Private Melody

by Altonya Washington

  “These people can get pretty wild, but they’re a great bunch,” Kianti warned Therin as they made their way into Scottie’s through the back entrance.

  Therin grimaced playfully while holding open the door for her. “Do you think I’m some kind of stick-in-the-mud because of my profession?”

  “Well, these folks aren’t a group of educators,” she drawled and tugged on the sleeve of the black denim jacket he wore.

  “Key Law in da house!” a pencil-slim man in a chef’s hat bellowed when he spotted the new arrivals in his kitchen.

  “Hey, Nate.” Kianti giggled when the man tugged her into a bear hug. “Nate Eastman, this is Therin Rucker. Nate is Scottie’s head chef and one of the most sought after chefs in California.”

  “Cali!” Nate feigned offense. “Hell, the world! What’s up, man?” he said, extending a hand for Therin to shake.

  “Havin’ your usual, Key?” Nate’s second in command Anton Sewell asked from his place behind a big stove.

  “Yeah, thanks Ant!” Kianti waved toward Therin who was still talking with Nate. “Would you like a salad?” she asked when he looked over. “Scottie’s has the best in town.”

  “My kitchen connections are what convinced Cube to come on board as my security,” Kianti told Therin once they were fixed up with huge chef’s salads and on their way out of the kitchen. Their laughter traveled down the winding corridor they took.

  The dressing room at Scottie’s was a huge place only sectioned off inside by privacy screens for those who felt the need to use them.

  The group was definitely a bawdy one, but they all welcomed Therin like he was one of them. The gang was even more intrigued by the newcomer once Khan announced that Therin was a former ambassador. Drinks and conversation flowed, but Therin took advantage of the time to study the dynamics of Kianti and her crew.

  He watched her and Khan discuss what style she’d wear her hair that evening. Therin loved the way the heavy coarse mass cascaded behind her shoulders when Khan raked his fingers through it. He looked on while Winton spoke with her about a license agreement for one of her CDs. A data company was interested in hosting it for distribution to libraries nationwide. Cube fetched her more salad while Brody checked her pulse rate.

  Therin couldn’t help but wonder as he regarded the unorthodox family. With all that male presence in her life, did Kianti Lawrence have room for more?

  For the next few days, Therin and Kianti set out to add memories to their stolen moments.

  They enjoyed everything: morning and moonlit walks along the beach; several firelit dinners were enjoyed there as well. As the waves ebbed, they talked and learned more about one another.

  Those conversations steered clear of anything that could bring shadow to their bliss. Taboo topics were of course Kianti’s condition, as well as Therin’s schedule. They avoided that subject especially, knowing the time was right there and bearing down on them. He had to go and it was the last thing either of them wanted.

  “I said no, Kia.”

  Kianti bit down hard on his earlobe. “If I didn’t know better I’d swear you have a thing about control.” She felt his laughter vibrate against her ear.

  “Don’t all men?” he inquired.

  “Mmm…well, thankfully, I haven’t had the pleasure of dealing with many who’d turn down the chance to lie back and be pleasured.”

  He kept his eyes closed as a smile emerged. “Should that comfort me?”

  “It should shame you into letting me…” Lying partially beneath him, she nudged herself against the provocative bulge below his sleep pants. “I’m used to having a fair amount of control in the bedroom.”

  Therin massaged the bridge of his nose but that did nothing to take his mind off the increasing stiffness of his shaft. They were wrapped in a cozy fleece on the living room sofa where they’d come to watch the sunrise on a chilly morning.

  Not long after the sun had claimed its position in the sky, did Kianti make her play for another seductive scene starring herself in the lead role. Therin shut down her every attempt, which mattered little, as evidence of his desire was unmistakable.

  She engaged him in a sultry kiss, arching erotically against him and moaning quietly as she suckled his tongue into her mouth. “Let me on top? You’d still be in control, you know?” She kissed him hungrily before she eased back a tad. “You’re so…strong and I’m just a little ol’ thing. If I get too wild, you can just pull me off.” She shrugged and ground her hips against him. “No effort at all.”

