“Estás brutal.”
She blew out a breath. Definitely ticked. That didn’t sound sexy in the least.
“Look, Sullivan. I know you’re mad. But I’m telling you now. That’s all that matters.”
Tension slipped back into his shoulders. What ever softness she’d seen flicker over his face earlier was long gone. A chill spread down her spine at the knowledge, and she shivered again under the jacket, this time not from fear, but from something she didn’t want to acknowledge.
“Fine,” he said, careful not to look at her again. “We’ll make a quick stop, run in and grab it. Then we’ll get the hell out of here.”
But he didn’t seem happy about it. In fact, he looked down right pissed.
He’d waited until the last guest left before retreating to his private sanctum.
Barefoot, Alan Landau paced the plush carpet of his office. As his feet dug into the thick pile, he focused on the threads beneath his soles, gripping and releasing the carpet with his toes as he worked the stress from his body. Head to toe, top to bottom, forcing the anxiety out through his feet. It was a calming exercise he’d learned years ago when a situation had threatened to overwhelm him.
This one wouldn’t.
Goddamn. Never in a million years had he anticipated she would be so bold as to show up at his unveiling, but when she had, he’d decided to play it calm and cool, let her think she was in control.
And now she was gone.
He wanted to throw something. Instead he took a deep breath, paused near his desk and gripped the carpet again.
He glanced at the note in his hand. His contacts would find her. If he was patient, maybe she’d take him right to Tisiphone.
The door pushed open behind him, and he turned. “What are you doing here?”
“We’ve got trouble.”
He frowned. “You bet your ass we’ve got trouble. The cops are hounding me about Laura’s death. The police superintendent was here to night eyeing me like a common crook. They
know.
”
“They don’t know. But I think you’re right. They do suspect.”
Alan resumed pacing. “That last shipment was too big. We need to call it quits for a while. At least until things cool off.
Before
they tie me to any of it.”
“The suppliers will be very upset to hear that. That’s bad business. We’ve made you a lot of money over the years.”
“I don’t need any more money. I’m up to my fucking ears in money. Look around you. And I have the final say in this, not you.”
Silence fell over the room. “Are you saying you don’t need me?”
Power was a tricky thing. Sometimes he gave away too much in his day-to-day business dealings. He needed to be careful here.
“Tell me, Alan. Just what do you need?”
Freedom.
He’d been stupid. Greedy. Way too fucking greedy. “Nothing. At least not right now.”
“Nothing? Not the Furies?”
Surprise registered. “How did you—”
“I know a lot more than you think. Dr. Maxwell’s presence here to night wasn’t a surprise. The fact you let her get away, though, reinforces just how useless you’ve become.”
What the hell?
“Hold on a minute. You can’t talk to me like that. You work for
me.
”
Laughter rumbled across the room. “Not anymore. Did you think no one would find out? That we wouldn’t know you were planning to go after the Furies on your own? After everything I’ve done for you, did you think you could keep that secret?”
“Listen—”
“I’m done listening, Alan. And you know what? So are you. Sending Laura to Italy was a bad idea. Digging into things alone was the wrong business decision. You should have been happy with the money I pulled in for you.” The barrel of a gun glimmered in the dim light.
Alan’s eyes grew wide. “Hold on—”
“I will, you prick. To the Furies. All by myself.”
The gunshot echoed through the house.
All right. If he wanted to be mad, she’d just let him.
They’d made a quick stop at the apartment where Lisa had grabbed the journal and they’d both changed clothes, but when she’d tried to leave a note for Shane, Rafe had thrown a complete fit. Since then, he’d uttered only a few words to her in passing.
She sat at the gate and glanced around the quiet terminal. At this hour, only a few flights were scheduled to leave, and the usual chaos of O’Hare was down to a mild din. Confident they hadn’t been followed, Rafe had booked them a flight to Miami and then disappeared to grab some food. But not before telling her to sit tight and wait.
She crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t like the holier-than-thou attitude he’d been sporting since the train, and she sure as hell didn’t need him telling her what to do. What did he have to be upset about anyway? It’s not like she’d
lied
to him, or
cheated
him, for crying out loud. So why was his reaction bothering her in the first place?
That stab of guilt in her chest left her more ticked off than anything. And the fact she didn’t know why she felt that way was really starting to get on her nerves.
She looked up when he dropped a paper sack in her lap
and tugged a White Sox cap over her head. “You don’t blend well, Maxwell. That hair stands out like an emergency flare.”
She tugged the hat off, glanced at the logo and pulled it back on. “I’m more of a Cubs fan, Slick.”
He sank into a chair next to her. “I didn’t know your style and didn’t feel like guessing. Deal with it.”
She frowned as he leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head.
He thought
she
was a smartass? Riiiight. That fit.
She wasn’t taking the bait. Shaking her head, she reached into the bag, nearly melted when she pulled out a cheeseburger. “Aren’t you eating?” she asked around a mouthful of food.
“Not hungry.”
She glanced his way and swallowed. He was wearing the black jeans and turtleneck she’d picked out for him when she’d gone shopping earlier, and damn if the outfit didn’t look better on him than she’d predicted. His eyes were closed in an attempt to look relaxed, but his rigid jaw proved he was a dangerous man on the edge.
The memory of that sultry kiss rushed through her, warming her blood. She hadn’t had a chance to think of it since the party, hadn’t really wanted to analyze why it had happened or how it had made her feel. The fact her chest was thumping now as she stared at him only made her realize just how much of an idiot she really was.
She lifted the burger and took another bite, averting her eyes. The man was ticked at her, and for no apparent reason. She needed to get a handle on the stupid emotions that kiss had stirred in her, forget the fact he’d saved her life…again. His attitude proved that what ever had happened before was a moment of pure insanity brought on by champagne and randy hormones. Well, she wasn’t dealing with either right now. He could be a moody ass all he wanted. It wasn’t her fault or her problem.
She ate her burger in silence, and when the flight attendant
announced their plane was boarding, she crumpled the paper in her hand, grabbed her backpack and rose.
The flight to Miami was uneventful and long. Rafe slipped on headphones and tuned her out through most of the trip, and the few times she tried to strike up a conversation, he pretended to be asleep. When they started their descent, he finally opened his eyes and sat up.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked as they deplaned and headed up the jetway.
“I called Pete before we left Chicago. He arranged for a car and a place for us to regroup.”
She wanted to ask where, to tell him to quit being such a jerk, but his cell beeped before she got the chance.
He flipped the phone open and came to a stop. “Yeah.” She halted beside him, watching his features change from hard and rugged to concerned in the blink of an eye. “When?”
Something in his tone had worry skittering through her chest. When he closed his eyes and turned away, that worry jumped to fear.
“Yeah.” His voice hardened.
“Mierda.”
He wiped a hand over his forehead. “No, thanks, Hailey. I’ll be right there.” He flipped the phone closed.
“What happened?”
He started walking again, and she had to increase her pace to keep up with his long legs. “Nothing that concerns you.”
Didn’t concern
her?
Well, it obviously concerned his wife. She clenched her jaw as they walked through the concourse, hating the fact she felt so damn jealous. Where the hell had that come from? She never got jealous. She had nothing to be jealous about anyway. And why did his comment bug her so much?
She stewed over that question while he signed for the rental and they climbed into the car. She waited until they turned south on I-95 before shifting in the Escalade’s leather seat and looking his way. “Where are we going?”
He switched lanes on the freeway. “I’m taking you to a hotel. You can just hang until I get back.”
Hang? Was he serious?
“I don’t think so, Sullivan. White on rice, green on grass, for the next few weeks I’m stuck to you like glue. Ring a bell?”
A frown tugged at his mouth. His irritated dark eyes finally flicked her way, the first time since they’d left Chicago.
She smiled her most sour grin.
His jaw clenched as he looked back at the road. “It’s family stuff, Maxwell. Nothing you’d be interested in.”
