Who were these men? Why hadn’t they told her they were trained law enforcement agents, former cops, or whatever it was that made them look like forces of nature no one went up against?
Sweden held her closer. “You will get me out of this.”
“When hell freezes over.”
Aware of positioning, Sebastian motioned for Aspen. The McKay brothers were about as stealthy as panthers as they moved alongside the track, hunkered low and progressing quickly.
Cherie was close enough to fire the damning shot, but Sebastian wasn’t sure about the three fellows in front of her. Would they turn on the women if Sweden was fired upon? Were they armed?
According to those who knew Sweden, he rarely carried weapons for fear one of his own men would perhaps turn on him. He chose employees who were capable of fighting with their fists, and from what Cherie had once shared with him, Sweden’s guys were hard to bring down, true tanks built to last under pressure.
No, they weren’t in a good predicament at the moment. Wyatt should’ve made a move by now. Something was off. With Kimberly’s life on the line, they couldn’t afford an off day.
Clutching his weapon, Sebastian tiptoed closer and kept a keen eye on Kimberly. God, he couldn’t wait until this was over. He needed to hold her in his arms and reassure her that everything was okay.
Now, he easily remembered why he’d walked away from the agency. He and Wyatt had left the FBI because of guys like Sweden. Their resignations hadn’t been provoked because of fear. They were both damned good at their jobs. In the end, they’d simply decided the risks hadn’t been worth the rewards.
Kimberly was one such risk.
His pulse raced as he rounded a concrete wall. Good agents were born, not made. Their training was secondary. They could save Kimberly.
Sebastian and Wyatt knew how to work together, or with a team, to bring down the bad guys, particularly with Kimberly’s life at stake!
Shit. If all that were true, why hadn’t Wyatt made a move? Had Sweden’s slick reminder of past failures disarmed him? Was Wyatt unable to act because he was scared?
Damn it. He wished he knew what was going through Wyatt’s mind! They couldn’t let Sweden win! They had him in their sights. He couldn’t escape this time.
Taking a deep breath, he judged Wyatt’s body language. Sweden had rattled him. It was up to Sebastian to save Kimberly.
A loud alarm resounded. The train station and parking lot lit up like Christmas. Numerous spotlights bore down on the area.
As if in slow motion, Kimberly turned. She mouthed the words, “I’ll be fine. It’s just a little sedative.”
“No!” Sebastian screamed, rushing forward. He realized immediately what she planned to do. He ran as hard as he could, his arms and legs pumping in rhythm as he tried to save her, attempted to stop her final act of bravery.
A scuffle broke out at the same time. Wyatt’s agonized, ear-piercing cry resounded. The McKays screamed her name. Cherie threw her body forward, apparently contemplating what she planned to do, too. But it was too late.
Kimberly wedged her arm between her neck and Sweden’s needle. She flung her weight against Sweden, and Sebastian knew then. The puncture was complete. His needle had done far more damage than simply grazing the skin.
By the time the scuffle commenced, Sweden’s dope would have entered Kimberly’s bloodstream. Men threw themselves into a violent attack. Sweden was shot several times. His employees quickly surrendered by thrusting their arms high in the air.
When it was over, the one casualty Wyatt and Sebastian couldn’t afford seemingly slipped out of reach.
* * * *
Kimberly groaned as another annoying light shone in her eyes. She tried to move away from it, turn her head from side to side, but the person guiding the damning rays remained persistent.
“What the hell, Patrick!” she screamed, realizing only one physician would be irritating enough to anger his patients.
“There you are, men,” he said proudly. “She’s back.”
Kimberly threw her hands to her forehead and released a dry growl, one full of displeasure. She tried to roll over one way and then another, but for some reason, she couldn’t move either way for the bodies around her.
“You need to wake up,” Sebastian said, kissing her brow. “We’ll be in New York soon.”
She realized then they were moving. Riding a train was like riding a man. One simply couldn’t forget the jarring sensations or the noises affiliated with each.
“I’m very disappointed in you, young lady.” Vicky was the first person she saw when she finally opened her eyes. She wagged her finger in front of her face. “What were you thinking? Patrick said you threw yourself at that crazy man’s needle.”
The last hour she remembered came rushing back all at once. “Where’s Jason?”
“What?” Vicky asked, her voice raised an octave.
The private rail car quieted with her question.
“Are you insane? Do you realize what he did to you?” Vicky asked. “Do you understand he had planned to sell you to a human trafficker? He had no more regard for your life than you apparently have for your own.”
“Would someone please make her stop talking?” She looked up at Patrick. “I’m sure you can think of something to stuff in her mouth so she won’t utter another word.”
“Show some respect for your elders,” Wyatt warned her, curving his arm around the top of her head.
“I want to see Jason,” she said, swallowing. “I need to see him now.”
“That’s it!” Vicky said, slapping her arm against her leg. “As much as I hate to admit it, Kane is right. Jason has brainwashed you. He’s absolutely ruined you for better men, more stable relationships.”
“Somebody, please make her leave!” Kimberly held her head. She and Vicky had a loving mother-daughter type relationship, but at the moment, she didn’t want to deal with a loving mother-daughter type relationship.
“Why do you want to see Jason?” Sebastian asked, sitting beside her.
“I have something I need to tell him,” she said, locking gazes with Joshua. “Is he still on the train?”
“As far as I know,” Joshua replied.
“Will you take me to him?”
Fury lit its place in Wyatt’s cheeks. He turned away from her. Sebastian dragged his hand down his face.
“I’ll go get him,” Joshua said, signaling Aspen to follow him.
“Where’s Cherie?” she asked, suddenly frantic.
“She’s fine,” Wyatt bit out.
“You should’ve seen her. She was so taken by him. It was like nothing I’ve ever witnessed.”
