“I said thank you. I’m not as heartless as you let on. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you, Harley. Is that good? Thank you.”
“Okay, okay,” he says with a laugh. “You’re welcome.”
He denies the satisfaction he feels when she opens up to him. But it’s true; they’ve formed a bond of trust in what little time they’ve share together. He only hopes it’ll hold against the dangers that lie ahead.
Later that night, he puts his plan into action. But not before finding a little surprise text from Aliah that makes for damn sure that he doesn’t pull an all-nighter this night. It has him looking forward to their stay-in plans for the evening. He doesn’t remove his eyes from her provocative photo, until his phone starts ringing.
“David here,” he answers.
“She’s just exited the building,” the man voices.
Harley had hired a fellow detective to keep an eye on his dear friend, Jillian. “I’m just around the block. I can take it from here, thanks.” He ends the call and pulls his motorcycle around the block, until Jillian pulls out of his parking lot well past closing time.
What the hell is she doing at work afterhours?
He keeps his distance, with his headlights turned low, but follows close enough behind her to know that it’s Brandee Hawkins she runs into outside the mall entrance.
Coincidence? I think not. His lead was good, even though Harley was hoping it wasn’t.
The way she keeps looking over her shoulder tells him it’s not an unexpected friendly meeting. Harley turns off his headlights and rolls forward until he has an unobstructed view of them. They chat for a minute and then enter the mall together. He parks his bike and walks quickly toward the entrance, seeing nothing but red.
Harley’s so enveloped in deceit that he doesn’t notice the two men making a dash for him. The scrawny one hollers out, but not until the other has his big fat arms wrapped around his neck. He’s yanked aside, and feels his faced being crushed against the brick wall. He can feel the blood trickling from his nose, but he’s far from giving up.
David H. Gates never gives up.
“Your girl thinks she’s so smart,” the skinny guy cackles.
Harley stands still for a minute, ready to strike, as he considers the safety of his girl. Are they talking about his daughter or his woman? He doesn’t even know. Before he bashes their heads in, he’s going to have to hang onto his temper and bleed a little information out of them. He has a couple of ideas in mind.
Without a second thought, he opts for plan B, head butting the big guy behind him. As the man stumbles backward, Harley knocks him out cold with a right hook. The big guy drops to the cement with a sickening thud. The scrawny man is so caught up in the moment, he forgets to run.
His head-start is nothing a few paces won’t fix. Harley runs after him and quickly reaches out. He grabs onto the back of his jacket and yanks him backward. “Where do you think you’re going?”
The man is close to crying, a dirty, wily man who he won’t give a smidgen of trust to. Harley readjusts his grip on the front of his shirt and gives it a twist before he lifts him up to make his threat. His fisted hand presses against the man’s throat, pinning him to the brick wall of the building.
“You’re going to tell me what girl you’re referring to, or I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life. I might just do that anyway.”
“I can’t. If I tell you, I don’t get paid. I have a family to feed,” the man whines.
Harley doesn’t believe him. From the stench of body odor, combined with the the stale splash of beer on his breath, he knows no woman in her right mind would let that man into her home; especially a house with children.
“Wrong answer.” Harley drops a heavy fist, connecting with his face.
The man is dazed for a second. He doesn’t even put any effort into it and still the man nearly passes out. “Tell me what girl you’re looking for. I’ll give you five seconds. Four. Three. Two…”
“Aliah Brooklin!” he shouts, as the sound of scurried footsteps sounds behind him.
Harley drops the useless shell of a man to the ground and spins around to find the big guy coming at him with a knife. His reflexes aren’t fast enough, and the man takes a slice out of his face. Blood spills instantly downs his flesh, but he’s already thrown two fists. They connect with the big man’s midsection and he folds in half, crumbling back to the ground. The knife clanks on the sidewalk, falling a few feet away from his hand.
