Love & Deception (Agents in Love - Book 1) (8 page)

“She’s not home.”

Muhammad’s eyes widened. “Is there some sort
of trouble?”

Forcing a laugh, Nick gave what he hoped was
a sheepish smile. He could very well be talking to the leader of a
terrorist organization about one of his star members. He needed to
be careful. Paul would kill him if he found out Nick came over here
like this. “Carlie’s fine, but we got in a huge fight.” He raised
his eyebrows, hoping to share a ‘girls will be girls’ moment with
the man.

Muhammad glanced into his house before
nodding, and Nick wondered if he had a woman in there. Nick hadn’t
done much surveillance on Muhammad yet, but Carlie obviously told
the truth about him not being romantically interested in her.

“Anyway,” Nick continued, “she got pissed
and left. Now, she won’t answer her phone. I figured she’d go to
one of her friends’ houses, so I stopped by to try and make up with
her.”

“Well, sorry you’re in trouble with her
already, but Carlie and I aren’t really the type of friends to run
to each other.” He shrugged. “Not that I wouldn’t help her, but we
aren’t close. You might check with Shelley, the waitress from the
shop. They’re pretty tight.”

He doubted she was with Shelley, but there
was no reason to alarm Muhammad. “Good thinking. I’ll see if she
knows anything. Sorry for disturbing you.”

“No problem. Hope she forgives you.”
Muhammad gave him a sympathetic glance before shutting the
door.

Nick feared Shelley wouldn’t have any more
information than Muhammad. He climbed into his car, wondering if it
would be completely foolhardy to go bang on Stephen Chance’s door
instead of heading to Shelley’s house.

Before he could decide, his phone rang and
he glanced at the screen. ‘The Boss’ came up and Nick’s pulse
accelerated. No reason for Paul to call after already meeting him
tonight. He swiped to answer. “Hello?”

“I forgot to mention something,” Paul
said.

“What’s that?”

“Hmmm... Maybe you figured it out already.”
Paul laughed. “You sound a bit flustered. Everything okay?”

As if you care.
“I can’t get a hold
of Carlie. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“Carlie.” His boss spit the word, a strong
reminder he didn’t like Nick getting personal. “
The target
is probably having some trouble right about now.”

Nick swallowed hard. “Where is she?”

“I told you we needed to speed this
investigation up. I’ve made arrangements for you to be the hero,
Nick. It will move this along so the President can calm down.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “I’ve been
working toward gaining the target’s trust. What did you do to help
my mission?” Not that Nick supposed it would be any sort of
help.

“I paid someone to rough her up so you can
come to her rescue. You’d better get to her house fast. I told him
to take his time, but I imagine by now she’s desperate for
help.”

“She’s not at her house! I was just there.”
Nick punched the steering wheel, struggling to keep the frustration
from his voice. “Who has her?”

“Not at her house? Well, well, well. I
wonder how he convinced her to go somewhere with him. He was
supposed to do it there.”

Nick took in three deep breaths, knowing he
had to calm down. It would be dangerous to both him and Carlie if
Paul figured out Nick was worried about her. “I can’t play the hero
if I don’t know where she is, sir. Who has her?”

“Stephen Chance, the one who dated her
before. She upset him and he was happy to help out.”

Nick started the car and tore down the road.
It was a ten-minute drive to Stephen’s house. He hoped that’s where
they went. “What, exactly, did you ask him to do?”

“I told him I didn’t care what he did, as
long as she needed rescue and would be grateful to her savior. I
promised he wouldn’t be hurt, so play nice.”

“I wouldn’t have promised that, boss. The
target is a tough woman, and I can’t guarantee I’ll behave. I hate
that jerk.” Nick shot through a red light without slowing, thankful
the drunks hadn’t left the bars yet and most folks were safe in
their houses this time of night.

“Well, actually, I don’t care what you do to
him. He was supposed to stay at her house, so you could save her
and we could find out what she knows.” For the first time, Paul
sounded angry rather than amused. “Just don’t kill him. That’s
messy and harder to make disappear.”

S.A.T.O. had sunk to a new low—now an
organization that hired jackasses to attack women and then made the
record disappear. Nick hung up without saying anything further,
afraid what might come out of his mouth.

