Dare You to Run (33 page)

At least Kagan had come around. That was a relief. It also opened up a whole lot of doors that would led to opportunities once Damascus was back in her world. Then Tyler could get on with carving out his niche with the help of Kagan's contacts, which were numerous and varied.

He grinned as he pulled away from Carl Davis's house, looking forward to a bright future. It was a double shot of good luck to realize that he wasn't going to have to silence Kagan. Hell, the man really was connected better than anyone Tyler knew. Leaving him alive while Kagan counted him among his enemies wasn't the wisest idea.

But as someone he could do business with? Well now, that was definitely something Tyler enjoyed the idea of.

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

“We're doing what?” Vitus was using his quiet voice. Damascus felt a tingle go down her spine because she knew he was enraged.

So did everyone else in the room. It was a nondescript room, nothing but a desk and a few chairs, but what was laid out on the desk drew her attention. Vitus's section leader had brought along a selection of tiny cameras, and she didn't need anyone to explain their purpose. No, she'd been reared with one simple ideology: Never, ever, let anyone get evidence on you. Her father's office was soundproofed and had a door that locked like a safe just to make sure what went down inside its walls stayed secret.

“Tyler Martin came to me and wanted to work a deal.” Kagan said. “It's the break we've been looking for.”

“Actually.” Saxon was deep in thought. Vitus turned on him, but he shot his brother a hard look. “Think it through. We've got nothing but his word.”

“Which won't stand up against her father threatening her mother,” Kagan added. “Now that Pratt is dead, there is no one to tie the kidnapping to Tyler Martin.”

“We know he was behind it,” Vitus said.

“We suspect, “Kagan corrected. “Which isn't worth a wooden nickel. It's only a matter of time before my hand is forced and she's returned to her father. He'll make her roll over once that happens.”

Dunn offered a solid nod in agreement.

Damascus bit her lip. Her pride wanted to rear its head, but she decided that listening was more important than telling them that she'd rather die than toss in with her sire. But Kagan didn't miss it. His attention shifted to her for a moment as he noticed her teeth worrying her lower lip. When Vitus looked her way she lost her grip on her self-discipline.

“I'm in,” she said firmly, reaching for one of the cameras. “Where does this go?”

Vitus lifted it out of her hands. “It's not that simple.”

She faced off with him. “I didn't think it would be, but I came back here to face Jeb and that is exactly what I plan on doing.”

There was a crusty chuckle from Kagan. “I like her.”

Vitus looked back toward his section leader. “Tyler Martin arranged that kidnapping.” Vitus returned his attention to her. “He has no conscience. If you're somehow in the dark about that, just reach up and feel your ear.”

“What I am, is ready to deal with this.”

There was a flicker of approval in his eyes. She saw it and offered him a smug smile in response. Vitus cussed softly under his breath. “I hate the idea of it, Princess. Your father is no novice and neither is Tyler Martin. Once he gets you back on his ground, it's going to be very hard to protect you.”

“Really hard,” Dunn added, looking at a three-dimensional model of her father's estate on a big screen.

“I know,” she offered as she tried to ignore the shiver that went down her spine. With Vitus agreeing, reality was happy to start flooding her brain with doubt. “But it isn't your fault I was born into this family. I want out and honestly, isn't it only fair that I have to earn that? I'd be just like my sire if I thought otherwise.”

“Glad to know we're a team again.” Kagan took charge of the meeting. His gaze seemed to be even stronger than his massive physical person. If there was a weak spot on the man, she couldn't find it, unless she factored in his devotion to the team. A man like Tyler Martin would exploit that honorable trait and use it against him.

“Tyler Martin thinks I'm going to trade Ms. Ryland for him getting the congressman off you two,” Kagan elaborated. “He's smart enough to know where to aim when it comes to me.”

“Still have trouble swallowing the fact that Tyler came to you,” Vitus said with a shake of his head. “Didn't see that one coming.”

“To his way of thinking,” Kagan explained, “he's just helping me accept the way the world works.”

