“He's looking for a female with a very specific look.” Pushing up her glasses, she consulted her tablet. “A redhead with big breasts.”
“Redhead? Did he not see Rita?”
“Too skinny. Not edgy enough. Said if that’s all we have, he and his boys aren’t coming.”
“Fuck.” He strode to the window. If Freddy didn’t come, it would be disastrous. They were some of the biggest whales on the guest list. If anyone else caught wind of it, they could change their minds, too.
Davin grabbed the glass of champagne and drained it. “A redhead with a Talent and huge tits? We don't have anyone like that.”
A blonde curled up on the sofa caught his attention. He’d forgotten she was there. Wasn’t she telling him something before about some redhead she knew? A Talent?
With his open robe streaming behind him like a cape, he strode over to her and patted her on the cheek. “Hey, Betty, wake up.”
The girl mumbled something and wrapped her blanket tightly around her.
“I’m talking to you.” He grabbed the edge of the blanket and jerked, and the naked girl spilled onto the floor with a clunk.
“Sir, careful,” Iris said. “She’s one of our most valuable girls. With her looks and her unusual Talent, we’re getting all sorts of interest. She’s going to fetch a very high price.”
“She’s a goddamn junkie is what she is,” he bit out, pinching the bridge of his nose. No one understood how hard his job was—finding the girls, making sure they were ready. He didn’t have a lot of time to make miracles happen. The VIP event was right around the corner.
He turned back to the blonde, who had pushed herself to a sitting position and was rubbing her head.
“Betty,” he said softly.
The girl looked at him, blinking a few times before she responded. “It’s Becca.”
Whatever. He leaned over and stroked her messy hair. “Tell me more about this sister of yours.”
CHAPTER 9
Take over for me.
Keely's simple statement replayed in Toryn’s head as he ran up the steep stairs of the hillclimb, sweat dripping in his eyes. She’d chosen to give him control last night, but he wondered at its broader meaning.
He’d woken early, thinking he would slip out for a run while Keely slept, but she was already awake. She’d nuzzled in close, her breasts pressed against his chest, which had been all the encouragement he’d needed. He’d pushed her onto her back, and they made love without a word, the only sounds were the rustle of the sheets and the soft moans she made when she came.
It had been incredible to wake up next to that beautiful redhead, her heart beating inches away from his. And after they made love, she’d molded her soft curves to his hard edges again. He’d assumed she would fall back asleep, but she got up, too, and asked him to drop her off down at the rowing club. Then they could come back and have breakfast.
He took the stairs two at a time, arms and legs pumping until he reached the top where he turned around and came back down. When he called Sean last night and told him he was staying here, the man hadn’t asked any questions, which Toryn appreciated. He hated having anyone up in his business. Sean left the Jeep near the shop and was going to have one of the other warriors pick him up.
Over and over Toryn ran the stairs, his mind working as hard as his body. He thought about the hint of sadness in Keely’s eyes and how he ached to chase the shadows away.
Not only was she strong, compassionate and smart, but her body, with its luscious curves, seemed so finely tuned to his. Every look from her, every touch, made him want to bury himself inside her again. He was getting aroused right now just thinking about it, which wasn’t good when all he was wearing was a pair of thin gym shorts.
Take over for me, she’d said.
He cursed under his breath.
Would she still have said that if she knew who he really was? A barbarian soldier from the other side of a portal?
Guilt sliced through him like a blade of hand-forged Balkirk steel at this deception of his. If she knew the truth, would she still feel the same way about him? Would she still have said that? Or would she cast him out, angry to have shared her bed with a man she thought was a terrorist?
Or worse still—would she be afraid of him?
Hell. If he were being honest with himself, was he even capable of trusting another human being with his heart? He’d been too naive once, trusting someone who broke his heart, so he’d vowed never to let that happen again.
When he was finished, he headed back to the rowing club located on a narrow channel of water near the Fremont Bridge. The bridge wasn’t used for cars any longer—it had been too badly damaged in the earthquake years ago—but evidently the city engineers thought it was safe enough for the rowing club and some industrial buildings.
