CHAPTER Ten

 

 

Emily blinked several times, climbing back to coherence. “Okay,” she breathed. “Nate, I—”

On the nightstand, the phone rang. Her body jerked at the sound and even Nate, who always exhibited control seemed startled by the invasion.

“Only one person knows we’re here.” Easing across her thigh, Nate reached for the antique brass receiver and managed a gruff, “Yeah.”

“Sounds like I caught you at a bad time.” Phil’s cheerful voice boomed. So much so, that Nate held the earpiece away for a second.

In that brief pause he glanced at the woman quaking beside him and reached with his free hand to slide it down her arm.

“Yeah, that would be a big affirmative.”

“Well rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. I’m two blocks away, sporting a lovely brown Impala.”

“And the neighborhood?”

“I’ve been parked here for nearly two hours, just to be safe. No signs of the Goon Squad.”

“Good, but they are tracing you. This has to be our last communication for awhile.”

He couldn’t stop his palm from roaming that soft skin. Nate cleared his throat. “What time is it?”

The rustle of a heavy parka sounded over the phone. “Almost six. How’s the hostage? Behaving?”

Light had begun to filter through their haven, subtle enough that it was almost an afterthought. In that glow, her eyes opened and locked on his.

“Like an angel,” Nate said thickly.

“And the missing engineer—any word?”

“He called, but we still don’t know where he’s at.”

Emily’s eyes widened at the reference to her brother. She struggled to sit up, but he gentled her with another touch.

“Look, give us ten minutes. Which way do we head?”

“South, two blocks. I’m on the corner.” A wicked laugh wove into Phil’s voice. “So come on, tell me what I interrupted. Give me something here. I’ve been sitting alone in the dark for two hours with nothing to occupy my time but WFAN trashing the Giants.”

“We were sleeping, Philip.” Nate grinned. “Just sleeping.” He leaned across Emily, ready to hang up the phone. “See you in ten.”

He dropped the receiver and took her mouth in an urgent kiss. He had not forgotten where they left off last night, and this kiss was meant to remind her of that. Reaching behind her neck, he gently lifted her from the pillow and deeper into his kiss. Her lips parted in warm invitation and she reached up, trying to haul him back down, making mewling sounds of protest and passion. Nate lost himself in balmy citrus, caressing her lips with erogenous passes, until finally he growled out his frustration and withdrew.

“We have ten minutes,” he rasped. “This is unfinished business between us. Business that I want to complete.”

A pink glow flooded the guestroom, the dusky rose hue matching the warm blush on Emily’s cheeks. “Where is,” she coughed out the hoarseness in her voice. “Where is your friend? Did he—”

The way her eyes traced him made Nate seriously consider forfeiting a shower in favor of ten more minutes in bed with her.

“Did he get a car—is it safe?” Emily persisted as she swung her legs off the bed.

Is it safe? Come on, Morrison. He had to concentrate now. His angel was a fugitive. If he found her brother, if he stopped Barcuda—then, and only then would he address what she had done, and stop to consider what their fate together might be. For now, it was a matter of resorting to old skills to protect her.

“As safe as anything can be. Now who gets the shower first,” he cocked an eyebrow. “Or shall we share?”

In the blossoming sunlight, Emily’s hair was aglow and lusciously tousled. She still looked sleepy. His imagination teased him with images of her waking up naked, engaged in a languorous stretch with the beatific smile of a woman having recently been made love to.

Instead, she swept a hand up to conceal her loud yawn, as those dusky eyes stared at him alluringly.

“I don’t think so.”

Nate grinned. “You know what, Emily?”

“What?”

“This is entirely off the record.”

She nodded.

“I’m glad I caught you.”

Emily smirked. “Don’t be so cocky, Morrison.”

She approached, but stood a foot away. “You don’t know where the pen drive is, do you?”

Nate’s jaw slipped a notch and his gaze narrowed. Slow in coming, a grin returned to his lips. “No. Not yet. But I’m all up for doing a body search.”

***

On the back steps of Edelweiss, the frigid mist of a January dawn snared them. Emily’s hair, still damp from the hasty shower, felt like a wig full of icicles. She flipped up her collar, but the breeze still licked at her throat.

