Viper's Kiss (14 page)

Maggie reared back from the door at the sound of gunshots.

She cast about wildly. Noah’s gun.
Jeepers
. It looked nasty. Bigger and nastier than the gun Luke had given her. She picked it up off bed. Heavier too.

“Point and shoot,” she told herself, running to the door. That’s what Luke had said before.
Just point and shoot.
She opened the door and peered down the hallway. It was still empty.

The door opposite opened, and a middle-aged man with thinning hair looked out. At the sound of the next shot, he slammed the door shut.

Maggie flinched at each gunshot, her hands trembling. Luke was in there, with a killer.

The sound of a door being flung open had her peering back down the hall. A tall woman with a long tawny braid over one shoulder backed out, firing repeatedly from the two guns she clutched, a drape of dark material over one shoulder.

After the fourth shot, there was a click as one of the guns stalled. She tossed it to the side and changed grips on the one gun she still retained.

Luke flew from the room and tackled the woman. Her gun went flying down the hall. Maggie watched as the man she loved wrestled with an Amazon in the hotel corridor.

He rolled on top, raised his fist and hesitated. It was enough time for the woman to grab the stalled gun and smash it into the side of his head, knocking him off the top of her. She smoothly rolled to her feet, punched him in the face and took off running down the hall.

Toward Maggie.

Maggie looked at the gun in her hand. She couldn’t do it. With her eyesight, she’d probably end up hurting somebody else. She ran back to the cart, lined it up at the door, and gave it a mighty push as the woman ran past.

The heavy cart slammed into Viper, knocking her sideways into the wall opposite. Her head thumped against the surface, and Maggie cringed when the woman’s hair moved at the contact. Viper’s stunned gaze quickly turned to fury as she spied Maggie, and scrambled for the weapon she’d just dropped.

Maggie snatched her own firearm from the cart and pointed it at the woman. She swallowed. It was like staring at a mirror. The woman looked almost exactly like her.

“Don’t move,” she rasped at the fallen woman. She hesitated for a moment. This woman had caused so much trouble for everyone, but especially for Maggie. “Why? Why me?” Maggie demanded.

Viper sneered, and leveled her own gun at Maggie. “You were perfect. Under the radar. Nobody takes any notice of you. You had remote access to the project, and no security around you.” The woman’s voice was low, throaty. “It was easy to get to you. I was tempted to kill you in Dublin, it was so easy.”

Icy shock washed over Maggie. “That was you? In my hotel room?”

Viper nodded. “And now I get to finish the job.”

Tension whipped through her.
Oh, God. Point and shoot, point and shoot
. She squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. Viper laughed and cocked her gun.

Maggie squeezed again. Still nothing. She looked up. The woman was aiming her gun and preparing to shoot. Maggie didn’t think. She just hurled the gun.

The heavy weapon hit Viper square on the nose, and Maggie heard a sickening crack as the woman’s head snapped back and hit the wall again. She slumped to the floor, blood streaming from a nose that looked like it was about to fall off her face. She was unconscious. Luke staggered up to her, holding his head. “Maggie, are you all right?”

She glared at him, adrenalin still coursing through her veins. “Point and shoot, you said. Point and bloody shoot.” She started to shake. God, the woman had nearly killed her.

Luke’s winded chuckle reached her ears as he bent down and picked up the weapon. “Noah’s gun has a safety.”

Maggie’s knees gave out and she slumped to the floor. A safety. She swallowed the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. “I’m not cut out for this.

He fell to his knees beside her, wrapping her in his arms. Noah stumbled down the hall toward them, holding his left shoulder. A crash sounded down the hall as Drew burst through the fire exit. He slowed down when he saw them.

“What happened?” he asked, walking up to them. He glanced at Noah. “What’s wrong with you?”

Noah jerked his chin at the unconscious woman. “She winged me.”

Drew snorted. “You let yourself get shot by a girl?” He looked down at the unconscious form. “Pity. She’s got great legs.”

Luke tightened his embrace. “God, I was so scared for you. Are you all right?” He ducked his head low to stare at her.

Maggie smiled at the look in his eyes. There was concern, worry, and something deeper, warmer. She realized she probably wore the same expression. She nodded.

“I’m okay. What about you?”

Luke stared at her for a moment. “I’ll be fine,” he reassured her as he trailed a hand down the side of her face to cup her chin.

Noah slumped against the wall, his face paler than usual. “Damn, Fletch, why’d you hesitate?”

Luke shot him a sheepish look as he settled next to Maggie. “I have a hard time hitting a woman.”

Viper stirred, eyelids fluttering.

Maggie snorted. “I have no problem hitting a woman,” she said, and yanked at the tawny braid. “Particularly if that woman is a man.”

