All is Lost (All Series, Book 2)

by Marie Wathen

  “The first text came the night of Morgan's party. It was really odd and I actually dismissed it as some score. It was something like ‘Mariners 65 Vikings 74’, followed by a couple of names that I can't recall. Then they said they would have more, later. I deleted it from my phone because it was complete gibberish.” Breesan crosses her arms over her chest, like she is struggling with revealing the rest.

  “The second message came the night of Marcus’ fight, after the black sedan followed me. For safety reasons, I pulled into a convenience store hoping that it would continue on past me. And it did. About a minute later I got a really fucked up text that read ‘Fear and terror at Google.’ Alone, the first didn’t make any sense and combined with the second, I still didn't understand it. But then the last message...” Pausing, Breesan takes a deep breath, turns slowly and looks at me compellingly.

  “The third text message came last night, just before I passed out.” A tear slips down her cheek. “I’m sorry Marcus. It was all too much. When I read it my mind shut down.” Embarrassed, her cheeks turn red and she lowers her eyes to look at the floor. “Four words in all caps: 'He's not dead yet.' I know that they meant Tristan.” Her voice breaks, “I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I really wasn't sure about what the hell any of it could mean. Tell me who would have tied all of this shit together, for god sakes?” She shakes her head slowly. “My life isn't what it was a month ago. Before all of this it was shitty, yeah, but nobody was hurt or kidnapped. But now...” She sighs heavily as her words trail off.

  I want to take her in my arms and ease her pain but she needs to do this for herself. As much as I will always want to protect her, I know she's strong enough to handle all of this bullshit. As if hearing my thoughts her demeanor shifts quickly. Lifting her head she straightens her back and pierces me with a renewed determination.

  “I'm sick of all of it. We have to find Anna and Waverly. I can't have another person that I love getting hurt by whoever is behind it. Tell me what you are going to do to get them back, and how I can help.”

  There's my girl. I smile proudly at her determined spirit. Feeling rejuvenated by her excitement too my mind jumps into work mode.

  “Sam,” I say. “Those boxes that I told you about earlier are in my Jeep. I'll get them and we can begin sorting through every last page in Julia’s journals. First, call Rhys and pass on everything Breesan told us. Find out what he wants us doing while he's gone. The police department investigators will want to interview her, but I don’t think now is the best time. When we’re done with that we’ll research the text messages.” Glancing at Breesan, I ask, “Where's your cell baby?”

  Breesan's face drops as she lets out a deep sigh. “I lost it at the hospital.”

  “Not a problem.” I say smiling when she glances at me curiously. “I'll just ask Raithe to look for it while they are processing the scene.”

  “Okay.” Breesan nods.

  “Try not to worry too much. Why don't you take a shower and relax until we hear back from the guys? I'll be downstairs sorting through everything with Sam.”

  Walking out of the room, Sam says, “I'll bring you more clothes.” I smile at how sweet my sister is being toward Breesan and follow her out of the room.

  “Wait,” Breesan calls out, halting me on the other side of the door. I poke my head through the doorway and she rushes over. “I'll only be a little while in the shower.” Smiling, her blush blooms along her neck. “Will you come back when I'm done?”

  Her request pleases me beyond belief. Standing only a foot apart, I reach out and lift her chin up, staring deeply into her eyes. Breesan is absolutely the most mesmerizing creature I have ever encountered. I don't know where she's been all of my life, but there is one thing I do know, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she will be by my side for the rest of it.

  I tip my head down, my mouth only a breath away from hers. “Try stopping me.” I say, gliding my lips to hers. It's a soft kiss, but a tingle runs through my entire body from our contact. She sighs against my mouth as I pull away, and it takes every bit of my strength to hold back the beastly desire to ravage her. Unable to stop myself, I slide my lips across again then press my forehead against hers.

  “I better go so you can shower. If we kiss like that another minute I will insist on joining you.” I wink and her body buckles, swaying against me.

