“So how do you know him?”
“Who? Christian or Derek?”
“Derek.”
“Oh, we met a few years back.”
“Are you friends?”
He shrugged. “I suppose you could call us friends. We work together here and there. But to be honest, if you don’t mind, I’ve kinda had my fill of Derek for the day.”
“Okay. Then…let’s talk about you.”
Drake shifted in his seat. Giving in to her request had the propensity to cause trouble for both of them. In part because there were some questions he couldn’t answer, mainly anything pertaining to his profession, and other questions she probably wouldn’t like the answer to. But at the same time, all out refusing to answer anything she asked might make her even more suspicious than she already was.
He cast a quick glance over her as he prepared to make a right turn, only to find her smiling at him rather expectantly. “All right, you win. What do you wanna know?”
“Hmmm…where to start?” She pulled her seatbelt away from her chest and let it snap back into place. “Are you originally from Chicago?”
Relief washed over him in a warm wave. At least he didn’t have to dodge that question. “Yes, I was born and bred right here in Chi-Town.”
“Good.” The tone of her voice said she was rather pleased with his answer. “That means you can’t be too much older than me.”
“Wait a minute now. You didn’t ask how old I was.”
“I didn’t have to. If you were older than Chicago you would’ve never said you were born here. And I didn’t ask where you were born. I asked where you were originally from.”
“Wow. She’s beautiful and devious. If all of your questions have some hidden agenda attached to them, I might just have to rethink this whole ‘Learn More About Drake’ game. I’ve been burned by a pretty face before, and I still got the marks to prove it.”
“Someone hurt you because you answered a question?”
It wasn’t until she asked that Drake truly realized what he’d said, or how much he’d almost given away about himself. And now he had to decide between lying to her again, when he really didn’t have to, and telling her at least some version of the truth.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, Drake.”
He looked down to where her hand now rested on his forearm. A comforting gesture that was no doubt meant to prove that she meant what she’d said. He didn’t have to tell her anything, but it was her willingness to offer that option that made him want to. “I had a girlfriend a few years ago. She was always a good one for the whole ask a question but take a lot more from the answer than you meant to give. To be honest, it’s because of her that I’m not a big fan of the question games. I’d rather someone just flat-out ask me what they wanna know.”
Silence hung like a heavy curtain between them until she finally asked, “Did you love her?”
Drake straightened when the muscles in his shoulders tensed. He opened his mouth, intent on refusing to answer such a rude and nosey question…but then stopped. How could he chide her for doing the very thing he’d just asked her to do? Granted, he didn’t think his love life would be the target of her first direct fire question, but she certainly didn’t leave any room for confusion.
“I did love her,” he admitted. “But I was young, and she…well, she wasn’t. She got me to do a lot of things I’m not proud of. It took me a while to realize what was really going on though – and I guess you could say it didn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry she hurt you,” Toni sighed as she squeezed his arm. “And from now on, I promise any questions I ask will be straightforward. No hidden agendas, no games, and if you don’t wanna answer, all you have to do is tell me. I never want you to feel like you have to give me anything more than you want to.”
Drake took a deep breath and waited for instinct to tear her promise to shreds. He waited for the animal to lash out with yet another doomed prediction of what was to come if he dared believe her. But when he was greeted with nothing save the rumble of the engine and the sound of her steady breathing, he smiled. “Thanks. I really appreciate that.”
She squeezed his arm again, and then folded her hands in her lap before she turned to stare out the window. “You’re welcome.”
The remainder of the drive to Grey’s passed in silence. Exactly why, Drake didn’t know. But he couldn’t think of anything else to add to what had already been said, and with every turn that brought them closer to the coffeehouse, Toni seemed to grow a little more nervous. She crossed and uncrossed her legs. She fidgeted with the bottom of her t-shirt. She repeatedly smoothed the ends of her dark hair. Once, she even breathed against the passenger window and drew a small heart in the condensation left on the glass.
Drake turned at the corner just before the frontage of Grey’s, and then again into the lot behind the building. At first it looked like the lot was completely full, but he kicked his head back and let out an evil cackle as he beat a little roller skate of a sports car into the last open spot.
“Oh my God,” Toni gasped right before she burst out laughing. She unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed it back into place. “You almost took his bumper off.”
“I’ll have you know I only did it for you,” Drake said as he killed the engine.
She didn’t look convinced. “You almost smashed another car for me?”
“Yup.” He motioned to her then pointed out at the sidewalk. “Now you can take all that crazy nervous energy you’ve been charging up for the last ten minutes and go use it to attack hug Clint, instead of sitting here while I try to find another parking spot. I mean it.” He leaned over and opened the door for her. “Go on. Get to it already – I’m sure he won’t mind.”
She stared at the back of the building. “But what if he does mind, Drake?” Her shoulders began to fall as her voice faltered. “What if he doesn’t wanna see me?”
“What if all he’s wanted for the last three years is to see you?” He’d no more than finished the sentence when she slid from the car and headed for Grey’s. But this time, the closer she got to the building – the faster she moved.
