Chapter 18
Shock lifted Xander’s brows, and Charlie tore her eyes off his face to reassess the woman standing near the end of the corridor.
Wait, they knew each other? Another glance between them, and her stomach flipped. And in whatever capacity that might be, the fact this new threat held them at gunpoint…the crazed anger dancing in her eyes… Charlie didn’t need a crystal ball to know the woman had come here looking for her own special brand of revenge.
She squinted. The thing that didn’t add up was how this person from Xander’s past figured into Ryan’s kidnapping scheme. What did their history have to do with the formula? Or anything else for that matter?
The blunt edges of her dark hair grazed the shoulders of her black suit jacket as she tossed her head back, her maniacal laugh amplified by the bare walls. “I take it you’re surprised to see me…Alexei.”
Alexei? Charlie darted another peek at Xander. As in, some alternate personality he’d used during a scam?
“Loretta Swinehart.” He pushed Charlie’s hip, easing in front of her as if he’d suddenly morphed into Superman and any bullets the psycho unloaded would magically ricochet off his chest.
Right. Didn’t matter who was who. Whatever this woman wanted, the simple fact she’d shown up made Xander nervous, and that was more than sufficient to explain the level of danger they were in. “I gotta say I’m impressed. Guess I should’ve waited around a little longer, huh? Made sure the Feds had you under wraps before leaving the club.”
Loretta whatever-the-hell-pig-name sneered. “It’s a little late for flattery, don’t you think? Stroking my ego won’t save you and it won’t save your girlfriend. I told you I would get even. The only thing that’s disappointing is how you believed I couldn’t do it.”
She was a previous mark. Someone Xander had pissed off enough to set up this whole snatch and grab scenario and… What? Torture the woman he loved as payback? Make Charlie suffer in exchange for some supposed wrongdoing Xander had dished out?
Eyes squeezed tight, Charlie shook her head. If that were the case, why not just kill her from the very beginning? That would’ve been a much easier, simpler way to make him pay.
“Well, you proved me wrong, all right. Good job, Loretta.” Xander reached behind his back and motioned for Charlie to retreat a step, flicking his finger toward the open cell door.
Oh, hell no. She wasn’t leaving him out here to deal with this lunatic. No matter what came next, they were in this together. Even if that together lasted another ten seconds.
“The only thing I can’t piece together is how you ended up working for Ryan. Although, I gotta admit, scamming the mass populace does seem right up your alley.”
Loretta’s throaty laugh lifted the hair on Charlie’s arms. “I’m not working for Ryan, you idiot. I couldn’t give a shit about his stupid formula other than how handing it over to the Feds earns me a free pass.”
Another flick of Xander’s finger, and Charlie aimed a confused frown at the doorway. What was he doing? She ran her gaze the length of Baldy’s prone body and slumped.
The knife.
It was the only weapon they had at their disposal, and if she could somehow get it to him, there was every chance he could end this before it even got started.
“That’s the trouble with guys like you. Always thinking you’re the only ones with friends in low places. The only ones smart enough to make a deal.” Loretta waved the gun around almost as if she’d forgotten it was in her hand. “I wasn’t in lock-up two hours before a stuffed-suit showed up. Some fossilized slob the Justice Department sent in, wanting to know if I’d be interested in working for them in exchange for reducing my sentence.”
Slipping two fingers in Xander’s back belt loop, Charlie angled him a step closer to the door. If he could just keep her talking. Buy them some time.
“So, you agreed to do a little phishing on their behalf, and that’s when you found me.”
The barrel swept the hallway as Loretta flipped her wrist aside. “It was supposed to be easy. Become a part of Ryan’s inner circle, gain their trust and see what I could learn in the process. But all that changed when they handed me his file.” She huffed. “Imagine my surprise at finding a picture of you inside, standing beside some fat blond in front of a crappy New York tenement.” Rolling her eyes, she faked a gag. “The only thing they cared about was her. How she’d broken into Ryan’s condo and stolen his laptop. And the worst part was, I’d offered you a chance with me and instead you went for some cheap bimbo who wasn’t even smart enough to figure out the Feds were using her as bait. One look at that love-struck expression on your face, and I knew she would be the key to getting anything I was after.”
The edge of Charlie’s foot bumped Baldy’s ankle, and she stepped aside. Just a little more…
“It was obvious I had to take over. Play both sides of the fence. Those morons at the FBI can’t tell their asses from a hole in the ground, and neither can the wide assortment of politicians Ryan has in his camp. The more information I leaked to either side, the more each team treated me like I was one of their own.” The rap of Loretta’s heel punctuated the silence, gun stiff and Xander centered in her sights. “It’s amazing how fast a few well-placed secrets can buy a person whatever they might need. In less than two days, I had the name of a mercenary who was only too happy to test my theory, break into her apartment and ransack the place so I could see how you’d respond. And when you left for Chicago the next morning, I knew I was right.
“You’d fallen in love with her, and manipulating you would be as easy as snatching her right out from under your nose. All I had to do was sit back and let The Postman bring her in, and once we had her you’d do whatever it took to get her back, including handing over whatever secrets the government was after or coming to her rescue so I could kill you myself.”