  “Will you please?” he groaned, taking charge of the kiss then because he craved it and because her taunting was driving him insane.

  Therin’s phone was on the coffee table. Its vibrating hum against the wood was ignored. It stopped, and then resumed again seconds later. Still…ignored. Barely a minute passed, then the phone on the end table began to ring.

  The couple shot a murderous glare toward the cordless.

  “It’s Casey.” Kianti recognized the number from the security booth when she checked the cordless faceplate.

  “Are you expecting anybody?” he asked while kissing at her neck.

  “No. Are you?” she asked when the cordless stopped ringing and Therin’s vibrated again.

  He leaned across her to grab the phone. “Damn.”

  “I take that as a yes?” She smiled.

  “Can’t be,” he muttered when the cordless started ringing again.

  “Let’s find out.” She clicked on the phone. “Hi, Casey…mmm-hmm. Yes, just a sec—” She looked to Therin. “Vaughn Burgess.”

  The mood was effectively ruined. Therin growled something incomprehensible and left the sofa.

  “The bastards threaten me with bodily harm when I don’t take time for myself, and when I do they won’t let me have it,” he ranted. “Where the hell are my shoes?”

  Kianti wouldn’t dare tell him how adorable he was to her then. “Casey? Tell Mr. Burgess that Mr. Rucker will be right down.” She set the phone aside and wrapped herself tighter in the blanket. “Maybe it’s not that big of a deal.”

  “It is,” he grumbled, tugging on the sneakers he’d left beneath the coffee table the night before. “I’ve been ignoring his calls all week.”

  She pulled him down for a kiss before he could walk past. “The sooner you see to it, the sooner you can get back.”

  Therin lingered near, savoring the momentary closeness. He didn’t tell her how much he doubted her words.

  Vaughn met Therin with his hands raised in a defensive hold. He apologized once the distance closed between them in the wide drive outside the house.

  “I can’t think of one reason good enough for you to bother me here.” Therin’s eyes sparked with a hazel fire.

  Vaughn got right to the point. “Rick was stabbed last Saturday night.”

  Therin stilled, and then he gave a quick shake of his head and a smile which noted that it must have been him who was hearing weird things. “Did you just—?”

  “Rick Dubose was stabbed last Saturday night,” Vaughn repeated.

  Therin watched his friend for another long minute, then he went to lean against the Jeep Vaughn had driven out to Kianti’s.

  “I’m guessing this wasn’t a mugging?” He stroked his jaw.

  Vaughn shook his head. “It was intentional.”

  “How is he?”

  “Stable. Nothing vital was hit. But they aren’t letting anyone other than family in for visits just now.”

  “And we know this was intentional because?”

  “Rick heard the guy say his boss was gonna get him killed.”

  “Call Morgan. Tell him to release the staff until further notice.”

  “Therin, I don’t—”

  “Vaughn? I don’t want to hear anything but ‘okay.’”

  “Okay. But.” He raised his hands. “That’s not going to make this go away.”

  “Course it isn’t.” Therin left the Jeep and turned toward the ocean view. “I’m
just making it easier for the sons of bitches. They seem content takin’ the coward’s route—going after my staff.” He shrugged. “Once they’re out of the way, the jackasses can come after me. Stop all this pissin’ around. They want me to share the wealth, encourage our members to not be so generous with their donations, send them on to other worthwhile causes such as their own? I say no.”

  “Dammit, T, do you hear what you’re sayin’?” Vaughn walked around to look Therin in the face. “Rick was stabbed. This has gotten physical. I think it’s fair to say your enemies might be so set on tamping down your philanthropic efforts, that they’d be willing to kill you to do it.”

  “So be it.” Therin’s jaw clenched as he spoke the words.

  “T—”

  “I don’t wanna hear it.”

