by Lori Wilde
“A blow to your man parts. Blow job, get it?” Cassie stepped over him and pulled back her hair with one hand so it wouldn’t fall in her face as she searched in the predawn haze for the amulet.
She spotted the ring and leaned down to pick it up. Just as she reached for it, a man’s hand appeared from the shadows.
Breathing hard, clothes soaking wet, Harrison scaled the embankment.
Cassie. I have to save Cassie.
The ground felt like wet cement, dragging him down, slowing him. He pumped his arms and pushed himself harder. The river was directly below him. If he slipped and fell, he would plunge into the deep pool of turbulent water tumbling off the spillway.
Got to get to Cassie.
He crested the hill, heard someone moan ahead of him in the copse of trees. Spurred on, he zigzagged around stumps and boulders, broke through into a small clearing. He found Demitri on the ground, holding himself and rolling from side to side. Cassie was kneeling a few feet away, clutching something tightly to her chest in her knotted hand.
Her face was lifted upward, and she was gazing into the barrel of a gun.
Harrison blinked, unable to believe his eyes, but he understood at once what had happened. She’d racked Demitri, he’d dropped the amulet, and when she’d gone to retrieve it, Ahmose Akvar had pulled the gun on her.
The question was, Where had Ahmose come from, and what did he have to do with Tom Grayfield and the Minoan Order?
“Give me the amulet,” the Egyptian demanded, extending his palm.
“Cassie, sweetheart,” Harrison called out. “Are you all right?”
“Could be better,” she said ruefully. “I’m not a huge fan of having firearms pointed in my face.”
“What are you doing, Ahmose?” Harrison stepped around Demitri, who whistled in a low, keening wail. Cassie must have gotten him good. He moved purposely toward Ahmose, acting as if he was unarmed, acting as if this were all perfectly normal. He didn’t want to escalate the situation by injecting unnecessary emotion into it. But he wanted to rush Ahmose and pound the shit out of him for scaring Cassie.
“Stay back, Harrison.” Ahmose waved the gun at him.
“What’s going on? Let’s talk about this.”
“Nothing to talk about,” Ahmose said. “Give me the amulet.”
“No.” Cassie shook her head. “I won’t.”
Ahmose cocked the gun. “Please, do not make me shoot you.”
Harrison could tell from the determined set to his jaw that Ahmose would pull the trigger if forced. Harrison had no idea why, but he was certain Ahmose was deadly serious. Sweat popped out on his forehead despite the fact he was drenched and shivering cold down to his very marrow.
“Give him the amulet, Cassie.”
In the distance, sirens wailed.
“Give me the amulet.”
The sirens goaded the urgency in Ahmose’s voice. The Egyptian stepped forward and pressed the nose of the gun flush against Cassie’s temple.
Her eyes widened and she looked over at Harrison, the fear on her face ripping a hole through him more vicious than any bullet.
“Give it to him,” Harrison whispered. “It isn’t worth your life.”
“But Kiya and Solen,” she whimpered.
“To hell with Kiya and Solen. You’re the one I care about.”
“Do as Dr. Standish says.”
Reluctantly, Cassie unknotted her fist and allowed Ahmose to pluck the ring from her hand.
Without another word, the Egyptian stalked to the top of the embankment and stared down at the churning river below. He cocked back his arm and flung the amulet into the Trinity.
They all watched it hit the water and quickly disappear into the thrashing foam. Ahmose stuck the gun in his waistband and turned to go.
Harrison stared in disbelief. His entire life’s work had just been thrown away. Impossible, unbelievable. He couldn’t let it go. He had to know. He moved in front of the Egyptian, blocking his way.
Their eyes met.
“Why, Ahmose? Why?”
“Ask your mother,” Ahmose said and then shouldered past him and disappeared into the wet, stormy night.
The sirens screamed nearer.
Stunned over what had just happened, Cassie stared at Harrison.
“Ahmose threw the amulet away. Why would he throw it in the river? And what did he mean when he said to ask your mother?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Harrison said, moving to close the gap between them.
Her bottom lip trembled as emotion swept through her. “Kiya and Solen.” She choked back the tears. “They’ll never be reunited now.”
“Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay.” Harry reached out to cup the back of her head in his palm, threading his fingers through her hair. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” She forced a shaky smile. “I’m fine.”
He lowered his head and tenderly kissed her lips. She’d never tasted anything sweeter than the flavor of his mouth. Fifteen minutes earlier she’d thought her life was over, that she would never see him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he scooped her, against him. She never wanted to let him go.
“We better break this up,” he murmured softly against her lips. “Demitri’s getting away.”
She sighed and stepped back. Harrison went after Demitri, who was trying to crawl off through the trees.
“Not so fast, dirtbag.” Harrison grabbed Demitri by the collar and started dragging him, kicking and clawing, back into the clearing. Then Demitri tripped Harrison, knocking him to the ground. They rolled around, punching each other.
“Stop it! Stop it!” Cassie cried.
“Don’t anybody move,” came a voice from the mist. “FBI.”
“How did you find us?” Cassie asked her brother-in-law, David Marshall, several minutes later.
