Hotter Than Wildfire (22 page)

“Exactly. I hacked into taxi company records. There are fifteen cab companies in San Diego, and in the fourth company, I found a record of a fare being dropped off at that hotel at 11:52 on the fourth of April. He picked the fare up on Birch Street, which has a lot of fancy high rises. It’s in the heart of the business district. And the security cameras there worked just fine. Here she is. Coming out of the Morrison Building.”

Piet clicked and brought up the file. No grainy photogram-per-second film for that street, no sir. Top-of-the-line cameras with high-definition digital film that showed everything clearly. And it clearly showed Ellen Palmer running, hailing a cab and taking off. A white script in the bottom right-hand corner showed the time in digital display: 11:34.

“Fuck,” Montez breathed. “That’s her.”

“Yes.” Piet realized that this was the first time Montez had seen Ellen Palmer in over a year, and it was taking him a minute to process her image on the screen. His eyes were wide with surprise.

Christ, how had this guy ever become a soldier? Real soldiers process new intel instantly, no matter how surprising; otherwise they’re dead. Green-haired Martians could appear in front of him, and he’d have his weapon up and firing in a second.

Montez blinked, coming back to the here and now. “So what’s in there?”

“What’s in the Morrison Building? It’s a big complex. There are almost a hundred different companies in the building.” Piet clicked on the print function and paper scrolled out of the small laser printer on a console built in to the bulkhead. He plucked the paper out of the printer and slid it across to Montez.

He hoped the guy wouldn’t have the smarts to ask the obvious question—which office did she come out of—because the answer was,
I don’t fucking know.

It made him angry that he hadn’t been able to crack the building’s internal security cameras. Someone really good with computer security had made the building’s system almost hackproof. But nothing was completely hackproof. When Piet got back home he was going to crack the system, on principle. In the meantime, though, he had fuck-all.

“There are fifteen private investigation services, eight security companies specializing in various areas, most international, and a shitload of lawyer’s offices. Many of them specializing in criminal law.”

There, that would take Montez’s mind off wondering why Piet couldn’t hack his way into the building’s system.

Montez scrutinized the paper. His hand was firm, but he was sweating. A drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead, over his temple and dripped down onto his white linen shirt. He ignored it.

“We’re going to get a ping when she accesses that bulletin board she set up with the dead bird. I’ll triangulate from there. But she’ll be in San Diego, and I’m willing to bet good money she’ll get back to whoever she was dealing with in the Morrison Building on Monday morning.”

The intercom came on and the pilot announced that they’d begun their descent into San Diego.

Piet sat and buckled his seatbelt. He tapped his laptop screen before powering it down. “That’s our lead, right there. We’re going to stake out the Morrison Building during the day, sleep in a hotel across the street during the night, taking turns keeping watch. Sooner or later she’ll show up.”

San Diego

  Turned out nagging didn’t work, but tears did.

She started by dropping gentle hints, which Harry totally ignored. She even batted her eyelashes, to no avail. Harry stood firm, like a man.

But when Ellen teared up a little, Harry broke. The tears weren’t fake. She yearned to go for a walk in the sunshine so badly her heart ached. She drew the line at pouting, but the tears were real.

It took most of Sunday morning, but she did it.

“No,” he said at first, and kept repeating it. No no no no.

Seducing him softened him up for the kill. They had brunch in bed, and she was lying on his hard chest, listening to the deep vibrations of his voice as he patiently listed the reasons why going for a walk on the beach was a bad idea.

Though he couldn’t know specifically where she was, presumably Montez realized she might still be in San Diego. Never underestimate the power of coincidence. They might be walking along and one of Montez’s thugs might be casing the beach at that exact moment. Montez wouldn’t have access to NSA satellites, thank God, so they didn’t have to worry about something Harry called Keyhole, some superspy satellite. But Montez could have a couple of ships at sea, men with binoculars lined up along the railing. And maybe one of those men might be looking through a scope of a rifle, on the lookout for her.

