by D. C. Stone
Swallowing hard, Bari straightened his body and glanced around. As if the world he knew still existed, everything appeared as he understood it to be, but no longer the same. Fifth Avenue in Manhattan bustled with activity, yellow taxis speeding down the road, pedestrians crossing the streets in groups and the overall atmosphere screaming with a sense of life. This was the very same life he had always taken for granted.
Tony warned him, told him he’d be disoriented. Nausea swelled in his gut, the warning a bit understated. Bari blew out a breath, trying to push his swirling stomach back into place, and glanced back at the boys. They watched him, their eyes dancing with delight and acceptance, something he hadn’t felt anywhere but with his team. He didn’t want to admit it out loud but knew he wasn’t ready for the world as it was, through the eyes of who he had become. Instead, wanted to see it as he recognized it, as a human. He needed some sense of normalcy, to see everything was fine and not the fucked up situation that had been explained to him. His world had been thrown off kilter, and while he appreciated it was where he belonged, he still missed out on the chance at having some sort of normal life.
Bari’s head turned at the rasp of a lighter and under the darkened brim of Tony’s hat, the red flame lit up a dark face. Tony’s hands dropped and in their place perched a cigarette, the end cherry red.
Bari took the offered pack from Tony and lit up one of his own, inhaling the smoke before studying his surroundings, wondering exactly why Tyler chose this particular location. When Tyler asked him where he wanted to go, his response had been a place bustling with life as he knew it. This answering response confused him but in the city that never slept, he figured however long they were here, at least they’d never be alone. A hand clapped him on the back, and his attention turned back to Tyler who smiled and nodded toward a local tavern.
They all stepped off the curb together and crossed traffic, dodging the vehicles speeding down the road before reaching the other side. Tossing the cigarette aside, he flashed his ID to the bouncer and entered the bar, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. The thumping bass echoed through his body, a local band rang through his ears, and as his gaze tracked around until they landed an open line of stools at the bar. Pushing his way through the thick crowd, his crew spread around them. Being the team leader, a large weight set on his shoulders for each and every one of their lives.
Sitting down at the bar, Bari leaned across as a big, brawny bartender walked up and took their orders. Bari ordered a Scotch. The boys remained quiet, and he was grateful for the reprieve. He turned around, his arms leaning back on the bar, and considered the crowd. On one hand, being surrounded by so many people after spending such a long time in the empty desert should have been uncomfortable. Tonight was different. He wanted the surroundings, wanted to feel normal.
Instead the world as he understood it crumbled and left behind a bleak and miserable existence he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around. Life would never be the same. He was shown through “mental” images what would happen should the world’s evil and good tip in different directions. The images were laced with death and destruction, a dreary, hateful existence in which they all feared. So instead of allowing the world to continue on with chance, with decisions some felt they were able to control, Bari was left with the knowledge that he was the future. It was only he and his brethren deciding on exactly what would come to be with mankind. The responsibility left him speechless. Bari’s thoughts scattered as a hand brushed across his chest and curves came flush to his body. He turned his eyes and met a light green gaze. The eyes didn’t strike him as beautiful, even though they should have. Familiar, yet a deeper shade of green eyes flashed in his mind. He shook his head, trying to wash away Mackenzie’s face.
Mike leaned in and spoke only for Bari’s ears. “Get it out of your system, Bari. You’ll never get there unless you learn yourself.”
Bari ground his teeth together and lifted a hand, tangling his fingers in the woman’s hair, tilting her head back. Her eyes grew hooded. He battled with indecision, warred between taking comfort and going to it. He could turn, go back to Nantucket and work things out with Mackenzie. Yet, the prospect of what he was becoming scared the shit out of what he might one day be to her. Right here, right now there was a warm and willing woman offering the comfort his tired body yearned for.
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
****
“No, Alex, I’m fine. Really. It just freaked me out a little at the time.”
Holding the phone to her ear, Mackenzie’s attention shifted between watching Byron play outside and listening to her brother. She’d always been unable to hide anything from him, so after about two minutes on the phone with Alex, his cop instinct had picked up and the line of questioning began. She explained to him what happened last night, and he’d been pissed she hadn’t called him. Well, pissed was an understatement to the good tongue-lashing she received from her twin.
“Mac, you’re safe here in Nantucket but still, too many weird things have been going on. I mean, between Bari returning, the new crew he brought along for the party, and the recent break-ins across town, something is up. Perhaps you could give your older brother a break and humor me with a call next time?”
She snorted. “You are a minute older.”
“Mac…”
“Yeah, yeah. I guess so.” She paused as she thought on his words. “Break-ins?”
“In your words, yeah, yeah. But that’s all you’re going to get out of me.” A radio squawked in the background, and the phone muffled while Alex’s voice grew garbled. Used to him taking calls on duty, she checked on Byron. He was kicking a soccer ball by himself in the backyard. He had been so quiet recently, so withdrawn. Something happened at school, she knew it. The only problem was Byron wasn’t talking about it.
