Against The Wall Read online

  Tanner’s heart thumped hard as he subdued her. “Was it something I said?” he grunted, amused and slightly reverent at her attempt. She finally went limp, her eyes bright with fear as she gasped for air. Breathing hard, Tanner stilled above her. He couldn’t ignore the feel of her soft body trapped under his. The way her chest rose and fell with every ragged breath. Nothing sisterly about his thoughts now. Nope, now all he pictured was naked skin and hot sex. He was a frickin’ scumbag for feeling this way when she was so clearly messed up and freaking out.

  “I can’t….please don’t…” She couldn’t get the words out.

  “Shh,” he told her. “Shh. I won’t hurt you.” He wouldn’t. He might scare the crap out of her, but he wouldn’t hurt her. Not physically anyway. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t mess with her head. “Tell me why you want that money and I’ll let you up.” Yes, he was a bastard to the tenth power. Make sure the girl is helpless and go for the throat. Prison had been a twisted teacher.

  “I can’t.” She hiccupped a breath, something close to a sob. Her face contorted into a mask of pain. Something so fresh and real that Tanner felt the ache in his own chest. The foreign feeling wasn’t anything he enjoyed or wanted to explore. “I can’t,” she whispered again.

  “Why not?”

  She shook her head, refused to look at him.

  “What are you afraid of? That I’ll tell someone?” He leaned close to her ear, felt her freeze beneath him. Yeah, lying on top of her like this had his cock growing hard. Was that a surprise? She smelled so fucking sweet. At least the lower half of his body was on the ground and not her. “You don’t have to worry. I don’t know anyone to tell. I’ve got nobody that wants to talk to me or know me. Tell me your secret, sweetheart. I’ll keep it safe.” Probably because he wouldn’t live long enough to tell anyone, but he’d spare her that information.

  Her frantic heart beat hard against his chest, her breath harsh in his ear. “He’ll kill them…if I tell.” Her words came out on a tortured cry. “He told me he would. I can’t say anything, don’t you understand. I can’t say anything.”

  Tanner met her gaze. She was for real. Fear and pain filled her pretty brown eyes. “Who is ‘them?’” he asked. “Who is going to kill who? Maurice is going to kill someone?” That seemed too far out of Maurice’s territory. The man was a scumbag who hired guys to do his dirty work, he didn’t do it himself. Jess shook her head, but Tanner grabbed her chin and held her steady. “Tell me, Jess. We have no problems as long as you give me what I want. Tell me.”

  When she still didn’t rep carte blanche to hire the mt him ly, Tanner ran his fingers through her soft hair and dipped his lips next to her ear. He didn’t say anything, he just took in her scent, brushed his lips against the softness of her skin at the edge of her jaw, right beneath her ear. Not a kiss, but a caress. His lips on her skin. Goddamn…she felt so good. His heart roared in his ears. It’d be too easy to forget he’d forcefully tackled her to the ground. Too easy to strip her clothes and his pants and ease the pressure in his jeans, take the edge off his insanity. God, what was wrong with him?

  He shifted a fraction, like he might move on her and a tiny little catch sounded in her throat. He smelled her fear and had never hated himself more.

  “The sooner you tell me what I want to know, the sooner I’ll get off you,” he murmured, punctuating the words with another brush of his lips along her jaw. “Otherwise…” He let the sentence dangle, made sure his hot breath wafted in her ear, wanted her to worry about the consequences of now.

  Desperation clouded her pixie face. “My whole family, okay? He’s going to kill my whole family if I don’t get his eight stupid-million dollars back! And he means it. I don’t have much time.”

  Since she wanted eight million from Maurice, that meant someone else had her family. An unknown player he didn’t want to particularly deal with. As that news sunk in his brain, bright headlights sent a harsh stream of white light over Tanner’s head and he glanced over his shoulder to see the flashing reds of a police car.

  His luck sucked.

  ____________

  Jess’s whole body trembled as Tanner moved off her and pulled her to her feet. One minute she’d been pinned beneath his hard, hot body and the next she stood with his arm draped possessively around her waist, holding her tightly to his side.

