by Franca Storm
I hated this tension between us. The whole going to bed angry thing really didn't work for me. Dammit. While she couldn't accept it right now, I was doing her a fucking favor. I'd already let my need to have her here beside me cloud my judgment. I never should've brought her down here. Sure, I hadn't realized how down and dirty it was going to get, but I should've gathered intel before just blindly pulling her into it with me.
Did she really think I wanted her gone? I fucking didn't. When she was with me, everything was better, brighter. We worked well together, strategized well together. Hell, we clicked.
I'd been too harsh. I didn't have any illusions about that. But I'd figured I'd had to be in order to get through to her, for her to really hear me, to get that it wasn't a discussion. She needed to head home and stay away from all of this darkness.
But, fuck, I couldn't leave things this way between us. It could cause a rift that the upcoming time apart would only serve to worsen. And I wasn't prepared to lose her to something so fucking stupid.
I took a chance and knocked on the bedroom door.
Hardly a beat went by before she called back tersely, "It's two in the frigging morning!"
"And you're awake, just like me."
"I'm not really in the mood for talking."
I rattled the doorknob. "Just unlock the door, Sky. I'm gonna stand here until you do."
"Urgh," she groused.
A moment later, I heard the soft pad of her footsteps coming toward the door. The lock clanged and the door flew open aggressively.
Anger marred her beautiful face. Her hair was in disarray, looking so sexy, just like it did after a good, long fucking from me. My gaze dropped to her pink strappy tank with black lace over it, all silky. It matched her booty shorts that showed off her thighs. She was like a wild thing and it had my dick taking notice, big time.
"You're one demanding, stubborn asshole," she snarled at me.
Her fierceness coming at me so raw and unrestrained just turned me on more. But I had to keep my desire to toss her onto the bed and fuck her hard and long in check. We needed to talk first. Fucking to blow past any issues between us wasn't what we did. It was a surefire way to burn out as a couple. It was a real copout.
"Let's not pretend you don't like that about me."
A brief flicker of lust lit her eyes. It was gone in a couple of blinks and that defensive wall went right back up as she told me, "Unless you've changed your mind about things, there's nothing else to say."
"I haven't."
"Well, then," she said, moving to close the door.
I shoved my foot against it, stopping it from closing. "But I'm not leaving this room until we clear the air. I don't want this bad blood lingering between us. We're going to resolve it before you head back home in a few hours."
"How are we going to resolve you not trusting me in the space of a few hours?"
"It's not about a lack of trust, Sky."
"Yes, it is. You don't trust my judgment, my ability to think clearly and walk the line. You think I'm going to cross it and get dragged down into that murky world I used to inhabit. It was years ago, Luke. And, for your information, my link to that murkiness is what makes me an invaluable asset to you here. I can help you like nobody else. I know Patrick Walsh. I know guys like him. And I know how to bend them to my will."
The more she talked, the more she was convincing me that she needed to stay far away from all of this. All she was doing was reinforcing all of my concerns about her addiction to it.
"It's the bending them to your will part that worries me."
"Come on," she scoffed. "You'd do the same—worse—on behalf of Iron Kings. Hell, you have done worse. The difference is, I'm not judging."
This was getting us nowhere.
It was because she was digging her damned heels in, unwilling to back down at all, or even to consider that I was right about all of it.
"Look, you've helped me a lot by identifying the shithead coming down on Matt. You've also provided me with some vital intel about him, so now I know who I'm dealing with. Thank you, my love."
She looked uneasy, not sure where I was going with this sudden change in tactic, thanking and complimenting her, instead of arguing back and forth. If you couldn't go through, you had no choice but to go around. So, I was circumventing the rapidly intensifying argument between us.
"Well… good. So, you admit that I'm useful to have around on this mission?"
I nodded. "You have been, yeah." I stepped into her and cupped her face in my hands. My eyes burned into hers as I drove it home, real cool and collected, "And now you're done. We'll spend some time together tomorrow morning, but you're heading back home in the afternoon. Now, I'm done discussing this. Subject dropped." I leaned in and kissed her lips. "I love you."
With that, I stepped back and turned on my heel. I could feel her eyes boring into my back, sense the anger burning inside her at being benched. I'd barely made it over the threshold and back into the hallway when she slammed the bedroom door behind me. I cringed, but kept walking, heading back into the main area of the suite.
Settling back down on the couch, I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to sleep.
Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day.
16
~Skylar~
I SQUINTED.
The harsh light of day flooded into the room.
I'd forgotten that I'd left the curtains open last night when I'd been looking out at the cityscape below. After that last argument with D, I hadn't been able to get to sleep for a while. Looking out over the city had something like a meditative impact on me, calming me as well as managing to put things into perspective.
For a while, at least.
I still couldn't accept D trying to bench me from this mission. What had he figured was going to happen when he'd invited me to come with him to help his brother? There was going to be danger and some level of darkness involved in the matter. It wouldn't have qualified as trouble if there wasn't. Had he been so intent on having me by his side, that he'd neglected to consider things properly? Given his reactions, I'd wager that was exactly what had happened. And now he was overcompensating and basically freaking the fuck out. Urgh. It was beyond frustrating.
