Relentless (26 page)

Luke, however, would be trapped in his hospital bed all night. Talk about rubbing salt into a wound.

Bryn cleared her throat. “Okay, if you're sure.”

“Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not so far gone that I can't defend myself if someone tried anything, and I've sure as hell ruined the evening enough for everyone involved without keeping you guys here.”

Bryn glanced at Emily. “You ready? We'll drive you out to Christa and Rayne's place.”

“In White Rock? Don't be silly,” Emily said, re-crossing her legs for the fourth time since Rhys had walked in. Fidgety and restless, clearly uneasy. Yet she stayed. “It's forty-five minutes in the other direction, and there's no way I'd let you do that.”

“Really, it's— ”

“If I decide to go back I'll take a cab.”

Luke's lids flipped open, and his eyes were clear when they drilled into hers. “Get Ben to drive you.”

Rhys shoved his hands into his pockets. Clearly, Luke didn't want Emily taking a cab. He didn't either. There were no trained security personnel in a cab.

Emily's deep green eyes flashed to Luke's. And held. “I think I'll stay for awhile.”

Luke's face hardened. “I'm fine. I don't need you to look after me.”

Her steady gaze never wavered. Yes you do, it said, as clearly as if she'd spoken the words.

Okay... definitely time to leave.

Bryn chewed on her lips, dividing her attention between Luke and Emily, her eyes pinging back and forth like she was watching a tennis match.

Then Luke sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I'm real tired, Em.”

“I know. I can see that.”

A spark of temper lit his eyes when he opened them.

Bryn broke the tension by getting to her feet and hugging Emily goodbye, then laid a hand on Luke's shoulder with a friendly pat. “See you after you get out of recovery.”

“Sure,” he said. “Thank Dec for me.”

“Will do.” Her dark gaze sought Emily's. “Call us if you change your mind.” Hugging Rhys, she left, and when the door closed behind her with a soft click, it felt like they'd all been trapped together in an air lock. Or a vacuum from which all the air had been sucked out. It explained why it suddenly felt so damn hard to breathe.

Rhys rubbed the back of his neck. Shit, he wished he'd left with Bryn. “I'll wait outside until the security is in place.”

“No need,” Emily said calmly. “You can stay in here.”

“Uh, I think— ”

“Go back to your hotels,” Luke said to them gruffly. “I'm fine.”

Emily regarded him coolly for a moment before answering. “You're not fine, but you're going to be. And you and I both know you won't sleep a wink if I go.” She settled back in her chair and crossed her arms over her waist, like she was curling in on her body. Comforting herself because she knew damn well she wasn't getting any from her ex-husband.

Rhys withheld a sigh. This was way too damn awkward, and he knew Luke hated him witnessing it.

Emily's tired exhalation made Luke glance over at her uneasily.

“Close your eyes and rest for a while,” she said. “You may not want to look at me, but at least you know you can trust me to watch over you. Let your demons go for a little while, Luke. I won't leave you.”

Her quiet vow made Rhys wish he was anywhere but in that room with them. Whatever was passing between her and Luke was intense and private. It was obvious Luke didn't want her there. Though he didn't tell her to leave again, either.

Rhys was edging toward the door again when Emily turned her head and put on a smile for him. “Please, stay. It's all right, really.”

Yeah, but why couldn't he just wait outside the door? Resigned to feeling like an interloper, Rhys parked it in a chair near the door and eyed his only exit route. He looked at Luke for help, but he'd turned his head away and let his lids drop.

Emily's chair scraped across the linoleum floor as she got up, and Luke cracked an eyelid open to watch her lean over and turn off the dim reading light beside his bed. Plunged into blessed darkness, Rhys relaxed as she returned to her seat until he heard the groan of the plastic chair when she pushed the backrest down. She was turning the chair into a pullout so she could lie down. Which meant she had every intention of sleeping there for the night.

Luke's head snapped around, though it had to hurt him. “Em— ”

Okay, definitely time to go. Rhys had no interest in sticking around to watch this showdown.

“I'll be fine,” she argued as the sliding closet door groaned open.

She must be looking for a blanket and pillow.

