Protecting the Enemy (2 page)

As he’d feared it would, his heart had sped up at the sight of her. Her golden blonde hair as soft as spun silk was the only thing covering the bare shoulders he’d kissed more times than he could count. The tight dress hugged her delectable body in all the right places. Places he’d been to, many times before. He missed the feel of her naked skin, the solidness of her in his arms. Right away he’d noticed she still favored the color red, the bright shade on her plump lips was a daring contrast to her the hint of pink blush dusted on her high cheekbones. She was even more beautiful than he’d remembered. Six months tended to fade memories, especially in his line of work.

He thought that he could do it, put aside his personal feelings and get the assignment done. Reid let out a breath he just realized he’d been holding in. How was he going to kill Jewels?

Once, she’d been everything to him. Once.

With a sigh, he turned the corner and eased to a stop. The Jaguar pulled into a parking garage of a high-rise luxury apartment building.

After the warehouse explosion, caused by some freak arsonist, he’d tried to find her. He searched every hospital, every morgue in Maryland without giving up hope. Until one day… he did. The day he’d been informed that Julianna had turned into a traitor.

He was a trained assassin, no time for emotions.

Breathing deeply through his nose, he eased into the garage. His Jag scaled the ramp to the top floor. Even in the sparsely lit area, he could see her car parked in between two vans. She could run, but she couldn’t hide from him or her fate.

***

Still flustered, Julianna rode the elevator up to her apartment. She’d blown it. Boss wouldn’t be happy. And he didn’t believe in second chances. She couldn’t let down the man that had believed in her. Her only family… the only one she remembered. Her hand lifted to her forehead. Her brain felt as though it was trying to push out of her skull. She peered out of the shiny doors to her place down the carpeted hallway. The coast was clear. As she walked, the mark’s face found its way into her mind. His strong square jaw and defined cheek bones seemed familiar as if she’d traced her fingers over his features in a dream.

Or another lifetime.

She swallowed and tried to slow her steadily racing heart. If she didn’t pull it together fast, things would be bad for her. The man was dangerous, a threat.

Julianna opened her door and closed it behind her. After locking the deadbolt, she removed her heels and padded barefoot through the foyer. She walked past the sunken living room and into the master bedroom. The glow of the crystal Schenbok lamp greeted her with its warm reassurance. Her home was furnished with the best. ETE 7 had made sure of it. Julianna placed her purse on the four-poster bed.

Head still thumping, she removed her gold chain and put it inside the nightstand. She ran a finger over the smooth metal. The day she’d been drawn into the jewelry store and had seen the necklace, she’d known she had to have it. For some reason she felt safer wearing the gold chain. Like a good luck charm. The reason she wore it for every assignment, though it hadn’t brought her luck this time. She sighed and closed the drawer.

Her legs were a bit sticky from the champagne that had splashed up on them. It should’ve been easy. The man had caught her off guard. But why? A hot shower is what she needed to get clean and clear her head. Figure out a new plan. Now that she’d been made, things were more complicated.

Julianna went into the bathroom and unzipped her evening gown. The thin fabric fell to her feet. With one hand pressed to her throbbing head, she turned on the faucet and let steam build up in the room. She stepped into the jetted tub and pulled the sheer curtain closed. The hot water surged against her skin allowing her shoulders to relax. She washed her hair, massaging her scalp with her fingertips. The suds streamed down her body to her toes. After a few minutes, the headache diminished.

When the hot water was depleted, she turned off the faucet and rung out her long hair. She grabbed a towel to wrap around her head and another to cover her body. After a deep breath, she wiped the fog from the mirror. Her refection made her frown. The face in the glass looked lost, something she was never supposed to feel again.

***

Reid forced himself to remain calm. It would all be over soon. The doorman had given up Julianna for a hundred dollars. She really should have chosen someplace more secure to call home. Especially if she were going up against ETE 7.

The low hum of a hairdryer sounded from the bathroom. He stood behind her closet door in her bedroom… waiting. The scent of milk and honey lingered in the room. The fragrance surrounded him making him uneasy. Julianna never wore perfume, but the body wash she used had made him crazy. Obviously it still affected him the same way. He closed his eyes and indulged in a deep breath. Fresh with a hint of sweetness. Little things were proving to him that she was still his Julianna, even if she didn’t realize it. They were happy once, a team, how had they switched sides? A lump formed in his throat.

The bathroom door opened, snapping him out of the past. He peered out of the cracked door into the steam filled room. Julianna removed her towel and slipped a red silk gown over her creamy skin. God, she was beautiful. He lifted his Glock, his finger steady on the smooth trigger. Her face turned in his direction to showcase wet cheeks glistening with tears. His heart dropped making his finger slip away from the trigger. He took a step back and tripped on a pair of shoes, making just enough noise to alert Julianna of his presence. Son of a bitch.

Too fast, she went for her gun.

Reid stepped outside the closet with his arms raised. “Don’t shoot!

She narrowed her eyes. “You!” Her hands were secure around the Glock. “How did you find me?”

He swallowed. With one arm still raised, he bent over and slowly placed his gun down on the carpeted floor. The knife was still inside his pocket if he needed it to defend himself. “Don’t shoot me, Julianna, please.”

Her face went as pale as the white velvet drapes over the tall window. “How did you get in here?”

If he made one wrong move he was dead. “That was easy. The place isn’t as secure as you think. But, Julianna, I don’t want to hurt you. You don’t remember me,” he tried to keep the desperation out of his voice, “at all?

Her hand trembled a bit and she blinked her long wet eyelashes. “What are you talking about?”

“Before the explosion, we were a team.” He took a step toward her with his hands raised. If he could only talk some sense into her. Maybe could he trigger her memory before it was too late.

