Dare You to Run (22 page)

What he'd done was cut her to the bone. Vitus didn't need his brother to say it. He knew it. The knowledge was nearly killing him.

Well idiot, you deserve it.

He did, but he'd never been one to sit back.

“Are you sure?” Saxon asked him as he was going out the door.

“Yeah.”

“I'll be sure to tell Mom you died of your own stupidity,” his brother added.

“It won't surprise her—only that it took this long.”

He caught a second of his brother's amusement before he shut the door. No, it probably wouldn't surprise his mother that he'd said something lacking all sense, but what he was focused on was the fact that there was another facet of his personality that his mother knew very well, and that was that he didn't quit.

Ever.

*   *   *

“Now girl, you know I can't talk about work.” The security guard used a soft tone, one meant to lessen the impact of his words. His companion offered him a husky little chuckle that made his cock harden. Or it might have been because she was rubbing the organ through his pants. Honestly, he didn't give a shit. Just so long as she sucked him off. The girl knew how to give head.

“You talk about work all the time, Bradford,” she purred, toying with the button of his waistband. “You know when Pratt wants something, you are going to give it to him. Everyone in the Quarter does.” She opened his fly, dipping her fingertips inside to tease his organ. “We can do it the nice way…”

The unspoken threat hung in the air. Bradford understood her completely and for a moment, it sobered him. It wasn't like he'd planned on living a life where he had to roll over for men like Pratt. There was part of him that realized he'd lost grip of every ounce of honor he'd ever possessed. He watched the way Kitten was teasing his cock. They'd both become something they shouldn't be.

But it all came back to Pratt.

The man controlled a good part of the Quarter. Only a fool didn't give him what he wanted when he asked nicely. Kitten opened her lips and closed them around his member, sending a ripple of enjoyment down his meat to his balls.

Yeah, the nice way. Kitten was sweet, but he could bet that when Pratt got wind of the fact that he knew something about the redhead he hadn't told, the next person Pratt sent over wouldn't be asking politely.

That was the price of staying alive.

So Bradford closed his eyes and let Kitten work him over. Taking solace in the pleasure she gave his body. As for his soul? There wasn't enough balm for that. When Kitten left him, she knew all about the three men who had taken the police helicopter from the roof with the redheaded woman in tow. He went back to work, feeling hollow, trapped by circumstance. He considered the footage from the elevator, resenting the circumstances of his life. Across from his station at the far side of the reception desk, a television was on in the bar.

“Authorities are still baffled by the disappearance of the congressman's only child, Damascus. In a press conference today, presidential hopeful Carl Davis appealed to the public for help…”

It seemed like a sign, some sort of ray of hope reaching out to puncture the guilt currently suffocating him. He reached for the phone and dialed. Sure he'd told Pratt. That didn't mean he couldn't do the right thing and let the girl's father know where she was.

After all, he wasn't evil to his core, just a man trying to make his way as best he could. No one could fault him for that. His eyes were fixated on the reward offer being flashed across the screen. It was the escape he needed from his life, from the facts of his reality, the opportunity to just get up and go and start a new life free of the entanglements that compromised his morality.

“Hello. Yeah, I have information on that congressmen's daughter … but I want the reward first.”

*   *   *

“I'm still pissed at you.”

Vitus was keeping tabs on her, had been for most of the day. Her neck was tight from the knowledge that he was there, shadowing her with the expertise she knew he had. It was enough to make her scream by the end of the day. She turned around and marched up to him, lifting her hand when he started to speak.

“P-I-S-S-E-D!” she enunciated, ending with a single-finger salute about an inch beneath his nose.

He busted up laughing.

She snorted, at least enjoying the fact that she could indulge in unladylike conduct because there weren't any cameras trained on her.

“You have a death wish.”

Vitus jerked around, all hints of amusement vanishing as he found the source of the comment. Dunn Bateson offered him a lazy grin that was majorly cocky before he finished coming over an outcropping of rocks.

