by Paula Cox
She shrugged and turned to him, gesturing to the zip of her dress. “Unzip me?”
His eyes darkened.
“Pretty please?”
Cliff stepped forward and grasped her side. His fingers brushed the underside of her breast and the temperature in the room went up by at least two degrees. Then he used his other hand to slowly drag the zipper down until it reached just above her tailbone.
“Thanks.” Liana took a steadying breath and dropped the dress to the floor.
“What are you doing?” Cliff asked. His voice was thick and deep.
Liana turned her head to the side and grinned at him. “I’m getting changed,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I don’t want to ruin this dress on the way home. It’s not meant for sitting.”
Cliff’s eyes raked over her half naked body, lingering on her ass. He strode around her, studying her the whole time like she was a tasty dish. Liana shivered. It was as if his eyes were physically dragging across her skin.
He stopped in front of her, eyes blazing. “You know what I mean, Liana,” he said. “What are you doing?”
She resisted the urge to cover herself. There was no need for that in front of him. “We’ve been dancing around this for way too long, don’t you think?” Stepping in, she added, “We don’t have to get married, but I can’t deny how appealing spending more time with you sounds.”
“You despise me,” he replied.
Liana laughed. “Only as much as you despise me.” She reached for his face, sliding a finger along his cheekbone. “I’m so sick of worrying and wondering, Cliff. Let’s just be honest with each other.”
Cliff’s stony expression was impossible to read. Liana’s heart was beating so fast in her chest that she wondered if he could hear it. She was trying so hard to act cool and natural, but she worried it wouldn’t be enough.
Liana knew the risk she’d taken tonight. But she’d wanted to do it—for him. And if she was going to die, she wanted to die with him there. It was as simple as that.
But what if he didn’t feel the same?
A knock on the door sent Liana running for her clothes, hastily shoving on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as Cliff greeted the visitor.
“Who is it and what do you want?”
“My name is Peter, I’m the head of security,” the man answered. “I’m looking for Cliff Aurello, and I was told I’d likely find him here.”
“That’s me.”
“Can I come in?”
Cliff glanced at Liana, now fully dressed. “Get in the closet,” he whispered.
Liana furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Because he might not be Peter from security. Just do it.”
Liana sighed but shoved herself into the closet just as Cliff opened the door. Through the crack, she watched a gigantic bald man enter the room. He definitely looked like the head-of-security type.
“I need to talk to you regarding the security concerns you mentioned,” Peter explained, closing the door behind him.
Liana wanted to step out from the closet, but she’d already questioned and defied Cliff a lot tonight. She would let him have this one.
Luckily, she didn’t have to take long.
“Liana,” Cliff called. “You can come out. He’s not Lando.”
She emerged from her hiding place with a sheepish grin. It didn’t matter that she’d been told to hide there, she still felt foolish coming out of her hiding place.
“Liana,” Peter said with a smile. “You were brilliant tonight.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
“What did you come to say?” Cliff interrupted.
Liana glared at him.
Peter seemed unfazed. “I wasn’t sure if this meant anything, but it seemed like too much of a coincidence to me.” He gestured to Liana. “When she made her announcement, I saw a tall man with dark hair break his beer bottle.”
“He dropped it?” Cliff asked.
“No,” Peter replied. “He gripped it so hard that it smashed in his hand.”
Liana gasped. She knew, without a doubt, that the man who Peter had seen was Lando. Not only did the description match the man who’d given her the champagne bottle that started all this, but who else would get so upset at her announcement that they broke a bottle with their bare hand?
“Where is he now?” Cliff asked.
Peter shook his head. “I don’t know. He left soon afterward, and I lost track of him.”
Cliff walked over to Liana and grabbed her hand. “We need to get out of here.”
Chapter 16
Wherever Lando was, Cliff didn’t want Liana anywhere near him. He had to get her far away from this theater and far away from the danger the man obsessed with Cliff presented. Why did he care so much about Liana and Cliff’s relationship? Why did he want to hurt people close to Cliff?
But to Cliff, the most chilling question was not why Lando was doing the things he was doing. It was why he hadn’t done anything else tonight. What did Lando have in store for Liana now?
He wrapped his coat around Liana’s shoulders and tucked her under his arm, holding her tight to his side.
“He probably just got upset and left,” Liana reasoned, struggling to keep up with his long strides.
“I’m not going to take any chances,” Cliff replied. “I already let you out of my sight once tonight. It’s not happening again, and I don’t care what you have to say about it.”
Peter had offered to show them the fastest way to the backstage door and was out in front of them now leading the way. Cliff’s car was parked next to the curb just at the entrance of that alley. They only needed to get that far, and she’d be safe.
