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

by Adira August

  Masturbation was not a complete substitute for sex, and Avia was aware she was suffering from a certain level of sexual frustration. She knew she'd never really want to be with anyone but Ben. But that didn't stop her body from betraying her. It didn't keep various portions of her anatomy from heating and swelling.

  She was very glad she was wearing a blouse and coat instead of a sweater. She was also glad she was practiced in keeping her expression neutral and her body still.

  Hunter was smirking at her. "You should've worn a turtleneck," he said.

  Avia was sure a sexual flush was spreading up toward her face, but he wasn't immune, either. His blue eyes were almost black, his pupils were so wide. And he winced when he shifted slightly in his chair.

  "And you should have worn a jockstrap," she observed, pulling the statement papers close and studying them.

  "Interesting that you noticed," he grinned at her, reaching down to adjust himself, not bothering to be subtle.

  "I didn't. I assumed." She picked up the pen and signed off on the statements. "So. The Jane Doe case?" She pushed the papers back to him.

  He put them into the file folder. "I can't comment on an ongoing investigation."

  She closed the notebook and slipped it into her suit jacket pocket. "We're off the record," she said. "Ben wants to know how things are going."

  "Does he? He should have come along."

  She shrugged. "He was in the middle of an international commodities negotiation."

  "I see. You know a lot about his business, do you?"

  She said nothing. Let him guess.

  Hunter picked up the file folder, revealing another. He slid the one he was holding underneath it.

  "Do you know a lot about his pornography business?" He asked Avia. "By which I mean making movies?" He opened the new folder and flipped through some pages.

  Avia waited, not knowing where Dane was headed. He looked up at her. "Well?"

  "Am I being interrogated, Sergeant?" She asked, reaching back into the pocket where she'd stashed the notebook.

  "You said yesterday in your lawyer's office you wanted these crimes solved. You wanted everyone to help. Are you going to? If not, thank you for your time." He gestured toward the door.

  "We're on the same side, Dane, whether you know it or not," she said.

  "Prove it," he snapped. "Explain Hart's organized crime connections to me."

  What? She almost smiled, the idea was so ridiculous.

  "No? You're refusing or you don't know?" He slammed a paper down in front of her, and stood, leaning on the desk, looming over her.

  "That's a list of phone calls, and that one," he pointed to a line highlighted in yellow, "Is a known crime syndicate lieutenant involved in the pornography industry and what's called 'white slavery' by most people. In this case, Russian and Asian women."

  There were at least ten calls highlighted over three days from Wednesday through Friday. That would be the Wednesday she met Ben and the Friday of her first Session.

  Dane slid his finger along one of the lines. "You see they're all to the same number? I'm sure that number is familiar to you."

  She looked up at him, shaking her head. She could tell he didn't believe her.

  "Oh, c'mon, Avia, you want me to believe you're wearing Ben Hart's collar and don't know his home phone number?"

  Hunter actually saw the blood drain from her face. She really doesn't know. What the hell kind of relationship does she have with this guy?

  Avia was on her feet. "I have to go," she said, reaching for the doorknob.

  He jumped up and slammed his palm on the door, keeping it shut.

  "Jane Doe had major organized crime associations," he said, leaning down to look into her eyes. "And she was targeting you. You understand? Not Hart, you."

  He grabbed a picture out of the file. More small images, this time of her condominium, different cars going by. Her neighbors. Daytime and night shots. Apparently there'd been much more on that memory card.

  "I read your sex story. Have you even known this guy longer than a week?" She looked down and away. He took her by the shoulders.

  "Avia, listen to me. The man is dangerous. He has his own small army of 'security' people. Does he ever let you be on your own? Or were you always 'guarded' day and night? These men are thugs. Talk to me, Avia, let me protect you."

  The door opened. Henry Eustace stepped in and inserted himself between Hunter Dane and Avia. Dane let her go, but refused to step back.

  "Don't touch Ms. Rivers," Eustace said.

