Page 82 of Carnal Risk

“I knew when you came on board that you were involved. You and Evan. How long were you fucking? You spread your legs for all the guys, huh? Garrett must love having a little whore like you.” He pinched at her nipple, and she screamed. “Evan gave it to you, didn’t he? I mean who else would know how to access the systems? He used you and you didn’t even know it. Perfect really. Except now, I need that data.”

“But that night in my apartment…” Selby’s mind swam, trying to figure out who had attacked her. Beckett had been at the party.

“You didn’t think I’d break into your apartment when everyone expected me to be at Altura? I told you…I’ve got a buyer, someone with money. It was easy for me to get someone to help me out with your place.”

“You paid someone to plant the cameras?”

“No, that was my doing, but I couldn’t actually be there.”

“You paid them to attack me?”

“No, no, no. They were only supposed to get the drive. That’s the only reason you’re alive right now. The asshole I hired didn’t have the balls to take you out.”

Selby blew out a breath as he released her, and circled her chair. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. As he tapped at the glass, her stomach dropped.

“Shouldn’t be long now. Garrett will bring the data, and once he does, you both can die together.”

Selby remained silent, allowing him to think he’d won. He stomped up the steps, and she defiantly scanned the room for a way to free herself. In the corner, she spied a pile of boxes. Lifting onto her toes, she attempted to hop to them. But as she hoisted upward, the chair teetered. She screamed as it toppled onto its side, her shoulder slamming into the cement. Throbbing pain stabbed throughout her body, her eyes filling with tears as the dirt-tinged air hit her tongue. Gathering her strength, she focused her effort. If she didn’t do something, she’d die.

Shoving with her feet, Selby propelled herself forward. Inch by inch, she moved, undaunted by her task. By the time she reached the boxes, exhaustion had set in, and she barely had enough energy to breathe. With her teeth, she bit at the cardboard, turning the contents out onto the floor. She closed her eyes as the items spilled around her.

A metal object clanged onto the floor and her fingertips brushed at the gritty earth. A sharp edge prodded at her fingertips and she worked it into the rope that bound her wrists, sawing at it. It released with a pop, and she cried with relief. Selby shoved herself up so she sat leaning against the wall. He’d come for her, she knew. She might die today but it would not be without a fight. Slipping the tool into the front of her dress, she waited for the beast.

Enraged, Garrett sped down the highway. He’d never killed a man, but today, with a weapon on board, the possibility that he would existed. Unable to find Selby or Beckett at the scene of the fire, Garrett suspected he’d taken her. As soon as he’d received the text demanding the data, he’d gone home, retrieved his gun and taken off in the car. Beckett had specifically told him, no police. Logic warned him to let the police handle the situation, but his heart told him that he couldn’t risk having the love of his life killed.

On the way to get Selby, he’d called Lars, asking him to notify Dean of the GPS coordinates. By the time he arrived, it would make little difference. With a dummy file in his pocket, he planned to hand over the data. Beckett would check it, he knew, but Garrett had already scrubbed the data, fabricating the PFx Prototype etiology as well as any preliminary results. As a matter of national security, he couldn’t allow it to fall into enemy hands.

As he pulled into the gated property, he took note of the brown land, ‘no trespassing’ signs littered along its perimeter. Spirals of dust spun into the air as he rolled up the mile-long driveway. Noting the desolate surroundings, he considered how he’d never known Beckett or Cormac the way he’d imagined. Clearances were of little consequence when someone went into hiding, living off the grid.

Slowly he decelerated as the modest ranch came into view and he concentrated on the task in hand. Garrett turned off the car, leaving the keys in the ignition. He reached for his weapon and tucked it into the back of his pants. Garrett gritted his teeth as the front door swung open and Beckett shoved Selby out the door. His rage exploded as he caught sight of her stumbling forth. She limped, her lip bloodied and her face pale. Beckett waved his gun in the air, and then pointed it at her.

As if he were hanging by the ledge of a cliff, Garrett breathed in through his nose and blew out the breath, deliberately calming his nerves. Whatever was about to go down, he’d approach it with the focus and precision of a sniper. He curled his fingers under the car door handle and clicked it open. Slowly he exited, with his hands held out wide. Garrett put one foot in front of the other until he and Beckett were only twenty feet apart.

Selby’s eyes teared up as they locked on his. She made a move to lunge for him, but Beckett jerked her back. Garrett resisted the urge to go to her, carefully guarding his emotions. The whirl of blades buzzed in the background, a private helicopter hovering in the distance.

“The drive,” Beckett called. “Did you bring it?”

“I brought it.” Garrett reached into the front pocket of his jeans, but stilled as Beckett fired off a shot into the sky.

“Easy. I said no weapons.”

“Just getting what you asked for.”

“Do it now.” Beckett raised his line of vision to the approaching aircraft.

Garrett waved the drive in the air. “Selby first. Then you can have it.”

“Wrong.”

The disc dropped from Garrett’s fingers as the hot slice of a bullet tore through his flesh. As he fell to the ground, he struggled to keep his hidden weapon concealed. He rolled onto his back and clutched his arm.

“Stay,” Beckett screamed at Selby.

Garrett lay as bait, feigning significant injury. Beckett moved toward him, his gun extended. Garrett lurched onto his side kicking the disc to divert his attention. But instead of reaching for the drive, Beckett trained his aim onto him. A click snapped to his right before he heard the shot, and he caught sight of Selby leaping forward. As she plunged the awl deep into Beckett’s shoulder, he flailed his hand around behind him, striking her in the face. The projectile whizzed aimlessly through the air, missing Garrett. He reached for his own gun, firing off a round and hitting Beckett in the lower abdomen. Beckett faltered, staggering into the dust.

Garrett’s heart pounded as he ran to Selby’s side. Breathless, he fell to his knees and carefully cradled her in his arms, still aiming his weapon at Beckett. Garrett’s chest heaved as a fresh wave of pain rolled through his body. The helicopter rotated away from the house, and he kept his eyes on both Beckett and the aircraft, anticipating its return.

The sound of police sirens echoed in the desert, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Selby clutched at him, sobbing, and he placed his hand onto the dirt, still stunned. His vision blurred and he knew at that moment, he’d lost too much blood. A tunnel of darkness closed in on him and the last thing he heard was Selby shouting his name.