Bare Facts (21 page)

She shoved the driver’s gun into the holster at the small of her back and removed the flex cuffs from her pocket, binding his hands and then his feet and then gagging him. She muscled his body over behind the Dumpster, then grabbed the second shooter, who was dead. She aimed true, not wounding him, because wounded men could still kill; dead men couldn’t.

She dragged the body out of the lit area and checked in with Anna.

“Two down out here. Everything okay inside?”

“No. Corbin’s down. Dead, I think.”

“Dammit.”

“Daniel shot Sekijima in the shoulder as he turned. He’s now bound by his wrists, and Sekijima is beating him. I’m not sure how much longer he can take it.”

“Justine?”

“She’s strung up as well, but she’s not out of it. She looks so pissed off.”

“I don’t know where the other man is out here. I need to take care of him.”

“Time is of the essence,” Anna said.

“I know. Can you shoot Justine down?”

“Maybe. She’s unarmed.”

“But not weaponless,” Charity said.

“I’ll do it,” Anna said. “On three, Justine, be ready.”

With Justine’s hair cut in a bob, the earpiece was practically invisible to the naked eye, and the earpieces they used were tiny.

“I’m coming back to the warehouse—I’m betting the last guy will come in when he hears the gunshots. And I can take care of freeing Daniel,” Charity said.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. I can’t just run around out here while they’re being beaten.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Who else is with Sekijima?”

“A woman. She’s tall—taller than you, Charity—and she’s quick. And vicious.”

“As soon as we free them, I’ll take Sekijima, you take the girl,” Charity said.

“Okay, tell me when you’re in position.”

Charity made her way carefully back to the warehouse, still sticking to the shadows, knowing that there was another man out here somewhere.

Daniel looked like hell, she thought, as she stared in at him. Her heart skipped a beat. Sekijima was totally ruthless in the way he was torturing Daniel, and it was nothing less than torture.

She felt that rage well up once again and the sound that emerged from her throat was a cry of rage.

D
aniel knew he’d let things get out of control, but he was in control now. The next time Sekijima came close enough to punch him, he’d grab the other man with his legs and choke him. He was pretty sure that Charity would be back to cover him, and he could strangle Sekijima in the time it took Suki to get her weapon at the ready.

He gripped the rope with his hands, readying himself to move. His fingers were a little slippery with blood that dripped from the wound he’d made trying to cut himself free.

But he had fought in worse conditions and walked away. After seeing Charity shot at, and the fear that he’d felt for her, he knew he had to end this.

Sekijima shook his head as he stepped forward one more time.

“This is pointless,” Daniel said. “Cut the girl down—she’s not going to be valuable to you as leverage if she’s dead.”

Either Justine was a hell of an actress or the woman was about two seconds from passing out. She was pale and had lost more blood than he had. She’d struggled with Sekijima and Suki, which had just pissed the pair off.

“Death is where we are both most comfortable, Daniel.”

Was that still true? He knew for a long time he had been most comfortable around death. It had made him feel powerful to take a life. To have the power of deciding when an enemy would leave this world.

But now he felt empty inside at the lives he’d ruined and the futures he’d altered.

“We don’t know each other anymore, Sekijima. The Oyabun that I served was a man who lived his life by his own code.”

“Indeed I did. What changed?”

“You did. Your family would never have approved of the way you stopped valuing all life.”

“That’s why I’m the only one still standing, Daniel. There are always sacrifices that must be made for prosperity and survival.”

Daniel tightened his arms and kicked out with his left leg, catching Sekijima off guard. Sekijima danced out of range.

The sound of a bullet ripped through the warehouse and he felt the impact in the rope above his hands. The threads unraveled quickly and he bent his knees, knowing he was going to hit the ground. He rolled with the momentum of his fall and came up ready for the punch that Sekijima delivered to his chest.

Daniel staggered back, found his balance, and lashed out with a strong upper kick to Sekijima’s face. The other man’s head snapped back and blood spurted from his nose.

Daniel kept up his forward assault, using the martial arts skills he’d learned in Sekijima’s family’s dojo to drive the other man back.

He remembered the cool way that Sekijima had ordered Charity to be found and then killed, because otherwise it was all too easy to see the face of his friend instead of his enemy in the man standing before him.

Justine was indeed a better actress than he gave her credit for. She was engaged with Suki a few feet from Daniel. Fighting for her life and bringing the other woman down.

Sekijima brought his gun up and Daniel bent low, head-butting the other man in the gut, driving him back with all the rage and frustration he’d felt for so long.

All the injustices he’d witnessed and perpetrated boiled up inside him and he knew that it had to end tonight. Now.