Harley rushes to grab it, but no one is going for the knife but him. The wily sidekick has already made a run for it. When Harley leans over to retrieve the knife, he can see the splattered blood pooling on the ground. He grabs at his face, only then realizing that it’s his blood decorating the parking lot.
The gash is bigger than he’d realized. He has already lost some blood from his nose, but he has been so concerned with getting information that he doesn’t notice exactly how much, until he finds the evidence on the pavement. He gets a little lightheaded but grabs at his injury and heads for his bike anyway.
I have to get to Aliah.
As he reaches his motorcycle, he drops to his knees, barely able to maintain consciousness. He hears screaming behind him, but it’s no one he recognizes. His body decides for him that he has to lay down and take a nap. When his eyes blink open, there are flashing lights and an ambulance attendant is hovering over him. He’s still outside, because he can feel the cool night air rushing over his skin.
He’s bandaged up and he notices the moment when they enter the hospital, because it’s bright. So bright. It feels like he’s entered a tunnel of white light with a collection of men and woman dressed in white chattering over top of him. He’s ready to take another nap now.
Then he hears a familiar scream.
“Nooo!” she cries out.
Aliah appears over him, and slides a cold hand over his good cheek. “Oh my God. Harley. What have you gotten yourself into?”
“Excuse me, ma’am, but you’re not allowed in here,” says a woman dressed in blue.
“Like fuck, I’m not,” Aliah announces, with a scowl.
He wants to smile, but realizes he can’t. His face feels frozen and his eyes are so heavy he can’t open them. He wants to tell the staff to let her stay, but his lips won’t move. The harder he tries, the worse he feels. He starts to panic, as the reality of the situation sinks in.
Alarms on the machines he’s hooked to start beeping off the charts. “You have to leave,” the doctor shouts. “Now.”
“He’s flat lining,” a nurse shouts.
“I’m not going anywhere. Now shut the fuck up and save him,” Aliah screams.
Another nurse is already connecting him to yet another machine, while the other rubs two pads together. “Clear!” she shouts.
They all back off and the pads latch onto him. The jolt stimulates his body, lifting it from the table, and the machine bleeps for a second, but he flat lines a breath later.
“You have to save him,” Aliah cries hysterically.
“Get her out of here,” the doctor shouts irately.
A male nurse appears behind her and tears her from the room, escorting her to the waiting room. Aliah’s so shaky, she can barely stay on her feet let alone fight to stay there.
Harley knows she’s missing from the room when her crying voice leaves him, but he doesn’t want her to go. He tries to keep a clear head, but he swears his mind is playing tricks on him when Aliah suddenly returns to him.
“Here I am, Harley. I’m here,” she says, standing at the end of the white tunnel.
He shakes his head, not believing it for one second. She looks so beautiful, dressed in a fitted dress of white that slices up her leg exposing an extremely tall shoe. “Come, David. Come and play with me.”
David?
Aliah has never called him David. She despises his name. That can’t possibly be her. She’s alive and well. Unless…
No. It’s not Aliah.
“I’m not going with you,” he states, even though she’s exactly what he needs right now.
The image of Aliah darkens. Her hair. Her eyes. “Come with me,” she demands, in a demonic voice. Her hair snakes around her head by some invisible force and light behind her fades to black. It still looks like his Aliah, a beautiful depiction of her, but her eyes flicker like globes of fiery coal and she sounds like death. “I need you, David. Come.”
He wants to laugh, but he can’t. “Like hell, lady. I have too much to live for. I’ll catch you later.”
He closes his eyes and relaxes, remembering Aliah the way he wants to. She’s on the blanket beneath him. Her hair is splayed out over her head, tangling in the dandelions. She’s smiling and so is he.
“I’m here,” she says. “Come back to me, Harley.”
He’s confused. He is right here with her.
Why would she say that?
“Come back to me, Harley,” she repeats.
He now realizes she’s crying again. He can hear it in her voice. He tries to open his eyes, but he can’t, and it feels like he’s stuck in some underwater paradise between fantasy and reality. With a deep gasp for air, his eyes shoot open.
