Red Sole Clues (25 page)

“As is yours.” I shake off another round of dizziness that threatens to pull me under.

“Lead pipes are hell on skulls, even one as hard as yours,” he says.

I blink against blurred vision, trying to spot my gun. It’s by Philippa. “Good to know that the penal system is working well.”

He laughs. “The penal system is shite, much like your organization.”

“If you think so, then why challenge me again?”

“Because you were the only one who ever beat me.”

Catching Philippa’s gaze, I motion to the gun with a small nod. She starts to back away from both of us.

“Tsk, tsk.” Ackerman says, producing a small cylinder from his pocket. “I should hate for the fireworks to start before we have the chance to really get to know one another.”

“I know more than I ever want to know about you,” Philippa all but spits at him. “You’re a cock-up. Expelled from three different universities.”

Don’t antagonize him
, I want to shout at her, but I’m so proud of her for not falling apart that I merely smile.

Ackerman smiles as well, but it’s not the kind you ever want directed at you. He strides to Philippa and roughly grabs her by the hair, yanking it back. “Don’t you ever talk to me that way.”

“Why, will you blow me up sooner?”

He looks at her for a moment, then laughs. “I like you. Spirit in spades.”

“I’ve got more than spirit.”

Suddenly, she rams her elbow into his stomach and jerks away from him with a scream. He’s left holding a thick swatch of hair while she goes for my gun.

“Kick it over, love,” I shout at her.

With a nod, she uses her bare foot to practically punt it to me in a move that would make Beckham proud.

The gun slides neatly in my hands. I whirl around, but Ackerman is at Philippa’s side again, holding the detonator high.

“Take another step and I’ll blow all three of us to hell.”

“T
his time I
will
win.” Ackerman holds the remote detonator high, flipping the cap on the trigger with his thumb. “This time you will be the one who loses everything.”

Slowly, I shake my head while keeping my eyes trained on the detonator. “I don’t think so.”

“Clearly, thinking’s not your strong suit,” he says.

“Bugger off, you elitist snob.” Quickly taking aim, I shoot him in the middle of the forehead, the bullet opening the back of his head as it exits. Nasty buggers, these bullets.

But they do the job.

His body stands in suspended animation for far longer than I like, so I shoot him again in the chest. Finally he goes down, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

I move to Ackerman and stand over him.

He stares up at me with sightless eyes. Blood trickles from the side of his mouth. Most of his brain is spattered on the wall behind his body, a grotesque Rorschach blot in which all I see is victory.

I kick at his arm, but he doesn’t move. “That’s right, you bastard, you better stay dead.” Unfortunately, bad guys keep turning up like a bad penny, as the Americans like to say. I raise my gun to shoot him again.

“
Max
!” Philippa screams, stopping me. “It’s not stopped.”

My eyes widen in horror. Only two minutes to go.

“Oh fuck.”

Dropping my gun, I rush to her, grabbing her hands to keep her from clawing at the vest. Kneeling on the hard ground before her so she focuses on me, I say, “Stop. It will go off, remember?”

Her fingers freeze and I kiss each one before moving them out of my way. “I’m sorry, Max,” she whimpers. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Looking up at her, I wink. “You’re forgiven.”

Her smile is watery.

“Now,” I begin confidently, “all I have to do is take a single wire out and we’re done here. I’ll have you home in time for tea.”

“I hate tea,” she whispers.

“Forever our secret.” Fixing my eyes on the detonator, I set to taking it apart.

“What can I do to help?” she asks.

My brave Pippa, always the lady for the job. I glance up at her. “Tell me your memory of the day we met.”

A laugh escapes her. “Are you serious?”

I force a grin. “Quite.”

She licks her lips. “It was spring. I was leaving class and you bumped into me.”

I turn my attention back to the task at hand, my fingers shaking as I pry open the outer case. “Not how I remember it.”

“Concentrate, Maxim,” she orders. “As I was saying, we bumped into one another, and all my things scattered.”

“Naturally, I helped you pick them up.”

“Naturally,” she agrees. “At one time, I thought you the most perfect gentleman.”

I grin, even as my heart pounds and my chest tightens. “Which is why you didn’t give me a second look once I rescued your precious papers.”

