Tellar eyes Liam in the rearview mirror and I curse, leaning back in the seat to replay the message on speaker. About halfway through it, Amy covers her mouth, and the unreadable Liam Stone hears it out before ordering, "Two57 Tower, Tellar. Now." Tellar cuts left on the next street and Liam glances in my direction. "Who is Gia? Is she a potential target?"
"She"s a chemist who worked on a top secret project for Sheridan. She found out I was being held captive and risked her life to save me. Now she knows things he doesn"t want known, and he will come after her."
"Like he has us," Amy says, her voice low, gravelly.
Drawing her hand into mine, I know now isn"t the right time for explanations, but more and more it feels like tomorrow isn"t a guarantee. "I started working for a group of treasure hunters-"
"The Underground," she supplies. "We know. Jared told us. What does Sheridan want from you?"
"Knowing what it is puts you at risk."
"Are you kidding me, Chad? You"re actually going to try to keep this a secret? I"ve lived six years in hiding. I deserve to know why."
"I know that, little sis, and I"m not unwilling to share the details you want, but you have to understand that while you trust Liam and Tellar, I don"t. I can"t imagine you did at first, either." We stop in what looks like a traffic jam and my mind races with worry over Amy, and absolute fear for Gia and Jared. I look at Liam"s hand on Amy"s leg and my mind is made up. "I believe that Sheridan wants you alive. But I"m not confident he won"t kill Gia and Jared to punish me. I have to get to them before it"s too late."
She grabs my arm. "No. Please. No, you can"t leave."
"I have to do this, Amy. Give me your phone so I can input my number."
She twists around trying to find her phone. "Oh no. I left everything at the table in the coffee shop because Liam was watching it."
Liam hands me his phone. "We"ll meet you at the building. Call us if you need us to meet you someplace else."
I key in my number and dial it to log his number in my call log, handing it back to him. "Protect her or I kill you."
"Losing her would kill me," he replies, and when I look into his eyes, I think I might just believe him. I pray I"m right.
Grabbing Amy"s hand, I kiss it and promise, "We"re connected. We"re always connected." I let go of her and reach for the door, her sob following me as I exit onto the street and force myself to shut the door. Digging my phone out of my pocket, I try to call Jared and then Gia, both calls going to voice mail. Street by street, I redial them both, and each time I hear a voice mail pick up, my insides twist a little more.
Ten blocks pa.s.s and I reach the door of the apartment, thankful to see the doorman I met on arrival present. "Did my fiancee arrive yet?"
"Not yet, sir. Do you want me to buzz you when she arrives?"
"Are you sure? Could you have missed her?"
"Impossible. I"ve been in this spot and supervising the rest of our team."
My jaw sets and I walk past him, my destination the security desk, where I have the attendant check the logs to ensure Jared and Gia haven"t signed in. The answer is the same. They aren"t here.
My cell phone rings and I look down at Jared"s number. "Where the h.e.l.l are you?"
"He"s occupied at the moment," comes an unfamiliar voice that sends a chill rushing over my body.
"Where"s Jared?"
"Occupied, as is the quite lovely Gia. Or is it Ashley now, as her identification states?"
My gut clenches. He has her purse, and Jared"s phone. "Where are they?"
"The coffee shop, of course."
"I just left the coffee shop and they weren"t there."
"They aren"t there, actually. She is. I just left her there."
The line goes dead and acid burns through my veins the way Sheridan has burned through years of my life. Aware I could be watched, somehow I walk, not run, toward the building"s exit, redialing Jared"s number as I do. It goes straight to voice mail. Heavy-footed now, I burst through the exit of the tower to find Liam, Amy, and Tellar standing with the doorman.
"I got a call from Jared"s phone," I announce, focusing on Liam. "They have him, and they say they just left Gia at the coffee shop. Get Amy someplace safe now. I"ll call when I can." I don"t wait for an answer, certain that seconds wasted could cost Gia her life.
Launching into a run, I dodge random people on the busy sidewalks, quickly crossing intersection after busy intersection, until Tellar appears by my side, announcing, "This is a trap. You know it"s a trap."
"What the f.u.c.k are you doing here?" I growl.
"Helping you."
"Help me by protecting my sister."
"Liam has Amy, and I"m not going anywhere." We cross a busy street, dodging cars, and while I try to dodge him right along with them, it doesn"t work. He reappears by my side, already running his mouth again. "Did you hear me? It"s a trap. Whatever this is, it"s a trap."
