Then guzzled the whole damn thing as he watched her sexy ass sway as if for his eyes only.
Normally he’d be thinking of all the ways he was going to get her flat on her back so he could seduce her into talking about the site, the relics and what was really going down. But for some reason, watching Katherine Meyer walk away right now, he wasn’t just thinking about to-night.
He was thinking of a whole lot more.
And wondering what the hell had just happened to him.
Present day
New York City
Kat bit her lip as she sat behind the wheel of the luxury car, waiting for Pete to come back from dropping off his date.
Date? Good God. That woman wasn’t a date. She was a piranha. The way she’d pawed at him in the backseat? Kat was sure the woman was going to eat him for dessert right there on the expensive leather upholstery. Just what did he see in a woman like that?
Oh, yeah, right. Kat clenched her jaw. Like she couldn’t tell? Big boobs, skinny butt, class and sophistication and money.
All things Kat had never had and wouldn’t ever attain.
Not your problem. Don’t go there. What he does and with whom isn’t why you’re here. You don’t even care, remember?
A car honked behind her. Kat jumped and whipped around in her seat. It took moments to realize it was just another limo wanting her space. She put the car in gear and pulled forward until she was halfway up the block. Two women dressed in clingy silver outfits and sky-high heels climbed out of the limo and headed for the same building Pete had disappeared inside.
Kat blew out a breath and tried to refocus as the car behind her pulled away from the curb and turned the corner. But thinking about her current situation did little to quell the nerves in her gut bouncing around like Mexican jumping beans.
She rubbed her forehead. Seeing Pete again had thrown a major kink in her plans. She’d just committed a theft of major proportions, and now she could also add car-stealing to her list of little misdemeanors. It wouldn’t take long for Pete’s real driver to put out a notice on the missing vehicle. She’d lucked out that he’d left his cap and jacket on the front seat when he’d gone in to take a leak, but lifting this limo was completely off the plan chart.
If she wasn’t careful, she’d have the cops on her in a matter of minutes. Like she needed that on top of everything else?
She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes tight. Why hadn’t she just walked away?
Tired of arguing with herself, Kat dropped her hand and eyed the building again. He’d been in there too long. What if he’d gone upstairs with the piranha? What if he wasn’t coming back down like he’d said? What if—oh, shit—what if he was having wild jungle-sex with her right this minute?
Definitely not going there.
A shadow in her rearview mirror caught her attention. Thoughts of Pete slipped to the back of Kat’s mind as her instincts jumped to alert. Slinking down in her seat, she reached up slowly and tipped the mirror so she had a better view behind her.
It was a man. Broad shoulders, long legs. Tall. Wearing a full-length dark coat. He glanced around the empty street several times before crossing the road and heading for the piranha’s building.
He stepped under a streetlight for a brief moment, then eased back into the shadows. But not before Kat saw his arm lift toward the sky. Metal glimmered in his hand. Seconds later, the light went out with a near silent pop.
But one second was all it took. In that moment he’d been in the light, Kat had a clear view of his face. Of his close-cropped hair. Of his beady eyes.
Busir.
The hair stood up on her arms, but she didn’t avert her eyes. Not even when he slinked into the shadows along the building and then stopped. Slowly, she reached for the backpack she’d set on the passenger seat, flipped it open and pawed around until she found her 9mm. Her fingers closed over the cold metal with stunning force. Though she was expertly trained in how to use the firearm, a rush of adrenaline swept through her. Would she be able to take a life after all?
She wasn’t sure. If she did, it would put her on the same level as the men who had