Tapestry of the Past

by Alvania Scarborough

  “Tell her what?” she asked, obviously trying to sound breezy and unconcerned.

  She failed miserably.

  “They found a body.” Gabriel watched her closely, trying to judge her reaction.

  She gripped the edge of the swinging door until the bones of her knuckles shone white against the polished wood. “Do they know who it is yet?” she whispered.

  “They ran a check on him. He turned up in the computers almost immediately. His name was John Crump. He was a pro.”

  “A professional killer? Dear God.” The blood drained from her face. She sat in the nearest chair and put her arms around her waist.

  Gabriel stifled the urge to slam his hand into the wall. A terrible premonition that everything was falling apart stalked him.

  Just like last time.

  He gripped her upper arms and hauled her up tight against him. Tension strummed through her body. She was wound so tight he expected her to shatter like old glass.

  One hand cupping the back of her head, he used his thumb to tilt her chin so he could stare into her eyes. She felt so damn fragile. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “Promise?” The words were a thread of sound.

  “Promise.” He knew his tone was harsh but it seemed to reassure her.

  “What do we do next?” she asked, moving her head so she could press a kiss into his palm.

  “We do what I should have done from the beginning. We get outside help.” He framed her face between his palms. “I mean it, Kalesia. I won’t allow anyone to harm you. In any way.”

  Kalesia smiled, her eyes gentle. “I know.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips across his. “You’re a man of your word, Gabriel Steele. If you say no one will hurt me, then I believe you.”

  Gabriel crushed her tightly against him and rested his cheek on the top of her head. Inside, he wished he shared her faith. Things were beginning to feel like they had the last time—unraveling and spinning out of control. He inhaled her light magnolia and exotic woods fragrance, letting it soothe him.

  This time he wouldn’t make a mistake.

  He didn’t dare.

  Because not only was her life at stake but his sanity.

  He set Kalesia from him and ignored her questioning glance. “Go on up and start searching your files and computer records for any mention of John Crump or anyone with those initials. I’ll be up in a minute. First I need to make a couple of calls.” He watched until she was out of sight then reached for the phone.

  It seemed a person could never completely escape the past. One way or the other, it always managed to catch up with a man.

  * * * * *

  Kalesia tapped a bright red nail against the pile of folders in her lap. “Gabriel, I checked my records as you requested. I came up empty on references to a John Crump or those initials. Was there any other angle you wanted me to try?”

  Would she get a civil answer this time? Heck, she’d settle for any answer. Something was very wrong. Gabriel had grown steadily more quiet and withdrawn as the day drew on and slipped into night.

  “No.”

  Giving an inaudible sigh, she fiddled with the files. So much for using the case to draw him out. She tried to look on the bright side. At least he had answered. The last time he hadn’t even bothered to grunt a reply.

  Kalesia didn’t know which was worse, when he ignored her or when he deigned to look at her. During those few times, she saw a chill in the gray eyes. A chill that deepened with each hour that passed. Sometimes, she wondered if he even saw her.

  Or maybe he saw her too clearly.

  The shock of that possibility froze her in her chair.

  It was altogether too possible that he was debating if she was worth the effort.

  A knot of fear that had nothing to do with her vision of murder and everything to do with the fact Gabriel was separating himself from her, formed.

  She had to do something. But she had tried everything, everything except…

  “Gabriel?”

  “What?”

  Her fingers twisted with nerves. Not exactly encouraging. “It’s time to go to bed.” She held her breath.

  “Go on ahead. I’ll be up later.” The curt dismissal hurt more than she thought possible. Getting to her feet, she walked up the stairs. She would not beg. If the man wanted some distance between them, fine. He could have all he wanted.

  Gabriel watched Kalesia leave the room, his gut in knots.

  He hadn’t wanted to make those calls. Throughout his career, he’d insisted on working alone. A policy brought home by his last mission.

  To do so now could cost Kalesia her life.

  No choice.

  Making those calls had been necessary. He needed contacts he no longer had, contacts he had deliberately cut.

  No choice.

