Читать книгу Ruthless - ХеленКей Даймон, HelenKay Dimon - Страница 8

From the huge brown eyes to the grim line of her mouth, Kelsey looked about two seconds away from striking out. Maybe screaming her head off. Both options sounded bad to Pax. He wasn’t a fan of throwing up, either, and the sudden green taint to her skin suggested that was a real possibility.

He reached down to help her up, but she shrank back against the wall, her petite frame curling in on itself. In the tucked position, her long hair fell over her shoulders, shielding her face from view and hiding the ripped strap holding her shirt on her shoulder. The denim shorts showed off her lean legs and a red welt right above her knee.

Seeing her injured and scared dropped a black curtain of rage over him. Every cell inside him craved revenge. He seriously considered removing his knife and then plunging it into the bad guy a second time.

But attack mode would have to wait. They had to get out of there, which meant providing a dose of comfort and reassurance. Not two of his strengths, sure, but since joining up with the Corcoran Team he’d been polishing the skills.

These jobs weren’t like the ones he’d worked at his old employer, the Defense Intelligence Agency. There, he’d tracked down military intelligence leaks. He dealt in bad guys, dangerous situations and threats to service members.

In his new life he still went after bad guys, but now his main objective centered on rescuing kidnapping victims. Or even better, stopping kidnapping threats before they happened, something he’d basically failed to do with Kelsey.

“Kelsey, it’s going to be okay.” Pitching his voice low and keeping it as soothing as possible, he said the words even though he knew she was in no condition to hear them.

She glanced at the body on the floor just a few feet away from her thigh and then back to Pax. “How can you say that? Look around you.”

He wasn’t sure what to say or how much to share about his real reason for visiting her shop almost every day for weeks, so he tried to evade. “Admittedly, the attack was a surprise.”

Her eyes narrowed as fire sparked behind them. She added to the angry-warrior-woman stance by brushing her hair off her shoulder and staring him down. “That’s your response?”

So much for thinking she was scared.

She shook her head. “You pretend to be injured—”

“I actually am injured. Well, was.”

“—and you storm in here.”

“By that you mean walked in the front door and ordered coffee, though from your comment I would guess my limp wasn’t as well hidden as I thought.” And didn’t that tick him off.

The cracking sound came the second after she clenched her jaw. “You flew across the hallway a second ago, so stop pretending you’re hurt and tell me who you really are.”

“Maybe we could agree on the term recovering.”

She blew out a long breath as her shoulders slumped. “Are you trying to be annoying?”

In light of her response, Pax wasn’t sure how he should play this. “My brother would tell you that comes naturally. I don’t have to try very hard at it.”

He’d hoped to take her mind off the death choking the air around them by keeping the mood light. Seeing her pressed against the wall a few minutes ago started his mind unraveling. He’d assumed he’d clean up the mess and she’d be grateful. Maybe do the terrified thing and shake and cry, possibly need some consoling.

That was a normal reaction. This was not. She came out swinging. He half expected her to fight off his attempts at calming the situation and punch him in the groin.

Tension continued to zing around the enclosed space. Guns down and his knife still in use in the unidentified man’s stomach, and yet Pax couldn’t let his guard ease. Not when the woman in front of him vibrated with unspent energy and seemed determined to question everything he said.

She didn’t even blink. “So now you have a brother?”

“Technically I’ve always had one since he’s older.” When the mumble of conversation from the front of the shop seeped through the walls and someone banged on the door to this back area asking why it was locked, Pax talked louder to drag her attention back to him. “His name is Davis.”

She waved the comment off. Came very close to knocking against him while she moved her hands around. “I don’t understand who you are or what’s going on. And who are these two guys and why did they try to drag me outside?”

Pax surveyed the carnage. He had to move her off the property before these guys’ friends missed them and came looking for trouble. “All good questions.”

“Care to answer one?”

“Once we’re out of here.” Pax tapped the mic in his ear. “Ben? Finish clearing the shop and close the place down. Blame a gas leak and then get a medic because we have two down. Joel, I need you back here. Now.”

Her sneakers scraped against the rough floor as she bent her knees and brought her feet closer to her butt. “Really?”

Pax wasn’t clear which word led to the reaction. “What?”

“You’re really doing some sort of spy-act thing in the middle of all this?”

He despised that word. The way Hollywood portrayed undercover agents and people in law enforcement as if they all used shoe phones and exploding pens was ridiculous. “It’s possible you watch too much television.”

She sat up even straighter, her shoulders coming off the wall and her hands falling to the floor on each side of her hips. “Okay, Mr. Good Samaritan. How about calling the police … and what do you mean by medic? Call an ambulance. I have customers and employees out front and need to know they’re safe.”

From the clear eyes and stronger voice he guessed she’d found her emotional and physical footing. That likely spelled trouble for him.

