by Aliyah Burke
Lexy refocused on her dinner. She cleaned up after they’d all finished and Hector spoke to Valentino in the living room. She hugged her brother and he left saying he’d call tomorrow.
“Why the closed casket?” Valentino asked.
“Thought it may be easier for those who have to fix up some guy to look like my brother.” She shook her head. “Hector doesn’t want my help on this.” Lexy threw up her hands in frustration. “Not like this is even real.”
Her phone rang and she stiffened. Val met her gaze and gave her a nod. She took a deep breath and answered it. “Hello?”
“Try to listen this time and not create any issues.”
She lifted her lip in a silent snarl at the horrid sound of that computerized voice. “Go fuck yourself.”
“Tsk, tsk. I warned you, do you want us to make an example of your brother?”
She sniffed and said with tears in her voice, “You bastard. Take your threats and fuck off. My brother is dead! Let me mourn him.”
There was silence then the call ended. She exhaled and worried her lip. Valentino sat opposite her still on his call. When he set his cell down she arched an eyebrow at him.
“Well?”
“No luck. Wherever this stuff is coming from, they’re good. It’s bouncing off so many places they’ll never get a lock.” He stood and watched her for a moment almost as if he wanted to say something else. “Night.” He walked away and vanished into the darkness of his temporary bedroom.
She was tempted to follow him. Being held sure sounded like a good thing right about now. None of this was working out how she had thought it would. He was supposed to be the one suffering, not her.
Tomorrow was going to be hell. The reception party for her and Valentino was going down. Plus she had to give over a code she didn’t have. This entire thing seemed to be spinning out of control and she didn’t like the feeling.
After locking up the house, she made her way to her room and collapsed face first on the bed. The chime of her phone had her shoving into her pocket to pull it out.
“Hmm?” she mumbled into it.
“We still want the code and will have someone there to get it tomorrow. Don’t make me have to go after your other brother.”
She lay immobile. “I’m going to enjoy kicking your ass when I meet you.”
“Women are put here to please men. You will please me but don’t think for a moment you will ever lay a hand on me.” If a computer voice could sound menacing, then this one did. Lexy chalked it up to her exhaustion playing tricks on her.
“How am I supposed to know who to give this to?”
“You do have the code then?”
She didn’t want to talk about that. “How do I recognize this person? What are they wearing?”
“No. They will walk up to you and say they’re there for the code. You will give them the sheet and they will leave. You won’t follow them and when we verify the veracity of said code, you will get another set of instructions.”
She pushed up on her forearms and waved her legs in the air. “I don’t like being used like this.”
“This is about you learning to listen. We have already gone over that. You would do well to remember what I tell you. He isn’t as forgiving as I am when it comes to disobedience.” The call ended and she allowed her body to fall back to the mattress.
Think on this, Lexy. He implied that he’s not the top. So he wouldn’t be the top dog in The Watchers. If he’s not, then who is he and how far up is he? Or is he angling to make his way up the ranks?
She screamed into her bedspread, frustrated beyond belief. It wasn’t adding up. “There has to be a piece of this I’m just not seeing. There has to be.”
Part of her thought about going to Val’s room and informing him about the call. Her brain reminded her he had a clone of her phone and knew when it rang, which meant he’d probably heard the entire exchange.
She jumped when her home phone rang. Rolling toward it, she grabbed the receiver and put it to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Sorry to bother you, Dr Cam—Cassano. We got a call from the cops, since you’re the vet on call this month for strays and accidents they find. They have a dog who got hit by a car. They’re on the way to your clinic.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lisa. Thanks for the heads up.” She ended the call and left the bed. “Damn it, forgot I was the one on call.”
It didn’t take her much time to slip into some scrubs and pull her hair up into a ponytail. She fastened her watch and made her way to the door. This was going to take some time and seriously reduce how long she could sleep. As she opened the front door, Valentino appeared behind her.
“Going somewhere?”
“Clinic. Have an emergency coming in. I forgot my clinic was the one on call this month for anything animal control or the cops pick up. I also handle the surgeries, and that’s what this one is.” She scrolled through her phone and placed a call. “Hey, can you meet me at the clinic? Emergency coming in. See you then.” She grabbed her purse and keys. “See you.” Shutting the door behind her, she exhaled then hurried down to her car.
After hopping into her Spyder, she cranked the engine and left. It’s going to be a long night. Thankfully, Rona Tyne was waiting for her. The woman was an exceptional technician and one Lexy preferred to have working with her in surgeries.
“Already opened the place up so when the cops get here all is ready. Since you never said what kind of surgery we were doing, I haven’t pulled anything other than basics.”
“Thanks, Rona. I don’t know any more than what I said to you.” Lights flashed as the cop car turned into the drive. The women stepped forward to meet them.
Two men exited from the car and nodded. The driver looked familiar to her but as they pulled the dog from the back, her attention went to the canine completely.
They shifted the large animal to the stretcher they had and carried him in, the officers following. “Thank you for bringing him in,” she said as the doors shut behind them. They set him down on the prep table. He barely moved.
