by Katie Reus
“Holly?” Sophie gasped. “I thought she was backpacking for a few months.”
Jack shook his head. “Not anymore. Vargas has been using Ronald to do his dirty work by using her as leverage. Then when you took those pictures, you became a target. My guess is he wants you out of the way by this weekend. There’s probably a big deal going down in a couple days, but we can work this to our advantage.”
“How?”
“I think we’ll be able to convince Weller to help us bring Vargas down.”
“What if Ronald doesn’t want to help?”
“Too damn bad.” Jack pressed on the accelerator.
Sophie was silent for a few long moments and he wished he knew what she was thinking. Someone she cared about had betrayed her trust, and he knew that cut deep. When she spoke, however, her voice was lighter than he expected. “We’re not going back to that motel, are we?”
He shot her a sideways glance. “No.”
“Where are we going, then?”
“You might not like this place any better. I found a cheap hostel close to the beach. They accept cash and I’m pretty sure they don’t have video cameras outside. We’ll probably be the oldest people there.” They had private rooms, free Wi-Fi, and it was in a safe part of town. That was all that mattered. But first . . . “We have one more stop to make before then.”
“Where?”
“Mandy’s condo.”
“You know where she lives? Of course you do,” she said, answering her own question with a shake of her head.
As they pulled into the parking lot of Mandy’s condominium complex—which he’d memorized from her small, obviously not thorough enough file—Jack took note of the number of cars and exits. After brief surveillance, Jack was satisfied there wasn’t anyone watching the place. She lived on the second floor of a high-rise in an exclusive part of South Beach, but the lock was a low-end Schlage. So damn typical.
They slipped inside the front door without any trouble. He withdrew his weapon and started down the hallway toward the interior. A kitchen to the left was the first entrance. He cleared it, then continued. The hallway opened into a big living room with a sliding glass door that led to a balcony.
Since the living room was clear, he swept the only other hallway to the right. The master bedroom and office were also clear.
“Start with her bedroom. Pack a small bag of her clothes and take all her jewelry and cosmetics. Leave things messy. Make it look like she left in a hurry,” Jack said as soon as he finished with the last room.
While Sophie was busy, he started in Mandy’s office. After downloading anything that looked as if it might be helpful from her computer, he sent Wesley a message, then riffled through her two-drawer filing cabinet.
“What about shoes and stuff?” Sophie called out from the other room.
“Grab a few pairs. Make it look good . . . Oh, see if she’s got any nail polish remover in the bathroom.”
Sophie stepped in and handed him a half-empty bottle of pink liquid. “The bag is packed. Why do you need nail polish remover?”
“I’m making this look good.” He shoved the drawer shut, then rounded back to the other side of the desk. After tipping the computer tower on its side, he poured the liquid through the round vent, then stomped on it. It might not destroy everything on the hard drive, but it would make Mandy look even guiltier. And it would send Vargas’s men in the wrong direction. They’d be wondering where she went and who she talked to before she left. Hopefully this would take some of the pressure off Ronald Weller.
“Her place is very sterile,” Sophie commented as he stood.
“I noticed.” The place had a few tropical pictures hung up, but all the walls were stark white, and there weren’t any personal pictures. The office had an inexpensive fiberboard desk, a metal filing cabinet, and an office chair. Even her bedroom was bleak. No pictures, no television. Just one dresser and a bed. With the exception of her expensive clothes and a few bottles of pricy perfume, the place looked as if she might have been planning to leave anyway.
“Do you think she was planning to leave town?” Sophie asked, reading his mind.
“I think it’s more than probable. Vargas probably approached her with a deal she couldn’t pass up. He pays well, but she’s likely smart enough to realize she’s expendable and eventually, she would be a liability to him.”
“Expendable,” Sophie murmured before turning and walking out.
Damn it. His gut twisted as he watched her disappear from the room. Ronald had treated her as if she was expendable, and he wasn’t the first person to do so. She didn’t have to say any more for Jack to understand what she was thinking.
At the moment he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, but they needed to get out of there. He flipped off the light in the office, then followed her to the master bedroom. Half the hangers were on the floor, and clothes were scattered around the carpet. “Nice job,” he said quietly.
He was rewarded by a small smile that did something insane to his insides. Hefting the bag onto his shoulder, he flipped off the light, then drew back the floor-length blinds to reveal another sliding glass door.
Sophie came up next to him. “Think she hid anything on her porch?”
He shook his head. “No, I just wanted to check—”
She stiffened as a rattling sound reverberated through the place. She opened her mouth, but he held one finger to his lips and opened the glass door. He motioned for her to step outside, then shut it quietly behind them.
They stepped into the shadows of the porch, but the darkness wouldn’t provide them cover for long. He glanced over the balcony, then tossed the bag onto the grassy area.
“Come on. I’ll hoist you over,” he whispered.
Sophie’s eyes widened as she glanced over the balcony. She shook her head, but loud cursing from inside spurred her into action. He climbed over the ledge and she followed. Staring at him with those big dark eyes, she clutched on to the railing.