Dunn winked at Damascus before he pegged Vitus with a critical look. “When a redhead tells you she's pissed with you, better give her some space.”

“I don't need advice on how to deal with Damascus.”

Damascus scoffed at him, earning a chuckle from Dunn.

“By all means, get yourself killed,” Dunn said. “That will leave the pretty lady all to me.”

Vitus grunted. “Just remember you need me dead before you'd even have a chance.”

“
Please,”
Damascus groaned. “I'm about to choke on the testosterone fumes.”

Dunn had come closer. He actually winked at her, giving her a clear view of his green eyes. “Admitting I make you light-headed already? Come now lass, don't make things too easy for me.”

“Right,” she responded. “You hate being bored.”

“What do you want?” Vitus inserted himself back into the conversation.

Damascus took a couple of steps away from both men because she didn't care for how much she enjoyed hearing the note of jealousy in his tone. Seriously, she was mad, but it seemed like her pride was nonexistent when it came to him.

Great. Just great. Heart on the sleeve and pathetic. Talk about the ultimate double-whammy.

“I smuggled you away from her daddy. Doesn't that entitle me to checking up on you?” Dunn answered.

“Considering what I know about you,” Vitus said, “I doubt those charges would even make it onto the sheet if you got dragged into court.”

“True.” Dunn shot back with an arrogant tone. “I'd really hate to bore the court.”

“So…” Vitus had closed the distance between himself and Dunn. The two faced off, neither giving an inch.

It was disgusting how attractive she found it, at least on Vitus's part. He'd put himself between Dunn and her, once more protecting her. It felt like a sliver of broken glass went through her heart, because she knew she couldn't have him. Not forever, and that was what she really longed for.

“I'm here to plan,” Dunn answered seriously. “Not that I'm shoving you off my property, but we're standing on our luck at the moment and that has a way of running thin. It's remote here, but someone is going to pick up our trail at some point. We'd be idiots to assume otherwise.”

“I brought that up this morning.” Damascus rejoined the conversation. “I need to get back.”

Dunn turned to her slowly. He'd crossed his arms over his chest and looked just as unmovable as Vitus did. Denial was glittering in his eyes. “As I said, we need a plan.”

“Right, because hers isn't the right one,” Vitus added.

“Agreed.” Dunn delivered his opinion in a firm tone that raised her hackles.

“It's my life,” Damascus argued.

“Wrong, Princess.” Vitus crossed into her path and planted himself in front of her. “We're all in this. You were the one who pointed out it's me and my brother marked for bullets.”

“Exactly. The connection needs to be severed.” It was going to kill her but at the same time vindicate her. It was the right thing to do.

Well, she was up to the challenge.

She had to be.

“The only way this ends is by me dealing with Jeb. I'm not letting anyone else take any more shit for me.”

And that was going to be the end of it.

*   *   *

“I hope you have something worth my time,” Carl Davis said as Tyler Martin made his way into his office.

Tyler stopped and sent him a hard look. “And I thought you recognized my potential. If you were just blowing smoke in my face, I can find another man who will value me.”

Tyler made a neat turn on his heel. There was a soft, electronic sound as Carl locked the door via a button on the underside of his desk. “Sit. You wouldn't have made it past the gate if I didn't respect your ability.”

Tyler dropped into a padded leather chair and tossed an eight-by-ten photo onto the desktop. Carl picked it up, studying it carefully before his lips rose into a satisfied smile. It was only a small one, because the man wasn't a fool. The photo was only part of what he wanted.

“Where is she?”

“Not precisely sure yet,” Tyler answered. “I intercepted a call from the tip line. The guy wants the reward for more information, but I don't want to involve anyone else.”

“So you're here to test out just how sincere I am,” Carl retorted.

Tyler offered him a barely perceptible nod. Carl selected a pen from the holder on his desk and used it to write down a message. He tossed the half-used pad of sticky notes across to Tyler.

