Loving the Enemy (Seven Forbidden Arts Book 0) Read online

  “I hope you’ll sleep well, Lily.” He waited until she had moved down the mattress and pulled the sheets up to her chin. “Call if you need anything.”

  He was on his way to the door, when Lily said, “Thank you, Jacob.”

  He stopped and turned. “No need to thank me, sweetheart.” For a fraction of a second his face tensed and a shadow crept into his green eyes.

  Before Lily could get a grip on the change she had seen in him, he was gone. It didn’t take her long to drift into a deep sleep, or for the nightmare to return.

  Chapter Two

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  Jacob walked from his bedroom straight to the fridge, jerked the door open, and took out a beer. Kyle was moving the laundry from the washing machine to the tumble dryer. With the task finished, she turned and watched him with crossed arms. He knew a speech was coming.

  “She’s very young, Jacob.”

  “I know.” He leaned back against the fridge, his knee bent, one foot resting on the cool metal of the door.

  “How did you find her?”

  The bottle was cold in his sweaty palm. Some people had the hair at the back of their neck stand on end. His hands turned hot and slick. He twisted the cap off and threw it onto the counter. “An informant recognized her from my description.”

  “How long ago?”

  He tipped back the bottle and took a long swig before he replied. “Couple of days.”

  “Why didn’t you snatch her sooner?”

  He regarded Kyle without answering. He didn’t like that he had to leave a girl out on the streets, alone, a lamb sent to the wolves with a bow around the neck, but he had to be sure Lily would follow him home. It was only the first step of a carefully constructed plan.

  “You wanted her to break, didn’t you?”

  He flinched. “A cold and hungry and frightened person gives in easier. You know that.”

  Kyle seemed to consider his words, and then her mouth fell open. “You want to win her trust.”

  He shrugged. His neck made a clacking sound when he moved it to the side to relieve a tense muscle. “So?”

  “This isn’t like you at all. You took a risk, leaving her out there in danger, just so she’d break and give you her trust. She could’ve been killed before you got to her, and then you would’ve had zilch to work with.”

  “Nothing would have happened. I kept a close watch. I stepped in when it was necessary.”

  Kyle studied him in silence. After a while, she said, “Now what?”

  “Now she’s going to lead me to her father.”

  “And why would she do that?”

  “Her father’s the only one who can keep her safe. She knows it.”

  “You could have just tortured the information about his whereabouts from her.”

  Jacob’s aching neck muscles tightened into a rock-hard knot. “Not an option.” He kept his voice even. “You know I avoid violence as far as possible.”

  “Torture would’ve been quicker,” Kyle insisted. “She would’ve broken easily. We could’ve done it right here, tonight. By now, you could’ve been on your way to Godfrey’s hideout. We could’ve made her death fast and clean.”

  Jacob’s fingers squeezed around the neck of the bottle. “This is my party. And it’s not going to happen that way.”

  “How is it going to happen?”

  “I need her to trust me. I want her by my side, day and night, until I see Godfrey for myself.”

  “And then?” There was a challenge in Kyle’s eyes.

  “Then nothing.”

  “What are you going to do with the girl, Jacob, when her purpose is served?”

  Jacob held his colleague’s gaze. Kyle didn’t like loose ends. She didn’t like leaving possibilities hanging that could come back and bite you in the ass.

  “I’ll deal with it,” he said, wiping a hand over the stubble on his chin.

  “You can’t do it alone. This is too big.”

  His patience started slipping. “You know I work alone.”

  “This is a dangerous game, Jacob. You’re putting both of your lives on the line, taking an uncalculated risk with Sky Communications, not to mention messing with a young woman’s head. We should get the info and kill her now.”

  His calmness didn’t reflect the anger that boiled inside of him at Kyle’s unwanted meddling. “And torture won’t mess with her head?”

  “Since when are you worried about your target’s heads?”

  “I’m not the one who’s worried. You’re the one who keeps bringing it up.”

  “Do it now, Jacob. You won’t have to torture her for long. She’ll break quickly.”

