I slammed my fist against the rail in frustration. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was. If I proceeded with that plan, I’d have to contact Ash tomorrow because the full moon was only two days away. I could only imagine the fallout when he passed the information on to everyone, especially Jason. Oh, the anger, the frustration, and the betrayal they would all be feeling.
I pulled out my cell phone and looked at it. Time to get rid of it for good. I didn’t want any of my friends calling me after hearing what Ash had to say. Kieran might grow suspicious if my cell phone suddenly started ringing off the hook. Since I wasn’t allowed to contact them, I couldn’t even begin to imagine my punishment or Ava Rose’s if Kieran found out. I had to keep things under tight wraps and keep my emotions in check.
Finally, I made the decision to go for it. I’d drop the cell in the pool – accidentally. Then tomorrow, I’d contact Ash telepathically. Tell him about everything and explain why they’d need to utilize discretion and caution – Ava Rose’s life was at risk and so was mine. They couldn’t just come barging in, and they’d have to follow my explicit instructions. To be safe, I wouldn’t disclose my exact location, either. That would really piss everyone off.
Closing my eyes, I tilted my head back. The sun was hot, burning my skin. I liked the pain. This was nothing compared to what was to come. All the lies. All the lives affected. And now all the deaths to come, hopefully Ray-pacs. It certainly wasn’t going to be pretty. And the emotional fallout would be phenomenal. If I somehow survived this, would Jason ever trust me again? Would our relationship still have a chance? If we outwitted the Senior Council, that is. So many hurdles. I wondered how many I wouldn’t be able to clear. I couldn’t answer those questions. I just knew I had to do what must be done. Protect Ava Rose. Kill the Ray-pacs. And try to survive.
Shoving aside my worries, I rounded up Ava and took to the pool. We raced across the pool, dove off the diving boards, and competed for the biggest cannon ball splashes. Maya brought us lemonade and an assortment of cookies and then left us alone.
“Lexi, this is the best vacation ever!” Ava Rose said, as we settled ourselves into the lawn chairs next to the pool so we could enjoy our snacks.
“We’ve had lots of fun together,” I said, pulling my wet hair back out of my face – the chlorine scent strong.
“With Kieran too,” she said, eagerly taking a bite of her cookie. “Do you think you like him, Ash, or Jason the best?"
Shocked, I gasped and set down the glass of pink lemonade. “What do you mean?”
She laughed but her cheeks reddened. “Which one do you have the biggest crush on?” Tilting her head, she glanced at the floor and then looked at me shyly between her long lashes.
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” I said slowly, knowing full well it wouldn’t be wise to tell her the truth about Jason and me, yet. “Who do you like the best?” I asked curiously.
She sighed and munched on her cookie. “Well, they’re all really nice.” She pulled a raisin out of her cookie and dropped it back on the plate. “I love the ocean, and Jason takes me out on his boat. Ash’s motorcycle is fun, and he always tells the funniest stories.” She paused and rubbed her little nose. “Kieran spoils me and likes to do lots of fun things, too. I guess it’s kind of hard to pick one.” I nodded. “But…” she continued, “even though I like them all, I still think Jason should be your boyfriend.”
The tension flowed out of my body, and I relaxed. “Yeah, I think you might be right,” I said.
Her eyes rounded. “Really?”
Leaning over, I tickled her side.
She giggled and pulled away. “S-stop. It t-tickles t-too much.”
“Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
“I won’t. Pinky swear,” she said, wrapping her little finger around mine. For a while we talked about boys in her class at school, but thank goodness, she only viewed them as “gross” and “loud” at this point. “Okay,” she pronounced, “let’s play a game. Do you remember the five senses one?”
I nodded. “I think so, but you better remind me to make sure.” She launched into an explanation, waving her hands around giving me examples of how to do it. Basically, the first person would say a word followed by one of the senses: smells like, tastes like, feels like, looks like, and sounds like. The other person was supposed to come up with either a favorable or unfavorable description, equating it with something else they either loved or disliked, based on the sense that had been chosen for them.
