “When your cop arrives, he’ll find you naked and used, and covered with my marks. He’ll know you’re my property.”

  A sob choked her. Oh, God, she’d rather die.

  “No, you bastard,” Liam snarled above them. “You’re due a lesson.” He yanked Daniel up. “And the teacher is in the house.”

  Daniel yelped. Stunned, Kate struggled to sit up. In a distant room, canine growling erupted into a brutal dogfight. Gunmetal flashed in Liam’s hand. Something hissed. A shot rang out and a bullet slammed into the wall. Liam choked and flung an arm in front of his face. He stumbled, and Daniel chopped his wrist and wrenched the gun free. He threw it across the room, and then snatched the remote from the table.

  Coughing and gagging, Liam lunged, and Daniel canted backward. He clutched the remote in one hand and a can of Mace in the other. “I wouldn’t. My remote has a dead man’s trigger, just like a grenade. I drop it and the entire place blows.”

  Liam froze, and Daniel cocked his head, listening to the vicious dogfight. “The guests are all here. Time to party.”

  Kate’s throat closed up. The hellish dogfight revived her worst memories and fears. But this time, fear for Murphy’s life overrode all else. He’d come to her rescue, and was in mortal danger. She couldn’t help him. Nor could Liam.

  Coughing violently, Liam scrubbed at his face. Moisture flooded his eyes as he squinted at Kate. “You all right?”

  Shaking and cold and sick, she nodded, grasping for her shredded composure. “You got here in time.”

  “I can’t shoot you without ruining my plans.” Sounding perplexed, Daniel shoved the Mace inside his jacket. “I was prepared for your dog. And your violence. But you didn’t wait for my invitation. I wasn’t done with Katherine.”

  Liam gritted his teeth. “Be very glad. Now I’m just gonna haul your sorry butt to jail instead of castrating you first.”

  Daniel blinked. “You were supposed to come after I phoned.”

  “You whack jobs really get off on the planning and the hunt. And hurting defenseless women,” Liam growled. “But you’re not so hot at improv.” His body language shouted aggressive male challenge. “Face me like a real man. If you can.”

  Daniel turned to face him, putting his back to her. “You were supposed to walk in unarmed, with your hands on your head, and surrender to save Katherine.”

  “Yeah. I’m gonna crawl in here with my tail tucked between my legs and offer myself up.” Liam arched a brow. “Whatever you’re on…dial down the dosage.”

  “Now you get to watch me teach Katherine her lesson.” Daniel’s shoulders twitched. “She’s mine, to use and discard.”

  Kate took deep breaths and fought the urge to throw up.

  “You are one sick puppy.” Liam’s watery glance briefly caught hers, and he casually gestured with the signal he gave Murphy to heel. “But you’re out of business. Permanently.”

  From the gruesome sounds of the death match raging nearby, Murphy was unable to comply. She straightened. The signal was for her. Liam wanted her to follow his lead. Putting Daniel permanently out of business? She was so there.

  Daniel jerked his head at the cages. “Get into the crate.”

  Liam snorted. “I know you’re crazy, but do I look stupid?”

  Kate eased unsteadily to her feet. Liam was goading Daniel. Distracting him. What did he want her to do?

  “One button and this who
le place goes,” Daniel threatened.

  Liam coughed, and then shrugged. “Fine by me.”

  Daniel’s voice rose. “I’m in control here, not you!”

  “You’re losing control with each passing second. I’m pissing all over your precious plans, and you can’t stand it.” Liam swiped moisture from his eyes. His glance brushed a vase on the table beside her before staring fixedly at Daniel’s forehead. “You’ve been out in the Vegas sun too long without a hat, Stalker Boy. You’re touched in the head.”

  Got it. Loud and clear. He wanted her to bash Daniel in the head. Happy to oblige. Kate gulped. Did she have time before Daniel unraveled completely and killed them? She took another steadying breath. She had to trust that Liam knew what he was doing by baiting the monster. She stealthily reached for the crystal vase and slowly lifted it off the table.

  Daniel waved the remote. “Ready to die, O’Rourke?”

  Her movements furtive, Kate removed the lily. She set it on the table, and then smothered the vase in a wad of silk tablecloth and tipped, letting the fabric soak up the water.

