Blyssfully Undone: The Blyss Trilogy - book 3

by CLIFF, J. C.

  “When this is over—” she starts off, but I interrupt.

  “When this is over, I will tell you whatever you want to know, and some things you’ll wish you never knew…if that’s what you want.”

  “I’m just sick of being in the dark and thrown in harm’s way at every turn. This is just too much.”

  I cup her cheeks and search her eyes. “Sweetheart, this is the last thing on Earth I want to do; believe me. They are tracking you, and they will always be tracking you, unless we put an end to it. Right now, we have serious backup. I have better protection on you than the Pope, and I promise not to leave your side for a single second. Don’t you want to put an end to this chase? Put an end to the people who are after you once and for all?”

  She closes her eyes and remains silent for a moment, thinking about everything I just said. “What do you want me to do then?” she asks in a voice of resignation.

  “Your job is to stay within inches of me at all times. It’d be nice if you were to hang all over me too,” I say with a sheepish grin. “Maybe even act like we’re in love. That’s all I need you to focus on. I’ll handle the rest.”

  With her eyes downcast at the floor, she knots her hands in her lap, and mumbles, “Yes, well, that won’t be so hard to do.”

  “What did you just say?” I ask with incredulity lining my voice as my heart hammers in my chest. I lift her chin to search her eyes for the truth. “Say it again,” I softly demand.

  Her eyes are rimmed in red as she stares at me dead-on, full of genuineness. “I think I had fallen in love with you, Travis, and I don’t know whether or not it’s a Stockholm thing, or if I’ve truly lost my mind.” A couple tears of frustration spill over her cheeks as she hoarsely whispers, “How can I love and hate someone so much, all at the same time?”

  “Oh, baby.” I lean in and give her a gentle kiss on the lips. “I don’t like to hear the past tense of had fallen in love, but soon, real soon, I plan on hearing nothing but the present tense. You can’t hate me, Jules; you just can’t. I’m not the enemy here,” I whisper the last words on a plea.

  “I don’t know anything anymore, Travis.” She sounds so downhearted and unsure of herself. I pray to God she can find it in her heart to forgive me, and truly love me one day.

  “Soon, I promise you…very soon, there will be no more lies.” I look at the stone in her necklace, which glistens in the morning light. As much as I want to, I can’t tell her this necklace is her lifeline should our plans go south and she gets captured. I need this secret to be mine, because hell if I know where her head is right now. She’s been through too much for me to be able to predict her thoughts and next moves anymore. Shit, for all I know, if she knew what was in this necklace, she could decide to ditch the medallion and take off to God knows where. Of course Nick would be the one to find her then, since he’s on the other end of the GPS tracker in her hip.

  These bastards need to be dealt with now while the chase is hot; otherwise, I’d take the damn tracker out myself this very minute. The device will be like drawing bees to honey, and as soon as they expose themselves, my men and I will take them out. I’m certain Jules will survive the war. It’s surviving the aftermath I’m concerned about.

  Jules

  “Relax, baby,” Travis nonchalantly says, as if there's not a team of killers tracking us down, ready to pop out in front of us at any moment.

  “That's easy for you to say. Not only are you a very skilled marksman, you're also used to this type of villainous lifestyle.” I’m not being a smart ass. My nerves are wrecked, and he makes walking the plank look so easy.

  He arches one of his brows as a half-grin easily spreads across his lips. “You’re not doing so bad surviving in this lifestyle yourself. Now, do you want to start smiling, or do I need to kiss you stupid again so you can start relaxing?” he asks, then he glances to his left, noticing an alleyway. “Mmm…I wonder how many kisses it will take before you’ll be willing to have me right in this alley.” He looks at me out of the corner of his eye, wearing a cocky smirk.

  Immediately, I blush and look the other way. A deep chuckle escapes him, and I just want to smack him for being so relaxed and carefree right now. Apparently, my non-answer is unacceptable, because when I don’t respond fast enough for his liking, he makes a move. I squeal and lose sight of the sidewalk beneath my feet as he wraps his arms around my body, lifts me up off the ground, and then twirls me around.

