One Bad Day (One Day) (6 page)

“Asshole,” Gray muttered into the phone, but Burg had already hung up.

Gray was sure Tessa had no idea what she’d gotten herself into. The bad feeling in his gut twinged again. Knowing that she could get hurt twisted his insides.

He thought about the look on her face earlier when Monique was there and realized he’d already seen her hurt.

Tessa had looked devastated when Monique had identified herself as his his fiancée. She could say it was sex all she wanted, but it was evident from her reaction she felt something for him. He knew his feelings for her went beyond just sex.

Regardless of whether it was just sex between them or not, he had to get to her, fast.

He hoped that he was panicking over nothing. That the fear rolling through him was unwarranted. His gut told him different. Deep down he knew she was in serious danger, especially now that he was the one holding the card.

Chapter Sixteen

“Well, looky here. Two little birdies instead of one.” Scary Guy stood in the doorway looking from Claudia to Tessa and back again.

“This changes things.” He nodded at Tessa. “You, girlie, go sit next to your sad friend there.”

So that Scary Guy could see that she was harmless, Tess made her way over to Claudia with slow and deliberate movements. Once she reached the sofa, she sat on a torn cushion.

Scary Guy pulled out a cell phone and began typing.

“What are you doing?” Tessa asked.

“Letting my contact know that my price has increased, since there’s two of you,” he said, with a twisted smile.

Tessa glanced over at Claudia, whose sobs had turned into quivering hiccups. “Price has increased for what?”

Scary Guy ignored her and continued texting.

Claudia groaned. “Oh, God. I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Take Blondie to the John,” Scary Guy said to Tessa. “I need you both where I can see you.” His phone made a beeping noise and he glanced down at it. “Excellent. Down payment for two just confirmed.” Another twisted smile spread across his face and Tessa’s stomach turned.

No. She was
not
going to hurl.

Claudia groaned again.

“Go on now, take her to the shitter. Nice and slow, don’t try anything stupid. We’re gonna go for a ride in a bit and I don’t want any puke in the car.”

Tessa put her arm around Claudia and steadied her as they shuffled their way to the bathroom off the living room with Scary Guy following behind. Claudia stumbled in her high heels and leaned on Tessa.

Once in the bathroom, Claudia looked at Tessa. “My fault,” she whispered. “I won’t even get to see him before I die.” Claudia turned on the cold water and began splashing her face.

Tessa realized that Claudia had already prepared herself for the worst, but Tessa didn’t want to die. Not today and not like this. What could she do?

Maybe this guy didn’t really
want
to kill them. Maybe deep down—
way
deep down—this guy was a decent person. Maybe she could appeal to whatever goodness he had in him. She knew she was grasping at straws, but she refused to give up.

She turned to Scary Guy. “You know you don’t have to do this. Take the money and go. Catch a flight. No one will know.”

He laughed.

Okay, so maybe not.

“Uh... “ Tessa thought maybe she could stall him while she tried to think of a way to escape. She looked him in the eye and said, “I’ll give you all my money, if you don’t kill us.”

***

“Burg, where the hell are you?” Gray barked into the phone while sitting in his car in the parking lot in front of Tessa’s apartment.

“I told you I’m on my way.”

Gray heard the sirens on Burg’s car blaring on the other end and blew out a slow breath. Glancing at the dark sedan that sat empty in the lot, he asked, “Do you have any more information?”

“We’ve sent someone out to talk to the Senator to see if he knows anything. The plates on that car you gave me to run come back to a rental. Ernie Glatt is the name on the paperwork. Address is an empty warehouse across town.”

“He’s in there with her,” Gray said, his heart hammering in his chest. “I know he is.” Burg would be too late.

“Gray, I can hear the panic in your voice. Don’t go in until we get there. Listen—”

Gray disconnected and pulled his gun. He didn’t care about backup. The thought of life without beautiful, vibrant Tessa in it sent waves of pain and terror through him. With startling awareness, he realized he would risk his life for her. It was definitely more than sex for him. He loved her.

Despite his anxiety for her safety, he knew he needed to be composed and have a clear head when he went in. He pushed his emotions aside.