Beside her, Nate’s breath steamed a cloud around him. His entire demeanor radically changed from the sensual creature in that room. This man bore the single-minded focus of a predator. It was hard to even imagine that not less than fifteen minutes ago she lay beside him, sheltered in the heat of his body, enraptured by his demanding kiss.

A rogue blast of heat surged into her cheeks, but the crackling sound of frosted grass beneath her boots abated it. Edgy, she scanned the empty street, waiting for that black van to screech up to the curb−its doors sliding open to draw her into the yawning cavity and whisk her away, never to be seen again.

“You still with me?” Nate uttered.

His stride was so long she had to jog a few steps to keep up. “Like glue.”

He hesitated and reached out to cup her arm.

“It’ll be alright, Em. Phil will have staked out the area.” He seemed to read her thoughts. “They’re not here, okay?”

She nodded into her high collar and felt the sting of the wind in her eyes. A dog barked from behind a fence making her edgy enough to miss the step off the curb, but Nate’s hand was there in support.

“Okay,” she replied, unconvinced.

Until Colin was safe she would take nothing for granted. Not even the soft assurances of a man she wanted to make love to.

“Up there,” he pointed to the Impala, its windows misted. A gloved palm could be discerned rubbing out a viewfinder in the condensation from inside.

“Yeah, Philip,” Nate growled. “Totally inconspicuous.”

His grip on her arm constricted. “Stay alert, Em.”

Hah. Vigilance was a newfound trait that she seemed short of ironing out. If she had been alert she would have known that she was being followed that icy night on Route 1.

But she was a quick study.

In her periphery, she caught the motion of Nate extracting his gun, nestling it to his chest behind the lapel of his jacket. When they crossed the street she fell in behind him, and then watched nervously as he wrapped his knuckles against the window, waiting for the glass to slide down.

“What’s the password?” Came the muffled voice, but she couldn’t see within that shadowed gap.

“The password is I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t unlock the back door.”

“Bingo.”

She heard the unmistakable click of the lock.

Nate yanked the squealing panel open and gave her a nod. “It’s okay, get in.”

He must have read the doubt in her eyes. “Do you want the front seat?”

She shook her head and climbed into the back seat. The deadening slam of the door set her to trembling, but the scent of coffee and oil-battered donuts didn’t seem like an intimidating one. Mixed with that aroma was the pungent but pleasant cologne on the man up front. She sneezed.

A flash of light invaded the car as Nate’s tall body ducked into the front seat. His arm draped across the seatback and his eyes locked with hers.

The sharp smells and the despondency of the moment suspended when he looked at her. She had every right to be wary of Nate Morrison, but the woman inside responded to the tender touch of his hand as he reached behind the seat to brush his knuckles over hers.

“Any need to stick around or can I get out of here?” Phil swiped the back of his glove against his mouth and left a trail of powdered sugar.

“We’ve got an engineer to find.” Nate stated as he gave her one last compelling look and then swung around.

“Right.” A thin red cap of hair tipped back, and wide green eyes gawked at her I the rearview mirror. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Morrison?”

Nate’s profile revealed a smirk. “Philip Pulkowski, meet one of NMD’s most venerable manufacturing engineers, Emily Brennan.”

“Miss Brennan.” Thick lips puckered in awe and then settled into a wide beam.

It was impossible not to respond to that grin. He looked like an out of shape, balding leprechaun.

Emily returned the gesture. “Mr. Pulkowski, thank you for doing this.”

“Oh heck, my pleasure. Wasn’t doing much this morning anyway.” Philip swiveled his colorful hair in Nate’s direction. “I can see why we’re abetting our thief.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it abetting, Pulkowski.”

“And I wouldn’t exactly call me a thief,” Emily clarified.

Phil tossed his copilot a grin. “Let me guess, you’re still peeved that she got away from you that night we caught her on tape.”

Emily’s fingers curled around the edge of the seat. She leaned forward in anticipation of Nate’s answer.

He brooded a moment, his eyes trained on the windshield. “I had everything under control.”

She snorted and relaxed.

“You have something to add?”

Perhaps someone else might cower under his glare, but she knew there was much more to this man than his means of intimidation.

“I could have escaped,” she challenged.

To her surprise, he smiled.

Phil took the next turn, his head tucked to search through the defrosted hole on the bottom of the windshield. “Okay, so just run all this by me, because I’m a little slow.” He jerked a glance up at the mirror before shifting his attention back to the road. “So Miss Brennan here stole property from NMD and now there’s a manhunt out for her?” A bushy red eyebrow cocked in anticipation.

