The hour was late, and despite Ryan's vigilant presence beside her, paranoia had taken root inside Felix's gut as they walked back to his apartment. She had called her parents while Ryan interrogated Andy, but her conversation had not gone as well as his. Her dad was furious that she had abandoned her studies at MIT and put herself and her family in mortal danger. Felix had endured her dad's angry outbursts plenty of times, but she'd never heard him use the word 'fuck'. By the end of their conversation however, his love won out, and he insisted she come home as soon as the police thought it was safe.

Felix held tightly to Ryan's hand as her creep-o-meter tweaked, glancing suspiciously at every person they passed, expecting to see the familiar face of an asshole, but all the assholes had been arrested, except for Hector and Jordy. While the thought of running into Hector and his whip was enough to force the blood to abandon her head, it was Jordy's absence that had her stomach roiling. The guy had been born without a conscience, or a brain - the perfect henchman, and dropping off the radar was completely out of character for him.

Despite her eagerness to get to Ryan's building, Felix slowed when they passed the parking garage where Precious had been parked. She wasn't about to ask Ryan to break Precious out of prison tonight, they were both beat, but she would definitely bring it up tomorrow. She missed having her friend close by. Not until Ryan closed the door to his apartment did Felix give in to her exhaustion, collapsing on the couch in a dramatic sprawl. She was damn thankful it wasn't a lice-infested cot.

Ryan deposited his gun on the table by the door and slumped next to her, lifting her legs over his lap. "I don't think I've slept in thirty-six hours, apart from a quick nap on the plane." He grimaced as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And I think the nap fucked up my neck."

"Why don't you let me give you a massage? I'm pretty good with my hands." She grinned at him and was treated to a model-worthy smile in return.

"You can put your hands anywhere you want on me."

"Why don't I start with your neck and work my way down." Still grinning, Felix sat up and took the bottom hem of his shirt in her hands, helping him out of it. Despite the fact that he claimed to have abandoned his workout routine, Ryan still had the pecs of a superhero, and she indulged herself, rubbing her hands over his chest and kneading the unyielding muscles. She leaned in and tongued one of his nipple's, teasing it with her teeth until he moaned.

"I thought you were going to start with my neck," he said, although he didn't seem to mind being licked.

"I'll get there." She pulled off her own shirt and ditched her bra, exposing her arousal. Leaning over him again, she dragged her breasts across his chest before gripping his shoulders and rotating her thumbs across them. Ryan helped himself to her breasts, using his thumbs to do the same to her nipples until they bristled with sensitivity. Her sex followed suit, throbbing and aching like she hadn't just enjoyed a healthy pounding in the bathroom of the downtown library.

"I like how you give massages," he said. "But, I have to say, it's a little distracting."

"Why don't I start at the bottom and work my way up, then?" Felix straddled him as she unzipped his jeans. Would he think she was a sex fiend if she suggested they go another round? She had never been accused of it in the past, but it seemed Ryan brought out her inner nympho.

While Felix occupied Ryan's mouth with her lips, she reached inside his briefs to stroke him. He felt so strong and vital in her grip, as if his lack of sleep had not hindered him in the slightest, and he soon became wet with precum. Yes. He wanted her again. A few short minutes later, their clothes were strewn across the floor, and Felix continued her pursuit of pleasure as she writhed against him, stimulating herself with his hardness.

"Felix, I hate to interrupt, but I need to get a condom from the bathroom."

"Just a minute longer, please." She dragged her tongue across his lips as she slid back and forth. This prompted him to take hold of her waist, and he guided her over his thick head until she was locked and loaded. "Dammit, Ryan. I can't believe how fast you get me off."

"Sit on my face and you can time me." Ryan lifted her up with his powerful arms, and she felt his warm lips touch her as she settled over his mouth. He plunged his tongue inside her, driving deep then backtracking, taking his fill and nearly unhinging her before sucking on her sensitive nub. With her hands pressed firmly to his temples, Felix panted as she rode the slow burn toward release.

"Fuck. Yes," she breathed as her legs trembled against his cheeks, climaxing with a spine-tingling shudder, and Ryan drew the juices from her lips until the last quiver vanished. Sated but still eager to feel him inside her, she retreating down his torso and lowered herself over him.

"Um, Felix..."

"I know. The condom. But the bathroom is so damn far." She didn't want to harsh her sex buzz. Her ears still rang from the rush of her orgasm, which was probably the reason the knock barely registered.

"Oh, what fresh hell is this?" Ryan said, glaring at the door.

"Ryan! You home?" A voice called from the outer hallway.

"Christ. It's Dave. What the fuck does he want?"

"You don't have to answer it," Felix said as she slid her hand up and down his length, still half delirious.

"Hey, Ryan. I need to talk to you about something. It's important." Dave's nicotine-abused voice beckoned, and Ryan slowly pulled out of Felix's hand, the mood having been harshed by his annoying neighbor.

"We are not done here," Ryan whispered as he sat up. "But I suggest you get dressed while I see what's so dammed important."

With her nerve endings sparking like a live wire, Felix tugged on her clothes while Ryan zipped his pants on his way to the door. He peered through the peephole, tucking his gun out of sight under a pile of envelopes. She heard him grumble, This better be good, as he undid the lock and yanked on the handle. This was followed by a loud thud, and Dave fell forward into the room, forcing the door into the wall as his body slumped over the threshold.

Ryan reached for his gun, but he was knocked back by a broad shouldered man armed with his own gun. The man snatched Ryan's gun from the table and shoved it into his back pocket.

"Jordy!" Felix cried out when she recognized the square jaw and hard lines of the man's face.

Jordy ignored Felix. He was busy backing Ryan into the counter. "Keep your hands where I can see them," he growled. "We're going to do this quick and easy, and maybe I won't kill you." Jordy called to Felix without taking his gun or his eyes off Ryan. "Felix, walk to the door and keep your hands up. You're not going to run. You're not going to scream. You're not going to attract attention to us in any way, or I will kill your boy toy here."

Felix's heart rate hit four hundred RPM's as she watched the scene unfold. Jordy had a short fuse, and his gun had a silencer. A bad combination. She shook her head at Ryan as their eyes met, giving him a signal that he shouldn't try anything heroic while she moved toward the door. Jordy backtracked, meeting Felix at the threshold, and they both stepped over Dave's unconscious body. She wanted to tell Ryan it was going to be okay, that she would escape like she had before, but she knew that wasn't likely. If Jordy was still working for Donovan, she was as good as dead.

By some miracle, a thought surfaced in her scattered brain as she retreated into the hallway. She still had the tooth-shaped transmitter in her pocket. No one had asked for it after the feds crashed the party at Donovan's island hideout. It was probably her best hope for survival. But how would she let Ryan know she still had it without giving away the secret?

"Ryan, you're my king and I'm your queen, and I still have your crown. I will keep it close."

"Shut up, bitch!" Jordy spat as he backed through the door. "Nice doing business with you FBI scum. And just to keep you occupied for a while, I'll leave you with a nice parting gift."

Jordy aimed the gun at Ryan's leg and pulled the trigger. Felix's heart leaped into her throat, stifling her scream as she watched Ryan slump against the counter. Before she could see exactly where the bullet hit, Jordy grabbed her arm and dragged her downstairs.