by Teri Gilbert
“These men aren’t amateurs, Eleni.” Alec’s gaze pinned hers. “We need help.”
“There’s a motel on the other side of town. We can go there and figure out what to do.”
He took her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. His short black hair stuck out in all directions as he ran his hand through it for the third time. “You’re not listening to me.”
She lifted her chin. “After you’ve seen the evidence and understand what we’re doing, if you still want to go to the police, I’ll discuss it. But we have to go. Now.” She touched the lines etched near his mouth, his slight stubble grazing her fingertips. If he didn’t leave with her, would she ever see him again? “Come or go, it’s your choice.”
A blast of cool air whipped against Alec as they exited the building and made their way to the parking lot. He surveyed the area for any sign of the thugs who’d ransacked Eleni’s apartment. So far, so good.
He felt jittery, shaken from the close call. Close call? He’d only heard that term used in the movies. What the hell had Eleni dragged him into? Or rather, what had his dick led him into? His mother had always warned him about pretty women.
“Wait.” Eleni veered to the left and started jogging. “I have to get my laptop from my car. It’s in the trunk.”
He strode alongside her to a bright red VW Beetle. As she neared the car, she held out a remote keypad. A terrible sense of foreboding burst into his mind.
“No. Eleni. Wait.”
He heard a faint click, followed by a bright yellow flash in the area where her car had been. He felt himself lifted into the air, then slammed against something hard and unforgiving. Pain rocketed through his body. Everything hurt, then faded to black.
Chapter 2
“Eleni?”
No answer.
Alec tried to think past the roaring in his ears. Had he even shouted her name?
He lifted his head from the pavement and scanned the area. Black smoke clouded the air in front of him, and the acrid smell of burning rubber stung his eyes. “Eleni?”
Wiping his face with the back of his hand, he squinted through the haze before him. On his second pass, he spotted her lying motionless a few yards away.
Panic clawed his insides. How badly was she hurt? Heart pounding in sickening strokes, he crawled to where she lay on her side, her back facing him.
Supporting her upper torso, he gently eased her off the ground and toward him. Her head lolled, then came to rest against his knee. His stomach cramped, and fear prickled his skin. Eleni’s eyes were closed, and blood trailed from her ears and nose.
Alec called her name again, barely hearing his own voice. No response. No sign she’d heard him.
His chest constricted.
She couldn’t be dead. He placed his hand on the side of her face, relieved to find her skin warm.
Then he noted the shallow rise and fall of her breasts. He swallowed past the tight knot at the back of his throat. Eleni was alive, but far from all right. He had to get her to a hospital.
As before, a sudden burst of heat issued from the center of his torso, ran down his arm, and into the palm touching Eleni. He jerked his hand back. Had a piece of debris caught his shirt on fire? The tips of his fingers seemed to burn. They pulsed once, then went suddenly cold. He wiggled his fingers. An icy sensation seemed to flow through his body directly opposite to the path the flash of heat had taken. Damn. Was he going into shock? He couldn’t afford this now. Eleni’s well-being depended on him.
He lifted her in his arms, and stumbled to his feet. Keeping her safely cradled against his chest, he picked his way through the debris littering the parking lot. The pungent odor of burning plastic and molten metal filled his nostrils, making his gut churn. Flames had spread to neighboring cars, and heat from the burning vehicles licked at his back.
Thankfully, the ringing in his ears had started to clear, forcing his attention to the sticky warmth trickling down the side of his face. Either a piece of shrapnel had hit him or it was a result of slamming into the asphalt. If he looked half as bad as Eleni...
Her once snow-white dress was now streaked with grease and dotted with bright red splotches. One strap dangled off her shoulder, just above a jagged tear that slanted across a good portion of her left breast. The area was soaked with blood. Hers or his?
Eleni’s eyelids fluttered open. “Alec?”
Relief weakened his knees, causing him to stumble, but he caught himself just before they both fell to the pavement.
She stirred, then shifted in his arms. “I think I can walk.”
He tested her theory by carefully lowering her until her feet touched the ground, then held her steady until she stopped wavering.
Through the hammering in his head, he heard the faint wail of sirens.
“We have to get out of here.” The frantic, confused look in Eleni’s eyes dimmed, replaced by determination. “We need answers before we go to the police. The people responsible have the police on their payroll.”
The longer she pinned him with her relentless gaze, the more doubt crept into his thoughts. Was Eleni right? Was there some conspiracy he was unaware of? Maybe he was premature in wanting to involve the authorities.
He tugged out a Kleenex from the front pocket of his slacks and wiped Eleni’s face, then smoothed back her hair, noting the slick feel of blood in the blond strands. “Can you make it to my car?”
She didn’t bother answering. Instead, she headed for his GT 500 Mustang, her stride determined. He held open the passenger door and watched as she collapsed against the black leather seat. She straightened when she caught his gaze on her.
A wave of something unfamiliar washed over him. Eleni was being brave. For him. Unnecessary, but admirable. What they’d been through was enough to test the endurance of a Marine, let alone a couple of ordinary people.
He exited at the opposite end of the parking lot, away from the billowing black smoke. “I’m taking us to the motel. Think you can hold on until then?”