“He’s awake!” Aliah screams. And he means screams. If he weren’t half deaf from too many years of loud music, then he is now.
She kisses him silly. “Oh, Harley.” Kiss. “I thought…” Kiss. “I would never…” Kiss. “See you again.” Kiss.
He wishes she would never stop kissing him.
She closes her eyes and angles her head. She steals another long kiss that he doesn’t want to end.
“Aliah,” he croaks.
She freezes in place to hear him speak, with her hands cupping the unbandaged portion of his head and face.
“I can’t breathe.”
Her eyes bulge from their sockets. “Do you need a nurse?”
“No.” He smiles. “I need you to quit stealing my breath.”
She retrieves her hands and smiles, but a tear still sneaks out. He likes this side of her. It shows that she cares. She presses her head to his chest and teases a finger over him.
“Harley Gates, you bastard. Promise to never scare me like that again.”
“I wish I could.”
She looks up at him and scowls, but it’s half-hearted. “You’re lucky you woke up before your daughter got here. It’s a horrible thing to find you here like that.”
He looks down at himself and sees he’s wearing a blue night gown about ten sizes too small. He makes to sit up and his monitors all start to go wild.
Aliah presses a hand against his chest. “Just rest. For me?”
He takes another breath and relaxes his muscles. “For you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
It’s not long before Harley’s back on track. One of the goons were caught, thanks to Harley’s heavy hands, and the guy had given the name of his accomplice to the police. The only missing link is their employer, whom they claim they’ve never met in person. He’s convinced it’s Brandee Hawkins.
Jillian finally admits to him that Brandee is an old friend, but she claims it was mere coincidence that they ran into each other at the mall that night. Harley hasn’t been able to find any proof to the contrary and the fact that Jillian looked horrified when she learned about Harley’s attack, seemed to tie up her end of the story. Aliah’s not so quick to accept Jillian’s story.
Aliah can see that Harley’s growing tired of this investigation and she knows just the fix for his problem. No matter how long a day or how hard a night, Aliah can fix it. After helping Hannah with the dishes, Aliah asks her if it’s okay to steal her dad away for the evening.
With Hannah’s blessing, Aliah swoops into Harley’s home office and grabs him by the shirt. “Let’s go. You’re coming with me.”
“Where are you taking me?” Harley’s smirking now.
But when Aliah waggles her eyebrows, suddenly he’s the one with the sense of urgency. He tugs her the rest of the way to her car, tucks her into the passenger seat and slams the car into reverse. He has them racing out of town like they have somewhere important to be.
When Harley’s not watching, Aliah slips her hand into his. He smiles over at her.
“How did you know?” she asks, lifting his hand to her mouth. She drags her bottom lip over his knuckle, then sucks on it.
Harley groans and swerves off the side of the road, deciding that they’ve driven long enough. “Men just know these things.” He slides the car into park and unlatches his seat belt. Then he leans over to kiss her.
She backs away and smiles, with the memory of how he’s urged her to trust him with her life and with her kisses.
His hand reaches out for her face and he smoothes a thumb over her cheek before swooping in again. She doesn’t stop him this time and he wastes no time sharing how hot just the idea of making love to her in her car has made him. The constant press of his lips and lick of his tongue has her sweltering within seconds. His hands grow more daring, as his tongue discovers her mouth.
Harley stops for a breath and steals her gaze. “Backseat. Now,” he orders.
The deep baritone sound has her body humming, as she wiggles into the backseat. Harley slaps her ass and escapes from the car, since his body is much too large to maneuver around the interior of it. When the door closes behind him, his lips crash into hers. She can feel the hard lines of his muscles raping her clothed body. It has her tugging at his shirt, as he divests her of her clothes.
He flings away everything but her skirt. “Not the skirt.” He hangs onto it, to make sure she doesn’t tear it off in a fit of excitement. He toys with the short frilly thing. “You look so God damn sexy tonight. Do you have any idea how bad I need this right now?”
