Protecting His Heart

by Dana Volney

  She watched through the curtains as he fired up his borrowed truck. She scouted the parking lot. There was an old Toyota Corolla that would be fast to hot-wire. As soon as Felix pulled out of his parking spot, she ducked and sprinted through the lot. And, thank God, the car was even unlocked. She kept an eye on Felix waiting to turn left into traffic.

  She hunkered down in the driver’s seat, pulled the wiring harness down from the console, stripped the red battery wire with her knife and twisted, did the same to the ignition wire and connected it, then stripped the starter wire and tapped it until the car started. All and all, one of her quickest performances.

  She sped out of the lot and hung a tire-screeching left. Don’t draw attention to yourself. She stepped on the gas until she spotted the truck and then kept a comfortable distance. Felix ducked and turned into random streets, probably in case he had a tail, for fifteen minutes before turning into a grocery store parking lot with a sporting goods store next door.

  I am losing my damn mind. She’d just tailed Felix picking up breakfast. She hadn’t looked in all the sacks he’d brought in, but it could’ve just been enough for last night. The Toyota sailed into a spot a couple rows over and she leaned back and scooted down in her seat. Her body tensed. She rubbed her shoulders in a small attempt to relieve some pressure. Being on the run for four months had done a number on her already paranoid way of thinking.

  She could go up to him and surprise him—then he’d know her completely crazy for sure. Or, and the best choice, she could go back to the apartment, clean up, and wait for him to return.

  She put the car into drive and glanced around to pull out of her spot without incident. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a black Escalade with tinted windows pull up by Felix. That’s when it clicked—Felix hadn’t walked into the store. She pressed on the brake and shoved the car in park, sliding down a little in her seat again.

  The Escalade pulled up close to Felix, and he leaned on the hood of the truck.

  Darek emerged from the SUV.

  Son of a motherfucking bitch. What in the holy of all holys was Felix doing meeting with Darek? In the open? With no backup? This was a conversation she’d give her right foot to hear. There was no way to be inconspicuous about moving—especially since Darek wasn’t alone.

  What was Felix thinking? Was his goal to get killed before her? She tapped her fingers on her thigh as her vision tinted red. She itched to put them both in a chokehold. Her empty stomach, the one she thought was getting food soon, roiled as a burst of adrenaline surged through her body. Was he double-crossing her? Divorce papers all of a sudden weren’t good enough and he wanted her out of the picture forever?

  And who the fuck was Amelia again?

  His eyes. They’d been genuine last night when they’d made love. In fact, the entire time since she’d shown up in his life again. He might want a divorce, and he might be interested in dating after the divorce, but he didn’t want her dead. He was playing an angle. A deadly angle he’d chosen not to loop her in on.

  She searched the car she’d stolen—no binoculars or anything to use to get a better look at the meeting.

  Felix kept the edges to his face angry and refused to shake Darek’s hand. I cannot believe what I am watching. Darek had originally wanted Felix dead, like, badly. And Darek wasn’t the forgiving type. And now Felix was out there, making who knows what kind of deal, with the devil.

  A nagging question stung the back of her throat and wouldn’t go away. Was Felix giving her up for his own peace? He’d always been a standup guy … except that night she was kidnapped. Maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought, and what she’d assumed she knew about him was only because she wanted it to be that way. Maybe he’d adopted new ethics since leaving the army.

  Her head hurt from all the guessing she was doing. She had to go with her gut instinct and trust only that. She wasn’t some fragile little woman; she could take care of herself. And she preferred it that way. Alone. Where there was no one to second guess her or be her weakness. She couldn’t afford to be attached to Felix. Her heart, her soul, couldn’t live through that type of pain again.

  She settled into the threadbare seat and seethed as she watched her old enemy and her husband converse. There was no trusting Felix after this. She never should’ve come to him. Her retaliation would involve his blood, or his bones breaking, or, at the very least, bruises. Let’s see how you like it when you’re caught off guard.

