by Donna Raider
MARKED FOR MURDER
Book Three - Mika & Leah Cross Saga
by Donna Raider
©12/2019
Marked For MURDER
Book Three - Mika & Leah Cross Saga
by Donna Raider
©12/2019
Edited by Claudette Cruz
Cover by Joolz & Jarling
Julie Nicholls & Uwe Jarling
©12/2019 Donna Raider
www.donnaraider.com
ISBN: 9781650500713
Independently published
By Donna Raider
Marked for Murder is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
Copyright 12/2019 Donna Raider
All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means—mechanical, photocopy, electronic, recording, or any other, except for brief quotations in printed reviews—without prior permission of the author.
Dedication
To my bohemian who made me see the world through a kaleidoscope—bright and sparkling. You make me laugh. My world is a happier place because of you. You will always have a special place in my heart.
Forever,
Donna
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acknowledgements
A special “Thank You” to Julie Versoi for agreeing to be my Beta. Julie has been a godsend to me.
~~~
A huge “Thank You” to Julie Nicholls & Uwe Jarling for the beautiful cover.
~~~
PROLOGUE
It is best to read the first two books in this series A Twist in Time and A Twist of Fate before this one. Both are free for Kindle Unlimited readers. If you are not a member of KU, you can purchase the two-book set for the price of one book and download the entire story. If you want to jump right into this one, below is a brief synopsis of Books One & Two.
MIKA CROSS: An angel that has roamed the earth for over two-thousand years searching for the perfect mate. Mika is an entity that can be either male or female thus she can produce children with Leah. Mika found Leah in another life and fell in love with her. Mika was in the male form and Leah killed her. For hundreds of years Mika has searched for Leah across the centuries and throughout the world. She located Leah in the United States in the year 2125 and courted Leah as a woman. They have been married twenty-eight years and have children. They currently make their home in New York City where Mike is engrossed in her work with the church.
LEAH CROSS: The most powerful witch in the world Leah has learned to overcome her evil impulses and build a life with Mika. Hot-headed and passionate, Leah sometimes acts before she thinks. In the twenty-second century the word homosexual is obsolete. All persons freely marry whomever they chose with no social backlash.
With the church taking up so much of Mika’s time, Leah becomes bored and auditions for the lead role in a new TV crime series.
CHAPTER ONE
The light faded from the priest’s eyes as he watched the blood flow from his wrist and stain the white sheets. He wondered what people would think. Perhaps it was better this way.
##
The woman sat alone at the bar. Joe, the lounge’s owner, watched her from his vantage point at the end of the counter. How does a man get a woman like that? he thought for the thousandth time since his first encounter with her.
She wasn’t from the city. He could tell by the way she always stiffened and raised her chin when some man tried to engage her in conversation. She always politely informed them she was married. Although she did wear a wedding ring, Joe had never seen a husband.
She only frequented his establishment three or four times a year. More than likely, she was in town on business. He recalled the first time she had walked into his place.
She stepped through the door, stopped, and surveyed the establishment, deciding if the club was suitable for her. Joe had found himself relieved when she decided it was and took a seat at the bar. His establishment was an upscale lounge in an elite part of town. He was accustomed to seeing rich, well-dressed customers, but she was a real eye catcher.
Her designer clothes, purse, and shoes told him she was wealthy and had impeccable taste. They didn’t tell him how she made her living.
She was devastatingly beautiful. Her long black hair rested lightly on her shoulders, framing the most perfect face he had ever seen. Her full lips seemed to be perpetually suspended in a look that could quickly turn into the most glorious smile he had ever witnessed or the darkest scowl one could imagine. He always found himself striving to elicit the smile. He was certain her smile rivaled the opening of heaven’s gates.
He would do anything to see that smile. A small scar started just above her upper lip and disappeared into the soft redness of it. It made her beauty even more unique. He kept her favorite brand of wine in his cellar. It was very expensive. He remembered the first time she had requested it. No one had ever asked for a wine that expensive. He told her he didn’t carry that label. The disappointment that flashed across her lovely face made him want to cry.
The next day when she came in, he slowly slid the glass containing her preferred wine across the counter to her. He watched her grimace, slightly crinkling her nose as she graciously accepted the drink she knew was not what she wanted. He kept his eyes on her gorgeous face as she sipped the wine. The delighted, almost gleeful expression that accompanied her glorious smile made him stop breathing. Her dark brown eyes danced. Her smile revealed dazzling white teeth. She closed her mouth and slid her pink tongue across her red lips, savoring the taste of the wine. He had never enjoyed pleasing anyone so much in his life.
She’s the kind of woman for which a man would die or kill, he had thought.