He drove Sekijima into the side of the car. The abrupt stop knocked him off balance and Sekijima brought his fist with the gun hard against the side of Daniel’s head.

Daniel laced his fingers together and brought his hands up to Sekijima’s face, knocking him off balance, then grabbing his gun. Sekijima pulled the trigger and the impact jarred Daniel but he kept his grip on his opponent’s gun hand.

Sekijima lifted his arm over his head and Daniel jerked hard and brought his knee up hard, aiming for Sekijima’s groin.

He hit the other man hard, but there was no reaction save for a strong exhalation of breath. Sekijima pushed hard on the wound in his thigh, digging with the fingers of his free hand.

Daniel struggled to stay on his feet and not lose his grip on the gun hand. Behind him he knew the women battled it out, but he concentrated on his fight.

On bringing Sekijima to his knees.

He jerked them both backward, twisting hard on the hand holding the gun as Sekijima tried to shift his hand in Daniel’s grip. Daniel stepped forward with his right leg, turning his right shoulder in toward Sekijima. He lowered his stance, driving Sekijima off balance, and threw him over his shoulder.

Daniel followed him down, jumping on top of Sekijima’s body and bringing his bound hands under Sekijima’s head. He drew his hands to the left under Sekijima’s chin, bringing his forearm against the other man’s windpipe. Sekijima bucked against Daniel, who braced his feet on the cement floor and held on.

He drew his arms back until his grip tightened against Sekijima’s head. In his periphery, he saw Sekijima bringing up his gun hand.

Daniel didn’t hesitate—he pulled hard to the left, lifting Sekijima’s head and breaking his neck.

He stayed where he was on top of Sekijima’s body, freeing the other man’s neck only when he was certain that no breath was left in Sekijima’s body. He stood up and reached for the gun, wanting to ensure that this time his enemy didn’t come back from the dead.

“Daniel, he’s gone.”

Charity’s voice was deep and husky. He wondered if she was disgusted by the man she’d given herself to. There was no hiding behind his civilized exterior anymore. She saw him as he was. Shirt off with his Yakuza tattoos visible. Bloodied and beaten, gun in his hand, and he’d just killed a man.

“This is what I never wanted you to see,” he said, realizing that for once he was speaking the truth. And it mattered to him that she understand this. “My life…this is my life. No matter how far I run, it always comes back to this.”

Charity didn’t say anything, just stepped forward. She lifted his bound hands and slid her body underneath them. Her arms came around his waist and she held him close.

He rubbed his hands against her back, then dipped low to find her lips with his. Deep inside he thanked God for the fact that he’d been able to defeat Sekijima and that Charity was alive and in his arms.

Charity was swamped with emotion and aches and pains, but standing in Daniel’s arms soothed that. She knew she’d gone to a dark place deep inside herself tonight.

“The cops are on their way,” Anna said. She had her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder and had taken out the last guard on the exterior.

“We need to start cleaning up the scene,” Justine said. “Hug Daniel later.”

Charity nodded and moved away reluctantly. She couldn’t really explain it, but she was afraid that if she didn’t reinforce the bond between her and Daniel…what was that bond?

He’d said earlier that it was just sex, and now she was clinging to him like that didn’t matter. She moved away. “I’ve got two guys behind a Dumpster.”

“Dead.”

“One is.”

“I’ll help you,” Justine said.

“I’ll bandage Daniel’s leg. I called for EMTs as well.”

Charity stopped by Corbin. His pulse was thready but he was still alive—he moaned a little. Her emotions were hidden again, deep inside. Deadened by everything that had happened tonight. She wondered if Perry hadn’t been right when he said she played at being a tough-ass.

Because the only way she survived her job was to bury the true woman underneath a bunch of protective layers.

“Come on, Charity. Let’s get those two.”

She nodded and pushed to her feet. Justine was a little worse for wear.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“There were two of them,” Justine said. “I thought I had them, but…”

“Hey, it happens to the best of us.”

“Yes, it does. So what’s up with Daniel? We all heard what he said to you.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I can go there yet. I just want to wrap this up.”

“And then?”

“I have no idea. Sam’s been pushing me to take some time off.”

“Time off? Is a vacation really going to help?”

“Hell, Justine, I have no idea. I only know that if I go back to D.C. and—” She broke off, realizing the truth. She wasn’t going to take a vacation. She was going to go right on to the next case. She needed to stay busy to save her own sanity.

She had to keep moving because if she stood still she was going to have to deal with the fact that she’d fallen in love with a man who wasn’t what she’d expected. A man who didn’t fit the nice, safe mold that she’d always thought she wanted.