  "Wait outside or I'll have you removed," Dane ordered him, hoping the big blond security man would make a move he could arrest him for. After he dumped him on his ass.

  But Eustace turned to Avia. "Would you like to go to the car now?"

  Hunter noticed the change in his voice when he spoke to the reporter. Softer, warmer. He likes her, he thought. He wondered if that could be used to drive a wedge between him and his boss.

  Avia nodded to Eustace' question and he turned in the doorway, motioning her to go ahead of him.

  "Thank you for coming in, Ms. Rivers," Dane said. "And could you find out when Mrs. St. Clair is coming in to sign her statements? We need to get this squared away."

  Eustace head came up, sharply. He grabbed his cell and was making a call before Avia had so much as turned her head back to Dane.

  "What?" Avia asked, looking totally confused.

  "Your sister," he said, taking a form from the other file and handing it to her. It was the same as the ones she'd signed, but had Talia St. Clair's name at the top. He watched Avia scan the page, and stop at the signature line. It was blank.

  Eustace disconnected one call and made another. "I can't locate Cleo and Dane says Talia St. Clair she didn't come in yesterday to sign her statement … right." He turned to Dane. "You were here, last night, you're sure she didn't sign it and you don't know about it?"

  Dane nodded. "I was here, someone was here all night and knew she was supposed to come in." Dane grabbed the desk phone.

  Avia handed the statement form to Eustace. He spoke into the phone. "It's confirmed. … Yes, I have Ms. Rivers. We're in the Homicide Bureau with Dane … you'll tell Mr. Hart?" He looked at Dane while he listened.

  Dane held the telephone receiver, about to make another call. "Info desk has no record of her signing in." He punched three numbers.

  "Yeah, get a car out to - " He consulted Avia's form and gave her home address. "I need a welfare check and location on a witness - " He took Talia's form out of Eustace' hand, read off Talia's name and gave her description while looking at Avia.

  "Cops are on the way, they'll get there, first," Eustace said to whomever was on his cell.

  Dane touched Eustace arm. "I need a description of the surveillance car," he said.

  "Call Devers," Eustace told him, putting his phone away and leading Avia out of the room by the arm.

  "Hey, I need her here!" Dane protested, going after them.

  Eustace didn't slow down. "She'll call you," he said and pushed through the stairwell door, instead of using the elevator.

  Dane followed and Avia suddenly stopped on the landing and yanked her arm away from Eustace.

  "STOP IT!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. "Both of you! Just. STOP!"

  At that moment, her text alert went off. … Ben.

  DO WHATEVER EUSTACE SAYS

  She hesitated. Looked from Dane to Eustace. Unsure. Her text alert sounded again.

  RIVERHART

  Avia deleted both texts. "Let's go," she said to Eustace and moved past him to hurry down the stairs, leaving Dane behind. Eustace was next to her in an instant.

  It wasn't until they were speeding away from the building, both in the front seat of Ben's old Volvo, that she noticed she was clutching a paper in her hand.

  It was the sheet of phone calls.

  She folded it up carefully and slipped it into the back of her notebook. And faced the thing her mi
nd blocked out during the dash to the car.

  "Hank?"

  "Yeah," he answered, moving into a turn lane.

  "Is Talli missing?"

  "It's not confirmed," he said.

  She nodded and looked out the window. "I'm going to need a gun."

  After Noon

  "You ever fire a gun?" Eustace asked, passing the turn that would take them to the Coloradan. That was fine with Avia. Talli wasn't at the Coloradan.

  "We were on the pistol team at Texas Tech," she answered.

  "Bullseye?" He asked, taking the next turn.

  "IDPA. Stock service and revolver. Talli shot bullseye."

  "So what would you use?" He asked, stopping for a light.

  "For this? A decent nine that takes eighteen. An M and P with an extra clip would be good."

  He turned left through the intersection. "You've been kind of emotional, lately," he observed.

  Avia fixed cold eyes on his in the rearview. "Somebody has my sister. Emotions go in the box. Believe I'll fuck up anybody who gets between us. But also believe her safety's my only concern."

