Jill Shalvis - Smart And Sexy

Her thoughts raced. If she told them the truth, that she had no idea where the money was, then she was dead.

She had to stall. “Little problem with the whole money thing.”

“Wrong answer,” he said, and then there was a prickly pain in her arm, and her world faded to black.

“We’ll get her back,” Shayne promised Noah, who didn’t say anything as he slipped his headphones on and waited for air traffic control to give Shayne the okay for take-off.

He didn’t say anything because he couldn’t speak past the lump of fear the size of a regulation football jammed in his throat.

He’d lost her.

Shayne had moved in with a welcome swiftness, but not swift enough.

The black SUV had vanished into thin air.

But he knew where they’d gone. Straight to the airport to haul Bailey back to Burbank, to the house that had been beneath their noses all this time.

Precious.

Jesus, he couldn’t believe it.

Now they were in a race to save Bailey’s life. They’d run up against resistance at the Cabo airport, unable to stall two private jets from getting airborne.

If Bailey was on one of them, which his gut said she was, then every moment that ticked by counted. They sat on the strip waiting for their go, Noah grating his teeth, his gut tight with fear. Because once they got Bailey to the Burbank house, once she located the money-or not-her life was as good as over, and he could scarcely breathe at the thought of not getting there in time to help her.

Finally they were approved for take-off, and when they got to altitude, Shayne glanced over. “I wish you’d say something.”

“Fly faster.”

Shayne smiled grimly and did just that while Noah contacted Maddie. “What have you got for me?”

“You were right, two jets got through ahead of you,” she said. “They’ve both been air bound for approximately thirty minutes. Nothing else, and nothing after you, so one of those two is her.”

“Where are they heading?”

“Working on that.”

“If it’s Burbank-”

“If it’s Burbank, we can bring the local authorities into it.”

“Do it.”

“Okay, I’ll report back with where and when they land.”

That had to be good enough, but it sure didn’t feel like it. For the second time in a year, he’d failed someone who’d trusted him.

He didn’t know if he could live with that. Or how to.

But he knew how to live with the knowledge that she loved him. She’d looked him in the eyes, her own shimmering brilliantly with emotion, as she said it, too.

I love you.

He hadn’t heard a single one of those three words out loud because of the music-which was going to headline his nightmares for years to come-but he’d caught every single one in his heart. He rubbed the organ right now because it ached like hell, and had been since she’d been ripped out of his arms.

Bailey loving him was his very own miracle. Now he had to make another miracle happen; he had to get her back.

“She’s going to be okay,” Shayne promised. “They won’t do anything to her until they figure out she can’t deliver, and by then we’ll be there.”

Maybe they wouldn’t kill her, but they sure as hell could hurt her, and everything within him tightened as he wondered where she was right this moment, if she was holding up.

If they touched one single hair on her head, he’d tear them apart.

Slowly. “Thing is, I think she can deliver.”

Shayne looked at him in surprise. “What?”

“She figured out where the money is.”

“No shit?”

“She knows where it is, and if they get there with enough lead time-”

“What about the brother? Kenny, right? You said you thought he was in on it. Was he there today? Did you see him?”

“At the Burbank airport. He was trying to get to her.” Noah chewed on that for a while, then radioed Maddie. “Can you locate Kenny?”

“Hang on.”

Noah pressed his lips together and waited until she came back.

“Got him,” she said. “Apparently he tracked you down, but you haven’t been answering your cell.”

“I’ve been out of range.”

“Yeah, well, he’s unhappy that you managed to lose Bailey’s protective tail for her. I guess some of those guys you’ve been ditching were the good guys. He’s frantic to talk to you.”

Noah’s gut couldn’t possibly clench any tighter. “Does he have Bailey?”

“No, and he wasn’t happy to realize you don’t either. He says, and I quote, ‘if anything happens to her, I’m coming after you and kicking your ass.’ He’s fed, Noah. He’s working to nail Alan’s investment partners. They’re trying to get them for fraud, extortion, and a whole long list of other stuff.”

“Why didn’t he say so sooner?”

“He was under cover and trying to protect Bailey at the same time, without tipping off the bad guys.”

“Well, he did a hell of a job of that, didn’t he?” Noah looked at Shayne. “I think I underestimated the brother.”

“I hate it when that happens.”

Noah’s head hurt. “Can you work your magic and patch him through to me?” he asked Maddie.

“Stand by.”

What else could he do. “Shit.”

“You know, we probably don’t pay her enough,” Shayne said.

“Brody says we pay her a fortune already.”

“Brody can kiss my ass,” Maddie said. “But you’re damn-A straight I’m worth every penny. Oh, and I’ve got him. Kenny? Go ahead.”

“Noah?” Kenny sounded extremely uptight and extremely unhappy. “Where is she?”

Noah’s gut tightened at the unmistakable sound of fear and worry in Kenny’s voice. “That was my question for you.”

“She was with you at the airport. I saw you.”

“They came for her in Baja. At the time, I thought it was you.”

“No. Jesus, I’m on her side. I’m her brother!”

“But your text messages-”

“Shit. Are you the one who made her suddenly stop trusting me and suspect me instead?”

Noah opened his mouth, then shut it, because yes, that had been him.

“I thought she was safe with you, man. Or I’d have-”

“What?” Noah said. “Come clean and told her the truth? You should have done that anyway!”

“Yes, but they had to know for sure…”

When he trailed off, Noah’s blood ran cold. “Wait a minute. Wait a fucking minute. You thought…you actually thought she might be in on it?”

