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

  “I’m fine.”

  “Stay down.” He got to his feet and finished the task of opening the window. When the cold air rushed into the bathroom, he held out his hand to her. “Quickly.”

  Lily pushed to her feet, coughing from the fine powder that formed a thick cloud in the space. She took Jacob’s proffered hand, but when she looked through the window, she stilled. There was no balcony or ledge.

  “It’s too high,” she said, letting the panic sound in her voice.

  He gripped her chin and turned her face to him. “Look down, Lily.”

  She did as he told her, and saw an Olympic sized swimming pool. She jerked her head back to him. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Jump far and keep your legs straight, your arms by your side.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do it.”

  But Jacob was already lifting her, pushing her upper body through the window. “Grip the sides, and keep your feet on the windowsill.”

  “Jacob, please.” She sounded as hysterical as she felt.

  “Lily, if we don’t jump, we’re dead.”

  A few shots fired from closer now, somewhere down the hallway, emphasized the horrible truth of his words.

  With wobbly legs she hunched in the frame, gripping the edges so hard she felt a nail break.

  “On the count of three,” Jacob said. “One.”

  Lily straightened as much as she could. She looked back at Jacob, her courage failing.

  He gave her a lopsided smile. “I don’t want to die today, sweetheart. Two.”

  At his statement, she faced forward once more. Jacob shouldn’t die because of her. It would be so wrong, when he had only been good to her. She pulled in a deep breath and held it, feeling her whole body shake.

  “Three!”

  Lily bent her knees, and pushed herself forward. A sick feeling took hold of her as she launched herself into the air. If felt as if her heart and stomach would pop out of her throat. Keeping her arms and legs locked, she tried to go down straight, straining to keep an eye on the blue rectangle below. The movement of her neck threw her body off balance. She dipped forward, going face down. There wasn’t even time to scream. One second she was falling, and the next her body hit the water in a horizontal position. The impact stung worse than a thousand needles jabbed into her skin. Before the pain fully registered, the cold did. And then the relief that she had made it. She propelled herself forward with the most powerful strokes she could muster, not only to get out of the cold water, or because the attackers could be waiting on the ground, but also because she knew Jacob was following in her path and would land on top of her if she didn’t move.

  She glanced back and saw his body come straight down, his feet hitting the water first. The collision sent a wave toward her, causing her to swallow water before she could pull herself out at the shallow end. She was coughing and shivering on the side as Jacob clambered out seconds later, but he gave her no time to recover. He put one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, lifted her against his chest, and started running. He was still barefoot, racing over the sharp pebbles and thorny grass. The back garden led to a pedestrian gate that gave access to a sister building next door. They crossed another garden, and when Jacob glanced back, he said, “Shit.”

  Lily assumed that their attackers had made their way downstairs and were following. The garden exited onto a road that gave access to a strip mall. It was early, but the bakery was open. Jason kicked the door open and ran inside. He looked left and right, and then took a steel door that led to a kitchen. They ran between stainless steel shelves to a backdoor, and exited on a street running up the hill to where a few small houses were scattered. Jacob only stopped when he reached an alley between two houses where they were hidden from sight. He lowered Lily to her feet. Shivering from cold and shock, she wrapped her arms around herself.

  “Kyle,” she said. “Oh please God, Kyle… Please tell me she’s not…” Her words were replaced by sobs.

  Jacob grabbed her shoulders and gave her a firm shake. “Kyle’s fine. She drove off before the men entered the building.”

  Lily gazed up at him, trying hard to control her erratic breathing. “You could have been dead. Because of me.”

  He looked as shell-shocked as she was. “The bastards. I was lucky to be outside.” He wiped a hand over his face. “Thank God you were in the bathroom. The rocket they blasted into the kitchen would have sent us both to hell had we lingered a minute longer.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, wringing her hands together. “I’m so sorry about your apartment, and … and that I almost got you killed.”

  His voice was stern. “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

  “If you didn’t help me, this wouldn’t have happened. I put you in danger. I shouldn’t have gone home with you.”

  “Listen,” he grabbed her arms, “it was a conscious choice I made. I decided to bring you home. You had no control over what happened.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t know these people. They’ll kill you.” She took a step back. “You have to get away from me.”

  He held up his hands. “Lily, calm down. Think about it. Those weapons are powerful. The men using them are not amateurs. They know who I am, Lily. They will come after me. We both know it. I’m on the run now, as much as you are. We have a better chance making it together.”

  “What have I done?” She covered her mouth with her hands. “Please, go. I’ll be fine.”

  His face turned hard. “If I leave you, you’ll be dead by sunset. I don’t think so.”

  She stared at him. “Who are you?”

  “I told you, I’m in the security business.”

  “What kind of security?”

  “Bodyguard. I know about bad people, Lily. Now, let’s go.”

  She hugged herself harder. “You haven’t asked why they’re after me, and yet, you’re prepared to help me?”

  “I don’t need to know. If you wanted me to know, you would have told me. I prefer not knowing, than you lying to me.”

  “I’m in a lot of trouble, Jacob.”

  He nodded. “I’ve gathered.”

