Relentless (27 page)

The line went dead, the dial tone buzzing in his ear. Ahmed dropped the phone. “Fuck,” he cried, covering his face in his hands, letting the tears fall. The life he'd built for him and his wife was over now. He might still be breathing, but he was already dead. Only a matter of time now before his physical being met the same fate as his soul.

I'm sorry, Lily. So damned sorry.

How had he come to this point? He had to kill a woman to save the one he loved. The price was high, enough to damn his soul in eternity, but there was no other alternative. He would do whatever it took to save his wife.

On the short trip from the station to her hotel, Neveah seemed to make a real effort to put all the scary shit aside for the moment. Which he appreciated.

Rhys parked the Escalade underground and came around to help her down from her seat. She took his hand with a smile that made his blood heat and slid her arms around him when he placed her on the ground. The way she leaned into him and hugged him tight was like a priceless gift.

“Think Luke will take it easy after the operation?” she asked against his shoulder.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, appreciating her effort at salvaging what was left of the evening. “Doubt it.”

“I swear, alpha males are the worst patients in the whole world.”

“You're probably right about that.”

“Apart from doctors that is,” she qualified. Then she sighed and pulled away, but her eyes were full of shadows. “Take me upstairs and make me forget all this for awhile.”

“Yes ma'am, just as soon as we get to my hotel.” And tonight, he was going to make love to her properly. Not screw her, not fuck her, make love to her. He'd never done that with anyone before. He wanted to know what it felt like.

The prospect probably should have scared the hell out of him, but instead it turned him on even more. He couldn't wait to get her into his room and slide his hands under that dress to find out if she really was naked beneath it. Then he'd lay her out on the soft bed and take his time learning everything he could about her body and what felt good for her.

Even half-blinded by lust, he still had the presence of mind to be vigilant as they got into the elevator with another couple and rode to their floor in silence. Nev pressed close against his right side, her breast not-so-accidentally brushing his upper arm. He shot her a warning glare. If she kept that up, she'd find out quick enough he was more than capable of foregoing manners and the fact that they had two elderly spectators to watch the show.

An impish smile stayed on her lips as the elevator door opened and she sailed out, tossing a challenging look over her shoulder at him. “Coming?”

“Not until after you, honey. A woman should always come first.”

The old lady in the elevator gasped, and Rhys caught sight of her shocked expression in the hall mirror across from the elevator as the doors closed. He grinned and followed Neveah. He loved the deep V in the back of the dress that left most of her back naked, stopping just above the base of her spine and showing off her beautifully curved hips and ass. Damn, she was enough to make his corneas bleed.

A slit up the back of the skirt revealed flashes of her thighs and calves as she walked in those fragile-looking heels. Maybe he'd leave her in those and nothing else, he pondered, imagining them dangling over his shoulders as he pushed into the tight warmth of her body. Oh yeah, that had definite possibilities.

Approaching her door at the end of the hall, Nev pulled out her key card.

“Wait a sec,” he said, reaching over her shoulder to grab it.

“I'm perfectly capable of opening my own door,” she said with an irritated expression.

“Well, that's not how I do things. I like to be in control, remember?” He knew he didn't need to remind her of why he was being so cautious.

That catlike smile reappeared. “Mmm, and that does have its merits.”

Oh yeah
. He pulled the card out, and when the little green light flashed, he pushed down on the handle. The door opened soundlessly, revealing an inch or two of space inside. The room was pitch black.

Nev had left a lamp on when he'd come to pick her up. He seriously doubted housekeeping would have turned it off.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

“Move aside,” Nev said, starting to push past him.

He grabbed her upper arm and instinctively turned her. “Wait— ” Jerking her to a halt, he set her against the wall and drew his weapon, ignoring her gasp, and went in fast. No shots, not a sound as he positioned himself, ready to pull the trigger to stop any threat against Neveah. When he was sure no one was in the room he flipped on the light.

