Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
S he was safe.
Knox held Nola’s small form. He hadn’t realized how scared he’d been when he’d first heard she was in danger. Not until he’d seen her.
When he’d entered the alley and seen that Russian grab her…
He barely knew her, but he already knew she was special. He felt it in his gut.
“Thanks, Knox.” Her voice was shaky. She pulled back.
Instantly, he missed the touch of her.
“You’re not hurt?” he asked.
“The worst thing is that I’m barefoot in this gross alley.” She grimaced.
He shook his head, then he saw the swelling on the side of her head. He gently reached out and gripped her chin. He tilted her head back and brushed his fingers over the side of her face.
“Oh, that. The asshole rammed me into the dumpster. I don’t recommend it.”
For a second, Knox wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t get past the anger. He glared at the asshole on the ground. He wanted to hit him again.
“Knox, I’m okay.” She pressed a hand to his arm until he met her gaze. “Where’s Nick?”
“Lainie fainted. He went to check on her.”
“Oh no.” Nola’s face turned distraught. “Is Lainie okay?”
Of course she was more worried about her friend, and not about the fact that she was in grave danger.
“No word yet, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on, we need to get you safely to Sentinel Security.”
“I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
He tipped her chin up. “I’m not.”
She stared up at him, and instantly he felt that beat of connection. The one that had overwhelmed him last night.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she murmured.
“I’m glad you’re all right, Sprite.”
“Knox,” she breathed.
He lowered his head, she moved closer.
Shouting voices in Russian echoed down the alley. Knox swiveled, and shoved Nola behind him.
Two big guys shouldered through the mouth of the alley.
“ Fuck .” Knox grabbed her arm. “This way.” He spun and pulled her deeper into the alleyway.
There were more shouts. Zolotov’s men were following them.
Knox picked up speed, half dragging Nola. A door opened ahead of them, and a man in a white apron holding a black trash bag stepped out.
“Get back inside,” Knox yelled.
Gunshots echoed off the brick walls.
Fuck . He shoved Nola to the side, shielding her body with his. The man dropped the bag and raced back inside, slamming the door closed behind him.
Knox pulled his SIG from his holster and swiveled. He fired down the alley.
“We have to move, Nola. Run as fast as you can.”
“Moving.” She took off like a sprinter.
Knox followed, firing behind him.
A rain of gunfire ricocheted through the alley.
“Down!” he roared.
Nola dropped. Knox crouched and dragged her behind a dumpster. He peered around the side and fired again.
“Knox, it’s a dead end.”
He looked in the other direction and saw she was right. Shit . He glanced up. A metal fire escape was attached to the neighboring building. Several stories up, there was an open window.
“There.” He jerked his chin. “We go up.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “All right.”
Something tightened in Knox’s chest. There was no panic or hysteria; she was focused on what had to be done.
“Um, there’s just one problem,” she said. “I can’t jump that high.”
“I’ll lift you.” He fired off several shots and turned back to her.
Nola had hitched her tight, gray skirt up, baring slim thighs.
Hell . Keep your head in the game, Holman.
He grabbed her waist and lifted her up. He caught a quick flash of pink panties.
Nola gripped the metal above her and hauled herself onto the fire escape. Knox fired down the alley again, and watched the Russians dive for cover. He spun, shoved his gun in his holster, then jumped, and grabbed the fire escape. He pulled himself up.
Shots pinged off the metal nearby. He heard Nola cry out and duck down. He pulled his weapon out, took aim, and fired down into the alley.
“Up,” he said. “There’s an open window above us.”
They quickly climbed up the escape stairs.
Nola frowned. “This is someone’s apartment—”
“Go,” he ordered.
Shaking her head, she threw her leg over the windowsill and climbed in. He followed.
It was a simple apartment, with worn furniture and the walls painted a deep yellow. A woman holding a basket of laundry stepped out of a nearby doorway. When she saw them, she screamed, and let loose with a barrage of Spanish.
“Sorry,” Nola said, holding up her hands. “So sorry. We won’t hurt you.”
