This is stupid as she told herself even as her feet crossed the room. Run screaming into the night. She might have before she had her business torched, and her home searched. Her cat almost died, and her life had been threatened by the good ol’ humans and Mekhi had stood by her every step of the way.
Then there was the fact that he didn’t kiss like a monster, and darn it, she wanted to kiss the male again. She went to her knees and rubbed Mekhi. Before she knew it, she was wondering how to take care of the magnificent beast on the floor.
Chapter Thirteen
“Quinn, you don’t have to come I can retrieve anything you need.”
“I won’t run scared. The minute I do that they win.” They were going back to her apartment to retrieve her drawings. She kept them in a space she found by accident. She wasn’t even sure her landlord knew the space was there, and she didn’t enlighten him.
Her hand reached to open the door after he parked then stopped. Mekhi would expect her to wait on him. It was a little thing, but she liked it. She was responsible for everything. She didn’t need to be responsible for her relationship with him.
She had a relationship. Last night, he slept sitting up in the chair beside the bed. She didn’t like it but having him crawl in bed with her was out of the question. All night she kept telling herself he was an alien, a monster. Funny thing was she didn’t sleep last night because she wanted to be in his arms.
Tonight, had to be different. She didn’t know if that meant checking into a hotel or giving into her desire. He helped her out, then took her hand. They walked in the building together a united front. Several of her neighbors stuck their heads out of their doors as if they had been waiting for her. They smiled and waved before closing the doors behind them.
“That was weird.” She opened the door and stood unable to move beyond the threshold. Her apartment looked like a tornado went through it.
Mekhi placed a hand on her back encouraging her to move through the doorway.
It was all gone. Anything left behind had been broken or slashed through. The pictures on her walls, her furniture, they even took her refrigerator apart.
“I don’t understand.” Her voice sounded lost to her own ears. How could anyone wreak such devastation on another person? She looked at Mekhi unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
“There’s nothing left to retrieve.”
“Yes, there is.” She went over to where the couch used to sit and went to her hands and knees. She opened her purse to get a switchblade. Opening it up, she slid it against one of the wood floor boards until it caught. Then she lifted it up making sure not to crack it or even nick it.
“Personally, I think pirates used to live here, and this is where they hid their treasure. In reality, it was probably drug dealers, but I have to say their ingenuity is something I respect.”
She leaned down and pulled up plans that were rolled up and in a case.
“I keep all my drawings here. They attract too much attention. My colleagues have asked more than once to see them.” She shrugged and replaced the floorboard. “Now we can go.”
She stood and looked around. “I’m never coming back here.”
Mekhi took her hand and led her out. He would have the apartment cleaned out and whatever she left behind burned so no one would be able to go through it again.
“Where to now?”
“We need to go see my mom, but I’m going to put that off for a few days. Right now, I want to see how my crew is coming along on my office, and it's payday.”
“You said it went direct deposit.”
“It does all except for one teenager I hired for the summer. She gets a live check, and I don’t want her to have to wait.”
“Why did you hire a teenager?”
She lifted and dropped her shoulders. “She’s from around here. Every time I saw her, she was working with her hands, but the guys her age were giving her flack about it. So, I approached her one day and asked her if she would like a summer job learning about construction. Her eyes lit up. It was like looking at a younger me.”
He pulled up to the site to see that the building was nearing completion.
“Quinn,” a young girl yelled. She ran up to her opened the door and wrapped her arms around her. “I was worried about you.”
“I’m fine buttercup.” She knew she shouldn’t have a nickname for her employees, but Shanice made her love her.
She slid out the truck without Mekhi and wanted to cheer for women and freedom everywhere. Then she decided shivery was worth sitting in the truck and waiting.
“Shanice this is Mekhi.”
“Hi, Mekhi, I’m Shanice, the summer intern.”
Speaking of intern, she handed her the check.
“Thanks, I can’t wait to go to the bank.”
“Did you get an account like we talked about?”
“I did; my mom went with me. I now have one of these.” She reached for a little case. She pulled it out of her back pocket. Inside of it was a debit card she held up proudly.
“You’re growing up.”
“Thanks. You know what’s even better? None of the boys who made fun of me have one, and they don’t have a job.”
“Make sure you tell her about the boy in the lunch truck,” Carrie screamed loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Oh?”
Shanice’s brown cheeks turned red.
“His name is Todd, and he works his dad truck in the summer. He will be a senior like me this school year, and he wants to go to some high-class school like Yale or Princeton.”
“So, you might see him in college?”
Shanice blushed again both colleges had accepted her but she hadn’t decided where she wanted to go yet.
“Maybe.”
“I think that’s great, and I’ll make sure I get lunch at the food truck.”
Shanice laughed. “I got to go my mom’s here.” She gave Quinn a hug, waved goodbye to Mekhi and the rest of her colleagues and ran for the car.
“I remember when I used to have that much energy.”
