Love & Redemption Read online

“No man can be trusted,” she grumbled, “especially not one asking me to jump off a building with him.”

  Gavin stood and looked around, only to duck back down quickly. “They’re starting to search. We have to get over that wall before they realize we’re here. Don’t be afraid.”

  She wished he didn’t make so much sense. They had to at least try to escape. Falling five stories to her death sounded like a better alternative than whatever Stephen would do. While she had skills in karate, he was a third-degree black belt with no morals. The only way to win in a fight against him was with the element of surprise. She didn’t have that luxury today.

  “I’ll trust you, Gavin, but please don’t let me fall.”

  Using the help of his outstretched hand, Shelley stood. A wave of dizziness hit her again, causing her stomach to lurch. It frustrated her that she was now a burden for Gavin instead of offering him protection. He seemed confident he could climb down the building without a problem. The noble thing for her to do was send him ahead alone. She put him at risk in her current state.

  Gavin led the way to the wall, positioning them behind a cement pillar. Shelley hoped it hid their movements from Stephen and Terrance.

  He leaned in close and whispered, “Just climb over the top here and slide down. It’ll be scary for a sec until you find the ledge, but I promise it’s there. I’ll be next to you as soon as you have your footing.”

  Shelley pressed her back against the cool pillar and closed her eyes, which abated her dizziness somewhat. “Wait, Gavin. I can’t do this. You go on ahead. Get away. Run and keep running. Don’t go to the FBI headquarters. They might know that’s where we’re headed. Nick lives in Sayle, Washington. Try to go to him. He’ll protect you. I’m sorry I couldn’t.”

  Strong hands pressed into her shoulders and shook her softly. “Don’t talk like that. We’re in this together.”

  She opened her eyes to stare into his angry ones. “I’m a liability to you. I’ll find another way. Just leave my gun. Maybe I can shoot them while you get away.”

  “Get your ass over the wall now, Shelley!”

  “Shhh... They’ll hear you.” She glanced around the side of the pillar. Stephen and Terrance were steadily making their way through the parking lot. It wouldn’t be long until they searched this area.

  “Now.” He pointed to the wall. “You can do this.”

  Not many people had ever believed in her, or even cared whether she lived or died. If Gavin was intent on saving them both, she had to try.

  She jumped onto the wall, and Gavin’s hand steadied her as she spun around and then scooted to the edge. Below her, the people of New York City hailed cabs, walked the streets, and went about their lives. None of them seemed aware a bomb had exploded minutes before above their heads or men with guns hunted a couple about to climb onto the side of the building.

  In the distance she heard faint police sirens, and Shelley wondered if they headed to the garage. Maybe the explosion hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed.

  Enough stalling. Get your ass in gear before they find you.

  She flipped onto her stomach and flailed her legs beneath her, praying that somehow she would find the ledge without having to release her secure hold on top of the wall.

  Gavin’s hands closed on her forearms. “You have to drop, Shelley. You can’t reach from your stomach. I’ve got you.”

  Looking into his eyes steadied her somewhat and she nodded. The balls of her slick high-heeled shoes couldn’t find any purchase on the wall and skittered down the side. Every few inches, the heel itself caught, jerking her entire foot away from the wall and speeding her heart rate.

  Once her entire body was over the side, she dropped for a gut-wrenching eternity before her toe landed on the ledge.

  His fingers tightened on her arms to help steady her. “Good job,” he said. “Grab the top of the wall and duck out of sight. I’m coming over.”

  Ducking out of sight was more difficult than Gavin made it sound. Shelley’s heart pounded and her stomach lurched sickeningly when her fingers slid on the gritty cement. Pressing her body as close to the wall as she could, she forced in deep, even breaths.

  You’re a black belt in karate. You can do this!

  It was hard to find any sense of peace or Zen when she was in fear of her life. Twisting her hip against the rough surface, she slowly inched her way downward, hoping her head was hidden from view if Stephen or Terrance looked her direction.

