One Kiss More Page 17

  “Luis!” the tattooed guy barked from behind Landon. “Knock it the fuck off and let her by. She’s not here for you to play with.”

  Emma met Luis’s gaze and smirked. His lip curled as he stared down at her, the cold depths of his nearly black eyes promising retribution. The knot in her stomach tightened to the size of a tennis ball. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a good idea to get cocky. Tattoo guy jumped in to save the day, but from the concerned glance he shot the deputy’s way, she had a feeling it had more to do with keeping Landon in one piece than protecting her. Which was weird to say the least. Ugh. Emma had officially had her fill of testosterone for the day.

  “This way.”

  Tattoo guy jerked his chin and Emma rushed to catch up, pushing herself past the asshole, who’d moved barely enough to let her past without any skin-to-skin contact. Landon didn’t budge from where he stood, just stared the guy down until an uncomfortable silence descended. You could have heard a freaking pin drop in that warehouse and the tension made the hair stand up on the back of Emma’s neck.

  Would it kill Sousa to add a few girls to the payroll?

  “Landon?”

  He broke the stare-off with Luis and seemed almost surprised to find her pulling him through the doorway. Emma tilted her head to the side and rose up on her tiptoes to plant a light kiss on his lips. After all, they were supposed to be lovers and it seemed like the natural thing to do. The innocent kiss she’d planned turned onto a sinful path when Landon cupped the back of her neck and held her tight against his chest. He slanted his mouth across hers, the kiss almost bruising in its intensity as he thrust his tongue in her mouth. Emma started as his free hand slid down her side and over her hips to cup her ass.

  Whoa. The boy ran so hot and cold Emma didn’t know if she should take off her clothes or put on a parka. And why was he so enthusiastic right now when he’d all but rejected her in the car earlier? Was he trying to make a point? Assert ownership? Because if that was the case, maybe he should pee on her leg and get it over with.

  With a gentle shove at his chest, Emma broke the kiss. Her fingertips moved to her lips of their own accord and her breath shuddered in her chest. “Tus besos me hacen loco.” It spoke to the degree that Landon rattled her that Emma would revert to Spanish. The words left her mouth in a rush, so fast, her mind barely had a chance to catch up, but it didn’t make them any less true: his kisses drove her absolutely crazy.

  Landon smiled wide, his eyes no longer hard, but shining with a heat that turned the anxious knot in Emma’s stomach into a ball of fire. She wobbled on unsteady legs, still light-headed from the effect of his mouth slanting across hers. The kiss had been meant to distract him. To break the tension of the moment. Like with their first kiss, on the roof, she’d never expected him to respond with the level of enthusiasm he’d displayed.

  “As much as I’d love to put on a show for our friends here, don’t you think we should get moving, McCabe?” If he’d been playing the part of the possessive boyfriend, he deserved an Oscar for his performance. “Dios mio. No puedo entenderte.” She couldn’t figure him out. “Let’s go.”

  Emma swore he was going to drive her to drink by the time this was all over.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Landon could finally say he knew exactly how a bottle of soda felt when someone shook it too hard. If he ever managed to twist the cap off and release the stores of energy pent up in his body, he was going to blow. And it was guaranteed to be messy. Already he found it hard to get a grip. One second all he could think about was tearing the arms off of the asshole crowding Emma, and the next he’d latched on to her like a leech, all but sucking her face off.

  Classy, dude.

  She gave him a look like he’d lost his damned mind, and that wasn’t too far from the truth. For the past couple of days, he’d straddled the line between desire and duty, never willing to cross either and take a side. Emma had to find it annoying because it was driving Landon out of his fucking mind. He was sure he’d pay for his fickle behavior later. Considering her feisty nature, Landon was more wary of the petite brunette than all of Sousa’s men combined. He was so fucked.

  “Emmalina?”

  A voice echoed from a dark corner of the warehouse, and Emma let out a strained sob before taking off at a run. Landon hurried to catch up, brushing past several armed guards to find Emma going to her knees near a mattress on the concrete floor. And seated on that mattress was a very thin and ragged Javier Ruiz.

