Her Devil's Kiss

by Linzi Basset

“I had something else to take care of. Lance and I are at Jack’s house. Can you gather the rest of the team and meet us here? We have a theory and need your help.”

  “About fucking time the two of you realize we’re better as one team,” Rhone rumbled. “We’ll be there.”

  “We’ll be waiting … oh, and Rhone, bring a couple of heavy-duty blowtorches.” He ended the call and said to Lance, “In the meantime, let’s see if we can find the other tunnel entrance. Just in case.”

  They were making their way back to where they’d found the tunnel hatch when Rhone, Keon, Max, Ethan, and Bruce arrived.

  “Tell me you found something,” Max immediately demanded. They all knew how devastated he was and unequivocally believed Jack was still alive.

  “Before you do, I suggest you tell us first what’s going on, Alex. What were you, Lance, and Jack up to?” Rhone rasped. He looked around. “Fuck, this is a mess. We need to get a team out here to clean up the place.”

  “Jack knows who the leaders of the Sixth Order are,” Lance said.

  “What the fuck!” Max exploded. “Why the hell didn’t he say anything?”

  “We all know how Jack’s mind works, mate,” Keon intoned gently. “He would sacrifice himself to protect those he loved.”

  “Exactly. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Alex explained.

  “But he used you and Lance as his backdoor?” Bruce said with his brows drawn together.

  “Yes.” Alex noticed the hurt expression on Max’s face he couldn’t hide. He’d been Jack’s friend from when they were little and it shook him that he had excluded him. “He would never have asked you, Max, not with Joanne expecting your first child.”

  “I know, but it still doesn’t make it any easier.”

  “How did he find out?” Ethan interjected.

  Lance glanced at Alex. He nodded his consent. “Jack had a sixth sense about things, we all know that. He had another sample tested of the semen found on Jordan after she was abducted.”

  “So, he knows who Dexter Powell is?” Keon asked.

  “Yes.” Alex inhaled slowly. “Jack told us they’re close to us. That we all know them and they had to be stopped but he wanted to make sure there’d be no mistakes made. He didn’t want them to escape … which was why he planned on faking his own death.”

  “Hold on. You said they?” Rhone looked at him with a piercing glare. His mind was working overtime as he compartmentalized every piece of information they disclosed.

  “Yes, but he never mentioned who the second one was. If he knew the name he used as a disguise, he never told us,” Lance said.

  “According to Emily Sanchez, it’s Mr. Zee or Gun. We can’t be sure which one Jack would’ve known about,” Bruce volunteered.

  “Anyway, Jack needed to disappear so he could ghost them and uncover their operation,” Lance continued.

  “He planted a small bomb at the front door. One that wouldn’t have caused more damage than ripping the front door and entrance hall apart,” Alex continued.

  “Jack wouldn’t have made such a mistake. That bomb had the blast of several pounds of Semtex,” Max said.

  “He didn’t. There was another bomb, at the arch leading into the great room. The plan was to get to his study before his bomb went off, giving him time to get into the tunnel. We’d then relay the story that he’d been opening the front door that must’ve ignited the bomb. It would have been believable in such an instance that no remains could be found.”

  “Only it backfired,” Bruce gruffed.

  “Jack had the entire house swept an hour prior to the wedding. Someone who was at the reception must have planted that bomb,” Alex said. His jaw was rigid.

  “Fuck! Someone that close to us? Are you serious?” Max exploded.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. Lance and I have already drawn up a list of all the guests. For the life of either of us, we can’t figure out who it could be.”

  “What are we doing here?” Rhone asked.

  “The MPD’s report doesn’t state anything about the underground tunnels, which means they didn’t know about them and never checked it. We found the hatch leading into the tunnel that Jack would’ve used but it’s melted shut from the heat of the explosion. We need to get it open.”

  “You said Jack was at the point of impact, Alex. How would he have made it a couple of yards down the hallway and into the study in time?” Bruce voiced his concern aloud.

