Chapter Seventeen
Another day flew by while they waited for word from Bannerman. Gemma started to worry it would never come.
In the next breath, she almost wished it wouldn’t.
Never in her life had she felt so free, which was completely ridiculous. She was as far from free as a person could get, since she and Ky were prisoners in the cabin, awaiting the okay to leave. For the first time in her adult life, though, she had no assignments, deadlines, or contracts she needed to honor; no clients she needed to appease and make look good; no worries other than what to make for dinner.
Well, except for the fact that a madman wanted her dead.
Funny thing was, she’d gone from hating every minute of her confinement while at the safe house, to treasuring the solitude and the company of the man with her.
In New York, she was on the go from morning to night, moving from one photo shoot to another, meeting with clients, visiting with her family. She had her beautiful condo that many days she simply used as a place to drop her equipment before falling into bed, exhausted.
Go, go, go, day after day, week after week, shoot after shoot.
The week before she’d witnessed the shooting she’d been in London for two days photographing one of the country’s hero footballers for GQ, then Venice for a night to shoot a film star at her villa.
Here, the farthest place she could go was the surrounding woods, a far cry from the usual, bustling places she frequented.
Until a week ago she hadn’t minded being alone for most of her down time, knowing she could always visit with a sister or two, or call Kandy for a quick meal. Now, she’d gotten used to having someone around her twenty-four-seven, and couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be left alone again.
Gemma scrolled through the photographs she’d uploaded of Ky after they’d made love, the pictures she’d cajoled him into agreeing to by telling him no one would ever see them. As she moved from one photo to the next in a slide show, she knew her original thought that every picture would be perfect was true. Ky’s was, without doubt, the most perfect body she’d ever shot. And that was saying something since she’d photographed everyone from top sports athletes to Olympic medal–winners at the peak of their success and while in the best shape of their lives.
None of them could compete with the flawlessness of Ky’s perfectly etched muscles, natural golden skin, or ocean colored eyes. She’d agreed to never show the photos to anyone but him and now regretted making the promise. Understanding his need for anonymity because of his job was a valid concern. Gemma knew how important the respect and trust of his coworkers and fellow agents was to him. But these pictures screamed to be seen by the public; admired; worshiped.
How to do that and still keep her promise was the problem.
Ky’s fingers danced along his keyboard when she looked across the great room to where he was seated. He’d been trying to tie up some lose ends concerning the Ritandi investigation for as long as she’d been sitting and working on her photos.
After waking in each other’s arms after another night of intimacy, they’d worked out in the garage, showered together, ran out of hot water because they’d lingered for so long under the spray, made a light breakfast, and then had each decided to work.
Gemma hadn’t been alone with another person for such a substantial amount of time since before she’d left for college. If she’d have been asked a week ago, she would have said she loved living alone, being alone, and not encumbered with anyone else. No distractions, no awkward conversation lags to hurdle over; no need to make small, pleasant talk or worry that the other person wasn’t feeling enough attention was being paid.
If asked today, she would have negated everything she’d said before. She felt…comfortable and at ease, was the best way to describe it, sitting across the room from Ky. He demanded nothing of her time, respecting her need and desire to work on her coffee-table book, and had silently asked for the same kind of consideration while he delved as deep as he could into the Ritandi-Tiege connection.
Comfort and ease. Two words she would never had thought to use to describe a relationship.
Gemma blinked. Hard.
A relationship? Is that what she and Ky had?
No, it wasn’t. They were two people who’d been forced together by circumstances neither could have prevented or predicted, who’d found each other sexually attractive and acted on it. That was all.
Or, was it?
Just as she started to delve deeper into the question, the disposable burner phone Rick had given them beeped.
Gemma’s gaze skated to Ky, and his to her. He reached for the phone and hit the answer icon.
“Yeah?”
Gemma’s attention zeroed in on him. A second later he ended the call.
“It’s a go,” he told her, rising and crossing to where she sat at the kitchen table.
