Someone wanted the design, she thought, her mind leaping ahead to seemingly impossible possibilities. Someone who knew what I was working on, who
She spun when she heard the noise. It might have been a quiet cough, or the shift of a shoe on her kitchen tile, she wasnt sure, but she suddenly knew she wasnt alone in the apartment. Ty?
Not exactly, an unfamiliar masculine voice said from the kitchen. She heard footsteps, sensed him move to block the front hallway. And you cant see me, can you? Thatll make this easier than I thought.
The next thing she knew, he was coming straight for her.
Chapter Two
Dear TyJ:
You know how you said the other day that honesty is very important to you? Well then, Id better be honest with you. Im not exactly the hotshot computer jockey I made it sound like in my profile, or even in some of our earlier private messages. I teach programming at a small college in the northeast, which is about as exciting as it sounds. As in not. So trust me, the bodyguard gig has me beat by a mile in the cool jobs department, even if you do spend most of your time standing around waiting for something to happen.
[Sent by CyberGabby; April 3, 11:32:32 p.m.]
10:21 p.m., August 27 Hours and 17 Minutes until Dawn
Ty stumbled to a halt in the middle of the dark, deserted street and let his flashlight sag, hopelessly lost in the mazelike passageways, courtyards and narrow streets of the North End.
Gabby had outdistanced him easily, moving ghostlike in the darkness. Without backup and an earpiece or, hell, even a functional handheld, he lacked access to the maps and information he normally had at his fingertips.
Which had no doubt been part of Liams plan.
Theyd all learned the theory during Special Forces trainingisolate the target and then make the kill. Liam had used the blackout to isolate his former teammates, then hed moved in for the kill.
Hed sent his sons after those former teammatesFrederick LeBron, Grant Davis, Chase Vickers, Shane Peters and Ethan Matalon. The only unaffected teammate had been Commander Tom Bradley, whod escaped revenge by dying; the heart attack had taken him before Liam could get to him. LeBron had been in his alpine kingdom in Beau Pays, but the Sheas had gone after his precious daughter, Princess Ariana, and the LeBrons priceless sapphire. Thanks to Shane, the Sheas hadnt been successful. Theyd been equally unsuccessful with Ethan and Chase, whose families had been threatened but returned safely. Still. Liam remained at large, in control of the hostage, Grant Davis, and the bomb.
Ty scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to ignore the feeling that he was running out of time, that he was letting himself get sidetracked. But he couldnt stop flashing back on the look in Gabriellas eyes when she realized why hed hooked up with her on Webmatch.com.
It wasnt what you think, hed wanted to say, but he hadnt, because it would have been a lie, and he didnt want to lie to her anymore.
At least, not if shes telling the truth about Liam, he muttered to himself.
From behind him, a womans voice said, Youre damned right shes telling the truth.
Even before he turned and shone his flashlight toward the approaching figure, he knew it wasnt Gabby. The voice was too high, and it rolled with strains of Italy.
Maria scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. She doesnt know anything about your kidnapper, Mr. Secret Service. If she did, she wouldve told you right up-front. Thats the sort of woman she is.
I need to speak with her, he said. Please.
She stared at him for a long minute, as though trying to interpret a motivation he couldnt even name. Then finally she gestured with her chin, Over there. First floor, doors around the side.
Thanks. He loped across the street, pushed through the wrought iron gate and followed a cobblestone pathway around to the side of a neat, narrow, brick-walled three-family.
His gut tightened when he touched her door and it swung inward. Adrenaline spiked alongside a jolt of concern. Then both were lost as training kicked in and he clicked over to soldier mode. Quiet. Efficient.
Deadly.
He left his revolver holstered and pulled the semiautomatic, then flicked off the flashlight. Muscles tense, senses almost painfully alert, he eased through the door, then paused and listened, not sure whether he was walking into an ambush or something else.
The pitch-black inside the apartment made him wish for a pair of night-vision goggles as he eased along, carefully testing each step. Finally he cursed and clicked on the flashlight, using his fingers to muffle the glow and let only a small beam shine through.
