Текст книги "Wanted"

Автор книги: J. Kenner

Соавторы: J. Kenner
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Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

We met Cole and Tyler in the BAS Security van, and drove together to Victor Neely’s Winnetka house. He greeted us at the door, gushed in a too-polite, too-obsequious way over what a wonderful man my uncle was, and led us up to the gallery.

I caught Evan’s eye as we climbed the stairs and saw that his reaction was the same as mine—neither one of us liked the guy, and for a second I wished we could just blow this whole thing off. After all, if this thing went as planned, he’d end up with the real Creature Notebook and we’d have a fake.

It hardly seemed fair.

We reached the gallery and stepped inside once Neely disengaged the security system. “It’s a wonderful space,” I said, as Evan detached himself to go with the lanky security captain who’d accompanied us to the gallery. Cole and Tyler stepped inside and started scoping out the area, asking Neely questions about size and security and claiming that all the information was for insurance purposes.

Neely answered everything without hesitating, and when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as per our plan, I told Neely that I’d like to discuss the placement of the food and drinks in relation to the movement of the guests. “I was thinking we could set up a cocktail station over here,” I said, pulling him around toward a wall lined with framed pages from various historical manuscripts. My back was to the wall so that I was facing the interior of the gallery, and Neely was facing me, his back to Cole.

“We can keep the food and drink around the edge of the room,” I said. “That should help traffic flow.”

“Whatever you want,” he said easily—and quickly. Too quick, actually, because it had only been twenty seconds. He was about to turn around, and if he did, he’d see Cole with his hand inside the supposedly locked case, and then we would all be screwed.

Tyler met my eyes, and in that split second, I knew that it was all on me—and even though I had no conscious thought about how to get us the hell out of this mess, I was still in motion. I took a step forward, pretended to trip, and grabbed hold of Neely’s arm as I went down to the ground, losing my shoe in the process and scraping my knee on the rough wooden floor.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, as he stopped his turn and immediately bent down to fuss over me. “The heels on these shoes, they’re—”

“Not at all,” he said. “Don’t apologize, please. Are you okay?” His back was to Cole again, and I winced a little, keeping his attention on me even though more than thirty seconds had passed, but from my on-the-floor vantage point, I could no longer see what was going on.

Then Cole and Tyler were behind Neely, and Neely was helping me up, and Cole and Tyler were asking if I was okay, and everyone was heading out of the gallery, with me and Cole and Tyler thanking Neely for his time, and Neely apologizing profusely and promising to make sure that the floors weren’t waxed the night of the gala so as to make it easier for women to navigate in heels.

“Oh my god,” I said when we returned to the van. I threw myself into Evan’s arms. “Holy shit, holy fuck, oh my god.”

I was about to start the rant all over again when Evan soundly and firmly closed his mouth over mine.

The kiss was long and deep and if he was trying to calm me, he missed the mark entirely. “That was insane,” I said.

“You did great,” Evan said.

“Seriously,” Cole said. “You saved my ass.”

“Well, it’s an ass worth saving,” I said, and Tyler laughed.

“I’m so wired,” I said, feeling jumpy and bouncy and certain I would explode if I couldn’t do something to release all this nervous energy. “This is crazy,” I said. “It’s like I’m hopped up on gallons of caffeine. Is it always such a high, or is this extra kick from our close call?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Evan said. “Because this is the last time you’re doing anything like this.”

I laughed aloud. “True enough,” I said. “I don’t need to steal ancient notebooks to feel this way.” I grabbed his collar and pulled him close. “I have you for that.”

“Oh, hell,” Tyler said. “They’re at it again. Just shoot me now.”

Evan flipped him the bird, then caught me in a long, slow kiss that illustrated my point. Yeah, I thought. Who needed larceny when I had this man?

“Do we want to grab some lunch?” Tyler asked, and I wanted to scream in frustration and disbelief. I mean, honestly, how could he be so calm?

“Sure,” Cole said.

“No,” I said. I turned and stared Evan down. “And you don’t either.”

“Apparently I have a prior engagement,” Evan said, his voice filled with humor.

I saw Cole and Tyler’s knowing smirks and I really didn’t care. I intended to jump Evan Black the moment we were out of this van—and I really didn’t care who knew it.

“You’re sure you don’t want lunch,” Evan said as soon as we were alone on his boat. “I think I have a frozen pizza I could heat up.”

“Don’t you even tease me,” I said. “I don’t want pizza. I don’t want food. I just want you. Right here. Right now.”

“Right here?” he said, looking at the dining table.