He glanced down again. The drop wasn’t far, and they had a soft, grassy landing.
“On the count of three,” he whispered.
On three he pushed off and landed with a thud. He rolled onto the grass before jumping to his feet. She still hung on.
“Sophie,” he whispered, fighting panic. He was too far to help her if someone discovered her.
Staring down at him, she shook her head. It was dark, but with the moon and lighting from other balconies, he could see her expression clearly and she looked terrified.
“I’m right here,” he whispered again.
Something must have startled her because she turned back around toward the balcony, then looked at him and pushed off.
She landed with a quiet yelp, but he didn’t give her time to react. Jack grabbed the bag and her arm and they started running parallel to the building. Weapon drawn, he rounded the corner of the building and found himself staring down the barrel of a SIG. No matter how many times he’d been in the same position, having a loaded gun pointed at his head didn’t get any easier.
Without pause, he lifted his own weapon.
Behind him, Sophie gasped, but he focused on the man in front of him. Thinking about her could get them both killed and he needed to stay calm.
“Put your weapon down,” his friend—ex-friend—Levi ordered.
His finger twitched on the trigger. “You first.”
A long moment ticked by. “Same time?”
Jack narrowed his eyes but nodded. As Levi lowered his weapon, Jack followed suit so that they both held their weapons at their sides. “What the hell are you doing working for Vargas?”
“You have forty-five seconds to get to your vehicle and get the hell out of here before Vargas’s guys spot you.”
Jack felt as if he were staring into the eyes of a stranger. “Damn it, Levi, I just heard about Meghan and I’m sorry, but talk to me. What’s going on? Why are you working for that piece of shit?”
“My p
roblem isn’t with you. Stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours. You’re down to forty seconds now.” His voice was icy.
Jack could stand there all day and not squeeze any information out of him. “Fine . . . How deep are you involved with Vargas?”
“Deep enough to know he’s got a mole in the NSA. You need to close that leak.”
Jack didn’t show any outward reaction. He couldn’t afford to. Whatever he’d originally thought about Levi, it didn’t sound as if he was betraying his country. This had to be about revenge. It was the only thing that made sense. Maybe that was wishful thinking, but he’d known this man too long. “Is this about her death?”
Levi’s jaw clenched once, but he gave an imperceptible nod.
“Why are you telling me this?”
He snorted. “Because fuck Vargas, that’s why. He’s a means to an end. You’ve got thirty seconds now.”
Jack blocked Sophie’s body with his as they walked around Levi. “You almost got us killed in Marathon. You get in my way again, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less,” Levi said.
Jack stayed close to Sophie as they rushed down the side of the building. But he kept his eye on Levi, who still hadn’t moved.
Once they made it to the other corner, he had full visibility of the parking lot. No one was around. Levi must have been their lookout man.
Jack didn’t say a word, but Sophie remained close as they maneuvered their way toward the SUV. Tomorrow he’d have to ditch it, but for now they needed it to get to the hostel.
Once they’d pulled out of the parking lot, Sophie breathlessly asked, “Why did he let us go?”
“I have no clue.”
“Do you think he’ll follow us?”
“No. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s not interested in us.” This had everything to do with his wife’s death. Jack was sure even if he didn’t know the details. The truth was, if someone killed Sophie he didn’t even want to think about what he’d do to get revenge.
“Do you think . . . we could stop by Hannah’s house? She still hasn’t called and I’m worried.”
Considering he’d already dragged Sophie all over the city and nearly gotten her killed more than once, he couldn’t knowingly put her in more danger. “Her house is probably being watched. It’s not a good idea.”
“Isn’t this what you do? Can’t you get us in without being seen?” She bit her bottom lip and he could feel himself caving.
“No.”
“Unless I’m your hostage, I’m going with or without you. Decide if you want to help me or not, because I’m going.”
She would too. He could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw.
And the truth was, he couldn’t physically restrain her and keep her captive. Not knowing her history. Hell, he couldn’t do it no matter what. Not to Sophie. “We’ll drive by, check out the area, and if it looks safe, I’ll double back and enter from the backyard. Do you know what kind of security system she has?”
“She doesn’t have one and she keeps a key hidden in case she locks herself out. Not that breaking in should be a problem for you.” He didn’t miss the wry note in her voice.
“Where’s her key?”
“In the fake plant hanging on the front porch. It’s in a small magnetic holder.”
His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He couldn’t comprehend that kind of naivete. “Please tell me you don’t have a key anywhere outside your place.”
“No.”
Thank God. “Do you at least have a security system?”
“No, but I live in a safe neighborhood.”
He snorted. “That’s going to change.”
“Excuse me?” She lifted a dark eyebrow.
“When this is all over, I’m having one installed for you.” She could make whatever she wanted out of that. He knew there was no future for them, but if he could take care of her, even in a small way, he was going to. She looked surprised but didn’t respond.
Since he already knew Hannah’s address, he took the shortest route there. Sophie was silent on the short drive over. As they cruised by Hannah’s bungalow-style home, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Is her garage door normally closed?”
