Embraced by Fire (33 page)

Impatient knocking on the door woke Ryu with a feeling of déjà vu. He rolled out of bed and dragged on his jeans. Kait blinked sleepily and her smile was so sexy he wanted to dive back into bed with her. Instead he satisfied himself with leaning over and grabbing a kiss before opening the door.

“I brought breakfast.” Delilah pushed past holding tray.

“Thanks, Del.” Ryu smothered a yawn behind his hand.

“You got out of work last night because Adrian thought you needed rest.” Delilah looked pointedly at the disordered covers. “I hope you actually got some sleep.”

“What’s for breakfast?” He took the tray and put it down on a table.

“Fine, don’t answer.” Delilah looked between the two of them. Then shrugged. “Eat, dress, then hurry next door we’ve got some developments we’ve been following up during the night.”

Ryu looked up quickly. “What developments?”

Kait sat up straight too. “You’ve found Johnny?”

Delilah was just about to reply when her phone rang—so did his—they glanced at each other, instantly serious. Delilah pulled her phone out of her pocket, while he grabbed his from the bedside table. Ryu kept his eyes on Kait as he answered. Her eyes were wide and she leaned forward as if trying to hear the other end of the conversation.

She might not be able to hear but from the expressions crossing her face it was clear she knew they had a lead on Jonny. Time to chase the bad guy.

As he disconnected the call Kait grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave me behind.” Her eyes were pleading, but her voice was firm. “I want to go.”

Ryu put down his phone and looked at her, the woman to whom he was bound, as she watched him in expectation.

“Go where?” Delilah’s voice cut his thoughts short.

He bit back a smile at the contemptuous look Kait tossed Delilah’s way. “When you go after Johnny,” she said, as if nothing could be more obvious.

Ryu shook his head. “It won’t be safe.”

Everything in him rebelled at the thought of leaving her behind, but he was going to have to get used to the sensation.

“I know Johnny better than any of you, I should go.” Kait’s chin had a determined set to it he recognised even after only a few weeks of working with her.

“You only know his work persona, you don’t know the man underneath the mask,” said Delilah.

“Some of that had to be real, I’ve known him for years. Maybe I can use it to help you.” Kait looked pleadingly at them.

“No, you’ve got no training. I’m sorry but you’ll only get in the way,” Delilah’s voice was kind but dismissive.

Ryu felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. No one, but no one, spoke that way to his woman.

“She might be useful.” He wished he could take the words back as soon as he said them.

He worried Kait might get hurt, but at the same time a secret part of him, a shameful part, was glad he’d said them, glad he might not have to leave her.

“Yes, I might be.” Kait smiled at him, seeing an unexpected ally. “I promise I won’t get in the way.”

“I don’t know.” Delilah looked between them, clearly puzzled by Ryu.

“Please. Johnny’s taken advantage of me. Heck, he might even have burnt down my house and if it wasn’t him it was the men he’s working with. Anything I can do to help, I want to do,” Kait paused, “and I want to see the end of this. I want to know you’ve caught them.”

Delilah gave her a searching look then shrugged. “It’s not up to either of us, at the end of the day Adrian will have to agree, but for what it’s worth I understand the need for closure. I’ll support you, but you’ll be Ryu’s responsibility.” She looked hard at Ryu.

“I’ll ask if you can come with us, but Kait, you need to promise right now to do exactly what we tell you, no questions asked, and to keep yourself out of trouble.” Ryu stood up as he spoke. He wanted to use his height to intimidate, to make her think twice, she needed to know he was serious about this.

“I promise.” Kait’s smile was electric and even Delilah smiled back reluctantly.

“The van will be here shortly to collect us. Looks like we don’t have time for breakfast after all.” Ryu looked longingly at the food.

“I’ve got gear in the other room, I’ll get it and we can prep.” Delilah was out the door almost before she finished talking.

“Thank you for letting me come with you.” Kait’s eyes were glowing as she climbed out of bed, naked as the day she was born, and stood on tiptoe to give him an excited kiss on the corner of his mouth.

