by Lisa Daniels
He had been his brother’s keeper for far too long. Maria’s words reverberated in his head.
“What’s he going to do next time he’s in a jam, Alex? Are you always going to be there for him, watching over him, driving the getaway car?”
Alex inhaled and nodded, dropping his gaze away from his twin. He suddenly couldn’t bear to look at him any longer.
“Davis has been in the Dominican Republic since you went away. He’s coming home to see Amanda on Sunday.”
Andrew’s smile widened and Alex couldn’t be in the same room as him anymore.
Never mind that Andrew was in his house.
Alex needed some air.
Without another word, he fled his own property, inhaling deeply as he pushed his way out into the sunlight.
He didn’t notice Luke Rivers parked against the curb across the street.
~ ~ ~
The detective was growing tired of waiting for Maria Margolis to call him. Moreover, he found himself longing to hear the sound of her voice.
Luke had been living out of his car since the incident at Twisted Tomato, Jessica having banished him from his own house and forbidden him from seeing his own children.
His sanity was growing brittle but he knew he couldn’t stop on his quest.
I need to know who he’s talking to. I need to know what’s happening in his therapy sessions. I need to talk to Maria. I need to get the footage in the house. I need so much!
He couldn’t take it anymore. Maria needed to decide if she was helping him or not.
He picked up his cell and dialed her home number, blocking his number. He knew she wouldn’t answer if she saw his name appear.
“Maria, it’s Luke,” he growled when she picked up.
The long silence was deafening in his ear and he felt his hands close tightly around the steering wheel.
That bitch should be happy to hear my voice.
“Why are you calling me?” she asked coldly. “I told you I would call you when I had decided what I wanted to do.”
“The clock is ticking,” he told her tightly. “I can’t wait anymore. You need to shit or get off the pot.”
“Classy,” she snapped. “Stop calling me.”
“You’ll do as you’re told!” he roared, spittle forming around the corners of his lips.
She laughed coldly. “You’re hardly in a position to force my hand, Detective Rivers,” she hissed. “Don’t call me again or the answer will be a definitive no.”
Luke clenched his palms against the steering wheel of the rental car he had been driving to follow Blaise. After his Bronco had been detected, he could not risk that Andrew would see him again in his own car.
She thinks she has the upper hand on me, he thought furiously. She thinks I am just going to sit around waiting for her, but she’s got another thing coming.
“You have until tomorrow to set up those taps.”
“Or what?” Maria snarled. “What can you possibly threaten me with?”
“I think you know exactly what I’ll do,” he retorted. “I’ll drive myself directly to the board and have your medical licence revoked personally.”
He heard her inhale sharply and suddenly he realized she had hung up the call.
A small smirk played on his lips as he tossed the cell onto the passenger seat.
Now she’ll see who’s in charge, he thought smugly.
~ ~ ~
“What are you doing here?” Maria demanded, her eyes widening as Alex pushed his way into the house, slamming the door behind him. Before she could regain her footing, he swept her up in his arms, his lips crushing against hers.
“Alex…” she breathed, pulling back to stare at him with huge eyes. “This isn’t right—”
He silenced her, grabbing a handful of her dark tresses and pulling her head back, exhaling as she relaxed in his arms. His mouth made its way down the contours of her neck, inhaling the sweet smell of her perfumed neck.
His hands were possessed, pulling at her tank top, his fingers trailing over the firmness of her breasts, his mouth moving lower to embrace her nipples.
Suddenly, he scooped her into his arms and stepped into the sunken living room, laying her upon the bearskin rug before the unlit fireplace. Her shirt and bra made a trail from the foyer, followed by her jeans, and Alex swept her long, smooth thighs over her shoulders.
In his hurt and desire, he sank his tongue deeply into her core, lapping at her eagerly, wanting to hear her cry out as his palms kneaded her curvy rear.
Maria arched her back upward into him and his hands encircled her slim waste, drawing her further against his face as he tasted her deeply.
She struggled to sit up, watching him with huge, awed eyes and he stared intently at her until her breaths became quick, hard gasps and her head fell back.
Hands curling into the softness of the rug, she bucked wildly, exploding against him, and Alex drank every drop of her before gently placing her down.
He sat back on his haunches, unzipping his pants before repositioning himself above her. Their gazes locked and Alex felt a rush of desire as he stared at her, wanting to drink in the moment forever.
Then, she was atop him, her full breasts in his face as she cried out, taking him in fully.
Alex did not have the resolve for gentleness at that point and thrust into her fully, relishing her loud cries of passion.
Quivering, Maria fell to the side, her body too weak to sustain her own weight, and she lay panting at his side.
“Where the hell did that come from?” she finally gasped, turning to face him.
“You’re beautiful,” Alex answered simply. “And so intelligent. I just wanted to show you how I feel about you.”
Maria arched an eyebrow and half-laughed.
“Are you trying to distract me from the fact that you’re running for Mexico with your brother?” she asked and Alex could hear the hurt in her voice.
