The two lackeys on either side of him chuckled in unison.

"I heard you put out a hit out on a middle-aged couple. Nice family, lived in the suburbs, had two daughters." Kara said.

"I didn't put out no hit on anybody!" Luciano said with an Italian accent.

"Yeah, you did, but it wasn't recent." Kara threw her badge book on the coffee table.

Luciano picked it up. "Detective Kara Everitt. I've heard of you. Big shot detective that took down my nephew Mancini. You got a lot of balls showing your face around here."

One of his lackeys whispered in his ear and his eyes widened. "Oh. Everitt. You were the rat that was put in by the police department back in 2009. I give you props. No one ever penetrated the Lucianos and lived to tell about it. Then again, you weren't going by Kara at the time, were you?" He slid her badge back to her across the coffee table. "You were going by . . ." He snapped his fingers and looked at the men beside him for the answer.

"Amanda," one of them said in a low voice, almost like a growl.

"Ah, yes. Amanda," Luciano said, his voice oozing with menace. "How are your parents doing? They seemed to be very nice people."

Kara stood, the lackeys immediately pulled out their handguns and pointed them at her.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," said Luciano, smirking.

Kara's gaze flickered around the room, trying to plan her escape. However, before she could, the elevator dinged. She turned around just in time to see the doors slide open.

"Michael!" she exclaimed.

Luciano and his lackeys seemed even more surprised than Kara about Michael's presence.

"I would put those guns down if I were you," Michael said, slowly moving across the floor toward them, his face hidden by shadows.

Luciano motioned for his men to put their guns down, but no one took their eyes off of Michael. "Kara, come."

Kara didn't hesitate a moment. She walked over to Michael, and together, they backed into the elevator. As the doors slid closed behind them and the elevator started its descent, Luciano's voice echoed in the elevator shaft. "I want her dead!"

Outside, Michael and Kara jumped into Michael's car and sped off. At first, Michael didn't speak, which made Kara even more nervous. She knew he was angry, and he had a right to be.

"I told you to wait," Michael yelled.

"I know. It was a bad move. You were right," Kara said as she stared out the window, watching the buildings fly past.

"Bad move? You could've died, Kara!"

"He's not as dumb as he sounds. He wouldn't shoot a detective in his own loft," she said, looking at her reflection in the side mirror.

"Yeah, he'll just put a hit out on you now." he snapped back.

"He already did," Kara said, smiling. "That car has been following us since with left."

Michael slammed on the brakes so hard that Kara would have flown out the window if she hadn't been buckled in. The car sat in the middle of the road, blocking Luciano's men from passing.

"I'll take care of them," he said.

"No, you're not going to kill them," she shouted, grabbing his arm.

He pulled away from her. "You're no fun."

She smiled at him "We're going to play an old fashioned game of cat and mouse,"

"I thought I was the crazy one," he said, that familiar mischievous twinkle appearing in his eyes once again.

"We can't go home. They'll follow us. I want them focused on me. Pullover here," she said.

Michael pulled up to a hotel just as a heavy downpour began and thunder clapped in the distance. They climbed out of the car, immediately becoming drenched from the cold, heavy rain.

They hurried inside to escape the weather and checked into the hotel. Kara insisted on a particular room, and it wasn't until they reached their room that Michael understood why. One of the windows overlooked Luciano's men.

"I can't believe they're sitting in plain sight," Kara said, looking out the window at them. "They sure are cocky."

"Kind of like someone else I know," Michael said as he smiled at her.

She looked away from the window and immediately realized just how long the night was going to be. Michael held his shirt in his hands, wringing out the water. His lean, muscular body, glistening with rainwater enticed her every sense.

"Um, I'm going to go dry off," she said,

Trying to avert her gaze from his body, she headed for the bathroom, but as she passed him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. She pulled back, and eventually, she found herself pressed between him and the wall. He rested his arm on the wall and leaned into her.

"Like what you see?" he asked, his gorgeous eyes traveling up and down her body. "I didn't tell you before but you're pretty hot when you're in detective mode."

Kara failed to find the words to say anything. She simply stared at him, desperately wanting to kiss him and to escape all at once. He leaned closer into her, and closer, and closer. His lips about to touch hers. Her fear overpowered her, and she ducked out from under his arm. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. He chuckled and walked over to the coffee maker and began to brew a pot. Kara had been right about one thing: it was going to be a long night, and caffeine would help.

Hours passed as the night dragged on. The mobsters remained, but sleep soon overpowered Kara. She fell asleep on the bed, but it didn't last long. Her all-to-familiar nightmare woke her with a cold sweat. "You're safe," Michael said as he sponged her forehead with a towel. "The nightmare?" he asked and handed her a glass of water. She nodded, gulping the water.

A loud rapping sounded at the door, startling them, and Kara nearly choked. The two of them jumped off the bed, their gaze glued to the door as if they were trying to see through the heavy wood. Michael moved closer, "Who's there?"