He grabbed his shirt and gave it to her. The sooner she hid temptation from his view the better. Once she was covered, he slid his fingers into her hair and grabbed a thick hank, turning her head so he could watch her eyes. “Don’t make me regret this. Don’t forget your promise.”

“I won’t.” Her lips trembled as she spoke.

Unable to resist he leaned down and kissed her. The fire that ran through his body at even so slight a touch was as powerful as the flames living in his belly. He wanted to tip back his head and roar, but settled for driving the kiss harder.

He broke away as the door swung open. Delilah stepped inside and when she saw Kait sway on her feet, gave him a knowing look. Ryu reached out a hand to steady Kait, loving the way it took her eyes a moment to focus and knowing he was the cause of her daze.

Once she was steady, Ryu went into the bathroom to change, while the women used his absence to dress in the main room. When he returned Kait was dressed in practical fatigues, and talking calmly to Delilah, but he could see telltale vestiges of a blush staining her cheeks and suspected Delilah had been ribbing her about him.

“Where’s Spock” They weren’t the words he wanted to say.

A rapid knock on the door had both him and Delilah picking up their bags and walking for the exit. Kait scrabbled after them. Spock was on the other side talking to the driver of a van with blacked-out windows. When he saw them, he nodded and headed back inside. Kait glanced after him, and Ryu knew for the first time she was seeing Spock as the formidable agent he was, gone was the good-looking IT geek, his expression was focused and hard as granite.

Ryu opened the van door and felt Kait hesitate when she saw Adrian and Hass inside, they too looked nothing like they had earlier. Both were dressed like Ryu and well armed, but she pushed through whatever doubts she might have and took an empty seat.

Adrian looked at him curiously as she buckled her seatbelt. “I see you’re joining us, Kait.” Adrian’s voice was smooth as silk but Ryu could hear the query.

Kait offered a tentative smile. “Ryu said you had to okay my being here?”

“That’s right I do. But I trust Mac’s judgement and if he thinks you should be here, then here you are.” Adrian rapped on the roof of the van and it bolted out of the motel parking lot.

As they drove Adrian filled them in. “We’ve traced Johnny to a deserted warehouse. As far as we can tell he’s been holed up there since the fire.” His eyes scanned the team. “If our luck holds, he won’t be there alone.”

“How many? Do we have enough people to subdue them?”

“I’ve called in the rest of the team. They’ll meet us there, approaching from the other side.” Adrian ran through the plan, quickly answering both Ryu’s and Delilah’s questions.

Ryu glanced at Kait as they drove. Her hands were fisted together in her lap and she was staring at them as though they held all the answers. He reached over and gave her icy hands a squeeze.

“It’ll be all right,” he whispered, wishing he knew if that were true. Wishing he hadn’t agreed to her coming with them.

She looked up him, her mouth tight with nerves, but she nodded. He gave her a small smile then focused on what Adrian was saying, pushing all other thoughts out of his mind ruthlessly.

****

The van slid to an almost silent halt in an industrial area downtown. Adrian gave a few curt instructions and the team jumped out. Kait was preparing to follow them when Ryu caught her eye.

“Stay here,” he said.

“But…”

He didn’t say anything, just looked at her.

She swallowed and nodded. His expression was all business, nothing of Ryu-the-fun-fire-eater remained.

“Derek will be here if you need anything,” he said.

She nodded again but could see his focus wasn’t on her, he was already thinking about what needed doing next. She watched as he loped across the gravel parking lot after the others, and vanished into the shadows surrounding a group of warehouses.

She’d promised to follow all instructions and she would. True, she didn’t want to stay here, she wanted to be part of the action, but she wasn’t a fighter and she knew it. Unfortunately, she was more likely to hinder than help. If they needed her, they would ask. The fact Ryu had allowed her to come at all still amazed her.

She clambered out of her seat and sat on the edge of the open door.
I’m still technically in the van
, she argued with an invisible Ryu,
but I can see better this way
. The sound of a door closing and gravel crunching made her look up sharply.