With a heavy sigh, I pushed the covers aside and climbed out of bed.
I grabbed my robe off the foot of the bed and slipped it on, intending to head to the kitchen for a much-needed coffee, when my phone buzzed on the bedside table.
Snatching it up, I eyed the call display, frowning when I saw there was a text notification from D. Why was he texting me when he was in the other room? Looking at the time and discovering it was barely seven in the morning, I was surprised that there was any communication from him at all. He wasn't exactly a morning person.
I swiped the screen open, then navigated to my messages to find a short, to the point message that was bordering on terse and passive-aggressive. Or, maybe, I was just reading it that way, because of last night's disagreement.
Running an errand. Back by nine. We'll hang, then get you home. Pack up. Love you.
I rolled my eyes and pocketed my phone in my robe. Tying the belt, I strolled down the hall and made a right turn into the main area of the suite.
And I got the shock of my life. Holy crap!
I wasn't alone.
There, lounging back in one of the armchairs, was none other than Patrick Walsh himself.
He smirked at my reaction. "Long time, sweetness."
I fought to get a hold of myself even as adrenaline shot through my body, making me shake with the furor of the fight or flight response triggering so suddenly and unexpectedly.
"Patrick," I managed to croak out. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too," he shot back, rising to his feet. "That's all you have to say to me after so long apart?"
"You broke into my hotel room. What else do you expect?"
"A hell of a lot more," he growled dangerously. He began ci
rcling me slowly, really fucking creepily. "And, as for breaking in here, I've picked up many impressive new skills since we last saw each other."
In a flash of movement, he was on me, one hand confining my arms to my sides, the other wrapping around my throat, making me gag.
He laughed maniacally. "Is that trembling I'm feeling? Is the great Skylar Wright scared of little ol' me?"
"Go fuck yourself," I rasped against his constricting grip.
He squeezed me hard, forcing a pained grunt from me. "Not the weak loser you took me for anymore, am I, sweetness?"
"You're still a clueless sociopath with a dangerous temper. Still using other people to get ahead, instead of putting in the work and time to do it yourself. The only difference is you dress in designer suits now."
"That's what the road to success is all about, using the right people. It's called networking."
Urgh. He wasn't just ignorant, he was twisted too. "Not the way you do it."
"Ah, you're upset about Matthew Reilly. We had an agreement. He tried to get out of it. I had to lay down the law."
"You need to walk away from whatever your plans are for him. Do it before you make things much worse for yourself."
"Can't be doing that. Things are already in motion and close to bearing fruit now."
The more he talked, the more he was revealing. Just as I'd figured. He was just as arrogant as I remembered, and it always bit him in the ass. Just like it was doing now. He'd assumed I was incapacitated in his hold, but it was a far cry from the truth of it. I was waiting, biding my time, until he'd spilled his guts to me in his desperate need to prove he was worth something, that he was someone of significance. The bastard was giving me everything.
Playing along, I commented in a tired, bored tone, "I'm sure they are. Good for you."
With an angry growl, he fisted his hand in my hair, holding tight to the roots to hurt me as much as possible. "They are!" he hissed viciously. "That kid's bringing me into the Reilly Dynasty. Legitimizing me. Making me one of them. I'll never be on the outside of anything again. People will come to me. Even The Electi."
Huh. That was his plan. "Matt's not even a part of all of that anymore. He's branched out on his own with that restaurant and he wouldn't need your money if he was still standing with his family."
Releasing my hair, he trailed his fingers down my cheek, as he spoke creepily in my ear, "Don't worry your pretty little head about the details. I've got it sorted." He fondled my robe, starting to slowly inch his hand inside near my breasts. "You know, you could work with me on this? We make a great team, and it would be well worth your while."
"You've forgotten who you're dealing with."
In the next breath, I slammed my head back.
A satisfying crack sounded, followed by a curse from him that had him weakening his hold on me.
Taking full advantage of it, I jerked sharply to the side, forcing his grip to dislodge. Then I spun into him, grasped his arm and used his weight against him to slam him into the wall, pinning him there with his arm shoved up his back.
"Bitch," he choked through his bloodied, likely broken nose, that was leaking all over the wall.
I kneed him in the back. "Yeah and don't you forget it."
"You really want to cross me for that biker trash boyfriend of yours?"
"You know I don't act without thinking it through very thoroughly first."
"The problem is, you don't have all the facts. I told you, I'm not the pitiful loan shark you remember. I'm more, much more. You keep this up and you'll see it up close."
"Yeah? You do that and I'll show you my darkness up close." I leaned in and spoke hauntingly in his ear. "Is that what you want?"
The fact that he actually shut the hell up for a minute showed me just how afraid he was of the threat I'd just laid out.
After a lengthy pause and a noticeable tremble, he croaked out, "We can work something out."
And he was still trying to deal his way out of it.
He couldn't take the out I'd given him, the mercy I'd offered up.
It proved it undoubtedly.
