Past Sins

by Debra Webb

  Landry sat forward, his reflection filling up the rearview mirror. “Settle down, Jeffery, and we might just survive this.”

  The fact that he braced his arms on the back of the front seat, his big ugly Glock in one hand, probably had more to do with Jeffrey’s cooperation than anything Landry said.

  “You’re blocking my view.” Olivia shot him a glower via the mirror he was currently dominating. She refused to note any of the details of his face. Not that she could see all that much with nothing more than the glow from the dash lights. But she didn’t really need to see: she knew every line, angle and shadow by heart.

  He scooted back from view. She was glad.

  Olivia forced her attention back on the road. If she stayed on her present course, she could end up with another tail. She needed an alternate route. But first she needed answers.

  Hamilton could have sent that tail, that much was true. But Landry could have been responsible for it just as easily. He could have set the whole thing up in an effort to regain her trust.

  He might as well not waste his time. She trusted Hamilton far more than she did him.

  Nothing Landry could do would change the way she felt about him. She hated him. Hated even the thought of him. Anger sizzled inside her but even that wasn’t enough to completely block the hurt that she’d told herself repeatedly she’d put behind her. Evidently she hadn’t put it as far behind her as she’d thought.

  He’d ruined her life not once but twice.

  He was toying with her now, keeping her guessing.

  She took the next right. There was a small town an hour’s drive from her current location. Once she’d gotten the SUV out of sight, she and Landry would face off.

  His scent had already contaminated the air inside the vehicle. That tangy male scent she had never completely forgotten. She hated that it still affected her.

  “I can drive if you’d like.”

  She closed her eyes a second to block her body’s reaction to his voice. The vaguest hint of a British accent still lingered, no matter how hard he’d worked to conceal it. Nowhere man. He loved the idea that he could keep everyone guessing as to who he was and where he’d come from. Except when it was just the two of them…then he’d let his true self appear.

  She’d heard that sexy voice in her dreams a thousand times. Had only just in the past year managed to go for months on end without dreaming about him.

  Damn him for doing this.

  Damn Hamilton for not seeing this coming.

  “I guess that’s a no.”

  She refused to rise to the bait. Chatting with him or having him look out for her in any way would be a betrayal to herself.

  Her silence apparently got the message across. He didn’t ask any more questions. Jeffrey didn’t speak, either, but she had a feeling his reticence was related to shock.

  Just when she’d started to relax, Landry’s cooperation abruptly ended.

  “I’m not sure you can trust Hamilton. He’s the one who put the tail on us.”

  She told herself not to respond, not to give him the satisfaction of drawing her into a conversation, but she just couldn’t hold back the blast of outrage.

  “Don’t waste your breath, Landry. I might not be able to trust Hamilton, but I definitely don’t trust you.”

  “Ouch.”

  She gnashed her teeth nearly to the point of chipping the enamel.

  “I guess I don’t get credit for my past performance.”

  Heat roared up her neck and across her cheeks.

  Images of them making love flooded her mind before she could derail that runaway train. That had been his intent. He’d wanted her to remember. Damn him.

  She steeled herself against the feelings he hoped to resurrect. Reminded herself of all he’d taken from her.

  Her right foot came down steadily on the brake. She whipped the SUV onto the side of the road. She wasn’t waiting a second longer.

  Whatever he wanted, she would know now.

  Right here. Right now.

  Even if it killed her.

  Chapter 7

  He was out of the backseat and standing toe to toe with her before any afterthought of caution could penetrate her mushrooming anger.

  The Glock was still in his right hand, though the muzzle was aimed toward the ground. Her Beretta was held in a similar fashion. That he chose not to take a bead on her gave her little comfort. Holt Landry, the infamous Phantom, was an extremely dangerous man. No matter that his posture looked relaxed or that his expression appeared impassive, he could kill her at any time…if that was his intent. He was an expert in every manner of execution.

