by Tiya Rayne
“How did you get to be so good at this dating thing?” I ask, popping a kernel in my mouth.
He grins but doesn’t turn to look at me. “It’s not hard to be good at something you care about. It’s like anything else, you put your time and attention into it.”
I wait a beat to ask my next question. I don’t want to sound too suspicious. “I bet your last girlfriend found it hard to let you go.”
He connects his gaze to mine briefly. “You are kind of my first girlfriend.”
I almost take my feet out of his lap, but he’s working my arch so good, I don’t dare. How is it possible this man doesn’t have an ex?
“Let me guess, you used to be a player?” I tease.
He chuckles. “No, nothing like that. I’ve always been work oriented and never had time.”
I don’t even know what to think of this. I have a laundry list of failed relationships and bad decisions, and yet, he hasn’t had any. Talk about added pressure.
“I can tell you’re thinking the wrong thing,” he says, pulling my attention back to him. He lets go of my feet and slides up to sit beside me.
“I have no expectations, Malia. No grandiose idea of what a relationship should be like. All I know is, if I have you, and you’re happy, then everything is where it should be.”
He leans in and claims my lips as if writing his name on them, making sure everyone will know they’re his. When he releases me and sits back, I have to catch my breath. He tugs my arms and pulls me into his side. I go without a fight, lying my head on his chest.
We lay that way for six hours and twenty-eight minutes, watching the first three Star Wars movies. Exactly like I did when I was ten with my Grams. Lying here, cuddled in Lucien’s arms as he whispers every line of the movie, I think it’s safe to say I really like him.
Chapter 29
My Fate Is Sealed
Lucien
* * *
Forever. That word has been swimming around my head for the last three weeks Malia and I have been going out.
I wanted to kick myself for making that promise the moment the words were out my mouth. I can’t offer her forever. Hell, I can barely offer her today. With the Church suspending my services and still expecting me to clean my menu, who knows how long I have.
“Dance with me?” Malia purrs.
I stand from my seat, lifting her out of my lap as I do, and we make our way over to the dance floor. We are at a Caribbean restaurant and bar. A live band plays Soca music on a makeshift stage.
We’ve gone out every weekend since the trip to the museum. I find time at least once a day to see her, either stopping by the store or meeting her for lunch. That’s aside from all the phone calls. We have yet to repeat what we started on her kitchen counter, which is probably for the best.
I nearly lost myself then. That cannot happen with her. I legitimately do fear my lack of control around Malia.
I watch the sway of her hips. She really does love to dance and is damn good at it. Anytime she moves her hips, my dick gets painfully hard. And watching her wining to the fast pace tempo has me damn near crazy.
I hold onto her hips as I grind mine into hers. She laughs tossing her head onto my shoulder. Malia is so full of life.
She laughs often, dances to every beat she hears, and she enjoys every moment. I think I know why my brother is also so drawn to her. She is a light in our world full of dark.
We dance until sweat soaks our bodies and shirts. I place a hand at her back and head to our table. Taking a seat, I place her in my lap.
I have to have her near me. Touching her is an addiction I don’t want to break. I run my hand up her arm, enjoying as the flesh pimples under my touch.
“I was thinking,” she starts. “Maybe after we leave here, we can go back to your place.”
I still my fingers over her skin and my dick thickens under her ass. Part of me is filled with excitement, but the other part of me understands the consequences. Despite Hawk getting to run off with the woman of his dreams, he is still wanted by the Church.
He will forever have to be in hiding. He and Brooklyn will never have a regular life. Do I want that for Malia? I also have to consider she has a daughter, and I still have Seth. However, can I pass up my dream?
“You know what that means, right?” I put the statement out there. The reminder of what I want and the question of if she’s capable of it.
She looks over her shoulder at me, those bright brown eyes expressing things her lips won’t.
“Yes.”
My fate is sealed. I go to stand but a waitress drops off a bottle of Champagne at the table.
“We didn’t order this,” I say.
She smiles brightly. “It’s a gift from the gentleman at the bar.” She turns and points. I look in that direction.
Rage. That is the only word I can use to describe what flows through me. It’s so hot and fast my grip on Malia’s waist tightens. Her flinching is the only thing that breaks through my angry haze.
The waitress places two glasses down on the table to go with the bottle and walks away. Takar Rasheed stands from his seat and heads toward us. I don’t bring weapons when I’m out with Malia.
I’m not exactly the killer of the team. However, Priest taught us all how to handle hand to hand combat. Right now, that’s all I have.
“Hello. I was sitting at the bar admiring you two. It is always good to see such a gorgeous couple. A beautiful queen and her white knight.” He winks. Malia giggles. “Where are my manners, I am Takar Rasheed and you?”
“I’m Malia and this is my boyfriend, Lucien.”
Rasheed takes Malia’s hand in his and shakes it, lingering longer than I like. He stares at her, for a lot longer than needed, with what seems like a genuine smile on his face. I tap my finger in a fast rhythm on the top of the table.
“May I sit?” he asks but doesn’t give either of us a chance to respond. He loosens the button of his suit jacket and sits down.