  He banged his bottle down so hard the beer boiled over the rim. “Fuck it, Kyle.” He stormed across the floor, putting his face inches away from hers. “One more word about torture and you’re out that door on your ass. I asked you a favor in coming here. I didn’t ask for your advice. This. Is. My. Mission.”

  Kyle seemed unfazed at his outburst. She lifted her hands. “Fine. I care about you, as a colleague, that’s all.”

  Jacob took a calming breath. He walked back to his beer and lifted the bottle to his lips.

  “I can handle it,” he said, before downing the rest of his drink.

  “For your sake, I hope so. Or else I’ll have two dead bodies on my hands and an ugly trail to clean up.”

  “Don’t worry. I have no intention of dying.”

  “This time, Jacob, you may have bitten off more than you can chew.”

  He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and dumped the bottle in the trashcan. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  Kyle pursed her lips, but didn’t elaborate. After a while, she said, “Until when you do need me to stay?”

  “Just until tomorrow. By then she’ll be comfortable around me.”

  “I’m glad this isn’t my mission.”

  Jacob rubbed his hands over his face. Making his way to the lounge, he said over his shoulder, “Let’s get some sleep.”

  He pulled off his jeans and threw them over the back of the sofa before lying down in his T-shirt and boxer shorts. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. Kyle was right about one thing. He was taking an uncalculated risk. But it was either that, or making peace with Lily falling into another mercenary’s hands. Already he was thinking of this mission as his baby. He couldn’t let it go, no matter how dangerous. Not now that Lily had crossed his threshold.

  Kyle disappeared around the back of the sofa and when she returned, she was wearing a nightshirt. She flicked off the lights and got onto the sofa facing him.

  “She’s going to hate you, you know,” Kyle said into the darkness.

  “More than if I torture her?”

  “Yes, most probably.”

  Jacob shifted on the uncomfortable cushions. “Yeah, well, she won’t be the first, and she definitely won’t be the last.”

  Kyle didn’t answer. After a while, Jacob heard her snoring softly. As for him, sleep didn’t come so easily. His mind kept on wandering to the girl in the bedroom next door. Maybe Kyle was right about something else, too. Maybe he wasn’t going to pull it off without getting them both killed. But without his help Lily was anyway as dead as sure as tomorrow was a foregone conclusion. She was too young and inexperienced to outwit Sky’s spies. It was only a matter of time. Hours, maybe.

  He needed to know what the hell his plan was. The truth was, he had no clue what he was going to do with her once he found her father. Turning on his side, he tried to get some much-needed sleep, but before he had closed his eyes, a chilling scream came from the bedroom.

  In her dream, Lily was back in her childhood home. The sound of gunfire woke her. Lily shot up on the couch in the dark attic where she had fallen asleep while reading. It was her favorite hiding place. After what she had discovered about her dad and the allegations he hadn’t denied, she had come here to be alone.

  Another shot rang out, followed by a continuo
us flow of firing. Lily jumped from the couch. She grabbed her gown from the armrest and pulled it on over her nightdress. From the triangular window she saw sparks detonating around the pool, her father’s security guards in their white golf shirts and green cargo pants lying like dead ants on the driveway and the lawn.

  A soft cry slipped out before she could contain it. Blood pumped in her ears as she ran for the door. She opened it a crack and peered around the frame. The hallway was dark. Shouts and more shots came from the ground level. Doors slammed. It sounded as if wood was being splintered–locked doors broken down. Even if she loathed her dad’s actions and told him she never wanted to see him again, an involuntary longing for him filled her in that moment. He exuded the power of someone who was untouchable, and she never feared in his presence. A small army had been put in place for her protection when Godfrey had left for Europe. His underground business and involvement with paranormal criminals deemed it necessary. Now, with the guards lying dead on the ground outside and the ones inside fighting for their lives, Lily realized the depth of Godfrey’s sinister dealings, and that no army was going to save her.