There was a reason why she’d thought Senator Perry was the man for her, and it was deeply rooted in the fact that she had never really liked herself. Not all of who she was, anyway. But there was no hiding from that now. That vigilante part had been reawakened tonight and she knew that she didn’t want to shove her back into a box.

“I’m not going on vacation. That’s not what I need.”

“Damn straight. Work is the only thing women like us can count on.”

“True enough,” Charity said. They reached the Dumpster and Justine pulled the man who was still alive to his feet and marched him toward the warehouse. Charity bent low and pulled the deceased man over her shoulders, fireman style.

The weight was heavy but manageable. She knew that this man had a family and loved ones who would be distraught by the fact that he wasn’t coming home again. But a part of her couldn’t regret his death. He would have killed her and her team. And her client.

The only thing that she was really confident of was her competence as a bodyguard. This was a little messier than she anticipated, but she’d done the job she needed to do.

She walked into the warehouse and slid the body onto the floor next to Sekijima and Suki. The Asian woman had been damned hard to kill and had almost strangled Anna in the process.

Her BlackBerry rang and Charity glanced at the caller ID before answering. “Hey, Sam.”

“Hey, girl. Everything okay on your end?”

“Well, Daniel’s alive, his blackmailer is dead and the cops are on the way. As I’m sure you know, since Anna probably text-messaged you as soon as she got off the phone with the police.”

“Before, actually,” Sam said. His voice was deep and soothing. She’d always liked his voice, and to be honest, wondered about the man behind it. “I was asking about you, not the case.”

“Me? I’m fine.”

“Charity, you don’t sound fine.”

“Sam—don’t, okay? I’m fine and let’s leave it at that.”

“Very well. Are you taking any time off?”

“Ah, no.”

The cops arrived, sirens blarring and guns drawn. “Gotta go.”

She hung up the phone.

Two weeks later, Daniel was back in D.C. on business, testifying once again on the Hill and going about his normal routine as if his life hadn’t been radically changed. He hadn’t heard from Charity since she’d walked out of the warehouse with the rest of her team.

He’d been taken to the hospital, his wounds treated, and then released. Corbin was on an extended vacation, and Alonzo had resigned his position, deciding that Daniel wasn’t worth taking a bullet for. He’d called Sam Liberty and closed out his case with them.

Daniel had wanted to ask about Charity but in the end he hadn’t been able to. What did a man who was nothing but a shill for violence and destruction have to offer a woman like her?

He’d searched deep inside himself and in the end had made the sacrifice of his own happiness for hers. Because he knew he’d never be able to have Charity and let her be the woman she was.

If she was his, he’d demand she give up her job and try to put her on a pedestal so he could protect her. He never wanted to see her bruised or bleeding again. And the way he felt about that was so damned strong, he’d taken the high road and pretended that she hadn’t taken whatever bit of a soul he’d had.

But dammit, he missed her. Which was fucking stupid because he’d only had her in his life for one day. One damned day, and she’d totally rocked his world.

He stood in the suite at the Marquis, staring at the window and searching for a way to a future. Any future where he could be with Charity.

If she’d even have him, and there was no guarantee that she would.

“What happened to your temporary employee?” Tobias asked, coming into the living room from the hall.

“She was temporary.”

“You know I don’t give you advice,” Tobias said.

“Uh, yeah.”

“There was something different about her,” Tobias said.

“She’s a goddess, Tobias. And you’re a mortal, so of course you’d find something different about her.”

“I meant with you. You were different with her. Not so cold…more alive.”

“Your point?”

“We only live once, and whatever was in your past…well, it’s time to let it go.”

Daniel turned the conversation back to work, but early that evening when Tobias left and he realized he was faced with an evening alone, he thought about Charity again.

He wanted her. And not just because he was in D.C. He wanted her in his life because when he looked at the future he saw all the long, empty years stretching out in front of him.

And when he looked to the past, he saw the same emptiness except for one crazy day when he’d had her in his life.

He pulled his BlackBerry from his pocket and dialed Sam Liberty’s number.

“Daniel, what can I do for you?” Sam asked.

“I need a favor.”

“Anything for a client.”

“Um…this isn’t about business.”

There was silence on the line.

“Charity?” Sam asked.

“Yes. I know…listen, I just need to see her. To talk to her, and I wondered if you would give me her home address.”

Sam didn’t say anything, but Daniel heard the clicking of a computer keyboard. “I can’t do that, but go to the Liberty Investigations office and I’ll have her meet you there.”

“An office?”

“That’s all I can do for you, Daniel.”

Daniel didn’t care where he met Charity, as long as he could see her again. Then he’d know if he had just imagined the intensity of everything she’d made him feel or if it was. And then once he knew it was real, he was going to claim her. And he could do that anywhere.