“Has anyone ever told you, you look and sound like the actor Idris Elba?”
Rasheed smiles at Malia. “Quite a few times.”
“What do you want?”
My words come out in a growl. I sense Malia turn to look at me, but I don’t take my eyes off of Rasheed. Even though I doubt he will make a scene here.
This is just to piss me off, a show of how close he can get to me. Seth and I have been tracking him, despite him ditching the tracker I had on his phone. However, I didn’t know he left Sierra Leone.
Rasheed chuckles. “Relax, my friend. I am a long way from home, feeling a little lonely. When I saw you and your…” He pauses and an unclear emotion flashes through his eyes. My first inclination of it is pain, but clearly that isn’t right. “Your lovely date, I thought I’d come share in your light.”
It is in this moment that I want to put a bullet in his fucking head. Seth may not get to enjoy this kill. I want it.
“It’s all right,” Malia adds. “We don’t mind.”
Rasheed grins, placing a hand over his heart as if he is touched by her kind words.
“Just for that,” he says, reaching into his pocket. I shoot to my feet bringing Malia up with me to intercept whatever he’s going for. When he pulls out a vintage flint lighter, he looks up at me as if I’m the crazy one.
“Luc, what’s wrong with you?” Malia asks.
Rasheed holds his hands up, palms out as if he’s showing me he’s not dangerous. “I only wanted to show you a magic trick.”
“You have to excuse my boyfriend.” She looks to me. I can tell she’s pissed. “I’d love to see a magic trick.”
She takes her original seat beside me. I slowly retake mine. Unfortunately, she has no idea how cruel this world truly is. She can’t read the signs of a sociopath. She has no idea why she should fear this man.
“Magic tricks may seem like a child’s game,” Rasheed says as he flips the lighter open to show it still works, then flips it closed. “But they can actu
ally teach life lessons.” He spins the lighter on his finger on some acrobatic bullshit. When the lighter stops spinning, he closes it between both hands. When he opens his palm, the lighter is gone and in its place is Malia’s watch.
She gasps, checking her wrist to be sure it’s hers. Rasheed smiles at her enthusiasm before handing her back her watch.
“That was so freaking awesome,” she cheers, placing her watch back on her wrist.
“Now here is the lesson in the magic.” Rasheed waves his hand and the lighter reappears from the sleeve of his coat. Malia laughs and it kills me another man is bringing the sound from her.
“Magic is all about the trick of the eye. By making you focus on the lighter in my hand, I distracted you from the hand stealing your watch. This is the life lesson. Always know where to focus.”
“You’re a very talented magician, Mr. Rasheed,” she states.
He nods his head in her direction but his eyes are on me. I understand the threat. Dealing with Hawk, spending time with Malia, and trying to figure out who keeps breaking into her place has me distracted. Rasheed should have never been able to get the jump on me. It’s time I take care of him once and for all.
“Time to go, Malia.” I stand, taking her with me.
“It was nice to meet you,” she says politely.
“Trust me, the pleasure was all mine,” he replies.
Placing a hand on her lower back, I try to lead her away from the table.
“Lucien,” Rasheed calls out my name. I turn to look at him. “You have a lovely queen. Protect her. In a world like today’s, you never know when your time is up. You should cherish every second of it.”
“As should you,” I toss his warning right back at him.
With those final words, I march Malia out of the restaurant. I don’t stop until I get to my car. I can’t release my hold on her, if I do I will march back in that bar and kill him with my bare hands.
I’m seething. I can already hear Seth, begging me to skin the man for all the bullshit he’s pulled tonight.
After placing her safely in the car, I stop for a few seconds to reign in my fury. The urge to go back inside pulls at me. Finally, I take a breath and make myself climb into the car, slamming the door shut.
“You want to tell me what the hell that was about?” she asks.
I count before I speak to her. I never want to speak to her out of a place other than kindness. I’m too angry at the moment.
“I’m sorry,” I say a lot calmer than I feel. “That guy rubbed me wrong.”
Her face softens, she places her hand on my thigh. “Luc, the man was old enough to be my father. He was only being friendly, he wasn’t hitting on me.”
I whip my head around to face her. That never crossed my mind, now I want to kill him for another fucking reason. I go to open the door, but she grabs my arm, pulling me back. Her laughter filling the car.
“Relax. Don’t let it ruin our night.” Her eyes are smoldering. I had forgotten the conversation we were having before Rasheed showed up.
My body—which usually heats up at the mention of anything remotely sexual with her—is quiet. I know it’s because Rasheed made something painfully obvious. I have unfinished business. As much as I want to go home and make love to Malia, I need to handle my plate.
“This is going to sound bad, but can I take a rain check?”
Her face falls and she blinks a few times. “Um, sure.” Her thoughts are painted all over her features like a work of art.
I turn in my seat to face her, clutching her face between my hands to kiss her. I kiss her to remind her of how badly I want her, how all I’m about to do is for her. I lay it all on her lips. When I start fighting not to say fuck it and take her home anyway, I pull back.