Derek, she breathed a sigh of relief, she’d forgotten about him. She gave him a companionable smile as he leaned against the passenger door, his gun resting easily in his arms. She shivered as she looked at its lethal black length. She’d never fired a gun and now she was dating a man whose job it was to play with them. Well, play was the wrong word. Actually, dating was the wrong word, too.

She’d never slept with a man before, always holding out for a solid relationship first. Yet here she was, trying to decide if the man she’d slept with was even her boyfriend. When all this was over she needed to have a serious talk with Ryu, and this time she wouldn’t let herself be distracted by his magical kisses that turned her brain to mush.

A skitter of stones in the distance made her flinch and she looked quickly at Derek. He stood up straight, no longer leaning against the door, but he gave her a reassuring smile.

“They’ll be fine. They know what they’re doing.” Derek’s voice was matter-of-fact but comforting nonetheless.

She nodded jerkily then looked across the gravel parking lot, trying to penetrate the gloom around the buildings. Despite being late morning the whole area was eerily empty, surely she should be able to hear people working.

“Why is it so quiet?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

“Not many people work here, this area has been hit hard by the recent economic troubles. These warehouses have been empty for a while. No one needs the additional storage.”

“Ideal place for Johnny.”

“No one to watch his comings and goings, who he meets with…” Derek shifted his gun and glanced around.

“You wish you were with them.”

His lips twisted into a laconic smile. “Yes, but even if you weren’t here I’d still be with the van. Someone always guards the escape vehicle.”

“Why you?” She wasn’t sure she should ask but she wanted to talk, silence only made her worry about Ryu.

“Short straw.”

“Bummer.”

“Especially for you, you could have been sitting here talking to Mac.” He smiled when she blushed and this time it reached his eyes. “It’s nice you’re together. Ever think you’d end up with a man like him?”

“Gossip? At a time like this?” She tried for an arch tone but didn’t know if she quite succeeded.

He ignored her attempt at distraction and waited, head cocked curiously.

Kait sighed. “I don’t know that we are together.”

When Derek’s brow creased in puzzlement she added, “I like him but…close quarters and all, once this is resolved he’ll probably lose interest.” She hoped he didn’t but she needed to be realistic.

Derek snorted. “No, he won’t, I can smell the bond.”

“Smell? What bond?”

“He didn’t tell you?” He looked at her searchingly. “Then it’s not my place to do so.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ryu will explain—” Derek stopped, his eyes raking the surrounding area. “Get in the van.” His voice was hard, stripped of all trace of the friendly tone that had been there a moment ago.

“Wha—”

“Now.”

Suddenly deathly afraid, Kait scrambled into the van. Crouching between the seats, she peered out the open door. On the drive here she’d wished the windows weren’t blacked out because she wanted to see where they were going, now she was glad no one could see in. Derek stayed outside, crouching low as he turned his attention to their surroundings, his gun no longer resting passively but ready for action.

She wanted to ask what was going on but didn’t dare. He was listening for something, his head turning from side to side. How she knew he was listening, not looking, she didn’t know. She strained her ears, but all she heard was the wind scraping against the buildings and the sound of her own heartbeat.

Crack!

The report of a high powered firearm echoed across the car park. Kait jumped. Derek fell.

She stared, trying to take it in. Derek no longer tracked the area with his gun; he lay in a crumpled heap on the ground. His neck a ragged, raw wound drenched in pulsing blood.

Her hand slammed against her mouth as if to hold in a scream. There was so much blood, there was no way Derek could be alive.

Chapter 33

Ryu crouched on the edge of the roof of the building opposite their target site, watching as the rest of the team approached the warehouse. He hoped Johnny was inside and willing to come quietly. He wanted this over and done with so he could talk to Kait.

A quick glance at the sky told him the summer storm, which had been threatening all day, was on the verge of breaking. Dark clouds filled the sky creating odd shadows, making his job more difficult.

He scanned the surrounding area again—nothing. He thought of Kait back at the van and wished he’d fought harder against the urge to bring her with him. She shouldn’t be here, he had a bad feeling about this whole thing. Johnny was escalating so quickly, first non-confrontational information theft then straight to arson with the intention to commit murder.