“Then there’s the mess back here. That one will wake up eventually.” She pointed at the downed man closest to the back door. “And that one is losing blood thanks to your knife skills.”

Pax hoped she didn’t expect an apology. “Yeah.”

“He’s not dead, is he?

“Unfortunately, no. Unconscious and bleeding.” Pax glanced at the other man. “And that one is lucky not to be bleeding. I’m thinking about stabbing him just because.”

She swallowed and made a face that suggested she didn’t like whatever she’d tasted. “In a few seconds I’ll have to go over there and try to help the bloody one, and the idea of touching him after … well, it makes me want to throw up and kind of furious at you.”

Yeah, she’d definitely moved from scared—and that had been pretty fleeting—to ticked off. As the clear target of whatever thoughts bounced around in her head and put that scowl on her face, he dropped the lighter tone. It wasn’t working anyway. Didn’t take a fancy shoe phone to figure that one out.

He held up his hand in a gesture he hoped telegraphed peace and maybe a touch of surrender. “Everything will be handled, but not in the way you’re suggesting.”

Then it started. She slid her hands closer to her body and shifted in a move so slight he almost missed it. He guessed she intended to struggle to her feet and then make a run for it. He was ready for the bolt. He just wished they could shortcut the disbelief and go right to the part where she got in the car and let him take her to safety.

Not that he deserved that level of trust from her. They barely knew each other. Sure, they’d flirted and he’d benefitted in the form of free bear claws now and then, but doughnuts didn’t change the facts. He was there to watch over her, to see if her missing brother made contact.

It was supposed to be a simple surveillance op, since that’s all anyone at the Corcoran Team thought he could handle post-shooting incident. Little did they know the supposed “easy” job would lead to a backroom shoot-out.

“Don’t even think about it.” When she frowned at him, he filled her in. “Whatever big exit plan is in your head? Forget it. You’re not getting by me. We need to get you somewhere safe, and then we can talk all of this through.”

“We?”

“I think he’s referring to me.” Joel stepped over the man at the back door and moved inside. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder toward the alley outside. “Car’s waiting.”

Pax reached down a second time to get her off the floor. “Come on, Kelsey.”

Her gaze bounced from him to Joel and back again as she crowded closer to the wall. “No way.”

“These guys on the floor could have partners,” Joel said.

Pax welcomed Joel’s verbal assist but could do without the smirk. “I can guarantee that’s true.”

“Why should I trust you? I don’t know you.” She peeked around Pax’s legs at Joel. “Or him.”

When she drew in a deep breath, Pax dropped to his haunches again and bit down on his lip to keep from yelling. Ignoring the shot of pain, he held a hand over her mouth, careful not to get his palm too close to those teeth.

“Don’t do that.” She mumbled something against his hand but he ignored it and kept lecturing. “I know you want to yell for help but screaming could bring more attackers. Do you want that?”

She took several breaths before she shook her head.

Pax inhaled long and deep, trying to see this from her perspective and keep his anger in check. With her family history it was no wonder she went with wariness over fear. He knew only the scraps in her brother’s file about a deceased mother, but the background of Kelsey’s criminal father wasn’t a mystery. His name had seen a lot of time in the papers a few years back. The truth, whatever really went on in this family, could be much worse.

“You see me every day,” Pax pointed out as he stood up again. This time it took longer and more energy. Too many more deep knee bends and he’d crash to the floor.

“As a customer only.”

Joel chuckled. “And she lands a verbal blow. I bet that hurt.”

“You’re not helping,” Pax said under his breath and included a string of profanity to make his point.

Last thing he needed was a real-time reminder of just how attracted he was to Kelsey and how it suddenly seemed to run in only one direction. Especially since she was scowling at him, looking as if she might be planning his funeral.

“Joel, is it?” She shifted her weight and slid her body up the wall. When her knees wobbled, she reached out for Pax, grabbing on to his forearm and steadying her balance again. Her hand dropped a second later.

“Joel Kidd. Yes, ma’am.” The corner of Joel’s mouth kicked up in a smile when she talked to him.

“Call the police.”

The smile fumbled. “I’m afraid I can’t—”

“Do that. Yeah, I get it.” She stepped away from the wall and inched closer to the far end of the hallway. “Paxton … or whatever his name is, said the same thing.”

“My name really is Paxton. I just prefer Pax.”

But she’d stopped listening. She glanced around the floor and took a wide jump over the bleeding attacker’s body. “I’m going to go out front and check on Mike. I might even scream if it looks like it’s clear and you’re the problem instead of the solution.”

Pax grabbed her arm in time. He had her spinning around and standing only a few inches in front of him. At six feet he loomed over her by a good six inches. All those years playing football and the genes from a father he never knew had gifted Pax with broad shoulders.

His size tended to intimidate people. Using the factor to get his way never bothered him before. If it meant saving her, it wouldn’t bother him now, either.

