Beneath the Secrets
Page 22
“No one leaves Mendez on their terms. Why do you think I contract only for my clients? So they don’t own me, Kara.”
“Mendez doesn’t own me.”
“He does. You just don’t know it yet. Or else you know something I don’t know, and I’m leaning in that direction.” A knock sounded on the door and Kara almost jumped. “That would be our pizza,” Blake said. “Not my ‘crew’.” He reached up and gently slid her hair behind her ear, then leaned in close, his lips brushing her earlobe. “I’m not buying your life story and, one way or the other, be it you telling me, or me finding out on my own, I’m going to discover the truth.” He stepped away from her and walked toward the door.
Kara stared after him, barely able to breathe, frozen in place. Time stood still and her mind raced. She was in so much trouble with Blake, it would take a shovel and ten men she didn’t have to dig her out.
“Kara, can you grab the drinks?” Blake called from the door.
Grab the drinks? That snapped her back to reality. She was in a t-shirt and nothing else. Kara scurried to peek around the corner to find the door angled so that Blake’s body blocked her from view.
“I’m here,” she said, and he handed her two liters of soda. Kara rushed away from the view of the door as he called out, “Order some ice, will you?”
Ice. Right. Kara set the drinks on the nightstand and headed to the desk. By the time she called downstairs, Blake was placing the pizza boxes on the bed, inspecting the contents of each. It was an odd moment to Kara, as if they were some normal couple sharing a hotel snack. And she was going along with it, as if she didn’t know he was going to discover who she was, and then she’d be dead.
***
He’d slept with the enemy and now he was eating pizza with the enemy. On a bed. With her leaned against the headboard, her long, sexy legs stretched out beside his, hers crossed at the ankle. And she was wearing only his shirt. Which he liked her in a little too much.
This wasn’t the first time Blake had slept with an enemy, or shared a meal with one for that matter. It wasn’t the first time he couldn’t keep his eyes off the enemy either. Only this time it wasn’t out of concern he might be stabbed in the back if he looked away. It was because Kara, with her long dark hair and creamy white skin, seemed to seduce him simply by being there. There was only one other woman who’d ever compelled him as she did. That he didn’t know if she was the true enemy was a problem he had to fix yesterday.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked, reaching for his third slice.
“You have a lot of pizza to eat. I figured I better let you get to it but…”
He finished off a bite and arched a brow at her hesitation. “But?”
“I have ideas on who’s stealing from Mendez.” She placed a slice of pizza on a napkin. “I brought the data to show you. I really want to show you but it’s in my briefcase.”
“What ideas?” He filled his glass with soda and offered her more with a lift of the bottle. “And have you told Mendez?”
Kara held out her glass. “This person cheating him is a family member of Mendez’s. I’m not sure how he’ll take it.”
“So you’d rather I deliver the bad news?” he asked, setting the bottle back on the nightstand.
“Seems a smart choice to me.”
He inclined his head in agreement. “As smart as packing a weapon which I assume you know how to use?”
“Yes.”
“How’d you learn to shoot?”
“My father,” she said without hesitation but her voice soft, barely there.
“The fisherman.”
She rotated to her knees to face him. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what, Kara?”
“Don’t try to figure me out.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s wasted energy when I can give you what you want.”
Her. He wanted her. His fingers curled on into his fist. No, damn it. He wanted Alvarez and he wanted him dead. “Which is what, Kara? What do you think I want?”
“To impress Mendez.”
She wasn’t wrong. Mendez was his ticket to Alvarez. “Go on.”
“It’s his nephew. He runs the shipping operation.”
“Did you tell the former head of security?”
“He was in on this entire theft ring.”
“You seem certain.”
“If you let me have my briefcase, I’ll show you why you should be, too.”
Blake considered her a moment and pushed off the mattress, grabbing the pizza boxes and setting them on the desk before returning to the side of the bed. With his hands on his hips, he studied her. “You want your briefcase; tell me how you drugged me.”
She hesitated, her lips thinning, but she agreed. “Fine. Yes. I’ll tell you. It wasn’t hard. The drug I used makes you pass out within ten minutes of contact with the skin.”
Holy hell. Blake didn’t even want to think about how dangerous that could be in the wrong hands. His simple mission to kill Alvarez had just gotten as complicated as reading a map after a bottle of bourbon. “What drug?” he demanded tightly. “I need a name.”
“I don’t know the name.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Right. We have trust issues. You’ve told me.”
