Lighting a Flame [Sequel to Playing with Fire] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More)

by Serenity Snow

  “Okay,” Vinessa said. “We can handle it.”

  “Okay. I’ll get the paperwork ready and ship out the order. I did ask him if he’d give out some of the new fleshlight designs when you get them in next week.”

  “What’d he say?”

  “He said, ‘Bring it on,’” she said with a laugh. “He’s going to ask select clients to try it and rate it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You look happy,” Danica said with a smile.

  “I am.”

  Danica gave her a hug. “I’m glad. I’ll see you guys for Sunday brunch?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Least you, Connor, and Kal can do,” Danica said, pouting. “I feel like I’ve been abandoned.”

  Vinessa laughed. “Right. How’s Kaela?”

  “Okay, I guess. We broke up,” Danica said of her model lover.

  “She was geographically undesirable, Dan,” Vinessa said.

  “I know,” she said. “I don’t expect the relationship to last much longer. It’s starting to wear on my nerves.” She smiled ruefully. “I think you and Connor are rubbing off on me with this need for something strong and real.”

  Vinessa smiled. “I hope so.” She kissed Danica. “I’ll see you later, girlfriend.”

  “Later, stud.” Vinessa laughed. It felt so nice to have finally found love.

  * * * *

  Marika stood in the supply room after closing, doing a count of the supplies. She made a note of what needed to be reordered. She began typing her brief summary when she heard a gunshot.

  “Doctor Lindsey, no!”

  Marika’s breath stalled at the sound of Dallas’s cry. It was followed by Dallas’s scream and a second gunshot. The sound of footsteps in the hall had her freezing. She cast around for something to defend herself with and found nothing. Marika turned off the light and the footsteps moved away from the door.

  She called 9-1-1 before venturing out into the quiet. She found Dallas lying on the floor in the hallway and immediately bent to feel for a pulse. Dallas was bleeding profusely from a wound in her side and one in the shoulder.

  Marika started to get to her feet and was hit from behind. She fell over Dallas’s body and quickly scuffled to turn over. When she did, she saw a masked figure in black coming toward her. The man had a gun. She kicked out, and her foot connected with his hand. The gun slipped and clattered to the floor.

  He struck her across the face, and pain exploded through her cheekbone. Marika winced and scrambled to her feet. She cried out as a bullet whizzed by and lodged into the wall.

  She ran full-tilt for the reception area and reached the door to the enclosed space the receptionists worked in. The files were all on computer, so there was nothing to hide behind. She let out a low scream of frustration.

  She needed—

  The door was jerked open behind her and she quickly grabbed one of the chairs and rolled it as her attacker stepped into the doorway. The chair knocked him off balance, and she pulled a ballpoint pen from her scrubs jacket pocket before running at him.

  She slammed into him and drove the pen into his shoulder. He let out a howl and dropped the gun. Marika quickly jumped back. She was shoved, and fell to the floor. Seeing the gun, she scurried for it, and so did her attacker. She beat him to it, but he grabbed it, and they struggled.

  Fear pumped hard and heavy through Marika. All she could think about was losing the life she was just finding. She wanted to be happy, to have a family, to see her children grow up. Her finger closed around the trigger, but so did her attacker’s.

  “No!” Marika screamed and the gun went off.

  She fell to the floor as she heard the glass door shattering outside in the reception area. Breathing hard, she lay there with tears swelling in her eyes.

  “Ma’am?”

  The voices of the officers were distant as a black fog closed over her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Vinessa rushed into the emergency room twenty minutes later, heart pounding hard against her ribs. She was beginning to hate hospitals. It was only a few months ago , Leigh, had been admitted for being grazed by a bullet.

  Now, Marika was here. Lucas hadn’t given any details when he’d called. He’d only said Marika had been brought here. There had been an attack at the dental office where she worked. She looked around, and when she didn’t see Lucas, she hurried to the nurse’s station where a harried-looking woman sat with glasses perched upon her nose.

  “Excuse me,” Vinessa said.

  The nurse looked up from her computer. “Help you?” she asked coolly.

