Chapter 17

 

They moved in unison, rolling off the bed as the brief flames from the explosion licked at them, followed by bullets that sailed over their heads, striking the wall. Vaporized drywall clouded the air.

“This,” Kate said, hitting the ground, Archer still on of top her, his hard body weighing down against her, “is getting ridiculous,” she felt hyper aware. Her body was already coated with a thin film of sweat that glistened in the meager light. Every muscle in her body was already tensed with the expectation of desire, only to be rewarded with chaos and insanity.

Archer’s powerful arms were on either side of her head. He was smirking.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “You just look very attractive right now.”

She pushed him off her and sat up, quickly snatching the gun from the bed. She fired off three quick shots and dropped back down to the ground.

Archer caught her and kissed her. He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her against him. She felt him hard against her and she moaned into his mouth. He pulled back and Kate found herself speechless again.

“You are unbelievable,” she whispered when she finally found her voice.

“You have no idea,” Archer said, smiling.

“Please come out with your hands up,” a voice said loudly from outside the hotel room. It sounded slightly muffled, as though whoever was speaking wore something over his mouth. “We’re reasonable. Let’s not make this any more difficult than it has to be.”

“Considerate killer, isn’t he,” Kate muttered. “Do you remember how big the bathroom window was?”

Archer raised his eyebrows. “Not big enough for us to escape through even if we managed to avoid getting shot.”

She poked at his six pack with the muzzle of her gun. “I don’t know. There’s not a lot of fat there. I think we could make it.”

“You’re more than welcome to try. I promise I won’t say I told you so when we’re dead.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re so considerate. I'll provide cover, you run for the bathroom."

Kate didn’t wait for an answer. She sat back up and started shooting across the hotel room.

Archer jumped to his feet and darted into the bathroom, stray bullets from their attackers striking the walls around him.

Kate dropped down to the floor again as the attackers returned fire. She tried to see if Archer had made it in one piece. He must have read her mind because she caught sight of an upwards-turned thumb peaking out from the bathroom.

Kate jumped up and let loose a covering spray of lead as she dove for the doorway of the bathroom, rolling across the last bit of carpet. This was not how she had imaged getting rug burns.

Archer slammed the bathroom door closed behind her. "Would you say this is all going according to plan so far?" he asked nonchalantly.

Kate didn't respond. She shot out the bathroom window and they jumped out. Their bare feet almost slid across the wet grass.

"We need to know who we’re dealing with," Archer said.

"We need to stay alive," Kate countered.

As if on cue, bullets streaked through the open window. Kate returned fire and they dropped to the ground.

“We can’t hang around in the open,” Archer said. “We’re too easy a target.”

“Agreed,” Kate spotted another window to their left. “Come on.”

Staying low to the ground, they ran to the window. Kate used the butt of the gun and smashed it out. She climbed through. Archer found himself watching her scantily clad bottom as she slid through the window. He sucked in a sharp breath of air. This was too much for him.

Kate looked back at Archer when he didn’t follow.

“What are you doing?”

“Staring at you,” he said. “You are quite a beautiful woman.”

She wanted to blush, but didn’t have the time.

“Get in here,” she said.

She opened the bathroom door and peeked out into the room. It was dark. She couldn't tell if there was anyone in the room.

"What now? " Archer whispered over her shoulder. He was standing close enough to her that his breath tickled her ear.

She flinched. “Stop that,” it felt so good though, she decided.

“Sorry,” he said, “you need to focus,” he kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers of delight down her spine, and stepped back.

She swung the door open and stepped out into the room.

A light came on immediately.

The man and woman on the king size between looked startled and scared. Their gaze immediately went to the gun in Kate’s hand.

“Don’t worry,” Kate said, raising her hands. “I’m a US Marshal. We’re just passing through.”

The couple looked at each other, then back at the two half naked intruders.

Kate blushed. She quickly headed for the door.

Swinging open the door she immediately opened fire towards their attackers.

“Come on!” she shouted and started running towards the front of the motel.

Archer followed, gunshots trailing in their wake.

There was shouting behind them. Neither of them could make out what was being said.

