“You don’t have to, but you will. By the way, nice undies.”
Abruptly whoever was on the other line disconnected. I looked around my home, scared to death to move from my place on the couch, afraid that someone was in my home at that very minute looking at me. I then saw the lights outside, shining in the direction of my window. The phone dropped from my hand and I tried to breath, but my heart was beating so fast. I jumped up from my sofa, ran to my window, and sucked in a breath. A car was parked in front of my home and I could see clearly a man stood in front of a car waving at me with a smile on his face. I slammed the curtains shut; now shaking all over. What had I gotten myself into?
I didn’t call the police. I didn’t know what to do, so I called Christopher, who was not just my best friend, but also my mentor and I spoke to him in broken sentences, still trying to get my heartbeat under control. He insisted on coming straight over and he also wanted me to contact the police but having grown up in and out of juvie, I wasn’t exactly a fan of the cops.
I heard a knock at my door minutes later and I jumped startled. Then my phone rang and I recognized Christopher’s number.
“Is that you at the door?” I asked him.
“Yeah. No one’s out here. Open up.”
I quickly went to the door and he looked me up and down as he came in: Inspecting me for any outward signs of distress. I had changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, so at least I wasn’t still in my undies.
“You sure you’re okay? You’re shaking.”
He was right. I couldn’t stop shaking. Knowing that that man had been in front of my home, watching me walk around scantily clad unsettled me. I was visibly upset still.
“Go sit down. I’ll make a pot of coffee,” Christopher said gruffly. He had salt and pepper hair and brows that extended low on his forehead when he was frowning or angry, as he was now. He was a stocky guy with a bit of a gut. He had been a pro wrestler back at one point, but when an injury ended his career he had been smart, funneling his money into other endeavors, including establishing several charities, such as the foster home where I grew up.
“You’ve definitely gotten yourself into something.” He said as he perused the photos after I had a chance to calm down. The heat of the coffee was soothing in my hands. He stopped talking suddenly and intently stared down at one of the photos. His face was tense in concentration. I expected him to make a comment about the crazy position attempted in the picture, but instead he said, “You didn’t recognize the guy from this photo, did you?”
I looked down and shrugged, “He looks familiar, but I assumed I was just imagining things.”
“He should look familiar. That’s Tony Palazzo. He was a presidential candidate. He’s married to a hothead in corporate America, from what I remember. They were in the news because of how costly and bitter their divorce proceedings are going. Rumor is that an organized crime family partially funded his campaign. Distant cousins of his or something like that.”
“Are you kidding me?” I shook my head. Maybe I needed to find a new job, preferably one where taking not so innocent photos didn’t lead to situations where I had to fear for my life.
“It’s probably Tony Palazzo who wants the photos. He must have seen you and did some snooping to find you. Now he wants the pictures. I bet they would be ammunition for the wife and he doesn’t want them leaked. Like I said, she’s one scary character from what I hear.”
“What am I going to do?”
Christopher said, “Leave it to the cops.”
I thought about that for a second and then said, “And tell them what? I was in a bathroom stall taking pictures of a couple engaging in sexual activity and I need the cops’ help to do what exactly?”
“I see your point. You should probably still call them.”
“Chris!” I said exasperated.
“I’m just saying... ”
“Well, say something else.”
He sighed deeply, “I’ll go with you. It’s dangerous, but maybe they just want the pictures back. No harm no foul.”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel half as sure as Christopher did.
Chapter Two
It was a little bit before eight o’clock. I was admittedly scared and nervous. I hoped that I wasn’t sweating and I tried to keep my expression impassive although I felt anything but cool and collected. I hadn’t chosen my career because I was fearless. In fact, if anything I had chosen it because it gave me the ability to do something that wouldn’t attract anyone’s attention to me. Now here I was a sitting duck with eyes probably everywhere on me and I couldn’t help but get mad at myself. I had messed up royally. I didn’t feel all that better safety wise even though I knew Christopher wasn’t too far away from me. I wish I could say that I felt everything was fine since he was there, but no. I was scared. I’d never been in this type of situation before. I’d never been threatened before. The worst thing that had happened to me was a disgruntled spouse who threw her drink in my face.