  She peered out the window as Eustace pulled into an alley. "I'll go back to being in love when Talli's safe in my arms. … This the helipad building?"

  "It is," he said, pulling over to the side.

  She checked her cell. "Roland's in the air by now. Someone's meeting him?"

  "I imagine," he said. "I can check."

  Her mouth made a hard line. "I need Devers' number, myself."

  Eustace pulled out his phone on a text alert. "Devers isn't coordinating, Hugo is."

  She thought that over. Ben had told her Eustace followed Hugo home from a war zone. It made sense. She smiled; he gave her a curious look.

  "Ben once gave me a choice of hearing your story or his, we didn't have time for both. Guess I should've picked door number two."

  She heard the helicopter, even though she couldn't see it. Eustace stared at his cell screen. He looked up as a taxi stopped just past the mouth of the alley. "There he is." He said.

  Ben got out the back of the cab carrying a gym bag, a ballcap pulled low over his face. He ignored the alley and disappeared from view.

  "Seven minutes," said Eustace. "It's not the same, you know."

  "No. It's not the same," she agreed, knowing he was referring to the difference between a shooting competition course and facing real threat from living persons trying to kill you. Shooting a person is not the same as shooting a target. Or missing one.

  "That's what therapy's for," she said. "Do you know if he's bringing me shoes?"

  Eustace shook his head. "But he's usually pretty thorough." He unlocked the doors. "Dane tried to turn you against him?"

  "Dane's game is Blackjack. I play Stud."

  Eustace nodded. "He plays percentages, you play people?"

  She looked him over. "No limit, for you?"

  "Omaha," he said.

  "Dangerous," she said. She sighed and let her head fall back and her eyes close.

  "Two minutes," he said as the sound of the helicopter winding up reached them. "We have a HORSE game in the Barbican twice a month."

  "That an invitation?" She asked.

  "Yeah," he said, watching her. "It's just one-two. Hundred dollar buy-in. … No bosses allowed."

  She opened her eyes as she felt him reach over the seat. He grabbed a blanket and waited.

  "You do any of that weird garage game crap?" She asked.

  "WSOP rules," he replied. A metal security door opened in the wall of the building next to Eustace. Ben came out and she heard the helicopter take off. The car shook slightly as Ben got in. The door slammed and he hit the floor behind the front seat. Eustace threw the blanket over him.

  He put the car into gear and left the alley, in no hurry. He looked at Avia.

  "Okay, I'm in," she said. "And do we have time to stop someplace? I never got my cheeseburger."

  Avia put her hand back between her seat and the door, feeling under the edge of the blanket until Ben grabbed her hand. They exchanged a squeeze. She let go right away, but kept her hand there.

  "I need the key," she said, louder than she would to address Eustace so Ben would know she was speaking to him. She could almost feel Ben freeze at her words. Then she was aware of him moving around. A warm length of fine metal was pressed into her hand.

  She flipped down the sun visor and used the mirror on the back to unlock the platinum padlock. She searched around in the console and found some paper napkins she carefully wrapped the collar, chain and key in. Then she tucked the precious package under everything else in the console.

  Turning her head to the right so she was speaking into the space between the seat and the door, she told Ben, "All rules and agreements are suspended until I have Talli back," she said.

  He didn't respond. She fished out her notebook and paused, as Eustace reached down, and slowly, keeping the noise down, unstrapped an ankle holster from his right leg. He passed it to Avia with a look at her in the rearview: This is between us.

  She took it just as quietly, and laid it in her lap. Finding the paper with the phone numbers, she read out the one Dane said belonged to the Castle.

  "Ben, do you know what number that it?" She asked.

  "That's the main Hart Development number," came the muffled reply.

  "Main?" She asked. "For everything?"

  "Tell her," Ben said, talking to Eustace.

  Eustace merged into southbound traffic on I-25. "Everything in Colorado. The Domain, which is a kind of in-joke name for the property, is like a small business, itself. If you know who you want, you can reach them by extension. There's a menu to take you to the Tech Center offices, otherwise."

