by Tara Wyatt
“Where’s Sean?” asked Antonio, leaning forward on his elbows.
“He went to get groceries.”
“And what does he think of this?” Patrick eyed her skeptically.
She forced herself to meet their eyes. “We talked about it earlier, and he’s against it.”
“Wait, so you’re going over his head?” Antonio frowned at her.
“Yes. Sean and I don’t agree about this.”
“That’s because he’s not thinking clearly.” Patrick stabbed his finger against the table’s surface, shaking his head. “This is why you don’t get involved with clients. No offense.”
“None taken.”
At the sound of Sean’s key in the lock, they all turned, watching as he walked in with several bags from Ralph’s. He paused, his eyes jumping from her to Antonio to Patrick, and back to her. He dumped the bags on the kitchen counter and strode toward them, his hands on his hips.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
With her heart hammering in her chest, Sierra stood, knowing she was about to set fire to the best thing in her life. She just hoped the foundation they’d started would be enough to rebuild on.
“No, nothing happened. I called them to tell them about Jack’s contact, and they’re on board with the plan to meet with him.”
* * *
Sean’s stomach hardened into a rock, his throat constricting painfully as he tried to think through the anger beating through him and making it hard to breathe, hard to see. Hard to think.
“I…” He took a deep breath, his teeth clenched painfully together. “Can you give us a minute?” he asked his father and Antonio, tipping his head toward the balcony. Without a word they rose from their seats and went outside. For several impossibly long seconds, he and Sierra stared at each other, anger swirling through him because she’d gone over his head. Anger that after everything they’d shared, she didn’t trust him. That he was a goddamn fool who’d fallen for a woman who didn’t love him. How could she if she didn’t even trust him? He exhaled a long breath through his nose and pushed a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to say, how to put into words the heavy disappointment pressing like a weight on his chest.
“What the fuck, Sierra?” His voice was quiet, shaking a little with barely leashed anger.
“I’m sorry. You didn’t leave me any other choice.” She looked down at her hands, her fingers twisted together.
He closed the distance between them in a few long strides and pulled out a chair, sitting down hard, his pulse pounding in his ears. “So this fucked-up mess is somehow my fault? No one forced you to e-mail Jack, and no one forced you to do this.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, staring at the woman who, although he’d known her only a short time, he’d started imagining a future with. A future that was now quickly fading and slipping out of his grasp.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that.”
He frowned, struggling to stay on an even keel. “How did you mean it? I thought you trusted me. I thought we were a team.”
“I do. We are.”
He leaned forward, shaking his head, anger and frustration tensing every muscle in his body. “No. If we were a team, you wouldn’t have gone behind my back like this. If you trusted me, you would’ve listened when I told you that this plan is a really bad fucking idea.”
She laid a hand on his arm, and he shrugged off her touch. He couldn’t think with her hands on him, and he was already having a difficult enough time wading through the angry fog clouding his brain.
She looked down and bit her lip, a tear sliding down her cheek. And fucking idiot that he was, he had to steel himself against reaching out and wiping it away. He’d fallen in love with a woman who didn’t trust him, who didn’t believe that he could keep her safe. Had all those times she’d told him she trusted him been lies?
Had Miami been one big lie? Had what had just passed between them less than an hour ago been a lie? She’d told him that she was his, but she wasn’t if she didn’t trust him to protect her. She wasn’t his, but he was still hers, and that disconnect…damn. It fucking hurt.
“I did it because I love you,” she whispered, tears still falling, and something broke open in his chest, and all the anger, all the hurt he’d been trying to hold back flooded out.
He leaned forward, his voice barely above a whisper. “Bullshit. You did it because you’re determined to get your way.”
“It’s not bullshit! It’s the truth! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to watch you put yourself in danger, time and time again, and then to be told to sit back and do nothing when I have a chance to put an end to this?”
He scoffed out a mirthless laugh. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to find out that the woman I love doesn’t trust me? Doesn’t trust my judgment, or my ability to keep her safe?”
Her face crumpled. “I do trust you! Sean, I do.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
More tears fell, and even though his anger was completely justified, he felt like an asshole.
“I know you’re angry, but let’s just get through this and then we can…”
“And then we can what? I don’t know where we go from here.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and pressed her fingers to her mouth. “What are you saying? That you want to end this?”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “No. I don’t know. I need to think.” His heart kicked weakly against his chest, and he leveled his gaze at her. “I’m so fucking pissed at you right now.”
She nodded, swallowing thickly. “I know. I deserve that. But I only did this because I love you and I want this over with. I hope you understand that, and I’m so sorry for hurting you. I don’t want this to be the end, Sean.”
His hands shook, and he could feel his world unraveling. Nothing made sense anymore. Without saying anything, he rose from the table and let his father and Antonio back in, both of them glancing warily between Sean and Sierra.
Patrick pointed at Sierra. “She’s right, you know. We need to pursue this lead.”
Sean stalked to his fridge, and even though it was only midafternoon, he grabbed a beer and wrenched the top off, crushing the metal cap in his fist. The teeth dug into his palm, sharp little points of pain that centered him, preventing him from getting lost in the anger and the pain pounding through him. He took a long pull and then sat down at the table again, not looking at Sierra.
