Avenger

by Su Halfwerk

  His promises to Faye were vague enough to apply to any situation. Commendable, really, but what the freak happened at the end?

  “Wait up.” She followed and found him waiting by the stairs’ door on her floor. “What happened?”

  In an unmistakable bid to misinterpret her question, he said, “I visited Carmen today.”

  Before his hands disappeared in his pockets, Pru saw how they shook. She opened her mouth to pursue the change in his mood, then closed it again. If something was distressing him this much, pushing to know it wouldn’t work. Later I’ll find out. “I wanted to follow you there but her apartment is out of my boundary.”

  When he looked at her in confusion, she said, “I can’t go beyond a certain parameter in my wanderings. I’ve tried and every time I’m snatched back to the hospital. How is she?”

  He shrugged. “Strung-out. She admitted that her addiction was used as leverage to entrap you.”

  “Oh.” Casting her gaze down, Pru hid the shattering of her heart. His guesses about Carmen’s involvement were true of course, their confirmation hurt still.

  “You’re right in detesting drugs and how they muddle the mind. When this is over, I’ll try to help Carmen out of it, however, for now, she has orders to persuade your family to keep you here.”

  She looked up, frowning. “Why?”

  “I heard few days back that Sully is formulating a new plan for his business and I think you fit in there somehow. Carmen is clueless to the details but she’d hinted your goodness is what got you in this mess.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Me neither. She received a delivery while I was there and doped up on it. They were still there, so I couldn’t stop her. By the time they left, she was high and wouldn’t succumb to my suggestions. I’m going to emphasize to Andrew how important it is to take you out of here.”

  “He’s not going to leave me here, this much I know. Is this the only reason why you came back?”

  Luke paused in the corridor, rubbing his neck. When he spoke, his voice was nothing more than a seductive whisper. “Being without you the whole day felt wrong.”

  The admission must be difficult for a hardcore man like him to make. “Even though I’m glad my family is here, I was missing something very important as well.” She hardly recognized her throaty voice.

  Luke stilled. “Is this true?”

  Pru stood before him, a whisper away from his brawny mass, wrapped in the warmth and positive sensations he evoked in her. “I don’t know when this happened, but you’ve become a huge part of me. I don’t know what will happen after I come out of the coma. All I know, I want you with me the whole time.”

  Luke closed his eyes and seemed to steady his breathing. “You’ve softened the harder side of me.”

  It took a funky job and a threat to his life to straighten him. He now was her dream man, her prince charming. “What happened in the stairwell, Luke? Why are you sad?

  Blinking his eyes open, he said, “I’ll explain later. For now, I need to speak to Andrew about your safety.”

  Too early to push for an explanation. Sighing, she said, “Okay.”

  Now that most visitors had left and shifts changed, the corridor was almost deserted. Pru and Luke walked side by side, hands almost touching, unspoken promises heard and adhered.

  She entered and smiled at the transformation of her drab room. Her family had come and with them brought bouquets of flowers, balloons, and even boxes of chocolate, as though they expected an army of visitors to come by. There was only one tube left in her arm, and she looked more…animated. There was a definite rosiness in her cheeks.

  Andrew was giving his autograph to a naturally beautiful blond nurse. Unsurprisingly, today she’d applied makeup. He had that effect on people, especially women. His green eyes held a secret smile in them, inviting others to approach him. Even though he was in his forties, he had an air of prankish boyhood about him, maybe because of the way his flaxen hair tumbled on his forehead. The combination of his charismatic nature and baritone voice attracted attention and kept it. Despite the few gray strands in his sideburns, he’d been looking younger since Matilda was born. That baby got the best mixture from her parents, Andrew’s deep green eyes and Tía Adoria’s pitch black hair. Biased or not, Matilda was the most gorgeous baby cousin Pru every laid eyes on.

  “Is Andrew’s son here?” Luke asked, still in the hall. He was referring to Joshua, Andrew’s son from his first marriage.

  Luke’s reluctance to go in was understandable. Tía Adoria and her mother’s protectiveness weren’t a match for Andrew’s. Pru suspected he’d psychologically adopted her when he married her aunt.

