Veiled Target (A Veilers Novel) (24 page)

Faster than he’d give her credit for, Tess moved out of his reach. With her arms in the air, a twirl in her stride and a voice to rival Mary Poppins, she said, “Oh Hugh, don’t be silly. Dane would love for me to join you in a drink. Wouldn’t you, Dane?”

“Actually—”

“I don’t think he would.” Hugh’s swift stride carried him to Tess’s side before she had time to lower her arms. He took her wrist with a firm hold. “We’ve got pack business to discuss.”

“I can speak for myself, Hugh.” Dane remained in statuesque form a step away from Tess’s flailing free arm. “And I was about to say I do have business to discuss that needs to be done in private.”

“Come on boys. I promise I won’t tell.” She brought a hand to her chest and drew an X across her shirt. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Her words cut into Hugh deeper than if she’d held a knife to his skin. Even though it was a common saying, he didn’t like hearing the word
die
come from her lips. Because reality was, someone might. Tonight.

Tess’s pulse raced under his hand. She might appear calm but she was anything but. He knew she was angry, but more than anger made her heart beat faster.

He gently laid her arm at her side and wished he didn’t have to let go. “Stay here. I’ll be back in forty-five minutes.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Dane chuckled. “Does Hugh know how to kid?”

Hugh ignored the comment and brought his mouth to her ear. “Don’t go anywhere without me.”

“Where would I go?” she asked, disdain in her tone. “I’ve got nothing better to do than sit here and wait for you. I’ll just clean out my purse. It’s full of useless crap.”

Tess skipped—skipped? Whatever it was, it wasn’t walking—to the couch and plopped down like an entitled princess who hadn’t gotten her way. When she wanted to lay it on thick, she sure knew how to work it. No wonder she was so successful at her job.

With her bag in her lap, she gave him a huge smile that reached the corners of her eyes. The kind of smile that told him when he walked out of the room there was no telling what she might do. Damn her. But he had to talk to Dane in private to get to the bottom of his reasons for being in San Diego. Every muscle in his back clenched. He trusted Dane less and less every minute.

The trust he had in Tess, however—or was it wishful thinking?—won out, despite his worry she’d do something stupid. He had to go for the drink. Had to confirm or refute his doubts about Dane. Pack loyalty was crucial at the moment.

“I won’t be long,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine here all by myself.” She rummaged in her purse rather than look his way.

Guilt overcame him. He knew she’d be fine by herself, but he hated leaving her alone. If anything happened to her while he was gone, he’d never forgive himself.

Nothing’s going to happen to her.
She’d proven to him several times she was tough, that she was capable of handling any situation. So why was he worried?

Could it be the slight smile he saw spread across Dane’s face as they headed toward the door?

A sick feeling turned his stomach, and sounding snider than he intended he said, “Let’s get this over with.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Dane said.

“Hugh,” Tess called as Dane preceded him into the hallway.

He stopped right before crossing the threshold, closed the door halfway, and looked back at her.

“Be careful.” Her voice was so quiet he barely made out the words. But he heard them, and his doubt about her agenda lessened.

Tess shot up from the couch the minute the door closed. The last time she’d followed them, she’d been caught. Could she pull it off this time? Doubtful. And really, this was what she wanted, right? She wanted to be on her own. She didn’t need backup. Didn’t need Hugh getting in her way.

The tiny matter of eliminating him loomed over her like a fourteen-foot giant dripping in sweat and smelling worse than week-old fish left on the kitchen counter, but she’d deal with that later.

She pulled out her cell and tried Kensie and Francesca. They hadn’t answered any of her earlier calls or dialed back from the messages she’d left. “It’s urgent,” she’d said. “I’m in San Diego and we really need to talk.
Please
call me back as soon as possible.” They had a deal, the three of them, that if they said “urgent” it meant a call back was imperative.

But once again their voicemails picked up, promising to return the call as soon as they could.

They can’t call me back.