She pulled harder. There was a faint tearing sound, and the long haired wig detached from the head, the medical adhesive tape pulling the skin briefly before peeling off, taking some hair and what looked like skin with it. Maggie gaped. The man was wearing some sort of rubbery mask.

“Oh my God. It’s like the end of a Scooby-Doo show,” she said, more to herself than anyone in particular. At least that explained Viper’s uncanny likeness to her. She shuddered. Freaky.

Noah started to laugh.

Viper groaned and his eyelids rose. His pale eyes glared at the faces surrounding him. He started to bolt upright, but Luke’s fist smashed into his jaw, tearing more of the mask and rendering him unconscious for the second time.

Maggie frowned at the fallen man and started shaking her head. “Viper is a man.” She glared at Luke. “You confused me with a man?” So after all this, she bore absolutely no resemblance to the real culprit. She fought off the hysterical urge to laugh.

Noah doubled over with mirth. “How are her legs now, Drew?”

Drew shot him a dark look. “Shut up, Noah.”

Noah laughed harder.

Maggie and Luke stood by the car while Drew handled the authorities. Drew had contacted the FBI at Viper’s arrival in the hotel reception, and several police units were called to the hotel when the shots were first fired.

The show of force was impressive, Maggie had to admit. She could hear Noah’s protestations as he was wheeled into a waiting ambulance, and her lips twitched. The big guy wasn’t going quietly.

A frown tugged at Maggie’s brow. “I still don’t get it,” she said, turning to Luke, who stood beside her. Bruises were beginning to appear on his cheekbone and temple, giving him a rough, dangerous look. As if he needed any help in that department.

Luke trailed a gentle finger down her arm until he could clasp her hand in his own. She trembled at his caress. Since the fight in the hallway he’d touched her at every opportunity, making sure she was within reach, as though wanting to reassure himself of her safety. He shifted his stance so that he leaned back against the car, and drew her closer between his thighs.

She tried to ignore the sudden pool of warmth washing over her, standing this close to him. She forced herself to focus on his answer.

“I’m sorry about the motel,” he said roughly. “I used a facial recognition program on the CCTV footage from Tek-Intel, and compared it to your DMV photo. The results showed it wasn’t you breaking into the research facility.”

Maggie’s frown deepened. “Facial recognition? But that’s hardly conclusive. Most available programs have a very low success rate as they require similar lighting and orientation to be able to complete an accurate comparison. That CCTV footage and my driver’s license photo would hardly be considered similar,” she said.

Luke’s lips curved, and her gaze was drawn to his lips. “I used a new program, using three dimensional mapping.” He tugged her closer and ducked his head. “You realize you’re arguing about how I was able to prove your innocence, don’t you?”

She lifted her gaze. His cobalt blue eyes twinkled, and she realized he believed her. He really believed her. She took a deep breath. They had proof of her innocence.

“So, this is all over?” she asked, barely daring to hope.

Luke inclined his head. “Mostly. You’ll need to be debriefed, and we’ll need to iron out the formalities with the authorities, but yeah, it’s over.” He grimaced. “Well, we still need to track down the party who hired Viper, but you’re free.”

Free. Maggie hesitated. It was what she wanted, but Luke spoke with a finality that was ringing alarm bells in her mind. It was over. Was it over for them, before “it” had even started?

“The Feds are going to have to interview you, so stay here while Drew and I make the arrangements, okay?” He squeezed her hand. “Will you be all right with that?”

Maggie met his concerned stare. A few hours of grilling to put this whole disaster behind her? She could do that.

“Sure,” she said. He smiled, a touch of admiration in his eyes, before he dropped her hand and turned to approach the large group of law enforcement.

Maggie frowned. She was innocent. They’d caught the real culprit. The whole world would shortly know of her innocence, if the presence of the arriving news crews was any indication. She should be jumping for joy and screaming hurray from the top of Mt. Rainier. So why did she feel so down?

She watched Luke’s retreating figure as he walked over to address the gathered agents and police officers. He turned briefly, and his lips kicked up in a sexy half-grin as he sent her a quick wink before turning his attention to the cluster of officers.

That’s why
. He’d fulfilled his mission. He’d caught the bad guy, and he would soon be moving on to his next case.

After all they’d experienced together, everything they’d shared, it was time for them to take their separate paths, to walk away. He had no reason to stay.

Maggie bit her lip. Why did that thought hurt so much? Why did she feel sick in the tummy and have to fight the urge to bawl like a lonely tomcat on the prowl? She was a thinker, not a feeler. Yet she wanted to run up and throw herself at Luke, maybe cling to his leg as he tried to walk away. And there was no thought process happening there, it was all instinctive need.

