by Dana Volney
Her view was limited—she could see movement of what looked like Darek’s men on the rickety wood landing and two in the boat built for speed.
She sucked in a deep breath of salty air, adrenaline pumping wildly and her heartbeat in her ears. There’d be time enough to freak out later. Her present required focus. She listened carefully to hear Felix’s voice. Someone else barked orders, and then she heard a door opening. She turned her head toward the noise, listening intently for any indication she’d been made or that someone was walking toward the corner she was hiding around. It closed and no footsteps could be heard.
She inched closer to the big opening at the back of the structure and listened again.
Felix.
Oh, thank God. His voice was far away, but he sounded strong. Only bits and pieces of their conversation wafted her way, but it had to do with the damned information she’d stolen. Felix was alive. They could swap—him for the damn dirty secrets. She leaned in a little more, doing a quick head count before backing away. She waited by the corner—the guards were checking the side door often, so she was going to have to time her exit precisely.
“There are six in there with him. Darek brought a damn army to this party.” Her team had taken down at least five in the market and who knows where else around the city, and he had more stashed in the waters of the Sound.
“Yeehaw. I’ve got a full mag.” Eddie’s playfulness was back. “Let’s do this.”
The side door opened then closed seconds later. She hightailed it back to the truck grabbed her bag with the blasted laptop, swinging it over her shoulder.
“Felix is alive. I’m going to make a trade out front.”
She looked around the area. The popular restaurants, tours by boat, and other attractions were farther north—no one was around this part of the waterfront. She didn’t mind that Darek and his men might die tonight; she didn’t need innocent people’s blood on her hands, though.
“Ready,” came through in simulcast from Winter and Alex.
She stood, gun in her right hand, and swung her hips like she was going to dinner and wearing a stupidly fancy dress. She needed to be confident when trying not to get herself or Felix killed. As fake as it was, perceived swagger always made her feel better and in control.
She stopped in the street, squared with the main entrance. “Darek. I have something you want,” she shouted into the brisk night air. She waited a couple of beats then called out to him again.
An engine fired up from the structure, and she started to breathe faster as she monitored the area for any movement. Was Darek going to leave without getting what he came here for in the first place? Had he killed Felix after she left the back of the building to grab her bag? Her throat started to tighten with fear. She had to see Felix again—look into his ice blue eyes one more time and ask why.
The door to the boathouse swung open, and two armed guards sporting AR-15s trained on her body walked out then took a step to their respective sides. Good. Now she was getting somewhere.
“You forgot something.” She made a fist before swinging her purse around to take out the laptop that had caused her so much trouble. She held it out to him with one hand. Darek’s sharp glare focused on it like a cat to a laser red dot as his brows knitted together.
“It seems we each have something the other wants.” He snapped his fingers, and Felix was pushed through the door. The streetlights illuminated Felix’s arms bound in front with a rope.
His beautiful stare bore into her. He. Was. Pissed. Of course I was going to come after you. Whether you deserved it or not. She arched an eyebrow at him momentarily before turning her smirk back to Darek. “Hardly seems fair.” She winked.
Darek scanned the street before looking up. “I know you have people with you. What are my assurances that I can leave after our trade?”
“I have none to offer. We are going on the honor system.” She stretched out her hand with the laptop. He was going to have to walk out to her if he wanted it.
He motioned for the guy on the left to take it from her, and she put her hand behind her back. “I don’t think so. You want it, you take it. Bring Felix with you.”
Darek turned his chin toward Felix and nodded her way. He stepped forward, and each time his foot landed on the ground, bringing him one step closer to her, her heart beat faster and her chest felt lighter. Even Nox was still a fool for Felix.
Felix moved to her side, careful to leave space between them. He probably knew Eddie was set up and didn’t want to obstruct a clean shot. If Eddie did shoot right now, she’d be able to take out at least one, if not both of the guys before they started firing. Darek’s multitude of men looked scary on the outside but had proved on multiple occasions now to not be so effective or experienced.
She handed Darek the laptop. “I hope I never see your face again.” She met his cold stare with one of her own.
Two more of his men appeared from the dark building to cover him as he walked away.
She glanced at Felix. What was she going to do with him? She started to turn toward the truck when her gaze landed on Darek as he raised his hand, displaying two fingers, and moved them back and forth. The order to shoot. She’d seen it before from him. The men surrounding him braced their weapons.
She raised her gun to Darek’s back.
“Shoot!” she yelled.
She pulled the trigger, and as if in slow motion, she watched Darek fall forward as she felt Felix’s weight push her sideways. Bullets zinged overhead, whizzing and whistling sounds too close for comfort, and they took off at full speed toward the truck, banking on Eddie laying down cover shots. Winter’s team had converged on the boathouse in all directions, and Eddie was doing a damn good job at picking his targets off one by one. He covered Felix and Arabella with fire as they made it to the back of the truck.
Breathing hard, she knelt down, putting a lot of metal between them and the firestorm.