“Hell yes.” I unbuttoned my blouse and peeled it off, then tugged off the camisole I wore underneath. Evan was watching me, his expression amused, which only fired me up even more. I’d show him amused.

I unzipped my skirt and dropped it along with my panties, then hopped up onto the table.

“You are serious,” he said, but the amusement that had been in his voice earlier was replaced now with heat.

“Please,” I said. “I think I’m desperate.”

“I think I like you desperate,” he said, unfastening his jeans as he approached me. He stepped out of them, then moved between my legs. I was breathing hard, anticipating the feel of him inside me. Wanting this wild, hard moment. And, yes, wanting it now.

He dropped to his knees then, frustrating me, but only until he hooked my legs over his shoulder and then buried his tongue inside me. I cried out, my fingers twisting tight in his hair, as he licked and sucked and then—without any warning at all—he stopped and stood.

And before I had time to protest or anticipate what was coming, he was right in front of me, pulling me close, positioning his cock so that he could slam hard and fast into me.

I arched back, crying out, my body craving more. Deeper. Harder. “Yes,” I cried, alternating with cries of “Harder, Evan, please, deeper. Oh, god, yes.”

I pressed against him, meeting him thrust for thrust, completely wild and wanton, totally exhilarated. And when the orgasm took me away, all I could do was cling tight to this man who had made me feel everything and all at once.

He pulled back, taking me with him, and we tumbled to the carpeted ground. “We should move,” I said, after we’d laid there for a moment.

“To hell with that,” he said, pulling me tighter against him.

I snuggled close, my emotions close to the surface. My desire to get even closer to him palpable.

“It’s the same, you know,” I finally said, my voice breathy.

“What is?”

“The kind of rush I felt today at Neely’s. The kind of rush I got when I shoplifted. It’s the same as the way I feel when you’re inside me.” I propped myself up to see him better. “You make me feel alive, Evan. You make me feel like me.” It was true. I could be myself with Evan. No secrets. No holding back. I’d never understood what it meant to be free until I was in his arms. “Do I make you feel that way, too?” I asked. He gave me such a gift simply by being himself, and right then I wanted more than anything to know that I did the same for him. That I could give him a gift of such profound pleasure, too.

“Do you make me feel that way?” he said. “God, Lina, don’t you know? You are the biggest rush of my life. The biggest thrill. The wildest ride. You are everything I always wanted, and everything I thought I didn’t deserve. You are exceptional. You are beautiful. You are mine. And I love you.”

I blinked, then realized that I was crying. “Could you say that again, please?”

His grin spread wide. “I love you,” he said as he slid down my body trailing kisses over bare flesh. “Would you like me to show you just how much?”

I laid back, my arms and legs wide, my body completely open to him. “Yes,” I said, grinning happily. “Very much, yes.”

twenty-one

We drove out to Evanston the next morning to have Sunday brunch with Ivy. I ate too much, played too hard in the sun, and spent the drive back feeling sleepy and satisfied.

“I need to take care of some things at Destiny,” Evan said. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not. I can pack while you’re gone. But I’m still fixing you dinner tonight, right? My plane leaves at eight in the morning, so I really want the night with you.”

“You got it,” he said. “Your return flight’s on Wednesday?”

I nodded. I’d decided that I needed to tell my parents my decision in person. And since I felt more comfortable on familiar territory, I wanted to go this week while they were staying in our California house.

“I’ll be back by seven,” Evan promised as he dropped me at the condo. I changed into jeans and a T-shirt, then took a taxi to Fox & Obel and returned with two full shopping bags. More food than we needed, I was sure, but I wanted everything to be perfect.

I’d just set one of the bags down so that I could punch the elevator call button when Kevin stepped into the lobby.

“Let me get that for you,” he said, picking up the bag.

“It’s fine. I have it.” I grabbed the bag up. “What do you want, Kevin?”

“We need to talk.”

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

He pulled out his badge. “Yeah,” he said. “We do.”

“I—oh.” A wave of fear shot through me. Did he know about Neely? Did he know about the manuscript? I worked to keep my voice steady. “What’s this about?”

“Your boyfriend,” he said, his voice hard. “Let’s talk upstairs.”

I nodded, mute, then followed him onto the elevator. In the condo, I headed straight for the kitchen, hoping to use that time to gather myself, but when I came back to the living room, I didn’t feel gathered at all. I sat stiffly in a chair, stared at him, and told him to cut to the chase.

“I can nail the bastards,” he said without preamble.

“Who?”

“Don’t even pretend not to understand me,” he said. “Evan Black, Tyler Sharp, and Cole August.” He spat each name, and my heart twisted a little with each one.