  “I need a status report on—”

  “Vinessa.”

  She turned to find Lucas beckoning her from the side of the room. The lights were dull and the reception area only had a few people in it. “Never mind.” She ran to him. “Where’s Marika?”

  “She’s okay,” he said. “She was shaken up, and she has a mild concussion, but she’s okay. She’s still talking to the cops. Dallas is in surgery, but the doctor’s dead.”

  “What happened?” She drew in a shaky breath, relief washing over her.

  He shook his head. “Marika said someone attacked her. The guy who attacked her is dead. She fought with him over the gun.”

  She exhaled roughly, and he pulled her into his arms. “Lucas.”

  He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “Marika wants to hang around until we get word on Dallas.”

  “When can I see Marika?”

  “Here she comes.” He pointed to two figures strolling from behind the double doors of the ER treatment rooms. One of them was a woman who wore a police badge displayed at her hip.

  Vinessa hurried toward them and Marika allowed Vinessa to take her in her arms. “Marika.” Vinessa squeezed her lightly. “I was so worried.”

  “Me, too,” Marika said, clinging to her.

  “If I have any more questions, I’ll be in touch,” the detective said, and gave them a nod before going to the nurse’s station to ask about Dallas.

  “What happened?” Vinessa demanded, taking Marika’s face between her hands.

  “I was in the supply room, and I heard shots,” she said, and then told them what she knew. “He said she wasn’t what Dallas thought she was.”

  “Did you tell the police that?” Vinessa asked.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “The detective said she’d check her out, but Dallas was certain Doctor Lindsey was the bad guy.”

  “Well, hopefully they get to the bottom of it,” Vinessa said, pulling Marika back into her arms.

  Lucas urged Marika to sit down and they waited until a doctor came out to talk to them about Dallas.

  “She’s still in critical condition,” the doctor told them. “She is stable. The bullet just missed her heart, and the second damaged her right kidney. We had to remove it, but she can function quite well with one kidney.”

  “Can I see her?” Marika asked.

  “Not yet,” the doctor said. “She’s in recovery. Go home, get some rest, and you can see her tomorrow. She won’t be awake for hours, anyway.”

  Marika frowned. “Will someone call me if anything changes?”

  “Immediately,” he agreed. “Leave your information with the nurse.”

  * * * *

  Vinessa insisted Marika ride home with her. Lucas didn’t argue. Instead, he insisted on stopping for takeout for them since it was so late. Vinessa took Marika straight to her place, wanting to pamper and take care of her.

  “I was so afraid I’d die without having a chance to be a mom and be a wife to you and Lucas,” Marika said as they sped along.

  Vinessa reached across the console of her car and squeezed Marika’s leg. “I was scared, too.”

  “We should move in together.”

  Vinessa gave her a startled look. Marika was too into having her own space. “I would be glad to have you move in with me, baby,” she said. “When do you want to do it?”

  She laid her head agains
t the seat. “I saw my life flash before my eyes, Vinessa. I don’t want to spend a single moment waiting for the perfect time anymore.”

  “Okay.”

  “I love you, and I want you to know it,” Marika said.

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

  * * * *

  Vinessa pulled into the driveway of her two-story brick home fifteen minutes later. She rolled into the garage and cut the engine. They stepped inside and Marika took in the high ceilings and shiny tile floor. The chocolate and mint were mingled with swirls of red in the entry and flowed into the hallway.

  “I need to take a bath,” Marika said.

  Vinessa led her upstairs. On the landing, the staircase split in two. Vinessa led her to the right and down the hall to her bedroom. She opened the door and ushered Marika inside.

  “I’ll get you something to wear after I get the bath going,” Vinessa told her.

  Vinessa got the bath started, pouring in scented bath salts, and then went into her spacious bedroom to retrieve new and clean underwear, along with a nightgown. She’d intended the items to be a gift for Marika, but there was no reason not to give them to her now.

  The doorbell had her leaving Marika alone. Lucas stood there with their dinner.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  “She’s taking a bath. Why don’t we get dinner set up in the den?” Vinessa suggested.