Perhaps it was an emotional reaction to her mother’s death, and a desire to be with someone. Perhaps it was a reaction to the high emotion of the Viper situation. How could she tell if the feelings she had for Luke were real or just a side-effect of what had recently happened to her? Well, it didn’t really matter if Luke didn’t feel the same way.

She just wanted to hole up somewhere quiet and private with him, just to spend time and be. Not dodge bullets, not escape exploding houses. Just
be
.

She sighed. Who was she kidding?
He’s probably on the next flight outta here
.

A hard point prodded her back, and she straightened.

“My boss is very angry with you, Viper,” a deep voice rumbled from behind.

Maggie’s eyes widened and she slowly turned her head. An opaque eye glared back at her, its brown twin promising all sorts of hurt.

Tiny
.

“Oh, God,” she choked, glancing down at the gun he held at her back. It looked like it could blow a nasty hole through her. Paralyzing ice swept through her veins.

“Now, why don’t we take this talk somewhere private?” His voice sounded like boulders rumbling down a hillside. Her heartbeat sped up.

She shifted her eyes to the side, and she saw Luke standing not thirty feet away, deep in conversation with the agents.

“No screaming. Otherwise things will get very messy. I’ll break your neck, just like I did that stripper. Then I’ll take out lover boy over there.”

The blood drained from her face. Nearly the whole Seattle Police Department stood only a few yards away, and a man held her at gunpoint. Luke was within shouting distance, but totally oblivious to her peril. What could she do? She thought of Kandy Karamel. Tiny had murdered her. He’d killed Kandy, thinking he was killing Maggie. The price of that woman’s life weighed heavily on her conscience. If it wasn’t for an unfortunate resemblance to a librarian, that woman would still be alive. She didn’t want anybody else hurt because of her, especially not Luke. She took a deep, ragged breath.

A large beefy fist grasped her elbow and tugged her to a dark blue pickup truck parked behind their vehicle.

Tiny opened the door and shoved her in. Closing it, he leaned down to the open window, making sure she could see the gun he now held inside his jacket.

“Don’t try anything, bitch.”

She shrank away from the door, watching him closely as he rounded the hood and let himself into the driver’s side. He started the car, keeping his weapon trained on her, and shot her a snide smile as he pulled the car into a tight U-turn and drove leisurely down the street.

Away from Luke.

Maggie twisted in her seat as she watched him shrink in the distance. She was screaming inside her head, but her lips remained tightly closed. If only there was some way of getting Luke’s attention without getting him killed. But his golden head remained bent as he listened intently to a senior officer. Then Tiny turned a corner, and Luke was lost from view.

Luke glanced up. He felt a tingling at the back of his neck, and looked over to where he’d left Maggie. Only she wasn’t there.

Luke frowned as he checked the street. He couldn’t see her anywhere.

He turned back to the senior field agent he was talking to.

“Can you excuse me for just a minute? I promise I’ll bring Kincaid in for debriefing, but I just need to check something.”

He jogged over to Drew and pulled him aside.

“Did you see where Maggie went?”

Drew immediately looked up at the empty car. He scanned the street, shaking his head.

“Uh, no. Maybe she went back inside the hotel for a moment. A restroom visit, maybe?”

A muscle in Luke’s jaw flexed as he looked about again.

“I don’t think so. She would have told someone.”

Drew shrugged. “Maybe she did, but look around you, Luke. This place is a circus at the moment.”

Luke nodded, but his expression didn’t change. He felt unsettled, wary, his stomach muscles coiling instinctively. Something was wrong.

He strode up to their car and peered inside. She wasn’t taking a nap in the back seat. He glanced up and down the street. No honey-blond seductress in sight.

He stared at the hotel in front of him. A little dark bubble protruded from the awning. A surveillance camera.

He reached into the car and withdrew the laptop.

The screen flickered to life. He could still access the security system. He typed quickly, scanning each camera view before moving on to the next in the directory. An image of him leaning against a car on the street finally came into view.

Drew came up beside him as he back-tracked the footage.

“What, no tracking device on her this time?” Drew quipped, peering over his shoulder.

Luke watched the screen. Some great big lug of a guy sidled up behind Maggie. Both men stiffened as they saw the man pull a gun on her.

“Damn.”

“Who the hell is this guy?”

“My guess is that’s Tiny,” Luke said, watching intently. He wanted to reach out to the guy and ram his head through the car window.
He’s using his gun on my woman
. Luke didn’t bother to resist the protective, possessive urge that swelled over him, making his muscles tense for action. Maggie was in danger.

They watched the man force Maggie into a four-by-four and take off.

“Right, let’s go,” Luke opened the passenger door of their car. “You drive.”

Drew started the car and peeled off a tight turn before taking off down the street.

