Misadventures Of A Good Wife

by Meredith Wild

  “I was digging. Trying to get information on your husband.”

  “I thought he was dead.”

  “Yes, that became clear fairly quickly.”

  The night in Spain came back to me like an IMAX movie. Alejandro grabbing my hair, squeezing my breast…

  Please, Catalina. I know you want me as much as I want you. Let me take you to bed.

  My throat constricted and my stomach clenched. Once he realized he couldn’t get any information out of me, he’d decided to try to get a fuck instead. Bastard.

  I swallowed and looked back to Sven. His hair was indeed nearly white, as were his eyebrows. So odd. How could I have not seen him and his brother lurking around?

  Simple. I hadn’t been looking. I’d been awash in my own heartbreak. The same reason I hadn’t seen Alejandro for who he was. Because I’d been grieving Price.

  Price. God, where was Price?

  Then it hit me. “Your brother is taking care of other things, you said. What other things?”

  Sven’s lips twitched into a half smile. “He’s delivering a message.”

  “To whom?” I demanded.

  “You’re a smart lady, Catalina,” Alejandro said. “You already know.”

  I brought my fist down hard on Alejandro’s thigh. “You think you can get your hands on Price? He’s avoided you and the other assholes this far. He’ll get away again.”

  “No, he won’t, love,” Sven said in his deep growling voice. “Because this time we have a bargaining chip.”

  I gulped. Me. Price would do anything to keep me safe.

  I didn’t believe in any kind of psychic bullshit, but I closed my eyes and conjured my husband in my mind. He and I were soul mates. Maybe I could reach him.

  Don’t come after me, my love. Please. I’ll find a way back to you somehow. If you come after me, you’ll be in danger. Stay put.

  I opened my eyes, berating myself for taking my eyes off my surroundings. I needed to figure out where we were going. I looked beyond Sven, but he’d drawn shades over the windows. I frantically began tapping on the black barrier separating us from the driver. “Hey! Hey! They’re kidnapping me. Help!”

  “Quiet down, Catalina. He’s not going to help you.”

  “Because he’s working with you guys. I know that. But if you think I’m not going to try anything I can to get out of here, you can—”

  Thonk!

  My head hit the back of the seat. I gasped as the sting permeated my flesh. Alejandro had hit me.

  “Listen, puta,” he said. “Do as we tell you, or things will get ugly. Don’t forget our night in Spain. I could have had you then if I’d wanted you. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it was your decision that we didn’t fuck that night.”

  I turned to him. The sting in my cheek was now a dull ache. “You told me you were a journalist. I should have known better.”

  “I was a journalist once. Doesn’t pay the bills as well as I’d like.”

  So you sold out. I didn’t say it. I didn’t want to get punched again. Not that I feared a good beating, but I needed to stay conscious if I was going to figure a way out of this.

  Sven put a cell phone to his ear. “Let’s go,” he said.

  I looked around for something I might be able to use as a weapon, or as…anything. Alejandro had taken my purse and set it on the floor by his feet. Maybe I could grab it.

  “Why aren’t we moving?” Alejandro asked.

  “Must be traffic.” Sven put the phone to his ear again. “I said, ‘let’s go.’”

  A few seconds passed.

  “Dodge? You there?” Sven threw the phone to the floor of the limo and banged on the barrier. “Dodge? Let’s go, damn it!”

  Still nothing.

  “For Christ’s sake.” Sven opened the door on his side.

  He was gone less than a minute before I heard, “Fuck!”

  Sven stuck his head back in the door. “Take her, and let’s get out of here.”

  “What’s going on?” Alejandro demanded.

  “Dodge is dead. Shot in the head. We need to move. Now!”

  Without thinking, I scrambled out of the seat and barreled right into Sven, knocking him down.

  “Bitch!” he yelled.

  People were everywhere, thank God. Crowds meant safety. They wouldn’t dare take me screaming and yelling. As much as I wanted to grab the first person I saw and scream for help, I knew that would do no good. I’d just be dragging another innocent soul into this horror. I had to get lost in the crowd. Quickly.

