First Taste of Darkness

by Cynthia Eden

  “No, it won’t be,” Blake said. His voice growled from behind her. “The Heart is safe. Go get some rest, Carson. You need it.”

  Carson nodded. His hand slipped down as he opened the door. Then he was gone.

  Slowly, Jess turned to face Blake. “Jeremiah Finn?”

  “You don’t want to know about him.”

  “But you get to ask about my secrets.” Her fingers pressed lightly into his arms. “Why shouldn’t I get to know yours?”

  “Because, baby, I don’t think your secrets are the kind that can get you killed.”

  Her stomach clenched.

  “I’m not the man you think…” He pulled away from her with a weary sigh. “You don’t want to know who I really am.”

  Blake began to climb the stairs.

  Jess didn’t move. Her gaze locked only on his back as she said, “I like to know exactly who I’m sleeping with.”

  She saw his shoulders tighten.

  “It’s a little quirk I have,” she added.

  Blake glanced back over his shoulder at her.

  Jess lifted her chin. “I was raised by a single mother. I never knew my father, and I spent most of my life pretending that he was dead. It was easier for me to believe that story, easier for me to tell that story to others…instead of just accepting that he never wanted me. That he ran as soon as he found out that my mother was pregnant.”

  Blake shifted his body, moving to fully face her once more. He’d stopped on the third step.

  “My mother was a good woman. Strong, but sad—sad her whole life. A sadness that I could see in her eyes. She wanted more for me, more than what I had. She sent me to college, but she died before I graduated.” The pain of her mother’s sudden passing still knifed through her. “She died, and I was alone, and I hated that.”

  Blake advanced toward her. “Jess…”

  “I grew up dirt poor in the middle of Alabama. I took my degree, I took the talent I had, and I moved to my paradise.” Her lips twisted. “I made my own life there. And, except for my screw-up with Joe, I’ve been pretty happy. I’ve had three lovers. I’ve ridden out a dozen hurricanes, and I don’t spend any of my time looking to the past. Instead, I focus on what’s coming next for me.”

  He shook his dark head. “You shouldn’t have come into that bar…”

  Her laugh was bitter. “That’s the same thing my kidnapper said. Wrong place and wrong—”

  Blake wrapped his hands around her shoulders. “I wanted you from the moment that I saw you. The light hit your hair—you seemed to fucking glow standing there. So perfect. And too good for me.”

  “Blake—”

  “I have enemies. So many of them. You know why? Because I don’t play by the rules. I never have. I lie, I cheat, I steal. I’ve done it all because I had to do it in order to survive. My mother OD’d when I was seven. My father dumped me at the first hospital he could find, and he never looked back.” Blake’s eyes blazed down at her. “As far as I was concerned, he was dead after that. I didn’t need him. I didn’t need anyone.”

  She didn’t think he realized just how tightly he was holding her. His eyes were so full of emotion. A barely banked green fire.

  “Jeremiah Finn.” Blake growled the name. “He was a jewel thief, one who didn’t care who he hurt during his heists. He’d killed three people by the time I met up with him.”

  Her throat was so dry. It hurt when she swallowed and asked, “Met up?”

  “Told you…” His hands fell away from her. “I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. And I’ve stolen. I helped Finn take the Heart. We were supposed to be partners, but when he tried to make me victim fucking four, when he tried to use his knife to slice open my throat—”

  Like father, like son?

  “Finn was the one who died, and I got away.”

  A shiver slid over her body. “With the Heart.”

  A grim nod. “Just a piece of that thing…just a piece…was enough to buy me a whole new life. The man I’d been died with Finn, and Blake Landon—” He lifted his hands. “He was born.”

  He’d killed Jeremiah Finn.

  “So now you know who the man is that you’re fucking.”

  Jess flinched.

  “And you’re so scared that you’re shaking.”

  Jess shook her head.

  A muscle jerked in his jaw. “Why the hell did I just tell you all of that?”