For a brief second a spark lit up in her eyes. “Liar! You’re the enemy. A spy and a murderer. And I
will
stop you.”

Julianna’s words hit him like a truck. The exact words Boss had spoken about her. “No, I’m not. I’m on the right side, your side… at least I will be.”

Her mouth fell open. Had they been played? He stared into her eyes, searching them. “Look at me, Julianna. I’m Reid Castleton. You don’t remember anything?”

Her forehead crinkled and she wavered.

Without hesitation, he lunged and grabbed her arm. She dropped the Glock and it slid under the edge of the bed. Before she could grab the gun, he pinned her down. She kicked him in the groin, making him fall to the floor. Pain seared through him, but he fought through it and grabbed her again. They tumbled around on the plush carpet. His body pinned down hers. She tightened her long legs around his thighs. If she hadn’t just kicked him, he’d be turned on. Her heavy breathing and determined look was one he’d seen many times before. “Wait. Just stop for a minute.”

She swallowed and looked up at him with wide eyes, her blonde hair fanned around head like a silk halo. “Why? So you can tell me more lies?”

He resisted the urge to trace his thumb over her delicate cheek. Jewels wasn’t just gorgeous, she was exquisite. “We need a truce, so we can figure this out.”

She licked her succulent lips and turned her head. He watched the pulse in her neck. “Fine. Get off of me. I’ll make us a drink.”

Reid cringed. “A drink. I’ll pass.”

Julianna narrowed her eyes at him.

He let out a laugh. “I don’t want one of your poisonous cocktails.”

Both their cell phones rang at the exact same time confirming what Reid suspected. “I’m going to get off of you so you can get dressed. I think we’re both in danger.”

Her lips turned upward and pressed into a smirk. “Seeing that we’re trying to kill each other, I’d say you’re right.”

“I think we’ve been set up.” He sighed.

Julianna shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Reid pushed up his arms, removing his weight from her. “Get dressed. We’ll talk.”

She looked toward the edge of the bed where her gun had fallen.
Don’t even think about it, Jewels.
He shook his head and pointed to her closet door.

Julianna rolled her eyes and got up to go to the closet. After grabbing both their Glocks, he listened as she tugged something off the hanger and got dressed.

She walked out wearing tight, black jeans and a thin, pink sweater stretched taut over her perfect B cup breasts. A pair of black sneakers suggested she was going to make a run for it. Another gun was in her hands as she smiled. “You know, you’re not too smart.”

He grinned back. Was it wrong to enjoy this game they seemed to be playing? “If you look, you’ll discover I’ve already removed the bullets.”

She looked down as a snap sounded. Smoke filled the room through an air vent. He covered his face with one hand and grabbed Julianna with the other. Both coughing and gasping for air, he pulled her out the door. They got to the hallway and a man he didn’t recognize, pulled a gun on them.

Reid shot him in the head before the other assassin could pull the trigger. Boss had always said that Reid was their best shot. The silencer muffled the noise of the gun, but didn’t snuff it out completely. They ran past the lifeless perpetrator to the stairwell. Julianna’s hand tucked inside his felt like home. To touch her skin again made him whole. Everything Boss had warned him of, didn’t matter anymore. He had to protect her, even if it cost him his own life. They took the steps two at a time.

Adrenaline surged through every cell in his body. “Smash your phone.”

Julianna hesitated and gave him a questioning glance.

He took his phone and threw it down on the landing, then stomped on it.

She nodded and did the same.

A door slammed above them on the next floor.

“The parking garage is through there,” Julianna told him.

He shook his head. “You think our cars are safe? That they haven’t been compromised?”

She frowned. “I loved that car.”

They made their way down to the first floor. Reid shot at another perpetrator, but the bullet only slowed the man down. On high alert, they took the hall to the employee exit. Once outside, Julianna pulled her warm hand from his. “This is where we part ways.”

He grabbed her arm. “We’re safer together. Follow me. I’ve had a contingency plan in case something like this ever happened.”

***

Julianna matched Reid’s fast pace. She didn’t know what was going on, but her survival instinct had told her to go with him. He hailed them a taxi and told the driver to take them to Penn Station. They both sat in silence, knowing better than to speak in front of the driver. She kept her hand on the door handle just in case.

Twenty minutes later, Julianna stared up at the tall aluminum Male/Female statue that was centered in the plaza in front of the station. Some people loved it, some hated it, but everyone seemed to have an opinion. She didn’t mind the statue that most considered an eyesore. Then again she didn’t mind things that most people did.

Reid paid the driver in cash and they went inside the busy station. They walked past the huge columns into the crowd. She glanced up at the circular, stained glass ceiling. Agitated, she stood beside Reid as he purchased two tickets for the first departing train. Only when they were sitting on the polyester seats and in motion did she feel free to talk.

“I’m not sure what happened back there, but it had to be some sort of mistake. The people I work for wouldn’t hurt me.”

Reid closed his eyes and sighed. “Don’t be so sure.” He opened his eyes and stood up. “I’m going to make certain we’re secure. Sit tight.”

Julianna watched as he made his way down the narrow aisle. What the heck was going on? If Reid was going to kill her, he’d had plenty of opportunity before they got onto the train. Her gut that had been so sure to follow this man was now having second thoughts. Maybe he was taking her someplace to try to get information out of her about ETE 7, maybe even to torture her. Chills slid down her spine and landed in an icy pool on her lower back. Jumping off a train was one thing she hadn’t prepared for. She’d have to wait until they stopped to make her escape.

The woman across from her opened a prescription pill bottle and took a couple of white tablets out. When she tossed the bottle back into her bag, which set on the floor, Julianna kept her eye on the plastic container. A hint of sandalwood wafted through the air as Reid sat back down next to her. How did the man still smell good after all they’d just been through?