That startled her the rest of the way to full consciousness. She never slept in the buff. What if there was a fire and she had to race outside to safety? She rolled over onto her back and groaned as her entire body protested, sore. God, she felt like shed been run over by a truck. Vague memory of that exact thing nearly happening tickled the edges of her fuzzy brain.
Memory of Trent came back to her. Hed been such a smooth operator, and shed been so blessed eager to have him seduce her. Where was he now? Peeling one eyelid open, she groaned as sunlight creeping insidiously past the curtains pierced her skull like a sword. Agonizing pain exploded behind both eyes. No sign of Trent. He and his sexy tuxedo and bedroom eyes were gone. It was as if hed never been here and knocked her world completely off its foundation.
The old hurt stabbed at her heart. Everybody always left her. Every time she took a chance on caring about someone, she ended up all alone. Her parents. Her foster families. Even Sunny. They all abandoned her sooner or later. An urge to cry nearly overcame her. Was it too much just to want a normal life? To find a nice man, settle down in a modest home, have a few kids and a dog, and be happy?
By way of an answer, her stomach gave a mighty, and threatening, heave. Moaning in pain, she forced herself upright and ran for the toilet. After duly worshipping at the throne of the porcelain god and emptying what little remained in her stomach from last nights binge, she felt a few inches further away from death. But that wasnt saying much. A shower sounded good, but the idea of listening to the pounding of water sent her back to bed showerless.
She couldnt remember the last time shed had a hangover, and shed never had one that even began to compare to this. Prepared to sleep for another, oh, decade, she crawled back into bed and threw an arm across her eyes.
A jangling noise that nearly split her skull in two made her swear and dive for her cell phone on the nightstand. Lo, she grumbled.
Hey, sis! I missed you leaving the party last night.
Oh, God. Did Sunny have to sound so darned perky this morning? Sorry. I drank a little too much champagne, and then some guys lit up cigars. The smoke made me nauseous, so I snuck out early.
Rats. I was hoping some hot guy picked you up and took you back to his place.
Visions of the hot guy whod knocked her off her feet, and then brought her back to her room and knocked her world completely out of orbit flashed into her mind.
Oh. My. God. Had she really asked him to Had they really She would never be able to look anyone from this wedding in the eye again And she could never, ever, face him again Mortification almost sent her back to the toilet a second time.
Chloe? Are you still there?
Her brain engaged belatedly. Uhh, yeah. Im here. Why are you calling me, anyway? Arent you supposed to be on your honeymoon?
Aiden and I are at the airport. He wont tell me where were going, but Jeff loaned us the Winston jet to get there. I just wanted to say goodbye. Aiden says I wont have phone service where were headed.
Wow. Sounds private and sexy. Have fun, eh?
Its my honeymoon and my hubbys a hottie. How can I not have fun? Sunny retorted, laughing.
The cheerful sound nearly made Chloes eyeballs fall right out of her head. She pressed a hand to them to hold them in. Love you, baby sis.
Love you, big sis.
Chloe groaned as she disconnected the call and turned her cell phone completely off. She prayed to sleep off the mother of all hangovers before she had to go back to San Francisco tomorrow. And then she prayed fervently that Trent Hollings would leave town today and go somewhere far, far away. Forever. There was no way she could ever look him in the eye after what theywhat shehad done last night.
She took a solemn vow then and there never to touch alcohol again as long as she lived. The idea of losing all her inhibitions like that again made her positively ill. Whod have guessed a few shots of whiskey would turn her into such a slut?
Groaning in pain and embarrassment, she pulled the sheet up over her head and prayed for death. Or at least a long, long unconsciousness.
Trent burst into the conference room Jeff Winston had appropriated from the gentlemens club to do business in while he was here for the wedding. Several of the other Code X operatives were there, complete with their own genetically engineered mutations, and they all looked worried.
What the hells going on? he demanded without preamble.
Jeff answered, Novak scared up some video from a traffic camera and ran the license plates of the SUV that tried to run down Chloe Jordan last night.
And?
And it belongs to a corporation that doesnt exist.
Trent frowned. Come again?
Its registered to a dummy company. Address is a P.O. box that doesnt exist, phone number is a fake and no company by that name is currently doing business in the United States. Its a cover for someone.
Like who? he asked his boss.
Jeff shrugged. No idea. But it does lead me to believe it was no accident last night. Someone was out to hurt Chloe.
Trent replied grimly, Wrong. Whoever gunned that SUV at her was out to kill her.
And that meant Code X had a problem. Chloes sister had just married one of Code Xs charter membersa guy who could hold his breath under water for over twelve minutes. And Chloe had spent the past two days in the company of the lot of them at various prewedding functions. How could her attempted murder not be aimed at the Code X team?
Trent suggested hopefully, She said shes a forensic accountant. Maybe it was just a bit of revenge by an enemy shes made in her job.
Possible, Jeff replied slowly. If thats the case, well need a complete list of companies she has investigated. Trent watched as his boss pulled out his cell phone and dialed Chloes cell phone number. As Jeffs frown deepened and he didnt speak into the device, Trents apprehension grew.
Jeff put the phone down. Her cells turned off.
Trent winced. She probably turned it off so schmucks like us wouldnt disturb her. She was probably sleeping off her hangover. But he wasnt about to share that little detail with the guys in this room. They would want to know how he knew that, and then they would inevitably draw the exactly correct conclusion. Frankly, it was none of their damned business how he and Chloe had spent the evening. Hell, even if he told them exactly what the two of them had done, these guys would never believe it. They would guffaw that quiet, controlled Chloe Jordan couldnt possibly be that wild.
