Until It's You (25 page)

They made it to the elevator before they attacked each other, desperate to pour so much tangled energy out and into the other's body. By the time they got to the penthouse floor, she had unbuttoned his shirt while he had bared her shoulders.

Her nails dug into the sweat-slick skin of his bare chest as the door opened. His natural, musky scent filled her nostrils, the salt from their mixed-up sweat sat at the edge of her lips.

He lifted her up, his long-fingered hands on her butt as his back tensed. The only sound was of their heavy breathing and kissing lips. He carried her all the way from the foyer to his bedroom they fell down together onto the fine sheets of his perfectly made bed.

Then, a mess of quickly bare skin and raw, uninhibited sex. Time stopped moving in the need for the next second of swelling pleasure, followed by the release of a clenching orgasm that even then carried with it the promise of another. Landon was insatiable, his sheer endurance something she at first marveled at and then took to be a fact of the world.

The rest of the night glided by in an ecstatic sleepless blur. By the time the sun rose, the bed was a delicious disaster of tangled sheets and pillows. Bleary eyed and riding an adrenaline high over the pending collapse of exhaustion, she was as happy as she'd ever been.

***

So it was with a big, goofy smile on her face that she walked out onto the shady Gold Coast sidewalk the next morning. The trees towering overhead rustled lazy in a light breeze, and the sun shining down on her felt like a sprinkle of warmth.

It was impossible to come to terms with. Intellectually, she knew for all intents and purposes, that they were dating. Going on dates. He'd told her he was crazy about her and not for a second had her bullshit meter gone off. This, for now at the very least, was real.

But still, it didn’t quite sink in because it couldn’t. She was too jumbled, too off-center. There was no there, there. Nothing for information to sink into, because the part of her that could normally absorb information was offline at that moment. She was too busy in the present, being happy. So, so happy.

It was early enough that the sidewalk was still sparsely populated. It would be busier in maybe twenty minutes, she knew, but for now most people were still finishing their morning routine before they got on with the day.

Her plan was to pop into a coffee shop, have a cup along with a pastry or muffin, then get over to Michigan Avenue to find a place to buy some new clothes for work. It was going to be a crazy day debriefing everyone after what had happened, but that problem seemed so far away for now.

Her comm buzzed in her blazer. The jump in her pulse was almost embarrassing. Was it Landon?

She dug the device out of her pocket and checked the ID. It wasn't familiar. Tentative, she answered the call.

"Kristina?"

It was Tom. "Hi, Tom," she said cheerfully.

"I didn't want to bother you last night because Kevin said you were probably going home with Landon, but I need to tell you something."

An embarrassed shiver went down her back and she grimaced. Tom was always so blunt about sex. He was like a child who didn't realize people got embarrassed about things like that.

"Okay," she said, recovering. "What is it?"

"The pharm that you got hit with...when did you say you think you got it?"

"The one from The Velvet?" she asked.

"Is that where you think it was?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. I mean they can hit you with it a million ways without you knowing, right?"

"Yes. But you're sure it was that night?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. I drove to work because I was late so it wasn't on the train or anything...why?"

"Well, I just don't think that's possible."

"What do you mean?"

"When did you start hallucinating?"

She looked around at the morning scenery as she walked. This conversation was not going somewhere she found comforting.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe twenty minutes after I got to work. Why?"

"No way."

"No way what?"

"That mechanism would have taken hold within ten or fifteen minutes max. There is no way it would wait all the way until the next morning. Even with a slow dissolve system."

"So . . ."

"You would have hallucinated at the club if it had happened at the club. There's no way it happened there."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive," he said. "If you started hallucinating at the office, it had to have happened at the office."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah. So I thought I should let you know. I checked it a million times, Kris. Took every angle. It's right, I'm sure of it."

She stepped off the curb and crossed Oak Street on her way to the nearest Intelligentsia. A black luxury sedan with tinted windows turned in front of her, cutting it pretty close.

It stopped. Its blinkers went on, and the window in the back seat rolled down.

Dunn was in the window. “Good morning sunshine,” she said. “I hope you didn’t forget about me. Fun night?”

Kristina froze in the crosswalk.

"Kristina?" Tom asked.

"I'll call you back," she said shakily. "Thanks for the tip."

She ended the call and hit the alert button on the back of the device. Her head swiveled left and right. There were no cars in sight, nor any pedestrians that she could see. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked Dunn, her voice still shaking.

Dunn pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Kristina's heart pounded. She needed to run. She turned and started tapping back toward Landon's building blindly.

A door opening behind her. Footsteps. A pain in the shoulder she knew was a dart.

The world narrowing down into a single pinpoint of light, just a shred of it hanging there in a huge abyss of a universe. All was dark and she was out.

