Because he had been pondering the same, Sebastian had a ready answer. “Absolutely nothing, as far as I can tell,” he responded honestly. “My take on you is that you don’t wallow well. What would change if you spent the day crying?”
“Maybe I’d feel better.” Maybe the leaden weight that had settled on her chest would lift some. “Maybe I’d be able to forgive myself.”
His eyes hardened. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kat. And we’ll both feel better when we beat the men who killed Felix. I promise you that.”
“I thought you didn’t make promises.”
He caught her expectant look for a split second, the deep brown intense and serious. “Count it as an exception.”
“We lost them.” Enzo delivered the news via satellite phone from the ledge where his targets had stood. “By the time we reached the top, they’d taken off.”
“Then find them,” Helen demanded. “I hired you to find the Cinchona and keep on eye on Mr. Caine. So far, I am very disappointed.”
On the other end, Enzo shook his head. “We didn’t know about the girl. You didn’t tell us Caine was working with her.”
I didn’t know, Helen thought. The news of Dr. Katelyn Lyda traveling to Bahia had come hours after Sebastian accused her—accurately—of hiring Enzo’s crew as an insurance policy. It seemed that her practiced paranoia had come in handy. Enzo tracked Sebastian to a camp with the woman she believed to be Estrada’s niece. However, years of collaboration with Sebastian had her doubting betrayal quite yet. “Caine might be playing an angle, so I want you to find him. Let him know who you are. See if he needs assistance.”
“We will. Given the tire tracks, I assume they’ve headed south to another town to recoup.”
“Then go on. And do not disappoint me.”
At the hotel, Sebastian left Katelyn in the car while he registered them under one of his preferred aliases. The clerk debited Jim Hasson’s credit card and handed Sebastian a key to his second-floor suite with twin beds. Sebastian retrieved Kat, sheltering her under his protective arm, their bags stacked on a bell cart he borrowed from the lobby.
They stepped into a creaky elevator that groaned its way up a single flight. Kat preceded him down the hall and unlocked the wooden door. Inside, gauzy eyelet curtains billowed in the open French doors that doubled as windows, and a narrow balcony protruded from the floor. The wrought-iron grate around the balcony held firm as he tested his weight on the railing.
“What are you doing?” Kat asked, as he leaned over the metal bar, his weight hanging in space.
“Planning our escape. Our friends tracked us to the cave, which means they’ve got a good eye. We didn’t exactly obliterate our trail out here. I’m not taking any chances.”
Kat accepted the explanation but didn’t care for the escape route. She crossed the gray-carpeted floor to stand near the doors. “How do you intend to get down there?”
“Quickly.” Sebastian entered the suite, brushing past her. “Second floor. Not too far down. I’ll go first, and you’ll come after me.”
“You plan ahead,” she responded dryly, stepping out to look over the balcony. Palms swayed in the breeze, and spring flowers dotted the beds beneath the window. Despite years of climbing mountains and her avid love of skiing, she’d never had occasion to rappel from a hotel room, let alone leap to what looked like certain death. Kat relaxed against the rail and watched as Sebastian quickly unpacked the essentials and left his bag primed and ready to move.
He, on the other hand, appeared to take the idea of their demise in his stride, a trait she found intriguing. Then again, she found almost everything about Sebastian Caine intriguing. He was smart, sly, and quite possibly the sexiest man she’d ever known. From the cool, dark eyes to the hard, toned, athletic body, to his rather startling view of the world, she found it impossible to peg him. Or to think of hardly anything else.
Men like Sebastian rarely entered her world. A raw awareness of him shivered through her, and she accepted the dizzying sensation. Like his kiss, he wasn’t a safe man to want, to be tempted by. Smart girls like her steered clear of his kind. But, Kat acknowledged, she no longer felt like being safe.
“Hungry?”
Kat’s eyes flew up to meet his questioning look, a flush building. “For what?”
“Lunch.” Sebastian rubbed at his stomach, smiling slightly at her confusion. “Oatmeal is filling, but I’m starving. You ready to eat again?”