The room was in a state of utter devastation. Someone had pulled the drawers out of the bureau and dumped them out, spilling her clothes and books over the floor. Her suitcase lay open next to the closet, its contents strewn on the carpet. The bed was ripped apart, the bedding tossed in a heap at the foot and the pillows lay scattered around beneath it.

“Rhys?”

He ducked his head into the bathroom. All her things were scattered on the floor, bottles and tubes smashed on the granite. Shit. He didn't want her to be afraid, but she had to see this.

As though hearing his thoughts, Neveah pushed the door open and stopped short. Her face paled, eyes going wide at the mess in front of her. “Oh,” she whispered, bringing a hand to her long, lovely throat.

“Any idea what they might have been looking for?”

“No.” She took a step into the room, eyes locked on the suitcase torn open in front of the closet. “Can I check for something?” Her voice was rough.

He put his weapon back in its holster beneath his coat. “Yeah. Just try not to disturb anything until the cops can get here.”

She gave him a look that said she doubted things could be more disturbed than they already were, then went to the suitcase. “My laptop,” she explained, bending down to search through the pile of clothes. “I left it in here.” While she searched, Rhys did a more thorough examination, speed dialing his brother and explaining the situation. When he hung up, he noticed something silver sticking out of the crumpled bedding. He pulled back a corner of the comforter. “Here, Nev.”

She scrambled to her feet and rushed over to grab the laptop. “Ben coming?” she asked as she opened the lid and fired it up.

“With Nate.” Rhys watched her face as the computer booted up and allowed her to search through some files. Her expression filled with acute relief.

“My presentation and speech,” she breathed. “They're still here.”

“What kind of security do you have on that thing?”

She shrugged. “I don't know... my password.”

Figured. “What is it?”

“Samarra.”

Not a very secure choice, in his opinion. No way was this a random break in, and whoever had done it would know all about Neveah, including her cousin's name. Hell, their names had both been splashed all over the news networks, including CNN. Didn't take a very high IQ to plug in Samarra as a guess. “Anything on there that someone would be interested enough in to break in here?”

A tiny frown pulled at her brows. “No. Just e-mail, some files for my accountant, my speech. Things like that. Don't you think it's weird they didn't take it? And my jewelry's still here. I mean, why go to all the trouble of breaking in and then not stealing anything?”

He met her eyes and let her make the connection herself.

“You think they wanted me?”

Yes and no. They might have a bounty on her head to collect from Tehrazzi's network, or... “I think they wanted something from you, and since you weren't here, they hoped to get it from your laptop.”

Neveah set the device down on the carpet and rose to her feet, rubbing her arms. “What do you think it is?”

“About Luke, probably.”

Her eyes filled with alarm. “This has something to do with what happened tonight, doesn't it? With those guys you caught.”

“I'm not— ”

“Don't you lie to me,” she snapped, staring holes through him. “Not now.”

He let out a deep breath. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Did they have weapons?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes got even bigger. “What kind?”

“Pistols, an AK-47 and grenades.”

For an instant she went completely still, and he was afraid she might keel over, but instead her eyes glittered like shards of steel and she raised a warning finger at him. “God dammit, Rhys, I had a right to know.”

He couldn't blame her for being pissed, but there was no sense in letting her get all worked up over something that was already over and done with. Rhys walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. Her muscles were stiff under his palms, but he ignored it and slid his arms around her.

“Don't be scared,” he said into the fragrant coil of hair she'd wound on the top of her head. “It's going to be okay. I'm here, Ben's on his way, and we'll get some answers. All right?”

Releasing a breath, she nodded and then melted against him, seeking comfort. Damn, he wanted to get her the hell away from there, but he didn't dare move her without back up. Not now.

She'd been registered here under an alias, so someone had to have followed her from the conference to know where she was staying. The state of the room suggested they'd been in a big damn hurry, and the fact that they'd left all her jewelry and laptop behind meant they either hadn't found what they'd been looking for, or that they'd been alerted to get out before he and Nev arrived. Both possibilities worried him.