Liana snuggled in tighter under his side. Odd. He’d expected another retort. He would take this instead happily.
They’d been having such a nice moment in her dressing room before Peter interrupted, though he didn’t blame the man for it. He wondered if they’d ever get back to that moment, or if they’d slip back into tense silence once they got home. Was it a missed opportunity?
No. Cliff wouldn’t let it be one. His worrying about Liana had made one thing very clear: he wanted her. And not just once. Not just twice. Always.
And Cliff always got what he wanted.
“This way,” Peter instructed, waving them over to a large steel door.
The strains of music from the night’s headliner drifted back to them. The woman on stage didn’t sound even half as good as Liana had; just another thing Cliff was sure of. When they opened a club together—and they would—she would be an absolute star. He admired her talent almost as much as he admired her fire.
The night air was a sharp contrast to the muggy atmosphere backstage. Peter came out behind them.
“I want to make sure you get to your car okay,” he explained. “Seeing that guy break that bottle in such a way… It was something I won’t forget. It chilled me.”
“I appreciate the help,” Cliff said, tucking the precious cargo tighter under his arm. “I’m just over here.”
They reached Cliff’s car, and his blood turned to ice.
All four tires had been slashed. Not even just once, either. They were a ragged mess of rubber hanging from the metal hubcaps like broken wings. Liana gasped when she saw it. Cliff began to see red.
“I hope that wasn’t your car,” Peter mumbled.
“It was.” Cliff groaned and pulled out his cell phone, unlocking it and searching for Julian’s number. The old man was nearby tonight, having insisted on coming to see Liana sing and help keep her safe.
A crack resounded through the air. Then another.
Cliff slammed down on top of Liana, pinning her to the pavement next to the car as he scanned under the chassis for signs of a threat. Peter had hit the ground too behind him.
They both knew gunshots when they heard them.
“Were they close?” Peter asked. “I couldn’t tell.”
Below him, Liana was completely still. “I don’t know either. They
echoed too much to be too close, though. Is there somewhere secure you can take us?”
Cliff craned his neck to look at Peter, who was tentatively rising from the ground. “Yeah. We’ve got a panic room downstairs for situations like this, actually.” He gestured for them to follow him back in the direction of the theater. “Let’s get you guys somewhere safe.”
Cliff rose and hauled Liana up into his arms. She opened her mouth to protest being carried, but one stern look from him let her know it was unwise. When it counted, he could usually rely on her to listen to him. If only she’d listen to him the rest of the time.
Then again, that wouldn’t be as interesting.
They hustled to the back door and slipped through. Inside, the performance was still going on, and there were no signs that anybody inside had heard the shots. Cliff hesitated, “Wait,” he said to Peter.
Peter stopped. “What is it?”
“I could be overreacting,” Cliff said. “It’s a big city. Gunshots happen.”
Peter shrugged. “I’m happy to set you up in our panic room if you want, but I won’t force you down there if you think it’s safe for you to be outside.”
Cliff’s phone began to ring. It was Julian.
“Julian,” Cliff answered. “Did you hear it?”
“Hear it?” Julian asked, laughing coldly. “I was part of it.”
Cliff could hear the anger in his friend’s voice. He understood it. Men of their variety were accustomed to being top of the food chain. Having somebody take shots of them was both frustrating and disrespectful.
“Are you okay?” Cliff asked.
Julian sighed. “I’m okay,” he said. “I wish I could say the same for my car.”
“Did he get your tires too?”
“Tires?” Julian asked. “He got the whole goddamn thing! Molotov Cocktailed the shit out of it.”
“Damn.” Cliff nodded at Peter, who continued to lead them to the safe room. “I heard gunshots. Was that you?”
“Yeah. I caught the guy just as he was leaving and tried to shoot him. Turns out my aim ain’t as good as it used to be.”
But how much of a relief would it have been if Julian had shot him? This would have all been over. Just like that, Cliff and Liana could go on to living like normal without having a threat over their heads.
But that hadn’t happened.
“Stay off the streets for awhile,” Julian suggested. “I don’t think he’s finished with his tricks and I want to have the guys see what they can drag out of the alleys.”
“Thanks, Julian,” Cliff said.
It meant a lot that Julian was getting so involved. By all rights, he didn’t have to participate in the manhunt at all. He was a friend of Cliff’s, but no longer a part of the family that Cliff served.
“I’ll talk to you when I know more,” Julian said. “Stay safe.”