“Sure. Give me a minute.” Kat hurried forward and snagged her satchel to carry into the bathroom. The door shut behind her with a snap.
Sebastian muttered a quick curse beneath his breath. He still hadn’t found an opportunity to see what Kat had added to her bag during her walk. Plus, she’d gotten antsy all of a sudden, as though she were hiding something. While she washed up, he closed the windows and secured the latch. Habit had him angling the remote on the television and positioning the clock radio to face the bed he’d claimed and hang slightly over the lip of the side table. He set the leg of the desk chair perpendicular to the front of the desk. The paranoid trick would alert him if anyone came into the room in their absence.
“Ready.” Kat emerged from the bathroom, her hair brushed and wound into a braid that hung down her back.
She’d dabbed something shiny on her wide mouth, Sebastian noted with a twist of desire. His hunger for lunch transmuted instantly into a need that was more basic and immediate. He closed the distance between them, his pulse drumming. “I don’t think I am as hungry for food as I thought,” he murmured, running a finger along her freshly scrubbed skin.
Kat felt the simple touch as a lick of fire against her face. “What—what do you want?”
“A loaded question, Kat. Do you really want my answer?” He flexed his thumbs along her collarbones, laid bare by her top. “Think fast.”
She tried, but runners of sensation coursed along her too-heated skin and twisted her logical thoughts into a jumble. Lifting a hand to his chest, she felt the quickened beat beneath her palm and sighed. More than her next breath, she wanted his mouth against hers, his kiss to sweep her into the tangle of mindlessness she’d found with him before. But his warning and her promise dropped her hand. Kat stepped away and pasted on a friendly smile. “Lunch. I think we should have lunch.”
Without waiting for his agreement, she eased around him and scurried out the door. Sebastian watched her hasty retreat, his hand balled into a tight fist. Deliberately, he relaxed his fingers and waited for the sharp bite of desire to subside.
She made a wise choice, he thought ruefully. Kat wasn’t ready for what he would take, and he wasn’t prepared to give her what a woman like that needed in a lover. He wasn’t the tomorrow type, and definitely not happily ever after. Moving forward, he grabbed his key from the table and headed for the elevator.
Kat waited at the closed doors, wary. “Okay?”
He punched the call button and nodded once. “We’re fine. We’re partners, Katelyn. That’s our deal.”
The hotelier directed them to a hole-in-the wall down the street, where a plump woman and her rounder husband plied the Norte Americanos with ceviche, ripe, fresh-picked corn, and sweet potatoes. Sebastian tucked into his meal with relish, helping Kat finish hers. By mutual consent, they avoided conversation about the Cinchona or Felix or Incan gold. Instead, Sebastian entertained her with stories of his exploits she hoped were exaggerated. In turn, she told him about her work and the many places stamped into her passport.
To walk off the meal, they wandered around the seashore town of Ballestas and pretended for a few hours to be the tourists everyone assumed them to be. Sebastian remained watchful, constantly scanning the areas for signs of their visitors from earlier. Their path took him around the town, and he scoped out the best exit routes.
Kat wanted to visit the water, so they stood on a pier that jutted out over the blue-green waves. Sebastian shifted to stand behind her, his arms draped around her. She started to move away, b
ut she remained in place, unwilling to break the skeins of comfort and something more that surrounded them.
A breeze came in from the water, and he rubbed her arms to warm the chilled skin. “How are you holding up?” he asked quietly.
Kat stiffened, then relaxed into his ministrations and sighed. “It seems unreal. I keep expecting to wake up. To find myself in bed at home, coming out of some terrible dream.”
Because any words he might offer would sound pithy, he dropped his chin to the crown of her head, and asked, “Where exactly is home? Miami?”
“For now, yes. I’m on a fellowship there for a couple of years.” She angled her head to study him. “What about you? Where’s home?”
“New York. Upper West Side. My mother lives in Harlem, a brownstone near the park. Likes to walk her two ugly bull terriers there every night.” The truth slid out, easy and comfortable and unexpected.
“What are their names? The two ugly dogs?”