While she rummaged around, Rhys seized his chance and slipped from the room, pulling in a relieved breath when it shut behind him and he was able to get a full breath of air. Jesus, those two were intense. Luke was in for a damn long night if she stayed.

When the security agent finally arrived, Rhys checked his credentials and called Nate to verify them, then briefed the guy on the situation. Once the newbie was up to speed, Rhys hesitated outside the door. It was quiet in there, and he sure as hell didn't want to watch the two of them circling each other like wary adversaries, but he wanted to check on Luke one last time before he left. Maybe he could even drag Emily out of there for him.

Tapping softly, he opened the door a crack and peeked in, then pushed it open and stepped inside, careful not to make any noise. The sight before him stopped him in his tracks and made him want to kick himself for coming back in.

Emily had pulled that uncomfortable plastic pullout chair right up to Luke's bedside and was fast asleep, curled up on her side facing him. Luke, however, was wide awake and looking straight back at him. “What's up?” he demanded in a whisper.

“Everything's set,” Rhys answered just as quietly. “See you in— ”

Emily sighed and shifted in her sleep, suddenly flinging an arm out toward Luke. His expression went from wary to alarmed as it landed on the bed a few inches from him, and he froze in shock when her hand curled around his. He stared down at it like it was a grenade with the pin pulled out. Luke seemed afraid to move, and Rhys didn't blame him.

“See you,” Rhys blurted, and got out the door as fast as he could without making any more noise.

Walking out to the truck, he figured chances were good Luke would be awake most of the night, frozen in position so he wouldn't wake Emily. Nev would be pissed if she knew Luke wasn't getting his sleep before the surgery, but Rhys wasn't going to tell her about any of it. What was happening back in that hospital room was Luke's private business. He and his ex might be estranged, but the connection between them was still powerful enough that Emily had reached out for him in her sleep. To Rhys, that said it all.

It made him think about marriage in general, something he'd never imagined doing, but maybe he could someday. He didn't know how far things would go with Neveah, but he couldn't see himself without her in the near future, and that was a shock in itself. He'd never felt this way before. Not even close.

Anxious to see her, he pulled out of the parking lot and turned west toward the police station. Taking one last look at the hospital in his rearview mirror, he found himself hoping Emily would leave her hand where it was.

An hour later, Ahmed parked his BMW next to his wife's Mercedes, climbed out and closed his door with a quiet thud. Since leaving the hospital he'd had the eerie feeling someone was following him, but he hadn't seen anyone. He'd almost decided not to come home in case he was right, but in the end had done it anyhow. He blinked wearily in the flood of the security light above him as the garage door touched the concrete floor and the motor stopped. The sudden silence echoed in his ears.

Suppressing a shiver of unease, he trudged up the steps to the door that led to the kitchen and opened it. The knob was ice cold against his palm as he turned it, but the lack of noise inside brought him up short. No radio, no murmur from the television. Ahmed's heart sped up. It was seven-thirty. His wife was always deep into her reality shows at this time of night.

He glanced up at the ceiling, wondering if she'd gone upstairs. Was she sick? She hadn't called to say she wasn't feeling well, and as far as he knew, she hadn't left the school early.

“Lily?” he called. She didn't answer.

A whisper of fear crept in. Lily always stayed home on Saturday nights because her favorite show was on. There was no way she'd miss it.

His legs felt weighed down with lead as he went through the brightly lit kitchen. The ingredients for dinner lay out on the counter, and dirty pans and pots filled the sink. Very unlike his tidy wife.

The family room was empty. The widescreen plasma TV he'd had installed over the fireplace was off. His wife's favorite throw blanket lay folded neatly in its place next to her chaise.

She hadn't been here.

“Lily!”

He ran up the newly carpeted stairs and down the hall to their bedroom, heart knocking. The solid oak doors loomed before him. Thoughts of what he might find on the other side haunted him. Did he dare open them?

He had to. He had to know she was all right.

The blood roared in his ears.
Please just let her be in the bathroom
. Let her be soaking in the tub, and this awful fear would be for nothing.

Battling to keep his breathing under control, Ahmed pushed the heavy wood doors open and hit the light switch with a trembling hand. His heart almost stopped. The carpet was strewn with debris from an obvious struggle. Pieces of broken glass and jewelry lay all over the floor. He stumbled to the cavernous walk-in closet and found more of the same. In the white granite bathroom, overturned drawers met his horrified stare.