Placing my forehead to hers, I close my eyes and inhale. “My head is in a bad place tonight. And the first time I make love to you, I don’t want to be in this state of mind. Please, let me reschedule.” I wonder if she can sense the ache and desperation in my tone. Putting her off for even another day is killing me, but I need to do this.
“Okay,” she whispers her reply. “I can wait.”
I drop another kiss on her lips before pulling away and starting the car. I drive out of the parking lot and head to take Malia home.
Chapter 30
So You Are Seth
Seth
* * *
Seated in the nice plush chair of this penthouse apartment, I play with my blades. I’ve been on edge since the day I found out about that bullshit stunt Takar pulled. I gave Luc a week to figure out where the fucker is staying or I was going to go around starting fires to lure him out. I know of a few places and people he associates with.
I pull out my phone while I wait. My brother is a fucking nerd, but most of the shit he creates is pretty damn cool. He has apps and programs for everything.
Going to the app he created for Lia, I pull up the camera in her house. I promised him I would only check it when I got an alert, but I like to think he knows me enough to know I was bullshitting.
Lia is in the kitchen preparing a meal. Her back is to the camera and she’s dancing to music. My lips tug upward. I promised I would let her go. I’d allow him to have her, but every day I’m away from her, it gets harder and harder to stick to that.
She turns when Tiny Rambo comes into the kitchen to show her something on the tablet. Lia laughs, tossing her head back and the mini soldier joins her. I trace my finger over the image on the screen. That clawing feeling is in my chest again.
Footsteps approaching the apartment I’m in cause me to close out of the app and place the phone in my pocket. The door opens and a beam of light comes into the room, not enough to let the man of the hour see me. He closes the door and walks further into the dark living room, then goes to click the light on, but nothing happens. I took the bulbs out for this reason alone.
I click the lamp on beside me. Takar looks over at me and his brows lift. He’s shocked but he isn’t afraid, I’ll have to rectify that quickly.
“You’re Seth?” he asks.
I don’t acknowledge he’s asked a question. I lean forward in my seat and pull out my bowie.
He smirks, nudging his chin toward the open kitchen. “Do you mind if I grab a drink since this might be my last?” he taunts.
“This is your home after all.” I shrug. “Have at it.”
He heads into the kitchen, going to the cabinet. Then he grabs a tumbler out and reaches for the bourbon on the shelf. I give him a few minutes, the right amount of time for him to search for the gun I removed.
“Looking for something?” I ask.
He chuckles but doesn’t turn to face me. After fixing the drink, he heads back toward me, one hand casually in his pocket.
“You know what’s sad?” he asks.
“When puppies cry,” I say and then shrug. “At least it’s what I’ve been told.”
He squints at me, the same way Lia does when I answer her questions.
“No,” he says. I shrug again. “It’s sad that I think I would have liked you and your brother under different circumstances. The way you two are so…” He pauses as if he is thinking of the right word. “In sync. I admire that.”
“If I weren’t going to kill you, maybe I’d give you a signed autograph.”
He smirks. We find ourselves in silence, sizing each other up. Takar places his tumbler down on the coffee table.
“Fate has brought us together, Twin. I think we should take the time to find out why.”
I toss my small blade I keep under my sleeve through the air. It nails Takar in the shoulder and he grunts but doesn’t go to his knees.
“That was for touching her,” I seethe as I stand up. “But you will pay for many more transgressions before the night is over with.”
I charge him, but he surprises me as he charges me too. We collide like a train, toppling to the floor. My Bowie falls from my hands when he lands on top of me.
He wraps his
hands around my throat, squeezing so hard, I immediately start to see spots. Reaching up, I twist the small blade in his shoulder. He howls and loosens his grip. I use the distraction to head butt him. Blood oozes from his nose and he releases me, falling to his side.
Rolling over to my hands and knees, I catch my breath before getting to my feet. I spot the blade I dropped. The moment I reach for it, the door bursts open. Three armed men rush into the room. I have just enough time to jump over the kitchen counter and land on the other side before the bullets start to fly.
“Don’t leave now, Twin. The fun has only begun,” Takar gloats.
“If I’d known you were having a party, I would have brought more ammo,” I shout over the noise of bullets splintering wood.
I pull the gun out of the holster at my back. I prefer my blades, but I always keep a gun. Using the stainless-steel oven and microwave, I make out everyone’s location in the room. There are a lot more than I initially thought. I’m definitely going to need more bullets.
Three are moving around to my left and two have Takar covered. Four more are on my right between me and the door, but my biggest concern out of those four is the one inching closer to me.
“You see, Twin. This is what I’m talking about,” Takar says as if we are having a peaceful conversation, but my gaze is focused on the gunman who keeps edging toward me. “Your organization makes you work alone, but me, I surround myself with people who are able to help me. Put away your knives and join my family.”
I track the gunman until the last minute.
“I already have a fucked-up family,” I say before springing up, catching them off guard.
I yank the approaching guy’s hand, twisting it at an odd angle while pressing my gun to his chin and firing a shot. I do it all so fast the others aren’t able to get a shot off until I’m back behind the counter.
At least I have two guns now.
“Don’t make me kill you, Twin,” Takar rants. “It would be a waste of a good soldier.”