Nate gave a terse nod, but he was searching the vaporous mist that blanketed the crisp front lawns.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Phil continued. “But you and I are NMD’s security officers, are we not?”

Nate reached behind his neck, massaging an unseen pain.

“And Barcuda got involved?” Phil prompted.

“Because I didn’t bring her back in time.”

Nate didn’t catch it, but Emily witnessed the secreted grin on Phil’s lips as he turned to look out the driver’s side window. The plump redhead was baiting Nate Morrison.

“And that was because?”

“I wrapped myself around a tree for Christ’s sake!”

“Well all-righty then.” The car idled at a four-way stop sign. “And the missing engineer that Barcuda is all hot under the collar about?”

“My brother.” Emily tipped forward, the words torn from a scratchy throat.

His sympathetic gaze locked on hers in the mirror. “Ah, that explains a lot.”

“Yeah, for me too,” Nate grumbled.

“Okay, last shot—this one you have to field, Morrison.”

“Yeah.”

“I know that Barcuda is scum. I know he’s got some sort of vendetta going against you, and some ulterior motive with the engineer.” Phil hesitated. “So why haven’t you gone past him. Why haven’t you turned over our venerable engineer to the proper authorities?”

Except for the crunch of ice stuck in the undercarriage of the car as they hit a pothole, the Impala’s interior was silent. Emily listened to the distant beep of a garbage truck.

Gradually, Nate’s head turned. The profile of his jaw was stark. A muscle pumped down the side of his throat. He glanced back over the seat.

Emily began to tremble.

“Because,” Nate began, holding her eyes hostage. “I won’t let Emily or her brother fall into his hands. He will manipulate the authorities. You know that.” Those eyes grew darker. “Because—”

It was impossible to breathe. Every nerve in her body awaited the end of that sentence.

She blinked to break herself from the trance. Was her mind so traumatized that she was fantasizing about a relationship with the man assigned to bring her to justice?

His voice came out husky. “Because she deserves so much better than that. Because she—”

The silence ticked seconds off the clock, until the driver shifted restlessly.

“Okay then,” Phil cleared his throat. “That just clears it right up.” He tried to draw a glare from Nate, and then tipped his head to look back at Emily. “Yeah, well, all right, let’s get you two on your way, shall we?”

Emily wrenched from Nate’s stare. She wanted to tear open the door and launch into the snow—to run to a place where his tempting eyes couldn’t find her. She was scared. Scared of this unbalance, and scared of the unwanted feelings for him.

Colin. She needed to find Colin. Concentrate on that. Use Nate Morrison if you have to, but don’t fall under his spell.

Tension of a more tangible nature suffused the car as they turned onto the road where the Jeep had been abandoned. Slinking deeper into her seat, Emily scrutinized the sidewalk, afraid that each colossal tree concealed their foe.

There it was, still isolated in the shadow of the stately church. Only a few days ago, the black and silver grill of that Jeep had loomed menacingly in her rearview mirror.

Only a few days before that she had been an honorable citizen.

“Keep going,” Nate commanded quietly.

“But why? I’ve staked this road out for the past three hours. I’m telling you Nate, they’re gone.” Phil’s mottled face spun sideways as the Impala idled past the frosted vehicle.

“Humor me.”

“Alright, but—”

“Pull over at the next intersection.”

Nate’s voice did little to warm the chill in Emily’s body. She hugged her arms tight about her and peered over her shoulder through the rear window to see if they were being followed. The residential road was empty, with not even a morning snow-shoveler seen out and about.

Her head snapped back as Phil coaxed the car close enough to the curb to grate the tires against it.

“What now?”

“Yeah,” Phil echoed her. “What now?”

Nate took his time in answering. His silhouette was a chiseled cameo of resolve.

“I’m not sure I like this plan,” he uttered.

“Come on, Nate,” Phil whined. “Let me just take the Jeep and get back to NMD. I’m of better use to you there.”

“You can’t go back there. They are after you too, and if not after you directly, they’re using you to get to us.” Nate swiped at the tension in his neck. Guilt and indecision reigned in his eyes, and Emily felt a stab of regret for placing him and his loyal friend in this position.

