The Hunted (The Chronicles of the Hunter Book 1) (3 page)

“Fine. I’ll name you. You look like a Kane.”

He wasn’t prepared. He jerked slightly and sent a quick glance at her again. She was smiling. Sunlight was just touching her left side. She looked angelic. And wide awake.

“Is that it? Your name is Kane?”

He didn’t answer. He’d thought she was sleepy. Another mistake. He was making way too many of those, in a very short time. Kane shrugged again. Toyed with turning the stereo back on. Shifted. His seat creaked in accompaniment. He reached for the climate control switch.

“You okay back there? Not too hot? Cold?”

“I’m fine.”

“You thirsty?” he asked.

“Not unless you have coffee.”

“Never touch the stuff.”

“That figures.”

“I’ve got cold water. Bottled.”

“Thanks, but I can’t get my hands free to drink it. You know what, Kane? I think I’ll just try and take a little snooze back here. Maybe when I wake up, I’ll be back in my hotel room, and this will have been a very strange dream. That okay with you?”

“Dream on, baby.”

Oh.

Hell.

He did
not
just say that. Not in a thousand years. He wasn’t just exhibiting slow wits. They appeared to be missing entirely. Kane’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, making the leather wrap rotate under his palm. Luckily, she didn’t respond. A milepost passed. Another one. He sent a peek in the rearview mirror toward her.

She had her head tilted to the side. She looked asleep.

And she was smiling.  

CHAPTER THREE

LeeAnn wasn’t sleeping. Only stupid, insipid individuals would actually sleep at a time like this. She was vulnerable. With a complete stranger. And, even if it did appear as if he’d saved her, she was still at his mercy. Wearing little more than a nightgown. Sans her phone. Identification. Cash. Credit cards. She couldn’t even prove who she was. The last thing she needed was to be unaware of her surroundings and how she got there. She’d read this plot too many times. She needed to keep her wits about her. Gain an accurate account of time. Distance. Check when the vehicle changed speeds. Make certain of turns. How many. Which direction.

The rising sun was mostly on the driver side now, so they were definitely heading south. She could just make out the dash clock. His arm blocked it for a moment, as he turned on his stereo again. Classical music surrounded her. She didn’t know composers or tunes, but it was strangely soothing. Oddly comforting.

All bad.

And counterintuitive.

She didn’t need or want comfort. She was in way over her head here, and didn’t like the feeling. Her mind kept sending possible scenarios. Potential plans of action. A lot of truly frightening endings. She really could use some caffeine. She’d even take it cold. With carbonation. And a day’s supply of sugar. She peeked occasionally out the window, checking for anything that could be a potential landmark. Looked like a lot of clear blue sky. A lot more ocean. And tons of sunlight. It was going to be a gorgeous hot, sunny day.

The sun sent a lot of warmth with its rays. The heat was like another layer of comfort. Soothing. Reassuring even as it cocooned. LeeAnn mentally shook herself. Slanted a glance toward Kane. She could just make out the back of his neck. She instantly had to stanch a whisper of reaction through her belly.

This wasn’t good.

Then again, it couldn’t just be her. The guy was beyond good looking...even if a tad overly alpha, a bit too masculine, and entirely too close-lipped and predatory. He was still gorgeous. He had the tall, dark, and handsome monikers covered.

In spades.

Really, LeeAnn. Stop. Just stop.

His jaw was really chiseled. The line was apparent beneath the slight shadow of black whiskers. She knew now that it matched his hair color. She’d been right with that assessment. His hair was definitely dark. More...coal black. Looked straight, but he wore it pulled back, which might exaggerate that quality. She couldn’t tell the length. It wasn’t short. The start of his queue was just visible before it disappeared beneath his clothing. A few strands slid down his neck.

He had a really thick neck, too.

Another shiver of something unbidden sliced through her, sending a layer of reaction in its wake. Entirely pleasant. And uncalled for. She didn’t even like big, muscled guys. Now, that she thought of it, she didn’t really know any. Kane looked wrestling-superstar fit. She’d never seen a guy as ripped. He had wide shoulders. Massive arms. The rest of him was probably a match. She didn’t know why she even pondered that. He’d jogged down so many flights of stairs, carrying her hundred and thirty pounds that her head had grown dizzy. He hadn’t even been breathing hard.

