Just as the truck turned parallel to the hangar, just as we exposed ourselves to the bullets, I rose up. I needed to see. I needed to know who was turning my life inside out.
It was a tall figure, tall and slender. Dressed all in black. A hood covered the head and sunglasses the face. The person looked almost like pictures of the Unibomber that had been all over the news for months and months years ago. But there was something familiar about the way the shooter was standing; something about the way that person was holding the assault rifle that seemed familiar.
How could this person be familiar? I didn’t know any killers.
Then Marcus was forcing my head back down and we were racing out of the airport.
“This isn’t going to stop.”
We were racing through the countryside outside the city, Marcus still driving faster than he should. I slowly slipped up onto the bench seat, snapping the seatbelt around me.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. This isn’t going to stop.”
“Hayden and Vincent will get him.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand why this is happening.”
Marcus reached over and took my hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
My thoughts were racing, and suddenly this image came into my mind. Warmth and sand and sunshine. And Marcus.
I wanted to escape.
Chapter 18
Megan
“What the hell happened?”
“That’s what I want to know. Who did you tell about this plan to rescue us?”
I shook my head, my eyes jumping to the man standing at Sam’s desk. Blake Zimmerman. He was the only one outside of this office who knew that Hayden and Vincent were going to rendezvous with Marcus and Cadence in Abilene. He was the only one who knew they were going to put Cadence on a private plane.
What the fuck?
“We’re taking care of this, Marcus. It’ll all be over very soon.”
“Yeah, well, we’re not waiting around for you to get yourself together. We’re going on by ourselves.”
“That’s not a good idea, Marcus. What if you come under attack again?”
“We’ve taken care of ourselves twice now. I think we can handle it one more time.”
“I will fix this.”
“When you do, we’ll be in touch.”
He hung up and I cursed under my breath.
“What did you do?” I demanded, charging Blake Zimmerman even though the man was several feet taller than I was.
“What do you mean?”
“You were the only other person outside of my assets who knew where they were going to be. Who did you tell?”
Surprise exploded from Blake’s expressive eyes, but then his expression changed and he turned slightly away from me.
“I don’t like your accusation.”
“Who in your life would want to hurt Cadence Price?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I hired you to find out.”
“Someone just attacked Cadence and my assets at the airport that only you and we knew they’d be at. You had to have told someone.”
He shook his head, but it wasn’t a convincing gesture.
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Maybe you have a mole in your office.”
I knew that wasn’t true, but I just inclined my head. “You’ll be pleased to know they escaped again. But now they’re on their own and I don’t know how this is going to end.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You better make damn sure Cadence makes it through this. Or I will make you pay.”
I wasn’t afraid of him and his big words. But I inclined my head again, trying to make him think I was. It was the only way to deal with narcissistic guys like him.
He turned and stormed out of the office. Dante came up behind me, not touching me, but close enough to let me know he was there.
“I want you to follow him. Monitor who he talks to, who he visits. I want to know everything he’s up to.”
“Will do.”
Dante brushed past me, disappearing in the same direction as Blake.
“There’s something not right there,” Sam said.
I had to agree. Something wasn’t right, and I was going to find out what the hell it was.
Hayden called in not fifteen minutes later.
“The shooter pinned us down a good ten minutes after Marcus got Cadence out of there. We tried to catch him in the hangar, but he got out a back door. This person…I don’t know, Megan. This person knew what he was doing.”
“You’re not hurt?”
“No, we’re fine.”
“And the target?”
“I don’t think so, but they got out pretty quick. I didn’t see her before they left.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Marcus said they were safe, but that they were going off grid. Do you have any idea where they might have gone?”
“No. But my instinct would be to either steal another car and head east, or hide out in a public place, maybe try to get a flight out.”
“I’ll have Sam check all the airlines.”
“There’s something else you should know, Megan,” Hayden said, his tone a little grave. But Hayden was always darkly grave, or amused.
“What?”
“I think Marcus is involved with his target.”
Again, a string of profanities slipped from between my lips. Vincent had done the same thing weeks ago, getting involved with a porn star he was protecting from a crazed fan. That had worked out. I heard they were still seeing each other. But that didn’t mean we wouldn’t be hit with a crazy harassment lawsuit when this was all over if Marcus decided he was done with this girl when the heat was off them. That was something Dragon didn’t need.
“Stay where you are. We’ll track them and let you know what we find.”
“And then?”
“Send Marcus home and take over the case. We’re supposed to be saving this girl from the people who want to kill her, not providing her with dating services.”
Chapter 19
Marcus
We ditched the truck and disappeared in the airport, of all places. It was a small airport, but big enough to disappear inside of. We slipped into a booth in a dark restaurant, my hands automatically moving over Cadence, looking for more wounds.