  “Joshua is sitting for exams so they didn’t tell him about my accident. Mom has gone back to the hotel after spending the day by my side.” Weeping softly.

  “Where are they staying?”

  “Close by, at the Royal Tulip Hotel. Come now, you’re just dragging your feet,” she said, grinning.

  In the room, it was obvious Andrew was going to be a problem from the moment he laid eyes on Luke. His emerald gaze traced Luke’s dark outfit, worn out sneakers, even his gait.

  Naturally, Luke narrowed his eyes. Pru slipped her hand through his and kept it there. At once, his breathing became normal and his nostrils stopped flaring.

  “Hello, Mr. Taylor. I’m glad you’re with Pru. You might not remember me, I watched over your car when you came over to interview Adoria.”

  Andrew studied him. “Luke, isn’t it? How can I forget you? It’s Andrew by the way.” He stretched his lips in a smile that failed to reach his eyes.

  The ice wasn’t thawing, Pru chewed on her lip to find a way to ease the tension in the air. The muscles in Luke’s shoulders bunched up with strain. Definitely a defiant gesture.

  “I’d like to speak with you about Pru if you have a minute,” Luke said.

  “Of course.”

  “I think it’s best if you move Pru out of this hospital. Better still, always have someone watch over her.”

  “You should’ve broken it to him slowly,” Pru said even though she could almost sense Luke’s urge to leave.

  “It’s in the works,” Andrew said. “Does this have anything to do with her being treated for an illness she doesn’t have?”

  Luke nodded, a muscle in his jaw twitched. Pru wanted to scream at them both to stop beating their chests. It wasn’t a macho match, they both played for the same team.

  Andrew raised an eyebrow. “And does it have anything to do with you?” He asked on a whisper, a threat.

  Luke took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled. “I haven’t been in touch with Pru for years, only chance brought me here. We grew up together, Mr. Taylor, and for me that means something. That’s the reason I asked for you specifically to come, to get her the best medical help away from this place. If you think I had anything to do with putting her in this room, think again. “

  “Stop it you two!” Tía Adoria rose from her seat facing the window. The chair’s high back had kept her hidden from view.

  Pru beamed at her aunt. “You tell them.”

  Tía Adoria adjusted her shirt and wrapped Matilda in her blanket. She glared at Andrew as she drew near. He pecked her cheek sheepishly and cooed to his daughter, his demeanor taking full spin. Tía Adoria must’ve just finished breast-feeding Matilda, for she lifted the baby to her shoulder and patted her back softly. To Luke she said, “Don’t mind him. Andrew knows you mean well, but Pru’s accident and the subsequent mix up in her medical condition got us worried. We can’t thank you enough.”

  Luke hesitated as he stared at Tía Adoria, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “Thank you, Dory. I appreciate Mr. Taylor’s concern.”

  A redhead nurse knocked on the door and peered in. “Visiting hours are over, you better leave and return tomorrow if you like.” With that, she moved on to another room to repeat the same announcement.

  Whether Andrew heeded his wife’s warning or he mad
e out the truth in Luke’s words, Pru wasn’t sure, but he spoke to him in a more civilized manner as he gathered his jacket and Matilda’s bag. “To tell you the truth, I’m not going by what they’re telling us here. I’ve asked our family doctor to check everything himself. Everything done for or given to Pru should be on record.” He paused, scowling. “Mrs. Lancaster has asked the hospital to inform her if anyone came for Pru, but so far her assistant keeps telling us she’s unavailable.”

  Matilda burped loudly and beamed at her grinning mother. Pru drifted to them and smiled at her cousin.

  Luke asked, “Any idea how long it’ll take Pru to gain consciousness?”

  “No. We were told it varies from one case to another.” Andrew looked toward Tía Adoria and Matilda. “Anyway, it’s getting late and we need to put Matilda in bed soon.”

  Luke nodded.

  Andrew went to Pru and caressed her head gently. “We’ll get you out of here, kiddo. Don’t worry.”