“I should ask you the same thing.” She attempted a weak smile. “You look like hell.”
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he winced. He had to admit she was right. His hair was matted to the side of his head, and his eyes were glazed. He shot a look at his clothes. Not half as bad as Eleni’s. “Well, you don’t look so good yourself.”
She stared down at her torn, blood-spattered dress and frowned. “How do you propose we check in?”
“You don’t. I do.”
Chapter 3
About fifteen minutes later, Alec half-supported, half-carried Eleni into the dark motel room. He flicked on the lights, locked the door behind him, and helped her to the king-size bed. Not the nicest place he’d ever been in, stains on the carpet, peeling wallpaper, and the air smelled like a combination of cigarettes and deodorizer. But beggars couldn’t be choosers. They just needed a safe place to stay until he could figure out what to do. And he reminded himself that places like this don’t ask for a credit card if you have the cash.
He lowered a semi-conscious Eleni onto the red and maroon paisley comforter, then crossed to the window. Flashing lights from emergency crews bounced off dark clouds of smoke, lingering in the moonlit sky above her apartment.
He tugged the heavy curtains shut and returned to the bed where Eleni lay on her side, eyes closed, her breathing regular.
His body flooded with warmth. She looked so peaceful, he hated like hell to disturb her, but the risk was too great. “Eleni. You promised you’d stay awake and upright.”
She stirred, then shook her head. “Sleep.”
“You need to stay awake. You probably have a concussion.” So why didn’t he? Why did his mind feel as clear as if he’d had eight hours of uninterrupted sleep?
Shoving that annoying thought away, he forced his attention back to Eleni. “You have to wake up.”
When she didn’t respond, he blew out a frustrated sigh. “If you don’t open your eyes, I will call an am
bulance.”
She scowled, but did as he’d asked.
Relief seeped into him. Although her pupils seemed larger than normal, she didn’t appear to be in any immediate danger. “You have to sit up.” He couldn’t risk her falling asleep again.
Her wavy blond hair hung in blood-soaked clumps across her face as she pushed herself to a sitting position. Alec fought the irrational urge to gather her into his arms and comfort her. His jaw tightened. No. She was the reason he was hiding like some fugitive. If she’d been straight with him from the start, they wouldn’t be in this predicament. “Why don’t you get undressed while I start your shower?”
She nodded.
Before she could fall asleep again, he headed for the bathroom and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He groaned. Harsh lines of fatigue slanted across his cheeks and patches of soot smeared along his chin and neck; spots he’d missed in his hasty clean-up. It was a wonder the clerk hadn’t said something, but the place was so low budget, he’d probably seen it all.
Alec heard Eleni shuffling in the other room. “Do you need help?” He peered around the corner. Eleni had managed to get to her feet and was tugging her tattered dress over her head.
Bile churned in his stomach at the sight of the gash across the top of her left breast, and his skin crawled as he drew closer. The flesh around her wound was rippled and puckered, crusted with blood. “You need a doctor.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“It looks pretty damn horrible.”
Eleni peeled off her thong, revealing the patch of dark curly hair. Despite everything, blood flowed south, hardening him in a second.
Eleni’s eyes glowed as they settled on him, reminding him of the way she’d looked at him over dinner at The Clark House. That was less than eight hours ago. It felt like a week since then.
He must have worn a doubtful expression because she smiled weakly and touched his arm. “Just help me to the shower. I feel fine.”
He was pretty sure she was not fine, but did as she asked anyway. Sorely tempted to join her, he stepped back, while he still could. “I’ll be right out here if you need me.”
Without waiting for her response, he hastened from the bathroom. Pulsing with the need to be inside her, he scooped up her undergarments and, without even so much as a glance at the shower, placed them on the bathroom counter. Eleni was in no shape for sex, and even if she were, he didn’t trust her. He should have known from the second she’d arrived at the news station that he needed to stay the hell away. Someone that stunning was bound to be bad news.
Swearing under his breath, he tugged his cell phone from his front pocket and selected Cheryl’s name. How could he have forgotten? His secretary had the evening shift, and it was well past the time he should have called in. Hopefully she’d run interference with Klingerman.
“Hi, Cheryl, this is Alec. Sorry it’s late notice. I’m afraid I won’t be in tomorrow. I have that nasty stomach virus that’s going around.” He hated like hell to lie, but he couldn’t very well tell the truth now, could he?
“Whatever you say, Alec.” Cheryl managed to instill a whole lot of disbelief into those few words.
He heard a muffled snicker in the background.
“Been on any dates with our new hire?” Cheryl sounded like she was trying not to laugh.
Alec’s heart pounded against his chest, and a blast of heat seared his face. “Why would you ask?”
“Seems Eleni Katsakis arranged to take tomorrow off, too. Pretty coincidental, don’t you think?”
Alec’s blood chilled. Eleni had planned to be out all along? He heard a couple more snickers at the other end.
“Took a personal day. But she didn’t tell us where she was going. Sure you don’t want to change your story?”
He hesitated, searching for what to say. He hadn’t thought anyone at the station would figure out he and Eleni were together.