One thing was certain. She wasn’t going to be able to fight him. Or outrun him. She’d have to rely on cunning.  

Palm trees started showing up in her view. They’d left the highway? When had that happened? The vehicle geared down as he slowed. She heard him flip the turn signal lever.

What?

No.

It couldn’t be. She’d actually slept? LeeAnn checked the dash clock. Blinked on the proof before her eyes. Sagged back into her seat with disgust. He made a couple of right turns. Sped up slightly.

Crap
.

She was a complete failure at this covert stuff. She didn’t know where they were. All she knew was over two hours had elapsed, and that only because of the dash clock. The palm trees gave way to privacy fencing – mostly white stone. Or stucco. She wasn’t in the construction business so she didn’t know. She’d had construction company clients. She knew their debits and credits. She didn’t know a thing about their operations. They’d had a lot of them, actually. Her partner, Chad, was like a magnet when it came to businesses predominantly owned by guys.
Wait.
She needed to call him her ex-partner. It was probably his hand behind her assassination attempt.
Really, LeeAnn...who else could it be?
She didn’t even know that much about him...except he was handsome, single, and charming. The background check had been clean. She should have dug deeper. Taken self-defense classes. Joined a gym. Bought a gun and learned how to use it.

All of which was not going to help a thing now.

The fence was connected intermittently with stacks of cemented stones. Very artistic. They were mostly light shades. A few gray ones here and there. Some pinkish toned. The vehicle slowed. Kane signaled. Turned. And stopped before a two-story arched gate. She heard the window retract.

“Leon,” he said.

“Kane.”

The man’s reply sent a flush of pleasure through her. She’d been right on his name! Knowing she’d tagged him correctly almost offset her failure at everything else.

Almost.

They passed beneath a portico. The vehicle darkened. Bright sun flooded in as they came out the other side. And then it grew really dark as the vehicle drove into a cavernous space that might be a garage. They passed vehicle after vehicle, answering that question, before pulling into a spot. Her hands turned into icicles against the sides of her thighs. Alarm bells hit both ears.

He spent a lot of time putting the vehicle into park before turning it off. Unhooking his safety belt. Rearranging the rearview mirror. And then he turned swiftly toward her, surprising her. That wasn’t fair. He didn’t even take off his sunglasses.

“We’re here,” he told her.

Her eyes widened. Any words got caught in a ball at her throat.

“You ready?”

“For...what?”

That little, hesitant voice couldn’t possibly be hers!
Ugh.
LeeAnn looked away. Checked out the roof of the classy-looking limo just outside her window. She used the time to collect herself mentally, but it was mostly a berating. She didn’t have to just be a victim? She had to sound like one, too?

“I’m taking you inside now.”

“Inside?” she asked the window glass.

“And you’re not going to give me any trouble. We clear on that?”

What a farce.
Trouble?

Her?

“I know you faked sleeping. You probably think you know exactly where we are. You may already have a plan of escape. I’m not amused. Okay? I’m the good guy here.”

She caught the instant smile before looking back at him. He hadn’t known she slept? Maybe she wasn’t such a failure, after all.

“I’ve never brought anyone here...especially a woman. It may create some interest.”

She choked.

“Actually, it will engender a lot of interest. Conjecture. Nothing I want to address. So, no screaming. No yelling. And no fighting me.”

“I’m just supposed to be docile?”

“Would you rather be unconscious?”

One of his brows lifted above the sunglass frame as he asked it. Nothing else moved. On him. Her reaction was the opposite. Her eyes widened. Every limb went ice-cold, her belly dropped nauseatingly. Her heart stopped. And her breathing was right behind it, as if on cue, making an audible gasp.

He smiled. It didn’t make him look more approachable.

“That’s what I thought.”

LeeAnn forced a breath as he just sat there, watching her. There wasn’t a descriptor for how these shivers felt as they coursed her skin.

“We good, then?”

He waited for her nod before exiting. The vehicle rocked as he released it from the burden of his weight. Shut his door. It seemed like a moment later her side door opened. He reached across her lap, unfastened her belts, and wrapped an arm about her middle. She was hefted atop his shoulder again. Got a narrow view of polished floor. She didn’t fight. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t make a sound.

