The Risqué Target (33 page)

“What are you sorry for, for taking a bullet for me? If it wasn’t for you, I'd be dead.” She wondered why he looked so distraught.

“I talked to Nancy Reich, they knew it was Gabe who set up that last bomb, but they needed to find out who was behind him. She thought it was strange after all this time, Hark suddenly offering such a hefty price to find the Rowan files for HAARP. You were Gabe’s backup plan. He used your PIC number to get the information to set up the bomb, and he probably got that VISA card under your name. Hark must have hired him, and it was my fault. He wanted revenge on me, and because of it, you were almost killed.”

Nala shook her head. “Hark's messed up, Tantum. He got it in his head that you wrecked his life, and he just couldn’t let it go.”

He ignored her, rifling through his thick, wavy hair, “Gabe didn’t own this hunting lodge. Hark did. That's how he knew we were here. The sick bastard, I think he wanted to wait for us to be together to kill us.” He paced the room twice before coming back to her. “Nala, I didn’t tell you about Gabe last night because I wasn’t sure how'd you take it. I wanted one night with you before I told you the truth. But when I realized you weren't going to leave me in that basement, I was glad I hadn’t told you. I needed to get you out of there, even if I had to piss you off to get you to cooperate.”

“I couldn’t have left you there,” she admitted. Even after she found out he'd killed Gabe, she never could've left Tantum to die. She’d felt it in her bones that if he’d done it, he’d had a good reason. She rose to her feet. “Tantum, come here.”

He stopped his pacing and viewed her from the corner of his eye. “I don’t want you living like this. NESA put you into danger trying to cover their asses with Gabe, and they did it again to solve this damn case.”

Taking her time, holding his weary eyes, she walked over to him. “Are you trying to say you do care about me?” she challenged, stopping directly in front of him.

“Yes, damn it,” he said, brushing his knuckles lightly over her cheek. But, she only stood spellbound. Tantum raised a brow. “But if you want to get technical, allow me to clarify it for you, Nala Dekker,” he said, just as he had back at the airport when they’d argued over the color pink. His blue-green eyes sparkled as his smile reached them. He wrapped his arm around her and drew her into his body. “Sweetheart, I'm crazy about you, and I love you.”

Nala's heart stopped, and she struggled to find her voice. “You… You love me?” she asked.

A smile warmed his handsome face. “Are you suffering from a case of the terrible twos? Do you need to hear it again?” Not waiting for an answer, he kissed her softly, twice. And when he looked down at her, his eyes twinkled with affection. “I love you,” he said, and again, and again her heart skipped at the words.

“For ten years I was stalked by someone, and because of you, I don’t want to be that man anymore.” He kissed her, and Nala felt her knees weaken. He must've, too, for his arms tightened around her.

“Tantum…” She tried to catch her breath, her heart, from the kiss.

“Yes, sweetheart? Is there something you want to tell me?”

Welcoming it for the first time, she smiled at his cocky, all-too-knowing grin. Not believing what she was about to say to the cold-blooded killer she'd hunted for three years, she let the words come out. “Yes… I love you, too, Tantum Maddox.”

****

One year later.

Nala glanced up from the laptop as Tantum walked into the living room. He'd never be a fixed object like the sofa or the microwave, something you didn’t pay attention to when it wasn’t in use. Her husband was magnificent. “She's asleep,” he said in a husky whisper, speaking of their three-month-old daughter, Jenna.

Nala smiled at him, at this good father, this husband of hers.

They had both resigned from NESA. Nala was enjoying staying at home with Jenna, and Tantum was busy opening up their private investing company, which meant he was home for dinner… well, most of the time.

Nala planned to join Tantum when Jenna started school. In the meantime, while Jenna took naps or while Tantum was home spending some quality time with his daughter, Nala tried to keep busy.

“I didn’t know your mother was an interior decorator.” She glanced up at Tantum as he closed in on her in nothing more than a pair of jeans. Her eyes gobbled him up. “There's an article on the web about her. She believed a room should reflect who you are, your soul. Her room, the one with the paintings, is beautiful. I kind of get a sense of who she was from it.”

“Nala,” Tantum said, hushing her, “I'm thrilled that you want to know more about my mother but,” he went on, dropping his voice, “did you hear what I said? S
he's asleep
,” he whispered again, hinting at the obvious, infrequent alone time.

“Let me just—” she started to say but was cut short by Tantum's stolen kiss. When Nala impulsively leaned in for her second kiss, he pulled back, a devious grin slithering onto his wicked mouth. “Oh no you don't,” she said in disbelief. “You're not going to stoop to that, are you?” She was already feeling the anxiety from wanting, needing that second kiss as she watched him start for the stairs.

