Hide and Seek (27 page)

Slowly his lips approached her mouth. His breath whispered over her skin, tempting her to surrender, to give herself over to this man, this stranger who’d taken her body to unknown heights. At the same time, he’d lied to her. How could she trust him now?

“Nick, please…” She didn’t know what she wanted to tell or ask him, didn’t know why her fingers suddenly clawed into his shirt, holding him close.

“Baby, just let me help you. Let me keep you safe.”

His lips brushed against hers so gently that she wasn’t even sure he was touching her. Only when the pressure against her mouth intensified and a hot tongue swept over her trembling lips, did her resistance crumble.

“I’m not your enemy,” he murmured against her lips and dipped his tongue between them.

The clicking of a gun paralyzed her and made Nick spin around in her arms.

“Wow, you sure are a smooth operator,” a male voice drawled. “Guess even I can learn something from you.”

16

Hand on his gun, Nick froze. The man standing only a few feet away, pointing a gun at him, caused the small hairs on his skin to stand to attention. A familiar tingling spread over his body, and he recognized it instantly. He was facing another Phoenix. This wasn’t the mysterious Mr. Smith Michelle had told him about, or at least he hoped not. Only Michelle could confirm.

“Leave that gun right where it is,” the man ordered.

Nick turned his head sideways, without taking his eyes off the stranger. Tall and athletic-looking, the man appeared to be in his early thirties, his dark blond hair buzzed short like a military cut. “Michelle, is this him? Is this Smith?”

She peered past him. “It’s not his voice.”

“What?” Did that mean what he thought it meant?

“I’ve never seen him. I only know his voice.”

The stranger clicked his tongue. “You shouldn’t have let me get the drop on you. Getting sloppy, my man.”

The fact that the man addressed him as if they knew each other unnerved Nick, but he pretended that he didn’t mind. “You’re late,” Nick said instead.

“Actually, I was early.” He motioned to Michelle, who was now trying to squeeze past him. Nick pushed her behind his back. “Just like this one here showed up early. I was wondering what she was planning.”

“We need to talk,” Nick said firmly. Preferably without the other Phoenix pointing a gun at his head. Clearly the man had trust issues, and while Nick had been close to wiping out Michelle’s reluctance to trust him with seduction, the same method wasn’t going to work on his fellow Phoenix.

Not that he could blame the guy. Nick himself wasn’t sure whether he could trust him either. Sheppard had warned them that should the program ever be compromised they’d have to assume the worst: that one of their own was a traitor. That one of their own could come to hunt them down, using the very skill that had made them brothers against them.

“Yeah. Alone,” the stranger responded. “Lock her up.”

“No!” Michelle protested, her head darting past Nick’s shoulder.

The stranger’s gun veered toward her. “You don’t have a say in this.”

“But I do,” Nick countered, glaring at the man.

“Unarmed, you don’t.”

“You know I’m not unarmed.”

The man cocked his head to the side. “And just how fast a draw are you?” He made a small movement with this gun. “It takes way less time to pull the trigger with the finger already on it. So don’t be stupid.” He motioned to a path beyond the copse of trees. “There’s a shed down there, a couple hundred yards away. She’ll be fine in there while we talk.”

Nick glanced at Michelle, seeking eye contact. She stared back at him, frightened. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Why he felt he had to make her that promise, a promise he was determined to keep, he wasn’t entirely sure, particularly since at this moment he wasn’t in the position to make promises—not with a gun pointed at his head.

Michelle pressed her lips together and swallowed.

“Walk.”

Nick reached for Michelle’s hand and followed the stranger’s order. The time it took to reach the storage shed tucked away between some trees seemed to take forever. During the entire time, Nick went through various scenarios of how to turn the tables on the guy following them. But every scenario meant putting Michelle’s life in danger. It was better to take a wait-and-see approach, until he could figure out whether the guy was friend or foe. At least, Nick would be alone with him at that point, which would mean he’d only have to worry about his own life.

The lock on the shed was perfunctory at best and gave way easily.

Nick urged Michelle into the dark interior, noticing her shiver at the prospect of being locked up.