Lexy grabbed her stethoscope and glanced up at the two men again. They both waited. “We got it from here, gentlemen. If you would just leave your cards, we’d appreciate it.”
They looked at her then nodded again. Rona locked the doors behind them as Lexy continued her initial assessment. The dog had a muzzle on and was still growling behind it. He was too injured to move much, but he made his intentions perfectly clear.
“Let’s get this party started,” she said, wheeling him into the surgery room.
Seconds later, music pumped in through the speakers and she smiled at the sound. It was the soundtrack for one of the Underworld movies. She scrubbed up as Rona administered the anesthesia. Once the dog was under they worked swiftly to assess and figure out the best way to patch him up.
He looks like a wolf hybrid. And I was so right, this is going to be one hell of a long night.
Chapter Fourteen
Valentino shoved his hands in his pockets and reclined against the tree behind him. He didn’t want to take part in this—parties weren’t really his thing. But there was no way around it. There was a decided wave of sorrow in the air as everyone had heard about Eugene.
Lexy had smiled at them all and thanked them then reminded them that Eugene was a huge fan of parties and would want all of them to have fun. So they were doing the best they could. Crossing his arms, he looked for his wife.
She stood with two other women, talking and laughing. To observe her, one would never know she’d not made it in until after ten this morning after having been up all night performing surgery. The woman made it work. She wore another pair of those damn shorts, which drove him wild showcasing her long, toned legs. The heels only added to the fantasy and her camisole top hid nothing. Not from his imagination or anyone else’s.
A lot of the guests had dressed similarly—the women anyway. Many of the men watched them closely but none were
rude or needed to be put in their place.
When she’d gotten back to her house from surgery, he’d been in the living room watching television. She’d moved right by him as if he wasn’t there and to the shower.
He had bided his time, but she’d continued to treat him as if he weren’t there. Then it was time to go to this and they’d ridden in silence down the street to the park, where they were now. She put on a good show, playing the doting wife when she had to, but otherwise he knew she was ignoring him. As she’d suggested they do—stay out of one another’s way.
He watched her laugh at something one of the women said, he didn’t know what she’d said that was so amusing for her back was to him so he couldn’t read her lips. But he could read Lexy’s.
“Oh, he’s awesome in bed.”
He grinned. Leave it to women to get to conversations about sex. Lexy looked up and he watched a practiced smile lift her lips. He blew her a kiss and she shook her head before breaking the eye connection.
Valentino skimmed over the gathered group. Some he knew, most he didn’t. These were Lexy’s friends and neighbors. He pushed from the tree and entered the fray. He brushed by Paula with a nod and smile as he’d been doing to most of the people. She looked good—her blonde hair drawn back into a braid swung with each step she took. A tight shirt and pants added to the picture. No heels though, she wore slip-on canvas and he knew it was in case she had to run.
They were at the drink table. “How you doing?” he asked, reaching for a Coke from a tin tub full of ice.
“Fine,” she said, her voice a soft drawl. “You?”
“Same.”
He looked up when Lexy walked up to him. Her gaze moved over Paula before returning to him. Never once did her smile leave her face.
“They want us up in front of everyone,” Lexy said.
“You’re the boss, hon,” he replied, drinking some Coke then meeting her on the other side of the table.
As he went around it, he saw Paula give him a small salute and he knew she was laughing at him. He’d not worked with her a lot but had found her to be an exceptional agent. Good head on her shoulders and she didn’t back away from anything.
“We’re here to celebrate today the marriage of Valentino and Lexy Cassano,” Barbara Kramer spoke to the crowd. “And while we also mourn the passing of Eugene Camden, as Lexy reminded us, he did love a party.”
She gestured to both of them. “Y’all need to show some love—I know there’s a lot of people here but for you to be separated the entire time is foolish. Let’s see a nice kiss.”
The crowd hollered and he grinned. Not about to pass up this opportunity. He placed his Coke on the ground and smacked his lips. Those gathered cheered louder.
“That’s right, man, need both hands to hold onto a woman like Lexy.”
He didn’t even turn to see who said it, just kept his eyes on his wife. Snaking one arm around her, he drew her close. His other hand he slipped along the nape of her neck.
“What are you grinning at?” she asked under her breath as she looped her arms around his neck.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I did ask.”
“Thanks for telling the women I’m amazing in bed. Oh, wait, you said ‘awesome’.”
“Christ, you can read lips? You read my lips?”
He knew a tirade was coming and kissed her to divert it. The second their lips met, all thought of making it good for the crowd vanished into nothing. They didn’t matter.
He dragged his tongue along the seam of her lips and dipped it in when she opened for him. Sweeping through the heated recess of her mouth, he touched everywhere he could.
Her moan was music to his ears and he tightened his hold on her, dipping the hand along her back lower until it met he waistband of her shorts. He moved them beneath until a throat clearing grabbed his attention. Barbara was giving him a pointed look. Eventually, he remembered where they were as well as the audience they had.
He shrugged unapologetically. “Can you blame me?” he asked and got howls and raunchy replies in response, especially from the men. Lexy dug her nails into his hand as he kept her anchored to his side. “Thank you to everyone who put this together for us. I know I speak for both of us when I say it’s an honor.”