  “Dad!” Emma cried as Javier folded his daughter into his arms. Landon’s chest grew uncomfortably tight as he watched her cry like a little girl, holding on to her dad, who appeared almost too frail to put his arms around her. “Oh, Dad. I’m so sorry. I was only trying to help you. I had no idea this was going to happen.”

  “Shh, mija. It’s all right. Just calm down.” His eyes met Landon’s, and they crinkled at the corners with amusement. Yeah, he supposed Javier might find it amusing that the guy who’d arrested him and taken his confession in the first place was standing here with his daughter now. “Deputy McCabe, nice to see you again.”

  He might have looked as though he were knocking on death’s door, but Javier’s voice carried a strength of character that belied his ailing body. Landon would have laughed at how proper and civil this all was if they weren’t about to be dumped in a shallow grave somewhere. He knelt down and said, low, “Sir, are you all right? Have you been hurt?”

  In his answering smile, Landon saw a little of Emma’s feistiness. “Not that it would matter at this point, but no. I have not.”

  “All right, you’ve seen your dad and know he’s alive. Now, it’s time for you to do something for Teyo.”

  Emma turned a tear-streaked face toward Crawford’s inside man. “What are you talking about?”

  “If you want to play with the big boys, you’ve got to prove yourself.”

  She swiped at her cheek and slowly pushed herself to stand. “And if I do this . . . we can go?”

  “You can. Your boyfriend, too. But we’re keeping your father for insurance.”

  “What?” Emma’s voice escalated, resonating throughout the warehouse space. “What am I supposed to be doing for you? I assumed Teyo wanted his money back right now. That was our original arrangement.”

  “It was. But now you have a new one. Or do you not remember asking him for a job an hour or so ago? If you think he’s going to put you on the payroll without an interview first, you’re crazy. He’s not sure if he trusts you”—his gaze slid to McCabe—“or your boyfriend yet. It’s not my problem if you don’t like the terms of this new agreement. I suggest you suck it up and deal with it, princess.”

  Emma marched up to Crawford’s man. She pulled back her right hand and slapped him hard enough to ring anyone’s bell. Aside from a quiet grunt, he took the full brunt of Emma’s rage without even blinking. “Better watch out, Damien,” some asshole snickered from the shadows. “She looks like the type who’d go for the nuts next.”

  The comment was answered with a bout of laughter from the warehouse at large, and though Landon didn’t think the snide remark was half as funny as everyone else seemed to, Emma was totally the type who’d go for the nuts next. It might not have been a bad idea for Damien to take his cronies’ advice and back up a step or two.

  But the undercover SOG marshal stood his ground, leveling an unwavering glare on Emma that forced her back a step. Landon didn’t appreciate the other man’s intimidation tactics, but he supposed that he was here to play a part and it wouldn’t look good if he went easy on her. Whether or not Landon was happy about their situation, they were in it and there was nothing he could do but go along for the ride.

  Emma looked back at her dad, all five feet, four inches of her body shaking with emotion. Landon stepped up to Damien. If he didn’t do something to intercept her before Emma lost her cool completely, this could all go south pretty damned fast. Leaving Javier behind wasn’t ideal, but if Sousa had laid out a task for Emm
a—a test of loyalty, perhaps—there was a pretty good chance they’d all make it out alive.

  Alive was good.

  “Personally, I think this is all a load of bullshit.” Landon grabbed Emma’s hand and guided her behind him. “We wouldn’t have gone through all of this trouble just to screw Sousa over. How many hoops are we going to be expected to jump through? I doubt any of us has the time for these sorts of games.”

  “You’re not jumping through anything, asshole.” Luis, the bastard Landon was itching to coldcock, stepped up next to Damien and folded his arms across his chest. “Your girl here is the one who’s got to prove herself. So shut the fuck up, yeah?”

  Landon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something he’d regret. Before this was all said and done, he was going to show that asshole how much he appreciated dickish attitudes like his. With his fists. He reached behind his back and Emma took his hand. As though she’d read his mind, she pressed up against him and wrapped her free hand around his torso to settle on his chest. Her breasts rubbed against his back, a delicious torture, and Landon shoved that particular distraction to the back of his mind. Goddamn, her hand felt good splayed out on his chest.... “She doesn’t do anything unless I give the green light. You got that, asshole?” He reached up to stroke Emma’s fingers and she shuddered against him. A satisfied smirk that had nothing to do with their current situation—and everything to do with his effect on Emma—settled on Landon’s lips.