Her mouth went dry, and the back of her throat squeezed shut. Had Christian done something already? Was he set to carry out his promise if Tess didn’t follow through with hers?

When she’d started with P.I.E. as a teenager, she thought the organization justified in its mission. Never did any doubt cross her mind that she wasn’t doing the right thing. She’d promised Christian, promised herself, she’d always remain loyal. P.I.E., after all, had given her a life, a family.

But the waters were muddy now. The evil she’d always thought was on the other side of the coin now had two faces. She’d just been too blind to see it. It took meeting Hugh to show her that her past had been marred by narrow-minded beliefs, by thinking she owed her place in society to P.I.E.

Tonight would change all that.

She’d finally put to rest Jason’s death and then…

Her heart hammered inside her chest. She paced back and forth around the room, thinking she’d rather be struck by lightning than face the night ahead. Wasn’t there a demon family in her past that would be more than happy to strike her down? Right now would be a good time.

No, it wouldn’t.

She never backed down from anything.

Then again, she’d never had so much to lose.

She had to stop thinking so much. Until today, she’d been comfortable moving into action without a plan, didn’t let deadlines bother her. Her instincts were just as good as any half-shifters and with no sidekick to worry about, maybe storming into Dobson’s meeting was a good idea. It required less finesse and more ass-kicking—exactly what she needed right now.

The room service disguise would get her in the door, so without further thought, she grabbed her bag and headed out. As her hand reached for the doorknob, a knock sounded. Shit. Was Hugh back already? He must have forgotten his wallet or something.

She quickly moved to the bedside table and put her purse down before rushing back to the door. She didn’t want him thinking she was leaving. Then, without a second thought, she swung the door wide and stared into the eyes of the one man she did not want to see. Her boss.

“Hello, Tess.”

An uncomfortable, clammy feeling spread over her skin. Her stomach clenched.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
If it had been Hugh at the door, he wouldn’t have knocked. He’d have had a key in his pocket and come right in. She
had
lost her touch.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” She wiped her hands down her jeans.

“Aren’t you going to ask me in?”

Tess got the feeling if she didn’t let him inside the room in the next second, she might lose a limb.

All her limbs were of utmost importance at the moment.

“Of course. Come on in.” She stepped to the side and caught a whiff of his cologne. Her nose twitched and she drew her top lip in to prevent a sneeze.

She pushed the door shut with the back of her foot. Christian strode to the couch, his head turning left, then right. He took in everything in the suite, and when he twisted to sit, his penetrating gaze went right through her.

Does he know what I was doing in here last night?
The made bed was from her hand, not a maid’s, so it was anything but perfect. She prayed any color in her cheeks didn’t give away her feelings for Hugh.

She had two choices. Stare right back and refuse to let him intimidate her. Or look away and play the hapless female off her game trying to right her workmanship. Because her boss was a lot of things but idiot wasn’t one of them.

He wasn’t in town to pay a friendly visit and see if she needed help with her assignment. He was in town because he didn’t trust that she’d finish her assignment without botching something up again.

If he’d found out about George, it wouldn’t matter what she did.

“Are you enjoying San Diego?” His even-keeled tone sent shivers across her shoulder blades, and she couldn’t help but flinch.

The direct approach had always worked best for her in the past, so she held her ground and his gaze and spoke with her own version of the dull, upper-crust voice she loathed hearing from his lips. “How did you know I was here?”

He unbuttoned his suit coat and brushed large, manicured hands down the top of his thighs like there was lint on the dark slacks. “Since when do you answer a question with a question?” Agitation laced his words.

The disconcert sent a gulp the size of an orange down her throat and a sharp pain radiated from her chest and spread through her body like a lit fuse. He’d never let emotion into his words before. Which meant only one thing.

He knew.

She was as good as dead.

“You here to kill me?” What the fuck? She may as well cut to the chase and get to the bottom of his unpleasant visit. If she had any hope of getting to Dobson’s meeting on time, things needed to progress quickly.