  About a foot away, Gavin appeared next to her. He moved in a cat-like fashion, hardly seeming to have bones when he landed fluidly beside her.

  “Don’t worry, Shell.” He winked. “I’ll have you off this wall in no time.”

  Unable to believe her eyes, she watched while he hopped away from the ledge. His feet skidded down the surface and soon his fingers wedged onto the ledge next to Shelley’s feet. A few swings of his body, and Gavin let go.

  Fighting back a scream at his sudden fall, she risked looking down to search for him, even though that flared her dizziness. Relief flooded through her when she didn’t see a crumpled body on the street below. “Are you okay?” she whispered loudly.

  Gavin popped into view directly below her. “I’m fine. Told you this would be easy.” He turned his head, seeming to look at something inside the garage. “Give me a sec. I need to find a way to tie myself off, but I’ll have you safe soon. Sit tight.”

  Not that she had much choice about that. She sure hoped he had a plan to get her inside. She’d never be able to contort her body the way he had or scale the wall. He hardly seemed human.

  “Terrance!”

  Shelley jumped and her stomach felt like it lodged somewhere in her throat. Stephen’s voice came from directly above her. She huddled closer to the wall, ducking into a tighter crouch.

  “I found a woman’s suitcase over here,” he said. “Shelley can’t be far away.”

  Her best chance would be if Stephen assumed she was inside his floor of the garage. If he continued searching down the row of cars, thinking she hid behind one, maybe she could still get out of this without taking another bullet.

  Then again, the bullet didn’t scare her too badly. She survived a bullet wound before. It was the fall down five stories that would finish her off.

  The police sirens came steadily closer with each passing moment. Stephen and Terrance couldn’t stick around too long or they’d be caught. Perhaps that fear would make them hurry, and they’d give up before finding her.

  “I’m ready for you,” Gavin called from below. “Just drop the way I did.”

  Shelley shook her head as frantically as she could without dislodging from the side, trying to signal to Gavin to be quiet.

  “Come on,” he said, even louder. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve got you.”

  “Shhh...” she cautioned.

  “Did you hear something?” came the terrifying words from above her.

  Though her legs shook with fear, Shelley knew she had to drop. Now. If she could slow her fall by catching the ledge, at least a little, she hoped that would help Gavin enough to haul her inside.

  Never the type to pray, she sent up an unspecified plea for help. At this point, it couldn’t hurt.

  Edging the toe of her shoe to the end of the narrow ledge, she tried not to think about how wrong this could go. Her right foot slipped completely away and the left held on only by a slim margin. It was now or never.

  “That’s it,” Gavin said in an encouraging tone. “I’m right here to catch you.”

  Though she knew she needed to go for it and let herself fall, Shelley hesitated. This wasn’t a good idea. She couldn’t willingly drop.

  “Gotcha!”

  Fingers gripped her wrists and squeezed harshly. Shelley screamed as her left foot lost its purchase on the wall. She didn’t free fall long. Stephen jerked her upright by her wrists, slamming her knees into the wall.

  His blue eyes twinkled with malicious glee, and he smiled that all-American grin, deep dim
ples and perfectly straight teeth. “Going somewhere, Shelley? It’s been far too long since we caught up with each other.”

  “Eat shit and die, asshole.” Shelley spit in his face. If he was about to throw her to her death, so be it, but she wouldn’t beg him not to hurt her.

  Stephen was a sadistic jerk. He thrived on causing fear in a woman and loved hearing them beg. That was why he was so hung up on Carlie. He wanted to kill her in some twisted way. He had fully expected he would get that chance three months earlier, but Shelley stopped him.

  Now that she was in his power, Shelley wouldn’t give him a smidgeon of satisfaction if she could help it.

  His smile twisted into a grimace, and he jerked her closer to the top of the wall. His fingers gouged into her wrists, flaring pain. “Show some manners to the man holding your life in his hands. I can make this worse.”

  Shelley laughed, scrambling to get her feet onto the ledge. “Man? I don’t see a man here. Just a prick.” Though her left foot settled into place, her right high heel caught on the landing. The shoe slipped off, falling to the sidewalk below.

