by Stark, Cindy
“I didn’t mean to.” Christian stopped, seeking shelter behind a tree. “I always pictured it being somehow more romantic, but I was caught up in Eliana’s insistence that she continue to play this fucking game, and it slipped out.”
Xander blew out a breath. “Yeah, man. I understand. But don’t worry. We’re all watching her, and we’re willing to put our lives on the line for her.”
“But it’s all so fucking ridiculous. She doesn’t need to be involved.”
“Good luck convincing her of that. She seems to be as stubborn as you are.”
Christian snorted. “Thanks for that. Wait.” He held up a hand as he came to a stop. “Lorenzo’s talking to someone.”
Ahead of him, Christian could make out the lanky shape of Lorenzo and another person. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
“You stay here so he can’t identify you while I get closer.” Xander circled around along the edge of the walkway to the opposite side, keeping his head low, like he wasn’t aware of anyone around him.
Christian stayed to the shadows and crept closer. By the time Xander stopped, they had them flanked. Lorenzo spent several minutes talking to his contact, and then they separated.
As the contact moved away, Christian gained the impression she was a woman. That or a very graceful man. Lorenzo stayed by the waterfront, and as the contact passed Xander, he moved in behind her, taking care not to get too close.
When Lorenzo started moving again, Christian followed. The thin slice of moon hovering in the sky gave off little light, and Christian had a harder time following the punk as he moved farther away from the streetlights.
Five minutes later, Lorenzo stopped again, this time to talk to another person. Another woman by the sound of her laugh. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her, and then groped her breast.
“Hell,” Christian whispered as he turned away. The last thing he wanted to do was watch the dumb fuck get off. A whimper stopped him in his tracks.
When he looked back, it appeared the woman was on the ground. Then Lorenzo jerked her to her feet and dragged her off into the darkened trees.
“Fuck.” He stayed rooted where he was. He didn’t want to get involved. Couldn’t afford to blow his cover. Maybe the girl liked it rough.
Another muffled scream came from that direction and forced his hand. When he came upon them, Lorenzo had her on the ground. His hand covered her mouth as he shoved his way between her legs. She fought back, but couldn’t escape him.
“Open up, bitch. You know you want this,” Lorenzo whispered, his voice strained from exertion.
“Dude,” Christian said, startling Lorenzo.
He half rolled off her before he recognized Christian. “What the fuck do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?” From the look in his eye and the sound of his voice, he was also high on something.
“Let the girl go.”
“Get the fuck out of here.”
“I said, let her go before I make you.”
That was apparently enough to piss him off. Lorenzo got to his feet, ignoring his victim and pulled a switchblade from his pocket. “Fuck, brother. You don’t want to mess with me.”
Christian laughed. “You’re right. I don’t. But I’m not going to let you rape her, either.”
Lorenzo took a step closer as the girl got to her feet and raced away. He tilted his neck to the side, releasing several cracking sounds. “I guess if I’m not going to get a good fuck, at least I’ll be able to fuck you up. Gideon won’t blame me. He thinks you’re a fuck up as it is.”
Christian had no doubt that his brother did. “Walk it off, Lorenzo. Let it go before you get hurt.”
“Me?” He laughed. “I’m the one with the blade.”
“You’re the one with the big mouth and little dick that you can’t seem to keep in your pants. Last chance. Walk it off.”
“Little dick? I don’t fucking think so.” He rushed at Christian, blade first.
Christian was ready. He stepped aside, knowing the kid wouldn’t be thinking straight and caught him in the gut with a sharp elbow.
Lorenzo went down.
And stayed down, belly first.
Christian waited a few seconds for him to get to his feet. When Lorenzo didn’t, he approached cautiously. He rolled the kid over as wheezing sounds came from his throat.
“Ah, fuck.” The sharp end of Lorenzo’s knife had lodged directly in his chest, and the kid stared at him with shocked eyes. He tried to talk, but words wouldn’t come.
He convulsed and then stilled.
Christian froze. Then dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse.
“Son of a bitch.” Just like that, Lorenzo was gone.
Christian wanted to feel sorry for what had happened, but he couldn’t. Instead, he turned from the piece of trash and walked away. Lorenzo could no longer hurt anyone, and he’d gotten what he deserved.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Eliana sat at her desk, staring at the open newspaper in front of her. Black and white blurred to gray, and she didn’t see any of it. She should be working on cases, but she’d found it impossible to focus. Rain had pelted her office window all morning, giving her thoughts a steady beat, but it did nothing to ease the disquiet rumbling inside her. That was the problem. It was too quiet.
Nine days had passed since their group had formulated their plan, and she hadn’t heard a word from Hardy’s organization. No one had needed her services in any way, shape or form. Had she lost her appeal to them, meaning she’d also lost her connection? Had the group’s plan backfired? Maybe someone with a gambling debt was too much of a risk.
Worse, she hadn’t heard from Christian, either. They’d seriously cooled their relationship, not wanting to draw too much attention to it, knowing it was better if Hardy believed their connection was purely sexual.
