“They what?” she asked, but she knew. Tagged. Somehow someone had placed a tracker on her. “Did you do it?”
“Do what?” he asked, wincing at her when she narrowly missed a parked car to get around a big bus.
She bit her lip. No, he didn’t place anything on her. He wouldn’t have done that. Maybe he was tagged too.
“You didn’t. But did Tazz? Did he put something on me, or my things”—she paused and laughed. “What things? I have nothing left of what I came here with. Just the file drive and papers I took from the safe. I even lost the wet wipes.”
“Baby, don’t panic while you’re driving like a Chinese cabbie on crack, okay?” Daren said, his voice rising a bit on the last word as she sped them up to ninety. “Slow down, slow down and we’ll get the tag off.”
“What? You can do that? Where is it?”
“Let me get you out of this before we get killed with your driving, okay?”
She avoided a street cleaning truck and ran the red light, but refused to slow down. She’d gone hours—days really—dealing with too much. She wanted done with it all. Suddenly it didn’t matter as much as having a shower. She’d had sex. Several times, too. She’d gone a full day and a full night without changing. The morning light brightening the streets around her made her feel even worse. She was hungry, tired, her head hurt and she wanted this entire thing to be over.
At an intersection, she turned left, then quickly left again into a below ground parking garage. Why not? It seemed their MO. Parking garages, cars and being shot at or blown up.
No attendant stopped them as she settled the car in the first empty space she found inside the darkened interior of the garage. Once there she finally took a breath and turned to face Daren.
“Why do they want me dead?”
He winced, reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Ky, don’t say things like that to me, okay? Here, let me see your neck.”
“My neck?” she asked, refusing to let him go. “Why my neck?” She circled her arms around his neck until their noses touched. He pulled her close and kissed her briefly.
“It’s usually where they tag you. It might be your clothing though. Did Tazz get close enough to touch you on the ferry?”
“Daren, we jumped overboard from the ferry!” she pulled away enough to meet his eyes. “It had to be—”
“It’s waterproof, baby. Here, just bend your neck,” he said, moving her hair aside. He brushed his fingers along her neck so lightly, she barely sensed him until he whispered a curse and pressed down along the right side of her neck, behind her ear.
“How the hell did he get this here?” he muttered.
A second later, something like a sharp sting bit her, right where he’d been touching. She turned her head to see him pull back far enough to show her a scrap of something about a centimeter around and nearly transparent. She never would have seen it, or even felt it.
“This is a tracker?”
He nodded. “Yep, and there’s one on me as well, I can almost guarantee it.”
She met his worried gaze and reached up to trace her fingers along his neck.
“No, not there. I think mine is more permanent.”
“What do you mean?”
He tapped his arm, where he had a small scar, she noticed. “Here. I got this last time around, and it’s never healed correctly.” He pulled a knife from his boot as he spoke and shocking her, he sliced along the scar.
“Daren!” She stopped him by gripping his hands, but saw, beneath the blood, metal. “Oh, my God. Let me do it, please.”
He brushed a kiss to her brow and removed his hands. She took his big knife, and carefully used the tip to extract the thin tube from his arm. “Oh, Daren. Is this how they’ve found us? Won’t you be in trouble now, for taking it out?”
A dog barking drew his attention from her, right when he opened his mouth to say something. He suddenly shoved himself over and opened the car door, jumping out as soon as he got it open.
“Come on. Follow me,” he whispered. Louder, he said, “Here doggie, here pup, come on, come here.”
The dog looked mangy, as if someone had once owned him then left him on his own. His brown ears tipped forward, then back, and he tucked his tail between his legs. Daren got down on his haunches and whispered to the dog again until cautiously, it moved forward, its tail wagging. Daren opened a pocket in his BDUs and pulled out something in a wrapper. “Here, dog, come on, smell this?”
The dog perked up at his tone, or maybe the smell of food.
“What is that? What are you doing?”
“Just watch, baby, and come on, help me out here.”
She quietly moved closer and squatted next to him, balancing herself with his shoulder and watched him urge the dog closer, but not sure how to help.
“You’re bleeding, we need to clean you,” she whispered.
