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Oh God, was he in on it? Was Leese?
Before that fear could fully take hold, Leese said, “That’s close enough.”
Given the quiet in the garage, Cat could hear every word. Hastily, she moved left and right, trying to find an angle so she could also see what was happening.
“Friends of yours?” Justice asked.
She punched him in the arm and snapped, “No.”
“Then don’t distract Leese.”
Her heart maintained a wild drumbeat. “I have to see.”
He hesitated, then moved his arm, making it easier for her to lean forward and look out the passenger window.
Tesh’s black eyes immediately locked on to her and he slowly smiled. The fact that he looked so pleased to see her only amplified her terror, making it impossible to swallow, almost impossible to breathe.
He was as big as Justice, dark, menacing.
Dangerous.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
As if her life didn’t hang in the balance, Justice said, “Nope.”
She had to try. “Leese said I didn’t have to stay—”
“Yeah, well, for the moment, staying put is the way to go.”
The awful silence outside the car left her shaking. The men stared at each other, Leese relaxed, waiting, Tesh and his two cronies quietly appraising.
Finally Tesh pulled off a stocking cap and ran a hand over his clean-shaven head. Almost with apology, he said, “I need the girl.”
“No.”
“I work for her father.” Slowly, making sure Leese knew he didn’t go for a gun, Tesh opened his coat and withdrew credentials.
Leese didn’t bother looking. “Doesn’t matter who you work for. You’re not touching her.”
Cat’s spine turned into a noodle. Doesn’t matter. Leese wouldn’t hand her over?
Tesh scrutinized him, then gave it another shot. “Look, I understand your position. I really do. The thing is, her father hired me and I need to—”
“You’re wasting my time.”
Scowling now, an ugly, fearsome sight, Tesh took a step closer. He spoke low in an obnoxious man-to-man way. “There’s no need for violence. I’m only going to take her back to her father, where she belongs.”
“Actually,” Leese said, his arms loose, his posture absurdly relaxed, “you’re not taking her anywhere.”
Nostrils flaring, Tesh jerked out a cell phone. “You can call Mr. Nicholson.”
“Why would I bother? I don’t work for him.”
“The hell you don’t! Who do you think hired your agency?”
Leese shrugged. “I wasn’t told. My job is to keep her safe and that’s what I’ll do.”
“From her father? Get real, man.” And then, more gently, Tesh promised, “You don’t want to do this.”
Cat covered her mouth. She couldn’t let Leese get hurt. She had to—
Justice nudged her. “You’re being a silly girl. Stop it.”
She was about to blast him when Tesh threw a sucker punch, making her jump with a startled screech.
Leese ducked, Tesh’s fist hit the car and then somehow—it was all a fast blur—Tesh was on the ground with Leese standing over him.
There wasn’t enough oxygen in the car to feed her starved lungs. Hands and nose pressed to the glass, Cat watched as Leese decided Tesh was done, then put his full focus on the other two men, beckoning them forward.
They didn’t take the bait, choosing to wait for instructions from Tesh.
Leese showed his annoyance. “You walk away or not. Doesn’t much matter to me. Either way, you’re not touching her.”
Appearing surprised, still flat on his back, Tesh touched his nose and stared at the blood on his fingers. Smirking, he sat up and dug a handkerchief from his pocket.
Who carried a hankie anymore? Tesh wasn’t that old, maybe early fifties. And the man was definitely in his prime. If he wasn’t so corrupt, she might have even called him handsome.
But her perception of his looks had been skewed for a very long time, starting with the first time he’d looked her over in such an inappropriate way, and reinforced when he began referring to her as Kitten instead of Cat. She saw him only as an imposing terror—a very real menace...to her and to others.
With his gaze cutting her way, Tesh told Leese, “This isn’t your fight.”
“I have a job to do.”
That regained his attention. “That’s all she is to you? A job?”
Leese chose not to answer, which even Cat thought was sort of an indictment of his determination. He offered silent confirmation that her relationship with him, or lack thereof, didn’t factor in. Either way, he’d protect her.
He’d said so, and for the first time in so very, very long, she felt a hint of promise, as if she could finally believe in someone. Tears stung her eyes and burned her throat, making Justice grouse.
“Don’t get all mushy.”
“No.” She shook her head as the tears leaked out. “I won’t.”
He sighed. “When Leese is ready to get in, be sure you scooch over real quick and make room for him, okay? I don’t want to waste any time peeling out of here.”
Nodding, she wiped a wrist across each cheek and kept watch. “Should you help him?”
“Do what? He has it in hand.” Justice patted her shoulder, and with the size of his hands it felt more like an assault. “Besides, if I so much as stick my big toe outta this car, he’d annihilate me.” Bragging, Justice added, “I’m supposed to be your protection in case anything happens to him.”
Dear God. Her heart crawled right back into her throat with choking uneasiness. “If you think that’s possible—”
“I don’t.”
