Robin Bielman: Veiled Target

He unbuttoned his suit coat and brushed large, manicured hands down the top of his thighs like there was lint on the dark slacks. “Since when do you answer a question with a question?” Agitation laced his words.

The disconcert sent a gulp the size of an orange down her throat and a sharp pain radiated from her chest and spread through her body like a lit fuse. He’d never let emotion into his words before. Which meant only one thing.

He knew.

She was as good as dead.

“You here to kill me?” What the fuck? She may as well cut to the chase and get to the bottom of his unpleasant visit. If she had any hope of getting to Dobson’s meeting on time, things needed to progress quickly.

“Another question? Tess, you’re begging me to.” A spaghetti-thin smile spread across his face, his black eyes sparkled with sinister intent. “Have you completed your assignment?”

Now probably wasn’t the best time to stretch the truth. “Not yet. Is that why you’re here?” Desperation built up inside her. She clenched her jaw.

“Why the delay?”

Tess almost asked why he got to answer a question with a question, but refrained. She kept her eyes trained on him, and the longer they waged a staring contest, the more strength started to bubble inside her. She no longer looked at him the same way. No longer believed he shared any compassion. The man that had saved her when she was sixteen had preyed on her weaknesses.

Think, Tess. She recalled their original meeting on the topic, ignoring their last discussion where he couldn’t care less. “He’s proven a more difficult target than I anticipated, and the personal dealings you wanted information on have been harder to come by. The standards I’ve been taught by P.I.E.—investigate, find sufficient evidence to warrant removal, then kill—all point to innocence.”

“The client has gathered his own data. I told you to simply eliminate him.” His inflexible tone told her it was pointless to argue.

Which meant the client didn’t give a shit whether or not Hugh deserved to be killed. It was personal. She fisted her hands. Her suspicions had been right.

“I’ve still got a few hours.”

Whoever wanted Hugh dead wanted him out of the way. And if that was the case, there was reason to believe the meeting between the Night Runners and the Wolf Seekers definitely had something to do with him. Did Dobson know about Hugh’s elimination order?

More than anything, Tess needed to get to that meeting.

And preferably before Hugh got back to the room. She didn’t want to make introductions that would end in bloodshed. Not tonight.

Not ever again.

Zero emotion showed on Christian’s face.

She finally got her feet to move and leaned against the back of the armchair. “I’m sure you already know, but my mark is here in the hotel. It won’t be a problem to get close enough to eliminate him. I’ve got it under control. What I need is for you to trust me.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And leave me to handle things on my own.” She was taking a big leap of faith and gambling with her almost perfect record.

“Trust”—he let the word linger by its lonesome for what seemed like an eternity—“is not for the asking. However, I will honor your deadline.”

“Thank you.” She knew he was playing with her. But if she had any hope of getting to Dobson, getting to Hugh and figuring out how to save his ass and hers, she had to get the hell away from Christian.

Unfortunately, he made no motion to get up and go. Was he going to wait for her to bring back Hugh’s head?

“Is there anything else?” she asked, fighting the urge to wrinkle his well-groomed appearance with one swift roundhouse kick to the chest.

“As a matter of fact, there is.” He scooted back, making himself more comfortable on the couch. “Tell me why.”

“Why what?” She gripped the back of the chair to keep her knees from buckling. Why she didn’t want to eliminate anymore? Why she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him? Why there was something else she had to do before she died? “Or how about why doesn’t innocence matter? Since you seem hell bent on eliminating someone honest.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why now ?”

She had no idea what he meant by that. “I don’t understand what you’re asking.” And really, she wished he’d just drop it. Whatever game he was playing, only he knew the rules. That pissed her off, but did ease the tension his arrival had caused. She was ready for battle now. Ready to fight him to save Hugh if it came down to it.

Before he had a chance to reply, the click of the key card being used on the door reached her ears. Anxiety rushed back into her bloodstream.

Hugh.

Every muscle in her body went rigid. Sudden, severe stabs of regret hit every major organ. There was no way she’d get to the door in time to stop his entrance.

“Expecting someone?” Christian asked, sounding well informed and not the least bit surprised. He knew who was at the door. He’d been keeping tabs on her again. The violation of privacy twisted her stomach into a knot.

Lacking enough time to rush to the door, Tess ran to the bedside table to grab her bag. Christian, however, was fast on his feet, and by the time she’d secured the bag in her hands, his arms were around her torso with a knife at her neck.

Tension in her body escalated. She clutched her bag to her waist, hoping he wouldn’t make her drop it. She didn’t dare move, or try to free herself from his grip—not until she figured out what to do. His actions confused her. Did he really plan on killing her right here? Right now? Before she eliminated Hugh?

The suite door swung open, and when her eyes met Hugh’s, she wanted to be anywhere but in that room. He registered the situation immediately, and in a single blink, his blue eyes turned to liquid fire. She shook her head, pleading for him not to shift. Not to act without thinking, because if they took things slowly, the pieces of this puzzle might become clear.

“Take your hands off her,” Hugh growled, the transformation beginning.

A hand landed on Hugh’s shoulder. Dane. He nudged Hugh forward, his eyes narrowed at her, a small curve of satisfaction on his lips. The door closed with a thud.

“Careful, there,” Dane said.

Hugh shrugged off Dane’s hand and put space between himself and his pack mate. Then with the subtle finesse of an animal hunting its prey, he stepped toward her. She shook her head, this time more slowly, carefully. She didn’t want Hugh getting too close. Didn’t want him in harm’s way even though he was perfectly capable of defending himself.

“Put the knife down,” Hugh said.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not yet.”

The tip of the blade pressed into her skin, and rage made her muscles flex. If Christian thought he could put an end to her, he had another thing coming. She had a few things to do first. Namely, save Hugh.

“Tess, you okay?” Hugh moved his gaze from Christian to her.

“Peachy. I love having a knife at my throat. How about you? How’d those drinks go? Oh, and this is my boss, Christian Summers. Christian, Hugh Langston. But I think you already knew that.”

If she’d gone with them for drinks, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. But this dilemma had landed her right in the middle of something. Something she’d better hurry and figure out in the next thirty seconds or someone might get killed. She glanced over Hugh’s shoulder. Dane… She narrowed her eyes. Dane knew her boss. His uptight stance and twisted smile confirmed it.

“I’m not going to ask again,” Hugh said, staring at Christian. Tess could literally feel the rage coming off him in waves.