  “They won’t stop until they find me.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “My passport, my bank card … oh my God, your things … everything is gone. What are we going to do?”

  “For starters, we need to go someplace safe. It won’t take them long to find us here.”

  As much as she hated admitting it, there was only person powerful enough to keep them alive. “We have to get to my father. We’ll be safe with him.”

  “Where?”

  “Europe.”

  He didn’t laugh or flinch. “Come on, sweetheart. We can’t stay here. We’ll talk later.”

  Jacob took her hand, walked up to the door of the first house and rang the bell. Her body shivered more violently now.

  After several seconds, when no one answered, he said, “Just in case, if there’s someone inside, run for the bakery. If we get separated, wait for me there.”

  Lily knew she was crossing a criminal line, one she had judged her father for, but she was too cold and exhausted from weeks of running to argue. They went around the back, where Jacob threw a rock through a window. No alarm sounded. Within seconds he had broken a hole big enough for them to climb through.

  “Don’t cut yourself,” he said, helping her inside.

  From the content of the closets, it was evident that a family with a teenage daughter and son lived in the house. Lily took a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and a warm jacket from the girl’s closet. Everything was too big, and she had to roll up the pants. A pair of the girl’s trainers pinched her toes, but it was better than the woman’s shoes that were three sizes too big. When she was done, her hair toweled dry, Lily felt warmer. Her shivering had stopped.

  Jacob entered the bedroom wearing a pair of their host’s jeans and a sweater. He completed the outfit with formal, black shoes and white socks. If the situat
ion weren’t so dreadful, Lily would have laughed. The jeans ended above his ankles. The sweater barely reached his midriff.

  “What?” He raised his arms and looked down at himself. “It’s not like there’s a wide choice.”

  “You look … great,” she said.

  He grinned. “Let’s grab you some breakfast. You’ll have to eat it on the run, though.”

  In the kitchen, Lily watched Jacob prepare a sandwich with what he could find in the fridge–ham and cheese. He handed it to her with a paper napkin from the stash on the table.

  “Ready?” Jacob took her arm. He guided her back out the window. They walked down the road in the ill-fitting clothes, until they found a busy park with a bench in the sun. Jacob pulled her down next to him.

  “Eat,” he said, motioning at the sandwich she still clutched in her hand.

  Lily had no appetite, but she obeyed because she knew her body needed the energy. Jacob waited patiently, and when she was finished, he turned to face her.

  “Where in Europe, Lily?”

  “Paris. I have to get to Paris.”

  Jacob seemed to think for a while, and then he said, “All right. Let’s go.”

  He got to his feet, but his answer surprised Lily so much that she was frozen to her spot on the bench.

  “It’s a long journey,” he said. “Better start sooner than later.”

  She gaped at him. “You’re coming with me?”

  “I thought you understood that part already.”

  “But all the way to Europe?”

  He shrugged. “What do I have left here?”

  A feeling of guilt suffocated her. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, thinking of all Jacob had lost for helping her.

  “Hey.” He touched her cheek. “Stay focused, Lily. Those men are still out there. We’ve got to move, sweetheart.”

  She forced her body to get up, her legs to move. There was no other way. As much as she knew it was wrong to put him in danger, she felt safer with his protection. For the first time since her father had left, she didn’t feel alone.

  Chapter Three

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  Surviving on the street was tough enough. Lily had no idea how they were going to get to Europe with no money and no passports, but she was glad she wasn’t alone. Jacob walked them to a bus stop, and got into the back of an articulated bus. Lily was as tight as a string, worried that a conductor would ask for their tickets, but before her fear materialized, they exited in front of a big chain superstore.

  There was a clothing section with changing rooms at the back. Jacob grabbed a few items and plopped them into her hands. “Go put these on in the change room. Be sure to tear off the price tags and put what you’re wearing now on the hangers.”

  First she had stolen the clothes she was wearing, and now she was going to rob a store.

  “Go on,” he said with an encouraging nod when she didn’t move. He took a pair of men’s jeans off the shelf. “I’ll be right outside.”

  Lily walked to the cubicle on autopilot. She did as she was told, and when she stepped out, wearing the yellow T-shirt, dark jeans, padded fleece jacket and black athletic shoes Jacob had chosen for her, he was leaning on the wall, his thumbs hooked into the waistband of his new jeans, his ankles crossed. Her belly did a backflip. It felt as if her heart had sprouted wings, because there was a flapping sensation inside her chest. Her eyes moved over him with appreciation. The jeans fitted snugly. The black shirt he wore under a military-green parka jacket was unbuttoned at the top, giving her a glimpse of his muscular chest. And when she met his eyes, her heart rate went into overdrive, sending blood coursing through her veins that had a flush spread up her neck, because inexperienced as she was, she could tell by Jacob’s intense stare that he knew what she was feeling. She was over-conscious of the jugular vein that pumped in her neck, on which Jacob’s gaze had settled.

  He lifted his eyes to meet hers slowly, the knowledge in his so raw it scared her. She felt vulnerable and exposed, as if she was standing naked in front of him.

  But Jacob was a gentleman about it, because all he said, was, “You look nice.”