After skulking up the steps to her apartment, he paused outside the door and listened. He could hear Tessa talking and someone crying in the background.

Peeking through the open crack of the door, he saw the battered face of the big guy in the suit from the night before—aka Egghead—holding a gun pointed at Tessa.

Chapter Seventeen

Tessa stood in the bathroom doorway with Claudia behind her when she saw someone silently slip through the door and dart behind the chair Claudia had been sitting in earlier. She thought it might be Gray—
Please, God, let it be Gray
—but couldn’t be sure.

“Um...yeah, my family’s got lots of money,” she said to Scary Guy, trying to stall her inevitable execution. “What made you decide to become a killer? I mean, that’s not something kids think about when asked what they want to be.” She smiled and tried to look rich.

“What the fuck are you talking about? What the hell is wrong with you?” He stood with his back to the door and flailed his arms about—including the one that was holding the gun.

Tessa stared at the nose of the weapon that pointed in all different directions as he whipped it about his head. “I, uh... I’m nervous.”

“Well, shut up. Come on out of the bathroom. And bring Blondie.” He gestured with the gun. “It’s time to go.”

Scary Guy pushed both women in front of him and toward the door. Tessa caught a glimpse of Gray crouched behind the chair. He locked gazes with her and pointed to the kitchen.

Without thinking twice, Tessa grabbed Claudia’s arm and shoved her into the kitchen and on the floor behind the island cabinets. A shot rang out followed by the clatter of a gun hitting the floor.
Oh God! Did Gray get shot?
She crawled across the linoleum and peeked around the kitchen counter.
Please let Gray be okay.

Gray and Scary Guy turned end over end on the floor, grunting and grappling over the gun. Relief washed through her when Gray rolled by her without any sign of gunshot wounds.

I have to help him!
She looked around for a weapon while Claudia lay curled in a ball on the floor next to her with her arms over her head. Tessa grabbed one of Claudia’s high heel shoes and yanked it off, readying herself to charge.

***

Goddamn it
! Egghead was stronger than he looked, which only pissed Gray off more. They rolled around on the ground before Gray managed to bash Egghead’s head into the corner of the kitchen island. He thrashed about and managed to pin himself on top of Gray. After punching him in the face, Egghead put Gray in a chokehold, then Gray socked him on the side of the head causing him to release his grip on Gray’s neck. Gray hit him again, his fist connecting with Egghead’s nose. A loud crack rang out, blood oozing down his face. He head-butted Gray so hard, Gray was momentarily stunned.

Shaking his head, Gray looked up and saw Tessa gripping a high-heeled shoe. She closed her eyes and swung downward, the heel connecting with Egghead’s skull with a
thunk
.

“Motherfucker!” Egghead turned to reach for Tessa.

Gray brought his arm back and hit the asshole with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious.

“Jesus, Gray. I told you to wait for me.” Burg stood in the doorway with his weapon in hand.

Chapter Eighteen

Tessa stood and watched Gray and Burg cuff Scary Guy. She looked down and realized that she was still clutching Claudia’s high heel, then dropped it and turned to Claudia, who was still curled up in the corner of the kitchen.

“Claudia?” She dropped to her knees and pulled Claudia’s hands away from her face. “Are you okay?”

Claudia looked at Tessa. “You are freakishly strong,” she said through sniffles.

Tessa snorted as an EMT hovered above them.

“Ma’am, I’m going to check you for injuries.” He squatted down next to Claudia and began to take her pulse.

Loud voices at the front door drew Tessa’s attention. She stood up, then turned toward the noise. Was that Senator Stone? What was he doing here? Well, at the moment he was arguing with one of the uniformed officers. The Senator turned and spotted Claudia, causing him to push past the officer and rush over to her.

Burg stood next to Tessa. “I’ll be damned. He really does love her.”

“Huh?” Tessa looked at Burg.

“The Senator loves Claudia. He was going to leave his wife for her.”

“What about the card? Wasn’t Senator Stone the one who was after it?” Tessa watched as the EMT finished checking Claudia and Senator Stone pulled her into his arms, brushing her hair off her face and placing a kiss on her forehead. Why would he try to have her killed and then kiss her? He didn’t look mad at all. What the heck was going on?

