Deadlocked (The Harry Russo Diaries Book 3)

by Lisa Emme

  “Catalina! Stop!” Salvador’s voice rang out.

  “Madre!” Diego’s voice joined in.

  “No!” Catalina roared. “No!” She swept her arm out behind her and the room shuttered, a shock wave travelling out from where we stood, knocking down everything in its wake. She reached up and placed her other hand beside the first, slowly wrapping her fingers around my neck. “Now you will die and I will watch as I slowly strangle the life out of you.”

  I struggled in her grip, as her fingers tightened. “No!” I gasped, trying to push out with my will, compelling her to stop. For a brief moment she paused, her eyes widening in surprise, but then she snarled and her hands began to tighten again. My power was no match for hers.

  My breath wheezed out and I began to gasp, unable to take a single breath. For a moment, it felt like time stopped and I looked over her shoulder. Isaac and Hilde were struggling to stand. Salvador was on his feet but there seemed to be some sort of invisible barrier preventing him from getting to me. I could see his mouth moving, but hear no sound except Catalina’s snarling and my choking attempts to draw breath.

  I kicked out with my legs, trying to dislodge her. Finally, after the first moments of panic, instinct and training kicked in. I clapped my hands in front of me, holding them together like in prayer and drove them up between Catalina’s outstretched arms. With my arms on the inside of hers, I was able to get a small amount of leverage, pushing out enough to loosen her grip on my throat ever so slightly, enough to draw in a ragged breath. Without pausing, I reached down and drove my thumbs into her eye sockets.

  Catalina screamed a bloodcurdling scream, her hands falling from my neck and I gulped in air as I fell to my feet. I bent over, my hand sliding up my calf to grab the dagger I had hidden there. I pulled it from its holster, rising to stand just as the Mariposa lunged for me again. I thrust the dagger up, placing it between us, her own momentum helping to impale her on the blade. It slid into her chest and I gave it twist. There was a pop and she exploded into pieces, blood and gore raining down around me.

  Horrified, shocked, relieved, lucky to be alive; whatever it was I was feeling, I slid to the floor and took what felt to be my first deep breath in years, the Dagger of Asar – now broken – clutched firmly in my hand. Good thing I came prepared to the party.

  Epilogue

  “Hurry up, Nash,” I complained from my perch on the end of the bed, “you’re going to make me late for my own party.”

  “Alright, alright, I’m almost done,” Nash replied, his voice partially masked by the sound of splashing water.

  He stepped out of the bathroom a moment later, drying his freshly shaved face on a towel. He was only half dressed, his dark button-fly jeans partially done up around his waist. His shirt lay beside me on the bed.

  I looked at him in appreciation, my eyes lingering over the sharp planes of his abdomen, a feeling of pure lust overwhelming me. I licked my lips.

  “You keep looking at me like that and we’re going to be very late,” he growled, a smoldering heat in his eyes. He was across the room in two strides and I laughed in surprise as he pounced on me, pushing me back on the bed. He pinned my arms above my head, his mouth devouring mine. “Very, very late,” he said. He yanked my shirt out from where it was tucked into my pants, sliding his hand up under it, his palm warm against my skin.

  “Mmmmm,” I moaned, arching my back as he cupped my breast, his fingers brushing over my nipple through the lace of my bra. “Late’s not so bad. It’s fashionable.” I slid my free hand over his abs and followed the path of downy hair to where it disappeared into his jeans.

  “Minx.” He grabbed my hand, pushing it back up above my head. His lips skimmed down my neck, tentatively, hovering over my bruised skin.

  “It’s okay Nash, they don’t even hurt,” I said. He frowned at the angry, hand-shaped bruises on my neck. It had been a week, but they had barely faded. Odd, since I usually healed faster than that. I watched the emotions flit across his face, warring with each other: Anger at what had happened to me. Regret that he hadn’t been there to protect me. His alpha possessiveness that someone dared harm what was his. And finally, concern for my well-being and safety.