“What I want to know is why this contact will only talk to Sierra. That doesn’t make sense to me,” said Sean, watching a drop of condensation trail down the outside of his beer bottle. “I don’t like it.”
Antonio nodded. “If Jack’s got an informant, I can talk to him instead. That would be safer. I’m with Sean. I don’t like the idea of you meeting with this guy alone.”
Sierra shook her head. “He won’t talk to the police. Jack thinks he’s wanted, and he doesn’t trust cops. He wants the information about Sacrosanct to get out, but he’s scared. He knows I’m not a threat.”
“Why is he willing to talk at all?” Sean paused, trying to articulate the bad gut feeling he had about the situation.
“He used to be part of Sacrosanct, and he doesn’t agree with what they’re doing.”
“Again, why doesn’t he just talk to the cops?” Sean looked up at the ceiling, his jaw clenched.
“You’ve seen what Sacrosanct can do. In his shoes I’d be scared too.” Patrick drummed his fingers on the table and looked at Sierra. “What do you want to do?”
She bit her lip, twining her fingers together. “I’ll call Jack and tell him to arrange the meeting. We’ll find out when and where, and then I’ll go, get the information, and report everything to the police.”
“For the record,” said Sean, taking another long pull of his beer, “I fucking hate this plan.”
“I think what Sean’s trying to say is that you can’t go by yourself.” Antonio tented his fingers.
Sierra met Sean’s gaze, and he looked away, some of his anger fading just the tiniest bit as he thought of everything she’d been through. While he didn’t condone the way she’d gone behind his back, he could kind of see why she’d done it. There was something sweet about the way she was so worried about him, so concerned for his safety when she was the one under fire.
But he was still angry. This plan was still stupid and dangerous, and the fact that she’d gone over his head still hurt, mainly because it showed him things about their relationship he didn’t want to see. The lack of trust. The now uncertain future.
“We can outfit her with an earpiece, and we’ll be nearby, ready to jump in if anything happens,” said Patrick, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
“And just send her in alone, unarmed?” Sean snorted. “Abso-fucking-lutely not. Not happening.”
“You don’t…I mean…I know you’re not on board.” Sierra cleared her throat, her eyes still a little red. “You don’t have to participate.”
Sean’s eyebrows shot up, fresh anger coursing through him. “Are you fucking serious? I’m not letting you do this without me.” Pissed or not, she was still his to protect, something she didn’t seem to grasp. And now she was telling him he could bow out? Fuck.
“Even though you’re angry at me right now?”
“Yeah, I’m angry, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you unprotected. I hate this plan, but like hell you’re doing it without me.”
She sent him a tentative, sad smile, and he felt a little bit more of his anger dissolve. Given the chance, he knew she’d chip away at that anger, and he turned away from her, not ready to let it go.
“If this guy really is an informant, we don’t want to spook him,” said Antonio. “Outfitting her with an earpiece and stationing ourselves close by is the best option.”
“And if he’s not?” Sean crossed his arms again, feeling restless.
Antonio and Patrick exchanged glances, but it was Sierra who spoke. “It’s a risk we have to take.”
Chapter 28
Sierra fiddled with the earpiece nestled snugly in her ear and was greeted by Antonio’s voice.
“Don’t touch the earpiece. You’ll give it away. Try and forget that it’s there.”
She nodded as she stepped into the lobby of the Omni Hotel and then realized that was stupid, because no one could see her. It felt strange to be out in public on her own, without Sean by her side.
Her heart clenched just at the thought of his name. He was barely speaking to her, barely looking at her, but still taking care of her. When she’d called Patrick and Antonio behind his back yesterday, she hadn’t been fully prepared for how hurt and angry he’d be. She’d thought she knew what she was getting into, but she’d been wrong.
He’d slept on the couch last night, avoiding her as much as possible in the one-bedroom condo. He’d made dinner for both of them and then taken his out onto the balcony to eat, leaving her alone in the kitchen. She’d cut into her baked salmon, tears streaming down her face, not tasting her food as she ate. She didn’t know where they stood, and she was terrified to bring it up. He’d probably tell her that they were through if she pressed him, so for now, she was willing to let it be.
He’d only spoken to her while going over today’s plan, again and again, to make sure she had it straight. She’d called Jack to tell him to arrange the meeting with his contact, and he’d set everything in motion. She was to come to the Omni Hotel, alone, at seven the following evening. Jack would meet her there, and he’d take her to meet with his contact in one of the hotel rooms.
As far as anyone—including Jack—was concerned, she was there alone. Except she wasn’t. With the earpiece she was connected to Antonio, stationed in the hotel’s parking garage in an unmarked van with Sean and Patrick.
Originally she’d wanted to loop Jack in on the plan, but Sean had vetoed that immediately. He’d fought tooth and nail against giving Jack any additional information, and she, along with Patrick and Antonio, had given in. It didn’t hurt to play things close to the vest.