“Holy fuck.” Felix crouched beside her, and she reached into her boot for her knife to cut the rope his hands had been bound with. “What were you thinking?”
“What?” She divided her attention between the ungrateful man she was cutting loose and the close proximity of the bullets.
“You should’ve stayed away,” he growled then knelt on one knee, swiveled around the edge of the truck, and returned fire.
“Go fuck yourself.” She was in his face and pissed. “Your very alive self.” She checked over the top of the tailgate.
Silence.
They both froze, and she glanced up at Eddie, who was steady behind the scope.
“Clear.” Eddie’s tension visibly eased in his muscled arms, but he didn’t move.
Note to bad guys looking to hire minions: hire experienced ones.
It was done. It was over. She’d won. Arabella turned her back to gaze at Felix. His rugged face was a little banged up, somehow making him more handsome. She could do without the attitude, however. He was safe, and they’d gotten out of there unharmed—how was inconsequential, and he needed to get over it. He should take a long, reflective look internally if he wanted to blame someone for why he’d been captured by Darek in the first place. Or at least take half the blame after he checked his bank account again.
Voices buzzed commands in her ear. There were no cries for help, no calls for an ambulance. Good. None of the team or the police needed to get hurt over her issue. The one she’d essentially dropped off on their doorstep.
She’d brought this shit to all of them, and they’d stepped up. She loved that about the job she was leaving behind: the group atmosphere, the people who looked out for your back. She needed that type of camaraderie in the next phase of her life.
One strong, hard arm was pressed up against her, had been since they’d taken the position behind the truck, but now . . . now the pressure was at the forefront of her mind. Now she didn’t want Felix to move, to walk away.
Felix had flaws—she had a laundry list of her own—but they we
re better together. They pushed each other and didn’t give up when things got shitty. At least not until this week. It didn’t have to be divorce city for them. She sighed mentally—she’d been right to feel weary before. The two step forward, one step back dance they’d been doing for nearly six years wasn’t working out for her anymore. It was exhausting and she was tired. They either needed to be all in or all out, and she honestly didn’t know which one she was rooting for at this point.
“Arabella.” Alex didn’t sound happy. “Where are you?”
“Timing is everything,” she whispered as her gaze flicked to Felix’s lips. Now was not the time. It was never the right time to tell Felix he was still her world. And maybe that in itself meant something.
“Arabella,” Alex’s voice boomed again. “Did you kill him?”
“Alex is pissed,” she translated for Felix’s benefit since he didn’t have his earbud anymore. Felix even winced a touch at that report. Maybe Alex had more pull in law enforcement than she’d originally suspected.
Eddie’s stand attached to his sniper rifle clicked as he put it back in place, satisfied the threat was over.
She stood, reaching behind her to put her gun in the small of her back where her waistband started, and headed straight for the group of people in black rounding up Darek’s men. She caught Alex’s eye and veered for him at the front door of the boathouse.
He stood tall over Darek’s dead body, hands on hips. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” He shook his head then wiped his palm over the length of his handsome face.
“No. He gave a kill order. But I’m not sorry. He wasn’t getting away this time.” There were still evils in the world, and some that she’d always have to personally watch out for, but Darek would no longer be on that list.
Felix came up behind her and stopped at her side. She stepped to her right, away from him—her reality warred with her dreams. She was numb. There was too much to process about the last couple of hours, handful of days, and long years.
“Even dead, the guy has to be worth a promotion.” Felix stared Alex down.
“For your wife’s sake, I hope so.” He left them, shaking his head.
Her cheeks started to burn at the surprise in Felix’s gaze. “I . . . it was a heated situation, and I slipped.” But, you know what? She wasn’t sorry. She didn’t care anymore if people knew they were married. Or divorced. Or whatever the hell happened. The days of hiding what she did in her life were over, across the board.
Without one word, Felix gathered her in his arms and pulled her into the warmth of his chest. The heat she loved sinking into didn’t last long. Her nose was cold—she was cold all over now that the sun had set long ago and her fight-or-flight mentality was wearing off. His warmth should be running freely through her body and touching the parts of her that only he could. Darek was dead, and the threat was gone. She was free to go her way.
The worst could’ve happened tonight. She could be kneeling over Felix’s dead body right now. His strong arms around her confirmed he was very much alive, but even that good fortune couldn’t overtake the sadness that consumed her. Reality wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Thank God you’re okay.” He kissed her forehead, and his lips lingered as he rested his head on hers.
“Always.” She spoke into his chest, wishing she could hear his heartbeat through the bulletproof vest that was a barrier to feeling his hard muscles and torso. She pulled back but not fully out of his embrace. “No thanks to you.”
He didn’t flinch, he didn’t grind his jaw, and he didn’t even question her accusation. “You’re the one who made the first move.”
“You’re the one who took money.”
“That was part of the deal.” His fingers dug into her hips as if he was trying to keep her there with him—no doubt he could sense her need to flee.
“Since when?”
