the elevator doors finally slid open, what felt like a lifetime later, Tasha drew up short when a tall, dark-haired man moved to exit the arriving car. He paused and looked directly into her eyes for two beats. She prayed he would see the warning there. When he at last moved past her he allowed his hand to brush hers.
The rush of relief was so profound that she scarcely stepped forward quickly enough to catch the elevator before the doors closed.
Whoever the guy was he had to be one of Lucas’s men. The look he’d given her was one of assurance, the physical contact a sign that he understood something was wrong. Maverick had gotten word to Lucas.
She stabbed the button for the lobby and sagged against the closest wall. Taking long, deep breaths she calmed her racing heart and slowed her frantic respiration.
When she reached the SUV, Seth didn’t ask any questions, just drove away once she’d climbed inside.
The silence that hung in the air ignited a fury in her belly. By the time he pulled up to the curb in front of her apartment building her temper had raged out of control.
“I want to know what was in that package.” She turned on him, glared at him with all the anger she felt inside.
He didn’t even bother taking off his sunglasses or looking her way, he simply offered her a wad of cash.
She almost told him where he could shove the money, but that would be out of character for the role she played. Instead, she snatched it from him, startled to note that it was five one-hundred-dollar bills.
“You can dispose of the uniform.”
She grabbed her purse, shoved the money into it before slinging it over her shoulder. She started to get out, but hesitated, then shook her head. No way was he getting off this easy.
“I don’t like being used,” she told him. “If that package was dangerous and that lady—”
“There was nothing in the package that could physically harm anyone. It was merely a message...a reminder.”
She closed her eyes for one second as another blast of relief hit her.
“Get out.”
Renewed fury obliterated all other emotion. “You’re unbelievable. You come to me for a favor, then you treat me like a piece of trash you can toss away.”
He remained silent, motionless, seemingly oblivious of her heated emotions.
In a lightning-flash move, she snatched off his sunglasses and glared at him. “You really are—”
Before she could finish the statement, he’d jerked her across the console and trapped her between his chest and the steering wheel. The look in his eyes was murderous, his expression hard, his breathing shallow and harsh.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
Ignoring the fury seething in every part of him, she lifted her chin defiantly and demanded, “And just what will you do about it if I do.”
He kissed her.
Savagely.
Then he drew back and looked into her eyes. “Get out.”
She didn’t hesitate this time. She scrambled out of the vehicle and strode to her building without looking back. Not until she was inside her own apartment, with the door closed and locked behind her, did she allow herself to breathe easy.
She thought of all she’d learned about him from their brief encounters. The way he’d locked her in that basement. The bizarre tattoo...the way he tried to hurt her even when he kissed her.
Whatever else she felt or imagined she felt, one thing was a certainty...this guy was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
To her.
Chapter 16
“Where’s Lucas?”
“He’s on his way, ma’am,” Logan told Victoria. “I’ve checked the package thoroughly. It appears to be safe, but I’d rather you wait for Lucas’s arrival before we open it.”
Victoria looked to Ian and then to Simon. Both men looked as uncertain about this as she felt.
She hadn’t needed John Logan to rush in and snatch the package from her hands to know something was wrong. The young woman who’d delivered it had given her the undeniable impression that she should be afraid.
Victoria closed her eyes and tried to steady the spinning in her head. She wasn’t sure she possessed the fortitude to get through this. It was bad enough that an assassin was stalking her, but the ice cream...now this.
Leberman, the son of a bitch, why didn’t he just confront her face-to-face? Why all the subterfuge? All the games?
Because the sick bastard gets off on the pain he inflicts. She knew the answer. Understood perfectly why he was doing this to her. Still, she couldn’t fully come to terms with it.
Victoria opened her eyes and stared at the package. Her only regret was that she couldn’t kill the bastard here and now.
From his hotel only minutes away, where he’d set up a mini command post, Lucas arrived just then, his gaze going first to her, then settling on the package lying in the middle of her desk.
“That’s it?” He looked to Logan and then to Ian.
Both men nodded. Logan told him, “I can’t find any indication of explosives or poisonous substances. Scans indicate a nonmetal object.”
“Clear the room,” Lucas commanded. “I don’t want anyone in here when I open it.”
“Absolutely not,” Victoria argued. “The package is addressed to me, I’ll open it.”
“I’ll open it.” Simon stepped toward her desk.
Simon had a new wife. Ian had a wife and two children. And Logan had a wife, as well. Victoria looked to each of the trusted men and ordered, “Leave my office. I want to do this alone.”
Ian shook his head. “Not going to happen, Victoria. Either allow one of us to open the package, or we’ll stand here and debate the point all evening.”
She surveyed the determined male faces around the room. All were prepared to die to protect her. Every damned one of them was as stubborn as she was.
“All right.” She stepped back. “Open it.”
Simon quickly stepped in front of Ian. Simon had done time with the FBI and was fearless when it came to doing his duty. He was just one of many fine investigators Victoria employed. She prayed the evil that had followed her life for nearly two decades would not touch him now.
Using the gloves and utility cutter Logan had brought into the office, Simon carefully slit the packaging. He pulled back the outer wrapping and cut the tape sealing the lid on the small box. He dragged
