Breaking Her Rules(16)

Unfortunately Wyatt knew that Harrison was right. She was just the hired gun anyway. He wanted to bring down the one who’d hired her.

“What about the other two?” Iris asked, her body tense.

“Still in with their lawyers. No charges have been made.” Harrison looked angry, but Wyatt wasn’t surprised.

Keibler might have brought the woman as a date or security or whatever excuse he’d given by now, but there was no proof he’d paid her to do anything. And if she was being transported out of the country, it would kill any future prosecution. Or at least make it difficult to prosecute.

“The State’s Attorney won’t take this to trial.” Iris spoke the words he was thinking. This case might not go to trial but things between him and Keibler and possibly Thorton were far from over.

“Are we free to go?” They’d been waiting for an official release and Wyatt was sick of sitting around here when he already knew the outcome of tonight’s events.

“Yeah, but I’d like to talk to Iris in private if you don’t mind waiting outside.” Harrison wasn’t so much asking as he was ordering.

Wyatt did mind, but he was edgy and feeling irrational where Iris was concerned. He knew she’d be safe while alone with her boss, but he instinctively wanted to argue and stay close to her. Instead he looked at Iris and dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right outside.”

She gave him a grateful smile that was like a punch to his heart. The past few days her smiles had been so rare that seeing one now jolted him straight to his bones. If he had his way, he planned to make sure she was smiling a lot more from now on.



* * * * *



Sato sat in her lone holding cell, staring at the metal bars as she contemplated her next move. Her broken nose throbbed, but that was the least of her worries. She knew Interpol was coming for her when one of the detectives who’d questioned her earlier called her by her real name. When she’d flat out asked him about Interpol, he’d just smiled at her, like he couldn’t wait to be rid of her.

Time was ticking down for her and she had only a few moves left if she wanted to get out of here alive. Because once Interpol got her, it would be only a matter of time before she ended up dead.

Back when she’d just started out in this business she’d made a few mistakes. Left DNA and partial prints at a particularly messy hit. She’d killed the son of someone very important in China and the father would never let her go. She’d managed to avoid detection for almost three years but her reprieve had run out. Since that first hit she’d learned to be a ghost, to cover her tracks so that she was virtually invisible.

Well she had been smart until tonight. She snorted at her own stupidity. It was her own fault for taking the job without having done enough recon. That tall bitch with Christiansen had been fast and definitely not just arm candy. No one had been paying attention to Sato—or so she’d thought. While she’d hated putting herself in a position of having a limited escape route, it had been necessary. Her client had insisted the poisoning happen before or at this meeting.

With those rigid guidelines, she should have backed out of the job.

Except she never did that. If she had, word could have spread and she would have missed out on contracts. Something she hadn’t been willing to lose. And she still wasn’t. It was time for Plan B.

She moved away from the bed screwed into the solid stone wall and crouched so that she was looking at the underside of the simple sink. There would be no escaping from this place. Not in a typical sense anyway.

What she planned would be a risk, but it was one she had to take. Because if the Chinese got a hold of her…no, she’d kill herself before she let that happen.

She wrapped her fingers around a long, flat piece of metal that held part of the plumbing up and wrenched it out of place with a hard yank. Water dribbled onto the floor, but that didn’t concern her. Holding her new weapon in a tight grip, she strode to the front of the cell where she’d be seen by video cameras and one of the female guards at the end of the hall.

“Hey!” she shouted, drawing attention to herself.

“Keep it down,” the guard shouted back.

Instead of responding, Sato held up the metal piece and waved it at her. Drawing her weapon, the guard cursed and started stomping toward her. As the woman came closer Sato rose it high into the air and slammed it down into her thigh.

She screamed in agony at the pain that shot through her, but this was necessary for a trip to the hospital. She would definitely be under guard and secured, likely with handcuffs, but escaping from a hospital was doable. Getting out of this locked cell was damn near impossible by comparison.

Fire licked up her leg as blood pooled around her. Sato fought to stay conscious, but began to fade as she heard the guard talking into her radio, requesting backup.

Soon enough she’d be at the local hospital and…

Before she could finish that thought, blackness engulfed her.





Chapter 10



At the rich scent of coffee Iris’s eyes flew open. Disoriented, she looked around the room—Wyatt’s room. Blue sheets were tangled around her feet and Wyatt was closing the door with his foot because he was holding a tray of…something. “What’s that…and what time is it?” She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see that it was eight o’clock. She also couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard him get out of bed.

But she’d been tired and sore. Still was. They’d only gotten back to Wyatt’s place a little over four hours ago. She’d changed into one of his T-shirts and crashed without even taking a shower. Vincent was officially in charge of the team now. Harrison had wanted to remove her as lead last night—it was why he’d wanted to talk to her in private—and she had agreed. She’d actually taken herself completely off the team. She’d thought she could be objective while leading Wyatt’s protective detail, but last night had proved her wrong. She still planned to stay here with Wyatt, but only as his wife.

Gah, she couldn’t be thinking that word without coffee. “Are you bringing me coffee in bed?” That now-familiar warmth bloomed inside her chest at the sweet gesture.

“Breakfast, not just coffee.” He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a wooden tray across her lap. There was a silver dome covering the food underneath, but whatever it was smelled delicious. Or maybe that was just the coffee that had her mouth watering.

Wyatt’s eyes glinted with lust as his gaze strayed to her chest. She was wearing a shirt, but no bra and it was like the man had a radar for that. He just zeroed in on her hardening nipples as a smug smile teased his lips. She wondered if he was even aware of the way he was watching her, as if he was undressing her in his mind. Probably not.

She picked up the full mug of coffee. While she loved his intent focus on her, now wasn’t the time. “Don’t even think about it,” she murmured.

“About what?” His gaze snapped up to meet hers and he looked genuinely confused. Yeah, he wasn’t aware of it.

She motioned to her breasts with her free hand. “Whatever you’re thinking, just lock it up. I’m tired, need a shower and can’t even think about…stuff.”

His eyebrows quirked up and she could tell he was fighting a smile. “Stuff?”

“Sex.”

“That’s presumptuous. I’ve got meetings all morning but I wanted to bring you breakfast before I got sucked in and won’t be able to break away.” Yeah, he was definitely fighting a smile.

“Oh.” What was wrong with her? She was barely sitting up and had just said she didn’t want sex. But she wanted him to want it because even if they weren’t having it, she still wanted him. With a vengeance. God, she needed her head examined.

His eyes glinted wickedly. “Unless of course you’re ready to go right now. We could do it fast and dirty. I could bend you over the bed and—”

“Enough!” Her face heated up as she took a sip of the heavenly coffee. What was up with him this morning? She couldn’t get a handle on his mood. He seemed almost playful. Clearing her throat she said, “So, just meetings here, right? You’re not leaving?” The schedule she’d received for him days ago had him staying put today, but she wanted to make sure. She might not be head of his team now, but she couldn’t help but worry about him.

“I’m not leaving you.” Okay, that wasn’t what she’d been asking, but the answer warmed her. Before she could respond, he continued. “I’ve come to a decision.”

Iris set her mug down at the seriousness of his tone. God, had he decided he didn’t want to try things out with her after all? “Okay.”

“While I’m courting you, sex is off the table. You’ll still be sleeping in our bed, but no sex.”

“Courting?” The word was so old fashioned it sounded weird coming from him.