Drake smiled as Toni disappeared around the corner. He’d never met a woman like her. She could be sweet and innocent one minute, upset and cussing the next, and then kissing him breathless a few seconds later.
He stepped out of the car, pressed the button to lock the doors, and then slowly walked up the sidewalk that Toni had just run down like an excited child. He stared up at the dark sky as he rubbed the spot on his arm where she’d touched him back in the car. Much to his dismay, he was really starting to like her…
She tugged at a part of him that no woman before her had. And she didn’t do it with manipulation, or through practiced seduction, or even by making dozens of promises he knew she couldn’t or wouldn’t keep. She was winning him over one unexpected moment at a time…just by being herself.
Don’t get attached to her. She’ll die because of you. Unable to ignore the voice in his mind or its warnings, Drake blew out a long, heavy sigh. He eyed the three to four dozen people passing by on the streets, watching every single one as they neared the corner next to Grey’s.
He had hundreds of enemies across the globe. Some of whom he’d rightfully earned through completed contacts, and others who hated him for no reason other than what he was. But how or why he’d earned them really didn’t matter in the end, because they’d all pay top dollar to learn of his fondness for Toni…and would kill her for that very reason.
He splayed his fingers wide then fisted his hands. He knew better than to get attached to anyone. The few people he cared for, even if it was only in friendship, always seemed to bear the brunt of his ill placed existence in one way or another. And no matter how much he hoped things might be different for Toni, the simple fact was that nothing would change. If anything, the threats would only get worse. And he couldn’t even begin to guess at what he’d do if someone actually hurt her sol
ely to get to him.
Drake rounded the front corner of Grey’s but stopped before he reached the doors. As much as the realization left him with a stinging sensation in the center of his chest, he knew caring for Toni could very well sentence her to death…
And this time – that wasn’t what he was hired to do.
Chapter 9
“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”
The front door of Grey’s had barely closed behind her when Toni heard Clint’s deep, sultry voice drift across the room. Every muscle in her body tensed as she stared down at the black and white checkerboard floor, too scared to look up at his face.
She twisted her fingers together as an erratic shiver worked down her spine. If he was still angry with her she’d be able to see it glowing somewhere behind his dark green eyes. She’d know the minute she caught sight of his chiseled jaw, or the hard but always forgiving line of his mouth. She could read his face better than anyone else she knew, and the mere thought of seeing disappointment or disgust etched into any of his features made her heart ache.
“And here I thought you’d be happy to see us.”
Toni raised her head when she picked up the tight note of concern in Clint’s voice, and was greeted with the same scene she’d spent the last two weeks hoping for. Clint and Jacob both sat in the far corners of the opposing orange couches, where they always had. And if she didn’t know better she’d have sworn they hadn’t moved in three full years.
She tried to steady the torrent of emotions that whipped through her when Clint stood up and turned around, but she just couldn’t…especially not when his mouth stretched into the lazy smile she thought she might never see again.
“So are you gonna come over here and hug me or what?”
Without a shred of hesitation, Toni cleared the distance between them and folded herself into his waiting arms. She locked her hands behind his neck and buried her face in his strong shoulder. The thick scents of coffee, chocolate and tobacco clung to his shirt, filling her mind with a dozen memories she was almost afraid to let herself remember.
Tears welled in her eyes as Clint gently stroked her hair. This was familiar. This was what she’d searched for in over a hundred other cities but couldn’t find…
This was home.
Clint had always been like a father to her. He was the only older member of her lineage who’d ever taken the time to talk to her. And because of him, she knew Thug was the Fledgling slur for her lineage. He was the one who’d taught her to take pride in knowing they were referred to as Warriors by any vampire over fifty years old. He was the one who’d helped her understand the new world she’d been thrust into, even when Alexander was too busy to make time for her.
All at once, the wave of emotions Toni had tried so hard to control rushed past her lips as a sob. But Clint didn’t ask what was wrong; he just cradled her head against his shoulder and held her even tighter.
“I missed you so much,” she whispered. “So much…” She trailed off as she closed her eyes and tried to remember everything 8-Ball had told her about the days after she’d been exiled.
According to him, Clint had stormed into Christian’s office after hearing the news and demanded she be allowed to come back. They’d yelled back and forth at each other for hours while he tried to make Christian understand the kind of power anger had over the new blood in her body. But Christian wouldn’t hear it. To him, her age was no excuse for her actions.
Clint alone had taken care of, and paid for, the arrangements to lay her family to rest peacefully. He’d stood at the graves on her behalf while Jacob performed the ceremony to send them on their journey to God.
8-Ball said it was the first time he’d ever seen an Ancient cry. And later, when he’d finally worked up the nerve to ask why, apparently Clint had said it was never easy to bury a family. And no matter how many times he’d done it, it never got any easier. He said his tears were just as much for her as they were her family, because Christian wouldn’t let her back into the city for their funeral.