Her eyes flicked to Baldy, and Charlie froze. “Hold it right there, Blondie. I need that formula, and if you plan on seeing tomorrow, I suggest you quit fidgeting while I convince Alexei here to hand it over.”
She refocused on Xander, aiming the gun at his chest. “Now, where is it?” Her high-pitched scream pierced the hallway, and Charlie grimaced. Damn, the woman was about to go postal. “Give it to me and I just may find it in my heart to let your little pork chop walk out of here alive.”
Great. And then maybe the two of them could get mani/pedis. Go shopping and pick out matching shoes at the mall.
“I hate to cramp your style but, before you pull that trigger, you should know there’s only one copy left.” Xander’s low chuckle came off downright diabolical, and Charlie zeroed in on his broad back.
Oh, no. What had he done?
“Kill me and you lose, Loretta. Ryan’s formula is hidden inside my head.”
Charlie’s pulse sped forward as she searched the side of his face, but he wasn’t bluffing. The set of his jaw was too stubborn. He didn’t blink or swallow or exhibit any signs of someone who was laying down a load of crap.
She glanced at the flipped-out woman down the hall—face beet red, gun shaking.
Charlie’s stomach sank.
Loretta believed him as well. The only question was whether or not hearing how Xander had left her no choice but to keep him alive would push her over the edge.
Tipping her head back, she released an ear-splitting shriek toward the ceiling. Alarm skittered down Charlie’s spine, and she whirled, diving for the knife.
Over the edge. Definitely over edge.
“Fine.” Loretta’s sharp retort was accented by the repeating tap of her heels. “Have it your way.”
Charlie wrapped her hands around the handle and yanked, but the blade refused to budge.
The rapping increased, faster and louder, Loretta’s voice a harsh whisper as she closed in. “But don’t think for one second you’ve beaten me. I’ll just find it somewhere else.”
Bracing her foot on Baldy’s shoulder, Charlie gritted her teeth and pulled, but the damn thing wouldn’t come loose. And they were out of time, out of time.
A deafening shot rang out, and Charlie pivoted back toward the hall. Another blast, and Xander stumbled past the door, his hand centered on his heart.
No!
Scrambling over Baldy’s body, Charlie ducked her head and flew into the corridor. Xander stood stock still, eyes straight ahead, and she raced down the hall to pry his hand off his chest.
Where was he hit? No blood, no blood. Frantic, she shoved his arms out of the way and ran her palms down his torso. A wail lodged in her throat as she patted his ribs. Dammit, where was he hit?
“It’s not me. Charlie, it’s not me.” Grasping her shoulders, he pulled her against his body and wrapped her in his arms, covering the side of her head with his hand. “Someone else fired before she did. Sh-h-h…I’m okay.”
Jesus Christ. She buried her face in his chest and released the sob threatening to burst her airway. That was too close. It had just been too damn close. “T-that’s it. N-no more t-time in the field.”
End of story. Another sob wracked her shoulders, and she cinched her arms around his waist. She’d be lost without him. God, didn’t he get that?
His chuckle rumbled in her ear. His full lips dropped to the top of her head. “Oh, yeah? And do what with all my time?”
“I’ll think of something.” One night in that freezer, and she already had a list that stretched to the moon and back. As long as he was safe, she’d keep him busy. He could count on that. “Trust me when I say there’s zero downtime in your future.”
“Hell, Chuck, I think you might just have yourself a deal.” Easing back from their hug, he lifted her chin on his bent index finger, leaned down and dotted her lips over and over with warm, soft kisses. “I’ve been waiting a very long time to get you locked behind closed doors.”
So not a problem. A smile teased her lips as he bumped the tip of his nose against hers. And for however long he wanted her there, that’s exactly where she would stay.
“Looks like might we have a little cleanup to handle first.” He nodded down the hall and she glanced over her shoulder at the three suited Feds standing over Loretta’s body, the tall, dark-haired one speaking into his cell and the other two taking turns shaking hands with Eden, Kelly, and everyone else who’d come to see her safely back to Xander’s arms.
Damn, Tanner, Detective Archer…heck, even Mocha had shown up.
Wow. Talk about loyalty. Charlie’s vision blurred as love mixed with a hefty dose of appreciation. Her chin trembled over how each and every one of them had put their lives on hold for her.
Their efforts had given her a second chance. With the man of her dreams. No matter how long or hard she tried, she’d never be able to repay them for everything they’d done.
Tanner sneered at Detective Archer, and a quiet chuckle parted Charlie’s lips as she spun away from him and stormed down the hall. Or maybe there was a little something she could do, after all.
“Loretta was right, you know.” Xander’s breath brushed her ear, and Charlie leaned back, meeting the beautiful sea in his eyes with a slight frown. “You are the key, Charlie.” He held her cheek, thumb sweeping the tender skin under her lashes. “My key. To unlocking everything. Since the first day we met and you stole my heart.”
Geez, as if her knees weren’t already shaky enough. A bloated tear spilled, and she covered his hand with hers, loving him so much, she went up on her toes to meet his kiss and she didn’t give two craps who was watching.
“Lucky for me, I guess,” she whispered against his lips. “It’s a good thing I’m such a talented thief.”