“How are we going to find them? That timed footage shows he’s got nearly a ten minute head start on us.”

Luke typed furiously into his computer, swaying in his seat as Drew darted through the Seattle midday traffic. “I’m going to hack into the traffic camera system. We’ll be able to track them.”

After a few minutes Luke relaxed somewhat. He was in the system, and he’d just located the truck. He called out directions to Drew as they weaved their way through the city. At least this thug had no idea they were on his tail and coming up fast.

“They’ve just turned on to the I-90,” Luke said, scrolling through the network of online cameras until he located the blue four-by-four. “They’re leaving the city.”

Drew nodded as he took the onramp to the interstate highway. “So are we.”

Drew pressed down on the accelerator and zipped through the traffic. Luke divided his time between monitoring the pickup truck’s progress on camera, and checking the traffic in front of him.

“There!” He pointed at a vehicle up ahead. The midnight blue truck was traveling in the fast lane.

“Let’s get closer,” he told Drew. “I want to confirm the license plate and run a check.”

Drew nodded.

They rode in silence, and Luke tried to calm himself. He clenched his fists over the keyboard.
If that bastard hurts Maggie
—He shook his head at the thought. No. He wouldn’t let it happen. Couldn’t let it happen. He needed her. She wasn’t just a distraction on a case for him. Yes, she infuriated him. But she made him laugh too. And she matched him. Head to head, no backing down from him. He knew she was gentle, caring and loyal. He also knew she was one smart lady, and he prayed she’d use her wits.

“Will you shut up, woman!” Tiny pounded the steering wheel.

Maggie tried not to flinch. “I only asked you about your mother,” she said. “It’s a subject that interests me at the moment. My own mother just died. She had cancer.”

She’d read enough about abductions to know she needed to make him see her as a person, not an expendable commodity. If she could get him to relate to her, she might stand a chance of coming out of this alive. She’d already broken the first rule—never allow yourself to be taken to a second location.

She glanced out the window at the calm, steel gray waters of Lake Washington. It looked like a pane of smooth glass.

“Were you an only child? I am,” she said. She thought family was a good place to start.
Everyone has family, right?
Well, actually, she didn’t. Not now.

It hit her, then. She was alone. No more rattling breaths in the deepest of night. No inquiries as to how her day had been as soon as she walked in the door. No more hugs as she left for work, no more Christmas dinners and Mother’s Days. She was alone in the world. Her thoughts flew to Luke. The one man for whom she’d broken her ninety-day-probationary-period-before-intimate-contact rule.

She wanted to get back to him. So what if he was likely to leave within a New York minute? She made up her mind.
Life is too short for ninety day rules
. If she could have one night, just one more night in his arms, it would be worth a lifetime of living on that memory. She eyed the highway. She had to get away from Tiny. But how?

He pulled over to the exit ramp for Mercer Island.
Personalize the situation, Maggie. Think, think!

“Where did you grow up? I grew up here in Seattle.” She was rambling. She knew it. Anything to distract him. Was it working?

Tiny growled as he pulled the gun from his jacket and pressed it to her temple. “I swear, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to shut you up. Permanently.”

Maggie winced as the barrel of the gun ground into her temple.

Drew took the exit for Mercer Island. They were now three cars behind the pickup. Close enough to keep the vehicle in view, far enough away to avoid detection.

“I don’t get it. Mercer Island? Isn’t this like millionaire’s row? Why would he be taking Maggie here?” Drew asked.

“You know, in all of this we’ve known that Viper was hired to do a job. We haven’t really looked at who hired her. Him.” Luke shook his head. It was still hard to believe Viper was a weedy little man.

Drew shot him a look. “What, you think Tiny works for the mastermind behind all this?”

Luke’s eyes remained on the truck up ahead in traffic. “Yep.”

Maggie watched Tiny’s hands as he turned the steering wheel. He slowed down to take a corner, and both hands were occupied with driving the stick-shift.

He had big hands that bore the scars of countless fights. She gulped. This could be her only chance.

She shifted slightly in her seat, eyeing the winding road ahead.

He approached another curve, his foot easing on to the brake and he geared down. She reached out a stealthy hand and grasped the door handle. Slowly, silently, she pressed down on the lever.

Tiny steered into the curve. Like a slow motion action sequence from a movie, she put her shoulder against the door and shoved. Her muscles bunching in one fluid move, she twisted and launched herself.

She felt weightless, suspended in air. Until a hand grabbed the back of her dress and yanked her back inside the truck.

“Slippery bitch,” Tiny growled. His hand let go of her dress and flashed up to grab hold of her hair. Maggie cried out as his tight grip pulled strands of hair from her scalp, and the dashboard filled her vision as he slammed her head against it.

Everything went black.