  "That's not Ben's main office?"

  "It's in the Keep, along with Hugo's," came Ben's voice from the back. "That's not public information."

  "Tell me why you've been getting calls from an organized crime figure," she said.

  Eustace looked startled.

  "Didn't know we had," Ben said. "Did Dane show you a call sheet?"

  She passed the paper back to him and while he looked at it, took a moment to examine the gun Eustace had given her. She grinned. A Smith and Wesson M and P. But it was a Bodyguard and only held seven rounds. She eased back the slide. Eight. She gave Eustace a look.

  He reached down and removed a companion holster from his left leg and handed her another rig with two extra clips. Now she had twenty-two three-eighty calibre rounds. Nice. She checked all the levers and releases before she took off her boots and strapped on the hardware.

  "You okay up there?" Ben asked.

  "You bring me some shoes?" She asked, plucking the laces out of the boots and wrapping them together to stick in a pocket. They were decorative, but black paracord. Shiny to serve the designer's purposes, strong, in case she had a use.

  "In the bag," he said. She unbelted and reached back for the gym bag. He looked up at her. She could see the question in his eyes. Are we okay? At the moment, she felt nothing. Nothing for him, at all. But she needed him to be focused on the task. She needed him calm and clear. She dropped a hand for him to grab and squeeze, again, and winked at him.

  "You figure out the numbers?" She asked, from the front, putting on thick socks and running shoes.

  "The trace only shows the main number, not the extensions, but this matches the time I talked to a producer from New York. He wanted to make his own videos and slap the Hart name on them. This is a New York City exchange." He got quiet for a moment.

  "I blew him off but Hugo said he'd been calling back. I told him on Saturday to stop taking the calls. I see they stopped."

  "Dane said Jane Doe is organized crime. And your porn producer," she said.

  "You can sit up, now," Eustace told Ben, taking an exit ramp.

  Ben did, throwing off the blanket, and running his hands through his hair. "Where are we?"

  "Sonic," Eustace said, pulling into the lot. "Ms. Rivers wanted a burger. An
d you two should charge your phones," Eustace said.

  "I'm good," said Ben.

  Eustace took Avia's phone and hooked it up. He also put Hugo's and Devers' cell numbers into it.

  "Why?" Ben asked.

  Avia gave Ben a cold look. Cold. She's never cold. She's objective, controlled, but never cold. Not to me.

  "We might get separated," Eustace said.

  "Right. This is a great idea," Ben said. "A couple grabbing a burger is a pretty prosaic activity."

  "Especially in a station wagon," Avia said. "I want the burger only, no fries, no malts. Cola. I have to find the bathroom," she said and got out of the car.

  She made her way to the Ladies' room and locked herself inside the handicapped stall. She needed the space. Quickly stripping the convertible nylon holster off the ankle rig, she slipped it inside her waistband, hooking the clip over her belt.

  Avia knew that unlike a man's, her body curved in at the waist, even in back. She could ride with reasonable comfort in the car with the Smith nestled in the small of her back. She just needed to make sure Ben didn't grab her.

  She checked the clip holster but no luck, they'd have to stay on her lower leg.

  When she got back to the car, her burger was waiting and the men were talking.

  "If they're both organized crime, why would they kill her? And what's Irene got to do with it?" Ben was saying.

  "Maybe nothing," Eustace replied. "There actually is coincidence."

  "The police took something from Randall last night on a search warrant. Dane wouldn't say what," Avia said, unwrapping her straw.

  "I think she was trying to blackmail him," she continued. "Considering she tried it with Ben. She got close to a lawyer, one with money, who normally wouldn't touch the kind of thing she wanted to do. He did it, because of you," she said to Ben.

  "You have some pretty deep pockets. Worth his time." She took a drink of her soda. "Thing is, he had deep pockets, too, for someone like her. And she had a recording of that beating. The one that landed her in Urgent Care."