Moreover, how in the world did they know I was taking pictures in the first place? Someone must have looked up and saw my camera at the last minute. I felt stupid now for taking the risk, but from all the noises that were coming from the stall, I honestly thought I would get away without being noticed. I kicked at a rock and thought bitterly, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
I started to observe the people around me. I watched a woman, with a poodle, reach down, kiss her dog, and wondered why people did that. It always grossed me out, but then again I wasn’t a big fan of animals. I continued to survey the area around me. At least I wasn’t alone. A man wearing an expensive looking black sport coat was facing the water, looking at the sunset about twenty feet away from me. I was comforted by the fact that there were witnesses around and I saw Christopher sitting at a bench, pretending to be playing on a tablet, so that gave me a little more courage. That courage left me when a voice spoke up from behind me, breaking me out of my reverie and clearly wanting my attention.
“Lexa Charles, I presume?” said the voice.
I turned around slowly, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. The man behind me was short and chubby. His nose was slightly crooked, making me think he had been in more than a few fights in his life.
“I have the photos,” I said instantly reaching into my pocket.
“I’ll take those,” he said. “And the camera.”
I sighed and handed it to him. He carefully took them out of my hand and turned away and as he did, the woman walking the dog blocked his path and said in a dark voice.
“Give me the photos, Marcos.”
I stood there in between them. Marcos looked at me and then back at the woman. “Mrs. Palazzo. What a nice surprise. Funny running into you here.” He said with false charm.
She gave him a mean look and then said evenly, “Just stop while you’re ahead, Marcos. Give me the photos.” It was then that I could smell the stench of alcohol permeating through her pores and floating through the air.
“This is business, Mrs. Palazzo.” Marcos said with steel in his voice, no longer trying to appease her.
“My husband cheating on me is my business.”
“No one said anything about cheating.”
“I’m not stupid, Marcos,” she growled. “I have a right to know what whore of the week my husband is seeing now.”
I grimaced and tried to back away, trying to leave the scene without being caught up in any further drama, and that’s when I heard it. The click of a gun being cocked and I saw that it was pointed at Marcos who was too close to me for comfort. I went to move away and she swiveled the gun in my direction.
“Are you his whore?” she said and I finally noticed how crazy her eyes looked. They were red-rimmed and swollen from crying. It looked like she was a mix between being high, drunk or in mourning and from the sound of her voice and smell of her, I would say it was a mix of all those things.
“I don’t even know your husband. I’m just a private inv
estigator.”
“Likely story,” she hissed.
“Put that gun down, Beth,” Marcos hissed, clearly angry but not wanting to deal with a deranged woman with a gun.
“No. You think I’m just going to let Tony keep running around on me. No. I’m done. It’s over. Daddy said he wasn’t good enough. I should have listened.” Her voice became enraged, getting louder as she continued, clearly losing the little amount of control she still exercised over her emotions. “Your whole family is nothing but a bunch of sleazy----”
She didn’t get to finish as Marcos sprung in her direction and she spun instantly trying to avoid him, unwittingly pulling the trigger in the process and I heard the sound of the bullet being discharged, knowing fully well that I would become the accidental target. I knew I was going to die and as I prepped for the pain and agony in my chest, I felt a hand grab me and push me down. Only milliseconds passed. I stared up at the stranger in disbelief; on top of me was a man, the man in the dark jacket who had been watching the sunset. How he had gotten to my side so fast, I didn’t know. I would have assumed that it was humanly impossible. Then I reasoned, he could have moved closer when I wasn’t looking since I had been too busy being sure I wouldn’t be shot.