He pulled her up and into his arms.
“When?” She rubbed her hands down his back to rest on his waist.
“Tomorrow.”
She nodded and leaned into him.
“Then this nightmare will all be over by tomorrow night?”
Ky pulled back and traced a thumb across her jaw. “Hopefully, yes.”
“Are you okay with all this? It won’t be easy.”
His caustic laugh sent a shiver down her spine.
“I’m fine.”
“Ky—”
He squeezed her arms. “I’m fine, Gemma. Really. This has to be done.”
And he was the man to do it, she knew. The only man.
“Everything will be fine. We just need to stick to the plan.”
She nodded and laid her head down on his shoulder.
In twenty-four hours this nightmare would be over. She could go back to her life, her work, her family.
And Ky would go back to his world.
Would she ever see him again? Would he even want to? They hadn’t discussed what came after tomorrow. He’d told her she could trust him; that he wouldn’t leave her. It was the truth. Ky was a man of his word. She trusted him to stand by her side and protect her. Stay with her. Ride out the problem to its end.
But when this was all done and behind them, what then?
“I have to make the call.”
She nodded and slipped out of his arms.
Using one of the cell phones Theo had provided, Ky punched in a number from memory.
With his gaze glued to hers, he said into the phone, “Jon? Yeah, it’s me. We need to meet.”
* * *
“You’re clear about what you need to do tomorrow?” Ky asked.
Gemma snuggled under his arm and kissed his neck, the bed still warm from their recent lovemaking.
“No worries,” she said on a yawn.
No worries. If only it were that simple.
Tomorrow could go either way. The best made plans had a way of unraveling, but he was confident what he and Bannerman had devised would work. His FBI training had preached that people’s underlying behavior didn’t change, even when they were placed in dangerous situations. He was counting on that to be true. Tomorrow Tiege would hopefully be in custody, and if the planets all aligned, he’d have a solid bead on Ritandi. The FBI would suffer through a few raised eyebrows, an internal investigation-maybe even an external one-from the corruption he’d discovered, but it would survive in the end.
Gemma would be safe once again and they could both go back to their lives.
The problem with that scenario was Ky didn’t want go back to his life. He wanted to start a new one. With Gemma by side.
He hadn’t even known there was something missing in his life until he’d met her. Life at the bureau—a life he’d forged for himself—had, until recently, been enough. He enjoyed the work, celebrated in the successes, felt fulfilled when he brought someone to justice. He gave it his all, and as Jon Winters had jokingly told Gemma: “everyone thought he was married to it.”
And right there was the problem. Much like Gemma, he had nothing else in his life but his family and work. No one to come home to at night, to share with, to talk over a bad day, or relive a good one. No one to make new memories with.
No one to love or be loved by. He wanted that. Badly. The realization hit home the first time he touched Gemma Laine. The first time he felt her body melt against his, match him desire for desire. Maybe even before that.
Ky closed his eyes and remembered that morning in the basement gym when she’d impressed and awed him with her weaponry and martial arts skills. She was a complete surprise, a happy one, in so many ways.
He’d finally met a woman who liked the same things he did, valued family as highly as him, was independent, successful, smart, witty, drop-dead gorgeous, and trouser-tightening sexy.
And she had a wall around her heart and issues with control and trust.
He stared up at the ceiling, considering. Well, he just needed to tear down that wall and wrestle some of that control away. He’d made a good start. The hot little scene in the kitchen had been about control and trust, and she’d willingly given him both without questioning or jockeying for the upper hand. Gemma had let him take the lead, something he guessed she seldom allowed a man to do.
“Why are you grinning like a fool?” she asked, lifting up on an elbow, the corners of her eyes narrowed.
The sheet pulled away from her torso, allowing him to look his fill at her lovely, perfect breasts. Apparently his hands had a mind of their own and weren’t satisfied with him just looking, because before he could stop them, they reached out and cupped each one, his thumbs swiping across the flattened tips. In an instant they hardened and peaked.