  The incorporeal Pru said, “I’m not.”

  Tía Adoria kissed her forehead. “We’ll see you again tomorrow, sweetie.” She turned to Luke and said, “Thanks again for everything. I hope we see you again.”

  “Sleep well, Dory.” It was a muttered whisper but it sounded oddly loaded. Tía Adoria frowned in confusion on her way out with Andrew.

  Luke waited few moments before he went to the chair by the window and dragged it close to the bed.

  “What was that all about?” Pru asked.

  He displayed his teeth in a forced grin. “My natural charm. Andrew couldn’t resist it.”

  “This whole exchange freaked me out, like watching a volcano on the verge of eruption with no possible way to stop it or get away from it.”

  Luke rubbed his face and sighed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head. “Just tired. I had to go invisible at Carmen’s apartment when those thugs arrived. Drawing on that power is draining.”

  “You’re doing so much for me.” She ran her fingers through his hair, relishing the tiniest shock of warmth that shot through her hand into every nerve and muscle in her body. He shuddered and she pulled away. “Sorry.”

  Luke closed his eyes. “Please don’t stop. It feels like you’re playing with my hair.”

  His tone was miserable, hearing it almost felled her to the bone. “Did something happen?”

  He opened his eyes. “Like what?”

  She chewed on her lip. “Maybe Carmen admitted something you think will sadden me. Or perhaps you discovered I won’t wake up.”

  “Or you’ll wake up and not remember a thing.”

  Pru studied him more closely. His eyes were sad and his shoulders slouched in anxiety. “You’re afraid of losing me?” The greediness in her made her add, “Why?”

  He sniggered and raked his hair. “Why? Because you’ve become my life, Pru. A life I want, need, and love.” She gasped. “Yes, I love you. It was always there. Always. I looked for you in every woman I met, I searched for your challenging soul, your teasing comebacks, your…hell, even your temper is loveable.”

  Just then, her love for him tunneled deeper in her heart, so deep she thought it would burst with joy. She recalled their conversation in the stairwell, how he’d promised Faye that she’d eventually get rid of all memories of her ordeal. So this was what bothered him. “Th-the thought of never living, really living, had crossed my mind. It’s a scary concept, but I was looking at it from my side only. I know now that with you is where I belong. I’m going to expel the medicine out of my system and figure out a way to wake up. For you, for us, because I love you too, for always.”

  Her words were supposed to cheer him up, instead he said, “There’s so much you don’t know about me, about my life.”

  “Compromise is the key word. We’ll both have to adapt.”

  “What if it was something that can’t be changed?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe in that.” Why was Luke in that mood? Nothing seemed to shake him out of the gloom and doom mode.

  He turned to the bed and smiled sadly. “Still, I’ve been meaning to ask your permission for a kiss?”

  Pru sucked in a breath. Oh, yes, you’re allowed. Consider my lips, your lips.

  He was fast to add, “I don’t want to go on with my life wondering how it would’ve been if your memory is gone when you awake. Please, may I kiss you?”

  She merely dipped her head once since her tongue was in knots.

  Luke remained seated, his eyes on her face, as though committing its features to his memory. Unhurriedly, he rose and sat on the bed. He placed his hands on her arms and lifted her torso, pulling her against his chest. She breathed in his potent scent. Gently, his hand traveled through her locks and cupped the nape of her neck, lifting her face to his. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks and only then he leaned in and brushed the corner of her mouth with feather-light kisses. Despite the gentleness of his hands on her cheeks, there was no mistaking his possessiveness and desire.

  Pru watched him hold her body with reverence, his gaze centered on her face. Tears slid from her eyes and toward her ears, Luke deftly snatched them before they reached her hair. Her breath caught as another jolt of sensations traveled through her incorporeal body, she closed her eyes to savor the profound joy that turned her heart over. When his lips finally came down on hers, it went beyond her wildest expectations. Luke’s lips settled on hers, surprisingly warm. He remained gentle as he softly lapped her bottom lip before taking it between his teeth. Her lips parted, welcoming him and he finally took her mouth, pulling her closer still.