“Another question? Tess, you’re begging me to.” A spaghetti-thin smile spread across his face, his black eyes sparkled with sinister intent. “Have you completed your assignment?”

Now probably wasn’t the best time to stretch the truth. “Not yet. Is that why you’re here?” Desperation built up inside her. She clenched her jaw.

“Why the delay?”

Tess almost asked why he got to answer a question with a question, but refrained. She kept her eyes trained on him, and the longer they waged a staring contest, the more strength started to bubble inside her. She no longer looked at him the same way. No longer believed he shared any compassion. The man that had saved her when she was sixteen had preyed on her weaknesses.

Think, Tess.
She recalled their original meeting on the topic, ignoring their last discussion where he couldn’t care less. “He’s proven a more difficult target than I anticipated, and the personal dealings you wanted information on have been harder to come by. The standards I’ve been taught by P.I.E.—investigate, find sufficient evidence to warrant removal, then kill—all point to innocence.”

“The client has gathered his own data. I told you to simply eliminate him.” His inflexible tone told her it was pointless to argue.

Which meant the client didn’t give a shit whether or not Hugh deserved to be killed. It was personal. She fisted her hands. Her suspicions had been right.

“I’ve still got a few hours.”

Whoever wanted Hugh dead wanted him out of the way. And if that was the case, there was reason to believe the meeting between the Night Runners and the Wolf Seekers definitely had something to do with him. Did Dobson know about Hugh’s elimination order?

More than anything, Tess needed to get to that meeting.

And preferably before Hugh got back to the room. She didn’t want to make introductions that would end in bloodshed. Not tonight.

Not ever again.

Zero emotion showed on Christian’s face.

She finally got her feet to move and leaned against the back of the armchair. “I’m sure you already know, but my mark is here in the hotel. It won’t be a problem to get close enough to eliminate him. I’ve got it under control. What I need is for you to trust me.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And leave me to handle things on my own.” She was taking a big leap of faith and gambling with her almost perfect record.

“Trust”—he let the word linger by its lonesome for what seemed like an eternity—“is not for the asking. However, I will honor your deadline.”

“Thank you.” She knew he was playing with her. But if she had any hope of getting to Dobson, getting to Hugh and figuring out how to save his ass and hers, she had to get the hell away from Christian.

Unfortunately, he made no motion to get up and go. Was he going to wait for her to bring back Hugh’s head?

“Is there anything else?” she asked, fighting the urge to wrinkle his well-groomed appearance with one swift roundhouse kick to the chest.

“As a matter of fact, there is.” He scooted back, making himself more comfortable on the couch. “Tell me why.”

“Why what?” She gripped the back of the chair to keep her knees from buckling. Why she didn’t want to eliminate anymore? Why she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him? Why there was something else she had to do before she died? “Or how about why doesn’t innocence matter? Since you seem hell bent on eliminating someone honest.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why
now
?”

She had no idea what he meant by that. “I don’t understand what you’re asking.” And really, she wished he’d just drop it. Whatever game he was playing, only he knew the rules. That pissed her off, but did ease the tension his arrival had caused. She was ready for battle now. Ready to fight him to save Hugh if it came down to it.

Before he had a chance to reply, the
click
of the key card being used on the door reached her ears. Anxiety rushed back into her bloodstream.

Hugh.

Every muscle in her body went rigid. Sudden, severe stabs of regret hit every major organ. There was no way she’d get to the door in time to stop his entrance.

Chapter Seventeen

“Expecting someone?” Christian asked, sounding well informed and not the least bit surprised. He knew who was at the door. He’d been keeping tabs on her again. The violation of privacy twisted her stomach into a knot.

Lacking enough time to rush to the door, Tess ran to the bedside table to grab her bag. Christian, however, was fast on his feet, and by the time she’d secured the bag in her hands, his arms were around her torso with a knife at her neck.

Tension in her body escalated. She clutched her bag to her waist, hoping he wouldn’t make her drop it. She didn’t dare move, or try to free herself from his grip—not until she figured out what to do. His actions confused her. Did he really plan on killing her right here? Right now? Before she eliminated Hugh?