  Vaughn bowed his head, and then nodded toward the house towering in the distance. “And what about her?”

  “What about her?” Therin’s glare turned deadly.

  Vaughn didn’t lose his nerve. “This crusade of yours could get you killed. I’d say that’d be an effective relationship ender.”

  Therin wouldn’t comment on that. “I spoke to the general since I’ve been here,” he shared instead.

  “Details,” Vaughn asked, his eyes narrowing.

  Therin quickly recapped the highlights from his talk with Shepard Yale. He shrugged. “There’s no turning back, V. The general becoming the newest member of EYES is going to rock some pretty solid foundations. I’m guessing that the same folks behind my present difficulties are the same ones who won’t look too kindly on the general supporting my…crusade.”

  Vaughn’s confusion cleared. “You’re trying to get them to reveal themselves?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and glared. “You’re insane. People like this don’t come out from behind the curtain, Ther. They send others to do their bidding. Even if you did find out who they are, do you really think they’re the only ones who oppose you?”

  “Guess we’re about to find out how asinine my plan is, then.” Therin walked over to clap Vaughn’s shoulder. “The general wants to use the Vancouver event to announce his support for the organization, which is big considering his reputation. He’s spent his life focused on building a powerful military. To now say education is more important…do you know how many others that could influence?”

  “Jesus.” Vaughn massaged a sudden ache at the base of his neck. “So what are you gonna do?” he asked when he saw Therin looking toward Kianti’s house.

  Therin’s fist clenched. “The last thing I want to.”

  Chapter 10

  Though the majority of the plans for the EYES fundraiser had been handled, there was still a healthy mound of details that needed to be taken care of.

  Therin dove right into the preparations and made himself available for all the press clamoring for information about the event. Big names in the political, sports and entertainment worlds were already making buzzes and offering their support to what many called the most enduring component of the nation’s future: education.

  The crazed workload was exactly what Therin needed. Leaving Kianti a week earlier had hit him harder than he’d expected. He felt as though some part of him had—and still was—shredded.

  She’d asked no questions, only told him to handle the upset so they could pick up where they left off. Again, he weighed the very real obstacles of pursuing a relationship with her. If he’d planned on pulling away, the time to do so would have been right then. He was back in Vancouver; it’d be easy to break communication. A day could turn into a week, a week to a month…such thoughts, however, only angered him, making his already edgy mood razor-sharp.

  Break communication—to not pursue her in every way imaginable was unfathomable to him. He wondered how deeply his feelings for her had gone. How far would they go?

  The elevator doors opened before he could ponder an answer to the question. He approached the nurse’s station and favored the three women standing there with one of his unconsciously devastating smiles. Of course, the smile was reciprocated and flavored with approving gazes as the women looked up at him.

  Therin was told that Rick Dubose’s condition had been upgraded. He could accept visitors and Therin was granted access. In a soft, appreciative manner he thanked the RNs but assured them that he didn’t need a personal escort to the room.

  Along the way, Therin’s easy mood dimmed. His hands balled to fists inside the pockets of the quarter-length black denim jacket he wore. Rick could have been killed. He’d already experienced personal loss since the onset of his political career; could he afford to experience more?

  Therin planted a quick knock to the tall oak door before cracking it open. Rick was sitting up in bed and frowning at the platter filled with what Therin suspected was food.

  “Is it as good as it looks?” he queried with a grin.

  Rick looked up and smiled before casting another skeptical look toward the tray. “I’m afraid it’s just as good as it looks.”

  Laughter broke out between the two men. Soon though, Therin was bringing a hand down on Rick’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry for what happened, man.”

  Rick tried to put on a happy face. “Thanks, but you can’t be half as sorry as I am. I missed one helluva date.”

  Therin grinned. “May not be a total loss—she’s probably very sympathetic to your injury.”

  Rick’s glower seemed to fade. “You could have somethin’ there…she did call and promise to smuggle me in a cheeseburger.”

  More laughter filled the room.

