by Vanessa Dare
“The airline ticket put you on everyone’s radar,” I replied as I met Anna’s surprised glance. “Which means Todd knows you’re here, too.”
“What?” Anna asked, her face turning pale.
“You’re a loose end. A threat to him. He’d want to find you, just like you thought, but you hid really well. Elizabeth’s PI couldn’t find you. Todd wouldn’t dirty his hands with a search himself, so I’m sure he’s had somebody searching for you as well. Waiting for you to mess up. If Elizabeth’s PI found you, then Todd’s man has, too. The press won’t catch wind of it. You’re literally old news. No one’s watching for you. Except Todd.”
“Shit. He’s right.” Elizabeth started pacing. “We have to assume he knows you’re back.”
Anna moved to sit in the empty chair across from me so she could look at me easier. “It’s not like he’s going to show up here himself.”
“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “He wouldn’t get his hands dirty like that.”
“He’d send someone else,” I replied. “Time to pack. We’re switching hotels.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Anna
We packed quickly—we’d barely had a chance to unpack—tossing the few items of clothing into the suitcases and zipping them up. Grif refused to let Elizabeth leave us, not at this late time of night and not by herself. She wasn’t in danger of Todd—he wanted her alive and marriageable—but it was a big city and Grif’s big brother instincts had taken over. She’d spend the night with us. End of story. Elizabeth was surprised by Grif’s soft side, ready to argue with him that she’d been out on her own before. Obviously, she hadn’t ever had someone worry about her or care about her safety without an ulterior motive. After he gave her that glare I recognized as his don’t-fuck-with-me-on-this look and mumbled something about being only eighteen, not thirty, she’d just nodded her head and followed us out of the room.
We didn’t check out, just went out a side entrance and walked a block before hailing a cab. We couldn’t be sure we weren’t followed, so we switched taxis twice before finding another hotel, this one in Oakland. Grif chose a suite, a main room with a pull-out sofa and a separate bedroom. By the time we were settled in, it was late. We made Elizabeth’s bed up and I gave her my pajamas to wear.
Ten minutes later, I was settled into the crook of Grif’s arm, safe, secure and very comfortable.
“I’m really glad you gave your pajamas to your sister,” Grif whispered. The room was dark, only a hint of city lights peeking through the blackout curtains. The air conditioner was loud, but Elizabeth was just a closed door away.
“That’s because now I’m not wearing anything.”
I felt Grif’s chuckle more than heard it. “Damn straight. I think you can forgo pajamas from now on anyway.”
His hand ran idly up and down my arm.
“Grif, we can’t—”
“Of course, we can’t. I just want to hold you. Your being naked is just an added perk.”
I responded by giving him a kiss on his chest, the crisp hairs tickling my nose. I settled in, expecting to have my mind think about Elizabeth and Todd and returning to California, but I must have fallen asleep.
If I can’t have your money, then you can at least be of some use. I don’t want you. I’ve got women who know how to fuck, unlike you. David can have you. He’ll teach you how to fuck like a good wife. In the morning, David will have you show me all the things you’ve learned.
I bolted upright, my skin slicked with sweat, gulping in air. I didn’t know where I was. The room was dark and unfamiliar. When I felt someone stir, I stifled a scream.
“Shh. Anna, it’s okay.”
I pulled the sheet up to cover myself, moved back away from the voice. The cool air raised goose bumps on my damp skin.
“It’s Grif. Jesus, you had a nightmare,” he whispered in the darkness.
I felt the bed shift as he sat up, his dark shape in front of me. I was breathing deeply, trying to calm my racing heart.
“I’m going to reach out, so take my hand, okay?”
I saw it, the tentative motion of his arm, and I grasped it like a lifeline. “Oh God, Grif. It was awful.”
He pulled me into him and we both tipped back on the bed so I rested on top of him, my head on his chest, our legs entwining. I could hear the steady beat of his heart, feel him breathing. His warmth seeped into me as I inhaled his familiar scent. It soothed me, the panic of the dream seeping away.