"Of course it"s a f.u.c.king trap." Nearly at our destination, I force myself to slow to a fast walk, scanning for potential trouble. "It"s also a ticking clock, with Gia"s life on the line. They killed my family. They"ll kill her."
"Let me go in after her," he says. "They aren"t expecting me."
"That"s not happening," I say, but right about the time I"m about to shove him against a wall and give him a knee he won"t forget for ten years, I spy a cop on the corner and decide that"s a bad idea.
"They could grab you the minute you walk in the door."
Once again, I"m forced to trust him. "Good thing I have a sniper at my back." We stop at the door. "I know my sister wants me to live, but no one else dies because of me. Gia comes first."
"As it should be," he says, opening the door for me. "Sniper at your back."
Another time, that statement would give me pause, but I don"t allow myself to think of anything but Gia. Entering the coffee shop, every muscle in my body is stiff, every nerve ending on edge. I scan as I walk, confirming Jared and Gia are at none of the ten or so spa.r.s.ely populated tables, continuing toward the hallway leading to the back exit. Entering the enclosed hallway where I"d reconciled with Amy, I find it empty, but my heart misses a beat as I catch sight of the bathroom doors.
"I"ve got this one," Tellar says, stopping in front of the men"s room and reaching under his jacket to hold his weapon.
At my nod, he enters, and uncaring of who I might interrupt I repeat his action with the women"s bathroom, my hand covering my gun, dread in my gut as I push open the door to find the immediate area clear, both stall doors shut. Bending down, my heart stops beating as I find someone sitting on the floor and recognize the boots as Gia"s. Straightening, I try to open the door. "Gia! Gia, open up." She doesn"t reply and I jiggle the door harder, afraid to kick it open and slam it against her. Pushing my way into the unlocked stall next to hers, I climb onto the toilet and bring the stall below into view, feeling sick at what I find. Gia is bound and gagged, her head hanging forward, a needle stuck in her arm.
"Tellar!" I shout, lifting myself over the divider, feeling as if Sheridan is using a shovel to gut me right here and now. "Tellar, d.a.m.n it!"
He bursts through the door. "I"m here."
"Call an ambulance. They injected her with something, and she"s not moving."
SIXTEEN.
I JUMP OVER THE STALL WALL onto the toilet beside Gia and unlock the door, which immediately opens in the other direction, and then drop to one knee to wrap Gia in my arms. She doesn"t move, and I can"t breathe. What if she"s not breathing? I"m reaching for the syringe, wanting it out of her arm, needing it out, when I hear "Stop!"
Tellar bends down in front of me. "Some poisons are lethal to touch. Some so potent even gloves won"t protect you."
"Poisons," I repeat, the word heavy on my tongue. "Please, G.o.d, no." I reach down and untie the gag around her mouth, leaning down to thankfully feel a light rush of air. "She"s alive."
"I could see her chest moving," Tellar says, shrugging out of his jacket and using it to remove the syringe.
Trying not to think about what a drug so lethal that it can kill by touch could do if injected, I untie her hands. She suddenly jerks and gasps, grabbing my shirt. "Chad. Chad. I . . . where am I? What happened?" She starts shivering. "Cold. I"m so cold."
"Hold on, sweetheart. I"ve got you." I maneuver to get out of my jacket and Tellar takes it, laying it on top of her, and I don"t miss the absence of her jacket or her purse.
She looks up at Tellar, stares at him a moment, and then, as if she"s just seen him, pulls back, shrinking against me as if she"s just noticed him. "No. No. No. Who are you? No."
"Easy, sweetheart," I murmur, holding her tighter. "This is Tellar. Remember. Amy"s security guard."
"I"m a friend," Tellar promises. "I called for an ambulance, Gia. Help is coming. Okay?"
"Yes," she whispers. "Yes. I . . . Amy?" She turns to me, her bottom lip trembling, tears on her cheeks. "Is Amy . . . okay?"
"Yes," I say, astounded by the selflessness of her worry. "She"s okay. You"re okay."
"No. No. I don"t . . . promise me you won"t make this for nothing. Promise me. My father . . . he . . ." She shivers and curls into me.
"I"m sorry, Chad," Tellar says, "but we need to talk about what to tell the police."