“Since always.” He stared at her. Hard.
She glanced past his shoulder, to the spot where she’d watched him betray her, and her gut clenched. “I saw you with Darek. I saw you making the deal.”
“At the grocery store? I know.”
She closed her eyes to have one more second, one more moment with him before everything changed forever. He’d held up his end of the deal, and now she was going to hold up hers.
“No. At the pier.”
His forehead wrinkled, and she stepped back, letting her hands fall to her side.
“When I was waiting for you guys to find us?”
“More like when you were coming up with a new plan to turn me over.” She managed not to squeak out the words in despair, so that was a positive.
He looked to the sky; a grim set to his lips was all she could stare at. Then she watched as exasperation took over his body completely, down to his hands on his hips. “I’m sick of having these conversations with you. When will you learn to trust me?”
“When you give me a reason to.” Maybe her words were unfair, maybe they weren’t, and maybe he could say the same about her. Maybes didn’t make a relationship work.
“Arabella.” Winter’s voice came through the comm loud and clear, taking Arabella from the trance she so badly wanted to fall under with Felix right now. “You’re needed downtown at the station. Standard procedure. Can you tell Felix to see me?”
“Sure will.”
“What?” Felix asked then stepped closer, bringing their hips together with his palms around her waist, and kissed her forehead again.
He’d never kissed her right after an argument before, especially not after it was clear they were both at the end of their ropes.
She tilted her head up and brushed the tip of her nose on his jaw. She wanted to say crazy things like “You’re my world, I’m still in love with you, and don’t make me leave you.” Instead, she pushed up on her tiptoes to meet his lips and kissed him. Before it could turn into anything, before the passion could sink into her bones, she lowered her heel.
She started to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Winter needs you and I have to go.”
A mixture of emotions—of what she wasn’t quite sure—flitted across his face. “Come over for a late dinner? We should talk.”
She nodded, separated herself from him, and walked away, taking deliberate steps so she didn’t crumble. There’d be time enough for that later with a drink in her hand.
Chapter Fourteen
Felix finished giving his statement to Alex and headed toward the truck parked east of the market.
“What happened to your comm?” Eddie jogged to meet up with him.
He increased his stride. He required a shower before Arabella came over. A stench emanating from his pits was the last thing he needed when he told her he wanted a second chance. No. Not tell her, he was going to ask her for a second chance. With a heavy overlay of a begging tone, more than likely.
“Think it got knocked out when we fought.”
“Damn. Those things are pricey.”
Felix expected more information about how Eddie had to build them or some fact about saltwater and the minute technology of the buds, but instead silence lingered. Eddie was never quiet when they weren’t in the thick of combat. Felix stopped at the bed of the truck. “Say it.”
“What?”
“Say whatever it is you have to say.”
“You’re married? To Arabella?” Disbelief turned into an expression of you-sly-dog on Eddie’s face as Felix nodded. “Like, as of yesterday or what, man?”
“Do you need a ride to the office?” Felix opened the door to the cab.
“Yeah.”
As soon as Eddie’s door slammed and he swiveled in his seat, one hand on his thigh, the other scratching the back of his head, Felix knew that hadn’t been the end of the conversation.
“Seriously. How long have you been with her? I can’t believe you landed her.”
You and me both.
His friends might find out he was married and divorced all in a twenty-four h
our period if he didn’t plan out the right words. He’d seen relief in Arabella’s eyes when he’d come out of the boathouse—he wanted to see that same relief followed by passion later when he confessed to still being in love with her.
Felix dropped off Eddie without too much more fanfare about Arabella and headed home to shower and then pace.
He could’ve made dinner to pass the time, but his stomach was too messed up in knots. When she got here, he would make her anything she was hungry for. Deep down, he hoped she wouldn’t be hungry for food but for him. For them. For a new life together. He missed her smiling face in the morning, he missed their sparring, and he missed being able to love her. All of her.
He checked his watch again and stared out the window, willing headlights to appear. Maybe when she walked through his door, she’d go straight for his lips. Her intensity never ceased to amaze him. She went balls to the wall constantly, whichever direction she deemed right. And when she was coming at him full force, it was the best thing in the world.
And what about when they had kids? She’d be one hell of a mom, and nobody would ever mess with their kids if they were half the badass she was.
But minutes stretched into hours that turned into dawn. She wasn’t coming.
Arabella had made her decision after all.
Chapter Fifteen
Arabella paced outside of Felix’s front door. She’d driven straight to his place after visiting the first lawyer who answered her call this morning. She’d laid a hefty sum on the man’s desk to draw up the divorce paperwork right then and there. She’d just stood there, not believing this was her life, as he’d filled in a standard form.
How had it come to this? She frowned. The answer sucked—she hadn’t given it her all, and she’d let their love disappear. But, the thing was, it hadn’t. She loved Felix, all his gruffness and hard edges and soft heart. And even his deceit. He was a good man who made her laugh and who understood her world. Understood her. And she knew him and how he operated.