I looked past the stranger on top of me and I saw that the bullet had pierced the tree that was directly behind me. I sighed, whispered a prayer of gratitude to be alive, and looked up at him, “Thank you,” I mumbled. “You just----”
Too beguiled by his eyes, I couldn’t continue speaking. They were an incredibly light grey, the irises barely perceptible in the light, and his body on top of mine felt warm as his chest pressed against my breasts. I was tongue-tied suddenly and he responded by smiling at me, deftly raising up, and extending his hand to me.
I was so mesmerized by the stranger that I didn’t feel insulted at all, as he undressed me with his eyes. He started by taking in my legs. I was wearing tight leggings that left nothing to the imagination when it came to my modest curves and then he slowly brought his eyes up to my small waist, barely there breasts and then his eyes paused not at my face, but my throat. He reached out and ran a finger down my throat. It was unexpected and I felt a jolt that went from where he touched me and spread across my entire body. My skin felt increasingly warm. My breasts suddenly felt heavy and I slowly reached up and let my hand hover over his as our eyes met. Instantly I felt as if I knew this man. I opened my mouth to ask his name when I heard a noise and I turned in its direction, broken from the trance I felt I was in.
So focused on the stranger who saved my life, I didn’t notice the brawl that was going on right next to me. Even the barking poodle had escaped my attention. Distractedly, I turned to say thank you to him again, but when I looked, he was no longer there. I looked around ignoring Christopher holding the disgruntled Mrs. Palazzo down while Marcos seemed to be calling for reinforcements or for the authorities. I couldn’t be sure which one. Mrs. Palazzo was now screaming and wiggling around spewing obscenities and spitting. I shook my head and looked around again. Where had the man with the beautiful eyes disappeared to so quickly?
“Lexa, a little help here,” Christopher said pointedly looking at the gun that was still near the now flailing woman’s hand. I pushed it away with my foot.
Marcos looked at Christopher and me with gratitude “Thanks. The family owes you.”
I didn’t know what to say exactly besides, “Does that mean you’ll give me my camera and the pictures back?”
“No.”
“Well, I thought at least I’d try.” I responded and Marcos fought a smile.
Authorities didn’t arrive, but Tony did. I hadn’t been expecting that and he shook his head at the ridiculous figure his wife made seated between the stocky figures of Christopher and Marcos on the park bench, crying softly to herself.
The gun had disappeared and I assumed Marcos had it. Christopher immediately got up when he saw Tony approaching and signaled for us to leave.
I didn’t waste any time following behind Christopher to the parking lot. I turned to look behind me one last time, expecting to see Mrs. Palazzo clawing at her husband’s face. Instead, I saw him squat in front of her, speak softly to her, and suddenly she was in his arms and he was holding her gently, stroking her hair as her entire body shook with sobs. She clung to him and my heart went out to her. I couldn’t see his face, but he held on to her tightly, possessively even, as he whispered into her ear. Marcos walked away awkwardly, giving them a private moment. Love is complicated, I thought to myself as I turned away not sure who to feel sympathy for anymore.
Chapter Three
“Cooper, I’m sorry. Truly, I am.” I said repeatedly as I attempted to parallel park my car with one hand and my phone pressed between my ear and my shoulder.
“Listen, can I call you back?” I knew he had a right to be upset. I hadn’t delivered on the pictures, but as I tried to reassure him, I sincerely doubted he would have to worry about his wife cheating on him again. Well, at least not with Tony Palazzo again.
My simple request was met by more yelling and I grimaced when he used one particular word. I knew he was upset, but he didn’t have to be insulting.
I was about to tell him when I heard a thump and looked up instantly in the rear view mirror.
A man stood there rubbing his hip and I instantly hung up on Cooper and jumped out of my car.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.” I said rounding the car. I didn’t even look at his face as I began dusting him off instead. “Are you okay? God, I need to stop driving and talking at the same time.”
“Yes, it seems you are better at taking care of one task at a time.”