  Fury gnawed at him. Had chewed on his gut all day.

  He hadn’t wanted to make the calls.

  He closed his hand, one finger at a time, until he formed a tight fist. Just as slowly, he opened it.

  Never again. He’d promised himself that never again would he work with a partner.

  He clenched his left hand then, one by one, straightened his fingers.

  Yet, he’d made the calls.

  Because, in the end, it boiled down to one simple fact. Either he asked for help or he risked losing the one woman who chased the darkness away and let him bask in light. If only for a little while.

  As simple and as complicated as that.

  With a muffled curse, Gabriel stalked up the stairs, his body throbbing with a potent mixture of primitive anger and desire.

  Opening the door to his room, he stopped on the threshold, taking slow, deep breaths, trying to regain a measure of control.

  “Gabriel?” Kalesia sounded unsure, as if she could sense the roil of emotion tearing him apart.

  He crossed the room. With a savage twist of his wrist, he flicked the drapes open. Moonlight flooded the area.

  “Hiding in the dark?” he mocked. Tonight, of all nights, he didn’t want to feel closed in.

  She pulled the sheet up to her throat. “What is it? What’s the matter with you?” He heard her breath catch as he discarded his clothes haphazardly. Captured in light from the open door, he saw the tiny flare of wariness invade her watchful gaze.

  “Funny you should ask that. I’ve sat downstairs for an hour trying to determine that very thing.” He rested one knee on the side of the bed, putting a considerable dent in the mattress.

  “You’re angry.”

  “Brilliant observation. You know what? After much consideration, I came to the same conclusion. Care to speculate why?” He shifted, caging her between his arms. He leaned over her, purposefully intimidating.

  “I don’t have to speculate. I know why,” she said, then bit her lip.

  “Really?” he drawled. A part of him was appalled at his actions, at his need to see fear in her eyes but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  Kalesia licked her lips. He followed the movement, his groin drawing tight. “Yes. You’re angry because I’ve disrupted the calm existence you’ve carved out for yourself. Because of me, you no longer have complete control.”

  “Do you also read crystal balls in your spare time, witch?” he asked, a hint of savagery underlying the question. Kalesia saw too damn much for her own good.

  Her fists tightened on the sheet, pulling it a notch higher. “What do you want, Gabriel?”

  “What do I want? That’s an interesting question.” Without warning, he snatched the sheet from her hands, flinging it to the floor with suppressed fury. “I want compensation.”

  “Compensation?” she repeated, sounding dumbfounded. At least he could take satisfaction in the fact she didn’t know everything about him.

  “Yes, compensation. I want compensation for everything I’ve given up.” He tangled one hand in her hair, pulling her head back, forcing her to meet his gaze. “And I know just how I’m going to get it.”
<
br />   Anger sparked in those brilliant green eyes. “Why, you arrogant tomcat. Go to hell. I refuse to sleep with you because, mmf…”

  Gabriel slammed his mouth down on hers, trapping the rest of her scathing comment. “You owe me, woman,” he gritted as he lifted his head, “and tonight I intend to collect.” He covered her mouth again, his tongue insinuating itself between her lips.

  She couldn’t turn him away. He wouldn’t let her.

  Kalesia found her resistance shattered by the flash of vulnerability in Gabriel’s silver eyes. A tiny part of him realized he was stepping over the line, that he was demanding what couldn’t be forced and feared she would call him on it.

  She couldn’t fight him, couldn’t send him away, reject him. Gabriel expected rejection. She saw it in his eyes.

  He needed her, whether he knew it or not.

  She stopped resisting, letting her lips soften as she accepted and absorbed his fury. Instead of pushing him away, her arms went around his neck, her fingers finding and tracing the corded muscles.

  She would always respond to this man. Kalesia knew that with a certainty that she couldn’t explain. Always seek to soothe his pain and anger, arouse his passion. She had no more control over that than she did her visions.

  His mouth eased its ravaging pressure, became soft and searching. His whispered groan warmed her lips.