“Law and Order.” When Kat turned her head in surprise, he gave a rueful grin. “She has a sense of humor and an endless supply of hope.”
With a delighted laugh, Kat curled her fingers over his. “I always wanted a dog, but my family traveled too much. I had to settle for a stuffed walrus I called Quentin Xavier.”
“A walrus?”
“I read The Jabberwocky and had to have one,” she confessed.
“You’re an interesting woman, Dr. Lyda.”
“Interesting is usually a euphemism for something less than flattering.”
“What about fascinating? Brave? Intrepid? Beautiful?”
Kat felt warmth creep into her cheeks, and she stared determinedly out over the rising waves. “I have a hard time remembering that you’re a thief, Sebastian.”
“A recovery specialist,” he corrected with a chuckle. “I take from the wealthy and give to the even richer. Less moral ambiguity that way.”
Turning, she lifted her face to his. “I’d think you could do so much more with your life. You’re smart and charming. Resourceful.”
“The hallmarks of a Boy Scout, I’m afraid. Not nearly as fun as my current day job.”
“But safer.” Before she could stop herself, she lifted her hand to touch his cheek. She barely knew him; and yet, she’d placed her life in his hands. Without regret. “I shouldn’t rely on you.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” He pulled her hand to his mouth, pressed his lips to the cool palm. “I’m not a good man, Kat. I’m not a thief with a heart of gold looking for redemption.”
“Then why are you helping me?”
He didn’t have a glib answer for her, and the realization terrified him. Fulfilling his pledge to Felix and finding a trove of Incan gold were the proper answers, but neither held the whole truth.
“It’s getting late,” he demurred. “We should get back.”
Kat watched him, saw a glint of emotion that looked like fear and longing. She leaned away, still held in his arms, and smiled. “You spend a lot of time telling me not to trust you.”
“Fair warning.”
She stroked his cheek. “For who? You or me?”
His hold tightened. Somehow, he’d started to forget his rules. When her scent rose between them, sea and sunshine, he could barely remember why he should let her go. “I don’t know.”
He lowered his head, his mouth finding hers with an impatience belied by the gentle play of his fingers against her skin. Again and again, he kissed her, each time diving deeper, seeking more. She wrapped her arms around him, and he dragged her closer, needing the feel of her in his arms.
Kat moaned softly, losing herself. Never before had a man taken her so quickly with a kiss. Her head spun, her eyes closed tight as she savored the changing angles and textures as he seduced her mouth, her heart.
Before she was ready, he drew away, lifting his hand to brush at her hair. Taking her hand, he led them back to the hotel, following a different route than the one they’d taken to shops. He sneaked them in the rear door and guided her to the elevators.
“Are you up for taking a look at the Cinchona?” Sebastian asked once the elevator doors slid shut.
Kat swallowed, fighting off the compulsion to tell him everything. She hugged her satchel guiltily. “Sure.”
Sebastian unlocked the door and motioned for her to wait in the hallway. The remote control hadn’t moved, nor had the clock radio. But the desk chair was flush against the desk, shoved beneath the desk. He stalked into the room soundlessly, gun drawn, and did a survey of the bathroom and the closet. Both were empty, the doors opened wide as he’d left them.
“Damnit,” he snapped. “They’ve tracked us here.”
Kat’s eyes widened in alarm. “How do you know?”
“The chair. It’s been moved.” He headed for his bags and hers, gathering them in one hand. “Let’s go.”
“Hold on,” she urged. “Couldn’t it have been the maid? Look at the beds.”
Sebastian started to argue but checked the bed anyway. Two mints had been laid upon their turned-down sheets. A harsh laugh rumbled out and he exhaled deeply. “False alarm. Sorry.”
Walking slowly inside, Kat teased, “At least I know I’m safe with you. Even from renegade maid ser vice.” She sat on the end of the nearest bed and grinned. “Why don’t you go down and check with the front desk? You won’t be satisfied until you do.”
She was right, Sebastian admitted. Pleased by her calm acceptance, he instructed, “Bolt the door behind me and stay here until I return.” He opened his kit and removed his knife and sheath, strapping it to his ankle. Finished, he handed her the gun he’d confiscated. “Try not to use this on me or our tires, all right?”