  “I wish...” He frowned again, his fingers reaching out to hover over my neck. “I wish –”

  “I know,” I said, putting a finger to his lips. I smiled, running my hand over his smooth face. He’d been shaving regularly these last few days. I suspected it was because he didn’t want to add a case of whisker-burn to my already abraded neck. Truthfully, I kind of missed the delicious rasp of his whiskers against my sensitive skin, but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before scruffy Nash returned.

  I pulled his face to mine, kissing him deeply. Grabbing him by the shoulders and wrapping my leg around his thighs, I flipped him off me and onto his back. The look of surprise on his face made me laugh as I settled myself on top of him, straddling his hips. I leaned over, pushing my breasts against his chest and took his mouth with mine. He growled, his hands grabbing my hips, pulling me hard against him. I ran my hands over his bare skin and his nipples pebbled under my touch.

  Nash pulled at the button on my jeans, popping it open and yanking the zipper down. He slipped his hand into my pants, his fingers working their magic. I moaned, grinding myself against him.

  Suddenly, I was flying through the air, landing on my back on the bed with a yelp of surprise. Nash yanked his shirt out from underneath me and gave me a wicked grin.

  “Come on, minx. You don’t want to be late for your own party.” He laughed again, the evil bastard, and pulling on his shirt, strode out of the room.

  “You’ll pay for that, old wolf!” I couldn’t help but smile after him. Payback was going to be sweet.

  ***

  “Hi, it’s so good to see you. I’m glad you could come.” I gave Millie Daniels a hug. She was looking very prim and proper in her floral dress and hat. I had helped the recently widowed woman out a while ago with some issues over a missing will.

  “Harry, it’s good to see you, girl.” Millie beamed at me. “I just had to stop by and wish you luck in your new endeavour.” She patted my arm. “And I wanted to tell you the news myself.”

  “News?”

  “Yes'm, I’ve sold the house. That nice lawyer helped me with everything and you wouldn’t believe the price I got for it.” She shook her head. “Lordy, who would have thought I’d have enough money to retire and go live in Florida?”

  “Millie, I’m so happy for you.” I gave her another hug. “I’ll miss you though.”

  “Oh, you are a dear. You’re so busy and look at all these people.” She looked around the shop. The place was packed. It seemed like the entire neighbourhood plus all my friends had come out for the grand opening of the Full Fat Coffee Company. “I best get me some of that delicious looking cake before it’s all gone.” She gave me another little pat and then bustled off to do just that.

  “Harry!” Isaac beckoned me over. He was busy at the Deco, serving up coffee to go with the incredible cake Hilde had created. It was almost a shame to have cut into it, but the hungry people eyeing it probably would have rioted if we hadn’t. It had been a work of art. A chocolate lover’s dream, it was layers of white cake and rich chocolate ganache, frosted with a creamy fudge icing. As if that wasn’t enough, Hilde had recreated a perfect replica of our new logo across the surface of the large slab cake.

  I loved our new logo. It had been designed courtesy of Willow, our newest nightshift employee. She was another one of Isaac’s vampire friends that, like Hilde, wanted a chance to try something new. She was an amazing artist and she was one of several vampires that moved out of Dante’s and into the newly renovated, high security condos across the street.

  It turns out I did know the owner of the building after all, since it was Isaac. I was stunned when I found out. He
had bought the place and started plans to renovate it almost immediately after meeting me. He planned to use it to house vampires that were tired of the nightclub lifestyle at Dante’s. On the main floor, there was a large studio space where artists like Willow could work. He was also planning on opening a gallery to show and sell the art produced.

  I looked again at the logo emblazoned on the sign hanging on the wall over the coffee machine. It was perfect. It reminded me of Ruben’s famous Venus and Adonis. All you had to do was swap out Adonis with a large steaming cup of coffee, the voluptuous, and thankfully modestly clad, Venus lovingly hugging the cup to her bosom. If there was ever a woman that embraced the concept of full fat, it was the curvy Venus.