  With shaking hands, she pushed the squeaking door open and ran down the steps. Instead of continuing one flight down to the first floor bedroom suits, she turned left toward the staff quarters where Anja, her beloved childhood nanny, slept. Dim floor lights illuminated the corridor. The floorboards creaked under her bare feet. Blood-chilling cries rose from below. The noises were coming closer. The shooters were heading up the stairs to the bedrooms. Silent sobs shook her shoulders as slipped into Anja’s room. With the blackout curtains that didn’t even let in the rays of the moon, the room was pitch-black.

  “Anja?” she called urgently in the dark. The old woman was half-deaf and could sleep through anything. “Anja, wake up. We’re being attacked.” She felt her way toward Anja’s bed. “Anja, please, please wake up.”

  Before she could reach the bed, she stumbled over an object on the floor, and too late to catch herself, fell down on something soft. The floor under her fingers was wet. She looked down and in the strip of light that fell through the door, saw Anja’s face, her eyes wide and her mouth contorted, dark liquid running from her neck into a black pool. Lily scurried back on her heels and elbows, and pushed her fist into her mouth to contain her scream.

  Her breathing was harsh and shallow. They were going to kill her. Survival instinct kicked in, forcing her from her frozen state of fear into action. Lily crawled to the cupboard where Anja kept the travel bag, packed and ready, in case of an earthquake. Inside were their identity cards, passports, money, water, a torchlight, energy bars, batteries and a change of clothes. By the time Lily was back at the door, she was almost hyperventilating.

  A man’s voice thundered from the bottom of the staircase. “Where is she? I want her. I don’t care if you have to turn up every fucking floorboard.”

  Lily slipped from the room and flattened her back against the wall. She crept along the cold, smooth surface until she reached Eric, their driver’s room. The door stood open. Lily slipped inside. Eric was lying on the floor, his throat slit. For a second Lily paused, unable to tear her gaze away from the gruesome sight. With much effort she stepped around the old man’s body, shaking so badly she dropped the bag. Picking it up again, she rushed to the window and lifted the hatch. The garage was directly below, making it possible to climb from the window onto the roof. She jumped onto the flat corrugated iron surface as softly as she could. This side of the house was quiet, all of the commotion happening at the front. The shooting had stopped. That meant there were no more men left to protect her. Lily threw the bag down to the grass, and waited. When nothing happened, she jumped. A sharp pain shot up her leg as she landed on her feet, but she didn’t stop. She lifted the bag on her back and hopped to the labyrinth. She knew it like the back of her hand. She followed it to the exit at the back, where she could climb through the fence and run through the vineyard up the mountain, down a riverbed to the abandoned horse ranch. Just to be sure, she ran in the water, in case they had tracker dogs. With every step she took she felt the men from Sky in the blue uniforms behind her, saw them in the shadows, smelled them in the blood on her hands. On the dirty floor of the ranch ruins, she fell down and sobbed until her body was so dry it felt like her brain would explode.

  “Lily, wake up.”

  Someone was shaking her. She cried out and tried to move away.

  “Lily, it’s Jacob. Wake up.” His voice was urgent, and familiar. Safe.

  It took her a moment to remember where she was. She blinked in the soft light from the nightstand lamp.

  “It’s all right, sweetheart,” he said.

  Kyle stood in the door, wearing a cotton nightdress. “Is she okay?”

  “She’ll be fine,” he said, kneeling next to the bed. “Go back to sleep. I’ll stay with her.”

  Kyle nodded, and left. Jacob wrapped his arms around Lily. “It’s only a dream,” he said in her hair.

  For a moment she enjoyed the feeling of security, and then pushed away. “I’m sorry for waking you.”

  He climbed onto the bed next to her, and pulled her against his side. “Want to talk about it?”

  She shook her head. A tremor ran over her body at the memories.

  “I’ll stay for a while,” he said.