He slides a hand up her leg, until her skirt is flipped up and she is completely exposed to him. “How bad I need you?” he adds.
Their eyes meet for a moment of intense connection. She’s unsure what it’s supposed to mean, but it’s exhilarating and makes her smile. She’s never felt anything so real in all her life… except for that. He sinks into her with a slow flex of his pelvis.
“Yes. That’s what I’m talking about.”
He sinks into her again.
“Mmm, Harley,” she moans, sensation spilling from her body.
Before long, he’s pounding her into the backseat and she squealing with an orgasm that has her losing sight of reality. The way he slides into her repeatedly has her moaning out loud, like she’s in heat and she’s trying to attract a troop of male foxes. It only encourages him to lunge faster and pump harder.
She ignores the headlights passing by and enjoys the heated kiss matched with Harley’s strong hands touching her body. The faster he pumps, the closer he gets and she’s squeezing around him finding a fast second release.
Suddenly she notices a silhouette in the window, but she can’t make out who it is through the fogged glass. It’s especially difficult with Harley bouncing her around erratically on the seat. The window is a little more than a crack open, so it’s not like their visitor can’t hear them loud and clear.
How long have they had a spectator?
She makes to laugh, but then the person taps on the window with something hard and heavy. Surely that person can see Harley’s ass bobbing up and down.
Really?
Harley growls. “Just a minute.”
Aliah breaks out laughing, as he finds his release and grips onto her with a furious grunt.
She slaps his ass and he lifts up so he can pull her skirt down. He yanks on his underwear and turns around to face the authorities.
Phew! It’s only Spencer.
Aliah crawls across the seat and eases the window down a little farther, clutching at her breasts. The provocative display is unintended, but both men seem to be enjoying the view.
“Can I help you, officer?” she inquires.
“Why do I keep running into you? I don’t even do road stops, e
xcept I keep finding you breaking the law. You have to know this is illegal. You work in law and he’s a P.I. for Pete’s sake.”
“It’s all good, Spence. We were just leaving.”
“Not just yet.” He finishes scribbling on his pad of paper, as Harley readjusts his shirt and climbs into the front seat. He turns on her car and puts his window down, allowing some fresh air to flood the cabin.
Spencer slaps him with a ticket.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Harley is smirking though.
Aliah’s smirking too, as she pulls a shirt over her head. When she reaches her arms up, she regains the attention of both men. She doesn’t realize it, until she pokes her head out the top. She freezes in place, but neither man removes his eyes from her chest. Her nipples harden from the sensual scrutiny, gearing her body up for another round. She covers her breasts with an arm, still shocked by the invasion.
“I can’t believe you! You’re actually writing me up?” she balks.
“No. I’m writing him up. Have a good night.” He salutes them and walks away from the car, making a quick adjustment of his pants. His sexy accent did nothing to ease her disbelief.
The pair look up at each other at the same time and burst into laughter.
“We’re fighting this one. Even if I have to go flash your abs to the judge,” Aliah jokes. “No one will call my man’s ass indecent and get away with it.”
Aliah’s overreaction has Harley howling with laughter.
“We do have some pretty bad luck when it comes to cops.” He slaps the ticket across his opposite hand, then tosses it into the backseat.
“I would have to agree with you there.” Aliah leans over the seat for a kiss, no less provocative than before, and crawls into the front with him. He gropes her braless breasts, appreciating what God gave her.
Harley kisses her too, ready to get back inside her. She can tell by the pressure of his tongue and the length of his cock. He looks out the rearview mirror but it doesn’t look like Spencer’s going anywhere.
“I can fix that,” Harley says, as he puts the window up.
He pulls the gear into drive and signals like a law abiding citizen. He drives down the road at a granny’s pace, until Spencer finally gives up and passes them. As soon as the SUV is out of their sight, Harley pulls the car back over and pins her against him, his tongue showing her how much he wants her.
Twisted Desire (The Twisted Series) Page 21