He walked through the garage. A whir sounded as a door must have opened. Kane passed through it and she squinted as her vision got overwhelmed with artificial light. The floor turned into a span of light shaded tiles that matched the fence stones outside. Light gray. Off-white. Some pink. The room echoed with his steps. LeeAnn turned her head. Caught a glimpse of stainless steel. A lot of big kettles. Rows of what looked like marine gear. Lifejackets. SCUBA tanks. Spear guns. She couldn’t see it all. They entered another space, this one dark. Carpeted. Muted. His steps didn’t make much noise. He crossed another portal, and entered a space ablaze with sunlight. LeeAnn narrowed her eyes and tipped her head toward the source, and her jaw dropped. The wall was a solid span of big windows. At least two stories high. They showcased an outside swimming pool that was larger than her entire apartment. It was framed with lounge furniture. Palm trees. Rimmed by more of the privacy wall. And beyond that was a solid horizon of ocean.

Holy crap.

This wasn’t a safe house. It was a mansion. The kind featured in stories about the rich and famous. Overpaid celebrities. Rock stars. Billionaires.

He entered an area with a cream colored floor. The walls matched. It was a rotunda. Round. Could be the entranceway. Kane didn’t give her any time to decipher it. He was moving so rapidly, she felt queasy. Her head was starting to pound, too. And her abs hurt from contact with his shoulder. They reached a staircase. He began climbing, two steps at a time. Then a voice hailed him, stopping his progress.

“Kane! You’re back.”

“Rafael.”

Kane spun. LeeAnn got a quick panorama of more sunlit windows attached to what looked like a second floor landing, leading to a lot more space. But the way she viewed it was sickening. She wasn’t the motion-sick type, but this method of transportation was definitely testing it.

“What you got there?”

“Complication.”

“Need any help?”

“No.”

He turned back around. LeeAnn’s head dropped to the middle of his back.
Leon? And now Rafael?
They had very interesting and unique names in this house. That was one thing she could list for the authorities.

“Wait.”  Kane spun back as he said it. His back vibrated with the word. LeeAnn swallowed.

“I need women’s clothing.”

“Any particular size? Type?”

“Just send Jezzie. She’ll know.”

Jezzie?
The relief was palpable. Like a wash of cool water. It didn’t help the pounding in LeeAnn’s head, but it relieved the anxiety. She wasn’t the lone woman here. But then the unseen Rafael had to go and ruin it.

“You sure you want her?”

“Yeah.”

Kane spun and started mounting steps again. LeeAnn tried to focus and peek, checking for the man beneath them. It was useless. He was in the shadow thrown by the balustrade and Kane moved too quickly.

“Hope you know what you’re doing, big guy.” 

Kane answered beneath his breath, altering the new-found relief with worry again. LeeAnn’s eyes went wide and he probably felt her gasp.

“Me, too.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Kane stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and ruffled his hair with an efficiency that nearly sent sparks. Dried the rest of his body with the same quick, almost-angered motions. Wrapped the towel about his hips, tying it with a bit more strength than he needed. His movements matched how he felt.

Exactly.

He was in what the others referred to as his black mood. Fighting inner demons. The kind that kept everyone away until it passed. Nobody knew what brought them on. He hadn’t either. Before.

This time, he knew the cause.

LeeAnn Schultz.

He was suffering something very close to lust. LeeAnn was at the center of it. Causing heated sensations that sent fire licking at his thighs. Groin. Its heat stirred primal needs. Animalistic wants. His body acted as if a bellows were at work on it, sending oxygen to an already hot fire. Fueling a constant state of arousal. The erection distorting his towel was the proof. Impossible to hide. Readily apparent. The situation was really starting to anger. Frustrate.

Kane slicked his hair back with his hands, finger-combed it back into a tail again, and spent a couple of seconds looking for a strap before letting it go. Steam gradually dissipated, leaving him with a focused view of the room. Him. And his problem.  

He snarled at his mirrored image before tipping his head to one side. He concentrated. The bathroom was like a space vacuum. Deathly quiet. No sound came from outside the door, though. No screams. No yelling. No alarms being sounded. LeeAnn must be behaving.