  The flashing lights of the police cruiser caused a wave of hope to flood her veins. Seeing the police officer rounding the hood of his cruiser with a hand on his weapon sent her stomach into a tizzy. She could get away from Tanner! Run, scream and tell this officer that he had tried to kill her boss tonight and still planned on killing him. Hell, he’d shot her! But where was Tanner’s gun? Would he kill this officer if she said something? He hadn’t hesitated firing before so why would he now?

  As if reading her mind, Tanner squeezed her waist. The pressure kept her silent.

  “Everything okay, folks?” The officer looked older up close. Short salt and pepper hair with matching mustache. With a body still fit and healthy, the only thing that belied the man’s age were the dozens of wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.

  “Fine. Everything’s fine,” Tanner answered with another sharp squeeze. “I was trying to help her and I tripped on something…took her down with me. Sorry honey,” He looked down at her with apologetic eyes. But there was a warning in his gaze.

  The cop looked directly at her. “Anything you want to tell me, miss?” His brows lifted and a tiny smile curved his lips. Her stomach carte blanche to hire the mt him hit the asphalt. Her hopes vanished in a flash. She’d heard the same words from a different cop yesterday. He’d stopped her last night before she’d reached the door to her apartment. The cop had backed her up against the building and told her flat out that if she said a word to anyone, Facinetti would find out and he’d start taking lives. This officer had to also belong to Paul Facinetti. She knew it just as she knew she was safer with Tanner than with this cop.

  Was Facinetti having her followed? Testing her? He must be. Making sure she wouldn’t talk by sending the men he paid to scare her. He wanted his money and because he couldn’t get to Maurice, he was keeping her close. There wasn’t a cop she could trust. Because if she talked to the wrong guy, her time frame went to hell and Facinetti would start executing immediately.

  Oh God. This guy must have followed them from the studio, but how? Had there been someone on the lot watching Maurice the whole time? Someone who saw what happened on the stage? Facinetti had men everywhere.

  Tears pricked at Jess’s eyes and just as quickly, anger reared up and made her chest heavy. She blinked back her emotions. “No, everything’s fine. I wasn’t feeling well and just needed him to pull over. I’m better now.”

  Tanner looked down at her, suspicion in his eyes. She moved past him and into the passenger seat. “C’mon, let’s go. I’m okay.” She shut the door, leaving Tanner to wonder if she’d bolt again as soon as he left her side of the car. Clearly he realized he didn’t have a choice if he wanted out of here and he hustled to the driver’s side and got in. He cranked the engine and a sharp rap on the window made Jess jump a mile.

  The officer had his face close to the window and motioned her to roll it down. Jess did, reluctantly. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked. “You look like you’re bursting to tell me something.”

  Too parched to speak, Jess simply shook her head. “No,” she finally eked out. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

  The cop tapped the doorframe with a fist and smiled. “Good girl,” he muttered as he straightened. “Drive carefully,” he said loud enough for Tanner to hear. “Wouldn’t want to see either of you injured on a beautiful night like tonight.” A veiled threat if she’d ever heard one.

  Tanner rolled up the electric window from his side and glided onto the street without looking back. Jess’s stomach turned upside down. “Here,” Tanner reached into the back and handed her a bottled water.

  Jes
s gulped a third of it down, trying to calm her pounding heart and run-away emotions.

  Now what?

  She’d blurted, told him her problem. Fear and desperation had driven her to it. Lying under Tanner had brought a whole new world of problems she wasn’t ready to deal with.

  He’d tried to kill Maurice tonight. He’d actually shot his gun. Aimed and fired. Facinetti didn’t want Maurice dead, at least not until he got his money. He was paying the cop to watch her. Maybe all the time, and he wanted her to know it. So maybe the cop took the to do thatd l opportunity to see whom she’d hooked up with to report back to his boss.

  “You want to tell me why you went sheet-white back there?” Tanner asked, glancing at her before returning his focus on the road.