Their naked feet pounded against the concrete. Each step sent sharp bolts of pain up through Kate’s heels. She felt too exposed, running in her underwear, bullets flying all around her. She needed a new plan. Then someone tossed a grenade.

The grenade landed ahead of them. Archer spotted it first. He grabbed Kate and they jumped through the first window they could, narrowly missing the explosion.

“I cannot believe this!” Kate exclaimed, pulling the hair from her face. “They’re throwing grenades at us!”

“I noticed,” Archer said.

Automatic weapons fire riddled the hotel room. They dove behind the second bed.

“I don’t know about you,” someone said from outside. It was the leader of the group again. “But I’m getting a sense of déjà vu.”

“You tossed a grenade at us!” Archer snapped.

“Yeah, sorry about that. My bad. My men can be,” the leader paused, “overzealous at times. Now, as I was saying before you two ran off, why don’t you step out and we can finish this like adults.”

Archer looked at Kate.

She shrugged. “I’m down to only a couple of bullets. We can try to duck out the bathroom window again.”

He frowned. “Because that worked so well the last time.”

“Fine,” she said, narrowing her gaze him. “Do you have a better idea?”

He paused, looking into her eyes. She was such a beautiful woman. He should have never done this to her. “Actually, yes I do,” he kissed her again. It was full and passionate kiss, their mouths merged together as though one. When he pulled back, she just sat there dazed, her head tilted up, her lips still partially open, “Stay here,” and then he moved before she had time to even register what he had said. Archer stood, his hands raised. “Don’t shoot! I’m coming out.”

_____

 

The leader of the five-man team took one look at Archer and asked, “Did we catch you at a bad time?”

Archer stood at the foot of the first bed, wearing only his boxers and a slightly bemused expression.

“As a matter of fact, yes this is an inconvenient time. Could you come back later?”

The five men were decked in black tactical gear. Their faces were covered with black masks and night vision goggles. Their hands were filled with automatic weapons.

The wall where the window and door had been was gone. It was replaced with a massive, misshapen hole. Debris lay strew around the hotel room. The tiny fires were already being snuffed out by the strong breeze blowing through the room.

“Please confirm you are Kyle Archer,” the leader said.

Archer frowned, trying not to look over his shoulder. He hoped Kate wouldn’t do anything stupid. “It’s a little late to be asking that, isn’t it?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you have checked before you started blowing up the hotel?”

“Listen, wiseguy, you’re gonna die no matter what,” the leader said. “So don’t make it any more difficult on yourself. Where’s the cop?”

Archer couldn’t believe this. For the last two days, all people wanted to do was kill him. Now he puts himself out there to be killed and the killer wants to play twenty questions instead.

“She already made it out through the bathroom window,” Archer said. “I guess she decided I wasn’t worth all the trouble.”

The leader eyeballed Archer’s state of undress and snorted. “Sure she did,” he raised his voice. “Hey, why don’t you follow your boyfriend’s example, lady, and come on out?” he gave Archer another once over. “Takes all kinds, don’t it?”

_____

 

What was Archer doing?

Kate got to her knees, careful to stay low beneath the edge of the bed. Was he trying to get himself killed?

She crawled to the edge of the bed and peeked around the corner. She could see Archer standing there, his perfectly defined back to her. Her view, however, of their attackers was blocked.

“Hey, come on, what’s the deal?” someone asked. It wasn’t the same man who had been barking the orders. “I got two grenades left here. Let’s pop ‘em and blow this joint.

“No,” the leader snapped. “We need confirmed kills, otherwise we don’t get paid.”

“So we come back for the pieces,” the second one said. “Come on! Cops are already on their way!”

The leader swore.

“Look, lady, I know you’re in there,” he said. “Just come out and we’ll keep this as painless as possible.”

“You want to kill us,” Archer commented.

Kate watched his legs tense. He was trying to kill himself. Unbelievable.

She needed a better idea of what she was dealing with. Kate looked across to the dresser. The TV was still there, unshattered. In its screen she could make out the reflections of five hazy figures just behind Archer.

Okay. Now she knew how many she was dealing with. The only remaining problem was that her prisoner had suddenly developed suicidal tendencies.