Stopping on the first step, he glimpsed over his shoulder. “You want it? Come and get it,” he taunted before making his way up the stairs.

Nala closed the laptop and followed after her husband for her kiss.

She paused at the door to their bedroom and looked around the room, thinking about what she'd read about his mother. The walls were red, like the heat and passion inside of Tantum. The baseboards, dresser, and bed were all black reflecting his darkness, and then there was the painting. She walked up to it.

“What are you doing?”

Nala felt the warmth of his breath brush her neck. She loved her husband, and guilt slipped to her gut. “I have a confession to make,” she said and turned around, uncertain as to how he was going to respond to her little admission.

Frowning already, Tantum asked, “What?”

Nala bit her lip but figured she should just come out with it, like a shot of whiskey, quick to lessen the burn. “I went to see Valerie Barton today,” she rushed out the words.

As expected, his frown turned to an angry scowl. “Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to get her to tell me where she hid the lost Michelangelo painting. I told her I wanted to give it to you as an anniversary gift.”

For some reason, he found a sudden humor in her declaration. She didn’t know if she should be perturbed or happy about the unexpected change in his demeanor. He chuckled, “And did she tell you?”

“No.” Her face skewed as she decided perturbed was definitely the appropriate response to his jovial expression. “She said she didn’t have to because she already told you where it is.”

Tantum shook his head. “Nala, that's what Valerie does. The bitch plays games.” He laughed again, making her feel like a foolish little girl.

Annoyed, she placed her hands defensively on her hips. ”Well, have you ever asked her where it is?”

Sobering slightly, perhaps noting her irritated gesture, he said, “Yes.”

“And?” she bantered back.

“She rambles on, something about my soul,” he said.

“Tell me exactly what she says.”

Taking a deep breath, he glanced up at the ceiling, deep in thought. “Look under the…” He shifted his eyes back at her. “No wait. That's not it,” he said.

Nala watched him working through it, rolling his fingers over his thigh until finally he flicked a brow. “Look beyond the portal of your soul. That's what she always says when I ask, but it means nothing. She's in jail. She has all the time in the world to think about her senseless riddles, and it amuses her to mess with me,” he said.

“No, it means something, Tantum. I met the woman. She's smart. I just need to think about it for a second.” She tapped her finger on her lips.

“She's not worth your thought, sweetheart. Let it go,” Tantum said.

Nala raised her brow and smirked at her husband. “Valerie Burton is smart, but I'm smarter,” she said. Like The Iris Flower, Nala, too, is in love with Tantum Maddox.

She knew exactly what Valerie was talking about: the portal to Tantum's soul. Nala knew precisely where it was, and his mother apparently had, too. She turned to the painting on the wall. The beautiful shades of Tantum's eyes were displayed vibrantly upon the canvas.

Tantum moved to the side of her. “I know that look.” He spied her from the corner of his eye and asked, “What are you thinking?”

She didn’t answer him. she was still putting it all together, recalling the picture Valerie had sketched of Tantum, her Dark Angel, all done in charcoal, all but his eyes. She'd used the same splash of black slithers that his mother had in her painting, the same shades of blue. Valerie had been at Tantum's home all those years ago for a reason, and she was indeed an intelligent woman.
Had she placed what Tantum wanted most from her practically in plain sight?
“Help me take this down,” she said without any other explanation as she started to lift the heavy canvas.

He didn't question her and assisted with removing the picture from the wall. Tantum turned the frame over, and it was apparent the back of the painting had been tampered with. He crouched down, placed his fingers on the fringed end, and started to peel it back. His eyes shot up at Nala. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head with an awed amazement that tickled her insides. His profound, raspy voice praised, “You're good.”

“I'm good?” She slyly smiled, pleased with herself, able to give Tantum the perfect anniversary gift. “So what are you saying, Tantum Maddox? You've finally met your match?”

All her tease was lost to the sexy lure of his eyes as he stood up and pulled her into his arms. “I knew I'd met my match when I discovered that gun between your legs, when you surprised me with the knife in the elevator, when you found me and surrendered to me your treasured control.” He ran his hands up her arms and with the look of love in his eyes, he said, “You stole my heart a little bit each time until you succeeded in taking it all.“ He fastened his hand behind her neck, drawing her closer to him. “And now that we're in the bedroom, sweetheart, I say it's about time you pass that torch over to me. I've got some of my own taking to do.”

Nala's toes were already curling just thinking about the control her husband was about to take from her… and she wouldn’t have it any other way.