“Nail them?” I asked, trying to sound a little bored and a lot confident. “For what exactly?”

“For violating the Mann Act,” he said, his words chilling me.

I wanted to tell him that I didn’t have a clue what the Mann Act was, but that would be a lie. My father had been on too many task forces, and he’d spent too many hours talking with my mother about using the Mann Act to combat white slavery.

“What exactly are you suggesting?” I asked icily.

“Those fuckers are transporting prostitutes. They’re bringing women across state lines for the purpose of sex. And I have a feeling that once we open the door and dig a little deeper, we’ll learn that it’s even more insidious than that. White slavery. Drugs. All sorts of shit. They’re in deep, Angie. And the longer you stay tied to them, the deeper you sink, too.”

I felt light-headed, and realized that I’d been shaking my head almost from the moment he’d started talking. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you need to know,” he said. “And because you’re going to help me.”

“No.” I stood up. “You’re wrong. There is no way Evan is tied up in something like that, and I am not going to help you harass him.”

“Sit down,” he said sharply.

I sat.

“I have a few witnesses who are willing to talk, but I need more.”

Witnesses. The word seemed to pulse red in the air. This couldn’t be true, so how could he have witnesses?

I realized he’d continued talking. “What?” I blinked at him. “Back up. What?”

“I said I need you, too. You’re going to wear a wire.”

“The hell I am.”

“You’re going to talk with your boyfriend,” he continued, as if I hadn’t said a word. “You’re going to get him to admit to you what he’s doing—and then you’ll see that I’m right.”

“You’re not,” I said. I would never believe that Jahn’s knights were into that kind of shit.

Kevin kept talking as if I hadn’t said a word. “And the reason that I know you’re going to do this is because it all ties back to you. You’re dating him, right? That has you mixed up in this mess, too. Not a good place to be, Angie. And it’s definitely not a good place for your father to be,” he added, the words sending a chill up my spine. “Not when he’s making a bid for the vice presidency. The press gets hold of something like this, and it won’t be pretty.”

“You unimaginable bastard.”

“I’m not the bastard. Evan is. Him and his friends.” He stood up. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I want your answer then. And, Angie,” he said, “it had better be yes.”

I stayed in the chair as he let himself out, and I was still there hours later when Evan arrived. I didn’t even hear Peterson let him in. I didn’t even realize he was in the condo until he sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of me.

I’d drawn a blanket around me, but even beneath the flannel, I was cold and numb.

“Are you sick?” Evan asked, leaning in to press a warm hand against my forehead.

I shook my head. “They want me to wear a wire,” I said, and I watched his shoulders droop with understanding.

“Kevin,” he said. “That goddamn little prick.”

“He says you’re into prostitution. That you’re violating the Mann Act. That I have to watch you—to spy on you. And he says that if I don’t, my father’s going to get dragged into this.”

He slid off the table to kneel in front of me, his expression gentle. “Baby,” he said. “We can fix this.”

I shook my head, then met his eyes. “This could destroy my dad.”

He looked at my warily. “What are you doing, Lina?”

“What I have to,” I said. “What I can.”

“Tell me.”

“I’m going to California, just like I planned. And I’m going to call Kevin on the way and tell him you dumped me and that I’m moving to Washington just like I planned. And that means that putting a wire on me wouldn’t do him any good. He’ll leave my father alone, and if you and the guys can get Destiny cleaned up fast enough, then I bet he’ll leave you alone, too.”

“Lina, shit.” He ran his hands through his hair, and his eyes looked wild and desperate. I kind of envied him that. I only felt numb.

“Sweetheart, listen to me.” He took my hands and squeezed them tight. “You’re not being punished. This isn’t a case of the bad shit happening after you go a little wild. You don’t have to pay penance. We can work it out.”

I leaned forward and kissed him. “I love you,” I said. “And I know it’s not punishment. I do, really.” I pressed my palm to his cheek. “You of all people should get it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s like what you did for your mom and Ivy. You made huge sacrifices for them, and you did it because you loved them. Well, I love you. I love my dad. And I can’t live with the thought of knowing that I didn’t do everything in my power to keep both of you safe.”

“Dammit, Lina—”

“No.” The word came out quick and firm and full of absolute conviction. “Please,” I said. “My mind’s made up. I know Kevin. I get him now. And he’s vindictive. If I stay, he won’t ever let up. You want to be safe for Ivy? You want everything you’ve given up to shut your operations down to actually matter? Then you have to let me do this.”