Holding her tight, Rhys smoothed a hand over her bare back and spoke softly to her, waiting for Ben to show up. A few moments later a door at the end of the hallway burst open and running footsteps reached them. Rhys left Neveah to look out the door and held it open for Ben and Nate. “Any luck outside?”

“No,” Ben answered. He and Nate swept inside, eyes scanning the wreckage. Ben let out a low whistle.

“Nothing's missing,” Rhys told them, draping an arm around Neveah's shoulders. “I wanted you to look at her laptop,” he said to his brother.

While Nate took a look around for himself, Ben sat on the rumpled bed and put the laptop on his knees. If anyone could find out if it had been tampered with, Ben could. He was an electronics wizard.

His twin typed in a bunch of commands and checked the hard drive. “Don't see anything suspicious,” he said, then glanced up at Nev. “You check out your files?”

“Glanced at them. Everything seems okay, and my speech is still there.”

Ben met Rhys's eyes. “Sorry, man. Don't know what else to tell you.”

Nate came over from the bathroom. “What were they looking for?”

“Not sure,” Rhys answered. “You find out anything from our boys at the station?”

Nate shook his head. “Nothing to link this with whatever his plans were.”

Which meant they now had another plot to worry about. “Until we know what's going on, I'm going to move her,” Rhys said.

“Yeah, that's for the best.” He set his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Damn, I don't like this.” Then he waved a hand at them. “Go ahead and take her back to your hotel. I'll get my guys together and see if we can find out anything. If there's a chance this is linked to the cell, I'll call you.”

Good enough for now. “Come on,” he said to Nev, nodding to Ben. His brother went past him into the hall as Rhys guided his precious bundle out.

“My things,” she protested, looking behind her.

“We'll get whatever you need later,” he said and firmly guided her out the door, careful to keep her sheltered between him and the wall.

Ben held the stairwell door open for them. “I'll get the truck,” he told him. “Underground or out front?”

“Underground.” At least down there they'd have some cover and more than one entrance to come out of if someone was lying in wait. Coming out the front entrance would leave them too exposed.

Ben ran down ahead of them and soon disappeared, leaving nothing but the echo of his treads behind. Neveah kept pace with Rhys, but her steps were impeded by her spike heels. Damn sexy shoes, but not a good choice for getting someplace in a hurry. He consciously slowed his pace and kept his senses open for any hint of danger. Even though he'd gone ahead, Ben would be another minute getting the truck around to them.

“Okay, how worried are you?” Nev suddenly asked him as they hit the third floor landing. “Are you expecting trouble or can I stop panicking?”

“Don't panic,” he soothed. “We just want you out of here as fast and quietly as possible in case anyone's still looking for you.”

“God, so you
do
think they're still out there.”

That's what he'd been trained to do— to expect anything. If he'd gone in to find something and come up blank, he wouldn't leave with empty hands. He'd wait as long as it took to get the job done. He had to assume the people hunting Nev would do the same.

Expect the worst and hope for the best, but don't hold your breath on the last count.
“It's all right, honey. Just stay close to me and we'll be out of here in no time.”

They finally got to the bottom. Waiting inside a different steel and glass door than the one they'd come in, Rhys put Neveah safely behind him and kept an eye out for the Escalade. He couldn't see anyone else, but he was still uneasy about taking Nev out into the open.

With a squeak of its tires, the Escalade came racing into view and tore around the last corner. Rhys tightened his grip on Nev's hand. “When I say go, I want you to run straight for the truck, okay?” She didn't reply, so he looked back at her. Her eyes were wide. “Nev?”

“I heard you.”

Ben raced up and squealed to a stop as close as he could get to the door they waited behind.

Drawing his weapon, Rhys released her hand. “Go.”

He shoved the door open with the heel of his hand and darted out in front of her. She tore past him, head down as she sprinted for the vehicle. Ben threw the back passenger door open and waited.

Rhys turned his attention away from Neveah for a split second. A puff of air brushed against his cheek an instant before something pinged off the stairwell door and plowed into the concrete wall.