“I’m okay.”
“That’s what you said before.”
“Do you want to go into the bathroom and strip search me?”
There was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes, but I was on the verge of accepting that challenge. Things were quickly spiraling out of control and I needed to feel that I had some grip on the reigns.
I’d tossed the burner phone, just in case. I didn’t want any connection to anything that might lead to another attack. I needed to get Cadence to safety.
“Let’s go to Florida.”
I looked at her, my head cocked slightly. “What?”
“Let’s go to Florida. I know a place on Key West we can use. It’s secluded, hard to reach. I don’t think anyone could catch us by surprise there.”
“You’re serious?”
“We’re in an airport.”
“I don’t have those kinds of funds. I couldn’t just—”
“I do.” She took my hand under the table. “We could disappear for a week or so, give your friends time to find whoever’s doing this. Get a tan.”
“This place…it’s defendable?”
She tilted her head. “I’ve never had to look at it that way, but I think so.”
I touched her face, imagining her in a bikini on a Key West beach. I kissed her forehead, considering all our other options. We could steal another car and drive east. We could hole up in a hotel and pray that no one notices we’re there. Or we could fly somewhere.
Key West was as good as anywhere else.
“They could trace the flight. We’d have to use our real names.”
“Then we fly to Miami and drive the rest of the way.”
I sm
iled. “I like the way your head works.”
We found one of those kiosks that allow you to buy tickets without talking to a human being. Cadence used a credit card number that she had memorized, paying several thousand dollars for two tickets to Miami.
“This isn’t going to cause you trouble when everything is said and done, is it?”
She glanced at me as if she thought I was joking.
“Didn’t anyone tell you? I’m worth almost as much as Blake Zimmerman.”
She got up and started away, but I grabbed her arm, pulling her back on the little bench in front of the kiosk.
“Excuse me?”
She laughed. “My grandmother was a very thrifty woman. She never spent a penny of the money my grandfather left her when he died and it just sat in the bank, growing and growing. When she died, she was worth a lot. And all that money came to me. And I…well, I was always really good at math. Investing is like a simple math game.”
“You’re rich?”
“Filthy. But I don’t go around telling people that because I don’t want them asking for money for their get-rich-quick schemes.”
I studied her face for a long moment, remembering the man from her past she’d briefly mentioned. Is that what happened with him?
“Well, princess,” I said softly, brushing my lips against her temple. “Remind me to be nicer to you.”
She laughed again, but there was an uneasiness in it. And that confirmed my guess.
The flight was uneventful. I half expected cops to be waiting for us when we disembarked, but no one bothered us. We borrowed a car from the long-term parking—a 1970s era Jeep this time—and started the long drive to the keys. It was a beautiful drive, but it grew dark before we were half through it. We stopped at a Walmart—nice, anonymous places, these Walmarts—and stocked up on clothes and food. I talked her into a skimpy, pink bikini. She blushed furiously when I held it up to her, but she put it in the cart.
It was touching on the wee early hours of morning when we arrived at the house on Key West. It was a beautiful little bungalow set practically on the edge of the water.
“My grandfather fancied himself something of an artist, apparently. I didn’t even know this house existed until my grandma died because she never mentioned it, never even suggested we come out here. The lawyer told me she rented it out year round, taking in money in rent that paid for the upkeep. But she never came here.”
“That’s a pity.”
I walked around the low building, running my fingers over the vintage beach furniture. It looked like something Ernest Hemingway himself would have found enjoyable.
“I came here for the first time a month or so after the funeral. I couldn’t believe how beautiful this place was. I seriously considered just throwing in the towel and coming out here to live for the rest of my life. But I couldn’t imagine living such an idyllic life, you know? It would drive me crazy not having anything to do with my time.”
“I’m sure you could have found something to do. Some beach bum would have loved to share this place with you.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think I would have been happy with just any beach bum.”
“Oh?”
She lifted off her shirt and headed toward the back of the building. “No. He’d have had to have been a very special bum.”
I followed, lifting her shirt with the tips of my fingers. I found her bra just outside the bedroom door. When I pushed the door open, I found her, silhouetted in the moonlight coming in through the French doors that opened onto the beach. She was slowly slipping out of her jeans, her curves made even more beautiful as the faint light glowed on her skin.
How could I resist that?
I went to her, lifting her up and stealing her lips. I didn’t carry her to the bed. No. I wanted to see her in full moonlight, wanted to see the full glory of the moonlight dancing on her skin.
I pushed open the French doors and took her out onto the rustic deck that surrounded the house. She nibbled at my throat as I carried her to the rail that separated the deck from the beach. The wood was smooth under my hands, under her ass. Then I stepped back, clinging to her hands as I did, staring at her here in this place, in this world that was practically made for her.
“You belong here.”