So all she could do was sit and wait and—
A small story buried in the middle of the paper caught her attention. Man’s Body Found Along Waterfront Park Trail.
The same park where Howard had been killed.
She quickly scanned the article, her gaze stopping dead when she ran across the name of Lorenzo Dansie. She brought a hand to her mouth in shock and started over, reading more slowly. No suspects. No motive other than he was a known drug dealer though his arrest record was fairly clean.
Apparently, someone had knifed him and left his lifeless body near the park trail. “Oh, my God,” she whispered and glanced up, stunned.
She took a moment to fully absorb the news.
The sick bastard who’d taken sweet Howard’s life was now dead. Dead. No longer able to hurt anyone else.
The way it should be.
The phrase, an eye for an eye, rolled through her mind, and she widened her eyes. Had one of the guys done this?
Had Christian?
With a gasp, she stood, folded the newspaper and stuffed it in her purse. “I’ll be out for a bit,” she told the receptionist as she headed for the elevator.
Dead. She pushed the button for the parking level. She should feel elated or at least relieved. But shocked was the only word that fit. The fact that the men she’d laughed with, had eaten dinner with, could do such a thing totally staggered her.
It was one thing to hear them hint at it. It was quite a different thing to see it in action. Dead.
With mid-morning traffic as heavy as it was, it took her twice as long to navigate through town from her office building to the parking lot behind Caora Dubh.
She climbed the metal stairs in record time and pounded on Christian’s door, but no answer. She tried the knob. It was locked.
Dammit.
She descended and hurried around to the front of the building. She’d been inside Caora Dubh before, but this time, she found herself noticing small details like the gorgeous wooden door and a Celtic symbol hanging above it. All things belonging to the man she loved.
This was his place, his heart.
She pulled on
an intricately carved metal handle, relieved when the door opened. Inside, the place seemed dark and quiet.
She could hear voices in the back, but she wanted a moment to survey her surroundings without interruption.
Her gaze immediately traveled to the beautifully handcrafted bar, and she walked toward it. The smooth wood was cool beneath her fingertips, and she lovingly traced each nick and curve with her gaze. Rows of bottles lined the counter behind the bar, and beyond that, an ornate mirror showcased the entire bar behind her.
She’d never considered the interesting prospect of owning a pub, a place where others gathered to socialize and shrug off the stresses of their lives. But she could definitely see its appeal now.
Eliana caught sight of Christian as he approached her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and buried his face in the curve of her neck. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi,” she said on a breath. She leaned her head back against him and closed her eyes as shivers raced through her.
During their days apart, she’d begun to question whether or not her feelings were real or if they were something she wished to be true. But, now, here in his arms with his heart beating against her back, she sensed the depth of the connection between them.
For whatever reason, this was so very right.
She twisted in his arms, met his kiss with a smile.
His mouth owned hers in the most delicious way, stealing every bit of breath she had before he pulled away. He put his fingertips over her lips with one hand and held up the other to indicate she should wait to speak. Then he left her long enough to turn on the pub’s sound system. An Irish love song filtered through the cozy space, and he returned, folding her in his embrace once again.
“I’ve missed you,” he said quietly. He cradled her face in his hands and gently kissed her again.
“How am I supposed to think when you keep doing that?” As it was, her thoughts tumbled with tumultuous sensations turning everything into a crazy mix of love, lust and delight.
“Is that the secret to getting my way then, love? Kiss you until you’re senseless and you agree with everything I ask?”
She laughed. “It might work on some things, but not everything.” She knew what he referred to, but she wasn’t walking away from their plans.
By the look on his face, she could tell he couldn’t be more uncomfortable with her decision.
“Why the music?” she asked, changing the subject.
He glanced around. “I’ve swept the place for bugs, but with the number of people who come in and out of here, I can’t guarantee a private conversation.”
“I see.” She didn’t need him to remind her who they were up against. “Maybe I should go.”
He shook his head. “Too late now if someone saw you come in here. What’s done is done, and I’m going to enjoy the fruits of taking that chance. Besides, for all they know, you’re here for a booty call.”
“Ha.” She grinned and trailed a finger down his chest. “For all you know, that’s all I’m here for.”
He lifted interested brows. “Really? ‘Cause I could definitely take care of that.”
She wished she could lose herself in his arms forever and no longer care what went on in the world around them. “Actually, I wanted to show you something.” She pulled the newspaper from her purse and opened it to the page about Lorenzo’s mysterious death.
She pointed to the article and then turned her gaze on him.
He stared at it with a stony expression and then focused on her. “No great loss there.”
She watched him, but couldn’t get any kind of reading from him whatsoever. “Is that all you’re going to say?”
He shrugged and turned away, straightening the stools in front of the bar.
She stepped toward him and tugged on his arm until he faced her again. “Did you do this?” she whispered.
Once again, he met her with steeled features.