Hah. Little did they know. He was a pretty adventurous guy in the sack, but that girl had made him blush a time or two last night. She was some woman.
Maybe someone should go to her room and check on her, Jeff suggested, startling Trent out of recollections that were going to get him all hot and bothered very fast.
Nah. Im sure shes just sleeping. She was pretty wiped out last night.
You walked her to her room and locked her inside sit? Jeff asked.
Yes. I searched her suite from top to bottom before I left. She clearly wasnt planning on going out again last night and was safe and sound when I left her.
You walked her to her room and locked her inside sit? Jeff asked.
Yes. I searched her suite from top to bottom before I left. She clearly wasnt planning on going out again last night and was safe and sound when I left her.
Of course, shed also been sexually sated and sleeping like the dead when he slipped out of her bed. She no doubt would need most of today to sleep off the booze and sex, though. A few of the things shed asked for were going to leave her good and sore for a couple of days, but hed been careful to do nothing she wouldnt recover from.
He wasnt sure he would recover anytime soon, though. How was any woman going to top that for him?
Rather than bother her, couldnt we call her employer and ask for a list of companies shes investigated? one of the twins, recent Code X additions with truly scary mental skills, suggested.
Trent shook his head. She mentioned that shes a freelance consultant. I assume she contracts with law enforcement agencies or maybe banks. If we leave her a message, when she wakes up she can fire us a list of companies she has investigated. He desperately hoped his efforts to protect their little secret werent rousing any suspicions.
Jeff nodded. In the meantime, someone should keep an eye on her.
As in surveillance? Trent blurted, surprised. Damn. Hed been plotting ways to arrange a repeat of last night, but if the other guys were watching her around the clock, that was going to be hard to pull off. Unless he was the guy doing the surveillance
Ill keep an eye on her, he volunteered.
Jeff nodded. Ill spell you when you need to sleep.
Speaking of which, it was about time for him to pop some sleeping pills and power down for a few hours. He might be able to go like the Energizer Bunny for days at a time, but when he crashed, he completely shut down. To that end, he commented, Im going to go catch a few zzzs now, so Ill be good to go tonight.
Jeff nodded. Ill make a call to the concierge at her hotel. He can give us a heads-up if she leaves her room in the next few hours.
The powwow adjourned, and Trent headed for his own room. He showered again, popped his pillsa sleeping medication that would drop an elephantand fell into bed. The soft sheets against his naked skin made him think of Chloe draped across him last night, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Trent rolled over and glanced at the clock beside his bed. Six oclock? Wow. Hed slept all day. Chloed tired him out more than hed realized. Another side effect of his special abilities kicked in and his stomach growled loudly. Hed been known to burn in excess of twelve thousand calories a day when he was really active.
After ordering a steak, two baked potatoes, a large salad and a chocolate milkshake from room service, he moved over to his window to have a look across the street. Chloes room was on the fourth floor, last one on the left. No light showed through the curtains. Given that Jeff had left no messages indicating that shed left her room, she must still be sleeping off last night.
He probably shouldnt take satisfaction from that, but he couldnt help it. The idea of having made love to her until she had to sleep all day to recover made him smile. The last time hed felt this kind of adolescent pride had been his first time with a girl when he was about sixteen.
A houseboy arrived with supper, and he pulled the wheeled cart over by the window to eat. His body eagerly absorbed the calories, and he eventually pushed back his empty plate in deep satisfaction. That should hold him for a few hours. He picked up a newspaper and browsed it while he kept an eye on Chloes window.
Somewhere between the business and sports sections, her lights finally came on. Good thing. He was starting to get a little worried about her. About a half hour later, his cell phone rang. His pulse leaped as he dug the device out of his pocket. He was disappointed to see Jeff Winstons name on the phone.
Hey, boss.
Chloe just sent me a text. Turns out this Paradeo company is her first forensic accounting job. She says shes been hired to take a look at their books. Didnt say who hired her, so I assume she doesnt want to name her employer. Well be in the conference room, researching Paradeo if you feel up to helping. You may have a long night tonight watching our girl, so dont feel like you have to come down.
No problem. I slept and just finished eating. Im on my way.
As the group researched Chloes employer, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. Paradeo was a smallish investment firm specializing in Central and South American markets. They reluctantly concluded that the Code X team might be forced to follow her and wait until another attempt was made on her life before they identified her attacker. Assuming there was one.
But Trent knew what hed seen. That SUV had waited until she stepped into the street and then gone straight at her with the intent to seriously harm or kill her.
Anybody know Chloes travel schedule? Jeff asked the room at large.
Novaks voice came across the speakerphone almost immediately. Shes flying out of Denver Stapleton tomorrow morning. Arrives in San Francisco at 2:10 in the afternoon.
Jeff nodded. Weve got the manpower here to get her to Stapleton and onto that plane safely. Trent, if you want to go on ahead to California and get into position at the other end to take over watching her, that would be great.
He didnt like the idea of leaving her, even for a few hours. But what choice did he have? The odds were much greater that shed be attacked at home rather than here where she was surrounded by Jeff and the rest of the Code X team.
Reluctantly, he packed his bags and headed for the late flight Novak arranged for him with Jeffs last warning ringing in his ears. It would kill Sunny if anything happened to her sister. And you know whats on the line if this thing turns out to be aimed at Code X. Im counting on you, Trent.
One thing he knew for sure. Chloe Jordan was not getting hurt on his watch.