Passionate Obsession by D.M. Mortier
Chapter Fifteen
Katia
I came out of my self-imposed trance with my heart beating frantically and barely able to breathe. My astral-projected self settled shakily back into my aware body. The sight of Mac falling unconscious to the carpet propelled me from the bed and governed my actions now. Ignoring the loopy elasticity of my limbs, and my staggered, uncoordinated move to get out of the room, I made a determined path to the cockpit.
After screaming at the pilots and promising bloody retribution if there was not instant compliance, the jet returned to the tarmac in London twenty minutes after it had left the same private airstrip. The high-speed Kawasaki motorcycle was waiting on the tarmac as I demanded. Dressed in stretched dark jeans, a turtleneck sweater, and leather jacket, I climbed onto the motorcycle and spun violently onto the route the navigation system narrated.
Driving with reckless abandonment, I arrived at the location of the London flat in half the time the navigation system had mapped out. Armed only with the shield Imani had designed for me, I crept stealthily toward the ground-floor flat, arriving in time to see Giselle escorting Dr. William Everette and two men through the front door. There was a large black SUV waiting on the curb with two additional suits standing beside the vehicle. They were apparently with Dr. Everette. I edged in behind the visitors just before Giselle closed the door behind them.
“God, Mac, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?” I couldn’t help my exclamation at the sight of him splayed out on the floor. Helpless. Unconscious. I didn’t worry that the others in the room would hear me. Only someone in another shield would be able to hear or see me.
“He is rather big.”
I heard Dr. Everette’s awed words and wanted to smack the crap out of him for even looking at Mac. I watched in disbelief as the doctor and his goons cornered Giselle. I couldn’t care less about what happened to Giselle. That bitch deserved to suffer for her betrayal. I was more concerned about how I was going to get Mac out of here. I didn’t have Mac and the boys’ super strength, but I had to try. Using their absorption in each other, I activated Mac’s shield from the watch on his wrist.
“There’s no need for you to worry about Mr. McAllister and his possible associates.”
I heard Dr. Everette in the background. Things were not looking good for Giselle.
I bent my knees, got my arms under Mac’s shoulders, sucked in my breath at the stunning heaviness of his massive body, and dragged him with all my strength. The carpet and his leather jacket helped, allowing me to slide his dead weight out of the room and into the hall. I had just reached the front door when Giselle made a loud horrific scream. Hearing the furious hiss of the snake sent a cold shiver down my spine and propelled me to move faster. Her scream seemed to have caught the attention of her neighbors, and I could hear their frantic movements as several people called the Metropolitan police from the flats nearby. It only made me more anxious to get Mac out of there. I was operating on pure grit, determination, and fucking desperation.
I was breathing hard and sweating profusely after dragging Mac’s still unconscious body next to the motorcycle in the alley between the buildings. I sat on the dirty sidewalk with Mac’s head in my lap, alternating between kissing him on his forehead, his cheek and nose, and hugging him against my breast in shocking gratitude and pure exhaustion. That trek with Mac’s weight had been no joke! Listening to Mac’s steady heartbeat, I was so damn relieved to have gotten him out of William Everette’s clutches that I was almost lightheaded with it. I had never been more terrified in my life.
Not having a clue how I could possibly get Mac onto the bike or how long he would remain unconscious, I knew that the quickest way for me to get us out of there was to call a cab. I didn’t know anyone in London who could help us, nor did I trust anyone. Mac had trusted Giselle, who was supposed to be MI6, and she did betray him.
Extending my senses out, I could hear police sirens coming in fast and the hushed frantic search William and his goons were making to find Mac. “Check the surrounding areas! Make sure he hasn’t somehow gotten past you.”
Dr. Everette had to be talking to his men stationed outside the flat. They were forced to leave the flat or risk being caught with Giselle’s dead body. Yeah, my hearing told me that Giselle had stopped breathing mere minutes before.
I hugged Mac one more time before sliding out from under him. Having to move fast now to avoid being discovered by William’s goons and the police, I stood to drag Mac away from the motorcycle in case the goons saw it and came to investigate. However, Mac started moaning as he struggled to regain consciousness.
“Come on, honey. Please wake up.” I tapped his cheeks with quick sharp slaps to get him moving faster. I could hear the goons shuffling toward us.
“What the hell did that bitch give me?” Mac muttered irritably.
“Something to make you sleep. But we don’t have time for this. Dr. William Everette and his four goons are combing the area looking for us, and the Metro police won’t be far behind.”
Mac looked around, and I know he was using his senses too, gauging where the potential threats were. He looked at the motorcycle and then looked at me, his blue gaze burning fire. I couldn’t tell if he was pissed with me or Giselle. He staggered to his feet, but it was clear that he was in no fit state to fight or even ride the motorcycle.
Two of William’s men were approaching the entrance of the alley.