  “You’re wasting time,” Damien responded. His words were obviously directed at Landon. A warning not to press his luck. “Right now, we hold all of the cards, so I suggest you get to work, Emma.”

  True enough. At this point, resistance would get them nothing but bullets to their heads. Emma had no choice but to do as they instructed, and it was Landon’s job to give her the support she needed to see this through. “Okay, baby.” He patted her hand, which was still resting on his chest. “Let’s do this.”

  Damien led the way past Javier’s makeshift bed, to a small office furnished with nothing more than a desk, a few chairs, and a single laptop. Emma cast a fleeting glance at her dad before squaring her shoulders and walking through the door. She made a beeline for the desk and sat down, pulling the laptop close. Landon admired her strength. He’d never known any woman as tough as Emma. He only hoped that maintaining that resolve wouldn’t break her completely.

  “What do you want me to do?” Emma asked as she positioned her wrists above the flat surface of the computer, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

  “Mendelson.” The disgust in Damien’s voice didn’t go unnoticed. Landon was pretty sure Emma shared the sentiment. “Mister big-shot CEO Shanahan has been running off at the mouth, and Teyo wants him kept quiet. All we need you to do is work your magic. Shift some numbers around, plant a file or two in their primary server. Cesar says you like to brag about the information you gathered on Teyo and Shanahan. It should be an easy task for you to put some of it to good use, no?”

  Emma canted her head to the side as she regarded Damien. “I can do it. Easily. But if I do, I’d like some assurances.”

  “Didn’t you hear me earlier?” Luis piped in from behind Damien. “You got no say.”

  Damien held up his hand. “Jesus, can’t you keep your trap shut for even a second, Luis?” He glanced pointedly at his comrade and said, “He’s a loud-mouthed bastard, but Luis is right. I don’t have to offer you any assurances.”

  “I just want you to promise that you won’t hurt my dad,” Emma said. “That’s all.”

  “You have Teyo’s money,” Damien replied with a shrug. “Your daddy’s nothing but insurance, princess. Nothing’s going to happen to him as long as Teyo gets his money back.”

  “Fair enough,” Emma said with a nod. She didn’t make eye contact with anyone, merely cast a sad glance at the doorway, and it tore Landon up that she might be ashamed of what she’d done. It had been stupid, sure. But also damned brave. “I’ll need a high-speed connection. Are you all set up?”

  Damien nodded.

  “Okay, then. Here we go.”

  Landon watched in awe as Emma went to work. Her fingers flew on the keyboard, pulling up window after window, the code that appeared on the screen looking more like some alien script than anything legible. He marveled at her unbreakable concentration, her brow furrowed as she worked her bottom lip between her teeth. No one could say Emma Ruiz wasn’t a force to be reckoned with. Already, Landon knew he was powerless to fight it.

  After a half hour of uncomfortable silence, Landon wandered toward the door. “And where in the hell do you think you’re going?” Damien barked.

  “I thought I’d check on the old man, if that’s all right,” Landon said. “You know, to keep my girl from worrying while she’s trying to work.”

  Damien grunted his consent and jerked his chin toward the doorway. “You got five minutes. Take any longer than that, and I’ll send Luis after you.”

  Landon gave a crisp nod and strode from the office where Emma worked to check on Javier. He sat on the mattress with his back to the wall, eyes closed. Without opening them, he said, “You keep her safe, Deputy. Do you understand me?”

  Landon sat down next to Javier on the mattress. “I swear to you, I won’t let anything happen to her. To either of you.”

  Javier let out a derisive snort. “It’s the folly of youth that you all think you can take on the world. Bravery can indeed be a foolish thing.”

  Landon laughed. “I suppose so. But that doesn’t change the fact that your daughter is prepared to do whatever it takes to put things right. You raised a child who isn’t afraid to fight for the people she loves. She stands by her decisions and her convictions. I think any father would be proud of a daughter like that.”

