* * * * *
David couldn’t stop from grinning as he whisked eggs together in a plastic mixing bowl. He and Jade had made love three times since last night and then this morning so he knew Jade had to be starving. He’d had a piece of fruit while she was still sleeping, but she’d only had a couple sips of coffee before pouncing on him. Again. He wanted breakfast on the table by the time she came down from her shower.
For all his past fantasies, he’d never imagined that Jade would be a sex-starved vixen. Hell, he could barely remember his fantasies now that he’d had the reality.
She was his now, although she might not realize to what extent. He was never letting her go. Now that they’d crossed that line, it was only a matter of time before he put a ring on her finger. Every man in a hundred-mile radius would know she was taken.
“What are you grinning about?” Jade’s voice startled him.
He looked up to see her standing a couple of feet from him, leaning against the fridge with an amused expression on her pretty face. Shock rippled through him. He hadn’t even heard her come down the stairs. Further proof that being near her had short-circuited his brain.
“You,” he answered as he drank in the sight of her.
She wore a snug zip-up hoodie with a pink guitar plastered across the front and a pair of loose cotton drawstring pants that hung low on her hips, giving him a nice view of her taut stomach.
“Nice sweatshirt.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t even start. I used to wear this all the time in college. I can’t imagine where Maya dredged this up from, but it’s comfortable.”
He raked another gaze over her. He didn’t care what she wore. The less the better.
She moved closer and nudged him out of the way with her hip. “I hope you made extra because I could eat my own hand right now.”
“If you’ll pour us both something to drink, this will be ready in a few minutes.”
“No problem.”
The circumstances might suck, but having her under the same roof all the time was something he could definitely get used to. Way too easily. “Colin called while you were in the shower. He’s sending someone over to pick up the ring. He would have done it last night but it sounds like things got crazy down at the station.”
She shuddered. “Good, I’ll be glad to have it out of my sight. It’s done nothing but cause me trouble.”
“Maybe.” He placed a few strips of bacon into the frying pan.
“What do you mean maybe? I’ve almost been killed twice because of that thing,” Jade muttered without looking up from pouring milk into one of the glasses.
“Yes, but it might have taken me much longer to seduce you if you hadn’t been forced to share a roof with me.”
Her cheeks flushed pink but she didn’t respond.
As they both sat at the table, David found it hard to concentrate on his food. Every bite she took, she made little appreciative sounds similar to those she’d made only hours before. Instead of enjoying his eggs and bacon, all he could do was fight another hard-on. God, he should be sated after the night—and morning—they’d had, not ready to jump into bed again.
“Did Colin say when I’d be able to go home again?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
He shook his head and tried to clear the image of her naked body from his brain. “No, he thinks that until this situation is under control you need to be under constant protection. Even if he didn’t, I do.”
“I understand that, but I can’t stay here indefinitely. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the company.” She grinned as she took another bite of her breakfast.
“You could move in permanently, and I wouldn’t mind.” The comment was meant to be flippant, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he’d made a mistake.
Jade’s green eyes widened. “Permanently?”
Did she have to look so horrified at the thought? He shrugged and managed to swallow a bite of his food before answering. “You know how I feel about you, Jade. I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“You can’t be serious though. You really wouldn’t care if I moved in tomorrow?”
“No.” Why bother denying the truth when they both already knew the answer? He wanted her in his home and in his bed all the time. He wanted a ring on her finger so every man in the entire fucking state knew she was his.
She cleared her throat but wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“Whatever it is, just come out and say it, Jade.” His heart twisted that this revelation was that big of a deal. So what if he wanted to live with her? He’d already told her as much.
She brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. “I don’t…I’m not…I’m not ready for anything that serious, David. Last night was amazing, but…”
Something inside him snapped. He knew he was overreacting but was powerless to stop the stupid words from escaping his mouth. “But what? You just want a fuck buddy until something better comes along?”
She gasped, and a knife sank into his gut at the visible flash of pain in her emerald eyes. A hand flew to her chest. “No, of course that’s not—”
“I know that’s not what you meant.” Some days it nearly killed him how much he loved her, and to hear uncertainty in her voice after the night they’d shared was too much. He didn’t want to listen to her say what a great friend he was or how much he meant to her. Not after last night.
He abruptly stood. “Look, I need to return some emails and check in with my partner, so if you need me I’ll be in my office. I know I don’t need to say it, but don’t go anywhere, I still haven’t heard from Colin.”
“David, I…”
He stood in the doorway with his back to her, waiting in vain for her to continue. But she didn’t. So he left.
What more was there to say anyway? He couldn’t beg her to love him. If she didn’t, she didn’t. He’d just have to deal with it.