His jaw tightened. “Start with how and when you used it on me.”
“Mendez doesn’t own me.”
“He does. You just don’t know it yet. Or else you know something I don’t know, and I’m leaning in that direction.” A knock sounded on the door and Kara almost jumped. “That would be our pizza,” Blake said. “Not my ‘crew’.” He reached up and gently slid her hair behind her ear, then leaned in close, his lips brushing her earlobe. “I’m not buying your life story and, one way or the other, be it you telling me, or me finding out on my own, I’m going to discover the truth.” He stepped away from her and walked toward the door.
Kara stared after him, barely able to breathe, frozen in place. Time stood still and her mind raced. She was in so much trouble with Blake, it would take a shovel and ten men she didn’t have to dig her out.
“Kara, can you grab the drinks?” Blake called from the door.
Grab the drinks? That snapped her back to reality. She was in a t-shirt and nothing else. Kara scurried to peek around the corner to find the door angled so that Blake’s body blocked her from view.
“I’m here,” she said, and he handed her two liters of soda. Kara rushed away from the view of the door as he called out, “Order some ice, will you?”
Ice. Right. Kara set the drinks on the nightstand and headed to the desk. By the time she called downstairs, Blake was placing the pizza boxes on the bed, inspecting the contents of each. It was an odd moment to Kara, as if they were some normal couple sharing a hotel snack. And she was going along with it, as if she didn’t know he was going to discover who she was, and then she’d be dead.
***
He’d slept with the enemy and now he was eating pizza with the enemy. On a bed. With her leaned against the headboard, her long, sexy legs stretched out beside his, hers crossed at the ankle. And she was wearing only his shirt. Which he liked her in a little too much.
This wasn’t the first time Blake had slept with an enemy, or shared a meal with one for that matter. It wasn’t the first time he couldn’t keep his eyes off the enemy either. Only this time it wasn’t out of concern he might be stabbed in the back if he looked away. It was because Kara, with her long dark hair and creamy white skin, seemed to seduce him simply by being there. There was only one other woman who’d ever compelled him as she did. That he didn’t know if she was the true enemy was a problem he had to fix yesterday.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked, reaching for his third slice.
“You have a lot of pizza to eat. I figured I better let you get to it but…”
He finished off a bite and arched a brow at her hesitation. “But?”
“I have ideas on who’s stealing from Mendez.” She placed a slice of pizza on a napkin. “I brought the data to show you. I really want to show you but it’s in my briefcase.”
“What ideas?” He filled his glass with soda and offered her more with a lift of the bottle. “And have you told Mendez?”
Kara held out her glass. “This person cheating him is a family member of Mendez’s. I’m not sure how he’ll take it.”
“So you’d rather I deliver the bad news?” he asked, setting the bottle back on the nightstand.
“Seems a smart choice to me.”
He inclined his head in agreement. “As smart as packing a weapon which I assume you know how to use?”
“Yes.”
“How’d you learn to shoot?”
“My father,” she said without hesitation but her voice soft, barely there.
“The fisherman.”
She rotated to her knees to face him. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what, Kara?”
“Don’t try to figure me out.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s wasted energy when I can give you what you want.”
Her. He wanted her. His fingers curled on into his fist. No, damn it. He wanted Alvarez and he wanted him dead. “Which is what, Kara? What do you think I want?”
“To impress Mendez.”
She wasn’t wrong. Mendez was his ticket to Alvarez. “Go on.”
“It’s his nephew. He runs the shipping operation.”
“Did you tell the former head of security?”
“He was in on this entire theft ring.”
“You seem certain.”
“If you let me have my briefcase, I’ll show you why you should be, too.”
Blake considered her a moment and pushed off the mattress, grabbing the pizza boxes and setting them on the desk before returning to the side of the bed. With his hands on his hips, he studied her. “You want your briefcase; tell me how you drugged me.”
She hesitated, her lips thinning, but she agreed. “Fine. Yes. I’ll tell you. It wasn’t hard. The drug I used makes you pass out within ten minutes of contact with the skin.”
Holy hell. Blake didn’t even want to think about how dangerous that could be in the wrong hands. His simple mission to kill Alvarez had just gotten as complicated as reading a map after a bottle of bourbon. “What drug?” he demanded tightly. “I need a name.”
“I don’t know the name.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Right. We have trust issues. You’ve told me.”
His jaw tightened. “Start with how and when you used it on me.”