She, David, Harrison, and Clyde were standing on the banks of the Trinity. They’d quickly filled David in on what had happened, each telling their part of the story.
Paramedics loaded Tom Grayfield, Anthony Korba, and Adam into ambulances. All three were unconscious from the refracted electrical discharge of Harrison’s djed transformer. Demitri, who hadn’t been as severely affected by the voltage because he’d been wearing sneakers, was shackled and had been led off to a waiting police cruiser. None of the uniformed officers with David had been able to find Ahmose Akvar, although they were still scouring the nearby woods and the perimeter of Forest Park.
“The burning bush.” David indicated the tree still smoldering from the lightning strike. “Someone saw it flaming and called the fire department. When they got here, firemen spied Tom Grayfield’s limo and radioed the police. I had them put an APB out on you the minute you told me you were with Tom Grayfield. Do you have any idea how frantic I’ve been, Cassie?”
Cassie crinkled her nose. “I’m so sorry, David. I didn’t mean to involve you in all this.”
“Hey.” David smiled and shrugged. “What are brothers-in-law for?”
“You didn’t tell Maddie, did you?”
“I had to. Maddie’s my wife. We don’t keep secrets from each other. She’s catching the next flight out from D.C.”
“Maddie worries too much.” Cassie sighed. Although she might complain about her sister’s fierce protectiveness, she would secretly be overjoyed to hug her twin close after tonight’s ordeal.
“Your sister just cares about you,” David said.
“I know.” Cassie nodded and turned to Harrison. Their eyes met and her stomach clutched. Here was someone else who cared about her too. And she cared about him in return. Cared more than she ever thought possible. “I owe you an apology, Harrison.”
“What for?”
“For believing Ahmose’s lie. For doubting you even for a moment.”
“Why did you doubt me?” he asked.
“Because of the photograph with Clyde in the background. Why did you lie about knowing him?”
“Harrison didn’t kno
w that I knew him,” Clyde interjected. “He never realized it was me in the picture.”
Cassie’s eyes never left Harrison’s face, and he was studying her just as intently. She couldn’t wait to get him alone so she could show him exactly how sorry she was for misjudging him.
“What’s going to happen to Tom Grayfield?” Clyde asked. “And his henchmen?”
“Both the CIA and the Greek government are waiting to talk with him about myriad offenses and violations. He’ll be going to prison for a very long time,” David said. “Anthony Korba and Demitri Lorenzo will face kidnapping and attempted murder charges along with Grayfield.”
Harrison gazed after the ambulance that whisked Adam away. “Do you think my brother will be all right?”
“Come on.” David clapped a sympathetic hand on Harrison’s shoulder. “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”
CHAPTER 23
It was eight o’clock on Friday morning when they got back to Harrison’s apartment. David had raised an eyebrow when Cassie told him there wasn’t any need for him to take her over to her place, because she was staying with Harry.
Adam still hadn’t regained consciousness. The doctor had advised them to go home and get some rest. He said Adam’s prognosis was good, and he expected him to make a full recovery.
But once the front door had closed and she was totally alone with Harrison, Cassie was surprised to discover she felt shy and a little awkward.
He smiled at her, stretched out a hand, and her uncertainty vanished. In spite of his black eye and bruises, or maybe even because of them. No one had ever taken her breath the way that he did. How was it she’d never really realized exactly how handsome he was?
“Let’s get you tended to.”
“Huh?” She felt dazed from staring into those rich brown eyes.
“Your legs.” He nodded.
Cassie peered down at her feet. They’d given her a pair of paper booties to wear at the hospital, but there was dried blood on her skin from her knees on down.
Harrison filled the tub with water and quietly undressed her. She appreciated the care he took, tenderly helping her off with her blouse. When he dropped it to the floor, Solen’s ring rolled out.
“You have the other half of the amulet,” he said.
“Little good it does now.” She felt incredibly close to tears again. “Solen and Kiya will never be together.”
“It’s just a silly legend.”
“Still, you never know.”
“I understand,” he said. “I feel the loss too. I never believed in the legend, and until now I never realized how important reuniting those rings was to me.”
“It’s sad.”
“Shh, let’s not talk about it.” He finished undressing her about the same time the tub had filled. He turned off the water and helped her into the bath.
Sinking gratefully into the warm water, she told him everything that had happened to her in the warehouse. He told her what he’d discovered in the scrolls. How the cryptic message had led him directly to Tom Grayfield.
She spoke of her fear of never seeing him again, her terror at being locked in the sarcophagus, and then she told him about the strange and wonderful peace that had come over her. The forgiveness she’d felt for everyone.
He whispered of his dismay at learning he’d delivered her into Grayfield’s hands. Emotion caught in his throat when he spoke of the horror he’d felt when he realized Grayfield intended to use her as a human sacrifice in his quest for immortality.
Harrison undressed and climbed into the tub with her. They said nothing more, just gazed into each other’s eyes, fully experiencing the moment. Both happy that they were together and alive.
She stroked his cheek with a washcloth.
He soaped her breasts.
She massaged his tense shoulders.
He brushed his fingers through the strands of her hair.