  “No,” shaking her head, she looks at me shyly. “I believe it was you who said when you make love to me it will be about us and none of this other bullshit.” Her porcelain skin warms the most exciting shade of pink as she realizes too late that she said the words “make love” in place of having sex. I force my steps backwards into the hallway before I follow through with what I really want. Scared of her confession, Breesan looks down at her twisting hands anxiously.

  Smirking, I say, “Oh baby, you are right about that. I will be making love to you.”

  Quickly turning to leave, I see the look of shock move across her face, and smile triumphantly as excitement from that one little play on words courses through my veins. I descend the staircase with a bounce heading out to my Jeep for Julia's boxes. Feeling like I have stepped into a whole new world, even the dull, cloud filled skies seem brighter. I still can't believe how taken I am with Breesan Maxwell. It was only a short time ago that I was admiring her from a distance, daydreaming of sharing a kiss like the one she just gave me.

  What a damn fool I was, thinking that staying away from her was for the best. It is morbidly fucked up how much we have already been through together in such a short amount of time. Undoubtedly, there is still a truckload full of bullshit that we still have to face, but we will face them together. Understandably, after everything she has been through she could crumble under the weight of it all. I’m just glad this time she isn’t silently suffering alone. Thanks to outside elements, surrounding a world she didn’t even know existed until last night, her life is fully fused into mine now and those days of being alone and unloved are over. Breesan is mine.

  Chapter Eleven

  Breesan

  Soapy, steamy water runs down the shower drain. I stand eyes closed, head tilted back under the sprayer attempting to clear my mind. I can’t remember stepping into the shower and turning on the water, but from the cooling temperatures I have been in here for a while. I feel like I'm numb, in some altered state, a bizzaro world–a world where people get shot and kidnapped. When did I slip over to a plane that has me fighting for survival?

  I close my eyes tight as the water meshes with my tears. Allowing myself one last cry, I give in and grieve for my friends who were taken captive. Every muscle, bone and joint in my body aches. Minor cuts and scrapes cover my arms and knees, but the bruise on my left cheek hurts the most. That big ass guy struck me solid. The stinging from his backhand during the fight does not compare to the current throbbing pain.

  Mechanically, I go through the motions of showering and washing my long hair. I wrap a towel around my head aiding in the drying process after stepping out of the shower. No hairbrush in this empty bathroom, so I finger through my tangled waves and slip back into the tee shirt and yoga pants.

  I wipe the fogged mirror with my hand and see a stranger standing in front of me. Along with my tattered skin, my life in the past two days is something I do not recognize. When I think back to the beginning of summer I blush at the naive girl who thought staying home was a great idea. Traveling every summer for thirteen years and I finally get the chance to stay home, but for what? My boring and safe life is completely shattered now.

  Walking into the bedroom, I notice the door is now closed. Marcus must have returned while I was in the shower. I smile at how bold I was earlier telling him about the text messages.

  I will admit, initially I was a little uncertain about the connection between the messages and all the other events, but one look at Sam and Marcus and I knew for certain that there was even without them speaking a word. I wish they would share their information. I need them to
trust me to handle what is going on. I have no other choice except to trust them. This is about me after all.

  Figuring out who it is that wants me dead will take us working together. However, their wariness at bringing in someone without experience or training into their group is understandable. It is their job to flush out Dr. A. If he is involved with Julia, and they are behind these attempts to get to me then it would work to their advantage to keep me informed and close. Together we can flush the killers out.

  “Oh my god, when did I start thinking like someone from CSI?”

  I stretch across the large four poster bed, covering myself with the thick white comforter. Rest is exactly what my battered body and mind needs. I just hope Marcus joins me soon. Guilt washes over me a second after that wayward thought sneaks into my head, and it completely shocks the hell out of me.

  This is not the time to think about being in bed with a man, but honestly, I need him near me. My world is like being on some crazy ass spinning top where I lose all control and my sense of accord is stripped away; but with him near I have clarity and feel like what is lost during the spinning is found in his arms. Although my attraction and desire for him does something completely different to my body, at least my mind settles.

