Taken With Trouble (CAUGHT IN CHAOS #2)

13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Liam

Cruz has been in the bathroom long enough. I let her have a few minutes to make the call, but a few minutes is all I can stand. I have to know what she’s done. Am I getting sappy? Weak? Stupid? This woman makes me all of the above. Or maybe it’s a testament that I truly am ready to start a new chapter in my life. I want her to lock me up. And not just because it would be incredibly sexy. I’m ready to be done. Done having to always look over my shoulder, always being on the run. I’m tired. I want Serena to see I’ve changed.

But if she locks me up, then I can’t help the dozen other people counting on my expertise to right their wrongs. I do dishonest things for the benefit of others, which makes it good. Right? I steal from the rich what they’ve stolen from the poor, taking down despicable men who do terrible things from a single computer. The people they’ve hurt can’t do it. But I can.

Yet nothing I do will ever be enough.

“Check?” The waitress drops a folder on the table, and I pull out my wallet. I tuck two one hundred-pound notes inside and fish the small envelope from my pocket, slipping it into the other side of the folder. I leave it on the table and walk toward the back .

I round the corner for the bathroom, and that’s when I see an unconscious Cruz being dragged out the exit by a giant dressed in black.

That woman. I can’t take her anywhere. I grab the knife from my pocket and dart after them, emerging from the back door just as the giant stops near the van waiting in the alley.

“Is that the only way you can get a woman?” I call.

The man stops, turning slowly.

“Come on. I’m the one you want.” I step closer, arms out like I’m surrendering. For the record, I would never.

He laughs. “A two for one. This night is going better than expected.”

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”

I flick the knife hidden between my fingers into his right shoulder. I cringe. A half an inch lower, and I would have hit Cruz. I need to work on my aim.

The man curses but doesn’t drop his hold on Cruz.

Huh. I saw that going differently in my head.

“Boss said I wasn’t allowed to kill anyone unless I was provoked. Thanks for making things easier.” He releases Cruz with one arm and reaches for his waistband.

Cruz comes to, throwing her head into his nose and knocking the gun from his hand simultaneously. The giant grunts and grabs for the gun, but she beats him to it, cocking it and aiming it at his head.

“On your knees,” she barks.

The whole scene took approximately two seconds. “Wow, that was hot.”

She’s standing there all Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality style, taking down a bad guy like it’s easy.

Serena’s head swivels in my direction, her dark eyes shooting daggers at me. “Thanks for nothing.”

“I slowed him down.”

“You slowed me down first.”

“You were unconscious!”

“I was faking until I had the right opportunity!”

“Which I gave you. ”

“You nearly stabbed me with a knife!”

“I hate to interrupt this lover’s spat—” That’s all the man gets out before Cruz smacks his head with the gun, effectively shutting him up for the next ten to fifteen minutes.

I gape at her. “I thought we were going to question him.”

“Why would I do that?” She opens his suit coat and pulls her gun out of his holster with a sigh of relief and tucks it into the back of her pants.

“Why wouldn’t we?” I scrub my hand through my hair. “You know this relationship is never going to work if we don’t communicate. And if you’re always knocking people out…”

Cruz goes to the van and rifles through the mess. She emerges with zip ties. “That’s rich coming from you. We don’t have a relationship. But if you’re so determined to find out who he is, I’ll let you search his person.”

I grunt but help her drag him to a pole. She gets to work tying him, and I raid his pockets. I toss the keys up, catching them in the air. “Bingo.”

“I’ll drive,” Serena says, trying to snatch the keys away.

I hold them tight. “Do you not trust me?”

“I think I’ve made that abundantly clear.”

“Perhaps I’d like you to change your mind.”

“Not going to happen.” She grabs the keys and hops into the driver’s seat. I hurry to the passenger side before she takes off without me. As much as I like her bossy personality lined with metallic edges and spikes, I wouldn’t mind a change to the regularly scheduled programming.

“Do you know where you’re going?” I ask as she takes a deliberate right turn.

“Looking for somewhere to stash this vehicle.”

“Then take that left.”

She continues straight. Then takes the left.

“Right.”

She turns left.

She’s so obstinate. I tell her the opposite directions, and we somehow make it to the lot where we ransack the van for clues .

I pop the hood, and pull at a few random wires, then disconnect the battery, hoping it’s enough to slow whomever finds the van. Cruz steals a box of bullets and tosses the man’s gun in a river as we head through secret alleys and tunnels, making our way to my hideout.

I let out a breath as I shut the door behind us and slide the lock into place.

“So…” Cruz flips around, her dark hair brushing the top of her folded arms. “Did that go according to your plan?”

I swallow “What?”

“Don’t be an idiot. That’s exactly what you hoped would happen by ‘going out to dinner’.”

Hmm. Smart and dangerous: a deadly combination. “I didn’t mean for you to nearly get kidnapped but—”

“You son of a—”

She sweeps my feet out from under me and is throwing fists before I can think. One punch lands square on my cheek.

She’s made her point.

I roll her over, snatching her wrists and pinning them to the ground above her head.

“Yes, okay. I admit. I wanted to see if we’d been spotted entering the country. And since we were… I know how to proceed.”

“And that was the best way to do it?”

I shrug. “It could have gone worse.”

“Save it for your cellmate.” She grunts, trying to shove me off her, but I’m not going anywhere. I hold her tighter, taking no pleasure from the fact that she’s at my mercy. None at all.

Okay, I am. It’s hard not to when I can feel her warm breath in the space between us, the smooth skin of her wrists beneath my palms.

She shoves me again, getting her knee dangerously close to my groin. “I told my partner everything, down to the location of this place. He’ll be here by morning.”

I study her face. Really study it—something I’ve been dying to do since meeting her. In those obsidian eyes, I find exactly what I’m looking for. Actually, it’s right above her eyes, nearly hidden in her hairline that really gets my attention. There’s a small scar, only half an inch, smooth but jagged from not getting stitches.

I look back at her eyes. “I call B.S.”

“Call whatever you want. In twelve hours, I’m free of you.” Her throat bobs, and she looks away.

“I think I’ll take the gamble and stay right here.”

“Help yourself, easier to lock you up.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Anything for you, killer.”

She shoves me, and I hop to my feet, offering her a hand. She doesn’t take it. A poor loser, but I don’t mind.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” she says.

I give her a condescending smile. “That’s cute. But no. You take my bedroom with no windows, and I’ll take the living room with the door and security system.”

“You really think I’ll run? I’m going to be right here when my partner shows up to arrest you.” She crosses her arms, but there’s a tell in the slight tilt of her chin.

I don’t believe her. My guess is she didn’t have time to finish the call before she was attacked. If she did finish that call, I don’t want to stick around here and wait to be arrested. But if she didn’t finish it, that means she might leave. I can’t let that happen.

I cross my arms over my chest. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we? But just so you know, if you walk out that door without me, you forfeit the treasure and me as your prisoner.”

“Not if I discover your little treasure first.”

I rub my hands together. “Was that a challenge, Agent Cruz?”

She flicks her hair over her shoulder. “No offense, but I don’t find you much of a challenger.” She spins on her heels, heading for the bathroom.

I smirk at her retreating figure. She has no idea what she’s done.