Sexy/Dangerous (17 page)

“I need my purse. It’s on the floor by your feet.”

He picked it up then began searching through the contents.

Max asked in a genuine-sounding voice, “Do you see my tampon in there anywhere?”

Her request turned him beet red. He quickly thrust the bag at her and a secret smile played over Max’s face
as she fished her credit card out of her wallet and stepped out of the truck.

Even though there weren’t many other customers at the pumps, Max could have easily called for help and let the chips fall where they may, but she was sure the soldier would shoot her dogs if she did, and she knew Hannibal wanted as much info on Pearl and his people as she could glean, so she kept her mouth shut and pumped her gas.

Being outside the car also gave her an opportunity to discreetly check out how many people were in the Hummer. She saw two soldiers—one driving, the other pumping the gas—in addition to Pearl and his rumpled companion. Four plus the man riding with her and Adam. Five. The odds weren’t too bad if she counted in Adam and the dogs, providing she could access a weapon. She thought about the helicopter they’d seen hovering over traffic at the checkpoint. The chopper could be problematic if it was under Pearl’s control, but she’d deal with that if and when the time came. As she replaced the hose, she and Adam shared a silent look. Keeping her movements smooth and natural, she grabbed her receipt and got back into her seat.

The “base” Pearl had referred to turned out to be a shabby little motel that rented rooms by the hour. Max noted that the tacky place was located only a short drive from the highway. Apparently, the room arrangements had already been made because Pearl came over to Adam’s side of the car and said to him, “Dr. Gary, you, Ms. Blake, and the dogs are going to be in the same room. Please park over there.”

Adam parked and cut the engine. They got out.

Max asked their guard, “Is it okay if I let the dogs out now?”

He gave her a nod. “Don’t do anything stupid, though.”

Max opened the truck’s tailgate where the prototype and her weapons lay hidden in the hollowed-out space between its steel panels. She beckoned to Ruby, who jumped down onto the pavement of the parking lot. Ossie was still knocked out.

Adam came around. “I’ll carry him.”

Grateful for his care and concern, Max stepped back so he could reach in. He carefully scooped the big dog up as easily as a child.

The motel had two levels, and all its rooms opened to the outside. As they walked toward it she noted that there were no other cars in the lot. The place looked abandoned.

Max and Adam were shown into a street level room that smelled of mildew and smoke. The interior consisted of a bed, a chair, and a tiny bathroom. The TV worked only if you fed it coins.

Adam placed Ossie on the small bathroom rug so he’d be undisturbed.

Pearl said, “We’ll be here until our plane arrives, so make yourselves comfortable. My aide will bring you some food later.”

Adam had to admit he was starving. His breakfast at Sweetness’s had been cut short by their hasty departure. Add in the drama of the last few hours, and he was hungry enough to eat Guam.

Max said, “The dogs’ food and water bowls are in the car. Can you send somebody to get them, too?”

Pearl scanned Ruby, who was watching him silently. “Nice animal,” he noted. “Looks to be well-trained for a dog owned by a simple housekeeper. Why’s the male asleep?”

“He gets carsick.”

“Ah. I suggest you keep them under control if you want to keep them alive.”

“You’re the second person whose threatened them.”

He met Max’s eyes, but she didn’t flinch.

He said, “You think you’re a pretty tough bitch, don’t you?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think. Action is what counts, General Pearl.”

He didn’t reply to her bold statement. Instead, he turned to Adam and said, “We’ll talk about the prototype shortly.”

“Fine,” Adam replied, “but I told you, I destroyed it.”

“So you say.” He turned to go to the door, but stopped and looked back at them. “There will be a guard in front of the door at all times, in case you’re thinking of trying to escape.”

A moment later they were alone.

Max looked at Adam and said, “I worked with General Walt Pearl when I first got into operations.”

“Then why is he acting like he doesn’t know you?”

“Because he doesn’t.”

Adam didn’t understand.

Max explained coolly, “The real General Pearl was killed a few years ago in the Philippines.”

Stunned, Adam searched her face. “So who is this man?”

“I have no idea, but I’d sure like to find out.”

“So no big escape plan brewing in that brain of yours?”