He pushed my damp hair back from my face, just let me rest.
“Better?” he asked, a few minutes later.
“Yeah.” I gave his waist a squeeze.
“Want to tell me about it?” he asked, his voice quiet. Elizabeth was asleep in the next room.
I just stared into the darkness, feeling safe with his arms around me. “In the two months we were married, David had us over for dinner a few times. He was an okay guy. A few years younger than Todd, he was a lawyer. He was nice to me.”
Grif continued to stroke his hand up and down my spine as I talked.
“One night, Todd showed me David’s gun collection since I was on the shooting team. I’d only been out of military school about two months at that point. Just won state championship so he said I might be interested in seeing all of the guns David had. The guy was an avid hunter and also collected antique weapons. He had one whole wall in his den covered in guns. Rifles. There was one from the 1700s, another from the Civil War, others equally historic and valuable. Many modern ones. Pistols, high-powered rifles, shotguns. He had it all.
“I hadn’t thought about it at the time, but looking back, Todd was setting me up. He made it a point to tell me which ones David kept loaded, what David killed with each one.”
Grif’s hands stopped moving, but held me close.
“The night Todd dropped me off, literally dropped me on his doorstep, he expected me to have sex with him. He’d told me David would show me some things.”
I took a deep breath, let it out. Even though it was dark, I could see the past clearly.
“When David took me inside, he’d said Todd had called him. Told David I’d had my eye on him and wanted to sleep with him. With both of them. I was so surprised that I just stood there. I think he took that as a sign and started kissing me. Touching me.
“I panicked. Pushed him away. He grabbed me again, thought I liked it rough. I fought him off. He got mad and hit me. I knew what he’d do if I didn’t get away. He chased me into his den where the gun collection was. I didn’t think, just went to the wall and grabbed his nine millimeter. I don’t remember much after that, but I shot him. I remember pulling the trigger.”
“What are you saying? That Todd wanted you to kill his brother?”
“A few years ago, I dug up online Todd took out a life insurance policy on David the month before we were married. While I was still at school. I think at first he planned to have someone else do it, a hired hit man, but when he learned he couldn’t touch any of my money, he wanted rid of me, too. It was really smart actually. Todd set me up by showing off his brother’s gun collection. He set up his brother by telling him I wanted to sleep with him. He only came on to me because of whatever lies Todd told him. David wouldn’t have done it otherwise. Todd killed his brother for the insurance money by using me to pull the trigger.”
Grif rolled us both so I was pinned beneath him, his weight resting on his forearms by my head. He ran his thumbs over my temples. “It’s really good. Jesus, that’s one twisted man. You had no idea, did you?”
“I knew he was the one who accused me of murder. I knew he had the cops and the judge in his pocket and that I was going to rot in jail until someone outside of his reach caught on. I knew I had to disappear in order to stay alive. When the woman from the battered women’s shelter approached me with an escape, I took it.”
“When did you figure it out?”
“I watched the news, kept up with what was going on with Todd and my father through the Internet. It wasn’t u
ntil years later that I found out about the insurance policy. I was then able to put it all together. I couldn’t do anything with it. Don’t you see? Even now, he can have me arrested again for David’s murder. I wouldn’t put it past him to fabricate new evidence against me. He had friends in very high places and probably even more now. An insurance policy is nothing.”
“The grand jury might not see it that way,” he replied, his voice dark. “They wouldn’t take it to trial.”
“I had no one backing me up. I wasn’t willing to take that chance,” I replied softly. “Until now. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to go head to head with him again, but this time, I have people on my side.” I leaned my head into his caress. I could barely see him, but I knew his eyes were pinned to mine. “I have you.”
“He won’t fucking touch you again. I swear, Anna. I’ll kill him first.”
He lowered his head, kissed me with a fervency that was different. A little desperate, a lot demanding. I wanted his touch, his possessiveness as much as he wanted to give it to me. I needed to erase the nightmare, to replace Todd’s evil with Grif’s love.
“I need you,” I breathed. I needed to be reassured he was there. That he could make it all go away.