Gemma’s head reeled back as the blue in her eyes turned the color of cobalt. Through her parted, plump lips, a simple sigh escaped, her breath fanning over him.
He’d been semi-hard just thinking about her. Seeing her like this turned him to granite. In one move he had her beneath him, his body covering hers, his hips pressing against hers.
“Again?” She laughed and threw her arms around his neck.
“Again,” he answered, his lips moving across hers.
And a thousand times more, he promised himself.
* * *
“You okay?”
Gemma turned to him and rolled her eyes. “You’ve asked me that four times in the past two hours. Yes. I’m okay.”
They’d been driving for over six hours, after packing up and leaving the cabin before dawn broke.
Gemma’s sleep had been fitful, even wrapped securely in Ky’s arms. They’d made love one final time before finally succumbing to exhaustion.
Something had been different the last time. He’d seemed… anxious, almost as if he had to please her, had to wring out as much pleasure as he could from her.
Almost as if he were afraid it was the last time they were going to be together, and he wanted to make is as memorable as he could.
He’d been frantic for her, and she for him. If they’d been clothed, the garments would have been in tatters, so desperate were they to touch the other’s skin, caress one another’s bodies.
The sheets came undone from the mattress, the pillows flew in the air. They’d rolled, risen, and repositioned more times than she could remember. At one point, Ky sank to his knees to the floor, grabbed her legs and threw them over his shoulders so he could have better access to all of her.
Once, he’d been buried so deeply inside her, Gemma could feel him straight to her soul. He’d pulled back, his gaze skirting over her entire face, as if memorizing it. Every angle and plane, every dip and hollow.
Right before he climaxed the last time, he’d growled a command that she keep her eyes open. She wondered now if it was because he wanted to watch her lose control or if he wanted her to see him as he did.
Either way, she’d been overcome with a range of conflicting emotions.
“We have about another half hour,” he told her, sliding into the fast lane.
Gemma nodded and fingered the medallion at her neck. After taking a quick shower before leaving, he’d taken it from his neck, slipped it over her head, and had given her a swift, thorough kiss, before dressing.
Now, as she dragged the medallion along the chain, she could almost feel the strength and warmth of its owner flowing through it, from it, and into her fingers. Knowing they’d activated the tracking sensor gave her a little reassurance that nothing untoward would happen to her.
“You don’t seem nervous about any of this,” he said, his gaze flicking from the highway in front of him, to her, and then back again, as if reading her thoughts.
“Oh, I’m nervous,” she said, nodding. “In all honesty, my stomach is doing handsprings and tumbles like an Olympic gymnast in the gold medal competition.”
She turned to face him. “But it’s a little late now to be worried about what will happen. You’ve got a plan. A good one. Let’s hope nothing deviates from it.”
It was Ky’s turn to nod. He reached across the seat and folded her hand into his own. When he brought it to his lips, Gemma’s insides vaulted even more. Such a gentle gesture. So filled with…everything.
They drove without speaking for the remainder of the ride.
The arranged meeting place had been Ky’s idea. Just north of Manhattan, the safe house was well known to the bureau, surrounded by woods and far enough removed from civilization that no one would unexpectedly come upon them.
Perfect, he’d told her, for what they needed to do.
“I think we’re the first ones,” Gemma said, when Ky turned up the winding drive.
A log cabin was situated at the end of a dirt driveway, buried deep behind a copse of trees. It hadn’t been visible until they’d driven for a few minutes after coming off the county road. If the situation weren’t so dire, Gemma knew she’d like to photograph the house and surroundings. Stark, bare, and barren, it would make for a surreal shot.
“Let’s hope so,” Ky said, parking and shutting the engine. He pulled her hands into his and squeezed. “You ready for this?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
He peered at her, his eyes that stormy mix of dark blues and greens she knew meant his emotions were high. “When this is over,” he said, “when everything is settled and clear, I want—”
She could only guess what he’d been about to say.