“Not yet. I need to see what’s going on here first. Even though there are five of them and only four of us, I figure the odds are in our favor because the guy in the black suit looks like he’ll run at the first sign of trouble.”

“Four on four, then.”

“Basically.”

Adam liked the odds as well, provided the general wasn’t planning on doing to them what someone had done to Dr. Sylvester “Sly” Kent.

The soldier who’d ridden in the Escalade with Adam
and Max entered a few minutes later with a bag of burgers and fries. He left, then returned a few minutes later with the bag of dog food and the bowls.

Once he was gone for good, Max poured food for Ruby and for the now stirring Ossie, then Max dragged the tall, half-filled bag of food into the bathroom, out of view.

“What are you doing?” Adam asked.

“I always stash spare toys in the food. Keep an eye out, would you?”

Adam grinned. He knew she wasn’t referring to doggie toys.

Max stuck her arm deep into the bag and fished around until she found the Ziploc she was after. It held a Glock, ammo, a phone, and a few other surprises.

Adam, eating his fries, stood at the window and kept watch through the dusty lopsided blinds. He could see their guard standing outside the door. He was chowing down on a large burger. “So you do have a plan?”

“Nope, but in case one shows up, we have help.”

He nodded approvingly, then said, “Uh-oh. They’re searching the car.”

Max joined him at the window. She watched one of the soldiers going through the gear in the back and fiddling around in the front seat. Even though he’d taken the keys from Adam earlier, without the code they couldn’t access anything of importance. The dog blankets and clothes in the backseat wouldn’t help them, either.

Pearl’s face was set tight with irritation as he got out and slammed the door.

“He doesn’t look happy,” Adam noted while enjoying his chocolate shake.

“No he doesn’t.”

They shared a smile.

Max told him, “I meant to tell you how much I liked your lie about the prototype. In fact, remind me to take you along on my next job, you’re a great sidekick.”

He shook his head and said, “Oh, no. Once this is over, I’m going back to my nice quiet lab. This is way too much drama for me. You might want to think about slowing down yourself.”

“Naw. I’m fine. I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t doing this.”

“Ever tried anything else?”

Max studied him. “No.”

“You can’t be Jinga forever, Max. You could get killed.”

“True, but I could be killed crossing the street.”

“I’m trying to be serious here.”

“I caught that.”

Their eyes met.

He said, “I just worry about you, that’s all.”

“And I appreciate it, but you don’t have to. I’m well trained.”

When he turned back to the window, she could see the hard set of his jaw. She didn’t want this to be an issue between them, so she stepped over, wrapped her arms around his solid waist and placed her cheek against his warm back. “Adam, I’m never going to be one of those women waiting for her family to come home so that her life will have meaning.”

“I know that, but—”

She cut him off by asking gently, “If the shoe were on the other foot and you were the one living my life, would you want to hear me asking you to make a change?”

For a moment he didn’t respond, then he said, “Probably not.”

“Is it because I’m female?”

He turned to look at her. “Yeah.”

She gave him a bittersweet smile. “I like your honesty.” Then she said softly, “Yes, what I do does scare me sometimes, and yes, I may die because of it. But it’s what I choose to do. I choose.”

“And the people who care about you? What about them?”

“If they really and truly care for me, they’d want me to be happy—no matter what.”

Adam looked down into those sincere green eyes, and her indomitable spirit filled his heart. “You make it hard for a brother.”

Her voice stayed soft. “That’s what I’m here for.”

The kiss that followed was one they both needed, a slow but searing renewal of emotions still waiting to be fully explored. They met tenderly, gently, holding each
other closely while they reacquainted themselves with what they’d had to set aside since being on the run.

The door opened abruptly and they jumped.

Pearl walked in. “How touching. Sorry to interrupt, but Dr. Gary, it’s time.”

Adam was suddenly tired of all this; tired of running and ducking and being shot at. If Max didn’t have a plan, he’d come up with one, because he’d had enough. All he wanted was to lose himself in his lab and spend the rest of the time enjoying Max’s company for as long as she wanted to stay. But right now, duty called, he thought sarcastically. Giving Max a parting kiss on her forehead, he walked past Pearl and out of the door without a word.

Pearl told the soldier who’d been guarding her door, “Watch her.”

They slammed the door and closed her in.