  As he straightened, a shop assistant appeared and made her way toward them. Lily froze with the used garments in her arms. Just as the assistant reached them, Jacob took the items from Lily’s hands.

  “Nothing fits?” he said to Lily with an easy lilt.

  The shop employee had teased hair and pencil lines for eyebrows. Her eye shadow was a shiny blue and her lipstick bright orange. Her gaze moved from Lily to Jacob, lingering on his abs. “Can I help you folks with anything?”

  Jacob’s smile was charming. “My girlfriend always battles to find clothes.” He gave Lily a smack on her backside, which made her jump. “Not surprising, seeing that she’s so petite.” He lifted the hangers he held in his hand. “I’ll put these back, and we’ll browse some more. But if we need help, I’ll be sure to call.” He winked.

  The woman shot Lily an envious glance before she batted her fake eyelashes at Jacob, her orange lips stretching into a seductive curve. “You do that, sugar.”

  The female’s eyes bore a hole in her back as Jacob put his arm around her and led her to the aisles. He randomly shoved garments onto racks, and starting flipping through some dresses. Lily could only stand on the spot, the fear of getting caught turning her into a stone pillar. Jacob made a good impression of concentrating on the task at hand, but she could see him lift his eyes and scan their surroundings.

  When he dropped the dress he had been inspecting and motioned for her to follow with a flick of his head, she forced her feet to obey. They walked through the exit, her heart beating furiously, but no one shouted or followed. Only a block away from the store did she let out the breath she was holding.

  “What now?” she said to Jacob.

  “We need a place to sleep, until I can figure out a plan.”

  Jacob took her to the W, the most luxurious hotel in a high-end commercial area near the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

  “You’re not serious,” she said, looking up at the twenty-story blue glass building.

  “Have you been here before?”

  “My dad organized my sixteenth birthday party on the rooftop. And I attended one of his business dinners in the Triple Six restaurant. Those were the only times.”

  He considered her answer for a while. “If anyone recognizes you, greet them like you would normally do. Don’t run, or deny your identity. If that happens, we leave. On the dot. And don’t disappear from my sight.”

  “Jacob?” She grabbed his arm when he took a step toward the entrance. “Why here? Why not somewhere less prominent, more affordable?”

  “We’re not staying here. I need to pickpocket someone. And we need a lot of money.” He lifted an eyebrow and said gently, “Get it?”

  She did. If there was one place wealthy travelers and diners went, it was here. He took her hand, intertwining their fingers.

  “From now on, you’re my girlfriend.” He smiled. “Get that?”

  Lily’s pulse quickened with more than apprehension of getting caught for stealing someone’s money. Jacob’s calloused skin against hers sent heat up her arm. It was as if he had triggered a switch that had her burning like a light bulb. It felt as if her whole body would glow in the dark.

  He frowned and brushed his thumb over her cheek, causing her heart to trip over its erratic beat.

  “You’re flushed. Are you feeling okay? You can’t chicken out on me now. You know we’ve got to do this.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “What is it, Lily?”

  “I can’t help it. It’s my first time.” She motioned at their clasped hands.

  Jacob’s eyes widened. “You’ve never held a boy’s hand before?”

  “Daddy was very protective. He made sure nobody came near me.”

  For a moment Jacob only stared at her with a stunned expression, but then seemed to give himself a mental shake. “In that case, I
apologize for taking the privilege without your permission. I’m certainly honored.” He squeezed her hand. “We have to move now, sweetheart. I need you to walk into that place like you own it. Ready?”

  Even if she wasn’t, she nodded. She held her head high as Jacob led her into the lobby. They took the lift and exited on the fourth floor, where the bar was situated. Jacob took his time walking the length of the floor before he chose a table in a dark corner.

  “Wait here,” he said, pushing her down into the padded chair from where she had a full view of the room.

  Without further explanation, he made his way to the counter. He aimed for a seat next to a woman with long, blonde hair. Leaning close to her as he sat down, he whispered something in her ear. The woman turned to him. She was strikingly beautiful with a flawless skin, full red lips and large eyes. Her hair was cut in a modern style, feathering around her face. She wore a black top and pants that clung to her curves. The outfit was completed with a thin red belt and matching heels. The diamond on her ring finger was a rock, and the studs in her ears didn’t fall far behind.

  The blonde put her hands on Jacob’s chest, moving them up slowly and pushing his parka from his shoulders. She caught it before it hit the floor, and draped it over his lap. While she did so, her hand brushed up his thigh and disappeared under the fabric. Jacob watched her like a predator. As her hand continued to move, his jaw set in a tight expression and he briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were fixed on the woman’s lips. He didn’t even glance in Lily’s direction.

  A nasty feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to rip the woman’s hand from Jacob’s crotch and claw at her eyes, but most of all, she wanted to walk up to Jacob and give him a fist on the jaw. It was irrational. She had no claim on her savior, but she couldn’t control the feelings that coiled her insides together. Her instinct was to flee, to walk out of the room, but she was glued to her seat, paralyzed by the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. The woman bounced from her chair and placed herself between Jacob’s legs. His hands snaked around her waist, settling on the tight, curvy ass.