“Dammit,” he said, “Come.”

Knowing he was so close so fast was her undoing. She shrieked as she came in a lightning burst of sensation that ended their play all too quickly.

Oh, but she was wrong. It wasn’t over, because he wasn’t going to let her off that easily. He kept at her, still holding her up with his hands as he powered inside her. She poured over him she was so wet, mindless with ecstasy as he brought to the brink again. This time, he went with her, yelling out as he came, pushing her back against the wall and groaning against her sweat-soaked neck.

She felt limp as a dishrag when he finally set her back on her feet. Good thing he kept his arm wrapped around her. In fact, he didn’t seem to want to let go of her, just stepped backward, stumbling over whatever was on the floor and fell onto the bed, carrying her with him.

He kissed the top of her head, pulled her next to him and yanked the covers over them both.

She smiled and sighed in utter contentment. If this was how the rest of her life played out, she’d be one happy woman.

Chapter Sixteen

By the time evening hit the next day, Lily had gone over the plan so many times she could recite it by memory. The route was lined out, she had practiced every possible conversation and scenario that could go down with Richardson.

She knew which way she could turn and run if she got into trouble, not that she’d even have to, because one signal from her and someone would be at her side in a second.

Since they’d be in a public place, the chance of Richardson pulling a gun on her was very slim. She was going to be fine. In fact, she wasn’t worried at all. Excited, yes, but not scared.

Mac had been pacing like a caged animal all day, making her repeat the plan, role play potential scenarios so she’d know what to do in case Richardson did something unexpected. She’d never been so well prepared. She was so ready, in fact, that she was about to scream if they didn’t get moving.

She’d eaten, showered and dressed, and Mac had shadowed her every step of the way. She loved him, she really did, but if he didn’t give her some space and soon she was going to have to shoot him. Though she understood his protectiveness, he was starting to annoy her.

And the other guys had noticed it, though Mac was so coiled with tension even they kept their distance, didn’t offer up any teasing comments like they normally would. Lily just shook her head and told him to relax.

“I am relaxed.”

“You are not. You’re so wound up you’re liable to shoot some poor senior citizen who walks out of the restaurant and crosses in front of me.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Give me a little credit, Lily.”

She laughed. “Just trying to get you to lighten up a bit.”

“You worry about your part. I’ll take care of my own.”

They had an hour before they had to leave, because Grange wanted everyone in position well before Lily was due to meet Richardson, just in case he showed up early or put some of his people in strategic positions. Lily picked up a book to read, the rest of the guys were otherwise occupied.

Mac paced.

“Does he always do this before a job?” she asked AJ.

“Hell no. Usually he takes a nap.”

“So it’s me.”

“Yeah, babe, sorry. It’s you.”

She sighed and resumed reading, trying to ignore the man attempting to wear a hole in the wood floor in front of her.

Except his boots squeaked, which made ignoring him impossible.

Squick, squick, squick.

She heaved a disgusted sigh and dropped the book in her lap.

“Mac, I’m armed,” she said, glaring at him in the hopes he would understand her utter frustration. She had reached the end of her rope. “If you don’t stop that goddamn pacing I’m going to conduct target practice on your feet.”

It wasn’t just her, either, because the others in the living area were staring at Mac too, and not in a nice way.

“Fine,” he shot back, dropping into the nearest chair.

“Thank you.” She just wanted quiet. A few minutes of silence to relax and get her thoughts in order. She knew the next several hours were going to be intense and she didn’t want to get nervous now. Calm was essential because if she fell apart in a jittery mess when this went down, they were going to lose everything, including the chance to bring down Richardson and Delor Pharmaceuticals.

Fortunately, Mac calmed down, she dove into her book and felt the tension melt away. At least until Grange walked out.

“Everyone ready?”

So much for relaxing.

She stood and nodded as Grange approached her and Mac.

“Don’t worry about anything. We’ll all be there to take care of you.”

“I’m not worried.” Much.

She slid into a vehicle they’d equipped with a tracking device, just in case. The guys following in cars had her monitored on GPS. Every contingency had been planned for, ‘just in case’.

She drove slow, the others hightailing it out of there, some on bikes, others in cars. A couple drove muscle cars, one in a pretty fancy Lexus and another in a beat up Impala. They’d all blend in one way or the other, though the bikes weren’t going to be parked where Richardson could spot them. Since she and Mac had left the museum, he didn’t want to give him or, if Belanfield happened to be there, any reason to think this was a setup.

They wanted Richardson to think Lily was doing this on her own.

By the time Lily got to the restaurant, she knew the others were already in place. She’d taken the city streets instead of the highway, had made multiple turns and backtracked a couple times.

The restaurant was one of those big chain places, really popular. The menu offered a variety of dishes and the place was always packed.

She pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, lucky enough to find a spot right in front as a car pulled away just as she drove up. A quick glance at her watch told her she had about ten minutes to spare before her designated meet time with Richardson. The fake virus was tucked neatly into a purse-like bag so she wouldn’t call attention to herself when she stood out in front. The restaurant was very well lit, so she foresaw no problems.

Those ten minutes were the longest of her life. She stayed in the car, looking around her, in her side mirrors and rear view mirror, with every passing minute her stomach tying up in knots. She practiced deep, even breathing, reassuring herself that this plan was going to go off without a single hitch.

Finally, it was time. She slung the purse over her shoulder and stepped out of the car, searching the parking lot and intersection. Even she couldn’t spot the other Wild Riders.

The guys really were good at hiding in plain sight.

There was a bench out front. Since it was eight o’clock at night and well into prime dinner hour, the place was busy.

