Live to See Tomorrow (29 page)

Heat.

Her stomach clenched, and she found it hard to breathe.

“No.”

“I believe I’ll show you just a glimpse. I owe you for that Superman crack.”

“You should be used to it. I’m sure other people resent the—”

He was over her, his hand parting her thighs, his lips on her nipple. Then, with one plunge, he was inside, huge in her tightness, hot, moving, lifting her with each thrust.

Madness. Frantic need. Every nerve and muscle in her body convulsing as he moved.

The scene changed.

He was still inside her, but her wrists were cuffed above her head. She couldn’t move, but the erotic need was now even more intense. He was moving slowly, his fingers plucking, teasing, doing things to her that were indescribable. The muscles of her stomach were tensing, convulsing. Her very helplessness made the acts even more arousing. She wanted to move, take him, all of him. Draw him into her make him—

He was gone from her body.

And she was left panting and frustrated and wanting to kill him.

“You son of a bitch.”

“Which one did you like better?” He was smiling. “I was wondering about that exotic variation, but your response was pretty close to equal. Which makes me think that you’re going to be a magnificently diverse lover.”

“Not your lover.”

“You’re angry and indignant at the moment, but did I do anything you didn’t want, except stop? You’re still wanting it, and that isn’t me, it’s you.” He added, “And that was very close to how it’s going to feel, only better. I took as much of your physical sensory potential as I could gather to make it absolutely real and good for you.”

“Real? You said you were doing it to punish me.”

“I lied. I did it because I had to have you. I’ve wanted you from the beginning, and I had to show you what we’re like together.” He added softly, “I can’t wait to taste your breasts, to get inside you. You want that, too. We’re both hungry and a little wild with it. It has to happen soon, Catherine.” His eyes were glittering with that wildness, and she could feel the hot, sweeping lust melt deep within her. He saw it, felt it, and his voice hoarsened. “No force. No games. Your rules.”

She swallowed hard. Her heart was beating so hard, she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even argue that what he’d said wasn’t true. She was hot, shaking, her breasts still taut and aching.

She wanted him.

“Then that’s all I needed for now,” he said. “I want you to remember that I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you. I think about you all the time. I don’t think it’s going to go away even after we have sex. It’s like a crazy, aching fever and not like me at all.” He leaned back in the chair, and his beautifully shaped, sensual lips were curved in a rueful half smile. “That’s a big admission for me. I regard it as a weakness. Enjoy it. I’ll see you soon.”

He was no longer with her.

And she wanted him back.

She wanted him in her body, she wanted his hands touching her, bringing her to the point of climax and past it. She wanted to stare at that beautiful, sensual face and watch his mouth, listen to the deep masculinity of his voice. Feel him, see him, taste him.

She drew a deep, uneven breath and forced her clenched hands to relax.

Block it. Block
him.
Though she didn’t believe that he had anything directly to do with what she was feeling at this moment. He had left her, dammit. It was a lingering aftereffect from that searing explosion of carnal need.

She tried to relax her muscles, but it wasn’t easy. Her entire body was ready for sex. She wanted to blame it on Cameron, but she knew it wasn’t entirely his fault. This had been coming from the moment she had seen him in that cozy library he had mentally created for her, looking so damn sexy that she had been immediately turned on. Which was completely uncharacteristic of her. He had said what he felt for her wasn’t at all like him. Well, this wasn’t like her either. She didn’t like it. She wouldn’t have it.

Only what could she do about it when she was unable to fight it? She didn’t even want the desire to go away, she just wanted it satisfied. Celia had said something like that, and she hadn’t understood.

Now she understood. Only Celia was enamored with the act itself, and Catherine was lost in a barbaric sexual fascination for one damnably difficult man.

Work on it. Take apart the physical response and try to make sense of it and then downplay it. Or go back to sleep and push it away. That would probably be the best solution. Then when she woke, she would be busy and not thinking of Cameron.

But he was on his way. He would be here soon. She would see him.

She felt an aching burning start between her thighs at the thought.

But she’d be surrounded by people, there would be a job to do. Neither of them would be concerned with anything but Kadmus and keeping Erin safe. It would be okay.