He couldn't change.
In a burst of movement, I snatched the pistol holstered at his right hip, flipped the safety off and cocked it. Taking aim at the back of his skull, I seethed, "There's nothing to work out. If you won't stop, I'll make you stop." I ground the muzzle into him, and he grunted. "This will be doing the world a favor."
Movement over by the door caught my attention.
In the next moment, I registered D in my peripheral vision.
"Don't," he spoke.
"I'm doing what needs to be done."
"No. You're really not," he argued.
I rolled my eyes. "You don't get it. You don't understand his kind of people, this world."
"This is about right and wrong, Sky."
"Give me a break," I scoffed.
He moved closer, his steps slow and cautious.
"Stop. Don't take another step. I'm handling this."
"You pull that trigger and it will be a cold-blooded kill. Can you handle that?"
Damn him! "He deserves it, Luke!"
I knew I was right. I believed the conviction coursing through my veins, lacing my words.
Yet, I still felt my aim waver.
It was the cold-blooded bit in D's plea.
I'd had this chance once before, to take out Patrick, to make it a fatal shot that day I'd stopped him from taking down one of The Electi.
And I'd chosen not to take it there.
I'd held back.
I'd wanted to preserve that part of my soul that was still untainted. I'd never taken a life and I'd thought as long as that remained true, the darkness could never fully swallow me.
I'd always found another way.
I stilled as the realization slammed into me.
I knew what I had to do.
"All right," I told D.
I roughly released Patrick and stepped back, the gun still aimed his way, but only as a precaution now.
"Get the fuck out," D growled at him, his expression fierce, his body tense and on high alert. He had a hell of a menacing presence when it was called for.
Cupping his bloodied nose, Patrick staggered toward the door.
As foolishly cocky as he was, though, he just couldn't resist having the last word. Just before he passed by D, he glared and told him, "She's a fucking psycho case. If you think you can tame that, you're kidding yourself." With that, he crossed to the door and staggered out, slamming it shut behind him.
D followed out shortly after.
I flipped the safety back on Patrick's gun, then crossed to the hotel suite's safe and locked it inside.
I heard the sharp beeping sound of the hotel door a moment later and I turned to see D striding back in. "He's gone. I watched him drive out of here in his Beamer. He came alone. Fucking arrogant."
"Yeah, that's him," I muttered.
Expecting him to lay into me for what he'd walked in on, I was caught off guard when, instead, he ate up the distance between us with his powerful strides and wrapped his arms around me. He breathed me in as he hugged me tightly to him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."
"You sure?" he pressed, pulling back enough to look me over. His eyes examining me, he asked, "Did he hurt you?"
"He didn't get the chance."
D cocked an eyebrow, unconvinced.
Smiling at his sweet concern, I took his hands and, giving them a squeeze, I assured him, "I'm physically fine. I swear it."
"Fuck," he muttered, pulling away and shaking his head. "I should've been here."
"It's all right. I had it handled. You know that I'm not the damsel-in-distress type, sweets."
He ran his hand through his hair, clearly struggling to contain his upset. After a beat, he said, "If that hadn't been clear enough before, it sure was cemented by what I walked in on."
Ah, there it was.
His care and worry fo
r me had trumped everything else and taken initial precedence. Now he knew for sure that I was fine and not showing any signs of being shaken up, he was revving up for a lecture.
I held up my hand before he could start anything up. "I know. Things got… intense."
"Intense?" he said, incredulously. "That's a major fucking understatement."
"I agree and that's why I'm not going to argue with you anymore about me heading home."
"Yeah?" he asked, warily, knowing I rarely ever backed down, especially not easily.
"Yes. Although, I would be feeling a lot better about leaving you here alone if you hadn't let Patrick just walk out of here without so much as tailing him. I really don't want you going up against him alone. He might not be physically intimidating to a hard-ass like you, but he is dangerous and he's obviously caught up in something much worse than what he had been in the old days if he had the nerve to face off with me."
D folded his arms across his chest, becoming all business, as he said, "First off, I had to let him walk. This suite is registered under your name, so anything I did to either detain him, or fuck him up would've come back on you. That'll never be acceptable to me. And, even if we didn't have to worry about that, backup is too far away, so getting a cleanup in here to protect us from any ramifications wouldn't be possible in time. And, we don't have the whole picture yet of exactly what's going on. Walsh could be running with others. He could just be one piece of a much bigger puzzle. We don't take action until we have all the information, Sky. Your personal connection to him really clouded your judgment. It nearly fucked-up this mission beyond repair. The goal is to free Matt from this, not to dig him and us so deep that none of us will be able to get out of it unscathed."
I bristled at his accusations and harsh reprimand, but I forced myself to swallow my pride and accept it. Now I knew what I needed to do, it didn't matter anyway. The big picture had to be my focus.
"I know and I'm sorry." I stepped back. "I'll pack up and head home, like you wanted. You can keep this suite. Just check out whenever you're ready and done with this mission."
"Wait," he urged, reaching out to me, his hand wrapping around my forearm.