The dog stepped close enough that Daren reached out with what she thought was jerky and gave him a piece. The tail wagging increased. Daren pulled out another piece, slipped the metal in it, folded the tough meat and handed it to the dog along with the tracker she’d worn. The dog swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.
“Oh, God, the poor dog,” she whispered.
“Why? He liked the meal and he won’t be hurt.” Daren grinned at her, and offered her a piece. “Want some?”
“Uh, no thank you,” she said, shaking her head.
“Here, pooch, you get it all then.” He handed the dog several more pieces, then with a grin, he stood and grabbed her hand to help her to her feet as well.
“Here, let me at least wrap that for you,” she said, pulling out her blouse to slice a strip big enough to use on his arm.
“Ky, baby, you don’t have to—”
She stopped him by handing him back his knife. “Already done, now here,” she murmured, wiping the spot of blood then using the clean shirt to wrap around his forearm several times until she tied it off tightly.
“You’re going to be a good mom, Ky.”
The comment stopped her halfway to tucking her shirt back in.
“Really?” she smiled at him, and gave him a quick kiss on the jaw.
“Absolutely, but no driving. Ever, if I can help it.”
“I’m a good driver!”
He rubbed his hand over his short cut hair and smiled at her disarmingly. “Let’s go shopping, okay? I think I saw the blur of a store front when we were barreling down the street going ninety.”
“I was not going ninety, and nothing will be open this early.”
“We aren’t going to be purchasing clothing, baby. Come on.”
“We’re going to shoplift?” She tried to stop him, but he tugged her along and out of the garage, forcing her into a quick run to reach the other side. The man was amazing, she thought, with a burst of love filling her with warmth.
Daren kept Ky on his left, away from his gun. Behind him, he heard the dog barking happily, but as soon as they crossed the street and he looked back, he didn’t spot the poor guy. The agency would track the mutt, but with any luck, they’d not find him for a few hours, maybe longer.
So far, so good
, he thought, keeping alert for any danger.
Ky was alive, for one. Two, he was with her. Three, she’d not completely freaked on him for being tracked by his own men. He knew she understood what they’d landed in, though, and knew it was merely a matter of time before she started questioning what they were going to do.
The odds of saving her father were dwindling, if he were even alive. If he had to get them into that lab, he’d put them right where everyone wanted her. He couldn’t count on Tazz’s help at this point. Tazz had found him by the tracker. But Tazz was on his side, at least somewhat.
Dare wasn’t sure how much longer he could count on that. From now on, he’d have to hide to keep Ky safe and alive.
That meant he was on his own. In Japan.
They had a few options, but first he needed to change out of the BDUs and into something less conspicuous. Ky might have nearly killed them with her driving, but she’d gotten them to the Shinjuku district, right by the rail station. Across from them was also one of the biggest department stores in Tokyo.
“You did good, Ky. We’ll get what we need here, then hit that train station.”
“We can take a subway right to my father’s lab. I thought this would be better than a car.”
He squeezed her hand and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re too smart for me, baby.”
She laughed, and gave him a look he could get used to seeing.
“Just keep up with me a bit longer in those heels, then we’ll get you something more fit for running, okay?” He guided her around the side of the huge department store until he found what he was looking for—a narrow set of stairs by a loading dock. No one manned the area, and a large bolt lock was all that had the place locked down. He scanned the tops of the building, spotted no cameras, and glanced at his watch to check the time. Five twenty a.m.
“It’s too early for anyone to be here, yet. The shops don’t open until ten in the morning,” Ky supplied.
He nodded. “Good. Plenty of time,” he said, urging her up the stairs. “Stand back, okay?” He reached down and pulled his lock kit from the side of his cargos. The lock clicked open with a soft snick seconds later. He pulled it free, immediately opened the door and waited. No alarms sounded and after a full minute, he widened the door and stepped inside. He didn’t see any sign of a guard at the small glassed in guardroom, but took no chances. He indicated silence to Ky, and she tilted her head like he’d lost his mind. The ‘of course’ in her look was so damned funny, he smacked her butt just to see her eyes widen.