Cliff ended the call and patted Liana’s arm as Peter continued to lead them through the back hallways of the theater. “You okay?” Cliff asked.
She looked up at him. Her eyes were wide and wild, but she managed a small smile. “Just a little shaken,” she said. “But I suppose this is business as usual for you?”
She jabbed him playfully in the side, and Cliff wanted to kiss her.
“Not even close darling,” he jibed back. “I’m usually the one doing the hunting.”
Peter eventually led them to what looked like a dead end, when it fact it was a false wall much like the one in Cliff’s house that led to the conference room.
Liana noticed this too. “Man. Does everybody in this city have a secret room?”
“Only the important people,” Cliff replied, guiding her into the darkened space.
Peter flicked a switch on the wall and light bathed the room. It was sparsely decorated but secure. There were no windows, and the walls were composed of thick cement. The unmade queen bed in the corner actually didn’t look that bad, and there were a little kitchenette and a door leading into a bathroom. All in all, it would do.
“The door locks from the outside and the inside. The outside lock is hidden, and only the security staff know where to find it,” Peter explained. “I’ll lock my portion and come get you guys in a bit.”
“Actually, Peter,” Cliff said. “We need arrangements to be made to go to a safe house. My line might be being monitored. Could you make such arrangements for me?”
Peter smiled. “For a price, sir, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Of course. You’ll be rewarded handsomely.”
Peter saluted with a grin. “I’ll need until the morning to make arrangements. There’s lots of tinned food in the cupboards if you guys get hungry. And there are sheets for the bed in the closet.”
Cliff grimaced. “I’m sure we’ll make do.”
Peter left them alone, and Cliff felt a sinking sense of dread as the door closed behind him, the lock clicking into place.
Cliff hated hiding. Whoever was threatening him, he wanted to face them head on. He wanted to make them hurt. As much fear as Liana had felt since Michael’s death, Cliff wanted to deliver to Lando two-fold.
If it were up to Cliff, he wouldn’t be under lock and key backstage at the Boulder Theater. He would be out there roaming the streets, causing pain and breaking bones. He would find Lando quickly and would show no mercy.
But he wouldn't leave Liana for anything. And it wasn’t safe for her to go out there. She didn’t know how to fight. She didn’t know how to hurt. She only knew how to sing and dance on his last nerve. And his heart.
Liana didn’t know how to fight… That gave Cliff an idea for how they’d spend their evening.
Chapter 17
“Touch me again, and you die.”
“You don’t have to be so dramatic about it, Liana.”
“I’m going to end you.”
“I think we both know that’s not going to happen.”
The self-defence lessons were going well. So far, Liana had learned how to escape several types of holds and knew the best places to hit a person to hurt them. It was making her cocky.
She could tell that, despite his apparent weariness, Cliff appreciated the enthusiasm. She kept catching him smiling at her as she goaded him throughout the lesson. And so she kept on goading. And kept on fighting. And was proving to be very scrappy when she wanted to be.
After elbowing him in the ribs for the third time when she was meant to be slamming her heel on his instep, Cliff reminded her that the moves would only work if she used them properly. He caught her around the waist from behind and spread her feet on the outsides of his legs, binding her arms with his.
“You could try and get out of this for hours,” he hissed into her hair. “But until you do it properly, I won’t budge. And using your energy to wiggle and flail is only going to tire you out.”
“Maybe it’ll tire you out too,” she gritted, trying to pull her arms free. Like with all the holds he’d showed her, Liana found it difficult to ignore how good it felt to be wrapped in his arms. She’d tried to transition into something a little less aggressive and a lot more fun a couple of times now, but he hadn’t taken the bait. Apparently, he was all serious business when it came to teaching her how to defend herself.
“You’re not going to tire me out,” he said. “Does it seem like this is tiring to me?” He squeezed for emphasis. “I’m not even using all my strength.”
Liana struggled again and tried to slam her body back into his. “Okay well, I’m already tired. Can we take a break?”
His dark chuckle made the hairs at the base of her neck stand up. “We can take a break when you can break out of this hold.”
She’d had enough. Not only could she not remember exactly how she was supposed to break out of this particular hold, but she also could barely remember her own name with Cliff standing so close to her. She’d been exposed to this kind of contact for nearly an hour now, and she knew she was hot and sweaty from more than just the grappling.
It w
as time for desperate measures.
She ground her butt against him in a slow circle. He growled into her hair. “Liana. Stop.”
She stopped, but the evidence of his arousal was there. He was hard as a rock against her butt.
“What’s the matter?” she asked innocently. “Am I distracting you?”
“Yes.” His voice was like gravel. “That’s exactly the problem.”