If she could just get to sleep. If she could keep her heart from beating so hard. If she could make her tense muscles relax. If she could forget the feel of him in her body.

It was going to be a long night.

CHAPTER

13

“You don’t look as if you’ve slept well.” Hu Chang’s eyes were narrowed on Catherine’s face as she came into the dining room for breakfast the next morning. “Sit down and have a cup of tea.” He poured her tea and handed it to her. “Was something bothering you?”

“You mean besides Kadmus breathing down our necks and Venable dragging his heels about giving Erin protection?” She picked up her cup. “Do you blame me for lying awake and trying to find a way out?”

“I never blame you for anything. I was just inquiring.”

Catherine turned to Erin. “It’s going to be all right. I’ll handle Venable. I didn’t really lie awake fretting about it.”

“I wasn’t worried. I don’t have as much confidence in Venable as you do. If he bowed out, it wouldn’t mean that much to me.” She smiled. “Besides, Cameron is coming.”

“Yes, he is.” She looked down into the tea in her cup. “He should be here anytime now.”

“You’re very certain,” Hu Chang said. “Is there reason for that certainty?”

She looked up and met his gaze. She knew that Hu Chang had been aware that Cameron could reach out to her when he wished. Why try to hide this last invasion? Perhaps because it had been so intensely personal. “He was six hours away last night. He wanted to know where Jack Sen was. He couldn’t reach him.”

“And Cameron wanted
you
to tell him where he could find Sen,” Hu Chang said. “Interesting.”

She didn’t answer. “Where’s Luke?” she asked instead. “He usually doesn’t sleep this late.”

“He didn’t this morning either,” Erin said. “He was going out in the garden with Celia when I came down. He was telling her all about some new fertilizer he and Hu Chang had concocted.” She smiled. “She acted totally fascinated.”

“No act,” Hu Chang said. “She has a great zest for living, and she likes Luke. Her garden is a postage stamp compared to Chen Lu’s, but she’s a very enthusiastic gardener.” He lifted his own cup to his lips. “She’s very enthusiastic about everything that interests her.”

“I’ve noticed that tendency to—”

The doorbell rang, and Hu Chang quickly rose to his feet. “If you’re not mistaken, that may be Cameron. I’ll let him in.”

“You know the code?” Catherine answered her own question. “That’s right, you said you did. What was I thinking? No one is closer to Celia than—”

“You all look very comfortable.” Cameron was standing in the arched doorway of the dining room. “It’s a shame to disturb you, but we’ve got to get moving.” He reminded Catherine of a storm wind as he came into the room. “There were only two men at the airport last night, but Kadmus will have half a dozen more searching for you by now.”

“I gave the taxi driver an address on Clement Street, several blocks from here. With all its alleys and byways, Chinatown can be a very confusing place,” Hu Chang said. “It will take him time.”

“And how do you know how many men Kadmus can muster here in San Francisco, Cameron?” Catherine asked.

“Kadmus has an entire West Coast operation here that handles art artifacts and drugs he channels through here. Mark Nagle usually works out of L.A., but he’s on tap for any job Kadmus orders him to do. He has a sizable team and enough corrupt influence in city government to be troublesome. It was Nagle who ordered those scumbags to grab you at the airport.” He turned to Catherine. “Where’s the boy?”

“In the garden.”

“I don’t want him to go anywhere alone, even in this house. I don’t want Kadmus to have any chance of getting his hands on him. He’s your Achilles’ heel.” He met her gaze and added curtly, “Which makes him my Achilles’ heel.”

She stiffened. He had been so sharp and businesslike since he’d appeared that she’d thought it was going to be okay. But the electricity between them was suddenly tangible. “I’ll take care of my son.”

“We’ll all keep an eye on him, Cameron,” Erin said quietly. “Though he takes pretty good care of himself.”

“Don’t rely on it.” For the first time since he’d entered the room, he smiled. “How are you, Erin?”

“Better in some ways. Not so good in others. I want the killing to stop.”

“It will. Give me a little while.”

