Final Hours (7 page)

“Fantastic,” she said. “Now you have nice old couples
thinking I’m crazy.”

“Last I checked, you were the one doing the enthusiastic
foot stomping.” He limped back over to her. Braced for retaliation, he shocked
her as he leaned in to brush his lips over hers. “Thank you, for coming after
me.” She was still buzzing from that gentle, intimate touch when he grabbed her
hand and pulled her after him. “Now I’m sending you home.”

“Wait—” Elizabeth jerked against his grip, tried to slow him
down, but he was an immovable force. “Kane, please.”

“I am not stopping until you are safe, home, and out of
Guy’s reach.”

She ran to keep up with his long strides, her heart pounding.
That meant she would have to say goodbye. Again.

~ ~ ~

Kane was still
reeling at her appearance. She
was supposed to be back in her own time, away from the danger Kane had drawn
her into. Away from him.

The feel of her warm, small hand in his had him thinking
impossible thoughts. How much he wanted to explore more than that soft hand,
discover if all her skin was that soft, with the scent of lavender that had haunted
him since he first collided with her.

He mentally shook himself. That kind of thinking would lead
him down the path he could not travel. A path that had Elizabeth at his side.

No, it would best for both of them—safer for him—if he sent
her home now. He simply needed to find a secluded place for her to disappear.

“Kane.” Her quiet voice sounded a bit desperate. He glanced
over his shoulder—and immediately slowed. She was all but running to keep up
with him. “Thank you. Now can you tell me where you’re dragging me?”

“There.” He spied a narrow side street on the left, and
hoped it would lead to the secluded back stoop of the building next to it. Once
they were alone, Kane reluctantly freed her hand. “Time to send you home.”

“Oh.” She looked at him, those dark blue eyes wide, and,
damn him, starting to tear. “Right,” she whispered.

Her head lowered, but Kane saw the tears slide down her
cheeks. They tore at him, left him helpless. He reached out and gathered her in
his arms, tortured himself a little more with the feel of her pressed against
him.

Elizabeth didn’t carry on like other women of his acquaintance.
Her tears were quiet, and all the more heartbreaking for it, because he
understood the why of it. Since he learned that she was an orphan, like him, so
many of her reactions and choices made sense.

Kane gently kissed the top of her head and set her away from
him, to keep from desperately hanging on to her. She deserved better; she
deserved a life of joy, and safety, and stability. He could provide none of
those.

“Ready?” He kept his voice quiet. He still had no idea what
triggered her panic, and she needed to be calm for the journey ahead.

“Yes.” Trembling fingers brushed at her tears. “Sorry. I
didn’t plan on using you as a six foot Kleenex.”

“It was my pleasure to stand in for a standard size tissue.”

She let out a shaky laugh, her tension easing. Just as he
intended. “Come, Beth. I need you to be at least arm’s reach from the
building.”

“Okay.” She stepped into the center of the small back entry,
just big enough for both of them. “Will it be as—nausea inducing as the last
two trips?”

Her question caught him completely off guard, and he
laughed, delighted by her humor. Who was he kidding? He was delighted by
her
.

“It does get easier.”

“Uh, huh. So I’ve been told, several times. I’m discovering
that’s a big, fat lie.”

Kane laughed again. He couldn’t remember the last time he
laughed so much—

Time to get this done. The longer he delayed, the harder it
would be to let her go.

“You can endure one more time, Beth. Then you’ll be finished
with the trauma.”

“Will I remember—everything?”

“Yes.”
I will not be able to forget you, love. Not for a
long time, if ever.
He forced himself to smile. “Memory loss is not one of
the side effects.”

“Part of me wishes it was.”

“So do I, love.”

Her eyes widened, and Kane cursed himself when he realized
he’d said it aloud.

“Kane—”

“Beth—I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t you dare take it back.” She moved forward, running by
the time she threw herself at him. Kane caught her, held on, closed his eyes
when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his
shoulder. “I’ll miss you, Jackson Kane. I don’t want to, but there it is.”

