Authors: T C Archer
“
What were you doing in New York?” he asked.
A strange tremor rippled through her. Maybe it was the way his deep blue eyes remained fastened on her, or the way he asked the question as if he knew her that made her want to keep him up deep into the night as she rode him until they both exploded. His fingers would be warm and sure around her waist as he slammed her down on him over and over. She jerked from the erotic picture. If they were anywhere but here, anywhere but now…
Jesse returned her attention to the dog. “The less you know the better. It’s too bad you happened by when you did.”
“
Afraid I’ll cramp your style?”
She couldn’t help a chagrinned laugh. “Chances are you saved my life, despite your efforts to the contrary.”
“
Hey!” he said.
She met his gaze. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but—”
Lancelot twisted his neck to the right and let out a low woof.
Jesse riveted her attention onto the window Lancelot stared at. She looked back at Cole. “Where is everyone, patients, nurses?”
“
We’re the only ones here. Charlie is the resident, on-call at the hospital today. The office is closed.”
Lancelot woofed again.
Jesse swung her legs over the edge of the bed and gave Lancelot a quieting pat on the head as she stood. “Shh, boy.”
The dog’s attention remained fixed on the window.
A chill ran up her spine. “Dammit, Cole.” She crept toward the window, wincing as the stitches in her leg pulled at her flesh. “It never occurred to you taking the Starfire was a bad idea?”
CHAPTER TEN
Jesse stopped beside the window.
“
I suppose I should have left you to bleed to death?” Cole demanded.
An unexpected hint of savagery laced his voice. She looked across the bed at him. His face was impassive, and Jesse decided she had misread what was probably fear.
“
Leaving me would have been the wiser of the choices. How long has Rayburn been gone?”
“
About fifteen minutes.”
Jesse carefully turned back a corner of the curtain and peered outside. Shrubs hid three quarters of the window from outside view. She looked past the shrubs and across an open expanse of manicured lawn to a two story, brick colonial with a sunroom.
“
That’s Rayburn’s house?”
“
Yes,” Cole replied.
Lancelot growled. Jesse looked at him, but he didn’t acknowledge her. His attention had shifted to the door opposite the window.
“
What’s outside the door?” she asked.
“
A hallway. There are two other examination rooms, a bathroom, then the waiting room.”
“
How many doors leading into the building?”
“
Two.”
“
I assume the good doctor doesn’t believe in weapons?”
“
Only those.” Cole motioned to the surgical instruments.
“
Well, well.” She cast last glance at the seemingly deserted yard before releasing the curtain. “Those might come in handy.”
She crossed to the tray. Several pieces of unused gauze lay in a pile. Lancelot trotted to her side as she snatched a bit of gauze and quickly wiped blood from a wicked looking blade.
Jesse held up the instrument. “What is this?”
Cole shrugged. “Charlie used it to probe your shoulder for bullet fragments.”
She grimaced and dropped the dirty gauze on the tray. “Glad he’s on our side.” She set the knife down, then picked up a scalpel. This she’d used before.
“
What’s going on?” Cole demanded.
Jesse paused and met his gaze. “Taking the Starfire was a bad idea, Cole.”
His mouth tightened. “Someone followed us.”
“
It would seem so.”
“
If there were others, why didn’t they stop me last night?”
“
Who knows what makes those bastards tick?” Her gut tensed as she picked up the knife. She happened to be one of those
bastards
. What made her tick?
“
Why not just kill us?” Cole asked.
“
Me, they want alive,” Jesse replied, gripping the handle of the scalpel to judge its balance. “At least, for a while. It’s you that worries me.”
“
What are you talking about?”
“
Look, there’s no time to explain—”
He surprised her by vaulting over the bed. Lancelot darted aside as Cole landed two steps away. He lunged, grabbed her wrist, and Jesse allowed him to yank her face to within an inch of his.
“
Take the time,” he ordered.
She glanced at Lancelot, who stared as if to encourage her to go on. Jesse looked back at Cole. “All right, bottom line: there’s someone I can hurt very badly, and he’s trying to hurt me first.”
“
That’s not very original.”
“
It’s the truth. This isn’t a petty squabble. You saw how far they’ll go.”
Cole’s expression darkened. “You’re saying last night was a set-up?”
“
Those people were paid to lure me into the alley and shoot me with the trank.” He looked as if he would say something more, but she needed to end this now. “We can stand here all day discussing it, or we can stop whoever’s out there. Chances are, they aren’t aware we know they’re here.”
Cole released her, and she allowed her grip on the knife at her side to relax.
“
Your shoulder and leg will slow you down,” he said.
She gave a frustrated shake of her head. “These wounds aren’t serious enough to keep me from leaving.” He appeared about to object before she added, “I can’t leave you here. Taking off would leave you at their mercy—and they don’t have any.”
“
Won’t they go after you and forget about me?”
Jesse leveled her gaze on him. “They won’t leave without making sure you’re dead.”
“
Leave no witnesses,” he said without batting an eye.
Jesse nodded.
Cole nodded toward her shoulder. “How do you plan to karate chop anyone with a shoulder wound and a gashed leg?”
She smiled and pulled her ponytail tight. “Worried about me?” A flicker of surprised anger flashed in his eyes. Jesse frowned. “Is something wrong, Cole?”
He snorted. “What could possibly be wrong? I’m trapped with a wanted criminal—” he stopped, and Jesse knew it was because the expression on her face had gone cold.
She hadn’t said she was wanted for a crime. What did he know about her? “I told you I was sorry you got mixed up in this.” She started for the door. “Next time, mind your own business.” Cole started to follow, but stopped when she whirled. “Where are my shoes?”
