Protecting His Heart

by Dana Volney

  Stop whining.

  She grabbed the tan leather jacket that was part of her look-normal-in-public outfit, put it on, zipped it up, and shoved her hands in the pockets. Fuck him if he doesn’t want me forever.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Felix parked the truck up the block from Pike Place Market. He wore a baby blue button-down over his bulletproof vest. Not that anyone would be looking at him with Arabella on his arm. She wore a tan leather jacket, zipped to the side, tight white jeans that left none of her curves to the imagination, and high-heeled short boots to match her jacket. The knives she had scattered across her body were hidden well between the boots, her jacket, and her hobo-style bag that matched her jacket.

  “Now, walk over to me like we’re in love.” He smiled and put on his sunglasses. The sun was starting to hang in the sky, but the glasses helped with surveillance.

  “Are you seriously telling me how to be your lover?” She laced her arm in his and pecked at his cheek. It was an act, not a show of feelings. The kiss on his cheek before they left the office had been just as quick yet packed with so much more.

  “Thought you might need reminding of how couples act in public.” He waggled his brows up and down as they started toward the market’s center.

  “You’re talking to someone who does this for a living.” She grinned and laughed a little, like what she just said was funny and not a tad hurtful. But he’d started the ribbing.

  He stopped at a flower shop and bought her a rose. The guise was that he was luring an unsuspecting Arabella into Darek’s trap. If it looked like they were really out for a date, Darek would have his guard down. That was the hope.

  Their fingertips grazed as he handed her the bloom. She wore large brown sunglasses, so he couldn’t see her eyes, but the balls of her cheeks heightened as she smiled.

  He grabbed her in his arms, pulled her firmly against his body, and kissed her, slowly at first then deeper when she opened her mouth and invited him in for the type of pleasure only she could give. Her hands wrapped around his hips and the tips of her fingers dug into his skin. Damn. If they were anywhere else in the world, he’d have her naked in a minute. They were on assignment, and they both had comms in—fucking Eddie was listening in. And the man always asked questions—Felix had to act extra grumpy to stop the flow on a normal day. Which would be no act this time, because he was going to be shitty as hell after Arabella walked out of his life.

  He swirled his tongue again and pulled back, pressing his lips on hers one last time.

  She took a step back and rubbed her lips together. “That is not what normally happens with a mark.” Her palm brushed down his forearm and his dick started to tingle as she laced their fingers together. Fuck. Another place. Another time.

  “Better not be,” he whispered into the ear he knew didn’t have the comm.

  Their banter was fun, but it tore into him. They had always been fun and sexy when they’d wanted to be, able to ignore all the problems that surrounded them. This was one of those times.

  They walked hand in hand, perusing the local spice spot, ice cream parlor, and the iconic area of the market that contained the fish store. He didn’t get down here nearly enough to appreciate what was in his own city.

  They stopped for a couple of minutes, watching fish fly through the air as the workers called out orders and customer names. That’s what tourists and people with no agenda would do. Their goal was to make it to Darek’s meeting place, a café at the end of the market with an outdoor patio and indoor seating. The team was parked across the street in an empty building and a few spare SWAT members were scattered throughout the market.

  “I see two following us.” Arabella leaned in and put her head on his shoulder.

  God, if this was their life … if only.

  “Black jacket and brown shirt.” He’d seen them, too.

  Felix headed into the inner part of the market that was covered. Vendors lined the sides of the walkway, and the middle was jam-packed with people moving in every which direction. Losing their tail for now would be ideal.

  She knew what he was doing and walked in front of him as quickly as she could. If their followers were smart, they’d just wait for them to come out the other side, but Felix would bet his life that they were not supposed to lose track of them at all. Arabella pulled him into a crevasse in an area blocked by a large ATM and started to make out with him.