He raced another yellow light, entering the
intersection just after it turned red. Blue and red lights erupted
from the top of the car behind him.

“Shit!” Nick considered gunning it for a
second. Only the knowledge that a full-on chase would delay him
longer made him pull over to the side of the road.

He readied his fake ID and a badge claiming
he was an FBI agent. He’d feed the officer a story about needing to
make it to a crime scene and hope it would speed up the
process.

“Get away from me.” Carlie shoved Stephen’s
chest. “Now.”

“Oh, come on, love.” He stroked her hair.
“Having some
together time
is a lot more fun than what I’m
supposed to do.”

Her breathing accelerated as she fought back
panic. “What do you mean, what you’re supposed to do?”

“We don’t have to do what I was hired for.”
He shifted slightly, though his weight still trapped her on the
bed. “All you have to do is lay there and enjoy, Carlie. This will
be fun. Other women can’t wait to get into my bed. Why do you
resist? Don’t you want me?”

“You aren’t God’s gift to women, Stephen.
Get away from me.” She took a shaky breath, but tried to put on a
brave front. “If you let me go, I won’t report this to the police.”
Not that she wanted the police involved anymore than Stephen
probably did.

“You don’t need the police. Give me a
chance. I want to show you how great things could be between us.”
He covered her mouth in another rough kiss.

Carlie squirmed beneath him and beat her
hands against his shoulder, desperate to get free. The killers had
found her and hired Stephen to get rid of her. That was the only
reason he would bring her here, pretending to be drunk, and then
have something he was ‘supposed to do.’ She had to get away. She
was sure his orders were to kill her after he had his fun. She
wouldn’t sleep with him. Fighting was the only option.

He stroked her side, ignoring her struggles,
and his tongue broke through her closed lips.

Hooking her fingers into claws, Carlie raked
them across his face.

That got his attention.

Stephen jerked back. The deep gouges in his
cheek filled with blood. “Bitch.” He sat up, but before she could
take advantage of that, he backhanded her, full force.

Although tears blurred her vision, she
rolled away. She thought karate prepared her to take a hit, but
nothing could prepare her for that.

Somewhat disoriented, she managed to roll
off the far side of the bed and onto the floor. Something tickled
against her cheek and she wiped away a streak of blood from her
split skin.

The bed creaked and Stephen’s boots made
muffled thuds into the carpet. “I’ve never gone full out, you know,
Carlie? Not really.” He laughed. “Since you don’t want me, I get to
indulge my other fantasy. Beating a beautiful woman to death.”

His footfalls came closer and closer. Carlie
scrambled to get her feet beneath her, crouching against the wall
as a wave of dizziness gripped her. She’d only have one chance.
Stephen could easily overpower her in a fair fight.

He stepped to the end of the bed and stared
at her. A wide smile spread across his face. “This will be the
easiest money I’ve ever made.”

Carlie lifted her hand to her bloody face
and huddled against the wall. “Please, Stephen. Don’t hurt me.”

“Begging is such sweet music to my ears.” He
took a step forward. “Too bad that won’t save you. I don’t like
rejection, and I gave you so many chances.”

Her knees shook beneath her and it was hard
to wait, but she had to surprise him. “Please, please, don’t hurt
me. I’ll do anything you say.”

Another slow step. She could tell he enjoyed
her fear, enjoyed thinking about hurting her. Another step.

“Please.”

He cracked his knuckles, smiling like an
idiot. One more step.

Carlie shot up, thrusting her fist into his
stomach with all her momentum.

“Oomph.”

Victorious, she didn’t stop there. Standing
the rest of the way, she gripped his shoulders and rammed her knee
into his crotch. Only to encounter the hard plastic of a protective
cup.

The blow was still devastating enough that
he collapsed on the bed, shallow gasps coming from his mouth.

Carlie jumped over his legs, intent on
reaching the doorway before he recovered. She was almost there,
only a few more steps.

Fingers twined in her hair. Her head snapped
back, and he yanked out a chunk of hair.