  Without warning, he dropped her wrists, throwing her off balance.

  She clawed at the cement in an automatic reflex, breaking several nails while fighting for purchase on the wall.

  “Just drop!” Gavin yelled.

  Before she could comply, Stephen grabbed her shoulder in a vice-like grip. “Where are the diamonds, bitch?”

  Damn. In the confusion, she forgot the diamonds. Their entire reason for running, and she left them in her suitcase. Her only chance of keeping the jewels from him was if he didn’t check the bags. Hopefully he’d think she was smart enough to take the diamonds over the edge of the building with her.

  She struggled against his grip, afraid of making herself fall, but more afraid of what would happen if Stephen pulled her inside with him and his partner. “The cops are on their way. Don’t you think it’s time you and Terrance left?”

  He laughed. “We put up a barricade on the first floor. They won’t get here for a while. Not until I have the diamonds.” Stephen leaned his head down level with hers. “And once I finish this job, I have some vacation coming up. Can you guess what my plans are?”

  Shelley got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The wicked grin on his face told her more than she wanted to know. “Nick will never let you near Carlie.”

  He grabbed one of her wrists, jerking her forward and increasing her dizziness. “Maybe if I take you captive instead of killing you,” he mused, “Carlie will come to me willingly.”

  Shelley twisted her hand, trying to break free. All her best defenses required better leverage then she could get with her narrow footing. “Even if she tries to save me, she has taste. She’ll never be with you.”

  “She has taste? You mean she’s not a slut like you?” He leaned out past her, looking at Gavin below them. “Did you screw him last night? I hope he was good. As slutty as you are, that’s the last man you’ll ever be with.”

  He wasn’t the first man to call her a slut, but it fueled the rage he provoked in her by threatening Carlie. Shelley changed tactics, punching forward instead of pulling away. Her fist connected with Stephen’s jaw with a satisfying crack and he released her shoulder, stumbling backward.

  The force of the blow toppled her off balance, and Shelley teetered on her tiptoes for a few heartbeats. She wind-milled her arms in a desperate attempt to gain control over the direction she fell. Instead of an orderly plunge into Gavin’s waiting arms, Shelley flew away from the wall, unable to touch it at all to slow her progress or correct her direction.

  “Help me!” she screamed.

  Gavin’s arms wrapped around her legs, but she was going too fast and slid through them like water flowing through cupped fingers. She reached for him, getting her hands on his shoulders, but they ripped away quickly, and her fingers glided down his arms as she rushed to certain death.

  His hands circled her wrists as she slipped past. Though her right hand continued sliding until he only held the tips of her fingers, he had a firm grip on her left. After a horrible jerk and a pop in her shoulder blade, Shelley’s motion stopped.

  They both breathed heavily, and Shelley stared into Gavin’s green eyes, unable to articulate anything past her fear.

  “I’ve got you,” he finally said. “I’m going to pull you inside.”

  He pulled, but they didn’t move much. Her battered shoulder felt like it separated further from her body with every shift in position he made, and she bit back a scream.

  Gavin wasn’t built for brute strength. Shelley had no idea how he planned to get her inside before his hand strength gave out and she plunged to her death on the ground below.

  “Nice catch,” Stephen said.

  Shelley looked up, seeing his gun pointed at them. It wouldn’t do any good to tell Gavin, he was obviously doing the best he could.

  “Tell me where the diamonds are,” Stephen ordered. “Otherwise, all I have to do is shoot your friend in the back of the head. That’ll finish you both off.”

  Meeting Gavin’s eyes, it bewildered Shelley to see him smile. She had no idea what he found amusing at a time like this. Somehow, he backed up instead of pulling on Shelley. Her arms scraped against the outside wall, but she made slow progress toward safety.

  “Tell him where to find the diamonds,” Gavin said softly. “Once I get you to the ledge and get your feet under you so you can help, it’ll only take a second to get you over the wall.”

  “What if he starts shooting after I tell him?” she asked softly.