  “Kate!”

  Alejandro’s voice. He was close, so I began sprinting back toward Penn Station. Back to Price.

  If he was still there…

  No. Couldn’t go there. Price was too smart to get caught. He’d eluded them so far.

  But now he thought they had me…

  My stomach twisted into knots.

  “Goddamnit, no!” I said aloud. We had not come this far to lose each other again. I would find Price, or I would die trying.

  I resisted the urge to head back into the station. Though I could easily get lost in the crowd, the chances of finding Price were slim. I hadn’t thought to grab my purse. Damn! That meant they had my cell. They could call Price, and he’d think they had me because the call would come from my phone.

  Policemen were everywhere, and again I resisted my instinct. Until I knew Price was safe, I couldn’t go running to the law.

  When I had gotten far enough that I thought I had lost Alejandro and Sven, I ducked into an office building.

  “May I help you?” the door attendant asked.

  “Just need to use your restroom, please.”

  “Of course. Past the front desk and to the left.”

  I nodded to the security guard at the desk as I walked swiftly toward the ladies’ room and entered. Thank God. No bathroom attendant. I took sanctuary in a stall to think, but my thoughts were jumbled. I had no phone. No laptop. No wallet. No money. What the hell was I supposed to do?

  First things first. I needed to contact Price to let him know I was okay, and for that, I’d need a phone. Perhaps there was a public phone nearby, maybe at the front desk. I’d ask the security guard in the lobby.

  I left the stall and assessed my appearance in the mirror. My blond hair was in disarray, and my cheek was red and beginning to bruise from Alejandro’s blow. Nothing to do about that. I had no makeup. I gathered my courage and left the restroom.

  When the security desk came into view—

  Shit! The back of a platinum-blond head. I clamped my hand over my mouth. Sven was talking to the security guard.

  I turned and fled. I couldn’t go back to the restroom. The guard would have told Sven where I’d gone. I looked around quickly, and when a freight elevator in the back of the building opened, I rushed in without thinking, nearly toppling over the people attempting to get out.

  “So sorry,” I mumbled, and pushed the button for the twenty-fifth floor. Best to get as far away as I could from Sven. If he didn’t find me in the bathroom, maybe he’d think I’d gone on my way. Besides, surely I’d find a phone on the twenty-fifth floor somewhere.

  I didn’t make it to twenty-five. The elevator stopped on five for two men hauling boxes, and I rushed out, my pulse racing. I headed to the first office door I found, an architectural firm. I inhaled a deep breath and walked in.

  “Hello,” a bright-eyed receptionist said. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, please. I’m afraid I’ve just been—” I’d been about to say “mugged.” Not a good idea. She’d insist on calling the cops. “I mean, I seem to have lost my purse. My cell phone was in it, and I need to contact my husband and let him know I’m going to miss our lunch date. Could I use a phone?”

  “You lost your purse on the fifth floor? Let me call around. I’m sure we can locate it.”

  “No, no. I mean…” Think, Kate. Think. “I lost it on the subway. Someone must have cut the strap. I didn’t realize it was gone u
ntil now.” God, I sounded like a moron. “Please. I need to use a phone.”

  The woman looked at me, her brows raised. “Well, all right. There’s a phone for clients over there.” She pointed to an end table in a seating area.

  “Perfect. Thank you so much.” I tried not to run to the phone. I sat down slowly in a wingback chair and picked up the receiver, punching in Price’s new cell number.

  It rang once.

  Twice.

  Three times.

  Why wasn’t he answering? Had they gotten to him?

  Four times.

  Five ti—

  “Who is this?”

  Warmth surged into me. Price’s voice. My husband’s voice. He was safe.

  “Price,” I whispered frantically. “Thank God.”

  “Kate? Is that you?”

  “It’s me. Alejandro is in on it. He was with one of the blond guys Old Joe was talking about. They had me in a limo, but the driver got shot.”