“I didn’t, but they needed proof-”

“Okay, you listen very carefully,” Noah said, feeling extremely violent. “You screwed this up by not trusting her and telling her the truth at any time since Alan’s death. You could have protected her better. You could have believed in her. If you had, none of this would have happened.”

Kenny let out a breath. “I know.”

“Here’s how to repay her. You meet that plane with every single resource you have, making damn well and sure she’s not harmed in the process-”

“Yeah, except we can’t. We need her to lead us to the money-”

“Jesus. Jesus Christ,” Noah breathed. “You’re using her as bait.”

“Not me,” Kenny said tightly. “Believe me, this is not what I wanted, but we need to catch these guys in the act. So just tell me exactly where they’re taking her, and I’ll make sure this thing has a happy ending.”

“What? How can you be sure of that? You haven’t managed to protect her so far.”

“I was doing a damn fine job until you turned her on me.”

Yeah. Shit.

Noah looked at Shayne, who paused in the middle of his landing preparation and nodded. Trust him. Do this.

Noah didn’t want to. He wanted to be the one to haul her into his arms and know she was safe, damn it.

He let out a tight breath. “They’re going to the Burbank house.”

“But that place was already searched, way back after Alan’s death.”

“For hidden safes?”

“No, but that house is on the market, people have been in and out of there-”

“It’s still furnished, isn’t it? With artwork included?”

Kenny swore softly. “I can be there in thirty minutes, with backup.”

Noah looked at Shayne, who nodded grimly. They could be there in thirty minutes as well. “Meet you there,” Noah said, and hung up. “I really didn’t see that coming. He’s on the good side. Jesus, Shayne, we’re going to run out of fuel at this speed.”

“You wanted to haul ass, I’m hauling ass.”

“At least it’s not Brody. He flies like a woman.”

Shayne looked pained. “Don’t let him hear you say that. He’ll kick your ass.”

Bailey woke up with a monster headache and a horrible groggy sensation that reminded her of a bad hangover. Worse, she’d believed she couldn’t get any more terrified, but despite the fact that they’d left her alone on the plane, she knew that wasn’t going to last long.

They took her from the private jet to yet another dark SUV, and though she’d thought she’d scream real loud and gain some unwanted attention for her captors, she never saw another soul. Even if she had, she felt so weak and discombobulated, she couldn’t have worked up enough strength to scream.

They drove to the Burbank house. How ironic, she thought as they brought her inside, to be back here where it’d all begun. It seemed like years ago since she’d packed a bag and walked away from this life. In fact, it’d only been barely a week.

And only three days since she’d brought Noah into the mix. At the thought of him, her heart clenched hard.

She was shoved into the living room, and with her legs so weak, she went flying, falling against a bookshelf. At the impact, books rained down over the top of her. She sat there on the floor, dazed, taking in the design that Alan had picked out, and the cool, modern furniture he’d loved so much but was so damned uncomfortable it was all like sitting on a cactus. He’d loved this place, and for the fortune he’d spent having it decorated, he should.

Precious.

I’ve kept it all safe, Precious.

The words mocked her now, bouncing around in her brain. Or maybe that was the drugs…

The money was here. She knew that with a certainty.

“Now.” Stephen walked up to her, his toes nearly touching hers, looked down his long, straight nose at her. “Where?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ding, ding, wrong answer.”

His two goons bent and dragged her to her feet, then stood on either side of her, holding her up. They had no choice; her legs were noodles. One of her arms hurt from the needle they’d jammed into it. Her belly was quivering from the first time they’d done this whole talk-to-me thing, and now that she’d had a taste, she shook with fear and the need to throw up. “If I knew exactly where,” she said, “I’d have found it by now.”

“So you lied before, when you said you knew.”

Oh, God. Not good. “I said I could find it, and I will.” This was another lie, and her voice quavered just a little bit. Please don’t notice…

The man nodded thoughtfully, then stepped forward and without warning slid his fingers in her hair and yanked her head back hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. “Tell me the truth,” he said softly, almost kindly. “Or I will have both your brother and the man who’s been flying you around hunted and killed.” He looked directly into her eyes and smiled. “Like Alan.”

Then he stepped back, and nodded to the men to release her.

She slid to the floor.

They all looked down at her, waiting.

I’ve kept it all safe, precious. Precious. The name of this house. Safe.

It would be in the safe in the bedroom behind the large framed print over their bed upstairs. She knew that now.

She realized she should have known it sooner, as in soon enough to save her own ass. Because now she had no doubt that if she handed over the money, the need to keep her alive became slim and none. In fact, she’d become an instant detriment.

Stall. Noah is moving hell and high water to get here. She knew it. “Mrs. Sinclair, you’ve kept us waiting long enough.”

On legs that shook, she managed to stand, then realized her head was clearing. But playing it up a little, she staggered a few feet. Immediately, the two goons moved in to help her.

“Where to?” Stephen asked.

“Upstairs.”

She’d no sooner said the words than they assisted her up the stairs.

In the hallway, she considered her next move.

“Mrs. Sinclair,” Stephen said smoothly. “You’re trying my patience.” He flicked his wrist, and a blade flashed before her eyes, settling against her throat.

“Master bedroom,” she said tightly.

They dragged her there. Over the bed was the large print. She walked to the mattress, and one of the men snickered. “Look, she wants us.”

“Shut up,” Stephen said. “Mrs. Sinclair?”

“There’s a safe. Beneath that picture. Maybe…”

He moved past her, pulled the picture down and smiled at the wall safe. “Nicely done. Combination?”