She hit him on his arm, careful not to hit him near his wound, he noticed, and shooed him with a hand gesture.
“I’ll check if he’s there, you get to that wall and wait.” He pointed to the far hallway, and she walked quietly to where he pointed. As soon as she was in position, he moved to the glass. The guard was inside, but fast asleep, with his head down on the desk.
Dare eased open the door, and searched the room for the feed to the dozens of screens displaying the department store. He found a line and followed it to a cabinet where he discovered a hard drive. He followed another cord and located the power source. He pulled the plug and turned to see that the screens had all turned to static, but thankfully they remained silent.
The guard hadn’t moved, and Dare couldn’t see a gun on the man, so he left him to his dreams, silently stepping out of the room and closing the door. Ky gave him a questioning look as soon as he walked up.
“Pulled the plug on the camera feed.” He hoped.
“You did?” she sounded amazed.
“Couldn’t think of another way to keep us out of Hollywood,” he teased, turning her to start walking.
She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Oh, yes, that’s good. I was worried.”
He liked her smart mouth, and had a sense that he was the first man she’d ever been so open with. The thought made him pull her close at the door to the mall’s main shops and kiss her quickly.
“What was that for?” she asked with a dreamy sigh.
“Do I need a reason?” he asked, and opened the door for her.
She surprised him with a quick squeeze of his butt then floored him by trailing her hand around to the front of his BDUs to give his cock some attention too. The damn thing jerked like she’d goosed it, and grew heavy, no doubt wanting more action as much as he did. She waltzed her butt out in front of him, and glanced over her shoulder with a sweet smile.
“Damn,” he murmured, caught off guard admiring her rear. But what man wouldn’t? She was slender, but with such a rounded ass, he doubted he’d survive fucking her standing up with those lush curves bouncing against his hips. But he’d give it a damn good try.
“Coming?” she called in a low whisper.
A man could hope. He would be soon, he thought, already mapping out exactly how well he would with a quick nod at her questioning look. “Store first, clothing, you need some new shoes and we have to get a few outfits. And I need out of these BDUs,” he said, wrapping an arm around her tiny waist. “Then we’ll get close to your dad’s lab. Don’t suppose you know of a hotel we can get right across from it, do you?”
She tilted her head and tugged him into a shop that reminded him of a huge Macy’s or JC Penney, but with more glam. “I do. There’s one on the corner from the lab, right across from it.”
“Good. That’s all we’ll need. You look Japanese enough. Can you speak Japanese?”
She gave him a haughty look, as if he’d just insulted her ancestors, but nodded.
“Is there a language you don’t speak?”
“Mmm, yes, I can’t speak Spanish or any German.”
“Ah, but you have smart-ass down pretty well, huh?” He smacked her on the butt, and grinned when she squealed.
“Stop that,” she whispered, looking around as if they’d been caught.
“Baby, if our time schedule wasn’t hinged on one lazy guard and his nap time, I’d have those legs wrapped around me and my—”
“Daren!” She covered his mouth with both hands. “Clothing, new shoes, shower and bed. In that order, please.”
“Food too,” he reminded her, grinning and letting her tug him into the men’s wear. “And not me, but if you’re nice, I might change my mind.”
“Daren Scott, are you ever serious?”
“Only when I have to be,” he said, handing her a few T-shirts, then grabbed a few cargo shorts, a pair of dark jeans and a button down one after another. He loaded her up because she looked so cute holding his clothes, and piled on socks.
“Don’t you need—” She paused and nodded above the clothing to the men’s underwear.
He grinned and walked over, examining the display. She shyly moved closer and he turned. “You pick mine, and I’ll pick yours,” he offered, grabbing all the clothes and nudging her forward.
She blinked, but looked at him quickly, no doubt seeing if he were kidding. He was, but he also wanted to see what she’d do. She turned, going straight for the white boxer briefs with a muscled guy on the front. He wasn’t familiar with the brand, but they were the nicest, and more importantly, the sexiest ones on display. She swung her hair out of her way and pushed to the back where she pulled out two boxes with a grin.
Double extra-large. He winked and loaded them on top. “Might be too small,” he warned her.