  That he hadn’t killed her already nudged at her curiosity.

  She heard the front passenger-side door open. “Don’t get out, Jeffrey,” she ordered without taking her eyes off the enemy.

  “Olivia, I’m calling the police.”

  Shit. She’d left her purse in the vehicle. “Just give me a minute, will you?” Even she heard the desperation in her voice. Dammit, she hated Landry for making her feel this way.

  “For the record—” Jeffrey snapped—and he never snapped “—I think this whole thing has gone far enough!” Two tense beats of silence passed. “But if you’re sure the two of you aren’t going to kill each other, I can give you a minute, I suppose.”

  “Thank you.”

  Landry made a scoffing sound under his breath, igniting her fury all over again. He would make light of such a gesture of understanding and kindness; the man knew nothing about either.

  “What do you want, Landry?” she demanded.

  He inclined his head slightly. “To save your life. Is that such a bad thing?”

  She steeled herself against her first reaction to his statement. Nothing he said could be trusted. Her entire existence had been compromised, including people she cared about. Somehow Landry was involved. She had to know how and why.

  “All right.” She stared straight into his eyes, looked past the mesmerizing blue color. Neither one of them had bothered to close their door, leaving the vehicle’s interior light glowing just enough to provide a decent visual. It wouldn’t actually matter if it was broad daylight—he would only show her what he wanted her to see anyway.

  “Let’s just assume for the moment that you are here to rescue me. Why do I need rescuing? I’ve been out of the business for three years. Who would be interested in anything related to who I am now?”

  “Now there’s where things get tricky. You see, because you’re out of the business, I can’t really share the details with you.”

  That old familiar lash of fury hurled her blood pressure into stroke zone. “Then I would suggest you start walking, old friend, because we’re done.”

  Knowing full well that it could be the dead last thing she ever did, Olivia turned her back on him with the intent of climbing back into the Explorer and driving away.

  “Wait.”

  She hesitated, told herself not to look back. But her need to know what the hell was going on won out.

  “What?” She pivoted, sheltered somewhat in the cubicle created by the open doors.

  Landry shoved the rear door shut and moved closer. So much for being sheltered. Her heart reacted as if three years ago hadn’t happened. As if he weren’t the enemy…as if she was the silliest damn fool on the planet.

  “We have a lot to talk about, Nessa.”

  “I told you not to call me that.” The sharpness of her tone made him flinch. She blinked, certain she must have imagined it. Holt Landry never flinched.

  “Just give me twenty-four hours. That’s all I’m asking.” His left forearm rested against her door, leaving her no escape route other than through that tall, muscular frame of his.

  She almost agreed to his demand, but her brain kicked back into gear just in time. “We have nothing to talk about, Landry. You betrayed me three years ago. Left me in the cold to face the consequences of our actions.”

  Olivia let those old memories resu
rface. It had been their mission. He’d walked away unscathed while she’d faced certain punishment, costing her not only her career but her life as she knew it. The wrath had rushed in on her like a category-five hurricane. But then, she’d been the one to pull the trigger. He’d been there in a mere advisory, backup capacity.

  His jaw hardened with whatever answer he had for her accusation. She wondered why he didn’t say what was on his mind. This was his chance. His only chance. In about thirty seconds she was out of here. He and whoever the hell he was working for could just go ruin someone else’s life. She wasn’t playing that game again. Her agenda had changed in the last few minutes. She didn’t care who’d resurrected her past or what they wanted. Her goal was to keep Jeffrey safe and to disappear. Some part of her understood that her goal was in many respects impractical but she refused to think about that in the face of this ghost from her past.

  Incredibly, he looked away.

  Olivia almost laughed out loud but her insides were too twisted into knots to manage the effort. What was she supposed to make of this? Was she supposed to believe that Landry had somehow grown a conscience in the past three years? That he cared enough to rescue her?

  Yeah, right.