I climbed onto the bike. “Get on behind me,” I told him as I deactivated my shield. Leaving off my helmet, I wanted the men to see me as I started the ignition. Mac climbed on slowly behind me without protest, which shocked the hell out of me because I hadn’t been sure that he would. He slumped heavily against my back, draping over me with his large frame, almost covering me completely. I knew that he had no idea that he was wearing the shield, and I wasn’t sure he would be so complacent if he knew that he was protected but I wasn’t.
I roared out of the alley at breakneck speed, which had him holding me around my waist with a death grip.
“Wait!”
“Stop!”
There were varying shouts of people trying to get my attention or trying to make me stop. I ignored them all. I had gotten about half a mile before I realized that William’s SUV was in pursuit. The first sound of gunfire had me tensing for impact until I realized that Mac was draped over me, so unless they hit me in the head, I was safe. Well, not safe, but a smaller target. I smiled grimly at my own morbid thoughts.
After several minutes of tensing and ducking, I grew tired of being those bastards’ target practice. “Hold on!” I shouted to Mac as I made a sharp turn through a narrow street.
“Make a right turn here,” Mac instructed calmly.
I was so stunned to hear his voice that I didn’t hesitate; I blindly turned as he instructed.
“Turn here,” he said a few seconds later.
I had no idea where we were or where we were going, but I blocked everything else out and concentrated on keeping us on the motorcycle and upright. I was driving full throttle, weaving in and out of the busy London traffic. Dr. Everette and his men continued to pursue us, and they were soon joined by another SUV and three motorcycles, trying in vain to keep pace with our high-powered bike. The advantage we had on the bike was quickly diminished, as the other motorcycles kept pace with us, and I was beginning to think that there was no way for us to outrun or out-maneuver them.
“Turn left,” Mac barked abruptly.
I did, having to lean almost horizontal to the ground to achieve the sharp turn.
As soon as we made the turn, Mac leapt from the bike with me in his arms. “Activate your shield.” It was only then that I realized that the only reason I had been able to hear him before was because he had deactivated his shield.
Annoyed at him for putting himself in danger like that, I complied with his instructions, promptly, quickly, and with absolute trust that we would now both be safe. In our shields, Mac lifted me in his arms and ran in the opposite direction, even passing the motorcycles and SUVs pursuing us.
I guess I didn’t have to ask if he had regained full strength.
He came to a stop almost a mile away. Still in our shields, we stood in front of a large building and on a busy street, where people were rushing in and out of the building with two doormen in red and gold uniforms out front. Knowing that we were relatively safe and there was no chance of Dr. Everette and his men catching us, I focused on trying to hear the conversation in Dr. Everette’s car.
They were getting farther and farther away from us, but I could still hear his words clearly. I stiffened when Dr. Everette instructed his men to have all airports checked.
“We have to get back to the boys, Mac,” I said urgently. “They are going to start checking airports for us, and the boys are sitting ducks on the tarmac.”
Mac frowned down at me. “How do you know what they are planning? How the hell did you get here, anyway? How did you know where to find me? No one knew where I was going.”
“While all of those are lovely questions, we don’t have time for this right now. We need to move.”
Mac stared at me as though he wanted to argue further.
“Now, Mac,” I yelled. “Liam and Colin need us. They need you.” I suddenly realized that there was no way for us to get back to the airport together before Dr. Everette and his men. They had too much manpower to spread around. “You need to go to them, Mac. You can make it there faster than any vehicle in this traffic.” I stopped speaking, suddenly uncertain as I recalled that he had been drugged and probably was not restored enough to get to the airport almost thirteen miles away. At least, that’s how many miles I had traveled to get to him at Giselle’s flat. I had no idea where we were now.
“I can make it, but I don’t want to leave you out here, unprotected,” Mac said in a hard voice.
“I have the shield,” I reminded him. “I will get a cab and meet you at the airport.”
“No. If they are already looking for us there, I need to get the boys and come back and get you. Wait inside the hotel here. I will come back for you.”
“But—”
“Don’t argue. I have to go.” He tried to hug me, but I sidestepped his embrace. He looked at me questioningly.
“You need to go, remember?” I wasn’t ready to forget how pissed I was that he had put himself in danger in the first place.
Without another word, he took off in a blur, his feet seeming not to touch the ground.
I could only roll my eyes at the predictability of London as it started to rain. I went into the hotel that we had been standing in front of. Finding a comfortable armchair to wait in, I deactivated my shield and prepared for a long wait. I didn’t dare go into a trance to see what was going on at the airport. I had to keep my wits about me here.I must have fallen asleep, because some sick sense of danger must have woken me up.
Two men stood on either side of my chair, and Dr. Everette sat in another armchair facing me.
“Mrs. McAllister, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to see you again,” Dr. Everette crooned.