Targeted (25 page)

Levi’s jaw clenched once, but he gave an imperceptible nod.

“Why are you telling me this?”

He snorted. “Because fuck Vargas, that’s why. He’s a means to an end. You’ve got thirty seconds now.”

Jack blocked Sophie’s body with his as they walked around Levi. “You almost got us killed in Marathon. You get in my way again, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” Levi said.

Jack stayed close to Sophie as they rushed down the side of the building. But he kept his eye on Levi, who still hadn’t moved.

Once they made it to the other corner, he had full visibility of the parking lot. No one was around. Levi must have been their lookout man.

Jack didn’t say a word, but Sophie remained close as they maneuvered their way toward the SUV. Tomorrow he’d have to ditch it, but for now they needed it to get to the hostel.

Once they’d pulled out of the parking lot, Sophie breathlessly asked, “Why did he let us go?”

“I have no clue.”

“Do you think he’ll follow us?”

“No. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s not interested in us.” This had everything to do with his wife’s death. Jack was sure even if he didn’t know the details. The truth was, if someone killed Sophie he didn’t even want to think about what he’d do to get revenge.

“Do you think . . . we could stop by Hannah’s house? She still hasn’t called and I’m worried.”

Considering he’d already dragged Sophie all over the city and nearly gotten her killed more than once, he couldn’t knowingly put her in more danger. “Her house is probably being watched. It’s not a good idea.”

“Isn’t this what you do? Can’t you get us in without being seen?” She bit her bottom lip and he could feel himself caving.

“No.”

“Unless I’m your hostage, I’m going with or without you. Decide if you want to help me or not, because I’m going.”

She would too. He could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw.

And the truth was, he couldn’t physically restrain her and keep her captive. Not knowing her history. Hell, he couldn’t do it no matter what. Not to Sophie. “We’ll drive by, check out the area, and
if
it looks safe, I’ll double back and enter from the backyard. Do you know what kind of security system she has?”

“She doesn’t have one and she keeps a key hidden in case she locks herself out. Not that breaking in should be a problem for
you
.” He didn’t miss the wry note in her voice.

“Where’s her key?”

“In the fake plant hanging on the front porch. It’s in a small magnetic holder.”

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He couldn’t comprehend that kind of naivete. “Please tell me you don’t have a key anywhere outside your place.”

“No.”

Thank God.
“Do you at least have a security system?”

“No, but I live in a safe neighborhood.”

He snorted. “That’s going to change.”

“Excuse me?” She lifted a dark eyebrow.

“When this is all over, I’m having one installed for you.” She could make whatever she wanted out of that. He knew there was no future for them, but if he could take care of her, even in a small way, he was going to. She looked surprised but didn’t respond.

Since he already knew Hannah’s address, he took the shortest route there. Sophie was silent on the short drive over. As they cruised by Hannah’s bungalow-style home, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Is her garage door normally closed?”

“Yeah, she keeps her car parked in it.”

He didn’t slow his speed as they cruised past, but there weren’t any vans or cars parked across the street. That was a good sign. But it didn’t mean her house wasn’t being watched.

“So, what are we doing now?”

“
We
aren’t doing anything. I’m going to park and do a little recon.
You
are going to wait in the vehicle.”

“The hell I am. This is stolen. What if the cops stop me while I’m sitting in it?”

Doubtful, considering he’d switched the plates. “That’s not going to happen.”

“I’ll follow you and you can’t stop me.” She unsnapped her seat belt as he steered into a spot behind a parked car on the street over.

He bit back a frustrated growl. Her stubborn streak had definitely not faded with time. “This’ll be easier if I can get in and get out without worrying about you.”

“She’s my best friend. I’m going.” Her fingers were already wrapped around the door handle.

Sighing, he said, “Come on.”

The street was quiet, and after a quick scan of the houses on the neighboring street, he picked the only house with a chain-link fence as opposed to a privacy fence. To give her credit, Sophie didn’t chatter and she stuck close to him. After the past couple of days they’d had, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to check on her friend. Jumping the fences was easy enough and there weren’t any big dogs or men with weapons waiting for them either.

When he was sure they weren’t being watched, he jimmied the back lock—which was worse than Mandy’s. He could have gotten the key, but didn’t want to expose himself more than necessary.

As they entered, all his survival instincts were on high alert, but there was no one in the house. He could feel almost immediately that they were alone. It was indescribable, but that sensation he got when danger was near wasn’t knocking away at his brain as it had so many times in the past.

The living room looked lived in, but nothing was broken or tossed. Same with the kitchen. When they reached the only bedroom, he leaned close to Sophie and tried to ignore his body’s response when his mouth grazed her ear. Under different circumstances he’d give anything to suck her earlobe between his lips and feather kisses along her soft skin. “Check to see if her suitcase and clothes are missing. I’m going to check the garage.”

She nodded and her hair tickled his nose. As she brushed past him, his cock went on full alert. It didn’t matter that the timing was inappropriate, his body just reacted around her. He deserved a fucking medal for keeping his distance over the past couple of days. Especially when she’d made it clear she’d welcome him into her bed. But if he crossed that line now, how the hell could he go back to his life without her?

He couldn’t.