  “How can he tell you aren’t lying?” He jutted his chin toward the street. “Besides, the police just pulled up. They don’t have much time to find the diamonds and get out of here.”

  Hope filled Shelley with that news. Perhaps they would get out of here alive. At least they had a chance.

  She tilted her head and hollered, “Did you even think to search my suitcase? You’re still an idiot. Why does Paul keep you on the payroll?”

  “Shelley!” Gavin shook his head and heaved backward again.

  Though she knew he worried about her angering Stephen, that was the one way to make sure he wouldn’t kill them before searching for the diamonds. He’d made a lot of mistakes since Paul hired him to work for S.A.T.O. Reminding him of that fact could buy extra time for Gavin to get them inside.

  Stephen continued staring at her without moving, seeming torn about what to do. He probably thought she was lying—she wished she was.

  “The cops are here, prick,” she called. “Tick tock. Your time’s running out. Better see if that’s really where I put the diamonds.”

  Stephen’s head disappeared at the same time as Gavin gave one last heave and scooted the rest of his body inside the garage.

  Shelley found purchase on the new ledge, her bare foot gripping the narrow strip more easily than her other one. She wrapped her arms around Gavin’s neck, clinging to him for balance and comfort. They weren’t safe yet, but their chances looked a lot better than they had a few moments ago.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Told you to trust me.”

  Suddenly, a few inches away from her, a chunk of cement flew off the wall. Shelley looked up to see Terrance above her, taking aim again. The silencer attached to the end of his gun would keep the police from understanding what was going on up here, even if they could get through whatever barricade the rogue agents put in place. “Where are they, bitch? Give us the diamonds!”

  Terrance must be dumber than she thought if he couldn’t find them. She hadn’t done much to hide the jewels. His IQ didn’t matter, however. He knew how to fire a weapon. She looked at Gavin as Terrance aimed his weapon again. “Pull me in!”

  Gavin heaved while Shelley scrambled along the wall, though she was unable to gain any footing.

  Terrance’s second shot clipped the edge of the wall above their heads. He was finding the range. His next shot wouldn’t miss.
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br />   Chapter Seven

  Gavin took a deep breath, trying not to panic. Shelley’s fingernails raked across his neck in her frantic attempt to climb inside, and her panicky movements were throwing them both off balance.

  “You have to calm down, Shell.”

  “Tell me that once a bullet goes through your head,” she snapped.

  Shuddering, Gavin remembered all too well what that looked like as an image of Sierra Valentine flashed through his mind. Another pellet-gun type of sound came from above and pieces of cement rained down on them.

  “He won’t miss again.” Tears swam in Shelley’s beautiful blue eyes. “You have to get out of the line of fire, Gavin.”

  Was she saying what he thought she was saying? “Screw that. I’m not leaving you!” Gavin heaved again, pulling beneath her armpits with all his might. Realizing it would take too much time to pull her inside, there was only one thing they could do in an attempt to avoid Terrance’s next bullet. “We have to move. It might screw up his aim.”

  She nodded. “It’s worth a try.”

  Gavin headed right, knowing he couldn’t go far before running out of rope. As it stood, though, he was wedged against the car he’d tied himself to. He needed extra room so he could pull with his entire body, not just his arms. Maybe then he could get her inside.

  The spot on the wall they’d just left exploded into a dust of fine powder as Terrance’s bullet found the mark. Gavin tried to ignore it, dragging Shelley further right before the rope around his waist tightened. Luckily, that gave him enough room to back up between two cars. It was now a matter of getting her inside before Terrance shot her.

  Although his shoes slid on the slick surface of the garage floor, Gavin steadily walked backward, gripping Shelley as tight as he could. Soon, the upper part of her torso rested on top of the wall.

  Relief flowed through him. Just a few more tugs and she’d be safe. “It’s working.”

  She let out a small hiss, but nodded her agreement. “Hurry.”

  After more tugging, Shelley slid the rest of the way, falling on top of him as they both collapsed to the ground. The outside wall exploded seconds later.