  The scent of warm amber invaded his lungs as her hands covered his cheeks, splaying her fingers down his jawline. It was hot and heavy—like they were teenagers and didn’t know how long they had until her parents came home. He knew her actions were for cover, to make them less noticeable as the hordes passed by and the two men looked for someone tall and large to follow, but geez, was she into it quickly. He returned the sentiment, grabbing her ass and losing his fingers in her hair. He pushed her against the cement, grinding his hip into hers. Now she was just messing with him. The zeal was there, but the passion was not. This was mission Nox—flat and strategizing.

  He broke the embrace after he was sure their tails’ shadows had passed them. If the henchmen followed the walkway, they’d be down by the water in no time. The more bad guys he and Arabella lost along the way for the upcoming fight, the better.

  His gaze wandered over her face as he stepped back to give her room. Redness flushed her cheeks, and he cracked a smiled.

  “Shall we?” She walked around him, brushing her shoulder against his.

  “Yes.” He followed her out of the nook the way they’d found it, appreciating his view of her smoking, round, oh-so-luscious ass.

  Once back in the open, they strolled hand in hand by the open shops and people taking pictures everywhere. The cobblestone street was pretty in the setting; it reminded him of their first date in Paris all those years ago. Things had sure fucking changed.

  “I’m set. You lovebirds gonna get your butts down here any time soon?” Eddie, who surely had a ton of information now to use against Felix, asked.

  “I’m behind you now. Heading into the café next door.” Winter’s voice was a little muffled.

  “All teams are in position,” Alex boomed, clearly not remembering the mics were sensitive.

  “Take it easy.” Felix resisted the urge to rub his ear. “Two minutes out.”

  “Are you seeing this?” Arabella clutched his hand harder.

  “Smile, darling.”

  Darek sat at a corner table outside in the same café Winter just entered. He was changing the plan. Felix silently sighed in relief. Out in the open was better—there was less chance of Arabella getting hurt.

  “Shall we?” Felix placed his palm on her lower back and pointed to the café as Arabella smiled up into his eyes, purposely not seeing Darek. Everyone coming to this party knew she’d flee if she spotted Darek.

  The greeter seated them right next to Darek, which was no coincidence based on how nervous the waitress looked.

  Arabella sat with her back to Darek as Felix scooted his chair closer to her. She was boxed in by them and the short, black railing lined with pots filled with purple and pink flowers.

  They ordered coffee drinks and made small talk. Make your move, you piece of shit, so we can get this going. The sun fell lower in the sky and they both reluctantly shed their sunglasses.

  Darek finally turned. “Arabella. It’s been a while.”

  “Darek.” Arabella whipped her head between the two men, eyes wide with a convincing terrified stare.

  At least he hoped she was faking the scared part.

  It’s going to be all right, babe.

  Felix clocked five men surrounding them outside the café and one inside. He breathed through the surge of adrenaline and the overwhelming need to take his gun out and shoot all of them before they knew what was happening.

  “You son of a bitch.” She cocked her hand back and slapped Felix across his face. Fucking hard. That was definitely not fueled by fake emotion.

  He blinked a cou
ple of times before setting his jaw and towering over her. “That’s the way it goes, babe.”

  “Whoa.” Darek laughed and set his newspaper down. “Italians run hot.”

  He had no idea how hot this particular Italian ran.

  “There’s one speedboat back here. Two guards.” Amelia’s voice was low. Thank God their team’s underwater specialist was good at it.

  “I want what you stole from me.” Darek scooted his chair around to get a better view of Arabella, and his gaze danced with mischievous intent. “Then we’ll see.”

  God help that asshole if he laid a hand on Arabella. She stood to dart, like she might’ve normally.

  “Sit down.” Darek practically rolled his eyes.

  Felix put his palm on her shoulder to make her sit back down. She struggled a little against his touch but relented.

  “I can’t believe you sold me out,” she spat at Felix. “You make me sick.”

  “I want my information back.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She sat back, giving her hair a sharp flip in defiance, and braced her coffee cup with two hands as she sipped.