The suite door swung open, and when her eyes met Hugh’s, she wanted to be anywhere but in that room. He registered the situation immediately, and in a single blink, his blue eyes turned to liquid fire. She shook her head, pleading for him not to shift. Not to act without thinking, because if they took things slowly, the pieces of this puzzle might become clear.

“Take your hands off her,” Hugh growled, the transformation beginning.

A hand landed on Hugh’s shoulder. Dane. He nudged Hugh forward, his eyes narrowed at her, a small curve of satisfaction on his lips. The door closed with a thud.

“Careful, there,” Dane said.

Hugh shrugged off Dane’s hand and put space between himself and his pack mate. Then with the subtle finesse of an animal hunting its prey, he stepped toward her. She shook her head, this time more slowly, carefully. She didn’t want Hugh getting too close. Didn’t want him in harm’s way even though he was perfectly capable of defending himself.

“Put the knife down,” Hugh said.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not yet.”

The tip of the blade pressed into her skin, and rage made her muscles flex. If Christian thought he could put an end to her, he had another thing coming. She had a few things to do first. Namely, save Hugh.

“Tess, you okay?” Hugh moved his gaze from Christian to her.

“Peachy. I love having a knife at my throat. How about you? How’d those drinks go? Oh, and this is my boss, Christian Summers. Christian, Hugh Langston. But I think you already knew that.”

If she’d gone with them for drinks, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. But this dilemma had landed her right in the middle of something. Something she’d better hurry and figure out in the next thirty seconds or someone might get killed. She glanced over Hugh’s shoulder. Dane… She narrowed her eyes. Dane knew her boss. His uptight stance and twisted smile confirmed it.

“I’m not going to ask again,” Hugh said, staring at Christian. Tess could literally feel the rage coming off him in waves.

“Don’t threaten me, Mr. Langston. I can’t be held responsible for my actions if I’m intimidated.” He let the knife slip. “Oops.”

Tess felt the puncture, felt blood trickle down her neck. She’d never hated her boss more than at that moment. The sting made her eyes burn, but she otherwise remained calm. If she showed any sort of emotion, that meant Christian won. Hugh, on the other hand, looked ready to pounce.

“He’s just making a point, Hugh. I’m fine. Let’s all take a deep breath and have a nice little chat.”

Hugh acknowledged her request with a disgruntled frown and a forced blink of his eyes. She appreciated his restraint. She knew the only reason he hadn’t attacked when he walked through the door was because he wanted information as much as she did.

“Excellent idea,” Christian said, tugging her with him to the sitting area.

He shoved her into the chair and took the spot next to her on the couch, close enough to intimidate, but far enough to allow for breathing room. The knife, stained with her blood, remained at the ready in his hand. He leaned back casually, like he didn’t have a care in the world. His expression gave nothing away but confidence.

Tess tried not to let her smirk show. The man was off his game. He’d left Tess with her bag.
Idiot.
She held on to it like it was take-out—not a big deal, she could take it or leave it. That way it wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention.

Dane gave Hugh a push from behind. “Take a seat.”

“Excuse me? Since when do you give me orders?” Malice laced Hugh’s words, his feet moving only after a beat.

“Since he and my boss know each other,” she piped in. Whatever the reason for Christian’s arrival, it was no coincidence that Dane was present too. They were in cahoots. Tess hadn’t learned to read people for nothing.

In fact, Tess would wager that Dane worked for Christian. The Night Runner kept his eyes on her boss as if waiting for instructions. Dane couldn’t keep still, some body part always in motion. Tension crossed his face, lines she hadn’t noticed before were clearly visible now.

He couldn’t be an eliminator, could he? Sent as backup? Impossible. There aren’t any Veiler eliminators.
At least none to her knowledge.

Hugh halted. “What are you talking—”

“Give the girl a gold star,” Dane said, shoving Hugh toward the sitting area before he could turn around to face him. “Now take a seat so we can take care of business.”

