desire for Bliss: a novel of Sex, Mystery and Romance (RiverHart Book 2)

by Adira August

  Ben turned white.

  "Something bothering you Hart?" Upham asked.

  Ben nodded. "Obviously, as extreme as this was, she'd have been fighting restraints violently. The highest quality restraints made that don't leave a mark and also cover the backs of the hands, are made and sold by my company. I'll get you a set for comparison. Maybe we won't need the cane maker to find the buyer."

  He looked at Devers. "I'm on it," the security chief said.

  Stretching his neck, Ben moved to the door. "I've been flying for over twenty hours. I'm going to find my girl, now, and get some rest. Anything you need to clear anyone in my employ, me or Ms. Rivers, Mr. Devers has access to and can explain. Or, anything else you need."

  Dane stood, as well. "One last thing. The other victim."

  Surprised, Ben shot a look at Devers. "My God, Holland,who else?"

  Devers was clueless.

  "We have an unidentified body found in the trunk of an abandoned rental car in long-term parking at D.I.A.," Dane told him, picking up the file folder.

  "What leads you to link that body with Mr. Hart? Or Ms. Rivers?" T.J. Scofeld asked.

  "Someone cleaned the car out, but we found a memory card down between the console and the driver's seat. These were on it." He took out more sheets of photographs, these had many small shots.

  Devers leaned over them, as did Ben.

  "Son of a bitch!" Devers said. He sent a fast text to raise the security level at the Castle.

  They were exterior shots of the Hart property. Ben also recognized the parking structure at Human Dynamics Research Group, in Boulder. There was a shot of Avia's car going up the ramp. His stomach did a slow roll.

  Dane dropped a crime scene photo on the table. But this time, it was a head shot. The face was a little distorted on the side where the bullet hole was. Short blond hair clumped around black blood.

  "That's a kid!" Ben said.

  "No," Devers said lifting the photo and using the magnifying glass. "An adult. Look at the lines around the eyes. Maybe thirty?" He asked Dane.

  "Yeah, we think so," Dane said.

  "No idea who he is?" Ben asked.

  "She," Dane corrected.

  "Description?" Devers asked, concentrating.

  "Maybe five three or four, thin build," Dane answered.

  Devers was on his cell again. Ben suddenly grabbed the picture. Oh, fuck me!

  "Go to facetime and get Blakewell on," Devers snapped. A long minute later, Blakewell's face appeared.

  "Yes, Sir?" he asked.

  Ben grabbed the phone. "Mr. Hart! Sir!" Blakewell squeaked when he recognized Ben's face.

  "I have you on speaker, we're with the police. You found a trespasser Friday night. Describe the person."

  "It was a kid. Little over five feet. Blond stringy hair. Maybe a gawky thirteen. She didn't have any shape, yet."

  "I'm going to show you a picture." Ben turned the phone and Dane held up the photo.

  "Yeah, that could be her - I - shit, is she, did someone shoot that girl?"

  Ben threw the phone at Devers. "Lock her down, now!" He shouted as he ran out.

  Avienne.

  Lockdown

  BAM! … BAM!

  The two startled women froze with their arms full of clothes. The second the high-pitched whistling had come from Eustace' phone, he'd slammed the door that connected the dressing room with the bedroom. Then he'd rushed into the connecting bathroom to slam the door there.

  Back inside the dressing room, he used his own remote and they'd heard a metallic ratcheting sound that seemed to come from the wall next to the door. There was a clicking from above.

  Avia's eyes went to the air vent.

  "We're on lockdown," he told the sisters.

  "Okay, then," said Talli. "You know, this is the most interesting vacation I've ever had just staying in a hotel room." She held out a camel dress with a kicky stand up collar lined in black with a wide black belt. "This one was made for you, Avi." She said, by way of distraction.

  Avia shook her head. "It's okay. I'm not going to faint or anything." She turned to Eustace who was texting back and forth in a manner she would call "furious" in anyone who wasn't as calmly controlled.

  She waited, she hoped with equal calm, for him to get done. "Situation?" She asked.