  “Hell, I’m sorry.” He placed tiny kisses at the corner of her mouth, a silent apology for his earlier roughness. He winced, his eyes becoming bleak as the sliver of light from the hall showed the swollen fullness of her mouth. One long finger traced the outline of her lips. His hand shook.

  Kalesia gave a tremulous smile and captured his hand in hers. “Don’t look like that. You didn’t hurt me. You wouldn’t, you swore to protect me.”

  He shook his head. “You defeat me with your faith. Remember that,” he added with an inexplicable urgency. “Remember I would never hurt you on purpose,” he said, and covered her body fully as his mouth sought hers in a wild, primitive mating.

  He surged into her mouth, finding and conquering her tongue with his. His taste flooded her senses, dark, masculine, clean.

  * * * * *

  The sound of faint knocking woke Kalesia the next morning. Gabriel was still sleeping beside her. She smiled and stretched. He had kept her awake most of the night. She remembered a recent article that said men over thirty were past their prime. Slipping out of bed, the soft sensual aches contradicted every word of the “experts”. Donning a robe, she hurried downstairs before the insistent knocking woke him.

  Kalesia failed to notice the small, pulsing light almost hidden by the door facing, or the touch pad next to it. Gabriel’s precise instructions for utilizing his custom security system totally slipped her mind as she reached for the doorknob. The light began to glow steadily.

  Opening the door a crack, she peeked around the edge and was confronted by the sight of three tired, rumpled men. Oddly enough, they reminded her of Gabriel. All three wore a certain hardness, a shielded aloneness, as most men wore a suit. One of the men, a blond giant, offered her a wide, open smile. It almost but not quite, hid the measuring gleam in his hazel eyes.

  “Leave it to Gabe to find a looker.”

  The insistent burring sound issuing from what looked like a small digital alarm clock, abruptly intensified. Gabriel’s eyes snapped open. Low murmurs floated up from downstairs. He was halfway down the stairs, a wicked blade held by his thigh, when he recognized Sam’s laugh. Gabriel came to an abrupt halt, only then aware he was rushing downstairs stark naked. Jaw clenched, he made his way back upstairs to shower and get dressed.

  A damp towel wrapped around his waist, he sat on the edge of the bed, hands held loosely between his thighs and tried to come to terms with the fact he had slept so hard that he hadn’t heard his security system the moment it sounded. The near silent alarm began getting on his nerves. He stabbed a finger at the keypad, silencing it.

  He tipped his head back and stared at the dappled reflection of the river dancing on the ceiling. Beside him, his hand clenched. One by one, he straightened his fingers. Once, twice, then a third time. Finally, he released a deep breath and admitted it scared the hell out him that he had slept so hard. Such a thing had never happened before. His uncanny hearing had saved his life innumerable times. So where had it been this morning? he wondered in disgust.

  Hell, he hadn’t even heard Kalesia leave the bed. A solid knot of fear lodged in his belly. Had his skills become so rusted that he was endangering her? He scowled at the ceiling. Or had she slipped under his guard to the extent that his subconscious felt it safe to relax around her?

  Speaking of relaxing, that second level of tone to the alarm meant that Kalesia had opened the door without deactivating the system. Talk about your stupid risks. What she should have done was wake him at the first hint of strangers arriving. A grim smile twisted his mouth. He planned to let her know the full scope of his displeasure.

  Soft feminine laughter drifted up the stairs. He shoved his legs in his jeans.

  Right after he found out what was so damn funny.

  * * * * *

  Gabriel stopped just inside the kitchen and took in the scene in front of him. Kalesia, her thick terrycloth robe shaping her rear, was standing in front of the stainless steel stove expertly flipping pancakes. She chuckled at the fast back and forth verbal jabs between Barry and Sam. Wolf, as usual, sat apart, his cool gray eyes not missing a detail.

  It was a cozy picture. Too damn cozy if you asked him.

  Kalesia turned, a full platter of pancakes in one hand and a dish of scrambled eggs in the other. Her robe gaped, showing the gentle curve of one breast. He wasn’t the only one to notice.

  “Kalesia, go get dressed,” he bit out.