It killed her to see Hugh’s muscles strain, his jaw clench. And she knew it took every ounce of his strength to stay cool in hopes of learning something that had to do with his pack.

“Do not touch me again. If you do, I’m going to rip your throat out.” Hugh filled the chair next to her, his close proximity both killing her and giving her hope.

Stillness swept over the room and she stood, uncomfortable with the momentary peace. She had no illusions Christian would let her leave, but she had to try. Had to do
something.
“I just remembered I’ve got a meeting to—”

“There is no other meeting,” Christian said with his usual calm, cool demeanor.

How the hell would he know?

Oh God. Wait a minute.
Sharp pain sliced through her head. Her breathing accelerated. She cleared her throat and swallowed down emotion threatening to weaken her resolve.

She’d been set up. The deadline on Hugh’s elimination, the meeting, it was all a way to get her out of Los Angeles so she and Hugh could be dealt with discreetly. Christian and whoever wanted Hugh dead had orchestrated this whole thing.

But what about Dobson? What about the wolfen that had killed Jason? Where did he fit in?

He… He was right in front of her. As sure as she knew her own name, she knew Dane was Dobson. Shock swept through her, her knees felt brittle—one step and she’d be forced to crawl.

She blinked away the pain, anger and tears threatening to strip her strength away. It made perfect sense now. He’d avoided the Banoth and pretty much threatened her afterward. He’d given Hugh info from his “contacts”. And out of the corner of her eye at the park the night they’d rescued Trey, hadn’t she noticed him help a Wolf Seeker up, rather than knock him down? She’d thought it impossible at the time. Thought her eyes were playing a trick. They weren’t fooling her now.

But why had he killed Jason? Her pulse sped up, her vision blurred. For five long years, she’d waited for this moment.

Adrenaline kicked up fury inside her, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to leap across the room and break his neck.

“Looks like the meeting found us,” Hugh said, shaking Tess from her thoughts.

He’d figured it out too, and the urgency to leave the suite dissipated. In its place roared an urge to whip out her weapons and kill. But she didn’t do that anymore. Her brain was falling back on memory, going on autopilot. She’d killed for a living for so long she didn’t know anything else. Not when she stood there harboring so much hostility she wanted to lash out and destroy everything around her.

She hated feeling like a fool. How long had Christian known she’d been searching for Dobson? How much had Dane told him about her relationship with Hugh?

Why was she ordered to eliminate him?

Glare from the setting sun ricocheted around the hotel room while silence sounded louder than thunder. She noticed the wheels turning on her enemies’ faces and wanted to stop them from whatever they were planning. For the first time in twelve years, she felt absolutely nothing but contempt for her boss.

“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name, Dobson,” Tess said, expelling a deep breath. In relief? In worry? She didn’t know. Suddenly, numbness spread out from her core, and thinking coherently became questionable.

Was she resigning herself to the end of the line?

Hugh snarled, but kept still, and once again Tess appreciated his restraint. He knew how important this moment was for her.

“You like my face, huh?”

“Screw you, Dane. I hate your face. And I hate you,” she said.

Dane stared back and smiled. “No shit. You wear your heart on your sleeve, Tess.”

No, she did not. Her heart was well-guarded.
Asshole.

“At least you do now,” he added. “Five years ago, you could’ve fooled me.”

His words threw her into outrage, and there was no containing her anger anymore. Quickly, she reached into her bag and pulled out her gun. She shoved her chair back with her leg to give herself a little more standing room, and spread her legs for solid balance. Then, with a steady hand, she aimed the weapon at Dane’s heart.

She couldn’t figure out why no one in the room moved. Maybe they saw the wild in her eyes, the need to get revenge no matter the cost. Whatever the reason, in Dane’s case, he’d finally grown a pair of balls and didn’t flinch as she fixed her gaze on him. He wasn’t backing down, and she fought the urge to skip the explanation. Two shots. All she needed was two shots.