“I’ll go first,” she said, sitting up taller in her chair. “Lemonade feels like…?”
“Umm…definitely summertime.” Tapping my cookie against the plate, I said, “Shopping tastes like…?”
“Honeycrisp apples,” she said promptly with a big smile. I laughed to myself. Ben had been teaching her about the different apple varieties. She’d told him she wanted to work in the produce department when she went to college. Together, they’d decided that if she already knew about the different fruits and vegetables when she interviewed one day, she’d be smarter than the other applicants and would definitely get the job. Ben and Ally loved her as much as I did. Knowing what an impact she’d made on all our lives and how important she was to us, only reaffirmed I’d done the right thing. “Orca whales sound like…?”
“A song played on the piano.” I broke off a piece of peanut butter cookie and popped it into my mouth. “Painting tastes like…?”
She thought about it and then giggled. “Chocolate ice cream!” Suddenly, her eyes flashed with mischief. “Kieran tastes like…?”
“Black licorice,” I replied before even thinking about my answer.
She crinkled her nose and looked taken aback. “But you hate black licorice.”
Oops! She knew me too well. That description was spot on, but I couldn’t say so. “Did I say black?” I made a funny face. “I meant to say red.” Quickly, I asked her another question and we played several more rounds before jumping back in the pool for splash wars.
A few hours later, and much too soon for my liking, Kieran and I were ready for our night out. He told Ava not to stay up and wait for us.
“What are you guys doing, Uncle Kieran? It must be something special since you bought that fancy dress for Lexi,” she said, touching the lace on the black dress he’d forced me to wear.
“Dinner and dancing,” he said.
“Wow! That sounds like lots of fun. You sure look pretty, Lexi.”
“Thanks, sweetie,” I said, feeling rather uncomfortable in the tight-fitting, low-cut dress and three inch heels.
With fresh threats from Kieran, I’d had no say in the matter. When I’d first put on the dress and told Kieran I was ready to go, he’d taken one look at me and said angrily, “No you’re not. You will go back in the bathroom, put on some make-up, and do something fancy with your hair.”
“You’ve got to be kidding?” I’d said.
Baring his longer than normal canine teeth, he’d gotten right up in my face. “I’m deadly serious.” His voice had been low and feral. “Don’t test me or you’ll be reading about your parents on the front page of the newspaper. And their deaths won’t be pretty.”
Hatred had burned inside me. I’d imagined wrapping my hands around his throat and squeezing until his tongue hung out and his eyes bulged. He certainly knew which threats would motivate me. Begrudgingly, I’d done as I’d been told while wondering why he’d taken to threatening my family and not Ava Rose. If there was any chance he was softening, even a centimeter, when it came to Ava Rose – that was a good thing. But it was probably part of his master plan to dominate me.
Now, leaning down, I placed a kiss on her forehead. “Have fun with Maya. Remember to brush your teeth. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Before I knew it, I was in the back of the SUV with Kieran. As usual, James was driving, and Vincent sat in the front passenger seat. Kieran was rambling on about t
he Bricktown District being the hottest destination for a “rousing nightlife.” I shuddered at the meaning behind those words and wiped my eyes, which were watering profusely. I realized it was probably due to his spicy strong, musky scent. He’d obviously doused himself with some fancy cologne, but my sharper than normal olfactory senses were about to explode. He continued on about the endless action in this downtown warehouse district and how he was going to show me how to have a good time. He thought I was too rigid and tense and needed to lighten up. Apparently, we were going to his favorite nightspot, Club Blaze.