He didn’t say anything. He just looked at me with storm-gray eyes, so flooded with regret that I had to look away.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I stood up. “I love you desperately. And that’s why I have to go away.”

It felt good to be back in California with my mom and my dad, but I missed Evan terribly. And every time the pain got to be too much, I just reminded myself that I’d had a reason for walking away. For Evan. For my parents. And even a little bit for me, because there was finally something that I could do for them, even if they weren’t actually aware of the sacrifice I was making.

But I couldn’t completely bury myself, and so I sucked up my courage, sat my parents down, and told them that I didn’t want to work in Washington.

“I think it’s fascinating,” I said, “and I don’t regret my degree or the years I spent or any of that. But it’s not me.”

“Then why—” my mother began, but my dad pressed his hand over hers, gently silencing her.

“I always thought politics was more your sister’s fascination,” he said. He spoke blandly, but I saw the comprehension in his face, and I think that may have been the first time I truly understood how well-suited for politics my father was.

“She loved everything about it,” I agreed. “I like it. I think it’s interesting. But I don’t love it, Daddy. Not like you do. Not like Grace did.”

He nodded slowly. “What do you love?”

“Art,” I said, without hesitation.

He inclined his head. “I shouldn’t have even had to ask that. I think you were born with a sketchpad.”

“Too bad I can barely draw a stick figure.”

“Nonsense,” my mother said loyally. “You’re very talented.”

I laughed and hugged her. “I’m not,” I said. “But I can see talent. I’d like to maybe manage a gallery someday. Or work in restoration. I don’t know. To be honest, I’m not sure what all the options are. But I think I want to go back to school to find out.” I wrinkled my nose as I held my breath, trying to gauge their reactions.

It was my mother who spoke first. “I’ll talk to Candace in the morning—you remember Candace? She spent two years interning at the Louvre. If anyone knows the best schools to consider she will.”

I tried to say something, but couldn’t manage to talk with my throat full of tears. Instead, I just smiled like an idiot and looked at my father. He shook his head with mock sadness. “I’m going to owe some major favors on the Hill,” he said. “Congressman Winslow will never find an aide as competent as you would have been.”

I threw my arms around him and hugged him.

And for the first time in almost eight years, I felt like it was truly me with my parents, and not me channeling the ghost of my sister.

“Have you considered moving back to Chicago?” my mother asked me days later as we wandered some of La Jolla’s galleries. “There are several good programs there, I believe.”

“There are,” I said. “But I don’t think so. I’m not sure I want to move back to the same city that Kevin’s in.”

Her brows lifted. “That young agent that your father introduced you to?”

“Don’t tell Daddy, but he’s kind of a jerk.”

“Is he? Or did you just meet someone else?”

I grimaced. “There was a guy,” I said. “It didn’t work out.”

“Why not?” she asked, and I kicked myself for opening that door.

“A bunch of stuff.”

“Do you want to tell me?”

I shook my head. “No.”

We walked in silence for a while. “Did you love him?” she asked.

I almost lied, but I couldn’t do that to Evan. Even if he was no longer in my life, I couldn’t lie about the way I felt about him. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, I love him.”

She glanced at me sideways and I expected her to launch into some sort of maternal pep talk. Instead she said, “Your father wasn’t the first man I loved.”

“He wasn’t? Who was?”

A whisper of a smile touched her lips. “It doesn’t matter. But he was exciting and bold and he made me feel like anything was possible so long as I was with him.”

“I know that feeling,” I said. Evan was the rush I needed in my life, that extra something that made me feel alive. And, I knew now, I was the same for him. “Do you feel that way with Daddy?”

“I love your father very much, but it’s tamer,” she said. “It’s more of a partnership. And there’s nothing wrong with that, Angie. But if you can find the passion and the partnership—” She cut herself off with a wavering smile. “These are not the kinds of things mothers are supposed to talk about. But I want you to have everything good in the world.”

“So why didn’t you marry him? The first man, I mean.”

“He didn’t want me. Or, rather, he wouldn’t have me.”

“Why not?”

“He was involved in some things that skirted the law. He said that was no life for me.”

I stopped, turning to look in a gallery window so she couldn’t see my face. Jahn. That’s why their pictures were in those albums without my dad. Because my dad very literally wasn’t in the picture when those photos were taken.

“Did you agree?” I asked softly.

“I never let myself think about it,” she said, though I didn’t believe her. “He thought he was saving me. That he was making some grand sacrifice to protect me. But really he was just hurting us both. And I think he regretted walking away.”

I felt hollow inside. “How do you know?”

“Things he said when I saw him years later.” She waved the words away. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll never know for certain.”

