Under Pressure (Body Armor #1)(97)
She slipped out of the conference room and across the hall, then ducked inside the dim, empty boardroom. Pressing her back against the wall, her heart in her throat, Cat prayed her brothers would be okay. Bowen and Holt were good men. They didn’t deserve to be pulled into her nightmare.
Remembering the plan, she quickly removed her earrings and pulled the pins from her hair, then shook it loose. At a table to her left, draped over one of the chairs, she found the long coat that would completely conceal her dress, along with black ballet flats to replace her heels. Forcing herself to go through each preplanned step, she set the heels aside and—
“Cat.”
She jumped, but immediately recognized Leese’s calm voice and launched herself against him, holding tight.
“It’s okay now,” he said, as he coasted his hands down her back. “Sahara is changing. She’ll join us very shortly.”
They’d used different rooms to change, to help lessen the chance of them being caught together.
Moments later, Sahara slipped through the back door that led to the restrooms. “I’m sorry, but I need one of you to zip me up.”
Sahara had ducked away right before Cat had, going into the private, locked restroom where her blue dress was hidden. There, she’d switched out her shoes and earrings too.
Beneath the doors, lights from the conference room filtered in. As Leese turned to assist Sahara, he said to Cat, “Go out the back door now and into the private bathroom. Platt could be here any second and if he sees you together, we’re blown.”
“Please,” Cat whispered. “Please, both of you, be careful.”
Sahara said, “I’ll be as careful as I need to be to nail that bastard. Before the night is over, he’ll be mine.”
Knowing she had to hurry, Cat said, “Thank you, Sahara.”
Poised, strong in her own right, Sahara smiled with evil delight. “This, Catalina, is absolutely my pleasure.”
Cat believed her. Sahara was not only a beautiful woman, she was intelligent, cunning, ambitious and a very imposing adversary. Strong enough to best Platt? Cat just didn’t know, but Sahara certainly thought so.
Bracing herself, Cat whispered, “Leese?”
Leaning down, he struggled with the tiny zipper, and finally pulled it up. “What is it?”
“I love you.” She needed him to know...just in case this all went sideways.
Battle-ready, prepared for the worst, Leese slowly straightened and stared toward her.
Cat didn’t want or need for him to say the words back. At the moment, under the circumstances, she wouldn’t believe him if he did. “I’m just saying, you better not get shot again.”
His face dark with turbulent emotions, Leese nodded. “I promise not to get shot.”
“Thank you.” She hurried to the door.
“Cat?”
“We’ll talk later.” When our lives aren’t on the line. “I’ll be waiting for you.” She peeked out the door, saw no one around and hurried down the short hall to the private room. Once inside, she locked the door and then...all she could do was wait.
Each minute felt like an hour. She strained her ears, trying to hear, but couldn’t distinguish the sounds of the party from possible conflict.
Was the senator, at this very moment, attacking Sahara? What if he’d sent one of his guards to shoot her without warning? Sahara absolutely could not take a bullet for her. Cat knew she couldn’t live with that.
She waffled, reaching for the doorknob then backing away again.
No, that wouldn’t happen. Not at the crowded party. Not with both Leese and Justice looking after her.
Regardless of what common sense told her, Cat continued to torture herself with what-ifs.
When she heard footsteps, she went limp with relief. Leese was okay. And it hadn’t really taken long at all. Probably only five minutes or so.
She smiled as the key sounded in the lock and the doorknob turned, a million questions at the ready.
The door opened—and there stood Tesh.
It took a split second for reality to crash into her expectations. No! She opened her mouth to scream and Tesh slapped her hard, propelling her into a wall. Dazed, she struggled to regain her footing, and his hand clamped over her mouth and nose.
Crushing her close, her back against his chest, he crooned, “Now, now, my kitten. None of that.”
Cat kicked and struggled. Her shoes flew off her feet, her elbow hit the wall...but no one heard.
No one came.
Tesh held her so tightly she thought her jaw might break. Blackness fogged the edges of her vision, and her limbs began to go weak. Fighting him did her no good. He dragged her out the door and down to another room, farther and farther away.
He had her and he wasn’t letting go. Cat knew she would die...and with her last cognizant thought, she prayed that at least Sahara, Justice and Leese would survive.
*
LEESE GROUND HIS teeth together.
The senator didn’t indict himself. In fact, the cowardly bastard spoke from a distance, one guard next to him inside the room, the other guard standing just outside the closed door.
“You’ve taken us all on quite the chase, but it’s time for you to quit these absurd games, stop being such a difficulty to so many and make your amends by going home.”
Keeping her back to him, her shoulders rounded in a show of defeat, Sahara nodded.