“Take her phone,” the stranger ordered.

Nick stretched his hand out, nodding to Michelle to follow the barked command. She dug into her pocket and pulled it out, placing it in his palm.

“I’ll be back soon. Trust me.”

She lifted her eyes to his then, staring long and hard at him. “I hope I won’t regret this.”

So did he. With a last look at her, he closed the shed door, when his fellow Phoenix handed him a chain.

“Loop it through the handle and that hook, then tie it.”

Nick did as he was told. When it was done, he turned back to the man.

“This way.”

They walked to a small hedge, where the guy stopped. “This’ll do. She won’t be able to hear us here.”

Nick stopped and pivoted, watching to his surprise how the man holstered his gun and adopted a more relaxed stance.

“Name’s Stingray.”

“Fox.” Suspiciously, Nick glanced at the gun now on Stingray’s hip. “What changed your mind about me?”

“Overheard you talking to that woman for quite a while. Told me enough to know you’re clean.” He motioned to the shed. “Doesn’t mean I was gonna reveal who I am in front of her. Neither should you. Can’t trust anybody. Nice attempt though with her. She might play ball if we’re lucky.”

He ignored Stingray’s last comments and asked instead, “And how am I gonna know whether you haven’t turned against the Phoenix?”

“’Cause I’m telling you.”

“Not good enough.”

“You’re still alive. Could have shot you a hundred times over and you wouldn’t have known what hit you.”

Nick couldn’t argue with that, though that didn’t mean he liked the guy’s modus operandi. “Enjoy that macho stuff much?”

Stingray grinned from one ear to the other, looking overly smug. “It gets the job done.”

“Don’t think Michelle appreciated it much,” Nick said dryly.

“I’m not really concerned with what a civilian is thinking. I’ve got more important things on my mind.”

“Which would be?”

“The Phoenix are under attack.”

“No shit. You’re only catching onto that now? Where were you three years ago?”

“In the same situation as you: running for my life. I’m sick of running and hiding. It’s time to act.”

“Why now?”

“Because the shit just hit the fan.” Stingray glanced around, listening, looking, before turning his face back to Nick. “Talon is dead.”

Though he didn’t know the person Stingray was referring to, Nick assumed the name was a codename. “A Phoenix?”

Stingray nodded, a sad expression on his face. “He’d gone bad. Worked for our enemies. By the time he changed his mind and wanted to make good, it was already too late. But what’s done is done. Can’t wallow in the past. We know something big is coming. Something real bad.”

“What is it?” Nick asked, drawing in closer, curious now.

“You have the dream, too? The dream about the inferno, the destruction?”

Shocked, Nick stumbled back a few paces, his mouth gaping. How could Stingray know about the horrific premonition that haunted his sleep?

Stingray nodded to himself. “So you do. Ranger has it, too. That’s why I figured all of us have that same dream.”

“Ranger? You’re in contact with another Phoenix?”

“Yeah, he’s in D.C. with me now. Along with Talon’s sister, Lisa. Doesn’t leave her side.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Anyway, Ranger and I realized that we see slightly different parts of that premonition, and it made us think that maybe others do, too. If we have all of the parts, maybe if we piece them together something might start making sense. That’s why we started looking for others from the program.”

“How do you know Ranger? You sure he’s not bad like Talon?”

“We go way back. Military service,” Stingray said, then stopped himself.

“I was never in the army,” Nick interjected.

“Well, for all that was worth. Talon served with us, too. And he went bad. No guarantees, right?” He lifted his shoulders to a shrug. “I just know I can trust Ranger.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Same you want from us. Resurrect the Phoenix, let them rise once more. That’s why you put your feelers out there on the Dark Web for us to find you, isn’t it? We’re here, and we’re ready to fight.” Stingray put his hand on his holster to underscore his words.

“It’s not that easy. This isn’t gonna be a shootout at the OK Corral, buddy. I’m working a different angle.” Nick looked his fellow Phoenix up and down, still unsure whether to trust him fully, though the fact that he was still alive—as was Michelle—was one point in Stingray’s favor.