That stopped her for a second, then she shook the thought away.

“Harry. Listen to me.” She reached up to kiss that strong, firm mouth, and it turned down.

He patted her behind. “I know you think you can get anything from me using sex, and it’s true, you can get more or less anything you want, just not this. Diamonds and rubies, yes. This, no.”

“I don’t want diamonds or rubies.” Ellen drew a circle in his chest hair until hair swirled around her fingertip, then pulled.

“Ouch.” His voice was mild. “And torture won’t work, either.”

She’d been teasing, but now she sat up, covering her breasts.

“Oh man.” Harry sighed in regret at seeing them disappear behind the sheet.

Ellen looked him straight in the eyes and spoke to him from the heart.

“I’ve been on the run for over a year now, and I’ve lived mostly in the dark all this time,” she said quietly. “I crossed the country sleeping in motels during the day and driving by night. When I waitressed I always chose the evening shift. In Seattle, too, I worked the evening shift and stayed inside during the day. And anyway, it rained most days. I haven’t gone for a walk in the sunshine in over a year.”

She’d got out of bed at dawn to draw back the curtains, and now she gestured to what she could see through the large French windows: a blindingly white beach and an achingly blue sea that met a slightly lighter sky way off on the horizon. Buttery sunshine from the sun that hadn’t crossed the rooftops yet cast a gentle glow over everything. A soft, gentle breeze moved the curtains slightly. It was going to be a scorcher later, but right now the morning was fresh and cool. It felt like the first morning in the history of the world.

Ellen actually ached to be outside, to feel the sun on her skin, warm wind against her face.

She kissed his cheek, his mouth, pulled back and looked at him. “This past year, I’ve been indoors, alone and afraid. Gerald has taken everything from me—my job, my home, my life. My freedom.”

She knew he’d spent the past year indoors, too, wounded and alone. Surely he’d understand.

“I’m not stupid. I understand there’s a slight risk he could have tracked me down, though I can’t see how.” Now for the big guns. She reached out, lightly placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. “Harry, if I have to spend the rest of my life in hiding, in the
dark
, it’s not a life. Nicole told me a little about your past, and I think you understand what it’s like to feel deep despair. To feel like you’re condemned to the darkness forever.”

Her eyes grew wet. She wasn’t faking it, not much. Most of it was real.

Harry closed his eyes, swallowed convulsively, placed his big hand over hers. She could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart under her palm, and the strength and warmth of his hand over hers. Strong and steady, the two attributes of Harry.

He swallowed again.

“Honey…I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt. And the thought of you falling into Montez’s hands…it drives me a little crazy.”

“Yes,” she said. She could see that. “I know what I’m asking you. But I need to feel the sun on my face. Even for just half an hour.”

His jaw muscles worked as he processed this. Ellen simply waited. She had no way to make him do something. If he wanted to keep her indoors, she certainly couldn’t wrestle him to the ground and escape, or trick him. And she didn’t have any more words to sway him with, because they stuck in her throat, tight with longing. She’d told him how she felt and now it was up to him.

Harry opened his eyes and looked down at her, his golden gaze fierce and penetrating. “You will never be more than a foot away from me at any time. You stick to my side like glue. Is that understood?”

Her heart took a delighted leap. “Yes, of course.”

“I’m taking Sam and Mike with me, and we’ll be armed. Is that clear?”

Oh God, she was going to wreck their Sunday. Was it worth it? She consulted her inner compass and decided yes, yes, it was worth it. She felt starved of fresh air. Inside she was already pumping her fist in victory.

“We stay out half an hour, tops.”

Half an hour wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. His gaze never wavered from hers. There was only one possible answer.

“Yes, Harry.”

He reached across to the bedside table, keeping his eyes on hers as he flipped opened his cell phone and dialed a number on speed dial.