  “We might be grasping at straws, mate, but we all know how fast Jack can move.” Alex pointed at the floor. “Look around. Everything is destroyed, there’s a crater to that side but no damage to the study floor. Jack turned the area under his study into a bomb shelter. If he made it, I need to know.”

  “Agreed. Let’s get the blowtorches, Bruce. The quicker we get through that latch, the sooner we can all have peace of mind that Jack’s still alive.”

  With Keon and Bruce working on either side of the latch, they cut it open in no time.

  Keon looked at his friends. Hope was evident in his eyes. “Here we go.” He opened the hatch. “It’s pitch black down there.”

  “I’ve got a couple of flashlights in my car.” Ethan jogged away to retrieve them while Keon and Bruce climbed down the steel ladder into the bomb shelter.

  “No, Alex. You and Lance stay here. You’re still recuperating and I don’t want you hurting yourself again.”

  Rhone’s chilled stare prevented any protest and they hunched down at the entrance to gaze at the men below.

  “Do you see anything?” Lance shouted irritably. It annoyed him that he was unable to join in the search.

  “He was here!” Max’s excited voice carried toward them. “This is blood spatter and it leads to the shower in the corner.”

  “Don’t see anything else apart from that,” Rhone’s voice echoed back. “No sign of the clothes he wore, bandages, nothing. It could be old blood, Max.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll take samples for Lexi to analyze. It’s Jack’s blood, mates. I feel it in my gut.”

  “There’s a door over here,” Keon’s voice sounded faint as he disappeared down the narrow tunnel with the rest following him.

  “I fucking hate being so helpless,” Lance complained.

  “Me too. Be patient, Lance. If there’s anything to find, they’ll get it.”

  The five men appeared thirty minutes later, covered in dust and grime.

  “And,” Alex prodded.

  “We found more blood at the tunnel exit and it has definitely not been there for more than a couple of weeks. The tunnel opens a couple of miles down the Potomac River close to a storage facility. We think Jack might have rented a unit there to stash a car. Richard is already checking it out.”

  “We have to find him. If he’d been badly hurt …”

  “You know Jack, Max. If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be,” Rhone said with a worried look on his face. He looked at his friends. “I know you’re all excited about this, but let’s not jump the gun. I don’t want to have your hopes destroyed if the blood results are negative.”

  “Jack’s not dead. He just turned himself into a phantom,” Max said. “He’s out there. I know it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I’m sorry, Pamela. I can’t find anything shady on Five Star Enterprises. They’re a reputable investment company that operates throughout the States.”

  Pamela paced the office as she listened to Roger. She ran a tired hand over her eyes. “And the IP address?”

  “Still nothing. Whoever sent it, is a clever techno freak.”

  “Thanks, Roger.”

  “Shouldn’t you report this to the cops?”

  She sat down behind her desk. “I will, but I wanted to offer them something a little more substantial than an empty threat. It’s been more than a week and I’ve not received anything else.”

  “When is the court case?”

  “Next week.”

  “What do you think they’ll do if
the case isn’t withdrawn? Threats like that usually precede something a lot worse.”

  “I know, Roger, but if Five Star is such an upstanding company, they might not even know about this. What if it’s someone trying to get back at me for a previous case? Imagine the damage it would do to my career if I make false accusations against such an organization.”

  “You could be right, but I still think you should talk to someone or at the very least, get a bodyguard until the court case is over.”

  “I’ll think about it.” She smiled wanly. “Go home. It’s late. I don’t want your wife upset with you.”

  “You too. It’s almost dark.”

  Pamela leaned back in the chair and stared out of the window. The discussion she had with the Browns, didn’t offer any light on the matter. They hadn’t planned on selling the company for at least another five years but the offer they’d received was too good to pass by. When the agent, who had handled the deal, assured them the new owner agreed to the operational stipulation, it was a no brainer. Unfortunately for them, they accepted a partial payment with the understanding that the balance would be paid within ninety days after registration of the deed. Something they omitted to inform her at the beginning. That changed everything. The case wasn’t as cut and dried anymore. Five Star still had thirty days before the payment was due. She was concerned that there might be more they hadn’t been honest about.