“I was never going anywhere with my brother,” he replied quietly. “I want to thank you, by the way.”
“Thank me?” she echoed. “What for?”
“You’re right. I have been watching over my brother for our whole lives. He has chosen to live like this and I can’t chase after him anymore. Look what a mess he has made of our lives in two months. If I keep covering for him, I will never be free of him.”
“You would have seen it soon enough,” she told him. “It’s difficult when your brother is the one pulling the strings. Family has the worst hold on you.”
Alex gave her a wary smile. “You don’t know the half of it,” he sighed.
“So, tell me,” she replied quietly. “Tell me the half of it.”
Alex bit on his lower lip.
It wasn’t the right time to confess who they really were, not yet. He would tell her the truth later, after this mess with Davis was resolved once and for all.
Then I can tell her about our dragon blood.
“Alex?” she urged. “What is it?”
“I told him today that I am done,” Alex told her.
Maria sat up in surprise. “What did he say?”
“I basically gave him an ultimatum: the money or me. He chose the money.”
Maria crawled toward him, placing her hand on the back of his neck.
“He doesn’t see it yet, but he will,” she promised. “He’ll realize that you were the best thing that ever happened to him, Alex. Hopefully by then it won’t be too late for you two.”
“I think it might already be too late for us two.”
“You never know,” Maria said lightly. “So, what are you going to do about Davis?”
“I told Andrew where to find him.”
Maria looked at him in panic. “Is that safe, Alex? What if Davis reacts? That could go very badly.”
Alex shook his head. “Not if you are on board with what I have planned.”
Maria watched him curiously. “That depends on what you have in mind.”
“I want you to
call Rivers and tell him where to find Davis on Sunday.”
A flittering of emotions crossed over Maria’s face, finally resting on conviction.
“No,” she said slowly, gnawing on her lower lip. “I have an even better idea.”
~ ~ ~
“Dr. Margolis, Detective Spooner will see you now.”
The uniformed officer guided Maria back toward the upstairs offices and she followed, her heels clicking professionally upon the black tile of the station.
She was led inside the cramped corner office and a harried, redheaded detective looked up at her quickly before doing a double take.
“Dr. Margolis?” he gasped, rising to his feet. Instinctively, he tried to straighten his wrinkled shirt and adjust his tie as he greeted his beautiful visitor. “Please, sit down. Can I get you some coffee? Tea? Are you hungry?”
Detective Spooner was spilling all over himself and Maria gulped back a smile.
“No, thank you, Detective,” she said brightly.
“Oh, please call me Dave,” he said in a tone which was nothing short of begging.
“Dave,” she said, smiling. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, but I feel this is important and should be dealt with.”
“Of course,” he told her. “What is it about?”
Maria inhaled sharply. This was to be the last time she would speak these words as a doctor and she wanted to ensure they rang true. She had made a mess of the past few months, but when she thought about it, it had been a long time coming.
Her career had not been going where she had been expecting. Was she really helping people the way she had wanted to when she idealistically graduated medical school?
Luck had given her a thriving practice, but her days were filled with the resentful or the spoiled.
Her true calling was not in psychotherapy, at least not in Phoenix. When she walked out of that police station, she would climb into Alex’s Chevy and they would head to the airport. As she had promised herself, three weeks in Aruba were in order, but when she got back, her house was going up for sale and she and Alex would leave Arizona.
“I can do construction anywhere,” he told her. “You can do whatever you want. You have the education and the experience to own the world. You’ll know your calling when you find it.”
This happened for a reason. You allowed it to fall apart subconsciously because you never wanted this in the first place.
“Dr. Margolis? Is everything all right?” Detective Spooner asked, leaning across the table to peer at her inquisitively.
She forced a small smile on her face and nodded.
“Yes,” she replied quickly. “I am here because I am worried about a patient.”
“A patient?” Dave Spooner echoed. “Why are you worried?”
“I fear he is going to harm an old accomplice. You are probably too young to remember, Detective, but about fourteen years ago, there was a detective named Sam Curry who was murdered off-duty during the commission of a robbery.”
Dave blushed and shook his head.
“I am afraid that is before my time, Doctor,” he confessed. “But what does that have to do with your patient?”
“My patient was one of the bank robbers but he was not the shooter. He never named his accomplice and my patient has just been released on parole. He has been talking about finding this former partner and killing him.”
The detective’s eyes grew wide and he seemed to hang off her every word, his eyes widening with understanding.
“I see. What is your patient’s name?”
“Andrew Blaise. I am telling you this because I am genuinely concerned he is going to harm someone, you understand.”
“Of course, Dr. Margolis. What is the name of his accomplice?
“Davis Alonzo.”
Dave Spooner jotted down the information on a notepad in front of him and nodded.
“What else can you tell me about either one of them?”
“I suspect that Davis Alonzo was the shooter involved in Sam Curry’s death,” Maria rushed on. “But I can’t say for sure. I know that Davis has a girlfriend named Amanda Thurlow. Andrew Blaise has also made threats against her and I have warned Ms. Thurlow about them. She has informed me that Davis Alonzo is coming in from the Dominican Republic on Sunday and I fear there will be some sort of showdown between Blaise and Alonzo.”