He uttered a low curse when he saw the condition of her apartment, and the scale tipped away from ambush ever so slightly.
A doorway to his left opened onto a small kitchen, where the refrigerator door hung open, its contents in disarray. A head of lettuce had rolled beneath a small butcher-block table; most of the cabinet doors and drawers were open; and the single counter held a jumbled mess of papers and canned goods.
The kitchen wasnt just messy, Ty thought on a bite of rage. Itd been tossed, and by someone with a temper.
The back door off the kitchen hung open. Was it a sign that the intruder had gone, or was it set up for a quick getaway? He didnt know, and that worried him more than it should have, making him wonder about a woman whod hacked into a murderers Web site but claimed it was on a lark, a woman who just happened to live in the same city where the kidnapping had gone down, yet professed innocence. It just didnt play, he told himself yet again. There were too many coincidences for her to be innocent.
Problem was, he was starting to think she was exactly that.
Gut tight, he checked the kitchen closet and glanced out into the alley. There was no sign of the intruder. There was also no sign of chestnut hair and feminine curves. Where the hell was she?
Refusing to consider the worst-case scenario until hed thoroughly searched the place, he worked his way back through the kitchen and further into the small apartment.
Three more doors opened off the narrow hallway. The first led to a closet; the second opened into a sitting room.
The desk was in shambles, and an expensive-looking computer and an array of electronics lay in the corner, smashed to pieces. Oddly, though, the TV and the high-tech sound system appeared untouched.
This wasnt a burglary, then. But what exactly was it?
And why?
Though the timing seemed coincidentalthere was that word again, coincidenceTy shoved his gathering suspicions aside and focused on the priority, which was finding Gabby and making sure she was okay.
Tension hummed through him as he eased toward the last of the three doorways. He flashed back on the moment after the blackout, when the emergency lights had come up at the John Hancock building to reveal a party in shambles, the president and vice president missing. Though President Stack had been found nearby, drugged and confused, VP Davis had not.
Had Gabby been taken hostage, as well?
Therellbe hell to pay if she has, he thought out of nowhere, as he eased through the last door into her bedroom.
There he hesitated for a half second before letting the flashlight beam play over her bed. Unlike the other rooms, which he noted, were devoid of color this room was vibrant. The king-size bed had a fluffy duvet draped with a woven afghan in the deepest of jade greens, and pillows of every shape and size formed a drift against the plush, padded headboard, all in vibrant jewel tones visible even in the wan illumination.
It was, he realized, as unexpected heat burned through his veins, almost exactly as hed imagined it during their online dates. He let his gun hand sag
And the moment of hesitation nearly cost him everything.
A blur came at Ty from the side. He turned and ducked in a single motion, and the blow glanced off his shoulder. His attacker cursed and kicked out, sending Tys gun and flashlight spinning away.
The light smashed into the wall, plunging them into darkness. The gun clattered somewhere off to their left, momentarily lost.
Ty lunged for the other man and they went down on the floor beside Gabbys bed. Where is she? he grated, landing a gut punch that had the other guy wheezing. Where is Grant Davis? If youve hurt either of them, Ill kill you.
A blow caught Ty at the temple. His head snapped back, and he saw stars where there werent any. Fury spiked. Roaring, he grabbed for the bastard, got a fistful of his shirt and punched him hard in the face. The impact bruised his knuckles and sang up his arm.
You want to get back to basics? he grated. Hows this for basic? He landed a second punch and thought he felt bone give.
The other man went limp. An atavistic thrill ran through Ty, a surge of victory, of rage. He shifted his grip and reached for the handcuffs he wore on his belt.
With a roar, his opponent exploded into action beneath him, reversing their position and driving his fist into Tys jaw.
He saw stars again.
Then blackness.
BREATH SOBBING in her lungs, Gabby tugged at the bars on her bathroom window. When shed first rented the place, shed considered them a necessary security measure.
Now they were a trap.
She heard another crash in the bedroom, followed by a pained shout from a second man. She thought it was Tys voice, but how could she be sure? Shed barely met him.
Come on, she hissed, and yanked at the unyielding bars again, knowing it was futile but unable to make herself stop trying. Come on!