***

Landon stepped out of his shower and toweled himself dry, then went to the sink to shave. As he lathered up his face he saw himself in the mirror. There was a grin there he couldn’t wipe off, even as he tried to turn his thoughts toward a grueling day of work. This PR situation was going to be awful.

And yet, images and sensations kept flashing through his mind, so real he could feel sensation at the edge of his skin.

As he moved the razor over his rough cheek, his thoughts went to Kristina. What was it about her? She had him practically panting after her every move, and yet he found his resistance minimal. The lack of alarm bells at being under this woman's thumb felt itself like it should be alarming, and when he thought about it, it was. But he wasn't thinking about that part. Not much at all.

Still smiling, he finished up shaving, rinsed the leftover lather off his face, then walked over to his closet to pick out his suit for the day. He went with a textured dark gray that he could pair with a white dress shirt. He'd pick out the tie once he was dressed.

With his morning drowsiness yet to burn off, he tossed his choices onto the bed. The lack of sleep would make it a long one, but the tradeoff was worth it.

He slipped into some underwear, then the fine fabric of his white dress shirt. He was buttoning up when he saw the burner comm he’d been using the last few days blinking with a message on his dresser.

His eyes narrowed into little slits. That was strange.

He picked it up, dark scenarios racing through his mind. There was a message from an ID he vaguely recognized. I’m gone. But if you want to protect yr own when something’s off check out the basement at Di Roma. Bad shit there.

He squinted hard at the device. Even knowing nobody would answer, he tried calling the ID anyway.

It rang. And rang.

Finally, it went to message. He ended the call. 

What now? He took a deep breath, filling his lungs up to bursting and then exhaling slowly. This had to be Roy. He could confirm with a Recall since he'd seen the comm screen previously, but he already knew it. The question was this: why would Roy send a message like this to help him? Would it really be helping him? What did he know, anyway?

Not knowing who else to talk to about the message, he thumbed through his contacts until he found the ID for Kristina's burner. He hesitated only a few seconds before initiating the call.

He walked back over to his bed to put on his suit pants, holding the comm between his shoulder and ear as he did so. The comm continued to ring. He tried to picture where Kristina was right now. No way he could run out and catch her now, right?

The comm continued to ring.

Voicemail.

A cold dread sank into his stomach. After a moment’s hesitation, he went for his tablet and initiated a trace on Kristina’s comm. She was probably just on the train underground and it was loud. Or maybe she was walking and didn’t notice her comm ringing.

The trace came online. He studied the screen urgently. The small white dot that signified her comm was moving quickly west along Grand. Way too quickly for walking.

And it was in panic mode.

Shit.

He did a quick search for Di Roma. It wasn’t a restaurant he was familiar with, but as soon as he saw the address he felt sick.

Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe not, but if Kristina’s comm
were
on the way to Di Roma, that is what it would look like.

Landon stared at his comm for a moment. This thing could be a trap. Why did he have such an intuitive feeling, though, that Roy’s information was good?

He called the ID he’d used the previous day for Agent Carter. Another no answer, so he left a message. Then he quickly finished up getting dressed—not bothering with a tie—and hurried to the garage, hoping like hell that Kristina would call him any second and tell him everything was fine while knowing in his heart that call would not come.

It was black when she opened her eyes. Lightless. Her lashes struggled against cloth.

She had a blindfold on.

Her heart pounded away in her chest like it wanted to escape. Her temples, too, were throbbing.

Both her shoulders ached, and her wrists. Her wrists were bunched together, skinny bone to skinny bone. She struggled to move them, but they were tied there. To the chair, it seemed.

She was seated, with hard concrete beneath her feet. She was trapped.

She flexed her mouth open and closed. They hadn’t gagged her, somehow.

So she screamed.

Immediately, a hand slapped her face. The blow shocked her into silence, the sting from it radiating out from her cheek so that her whole jaw ached.

“This room is sound-proofed, “a woman snapped.

That was Dunn’s voice. Dunn.
Of course
.

“The only thing you’re doing with that scream is upsetting me," she said. "You don’t want to do that, do you?”

“Why?” Kristina asked quietly, trying out her voice. It was flat, but seemed to work at least. “Why am I down here?”

The blindfold was ripped roughly from her eyes, up and over her hairline. It took some hair with it as it came off.

She closed them reflexively as the blindfold came off, then open them into tiny slits. A rush of light flooded her vision. Her eyes watered, but she refused to close them.

Gradually, she acclimated. It looked like she was in an unfinished basement. There were no windows, and the concrete floor was rough beneath her heels. The light gray walls might have actually been white at one point, but she couldn't tell. Either way, the chipping paint said it had been a while since they'd been touched up. Two rows of LED lights shone entirely too brightly above her, lined with stainless-steel aero vents.