Finally Tesh came to his feet. He meticulously folded the hankie and tucked it away, and with every heartbeat Cat expected him or one of his bullies to pull a deadly weapon. She knew Tesh carried not only a gun but various devices all meant to bring about compliance.
In some ways, she feared him the most.
In other ways, she knew he was a mere tool, bought and paid for.
“You’re fast,” Tesh said, his tone amused. “Trained?”
With no inflection at all, Leese said, “Yes.”
Tesh smoothed the hat back over his head. “And you’re good?”
“I get by.”
Eyes narrowing, Tesh said, “Now I know, and you can believe I won’t forget.” A chilling smile slid across his face. “Next time I’ll be better prepared.”
A promise, a threat.
Cat pressed a fist to her chest to contain her aching heart. Tesh would come after her again, but he would no longer physically engage. Instead he’d trap them, plan a sneak attack, maybe even shoot Leese from a distance. He wanted to take her back to her father, but to do that, he’d have to eliminate Leese first.
How could she be responsible for that?
The gravity of the danger didn’t seem to bother Leese. He stood there, so casual he might have been bored, until Tesh and the others retreated around the corner of the parking lot.
The second Leese opened the door, Cat made room for him. On her knees, she scampered over, then faced him and reached for his arm. She had to explain, had to make him understand. “Leese...”
“Buckle up.” To Justice, he said, “Drive.”
“My thought exactly.” Already backing out of the parking space, Justice left the lot with enough speed to make her grab the seat for balance.
Cold from the inside out, she stared at Leese.
For the most part, he ignored her as he surveyed the area, his gaze sharp, his jaw locked.
As soon as he pulled onto the road, Justice asked, “Where to?”
“Right there.” Leese pointed at the shopping center entrance almost directly across from the hotel. “Pull in to the side lot, but circle around to face the road. If I can see which car is theirs, that’d be helpful.”
“Leese...” she said again, desperation clawing through her. She needed him to know what he was getting into. Yes, having help, any type of backup, would be amazing. But it would also put him in the crosshairs of so much danger.
Acknowledging her only with a hand on her thigh, he gave Justice instructions. “Go through there. Stay back though. You can use that truck to help conceal us. Yeah, right here. Good. Keep it in gear, your foot on the brake.”
“I’m ready,” Justice said, sounding anxious for a chase.
Her heart thumped painfully. She tried to make her voice strong, but it emerged a thin whisper. “You have to let me go.”
Ignoring that, Leese gently pushed her back in her seat. “Sit back. I need you to put on your seat belt.” He did that for her while also watching the road and occasionally checking their surroundings. “There.” He leaned forward. “That’s them.” As if committing them to memory, he recited the plates out loud.
Justice used his phone to zoom in for a picture. “Got it.” One hand on the wheel, he thumbed through some screens and texted the photo to Leese. “Do we follow?”
“No. Opposite direction. Go out the back of the lot.”
She needed a way to dissuade him. Cat racked her brain, but nothing felt adequate to convey the level of trouble she would bring on him. “Leese, you have to listen to me.”
He patted her. “Try not to worry.”
Okay, that stole some of the numb fear and instead turned it into annoyance. “This is a mistake.”
Turning a corner, Justice said to Leese, “Maybe she wants to nap again.”
Of all the idiot... “No, I don’t.”
“Okay, okay,” Justice soothed. “Don’t get riled.”
Eyes narrowing, Cat thought about telling him off. But truthfully, she didn’t want to distract either of them, so she compressed her lips and stayed silent.
They drove down a few side streets, then left the commercial area for a residential neighborhood before finding another main road.
Leese kept vigil out the rear window for what felt like forever before he marginally relaxed. “We need to switch cars.”
“You think they’ll follow?” Justice asked.
“They obviously already did, that’s how they knew we were at the hotel.” Leese removed his cell from a clip on his belt. “They were waiting for us, so they might’ve tagged this car too. Who knows?”
Worse and worse, Cat thought. “Tagged, as in...”
“Put something on it to make it easier to track us,” Justice explained. Then to Leese, he asked, “You really think so? That’s a lot of expense and trouble, right?”
“I’m not sure cost is factoring in.” Leese’s gaze skipped to Cat. “But we can get filled in more on that in a minute.”
Cat could do no more than stare in wonder. “You know they’ll keep coming after me.”
He thumbed in a speed dial number, then put the phone to his ear. “That’s the one thing I do know.”
“You also know my stepfather hired you.”
“Stepfather? No, that’s news to me.” He lifted a finger when she started to speak again, then said into the phone, “I need to see Sahara. Yeah, today.” He glanced at a thick watch on his wrist. “Two hours, give or take. Tell her I’m bringing a guest. Yeah.”
Several times Justice sent her looks of sympathy in the rearview mirror.
Because of this Sahara person? Who was she and what did it mean to visit her?
While Leese finished his call, she curled into the seat, her arms around herself as a pervasive cold stiffened her bones and made her stomach cramp.
“Sounds good, we’ll be there.” Leese disconnected the call. “Head to Cincinnati. We’ll switch up there.”