  "Mr. Hart should be here in twenty minutes or so." He gestured at the connecting door to the bathroom. "All interior rooms can become safe rooms on lockdown. I left the connecting door to the bathroom open for convenience, but the other bathroom door that opens directly into your bedroom is also in lockdown mode.'

  "Did you seal the air vent?" She asked.

  He nodded. "Vents. Every vent and cold air return in the penthouse is sealed." His face softened a little. "No direct attack or threat was made. It's precautionary."

  Avia sank to the floor, her arms still full of lingerie she was giving to Talli to wear for Roland. "Now." She said.

  "Ma'am?"

  "It's precautionary now. Until we are attacked," She said. Then a thought struck her. "What about the dumbwaiters? And what's the deal with all these dumbwaiters, anyway?"

  "The shafts are blocked by the carts, locked at the bottom. And you'd have to …"

  "...ask Mr. Hart what the deal is," Avia finished for him.

  Talli was continuing to sort the clothes. Avia reached for her suitcase, left open while they were working. She packed a satin nightgown, a sexy black bustier, stockings and a handful of tear-away panties inside.

  "I wish you'd wait until tomorrow," Avia said.

  "Third wheel," Talli replied. "Or in your case, about seventeenth. You and Ben have enough people around you. I want to meet him and then I'm off. You two need time together. And quiet. You need to recover from the madness."

  She squatted beside Avia and brushed her hair back. "Besides, you'll be at his place by the weekend I bet, and I want to see the amazing house. Look, it's almost five. By the time I get there, I'll have time to have whatever food and booze Ben's people left for dinner.

  "I can sleep in tomorrow and make myself all alluring for Rolly, then get him from the airport," she said and gave Avia an evil smirk. "Then we're going to go through that gift basket you mentioned. I'll be fine"

  "Okay, but you are taking my car."

  "Avi-"

  "No! I have -" She looked for the right word and realized she didn't know one. "-people, you know, that would keep you here." She gave Eustace a look that said Agree with me. He shrugged. No help.

  "It's the simplest thing in the world, okay?" She told Talli. "My car is right downstairs, I wasn't going to be allowed to drive it anyway-" This time Eustace' look agreed. "The tires are just going to go flat. Take it, you don't need to be renting a car. When does Roland get in?"

  "Around six tomorrow. I have it on my phone."

  "Just stay here. You can leave tomorrow from here for the airport, Tal. All we're going to do is sleep!"

  Talia sighed. "Mr. Eustace, do you think you could find something to do in the bathroom? Check for bombs in the toilet paper or something?"

  He looked at Avia who gave him a please? look. He moved into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

  "Avi, you have to give me a break here, I'm just not going to be comfortable, not on homecoming night," she said.

  "We aren't horny college students! He's going to be exhausted and jet-lagged." She said.

  Talli sighed. "It's not the sex, though I can do without hearing it. Av ... your necklace has a padlock."

  Avia's fingers flew protectively to her collar.

  "You said you were just considering a D/s relationship. A day later, after knowing him four days, he's collared you?" Talia sat all the way down and hugged her knees.

  "I need to go. I need to not be radiating disapproval. Especially when I don't know if I should be disapproving. You aren't fourteen anymore; you don't need me to protect you. Just show you how to use eyeliner." Talia's lips pressed. "I'm just not sure I can help it."


  "I know, everything's moved so fast …" Avia said.

  "I get fast," Talli assured her. "And if that was an engagement ring I wouldn't be - well whatever I am. Concerned, I guess. But, you're the strong, independent, go-it-alone woman in the family. Nobody could ever tell you what to do. This is - "

  "What?" Avia asked, reaching for Talli's hand, so she'd know it was okay to be honest. "Sister mode."

  "Rolly and I - we do some stuff, okay? Some D/s, some B&D. We switch off, actually. We even go to a club once in a while. But Av, that happened over time between us. He's my husband. I know everything about him."

  Avia set aside the image of Talli and Rolly in a BDSM club. Her sister went on.

  "Ben sounds great. I think I like him and I haven't even met him, but - you don't know him. He's in a really fringe business and makes big money. And really big money doesn't come without corruption."

  Avia felt a little twinge of doubt. Talli made sense. But before she could respond, Eustace knocked and entered. "Mr. Hart's on the way up."