“Me too. Who’s your friend?” Carrie walked up to them. She stared at Mekhi.
“Carrie this is Mekhi, Mekhi this is Carrie. When I’m not around, she takes control and keeps everyone on task. It’s almost done. It feels fast.”
“You’ve been gone for almost two weeks. It’s a simple single structure, but it will keep you warm and dry. We had the pipes changed out the electrician wired this place up nice. Give it another week, and it’ll be your dream office.
“So, Mekhi what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a government assassin.”
Carrie choked on the swig of water. “Quinn, you didn’t tell me he was funny. Although I have to say you have the brawn.” She whistled and then moved like she was wiping drool from her face. “And the calm. You said it so real I almost believed you.”
He opened his mouth, and Quinn threw herself into his arms and stuck her tongue in his mouth distracting him.
Mekhi pulled on her tongue making her cream her pants, her stiff shoulders softened, a moan of need escaped her lips.
“Hey, none of that. My guy isn’t around, and it’s not nice to make your friends jealous.”
Quinn stepped and almost tripped over her feet.
“Sorry, he knows how to kiss.” She turned to look at Carrie her eyes were wide and dazed.
“Didn’t you hear what I said about jealousy?” She linked their arms. “I need to keep you two apart until I can leave to go home.
“Carrie why is there a crane here?” It was holding up a metal beam.
“That shouldn’t be there. We didn’t take it out of the shed.”
Quinn tried to move, but it felt like her feet were stuck in fast-drying cement.
“Run.” Carrie tugged at her hand as she ran backward, but she couldn’t move.
“Is it moving?” Quinn screamed and watched as the beam fell. Mekhi ran and knocked her to the ground covering he
r body as the beam fell to the side of them.
“Did you see that? Did anyone see that?” Carrie was screaming while Mekhi was running his hands over Quinn making sure she was fine.
“See what?” Her voice was shaky, but at least she was standing.
“That crane moved, and no one was in it, and the beam fell.”
“There’s no way the crane moved and obviously whoever raised the beam didn’t have it secured.”
“Then tell me why you didn’t run when I told you to?”
“Shock. Too much has happened lately.”
“Quinn, I could budge you not even a little. It was like you were stone.”
“I think that’s a sign of your shock. We’ve never had anything happen like this before. Talk to everyone find out who brought the crane out and who raised the beam. Accidents happen, but we have a reputation for being careful, and I don’t want to ruin it. I’ll see my office later, I need to go. Remember we do the outdoor space at Mekhi’s and his brothers after this. I’ll need to get together with you and go over all the plans.”
She turned and made her way back to the truck on unsteady legs. Someone was trying to kill her.
Chapter Fourteen
Quinn sat in Mekhi’s living room waiting for him to bring everything in from the truck. Someone was trying to kill her. It knocked on the walls of her mind encouraging her to hide from the truth.
“Quinn.” She lifted haunted eyes to him.
He sighed and sat next to her on the couch. “Let’s talk about what happened.”
“Carrie was right that crane moved I know what I saw with my own eyes, and that beam shouldn’t have come loose. If it were going to fall, it would have done so already.”
“I hate to agree with you, but you're right. Do you have any idea who wants you dead?”
“Not anyone who can move around unseen and release beams that were secure.”
“All that takes is a remote control and some rigging.”
She dropped her head because he was right it could be done. What could she have done to have someone desperate enough to kill her? It’s not like she had anything someone would want.
“Do you know what’s happening?”
“I don’t know tiny warrior, but we’ll figure it out together.”
Would they or would she be dead before they could figure it out? Tee bounded into the room and jumped on her lap. Maybe she was selfish, but she was glad that Tee was the small ball of fur she loved. At least, she was safe here. Now if only they could settle where she would sleep.
“Mekhi about those sleeping arrangements” He took her hand and led her to his room. “You sleep there, and I’ll sleep here or here.
He pointed to the chair and the floor. She couldn’t take his bed. He and his brothers lived in a mansion there had to be an extra room.
“Are you telling me there’s not an extra room around here anywhere?”
“No, I have two of them in my suite. It would work out better if you’re in my bed, then I don’t feel the need to sleep on the floor in front of the door.”
“You’re not kidding.” He didn’t say a word letting his expression do the talking for him.
She opened her mouth to protest. She closed it feeling shell-shocked and dazed. What could she say? This was the man who saved her life more than once and saved the life of her cat. He was the one bringing a smile to her face, and if she was honest, he was the one she was dreaming about at night. However, did that mean they should sleep together? Shouldn’t she hold the goodies back until she knew he wasn’t a player?
The player hadn’t left her side since she met him. He walked through every dark moment with her.
“How about we make a compromise?”
He looked at her with interest.
“We both share the bed, but each of us sticks to our own side.” Maybe she was a little crazy but so what. She liked him. All the others had wanted something from her, and most of them wanted more than sex. Mekhi only wanted to spend time with her, and yeah that was speeding up her attraction to him.