His voice was melodic and deep. He had a slight accent, which made me wonder if he were from Russia as I looked up at him about to reply.
I stopped automatically when my eyes finally settled on his face. He smiled at me. It was the stranger from yesterday.
“It’s you,” I breathed.
“Yes. And apparently instead of thanking me, you’re trying to kill me with your car,” his lips tilted up at the end and I knew he was joking with me.
I smiled back, feeling myself lean in towards him as if drawn there by something I couldn’t see. In the sunlight, I could clearly see his face. He had an olive-complexion and a narrow nose. His eyes that I had dreams about the other night were just as luminous and beautiful as I remembered; lined with long thick eyelashes. He had a beard that served to emphasize how masculine he looked. It was carefully sculpted and unbelievably sexy.
When I finished taking in his face, I let my eyes roam across his body as he had done to me. At 5’10, I was tall for a woman, but he seemed to dwarf me, making me think he had to be about 6’4”. He was lean muscled. I didn’t see an ounce of body fat on the man. The way his jeans fit around his legs and crotch made my imagination come up with some interesting things. The t-shirt he was wearing highlighted his well-defined upper body and as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at me with amusement, his biceps flexed and bulged against the sleeves.
I stared, wanting to run my hands up his arms. Whom was I kidding? I didn’t just want to run my hands up his arms. I wanted to devour this man. I was so fiercely attracted to him that if he asked me to go home with him, I wouldn’t have said no. I would have left my car haphazardly parked and hopped in the car with him, that’s how strong my desire was for him. For some reason, that scared me. I didn’t even know this man’s name. I figured I would start with his name, instead of tearing off his clothes.
“I’m Lexa. Lexa Charles.”
“Lexa,” he said my name softly, letting the syllables roll off his tongue in such a way that I felt he caressed my name with his tongue just by saying it. “My name’s Nico. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, officially.”
He extended his hand and I took it. Stupid mistake. As soon as my hand touched his, I felt it. That charge. That jolt. This man with just a touch of his hand had electr
ified all the nerve endings in my body. I didn’t know how to deal with that. I was instantly conflicted and then confused. I snatched my hand back, unable to think with him touching me.
“Nico. Well thank you for the other night. You saved my life.”
He nodded acknowledgment of my gratitude and reached towards me, touching my chin with startlingly familiarity. His hand didn’t stop there as he allowed his palm to go up the side of my face, gently stroking my cheek and for some reason I kissed the palm of his hand and sighed against it. I looked up at him abruptly, shocked at my own behavior. Was I going crazy? What did I just do? I went to apologize, but he was already there, bending down lowering his lips to mine. My brain said, “Move!” and my body said, “Don’t you dare.” My body won as I let Nico’s lips close over mine. His lips were soft and warm and they moved skillfully over mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood up on my tippy toes, trying to reach more of him as I buried my hands in his hair. His arms came around me too and he began to trace his hands slowly up and down my body. I turned my body so that my front was nestled against his. He settled back against my car and pulled me even closer to him, now deepening the kiss as his hands flirted with the edge of my shirt, not going under it, but coming so close that I groaned against his lips in frustration when I didn’t feel his fingers on my skin.
Then slowly, he pulled back, breathing my name and placing his hands on either side of my face.
“Now that was quite an introduction,” he said with a boyish grin.
I was about to smile as well when I saw the other shopkeepers near my office staring out the windows at us. Immediately embarrassed, I mumbled, “I have to go” and I practically ran away from him. I didn’t turn around to see if he were following me. I just disappeared into the little office building where my office was located on the first floor, then through the door, closing it sharply behind me, and leaning against it to take in a few breaths. Maybe, I had overreacted, but I didn’t make out with strangers in the middle of day in front of my office. In fact, I didn’t make out with strangers at all, no matter the time of day. I had to think hard to even come up with the last time I had even been on a date.
Cade (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 2) Page 75