  “Oh, believe me, pride in my child isn’t the problem, Deputy,” Javier mused. “It’s the worry over what will happen to her when those convictions get her into a mess she can’t get herself out of.”

  Like right now? “That’s why I’m here,” Landon said. “To make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “Be sure that it doesn’t.” Javier peeked at Landon through the slit of one eye. “Or you’ll have me to deal with.”

  Javier might have been ill, but he was far from weak. “Believe me, I’m not looking for a fight. I know better than to go up against you—or your daughter—again.”

  “Good boy. Now, go check on her, will you? It’s far too quiet over there.”

  Javier resumed his inert state: eyes closed, expression relaxed, effectively dismissing Landon to more important tasks. Okay, then. Glad we could have this talk.... He meant what he’d said, though. Landon would die before he ever let anything happen to Emma.

  By the time Emma finished up planting enough evidence in Mendelson’s corporate server to send the CEO to prison for the rest of his natural-born life, she was exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. You name it, she felt it. Right down to her bone marrow. Totally and completely spent.

  “Done.” She pushed out her chair and stood to face Damien. “There’s enough buried in Mendelson’s system to bring Shanahan in line. A call to the FBI is all it would take to put him away for a good long time. Sousa shouldn’t have anything to worry about from here on out.”

  “Good.” Damien smiled and though the expression was cold, his eyes expressed something else. Reassurance, perhaps? “I’ll relay this information to Teyo. Once it’s confirmed that we have Shanahan by the balls, we’ll negotiate the transfer of Teyo’s money as well as the terms for your continuing employment.”

  “And my father’s release?”

  Damien leveled a cold, emotionless stare on her and Emma shivered. “Yeah. Your father’s release, too.”

  “All right. What now?”

  “Now? It’s time for you to get the hell out of here, princess. I’ve got work to do, and where Teyo might be willing to put a little cautious trust in you, I’m not.” Damien barked a couple of orders to his guys, on
e of which was to bring the car around so they could leave.

  “Can I say good-bye to my dad first?” She didn’t want to leave. Couldn’t stand the thought of leaving him here with these people, but Emma knew if she pressed her luck they’d all pay the price. Tears stung at her eyes, but she kept her emotions in check as she remembered Landon’s words. Guys like this respected ruthlessness above all else. Crying in front of them would only exploit her weakness.

  “Make it quick,” Damien said as he headed for the front of the warehouse and the group of guys loitering near the doors. “I haven’t got all fucking day to wait around on you.”

  Emma went to her dad and wrapped her arms around him. He was so thin. Almost a shell of the man he’d been six years ago. He held her tight before letting her go and guiding her into Landon’s arms. Her brow furrowed. The symbolism wasn’t lost on her. Had Landon picked up on it as well? Because by accepting her into his arms the way he had, a silent vow had been made to her father. A promise that he’d keep an eye on her. Keep her safe.

  Somehow Emma doubted that Landon would be thrilled at the prospect of being saddled with her.

  “I’ll be back soon,” Emma promised. “Try to get some rest, okay, Dad?”

  “I will, mija. Don’t worry about me. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”

  She let Landon lead her away, but she looked back, worry eating away at her stomach like acid. There were still too many variables, too much unaccounted for. It was totally possible that all of this would get them nowhere. That once everything was said and done, Teyo Sousa would kill them to cover his bases. And Emma would be responsible for it all.

  Her spine straightened and she pulled away from Landon as panic built to a deafening crescendo that pulsed in her ears. Her head was like an overinflated balloon atop her head. Blood rushed to her brain and her heart pounded in her chest like a bass drum as she tried to control her rapid breathing. When she’d tried to exonerate her dad, he’d been kidnapped. And in dragging Landon into all of it, she’d made him an accomplice to her crimes. Now, she was trapped. At the mercy of a sadistic asshole who bought and sold people and weapons of mass destruction like they were boxes of crackers at the grocery store. Oh, and then there was the icing on the cake: she was technically dead. No one—not a single one of her friends—knew she was alive. How had this become her life?