“The motorcycle did help,” she murmurs.

“The leather jacket and sneer as well?”

“Your confidence is what attracted me the most.”

“And the fact that your parents couldn’t stand me.” Three wires are all that stand in my way: blue, green, or red. “Your dear mother was horrified you’d thrown over a proper gent like Prince Deo.”

Pippa’s legs begin to tremble, then her teeth start to chatter. “I didn’t want to marry him. He wasn’t my choice.”

“Almost done, love. Down to three wires.” I peer at her from beneath my brows. “Brave woman, it’s almost over.”

The timer hits the fifty second mark.

A sharp gasp leaves her.

My heart slams against my chest.

“Stop looking at the timer, Pippa. Tell me the exact moment you fell in love with me.”

“I’d rather face the timer,” she says dryly before clearing her throat.

“Fine, then I’ll tell you my exact moment. It was at Cotton House.”

“In the Maldives?”

“Yes.”

“But we weren’t together, then. I’d sent you away.”

“Like that was going to stop me. I knew you only did so to be the dutiful daughter.” I snap the green wire in half and nothing happens. “In any case, you were wearing your mother’s sari. It was dyed the color of the ocean and threaded with gold. Your beautiful hands were covered in henna and gold bangles adorned your wrists.” I glance up at her. “We made good use of those later that night.”

She blushes. “You fell in love with me on the night of my wedding to another man?”

“Wasn’t I there to stop said wedding?” I ask, then continue taking apart the blasted detonator. Sweat gathers at the small of my back. “I took one look at you and saw my future.”

“Those are very lovely words.”

“Very true words.”

“I’m trying to be brave, Maxim. Trying very hard, but time is running out.”

“I know, my love, but we’re on our own again.”

“Please.”

“Blue or red,” I mutter, my fingers wrapped around the red wire.

Ten.

Nine.

“Just pull a bloody wire,” Philippa screams. Tears stream down her cheeks as our eyes meet. This could be the last time I ever see her in this life. “Do it, Maxim. I trust you.”

Five.

Four.

Blue, like the color of her sari… Blue is our future. “Blue.” Letting go of the red wire, I rip out the blue one and pull her into my embrace. If she goes, we both go.

The countdown stops at two seconds.

I open one eye and look around. We’re still in one piece.

“Hell, yes!” I shout at the rafters of the church.

A couple of birds take flight, squawking their displeasure.

“Oh, thank God.” Philippa’s knees buckle and she starts to fall. I go down with her, easing her landing before working at the vest secured around her.

“It’s okay, my love. It’s over.”

“I knew you would save me, Maxim.” She cups my cheek. “I never lost faith in you.”

Easing the vest off her shoulders, I place it carefully beside her. Once it’s off, she launches herself into my arms. “Please take me home with you,” Philippa pleads, sagging against me.

Hope surges inside of me. “There’s nothing I want more, but you need to be examined.”

“I’m fine,” she insists. “Please, Maxim. I can’t take another minute of this place. Call whomever you need to clean up, but for the love of God, take me home.”

I brush a kiss over her trembling lips. “Right this minute,” I agree and take her hand in mine.

Together, we walk out of the church and into a perfectly rainy London afternoon.

D
mitry is nowhere
to be found and as I hear the sound of sirens, I can only assume that he’s the one to notify the authorities. Or Ben.

Either way, I owe them both so much that I don’t know how I will ever repay them.

“Shall we walk?” I ask lightly, as if we haven’t just survived near death.

“I think so, yes,” Philippa replies.

By the time we arrive at my flat, we are soaked to the bone.

Philippa turns to me, her heavy hair falling over her shoulders. “I need you.”

“You don’t have to ask.” I frame her lovely face with my hands, intent on kissing her slowly, intent on savoring every minute I have with her.

But she doesn’t allow any of that.

Instead, her mouth slams against mine, our teeth nearly colliding. Her hands are in my hair, gripping the strands tight as we kiss like old lovers.

She rips at my clothes, and I do the same to hers. Buttons pop, scatter, and make the most beautiful sound as they fly around the room.

As I wrap my mouth around a tight nipple, a moan leaves her mouth. Make that the second most beautiful sound.