  “Shot?” His voice was low and frantic. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

  “I got away, but they know where I am. I don’t have my purse or my phone.”

  “Where are you, baby?” he asked again.

  I looked to the receptionist. She had her headphones on and was busy typing. “I’m in an office building near Penn Station. I didn’t see the address. I’m on the fifth floor at some architectural company.” Why hadn’t I memorized the name?

  “If they know you’re there, you have to leave. Now.”

  “I know, but I’m stuck on the fifth floor.”

  “Damn!”

  “Price, listen to me. They’re after you. There’s another blond guy.”

  “I caught sight of him. I’ve been avoiding him so far.”

  Relief swept through me. “Thank God. Are you still at Penn Station?”

  “Yeah. But I’m coming to you, baby. I’m coming.”

  “No!” I looked up to the receptionist again after my harsh, though still whispered, outburst. She was still typing. “I’ll come to you. I don’t know what building I’m in, but I can get back to the station.”

  “Kate, please.”

  “It’s the only way, Price. I have to get out of here somehow, or they’ll eventually find me. They know I’m here. I saw the other blond guy talking to the security guard in the lobby.”

  He sighed across the phone—his signal that he knew I was right. “Kate, be careful. Please, baby. I can’t lose you.”

  I blinked back the tears that threatened. I couldn’t break down now. “You won’t. We’ve come this far. We have to make it. I love you, Price.”

  “I love you, Kate. Come back to me.”

  “I will. I promise.” I hung up the phone.

  I hadn’t yet broken a promise to my husband, and I didn’t intend to start now.

  I stood, nodded to the receptionist and mouthed “thank you,” and then walked out the door. A couple of people bustled in the hallway. I smiled and looked around for a door leading to the stairs to stay out of sight.

  No. Not a good idea. Sven would take the stairs, and if he found me there, I’d be trapped. I’d never outrun him, and the stairs would be deserted. No one would be around, and Sven would easily be able to outmaneuver me, especially if Alejandro or anyone else was with him. The freight elevator I’d come up in wouldn’t work either, as it would be in less frequent use. I had to stay where people were. People offered me protection. People were also witnesses.

  I’d take the main elevator and hope like hell I’d miss Sven. Or if I didn’t, that there were others around so he couldn’t do anything.

  What in the world had Price gotten us into? I rehashed his tale about Cybermark in my mind. I’d been freaked out when he told me, but now that I was in the middle of it, fearing for my life and his, the truth had kicked me in the ass with a combat boot.

  This was real.

  And we could die.

  I walked to the elevators, breathed in deeply, and pushed the down button.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Price

  A flash of familiar white-blond hair hung in my periphery. I lowered the phone and turned, expecting to make eye contact with the man I’d noticed was following me on my search for Kate. But he hadn’t seen me. A large group of college-aged girls were lingering nearby with their bags. I ducked behind them and settled on my haunches, letting my back rest against the wall. Quickly I pulled up the map application on my phone and searched for architectural firms nearby. If Kate was on the move, I’d try like hell to meet her half way.

  “I’m so hungover,” said a girl close by.

  Another girl groaned. “Oh my God, I know. I thought I was going to throw up in the cab on the way here. That guy was driving like a maniac.”

  I rolled my eyes. I’d pay for her problems. Laughter and more stories of drunken debauchery ensued as I waited endlessly for the search results to offer Kate’s possible location. Service was exceptionally shitty in this building. I cursed it and the gaggle of idiotic girls next to me every second the search wheel spun.

  Finally, a hit.

  Moniz & Whitehead Architectural Associates was on 34th and 8th. That had to be it. I rose and glanced around for the man who’d been following me. He was nowhere to be seen. Frankly, I didn’t care as much about the threat of him as I did about moving swiftly in Kate’s direction. I wasn’t confident he’d attempt to shoot me in public. Didn’t seem to be Cybermark’s style, as vicious as they were.

  I headed toward the exit that would deposit me on 8th Avenue. Kate was close. Barely a block away. Hundreds of people filled the streets between us, but those people were our protection. I just had to get to her.

