Page 17 of Waiting for Him
“It’s Glen Patterson from Wells Fargo. You told me to call when anyone accessed the Maier deposit box . . . A guy and a girl . . . I don’t know his name, but her ID says she’s Katrina, uh, I mean, Katerina Maier . . . They’re in there now, but I’m sure they won’t be for long . . . A license plate? Yeah, I can probably get it . . . My office window faces the parking lot . . . After this, we’re through, right? I don’t owe you anything anymore . . . Good . . . I’ll text you the plate and car info.”
The bank manager disconnected the call, relieved that the last of an old debt was paid off. After his wife threatened to leave him and take the kids, he'd sworn off gambling several years ago. It’d taken a while, but he’d finally repaid all his monetary debts. This last “information” debt was the only thing he still owed. Now all he needed to do was one more thing . . . he parted the window blinds and waited for the couple he’d seen follow Brad into the vault.
Chapter Nine
Fifteen minutes later, they were back in their motel rooms and packing their things. The plan was to head to Murfreesboro to talk to Kat’s aunt. And wasn’t that going to be a jaw-dropper for the older woman? As far as she knew, her brother and niece had died twelve years ago, and she had no other family left. Kat’s grandfather had died when she was seven, and her grandmother passed away four years ago, never knowing the true fate of her son and his daughter.
While Jake was collecting his stuff and the FBI files next door, Kat came out of the bathroom with her toiletries. Boomer winced at her pale, pinched face framed by the wig she was once again wearing. “You okay?”
She tossed her things into her duffel and sighed. “Yeah. I’m just wondering where this is all going. I mean, what if we don’t figure it out? And on top of everything, I’m about to shock the shit out of my Aunt Irina. What am I supposed to do? Knock on her door and yell ‘surprise’? Look how well it turned out when I did it to you. You fainted, so the poor woman will probably have a heart attack.”
Her rant was stopped when Boomer grasped her arm and pulled her into a comforting embrace. “Shhh. It’ll be fine. She’ll be shocked, but then I think she’ll be ecstatic to know you’re alive. Yes, I fainted . . .” He grabbed her chin and forced her gaze upward. On his face was a teasing frown. “And don’t ever repeat that to anyone else. Ian is already blackmailing me with shit assignments for the next year.” She smiled as he intended. “But now I’m past my shock, and I’m thrilled you’re alive, Kitten.”
It hadn’t been his intention when he first pulled her into his arms, but he couldn’t resist her. Bending forward, his lips caught hers, and his cock sprung to life. He teased the seam of her mouth with his tongue and rejoiced when she opened, granting him access. Last night, he’d been spouting poetry at her taste, but now, she must’ve just brushed her teeth again because she was minty-fresh and delicious. Poetry was the last thing on his mind.
One of his hands went to the nape of her neck, and his fingers spread out to hold her head in place. His other hand clutched her hip, pulling her flush against him and his bulging erection. They moaned almost simultaneously when he shifted his head, and the new angle allowed him to plunge his tongue deeper. Her tongue tangled with his as her hands slid up his shoulders and into his hair.
“Ah, shit. Sorry, but we need to get on the road.”
They jumped apart. Kat’s face turned red before she spun around and began throwing the last of her stuff into her bag. Shit, Boomer thought. What the hell was he doing? If it weren’t for Jake’s interruption, he would have forgotten the danger Kat was in and thrown her on the bed for a hard, fast, and sweaty rutting.
Adjusting himself, he acknowledged his teammate over his shoulder. “Yeah. Give us a minute. We’ll be right out.”
“No prob.”
A few seconds later, he heard the door to Jake’s room open and close again. He’d be getting the car started for their trip, and Boomer hurried to grab the last of his stuff. He glanced around the room, making sure they weren’t forgetting anything, before taking Kat’s bags for her. Pinning her with an intense stare, he told her, “We’re not done, Kitten. Not by a long shot. Just wanted to let you know. Once you’re out of danger, we’re picking up where we left off, and there will be no interruptions. Understood?”
She bit her lip and nodded, but her gaze lowered from his face to his chest. Convinced she knew he meant to have her in his bed soon, naked and sated, he turned and headed for the door. Because his hands were filled with their bags, Kat hurried around him and opened the door.
“I can carry my stuff if you want.”
“Not,” he snorted. After all these years, she was probably used to doing things independently, but that was about to change. It went beyond wanting to be her Dom. His parents had raised him to be a gentleman, and Kat deserved to be treated like a lady.
Jake was standing by the open trunk while the sedan was running. “Radio says there’s an accident on the highway, and traffic is backed up for miles. We’ll have to GPS around it.”
“’Kay.” As Boomer tossed the bags into the trunk, an SUV came squealing into the lot, and both men’s heads turned.
Drawing their weapons, they backed up to use their rental car as cover and stood in front of Kat, protecting her. Four large men climbed out of the Escalade, and each had a semi-automatic in hand but didn’t point them at the trio. It was the only reason Boomer and Jake didn’t open fire.
“Give us girl, and you can valk avay.”
What the fuck? From the accent, it was obvious the Russians had found Kat, but how the hell had they known where she was? Jake would have spotted anyone casing the bank, so the info had to have come from someone inside. Brad, maybe? It really didn’t matter how they’d been found, the point being it was four guns against two, with one unarmed woman. And since the guns weren’t blazing, Boomer knew they wanted Kat alive . . . for now.
He eyed the man who’d spoken. The cocky bastard was the smallest of the group, but that wasn’t saying much since he was about six-three and built like a brick wall.
“Not going to happen. Why don’t you take me instead?” Boomer heard Kat’s surprised gasp behind him but ignored her. His mind was too busy assessing the threat and figuring out how to eliminate it without getting Kat, Jake, or himself killed in the process. Both of their motel room doors were now closed and locked, and even if they weren’t, the three of them would’ve been trapped inside with a small window as their only hope for escape.
Their rooms had been at the far end of the motel, so around the side of the building was their closest large cover. An unoccupied minivan parked next to their rental would also provide an obstacle to hide behind. They had to avoid a public shootout unless it was absolutely necessary. Boomer didn’t want to risk a hail of bullets flying around the motel, possibly hitting an innocent bystander, although, at the moment, they were the only seven people in sight.
He reached back and grabbed Kat’s arm, never taking his eyes off the foursome. They would only get one shot at this, and he needed to be ready.
The lead Russian narrowed his eyes at them. “Vhy don’t I shoot you dead like dog, and take vhat I vant?”
It was time to bluff. “Because if you shoot me, you’ll never get what you’re looking for.”
“Vhat you mean?”
Boomer took a small step to his left, keeping Kat behind him and the rental car between the threat and them. He was confident Jake knew his intentions and would be right behind them. But first, he needed to get the focus off Kat. “It means Ivan left a series of clues, and I’m the only one who knows what he was talking about. I’m the only one who knows how to find the treasure.”