“Papps?”
Jon Winters stood in front of the car. He was wearing a shoulder sling, securing his hand and arm to his torso. He looked pale and a few pounds thinner than the last time Gemma had seen him.
Ky squeezed her hands once more and then freed them. “Let’s go,” he said softly while alighting from the car.
“Jon. Thanks, buddy, for meeting us.”
“Where have you been, Papps? The team’s been going nuts for days with worry.”
Ky slanted a glance at Gemma. “I know, but it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t trust anyone close to the investigation. Like I told you last night, someone knew from the beginning where to find Miss Laine and I had to figure out who it could be. I needed time to find the mole in the department.”
Winters’ gaze shuttled from Ky to Gemma and then back to his partner. “Yeah. You mentioned that on the phone. How could you find something like that out when you were off the grid? No computer access or phone?”
“Let’s just say I had some help.”
Winters started at him, his face blank, his body seemingly relaxed. “Help? Who?”
“I can’t tell you, Jon. I don’t want to put my source in danger before this is all resolved.”
“Smart. But you always have been. And resourceful. I’ve admired those traits in you.”
Ky stood, silently.
“So, did you find out who the mole is?” Jon asked.
Ky nodded, his eyes trained on Winters. “Yeah. I did.”
Before she could blink, Winters drew his gun.
“Jon? What are you doing?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know Ky. The minute you called me you knew where this was going.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Stop. Just stop. I know you’re the leak in the department. I know it. I have proof. And I’m taking you in.”
Gemma didn’t have a chance to breathe before Ky’s gun was pointed at his partner.
“Jon,” he said, his voice deathly still and calm, “you know that’s not true. You know me.”
“What I know is that I trusted you,” Winters spat, his face hard, his eyes focused on Ky. “You betrayed that trust, Papps.”
“What are you talking about?” Ky took a solid stance, his gun poised at his partner.
“You got four of our men killed. Four. And for what?”
“Jon—”
“Why did you do it? Did Ritandi pay you? Did he have something on you? What?”
“Jon, you know I’m not responsible for anything that’s happened,” Ky said. “You—”
“Drop your weapon, Pappandreos!”
Gemma spun around to see SAC Tiege and five men dressed in tactical gear move from the bushes surrounding them, guns drawn and pointed at Ky.
“No!” She ran toward Ky. “Stop! Don’t shoot him!”
“Gemma, stay back,” Ky yelled.
The force of the command stopped her cold. “Ky—”
“Don’t get any closer to him, Miss Laine,” Tiege said. “Drop your weapon, Papps. Now.”
Ky’s face turned to a slab of stone. Even his eyes went dead. Gemma couldn’t see his chest rise and fall from breathing, and for a moment worried he wasn’t.
“Don’t make me shoot you, Papps,” Winters said. “I will if you give me a reason to. Believe me. You deserve it for the traitor you are.”
The words sliced through the air.
Slowly, so slowly Gemma wasn’t sure he was moving at first, Ky raised his hands and then bent to lower his gun to the ground.
“Kick it over to me,” Winter’s ordered.
“Why are you doing this, Jon?”
“Why?” Jon said. “You have the nerve to ask that?”
“We know it was you, Papps,” Tiege said, moving toward Gemma, his gun still aimed at Ky.
“Know it was me?” Ky asked, his hands bent and raised above his head, his eyes trained on Winters. “Know what was me?”
“You’re the one who’s been feeding Ritandi intel all these months,” Winters said, his mouth pulling back in disgust. “It was you, all along, damn it! You played us. All of us.”
“No!” Gemma shouted. “It’s not him.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Laine,” Tiege said, “but it is.” He grabbed her upper arm with his free hand. “Winters discovered phone messages between Papps and Ritandi going back several months now.”
“It’s a lie!” she shouted. “He’s lying.” She pointed at Winters.