  • • •

  Felix could slit Darek’s throat right now and sleep like a baby tonight.

  “Felix. Felix. Felix.” A voice he’d never forget turned his blood cold.

  Waking up to Darek’s call hadn’t been the type of morning Felix expected—especially after the great sex and rousing from hell to have Arabella comfort him. Like she used to. Her concern, her gentle touch, had been real, and he’d not wanted to leave that moment. Not ever. The stillness of the night, the raw emotion that had made its way to the surface … he really fucking missed her being there.

  “I’m happy to see you’ve come to your senses.” Darek adjusted a gold ring on his pinky.

  “What can I do for you, Darek?” Fuck this guy. Felix’s irritation level was at code red, and the fact that he really couldn’t just dispatch with Darek and his entire team right there and keep Arabella safe made his insides boil.

  “Imagine my surprise when my men described someone protecting her who looks exactly like you. And then had a picture for confirmation. Are you imagining my surprise?”

  “Only if you’re imagining mine.”

  “I’ll make you a deal. You deliver her to me, and we no longer have a problem.”

  “And why would I want to do that?”

  “I’m in Seattle. It would be just as easy for me to make this a two-for-one trip.”

  Felix raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m taking my stolen information back at any cost,” Darek continued. “You can either be with me or against me.”

  “Let me think about it and get back to you.”

  Eddie’s tech had certainly traced the meeting call already. He could relay it to Alex and they could converge. And risk being late and having Darek escape, only to surprise them later. No thank you. Felix needed to start controlling the situation. No more of this running and hiding bullshit.

  A hearty, evil laugh made his insides cringe. “She got to you. Her charms are a lie.” The spit from Darek’s words landed on Felix’s shoes. “Too bad you won’t be around to see for yourself.”

  Arabella’s charms and lies were her greatest assets, but they’d certainly had the opposite effect with Darek.

  “You’re on American soil, Darek. The rules are different here.”

  “Maybe for you. For me they are not.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Felix didn’t want to survey the area and spook Darek, but he sure as hell hoped Eddie had made it to the Fred Meyer parking lot. He was the only backup Felix had called. And it had been twenty-five minutes already. The less time he spent in the presence of this maniac, the better.

  “I’ll forgive your indiscretions and even add in a little finder’s fee if you give me Katelyn.” The old man ground his jaw in a circle. “Or should I say Arabella Nox?”

  Katelyn Anthony was a cover ID Arabella had cultivated for years. That name was officially dead in the water. And if they didn’t put an end to Darek, so was her real name.

  If Felix had had more time, he could’ve put a capture team in place. Taking Darek with only Eddie as backup would be reckless. Felix liked odds in the double digits. Waking Arabella had been an option, but one he’d hated. This impromptu meeting was already too dangerous, and to bring the exact person Darek wanted would be way too stupid. And if he’d told Arabella he was leaving, there’d have been no way he could’ve stopped her from tagging along. A sleeping Arabella wasn’t a dangerous one.

  His play was to set up the meeting to turn her over and figure out how to detain Darek later
. “Where and when?” He crossed his arms over his chest and stopped himself from clenching his fists. Or using them.

  “There’s a little café next to Pike’s Market. Wonderful croissants. Be there at five.”

  “That’s a public spot for such a wanted man.”

  Darek laughed without much humor implied. “I’ll tell you, because this is the last time we will have time for small talk. We’ll be taking her out of the country. Swiftly.”

  “Efficient.”

  Darek returned to his SUV, where one of his henchmen opened the door for him. “I don’t think I need to tell you what happens if you don’t show or plans go awry.”

  “As long as you and I are done, she’ll be there.”

  The dark SUV exited the lot flanked by another.

  Felix grabbed his cell phone from the pocket in his black cargo pants and dialed Eddie. “Get any of that?” he asked as he glanced around for his backup.