  “Because I asked.” Her answer was soft, immediate.

  His eyes narrowed on her. “How do you manage to do this? How do you get under my skin?”

  She didn’t know. “How do you manage to make me feel…more than any other man has before?” And, the question that scared her most… “Why am I still not running away from you?”

  “Because you know I’d follow.”

  Her feet seemed rooted to the spot. But it was her turn for secrets, too. “I’m not shaking because I’m scared of you.”

  “Maybe you should be.”

  “I’m shaking because I’m scared of myself.” Everything between them was happening too fast. “I…feel too much with you.”

  “Dammit, baby, I just told you that I killed a man—”

  “A man who tried to kill you.”

  “And you believe me? How do you know I’m not just covering my ass with that story?”

  The hard, growling question was no doubt meant to make her even more afraid. But… “I trust you.”

  His face changed then. She saw it. Some of the hardness. The darkness…it eased.

  He just stared at her, and Blake almost seemed lost.

  “You saved my life tonight,” Jess told him. “You could have just left me there—”

  “Never.”

  “But you didn’t,” she finished, voice quiet. “You came for me. You got me out of that nightmare.”

  He was still gazing at her like—jeez, almost as if she were some kind of present and it was Christmas morning. Surely she wasn’t the first person to trust the guy?

  Jess tried to smile. “Maybe…maybe we should start over. Now that all of our secrets are out.” Her shoulders sagged a bit as she exhaled. “My name’s Jess Delaney.” She caught his hand. Shook it.

  His fingers tightened around hers. “It wasn’t the wrong place.”

  “Wh-what?”

  He hauled her against him. Pressed his lips to hers and kissed her with a wild passion that had her arching against him.

  “It was the right place. Everything about you…” Another hard, drugging kiss. “Everything is right.”

  And even though he was dangerous, even though he was so beyond the men she’d known in her life, Blake seemed right to her, too. So very right.

  Her fingers brushed over the rough stubble that was darkening his jaw.

  “Come back to my bed,” he rumbled the words.

  “Yes,” she said and she followed him up the stairs and back into the darkness.

  Jess was beginning to wonder if she would follow him anywhere he wanted to lead.

  ***

  Sunlight poured onto the bed. Jess reached out her hand, her body stretching, but Blake wasn’t beside her.

  She sat up, pulling the sheet with her. A quick glance at the bedside clock showed her that it was nearing nine a.m.

  “Blake?” Jess called out. Her gaze slid to the bathroom, but the door was open, that room seemingly empty.

  The suite was too quiet. Too empty. His side of the bed was cold.

  She slipped from the bed. Jess hurriedly donned the robe that had been left on a nearby chair. Then she padded down the stairs. The silence in the suite was complete. Blake’s gone.

  She glanced around, wondering if Blake had left a note for her. He’d probably just stepped out for a moment—

  A knock shook the front door. “Ms. Delaney?” The voice was loud, demanding. Masculine.

  She recognized that voice. It was…Carson?

  Frowning, Jess glanced toward the door.

  Then she heard the jingle of keys, and t
he door opened.

  Carson stood on the threshold. When he saw her, his brows raised. “You’re not ready yet?”

  She pulled the robe closer to her body. “Ready?”

  His gaze darted around the suite. “Yes. Ready. Where are your bags? The plane will be leaving in just over two hours. That doesn’t give us a lot of time, not with the check-in processes these days.”

  “My bags?” Jess gave a hard shake of her head. She seemed to be missing something. “Uh, I don’t know. I haven’t seen them since that—that man took me yesterday.” Hayden. Carson had told her and Blake that the man’s name was Hayden.

  Carson brushed past her and headed up the stairs. She quickly followed him, flushing when they stepped into the bedroom. No way could he miss the wrecked bed.

  But he just glanced to the left, and pointed to the small bags near the wall. “I brought them in earlier, when Blake was leaving.”

  She caught his hand. “Leaving?” Dammit, she couldn’t just keep repeating him. Jess cleared her throat. “Where did he go?”

