paid them to be nothing else. Smiling gently, he watched them over the rim of his glass while rain beat at the window.
The man nearer to him swallowed hard and sank down onto the chair beside the desk.
“Is something wrong, Diego?”
When the man didn’t answer, Chavez waited calmly, steepling his fingers.
Five seconds later, a glass shattered on the unpainted wood floor. With a sharp gagging sound, the man named Diego collapsed, his feet bumping loudly in his convulsions.
Chavez moved casually to the body that was still twitching. “Never question my orders. Never make excuses,” he said coldly, driving the ornate metal toe of his expensive boot into the back of the man’s head. He looked up slowly at the frightened man who remained. “And now you have only nine hours and fifty-seven minutes to find the animal. Otherwise, you will die worse than this one did.”
Emilio Chavez didn’t look back when the door was yanked open, footsteps flashing up the metal steps. His eyes were narrow and intent as he tossed the used glasses into the garbage. With no change in expression, he bent to wipe the blood and brain tissue off the toe of his boot.
“Nine hours and fifty-five minutes,” he said to the empty room.
chapter 10
H awk straightened his leather jacket around Jess’s shoulders.
She realized his game plan was set and there would be no deviations.
But now that she’d watched his eyes darken as he touched her skin, Jess decided the rules weren’t so important.
She closed her eyes as the elevator swayed slightly. Sweat beaded up over her forehead.
She hated being weak like this, hated for anyone to look deep and glimpse her fears.
But Hawk hadn’t laughed at her. He didn’t move away as if she had some kind of disease.
Jess closed her eyes. She wanted to blurt out that she didn’t usually accost semi-strange men or propose sex in public places, but she caught back the words.
No explanations.
Just Hawk. Just this need to be close, to be held and feel his skin warm against hers.
With her head bent, she shoved away the fear and focused on the scent of his jacket. Wearing it felt sharply intimate.
Old leather.
Sea wind.
Apples, probably stuck in an inside pocket. The mix of smells mesmerized her, even as the old fears returned.
Three days. Eleven hours. Twenty-six minutes.
Dear God, no more memories.
Jess squeezed her eyes shut.
She wanted to be in the present. She wanted to move against Hawk’s body. By concentrating intently on the scent of his jacket, she managed to block the vision of cold walls closing in.
“No questions,” she said, studying the walls fixedly. “But I need to know the time, how long until someone will come.”
Hawk pulled off a watch with a luminous dial and multiple time zones. “Take mine.”
“Only until . . . this is over.” Frowning, she pulled on the big watch, feeling the heat of his body in the metal.
Hawk pulled off his sweater and hung it from the rim of the molding at the top of the elevator.
“Why—”
“Because there’s a camera up there and I’d rather not have an audience,” he said dryly. He shifted the sweater to one side, then turned back to her.
“Don’t talk,” Jess said quickly, afraid if she talked she’d lose her nerve. She didn’t want to be afraid.
She rose on tiptoes, skimming her hands across his chest, his ribs, just above his waistband. “Hawk, I need—”
“I know what you need,” he said roughly. “I was thinking about it in high-resolution detail most of the night.”
Jess wondered that she wasn’t embarrassed by the brush of his hands tugging her blouse free of her skirt.
Hawk leaned down, his face tense. She caught the scent of apples and sea wind again.
Her blouse opened.
“There’s still time to change your mind.” His voice was slow, like cold water dropping over deep gravel.
“My mind’s made up.”
“You’re making a mistake.” He gripped her waist, turning her slowly.
“If so,
The man nearer to him swallowed hard and sank down onto the chair beside the desk.
“Is something wrong, Diego?”
When the man didn’t answer, Chavez waited calmly, steepling his fingers.
Five seconds later, a glass shattered on the unpainted wood floor. With a sharp gagging sound, the man named Diego collapsed, his feet bumping loudly in his convulsions.
Chavez moved casually to the body that was still twitching. “Never question my orders. Never make excuses,” he said coldly, driving the ornate metal toe of his expensive boot into the back of the man’s head. He looked up slowly at the frightened man who remained. “And now you have only nine hours and fifty-seven minutes to find the animal. Otherwise, you will die worse than this one did.”
Emilio Chavez didn’t look back when the door was yanked open, footsteps flashing up the metal steps. His eyes were narrow and intent as he tossed the used glasses into the garbage. With no change in expression, he bent to wipe the blood and brain tissue off the toe of his boot.
“Nine hours and fifty-five minutes,” he said to the empty room.
chapter 10
H awk straightened his leather jacket around Jess’s shoulders.
She realized his game plan was set and there would be no deviations.
But now that she’d watched his eyes darken as he touched her skin, Jess decided the rules weren’t so important.
She closed her eyes as the elevator swayed slightly. Sweat beaded up over her forehead.
She hated being weak like this, hated for anyone to look deep and glimpse her fears.
But Hawk hadn’t laughed at her. He didn’t move away as if she had some kind of disease.
Jess closed her eyes. She wanted to blurt out that she didn’t usually accost semi-strange men or propose sex in public places, but she caught back the words.
No explanations.
Just Hawk. Just this need to be close, to be held and feel his skin warm against hers.
With her head bent, she shoved away the fear and focused on the scent of his jacket. Wearing it felt sharply intimate.
Old leather.
Sea wind.
Apples, probably stuck in an inside pocket. The mix of smells mesmerized her, even as the old fears returned.
Three days. Eleven hours. Twenty-six minutes.
Dear God, no more memories.
Jess squeezed her eyes shut.
She wanted to be in the present. She wanted to move against Hawk’s body. By concentrating intently on the scent of his jacket, she managed to block the vision of cold walls closing in.
“No questions,” she said, studying the walls fixedly. “But I need to know the time, how long until someone will come.”
Hawk pulled off a watch with a luminous dial and multiple time zones. “Take mine.”
“Only until . . . this is over.” Frowning, she pulled on the big watch, feeling the heat of his body in the metal.
Hawk pulled off his sweater and hung it from the rim of the molding at the top of the elevator.
“Why—”
“Because there’s a camera up there and I’d rather not have an audience,” he said dryly. He shifted the sweater to one side, then turned back to her.
“Don’t talk,” Jess said quickly, afraid if she talked she’d lose her nerve. She didn’t want to be afraid.
She rose on tiptoes, skimming her hands across his chest, his ribs, just above his waistband. “Hawk, I need—”
“I know what you need,” he said roughly. “I was thinking about it in high-resolution detail most of the night.”
Jess wondered that she wasn’t embarrassed by the brush of his hands tugging her blouse free of her skirt.
Hawk leaned down, his face tense. She caught the scent of apples and sea wind again.
Her blouse opened.
“There’s still time to change your mind.” His voice was slow, like cold water dropping over deep gravel.
“My mind’s made up.”
“You’re making a mistake.” He gripped her waist, turning her slowly.
“If so,
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