  “Try me. Hit the button, you cocky little bastard. Let’s check in at the Pearly Gates together.” Liam smirked. “Oh, wait. You’re headed for a more southerly destination.”

  With the vase gripped in her left hand, she took a careful step. Then another. Liam had the sharpest eye-hand coordination and fastest reflexes she’d ever seen. But choking on the Mace would slow him down. Was he fast enough to grab the remote before Daniel blew them to kingdom come? She looked at Liam, all lean muscle and dangerous menace. Heck, even maced, she’d bet her life on his capable hands any day.

  She was about to do exactly that.

  She forced herself to tune out the ghastly screams and snarls of the dogs tearing each other apart on the other side of the wall. Focus. Palms sweating, she crept closer to Daniel’s unsuspecting back. If he turned around…

  Daniel stiffened. “Obey me! Or I’ll—”

  She moved behind him and held her breath, waiting for the right moment.

  “You’ll what? You should have finished using your brain before you donated it to science, whacko,” Liam taunted as he subtly shifted closer to Daniel. If she hadn’t been watching for it, she wouldn’t have noticed. “If you think I’m gonna make it fun and easy for you, you’ve seen too many movies. I’ve spent the past fifteen minutes disarming most of your system.”

  Kate checked. He’d been here fifteen minutes? Had he heard her tell Daniel she’d slept with him in a fit of hopeless despair? She shook her head and crept forward. Concentrate.

  “Impossible!” Daniel went rigid, his voice shaking with fury. “You don’t have the intelligence to destroy my work!”

  “What happened to the IEDs at Treasure Island, the Stratosphere and the ‘hidden’ device at the Venetian?” Liam grinned. “Big Bad Bomber loves manipulating authority. You’ll have to get your jollies elsewhere.” Outside, chopper blades thwacked overhead, and his grin widened. “Company.” He thrust his fingers through his hair, positioning his arm to strike at the remote. “SWAT is about to crash your party. You’re done.”

  “I have both luck and skill on my side.” Daniel hissed, his body vibrating with tension.

  “There’s luck and skill, and then there’s payback.” Kate raised the vase, and Liam nodded. “Do it!”

  She smashed the vase on Daniel’s head. Crystal shards glittered to the floor, and he grunted and staggered.

  Liam lunged for the remote. The men scuffled and jockeyed for control in a macabre, slow-motion tango.

  Kate scrambled around the slot machines to the corner where Daniel had thrown Liam’s gun. She flung the ladder aside. The shadows were too murky. She dropped to her knees and groped along the floor. C’mon! The weapon had to be here.

  On the other side of the wall, the dogfight reached a grisly crescendo. An anguished, mournful howl cut off, and then everything went dreadfully silent. Her stomach pitched. Had Champion scored another defeat? Had he killed Murphy?

  “Champion’s war cry!” Daniel crowed. “You forgot the Golden Rule of Vegas—the house always wins!”

  Neither man would relinquish the trigger. Daniel had it clenched in his right fist, Liam in his left. Liam’s grimace was tortured. “Here’s your jackpot.” He punched Daniel in the face. “And this is for hurting Kate.” He punched him again.

  A loud bang resounded from the wall, followed by a brilliant flash. Orange flames shot from half a dozen of her photos, which instantly blackened. Acrid smoke snaked to the ceiling. Her breath hitched in horror. One of them must have accidentally pressed a button. Liam hadn’t disarmed everything.

  Daniel’s enraged scream sounded inhuman. “You’re ruining all my plans!”

  She gave up on the gun and dug in the toolbox. Clutching a thick crowbar, she surged to her feet. By the time she twisted through the slot machine maze, the wall had caught fire. Flames licked up the moiré to the ceiling, and smoke burned her eyes.

  The smoke was attacking Liam’s eyes and lungs, too. Already compromised by the Mace, his eyes streamed. He was coughing too hard to block Daniel’s savage blow to his stomach. Neither man would let go of the remote. Liam doubled over, and the spotlights simultaneously exploded. Flames blasted the ceiling in a crackling sea of red heat. “Kate!” he croaked. “Get out!”