  “Yah.” Eddie was already behind Felix, nearly giving him a heart attack.

  Felix pocketed his phone. “Did you get his cell, too?”

  “There are four. Captured all the signals.” Eddie tapped on his phone. “What a dick. What’s his deal?”

  “She stole from him. Apparently that makes her more unlikable than me.”

  “That’s saying something.” Eddie chuckled. “You brought Arabella, too?”

  “No. I didn’t wake her.”

  “Um, bro, I hate to break it to you, but she’s here.”

  Felix’s head snapped up. How’s that possible?

  Eddie glanced around the lot. “Or just was.” He studied his phone again. “My tech doesn’t lie.”

  “Fuck.” Felix had his keys out and was at the truck door in an instant.

  “I’ll alert Winter, and we’ll start a plan for tonight.” Eddie, who normally took very little seriously, looked Felix dead in his eyes, with no joke between them. “Don’t let Arabella get away.”

  Felix shook his head and took a deep breath. Easier said than done. Arabella had trailed him and watched a meeting she didn’t know the details of. None of this was good for him. None of it. She was going to jump to some half-cocked conclusion and be pissed, and the best he could hope for was to catch her before she disappeared. For good. If she hadn’t already.

  He squealed the tires as he left the parking lot. He pointed the truck for the safe house and said a short prayer she’d gone back there. If she decided to split without going back, he’d probably never see her again.

  Did she really assume he would go behind her back and sell her out like that? To Darek of all people? They had a tumultuous past, but that didn't mean he wanted her dead. Far from it.

  He gripped the steering wheel tighter, checked again to make sure he wasn’t being followed—as if that had worked earlier—pushed hard on the gas pedal, and gritted his teeth. Who knew what she was thinking. This wasn't a normal operation; this wasn't a normal situation. They were flying by the seat of their pants here, and he was hoping for the best, which didn't include one of them dying.

  He screeched to a halt in front of the apartment door. Moving quickly, he placed his hand on the doorknob. Then froze. She’d ambushed him once this week; he was not going for a second.

  He stepped to the side and took a beat to listen. All quiet. He glanced out at the small parking lot flanked by rows of small apartments just like the one he’d found for Wyn Security after Winter’s house had been blown up while she was protecting Eliam. There was a Toyota parked sloppily to his left. He started to reach for his Beretta. Dammit. Was he really going to go in there to speak to Arabella, if she was in there, with a gun?

  Fuck yes, he was. No telling what she’d armed herself with.

  Carefully, he turned the knob and pushed the front door open. “Nox,” he called out, decisive and curt. “I know you followed me.” Silence. He stepped into the doorway and swept the room with his gun.

  Empty. Fucking shit, she’d beat him here and run. She was the one who’d dragged him into this cluster—the least she could do was stick around and finish the job. Irritation sank into every last nerve he had.

  He cleared the rest of the rooms and holstered his gun. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.” He slammed his fists down on the cream kitchen countertop.

  “There’s a lot of that going around recently.”

  He swiveled, and before he could see her or get to his gun, she punched him in the face. Square in his motherfucking jaw.

  “You fucking asshole.” She landed another punch to his gut, damn near emptying his lungs. Yeah, she’d always been a formidable sparring partner, but this was rage he’d never seen before.

  He ducked to avoid losing any teeth and pivoted around her, reaching for her punching arm. She wiggled free and swept his leg, landing him flat on his back on the linoleum floor. Before she could make her next ball-busting move, he rolled into her legs, causing her to go down next to him. He boogied to his feet and put distance between them. She was clearly looking for a fight, but he wasn’t. His breathing was labored, and pain nagged at his face and abs. He’d been lax on his fight training over the past year—he’d be remedying that shortfall next week.

  “What the fuck, Nox?”

  She was on her feet and determined. The bright spot was that she didn’t have a gun trained on him.

  “You make a secret meeting with the guy who has been trying to kill me for months and who isn’t the biggest fan of yours, and you’re asking the questions? I don’t think so.”