S
LUSH ACCOUNT.
T
RANSFER THE AMOUNT AND USE IT TO BRIBE WHOEVER YOU NEED TO.

Tyler considered the note. He tucked it into his shirt pocket as he stood. “I'll be in touch.”

“I'm counting on that.”

There was a veiled threat in Carl's voice, one that made Tyler smirk on his way out of the office. The guy had brass balls, something Tyler sort of enjoyed about him.

“Oh, by the way.” Tyler turned back toward Carl. He tossed another photo on the desk. “You got a little sloppy. I cleaned up your mess, but you really might consider keeping me a little closer in your personal loop in the future.”

Carl picked up the newest photo, his fingers crumbling it when he realized it was of him and his current lover.

“Explain how you cleaned it up.”

Tyler opened the front of his suit and pulled a cell phone out of the inner breast pocket. “Got the cell phone the witness used to take the photos. Little journalism student with big dreams of working for CNN or some shit like that. You won't hear of him again.”

“You're sure?” Carl's complexion was darker, his forehead dotted with perspiration.

“Alkaline hydrolysis. Ever heard of it?”

Carl relaxed. “Liquefaction of the body. Leaving no DNA.”

Tyler pointed at him. “Going to have the ashes put into one of those tree planters.” He made a gesture in the air. “That way the kid can live his dream of making the world a better place.”

Carl's expression was unreadable. Tyler waited, his hand played. The ball was in Carl's court now.

Carl finally nodded. “As I thought, you'll make an excellent addition to the team. I like a man who makes sure there are no loose ends. Sees things I don't have time to.”

Tyler moved back across the office, until he was in front of the desk. “I suggest you dial me in from now on. We don't want any gaps from here on out. The voters really don't need to know everything about you, but the only way that will happen is if I do. That way, I can run interference.”

Carl didn't care for being told what to do. Tyler watched him battle a decision. He finally scribbled another set of numbers on the back of the photo and offered it to Tyler.

“Nice to have you on board.” Carl exclaimed in a polished, public voice. Tyler touched two fingers to his temple in a half salute before he turned around and heard the outer door unlock.

It was nice. Tyler enjoyed the feeling as he left Carl Davis's house. He drove upstate, taking back roads and doubling back a few times before switching out cars with a few he had stashed. Finally satisfied that he was off-grid, he pulled into a run-down section of town, driving a beat-up sedan from the eighties. He pulled into the back of a weathered-looking brick building, considering the area before he got out of the car with a hat pulled low over his forehead. He slipped inside the narrow doorway, the air inside stale from the room being sealed.

But once inside, it was a different world. The windows were sets, like a movie production lot. On the inside, each window had a full casing that prevented anyone from seeing inside. Tyler tossed his jacket onto a chair and yanked his tie off. He cracked his neck before dropping into a desk chair and firing up the laptop sitting there.

The computer booted up. He used the cell phone from the dead journalist to connect it to the internet and logged into an off-shore account he kept as an insurance policy. There weren't many places to fall off the face of the planet anymore but if he ever had to, he was going to have the money to keep himself buried. He plugged in one of the account numbers and smiled at the amount of money in the account. A few moments later, there was a chirp as the money finished transferring. He logged out and logged into a second account to transfer the money Davis had given him for bribe.

Before he finished, his personal phone buzzed. He picked it up and viewed the incoming information. Fuzzy pictures from an airport appeared, but even the poor resolution couldn't mask the brilliant color of Damascus's hair.

“Got you.”

Or at least he was closer to getting her.

And that was all that really mattered.

He really didn't give a shit about Damascus Ryland. If anything, he felt a little sorry for her. She had a good heart, but that was only dragging her down. If she'd been smarter, she'd have played the game, made sure she carved out a comfortable place for herself before she got boxed in. But in a way, that resolve to be a decent human being was the only reason she was valuable to Carl Davis. He needed a showpiece, someone people could cheer for or at the least not dig up any dirt on. It would certainly make Tyler's job easier, knowing he wouldn't have to run around cleaning up after her.