She tightened her grip on her gun. There was no way she was going to let this man kill himself. He was her responsibility. And she was in love with him. Either way, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Ok, that’s it,” the leader said. “Give me a grenade.”

“No!” Archer shouted.

Kate jumped to her feet, swinging her gun around and pulling the trigger as she went.

Her aim was fairly accurate. Two bullets streaked by Archer, striking the leader in the chest. He dropped. Another bullet hit the man directly behind him. Two more bullets struck the man handing off the grenade.

Archer spun on his heel, diving back as the grenade exploded.

He caught Kate and they rolled into the bathroom. The explosion licked at their bare backs. Archer slammed the door closed behind them. It shuddered against the violent outburst.

“Are you insane?!” he exclaimed.

Kate picked herself up from the tile floor, brushing her hair out of her face. “Do you have a death wish?” she turned and shot out the bathroom window.

They jumped out, hitting the wet grass.

He grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. “That little stunt could have gotten both of us killed.”

“Instead of just you?” she snapped.

A bullet streaked by her head.

Kate reacted instantly. She spun around. One of the five man team had made his way around the hotel. She returned fire.

Archer grabbed her, pulling her in the opposite direction. “Come on!”

They ran along the back of the hotel, heading towards the end of the building. The night was aglow from the fires started in their room.

“What exactly was your plan?” Kate snapped. “You turn yourself over and they kill you? Please explain to me how exactly does that help anything?”

They reached the corner of the building. Archer pulled them close to the wall.

“Look, it’s complicated and now really isn’t the time to explain it,” he said, peering around the corner. He couldn’t see their Mustang, it was parked on the other side of the lot, but he did spot a black SUV whose engine was running.

“Then when would be a good time?” Kate asked, pulling her arm out of his grasp. She was torn. It felt good when his hands were wrapped around her. It felt right. But this, this sudden suicidal tendency, she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

Archer looked back at her and was momentarily speechless. He had forgotten, for however briefly, that she was still in her underwear. He wanted to run away from all this and just lose himself in her curves. She was so beautiful.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her again. His hand slid down to her buttocks, squeezing it gently.

“Archer,” she whispered breathlessly, pulling away.

“There’s a black SUV,” he said, “about forty feet away. Head towards it.”

She hesitated.

“Don’t worry,” he said, sliding a hand across the side of her face. “I’ll be right behind you this time.”

She searched his eyes and she believed him.

With another quick kiss, Kate took off across the parking lot.

_____

 

Kate sprinted across the parking lot, her heart racing with exhilaration. Every time Archer kissed her, every time he looked at her, it thrilled her in a way she had never felt before. She felt so vibrantly alive. And she wanted to spend that life with Archer, she knew that now. But she also knew that it would be impossible.

Gunshots pulled her back to reality.

The five man team had actually been an eight man team.

Two of the shooters were running at her from the direction of the fire.

She shot back, not stopping. She hit one of them in the knee, dropping him to the pavement. His partner switched his gun to automatic and let loose a spray of bullets that danced around the pavement violently.

Tiny sparks from the bullet impacts struck her bare feet. Kate flinched, diving the last foot or so and rolling under the black SUV. She bit back a cry of pain as her naked skin rubbed harshly against the pavement.

The passenger side door of the SUV swung open and a foot appeared, stepping out.

Kate didn’t bother to wait. She instantly shot it.

The last team member dropped out of the SUV clutching his bleeding foot and howling in pain.

Kate looked back and saw Archer making a run for the SUV. His powerful legs momentarily mesmerized her as they pounded across the black asphalt.

The remaining shooter saw him too.

Archer ducked and flinched as bullets whizzed by.

Kate rolled over onto her stomach and started firing. A bullet struck the gas tank of the car the shooter was using for cover and it erupted into a massive fireball. The parking lot was lit up, bright as day.

Kate rolled out from under the car. The wounded foot man saw her and started to reach for his gun.

She stood over him and leveled her gun at his face. “I wouldn’t if I were you. Looking at your partners I’d say getting off with a bullet in the foot is pretty lucky.”

The hired killer hesitated, staring at the half naked woman, then pulled his hand back from the gun.