  “He called this morning.”

  “Then why didn’t you wake me?” She moved to her right in a circling fashion. He was her prey.

  “For a lot of fucking reasons.” He put his hands on his hips, only noticing now that somewhere in all the scuffle, she’d taken his gun. The black metal mocked him from the carpet by the bedroom door. He understood part of her rage. If he’d seen her meeting with Darek, he’d have lost his mind, too.

  “Name one good one.”

  “You needed sleep. You are too invested in this not to do something stupid. Like, oh say, go off half-cocked and blow everything up."

  “That was one time and you know it.”

  “Proof’s in the pudding, darling.”

  “Not good enough.”

  “I brought Eddie, and he’s setting up the team now for tonight.”

  “Yeah right,” she scoffed, the betrayal in her eyes still heavy. “I’m supposed to believe you’re not taking the opportunity to sell me out and be free of Darek once and for all?”

  That was fucking it. Felix been on the defensive before. Not anymore.

  “How the fuck is that the conclusion you’ve come to?” He tightened the grip on his hips, stopping himself from running to her and shaking sense back into her.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you had a perfectly capable partner sleeping right next to you, and instead you chose to leave her and called for someone else to back you up on an insane, last-minute meeting.” She pointed at him. “It better have been a last-minute meeting.”

  “I—”

  “He could’ve killed you right on the spot.” She was yelling now, using both hands for emphasis. “No questions asked. And still come after me. I don’t think I’m the one not thinking straight here.”

  There was nothing between them to stop her from lunging, and the heat in her eyes told him she was on the verge.

  “How the hell you continually fail to understand that I don’t wish you harm is fucking beyond me. I’m not actually going to give you up, but I needed to buy time. You have some major trust issues, you know that?”

  “Buy time by going in, when you were clearly outmatched, with no real plan? You’re better than that.”

  “And you’re better than this.” Shitballs. He rubbed his forehead before he remembered he shouldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was breathing hard and had started to pace the length of the kitchen.

  “Am I? Because it feels right.”

  “Kicking my ass was o
n your to-do list today?” He moved his bottom jaw and felt the sting of her knuckles all over again.

  “After you didn’t go into the grocery store. And Darek showed up.”

  Her gaze, which had not backed down since the first punch, was now elusive. There was something more at play here. His phone rang. Winter. Great. The quicker they could focus on something else, the better.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Arabella turned her back while Felix answered his phone. She was barely keeping it together. When she’d seen Darek’s minions sneaking up behind Felix in that parking lot, she’d wanted to charge out of the car and draw their attention. She didn’t have a gun on her. They would’ve been outmatched. She hadn’t breathed until she’d seen Darek drive away and she’d made sure they didn’t pull around to follow him. Then she’d gotten the hell out of there.

  It wasn’t great that her life was in danger, but now she had directly put Felix in the line of fire, and that was hard to handle. Showing up at his door when bullets were flying wasn’t new to either of them. But seeing Felix with Darek, a man who most certainly wanted Felix dead, made her shake.

  She’d punched him for his reckless actions. She’d punched him for his betrayal. And she’d punched him because his death would be on her. She was responsible. She was too vulnerable when it came to Felix. Why did she care so much about a man who had the potential to ruin her? Her life was tethered to his, and nothing seemed to be strong enough to break that tie.

  Her hands started to go numb, and she intertwined her fingers and held tightly.

  Felix’s answers were curt, and from the extended silence, she could tell his call was done. She took a slow breath to steady herself; she had to focus on learning the plan so this personal and professional hell she was in could end.

  Before she could turn around, she felt Felix’s warmth on her back, then his hands wrapped around both of her upper arms. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in his closeness, his spice, before she shook him off and whirled around to face him. She would not give into whatever the hell soothing technique that was.

  He was the first to speak. “We’re going to meet the team in ninety minutes.”