“I’m right here, love.”
We were quiet, touching each other slowly, taking our time in the darkness, in the quiet of the night. With Elizabeth just a door away, we pleasured each other in whispers and by taking in my sounds of pleasure with his mouth. We finally fell asleep, entwined.
Grif
I’d stayed awake, thinking about what Anna had shared. It had been so much more than the glossed-over story I’d heard with Carrie back in New York. The fact that she’d had to go through with that, let alone relive it through nightmares made me hold her tightly, listening to her breathe, knowing she was safe, and at the same time wanting to drive through the dark night to Lawton’s door and kill him. I had my gun. It would take one shot. Anna wasn’t the only expert marksman.
I spent the early morning hours planning more than just making Lawton pay. It was my turn to keep secrets. I’d let Anna and Elizabeth get their revenge, then I’d get mine. Lawton was a dead man. I fell asleep as the sun came up repeating that over and over, like counting sheep. Lawton was a dead man.
My face was tucked into the crook of Anna’s neck when my cell rang, her curly hair tickling my face. I was on my belly, one arm thrown over her breasts, my right knee wedged between her thighs. She didn’t stir at the second ring.
I carefully turned, trying not to wake her and grabbed my cell, whispered a quick, “Yeah.”
“Someone’s knocking on your door in five minutes. Open it. He’s one of mine,” Carmichael said, his voice clear, but intense. It was a voice I’d never forget.
I looked at the clock. Six thirty. With a three-hour time difference in New York, he’d been at work for hours.
I sat up, naked, slung my legs over the side of the bed as I wiped my face, rubbing the sleep away. What was it with people waking us up? “Yeah. Okay.”
He hung up.
I looked over my shoulder at Anna, who shifted in her sleep, her arms now wrapped around her pillow, hugging it close. It was damn early and I hated to wake her after her nightmare. She needed her rest, an orgasm had helped her drop into a deep sleep, but Carmichael wouldn’t have sent someone out of the blue if it wasn’t important. Besides, she’d kill me if I left her out. “Anna, love, wake up.” I put one knee on the bed to reach her and ran my hand down her arm. It was warm and soft and I wanted to just climb back in and wrap her in my arms. Instead, I nudged her gently. “Anna.”
She made those morning snuffling noises, groaned. “What?”
“Carmichael sent a guy. He’ll be here any minute to talk to us.”
That perked her up as if I stuck a cup of coffee under her nose. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. “What time is it?”
“Early,” I replied as I dug some clothes out of my suitcase, threw them on.
“Okay. Just give me a minute.” She climbed out of bed and I enjoyed the view of her perfect ass as she walked to the bathroom. She’d either lost her modesty or wasn’t awake to realize she was naked.
Once dressed, I grabbed my gun and went out into the main room, pulled back the curtain and woke Elizabeth. “Hey, kiddo. Rise and shine.”
She made similar grumbling noises as Anna, but threw her pillow over her head. “Just a few more minutes,” she mumbled.
“That’s fine. The guy that’s stopping by probably won’t mind watching you sleep. Better wipe that drool off your chin.” I stood and waited for that to sink in, the gun hidden behind my back.
One, two, three, four…she sat upright, her hair sticking every which way and wiped the back of her hand over her chin. “I do not drool.”
I shrugged. “Maybe not, but there really is a guy coming—”
There was a knock at the door.
“There he is.”
Elizabeth’s head twisted to the door, realized her situation. “Holy shit, why didn’t you tell me?” she squealed, dashed for the bedroom and shut the door behind her.
I grinned, having fun pushing her buttons. She might be going through all kinds of crap with her life, but she was a typical teenage girl and reminded me of my sisters.
At the second knock, my smile dropped, my gun raised, I looked through the peephole. If Carmichael hadn’t called first, I would have shot the guy through the door and asked questions later.
I opened the door, eyed the man. He was my height but had thirty, maybe forty pounds on me. All muscle. He had the neck of a rugby player, shoulders like a linebacker with the bearing of Special Forces. He wore jeans and a pale blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to show Popeye forearms. Age was somewhere between thirty and forty with a military high and tight haircut and a strong jaw. He was the kind of guy who sprinkled nails on his cereal in the morning.