“Be careful.”
“I always am, darling.” He grinned and slipped out the door, then took the stairs down and tapped the bell at the front desk. The manager appeared. “Ah, Senor Hasson. You have a message.”
“For me?” The hairs on his neck stood on edge. No one knew his aliases, and he hadn’t checked in with Helen all day.
“The man, he asked if we had a young woman staying with us. A lovely morenita. I answered yes, and they wanted to leave a message for you, sir.” He extended his hand, a yellow slip of paper between his fingers.
Sebastian accepted the missive and read the line quickly. Outside. Come alone. Expecting a trap, he tried to decide whether to grab Kat and run or to meet the note’s writer and get some information. As long as Kat stayed in the room with the doors locked, he could spare ten minutes, he reasoned. This way, he’d either learn something more about the Cinchona, or he’d find out who had killed Felix and on whose orders.
“Please ring my room and let my wife know that I’ll be up shortly.” He moved quickly out the doors, the feel of his knife comforting against his shin. The parking lot was nearly empty of cars, except for a scattered few close to the front. Hotel lights illuminated short distances, leaving darkness between the old-fashioned poles. At the fifth pole, Sebastian saw a figure. He covered the distance with long, solid strides, temper flaring.
“Did you go into my room?” he demanded without preamble, his hand snaking around the man’s throat. “Did you?”
“No.” Enzo answered, raising his hands, palms out. “Senor, I believe we have mutual interests.”
Sebastian did not reply. His fingers tightened reflexively, slowing the flow of air into the man’s lungs. In the dim light, he studied the man. He was shorter than he and trim, rather than solid. In a fight, he’d best him easily, but Sebastian preferred to leave physical bouts as a last resort. Wits mattered more. “Who are you?”
“John Doe.” The name gasped out as the man scratched at his wrists, struggling. “Stop it.”
With each swipe, Sebastian’s fingers tightened in warning. “Keep playing games with me, and you’ll pass out. Make me angry, and you won’t wake up.” He squeezed tighter. “What is your name?”
“John.” The rattle of air warned Sebastian that soon the man would black out. �
��Doe. I work for the same woman you do. Mr. Caine.”
Sebastian loosened his grip but kept his thumb pressed tight. Just as he suspected. Helen had hired muscle to come in after the Cinchona. To his knowledge, this was the first time she’d taken the extra step, which meant the manuscript was more valuable than he realized. To suss out exactly why it was worth a second team, he probed, “When did she hire you?”
“A week ago.”
A week after hiring him. “Did she tell you about me?”
Enzo nodded. “Yes. My team and I arrived in town ahead of schedule and thought we might be able to wrap up the retrieval quickly. Estrada proved unwilling to cooperate, and my associates were overzealous.”
“You gutted an old man for nothing.”
“So it seems, but you appear to have developed a better method with his niece.”
So Helen knew about Kat. Which meant their lives had gone from in danger to terminal. Helen Cox was nothing if not ruthless when she wanted something. And Kat was the key to the Cinchona. Dropping his hand, Sebastian shrugged. “Katelyn has proven less than useful so far, but I am hopeful that she’ll reveal more in time.”
“Your deadline is coming quickly.”
“That’s my problem. You can tell our employer that I appreciate the support, but I’ve got this under control. Dr. Lyda and I are reaching an understanding, and I will make my delivery on schedule.”
“My methods are faster.”
Sebastian resisted the urge to break “John Doe’s” neck. A man like him didn’t travel alone. He scanned the lot, assuming one of the darkened cars contained his associates. “Your methods leave dead bodies and unnecessary clues.”
“I can help.”
“I don’t need it. Tell our employer that I work alone. If she wants me off this job, she should tell me. But I doubt your tactics will work any better on Katelyn than they did on her uncle.” Sebastian narrowed his eyes and his teeth bared in a slash of white. “Come near me again, and I will be very unhappy. Understand?”
Secrets and Lies Page 9