She nodded. “I know you’re doing your best.”

He turned back to Hu Chang. “I figure that you’ll be safe here for perhaps another twenty-four hours. That should give us enough time. I have to take care of Jack Sen, but then I’ll be able to concentrate on Kadmus.”

Catherine said dryly, “Meanwhile, as you said, he’ll be concentrating extremely hard on us. He’ll be very glad that you’re planning a diversion.”

“Twenty-four hours,” he repeated.

“And how are you going to ‘take care’ of Jack Sen?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Oh, that’s right, Hu Chang said that you have teams all over the world just waiting to obey your every word.” Her voice was faintly mocking. “Are they better than this Nagle Kadmus turned loose on us?”

“John Blake is a good man,” Cameron said quietly. “And the people he uses to help me are also very good.” He met her eyes. “Would you rather I go up against Kadmus’s pet snake, Nagle, by myself?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Good, because it wouldn’t happen. Blake’s men will go into the hospital and get him at lunchtime when the staff is busiest. He’ll be taken down to the morgue and put in an ambulance to be driven off the property. I’ll have him on a private jet back to Hong Kong an hour later. He’ll be taken to a private hospital in Tibet to recover.”

“You make it sound easy,” Catherine said. “There will be police guards and security and nursing staff at that hospital. It’s not going to be so simple.”

“Money makes everything simple. The guard at the door will be suddenly taken deathly ill and rush to the bathroom to throw up. He’s already been furnished with a pill to make sure that happens and protect him from sellout accusations after the fact. The head nurse will keep everyone away from the area by slowing paperwork at the desk and keeping the nurses on duty busy down the hall, helping with the meal distribution. It will take three minutes to disconnect Sen’s tubes and get him out of the room, down the hall and into the elevator. One minute to get him to the garage level. Another minute to transfer him to the ambulance. By that time, there will be a ruckus when they discover Sen’s gone. But the ambulance will be out of the garage and driving down the street while they’re still scrambling.”

“Bribes,” Catherine said. “No violence?”

“That wouldn’t be efficient. I always prefer money whenever possible.”

“How much money?”

“Substantial. Some would say astonishing. Enough to sway anyone to take a chance if they thought they could get away with it. It was particularly important in this case because the time factor was so short. I didn’t know exactly what method I’d be using to extract Sen before I found out he was in the hospital. I had to notify Blake, the head of the team here, that a fix had to be made immediately. But he made it happen.”

“I only talked to you seven hours ago.”

He smiled. “I told you, Blake is very, very good. He had everything else in place about the actual exit plan from when I contacted him before I left Hong Kong.”

“Then you clearly knew before you got on that plane that Sen wouldn’t obey your orders,” Hu Chang said.

“There was a possibility that he would.” He shrugged. “But I had to prepare damage control in case he didn’t.”

“I still might be able to persuade Venable that we should get Sen out,” Catherine said.

“I’m sure you could persuade a leopard to change its spots, but we don’t have time. If we don’t get him out, then he’ll be taken to jail. Or Kadmus might order him killed in the hospital to set an example for killing two of his men. It wouldn’t take nearly as much money as I spent to bribe someone to put a lethal dose in his bottle.” He met her eyes. “I can’t risk Venable’s saying no to you.”

“And you’re sure this Blake will be able to get him out of San Francisco?”

“The chances are 85 percent positive. I’ve had him do similar jobs for me before here in San Francisco. He’s very good at extraction.”

“Extraction,” she repeated. “Like the young Indian boy you arranged to be extracted from that train on the way to China?”

He grimaced. “Hu Chang has been talking.”

“A little,” Hu Chang said. “The circumstance warranted it. In the end, my loyalty is not to you but to Catherine.”

“Understandable.” Cameron said to Catherine, “Yes, that was considered an extraction. I sanction and personally do a good many.” He made a chopping motion with his hand. “And I do it well. So you should feel comfortable that Jack Sen will just be another one in a long list.”

“I’m not comfortable,” she said bluntly. “I want Sen to be out of danger, but I don’t want any innocent people hurt. Can you guarantee that won’t happen?”