“Griffin? I’m Anders. Since you opened the door, I assume Carmichael gave you advanced warning.”
He eyed the gun but did nothing.
I shook his hand, tilted my head toward the couch to sit, but remembered it was turned into a bed.
“Sorry, hang on.” I tossed the pillow onto the floor, lifted the frame and folded it back into itself, jamming it in place with the blankets and sheets all crumpled. The seat cushions were next. “Sleepover.”
Anders took a seat but stood again when Anna came in from the bedroom. “Ma’am. I’m Anders.”
Anna had tamed her hair into a ponytail, put on a pair of jeans and a plain pink T-shirt. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup, which made the purple smudges beneath her eyes stand out.
Anders returned to the couch. Anna sat on the edge of the coffee table so I could sit in the desk chair.
“Know a man by the name of Todd Lawton?” Anders asked. No reason for chitchat. He certainly wasn’t here for that, especially not at dawn.
Anna might be tired, but she was alert. Her eyebrows went up at the name, although neither of us knew this man’s connection. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. The triangular relationship—Carmichael, Lawton and Anders—wasn’t based on fun and games.
I gave a quick nod.
“I got a call from him yesterday to do a little job. Wanted me to take out a woman named Olivia Edwards. I assume that’s you?”
I stood, grabbed Anna’s shoulder and pulled her up by the arm and shoved her behind me. With my right hand, I aimed the gun at Anders, who hadn’t moved, hadn’t even breathed. “What the hell do you want?”
My body was honed from my time in the Army to be instantly ready for Defcon One situations like this. My heart rate, although through the roof, didn’t impact the steadiness of my hand. Everything was in sharper focus. I could smell Anna’s shampoo, hear the low hum of the air conditioner, see the coffee stain on Anders’ shirt.
I wanted to glance into the bedroom where Elizabeth had fled at the knock, but didn’t want to give her away. I prayed she remained i
n there with Anders unaware of her presence. It was hard enough to protect Anna from a fellow military guy like him. It took one to know one. He’d been Special Forces, Rangers, SEALs, someone trained to do stuff you couldn’t ever talk about.
Anders didn’t blink, only slowly and deliberately lifted his hands in front of him. “I work for Carmichael. A few days ago, he put out a notice on Olivia Edwards and you, Griffin. You’re under his protection.”
That may be all fine and good but I wanted to hear it from the source.
“Anna, pull my cell from my pocket and hit redial. Put it on speaker.”
She didn’t hesitate. She pulled the phone from my pants, did as I said, as I kept my eyes—and my gun—on Anders.
“Carmichael.”
“What’s your friend’s name?” I asked, my voice even, although I was ready to pull the trigger if needed.
“Anders. Looks like Paul Bunyan joined the Marines. You can trust him. He’s there to help.”
“You have a long reach.” What were the odds of Lawton hiring a hit man that belonged to Carmichael? We were three thousand miles from New York. Millions of people, yet Lawton, the fucker, pulls out his Rolodex and dials one of Carmichael’s men?
“You have no idea,” Carmichael replied, his voice loud in the room.
He was right. I had no idea, but I was catching on. I wasn’t going to ask any more questions. I took the phone from Anna, pushed disconnect and shoved it back in my pocket. I gave Anders one last hard look, then lowered my gun.
“Go get Elizabeth,” I told Anna as I pulled her in to my side to brush my lips against her brow in reassurance. My tone was rough, but it couldn’t be helped.
She looked at Anders, then nodded, disappearing into the bedroom.
“Tell me quickly. What did he want you to do?” I said quietly.
Anders darted a glance at the bedroom door. “I understand she disappeared for a number of years.” At my nod, he continued. “I’m supposed to make her disappear again. This time, permanently.”
My jaw clenched. “How?”
“His father-in-law had some Asian clients seeking willing women to leave the country with them.”