  “Travis, put me down,” I giggle. The man must have a death wish. How can he look at the perils of danger and laugh in its face? He couldn’t be any more unaffected by what lays around the corner. “Stop. This is not the time for playing.”

  He stops spinning me and slowly lets me slide down the front of his hard body as he palms the globes of my ass. I inhale a sharp breath. He’s such a bad boy. He knows exactly how to affect me. He holds me tightly against his chest, and his eyes begin to smolder as if he’s actually considering us doing it in the alleyway. He grinds his hips into me and I lose my breath. This is seriously considered indecent PDA, but somehow, he makes me not care.

  He nips at my lower lip, and then huskily whispers, “I’m serious. It’s either the alley, or relax.” How does he do this? He’s acting all horny, but able to stay all-business at the same time. He has me in a tizzy, and my panties are soaked. I wrap my hand around the back of his neck as I stand on my tiptoes so I can pull him down to kiss my lips. Oh, damn, his lips are magic, and his tongue sends butterflies flying low in my belly. The alleyway doesn’t look so bad at the moment.

  “How do you do this? How can you act so normal?” I whisper over his lips.

  He looks down at me and gives me a cocky grin. “They don't call me Stonewall Jackson for nothing, babe.”

  “That's for dang sure. You couldn't have been born with a better name. It suits you perfectly.” I pull away from him, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. “At least tell me you’ve got nervous energy rolling through you on the inside.”

  “I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t, but I only have nervous energy for your safety, not over mine,” he states seriously. He coaxes our bodies forward, and we begin walking again along the downtown streets of Raleigh. It’s fairly busy for midmorning, and thankfully, it’s not obnoxiously humid today.

  I lean into the side of his muscled body, and he gives my shoulders a loving squeeze. This feels all too comfortable, familiar, and natural. Travis exudes a certain confidence, and it shows with every step he takes.

  He looks down at me through those thick dark lashes and regards me with those sparkly green eyes. “Better?” He smiles, placing a chaste kiss on my temple. I nervously smile and slip my arm around his waist. “That's my girl. It's all going to play out fine; you'll see,” he tries to reassure me.

  I steal a deep breath for courage, inhaling his manly scent, and snuggle my cheek into the side of his chest. I close my eyes for a moment and soak him in, pretending none of this chaos exists. I actually ponder what it'd be like if we were actually a normal couple just going for a walk in the city on a beautiful day.

  I'm sure right now, with both of us having a relaxed demeanor as we walk snuggled against each other like two lovebirds, no one would even suspect we are on the run from a bunch of kidnappers and killers. However, the stiffness of the bulletproof vest that rests against my cheek tells me otherwise. I’m thankful for the protection and for the foresight of Travis and his men to have these vests, because I feel so open and exposed being out here in broad daylight like this. I just hope if we do get shot at, it won’t be in the head. What a terrible thought. A cold chill runs down my spine just thinking about it, and I cling a little tighter to Travis.

  Our pace slows, and before I know it, Travis has steered us into a small cafe off the main street. I lift my head off his chest and look around, wondering what we’re doing in here.

  “Thought you’d enjoy a little restaurant cuisine for a change,” he answers my unasked question
. Then, he leans down and whispers in my ear, “Don’t worry; they have gluten-free options here. I already checked it out.” He pulls back and a smirk is plastered across those sexy lips of his like he’s proud of himself.

  Travis lets go of me, places his hand on the small of my back in a protective gesture, and guides me to a booth.

  “How did you know what I was thinking?” I ask indignantly.

  He chuckles at me. “Jules, I’ve spent the better part of a month with you, in which the last of those two weeks we’ve been inseparable. I know how to read people, and most especially, I know how you operate,” he says as he taps the tip of my nose with his index finger.

  I huff and slide into the booth while Travis snickers to himself, taking the seat across from me. “So, what are we doing here?”

  “We’re eating an early lunch. I believe they call it brunch,” he says in a tone as if I should know.

  “Well, duh. You know what I mean.” I give him a stern look, but before I can dig an answer out of him, a waitress appears at our booth.