People were going inside, a few loitering around outside, no doubt waiting for tables. Exactly the way they’d wanted it so she wouldn’t be alone when she met Richardson. Lily sat on the bench and affected a casual pose, trying to look as if she was waiting for someone to join her.

A black sedan pulled into the parking lot, its windows tinted so dark she couldn’t see through any except for the front windshield. The driver wore a black hat shielding his face, so she couldn’t make him out. Lily tensed as the car pulled past the front of the restaurant, then slowed to a stop. The back door opened and a man stepped out, the cut of his clothes spelling out money. He stood and commanded attention, from his steel gray eyes to his shocking white hair slicked back and the takeno- shit look on his patrician features. He motioned to her and she stood, walking over to his car.

That had to be Richardson, though she’d never met the man. He’d dealt with her boss in person and with her by telephone only “Miss West?”

“Mr. Richardson.”

“We cannot possibly do this here,” he said. “It’s too busy.”

She let her lips curl in a smile. “That’s the whole idea, isn’t it?”

“It’s totally unacceptable. Even the police prowl this area to keep it safe.”

She shrugged. “Not my problem.”

He arched a brow. “Is that what you want? The police to catch us?”

She snorted and leaned against his shiny sedan, earning her a frown. “Hardly. Then I wouldn’t get my money.”

“If I hand you a suitcase full of money and you in turn hand over the virus out here in front of this restaurant, it’s going to look like a drug deal going down. Plus, there are surveillance cameras.”

“What?”

He inclined his head toward the front of the restaurant and the parking area.

“Do be discreet when you’re gawking at them,” he added.

She turned as unobtrusively as she could, but sure enough, he was right. Cameras were mounted on the corners of the restaurant shooting toward the parking area, and on the parking lot poles, their viewpoint toward the front of the restaurant.

“Smile,” Richardson said. “You’re on Candid Camera.”

Shit. “I didn’t know about the cameras.” That part was honest. She hadn’t paid the slightest attention to those. Did Grange know about them when they’d selected the restaurant?

She wished she was in contact with him. With the wire hidden in her purse, she knew they were hearing her, but she couldn’t communicate with the other Wild Riders.

Dammit. Now what?

“Slide into the car with me. We’ll take a little ride.”

Her heart pounded so hard the blood rushed in her ears and she could barely hear herself think. But she maintained her cool, crossing her arms. “Said the spider to the fly. How dumb do you think I am?”

“Miss West, as I previously stated, there are surveillance cameras here. If you turn up missing or dead, my face is now on those cameras as the last person to meet with you. That would immediately make me the prime suspect. So to use your own words…how dumb do you think I am?”

Okay, he had a point. She didn’t like this, but the key was to turn over the virus to him and see where he took it. Her slipping into his car meant that the guys were going to follow.

Was Richardson really stupid enough to do her harm?

She had mere seconds to make this decision and she didn’t want to lose him. Not when they were this close to breaking this case wide open.

“I want my money.” She tried to look greedy and desperate.

“Then let’s go. This will only take a moment and you can be on your way. I just don’t want to do this so publicly.”

“I have a better idea.” The thought struck her. “I’ll follow you in my car. It’s the blue mustang right over there.”

Much safer.

She tilted her head back and he followed with his eyes, then looked back at her. “Ever the cautious one, aren’t you?”

“It’s what’s kept me alive this long, Mr. Richardson.

Not that I think you have any unsavory plans or anything, but I’m not really comfortable sliding into your car there and taking off to parts unknown. And can you blame me for that?”

Now it was his turn to consider. She waited.

“Very well,” he said. “We’ll only go a few short blocks.

Someplace a little less…populated, and with no cameras to implicate either of us.”

She nodded. “Fine with me. I’ll follow you.”

She pushed off his car and walked back to hers, hoping like hell the guys would figure out how to follow her without being seen, since she had no cell phone with her. She trusted them to know their job.

Richardson’s car pulled away and she followed, out of the parking lot and onto the main intersection. She kept watch behind her, but didn’t recognize any of the Wild Riders’ cars or bikes.

They were somewhere out there, though. She knew it.

“I hope you guys heard all that,” she said into the wireless mic hidden in the car.

True to his word, they didn’t drive far. There was a strip mall nearby and they pulled into that lot. She drove up next to him. The shopping center wasn’t very well attended, a lot of the stores closed, but at least he hadn’t led her into an alley. There were plenty of places for the guys to keep watch and pull into the lot should she need help.

Still, the venue had changed. She might just be on her own. As she saw it she had two choices here—walk away and lose the chance to follow Richardson after he got the virus in hand, or take a chance that he was on the up and up and simply didn’t want witnesses to them making the exchange. She was operating on instinct here, and she got the feeling that Richardson just wanted the virus.

She got out of her car and Richardson opened the back door, beckoning to her. A breeze had picked up, whipping her hair. She looked around, once again not seeing the guys. Still, she knew they were somewhere close.

They had to be.

She moved over to the car door.

“I need my man to pat you down, make sure you’re not wearing a wire.”

She expected that. That’s why the car and her bags were equipped with the wires for communication, not her.

“Fine.”

The driver did a quick pat down and nodded at Richardson.

“Where is it?” Richardson asked.

She leaned against the side of the car.

“In this bag.”

“Step inside the car, please.”

The driver held the door for her. She kept her distance.

“Tell him to get in the front passenger seat and I will. I want my door left open.”

Richardson shot her a look of utter exasperation, as if she was inconveniencing him. Too bad. But he did nod to his driver. “Do it.”

The driver moved around and slid into the front passenger seat, and Richardson scooted over to make room for her in the back. Only then did Lily slide into the seat vacated by Richardson, but she left the door open.