He arrived in time to see Keely carrying the scull in from the water, her long red hair blowing in the wind from the lake.
“How was your workout?” he asked, helping her lift the lightweight boat onto the rack.
Her cheeks were rosy from the cool morning air. “It was good. I haven’t felt like coming down here for a long time. My parents keep their boat moored on the other side of the Locks.” She pointed down the channel to her left. “What about your run?”
“Grueling,” he admitted, redoing the knot of hair at his nape as they walked to his car. The cool morning air felt good on the back of his neck.
“I can only imagine. You couldn’t pay me enough to run that hill.”
“Really?” One side of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “You wouldn’t run it for a hundred credits?”
Stepping in front of him, she turned around and walked backwards. “Nope.”
“How about five hundred?”
“Let me think about it.” She put her finger to her cheek. “Nope. That’s not enough either.”
He chuckled. “That’s too bad, because I’d really like to see you sweaty and out of breath.”
“I can think of a few other activities I’d rather do to get me sweaty.” She lifted an elegant brow and gave him a sultry look, but she wasn’t watching where she was going and almost tripped on a crack in the pavement.
His arm shot out, pulling her close. “Careful,” he warned, staring at her luscious lips. “You could hurt yourself.” They continued walking—him forward, her backward.
The tip of her tongue darted out. “Not if you’re here to catch me.”
He felt himself growing hard. Again. When they got back to her place, he’d make love to her in the shower, he decided—her hands splayed against the tile and that sweet ass in front of him.
Guilt that was never far from the surface clawed at him again. He needed to tell her the truth about who he was. He couldn’t keep dragging it out. It wasn’t fair to her. She deserved to know. Plus, he was proud of what he did—it was a big part of his identity, and he wanted to share that part of himself with her. Not that he was falling for her or anything. No, it wasn’t that. It just seemed right for her to know.
Something behind him drew her attention and she frowned.
He turned, following the direction of her gaze.
Two men in dark clothing were behind a bridge piling near the rowing club. One slipped off what looked to be a heavy backpack, while the other man paced and glanced around nervously in the thin morning light.
“What do you think they’re doing?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. Doesn’t look good.”
There’d been a car bombing a few weeks ago. The authorities blamed it on Cascadians, of course, but there were those within the Iron Guild who believed the army was actually behind it. After all, it benefitted them to keep the tension high between the two worlds. You couldn’t exactly justify a big military presence without an imminent threat.
“Wait here. I’ll go see.”
She scoffed. “I’m coming with you.”
Jaw set sternly, he placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her in an ir
on grip. “No, you’re not, Keely. Not this time.”
The men were now hunched over a small black box with wires sticking out. As the Guild’s explosive expert, he had no doubt what this was.
“Fuck. It’s a bomb.” He shoved her in the opposite direction. “Run.”
***
Keely thought Toryn was right behind her until she got to the corner, threw a glance over her shoulder and saw that he was halfway back to the bridge. He’d run toward the men who were setting the bomb, not away.
She came to a screeching halt, sheer terror racing through her body. What was he thinking? It was two against one, and they were most likely armed. The authorities should be handling this, not Toryn.
She patted the pocket of her sweatshirt and remembered she’d left her cell phone in his Jeep. She’d once lost a phone in the lake while rowing, so she’d stopped taking it with her when she went out.
Damn it. She needed to call the police.
She spun around, looking for someone—anyone——and gasped with relief when she spotted an elderly man walking a tiny dog. Dashing over to him, she asked if he had a phone.
He frowned, his bushy gray eyebrows pulling together. “What?”
“A phone! Do you have a phone?”
“You want to use my phone? Well, yes. I have one back at my apartment.”
Oh my God, could he talk any slower?
He pointed a gnarled finger in the general vicinity behind him. All she could see were empty warehouses. He must live a few blocks away. But she didn’t want Toryn out of her sight.