  What feels like only moments later, my eyes flutter open searching for recognition in a pitch black room. I can tell from the darken sky outside the bedroom window that it is well into the evening now. After focusing for a minute my eyes adjust to the minimal amount of light glowing from under the bathroom door where I forgot to flip off the switch. I stretch my arms above my head and release a satisfying yawn before crawling out of bed.

  Unfamiliar with Rhys house, I ease open the door and look down the dark hallway. A glow to the right depicts a staircase. I walk down the steps following the light toward what I hope is the kitchen. A loud rumble comes from beyond the open door and I pause listening to the person yelling.

  “My hands are tied Marcus,” Rhys says. “Don't forget why you came on board with us. Right now all of our leads on Dr. A are shot to hell and back. We can’t get further away from our true mission. I understand your concern for Breesan, but you need to be ready in case a tip comes in with his location and you have to leave.”

  Eavesdropping is nothing I would ever do, but something in me demands I do it this one time. Remaining quiet and staying in the shadows of the dark dining room, I continue listening to the conversation. I slow my breathing and try to control my erratic heart rate. Pressed with my chest against the wall, leaning slightly in the door, I can see Sam and Kole sitting at a small kitchen table against the back wall. Next to Sam, Rhys is propped, leaning his back against the counter.

  From my point of view, Marcus isn't visible. They continue talking about Dr. A, and I hear Sam reference his last known location in the Virgin Islands. Marcus continues to remain silent as Rhys recounts their trip down to the docks before the abduction. My instincts tell me that I need to wait because if they are talking about me and the abduction then they may not say it all in my presence.

  Turning my back against the wall, I lean against it, praying they don't hear my pounding heart. A chair scrapes across the tile floor, drawing my attention again. Inside the kitchen I see Kole make his way to the refrigerator. After a few minutes of random chatter, Marcus brings up my name again. Tilting my head up, I close my eyes, hearing the deep base of his voice rumbling and its sexiness sends shivers down my spine.

  “I'm going to contact Granddad and then I’m getting a security detail on Breesan’s house.” Marcus says.

  “When Attacus returns from Birmingham he will give us more details on the other two guys.” With a bit of concern layering his question, Rhys asks, “When are you planning on telling her everything?”

  Hypnotized by the building pressure in my chest because I know Rhys is inquiring about me, I press my body harder against the wall, unintentionally holding my breath. I hear Marcus let out a long, exasperated sigh, but another chair scraping across the floor covers his answer. Fearing that I am about to get caught standing out in the hallway I open my eyes and turn my head to see who moved. While releasing a small yelp, I jump at the sight of a wide chest standing directly in front of me.

  Smiling like the cat that caught the mouse playing while he was away, Marcus whispers, “What are you doing?”

  His right hand reaches for my shoulder tenderly. Taking it in his hot grasp, he inhales sharply from our beguiling contact. Slowly, he slides tender fingers down my arm creating a strange, friction sensation along the exposed skin. The slow movement blazes a trail of fire across me following his path. Lightly gripping my hand, he twists it intertwining his fingers through mine and we both drop our gaze to our connection.

  Firmly pulling on our locked hands using my forward motion, Marcus roughly draws me against him. My face once again makes contact with his perfectly chiseled chest. Intentionally taking a deep breath, I quickly become light-headed from his intoxicating sandalwood, cinnamon and man scents. My pulse jumps to an unhealthy number of beats per minute, my bare toes curl agonizingly tight against the hardwood floor and I squeeze my thighs together firmly, completely turned on by this sublime creature.

  Six feet and two inches of this big man has me feeling overwhelmed. I am nearly a foot shorter than him and in order to look him in the face I must tilt my head completely back. Glancing up I see hooded and darken eyes filled with blooming desire staring down at me.

  Oh damn.