“Yeah, she keeps her car parked in it.”
He didn’t slow his speed as they cruised past, but there weren’t any vans or cars parked across the street. That was a good sign. But it didn’t mean her house wasn’t being watched.
“So, what are we doing now?”
“We aren’t doing anything. I’m going to park and do a little recon. You are going to wait in the vehicle.”
“The hell I am. This is stolen. What if the cops stop me while I’m sitting in it?”
Doubtful, considering he’d switched the plates. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I’ll follow you and you can’t stop me.” She unsnapped her seat belt as he steered into a spot behind a parked car on the street over.
He bit back a frustrated growl. Her stubborn streak had definitely not faded with time. “This’ll be easier if I can get in and get out without worrying about you.”
“She’s my best friend. I’m going.” Her fingers were already wrapped around the door handle.
Sighing, he said, “Come on.”
The street was quiet, and after a quick scan of the houses on the neighboring street, he picked the only house with a chain-link fence as opposed to a privacy fence. To give her credit, Sophie didn’t chatter and she stuck close to him. After the past couple of days they’d had, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to check on her friend. Jumping the fences was easy enough and there weren’t any big dogs or men with weapons waiting for them either.
When he was sure they weren’t being watched, he jimmied the back lock—which was worse than Mandy’s. He could have gotten the key, but didn’t want to expose himself more than necessary.
As they entered, all his survival instincts were on high alert, but there was no one in the house. He could feel almost immediately that they were alone. It was indescribable, but that sensation he got when danger was near wasn’t knocking away at his brain as it had so many times in the past.
The living room looked lived in, but nothing was broken or tossed. Same with the kitchen. When they reached the only bedroom, he leaned close to Sophie and tried to ignore his body’s response when his mouth grazed her ear. Under different circumstances he’d give anything to suck her earlobe between his lips and feather kisses along her soft skin. “Check to see if her suitcase and clothes are missing. I’m going to check the garage.”
She nodded and her hair tickled his nose. As she brushed past him, his cock went on full alert. It didn’t matter that the timing was inappropriate, his body just reacted around her. He deserved a fucking medal for keeping his distance over the past couple of days. Especially when she’d made it clear she’d welcome him into her bed. But if he crossed that line now, how the hell could he go back to his life without her?
He couldn’t.
Pushing back his hunger, he hurried to the garage and opened the door. He swept his flashlight around the empty space and froze when he spotted shards of glass and a red scarf near the garage door. It could mean any number of things, none of which he was informing Sophie about. If Vargas’s guys had taken Hannah, they’d have taken her car and disposed of it somewhere. That was why the house wasn’t a wreck. If the police were called, nothing in her house would look out of order.
As he pulled the door shut, Sophie’s subtle, exotic scent tickled his nose. The mango, citrusy smell would be forever etched in his mind. He schooled his face before turning toward her. “Her car’s gone.”
“A lot of her clothes and toiletries are gone too,” she whispered back. “That’s good, right?”
“Yep. Let’s get out of here.”
Once they were back in the SUV, some of the tension built up in his shoulders loosened a fraction. He felt guilty about keeping wha
t he’d seen from her, but if he told her she’d be eaten alive with worry. And he wouldn’t do that to her. Not when she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
She sagged against the leather seat. “I still can’t believe all this is happening.”
“I know, and I’m sorry you got dragged into any of it. I know I said it earlier, but you really are handling this better than any civilian I’ve ever worked with.” True, he hadn’t worked with many, but the few he had normally lost their heads. Hell, he’d worked with trained agents who lost their shit during gunfire.
She chuckled and shook her head.
Something told him that her time in foster care had a lot to do with her coping. She’d grown up learning to hide her emotions and put on a happy face for the world. Except with him. With him, she’d always been herself. Where most people had thought she was a snob growing up, he’d figured out early that she was just quiet. She’d moved around too much to let people in. Something he understood.
“How much longer until we get there?” she asked, drawing his attention to her mouth.
“Soon, I promise.” Though he wondered if that was a good thing. They would soon be sharing a room again, and he only had so much restraint.
“Thank God.”
Flashing neon lights and throngs of people wearing skimpy dresses and designer clothes passed them in a blur as they cruised down Ocean Drive. He’d never been to the hostel, but he recognized some of the landmarks from their Web site’s photo gallery. After turning down a few side streets, he located it off Washington Avenue.
“This is the hostel?” Sophie stared at him as they pulled into the semifull parking lot.
“Yeah, why?”
“It’s so . . . nice. I backpacked through Europe one summer and never stayed anywhere like this.”
Jack shrugged and unloaded their bags. The simple two-story building was located in the Art Deco district, and as long as no one was shooting at them he didn’t care where they stayed. He wouldn’t mind sleeping on the beach if he had to. Especially if he had Sophie to keep him warm.
As soon as they walked through the front door, they were greeted by two giggling, drunk college-aged girls who placed leis around their necks. There were eight other people in the lounge area. Jack quickly assessed them. They all looked drunk but harmless. And they weren’t paying Sophie or him any attention.