  Through her body, a shot of powerful belonging traveled. It was magnificent, distinct, and addictive. She inhaled Luke’s affectionate breath into her lungs, which in return filled her being with rhythms of ecstasy and elation. She wanted him, oh dear God, she wanted all of him. To call this emotion lust was soiling white silk with mud. What she experienced at that moment was something different. Earthly.

  Warmth spread through Pru, spearing her in the heart. She lost herself in his fire and didn’t want to ever be found.

  Just as she wished he would deepen the kiss, Luke drew back from her, his breathing labored. He was silent for a while, she couldn’t tell why. One last kiss on the corner of her mouth, and then he said, “Goodbye, darling.”

  She wanted to scream it wasn’t a goodbye, she wanted to have more, to ask about the heavenly spark his kiss had ignited in her, but she couldn’t see him anymore.

  Trapped in her body, Pru was unable to move, open her eyes, or speak.

  Chapter Twenty

  The Royal Tulip hotel took up a big portion of a street corner, rewarding its guests with an unobstructed view of the park across the street. The four star hotel displayed its claim to royalty through efficiency and quality. Luke doubted Andrew would’ve chosen this hotel if it weren’t for its proximity to the hospital and Pru.

  Pru. Kissing her was like ingesting a stimulant. He’d greedily drank her in, her closeness triggering in him a primitive possessiveness that left him heady with need.

  Shaking his head, Luke stubbornly pulled his thoughts from their current path. He had to focus, failing in the task at hand meant the end of their affair before it even began.

  Luke had contrived a simple plan of action to enter the Taylor’s room, it involved the roof and balcony. Otherwise, he could always pick the lock, assuming it didn’t require a magnetic key.

  When Andrew greeted a friend in the lobby and Adoria excused herself, Luke switched gears. Adoria, with both hands loaded, was bound to leave the door ajar for few seconds to deposit Matilda and her bag. Those precious seconds gave Luke enough time to slip into the room, lie on the ground behind the sofa, and turn invisible.

  Earlier, his reaction to Matilda’s yellow aura almost gave him away at the hospital. He’d been programmed to reach for his dagger upon crossing a yellow aura. He almost did that in the hospital in front of Andrew and Adoria, worse, in front of Pru. No ma
tter how much she supported his spirit hunting, she could never appreciate him exorcising her cousin. Using his speed, he’d dashed from the hospital and reached the hotel as they entered the lobby.

  He planned to be careful and unseen, still he took the necessary precaution and said his goodbye to Pru. If he was found tonight, rejection by the Taylors would come second to her hatred.

  The light in the living room switched off and after few seconds the shower came on. A shower would provide solitude with the baby. Luke smiled, this might work out better than he’d expected.

  He rose from his hiding place and tiptoed to the bedroom. A restrained qualm savaged him as he gazed fixedly upon Matilda sleeping in her mobile crib. Even though he’d exorcised Ellen successfully, handling a baby was still difficult. He couldn’t do it at the mall and couldn’t do it now, except, Pru was involved.

  He bent down, his hand reaching into his back pocket when a soft swish sounded.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Luke? And how did you get in?” Adoria asked, her whisper deadly in its quietness. He knew of her skill in the Hapkido martial art and her ability to impair a man within seconds. She had also seen and recognized him.

  He winced when she assumed her fighting pose, giving him her side with one foot toward him and the other to the side. “It isn’t what you think?”

  “Oh yeah? I see an uninvited man in my bedroom reaching for my daughter. What else should I think? I’ve always given you benefit of the doubt and believed there’s an untapped goodness in you. I guess I was wrong. Touch Matilda, even breathe on her, and you won’t leave this room on your feet.”

  Do not hurt her, whispered Celestine in his head.

  I don’t want to. Believe me, he shot back.

  If he were to exorcize Matilda, he must subdue Adoria first by fighting her. Better to leave and wait for another chance.

  You cannot leave the baby possessed. Her bonding with the spirit possessing her is unacceptable, Celestine said.