“I don't doubt it.” Damascus put herself back into the conversation. “There are an awful lot of people in Washington who don't know how to relate to one another unless they are buying or selling.”

“Your father is one of those.” Kagan stated his opinion as he held her stare. It was a test, one she didn't flinch away from. She looked straight back at him before pointing at the cameras.

“Like I said, I don't expect to get out without facing him. I told your men this in Scotland. I will not hide behind them.”

Vitus grunted and Saxon shifted closer, clearly unhappy with her statement.

“Not that I am not grateful.”

“Shut it, Princess,” Vitus interrupted her. “You don't want to hide behind me? Too bad. I am not stepping aside.”

“Neither am I,” Saxon added in a tone she'd rarely heard from him. Saxon was always the cool-headed brother, the man with a grip on his emotions. It was slipping now, giving her a glimpse at what he'd kept hidden. She recognized it because he had a whole lot in common with Vitus. God help anyone who got on his bad side, and Tyler Martin clearly had.

She was hoping that God would let Tyler get what was coming to him. The slimeball had ordered someone to cut her. It was going to be her pleasure to help bring him down.

“Well, you can't do this without my help,” Damascus told them both. “Jeb will never spill his guts anywhere but in his office, and I am the only person here who can get inside that room.”

Vitus didn't like it, but she watched him accept the logic of her words. She turned back to Kagan.

“Want to show me how these work? I earned a degree in microbiology. They didn't cover surveillance cameras.”

Kagan's lips twitched, and she got the impression that was very telling. He wasn't a man who let anyone see his true feelings easily. He picked one up and began to explain it.

Damascus felt a chill go down her spine, but she decided she liked the sensation because it meant she was moving forward. It was a path that would separate her from Vitus but give her the knowledge that he was safe.

And that was worth everything, even risking her life.

*   *   *

He still didn't like it. Damascus felt Vitus's disapproval like there was a wire connecting them. The tiny camera was tucked into her bra with a second one attached to the dragonfly. She looked at herself in a mirror, trying to stand naturally and not give herself away. Vitus finally sighed, even if the sound came out as more of a dissatisfied male grunt.

“Give us the room.” There was solid authority in his voice and the rest of the team didn't hesitate to respond to it. Even Kagan made for the door, closing it firmly behind him.

Damascus turned to look at Vitus and found herself being scrutinized. He was in a pose she recognized, feet braced shoulder-width apart with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was stone and gave nothing away, but his eyes, those Caribbean blue eyes, were full of emotion. What warmed her most was the flicker of approval. It made her confidence grow, giving her a sense of ability to see the mission through.

“You'll do just fine, Princess.”

His tone was husky and warm. She didn't hear his feet touch the floor but he was suddenly there, in front of her, his hands smoothing across her cheeks until they settled into a firm grip on the side of her head. She knew he was going to kiss her. Time slowed down, allowing her to notice every second of his approach. Sensation went tearing through her, warming her blood and leaving her skin tingling. Only his touch did that to her, awakened her senses like she'd been locked in a dark cell prior to the moment when he put his hands upon her. It was the purest definition of life, the essence of it, and the substance that restored her soul.

Vitus withdrew, but he lifted her hand and looked at his ring winking at them both from her finger.

“Kind of wish I'd be there to see your father notice you're wearing my ring.” He lifted her hand and kissed it gently. “I'm sure that's going to be entertaining.”

She snorted at him.

There was a rap on the door before it opened. “Time to roll,” Saxon said.

He wasn't happy, but what shocked her was the look of confidence in his eyes. It was the last bit of encouragement she needed to walk through the door. The future was gray but she moved into it without hesitation.

The reason was simple: she had to. There was no room in her mind for anything that didn't include freeing Vitus from the mess that meeting her had saddled him with.

Her sire better get ready. She wasn't a little girl anymore.

*   *   *

“Ready?” Kagan asked.

Damascus flashed him a smile that earned her a raised eyebrow. “I doubt you ask Saxon or Vitus if they're ready.”