  She doesn’t even look my way as she asks Travis all sultry-like, “How can I help you?” Seriously? I wish I had on spiked high heels right now, because I’d use them to jab her in the eye. She really needs to wear a bib to catch her drool. My eyes narrow as I grow irritated, feeling an edge of jealousy coming on. I guess I haven’t ever been with Travis in public to see what other women’s reactions would be over his good looks and pretty-boy smile.

  “Sweetheart?” Travis softly says, catching my attention while he slips his hands underneath mine. He lifts my hand with the engagement ring on it to his lips and presses a soft kiss to the back of my hand while his eyes gleam. He knows exactly what I’m thinking. Jerk. “Would you like something to drink?” he asks me, ignoring the waitress.

  “We will both have a sweet tea, please,” I sing in a love-struck voice, looking directly at Travis as he holds my stare. When she’s gone, Travis arches his brow in reply to my power play, looking somewhat surprised that I’ve staked a claim on him. I’m somewhat surprised myself. He looks down and gazes at the ring, then gently begins rolling his thumb over the top of the sparkly diamond in quiet contemplation. The way he’s possessively fondling the engagement ring on my finger sends a warm, fuzzy feeling through me, and the way he’s staring at it in silence speaks volumes.

  He breaks through the silence, murmuring in a low, husky voice, “You wear this well.” He lifts his chin, meeting my eyes with determined resoluteness. “You will say yes. It might not be today, but you will say yes.” His words make my belly flip, and he lightly squeezes my hand as if he's sealing the deal.

  The silence lays heavy between us for a minute, and then he blinks his eyes, shaking his head as if he was caught in a daydream. His eyes quickly glance toward the restaurant door, and immediately, all the anxiety that lay dormant reawakens. I sit up straight, on edge, not knowing what he sees behind me. “Just relax. I’ve got you,” he says as he softly smiles, trying to reassure me. “Nothing is going on. I just got lost for a moment.” My shoulders slump in relief. “This is what you do to me, Jules. I sometimes can’t think straight when I’m around you,” he confesses. Yeah, well I feel the same way.

  Nonchalantly, I scan the interior of the cafe and notice very few patrons fill the tables. I suppose it’s because the lunch hour rush hasn’t hit yet. Travis squeezes my hand, garnering my attention. When I look at him, he’s looking at me as if he wants to tell me he loves me. I can see it in his eyes. It takes my breath away. I’ve seen this look before a few times, actually hoping he’d say it, but that was before. Now that I have my memory back, I remember all the lies. My heart squeezes in pain, and I need a little air to get myself back under control.

  I’m not ready to hear those three little words, if that’s what he’s trying to tell me right now. There’s simply too much chaos swirling around in my head to add another complication to whatever this is between us. Before he has a chance to say anything, I need to leave. “Travis, I’d like to use the restroom. Is that okay?” His lips thin, and he looks disappointed. The moment is lost. I can tell he’s not happy, but he lets go of my hands, setting me free with a small sigh.

  I quickly look around for the restroom signs, spot them, and slip out of the booth. My heart pounds in my chest with each step I take toward the bathroom. I take my sweet time in the bathroom, stalling, trying to calm my frayed nerves. Now is not the time to think about conflicting feelings and emotions over a man. I have much bigger problems to contend with than being analytical over something so shallow.

  Dammit, Jules, pull yourself together. I’ve never been one of those wishy-washy women who let their emotions yo-yo over a man, yet it appears that way now. I have to focus on the matter at hand, which is staying alive. I’m sure a good five minutes have gone by, and I don’t need Travis making a scene by busting into the ladies’ room; I can see it now. I stifle a giggle. I’m sure there’s not a woman on God’s green Earth who wouldn’t mind him tromping into the ladies’ room.

  I step through the bathroom door and run face-first into a solid wall of muscle, also known as Travis. He’s like hitting a brick wall at top speed, and I bounce right off him. Instinctively, I grab onto both sides of his waist to keep from rebounding and falling flat on my ass. The muscles in his body are tense, and I find it odd he doesn’t even turn around to see if I’m okay. Not acknowledging the fact it could be anyone who’s just rammed into the backside of him, my forehead wrinkles in confusion. I lean around his waist to get a look at his face. “Travis, what’s—” I stop mid-sentence, stunned frozen at the sight before me.