Oh God, they'd taken her. Taken her because the first operation hadn't gone like it should have. Because he'd failed to ensure otherwise.

Tehrazzi had warned him about what would happen.

They'd rifled through everything in the room looking for something— phone records? Messages? He'd never be stupid enough to leave clues about his secret life for someone to find.

They hadn't found anything, so they'd taken Lily, an unknowing innocent in this terrible chain reaction he'd initiated.

Staring with hollow eyes at the soaker tub in the corner, his knees gave out and he slid to the cold floor, cradling his head with shaking hands. Nausea swirled in his gut along with the guilt that threatened to suffocate him. He imagined Lily fighting with the men that had taken her, crying and terrified, having no idea what they were talking about. They might have tortured her for information. His stomach lurched. Or... God, maybe they'd killed her.

A strangled moan escaped his raw throat.
Lily
. He couldn't call the police, what would he tell them? They'd eventually find out what he'd done. But he had to find a way to save Lily. He loved her, hadn't meant for any of this to happen.

Think, you asshole,
think
!

But his brain, always so dependable, was too full of Lily's fearful black eyes and pale face, conjuring up images of her enduring what her captors might do to her.

He didn't know what the hell to do. What could he provide Tehrazzi that would interest him? Money maybe. The cause was always in need of donations. He could do a wire transfer and empty out his bank accounts, his investments, his shares, everything. Whatever it took to keep his wife safe.

In his gut, he knew Tehrazzi would never be satisfied with such a paltry gesture. He'd assigned Ahmed the task and expected it to be carried out. Damn, what could he do to fix this? Whatever it was, he had to buy enough time to take care of Doctor Adams, and then perhaps they'd free Lily.

Bleak as the answer was, it was the only one that came to him.

The phone shrilled from the bedroom. With his heart weighing like a lead lump in the center of his chest, he pushed to his feet and stumbled to the cordless extension, staring at the unfamiliar number on the call display. No choice. He couldn't risk missing a call about Lily. His fingers were almost too stiff to hold the handset he brought to his ear. “Hello?” His voice was hoarse.

“Ahmed!” Lily's fearful cry ripped through him like a lightning bolt.

“Lily.” His knees buckled, sending him to the floor with a thud. “Oh sweetheart, thank God— ”

“I don't know what they're talking about, Ahmed! Please help me!”

He closed his eyes. “I will. I swear to God I'll do anything— ”

“That's good to know,” a male voice said. The same one that had contacted him with Tehrazzi's number.

Ahmed stiffened. “What do you want?”

“I want you to finish what you started.”

Bile rose in his throat. “Be more specific.”

“It's too late to get Hutchinson, unless we blow the entire hospital up. Mr. Tehrazzi wants to ensure you won't make the same mistake with Doctor Adams. Shouldn't be too hard to kill one unarmed female civilian, should it?”

He swallowed, his fear for Lily making him half crazy. “I've already hired someone for that.”

“Someone different from the idiots you hired for Hutchinson?”

“Yes. He's a professional. A former Force Recon Marine.”

The man grunted. “You'd better hope he's a pro. Your wife is depending on it.”

Oh God... “Don't hurt her,” he pleaded, voice little more than a rasp. “She doesn't know anything about what I've done.”

“She does now.”

Ahmed bowed his head. If Lily lived, their marriage would be over. No way would she take him back after the things he'd done. She would never understand, let alone condone, the beliefs that had led him to this terrible crossroads. He didn't either. Not anymore. But there was no going back, for any of them. “Please don't hurt her. I'll do anything you want. Take me instead, I'll meet you anywhere you tell me to, but let her go.”

“No. She's the best means to ensure you get the job done right this time.”

Helpless fury filled him. “I'll make sure this time,” he swore, aware he was begging but didn't give a damn. “Just tell me you'll let Lily go when it's over.”

A moment of silence filled the line before the speaker said, “We'll know when it's happened from the news reports. Your wife will be delivered to an address we will inform you of once it's finished. It's up to you whether she arrives there alive or not.”