David took the stairs two at a time and resisted the urge to slam his office door, but only because Jade would think his anger was directed toward her. He was pissed at the situation but also at himself for acting like an asshole. The wounded look in her eyes when he’d accused her of wanting a fuck buddy tore at his heart.
He’d come to terms with his feelings for her but he knew this was all new for her. Hell, she’d just decided to start dating a few days ago. She hadn’t even had sex in two years, and he was asking her…hell, what had he been asking?
He started to head back downstairs when Colin called. He flipped open his phone on the first ring. “Tell me you have good news.”
Colin grunted. “Depends on your definition. Just got a call that Celan has been seen in your area. If we catch him today, this could all be over for her.”
David allowed himself to breathe a little easier as he went to find Jade. It wasn’t great news, but something was better than nothing at all. He rounded the corner to the kitchen and the bottom of his world fell out.
“Shit.” Beads of sweat rolled down his back despite the cool temperature.
“What is it? Talk to me man,” Colin said.
He tried to answer but couldn’t. A vise clamped around his chest. The red light on his alarm system that should have been blinking was off. Short of someone firing an RPG through a window, his house was nearly impenetrable from the outside. A fortress. But only if the alarm system that’d put him back nearly ten grand was on.
And it wasn’t.
Since it couldn’t have been disarmed from the outside, Jade must have done it herself.
He sprinted to the window and tried to tell himself this was just a mistake, that Jade was in her bedroom and he’d forgotten to set the alarm. He knew it wasn’t true.
When he looked through the window, a low ringing started in his ears. He blinked once to make sure that what he was seeing was real. A man not much taller than Jade was pressing a .9 millimeter to the back of her temple. The man looked around wildly so David stepped back into the shadows
of his kitchen and forced himself to breathe. His first instinct was to rush outside, but he knew that would mean certain death for both of them.
Colin’s voice brought him back down to earth. “What the fuck is going on, David?”
He kept his voice low. “Celan has Jade.”
“Repeat that?”
“He’s got her. No time to explain, but I think I know where he’s taking her. Call your guy out front and tell him to back off. I don’t want Celan getting spooked. Get backup over to her house but no sirens. Your men need to be so invisible that I can’t see them, and make sure they know I’m coming. If anything happens to her…”
He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.
Chapter Fifteen
Ten minutes earlier
Jade pushed away her half-full plate and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She’d never seen David hurt before, and the look in his eyes clawed at her insides. Angry and possessive she could deal with, but hurting him made her ache. She’d do anything to take back her words and erase that almost tangible pain she’d witnessed. What had she been trying to say anyway? His mention of living together had startled her, but only because of guilt. Not because it scared her.
After cleaning up the kitchen, she grabbed the full trash bag and went out the back door. David’s trashcans were on the side of his house and helping him clean was the least she could do. She tossed the bag in but froze at the sound of a familiar male voice behind her.
“Do as I say and you’ll probably get through this alive.”
“I’m supposed to trust the man who sent people to kill me?” She was unable to disguise the tremor in her voice.
“I don’t give a shit if you trust me or not. Turn around. Now.”
Jade did as he asked and when she turned around, she wasn’t surprised. The missing DEA agent, Keith Celan stood in front of her pointing a gun directly at her chest. And his hands weren’t shaking. Other than the sheen of sweat across his pasty forehead, he looked like he did this kind of thing every day. Although it did appear as if he’d slept in his suit for the past few days. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to move,” he said.
When she stood there his face reddened.
“Move! Don’t make me say it again.” He motioned toward the side of the house with his gun.
God, where was David? She should have told him she was going out to the deck. She thought she’d only be a few seconds. He probably thought she was in her room.
“What do you want from me?” At least her voice wasn’t shaky anymore.
“What do you think? I want that ring you said you sold.”
She started to protest but then thought better of it. When he spoke again she was thankful she didn’t try to deny it.
“Good girl, if you lie to me again, I won’t be so forgiving.” She felt the muzzle of his gun push deeper into her spine, and her blood turned to ice.
She wasn’t sure how he knew she’d lied to him, but it was obvious he had no doubts. They continued to follow the stone path, but he pulled her to a stop just as they were about to round the corner of the house.
“Don’t make a sound.” He walked up next to her and moved the gun to the side of her temple as he peered around the corner of the house.
She swallowed hard and fought the chill threatening to overtake her. She couldn’t afford to start shaking uncontrollably and have him freak out and shoot her. She wasn’t sure what he was doing until she saw a Chevy Impala cruising down the street at an unusually slow speed. No doubt an unmarked police car. Before she could think of a way to get his attention, Keith shoved her behind a bush and hunkered down beside her.
“They’ve been driving by all morning. I’m lucky you were stupid enough to be outside,” he muttered in disgust.