“Why did you kill Jason?” The detached tone of her voice pleased her.

Dane glanced at Christian before answering. “It wasn’t cold blooded. I was defending myself.”

“That’s bullshit.” And the last thing she expected him to say.

“You heard me. Jason was going to kill me.” He moved a step closer.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hugh scoot his chair back and lean closer to the edge. She gave a silent thank you that he was ready to pounce if necessary.

“Why?” she demanded, doubting Dane’s honesty, but needing to hear his reason anyway.

He glanced at Christian again. Cut a discomforted glimpse at Hugh. “He was sent to eliminate me.”

She laughed. “Funny. Now how about the truth, asshole?”

“It could be true,” Hugh muttered.

Tess bit her bottom lip. Hard. “What?” she whispered, her eyes never leaving Dane.

“There was a hit out on Dane,” Hugh said. “He’d gotten into some trouble and pissed off the wrong people. We knew it was P.I.E. and we’d hoped to get him out of the mess without any casualty. I didn’t make the connection to Jason until this second.”

She darted a glance at Hugh. He was staring at her with apology.

None of it made sense. Her head swam with confusion. Was Hugh implying that Jason worked for P.I.E.? That was impossible. She would have known.

With a heavy, bored sigh, Christian rose to his feet. He’d ditched the knife for a gun. And had it trained right between her eyes.

“Don’t!” she shouted to Hugh as he jumped to his feet ready to attack. She didn’t know what kind of bullets Christian had, but she guessed they’d take care of her
and
a wolfen.

She swung so her gun pointed at the man who had saved her all those years ago. Who had promised her a better life. “Now I’d say we’re evenly matched. Hugh can take care of Dane, and you and I can come to some sort of arrangement.”

“I’ve always admired your confidence, Tess,” he said. “But we already have an arrangement.”

The reminder made her legs weak. “I suppose we do.”

“And in case you’re wondering about Jason…” His eyebrows lifted and the vilest smile Tess had ever seen spread across his ruthless face. “He was an eliminator.”

“You’re lying. He would have told me. I would have known. It wouldn’t have been a secret.” The gun in her hand wavered a fraction. She fought the threatening tears.

“Jason was part of a group of top secret eliminators. No one knew who he was but me. He, on the other hand, knew who you were long before you broke protocol and told him.”

Tess heard the words but couldn’t make sense of them. Jason had known about her all along and still kept his occupation secret? She let her mind race back to the time they’d spent together. He’d always kept her at arm’s length, never divulged his deepest thoughts or desires, no matter how often she’d prodded him. She’d attributed it to them being displaced as children, thought he was still piecing together his purpose. She sure the heck was. But she knew now that wasn’t it. Jason purposely never let her all the way in.

He’d lied to her. Just as she’d lied to him.

But his lie was worse.

She locked away Jason’s memory for good. Whether he’d truly loved her or not, she didn’t know. But she didn’t need to kill Dobson anymore to clear her conscience.

“Why is this all coming to blows now? What does this have to do with Hugh and the Night Runners?” Her mental frame shifted one hundred percent to Hugh and getting him out of here alive.

“With Hugh out of the picture,” Dane said, “I take over as leader of the Night Runners. A position I’m entitled to. A position that will allow me to grow and integrate the pack with other wolves and make sure we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“So this whole elimination is your doing? You came to P.I.E. and ordered the hit because there was no way in hell Hugh was going to make you next in line?”

Dane fumed. “Fu—”

“Why didn’t you let the Banoth’s poison kill me?” Hugh said, calm, steady.

“If the pack had found out I wasn’t carrying and let you die, they’d never support me as the next alpha. They will when I tell them I tried to stop the hit and your last words were for me to take over.”

“What about Trey?” Hugh asked.

“He’s also meeting an untimely demise,” Christian said. “And Dane didn’t come to me. I went to him. P.I.E. is moving into the future. A future where eliminators will be virtually unstoppable.”