  “Price Lewis?”

  I spun at the sound of a man’s voice. Two more men in suits flanked me at once, the air of authority in their postures unmistakable.

  The man who spoke lifted a badge. “Agent Martino, FBI. We need you to come with us.”

  I widened my eyes. No one had called me by my full given name in a year. “How—”

  “I’ll explain everything in a minute. Let’s go.” The agent nodded toward a black town car idling by the curb and reached for me.

  I jerked away from his grasp. “No. I have to get Kate. She’s here.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You mean Kate Lewis, your wife?”

  Before I could explain that she was in grave danger, shots rang out. Screams echoed down the street, too many of them at once to distinguish one as Kate’s.

  My whole body jolted forward, my heart beating like a jackhammer in my chest. Two more quick shots and more screams. Kate. My God. Where was she? Adrenaline surged through my veins as a wave of people came rushing toward us, running away from the danger. I lurched toward it when a strong hand grabbed me and held me back.

  “Not so fast, Lewis,” the agent said. “You need to stay back with us.”

  I tried to rip away, but then all three of them were on me, halting my forward movement.

  “Get off me!” I fought with all my might, but they’d taken me down to the ground. “Kate’s over there. I need to get to her. She’s not safe.”

  “Stop fighting, Lewis, goddamnit,” another agent spoke through gritted teeth as he tried to hold me still.

  No. I’d never stop fighting to protect her. I wrested one arm free and slugged the first face I saw. Agent Martino.

  “Fuck!” He fell back, his hand over his eye.

  Before I used the opportunity to escape, something hard came down on my head. The pain was blinding, piercing through my desperate determination.

  In mere seconds, everything went black, and the sounds of chaos all around us drifted away.

  * * *

  My body burned. Waves of heat singed my skin like the sun. The unrelenting island sun. Bright white light filled the frame of my vision, fading enough that I recognized the familiar landscape of Leiloa.

  What was I doing here?

  The rhythm of rough ocean waves crashed along the shore. Stretches
of beach that had come to feel like home sprawled all around me. Except this felt more like a desert to die in. My mouth was dry, my throat parched. My limbs didn’t want to move.

  Then I heard my name on her lips. Soft, like the song of a bird in the distance. I heard it again, stronger this time. I closed my eyes, wrapping every thought around the sound, as if I could draw her near with my mind.

  Then I felt her. Cool palms sliding over my bare torso. She hovered above me like an angel from heaven. I blinked my eyes open, feeling my chest collapse with a whoosh.

  Kate. My angel.

  “Baby,” I whispered, my throat seemingly healed by her mere presence.

  She smiled sweetly, leaning forward to brush her lips over mine. I savored the soft touch only a moment before lifting into it, seeking more of her delicious mouth. I kissed her like a dying man, and she was shade and water. My only hope. Salvation on the edge of an unforgiving sea.

  She straddled me slowly. She trailed her fingertips down my chest, and her breasts spilled free from her sheer white dress designed to tease rather than conceal. I covered their perfect softness with my hands, no longer dead weight, seemingly reawakened by the intense magnetic force that existed between our two bodies. How was it possible to crave her flesh like I did? I squeezed and pinched her nipples firmly. She closed her eyes with a breathy sigh, and my question floated away with the breeze.

  She swiveled her hips, grinding against my groin. I drifted my palms from her breasts to the tops of her thighs, inching the delicate white fabric up until I could see her bare cunt. Before I could maneuver her onto my aching cock, she grabbed it, stroking from base to tip. I lifted my hips into every stroke. Then she shimmied lower, a coy smile curving her lips.

  “Let me take care of you.”

  I groaned, because she hadn’t stopped stroking me. And because I couldn’t ignore the soul-deep ache to possess her fully, to feel her perfect pussy gloving me in this moment. But before I could argue for that, her lips were around me. Her tongue trailed perfect circles around my cock, swirling around the tip where she licked and sucked.

  Perfection. Her mouth. Her body. Every succulent inch of her…