He smiled at her muffled words, before he cradled the back
of her head, buried his face in her hair. It was an indulgence, to feel the
silk of it against his skin, to have the soft lavender scent of her surrounding
him. “Then I am not sorry for missing you as well.” He pulled back, forced
himself to put emotional distance between them. That went out the window with
his next request, because he needed it, needed her, one last time. “Now give me
a proper goodbye, Elizabeth Barritt.”

She raised her head, and Kane stopped any possible protest
with his lips.

Her mouth opened under his, a soft moan driving heat through
him. God save him, she had the most sensual lips. He sensed the inexperience, but
her passion more than made up for any lack. That passion all but brought him to
his knees.

Elizabeth hiked herself up, wrapped her legs around him,
deepening the kiss as she plastered herself to him. He was already painfully
hard; the feel of her had him throbbing.

He turned, opened his eyes long enough to find the wall, and
trapped her against it. Every inch of her body arched into him, her lips more
desperate, her breathing ragged. Kane could barely hear her above his own raw
breath.

She slid her hands into his hair, her legs tightening their
grip on his waist. His legs nearly gave way when she started to move against
him. He matched her rhythm, meeting every thrust, groaning into her mouth, rock
hard and wanting to be inside her, to feel that slim body wrapped around him as
they joined together—

He broke off the kiss, tried to pry her off him before he
took her right here. The need to be inside her had his hands shaking. Damn it,
he never lost control like this.

“Beth—” She moved, aiming for his lips. He lifted his head
to discourage her, so she pressed her lips to his throat, kissing her way down.
He let out a groan, gripped her waist. “For the love of God—”

“You said—” She kissed her way back up his throat. “You
wanted a proper goodbye.”

He looked down at her, surprised by the mischief in those
beautiful eyes. With a smile, she leaned in, and he stilled when she kissed his
scarred cheek. She had no idea what it meant to him that she treated those
scars as if they were simply part of him.

“Beth,” he whispered.

She pulled back, obviously hearing the strain in his voice.
“Oh, God.” A blush spread over her face. There was no possible way she didn’t
feel his erection, not the way she was still wrapped around him. “I’m so
sorry—I’m not a tease, Kane—I just couldn’t—”

“Stop what you started?” Her blush deepened, but he gave her
points for keeping eye contact. “My sweet Beth, if you had started it anywhere
but in the middle of an assignment, I would have finished it.”

“Promise?”

His laughter had her smiling. Carefully, he eased back from
the wall and lowered her to the ground. His hands circled her waist until she
found her footing. It pleased him more than he could admit that she found it
hard to stand.

“As much as I want you to stay,” he said, brushing his lips
over her cheek, “it is time for you to go.”

“How are you going to—not get sucked in with me?”

Kane had been working on that problem, and thought he found
a way. The agents had always gone back together, so this was an experiment. Of
course, he didn’t mention that fact to her.

“I want you to hold on to my right hand, until the portal
appears. Do you remember the snapping sound you heard when Guy appeared?” She
nodded. “That means the portal is engaged. Once you hear it, let go of me. I
will get myself out of range.”

“Okay.”

Kane took the transport out of his greatcoat. It had already
been set for the next journey. He closed his eyes briefly, braced himself, and
looked at Elizabeth.

She met his eyes, more lovely every time he looked at her.
Her face was flushed, her hair disheveled from him nearly ravaging her. Tears
shimmered in her eyes—and he would not give in to them this time. Tears were
what nearly had him taking her right there, in a dirty back entry.

“Goodbye, Kane. Thank you for the greatest adventure of my
life.”

He didn’t say anything, simply strapped the transport on his
left wrist and moved his thumb over the button that would send her out of his
life forever—

“Hello, Kane.” He froze at the sound of Guy’s voice coming
from the transport. A moment later, his face flashed on the screen, replacing
the coordinates.

“Impossible—”

“To hack such a simple bit of technology? This was like
snapping my fingers.” Kane turned around, putting Elizabeth behind him; he
didn’t want Guy to know she was still in reach. “Now watch carefully, old
friend. This is my next move on the board.”