There were no stairs in sight, but they might have been behind her.

Dunn tossed the blindfold to the side and then smiled wickedly, her thin brows pointed high to her hairline.

"I had Mario give us some privacy after he tied you up. It's time we have a little talk."

"About what?"

“I need a new puppet!” she cried. “Landon is quite the wizard with pharms, don’t you think?”

She shook her head. Puppet? No, no, no.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice thin.

“When Jenna told me about this Phobos project, I knew I had to have it. Then once I used it on her, she was such a good puppet for the cover up...always so professional. Poor thing got caught through no fault of her own, of course. I’m afraid I still have to arrange an accident for her.”

Kristina swallowed, her heart pounding. “Used it on her?”

Dunn frowned. "Yes. She was the perfect asset for getting close to Tatum. I couldn’t believe it when he wouldn’t trust even her.”

Kristina breathed in and out, trying to keep up.

Dunn’s frown became a bright smile. “But it will be okay. Because now I’ll have you!”

In a flash, Dunn's hand came up and Kristina felt a prick at her shoulder. Panic shimmered through her, all the way from her eyes to her toes. She became conscious of the fact her blood was streaming through her veins, infecting her with whatever Dunn had just injected her with.

Then it hit and time gauzed over her vision frothy at the edges, a swimming pool wobble to every solid thing she could see. The light distorted above her starburst blown out. She swallowed in a succession of short stages.

Phobos? Was this the start of the Phobos taking over her mind?

She was breathing quickly her nostrils flared and there was Dunn's face those cold eyes she had not suspected enough before this moment she was stuck in.

"Not yet," Dunn said. "It's not what you think it is. Not that charming concoction just yet."

Kristina attempted talking, did not trust her mouth to become unstuck. She opened and closed it. Would anyone be coming? Speaking would be difficult.

"Virgin system, hmm? A bit of HummingBee and you look like you just came out of surgery. But we need to get you prepped for the show, darling. Can't have the tranquilizers keeping you dazed."

Kristina shook her head, trying to clear it enough so she could at least speak. HummingBee was a party drug, a synthetic replacement for the organic alternative, cocaine. From what she understood, addiction rates were high.

She licked her lips and opened her mouth. "Why now?" she blurted, doing her best to maintain eye contact with Dunn even as her vision swam.

Wow! Look at...everything!

Dunn's face screwed up, then she shrugged. “Because I need the final prize. Landon.”

Kristina tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. This was insane. She needed to know more. She needed water. "What about Roy?"

Dunn's eyes shot open wide like a couple of lily pads in milky white water. “Roy? Did he make contact with you? What did he say?"

Kristina opened her mouth, but no words would come. She needed water. Her throat was just too dry.

“He bailed," Dunn said, almost to herself. "Failed, really. I have a contract out on him now through The Exchange. He knows too much."

Kristina gurgled as she tried to form the word “why.”

Dunn seemed to notice the noise and immediately disregard it. “He failed," she said, almost to herself. "Something I cannot allow. A woman doesn’t get to where I am in this city by allowing failure.”

Her mouth was so dry. She opened and closed her mouth again, but nothing would come. Water. She needed it.

Dunn's eyes seemed to finally catch on her face. They froze for a second, then looked away in disgust. "Oh for god's sake," she said.

She disappeared from Kristina's view in a swirl. Footsteps came from all over the room at once. Kristina sat back and closed her eyes.

They snapped them open immediately. Had she fallen asleep? No. Her eyes opened wide, wider than she'd ever had them. She felt
good
but she needed water fast.

Where was Dunn?  She snapped her head back and forth, eyes scanning, but it was nothing but blurs. Had she gone upstairs? Footsteps came from somewhere.

Ice cold water in the face and Kristina froze.

"Drink this," Dunn snapped.

A glass at her lips. Kristina focused her eyes and found Dunn in front of her, gray hair just inches from Kristina's face. Where
had
her glasses gone anyway? Against her better instincts, she took the water into her mouth. It didn't taste funny at all, and she was parched, so she swallowed.

And waited.

But nothing. She took another sip and her throat felt wonderful. Wow was that some good water. Best water ever.

"There," Dunn said. She took the glass away and suddenly her face filled up Kristina's vision. "Now you can talk."

She heard a scraping on the ground and then Dunn's face backed away a little. They were knee to knee. Dunn had sat down. Kristina squirmed in her seat but he couldn't move too much. Was this chair bolted down?

"I want to know what Roy told you."

Kristina tested out opening and closing her mouth again. She was beginning to get on top of whatever was in her system. Maybe she could function after all. "Why are you doing this?" she said, her words practically a buzz.

"What did Roy tell you?"

"Nothing, he didn't even know who you are." Kristina drew herself up straighter. "Why are you doing this? You're already rich."