  “Harry!” Isaac’s slightly perturbed voice jolted me out of my daze. I hurried over to see what he wanted.

  “You bellowed?” I asked with a grin.

  He gave me a long suffering look. “It’s time,” he said, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

  “Really?” I huffed out a breath. “Fine.” I stomped off and into the centre of the room near the bakery counter. “Excuse me! Excuse me!” I raised my voice over the din of the crowd. I caught Nash’s eye where he sat in one of the booths with his three sisters. He winked.

  “Go get’em, minx,” his thoughts whispered encouragement in mine. I grinned at him.

  A sharp whistle shrilled and the crowd hushed in response. I looked over in surprise to see Hilde standing behind the bakery counter, her fingers at her lips ready to whistle again if needed. I nodded a thanks and then turned back to face the crowd.

  “Oh boy,” I said with a nervous smile. I took a deep breath. “Okay, so I’ve been told that I should say a few words.” I threw a pointed look at Isaac and then looked back over the group. “Wow, there’s a lot of you here today. That’s great. But, just so you know, our capacity limit is only fifty, so if anyone spots a city inspector, could those closest to the door just step outside onto the patio until he’s gone? That would be great. Thanks.” I smiled and the crowd tittered with laughter. “Okay…first of all, I’d like to thank you all for coming out for our grand opening. I know a lot of you have been here over the last couple of weeks already, drinking our coffee and eating our pastries and some of you have even paid for them,” I waited for a minute for the crowd to quiet down again, “and for that, I am…we are, very grateful. Your support has meant a lot to us and I hope that you will continue to support us in the future.” I smiled out at the crowd, taking in all the familiar faces: Barbie and her brother Martin, Tank and several others from my former babysitting detail, Tess and her Uncle Rigo, Morris and the boys, even Mrs. Flannigan was sitting sharing a cup of tea with Millie at one of the four-tops. “We’re new at this thing, so I hope you will forgive any blunders we, I…make,” I gave them a little self-deprecating smile, “and know that we will continue to strive to provide our best for you.” I raised my coffee mug. “So here’s to the Full Fat Coffee Company, a neighbourhood fixture for years to come.” There were lots of cheers and everyone raised the glass or cup in front of them. “Alright! I guess that’s it then,” I said with relief. “Drink up, eat up, enjoy your free coffee and cake because the next one’s going to cost you.”

  I stepped into the crowd of people, all patting my back and shaking my hand, wishing me well. It felt good. It felt normal. I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed a good dose of normal after the events of last week. What am I talking about? After the events of the last few months.

  “Well done, minx.” Nash wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in to give me a peck on my forehead.

  “Whew!” I smiled. “I’m glad that’s over. I hate public speaking.”

  “Harry!” Tess threw herself at me, giving me a big hug. “You were great. See? I told you it wouldn’t be so bad.”

  “Thanks Tess.” I gave her a hug back. Nash stepped over to speak with Rigo. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” She had been my test audience, helping me to fine tune my little speech. “Oh, hey,” I said, spotting Max just walking into the shop. “There’s someone I want you to meet. Come on.” I dragged her by her arm across the room.

  “Max!”

  “Harry! How are you? You’re looking great.” Max smiled. I hadn’t seen him since the night of the banquet and to say the events after the Mariposa exploded all over me were a blur, would be the understatement of the century.

  “I’m good. Doing great actually.” I smiled at him and then put my hand out to Tess. “Max, this is my best friend Tess Alvarez. Tess, this is Maxwell Hart.” I smiled at his name and looked at Tess waiting for her reaction. We had giggled over the name days before when I had told her about him. I mean, how could you say Maxwell Hart and not think about Agent 86? We had ended up binging on old episodes of Get Smart afterwards.

  Tess looked at Max, a sort of stunned expression on her face. “Uh, hi,” she finally said, keeping her hands at her sides. She knew better than to hold out her hand to shake. “Nice to meet you.” She turned to me, a strange look on her face. “Sorry Harry, I just remembered something I forgot to do.” She started to back away. “Will you excuse me?”

