Under the Gun

“Only way I can take the night off is to turn you over to the police. That scenario interest you?” Luke actually smirked as he made the observation. The man knew when he had a conversation won. He knew and she knew.

But she wasn’t ready to give up. “Not really.”

“Why did you bring her to the office?” Holden asked.

When the barrel of Holden’s gun finally pointed toward the floor, instead of at any part of her, she coughed out the breath she’d been holding. “I have a bigger question. What’s with all the weapons?”

Luke’s hand inched toward his gun as if she had reminded him. “We like to be prepared.”

“In case you encounter a dangerous collectibles shop owner?”

Holden nodded. “Something like that.”

Only a man bathed in darkness who grumbled more than he spoke could throw out a line like that and make it sound menacing. Without thinking, she shifted closer to Luke. Yeah, he hated her, but he’d had the chance to shoot her in the alley and passed it up. She wasn’t convinced Holden would do the same.

“What are you doing here this late?” Luke asked.

“I was in the back when the phones started ringing. The way they went a desk at a time sounded suspicious to me. Thought I’d stick around to see if we had trouble.” Holden stared at her. “And we do.”

“I don’t want to be here, either, if that helps,” she said.

Luke talked right over her. “Was just trying to see who, if anyone, was here. I had to use the computer and couldn’t exactly leave her waiting in the car.”

“Makes sense.” Holden’s lips quirked in what Claire assumed was his version of a smile. “How’d you manage to trip the alarm?”

Luke went still. “What?”

“You forget to swipe the card or something?”

“No. Followed protocol exactly.”

With a suddenness that shocked her, Holden straightened. Both men morphed from relaxed interplay to an on-guard stance in an instant. Holden’s gun was raised as Luke started pushing buttons on his big square watch.

She knew enough to be worried. Wide-shouldered macho men didn’t spook that easily. “What is it?”

“Quiet,” Luke said in a voice that hovered just above a whisper.

With guns out, they surrounded her. She couldn’t move or run. The closeness suffocated her as they walked her backward into Luke’s office. “What’s happening?”

“You have someone with you?” Luke took a position on one side of the doorway.

With his good arm, he pushed her behind him. Since the idea of dying in a shoot-out didn’t exactly appeal to her, she stayed put. They’d talk about his tendency to shove her around another time. Right now, it worked for her. “No.”

Luke stared at her.

“No, really,” she said. “No partners. Nothing.”

His facial features took on a nasty sharpness. “We’re going to take this guy out, so tell me the truth.”

She knew she’d be blamed for what was happening now, whatever that was. “I just did.”

“Possible you were followed?” Holden asked from the other side of the doorway.

Luke’s concentration switched between his watch and the hallway. “I don’t see how.”

“Maybe you’re off your game.” Holden stood on the other side of the open door. “The injury, meeting up with your old—”

“No.”

Together they made up a wall of angry brooding male. Claire couldn’t hear or see anything. Except for their breathy whispers, a deadly quiet filled the office. But she knew from the way Holden and Luke held their bodies so still that something or someone very bad lingered out there waiting for them.

The reality hit her. Phil. Again. He had access to endless resources and a deep hatred for her. Throwing the blame on her for his mess was one thing. Having someone track her every move was another. Years before, she had seen Phil as a safe alternative to Luke. Everything about Luke was shrouded in mystery. Phil had nothing to hide. She never dreamed he would turn into her biggest nightmare.

Luke motioned for her to stand with her back against the wall behind him. “You do everything we say when we say. Got it?”

She nodded, afraid to utter even a syllable and risk having her voice carry back to whoever was out there.

Holden stared at his watch. It matched Luke’s perfectly. “He’s in conference room two.”

She grabbed the back of Luke’s shirt and tugged to get his attention. “He who?”

“Whoever is trying to kill you.”

“You believe me?”

“I believe someone wants you dead. The ‘why’ is a question for another time.”

She rested her forehead against his back for the briefest of moments. “If we live.”

Luke pressed a button on the side of his watch. From over his shoulder she could see the face. Instead of the time, a floor plan flashed in green lighting. She saw four red dots in the outlined rooms. Only one of them moved.

She pitched her voice as low as possible, which was hard given the way her head buzzed with fear. “Is that him?”

“Last chance.” Holden slid his gun along the door frame until the barrel was at eye level. “You know this guy or not?”

If either of them asked again, she might lunge for a gun. “No.”

“Then you stay in here while I kill him,” Holden said.

“Negative.” Luke gave one shake of his head to match his clipped tone. “She doesn’t move, but I want him alive. Need to know what’s happening here and who’s behind all this.”

She knew. “I told you. It’s Phil and he’s—”

Luke ignored her. “The dot is moving.”

And so were they. Holden and Luke slipped into the hallway. Back to back they moved, guns up and bodies snapped stiff with tension.

Claire glanced down the hall toward the reception area. Everything in her screamed to run down the dark path and out the front door. She’d figure out her next step once she hit the street. But she didn’t know the office building well enough to know where the mystery man could go and how he could get there. She couldn’t risk a bullet in the back.