She shook her head. “This is a place of recreation. Temporary.”
I shook my head. “You look at home in the moonlight. It’s like you were made to be here, in this place.”
She smiled softly. “And you? Where were you made to be?”
“Wherever you are.”
I moved back into her arms, stealing another kiss. She melted against me, her hands moving slowly over my body, slipping under my clothes and touching everywhere. I loved the feel of her, loved the way her body fit mine as if they were meant to find one another. I’d never believed in the whole soul mate thing, but she was turning me into a believer.
“Is it possible,” she whispered against my mouth, “to need someone this much after such a short time?”
“I’m beginning to think it is.”
She watched my face as she reached inside my pants and took me into her hand. I closed my eyes, the pleasure so intense that I had to take a minute to keep from losing complete control. And then she guided me to her and the need just became overwhelming. I cried out, tugging her so close to me that I nearly pulled her off the rail. I wanted to lose myself in the feeling, but I needed to see her face, needed to see the pleasure in her eyes. And it was there, dancing in the moonlight, affection and trust and desire that I didn’t deserve.
As I made love to her there in the moonlight, I knew it was time to tell her everything. Despite the fear that she would never look at me this way again, I knew I was doing her a disfavor by not telling her the truth about the man she thought she was falling in love with. Because that man…it was all a lie. And she needed to know that.
Chapter 20
Cadence
We lay tangled in the bed, the remnants of an impromptu meal around us: deli meats and cheeses, fruit, and crackers. It was the most delicious meal I’d ever had, probably because it was the first food I’d had in my stomach since this recent ordeal had begun. And it helped the antibiotics go down easier.
My shoulder ached. My thigh ached. My hip hurt like a bitch. But I was alive and wrapped in a bubble of happiness like nothing I’d ever known before.
“We need to talk, Cadence.”
I refused to be frightened by those words. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked him in the eye.
“What about?”
“I shot at you.”
A stone sat on my chest with those words. I’d tried to forget that little part of our history together. But it was impossible to ignore.
“I know.”
“You have a right to know why.”
I ran my thumb over his bottom lip, wishing I could keep the flow of words inside a little longer. But I simply nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
His blue eyes moved over me like water in the ocean, begging me to understand before he’d even said a word. Then they dropped to the bed, to our legs tangled together, to my bare breasts so close that they were nearly pressed against his chest.
“I told you, I once had this girl I thought I was going to marry.”
“And Blake stole her away.”
“Not exactly. But, that was part of a bigger disaster that was happening in my life at the time.” His eyes came back up to mine. “You see, I had the perfect life. I had good parents, a father who owned his own business, a mother who was the queen of giving, of charity. She was chairwoman of every charity that ever existed within a thousand miles of Chicago. She got awards from the city council for her generosity. And my brother, Bobby, was intelligent and kind and generous, just like mom.”
“But perfection is hard to maintain.”
He nodded, his eyes filled with grief as he watched his finger play over my skin. “It all began to fall apart the last month of my junio
r year. The NFL scouts had been sniffing around me for more than a year, but I promised my mom I’d get my degree. I knew, though, that they would draft me the following spring. I was going to marry Kelly and play four or five years in the NFL, then I’d join my dad in the family business. I had my whole life planned out.”
He was quiet a minute longer. “I woke to the news. My father had been indicted for embezzlement. He stole from his own company to cover gambling debts. I hadn’t even known he was under investigation. My parents didn’t feel the need to mention it.”
“I’m sorry.”
He touched my lips. “That’s not even the worst of it. He was indicted, but my mom stood by him, insisting he was innocent. That was okay. We could face the future if he was innocent. I came home for the summer, went to the meetings with his lawyer. But then…a week after football season started, after the scouts began coming round again, he pled guilty. He had decided he would rather make a plea deal than face a long, drawn out trial. My mom…she was devastated. I had to go home for a couple of weeks to talk her down, to keep her from completely falling apart. When I got back, the scouts had turned their attention to Blake. He was new, and he was good. But not as good as I was.”
His hand moved down over my throat, his thumb brushing my bottom lip before sliding over my chin.
“About the same time, Kelly announced that she’d spent the night with Blake while I was gone and she thought she was in love. I lost it, believing that I needed her in order to get through this family ordeal. I confronted Blake with her words and he laughed. He said it was a one-night thing, and he didn’t see why she’d ever bothered to tell me. It didn’t matter, he said. She was just one in a long line of girls he’d warmed his bed with. And that seemed to make it worse, and I just lost it. I took a swing at him.
“I was still reeling from the fight, and serving out the one-game suspension coach put on me when my mom called late one night. Bobby had come home. He had leukemia and he couldn’t handle it on his own anymore.”
MARCUS (Dragon Security Book 4) Page 12