“Then you’ll be relieved to know it was an act,” Sebastian told her, obviously irritated with her as well.
“Where is she? Was she shot?”
“No,” Patrick replied. “I checked her out and she’s fine.”
“I can’t deal with you right now,” Vicky said suddenly, acting as if they’d been bantering back and forth this whole time.
“Was I talking to you?” Kimberly teased, trying then to lighten the mood as she finally regained her bearings and things started to make sense.
“Why would you throw yourself in front of that needle?” Sebastian asked, frowning.
“I knew it wouldn’t kill me,” she replied.
“You knew nothing of the sort!” Wyatt yelled.
“Sweden showed me the syringe when we were here on the train. He threatened to sedate me if I didn’t leave the train willingly, so I assumed I wouldn’t die.”
“What if you had been wrong?” Wyatt asked, his voice dangerously low and extremely troubled.
Aspen returned then. “The agents guarding Jason will let them talk three minutes.”
“Agents? What agents?”
“He played a significant role in an international crime, Kimberly,” Vicky said, exasperation in her voice. “He is going away for a very long time.”
“Good,” Kimberly said, her gaze flicking to her fellows then. “And you two sort of got what you deserved if you thought I wanted to talk to Jason for any reason except to set the record straight about my feelings for you and my hatred for him.”
Wyatt’s shoulders visibly relaxed. Sebastian released a weighted breath.
“I’m not leaving you alone with him,” Sebastian said.
“Of course you aren’t,” she said, placing her hand in his. “Now help me up.”
Patrick eased away from her then. “We’ll be in the parlor.”
She laughed at his odd sophistication as he rose to his feet, placed his palm at the small of Vicky’s back, and followed Aspen out of the room.
Joshua returned to the master suite. “I’m not leaving.”
“I didn’t think you would either,” she said, shooting Sebastian and Wyatt a smile. “And the two of you might as well get used to this. My godfathers still act like I’m four.”
Joshua grunted. “Considering the buzz about some sort of table performance last night at dinner? I’m pretty clear about your age. It’s your maturity level I question.”
“Let’s not go there,” she said, glaring at his feet. “Who stomps his feet when he can’t get his daughter to do what he tells her?”
“I do not.”
She grinned. “Joshua, you don’t know what you do when you’re mad. You have a true anger management problem.”
“He isn’t the only one,” Sebastian said, slowly turning his gaze to the door when Jason entered with two agents on either side of him.
“Where’s Heather?” she asked flippantly.
Jason set his jaw and looked away. “What do you want, Kimberly?”
The agents stepped away from him. Sebastian and Wyatt moved closer.
Kimberly focused on Joshua, thinning her lips and giving her head a hard jolt toward her fellows. Taking the hint, Joshua thumbed the small sitting area. “Let’s give her a real minute, fellas. Want to?”
“Not really,” Sebastian snapped.
“I’m fine where I am,” Wyatt told him.
“Then I’ll talk to him in private, if that’s what you want.”
“No you won’t, sugar,” Sebastian said.
The guys didn’t move a muscle. Joshua seemed rather amused by the fact. And Jason was clearly pissed.
“I spent several years with this woman. The least you can do is let me have a few minutes with her.”
“No,” Sebastian disagreed, stroking his chin. “That’s not the least I could do.”
“They’re wasting the time you have, Miss Cartwell,” one of the agents said.
Taking a deep breath, she motioned for Jason to come forward. Surprisingly, he did. He even sat on the bed next to her, his cuffed hands in his lap.
Manipulating the situation to her advantage, she motioned for him to come closer. Moistening her lips, she stared at his, leading him as close as she could before striking him across the face.
The loud smack cracked a resounding pop and his look of stark surprise was well worth the burn in her palm. “I want you to know that you were a kept man, Jason, but more than anything else, I need you to understand that you wouldn’t have had the lifestyle you enjoyed if it hadn’t have been for me.”
“I understand that.”
“If you thought I would ask you why or demand to know your reasons, I won’t. I don’t care. The past doesn’t matter.” She carefully clipped her words one at a time. “The future is all I care about and what I want you to understand is that I’m not ruined by you or your selfish ways. I’m not physically challenged or psychologically damaged.
“Everything you wanted in a submissive woman,
everything
”—she paused for effect before continuing—“I will give to Sebastian and Wyatt without reservations or apprehension.
“See, Jason, I need you to realize that because of you, I was able to find them. And that slap? The reason I struck you was so you always remember an important factor. In the end, you were nothing more than my little bitch. Because of you, I found two men to love.”
Two hours later, they arrived in New York. Federal agents greeted Jason and Heather with all the brouhaha they deserved.
Kimberly sat at the window watching as they led them away from Penn Station and couldn’t help but feel relief, a surge of empowerment. There wasn’t any remorse. There wasn’t any regret.
The McKays walked by the rail car and pecked on the window. Vicky blew her a kiss. Aspen and Patrick winked. Joshua mouthed, “I’m proud of you,” and they kept right on walking.
Behind her, she heard, “Will you forgive me?”
“I don’t know,” Kimberly drawled, smiling to herself. “Did you fuck my fellows?”
“Never,” Cherie replied. “But if they would’ve given anyone the time of day—myself included—I’m sure many of us would’ve jumped their bones.”
“So what are you exactly?”
“I’m a friend to Wyatt and Sebastian. They saved me from Sweden a long time ago.”
“I got that part. Are you a cop, too?”
“Me?” She laughed. “No. I just owed them.”
“She didn’t owe us,” Wyatt said, entering the spacious living area and relaxing on an uncomfortable-looking antique sofa with a heavy ornate design at the back. “She just ended up in a position we could use to our advantage.”