Fire and Ice - Anne Stuart [42]
“Never mind,” he said in a resigned voice. “I knew you weren’t going to do what I told you to. Let’s get out of here.”
“We’re going to Osaka?” Her voice sounded husky with unshed tears, and she quickly cleared her throat.
He shook his head. “No. They’ll be watching the trains now. We’re not going anywhere. But you’re going to have to do what I tell you or I’ll tie you up and put you there.”
“Promises, promises,” she said, feeling absurdly lighthearted. It didn’t matter that he was a son of a bitch who found her a royal pain in the ass. He was alive, and she was staying with him. At least for now.
He just looked at her, and then suddenly she thought better of being playful. Better not pull the lion’s tail. Reno was just a little too dangerous, even to her. She needed to remember who he was and what he was capable of.
“Did you kill them?” she said.
Reno didn’t answer at first. “Who do you mean?” he said finally. “Kobayashi and his buddies? No. I just caused enough of a distraction to get the hell out of here. You’re lucky I didn’t trust you, or you’d be stuck here alone.”
“I count my blessings,” she muttered.
“You can count them later. Let’s get out of here before someone else decides to come looking.” He held out his hand, and she took it. Strange, the warmth and strength of it, his long fingers wrapping around hers. He didn’t seem to notice.
He stole another car, of course. This time she watched him do it, aghast at how easy he made it seem, and a few minutes later they were careening through the nighttime traffic at horrifying speeds, and all she could do was hold on, since the seat belt wasn’t working.
“Where are we going?” she managed to ask as he rounded one corner on what seemed like two wheels.
“I’m taking you to a friend’s apartment where you can shower, change your clothes and sleep in a decent bed while I go talk to my grandfather again. He needs to know that Kobayashi is in on it. Maybe this time he won’t treat me like an idiot. Though, knowing my grandfather, I’m not going to hold out hope.”
“And what’s your friend going to think?”
“He won’t be there. It’s the safest place I can think of—the only person who knows of its existence is Taka.” He sped up, narrowly missing a small delivery truck, and took another sharp right. She closed her eyes and prayed, not opening them till he slammed to an abrupt stop.
She staggered out of the car, sank to her knees on the sidewalk and flung her arms out, crying, “Land!”
Reno was not amused, coming up behind her and hauling her up. “I know how to drive.”
“You and Dale Earnhardt.”
“Who’s Dale Earnhardt?”
“Race-car driver. Died in a car crash,” she said. She looked up at the plain, blocklike building. There was a row of narrow balconies along one side, and futons were hanging over many of them.
“I’m going to try to find out where the hell Taka is. Things are in too big a mess right now—I don’t know who can be trusted. As soon as I do, I’ll dump you.”
“Lovely,” she muttered. “And I’ll appreciate being dumped. Are we going to stand here trading insults?”
“No. You go first. Just in case someone’s figured out about this place. Who the hell knows—maybe there are more Russians on the way.”
“You sure you want me to be on the front line of fire? I thought you were supposed to protect me?”
“I’m beginning to think it’s more trouble than it’s worth.”
She pushed open the door, faced with a long flight of narrow stairs running along the outside of the building. “Three flights up,” Reno said. “No elevator.”
She wisely kept her thoughts to herself, trudging up the stairs. He was right behind her, and if he’d been interested, he could be watching her ass, but he wasn’t interested.
She was only slightly out of breath when they reached the third floor. At this point he pushed past her, his body brushing hers, and she felt her pulse quicken, the blood rushing to places it had no business rushing. At least she could manage her poker face.
He unlocked the anonymous white door at the end of the corridor, kicking off his cowboy boots with more