Kate smiled. “Good choice.”

She hopped into the SUV. Archer was already behind the wheel, putting the car in drive.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Getting us out of here,” the tires squealed on the pavement as he spun the SUV around. “Do you really want to explain all this to the local law? The last time we did that we ended up with a sniper on us.”

He pulled them out into the road.

“No, I mean why are you behind the steering wheel?” Kate asked. “You’re still my prisoner.”

He glanced at her incredulously, then returned his eyes to the road. “Are you serious? We both clearly have prices on our heads.”

“You were willing to let yourself be killed back there!” she snapped. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t trust you a hundred percent. For all I know you’re going to drive us off a stupid cliff!”

“I’m not going to drive us off a cliff,” he said. “There are no cliffs in Florida.”

“That’s not the point!” she snapped. “When did you become suicidal? How did you go from almost making love to me, to wanting to kill yourself?”

Archer gritted his teeth. “I told you, it’s complicated.”

She held out her hands. “Well, no one’s shooting at us right now.”

Archer flexed his grip on the steering wheel but didn’t say anything.

“Okay, so you’re not really Bragan’s accountant,” Kate said. “That’s not a big shocker. What were you? His head hitman? His best friend? Did you blackmail him?”

Archer didn’t say anything.

“Archer, you want to know why I didn’t open myself up to you? Well, why aren’t you opening up to me? Tell me what’s really going on here. You owe me that much,” Kate said.

Archer didn’t reply.

Kate glanced at the dashboard they were heading north. She looked back at Archer. “What are you doing? We’re going the wrong direction. Turn around.”

“We’re not going to make it to Miami,” he said, not looking at her. He couldn’t trust himself to look at her.

She glared at him. “That’s not for you to decide. Turn around.”

“I’m not going to put you in any more danger,” he said. “I’m stopping this now.”

“Stop what? There’s nothing to stop,” Kate said. “I’m a US Marshal. You’re my prisoner. I’m taking you to Miami. This is my job.”

He looked at her again. His eyes seemed to be pleading with her. “Who are you trying to fool? It’s not that simple anymore and you know it.”

Looking at him behind the wheel wearing nothing but his boxers and thinking back to what had almost happened in the hotel room, Kate knew he was right. They had almost made love. She had almost given herself completely over to this man. And if she could, she would do it again and see it all the way through.

She lowered her face into her hands. “Pull over,” she said quietly.

Archer opened his mouth to argue, but when she looked back up at him he saw something in her face. This wasn’t an argument anymore. He checked the rear-view mirror and saw there was no pursuit. He brought the SUV to a stop on the side of the road.

Watching her brush the hair out of her face Archer’s expression softened immediately. Her breasts gently rose with each breath inside the black bra. In the dim light of the moon her skin looked flawless and delicate. She looked so vulnerable sitting there, so exposed. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and whisk her away from the madness. He should have never done this.

“You’re right,” she said. “Things are different now,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “But Bragan’s going to try to kill you no matter what. Heading back isn’t going to change anything.”

“It’ll keep you alive,” he said.

“You don’t know that. You just said it yourself, we both have prices on our heads.”

Archer shook his head. “Bragan knows where we’re going. He’s managed to find us every step of the way. And if he can get to me out here…” his voice trailed off.

She knew what he meant. If Bragan could get to him out in the open, Bragan could get to him in prison.

“If I can save you, if I can keep you safe, then…” he doesn’t finish.

“Then what, Archer?” she asked.

He looked away. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have failed.”

“Failed at what?” she asked. He said nothing. “Please, tell me what’s going on.”

He lowered his head to the steering wheel. “I can’t,” he said quietly. “And there’s no one who can help us.”

“Yes, you can,” she said. “You just choose not to,” she folded her arms across her breasts. “We can’t trust anyone in the Marshals office right now. I’m sure Bullings didn’t betray us, but until we knew who did, we can’t trust the flow of information there.”

“So that’s it,” Archer said. “We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. We’re damned if we go forward and damned if we go back. We have no resources and no one to trust.”

“Well,” Kate said slowly, chewing on her lower lip. “There is one person we could try.”