  “I’ll go get my bag from the car,” he said.

  She took the bags with their meal in them and headed to the kitchen.

  When Marika came down, they were seated in the den waiting for her with the TV on. She sat down between the two of them to eat. When they were done, Lucas and Vinessa cleared away the remains and Lucas took a quick shower and changed before joining the two women in the den, where they were cuddled on the couch.

  “Marika is moving in with me,” Vinessa said, catching Lucas’s gaze.

  “When?” he asked, rubbing his hand over Vinessa’s where it rested on Marika’s thigh.

  “Soon,” she answered.

  “I guess facing death has changed your perspective?” he commented carefully.

  “Yeah.” She looked at him. “I know it’s fast, but I just don’t want to waste time. We could be gone in the blink of an eye, and I’d regret not having done this.”

  He looked at Vinessa and she said, “You can move in, too.”

  “So I can be close to the people I love every day,” Marika said.

  He smiled. “I love you, too, Marika.” He leaned toward her and kissed her as he stroked her cheek. He met Vinessa’s gaze.

  “Living together is going to be interesting.” Lucas grinned.

  Epilogue

  The next morning, Marika went to the hospital to see Dallas. Her friend was pale as she lay in bed hooked to a machine that monitored her heart rate and respirations.

  “Hi.” Marika gave her a smile as she stopped next to the bed.

  “Hey.” Dallas managed a wan smile.

  “Dallas, I’m so glad you’re going to be okay,” she said softly. “What happened? Was the guy looking for drugs or something?”

  Dallas’s eyes filled with tears and shook her head. “No. You were right.”

  “About what?” Marika asked, her stomach tightening in dread.

  “Rebecca. I overheard her talking to this guy. She told him they could be together if Doctor Lindsey was out of the way. She’d been sleeping with us both.”

  “Dallas.” She squeezed her friend’s hand.

  “I know. I was a freaking fool. I told the police. They might not be able to prove she set this up.”

  “Why would he shoot you?” Marika demanded.

  “She told him I delirious,” she murmured. “I had a crush on her and was threatening to say we’d had an affair if she didn’t sleep with me.”

  “He must have been as twisted as she is if he bought that,” Marika muttered.

  “She had us both wrapped,” Dallas said and drew in a breath. “I’m going to go stay with my sister in Alabama when I get out here. I can’t stay here.”

  Marika nodded. “Okay.” She bent and pressed a kiss to her friend’s forehead.

  “Marika, can you leave me alone for a while?”

  “Yeah. I’ll come back later and bring you some clothes and stuff.”

  “Thanks.”

  Marika headed back out to the waiting room where Vinessa waited for her with a heavy heart.

  “How is she?” Vinessa asked.

  “Hurting, but she’ll heal,” Marika murmured.

  Vinessa pulled her into her arms for a quick hug. “Did she know why the guy was there trying to kill you guys?”

  “Yeah. Her ex talked him into it,” she said softly. “She played them both.”

  “Sometimes things like that go horribly bad,” Vinessa said. “I’m just glad Dallas is coming through it.”

  “Me too.” She looked up at Vinessa. “Did you talk Lucas into meeting us for lunch?”

  “Um-hmm.” Vinessa smiled. “I think I have the perfect investors for him too. All he has to do is allow me and my partner to help out.”

  “You’ll talk him into it,” Marika said with a smile. “Patience and love is all he needs.” She kissed Vinessa’s cheek.

  “We’ll give him plenty of that.” Vinessa smiled and hugged her tight.

  THE END

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Serenity Snow is a voracious reader of romances, especially paranormal romances. She loves a happy ending, but she doesn’t have anything against a happy-for-now ending either. Serenity thinks fall is the perfect time of year for romance because the weather is still warm enough for walks in the park and pretty enough to create a romantic atmosphere for outdoor dining.

  Serenity loves a good debate, has a quirky sense of humor, and loves a good joke as long as it’s not on her. Possessing a creative mind, scrapbooking is something Serenity finds allows her creative spirit to soar as much as writing does.

  For all titles by Serenity Snow, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/serenity-snow

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com