“I accept your compromise.”
“Now that we know where everyone is sleeping, I’d love a shower and some rest. Tee, you can’t sleep with us unless you're in your kitty cat shape.”
She growled and grew bigger. Quinn growled back letting Tee know who was Alpha here. Mekhi turned around so his tiny warrior wouldn’t see the smile on his face. Tee grumbled but accepted that no matter how big she was she still had to listen most of the time.
He walked to their bedroom and came back holding his robe for her and the nightgown she had laid on the bed.
“You realize this will eat me alive.” She held up his robe.
He knew, but he wanted to see her in something of his. She gave a shake of her head and entered the bathroom.
“I’m taking a shower alone.” She glared at Tee then added him for good measure.
The next time she came in here, she would sink deep into that tub. This time she took off the sling her arm was in and moved it carefully. It was sore, but it wasn’t broken. She didn’t understand what he did, but she was grateful. Her body relaxed when she turned the water on. The steam was making her feel better. She shouldn’t sit, but the bench in the shower was calling her. She sat and allowed the hot water coming from the pulsating shower head to pound over the stiff muscles in her shoulder and back.
Her mind went to her dad. He was standing over her as she painstakingly copied the plans he had given her. She had done it repeatedly until she could draw that building with all its secret rooms and hallways by memory. When she had been accepted into school, she realized that the hours spent with him gave her a distinct advantage. It was those same hours that was keeping her business afloat in the bad times.
“Thanks, dad,” she whispered as she reached for a sponge and a bath gel. She washed quickly because she was tired.
Getting out of the shower she dried off and blow dried her hair. Then she slipped her nightgown over her head before wrapping herself up in Mekhi’s robe. Like she thought it swallowed her whole. What she hadn’t expected was the sense of peace and well-being she felt from being dressed in a piece of his clothing.
This was something she was ready to explore. She walked out the bathroom, and across the foyer until she made her way to the bedroom. Mekhi was lying on his back, hand throw above his head. Tee was sleeping on his chest. The only thing missing was her. Her heart squeezed tight before she took off the robe and crawled into bed.
She gave herself a lecture to stay on her side of the bed as she slid under the cover and closed her eyes.
He sat up once she was asleep. Tee moved over and snuggled up against her legs. He checked the room out of habit before he left. His brothers were all sitting in the den when he got down there.
“What happened?” Slade asked him.
Of course, his brother tuned in at the first hint of danger.
“No idea. I watched a crane move without an operator and drop a metal beam.”
“Remote control,” Phoenix said.
Mekhi shook his head no. “She couldn’t move it was like she was stuck to the ground. I had to give her a shove with my ability to move her. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts reliving a horror neither of the desired to share.”
“Could it be happening again?” Akron put their thoughts into words.
“It was an accident. How could it be happening again?” Thrice said to them.
“It was six accidents. That doesn’t seem so accidental.” Jabari spoke up.
“Not until you look at all the families of the created. Six families aren’t even a drop in the bucket. Besides who would pick out our six families?” Slade asked them.
“Sheer luck, bad fortune, a flick of the wrist, a throw of the dice. There are any number of reasons we could have been singled out. All I ever wonder is why we six survived.” Mekhi told them.
It was a miracle none of them could wrap their heads around. They would call it fat
e, but they didn’t believe in fate, that was something you made for yourself every day.
“Do you think this had anything to do with what happened at her apartment?” Slade asked him.
“I’ve been going over both encounters. The first was human interference. The second has elements that can’t be explained if I limit it to mankind. That’s what bothers me. Why would something else be hunting her? Is it looking for me, and she got in the way or is it using her to cause me pain?”
Mekhi stood and went to a window nothing they discussed tonight left him feeling well. If he was the target and his tiny warrior paid the price, he would make the whole earth pay. What part of broken didn’t they understand?
“Mekhi, there has to be a good reason for this,” Slade told him acting like a good big brother.
“I’ll destroy this planet and everyone one on it if something happens to her. I suggest you get the spacecraft together in case the five of you need to make an emergency exit.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Didn’t I tell you to stay on your side of the bed?” Her voice was heavy with sleep. She hadn’t even opened her eyes, but she knew Tee wasn’t holding her like this. Mekhi held her like they had done it a million times before and the only right way to wake up in the morning was in each other arms. She was trying to complain, but it wasn’t working all that well.
“I am on my side. A sexy female rolled over and claimed my chest as her pillow. What was I supposed to do?”
“Move to the other side of the bed?”
“And miss having a chance at being a pillow? Never.”
She laughed making her breasts rub the side of his chest while her head snuggled against him.
“We should try this again tonight, but this time you have to obey the rules.”
“And you?”
“I made the rules, so I can always change them.”
“Just checking.”
“Is there a here, here, or is this just an itch you got to hit?”
“You humans invented a language that only you can understand. I’ll try to unravel what you said. I have no itch to scratch, and I plan on keeping you right here.”
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