Page 56 of Their Virgins Secret

“No. ” Her eyes practically begged him. “The feelings between us are more than professional. I think we both know it. ”

Clearly, she’d deluded herself into thinking he gave a shit. How? He’d barely spoke to her past giving her orders and asking for updates. He’d never done more than shaken her hand before tonight. But she’d invented a whole bunch of crap about them in her head and convinced herself it was true. He could seal the deal by flirting. It was definitely in his skill set.

“You’re right, darling. We should stop pretending. The whole idea of you being shot at…god, I can’t imagine it. But, my worries must wait, Hilary. I can’t let my brother down. We’re going after this terrible man who tried to kill you. I won’t stop until we find him. Then I’ll come back to you and…” Burke forced a smile and a sigh, his hand to caress her waist. Bile rose in his throat.

“I heard them,” she blurted.

Now that she thought he was on her side, she was going to talk. He forced patience. “What do you mean?”

“When the two gunmen came, I hid. I didn’t know what else to do. One shot Mary, then they talked. The other made a phone call from the office phone. I overheard the conversation. They called some private airfield. They talked about getting everything ready for a flight. I’m sure the number is still on our phone. We could go back to the office and get the number, then Cole can go after her. ”

Delgado was taking Jessa to a private airfield. Of course. It had to be private. He couldn’t exactly haul a drugged woman through security at DFW. A private airfield would allow him to simply drive into the hangar he’d rented and load the plane, far from prying eyes.

The door opened, and Cole walked in. Burke pushed Hilary away. He’d gotten everything he needed, and he’d fucking cut his hands off before he’d ever touched her again.

“He’s taken her to a private airfield,” Burke said. “How fast do you think Dex or Slade can get to our office and check the outgoing calls? Idiots called from there to make the last of their plans. They probably didn’t think about leaving behind evidence. ”

“Or they were taunting us with the information, thinking that by the time we figured it out, they’d be long gone. We need that number. ”

“Is that all the information she had?” Cole asked, his cold eyes raking her.

He grimaced. “It’s all I’m willing to touch her to get. ”

“What are you talking about?” Hilary eased closer to Burke as Cole stalked her way. She turned her head from one brother to the other. “Burke, we should get out of here. Your brother can find the artist now. You’ll take care of me, won’t you? I…I think I might need to go to the hospital. I might be in shock. And I have to deal with the police about poor Mary’s murder. ” She gripped his shoulders. “I need you, Burke. I need you. ”

Cole held up a cell phone, utterly ignoring their former secretary. “The owner gave me her cell. If he’s taking Jessa to a private air field, I think it’s a safe bet that, at some point, he’s planning to take her out of the States. The woman in the lobby says there’s an airstrip about twenty minutes away. She’s always suspected that criminals use it. She’s a paranoid crazy. On the plus side, she’s armed to the teeth. ” He held up a pair of Glocks. “But we have to pay cash. I also had to promise not to sue. She saw the whole thing, but she doesn’t want to call the cops. I suspect she has a record. ”

“Good work,” Burke praised his brother.

“I’ll call Dex and get his help. ” Cole stepped away, punching buttons on the phone.

“Burke?” Hilary called for his attention, starting to cry and cling again. “Burke. I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’m so glad you’ve realized that we’re supposed to be together. I know you want me. ”

Burke only wanted to save Jessa. He jerked away from her and turned a face full of disdain on her. “The only thing I want now is to kill you. But I would never be able to explain that to my soft-hearted fiancée. You’re lucky. If it were up to me…you’d be six feet under. ”

Her head shook violently. “Fiancée? You aren’t going to marry that tramp. You can’t. ”

“I am. In my heart, she’s already our wife. And we have a son. ”

Cole punched a button to end the call, then approached again, his eyes narrowed on Hilary. “We’ve got to go, start heading for that airfield and hope it’s the right one. Dex will call to confirm and to get the police out there. What about her?”

Hilary backed up. “No. No. This isn’t right. Burke, you and I are meant to be together. You don’t want that slut from New York City. ”

Burke looked to his brother, his partner, his other half. “Did they leave us some rope?”

Cole nodded, a slow smile spreading. “And my best ball gag. ”

“Then work quickly. We have to rescue our girl. ”

Hilary screamed, but it didn’t take Cole long to shut that up. Burke spared only the merest glance at the woman who had become obsessed with him. In minutes, she was tied to a chair and gagged, her eyes angry and wide. Then they shut the door behind them, Burke satisfied Hilary couldn’t cause any more trouble.

They were already in the car, racing through the night toward the nearby airstrip when the phone rang again. Dex had their answer, and they were heading to the right place. Now he just had to hope they weren’t too late to rescue Jessa.

* * * *

Cole drove through the driving rain, his stomach in knots. The windshield wipers thudded, making a rhythm that did nothing to cut through the tension in the car.

“Do you see the turn off?” Cole asked.

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