"Nowhere near as much as I could be, dear. Did he really say he didn't know who I am? That seems so...honorable."

"How would you get richer taking down your biggest client?"

Dunn smiled and gave a slight shake of her head, like she was talking to a child. “Not take down. Control. Which reminds me, we need to get you hooked up with his latest creation.”

“But why? What do you get out of all this?”

“Tatum has so little imagination. He has these visions of releasing this stuff like mustard gas or something on a huge populace.” She laughed. “We’ve been able to control huge populations for years. Propaganda, campaign ads, managing celebrity with PR. It’s a non-issue. Been solved for decades."

Kristina blinked really fast. “People aren’t sheep. You can’t just herd them.”

“No? Let’s agree to disagree then. It’s better for you if you don’t believe in that.” She reached into her bag and took out a syringe. “The point is, and there are people in the DoD who agree with me on this, the power of this pharm isn’t with mass use. This a scalpel, not a bomb. Especially if the public doesn’t know about it.”

“And your plan is to use that scalpel on Tatum? Until you get what? Political power? A Senate seat or something?”

“Perhaps. When you have control over an asset like that, the possibilities are substantial.” She held the syringe up. “But first, of course, I control you. Don’t worry. Once we were done, Jenna said it didn’t hurt one bit.”

Kristina scooted her chair back as she could. A couple inches, maybe.

“You asked her after you had this thing running in her veins,” she said.

She smiled wickedly. “I did,” she said, a girlish lilt in her voice. “But I still believed her. You have to, right?"

Kristina scanned her surroundings, her eyes finally adjusting to the light. She needed a plan. Something. Her heart pounded her in chest. If this injection went in, what would happen to her? Would she really betray Landon? Kevin?

“It was you!” Kristina exclaimed. It had come to her in a rush. “You poisoned my coffee in Brantley’s office.”

“I did, yes. You were always the contingency plan, Kristina. I knew Landon wouldn’t be able to resist a girl like you.”

Kristina saw the syringe this time, and so she did the only thing she could think to do. With Dunn leaning over her, she reared her head back and then smashed it into Dunn's face, her forehead driving straight into Dunn's nose. Dunn fell back, the syringe still in her hand, clutching her face. Bright light and pain flashed through Kristina's consciousness.

"You bitch!" Dunn cried.

A commotion from behind her and Dunn's frozen bleeding face in red. Then the world exploding in noise and still more light. A prick in her calf, and then the burning sensation of a shot.

Of liquid being injected into her body.

Of . . .

Her head swirled nastily, the world swimming past her like schools of fish turned to light. The pressure in her ears felt like she'd just jumped into a pool. Breaths came short, then not at all.

Oh shit.

After some space of time and chaos the world snapped into place all at once. The perspective shift was super-sharp, like a picture with the contrast turned up. Suddenly everything—the walls of the room, the intricate play of cracks on the ceiling, the sounds footsteps and shouting around her—became crisp to cracking save for the vibrations at the edge of her perception, like the after-ring of a tiny bell.

Her eyes found Dunn down on the ground, her nose still bleeding, and a flood of affection hijacked her brain. A knot formed in her throat.

"It's good, isn't it?" Dunn said quietly.

Then her eyes—oh my lord those wonderful eyes, so wise and true—looked past her, behind her. The motion left Kristina bereft and made her long to know what could possibly be taking Dunn's attention away.

"Meow like a cat," Ms. Dunn said.

"Meow."

The sound was out before she even knew it. Ms. Dunn smiled beautifully.

She flew around to the back of the chair. After some quick tugs and pulls, Kristina's hands were free. Clever Ms. Dunn!

A syringe fell into her fingers.

"I am going to go down like I am hurt, Kristina. I want you to lure Landon in and then inject him with this syringe. Can you do that?"

"Yes of course," Kristina said without thinking.

"Good girl."

Ms. Dunn collapsed on the ground.

Wait.

Footsteps and so much shouting she couldn't parse a single solid thing. Ms. Dunn was down!

But she had said that would happen. She said that was okay.

She had to act now to get close to Landon. She could not let down Ms. Dunn.

"Kristina!" Landon cried. He had come for her. "Are you alright? What happened to your head?"

She turned her head and swung around on the chair. There he was! White dress shirt with two buttons undone. Midnight blue slacks. Tall and long-legged. Clean-shaven. His skin was dark and his hair was cut short but it was him!

Ms. Dunn had said to lure him in. She must.

"I'm okay," she said, her voice raspy and choked. "You came for me."

The syringe went into her blazer pocket, where she could get to it quickly. She stepped toward him.

A ringing in her head.

His face was so pained. He looked around her and saw Dunn on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked.

He was just steps away from her now. If she lunged . . .