He"s right. I hate him for being so f.u.c.king right. I hate Sheridan. I hate all of this, but I cup Gia"s face, forcing her gaze to mine, and her skin is icy-so very icy. "Gia." She blinks. She shuts her eyes. "Gia, honey, listen to me."
"Listening," she whispers. "Can"t open . . . eyes."
"You need to say you were mugged and don"t remember anything. I"ll handle the rest."
"My name . . . Ashley . . ."
"No. Be Gia. I"m Chad. Just say you remember nothing. I"ll handle it."
"Thank you," she squeaks, more tears running down her cheeks.
I stroke the dampness with my thumb. "Why are you crying?"
"Scared. I"m . . . scared. "
"Don"t be scared. I"m right here. Help is coming."
Sirens sound in the distance, throwing me back in time to smoke and fire and death. I cup her body to me, pushing myself to my feet. "I need to get her to the front door."
Tellar backs out of the stall, moving to the exit to hold it open. I rush out into the hallway and it"s a blur. I don"t see people. I don"t see things. One minute I"m holding Gia, and the next she is lying on the sidewalk with emergency personnel all around her.
"What"s her name?" a paramedic asks me.
"Gia. Gia Hudson."
A police officer appears, and Tellar and I are giving a statement when Gia starts shouting my name. I rush toward her, trying to get her to lie down, while she tries to sit up. The instant her eyes meet mine, she relaxes and I go down between two men, taking her hand. "I"ve got you. I"m here."
"Don"t leave me."
"I won"t," I promise, relieved as they start an IV. "As long as you don"t leave me. You hear me? Don"t leave me." But she doesn"t answer, her lashes lowering, dark half-moons on her too-pale cheeks. She is unmoving, so still, that I watch her chest, savoring every tiny lift I find, every piece of evidence she"s alive.
The next few minutes become a whirlwind that finds me in the back of an ambulance, Gia having no idea I"m there. I stare at the monitors as I had her chest, terrified by how slow her heartbeat is one moment, and how rapid the next.
"Why is that happening?" I ask the paramedic traveling with us, a surehanded man in his late thirties.
"Most likely an impact of whatever drug she was given. We"re close to the hospital."
The implication being that she needs to be there now. Holding her hand, waiting for the drive to end, I promise myself I will never feel this helpless again. Never. Again. And while killing every member of the consortium had once felt like it would invite revenge seekers and more trouble, right now that plan sounds pretty d.a.m.n good.
The ambulance stops and the doors are jerked open. I exit and watch as they rush Gia into the hospital, at least five people surrounding her, and there"s no mistaking their urgency. The instant we are inside the building, she is rushed to the back room, and I am left staring at the double doors.
Alone.
"Any news?" Tellar asks, stepping to my side, and I can"t believe the relief I feel at this stranger"s presence.
"No news. She didn"t wake back up on the ride over, and they seemed to be waiting for her when we got here."
"That"s a good thing, not a bad thing."
"It means they knew she is in real trouble."
"No. It means they were making sure she never got into real trouble. I did a lot of years in Special Ops. With an unknown toxin, time is considered critical. And we acted quickly, and so did they-not to mention Liam"s a huge donor here. He"ll have a lot of pull to get her whatever she needs as fast as it can be received. I know you don"t trust any of us, and in your shoes, I"d feel the same, but Liam Stone"s a good man and he loves your sister."
"Chad!"
At the sound of Amy"s voice, I turn to find her running toward me, and I want to wring Liam"s neck for bringing her here when she should be hiding somewhere, protected. Safe. I fully intend to say as much, but she flings herself at me, hugging me, and I am so d.a.m.n glad she is alive and well that I hold her and don"t let go.
"How is she?" Amy asks, leaning back, hugging herself, and shivering. "I left my coat at the coffee shop."
My mind flashes back to the bathroom, to Gia curled against me. So cold, she"d said, and now I"m cold straight to the bone, yet somehow my frozen heart is being painfully thawed.
"Chad." I jolt again at the sound of Amy"s voice, looking down and realizing her hand is on my arm, and I"ve s.p.a.ced out while Liam f.u.c.king Stone has all but painted a target on her chest by bringing her here. "Are you okay?" she says, sounding worried. "Is Gia okay?"
"Gia wasn"t good when they took her back."
"Do you know what drug she was given?"
"Not yet," I say."
Amy stares at me a long moment. "You love her."