Forbidden Fantasies Bundle(209)

She nodded, resisting the urge to touch him. He needed to concentrate on the bad guy. Only that.



IT WAS TOO WEIRD, KNOWING the bastard was listening. Watching as Boone opened the door for Seth and Kate.

Christie had watched the tape of the bastard in her bedroom, pouring that horrible syrup all over her bed, and she hadn’t recognize him at all. Not on the first viewing or the fifth. She’d finally given it up, but now she wondered if she’d missed something.

“So what’s the plan?” Boone asked, walking his friends to the living room.

“Look, we tried, but this guy’s just not coming out. There’s really only two options,” Seth said, folding his arms over his chest. “Stay here and hope he makes a mistake, or get the hell out of Dodge.”

“I know what I vote for,” Christie said. “I have no interest in staying here. Not with him peering over my shoulder.” She moved closer to Boone. “Especially not now.” She held out her left hand, showing off the glittering diamond. “We’re going to be married.”

“Congratulations,” Kate said.

“Thanks.” Christie threaded her fingers through Boone’s. “So, will he know? That we’re leaving?”

Seth didn’t answer right away. He looked around the house, then met her gaze. “We got his cameras. And his microphones. He may be watching, however, so you’ll have to be damn careful you’re not followed.”

“We can be packed and out of here in an hour,” Boone said.

“That would be great, except we won’t have your papers until morning.”

Boone cursed. “I don’t want to be here a second longer than we have to.”

“We’ll be back by six,” Seth said, his voice so serious Christie believed him completely. “Be ready to go. Leave everything that could identify you here. If I were you, I’d destroy your address books and reformat your computer. Don’t take pictures or mementos. They’ll only come back to haunt you.”

“You don’t think I’ll be coming back?” she asked.

Seth shrugged. “I don’t know.” He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, and took out a card that he handed to Boone. Christie glanced at it and saw it wasn’t a business card at all, but a note. She couldn’t read it though.

Boone put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the kitchen. Seth and Kate joined them, all in the corner by the fridge. Once there, Seth’s demeanor changed. He winked at Christie and clapped Boone on the back. “That RFID? It only had a half-mile range.”

“Which means he’s been close.”

“Too close. Be careful.”

“You think he’ll come tonight, right?” Christieasked, afraid even here where she knew there were no microphones.

“Yeah, we do.”

“Let’s get out there,” Kate said. “I want to reiterate the wedding thing.”

“Let’s get it over with.” Christie took Boone’s hand and led the group back into camera range.

“Thank you again, you guys,” she said. “It has to be expensive to get new identities.”

“No sweat,” Seth said. “And congratulations again on the wedding.”

“I thought about waiting,” Boone said. “But I’m not taking any more chances with her. No matter what, I want her safe. With me.”

“We won’t give up on finding him,” Seth said.

Boone pulled her close. “Good. We’ll pack it up and be ready to leave before six.”

Seth held out his hand. “We’ll see you then. Don’t worry about it. By this time tomorrow, you’ll have disappeared.”

They walked to the door, and watched as Seth and Kate got into his truck. The whole thing had lasted twenty minutes, and everyone had played their part to perfection.

When Boone closed the door, he surprised her with a kiss. Not a fake one, either. She knew it was for the camera but she didn’t care. He held her tightly, both tender and anxious, and she forgave him for being a jerk, because who wouldn’t be with everything they had to face? By the time he let her go, she’d even forgiven herself.

“Let’s get packing,” he said.

She wished they really were leaving. That the ring on her finger wasn’t borrowed. And as long as she was wishing, it would be great if her feelings for him were real, and if he truly did care.



BOONE WATCHED HER AS SHE folded clothes, putting them neatly into her large suitcase. She was all business, and she wasn’t even terribly freaked out by being in the bedroom.

She really was remarkably strong. She’d held up better than most men would have, and he wondered again why there were no women allowed in Special Forces. Yeah, they went into dangerous situations, but the women he knew were amazing warriors. Kate had faced things no one should. Kosovo had been as tough as it gets, and all she’d been concerned about was saving lives and making sure justice was served. Not easy when corruption was the order of the day, and no one cared who died in the pursuit of power.