He recalled when the blonde woman, almost as beautiful as the brunette, first entered his lounge and took a seat in one of the booths hidden in the shadows. The blonde watched the woman. Never taking her eyes from her, even when she ordered her drink
Joe served the blonde then refilled the brunette’s glass. Everything in him wanted to tell her it was on the house, but the price of one bottle of the wine would wipe out his profit for the week.
She rewarded him with another breathtaking smile. After half an hour—probably building her courage—the blonde woman casually walked to the bar and sat down beside her. She didn’t even acknowledge the blonde’s presence.
“Come here often?” the blonde asked.
“First time,” she said indifferently.
“There is a first time for everything.” The blonde smiled. In its way, her smile lit up the room as brightly as the brunette’s had.
The blonde leaned toward her, trying to strike up a conversation. “I can read minds, you know.”
“Hum.” She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Tell me what that man over there is thinking.” She nodded toward an Ivy League banker type then looked at the woman sitting next to her for the first time. Her eyes widened as she appraised her new companion. Obviously, she liked what she was seeing.
“He’s thinking that if I leave, he will make a move on you.” The blonde woman smiled. “He’s thinking that he would give anything to have a woman like you.”
“I doubt that.” The brunette smiled back, amused by the prediction.
“I can prove it,” the blonde said, grinning, “but let’s make this interesting. A bet: if I’m right, you will buy dinner.”
“And if you are wrong?” She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the blonde.
“I buy you d
inner.” She chuckled. “I win either way.”
“Dinner is all you want from me?” the brunette asked hesitantly.
“For now.” The blonde nodded as she moved from the bar stool to return to her table in the shadows.
As soon as she vacated the seat next to the brunette, Ivy League slid onto the stool.
“Hi.” Ivy League put out his hand. “My name is Randall Crawford. I’ve been admiring you all evening.”
“I am waiting for someone.” She didn’t even glance at him, just stared straight ahead, sipping her wine. “Please be so kind as to leave before they arrive.”
Randall quickly returned to the table he shared with his friends. “Whoa, she shot you down before you even went for your gun,” his friends teased him.
Randal smiled good-naturedly and took his seat. The icy coldness of the woman’s voice had told him not to waste his time.
The blonde woman returned to collect on her bet. Joe moved closer just in case she caused the brunette any trouble. He had no desire to fight the woman, who was a good two inches taller than he was, but he would, for her.
“I believe you owe me a dinner.” The blonde woman smiled.
Joe slowly slid the brunette’s bar tab toward her.
“I’m assuming you will take care of that.” The brunette nodded toward the bar tab. She smiled as she began walking slowly toward the door. Joe had never seen a woman walk so sensuously.
The blonde woman picked up the bar tab, raised an eyebrow, then counted eight one-hundred-dollar bills and tossed them on the bar.
As an afterthought, she tossed one more hundred on the counter. “For you.” She smiled, then quickly caught up with the brunette, placing her hand on the small of her back as she walked out the door.
Joe hoped the woman was wealthy. She would need it. The raven-haired beauty she was courting was obviously high maintenance.
Joe had been witnessing this weird mating ritual between the blonde woman and brunette woman for ten years. He called it a mating ritual. He wasn’t sure they had ever hooked up, but five years ago, he would have bet money the brunette was pregnant. She had shown, just the tiniest bit, and drank only water that week. He assumed they rendezvoused in New York three or four times a year. Joe always stocked her wine to be certain to have it whenever she came in.
They always ordered wine and talked as if they were just meeting for the first time. Not talked exactly, it was more like flirting. Sometimes they danced to the Oldies but Goodies he had retained on the jukebox just for them. Anything ABBA and The Platters. Their favorite was “Only You” by The Platters. They were incredible dancers. The kind that made one stop and watch just for the pure joy of witnessing something so perfect.
##
The next day, the brunette took her usual seat at the bar and ordered wine.
The entry of the blonde pulled Joe back to the present. Something was different about her. She immediately went to the brunette. She exuded excitement and did something Joe had never seen her do before. She bent, made deep eye contact with the brunette, and then kissed her soundly. “Sorry I am late, darling.” She smiled. “I thought they were going to rewrite the Bible. I finally left and came directly here.”
That’s what’s different, Joe thought. She’s wearing the clothing of a priest. Jesus Christ, the woman is a priest. No wonder she just dances around her.
“I’m going to change for dinner.” The priest kissed her again. “Don’t go away. We’re supposed to meet here.” She left.
“I had no idea your friend was a priest,” Joe tried to engage her in conversation. He could count on one hand the number of times she had participated in short conversations with him over the past ten years.
“Is your name really Joe?” she asked casually, changing the subject.
“No.” He laughed uneasily. “I just use the name. It is easy for people to remember. Names don’t matter, anyway.”