James dropped us off at the Bricktown Canal, and Kieran and I climbed into a water taxi – alone. I was surprised he allowed this, until all at once several links popped up on my radar. They appeared to be coming from the bank of the canal. We might be unaccompanied in the boat, but we certainly weren’t alone. Had I been in any other situation than my current one, I would have enjoyed taking in the sights as we navigated down the winding canal. But as it was, I sat on the edge of the seat, trying to catch sight of Ray-pacs as well as get a feel for my surroundings. I never knew when it might come in handy to be wholly familiar with my location. I heard some hooting and hollering coming from an approaching water taxi, and I squinted to get a better view. It all made sense when a wedding party, all with champagne glasses in hand, passed us by.
Eventually, we disembarked and made our way to Club Blaze. The line out front extended around the block, but Kieran strode confidently to the door. A couple bouncers, both of whom were built like Sumo wrestlers, greeted him by name, and after money exchanged hands we were ushered through the front doors like royalty.
“Hold onto my arm and don’t let go,” Kieran demanded, leading us into the club.
Rather than argue, I heightened my Essence to avoid contact with his and did as I was told as we entered a world that was completely unfamiliar to me. Not quite 21 yet, I’d not had any opportunity to frequent night clubs. I doubted I would choose that as a favorite pastime when I did, but I had to admit I was fascinated by the scene that greeted my eyes. Crowded beyond belief, the club had to be in violation of every fire code known to man. People were packed so tightly together, there was hardly room to walk. Therefore, I wondered how Kieran was even making a path through the mob. Loud music shook the floor and dominated the room. I couldn’t have heard a word from anyone’s mouth unless their lips were pressed against my ear and they were shouting.
Bombarded with an abundance of overstimulation, my eardrums rattled and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. We bumped into people and they bumped into us as we traversed across the dance floor. Lights projected strange symbols and color patterns on the crowd, the dance floor, and the strangely Arctic-looking backdrops. This was like a whole new world – not my kind of world but riveting all the same. Finally, we pulled through the pit and made our way up a stairway. I marveled at how each step flashed a different color. Once we were on the second floor, a lady with a tight red dress and Madison-style stilettos kissed Kieran on the cheek. Staring down her nose at me, she smiled disdainfully, grabbed him by the arm, and escorted him to the only empty table. I followed behind, suppressing a grin. I knew she was intentionally trying to make me jealous by ripping him away, but I was more than happy to have him out of my grasp.
Once we were seated, another girl, this time in an absurdly tight blue dress, approached to take our order. Kieran took the liberty of ordering some appetizers, one of which was mushrooms – something I despised almost as much as black licorice – and he asked for a couple beers. When I interjected and asked for an ice water he laughed and said to the girl, “Bring her a Piña Colada. She’ll love it.”
Over my dead body or yours, I thought. Clenching my fists, I decided that if worse came to worse, I could accidentally spill my drink on the floor. Choose your battles, Lexi, I told myself and glanced through the glass partition to the dance floor below. The overall interior reminded me of a glaciated landscape. Laser lights flashed across the transparently lit rocks and water features. There were places where people danced inside tunnels that looked very much like ice caverns. It was weird but hip – even beautiful in a strange way.
“Let’s dance.” Kieran’s voice shook me from my reverie. I turned and stared at him as if he was from the Ice Age.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said petulantly, inadvertently gripping the sides of my chair.
“It’s a brilliant idea. I’ll be careful not to touch you. But you…you can wrap your arms around my waist and shock my system with your Essence.”
Holding my tongue, I followed him back down the stairs and onto the dance floor. Somehow we made our way to the center and onto a slightly raised platform that resembled an iceberg – the kind that lays flat while floating across the ocean. The DJ mentioned something about spicing things up with a hip-shaking song. I hesitated in reaching out to touch Kieran, but his cold gaze cut through me like an icicle about to drop. That stare, followed by the way he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket – like I was forcing him to make a call that I would soon regret – had me immediately changing my mind. Gingerly, I placed my hands on his waist.
Leaning in close, he blew a breath against my ear, and I shivered. Disturbing beyond belief. “Wise choice,” he uttered with satisfaction. “I have people who will drop whatever they’re doing and carry out any order I give them.” There was heavy emphasis on the word any. “Now dance,” he commanded.