As silence resettled over the dingy little room, Max had Adam foremost in her mind as she asked the dogs, “Okay, who’s got a plan?”

Adam was taken into a room two doors down. The decor was as bland as the decor he’d just left.

“Have a seat, Dr. Gary,” the man with the accent invited.

“I’ll stand.”

Looking flustered, the man turned to Pearl, but Pearl said, “It doesn’t matter.”

Adam guessed Rumpled Suit wanted him to sit because of the great difference in their heights. It couldn’t be a terrifying interrogation with the taller Adam glaring down from on high.

Pearl took over. “Where’s the prototype?”

“Tossed it in a Dumpster.”

“Where?”

“West side of Detroit, and I don’t know the street, because I don’t know the city.”

“Explain again what happened to it.”

“All the jostling from the car chase last night destabilized the formula. It started to corrode the casing so I got rid of it. The gas it releases is toxic.”

The man in the rumpled suit said accusingly, “I thought it was perfected.”

“I did, too. Guess that’s why they call it a prototype.” Adam turned away.

Pearl asked, “Do you think you can make one that is perfect?”

“Probably. Might take a year or two, though.”

Adam could tell by Pearl’s annoyed face that he hadn’t cared for that answer.

“I think you’re lying,” Pearl said.

Adam shrugged. “Fine.”

The short man said, “There are ways to make you tell us the truth, Dr. Gary.”

Adam waited.

Pearl smiled. “He’s right. How about we beat up on that lady of yours for an hour or two? Once Crane and Gibbons over there get through with her, those sweet lips you were kissing will be big as bananas, and those green eyes’ll be black and blue.”

Both soldiers smiled, and the one named Gibbons said, “Just tell us when.”

Adam’s anger was plain.

Pearl nodded with satisfaction. “Thought that would get your attention. Now, again, where’s the prototype?”

“What part of ‘I had to destroy it’ don’t you understand?”

The man with the accent snarled doubtfully, “You wouldn’t destroy something so valuable.”

“I can make another one. Remember?” Adam had said all he planned to, except for this, “Touch her, and I will kill you.”

Pearl chuckled. “Spoken like a true lover.” Then he added sarcastically, “You’re a lab scientist. You don’t know a thing about killing a person.”

Adam’s eyes glowed coldly. “I graduated med school at Johns Hopkins. If I hit you in the right spot, I can make your heart stop. I know ways to snap your neck and not even get my hands dirty. So, yeah, I can kill you, but the question will be, will I make it quick or make it slow?”

He looked over at Gibbons and saw fear flood the soldier’s eyes before the man caught himself. Adam was satisfied.

Pearl said, “I want to talk to the woman. I’ll be back.”

Adam stiffened. Pearl gave him a cold smile then exited.

Two doors down, Max was seated on the bed when the door swung open. Pearl stood on the threshold. He told the guard, “Go to the other room. I want to talk to her alone.”

Holding his gun on her, Pearl motioned her to go with him. Max stilled. “Where are we going?”

“To see your boyfriend.”

Wondering how Adam was holding up and if they’d harmed him, Max saw the dogs stand up. She told them, “Stay. I’ll be right back.”

She followed Pearl outside, where sounds of the nearby highway could be heard in the distance.

“Down there,” he said, and motioned with his gun. As Max walked, she realized she hadn’t seen a soul upon their arrival and once again wondered if the place was even open. If it wasn’t, she realized that if Pearl decided to dispose of them, their corpses might not be found for months. Not that she was planning on dying, but the thought was enough to keep her on her toes.

He made her stop in front of a room on the far end of the building, then motioned her inside. She twisted the knob with her left hand and stepped inside. He came in behind her and closed the door. The room was a twin of her own but there was no one in it.

She turned around to ask where Adam was but something in his eyes set off alarms.

Jan knew he was sexually attracted to this tall dynamic woman. Being who he was, he was accustomed to slaking his needs on women of color, and he was itching to get his hands between those long legs. “So,” he said. “Do you want to tell me who you really are?”

Max was watching his vivid blue eyes. “I’m the housekeeper. Who are you?”

“General Walt Pearl.”

She gave him a wintry smile. “Try again. I used to play poker with Walt Pearl before he died, so you can’t possibly be him.”