Again, the detective bobbed his head.
“Now, I know this is a ‘what if’ scenario, Detective—”
“Dave.”
“Dave,” Maria continued. “And the police don’t operate that way, but in my professional opinion, something bad is about to occur here.”
Dave Spooner bit on his lower lip. “I will see what I can do, Dr. Margolis,” he told her earnestly.
“That’s not everything, Dave,” she sighed, cringing as the next words formed on her lips.
He stared at her expectantly.
“Andrew Blaise is currently filming a reality television show on West Van Buren. It is a halfway house filled with ex-cons. Everything you do will likely be caught on film and possibly aired for TV.”
“Yes! I heard about that!” Dave said excitedly and Maria knew she had picked the right detective for the job.
This is the world we live in now, she thought with some sadness. One where everyone wants to be a celebrity.
“This information is safe in my hands,” Dave assured her and Maria rose from her chair, extending a palm for him to take.
“I thank you for your time, Dave. Please keep me posted as to the outcome. I will be on vacation for the next three weeks, but I did not want to leave without saying something.”
“I appreciate your candor, Doctor,” he told her, rising and accepting her palm.
She turned and left the office, hurrying down the stairs and into the bright Arizona sunshine. She slipped inside the waiting car and Alex looked at her, his face slightly taut with anticipation.
“How did it go?” he asked nervously, his eyes darting toward the station as if he expected the SWAT team to come filing out.
She bit her lip. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” she sighed, taking her cell phone from her purse. “I just have to do one more thing.”
She scrolled through the contacts and found the number she was looking for, dialing out.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Detective Rivers. It’s Dr. Margolis,” she said crisply. “I just wanted to inform you that I have some information for you.
“Maria!” His voice was laced with happiness and she chewed on the insides of her cheeks to keep from screaming at him. “I’m really glad you called. I felt bad about the way we left things.”
“Are you listening?” she demanded, her neck stiff. Her eyes trailed toward Alex and she hoped he could only hear her side of the conversation.
“Yes, what is it?” he asked quickly.
“The man you’re looking for, his name is Davis Alonzo. He has been living in the Dominican Republic since the robbery. Andrew Blaise is meeting him at his girlfriend’s house on Sunday. Her name is Amanda Thurlow. Did you get all that?”
“Yes,” he replied and she could hear the scratch of pen to paper as Rivers took note. “Maria, can I see you?”
“Are you still following Blaise?” she asked flatly.
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “Can you meet me for dinner? I owe you an explanation for what happened—”
“Goodbye, Detective.”
She disconnected the call, feeling relieved with the finality of her words.
She gestured for Alex to drive and as they exited the parking lot, the phone began to ring again.
Maria rolled down the window and tossed the device onto the side of the road.
She wouldn’t be needing that anymore.
“You know what occurred to me?” she said, turning to Alex as they headed onto the interstate.
“What’s that?”
“You could have found out everything you needed
about Davis without me. You could have tapped your brother’s house or threatened Amanda Thurlow and gotten to the bottom of everything all by yourself.”
“Yes. And?”
“Why didn’t you?”
Alex smiled wryly. “Because I think I knew from the minute I laid eyes on you that I didn’t ever want to do anything without you.”
A deep warmth flushed through Maria and she nodded, unspeaking.
“Are you all right?” Alex asked her quietly and suddenly, Maria felt as if she were a hundred pounds lighter.
“Yes,” she answered honestly. “I don’t think I’ve felt so free in a long time.”
Alex grinned at her. “It’s about to get better,” her told her.
She eyed him, a soft beam on her lips. “I can tell,” she replied. Her brow furrowed as they missed the turn-off for the airport.
“Where are we going?” she demanded. “The airport—”
“We’re not flying to Aruba through the airport,” he replied softly.
“We’re not?”
Alex shook his head and a peculiar expression crossed over his face.
“Are we still going to Aruba?” she asked slowly.
He nodded. “Yes. And we’re flying…”
“I don’t understand,” Maria sighed, tired of all the secrets and mysteries.
“You will,” Alex promised.
Epilogue
“Hurry up, Mar! It’s going to be on in two minutes!”
“Just pause it,” she grumbled, rushing to fix the tray on the counter. “We live in a time of PVR.”
“Oh yeah,” Alex chuckled almost sheepishly. “Sometimes modern technology evades me.”
Maria paused and stared at him across the kitchen, her heart pounding at the words.
My lover is a dragon. An immortal shifter who was born three centuries ago.
True, she’d known this for months, but that didn’t change the fact that it was still incredible to her and it took her several minutes to collect herself as she caught her breath.
“Okay, PVR or not, I am dying to watch this,” Alex blurted out. “Please hurry.”
She grinned and hurried toward him, a plateful of snacks overflowing as she set the tray down on the coffee table.