“My husband is right. Thank you. And to everyone who welcomed him with open arms as he first arrived here, you have my thanks.”
“Eat, drink and be merry. Don’t go too far, wedded couple. I’m sure we’ll be wanting a few more kisses out of the both of y’all.” Barbara gestured to her husband and music began to play. “Get out there and dance now!”
Valentino saw Paula get drawn into the area reserved for dancing by a man who wore a red flannel shirt, even on this warm day. He grinned at her and the look of exasperation he could see in her gaze. Turning to talk to Lexy, he found she was gone. “Woman never holds still.” He looked for her and found her out there dancing with someone he’d not met yet.
It wasn’t easy for him, but he waited until the song began to fade, then he approached them. “Mind if I dance with my wife?” he asked, barely keeping the snap from his voice.
“Sure thing, man.”
Lexy was passed from one to the next with ease. He stared at her and knew immediately something was wrong.
“Contact?”
“Yes.” She had a smile pasted on her face as they moved to the beat of the music.
As they turned, he searched for Paula, but she couldn’t be found. Thank God she’d been witness to the exchange because he sure as hell hadn’t been paying attention. Remember what happened last time you let down your guard? His subconscious gave him the most unwelcome nudge.
As if he’d been submerged into a tub of ice water, the thrill of dancing with Lexy fell to the background and he was completely alert. If she noticed the change, she kept it to herself. She continued with a small smile on her face. She was good and didn’t back away from any situation.
At the end of that song, he took them to the edge and brushed some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Tell me about him.”
She walked to a picnic table where they were the only ones and sat along the bench. He sat beside her and drew her into him so her back rested against his chest.
“About six feet tall. Caucasian, brown hair, blue eyes. On the skinny side, or just really lean muscles. He wore a T-shirt with a hole in the left shoulder. Blue. And his jeans just kind of hung on him. Clean, nice smile.”
“And did he say anything special?”
“Just mentioned he was there for the code. I would have looked him over had he not spoken to me. I just…wasn’t expecting him to look like people I deal with on a daily basis.”
“It would be so much easier if the bad guys all had this specific look about them.”
“So what happens now?” She sank deeper against him.
“Someone will trail him and find out where he’s going then pick him up and see what we can get from him.”
“Who?”
“Another agent.” He didn’t want to share anything. The sting of Alyssa’s betrayal was riding him hard and he refused to make another mistake like that.
“Okay, don’t tell me. Christ, it’s not like I’m going to go looking for them. I just wanted to know.” She began to sit up, but he held her there. “What?”
Her tone was cold and he knew she was pissed. Lexy was passion. There was no way around it. Fire and ice. Hot and cold. While she could flip from one end to the other in the space of a heartbeat, she never held back. When she was hot she burned and cold…you could lose limbs from the frostbite she’d give. She was perfect.
He just hadn’t ever gotten past the fact they were fire and gasoline. The longer he was with her, the deeper his feelings became for her. Even now, he didn’t know how he would leave her at the end of this. His own mood shifted into a downward spiral and he tried to stop it.
“Anything else about him?”
“Like
what? How big his dick looked in his jeans?” she snapped, turning to glare at him. “It was all of five seconds, Val. I don’t know what else I was supposed to see.”
“Accent?”
She pursed her lips and settled back. “Sounded nasally. Yankeeish. I don’t know, Jersey or Boston.” A shrug. “Somewhere up there.”
Yankeeish. He almost chuckled. She just had no use for ‘those people’ as she put it. His phone vibrated and he shifted to maintain his hold on her as he answered the call. He frowned at the name on the screen.
“Everything okay?” he asked as soon as he accepted it.
“Damn, man, some people say hello.” Gio’s voice was relaxed and teasing.
“Hi, Gio. Everything okay?”
“No, not really. Jaydee needs to talk to Lexy. She said I could get the two of them in touch or she would do it.” He cleared his throat. “And coming from my wife, that’s no idle threat. So is she there and if so, can she talk to Jaydee?”
“She’s right here.” He tipped the phone to the woman in his embrace. “Jaydee for you.”
Lexy jerked the phone from him and sat away all in one movement. “Jay? Is everything okay?”
Valentino could see the relief pass through her. Her entire expression turned soft and gentle. She slipped off the bench and went to perch on the edge of the table.
He had more questions to ask her, but he knew she needed this. So he ignored the unrelenting part of him that made him such a good agent and allowed her this time with her friend. He turned and watched her as she spoke. Truly expressive. And beautiful.
Shit, I am in so much trouble.
It was so good to hear Jaydee’s voice. Lexy worked her toe along the bench as she tried to stop the tears of relief from falling.
“Are you sure everyone there is okay?”
“I just said they were. What’s going on, Lex? I heard about Eugene. Is it true?”
She flicked her gaze to Valentino. He sat back, elbows on the tabletop, watching her.
“No.” Lord help her but admitting that to someone felt so good. And she knew Jaydee wouldn’t speak of it to anyone, not even Gio.
Jaydee was silent for a moment. “All good?”