  Men like Landry didn’t have a conscience. Didn’t have a heart. He was nothing but a machine—find the target, eliminate the target, walk away. As easy as one, two, three. No hesitation, no looking back.

  When his gaze landed on hers once more, that impassive mask had fallen neatly back into place. “You’re right. I should have been there. But we don’t have time to rehash what should have been right now. You have to trust me, at least for a little while longer.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes and wrestled back the urge to burst into hysterical laughter. When she’d gotten a firm grip on her composure once more, she challenged, “Do you really expect me to fall for that line of crap? Are you nuts?” She shook her head. “I’m out of here.”

  This time, when she would have gotten into the Explorer, he wrapped the fingers of one hand around her arm. It wasn’t so much the pressure of his hold that held her back: it was her own body’s mutinous reaction that rendered her immobile. How could his mere touch devastate her so after all this time…after all she knew?

  “Twenty-four hours, Vanessa. That’s all I need. I can fix this, but you have to give me some time.”

  Odd, Hamilton had asked for the same thing. Twenty-four hours.

  “Olivia, I don’t know who this man is, but we shouldn’t be sitting on the side of the road like this. Whoever sent those men could send someone else.”

  Her attention shifted to Jeffrey. She’d completely forgotten he was there. Christ. She had to be unstable. And he was right. They needed to keep moving. But first she had to make a decision about Landry.

  “Jeffrey, I’ll explain everything. I promise. Just give me a minute.”

  “I’ve been more than patient. I need some answers.”

  As if her life weren’t complicated enough, Jeffrey did a total about face and went postal on her. He wrenched open his door and tried to get out with his seat belt still fastened. His outrage pumped even higher at the nuisance as he stabbed at the release button and slung off the belt. He jumped out of the Explorer and stormed around to where she and Landry stood. His nostrils actually flared. If she hadn’t been so shocked she would have been impressed.

  “Jeffrey,” she reiterated, “I’ll explain everything later.”

  He shook his head adamantly. “Later is now. I have the right to know what’s going on here, Olivia. And why does he keep calling you Vanessa?”

  That he looked ready to duke it out with Landry had her mouth gaping.

  “Did you see the rear of this vehicle?” Jeffrey pointed in that direction, almost whopping Landry across the face in the process. “I hope you took the additional insurance coverage because I can tell you that the rental agency isn’t going to be happy.”

  Shock? Mental breakdown? Olivia couldn’t be sure. But this was not like Jeffrey. And it was definitely wasting valuable time.

  “We’ve driven across the country. Broken into a man’s home. Been chased by…by thugs and invaded by—” he glared at Landry “—by some sort of madman. What’s next, Olivia?” His gaze swung back to her. “Are we going to knock off a bank?”

  “Jeffrey—”

  “Listen, my friend, we all need to calm down.”

  Jeffrey’s as well as Olivia’s gaze swerved toward Landry.

  “Shut up, Landry. This has nothing to do with you.” He had no right to speak to Jeffrey in that tone.

  “You heard the lady,” Jeffrey echoed as he bracketed his hands on his hips and thrust out his chin. “Shut up!”

  Surprise vaulted through her. This was not the Jeffrey she knew. He looked like hell. His hair and clothes were tousled. He needed a shave. Clearly he was worried and overwrought. Had to be the pressure. Jeffrey Scott was not the demanding type and he certainly wasn’t the sort to pick a fight…or to finish one, no matter the circumstances.

  “Do you really expect me to take this from this guy?” Landry asked, amusement simmering in his expression.

  Bad had just gone to worse.

  Before she could find her voice, Jeffrey amped up his glower at Landry. “Who do you think you are?”

  Landry heaved a big breath and shoved his weapon into his waistband. “Sorry about this.”

  Had Olivia not been so startled by Jeffrey’s actions, she might have seen Landry’s next move coming.

  But she didn’t…not until it was too late.

  Landry slugged Jeffrey.