  “You do, and Felix here assured me you have it. I assume you weren’t able to make copies.” Darek ground his jaw as he looked to Felix. “Did you actually look at it? Verify its condition?”

  “I didn’t copy it.” Arabella enunciated each syllable and crossed her arms.

  Felix nodded. “We are good to go. We also had a deal. Where’s my cut?”

  “Give me your account number.”

  Felix took a small piece of paper out of his chest pocket and slid it on the table toward Darek. If he could make some money out of the deal, why the hell not? Just to be certain, though, he gave Darek an account that had been dormant for years—the money was sure to be seized by the CIA eventually. Darek tapped away on his phone, and Felix accessed his foreign bank account with his cell. And here he’d been thinking about closing it last month. He refreshed his screen, and a lot of zeros populated his account. It wouldn’t be so bad if the government forgot about this money.

  “Always nice doing business with you, Darek.” Felix kicked Arabella’s purse that sat on the ground by her feet. “The laptop with all your information’s in there.”

  “I’ll be taking that now.”

  “Not a chance.” Arabella kept her attitude contentious.

  The man sitting behind Felix to his left stood.

  “Now.” Darek’s nasty scowl held no hint of joking.

  Felix knew what she was doing. She wanted to see where all his men were. Felix glanced to the men who roamed the streets. They hadn’t reacted. They weren’t commed up.

  “Give me one good reason.” Arabella rubbed her lips together. Oh, shit. Not that look—she was going off script without a moment’s notice if she saw an opening to kill Darek without getting them killed.

  Okay, that was baiting Darek a little too much. The plan was to hand over the paperwork, get Arabella away, and either follow Darek and take him down with fewer people around, like down at the pier where Amelia and her team were waiting, or take him down as calmly as possible in the crowded market. He really wished there were a way to calmly start clearing the area of civilians without raising suspicions.

  “Because I can either make your death quick or painful. The longer I sit here, the more painful it becomes.”

  “Whoa.” Felix wasn’t handing her over to this psychopath. “You didn’t say anything about killing her. I thought you were going to use her for another mission.” Felix sat forward, resting his elbows on the black wire, round tabletop.

  “We should get him now.” Winter’s calm assessment was too hasty, but he could commiserate. Enough was enough.

  “I don’t have a clear shot yet.” Eddie was supposed to be perched on a rooftop two buildings over with his sniper rifle. “People are in the way.” When Felix had first met Eddie, he’d never guessed in a million years the slightly geeky guy was a ruthless crack shot.

  Arabella glanced out to the street, and he knew exactly what she was going to do. Before he could stop her by putting her ass back in her seat, she stood, slapped Darek, reached down and pulled Darek’s gun, then jumped over the railing. The thug behind them stood, and Winter had him incapacitated before he got a shot off.

  Apparently Arabella had had enough of the threatening chitchat too.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.” Arabella took aim at Darek’s head, but before she could shoot, a goon dressed in all black ran up behind her.

  “Behind you,” Felix shouted before decking Darek with a solid right hook.

  He glanced back at Winter, who nodded that she had him covered before he made quick work of the short railing to help Arabella as people screamed “gun” and ran in every which direction.

  The rest of Darek’s men converged on the area. Arabella was doing a fine job of protecting herself, so Felix got in two quick punches to the gut and a knockout blow to the jaw on the closest enemy.

  Felix heard Winter scream behind him and whirled to see her disappear into the shadows of the café with Darek.

  “Eddie,” Felix yelled.

  “Not clear. She’s in the shadows.”

  “Fuck.”

  Felix hopped the fence again just as Winter stumbled forward—she was coughing and blood ran down her arm.

  “Winter.” Felix rushed to her side.

  “I’m okay,” she rasped as she held her throat. The asshole had clearly choked her.

  He felt her arm and his fingers bloodied.

  “It’s a flesh wound. He got out through the back.”