Knox slammed the window closed behind them and locked it. He pointed outside. “Bad guys. Chicos malos .”
The woman staggered back, looking terrified.
Knox hauled Nola through the living room to the front door. He wrenched the door open and pulled her out to the narrow corridor.
“Come on.” They jogged to the stairwell and down to the floor below.
“We’re stopping here?” she asked.
“Need a place to hide.” He strode down the hall and stopped at a door with Maintenance written on it.
He rammed his shoulder against it, pulled back, and rammed again. The flimsy lock popped, and the door opened. He pulled Nola inside.
When he shut the door, darkness blanketed them. All he could hear was the sound of her heavy breathing, accompanied by the sharp scent of cleaning supplies.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yes. Maybe. I might need some therapy after this.”
He gripped the back of her neck and squeezed. “You’re doing great, Sprite.”
“Thanks.”
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Knox?” Hex asked anxiously.
“I’ve got her.”
“Thank God,” Hex breathed. “He’s got her.”
“We barely made it out of the alley. Zolotov’s men were shooting at us.”
“Zolotov’s men are everywhere,” Hex said.
“That’ll make it tough for us to get to Sentinel Security,” Knox said. “We need a secondary plan.”
“Knox.” Killian’s voice. “The best idea is to hole up until the heat comes off.”
“Where?”
“We have a safe house nearby. It’s small, but it will do the job. You can stay there tonight. Devyn is en route to you. The building you’re in is mixed use. The first few floors are offices, so there are restrooms in the lobby. She’ll leave a bag in the restroom. It’s got a wig and a change of clothes for both of you.”
Disguises would help. It should fool Zolotov’s thugs long enough for him to get Nola to the safe house. “Acknowledged. I’ll update you when we get there.”
In the dim light, he watched Nola run her fingers through her hair. He grabbed her hand and she looked up at him.
“Nola’s okay?” Killian asked.
“Nola is fine,” Knox said. “She’s hanging in there like a trooper.”
Her eyelashes fluttered and she glanced away. Then her head whipped back. “Wait, do they have any news on Lainie?”
“Nola’s asking about Lainie,” Knox said.
“Tell her that Lainie’s fine,” Hex said. “Nick texted. I don’t have any details, though.”
Knox looked at Nola and nodded. “Lainie’s okay.”
Nola blew out a relieved breath.
“Stone?” Killian said. “Get her to the safe house.”
Nola couldn’t stop shaking. She knew all the adrenaline in her system was crashing. She clenched her hands together.
“Here.” Knox turned over a bucket and patted the top.
“Thanks.” She sat down and felt the side of her face throb. She touched it gently and hoped she didn’t end up with a black eye.
He crouched in front of her and took her hands in his.
“You’re so warm,” she murmured.
“You’re safe, Nola.”
“I’m not.” A small laugh escaped her. “I’m hiding in a cleaning cupboard, and the Russian mob is after me.”
“I’m not letting anyone hurt you. We’ll get to Killian’s safe house, and tomorrow, I’ll get you to Sentinel Security. You’re going to give a statement to the police, then you’ll have me and the rest of Sentinel Security keeping you safe.”
She drew in a breath. “So, what happens next?”
“We wait for Devyn to text. Once we’ve changed into the disguises she’s leaving for us, we’ll head to the safe house. It’s only a few blocks away.”
A few blocks felt like a hundred miles. When she’d first met Knox last night, and kissed him, she hadn’t expected to be stuck in a cleaning cupboard with him. “Distract me. I need to get my mind off this crazy situation.”
Knox stroked her wrist. “So, is Nick a good brother?”
“The best. We have the same mom, but different fathers. My father is—” she wrinkled her nose “—snobby and judgmental.” She sighed. “He loves me, though. He can be semi-decent at times.”
“No one is all black or all white.”
She nodded. “You have family?”
“My parents have passed. I have a sister. She lives in California and has two kids. A niece and nephew. They’re both in college.”