“No.” Enough talk. He started walking toward the back door, taking her with him. He didn’t squeeze or pull, but with his elbow tucked and her body swept in close to his, he had the balance advantage and moving her didn’t take much pressure against her skin.

“Excuse me?”

He kept the lock on her elbow. “I tried this the nice way.”

“When?”

They blew by Joel, who had dropped to the floor to check the pockets of both fallen attackers. “Uh, Pax.”

The tone signaled caution as much as if Joel had thrown up a flashing red light. Pax shortened his stride and stopped a few steps from the back door.

“We are going to walk out there and get into the SUV.” He lowered his voice, forcing the tension to leave his jaw before it cracked from the pressure. “We are going to get out of here and to somewhere safe. Then we can talk all of this out. But, Kelsey—and you need to understand this—we are leaving. No discussion.”

The muscles in her arm went slack. All of a sudden it was easy to glide her across the floor and direct her where he wanted her to go. Pax knew that was a very bad sign.

This lady had the moves down cold—force your body to relax, and the person holding you will ease the grasp. Pax knew because he taught self-defense classes at the YMCA and had advised more than one class of women to avoid ever getting into a car with an attacker.

As the realization hit him, her body jerked. She slammed to a halt and pivoted away from him as she whipped her arm up, shrugging out of his hold. When he reached for her again, she ducked under the arc of his swing. Doubled over and head down in determination, she sprinted.

With his messed-up leg, she could have vaulted and took off and left him sputtering, but her sneaker snagged on the foot of the guy on the ground and she tripped. Her momentum took her flying and stumbling. She crashed against the wall next to the back door and stopped.

He swooped in before she could take off again. “Whoa.”

He trapped her against the wall with his body, ignoring the uneasy sensation rumbling through him from mimicking the actions of the man who had attacked her earlier. Pax slapped his palms against the uneven cement on each side of her head and rested his body against hers, careful to crowd her but not smash into her.

She clearly saw it differently because the second his body touched against hers, she whipped into a wild frenzy. “Not again.”

She kicked out behind her and raked her fingernails against the back of his hand. With her head shaking and shifting, she struggled and grunted. Energy pounded off her as every limb, every muscle, moved in concert against him.

This time, he threw his weight into the hold. He pressed his chest against her back and grabbed her wrists and stretched her arms out to keep them from flailing. Their heavy breathing mixed together as air pounded in his lungs. Beneath him, he could feel the rise and fall of her upper body on rough gasps.

She turned her head to the side and stared at Joel. Until that moment, Pax had forgotten his partner was even there. So much for calling in reinforcements. He could only hope Ben was having an easier time with the crowd out front.

“You could help me,” she said to Joel.

“If it’s any consolation, I plan on telling everyone back at the office about how close you came to getting the jump on Pax.”

Pax swore under his breath. As if the shot to the thigh wasn’t enough cause for ribbing. Now he’d have to hear about this. “Kelsey, listen to me.”

“Why should I?” The harsh words lost their impact under the weak thread of her voice.

“You’re in danger.”

She turned her head and balanced her forehead against the wall. The position cut off all potential of eye contact with Pax and Joel. “Obviously.”

“Not from me.”

“You’re the one who threw the knife. The same guy who’s holding me now.” She shrugged. “You’re hurting me, by the way.”

He eased his stance, shifting his weight to his heels and thinking to move away. Then he stopped. In addition to the sweet face and impressive legs, she was smart and skilled. He wouldn’t put it past her to use guilt to break free.

He tried logic one last time. “There are men after you.”

“Why?”

Pax glanced at Joel. The slight shake of his head mirrored Pax’s feelings on the subject. It was too early and they had too little information on Kelsey to dump the truth on her. They needed to press her for information on her brother. But not here. Certainly not now.

Joel cleared his throat. “That’s what we’re here to figure out.”

“And you two just happened to show up—”

“Three,” Pax said.

“What?”

He didn’t see a reason to hide the team. “Ben’s out front.”

“How comforting.” She wiggled and pushed until he let her turn around. Anger and confusion battled in her eyes. “You understand why I’m confused. You guys all conveniently show up, claiming to be the good guys.”

Pax knew he’d never used those words. “I get it.”

“And?”

She deserved points for good questions and intelligence. The instructor side of him would pass her without trouble. In real life, her discomfort meant danger. And facing him, she had a clear shot at using the first attack move he taught women to use against men, and he had no intention of falling to his knees in pain.

That meant the conversation was over and he would end it. Right now.

“We’re done with this.” Her breath hiccupped and the sharp intake echoed in his ears as he bent over and lifted her off the ground. She landed on his shoulder with her head at his back. “Let’s go.”

Joel shook his head. “Man, this is a bad solution.”

“It’s the only one I have.”

Kelsey stammered and spoke in half sentences. She finally got out a string of words. “What are you doing?”

“Since you want to do this the hard way, we will.”

Then he walked out the back door as she started to scream.