No One Lives Forever

The hum of the elevator broke his concentration. Yet he persisted with the blade, cutting at angles to battle his relentless adversary. Vertically down . . . then up in fluid motion. A decisive thrust, forward and back. Rotating his attack, he quickened his cuts.

As the elevator came to rest on the second floor, its wooden freight doors rattled open. He heard her step onto the dojo floor. Almost imperceptibly, the wooden planks echoed her approach.

His blade came to rest in his right hand. In a single motion he resheathed the weapon when she drew closer. And as she instructed, he kept the blindfold in place, awaiting the cool touch of her fingers.

He wasn't disappointed.

'Good timing. I missed you,' he said in a hushed tone. His words echoed in the stillness of the large chamber.

Without a word, she placed both hands on his broad chest, splaying her fingers across his muscles. Slowly, she moved down his taut stomach. Minus his eyesight, the move caught him by surprise. He gasped.

'That feels good.' His chest heaved in an increasing rhythm. His reaction had more to do with his excitement at having her so near—and the prospect of what would follow. He had lost himself in the moment. Forgetting his discipline, he pleaded, 'Don't stop.'

He gulped air, almost choking on his hunger.

Still, she did not speak. Her tantalizing game. Instead she moved around to his back, trailing the tips of her fingers up his arm and across his shoulders. Cool satin floated over his inflamed skin. Her nails prickled his body with anticipation. Christian felt a subtle difference in the way she touched him. Raven was usually more direct. The woman's desires matched his need, but this teasing-prolonged fore-play stimulated all his senses. A new level of sensuality. Amazing!

Silence fueled his imagination as he conjured up erotic images of Raven, the blindfold enhancing his perception. Vivid mental pictures spawned from his memory. Creamy pale skin and enticing curves of flesh tempted his lips. Dark hair and hypnotic eyes shoved reason from his brain, compelling his body to react. And as her finger traced his left nipple, making it constrict, blood rushed below his waist and hardened him with a familiar sensation.

God, this woman knew bow to punch his hot button! His brain raged with pleasure.

'Awhh . . . yes,' he gasped. Her hands found the clasp to the sword belt. She undipped it and released the weapon.

'Oh God, Raven. You're driving me insane. How long do I have to—' Before he finished his question, the distant sound of a slamming door distracted him.

'Those stairs are murder. Why didn't you leave the elevator—'

He recognized the voice. Even from under his blindfold he knew something was terribly wrong. And a loud crash confirmed it.

'What the hell!' he bellowed.

'Am I interrupting something?'

The distinctive voice and sarcasm of Raven Mackenzie came from across the room. Christian spun toward her as he yanked the blindfold over his head. He found himself staring at an angry woman wearing a gun and badge. Hands on her hips, she stooci over a bag of groceries strewn across the floor. Eyes flared.

'How did you—' He knew by the look of her. For Raven to have been his seductress, she would have to possess skills in teleportation. She had just stepped through the outside entrance off the fire escape using a key he'd given her as backup if the elevator was out of commission.

A woman's voice came from behind him.

'I am sorry for my innocent deception. Seeing you in that blindfold, I could not resist.'

He turned his head to gaze upon a familiar face marred with a nasty bruise on her left cheekbone. The beautiful Asian woman slipped a hand conspira-torially through his arm.

'Innocence and you parted company long ago, lady,' he said. 'I don't appreciate you barging in here.' He yanked his arm from her in protest and stepped aside. His reluctance only amused his intruder. And she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it.

'And I thought you and I were such good friends.' Her eyes appraised him. 'It's nice to see you in daylight, my love. You are even more handsome than I remembered.' The woman smiled like an accomplice, no doubt enjoying her hoax. Dressed in a vivid red silk pantsuit, she looked stunning with her dark features and shoulder- length black hair. 'And you are well skilled in the art of Kenjitsu . . . among other things. This pleases me.'

Sidestepping a carton of cracked eggs and a melon, Raven narrowed her eyes in disbelief and bounded across the floor in record time.

'I've got skills too, and I'd sure like to demonstrate a few, but by the looks of your face, someone beat me to it. Pun intended.' Raven stepped closer to the woman, standing nose-to-nose. 'Must be your charm. So who the hell are you?'

Raven's ploy had little effect, despite her attempt at intimidation. Jasmine only returned her glare, not backing down. Having seen the deadly assassin in action, Christian would not have expected otherwise.

'My name is Jasmine Lee. Although I did not share my identity at the time, Christian remembers how we met, don't you?' She shifted her gaze to him, her eyes taking in the length of his body. The gesture added fuel to an already blazing fire.

Not one to back down, Raven inched closer. But before she voiced an opinion, Christian interceded by answering the woman's question.

'Yes, I do,' he said, his voice tempered by the gratitude he felt. In reaction to a memory, phantom pain radiated from the scar on his belly, a souvenir from his brush with death nearly a year ago. 'I owe her more than I can ever repay.'

'I'm glad you remembered, lover . . . and that you are so very grateful.' She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. 'I was afraid your memory might be a little . . . vague on some points.'

He understood the underlying meaning in her cryptic message—heard it loud and clear.

He could tell by her expression and the innuendo in her voice. Jasmine suspected he hadn't told the complete truth about what happened. Being a cop, Raven wouldn't have understood why he kept his involvement with an assassin to himself. Their pact had been unspoken, for they both had killed that night. He understood his motivation, but why Jasmine killed was still a mystery.

In the meantime, ground rules had to be set.

'No matter how grateful I may be . . . that doesn't mean you can barge in here unannounced. I don't appreciate your head games.' He pointed a finger at Jasmine. His raised voice reverberated off the walls. 'So knock it off.'

Slowly, she nodded in acknowledgment, making a graceful gesture with her hand. A sign of her concession. But the smile lingered, flavoring her truce with a heaping dose of ridicule.

'I have come to collect on my marker. You owe me, Christian. And I am afraid no is not an option. I do not have the luxury of time on my side.'

Something in the woman's eyes changed, almost imperceptibly. He heard the urgency of her message. Yet laced between her words, he found an intriguing vulnerability. And in that instant the all too familiar sensation of dread and nervous energy gnawed deep in his gut. This couldn't be a good sign.

Something was terribly wrong in Jasmine's world— something frightening and out of control. Whatever it was, he had a feeling it would turn his world upside down.

CHAPTER 3

Although the woman kept her distance, the room could never be large enough for Raven's preference. While Christian's shower rumbled in the background, Jasmine Lee wandered through his home, leafing through books and handling his personal photos like she belonged. Nothing could be further from the truth. Underneath vivid red silk, the woman's body moved with sensuality, displaying an enviable feminine confidence.

Jealousy reared its ugly head. Raven conjured up a million ways to undermine that confidence with a liberal dosage of Fear Factor reality TV. Slithering worms and roaches, steep cliffs, and meaty