It was just her and Kagan in a nondescript, tinted-window sedan. She'd spent her life riding around in similar ones. They had bulletproof glass and enough horsepower under the hood to make quick getaways when the need arose. There were also handy pockets designed right into the doors and the center console for guns of all calibers.

The driver turned the corner, bringing a deserted section of the dock into view. There were puddles of water and bits of cardboard littering the cracked asphalt. Ahead was another tinted-window sedan. They eased up as they got closer, stopping a hundred yards from it.

“Showtime,” Kagan muttered.

He pushed open his door and climbed out. The other man started walking toward him. They met between the cars, stopping to talk for a moment.

“Sorry miss, but I need to put these on you.”

The driver had turned around and had a pair of handcuffs dangling from his fingers. Damascus nodded, a shudder moving through her as she stuck her hands out and felt the cold metal slipping around her wrists. She flinched when the driver snapped them closed, but succeeded in drawing in a deep breath.

“And this.”

Damascus looked up to see the driver holding a small caliber handgun. He held it up, making sure she got a good look at it before he slipped it into a holster. “It straps around your thigh.”

He had secured only one side of the cuffs, allowing her to slip the strap around her thigh and lower her skirt before offering her hands to him again. She was quivering, the knowledge that she just might have to shoot Jeb almost overwhelming, though not in a bad way. There was a deep solace in it, a confirmation that things would then truly be over.

Would she be damned to hell for it? Maybe, but Vitus would be free. Part of her toyed with killing Jeb just because it would be far more final than getting evidence against him.

Well, you'll be just like him if you do …

That thought sobered her, making her return to their plan. Vitus couldn't love a cold-blood murderess. Kagan opened the door next to her and reached in. He hauled her out like an errant child.

“To tell the truth, I'm glad to be rid of her.” Kagan gave her a shove. She stumbled and ended up running into Tyler Martin.

“Yeah, I have the feeling I'm going to be real happy to turn her over to her daddy,” Tyler agreed.

The disgust in his voice caught her attention. Damascus started blubbering as she reached for Tyler's shirt, clawing at him. “You have … have … to take me home! I need my dad!”

“See what I mean?” Kagan said. “Honestly, the money better be good or I'll tell you straight out, man, you picked the wrong team to work for if she's what you have to put up with. At least I can shoot people in my job.”

“
Tyler
…” Damascus whined. “You have to take me home now!”

Kagan chuckled and waved Tyler off. Damascus bit her lip to keep from laughing. Tyler wheeled her around and strong-armed her into the waiting car. She dropped into the backseat and stuck her wrists out.

“Unlock me,” she demanded.

“Not a chance.” Tyler Martin slammed the door in her face. When he climbed in beside her, she sniffed indignantly at him.

“You have to do what I say.”

Tyler aimed a cold, smug little smile at her. Her belly tightened, threatening to heave with disgust.

“You will be the one doing what your told,” Tyler informed her. He was enjoying himself too. She witnessed the flare in his eyes that reminded her a whole lot of the way her sire looked when he was getting on with trying to impose his will on her.

A sick flash of personal entitlement.

“You are going to marry Carl Davis,” he informed her as calmly as he might have instructed her on the proper use of a soupspoon.

She lifted her nose into the air and sniffed. “Of course I am. Do you think I'm stupid or something? He's going to be the next president.”

That surprised Tyler. He recoiled just a tiny bit as the driver pulled them around the corner and into traffic.

“
Please…”
Damascus rolled her eyes. “I was only making sure I had his full attention. At least until the engagement was announced. Is that too much to ask? I know he's screwing that little press bitch and her boyfriend too. I just wanted my fair slice of his time.”

He dug some keys out of his breast pocket and opened the handcuffs. “Give me one moment's grief, and I'll truss you up again.”

She gave him what she hoped was a “get real” look before she yanked a tissue out of the center console and started to fix her face in a mirror. “Honestly, I look like roadkill. Better make sure no one gets a picture of me. Carl will have a fit.”