Joe looked up as a handsome man in his late thirties entered the club. He had an unruly shock of brown hair that insisted on teasing his forehead no matter how often he pushed it back. Spotting the woman, he walked toward her. The man put his arm around her and bent down to kiss her cheek. Her joy at seeing him was undeniable.
“Darling.” She stood from her seat and embraced the man in a full-frontal hug.
Must be the husband, Joe thought. It should get interesting when the priest returns.
“Mika will be here soon.” She motioned for the man to sit beside her at the bar. “Her meeting ran very late tonight.”
“Mom, you look beautiful.” The man beamed at the woman. “You have that glow about you. The one you get when you are…”
“I am.” The woman laughed. “Please drink this.” She pushed her glass of wine toward him.
She turned to smile at Joe. “May I have a glass of water, please?”
The priest entered the club, her eyes dancing at the sight of the other man.
“Mika.” The man stood to hug the priest. “I’m so glad you and Mom could have dinner with me tonight. Wow, I miss you and my brothers and sisters so much. I can’t wait until school is out for the summer.”
Joe felt as if he had stumbled into the Twilight Zone. The three people in front of him had to be within five years of each other in age. No way could the incredible brunette be the mother of the man. For the first time, Joe noticed the wedding band on the priest’s hand. This gets better and better, he thought.
“Where are we dining tonight?” The brown-haired man grinned. “Mom just told me the good news.” He slapped the priest on the shoulder. “Congratulations.”
“Your mother has selected her favorite French restaurant tonight.” The priest blushed at her son’s felicitations. “You know, I am getting tired of doing all the heavy lifting. It is about time you gave some thought to making us grandparents.”
“I beg your pardon.” The woman laughed out loud. “You do all the heavy lifting?”
It was the first time Joe had ever heard genuine laughter from her. It was as if the heavens had opened and angels were singing. He could see her laughter affected her companions the same way.
“Well, maybe not all of it.” The priest bowed her head and peered up through long lashes. A shy smile played on her lips. She looked like a naughty little girl trying to get forgiveness. The look on the brunette’s face told Joe she would forgive her wife for anything.
“I do have those three awful months,” the priest mumbled softly.
“Every five years,” the brunette teased. “Poor baby.”
All three laughed and continued talking.
“That is what I wanted to discuss with you.” The man smiled. “Come, we can talk over dinner.”
The priest placed more than enough money on the bar to cover their tab and all three bid Joe good night.
Joe would have given anything to be a part of their dinner party. He suddenly realized that he had learned more about the couple in the past hour than he had learned in the past ten years.
He found himself wondering about them. Obviously, their continuous charade in his club was role play. Where did they live? What did they do? They had children, how many? Why were they in New York?
He realized that he knew nothing about them. He had always held on to the hope that they would pay a drink tab with a credit card, but they always used cash. He didn’t even know their names.
He had considered following them one night but feared they would see him and stop frequenting his establishment. Although he only saw them for a week, three or four times a year, he knew they would leave a big hole in his life if they disappeared. So, he was content to glean any information he could learn from them, whenever they were in the lounge.
Joe had expanded his lounge to double its size and planned to open an upscale restaurant within the next few months. Although it was crazy, she had been the impetus behind his decision to do so. He wanted to offer them a reason to stay longer in his establishment. He wanted them to come there to dine, not
just for drinks and dancing. He wanted to know all there was to know about them. They were beautiful. They were delightful. They were so much in love. He had an insane fantasy that they were immortal. It made him happy just to watch them.
##
The next day, the young man walked in alone.
“Welcome.” Joe smiled his most engaging smile as the man slid onto the barstool. “What may I get you?”
The man looked around the club then looked at Joe.
“They haven’t come in yet,” Joe informed him.
“Wine.” The man smiled. “The kind Mom drinks.”
Joe nodded then opened a new bottle. With all of them drinking this, I will need to stock more, he thought. He sent the waitress to the wine cellar for two more bottles of the fine wine.
He held out his hand to the man, “Joe Mize,” he introduced himself, hoping the man would do the same.
The man smiled, shaking his hand. He said nothing.
“Your parents are running a little late,” Joe continued as he poured the wine.
The man laughed. “That is not at all unusual for them.”
A young brunette hesitantly walked into the lounge. The man immediately went to her. “Rebecca.” He smiled, taking her hand and leading her back to sit beside him.
Joe noticed that she looked very much like the woman he’d admired for the past ten years. She had the same dark hair and eyes. She was pretty, whereas the woman was earth-shattering gorgeous.
“Mom and Mika are running a little late, but will be here soon,” he informed her with a smile. “May I order a glass of wine for you?”
Rebecca nodded and slipped onto the barstool next to him. He signaled for two glasses of wine.
“My parents are so excited to meet you.” The man grinned. “They were afraid I was a confirmed bachelor.”
The girl laughed softly. “I hope not,” she said.