“Oh, my, God.” Cheryl bit off each word.
Damn. He’d waited too long to respond. He could imagine his secretary’s shocked expression, mouth open, face flushed, and eyes wide as she put two and two together.
Cheryl’s voice lowered to a whisper. “You are with her.”
Alec felt trapped. He couldn’t outright lie, but he didn’t want to admit the truth, either. Too much was on the line.
“We have an office pool going over who would be the first to fall.” Cheryl sounded bewildered, as if she couldn’t quite grasp that it was him. “I think only one person had your name.”
Alec could guess who the one person was. Mike. His best friend would laugh his ass off when he saw the absentee report. Cheryl gave an impish, “Hope you feel better soon,” then hung up. Alec’s hackles rose.
What was so strange about the idea he would call in sick for a day of sex? People did that sort of thing all the time. Just not someone like him, someone who’d always put the job first and had missed only one day in the last eleven years. Looked like his second day was going to be for Eleni.
Trying without much success to block out both the office gossip and the image of Eleni showering, Alec sat on the edge of the bed and flipped through the cable channels. The murders at Amalgamated Associates had to be a top story. He paused as one of the local stations announced breaking news.
“Authorities have released these photos in relation to this evening’s multiple homicides at an area business.”
Alec’s stomach knotted, and he leaned forward as a blurred black and white image appeared on the screen. The security photos showed the two of them as they’d entered the office building.
Thankfully, the camera had just caught his profile, not his face. Only those close to him, his mom or Nick, would recognize him. Maybe Mike, since they worked together every day.
The next photograph was a blurred picture of Eleni. It was such a bad likeness he doubted anyone could figure out it was her. But that damn office pool...He raked a hand through his hair.
“Anyone with information on the identities of these persons-of-interest, please call 911 or this station immediately. You can access these photos via our website.”
Eleni stepped out of the bathroom, wearing only her bra and thong. “I was afraid of that.” Her frantic gaze darted to the TV, then back to him. “I told you they had police connections.”
He swiveled to face her. “Based on what? The fact they plastered our photos all over the news? They’re only doing their jobs.”
She stepped forward, hands clenched, voice low and harsh. “Then where are the killers’ faces, Alec? They were there, too. How come we’re the only ones targeted?”
“Maybe I only caught part of the news.”
“Then let’s wait until it’s on again.” Anger and fear hardened her features as she wrapped her arms around her waist, causing her bra to slip, offering him a generous view of the tops of her breasts. He had to admit her injury didn’t look nearly so bad now that she’d washed away the blood. His gaze drifted downward to the patch of dark hair visible through the thin fabric of her thong, and his mouth went dry.
Damn. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d been with other women before. He wasn’t like some sixteen-year-old with only one thing on his mind. Or was he?
And how could he be so preoccupied with sex when they were in such a shitload of trouble?
Eleni looked at him expectantly, anger drawing her brows inward. What was she waiting for?
Right. Another news report. “I’ll try Channel Fourteen. They’re usually a few minutes behind the major stations.” He tapped the channel down button. True to form, the Amalgamated story was just coming on.
As Eleni had predicted, only their photos appeared. Nothing from the video camera planted outside Amalgamated’s office or anything about who had entered the main office building before them. Damn.
He faced her, expecting an I-told-you-so. Instead, she stretched her arms toward him, hands splayed, eyes pleading. “Now do you believe me?”
Eleni
woke with a start and ran a hand across her face, encountering moisture. She’d been crying in her sleep. Wrapping the sheet around her, she swung her legs around and perched on the edge of the bed.
What time was it? There was a faint buzzing in her ears, and the area behind her eyes felt hot. The unfamiliar surroundings came into hazy focus a split second before the horrific images filtered into her consciousness.
Grief bombarded her, preying on her frayed emotions, making her want to curl back up in bed and just forget everything. But that wouldn’t change what had happened.
Her friends were dead.
All night long, dreams of their lifeless bodies had played, like a slideshow stuck on fast forward, flashing haunting snapshot after haunting snapshot.
Myles, barely thirty, sat against the wall, a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Cora had been killed at her computer. The mother hen of the group, she was always fretting over their health, their love lives; the mom she’d wished she’d had.
Niko had been on the floor next to Anna. Knowing of her teenage hero worship, the twenty-something was probably telling her his daily joke when the killers had struck.
Alice lay on her back, her body riddled with bloody bullet holes. Eleni fought back tears. Alice had always been so kind to her, patiently teaching her the ins and outs of working for Amalgamated.
There had been no signs of a struggle. Her friends had to have been totally caught off guard not to use any of their powers.
Her head pounded. She needed some relief from the pain if she was going to figure this out.
Eleni snatched her once-beautiful Italian leather purse from the nightstand and rummaged through the contents. When was the last time she’d remembered to make sure she had enough aspirin?
“Still have a headache?”
“A slight one.” Eleni glanced up, and her heart warmed at the sight of Alec standing in front of the bathroom doorway. With his classic Greek features, she could almost imagine him garbed in a toga, instead of the boxers and black dress socks he wore now. She loved that he didn’t realize how incredibly hunky and sexy he looked.