She saw Jack across the lobby, and anxiety raced through her like flames licking across gasoline, leaving her skin hot and itchy, but she couldn’t chicken out now. She’d ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her to see this through, and if she backed out now, it would all have been for nothing.
Jack met her in the center of the lobby, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans, wondering if Antonio could hear how furiously her heart was pounding.
“I wasn’t sure you’d show.” Jack studied her.
“I want answers. You say that this guy can give me some.” She shrugged, focusing on her breathing, on keeping her voice steady. Jack glanced around the lobby.
“And you’re alone?”
“Yes. I’m alone,” she lied, despite the fact that she felt alone.
“Good. This guy’s jumpy as hell.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before tipping his head toward the elevator. “Let’s go.”
As they crossed the lobby toward the elevators, Sierra felt as though all her senses had gone into hyperdrive. The lights were too bright, the sound of Jack’s shoes clicking against the marble floor too loud, the scent of the gardenias in a massive vase on a nearby table too strong. Her stomach roiled, and she took a deep breath as subtly as possible, calling on every single ounce of acting ability she possessed.
She almost jumped at Antonio’s voice, but caught herself in time, covering it up with a cough. “You’re doing good, Sierra. Don’t forget, you need us, you say lucky and we’re there in a heartbeat.”
The safe word had been Sean’s idea too. Her chest hitched again, and she wondered if there was any way to fix what she’d broken. Maybe the fact that he was still looking out for her was proof that he still cared.
Or maybe it was just proof of how good he was at his job. She wasn’t sure anymore.
She stepped into the elevator, and as Jack hit the button for number fifteen, she was keenly aware of how vulnerable she was. For the second time in the space of five minutes, she desperately missed Sean’s presence by her side, and a fresh wave of pain and sadness rocked into her.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ping, and Jack led her down a hallway. The back of her neck prickled, but she kept going, wanting to talk to the informant. It was all she had, and she clung to the idea that talking to him would put an end to the hell her life had become thanks to Sacrosanct.
Jack took out a key card, swiping his way into a room not far from the elevator. He ushered her inside, and her skin buzzed with awareness.
Why did Jack have a key card? Why hadn’t he just knocked?
The door closed behind him, and he turned, slowly.
There was no one else in the room. There was no informant. She licked her lips, her mouth dry.
“You know, fifteen’s my lucky number.” She barely managed to get the last word out before he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the wall, pain exploding through her skull. As the room tilted momentarily around her, she felt him rip the earpiece out. Distantly she heard a crunch as he crushed her only connection to safety beneath his shoe.
And then he laughed, a cold, joyless sound she’d never heard from him before. Fear flooded her, and she shoved Jack away, as hard as she could. He stumbled back, but not nearly far enough.
He laughed again, a smirk on his face, his eyes cold. “You stupid bitch.”
Every joint in her body stiffened with panic. She felt as if she were watching from underwater as Jack stalked toward her. For one long, terrifying moment, she was paralyzed. Everything was happening in slow motion as he pinned her against the wall.
“I didn’t want it to come to this, but now that it has, I’m gonna enjoy it.” He slapped her across the face so hard that tears sprang to her eyes, her ears ringing.
It hurt, but the slap jolted her out of her shocked stupor, and everything shifted from slow motion to
fast-forward. Adrenaline surged through her, momentarily chasing away the paralyzing fear. She kneed him in the groin, ducking away as he yelped in pain, scrambling for the door. Jack grabbed her arm and flung her away from the door as she screamed. The closet to her left was open, and she grabbed the iron mounted above the ironing board and spun to face him, swinging it as hard as she could. It connected with Jack’s cheek, and he lurched backward a few feet, stunned. She bolted for the door.
Her fingers closed around the handle as a pair of strong arms circled around her from behind, squeezing all the air out of her lungs. Wildly she swung her right hand back and caught him in the eye with her fingers.
“Fuck!” He stumbled back, gripping his face. She scrambled for the door again, but he grabbed her hair and slammed her head into the door. Her vision slid sideways, and dark spots danced in front of her eyes as she fell to the floor, her legs giving out. A metallic taste flooded her mouth, and she struggled to get to her feet. Pain exploded down her side as Jack’s foot connected with her ribs. He kicked her again, and she almost passed out from the pain. He moved to kick her a third time, and she managed to roll out of the way just in time, her ribs screaming in agony.
Desperately she shot a hand up and grabbed his balls, squeezing and twisting as hard as she could. He screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his groin. She staggered to her feet, and her vision blurred red around the edges, hot with pain. Seeing her on her feet, he grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her down again, maneuvering himself on top of her. His hands closed around her neck, and she clawed at his face, struggling to get free as pressure built in her temples and behind her eyes. He leaned forward slightly, and she sank her hands into his hair, ripping a handful out. He fell beside her, clutching his scalp and cursing.
Sierra stumbled to her feet, gasping for air, careening forward into the hotel room. She picked up the iron she’d dropped, and as Jack came at her again, she swung it a second time. With a sickening crunch, it connected with his jaw. He shook his head and kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling to the floor as she gasped for air, pain shooting through her body. He grabbed the iron from her, and she was too overcome by the pain screaming through her to fight anymore.