  She’d already spilled the worst of it. Besides, the guy deserved to know that if he killed Maurice before Facinetti got his money, Facinetti would no doubt take his revenge out on Tanner’s hide. “We’re being followed,” she said. “I’m being followed. But since you’re driving, you are also being followed. You might want to consider letting me off at the next gas station or something.” She could call a cab to take her back to the studio and pick up her car. How could this guy want the trouble she’d stepped into just by virtue of working for Maurice? Suddenly she wasn’t afraid of him as much.

  Tanner glanced in the mirror, made a few turns and adjusted his speed. Jess turned down the visor and looked behind them from the mirror where she saw the cop still following at a distance. After a few minutes, Tanner uttered a vicious oath. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he snapped.

  She nearly flinched at his tone. “I didn’t know until that cop stopped for his visit. But it makes sense. He’s keeping tabs on me.”

  “Why? Who?” Tanner demanded.

  She sighed. “You have the right to know since he’ll probably kill us both before this is over.” More tears pricked her eyes at the thought of her family dying too. Which might happen whether she succeeded or not. “His name is Paul Facinetti and he’s blackmailing me. He has my parents and my brothers, and I have to get Maurice to hand over his eight million dollars by midnight Friday. If I don’t, he’s going to kill one of them each day until he has his money, starting with my youngest brother.” Saying it aloud made it all the more real. Made her stomach heave.

  Tanner leaned his head against the headrest. “Fuck.” The word was short, but heartfelt.

  “Tell me about it,” Jess muttered. “So you see why you can’t kill Maurice. I need to get that money.”

  “Maurice know all this?” Tanner asked, his eyes narrow and skeptical.

  “I wouldn’t know because I never got that far!” Jess railed. “I was trying to talk to him when someone started shooting at us!” Jess took a deep breath and reined in her anger. She had to remember this man wasn’t an ally. She needed to get free of him just as badly as she needed to find Maurice. Just because she’d confided in him, didn’t mean she trusted him. Far from it. Although confiding in him had somehow taken the edge off her fear, which suited her fine.

  Instead of the glare she expected, he smiled and Jess’s mind pulled a total blank. It wasn’t a big smile, but it was lethal just the same. It transformed his face, softened his eyes and made her breath catch in her throat.

  Tanner focused on the road. “I told you I was sorry.” His low voice resonated in the air, but Jess ignored the way it touched her. No way was she going to let this guy creep under her defenses.

  < sat

  She faced him, her blood pumping hot. “No you didn’t! You said you didn’t mean to shoot at me. There’s a big difference.” She faced front and crossed her arms over her chest. The movement pulled the bandage, which made her shoulder ache, which pissed her off. A full minute of silence settled between them until Jess wanted to reach over and strangle him.

  This time he looked at her. “I’m sorry I shot you,” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean to, didn’t want to. But I haven’t changed my mind about Juneau. His days are numbered.” He followed the curves of Sunset Boulevard, his big hands steady on the wheel. “Tell me about this Facinetti. Who is he? Why does he want eight million from Juneau?”

  Much to her annoyance, Tanner’s sincere apology actually placated her. Any man who could fess up to a mistake won points in her book. Growing up with a bunch of brothers who had a hard time saying, sorry, Jess had come to appreciate the word more than most.

  She didn’t see a reason to keep the secret. Maybe Tanner needed to know what he was up against. “Paul Facinetti owns a casino outside of Vegas. As far as I can tell he’s a cross between Steve Wynn and Bugsy Siegel. He’s got high aspirations. He invested eight million dollars in Maurice’s newest Indy film. It was half the budget. But the star pulled out then the other half of the budget backed out and Maurice had already spent half of Facinetti’s money on advances, permits and miscellaneous production costs.”

  “What happened to the other half?” Tanner asked. “Wait, let me guess. It found its way into his pocket.”