  “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now.”

  She quickly cleared her desk and within minutes was walking toward her car in the underground parking area. It was well lit, but the click-click of her heels still sounded ominous in the quiet space. A prickle of unease rippled through her. She looked around. There were only three cars. Hers, or rather the one Alex had given her to use while she stayed at his house, Josie’s, and one of the interns who was studying after hours in the office. She sped up, cursing herself for parking so far from the stairs. The beep of the car alarm brought some relief as she rushed to open the door.

  “Not so fast, Mrs. Seeger.”

  The dark voice was the only warning she had before a hard arm snaked around her to cut off the scream that formed in her throat. The man yanked her against him, tightening his hold around her neck. She coughed as her ability to breathe was restricted. Her eyes wild, she looked around but couldn’t move or scream.

  “I suggest you calm down, my dear. I have no intention of hurting you … well, not much, but if you struggle or scream? I’m afraid then I can’t promise anything.”

  Pamela clawed at his arm as she struggled to pull oxygen into her lungs.

  “Oh god,” she whimpered as she felt the sharp edge of a knife press into the soft skin on the underside her chin.

  “Easy now. You don’t want the blade to cut your pretty skin, do you?”

  Pamela felt fear uncurl inside her. She’d suffered physical abuse before, but nothing could’ve prepared her for being completely helpless and at the mercy of a man with a knife to her throat. She closed her eyes as he pressed his face against hers. His breath felt warm against her skin.

  “A knife is a much better option than a gun, don’t you think? It allows you to feel ... hmm … I can’t describe the rush I get every time as my blades slice through skin, sinews and muscle and when I twist it ... man! There’s nothing that beats that grating sound of organs tearing to shreds.”

  He was steadily building Pamela to a state of despair, of complete terror. All the lessons Alex had taught her years ago to defend herself were wiped clean from her mind.

  “What do you want?” she managed to whisper.

  “Just to talk, my dear woman. Now, tell me, when was the last time you spoke to your bestie, Sally? You know the one who just had a little baby boy?”

  The knife moved along her cheek in an insolent gesture of control. She swallowed hard as visions of Sally in a pool of blood clouded her sight.

  “What have you done to her?” she choked in a broken whisper.

  “Oh, she’s fine. For now. I can’t guarantee for how long.”

  “What do you wa-nt from me?” she stammered hoarsely as his hold tightened again.

  “Get the Browns to withdraw the case.”

  Pamela could feel how her body started to tremble. From all the intel Roger had dug up on Five Star Enterprises, she knew it was a big company with a lot of power. That they felt the need to revert to something this drastic meant there was more behind the entire deal than she’d realized.

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “What’s simple is this, Mrs. Seeger. Either you do what I say or little Roy is gonna grow up without his mommy.”

  Pamela tried to struggle as the realization registered of just how much the bastard knew about Sally and her family. She gasped and went quiet at the sharp sting in her neck. The warmth of her own blood warned her that he’d cut her.

  “Please, I—”

  “You’ve got seven days before the court case, Attorney Seeger. Don’t force me to pay lover boy a visit too.” He barked out a laugh. “I really, really wouldn’t mind decorating the other side of his face.”

  Pamela was shocked that he had intimate knowledge of her relationship with Alex. No one at the office knew. For that matter, no one but the people at the club was aware of their relationship. How did this man know?

  His arm tightened as he shifted his hold in a sleeper choke hold. Pamela kicked backward, her heel connecting with his chin.

  “Fuck! You shouldn’t have done that, bitch. Now I’ll leave you with a little something to remember me by.”

  Her raw choking scream came out in a puff as she felt the excruciating pain of the knife searing through her skin along the edge of her chin.