  “Ahh, there she is—the lady of the hour,” a tall brooding man sneers at me with dark menacing eyes. “You’ve certainly sent us on a wild goose chase, young lady.” Chills of terror race through my veins. “Step away, and there won’t be any problems,” the man says with a contemptible smirk on his face. Scanning the length him, I notice he has a gun pressing against Travis’ ribcage, and I lose my breath.

  I shake my head over and over again, my hands tightly clinging to the fabric of Travis’ shirt. “No?” He shrugs. “Suit yourself. I don’t have a problem shooting your lover right here where he stands.”

  “If you shoot, the bullet will go right through him and hit me. Is that how Nick wanted me back?” I reason with a shaky voice.

  “Who said anything about shooting him in the gut. I have about ten different places I can shoot him within the blink of an eye and still miss you by a foot.”

  All the blood rushes from my head, making me feel dizzy. I have to do something other than let the situation control me. I’ll be damned if I wind up under Nick again, let alone have this man hurt Travis.

  Keeping my eyes pinned on the evil man, I slowly slide my right hand from Travis’ hip until I feel the cool metal of his gun holstered at the small of his back in the waistband of his jeans. I gesture with a nod, indicating I will cooperate, playing his game to bide time. “Okay, but if I agree, you won’t hurt Travis, will you?”

  “I won’t hurt him, unless he tries something foolish,” he says with a raised brow as he glances at Travis. “Of course, once Nick gets ahold of him, I can’t promise anything.”

  Ever so carefully, I wrap my hand around the metal grip and slip the gun out. Since Travis is so wide and broad, there is no way this man would be able to tell what I’m about to do.

  I slowly take one cautious step to the left of Travis, and the man speaks up, startling me. “That’s it, Princess, nice and slow. I wouldn’t want to hurt your lover-boy here.”

  I’m supposed to have no qualms when it comes to eliminating the enemy. That’s what Travis and Stryker drilled into me. It’s either kill or be killed, they told me. It’s a lie, however; it’s simply a coping mechanism. It’s just not that simple. I will never be able to forget what I’ve already done, or what I’m about to do.

  I take my second step around Travis with his gun on the ready, but before I can do anything, the ma
n’s eyes go wide and I watch in horror as he falls to the floor grabbing his right shoulder, crying out in pain. Blood spills from his arm like someone just struck oil. My hand covers my mouth reflexively as desperate terror overtakes me. My shaking hand lets go of the gun as it slips out of my grip, dropping to the floor. Travis dives over the man, pinning him down as he makes a grab for his gun. My chest is pounding with panic, and as I glance into the dining area, there are more men running our way with their weapons drawn. Without making a conscious decision, my feet take flight and I run the opposite way. Travis must have handpicked this restaurant with good reason, because there’s a back entrance. Leave it to him to think of all the angles.

  I push the bar inward on the steel door and break free, leaving the mayhem behind. I run like I’ve never ran before. I don’t know where the hell I’m going, but once I can hide myself, I’ll figure it out. I make it half a block before I hear heavy footsteps running up behind me. I don’t look back as an adrenaline-fueled surge of panic kicks in and I pick up speed, but it’s not enough.

  Thick, large arms wrap around my upper body, and suddenly I’m being tackled like a linebacker. I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable crash against the asphalt, but it never comes. Whoever has tackled me twisted our bodies together in such a way that he takes the brunt of the fall on his back with me on top. I let out an ear-piercing scream, and I begin to buck and thrash with everything I have. Hysteria is all I feel as I try to break free.

  “Jules! Calm the fuck down!” the man’s voice bellows behind me. “It’s me, Quinn!” he yells. My chest rises and falls as I gasp for air, my lungs burning from lack of oxygen. The crazy situation I’ve just lived through is too much for me to handle. My body begins to tremble, my mind becoming a scrambled mess as Quinn keeps a death grip on me. There’s no digesting this. This isn’t happening. I have the sudden urge to vomit, and I feel hot and clammy all over. Without warning, everything goes black.