Another round of tears broke loose as Toni recalled just how many times Clint had tried to contact her over the years. Each time they talked, she’d end up crying as she tried to tell him how much she missed him and her family. And every single time he’d offer to leave and go to her, she’d get angry and tell him that if he left everything he’d worked so hard to gain in the city, she’d never ever talk to him again.
Of course, she never meant a word of it. But her heart broke all over again every time she heard his voice. It hurt so much whenever she saw his number come across the screen on her cell phone, eventually she just stopped looking at it.
Toni tightened her arms around Clint and tried once more to hold the tears back, but again she failed miserably. She knew she’d missed this city, but only now did she realize she’d missed the people in it even more.
She barely heard the chimes when the front doors opened. Having completely blocked out the rest of the world, Toni held onto Clint with everything she had.
Drake cast Clint a questioning look when he glanced up at the sound of the door chimes. He hoped this hadn’t been a bad idea, but when he saw the glimmer of tears in the Ancient Warrior’s eyes, he took it as a hint to just give them a few minutes.
He nodded at Jacob then made his way towards the owner and proprietor of Grey’s, who stood in his rightful place behind the counter. He rested his elbows on the black and white marbled countertop and smiled. “Mr. Martin Grey, how do you do?”
Martin slid a small cup across the counter. “Your usual, Sir.”
Drake stared down at his delicious triple espresso. “You always know how to make me smile, Martin. Sometimes I wish you were a woman so I could show my appreciation for your coffee making talents properly.”
Martin let out a deep chuckle. “Thanks…I think.”
Drake picked up his espresso, took a sip, and then happily groaned. There was nothing quite like having a triple coffee orgasm when you really needed one. But his revelry was short lived when the tortured sound of Toni’s sobs cut through him like a razor sharp blade.
He focused on her and Clint when Martin moved to retrieve the ringing phone. Listening to her cry practically killed him, but he was happy she’d found some sort of comfort in Clint’s arms. He could sense the intense love radiating from the two of them, but didn’t know what it was like to actually feel that particular emotion anymore. He preferred humor over emotion anyway.
Humor, much like Odin, was never complicated.
Drake turned his thoughts back to his coffee and stared down into the rich brown liquid. He absently smiled at it. The color reminded him of Toni’s eyes.
Oh, stop gushing over her. Drake rolled his eyes. He had to be the only supernatural creature alive whose inner voice had mastered sarcasm. So what? He liked the woman. Was he not allowed to like women now?
You can like all the women you want. You’re just not allowed to like her. Drake shook his head, hoping instinct, right or wrong, would just fall out and die on the floor next to his boots.
But when it didn’t, he chose instead to shut it out. Yes, he had a contract on Toni. But right now he wished he didn’t, because then he wouldn’t have to keep suppressing the urge to touch her. Not that he was succeeding anyway. And obviously the conversation he’d had with himself about his enemies less than ten minutes ago didn’t seem to be sticking either.
He wanted to touch Toni, but he wanted to know her even more. And really, that was what shocked him the most. For years he hadn’t been interested in knowing anything about anyone he came into contact with, especially female vampires. And although he’d already thought it a good ten times since he’d met her, he just couldn’t ignore the fact that she wasn’t like any other vampiress he’d met. She wasn’t so deep into politics or her own agenda that she didn’t have time to talk to him. She wasn’t so concerned with what everyone else thought that she wouldn’t be seen with him. Hell, she didn’t seem to kn
ow who or what he was, and that made the whole situation even better.
Toni’s gentle laugh broke Drake’s mental rant at his coffee. He looked up just in time to see Clint wipe her tears away and brush a kiss across her lips.
Drake tensed as the green eyed monster stomped down on every nerve in his body. He didn’t know her that well, but some foreign part of him wanted to be the one she went to when she was sad. Watching the way she smiled and nuzzled into Clint’s chest actually made his own chest ache. And although pain was something Drake was more than accustomed to, the emotional kind was always the hardest to bear.
Toni smiled up at Clint as he wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks. “I really did miss you. I can’t even explain how much…” She trailed off when her voice cracked, because she didn’t want to start crying yet again.
He pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. “I missed you, too.”
She laughed when Jacob shoved Clint out of the way then moved to stand in front of her. “My turn,” he whispered. His smooth, soothing voice made her shiver as he scooped her up into his arms. His hug wasn’t nearly as long as Clint’s, but she loved it all the same. After returning her to her feet, he kissed her cheek then smiled at her.
Toni returned the gesture as she inhaled a deep breath, then took a step back and tried to pull her frayed emotions back together. She knew seeing Clint again would be hard, but she hadn’t expected to lose control of herself like she had.
Over the span of a few minutes and a lot of deep breathing, she finally regained her composure. But maintaining that composure grew a bit more difficult as she cast a glance over the room and realized nothing about Grey’s had changed. The black and white checkered floor still shined. The vibrant orange and cobalt blue chairs, tables, and couches were still in the exact same places they had always been. Even the pristine white walls were still adorned with the same posters and paintings that not only depicted the look of Jazz, but the smoky, soulful feel of it as well. Really, the only thing missing was one of the greats like B.B. King playing on the small stage in the back corner of the adjoining room.
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