He started moving his hips, and I tried to follow suit. In an attempt to mask my disdain and avoid antagonizing him any further, I inundated him with Essence. It seemed to work because he closed his eyes and smiled – all while he continued with his creeper dirty dance moves. This was going to be a long night. In every given moment he sickened me, but being this close to him while he was dancing was even more repulsive – too much to stomach.
“Kieran, we have a problem.” I tried to hide the shock on my face at hearing Aria’s voice. Luckily, Kieran’s eyes were still closed so he didn’t notice. Once he did open them, he looked right at me. I tried like heck to maintain a neutral expression, as if I wasn’t excited to be eavesdropping on his private conversation or that I’d just had verification he was linked with Aria. At the same time, I felt rather dimwitted. All this time with him, and not once had I even considered using my hidden eavesdropping ability to gain an advantage.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Neo is in town a day early. In fact, he’s on his way to the club right now and wants to meet with you. Apparently, he has a few packages this time. There’s one in particular he thinks you’ll be very pleased about.”
I continued dancing, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight elevation of my eyebrows. Even though he was listening to Aria, he was staring directly at me. I prayed he couldn’t sense the change in my demeanor – the sudden excitement pulsing through my veins. I was dying to find out what packages they were talking about.
He bit his lip. “Great,” he mumbled. “Timing is everything. When’s Neo going to be here?”
Wait a minute. My heart stopped, like it had just slammed against a brick wall. Where had I heard that name before? Neo. Neo. I racked my brain, even quickening my dance moves in the process. Then it hit me, and I couldn’t prevent the sudden intake of breath that Kieran would have noticed if he hadn’t just glanced over his shoulder.
Wasn’t Neo the name of the guy who’d tried to kidnap Izzy?
“Probably about 15 minutes. What do you want to do about Lexi?”
“Nothing. I’ll return her to the table. Send Aiden in, and he can sit up there with her. I’ll meet with Neo at a table on the first floor. I don’t want him near Lexi. He shouldn’t bother with her anyways since he can’t sense her link. Then I want you and Rafe inside with me while I meet with Neo. Milo, Rose, and Storm can hang outside the club with the rest of Neo’s people. We’ve never had any issues with him before, but I’m not about to start taking chances, so let’s keep them in sight.”
&n
bsp; She responded promptly. “What if you decide to take the packages? Where do you want them?”
I missed a beat and almost stopped dancing but caught myself just in time. Kieran tilted his head just slightly and gave me a puzzled expression. To cover my misstep, I started coughing. Releasing one hand from his waist, I patted my chest, leaned closer, and said, “Dry throat. I think I need a drink.”
He nodded and moved his mouth next to my ear. “Fine,” he actually sounded pleased. “But keep hold of me. I don’t want to lose you on the way.” For once, I agreed with him. I didn’t want to let go because I wanted to hear every word of his conversation with Aria. Right about then we were separated as a large group of dancers pushed their way through us. Kieran, who was probably ten times stronger than he looked, easily muscled his way between a couple guys. I don’t know what he shouted at them, but they looked rather intimidated and moved out of his way. Once he was by my side again, he motioned to his shoulder. After I placed my hand there and gripped tightly, he guided us through the crowd. It wasn’t easy as the masses seemed to be multiplying, but he was determined. To Aria he said, “If I decide to purchase them all, have Milo, Storm, and Rose take them back to the warehouse. Separate rooms, though.”
Inadvertently, I let go of his shoulder. He turned and gave me a dirty look but didn’t insist I put it back. I guessed he was no longer concerned about me getting lost since we’d just started climbing the stairs. Besides that he was preoccupied. He liked to be in control, and this unforeseen early meeting with Neo hadn’t allowed him time to plan the set up. For whatever reason, he didn’t want me near Neo, and he obviously didn’t want me to know about these mysterious packages either.
Dentelle #3 Guardian series Page 29