  She was going to protest, but his proximity felt good. His skin was warm through the cotton T-shirt. She studied the dark hair on his arms and legs. His thighs bunched as he gathered her closer and leaned back against the wall. He was bigger and broader than any man she had ever met. He brushed his hand up and down her arm in a soothing motion. It was the closest she had ever been to any man. At the house it was forbidden. Her father had kept a tight watch on her. Nobody who worked for him could even look at her without suffering the consequences, which meant getting fired. Threats of getting killed were the punishment of touching. And then her father left. The capable hands he was so sure would keep her safe had failed, and she realized with a jolt that sitting next to Jacob, she felt safer than she had with her dad’s small army.

  Her body started to relax. She thought Jacob was going to try and coax her into talking, but he just stayed with her in a comfortable silence. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Sometime later she had to have dozed off again, because when she woke up she was alone in Jacob’s bed, the lamp switched off, and the rosy shine of the rising sun visible around the edges of the blinds. The smell of coffee filled the air.

  Lily jumped from the bed and quickly used the bathroom before going to the kitchen, where she found both Jacob and Kyle already dressed.

  “Hey.” Jacob pulled a hand through his hair, messing it up. “Glad you got in a few more hours of sleep.” He wore a pair of worn jeans, torn on the knees, and a black T-shirt. When he got up from his chair by the table to walk to the counter where the coffee machine stood, she noticed he was barefoot again. Her father would never walk around barefoot, not even in the house. He was always dressed in a suit and tie.

  Kyle got to her feet, too. She wore a blue dress that buttoned down the front with a thin white belt. “I’ve got to get to the office. Your clothes are dry.” She motioned at the coffee table. “I left them here for you.”

  “Thanks,” Lily said. “And thanks again for these.” She pulled at the hem of the T-shirt. “I’ll wash them and leave them with Jacob, unless you want to take them now? I can change quickly.”

  “Nah.” Kyle carried a bowl with the remains of cereal and milk to the sink. “No rush. Just leave it here.” She picked up her overnight bag from the floor. “Take care, Lily.”

  “You too. And … thank you, for everything.”

  Jacob handed Lily a mug. “Coffee. There’s sugar and cream on the table.” He turned to Kyle. “I’ll walk you down.” He took the bag from Kyle’s shoulder. “Have some breakfast, Lily. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  Lily hesitated. “I don’t want to impose if you need to go to
work. I’ll be out of here in a minute.”

  His smile was warm. “I don’t have a regular day job, and I don’t need to be anywhere today, not if I don’t want to, so eat.”

  He ushered Kyle to the door. Kyle waved, and then they disappeared down the hallway. The front door shut with a bang. Lily took a gulp of the warm coffee. There was a lot to think over. Where she’d go, for starters. She supposed Jacob would rather have her out his hair sooner than later.

  Grabbing her laundered clothes from the table, she rushed to the bathroom to get ready. It took her two minutes to wash her face, brush her teeth and comb her hair. She was scarcely dressed, busying lacing up her trainers, when a deafening noise crashed through the space, followed by the shaking of the floor and the windows. Lily gripped the basin. A continuous flow of shots followed from far-off, as if someone was firing an automatic rifle. This wasn’t happening. It had to be a dream. Jacob! Where was he? Had they killed him? His death would be on her conscience, like the murder of everyone who worked in their house.

  Lily looked around frantically. She had to get out, had to get to Jacob, make sure he and Kyle were all right. She jumped into the bath, and lifted the window bolt. She was just about to slide the glass panel open when the door crashed into the wall. Her scream rose above the noise. A tall, broad form jumped through the frame. All Lily could see, was smoke, white powder, a black T-shirt and torn jeans.

  “Lily, down!”

  Jacob flung himself through the air, tackling her. He landed on top of her in the bath, bracing her head with his arms. A second later, another explosion had pieces of plaster drop from the ceiling onto their bodies. She almost sobbed with relief. Jacob wasn’t dead. Not yet.

  “They’re going to kill us,” she said, pushing on his chest, trying to get up.

  Jacob lifted his head to look down at her. He pulled his arms from under her and held her face between his hands while his eyes moved over her body.

  “Are you injured?” he said, his voice strong and unwavering.