She was, though, and the fact he didn’t think she would be made her sarcastic smile fade. “Nice try, Sullivan. We made a deal, and you’re stuck with me.”
“Fine.” His hands tightened on the wheel. “Tag along if you want. I don’t care. But my family’s not like yours, so consider yourself warned.”
She settled back in the seat, feeling smug and victorious. “So what happened and where are we going?”
For a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer, then he said, “My mother’s in the hospital. I need to stop and see her.”
She looked over. “Is she okay?”
Something in his eyes shifted, a look that tugged on her chest, but he kept his intense gaze focused ahead. “She’s got pancreatic cancer. Had a bad reaction to the chemo.”
A ball formed in the pit of her stomach, and she swallowed, feeling like the biggest heel on the planet. “Oh.”
He shifted uncomfortably in the seat as if he didn’t want to be having this conversation. “Like I said, you don’t need to go. I can pick you up when I’m done.”
The fact he didn’t want her to go with him convinced her that was just what she needed to do. Maybe because she sensed the anxiety radiating from him. Maybe because she remembered the fear on his face when he’d answered that call. Maybe because she felt like she was getting her first glimpse at the man he was underneath, and part of her wanted to know what made him tick.
Another part recognized that seeing him as anything other than a thief was a dangerous thing, but she ignored it.
She shook her head. “You don’t need to be worrying about running me all over. I’ll go and just stay out of your way until you’re done. They’ve got waiting rooms at hospitals. I’ll just hang there.”
He slanted a sideways glance her direction, no longer looking angry, simply exhausted. Her heart did that strange thump thing again at the vulnerability she saw in his dark eyes.
Oh, shit. That look was pure trouble. Trouble she did
not
need on top of everything else.
“Thanks,” he said softly. “I promise we won’t stay long.”
Lisa hated hospitals. Always had. Every time she walked into one, it seemed someone was dying.
Drawing in a deep breath, she followed Rafe into the lobby of Mercy Hospital, then waited while he checked in at the information desk.
Jeans and a V-neck sweater had been a bad idea. She’d forgotten how freakin’ hot it was down here. She fanned her face with her hand as she stared at a giant ficus in the middle of the room. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t sweating from the heat but from the stress of being in a hospital again.
When Rafe gestured toward the elevators, she willed her feet forward and followed. Beside her in the car, Rafe was silent, but she felt the tension hanging in the air like thick smoke. He didn’t want to be here any more than she did, and that knowledge helped ease her anxiety. At least a little.
The door opened with a ping. Hailey Roarke turned their way and dropped her crossed arms. Curly blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders and her porcelain skin glowed under the fluorescent lights, but worry lines marred her forehead. She wore a fitted white tank top, cute khaki capris, and beaded sandals that highlighted her purple-painted toenails. And while Lisa’s focus should have been somewhere—anywhere—else, she couldn’t help noticing
that out of uniform, Rafe’s ex wasn’t just pretty, she was a knockout.
That didn’t endear her to Lisa any. Frowning and feeling frumpy, she hated the woman more than she had when they’d met only a few days before.
“You two look like hell,” Hailey said when she and Rafe stepped off the elevator.
Oh, yeah. Definitely hated the woman. With a passion. The emotion may have been totally immature, but at least it gave Lisa something substantial to focus on besides her stupid neurosis.
Rafe frowned. “Where is she?”
“End of the hall.” Hailey held up a hand when he tried to push past her. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you first.”
Concerned dark eyes shot to Hailey’s face, and Lisa watched the color drain from his cheeks. Her heart kicked over at his reaction.
Oh no. Please, God. Don’t say we’re too late.
“What happened?”
“It’s not her,” Hailey said quickly, reading his expression. “She’s going to be okay. She had a bad reaction to the chemo, got pretty sick and dehydrated, so they brought her here for observation. But she’s already doing better.”
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again. “Good. Then everything else can wait.”
He took a step but Hailey stopped him with a hand on his chest. “No, it can’t. Rafe, I got a call from the billing office at the care center yesterday. They couldn’t find you, and they still have my name on some of the paperwork. Your payment bounced.”