His eyes widened for a split second then his jaw tightened. “Undress.”

Max went still. “Excuse me?”

“Take off your pants. I want us to get to know one another better.”

“Oh, really?”

“We can make this easy or we can make it hard—makes no difference to me.”

“So, we’re talking rape.”

He shrugged behind the raised rifle. “Call it whatever you care. As I said, hard or easy, it’s up to you.”

Max could see the smug triumph. She gave him another wintry smile. “Then by all means—let’s make this easy!”

Max sailed the razor-sharp star hidden in her right hand with such speed and accuracy, it was embedded in the side of his neck before he could say,
rape.
The rifle hit the ground. His eyes bulging, he clawed at the disc.

By the time the furious Max picked up his gun and left the room, he was gurgling, clawing, and screaming on the floor. Striding to the Escalade, she pulled the extra set of keys from her bra and opened the tailgate. She didn’t do well with threats of rape, and she was about to take it out on Pearl’s friends.

She tossed Pearl’s rifle into the hidden compartment, took out her own and slammed the gate shut. Her big gun now in tow, she went around and opened a side door, then crossed the parking lot back to her room. She threw open the door, grabbed her purse, and after putting the straps in Ruby’s mouth, sent the dogs running to the car.

Max had no idea which room they’d taken Adam to, but she bet on it being close by because Pearl didn’t have a posse large enough to guard a spread-out operation. She passed the room next door to hers. Nothing. The room next to it was the money ball. She could see them through the ragged venetian blinds and they could
see her. The shock on the soldiers’ faces put a grim smile on her face as she screamed out, “Adam, get away from the door!”

Opening up the weapon, she blasted the rusted hinges, then the lock. The old door was no match for so much firepower and crashed into the room. Then she was standing in the opening with her gun raised while the smoke and dust drifted around her like fog.

Not a man moved, including Adam.

Max swung her attention to the wide-eyed soldiers who’d been caught by surprise, their weapons hanging uselessly in their hands. “Drop ’em.”

They checked out the size of her gun, saw the emerald death flashing in her green eyes, and didn’t have to be asked twice. The guns clattered to the floor. Their hands went up and they stood absolutely still.

“Adam, get their guns, please, and the brunette has my phone.”

Adam grabbed up the guns, then took her phone from the man’s pocket.

Once Adam was out of the line of fire, she said to them, “Now, I’m going to ask you two some questions, and before you think you can lie, let me explain something. This gun has a high-tech lie detector built into it and will automatically send you to hell if you tell one.”

Their eyes widened.

Behind her, Max heard the short man in the rumpled suit, scoff, “That’s preposterous—”

Max swung the gun, blasted out a chunk of the wall behind him then swung it back. The man screamed like a little girl. Max growled, “You’ll get your chance to talk next!”

The ashen-faced Oskar slid down what remained of the wall to the plaster-strewn floor.

For the next few minutes Max asked questions and Gibbons and Crane answered. She learned that they, like Pearl, were imposters. They weren’t soldiers, but house painters. They first met Pearl six weeks ago in a Miami bar in response to an ad he’d placed in a third-rate soldier-of-fortune magazine soliciting men wanting action and adventure. He told them that they were going on a secret mission on behalf of the Pentagon and that Dr. Gary was to be taken into custody for offering the prototype to terrorists secretly hiding in the States. During Max’s interrogation their eyes never wavered too far from the muzzle of her big gun. They seemed terrified by the idea of saying the wrong thing and being blown away, and as a result they gave her answers that were clear and succinct.

Max turned her wintry glare to the short man still sitting on the floor. “Name and country of origin,” she snapped.

He hesitated, and Max shot up the wall beside him. He screamed and got on his knees.

“Answer me!”

Cringing and crying, he called out in a frightened voice, “Vlad! Vlad Oskar! Germany! Please don’t shoot me!”

Max’s smile was sinister. “Why are you in this country?” Then she added, “Remember what I said about this gun. Lie, and you die.”

He whimpered in response to that then confessed, “I represent Afrikaners who want to set up their own country.”

“Where?”

“On land taken from the present government.”

“Taken, as in by force?”

He nodded. “They don’t like the evolution of the South Africa their ancestors founded.”