“You taste so bloody good,” I growl around her nipple.

Pippa smiles, then pushes me away. “On the sofa, darling. I want to ride.”

I barely get my pants past my knees before she’s on top of me, her body sleek, hot, and wet between her thighs. I rub her clit, revel in the wetness of her as she bites at my ear.

I don’t remember her ever being this way, but I certainly don’t mind. Plus, I know how a near-death experience can change a person’s entire outlook on life.

She raises her hips, grasps my cock, and lowers herself onto me.

I blow out a curse, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

“I haven’t…there’s been no one but you,” I confess.

Her eyes widen before her head falls back, sending her breasts jutting out. “Just me.”

I sit up slightly to cup her breasts, rubbing my thumbs over her taut, dusky nipples. “Yes.”

“There’s been no one for me either.”

My cock hardens even more. “Are you on the pill?” When we first married, she always took it because we weren’t ready for kids. But now, the thought of her carrying my child incites something primal inside of me. “I want to come in you, shall I?”

“Yes.”

Which questions she’s answering, I haven’t a clue, because her hips are moving. Her pussy is sucking me in and her muscles are clamping down on my cock so hard that I only have seconds before I orgasm.

I rub her clit and she moans my name. “Maxim. Yes,
there
.”

Gritting my teeth, I keep up with her, forcing my orgasm to wait. I want us to come together. Need us to be one so badly that I can taste it.

Her thighs quiver and I know she’s close. I rub her clit harder, making it plump up. She’s scratching my chest with her nails, nearly drawing blood, but I’m past giving a damn.

Philippa screams and I let out a hoarse shout as I join her, endless hot spurts of my semen pouring inside of her. I thrust deep, holding onto her hip with my free hand.

We stay locked like that for endless minutes. Hours. Centuries.

Finally, she comes back to me, her face softening as she slumps against my chest.

“I love you,” she murmurs.

I stare at her in wonder. The last time she said those words to me, I was too damned angry and proud to care.

My voice is hoarse as I reply, “I love you, Pippa.”

She smiles, and in her smile, I can see forever again.

*     *     *

When I wake
up the next morning, Philippa is sitting on the side of the bed. She’s wearing a ridiculously conservative dress with hot pink Louboutins. Apparently, she’d not taken all of her things from our flat.

“Good morning, my love.”

She frowns and my heart thumps hard against my chest. “I wanted to leave before you woke, but I decided not to be that girl again.”

I attempt to capture her hand in mine, but she evades me by standing.

“Philippa. Come back to bed.” I shove the bedcovers off and nearly chase her across the room before stopping. “What’s wrong?”

“This.” She waves a hand around. “It took a madman to bring us back together.”

“And that’s a problem for you?”

She nods vigorously, her black hair sliding forward. “Absolutely.”

“Care to explain why?”

“Once you put on trousers.” Grabbing the pair I’d thrown across the room last night, she holds them out to me, her head slightly turned.

I step into them, but forgo buttoning them up. I don’t have plans to stay in them very long, mostly because I’m sure we can work through whatever reservations she may have. “Ready.”

“We can’t shag away five years of separation.”

It dawns on me. She thinks I’ve been disloyal, or that I’ve tricked her. “On my parents’ grave, I swear that I have been faithful to you.”

She lets out a shuddering breath. “And I have with you.”

I tilt my head to one side. “Except for that time three years ago.”

“I can’t believe you’d bring him up.”

I run a hand through my hair as irritation rises. “He had his tongue down your throat.”

Her golden eyes narrow. “If you’d waited longer than five seconds, you would have seen me shove him away.”

That would have been something, considering Philippa is every inch the lady and would never lower herself to shove. Chastise? Order? Most certainly. But publically rough up another human? Never. “Having your bodyguard do your dirty work does not count, Pippa.”

“See? This is why we will never work.” She marches across the room like a queen. “You will never admit you were wrong. Never admit that you chose SIS over me. Over
us
.”

I follow her into the living room. “Why should I? You do all the talking for both of us, or should I say, your dear poppa does all the talking. I’ve never bowed and scraped so much in my life as when we started dating…and then after we were married…”