“His wife is the one who wanted the card. She arranged for it to be stolen and for Claudia to be taken out.” Burg made a circular motion by his head. “She’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal, if you know what I mean.”

“What about the Senator?” Tessa asked.

“He planned on divorcing his wife.” Burg shook his head. “Apparently the pictures didn’t matter to him. He wanted to marry Claudia.”

***

Burg had just finished questioning Tessa when he nodded at Gray, who stood watching them from across the room.

Taking his cue, Gray strode over to her, tilted her chin up, and bent down to examine her face. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

She shook her head.

A female officer nearby called out to him but Gray ignored her and continued to inspect Tessa. She didn’t appear to have any injuries. She stayed silent and looked at him, betrayal clear in her eyes.

“Tessa, I—”

“Gray. I need you over here,” the female officer said loudly.

Gray sighed and caressed her cheek before releasing her. “We’ll talk later.” He turned and made his way over to the female officer. Damn it!
He really needed to talk to Tessa and straighten out the mess with Monique. Thank God she didn’t appear to be hurt in any way—at least physically. With one hand, he scratched at the tight feeling in his chest. When he thought about what could have happened to her... Looking over at her, he hoped to see a hint of a grin. She stared back with no trace of her dazzling smile, but instead she stood with her lips pressed tightly together and her eyes shimmering with her pain. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Unfortunately, it would all have to wait a bit longer.

Later, after securing and clearing the scene, Gray realized that Tessa had disappeared. With all the commotion and officers going in out, she must have slipped out. “Shit!”

“Problem?” Burg smacked Gray on the back.

“Where is she?”

“Who, Tessa? I don’t know. After I talked her I went to question Claudia. She must’ve ducked out then.”

“Aw hell.” Gray rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “How am I going to fix this?”

Burg laughed. “How were you able to fuck things up so bad in one day?”

Glaring at Burg, Gray said, “Just wait, one day you’ll fuck things up with a woman and you’ll have no idea what you did or how you did it.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the kitchen counter. “When that day comes, I’m going to laugh my ass off.”

Chapter Nineteen

Tessa sat at the check-in table at the hotel putting leftover brochures in a box and tried not to think about Gray. She sighed. Leaving him without a word had been the right decision, but she couldn’t help thinking about what could have been between them. She knew that if she’d stayed and listened to whatever he’d had to say, she would’ve thrown herself at him. Again. He’d left her a couple of messages since then, but she refused to return his calls. As much as it killed her to admit, she still wanted him, but she refused to be the Other Woman.

Irene had been more than happy to put her up for the night when Tessa had called her a week ago. Now, though, she was temporarily staying in another apartment until her landlord got hers cleaned up and painted.

She looked around the empty hotel lobby. Irene had gone home hours ago when the last of the trade show attendees had left. Tessa had told her that she’d finish up and return all the trade show paraphernalia the following Monday. She bent down to tape shut the box she had filled and when she stood, Monique was in front of her.

“I need to talk to you.” Monique was just as tall, stacked, and blonde as she remembered. She was a knockout.

Bitch.

“Look,” Tessa said, “I had no idea that you were—”

“Stop.” Monique waved her hand. “Just be quiet for a minute before I lose my nerve. The things I do for that man,” she mumbled under her breath, smoothing her hands over her skirt. “I owe you an apology.”

“No, really. I didn’t know.”

“Listen a minute.” Monique made a stop motion with her hand. “Gray and I were broken up—we had been for months. I was lonely.” She rolled her eyes. “God this is hard. I wanted him back. And when I saw you, something came over me and I said we were engaged and we’re not. We never were. I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“Good Lord, please don’t make me say it again.” Monique pursed her lips. “Look, he really likes you. I may be a bitch, but I do have feelings and though it pains me to say this, I really would like to see him happy.” She sighed. “I wish he were as crazy about me while we were dating as he is about you,” she said, her voice low. Sadness skipped across her face and then was gone. “Give him a chance.” Monique smiled.

Tessa was speechless. Well, damn. So Gray
wasn’t
engaged?