“And the Marines, right? That’s like family, too.”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you leave?”
“It was time. I was in special forces for several years. The Marine Raiders.”
She smiled. “I should’ve guessed. You have the special forces vibe.”
“I loved being a Raider, but I got older. An injury was slowing me down. Eventually, I left the field and started training new recruits.”
“But?” She cocked her head. “I hear a but.”
“I guess I missed the action. It was hard watching the guys head off on a mission and being left behind. It just didn’t feel right anymore. Then Killian called and offered me a job. That felt right.”
“Well, you’ve had a hell of a second day on the job.”
He squeezed her hand and laughed. “Yeah. The other thing that I wasn’t expecting was seeing a beautiful woman with short, dark hair, and big, blue eyes, across a crowded bar.”
“Oh.”
“And I really didn’t expect that kissing her would feel like coming home.”
Her heart kicked. “Are you flirting with me?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Never really been good at flirting.”
She leaned in. “Well, I think you’re doing a great job.”
“I’m being an ass. You’re shaken, and—”
She squeezed his hand. “I like it. I like you, Knox.”
He leaned closer and cupped her face. A shiver ran through her body.
Then his cellphone vibrated.
“Is that the message from Devyn?” Nola asked.
“Yes.” He pulled back and rose. The light from his phone tinted his face blue. “She’s put the bag in the men’s restroom in the lobby. Let’s head down there.” He cracked the door open, checking the corridor. “Ready to move?”
Nola grabbed his hand. “Ready.”
As they headed down the corridor, none of the apartment doors opened. They reached the stairwell and headed down.
Once they made it to the small lobby, they tried to look like a normal couple. She hoped no one noticed that her feet were bare and dirty. They headed toward the restrooms. Knox opened the door to the men’s, checked it was empty, then pulled her inside.
“Barefoot on the sidewalk, and then in a dirty alley.” Her nose wrinkled. “Now a men’s room.”
Before she could say anything else, Knox scooped her up into his arms.
“Knox.”
“Hold on.”
He carried her to the final toilet cubicle, and stepped inside. Knox shifted her. “Put your feet on my boots.”
She did, keeping her balance by clinging to him. She spotted the bag tucked into the corner beside the toilet. Knox closed the door behind them and locked it.
He shuffled them closer, then closed the toilet lid. “Hold on.”
She clenched her hands into his shirt as he shrugged off his jacket. His shirt was white today, and warm from his skin.
Then he dropped his jacket on the floor. “There you go.”
Like an honest-to-God gentlemen. She stepped off his boots and onto the fabric, her gaze locking onto his face.
“What?” he said.
“I think you’re one of the good guys.”
He set the bag on top of the toilet lid. He pulled out a new jacket—this one made of brown leather—and a baseball cap.
“What, no sexy set of wire-rim glasses?” she teased.
He flashed her a look and slipped the jacket on. Next, came a blonde wig that would brush her shoulders.
Nola settled it onto her head and struck a pose. “What do you think?”
“I think I prefer your real hair.”
He pulled out leggings, a tank top, and a zip-up athletic jacket, all in pale shades of pink and gray. “These aren’t my size.”
She bit back a laugh. He handed them to her, then turned, offering her his broad back.
She felt the tension wind around them. She unbuttoned her shirt, then shimmied out of her skirt. She was so conscious of him standing within arm’s reach. She quickly pulled the leggings and top on. She zipped up the jacket. Then pulled out some running shoes and socks from the bag.
“Shoes!” She hugged them to her chest. “Devyn is good. Everything is my size.” She slipped the socks onto her dirty feet—she’d burn the socks later—then pulled the shoes on and tied the laces. “I’m done.”
Knox turned and scanned her. Then he stuffed their discarded clothes into the bag.
“All right. We have two blocks to travel. I’ve checked the map, and I think it’s best if we go through the Chelsea Market. There’ll be more people, and it should be easier to blend in and stay under the radar.”
Nola lifted her chin. “I’m ready.”
She was nervous as hell, but at least Knox was with her.