But I knew, I realized. That was why he’d kept those photos. And what was it he’d told me so many years ago? Sarah is special.

Yes, I thought, she is. And although I loved my dad desperately, I couldn’t help but want to weep for my mother and my uncle, and the love they never truly got to share.

And I tried hard not to think about Evan, or the sacrifice I was making for him. A sacrifice that I was making without his consent. And one that I was starting to fear I would regret. But I still didn’t know what choice I had. I couldn’t leave him or my father to the wolves, and right then, with Kevin waiting so eagerly for any mistake, I was certain that those two men I loved would get eaten alive.

I made an effort to be more upbeat for the rest of our shopping trip, and when we returned home, laden with bags, we were both laughing about the horrible outfits we’d tried on at a local boutique.

“You should have bought the pink one,” my mom said.

“Are you insane? I would have looked like a marshmallow Peep.” I was about to counter that she should have bought the blue caftan-looking thing, but we’d reached the living room, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Evan was there. So was my dad and three men I didn’t recognize, but who were wearing suits and looked very official.

“Um, hi. What’s going on?”

“I had some business to conduct with your dad,” Evan said, which made absolutely no sense to me. “But I think we’re square now.” He stood up and extended his hand. “Senator, it’s been a pleasure.”

He finished the goodbyes, then turned toward the door. “Angie, could I have a word?”

I saw the realization bloom on my mother’s face, but now wasn’t the time to confirm or deny. I followed him outside feeling lighter than I had in days—and at the same time angry that he’d come out here just when I was starting to get the pain under control. Because nothing had changed. There was still no possible future between us—not when my father’s career hung in the balance—and seeing him only created fresh wounds.

“What the hell is going on here?” I demanded.

“It’s done,” he said. “The bullshit Mann Act threat—it’s dead and buried.”

I gaped at him. “How?”

“We cut a deal. Cole. Tyler. Me.”

“A deal?” Fear and disgust twisted in my stomach, all knotted up with disbelief. “So Kevin was right? You were really—”

“Hell no,” he said. “Just the opposite, in fact. There’s a group working out of California and Mexico that’s doing the very thing that Kevin was accusing us of—luring girls in and forcing them into prostitution. We learned about it and have been running interference, bringing the girls into our clubs, giving them legitimate jobs. We’re doing nothing illegal, at least not on that front. But we’ve pissed off the ring—Larry’s one of their flunkies—and after you told me what Kevin said, I knew they must have threatened some of the girls into making false statements. So I came out here and met with your dad—he’s been on a task force to shut this kind of thing down for a few years now. And in exchange for immunity against the bogus Mann Act charges, Cole and Tyler and I are going to work with the FBI and local authorities.”

“In other words, Kevin’s got shit,” I said. “Nothing on you, and nothing to hang over my dad. And since you and my dad are doing this task force thing together, if Kevin tries to make a stink, it’ll just come off making him look bad.”

He grinned. “It’s easy to see you’re a politician’s daughter.”

“But—but this is incredible.” So much so that I had to lean against the hood of his rental car. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for getting my father out of this mess.”

“You’re welcome, but my motive was a selfish one, too. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either,” I said. “I miss you so damn much.”

“But you need to go in with eyes wide open. Because Kevin is going to be pissed and he just might be vindictive. I’m getting out—I already told you that. I’m cleaning up my various businesses, and if I can’t clean them up, I’m dumping them. Ending them altogether or selling my share to Tyler and Cole. I’ve been cleaning up for a while now, ever since my mom died, and I don’t think there’s a stitch of evidence for him to latch onto. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve done things. Things he can jump all over. He might not be able to make it stick, but he can still make life miserable for us.”

He took my hand and raised my fingertips to his lips. “In other words, as long as Kevin’s determined to poke around, I’m still not a safe bet.”

I looked at him, thinking of the way he made me feel. Of my uncle’s regret. Of my mother.

Most of all, I thought about what I wanted.

And what I wanted was this man.

“I love you, Evan. I want to go home. And I’m willing to accept whatever risk.” I drew in a breath. “I don’t want to ever be without you.”

“And you never will be,” he said, then pulled me into a long, deep kiss punctuated by that extra special Evan kick that I loved so much. “Do you want to go back to Chicago right away?” he asked.

I frowned, not sure what he was driving at. “Why? Do you want to stay in California for a while?”

“I was thinking we could take a short detour on the way back,” he said. “A weekend in Italy? Or we could just go wild and spend a full week there. What do you say?”

I laughed, delighted with the man, with the world, with the whole entire universe.

“I say that sounds absolutely amazing.”