And Jezzie.

The woman’s real name was Jezebel. In Hebrew it meant “not exalted.”  That pretty much explained Jezzie. She wasn’t the type to go out of her way for anyone or anything. She liked causing trouble. She’d looked at him with a calculated gaze as he’d explained what he wanted. As if she sensed an attraction he didn’t dare acknowledge. Seeing LeeAnn into attractive garments should be right up Jezzie’s alley. She could set up a doomed situation and see what developed.

Kane’s expression turned into a frown. In retrospect, he should have kept LeeAnn with him, despite how her proximity unsettled, and then challenged. He could have waited to shower. Shave. Change clothes.

Shit.
 

He was turning into a class-A dimwit here.

One with a testosterone problem.

He really shouldn’t have sent for Jezebel, but the tall brunette looked the same size as LeeAnn. She should have something the girl could wear. Kane was guessing on LeeAnn’s exact dimensions, but he figured she was about five-and-a-half feet tall. She weighed an easily-portable one-hundred, thirty-five. Maybe less. She was slim. She didn’t make an unwieldy bundle even swathed in bedding.  

The frown cleared slightly. He was overanalyzing this. Adding issues that might not even happen. Moreover, he wasn’t a babysitter. Jezebel might be a manipulative and spite-filled woman, but LeeAnn had proven capable. She dealt with traumatic situations well, followed instructions, and had a quick mind. She could handle Jezzie.

Besides...they were only two doors away. Same floor. Kane leaned toward the mirror. Studied his eyes for several long moments before giving it up. Nothing had changed. And time was wasting. He needed to check on LeeAnn. Make sure she was clothed. Had eaten breakfast.

Kane smirked at his reflection before opening the door. He sure felt like a babysitter.

Air-conditioned air cooled the space immediately. The chill raised goose bumps on his skin and helped with his groin problem. Good thing. He’d set out above-the-knee swim trunks. Jammers. Spandex and PBT construction. They were fit exactly to his proportions. Created less drag...but they had other issues. They were going to show off a lot. He should’ve chosen loose-fit trunks. Then again...this misguided arousal was one-sided. LeeAnn hadn’t acted remotely interested in him.  

Kane cinched the waist with more strength than required, and then had to let some of the nylon cord out before stepping into wet-shoes. What the hell was he doing? Thinking? He didn’t
want
LeeAnn interested in him! That was just more craziness this situation didn’t need.

He grabbed his t-shirt as the phone rang. Land line. Kane yanked the receiver off the cradle with more strength than that required, too. He tightened his hand about it for a second or two before moving it to his ear.

“Kane? You there? It’s Leon.”

“Yeah.”

“We have company.” 

“Description?”

“Police officers. Two. Unmarked car.”

“Anybody have a warrant?”

“No.”

“They say what they want?”

“They’re saying you dinged a vehicle in a parking garage in Miami this morning. They have a picture of your front bumper. Mainly the license plate area. From the exit area. Pay stall. It’s time stamped at...yep. This morning. A little after five. It’s your vehicle, all right.”

Oh, shit.

Hindsight was a real bitch. He wasn’t just in unfamiliar territory. He was mucking everything up while there. He hadn’t hit anything. LeeAnn had some major players on her ass. Moneyed. Connected. Fast. And smart. He should have waited in the parking garage!
Not
been the first vehicle to leave after a botched hit. Talk about painting a target on his back.

“Hit the silent alarm, Leon. Red alert.”

“You’ll be right down, then? Excellent, my man. We’ll just break out the coffee while we wait,” Leon replied. “Hey! I hope you two police officers won’t mind if I turn my tunes back on, will you?”

Loud strains of rock music came clearly through the telephone receiver. The lights went out, diverting electricity to the perimeter. A humming sound started emanating from deep within the structure as gates went up. Spikes lifted next along the back perimeter walls. Kane tossed the phone onto the bed, along with the t-shirt. Snagged his 9mm from the nightstand drawer. Shoved it into the back of his trunks. Pushed a pair of sunglasses onto his face next. He didn’t open his door. He slammed through it. Two doors down looked like a very long way. He smacked into her door with a shoulder, knocking it off hinges, as well. For nothing.

The space was empty.

Just like his head must be.