Behind her, beyond the bathroom door, the fighting sounds abruptly cut off.
Gabby froze. She strained to hear what was happening out there, needing to know whod won.
She heard only silence, followed by the sound of footsteps in the bedroom.
Ty wouldve called her name, right? He wouldve said something to let her know he was okay.
Unless he wasnt okay.
No, Gabby thought as the footsteps paused and she heard the sound of her closet door opening and clothes hangers being slid aside on their metal bar. Oh, no. Her fingers fell away from the window grate and her throat clenched until only a trickle of oxygen got through.
The footsteps resumed, drawing nearer.
A weapon. She needed a weapon.
Nearly wheezing with fear, she groped near the wall until her fingers found a smooth plastic shaft, like a length of pipe. She closed her fingers and tested its weight, then decided it would have to do.
A click of metal on metal signaled the turn of the bathroom knob. Gabby braced herself and raised her weapon.
The door opened. She screamed as loud as she could, and attacked. She lunged toward the sound and swung, yelling, Get out of my house, you bastard!
Her first blow missed the intruder and slammed into the wall. The impact sang up her arms and numbed her fingertips, but she couldnt stop now. When she heard a rustle of cloth and felt motion nearby, she yelled again and swung.
This time she connected with flesh. She felt the blow land, heard a man curse.
Then he grabbed her, banding one strong arm around her torso and clapping the other across her mouth. Shh! Quiet. Knock it off!
She swung and connected with the back of his head. He swore and shook her. What is wrong with you? Cant you see Then he broke off. Its Ty, Gabby. Its Ty. Youre okay.
He repeated the reassurance a few more times, but shed already stopped struggling, letting herself go limp in his grasp as his words played through her mind. Cant you see?
No, I cant, damn it. Anger spurtedat him, at whoever had broken into her house, her sanctuary. But beneath the heat of rage was another warmththe feeling of being held in a mans arms. In Tys arms.
That last thought shouldnt have mattered. Hed lied to her, damn it. Hed used her emotions to pursue a lead. It hadnt been about romance for him. Itd been the job.
Trouble was, her body didnt seem to care.
Shh, he whispered against her temple, his breath ruffling her hair. I think hes gone, but Im not positive. I needed to make sure you were okay before I went after him.
They were pressed back to front, with the solid wall of his chest braced against her shoulders, the strong columns of his thighs touching intimately against the backs of hers.
Seeming to realize it, he shifted away and loosened his grip on her body. You done screaming?
She nodded against the hand that still covered her mouth. When he released her, she said, Sorry, I thought you werewhoever that was.
I know. Lock yourself in here while I search the house.
Wait. She put out a hand and touched his forearm, which was warm and solid beneath a layer of cotton shirt. Does this mean you believe that Im not involved with the man youre looking for?
There was a long pause before he said, I havent decided yet. Then he exhaled. The mess out there certainly strengthens your case, except for two things.
What things?
He turned away from her, distance muffling his voice. For one, I dont get how hed know to toss your place while we met, unless he knew about the meeting.
Maybe he was following you, she said, but that wouldnt have worked with the timing. Even better, maybe hes monitoring your e-mail. She shrugged. I could do it. Right about now she was wishing shed back-hacked his account and taken a look. It wouldve saved her a little bit of heartache and a whole lot of embarrassment.
It mightve saved her computer, too. If shed told him to take a hike when he first started e-mailing hershe wouldve missed some very good times, she admitted, and hated him for the truth of it.
Why couldnt he have been the man hed pretended to be?
We can talk about it later, he said, and for a moment she thought he meant they could talk about the so-called romance theyd conducted. Then she realized he was talking about whether she was involved in the vice presidents kidnapping, and reality returned with a vengeance.
Her house had been ransacked. Shed been chased into her own bathroom. Ty had been attacked in her bedroom. For all they knew, their attacker was still out there.
Take this. She pressed her bludgeon into his hand.
There was a short pause, then a snort. He returned the weapon, and there was a thread of laughter in his voice when he said, Ive got a gun. You keep the toilet plunger.