Standing about three and a half feet tall, Byron had recently gone through a growth spurt and shot up. His dark hair fell in boisterous curls down his forehead, and she smirked as he swiped it more than once from his eyes.
Turning from Byron, she checked on dinner, bending down to open the oven before she heard Alex come back on the line. “Hey, Mac, I gotta go. But look, call me next time. I’ll even throw in a please.”
Heaving out a dramatic sigh, she straightened and leaned against the counter. “Fine. But seriously, I don’t need a bodyguard service. But yes, I will call you next time. Better?”
“Much. Gotta go.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Yes, I know. Bye.”
Mackenzie chuckled and pulled the phone from her ear. Alex had good intentions, but was a bit overprotective. It had taken him time as well, when Bari came into her life. Bari and Alex were like oil and vinegar. They just didn’t mix, but they tried, all for her. Her mind drifted to Bari, wondering what he was doing and who his friends were. They seemed so menacing, secretive, and Bari seemed almost a completely different man to her.
Yet still, he made her legs go weak, her heart swoon, and her stomach clench. Mackenzie shook her head, pushing off of the counter, and turned to glance back out the window. The sun came down, casting an orange tint across the yard. This was her favorite time, when the day sighed, before the night woke up, a time when everyone got ready for dinner and children played outdoors, trying to milk the day for every second it would give.
She searched the backyard, the trees lining her property. Byron was nowhere in sight, and she frowned. Mackenzie walked outside and stood on the porch. The air chilled, and she wrapped her arms around her body. “Byron?”
Stepping down, she walked around the side of the house and saw the side gate open. Byron knew better, knew to stay inside the yard. A sudden spike of fear shot through her.
“Byron!”
Jogging out through the fence, Mackenzie ran to the front yard, brushing her curls back from her face as a gust of wind pushed her hair, panic now pulsing. The obstruction halted her steps for a moment. Mackenzie parted the thick hair from her sight and glanced down
the street. Byron was talking to a man, the soccer ball passing between them. She took a step forward. “Byron!”
He turned and lifted a hand, waving with a slight cringe on his face. “Come on, By. Dinner time.” Just then, Byron turned back to the man and listened to something he said. She couldn’t make out what it was but tried to look at the man. The figure was tall, dark, and imposing, and his features seemed familiar, yet a red baseball cap prevented her from getting a good look at him.
“By!” Her son glanced her way and lifted a hand as he stepped away. Walking faster now, she met her son in half the distance. Her arms came around Byron as she watched the man walk off. He didn’t live in the area; they all knew one another here. But yet, he seemed so damn familiar. His head tucked down under his cap and his shoulders covering his profile, he turned to walk away from them, but kept glancing over his shoulder at them.
“Who was that, Byron?”
“Some guy who told me to give you a message.”
Byron’s words jilted her attention, caused her blood to run cold. “What was the message?”
Byron shrugged and turned toward the house. “It didn’t make any sense really. He just said the first few lines of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’.”
Mackenzie stopped walking, dread pushing through her. “He what?”
Byron stopped and looked at her. “You know, Mom. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder where you are. Well that’s what he said, but I don’t think he knows the song.”
Mackenzie whirled around and searched for the man. “Byron, get in the house.”
“Mom?”
“Now!”
She heard Byron run toward the house and scanned the street. The man was nowhere to be found, and now she recognized why he looked so familiar. Oh dear God, no…
Chapter Thirteen
Bari groaned and lifted a heavy palm to scrub his face. His body felt laden, exhausted, and like he had hit a brick wall. No, scratch that; it was like he stood in between the brick wall and a two-ton truck that hit the brick wall. Yeah, that sounded like a better explanation. Groaning, he peeked his eyes open cautiously only to slam them closed again as he caught the sight of a grinning Tyler, sitting in a chair watching him. He had no clue where they were, and his mind spun in an attempt to remember what had gone down last night. A familiar rasp of a lighter came from where Tyler sat. The smell of a freshly lit cigarette penetrated his nostrils.
Bari shifted on the bed, grunting as muscles he didn't know existed protested. Tossing his legs over the side of the bed, he sat up, his forearms resting on the tops of his thighs. His head dropped between his shoulders as a headache made itself known.
"Fucking hell, what happened last night?"
Tyler's rumbling laughter caused him to wince, his stomach to roll. Bari reached up and grabbed his head as the sound bounced around in his cranium with the force of a hurricane.
"Damn it, Tyler. This shit isn't funny." The answering response gave more laughter and with a curse, Bari stood, the sheet wrapped around his body dropping down to the floor.
The place was small and from what he remembered about the area, most NYC apartments were. Scarves in a plethora of colors dangled everywhere along with beads marking the entrance of the room. A TV, which looked to have seen better days, sat at the foot of the bed, against the wall on a short table, a blanket covering the top. He continued to scan the room, looking for his clothing and any indicator of where he was before he saw a picture. He walked over and plucked it up, studying the female before recognition hit. She looked familiar last night and for the first time, he realized why. She looked like Mackenzie and that thought did not bode well. Setting the picture back down, Bari turned and spied his pants. Padding over, he picked them up, ignoring Tyler's new round of laughter as he started shoving his legs inside.