  The women stood and Avia hugged Talli. "I hear you, okay? You go. We'll talk a lot. I'll tell you everything. You can be my common sense. Because I don't have any around him."

  Eustace' cell gave off three mellow chimes. He used the remote to unbolt the doors. A rush of air from above told Avia the vents were opened.

  The door swung in and Benedict Hart filled the doorway. Talia could feel her own common sense flee. The pictures she'd seen of the urbane C.E.O. didn't begin to convey the aura of power he exuded. In the three seconds it took him to take two strides to Avia and engulf her with his body, Talia was overwhelmed by his presence. His shoulders and chest stretched the white shirt he wore, his thighs pressed against the expensive fabric of his suit pants.

  She was reminded of wild stallions and Alpha wolves. This was a man who could be dangerous.

  But though he did, indeed, engulf her sister, Talia noticed his fine, graceful fingers smooth Avia's hair gently back from her forehead. His other hand cradled her head as he bent to kiss her as if she was cool water and he, a man wandering in a desert.

  Whatever Benedict Hart was, he was in love with her sister. And the look Avia gave him when the kiss was over, made it more than obvious she was in love with him.

  Ben turned to Talia, left arm still around Avia, right hand held out to her. The smile he gave her softened the sharp planes of his face and made him almost blindingly handsome.

  "You're Talia, of course. Ben Hart," he said, his voice a deep bass that rumbled up from his chest and vibrated the air between them.

  She took his hand for a moment. No wonder it only took four days. "It's really good to meet you. Thank you for everything," she said, pleased to hear her voice holding steady.

  His eyes moved over the clothes in Talia's bag, some still in Avia's arms, outfits neatly draped over the dressing chair and correctly assessed the situation. "Eustace, get the garment bag from the third bedroom closet for Mrs. St. Clair. The travel one."

  Talia started to protest but Avia caught her eye: Just go with it. "That's very kind of you," she told him.

  An hour later, the suitcase packed, Ben changed into an old faded cableknit sweater and blue jeans, they were on sofas in the TV room. They ate some of Berthe's pre-made sandwiches and drank sodas, because they didn't want to wait for room service.

  The TV room was a large dark windowless alcove off the kitchen. A safer area than those near the large glass doors and window walls that were now covered by blackout drapes. The dumbwaiters were still sealed. Eustace had taken up a position in the foyer and increased security measures were still in place.

  Ben and sat in the corner of a big, overstuffed couch, Avia curled up next to him, his arm across her shoulders. Talli wrapped an afghan around herself and sat in an equally overstuffed armchair. They all had their feet up on a huge upholstered ottoman.

  Ben explained why the lockdown to Avia and Talia, taking several calls and answering texts while relating the events at Scofeld's office. Ben and Avia filled Talia in on other events to complete the picture.

  As he spoke, and answered his cell, Ben never lost contact with Avia. Even if it was just his fingers on her knee, his hand holding hers, he touched her somehow. It wasn't a show of possession or dominance; he simply needed the connection.

  "So, you were right about the 'kid' at the Castle and the bike messenger being the same," he told Avia. "Dane and Upham took the picture to Alex, and she identified the Jane Doe as the bike messenger."

  His cell signalled again. "Hart," he answered.

  "I don't understand," Talli said to Avia. "Why was anyone interested in you, in getting that badge chip thing up here? And how does that Irene woman I met, connect to the one who was snooping around?"

  "I'll get back to you," Ben said into the phone and clicked off. His text alert sounded.

  "Talia, the detectives want you to look at a picture from the courthouse of you and Irene and see if anyone around you looks familiar. If not, they want you to go to police headquarters and meet with a sketch artist. They want to talk to the man she was arguing with."

  "I'll bet they do," Talia said.

  "They got the originals from the person who took them," Ben said, handing her the phone. "There're three."

  She frowned over the images, expanding them and moving them around. On the third one, she said, "Oh! Here, here he is!"

  She handed Ben the phone back, pointing. "His back is turned in the others, but in the third one he looked around. Might have been when I shouted at her. See? This guy waiting by the elevators looking back, I'm sure that's him."