  Jess nodded. “Probably, yes. I think so. But Maurice is very creative and he’s made it look like all eight million is gone. I’ve checked the projected costs with the actual figures on his budget and it looks hinky to me.” She shrugged. “I might only be his assistant, but I’m not stupid.

  “Facinetti called Maurice, told him if there’s no movie then he wanted his money back. Maurice’s response was, ‘That’s show business, pal. You win some you lose some.’ Then he tried to convince Facinetti to invest in another project he’s got in the works. Needless to say that didn’t go over well with Facinetti. A few days went by and Facinetti called again, telling Maurice that if he didn’t get his money back by the end of the week, Maurice would regret it. Maurice said he didn’t have Facinetti’s money and that Facinetti needed to look up the word investment in the dictionary. Maurice then tripled his security. Which was one of the smarter moves he’s made because all of a sudden strange things started happening.”

  “What kinds of strange things?” Tanner asked.

  “A break-in at his Beverly Hills house. A hit-and-run car accident. Two guys tried to mug him outside the gym, but Maurice had enough muscle around him and never suffered a scratch.”

  “So Facinetti got tired of his guys missing the mark and decided to go through you.” Tanner shook his head. “Fucker.” He paused. “Look, no offense, but why would he think a little thing like you could do what he couldn’t do?” seen it coming sat

  “Because I run Maurice’s life, that’s why. Not to mention half the business.” She’d talked to Facinetti enough for him to figure that much out. “Facinetti must think I have access to his bank accounts or pin numbers or something…but I don’t.”

  He glanced at her as he took another curve on the road. “This Facinetti guy has your whole family?” At her nod he shook his head, his jaw clenched tight. “What happened?”

  “We were supposed to meet for dinner Saturday night for my mom’s birthday.” She didn’t mention that it had been her birthday celebration as well. Jess swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don’t know how Facinetti would have known.” She shook her head, a vision of the house fresh in her memory. “I got to my parent’s house and the place was trashed. Every room was upside down, everything broken. There was blood...” Tears threatened, but Jess fought them back. “I know everyone put up a fight. I can’t imagine how many men it took to take them all down.” She barely got the words out. Her chest constricted with emotion.

  “How old are your brothers?” Tanner asked.

  “Twenty-one, twenty and the twins are nineteen.”

  “Hell, your parents didn’t waste any time, did they?”

  Jess smiled at that usual response. “No, they didn’t.” Her cheer disappeared just as quickly as it had come. “Facinetti said they’re alive, but I know they’re hurt.” She wiped her eyes determined to hold herself together.

  “So you haven’t talked to any of them?” he a
sked.

  Jess shook her head as she blew her nose with a crumpled tissue from her pocket.

  “That’s what we have to do first. Did Facinetti give you a way to reach him?”

  “We?” Jess couldn’t help but ask. Did he seriously think to help her with this?

  “Yes, we,” Tanner said. He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I’ll help you get the money from Juneau and get your family back safe and in return, you don’t say a word when I disappear with Juneau.”

  A pact with the devil. He still planned on killing Maurice and she’d be an accomplice if she agreed to go along with him. Did she have a choice in the matter? Besides, wasn’t there a chance Facinetti might kill Maurice once he had his money? Was that her fault? No. Maurice had dug his own grave.

  Still, the part of her brain that grew up with strict morals and clear line of right and wrong screamed that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut and be part of on="1.0" encod

  Chapter Five

  Tanner did a double take. He hadn’t expected the almost immediate compliance. He wasn’t stupid enough to think he didn’t need Jess to help him get Juneau. If a pseudo mob boss, and that’s what Facinetti sounded like, couldn’t get to the man, then what were his odds? At least with Jess, he had a fighting chance. All he had to do was help her first.

  Help her get Juneau to unload eight million dollars then rescue her family from God knows where. Yeah, right. No problem. While he was at it, maybe he could climb Kilimanjaro with skates. On the other hand, maybe there was another way to solve their problem. “Did Facinetti tell you specifically that he wanted the money or did he say getting his hands on Juneau would be enough? What if we got Juneau and traded him for your family?”