  Felix met her eyes. They raged with a “go get the son of a bitch” type of heat. He nodded once, glanced back at Arabella, who had a clear handle on kicking ass, and darted through the building to the back. Darek was not getting away. Arabella was not living in fear any longer.

  • • •

  Arabella squatted, pulled one of her knives from her sheath, and cut the skinny bastard on the shin. He screamed in pain, and she stuck him in the gut. Didn’t these poor bastards know that Kevlar vests were a must when preparing for a fight? The guy fell back, and she used the stash of zip tie handcuffs Felix had given her to secure his hands and feet, hog style.

  She stood, catching a quick glimpse of her dirtied white jeans. Voices buzzed in her ear, and she whipped around to spot Felix. He’d been fighting alongside of her, and then he was gone. Between her, Winter, and the team that had been waiting all day for this fight, Darek’s men were detained.

  She scanned the area again. Felix and Darek were both missing. Her heart was already pumping overtime from the fight, but now her sinking gut joined the mix, and it didn’t feel good. Since when was Felix getting paid by Darek to bring her in? He’d not mentioned that in any of the endless prep meeting she’d been subjected to.

  “Anyone have eyes on Felix?” she asked and headed toward Winter, who was getting bandaged by a guy in a SWAT uniform.

  “He went after Darek.”

  “Himself?” Her high-pitched question made her sick. Darek never had just one plan. Felix could’ve followed him into a trap. Or was luring her into one. “Felix.” She pressed on her earlobe to hear through the comm better. “Are you there? Come in.” Her gazed flicked to Winter, and they shared a silent worry. But probably for different reasons. Winter more than likely wasn’t so worried about dying today. “Where’d he follow Darek?”

  “Through the back of the café, just a couple of minutes ago. Eddie is on his way to pursue.”

  “I’m going.”

  “Wait for him. Or Alex.” Winter glanced out over the crowd.

  “I can’t.” Every second Arabella wasn’t tracing Felix’s steps were seconds wasted. She had to go now. If she found Felix and he’d killed Darek, then all the better. But the jitters and the standing hairs on the back of her neck told her that was not what she was running to find at the end of the trail.

  She hurried through the tiny café,
grabbing her purse with that stupid laptop as she hustled to the exit door. She drew her gun, kicked the door, and walked through slowly. Clear. She followed a long, narrow, dank-smelling, and barely lit hallway for what seemed like forever until she saw light streaming through a crack.

  She pulled the door handle quickly and swept her gun side to side to clear the area then walked through cautiously. This time there was no hallway or room—she was standing over a mile long, steep, outdoor path that led down to the piers. She scanned the area, looking for Felix’s baby blue shirt. Her heart beat faster and her hands began to shake now that she was standing still. She needed to use all the energy that was building up from her nerves. She needed to keep going—she just needed which direction to run.

  Bingo. Two piers south, Felix was hugging the side of an old boathouse, gun drawn. That’s a positive sign.

  “I have him. On the pier. South,” she reported as she squinted—the sun was going down. They had maybe ten more minutes of light.

  “On it.” Eddie sounded like he was hustling.

  “We’re here. Back side.” Amelia Roe’s voice held a little comfort as Arabella headed toward Felix.

  She started down the steep, zigzagged pathway while trying to keep an eye on Felix. She stopped short when she saw Darek appear against the other side of the building Felix was coming up on.

  “Felix.” She yelled with all her might. He didn’t acknowledge her. “Watch out.” She started sprinting down the path, stumbling a little on all the twists and turns.

  “Where is he?” Eddie’s hasty reply and a metal click sounded like hope.

  “Outside the boathouse. Darek is about to intercept him.”

  Where was his fucking comm? Felix could handle himself in a fight, she didn’t doubt that for a minute. What she doubted was that Darek was alone.

  She was nearing the end of the trail; Felix was just around a soft corner and across the street a half a block down when he holstered his weapon and Darek smiled.