“Miss Laine, please. Calm down. This isn’t helping. We have the proof we need that it’s been Pappandreos all along.”
“No, you’re wrong. Let me go!” She pulled as hard as she could, tugging the arm he held securely, then slapping at it with her free hand.
Tiege ignored her plea. “Winters? Do it.”
“Yes, Sir.” He holstered his gun and pulled a set of handcuffs from behind his back. He moved toward Ky and said in a voice that shot a dagger into her spine, “Down on your knees, Papps. Now.”
Ky stood his ground, his gaze never moving from his partner’s.
“Don’t give me any trouble with this. You’ve got five weapons pointed at you. They won’t hesitate to shoot a traitor. Understand?”
Ky knelt, his mouth twisting into a crooked like.
“Stop!” Gemma shouted at Winters. “Stop. You don’t know what you’re doing.” Gemma again tried to squirm out of Tiege’s hold, to run to Ky. He held on fast, crushing her arm in his big, beefy hand.
“Take him in, Winters. I need to get Miss Laine out of here.”
Tears sprang from Gemma’s eyes as she watched Ky being handcuffed by Winters then yanked to his feet by two of the men with him.
Again, she struggled against Tiege’s grip, trying to pull away.
“Ky!”
He turned his head to look straight in her eyes. She had never seen such a cold, dead expression on someone so alive. Her blood chilled to ice.
His mouth barely moved, but she understood what he silently told her.
Trust me.
The tears started to cascade down her cheeks as she continued to struggle against Tiege. Gemma was strong, but he proved stronger as he all but dragged her along with him, down the drive, to an awaiting vehicle.
“Come on. I need to get you out of here.”
“No. I don’t want to go. I want to stay with him. Please!”
He ignored her protests. “You can’t. He’s in custody now and will be charged as soon as Winters brings him in.”
“You’re wrong,” she told him several times as he pulled her along as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. “Ky isn’t responsible for any of this.”
“I’m afraid you’ve been tricked by him just as we all have.” He helped her into the front seat of a black Escalade, not letting go of her arm until she was situated and had her safety belt in place.
He closed the door and sprinted around to the driver’s side as if afraid she’d bolt the minute she got the chance.
A moment later he threw the car into gear and peeled away.
As the cabin and woods became a distant dot behind her, Gemma let go of the sobs she’d been holding inside her.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all this, Miss Laine. I thought Pappandreos was one of my best men.”
“He is! You can’t believe what Winters is saying. You can’t. He’s being set up—”
“No.” Tiege shook his head. “Don’t you think I’ve checked this out? I wouldn’t willingly believe one of the best agents I’ve ever known is corrupt without making sure first.”
“How could you make sure?”
“As soon as Winters brought me irrefutable proof, I had it checked out by our computer forensics team. They confirmed what Winters found. We set this whole thing up as soon as Papps called in.”
“But Ky only called last night. How could you have proven it was him so fast? There was no time.”
Tiege shook his head again, a habit Gemma was starting to hate. “Winters came to me two days ago with his suspicions.”
“Two days ago? Wasn’t he still in the hospital?”
“Yes, but he was working on the case even from his hospital bed. He discovered the agents killed in the ambush were texted from Papps’ phone the day they were killed. Don’t you understand? Pappandreos sent them to their deaths. Calafano was the target and my agents were collateral.”
“But why would he do that? Hadn’t you had that man in custody for weeks? I’m sure Ky had more than enough chances to kill him, the same way he had with me, and he didn’t take advantage of them. Doesn’t that prove he’s innocent of all this?”
“No,” he shook his head again, “it doesn’t prove anything.”
“Then why didn’t he just kill me? Why did he escape with me? There were so many times he could have gotten rid of me and didn’t. It doesn’t make sense, which is why I know you’re wrong about him.”
She wiped her hands across her tear-drenched cheeks and then swiped her wrist under her dripping nose.
Tiege just shook his head again and kept driving.