When the water grew cold, they dried each other off. He had Cassie sit on the counter and he knelt on the floor, tenderly cleansing her wounds. After first applying antiseptic ointment, he then put Band-Aids on the cuts and scrapes on her feet and knees.
They were completely naked in front of each other in the stark bathroom light, and neither was embarrassed.
It felt too right.
He kissed her and she kissed him back. He took her hand and guided her into his bedroom, dropping kisses on her face along the way. His dear face was battered and bruised, but Cassie had never seen anything as touching as the expression in his eyes when he gazed at her.
They sat together on the edge of the bed, kissing, stroking, licking, tasting. The tempo increased as their passion escalated. They lay back on the mattress. Cassie broke his kiss and nibbled a trail down his chin to his throat to his chest and beyond.
When her mouth touched his jutting penis, he sucked in his breath. She raised her head and met his gaze. His eyes filled with wonder and fascination and desire as he watched her stroke him. He looked so vibrant, so alive, so unlike the standoffish professor she had first met. She’d misjudged him and his ability to experience passion.
The heat of desire in his eyes was so stark, so hungry, it took her breath away. He wanted her.
She could see it written across his face. She tasted it in his kisses. Smelled it on his skin. He wanted her in a way no other man had ever wanted her.
While she was stroking him with her mouth, he gently reached for her, his fingers skating over her hip bone. She closed her eyes as she felt energy melt up from her feminine core into her breasts and into her throat. She tasted her own desire, hot and rich, mingling with the earthy flavor of him.
A silky moan escaped his lips. He carefully twisted away from her, breaking her gentle suction on his erection.
Her eyes popped open and she saw he had shifted onto his side, propping himself on his elbow. He was peering at her, and she saw the raw, animal intensity of need in eyes the color of Guinness.
He kissed her, his mouth urgent. His energy filled her, shocked her. He was more powerful than a charge of white-hot lightning.
When he lightly grazed her most tender spot, a desperate sweetness suffused her body, full of sumptuous delight. And all the capacity of her desire sprang alive. She reached for him, clutching, devouring.
She had no more restraint. Abandon claimed her, and she thrust herself against his hard body.
But he was tender. So very tender. He acted as if she were going to break into pieces if he so much as breathed on her hard.
“I want to get lost in your eyes as I make love to you, Cassie,” he whispered, and it was exactly what she wanted to hear.
“Condom?”
“Right here.” He dealt with the details, then poised himself over her. Harry looked down into her face. “You’re so incredibly beautiful. So brave.”
“Not too shabby yourself, Professor.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist, and with a reverential groan he sank into her. She felt so incredibly safe with him. She was able to let go of control and allow him to sweep her along with his masculine rhythm. She gave herself away, fully, completely, without hesitation. Unleashed her heart and surrendered. Forfeited everything to him.
“Harder,” she cried and bucked her hips upward.
He rode her hard just as she wanted. Pushing into her, giving her glorious, inescapable pleasure.
Give it to me, give it to me. I want to feel you come.
Then it broke. Her thunderstorm. Her lightning. Her hurricane.
It was large inside her. So large. Spreading and growing. The air was a choir. Singing, vibrating his praises. “Harrison, Harrison, Harrison.”
The sensation rushed through her, sweet, deep, hot, intense, flaming, burning like a slant of brilliant light far up inside her, diffusing through her and fanning the telltale rash of passion spreading up and over her breasts.
She shuddered against him as he shuddered into her.
“Oh, Harrison,” she breathed.
&
nbsp; “It’s Harry,” he whispered into the curve of her throat. “Call me Harry.”
Cassie woke before Harry. She rolled over onto her side, stacked her hands under her cheek, and watched him sleeping.
She studied the way the sunlight fell across his bruised face. She held her hand poised above his hip, feeling the power of his body heat radiating up through her palm. She paid attention to the texture of his skin, so smooth and thick and tanned. She noticed how the very quality of the air in the room seemed different because they were breathing in tandem.
Tears filled her eyes and a strange tightness swelled her chest. She was overcome with a melancholy so intense she feared she might die from it.
Her natural instinct was to laugh, to move, to sing. Anything to buoy her mood and block out the sadness. But she did not do that. Instead, she lay beside Harrison, letting the melancholy fill her up.
Their time together was at an end. It was over.
As she fully experienced the sorrow of loss, a very strange thing happened.
All these years what she thought passed for happiness, activity, fun, parties, dates was so different from this unflappable sense of certainty. Her understanding of real and lasting happiness had changed. She had changed.
Something clicked deep inside her as she reconnected with the self she’d misplaced so long ago. Her habitual goals, scripts, and agendas dropped away in the realization of this better self, and suddenly she could see and hear and feel, both internally and externally, with greater clarity.
In that shimmering moment, she knew what she had to do. She had to stop hiding her pain. Had to fully live it, experience it, and then let it go. What she had been running from had already happened, and she’d survived. She was still here, still living her life.
She had so much to be grateful for. She didn’t need that job at the Smithsonian to be happy. Didn’t need parties or fast cars or constant stimulation. Everything she’d ever truly wanted or needed was within her reach. It was all right here.
All she had to do was make room.