  “Down to the police station. The cops needed to interview him again.” His lips twisted. “A little matter of death will push them to ask all kinds of uncomfortable questions.”

  He pulled from her. Headed toward the bags. He brought them to her. “Get dressed, then let’s get going.”

  “But Blake—”

  His sigh cut through her words. “You lasted two nights, ma’am. Usually it’s just one. Consider yourself lucky.”

  The burn left her cheeks. Ice seemed to freeze her.

  “Blake arranged for the ticket home for you, and that means that he wants you gone, Ms. Delaney. Gone before he gets back.”

  She was just standing there. Wearing his robe. Her heart was beating too fast. Threatening to burst out of her chest.

  “I always have to be the clean-up man,” Carson muttered, sounding disgusted. His hand dove into her bag and, a few moments later, he tossed her some clothes—and underwear. “Blake isn’t big on the good-bye scenes, okay? Get dressed and let’s go.”

  Her fingers fisted around the clothes. Woodenly, she moved into the bathroom and shut the door. Jess looked up into the mirror and gazed at the ghost there. The woman who had eyes that looked too big. Skin that looked too pale.

  You’re the one who wanted a one night stand. The bitter reminder burned through her mind.

  Only…the one night stand had become something more, at least for her.

  She’d started to fall for him.

  Blake and his darkness.

  She’d never had a chance.

  The robe dropped to the floor. She left it there and dressed as quickly as she could. When she jerked open the door a few minutes later, Carson was waiting with an impatient expression on his face.

  He still held her bags.

  She pulled the bags from him.

  Frowning, he told her, “I can take those down for you.”

  “I’ve got them.” She marched for the door, but then she stopped. Jess glanced at Carson. “Give your boss a message for me.”

  Carson grimaced. “Not another one of those. Look, it’s just the way he is, okay? Nothing personal. You can’t blame the snake when he strikes—”

  “What?”

  “He’s a player, and Ms. Delaney, he played with you.” Brutal words. Cold. “Now he’s done, and you need to get back to your life. Your nice, safe life.”

  Safe.

  He glanced down at the bags. “Now we really should hurry…”

  “Give him a message,” Jess repeated, determined on this.

  A long sigh broke from Carson. “At this rate, you’ll be able to deliver it yourself.”

  “Tell him that it could have been right between us.” Jess drew herself up, standing proudly. There’d be no walk of shame for her. Screw that. She would leave on her terms. “It could’ve been right, if he hadn’t been the one who was afraid.”

  Carson’s eyes widened in surprise.

  But there was nothing else for her to say. Jess spun on her heel, and, taking one determined step at a time, she left that place.

  She didn’t look back. What would have been the point? Blake was gone.

  And it felt like he’d taken her heart with him.

  Chapter Six

  “She left on the flight this morning,” Carson said as he trailed after Blake. “Wouldn’t even let me carry her bags…”

  The place seemed so damn empty now.

  Empty except for the scent of strawberries that lingered in the air.

  “Look, boss, are the cops set? Are you sure they aren’t going to be asking any more questions about the Heart?”

  Blake didn’t give a shit about the Night’s Heart right then. He stepped inside his bedroom, then paused. The bed had already been remade. New sheets, fresh covers.

  No Jess.

  “The cops aren’t a problem.” He’d taken care of them easily enough. “The problem is Hayden Finn.” A dead man shouldn’t be a problem, but he was. Blake turned to level a hard stare on Carson. “I want to make sure he was working alone.” Because if the son had been anything like the father…

  Then you have someone working with you, in the background.

  That had been Jeremiah’s way. Only with old Jeremiah, he’d always eliminated his back-up, after the heist.

  Blake rolled his shoulders. He’d sent Jess away because he had to make sure—absolutely damn sure—that no other threats existed for her.

  As soon as he made sure that any would-be partner was eliminated, then he’d go to her again.

  It’s just beginning for us.