  Jeffrey crumpled like a leftover snowman in an East Coast spring thaw.

  Olivia dropped to her knees next to his still body. “I swear, Landry.” She aimed a death ray at him. “If you’ve hurt him I’ll kill you.”

  Dammit. She smoothed the hair off Jeffrey’s forehead. He was out cold. Fury charged through her. She muttered a few choice adjectives that described Landry perfectly, including traitor, asshole and a few others.

  “He’ll live.”

  Before she could argue, Landry scooped Jeffrey up and settled him into the backseat as if he weighed nothing.

  “He’ll need a seat belt,” she snapped. Jeffrey never failed to wear his seat belt.

  Landry looked annoyed but he did as she said. He tugged the middle safety belt around Jeffrey’s waist and buckled it behind him. It wasn’t exactly the way the design engineers intended, but it would help. It was anyone’s guess what would happen next.

  When Landry shut the door, he studied her a few moments, confusion lining his brow.

  “What?” She wanted so bad to slug him on Jeffrey’s behalf that it was all she could do not to act on the throbbing impulse.

  “Where did you find this guy?” Landry shook his head. “He’s not exactly your type, Nessa.”

  Enough. She’d had it with him. “You don’t know a damn thing about me anymore, Landry. So just back off!”

  He held up both hands in surrender. “Got it. We’re wasting time here. The bottom line is your vehicle has been made. We need new wheels. Let’s go back and get my SUV and we’ll get the hell out of here. We need some distance and some time to sort this out.”

  Her free hand settled on her hip while her fingers tightened around the butt of the Beretta. “I didn’t agree to give you the twenty-four hours, Landry. I’ll take you back to your vehicle and then this little reunion is over.”

  Determination replaced his usually impassive expression. “You’re going to get yourself and your friend killed.”

  Her gaze narrowed. How the hell could he expect her to trust him? What was he doing here? Why would he come barging back into her life?

  “He’s not my friend, Landry, he’s my lover.”

  He made a rude sound. “Now I’m really impressed.”

  That urge to hurt him physically almost overwhelmed her a second time. “What’s the location of your vehicle?”

  “You drive,” he coun
tered. “I’ll give you the directions.”

  It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d said no or argued the point further. He walked around to the other side of the Explorer and got into the front passenger seat without waiting for her agreement or caring what she thought.

  She got in, plopped her Beretta onto the console, slammed the door and shoved the gearshift into Drive. They’d spent all that time on the side of the road arguing and she still didn’t know squat.

  Olivia felt just as helpless as she had all those years ago when she’d fallen in love with him.

  Why couldn’t she learn from her mistakes?

  Landry had parked his SUV down a side road not three miles from Hamilton’s property. She didn’t like returning to the scene of her last close encounter with trouble, but she had little choice.

  Jeffrey had roused and maintained a vigil of silent fury.

  Olivia would have a lot of explaining to do. Whatever she and Jeffrey had managed to build in the way of a relationship probably wouldn’t survive this. Her whole life was shot to hell.

  Again.

  “You can get out now.” She’d waited at least a minute for Landry to be on his way, but he just kept sitting there. “I told you I’d bring you back to your vehicle. I’d like to get on the road. I have a lot of highway to cover.” She let her resolve speak for itself with the look she turned in his direction.

  He swiveled in the seat to make eye contact. Dawn was creeping across the horizon, but here in the woods it was still damn dark. She could vaguely make out the seriousness in his expression with the negligible glow from the dash lights.

  “This isn’t one of those situations where there are options, Va…” He cleared his throat. “Olivia. There’s only one way out of this situation and that’s for us to work together. If we don’t find out who started this, we can’t stop him. If we don’t stop him we’ll end up dead. You know as well as I do that they won’t stop until the job is done.”

  “Don’t listen to anything he says, Olivia,” Jeffrey interjected. “We should go directly to the nearest police station and turn him in.”