"Bug off, asshole."
His shirt was next as he turned and moved around the room. He got down on the floor searching for his boots, which he found under the bed.
"You don't even know her name, do you?" Tyler asked.
Bari scowled, searching his brain, trying to remember a lick about last night, but the last thing he recalled was doing Patron shots off of a sweet tasting stomach and wishing it had been someone else. He came up blank and glanced to Tyler. The male’s answering laugh turned his mood sour.
"Yeah, yeah. Fuck it. Let's go."
As Tyler stood, his laughter still continuing, Bari shook his head and reached for his jacket, intending to get the fuck outta dodge before what's-her-name returned.
****
The morning went from bad to worse. This was the part of her job Bethany hated. Losing any patient hurt, but when she lost a child, it almost killed her.
The six-year-old little girl had been struck by a car, which drove off, failing to stop. The hospital staff worked every trick in the book, but still, nothing had been good enough. All of this on the heels of a conversation last night left her without sleep.
Mackenzie had called her in a near state of hysteria. It took almost two bottles of Merlot and a few tears to finally get the entire story.
Mackenzie had received a call a few weeks ago, a call she hadn’t decided to let anyone know about until last night. She hadn’t even told her twin. Then last night, after some creep talked to Byron and practically scared the shit out of Mackenzie did the truth finally come out. He had escaped from the mental institution where he had been serving his prison sentence. The asshole who almost killed Mackenzie took it upon himself to grant early parole.
The agent who called her was the same agent who worked the case in Los Angeles. They both agreed that since Mackenzie had last been in Los Angeles, Chad would mostly likely go there. Chad the Stalker. Chad the Attempted Murderer. Chad the fucktard.
So while Mackenzie knew Chad had escaped, she hadn’t decided to tell anyone until last night. She promised Bethany she would tell Alex today, and Bethany didn’t give two shits about secrets on this one; she would call Alex herself, to make sure he was aware.
Bethany turned from her computer. Her head spun with information and emotions, her mind a jumbled mass that couldn’t write a simple sentence. Glancing over to her office door, she froze. Speaking of jumbled, there he stood, watching her, waiting, silent as a predator about to strike.
Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. Just thinking his name made her thighs clench and her heart sigh. An angel’s devil was the description she gave him. Tall and lean, he stood imposing and commanding. He watched her now with a hint of amusement sparking out of his green eyes. The color was so different from any green she had ever seen, a mixture of dark leaves and the swirling ocean. His hair was tied back at his nape, and she wanted nothing more than to pull it out of its tie and mess it all up. She wanted to push her nose in it and take in his scent. She wanted to undress him.
With her teeth.
She made a mental image in her head of teeth snapping and as if he read her mind, he smirked. Tyler pushed away from her door and chuckled.
Why did she have a sudden thought he could hear everything she was thinking?
Oh please shoot me now…
“Bethany…” The way he said her name, sweet baby Jesus, she wanted him to say it again. “I hope this is a good time?” Posed like a question, he gave her the sweet arch of a brow.
She couldn’t find her voice.
“Bethany…” Tyler grinned and reached her desk.
He heard me. He said my name twice. Oh hell…
“It’s fine.”
No, it wasn’t. Yes, it is. No, wait. Shit, why did she always lose complete control of her brain when he was around? It’s called hormones. She mentally rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.
“Actually, it’s not, Tyler. I mean, I have to sex this up. I mean type this up!”
Very classy, Beth! She took a deep breath and let it out at a snail’s pace, lifting her gaze back to his. “I actually need to type this up then get over to Mac’s.”
Tyler’s bright e
yes were laughing at her and his smile—could the man be any sexier?
“What’s wrong with Mac?”
“Let me guess, she didn’t tell Bari?” She knew it! Mackenzie said she would bring it up, and Bethany thought it would be a good idea. If anyone understood security, Bari and his “Band of Brothers” did.
“No … should she have?”
Again with the deep breath, she let it out before leaning across her desk and folding her hands. Tyler’s gaze dropped to her breasts before rising back up to her eyes. Huh, interesting. He’s a man, Beth. They can’t help themselves.
“Maybe I have time for this…”
Chapter Fourteen
His damn head pounded, and he wanted to lie down; however, it seemed Tyler, Tony, and Mike had other plans. Bari did his best to avoid Mackenzie, but apparently Tyler had a run in with Bethany and the only option left was to go confront what he had been trying to avoid.
Like Days of Our fucking Lives.
It was either that or wonder if Bethany would follow through with cutting his nuts off using a serrated blade.
Without disinfectant.
He shuddered; she was a doctor and had never really liked him, so she’d probably do it. For kicks.
Bari stepped out from his car and glanced around the neighborhood. Shop after shop lined the walkways, the shopping district packed with tourists. Mackenzie’s shop sat at the end, one wall of windows facing the ocean’s front. It was prime real estate, and he couldn’t help but feel pride.