“As long as it’ll take us to the same goal, I don’t care much which way we’re gonna play it.” Stingray motioned toward the Lincoln Memorial. “Then let’s go. I’ll introduce you to Ranger and we’ll come up with a plan of action.” He already turned and took a few steps.

“I’m not leaving Michelle here.”

Stingray stopped and looked over his shoulder. “You’ll have to. She can’t come with us. She’s a civilian, and she knows too much already. She’s gonna lead our enemy right to us.”

Nick squared his stance and fisted his hands at his sides. “I won’t leave her. And that’s final. We need her. She has information that’s critical to what I’m planning.”

“She’s got pretty tits and a hot ass, that’s all.”

“Fucking asshole!” Nick growled and marched toward him.

“She’s got no information. She admitted it herself. She’s never seen that guy, that Smith. She won’t be able to help us identify him, so put your dick back in your pants. Just because you’ve got the hots for her doesn’t mean I’m gonna let her come.”

Nick lunged at the guy and landed a blow in his face. His fellow Phoenix lost no time in punching back, knocking Nick’s head sideways.

When Nick pulled his fist back for another hook, Stingray growled, “Damn it, Fox, why didn’t you say she was your girl?”

Nick froze in mid-movement.

“She is your girl, isn’t she? It’s just… from the things I overheard earlier, I couldn’t really tell. Apologies.”

Slowly, Nick relaxed and dropped his fist. Apparently he’d just given away something to his fellow Phoenix that he hadn’t realized himself yet: he didn’t just have the hots for Michelle. He cared about her wellbeing, cared about
her
.

Without a word, Nick turned and walked toward the shed.

17

“Ouch!”

Michelle cursed as her hand slipped from the shovel’s handle and another fingernail broke at her attempt to pry the door off the rickety shed. If she continued like this, she soon wouldn’t have any fingernails left.

But she couldn’t stop. She had to get out of here. What if that stranger was going to kill Nick? And once Nick was dead, the guy would take care of her. She shivered despite the muggy night air, and not only because she was in fear of her own life. To her surprise, she also worried about Nick, even though she shouldn’t. He really didn’t deserve it.

He’d insinuated himself in her life with lies. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. Unfortunately that didn’t stop her from caring about what happened to him. She’d spent a wonderful night with him and experienced a closeness to him that she hadn’t felt with any other man before.

It’s only sex
, a voice in her head cautioned her. Was that true? Maybe. Then why was her heart contracting in pain when she imagined Nick lying on the ground, a bullet in his head? She tried to shake off the image. She couldn’t let that happen. Somehow she had to help him. She wanted to believe that he would do the same for her in the same situation, though she had no idea if he would really risk his life for her.

However, there had been that brief moment when the gunman had shown up, when Nick had shielded her with his broad back, almost as if it had been an automatic reaction. A protector instinct that had kicked in. Because she was a woman? Or because she was the woman he’d slept with the night before? If only she knew.

His words still echoed in her mind.

I didn’t need to get this close. But I wanted to.

Was it the truth? She was inclined to believe it, not because she was a hopeless romantic—which she was—but because Nick clearly had the skills to get to the information he wanted without sleeping with her. Hell, he’d managed to steal her flash drive
and
return it without her noticing, because, yes, she’d checked her key ring the moment they’d thrown her into the shed. And the flash drive dangled from it as if it had never been gone.

Nick could have easily broken into her apartment while she slept and taken what he needed. There’d been no need to even make her acquaintance. Had that been his plan at the beginning?

“Doesn’t matter,” she muttered to herself.

Being in Nick’s arms had felt right. And now he’d offered her a way out of her current predicament, and—goddamn it—she wanted to accept his offer and believe that he could deliver what he promised. But for that to happen Nick had to stay alive. She could always kick his lying ass later and tell him what she thought of him.

The sound of a rattling chain tore her from her musings.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Panic rose from her stomach to her throat, sending her heart racing and making her breath stutter to a halt. She gripped the shovel’s wooden handle more tightly, holding onto it with both hands now, raising it for leverage.

Somebody pulled on the chain. The door moved back and forth on its hinges for a moment, before opening outward.