“Give me the keys,” she ordered softly. “This is my problem, I’ll take the Jeep. And when I find Colin I’ll bring the car back to you.”

Nate regarded her with an arch of his brow. The hint of a bittersweet smile toyed with the corner of his lips, and just that small gesture made Emily’s own lower lip tremble.

“No way, Em,” he whispered.

“Exactly,” Phil startled them both when he wrenched open the car door. “Morrison,” He demanded with his palm thrust forward. “The keys.”

Nate’s hand was fisted around a JEEP key ring, his knuckles white with exertion. “It’s not safe.”

“I told you, man.” Again the gloved palm jabbed forward. “I searched that baby from stem to stern. There is nothing on that frame to trace me. And if so−so what? What the hell are they going to be able to get out of me? The truth? I’ll tell them the truth. Yeah, George, yeah I saw them. They were heading north out of Saratoga. Where were they going? I have no friggin clue!” Phil’s arm dropped and he hunched in the open doorway, repeating, “I have no friggin clue.”

Nate jabbed his fist into his coat pocket and no a quiet oath, slammed the keys down on the driver’s seat.

As Phil reached for them, Nate seized the man’s wrist. “Get the hell out of here—and watch your back.” His grip relented some. “Think about Washington. You don’t belong compromised by the likes of Barcuda—neither of us do. There are places I can get you, Phil. Think about it.”

Red splotches formed on Pulkowski’s cheeks. “Wow, D.C.. The big show.” He swung a wide smile towards the back seat. “You take care, you here?”

Emily knew the translation was, you take care of him, you here? Phil worshipped Nate Morrison—that much was evident.

“Thank you so much for your help.” She resisted the urge to touch her fingers to the gloved hand soiled by powdered sugar.

Instead she smiled her sincerity and added. “You’ve gone out of your way for someone you don’t even know, someone who just broke the law. That’s—all I can say is thank you.”

Rose stains permeated the rotund cheeks, capillaries brightening a path down Phil’s throat. He grinned sheepishly. “God’s honest truth−it was Nate I was worried about, but now—” Green eyes darted from the front to the rear passenger. “Well, Nate can take care of himself. And you, Miss Brennan, I don’t doubt for a minute that you can’t handle yourself.” His hip slowly edged the door closed. “This has certainly been a pleasure.”

With a wink and a quick bow, Phil slammed the door shut. She watched the stout figure jog towards the Jeep, his head rotating once, twice—like a crossing guard waiting for that car that was two miles down the road. With jerky movements he climbed into the vehicle and revved up the engine, the plume of exhaust blanketing the street with smoke.

“I have to have that muffler worked on one of these days,” Nate reflected.

Emily was stirred to touch him again. His frown was so intense she was reminded of her mother’s childhood command, keep that up, and your face will stay that way.

Oh Mom, where are you? What are you thinking up there when you look down on me?

“He’s a good friend,” she observed quietly, watching Nate’s expression relax as the Jeep safely merged onto the intersecting avenue.

Nate cleared his throat. “When I moved up to Connecticut and took on the job at NMD, everyone gave me a wide berth—considered me somewhat of a mystery.” He turned his head and smirked. “They said they found me brooding and intimidating?”

Her smile came naturally. “Whereas I would classify you as genial−maybe even downright comedic.”

Fleeting in its appearance, the grin disappeared.

“But Phil−” he explained, “−well, he was hell-bent on having a friend. No matter how much I ignored him, no matter how foul my mood was—every day he would hit me with some stupid-ass joke the moment I walked in.” Nate shook his head. “One day I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Emily leaned forward, intrigued. “What did you do?”

“I laughed.”

She laughed too. “Well, that sounds like a match made in heaven.” But then her expression sobered. “I’m sorry, Nate.”

“For what?”

“For putting him in this position.”

He climbed over the console and into the driver’s seat. “Let’s not talk about it, alright? Why don’t you come sit up front?”

For a moment she hesitated. Her hand was on the seatback, her gaze warily studying the empty street. With a swift inhale, she launched the door open and quickly clambered in beside him. Her face felt flushed, and the indolent dusting of his eyes only enhanced the sensation.

“Okay, Em.” Strong hands gripped the steering wheel as his gaze slid from hers to the windshield. “Got any ideas as to where to find your brother?”

“Yes.”

His gaze swept back in shock. “Please then, do tell.”

“I know where Colin’s at.”