Pushing back his hunger, he hurried to the garage and opened the door. He swept his flashlight around the empty space and froze when he spotted shards of glass and a red scarf near the garage door. It could mean any number of things, none of which he was informing Sophie about. If Vargas’s guys had taken Hannah, they’d have taken her car and disposed of it somewhere. That was why the house wasn’t a wreck. If the police were called, nothing in her house would look out of order.

As he pulled the door shut, Sophie’s subtle, exotic scent tickled his nose. The mango, citrusy smell would be forever etched in his mind. He schooled his face before turning toward her. “Her car’s gone.”

“A lot of her clothes and toiletries are gone too,” she whispered back. “That’s good, right?”

“Yep. Let’s get out of here.”

Once they were back in the SUV, some of the tension built up in his shoulders loosened a fraction. He felt guilty about keeping what he’d seen from her, but if he told her she’d be eaten alive with worry. And he wouldn’t do that to her. Not when she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

She sagged against the leather seat. “I still can’t believe all this is happening.”

“I know, and I’m sorry you got dragged into any of it. I know I said it earlier, but you really are handling this better than any civilian I’ve ever worked with.” True, he hadn’t worked with many, but the few he had normally lost their heads. Hell, he’d worked with trained agents who lost their shit during gunfire.

She chuckled and shook her head.

Something told him that her time in foster care had a lot to do with her coping. She’d grown up learning to hide her emotions and put on a happy face for the world. Except with him. With him, she’d always been herself. Where most people had thought she was a snob growing up, he’d figured out early that she was just quiet. She’d moved around too much to let people in. Something he understood.

“How much longer until we get there?” she asked, drawing his attention to her mouth.

“Soon, I promise.” Though he wondered if that was a good thing. They would soon be sharing a room again, and he only had so much restraint.

“Thank God.”

Flashing neon lights and throngs of people wearing skimpy dresses and designer clothes passed them in a blur as they cruised down Ocean Drive. He’d never been to the hostel, but he recognized some of the landmarks from their Web site’s photo gallery. After turning down a few side streets, he located it off Washington Avenue.

“
This
is the hostel?” Sophie stared at him as they pulled into the semifull parking lot.

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s so . . . nice. I backpacked through Europe one summer and
never
stayed anywhere like this.”

Jack shrugged and unloaded their bags. The simple two-story building was located in the Art Deco district, and as long as no one was shooting at them he didn’t care where they stayed. He wouldn’t mind sleeping on the beach if he had to. Especially if he had Sophie to keep him warm.

As soon as they walked through the front door, they were greeted by two giggling, drunk college-aged girls who placed leis around their necks. There were eight other people in the lounge area. Jack quickly assessed them. They all looked drunk but harmless. And they weren’t paying Sophie or him any attention.

The flashing purple lights and modular seating reminded him of a club. Sophie was right. This wasn’t like any hostel he’d ever stayed in either.

“Which way do we go?” Sophie asked.

To the right was a bar area, and the room to the left of the lobby had a pool table and a row of computers. “Let’s try this way.”

As soon as they stepped inside, a man about his age wearing a white polo shirt greeted them. The man stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Mark, the owner. Are you folks looking for a place to stay?”

Jack took his hand and smiled. “My name is Robert Smith. I called earlier about the private room.”

“Oh, right, dude. Sorry, the one with the two twin beds is gone, but I’ve still got one private room left. Only one bed, though. That a problem?”

The thought of sharing a bed with her was too damn tempting. He glanced at Sophie—hoping his internal reaction wasn’t visible on his face—and she shrugged. “Nope. Show us the way.”

They followed the man through the computer room and down a plain white hallway.

The owner opened the last door on the left and turned to face them. “There’s a dollar-fifty happy hour every night from six to eight. No curfew, but if you come in after three, try to keep it down.”

“That won’t be a problem.” Jack fished out enough bills to cover three nights and handed them to the man.

The outer areas might be bright and colorful, but their matchbox-sized room was painted a dull white. No cheap art hanging on the walls, just a bed, a nightstand, and a plastic plant.

Sophie sat on the edge of the bed. “Want to hit the shower first?”

“No, you can. I’ll take the floor, so don’t worry.” He unzipped his bag and pulled out the plastic bag she’d shoved her stuff into earlier.

To his surprise, her lips pulled into a thin line. “We’re both adults. After everything I’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours, I
think
I can handle sleeping in the same bed with you.” She snatched the bag from his hand and before he could respond, she’d slammed the bathroom door behind her.

•   •   •

Sophie turned the shower on before collapsing onto the closed toilet seat. His offer to take the floor had been sweet, but for some reason it had seriously pissed her off. It was as if he’d just lit the match on her temper. And deep down, she knew why.

Thoughts of Sam had been bombarding her all day. They’d been mixed in with every other crazy thing that had happened. Watching Jack move, the way he’d stood up for her, protected her . . . it was fucking with her head. And all she could picture was one of her last memories with Sam. Not the last, but this one was brutal enough because it had been the beginning of the end for them. She hated that she kept seeing Sam when she looked at Jack but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to banish the memory that wouldn’t go away, but it was impossible. The treacherous images played over and over like a bad movie.