Another face appeared on the screen, just long enough for
panic to grip his heart. Helaine.

Kane was already talking when Guy showed himself again. “If
you harm her, in any way—”

“Stop chasing me, and she will be free to go. I cannot make
the same guarantee for her dog, I’m afraid. I may have done more than stun the
wretched beast when I threw it at the wall.” A sob in the background had him
looking away. “It’ll be all right, sweet. Kane will do the noble thing.” Guy
looked back at him. “He always does the noble thing. Now say yes, Kane, and I
will give you directions, so you can play hero.”

“I will meet you, Guy.”

“So you already sent the sweet Elizabeth on her way?”

“I will be alone.” Kane felt her move next to him. He clapped
his right hand over her mouth and pulled her tight against his side. She fought
him, whatever curses she threw at him muffled against his hand.

“A shame. She is fierce, for such a delicate little thing.”

“Where are you?”

“Do you know the field behind St. Edmund’s?”

Elizabeth made a noise. He glanced down, and she nodded at
him.

“Yes,” he said.

“There’s a lone building, at the far edge. You have one
hour, before the knight removes the pawn from the game. Your move, Kane.”

Guy cut off the transmission, and Kane let Elizabeth go.
After a few seconds, the blank screen lit up, showing the coordinates for their
current location. No matter what he punched he could not change them.

“Damn it—don’t you move another inch, Elizabeth. You are
staying right here, until I send you home.”

“You don’t know where she is—and he’ll hurt her, all because
she was in the wrong place. I won’t have that on my conscience, not when I can
do something about it. Besides, you won’t be able to send me home until we stop
Guy.”

Surprise had him staring at her. “How do you—”

“The second you saw it on the screen.’ She crossed her arms,
raised an eyebrow. “I can read you like a book.”

No one had ever told him that before. He had always been
accused of quite the opposite—especially by women, frustrated with his lack of
reaction to anything they told him.

The grip eased on his heart. “This is the deal—agree, or you
will go nowhere near them. I plan on surprising Guy, taking him down. You do
what I say, no matter how much you disagree. If I tell you to run—”

“I run. I get it, Kane. I faced Guy myself, remember? I know
what he’s capable of.” She touched his wrist, her fingers warm, steady. It took
all his control not to pull her in, protect her from what might happen. She
would hate him for it; he knew that much about her. That streak of courage
simply made her more attractive. “We’ll find her, Kane, and you will stop Guy
from doing—whatever it is he came here to do, without someone else’s life
hanging over your head.”

“All right.” Without the distraction of Elizabeth kissing
him blind, his shoulder gave him a throbbing reminder of its need for
recuperation. “I want to start where we met. Guy hurt—”

He cut himself off. How did he become so attached to that bit
of fur? When did he become a sentimental sot? The answer stood next to him, her
presence like a balm. One he could not get used to; as soon as he freed
Helaine, and strangled Guy within an inch of his life, he would send her back.

“Kane.” He blinked, meeting Elizabeth’s amused gaze. She had
obviously spoken his name more than once. “Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

He took her hand and ran down the side street, headed for
the canal, and hopefully, for the little dog that meant less to Guy than an
insect squashed under his shoe.

Guy would pay for that.

~ ~ ~

Elizabeth fought to
keep up with Kane, but she
didn’t say anything to slow him down. Time was not on their side.

As they rounded the corner, into the side street next to the
canal, she spotted a white bundle of fur.

“There,” she gasped, right before Kane veered over to the
edge of the canal.

She pulled out of his grip and dropped to her knees, half-afraid
to touch the dog. Red streaked the white fur, just below its throat, and
Elizabeth hoped—prayed—that Guy hadn’t lied when he said he only threw the dog
at the wall. That was bad enough, and she hoped he burned in a special level of
Hell for it. Before she could talk herself out of it, she gently turned the dog
over.

It let out a weak yip, and opened its eyes.