As soon as the car was out of sight, he yanked her to her feet and shoved her in the direction of David’s next-door neighbor’s house, a raised, Caribbean-style villa. She tried to scan the neighborhood for any signs of life, but no one was around. When they stopped underneath a semi-hidden open garage directly below the house, he shoved her toward the four-door sedan.
“Get in the car.” His voice was clipped.
“No.” The word came out strong and clear, though she sounded much braver than she actually felt.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not asking, I’m telling. Get in the car or I shoot you right here, right now.”
“Fine, shoot me. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me where you’re taking me.”
He chambered a round and for an instant Jade thought he actually would shoot her. Everything around her funneled out, and all she could focus on was his bloodshot eyes. Finally he spoke. “I just want that fucking ring Evelyn gave to you. Once I get it, you’re free to go.”
He couldn’t be in his right mind if he thought she still had the ring. But Colin hadn’t mentioned it in her original police report so maybe he thought she hadn’t told anyone about it. Keep him talking. That’s the only thing that would help her survive this. “How do I know you won’t kill me once I’ve given it to you?”
“You don’t. But I’ll kill your boyfriend right now if you don’t tell me where that ring is.”
Despite the chill in the air, she wiped sweaty palms against her pants. She couldn’t let anything happen to David. “Boyfriend?”
“Don’t play stupid. I’ve seen you two together a couple times. Do you really want to put your lover’s life in danger? Do what I say and no one has to get hurt.”
She couldn’t do that to David. She’d already lost one man she loved to violence, and she refused to lose David, not now. There was only one possible choice. “It’s at my house.” The words tumbled out before she had a chance to think about what she was saying. When they got there he’d know she was lying but she needed to get him away from David.
He eyed her for a moment, then motioned again to the vehicle with his gun. “You drive. If you try anything I’ll blow your fucking head off.”
She had no doubt that he would. The dead space in his eyes guaranteed he’d make good on his promise. There were no keys in the ignition so she waited for him. He got in the backseat behind her and dangled the jagged pieces of metal in her face. With darkly tinted windows, it was unlikely that David would recognize her even if he was outside.
As she reversed into the driveway she tried to keep him talking. “How did you get the keys to this vehicle?” She spared a quick glance in the rearview mirror. He was staring out the window, but at least he acknowledged her.
“There was an extra set of keys in their utility room. It’s part of the house, but the alarm system isn’t connected to that room. Idiots,” he muttered.
She breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn’t done anything to the family. She didn’t know them, but she’d seen a mother with two little girls on regular occasions playing in the front yard.
“Why do you want this ring so much?”
“What are we, friends? It’s going to be a whole lot better for you if you just keep your mouth shut. If you’d cooperated earlier you’d never be in this mess.” He slumped against the seat.
She risked another glance at him through the rearview mirror. He looked ready to keel over at any moment. Taking his advice, she kept quiet but couldn’t stop the pounding of her heart. Once they got to her house, he was going to know she’d lied, then he’d kill her for sure. The drive was a short one and growing shorter by the second. In less than five minutes, she could be dead and the only regret she had was she didn’t get to tell David how much she loved him. And not just as a friend.
How pathetic that it took a gun being shoved in her face for her to realize it. He’d been her rock for so many years, one of the main constants in her life, waiting until she was ready before making his move. She might not be ready to move in with him, but she knew she loved him. On some level, she’d known longer than she cared to admit. He was her best friend and now her love
r. If it had been physically possible, she’d have kicked herself.
“Turn here.” Keith’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“What? Why?” They were still a block away from her street. He had to know where she lived considering he’d sent someone to break in.
“There’s a uniform posted outside the front of your house so we’re going in the back way. Park there.” He pointed toward the curb in front of one of the empty historical homes.
As soon as Jade’s feet touched the cobblestone street, Keith grabbed the keys from her hand and shoved the gun into her rib cage. Instinctively she started to struggle but relaxed and followed his lead as they crossed the street. The street they were on paralleled hers. This time of day most people were already at work, so the chances of anyone seeing her was slim. Even if someone did spot them, nothing looked out of the ordinary. It’s not as if he was flailing his gun around, and considering she usually jogged in the area, her presence wasn’t out of place.
“We cut through here,” he said.
He increased his speed, forcing her to follow suit, as they cut across someone’s lawn. As they inched down the side of the house his breathing became more erratic.
“Open it.” He wiped away the dripping sweat from his forehead and gestured toward the latch of the wooden privacy fence.
She did as she was instructed, and after a quick scan of the backyard, they darted across the lawn into the cover of some orange trees.
“Now what?” The privacy fence was close to seven feet tall. Did he expect them to jump it?
“Now we climb.” Apparently he did.
“Don’t get any smart ideas. We climb together, and if you even look like you’re about to run, I put a bullet in that pretty face of yours.”
Tempting Target Page 16