He circled the bed and pulled the sneakers from under the chair. He tossed them at her. Jesse caught them without taking her eyes off him. They stared at one another for a moment, then she sat down on a stool by the door, gripped the scalpel in her teeth, and slipped on the sneakers.
Grabbing the knife, she rose. “Stay here.”
Jesse pressed an ear against the door, and listened. Nothing. She grasped the doorknob and turned. The latch clicked free and she opened the door half an inch. Their examination room lay at the end of a hallway, with two doors on the left, and one farther down on the right. The hallway then made a sharp right turn. Jesse glanced at the bottom of the doors on the left and right. No shadows blocked the natural light that spilled beneath them.
“
Lancelot,” she called softly, patting her uninjured leg. The dog trotted to her side. “Come on, boy,” she whispered, “let’s see if you can sniff out any rats.” She sensed Cole’s approach and glanced back. “Stay put.”
He mumbled something under his breath, but halted. Jesse sighed. Blue Team operatives generally worked alone. On occasion, teams were assembled for assignments outside the charter. She had commanded such a mission and the men hadn’t taken to a female leader. She could imagine how Cole must feel. He probably hadn’t imagined a woman like her existed, much less considered the possibility he’d take orders from one.
Lancelot followed her as they approached the first door on the left. The dog remained calm. They neared the second door, and still no growls. The same with the last door on the right. She looked back at Cole and motioned for him to follow.
He reached her side and bent his ear so close his breath washed over her cheek as she whispered, “Wait here. I’ll see what’s ahead.”
He straightened and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and brows raised. Jesse grasped Lancelot’s collar and started forward. They reached the end of the hall. She stopped and peered around the edge of the wall. Straight ahead, half of the waiting room lay visible. She spotted the building’s main entrance. Where was the other exit? Jesse glanced at the dog. He remained impassive. She waved Cole forward. He tread lightly in those damned cowboy boots and came up alongside.
“
Don’t you think you’re overdoing this?” he whispered.
“
Where’s the other door?” she demanded.
He motioned to the waiting room wall not visible from her position. “There’s an employee’s entrance in the secretary’s office.”
“
Can we enter the office through the waiting room?”
He nodded.
The employee’s entrance sounded better than the front door. “Let’s go.”
They crept into the waiting room, then toward the secretary’s office. If they made it out the back, the men would follow. Would they come back for Rayburn? His would be a publicity-generating death. Maybe they wouldn’t take the risk. Or maybe he was already dead. She repressed a grimace when her empty stomach burned with stress.
They made it through the waiting room and into the office.
“
I don’t think there’s anybody here,” Cole whispered.
“
They’re here,” Jesse replied. “When we open this door, where are we?”
“
There’s a small parking lot and a path connecting the office with the house.”
Jesse released a frustrated breath.
An open parking lot and back yard
. “Stay here.”
She started for the door, but got only three steps when Lancelot growled, then barked. Jesse lunged against the wall two feet from the door. Pain flashed up her leg.
The door swung open, banging the wall inches from her shoulder. The muzzle of a Romanian Ratmil nine millimeter poked into the room.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jesse’s heart leaped into a furious rhythm. The weapon had a three round burst capability. Who the hell were they expecting? Then she realized:
her
.
Cole dove into the waiting room and rolled from view as expertly as any professional. Lancelot lunged forward at the same time Jesse swung the door closed. The Shepherd skidded to a halt as she slammed the door on the shooter’s arm. The man held tight to the weapon and Jesse heaved her weight against the door. He grunted and yanked in an effort to free himself. Three shots zipped past her ear and through the waiting room wall. She winced. Her heart beat faster, irritating the dull pain spreading through her injured shoulder.
Lancelot barked with breathless intensity. Jesse grabbed the gun muzzle, shoving as she kicked the door open. The shooter stumbled backwards. He crashed onto his back still gripping the nine-millimeter. Lancelot charged past and pounced on him, locking the man’s free arm in a canine grip. She rushed forward as the intruder leveled the nine millimeter on her. She kicked, catching the barrel’s edge. The gun twisted from his grip.
Jesse glimpsed tall, thick junipers lining the concrete walkway to the right as she yanked Lancelot back. She dropped to a squat, ignoring the tearing of her stitched leg, and seized the man’s hair.
She pressed the scalpel to his throat. “Who the hell are you?” His eyes widened. Jesse dug the knife in. Blood trickled down his neck. Leaning in closer, she said, “The dog wants you bad, and if you don’t tell me what—”
Lancelot turned, his lip peeling back in a ferocious growl. He sprang over them and darted into the juniper bushes. Jesse bore down on the man’s chest with her knee, then chopped hard on his vegas nerve with the side of her hand. He went limp. She wrenched her attention to the thrashing, growling junipers.
A man shrieked, then three rapid shots. Lancelot let out a loud yelp. Jesse leaped to her feet. Where the hell was Cole? She glanced at the open office door. Lancelot gave a high pierced cry, then the snarling and terror sounds of man and beast suddenly stopped. She dashed for the bushes, but skidded to a halt when the dog shot into the open. A man vaulted from the bushes and collided with her. She stabbed him with the knife, feeling the blade strike rib-bone.
He fell back, but leveled his Ratmil at her. She ducked, lunged forward, and tackled him. She chopped the nerve bundle at the shoulder of his gun-arm. His arm went limp, but he still managed to grip the weapon. She straddled his waist, grappling for the gun. An instant later, Lancelot’s booming bark rang in her ear. The Shepherd snapped and caught her opponent’s sleeve in his teeth. The man swung his gun, landing a hard blow across Lancelot’s shoulder, but the dog held tight. Jesse blocked the next blow, using momentum to twist the man’s arm around and pin it to the ground beside his ear.