“Harry, yeah. Listen, Ellen wants to walk on the beach. I’m against it, but the thing is, she hasn’t had a walk in the sunshine for a year, and I know exactly what that feels like. I don’t like it, but I can understand it. Half an hour. Can you and Mike—” He expelled a breath in relief as he listened. “Yeah, thanks. See you downstairs in fifteen minutes.” He flipped the cell closed, turning to her with a half smile. “So what are you waiting for? Get dressed. We’re going for a walk on the beach.”

Yes!

Ellen was waiting at the door two minutes later, hopping from one foot to another with excitement, waiting for Harry to get ready.

Downstairs, to her dismay, Nicole was waiting with Sam and Mike.

Ellen turned to Sam to protest Nicole’s presence, but before she could speak, Nicole smiled at her and winked. “Ellen, hi. What a great idea to go for a walk. It’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it, Sam? Come on, let’s go.” She gave her husband a sharp look that told Ellen that they’d argued over this. Sam grumbled something and Nicole ignored him, taking Ellen by the arm and walking out.

The men scrambled to create a security cordon around them. Ellen and Nicole strolled down the walkway to the beach like two Hollywood divas surrounded by bodyguards.

Ellen would have felt shame, but oh God, it felt so
good
to be outdoors! She lifted her face into the sunshine and inhaled deeply, eyes closed. So many scents, all of them good. The brine of the ocean, traces of the juniper that lined the walkway, the scent of pine.

The sun was so blinding that for a moment she felt like a bat, blinking against the bright light.

The men were walking grimly by their sides, narrowed gazes darting this way and that, on super-high alert. On a rotation, they even checked their backs, what Harry called his “six.” He was holding her elbow with his left hand and his right hand was held free at his side, fingers flexing. Sam was so close to Nicole, her breezy dress floated against him. Mike wasn’t holding on to anyone, both big hands down at his sides, fingers slightly curled.

She had no doubt that wherever their guns were hidden, they could access them fast.

Harry had told her a number of stories about Mike’s prowess with guns. One of the best shots in the Marines, he’d said. And the way he said it was in exactly the same tone he’d use to say that Mike walked on water.

They headed down to the sand in a phalanx. Ellen forgot about the peculiarity of her little tribe and simply soaked in the sun and the sea, the smells, the feel of the terra-cotta walkway under her feet. She felt like a cocker spaniel that had slipped the leash. Sensations bombarded her skin, like little bomblets of delight. The silkiness of the wind, balmy and perfumed, the warmth of the air that heated up her muscles, relaxing her, the luscious deep blue of the ocean.

Oh God, she needed this so badly. A year hiding alone in the dark had broken something inside…walking in the open air and sunshine made her feel as if her very soul were unfurling.

Once they reached the beach, Ellen stooped and slipped off her shoes. Her toes sank into the fine, silky white sand and she shivered with delight. She chanced a glance up at Harry. True to his word, he stayed within a hand’s span of her, and she didn’t even try to move away from him. Being this close to him was part of the joy of this little outing.

Though he was glancing out to sea, checking the four boats that were way out on the ocean, she knew he was perfectly aware of everything she was doing. One side of his mouth was curled upward, which was Harryspeak for hysterical joy. He was happy that she was happy.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

His eyes slanted down to her, then off to the right side of the beach, then the left. “My pleasure.”

And though what she really would have liked to do was run down to the dappled water and dive in, she sedately moved down to the wet packed sand, her little retinue following. Ducklings following mother duck.

“Oh man,” Nicole sighed. She’d taken her sandals off, too. They dangled from her hands as she walked into the water. They watched their feet as a tiny, gentle baby wave curled over their feet, then was sucked back into the ocean, taking sand with it. It was like a gentle foot massage. “Did I need this. Thanks for thinking of it.”

“No problem.” Ellen leaned into Nicole and lowered her voice. “Frankly, I’m surprised Sam let you come, seeing as how he’s so, ah, protective.”

Ferocious
would have been a good word, too, but Ellen didn’t want to belabor the point.

Nicole smiled down at her feet. The breeze blew her light, loose linen shift against her body and the swell of her belly was evident. “Surprising what a little wheedling can get you.”