  “Now, go to sleep.” He laughed evilly. “But not too long, you hear. We don’t want you bleeding out, now do we?”

  Pamela gasped as his hold cut of her oxygen flow completely. She fought to stay calm. Purple dots populated her vision as she grappled not to black out as waves of nausea overwhelmed her. She was quickly being swallowed up into a deep void. Her mouth spread wide to scream but no sound came out. She slipped into unconsciousness, but not before she heard her name shouted from a distance.

  Alex! No! Run.

  Then … nothing.

  “Lance, I’m on my way to Pamela’s office,” Alex said over the cell Bluetooth as he eased the Roadster over into the next lane to take the following offramp.

  “Anything wrong?” Lance asked, concerned.

  “No. I just want to know if you can check if she’s still there before I waste my time driving over. Even with the detail on her, I’m concerned. Something is up that she’s not discussing with me and I’ve had an uneasy feeling all day. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  “Hold on, I’m checking the live report feed.” Alex listened to the soft click of computer keys. “The detail is outside the underground parking garage. She’s still there, mate.”

  “Thanks, Lance.” Alex ended the call and turned onto Canal Road. He parked in front of the small office block where her law practice was. The front door was already locked. He glanced at his watch. It was after six, but knowing her, she’d definitely still be working. He walked around the side to the entrance of the underground parking garage. His sharp gaze immediately homed in on the woman struggling against the man holding a knife to her throat. When he shifted his hold and started to choke her, Alex drew his gun and charged forward.

  “Pamela!” Her name exploded from his lips.

  The perpetrator's head jerked up. Only his eyes and lips were visible; the full ski mask offered proper protection from being recognized.

  “You fucker!” Alex shouted as he noticed the blood streaming from the wound along Pamela’s jaw.

  The man let her go and she crumbled to the ground. The flash of a Japanese star flying toward him was barely visible. Alex saw it and dove to the side. He felt the sharp nick in his arm but ignored it. He hit the ground and immediately rolled over to fire a round at the fl
eeing man’s leg. He went down. Alex didn’t hesitate. His finger tightened, the bullet shattered through skull and brain matter the moment he fell to the ground. The puff of his final breath sounded eerie in the sudden silence.

  Alex groaned as he got to his feet and ran toward Pamela. He spun around with his weapon at the ready when footsteps running down the stairs and from the entrance of the parking garage drew his attention. He recognized the two armed security guards who carefully edged around the corner. The two men approaching from the other side were the security detail from outside.

  “Call 911. Mrs. Seeger has been hurt.”

  “Who’s that guy?” Justin, the detail operative asked as he walked toward him while the guard made the call.

  “The bastard who cut her.” Alex checked her vitals. Her pulse was strong but erratic. “We’ve got to stop the bleeding. He must’ve nicked an artery. She’s bleeding profusely.”

  “Cops and ambulance are on the way. What can we do Governor?”

  “Find a first aid kit. Check the trunk of her car. She always carries one with her.”

  Alex frantically tried to stem the bleeding with his handkerchief but it was soaked within seconds.

  “Nothing, Governor,” the guard said as he closed the trunk.

  “Fuck, I forgot she’s driving my car,” he muttered. “Where the fuck are the medics!”

  The distant wail of sirens responded to his raw cry. He sighed in relief. “Hold on, baby. Help is on the way.”

  Now Alex knew how Keon must’ve felt when his wife had died in his arms. His mind was numb. His entire body shuddered with fear at the thought of never again seeing her beautiful blue eyes gaze up at him. His arms tightened around her prone body.

  God, I can’t lose her.

  “Sir, please let us see to her.” The voice of the paramedic penetrated the haze of his mind. He slowly edged away and sat on the ground, watching as they quickly and efficiently covered the wound with compresses and placed an oxygen mask over her face. Within minutes they'd loaded her into the back of the ambulance.

  “Take her to Brodie Clinic,” he ordered staunchly.