  “Certainly,” replied Max, his face puzzled.

  Tess beat a hasty retreat, cutting through the crowd. I shrugged. “Well, that was strange.”

  “I hope it wasn’t me.” Max laughed half-heartedly, his eyes still on Tess’s retreating figure.

  “She probably left her flat iron on or something.” I shrugged, trying to keep my concern over Tess’s reaction from showing on my face. Looping my arm through Max’s, I said, “Let’s get you some coffee and you have to try the cake before it’s all gone.”

  ***

  “There you are, minx. I’ve been looking all over for you.” Nash slipped up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

  “I’ve been busy playing hostess,” I replied, turning around in his arms and wrapping mine around his neck. I pulled him down for a quick kiss.

  “Mmmm, I want more.” He grabbed my hand and spinning me around, pulled me down the hall towards the storage room.

  “Nash!” I scolded him. “We can’t just – ”

  “Oh yes we can,” Nash replied, pushing me in the door, “I know the owner.” He pulled the door closed behind him and I found myself pressed up against it, his body hard against me. He crushed his lips to mine.

  After a minute or two, I pulled my mouth from his, panting. “It’s kind of dark in here, don’t you think?” It was almost pitch black. We hadn’t turned the light on and the high piano windows along the length of the room did little to help since it was night outside.

  “I guess I’ll just have to feel my way around,” Nash replied, sliding his hands up my body to cup my breasts. He nipped several playful kisses down my neck to my collarbone. “I’m sure I can manage.” He popped the button on my jeans. “I’m a quick study after all.” He yanked on my pants, pulling them down to my knees. “Besides, you know what they say...” He slipped his hand inside my panties and I sucked in a breath. “Practice makes perfect.” He began to tease me with his fingers. “Or maybe it’s ‘seize the moment’.”

  “I was thinking ‘less talk, more action’,” I rasped, my voice raw with need.

  Nash laughed. “How about ‘you want it, you got it’?” He pushed my feet farther apart, falling to his knees in front of me.

  “Have it your way,” I groaned. And he did.

  At least until the ghost arrived.

  The End

  Thank you for reading Deadlocked. As an independent author, I rely on word of mouth to help sell books. If you are so inclined, please consider leaving a review online at your favourite bookseller’s website.

  My beta readers are invaluable. Christina, Erin, Jody, Tania, Christine, Jill, Barb…Thank you all for your eagle eyes. A big shout out as well to fellow author, April Wilson, for doing a final proofr
ead for me. I take full responsibility for any mistakes that remain.

  Want to know if there is more in store for Harry? Don't miss a thing! Keep up with all the news and receive exclusive offers and content by joining my mailing list. Visit my website at www.lisaemme.com and sign up today!

  Cheers!

  Lisa

  About the Author

  Lisa Emme, a Canadian who proudly ends her ABC’s with 'zed', is the author of the popular The Harry Russo Diaries and the stand-alone contemporary romance, Home Again. A self-professed book-a-holic, she has spent the last few years trying to stem her book hoarding tendencies by writing her own stories and by avoiding the bargain table at the bookstore like the plague.

  A bit of a thrill seeker, Lisa has tried such death defying activities as bungy jumping of a bridge in New Zealand and rappelling down the side of a 17 storey building. She's also single-handedly raising a teenager.

  Lisa has worked as a veterinary assistant, playground instructor, bank teller, store clerk, waitress, telephone solicitor, research writer for an environmental think tank, computer programmer, and systems analyst. Her passion however, is writing. What else is she going to do during the long, cold prairie winter?

  Lisa would love to hear from you.

  Website: www.lisaemme.com

  Facebook:www.facebook.com/LisaEmmeBooks

  E-mail: lisa.emme@mymts.net

  The Harry Russo Diaries

  Join Harry in her earlier adventures and find out how it all began. Available at your favourite authorized retailer.