The realization that the man she loved would kill for her left her reeling. She knew she hadn’t fallen for an ordinary man, but...
She placed a hand on his cheek. “Did you?”
“Did I fail to make it clear what we do?” he asked instead of answering.
“No. You did not.”
Darkness haunted his eyes as he watched her, and she sensed the rumbling of something powerful beneath his surface. If he had been the one to kill Lorenzo, he hadn’t taken it lightly.
She took his face in her palms this time, placed her lips softly against his. He remained rigid. “Thank you,” she whispered. It might be society’s way of dealing with things, but Howard’s death had been avenged.
He searched her eyes again. “You’re not repulsed by me?”
She gasped. “Repulsed? Of course not. You’re the best man I know.” She loved him with every fiber of her being.
“Not the best,” he countered. “I’ve done worse than this. I was only fifteen when I killed for the first time.”
Same as Hardy. The parallel didn’t go unnoticed. “What happened?”
He lifted his head and looked over her shoulder. “Nicole?” he said, raising his voice. “I need to step out for a moment.”
Nicole popped her head around the corner from the back area. “Hey, Eliana,” she said with a smile and then caught Christian’s serious expression. “Sure, boss. I’ll hold down the fort.”
Without another word, he took Eliana’s hand and led her through the kitchen and out the back of the building. He held onto her as he nearly dragged her up the stairs, pausing only a moment to let her inside his apartment.
“We can’t have this conversation downstairs,” Christian said as he closed the door.
“What conversation?” She sensed something was more wrong than right, and she feared what he’d say next.
He released her hand and turned to her only feet inside the front door. A look of torture owned his features and tugged at her heart. “This whole thing is fucked up. You going after Hardy. Me thinking you could love a man like me. Me thinking that what I’m doing now will somehow make up for all the bad I’ve done in my life. I’m no better than that little fucker, Lorenzo. I was that little fucker.”
Breath whooshed from her lungs. “What are you talking about?”
He jabbed a thumb into his chest. “I was that loser kid, the one out on the streets selling drugs, hurting others like your brother and Howard. I have no idea how many people’s lives I’ve damaged because of my actions. If he deserves to die, then so should I.”
She took a step toward him, but he held up his hands in warning.
“You said you killed a man when you were fifteen?”
“Cold blood,” he said before he plowed his hands through his hair. “Gideon pushed me to join his gang, and I thought I wanted to, too. By the time I realized what it entailed, it was too late. I couldn’t back out.”
A distraught look hovered in his eyes, and she longed to hug him until it disappeared. “I did my time, but I can’t forget the sight of his lifeless eyes. What I’m doing now doesn’t fix that. I can still see the goddamn blood seeping from him.”
The agony on his face nearly broke her. He clearly had a troubled past, but she was the first one to agree people could move beyond their pasts and create a new, better future.
This time, when he held up his hands to stop her, she plowed right through them, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Listen to me, Christian. I hear what you’re telling me, but you’re not that boy anymore.”
He tried to push her away, but she clung like a koala. “You can’t change what I’ve done, Eliana, any more than I can.”
“What you’ve done? How about what we’ve all done? We’re all damaged in some way.”
“Who else do you know who’s killed someone?”
She swallowed. She could name a few, but not one of them was good. “What about Ryan and Sam? I’m sure they have.”
“Sam’s a cop, and Ryan’s military. They had reasons to.” He gripp
ed her by the waist and pushed her away. “I willingly took an innocent man’s life.”
She frowned, wondering how she could get beyond the wall he so quickly built between them. “Tell me about it, Christian. Tell me what happened.”
He swore under his breath and sank into the closest chair. “It was a long time ago.”
That was good, she wanted to say, but she remained silent.
“Gideon was in a gang. Not only did my parents know about it, they condoned it. They sold enough drugs to support us and their habits. Why would they care what he did?”
She nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“He thought I needed to join with him. Hell, as it was, I got the shit beat out of me every day. In my hood, if you didn’t pick a side, everyone was against you. This way, I had some protection, so I said yes.
“I knew there would be some sort of initiation. Gideon warned me about it, but I thought it was cool. Thought I was cool.” He emitted a derisive laugh, and his eyes glazed over as though he was completely lost in his own world. “We went to the burger joint on the corner knowing our rivals had claimed it as their territory. We knew going in there would provoke them.”
He blinked a few times, and then refocused on her. “When the time came, I realized I didn’t want to kill anyone. But it was too late. If I didn’t kill him, he would have killed me. Fuck.” He buried his face in his hands.
Eliana took that opportunity to approach him. She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
“You don’t want me, Eliana. You don’t want this.”
She pushed his hair away from his face, the strands soft against her fingers. “Do you realize you were a product of your environment, Christian? Anyone in your situation would have done the same.”
He shook his head forcefully. “No, I wanted it. I wanted them to come at me so I could kick their asses.”
“No, you told me you didn’t want to kill him. You might have liked the glorified idea of being in a gang and fighting to the death, but the real you didn’t want it at all.”