  Avia leaned over and peered at the face on the cell phone. "Damn," she breathed.

  "That's for sure," Ben agreed grimly. He looked to Talia. "You're certain?"

  "I am," she said. "He's still all red-faced. Looks like an evil troll in a Giorgio Armani suit."

  Ben was on his cell. "Yeah. A perfect description of Leonard Randall, Esquire." INto his cell. "Devers, stop checking all sales of restraints and check the customer database, start with the last 120 days and work back a year. You're looking for Leonard Randall. … Yeah, that Leonard Randall. … Let Detective Dane know. … Anything they want that's not proprietary or covered by N.D.A.s. … That's why I have lawyers, get them on it."

  After more calls, two of which were Avia and Talia being interviewed by Detective Upham over the phone, it was decided the women could come in tomorrow to sign their statements. Avia also sent the police the pictures of Irene's injuries by Randall from a few days ago and the address of the Urgent Care where she'd gone for treatment.

  Ben vetoed the idea that Talli would take Avia's car. He knew whoever hired the woman who took those pictures could have more of her red hatchback on another memory card. He told Talia she should stay in the penthouse where it was safe.

  When she insisted she needed to leave, he'd only agree if one of his security people drove her and set up surveillance outside the condo, just in case anyone came by looking for Avia. He would have Roland fetched from the airport for her, tomorrow.

  A few minutes later, Talia hugged Avia while Eustace put her bags on the elevator. Then she thanked Ben for everything.

  "My pleasure," he said, his arm around Avia. "We'll see you on the weekend at the Castle, I hope." She stepped onto the elevator with Eustace.

  "I'm looking forward it," she said as the doors closed.

  Cops

  "Her name is Agatha Metzger. At least, that's the name she flew into Colorado Springs under last Thursday." Hunter Dane tossed a file folder across his desk and Upham's.

  "You gonna give this to Hart, too?" Upham asked, letting his disgust show, as he looked through the file.

  "Hart's people sent it to us. It came from Devers. Couple pages in is some background. FBI thinks she was an independent, worked mostly for organized crime by referrals. No violence. She specialized in location and surveillance."

  "You're saying she was a freelance priva
te investigator for the Mafia?"

  "No Mafia, anymore, remember?"

  "Sure." Upham rolled his eyes. "Fingerprint trace turned up nothing?"

  "No. She was careful. And good." Dane said reaching for his ringing deskphone. "Makes me wonder why anyone would kill her." Into the phone, "Sergeant Dane, Homicide. … Yeah, hang on."

  He pulled his computer monitor over and picked up his mouse. "Okay, I see it. … You're going to be reporting party on all this? … For court. … Sure. Tomorrow's okay, I'll buy you coffee."

  He hung up, Upham watching him. "Devers. This Randall character bought three sets of restraints off Hart's website." Dane stood, shrugging into his jacket. "I'll be at the morgue. One of Hart's people is bringing examples of the three sets for comparison to the void on the victim."

  Upham's fist crashed to the desk top. "When the fuck are you going to stop treating a suspect like he's on our team?"

  "You hate him because of what he is, and I get that," Dane said. "You're not exactly objective here, Upham." Dane knew that Upham's sister had been permanently disabled by an abusive boyfriend who'd gotten her into erotic asphyxiation. He hated anything that could be classified as sexual "kink."

  Robert Upham jumped up and strode around the desks to Dane. "I'm a fucking professional, Dane! You're the one with the hots for Hart's girlfriend."

  Hunter Dane didn't deny his attraction to Avia Rivers. He was a straight guy and why wouldn't he be attracted to her? But he wouldn't admit it to Upham, who never did know when to keep his mouth shut.

  And he was certain Upham missed the collar, the control Hart had over Rivers. He'd seen Hart give the leash a yank and Rivers submit instantly. But he'd also seem her fire and intelligence when on her own, before Hart walked in.

  Dane had no intention of letting Hart slide as a suspect. But he wanted to get Rivers alone. Away from her "master." If she wanted a man who knew how to take control, he could oblige her.

  Right now, he had other things to get on with and his best strategy was hearing Upham out.

  "Okay, Bob, tell me what's on your mind," Dane said and leaned back against his desk.