  “I’m sorry that you got caught up in all this,” Therin reiterated once the mood had sobered again.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Therin removed his jacket. “From what I understand, it is.”

  Rick nodded. “You’re talkin’ about what the attacker said?”

  “You remember anything else about him? Did he look familiar?”

  “It’s like I told the police. It was raining, he had on a top coat. A hat was covering half of his face.” Rick smoothed hands across his shaved head. “Voice didn’t sound familiar, either.”

  Aside from the low volume of commentary from the sportscasters on the overhead TV, the room was silent.

  “I’ll be damned,” Rick breathed after a while.

  Therin waited, watching as Rick winced while easing up higher on the bed.

  “I didn’t even think of it before,” he whispered.

  “What?” Therin inched closer on the chair he occupied near the bed. “You remember something else?”

  “No.” Rick was shaking his head. “Not exactly.” He shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. An assumption at best.”

  “Let’s have it.” Therin beckoned with a wave.

  “Just somethin’ about what he said.”

  “His voice?”

  “No…His words—the words he used, to be exact.”

  Therin was quiet. He had no idea where Rick was headed with his train of thought.

  “Sorry for being vague.” A lopsided grin came to Rick’s dark face. “Just before the guy stabbed me, he said, “‘The boss is gonna get you all killed.’”

  Therin bit his bottom lip and tried not to look too expectant. “Um…” He didn’t want to make light of what seemed so important to the injured man, but he didn’t get it.

  Rick smiled as though he understood Therin’s reaction. “I make my living writing speeches.” He pressed a hand to the hospital gown where it covered his chest. “I’m apt to pay attention to how words are put together, which is often a more telling sign about people than they realize.”

  Therin leaned back on the chair. Folding arms across his chest, he settled in for the education.

  “Saying something like, ‘I hate what he stands for’ is a far more telling statement than ‘His interests are unpopular.’”

  “Ah…” Therin stroked his jaw and nodded slow. “So something about what this guy said is gnawing at y
ou?”

  Rick worried the neckline of his gown. “I just wonder why he said ‘the boss’ instead of ‘your boss.’” His expression was mildly guarded then. “It’d make sense that he wouldn’t say ‘our boss,’ he’d be announcing himself as—”

  “Hold on.” Therin bolted forward. “Are you thinking someone—someone on the staff could be responsible for this?”

  Rick shook his head so rapidly that he cringed at the pain when it stirred near his wound. “It’s probably nothin’. I only mentioned it because it struck me as strange that the jackass wouldn’t say ‘your boss.’” He waved as if frustrated. “Like I also said, I write speeches for a living. Being anal about speech patterns is part of my job.”

  “Lie back, man.” Therin moved the tray table back down the length of the bed. “Get your rest and lay off this a minute.” He could see the conversation was taking its toll on the younger man.

  “Probably just need a little sleep.” Rick’s eyelids were already lowering. “I don’t think I’ll be able…to let go of this…for a while.”

  Therin’s smile was more of a grimace as he watched Rick ease into sleep. He wholeheartedly agreed that he wouldn’t let go of this for quite a while, either.

  Neche, North Dakota~

  Kianti wrapped herself more snuggly in the heavy baby blue sweater and admired the stock of supplies in her pantry. She selected a can of chunky vegetable soup from one of the shelves and went to heat it on the stove.

  One day she was going to have to find a better way of thanking her neighbors Vernon and Wren Shay. The couple always included her pantry needs when they went to market. Autographed CDs and concert tickets seemed to pale in comparison to the very important service they provided without being asked. In a place like Neche, a simple dusting of snow could turn into a blizzard in no time flat.

  Kianti set the soup on to simmer and took a look at the winter wonderland beyond the glass doors in the kitchen, which led out to the deck overlooking the rear of the property. She recalled when her father bought the place all those years ago. She and her mother thought he’d lost it. Now, Kianti couldn’t think of another place she wanted to be when the pressures of her world got to be a little too much for her to handle.