  Once she was safe.

  Carson’s brow furrowed. “Of course the guy was working alone. No one else was at that rundown motel. Just him.” He gave a little laugh. “And with him dead, the Heart’s safe. You can relax and take it easy, boss. Stop seeing danger that isn’t here.”

  “The cops checked Hayden’s phone. Over the last two days, he made seven calls. All to the same number.”

  Carson whistled. “That sounds—”

  “Like he might be calling an accomplice?” Yes, it did. “The number tracked back to a disposable cell. And whoever had that cell, well, the SOB must have already realized that his plans didn’t work out.”

  Carson’s gaze darted around the bedroom. “You sure about that?” Now a thread of worry had entered his voice “Boss, are you certain the Heart is safe?”

  Blake frowned, and his stare slowly tracked to the right. This was his private suite. His alone. And he’d been the one to oversee the installation of the security system for this area.

  A system most didn’t even realize was in place.

  Because he was a cautious bastard, Blake actually had twin systems—one in his suite here, and one at his suite in the Landon Hotel.

  Blake headed toward the wall on the right—a wall that wasn’t, not really. A quick press on a hidden lever had the door—not a wall at all—swinging open. Security lights glowed from inside. Carefully, but quickly, Blake typed in the code that would allow him to step into the room without triggering the alarm sensors.

  The room was five feet by eight feet. The floor was lined with alarms that would sound if anyone tried to access the area without using his code. And, at the back of that small room, his safe waited.

  Blake knew safes. He’d sure spent plenty of time cracking them.

  “Uh, boss?” Carson called. Carson hadn’t entered the room. He never did. Blake never allowed anyone to get close enough to see him input the safe’s combination. And he also made sure to change the combination regularly.

  In just a few seconds, he had that safe open.

  Plenty of jewels were inside. Bright, sparkling blue diamonds. Glittering gold necklaces. He’d amassed his fair share of goods before he’d ditched his old life.

  But…

  There was one thing missing.

  An unassuming black pouch. One that should have been as big as his hand.

  One that held a
fucking fortune.

  It was gone.

  “Uh, boss?” Now Carson sounded nervous.

  He should.

  Slowly, Blake turned toward him. “We have security cameras positioned right outside my suite. No one should be able to get in or out without the hotel’s security team knowing.”

  Carson nodded. “R-right. Of course.”

  “And the only way up,” Blake said, his words flat and hard, “is the private elevator. You can only access it with a keycard.”

  A keycard that Blake possessed. A card that Carson possessed.

  Blake stalked toward his head of security. With every step, the fury grew within him. “The Heart is gone.”

  Carson’s eyes nearly doubled in size. His gaze flew from Blake to the safe—then back to Blake. “But…but no one has been up here! After the attack at the Landon Hotel, I doubled the security! No one got up. Just you—”

  “And you, Carson,” Blake cut in, the fury seeming to burn right through his skin as the betrayal cut deeply. “You’ve been up here.”

  Frantically, Carson shook his head. “Only when you were here. I came when you were here and when—” He broke off, his lips thinning.

  But Blake already knew what he’d been about to say.

  No, no, no.

  Carson cleared his throat. “I came in this morning when you were gone. Before I arrived, Ms. Delaney…she was here alone then.”

  “Jess didn’t know about the safe!”

  “She knew about the Night’s Heart.”

  “Because I told her.” His hands had clenched into fists. “No,” Blake corrected, voice grim because his response hadn’t been one hundred percent accurate. “Finn told her—he mentioned it when he took her.”

  But Carson looked doubting. “Are you sure he just…told her?” Caron’s gaze hardened as he focused on Blake. “She had access. She had opportunity.” Then his eyes widened. “She wouldn’t let me touch her damn bags. Of course, she wouldn’t let me carry them!”

  Carson started to storm away. Blake grabbed him and jerked him right back. He didn’t even care if he was hurting Carson’s wounded shoulder. “You have the only other access card to the elevator.”