  Startled, she looked up. She met his scowl and a slow, intimate smile curved her lips. Not looking away, she put both plates on the table. Gabriel couldn’t take his eyes off her as Kalesia sauntered up to him. One hand went to his chest, right over his pounding heart and the other slid behind his head. Right there in the kitchen, in front of God and three of the toughest men he knew, she tugged his head down and kissed him. Not a peck on the check. Not a good morning brush of mouth against mouth. But a curl your toes and rock your world, tongue twisting kiss that deliberately evoked memories of hot, humid nights and even hotter, sweaty sex.

  It was the action of a woman stamping her claim.

  Gabriel had never had a woman claim him before.

  It woke a strange feeling in his chest. Gabriel brushed it aside, focusing on the woman in his arms. He cupped her bottom in his hands and hauled her up against his erect cock.

  God, he just wanted to sink into her hot, wet pussy, ride her until they were both too tired to move.

  A discreet cough jerked his head up.

  Shit.

  Gabriel let Kalesia slide down until her feet were on the floor. Hands shaping her waist, he stopped her from moving. No doubt they knew he was aroused but he’d be damned if he’d give them physical proof of that fact. He glared at the men.

  They grinned back.

  Kalesia turned. “You’ll have to forgive him. Sometimes he’s a tad grumpy.” She winked and slipped out of his arms and out of the room before Gabriel could respond to the gentle taunt.

  “You got it bad, man.” Wolf leaned back in his chair and took a sip of coffee, a speculative look in his eyes.

  Gabriel rubbed a hand behind his neck, working the tight muscles. “That woman has turned my life so upside down that I don’t know if I’m coming or going.” He made a beeline for the coffee pot. He needed a strong dose of caffeine this morning. A snarling hiss and the swipe of a seven-clawed paw marked his passage. He glared at the black cat.

  “Damn cat.” Hannibal jumped up onto Samuel Woods’ lap, his purr mocking Gabriel’s scowl.

  Taking a long gulp of coffee, Gabriel studied three of the four men he could call friend and mean it.

  Samuel Woods,
whose blond hair and hazel eyes had caught the fancy of more than one woman, believed in paying his debts. He felt that he owed Gabriel for getting him out of some forgotten Middle Eastern hot spot. Sam blamed himself for the bullet Gabriel had taken in the thigh during the raid that freed him. Now Gabriel desperately needed Sam’s skill in electronic communications. There were, he knew, very few systems that Sam couldn’t and hadn’t hacked into.

  Barry Williams, known to his friends as Badger for his nasty and tenacious disposition, had a knack for gathering tidbits of information. His looks were deceiving. Slight of build, Williams looked like he wouldn’t know how to duck a punch. He was a counterterrorism specialist and expert in several forms of hand-to-hand combat.

  Gabriel scowled. This morning was the first time he’d ever seen Badger laughing and joking with anyone while managing to keep his mouth out of the sewer.

  He and Wolf Devlin went back a long way. They’d been in Special Forces at the same time. Dark, lean and deadly, Wolf was a man who didn’t trust easily. There was an aura about him that made the more perceptive take care to avoid him. He owned an electronic engineering firm. He was also one of the Agency’s best troubleshooters.

  Gabriel trusted these men but it was easy to anticipate their reactions to being informed of Kalesia’s psychic visions. Especially Badger’s blunt comments.

  He swung a chair around and straddled it, his arms crossed over the back. He met each man’s gaze, his own serious. “I need your expertise.”

  “We figured that from your call.” Sam glanced at the other two men. “You know you’ve only to ask.”

  Gabriel nodded his thanks. “Kalesia is here because someone is going to try to kill her.”

  “Any leads on whom?” Wolf asked, cradling his mug of coffee between his large hands.

  “No.”

  “How’d you get involved?” Badger shoveled the last of his pancakes in his mouth and reached for more. “Goddamn, the lady can cook.”

  Gabriel glanced over his shoulder to make sure Kalesia hadn’t returned. He’d much rather she wasn’t within hearing distance the next few minutes. “Harley sent her to me when she had a vision of her murder.”