  When Marcus looks at me like this he makes me forget there are other people around, plotting to get my friends back, that we made a promise to wait on making love or that I am a virgin. Nothing matters except the look in my sexy man’s eyes and knowing that he wants to forget everything else too. He wraps his left hand around the back of my neck, allowing his thumb to trace an infinity pattern there. It is the most incredible feeling.

  Marcus covers my mouth with his and I instantly regret that last thought because after only a moment like this I decide that his kiss is in fact the most incredible feeling. He tilts his head slightly to the right and slowly slides his lips roughly over mine. The light scruff on his jaw line scratches my chin, but I'll be damned if I tell him because I actually like the roughness. I gasp softly when I feel his tongue slide across my bottom lip.

  “Open for me baby. I need to taste you now.” Marcus demands.

  Shocked by his urgency, my lips part allowing his tongue to invade the tiny gap, where it careens with mine in a slow dance only meant for lovers. I gasp a second time from the passionate caress and his mouth greedily devours my intake. I am completely overwhelmed, struggling to get my breath back while his all but feral growl demands more of my tongue. Ohgod, I love how he growls for me. There absolutely has never been a sexier man than Marcus Walker.

  I'm so caught up in this kiss and the possessiveness of how he possesses me that I don't notice our audience until I hear a throat clearing. I snap open my eyes, finding Rhys, Kole, Sam and Raithe leaning through the doorway watching us. Raithe must have been quiet because I hadn't heard him earlier. I push on Marcus' chest, hoping to break the contact because apparently he hadn't heard the sound, or he is choosing to ignore it. He doesn't respond to my pushing and continues rolling his tongue in my mouth. Thoroughly caught up in the friction of our kiss, Marcus tightens his grip on the back of my neck, drawing me closer while I continue pulling away. As a last resort, I open my mouth sucking in his bottom lip and biting down hard. Eyes still closed enjoying the roughness I gave him, Marcus smiles and it is still not enough to break his focus. Before I can come up with a new plan his body slams hard into mine. Finally, his eyes pop open before he spins around.

  “What the hell Kole?” Marcus snaps.

  Kole appears angry with his eyes narrowing on us and arms crossing his chest. “Why don't you save that shit for another day? She has been through hell and I don't think shoving your tongue down her throat will make it all better.” Kole turns around and stomps back to the kitchen
table. Dragging his chair out, he scrapes it about a foot away from the table and then drop his ass into it.

  Marcus doesn't hesitate responding and snaps back protectively, “Why don't you let me worry about what Breesan needs?”

  “Are you hungry, Breesan?” Smiling at me, Sam winks, “We have steaks going on the grill whenever Kole is done pouting.” Sam is a true southern woman. Her hospitality is authentic and such a welcome attitude. She reminds me so much of her Gran and nothing of her mother. Beautiful and exotic with long dark brown hair and dark tan complexion like Marcus' and she's tall like them too. She could very easily be a runway model with legs that go on forever.

  “Get the grill ready, Breesan’s starving.” Sam tells Kole before giving me the chance to answer her.

  Lacing my hand with his, Marcus leads me through the kitchen to the covered back porch. There are lights strung around the ceiling giving it a warm feel. Eighties music softly plays from the outdoor stereo system. I'm shocked at how nice this place is, especially since it belongs to Rhys. From what I can see in the dark there is an Olympic pool along with a beautifully manicured lawn that leads down to a small slew, spilling out into the ocean. The pier looks to go on forever, but I can just barely make out a light glowing at the end. Marcus lowers himself to the outdoor sofa then tugs on my hand, bringing me next to him.

  “Although I'd rather have you sit like you did the other night in Granddad's family room, sitting beside me is a better idea around these guys. We won't hear the end of it. And honestly, I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from ravaging you if you're on my lap either.” Marcus says, slipping his arm over my shoulder, tucking me against his warm body.

  Mygod he knows how to get my adrenaline pumping. I'm so excited by his words and the images he gave me that I begin fidgeting nervously with the string on my yoga pants. After a few moments, I look up from it and see Marcus also staring, completely focused and lust filled at the string.