  “Not without you!” Brandishing the crowbar, she ran toward him. Embers rained red-hot needles, and fire roared up the silk-draped booth next to her. She swerved and kept running.

  “It’s spreading too fast!” Liam slugged Daniel in the ribs, dodged and took a hit on the shoulder. “I can take care of myself. You’re a liability. Go!” As he choked out the demand, the booths burst into flames, ringing the room in fire.

  A flaming chunk of debris crashed at her feet, blocking her path to him. Liam jerked his gaze to her, horror in his eyes. Daniel seized the unprotected moment to slam a fist into his jaw. Liam recoiled as bone crunched flesh, and Kate flinched. Liam was right. He couldn’t watch her when he needed to save himself. “Heads up,” she hollered, and tossed him the crowbar.

  She paused long enough to see him catch it on the fly. She’d done all she could. Agony choked her worse than the smothering smoke as she wove a crooked path to the doorway. She was going…but leaving behind her heart.

  Wheezing, she battled the stinging smoke and searing heat and floundered into the next room. She stumbled over something and fell. She pushed up on her elbows and came face-to-face with Murphy, prone on the floor. His eyes were closed, his body torn and battered. He must have tried to get back to Liam and collapsed. “Murphy!” she called. “Murphy, wake up!”

  He didn’t move. Didn’t respond. Didn’t breathe. Her heart twisted. Liam would be devastated. Tears welled, and she placed a trembling hand on his blood-soaked fur. The valiant warrior had sacrificed his life for hers. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Beneath her palm, the dog’s side heaved in a slow, labored breath. He was alive! She glanced at the advancing flames. She’d be damned if she’d leave him to roast!

  Arms up to protect her face, she dashed through the fiery doorway and charged back into the main room. Flames chased close on her heels. She couldn’t see anyone in the hellish inferno. Liam, where are you? He hadn’t passed her, and she hadn’t seen any other way out. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

  Please, don’t let him be trapped.

  The blazing barrier was too hot, too fierce to find him. She ripped moiré from a booth and stomped the smoldering edge. She sprinted back to Murphy, spread the fabric beside him and then rolled the limp dog onto the silk. “You weigh a ton, mutt.”

  Talking to him helped calm her terror, and she alternated between inane conversation and coughing as she dragged the unconscious dog down a black, smoky corridor toward what she hoped was an exit.

  What seemed like an eternity later, she rounded a corner and gasped in dismay. She’d trudged in a circle, back to the center of the inferno. She ret
reated from the heat and dropped her face into her hands. She was lost. Trapped.

  She was going to burn to death.

  A tear slipped out, then another. Smart, Kate. Blubber all over the place, maybe that will put out the fire. Terrified, exhausted, she’d reached her limit. She dropped her hands and slumped against the wall.

  Something cold and wet touched her palm. She squeaked and jerked her gaze down. Murphy stood beside her, wobbly, but aware. His warm, reassuring tongue licked the tears off her hand, and he nudged her thigh with his nose, as if pushing her up the corridor. What did she have to lose? “I hope you’re a better navigator.” She rested her hand on the limping dog’s back and let him guide her through the black, smoky abyss.

  After another eternity, Murphy led her into a room. She closed the door, shutting out the smoke. There were no windows, but a skylight provided enough illumination to take stock. They were in the kitchen. Another door faced the opposite wall. Kate ran to it and felt the panel, then the doorknob. They weren’t hot. She cautiously opened the door and saw a large pantry stuffed with kitchenware and canned food. Her hopes sank.

  There was no way out.

  “Now what?” She turned back to the dog. Panting heavily, he lay beside the sink. Think. She rummaged through drawers and discovered a stack of towels and a few tablecloths. Thankfully, the water still worked. She soaked towels at the tap and then stuffed wet cloths around the door to block the smoke.

  The dog’s torn flesh was a vivid reminder of her own pain, and compassion welled inside her. She filled a bowl with water and offered him a drink. He couldn’t raise his head, and she lifted it for him. His liquid brown eyes looked into hers with empathy and a depth of understanding that jarred her to the core. She’d never again doubt the dog’s intelligence and reasoning skills. Or his devotion. He licked weakly at the water, and then dropped his head to his paws. He’d exhausted his energy saving them from the fire.