Without thinking, she spun into a high
roundhouse kick, putting more power behind it than she’d ever
dared. More hair ripped from her skull, but she ignored the pain as
the heel of her shoe connected with Stephen’s face. Blood exploded
from his nose.

Though she thought for sure that would end
the fight, Stephen kept his feet and lunged for her. Wrapping his
hands around her neck, he rushed her into the hallway and slammed
her head against the wall. A sick smile crossed his face and his
fingers tightened against her windpipe.

She punched repeatedly to his gut, but it
appeared to have no effect. Hot blood dripping from his face coated
them both. Carlie twisted and turned, hoping the slick liquid would
loosen his grip. She felt faint from lack of oxygen and didn’t know
how much longer she could hold out. Colors faded and her arms were
leaden. Every punch sapped energy she couldn’t spare.

It was the wrong tactic to try to fight him.
She should have screamed her head off the second she got away. No
longer able to lift her arms, she twisted desperately, hungering
for air.

Knowing he had the victory, but apparently
not wanting it too soon, Stephen loosened his grip marginally and
Carlie sucked in a shallow breath. He drove his knee into her
stomach three times in rapid succession then released her.

She slid down the wall. Blood rushed back,
roaring in her ears as it pulsated through her head. It was over.
She couldn’t fight him, not anymore. So much for standing up for
herself. Carlie closed her eyes, barely having energy to take small
breaths in past her raw throat.

His hands closed around her again. She
struggled weakly, but all hope was gone.

Carlie wondered if her new friends would
miss her. The date with Nick had been the best she'd ever had. She
concentrated on the image of his brooding eyes, trying to find a
happy place while she waited for death.

***

Nick squealed the Porsche’s tires as he tore
into the parking lot. He jerked the car into a spot near Carlie’s
Camry. Stephen definitely had her at his mercy.

Barely taking time to shut off the engine,
he flung open the door and raced up the sidewalk. Tension consumed
him. Even if Carlie was guilty, this wasn’t the way to handle the
case. He hoped he got inside before she was hurt.

Without knocking, Nick tried the handle on
Stephen’s apartment, which turned readily in his hand. He shoved it
open and strode into the living room. A small moan drew his
attention and Nick stepped down the hallway.

The image of Carlie on the ground, Stephen’s
hands around her neck, blood covering her face, prodded him into
action. He ran toward them, putting all his momentum into a kick
against Stephen’s chin. Stephen’s head snapped back and he fell to
the ground. Carlie gasped loudly, but didn’t open her eyes.

Though dazed, Stephen tried to stand up, but
fell against the wall, blinking his eyes in an owl-like fashion.
Nick leapt over Carlie and gripped Stephen’s head in one hand and
his chin in the other. Blood pounded behind Nick’s temples. He’d
never been so close to losing control. One twist and Stephen would
never bother Carlie again.

“Nick.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but
it called him to his senses.

He slammed Stephen against the wall behind
them, giving a quick chop to his neck. Stephen twitched, but didn’t
try to get up again. It pleased Nick to note the bastard looked
almost as bad as Carlie. She hadn’t gone down without a fight.

Making his way to Carlie, Nick dropped to
his knees and took her hand in his, not sure where else he could
touch her without causing pain. “Hang on. I’m going to call an
ambulance.” That would probably piss Paul off, because there would
be more records to delete, but Nick didn’t give a shit right about
now.

Her hand tightened against his. “Please, no,
don’t.” Her voice was weak and a deep cough wracked her body,
ending in a wheezy breath. “I’m okay, but they’ve found me. Protect
me. Get me out of here.”

Did she know the government was after her?
“Who found you?”

“The killers.” She made an effort to open
her eyes, though they appeared weighted down and she wasn’t quite
focused. “The police can’t know who I am. I need your help.”

Nick ground his teeth together, hating that
Paul’s plan was effective. Carlie just let him into the inner
circle. “You need a doctor.”

She shook her head gently. “Most of the
blood is his. I’m dazed, but I think I’m okay. Take me somewhere
safe, please. I can’t fight them. I was wrong.”

He scooped her into his arms and stood,
cringing when she winced. “Who can I call for you, Carlie? Who are
you working with?”