A maroon sedan was pulling into the rowing club parking lot. They had to have a cell phone, but in case they didn’t, she needed to have all her bases covered.
“Can you call the police?” she asked the old man. “Tell them there are two men down at the base of the bridge. My…my boyfriend thinks they’re planting a bomb.”
“A bomb? Oh my gosh. That’s terrible! Yes, yes, of course.” The man hurried off.
She turned to sprint toward the car but hesitated when she saw Toryn. He was crouched behind a stack of pallets about thirty feet from the men and was reaching out a hand in their direction.
What was he—?
Suddenly, both men jumped back from the box as if they’d been hit by something, but she couldn’t tell what.
Had Toryn done that? Used his Talent, maybe?
One man was covering his head with his arms as if he were expecting an explosion. She froze, holding her breath in horror. Toryn was too close. If it exploded, he’d be seriously injured…or worse.
When nothing happened, the men stepped back to the box. Then one of them reached down and jerked something out. Looked like wires. The other man shoved him and gestured wildly. He was clearly angry with his partner about this.
She glanced at the car. Crap. It wasn’t pulling into the rowing club. It was driving back out of the lot on the far side.
It was then that Toryn chose to step out from his hiding place and sprint toward the men.
They jerked their heads up in unison, but Toryn was lightning fast. One man swung a fist at him, but he easily dodged the punch and sent the guy skidding back on his haunches.
The other man reached into his coat, drew a weapon and pointed it straight at Toryn.
“Noooooo!” she screamed, anguish ripping a hole in her chest. This couldn’t be happening.
She braced herself against the coming bloodshed, but…wait. It looked like the assassin was saying something to Toryn. Then, a moment later, the gun flew from his hands, the trajectory arching upward as if it had been thrown, and it flew into the water about thirty feet from shore.
The man looked down, dumbfounded at his empty hand. It appeared as though he might charge Toryn. There was a flash as Toryn pulled out his blade.
And then she heard it. Sirens. Dozens of them.
Looking to the left, she could see the flashing lights on the other side of the channel. The bombers heard it too and took off running in the opposite direction. Her knees felt suddenly boneless, and she grabbed the chain link fence to steady herself.
It was over. Toryn had confronted the men and scared them off. But more importantly, he was unharmed.
A moment later, he was at her side. “Come on,” he commanded roughly, his hand enclosing around her upper arm and pulling her in the direction of his Jeep.
She stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist, not wanting to ever let him go. She couldn’t believe she’d nearly lost him. The thought was almost unbearable. And then she thought about how he’d gone down there to confront them on purpose. “Oh my God, Toryn, you could’ve been killed.” She punched her fists on his chest in frustration. “Why did you do that? We should have left an anonymous tip with the authorities and let them handle it.”
He shook his head, urging her forward. “It wouldn’t have done any good.”
She took a few steps then stopped. “Why?”
“Because it’s happened before, Keely. Countless times. Those men were soldiers.”
“Soldiers? You mean Cascadians?”
Toryn’s eyes darkened as the sirens grew louder.
“Come on. We’ve got to get out of here. This is a military operation.”
“Toryn, you’re not making any sense. How do you know all this?”
He pressed his lips together into a thin line. “The bastard with the gun told me, confirming what I already knew. Said the army wanted the bridge blown up and told them to make it look like the work of Cascadians.”
Her head was spinning. None of this made sense. “And why would he tell you that?”
“Because he was planning on killing me. And because I’m Cascadian.”
CHAPTER 10
Toryn fucked up. And he wasn’t sure what he could do to fix things.
As soon as they arrived at Sisters, Keely rushed across the floor of the shop to the stairs leading up to the apartment.
“Keely, wait,” Toryn said, following closely behind. “We need to talk about this.”
She ignored him, kicked off her sneakers at the bottom of the stairs and started up. He grabbed her hand and stopped her.
“Please, Keely, let me explain. Don’t shut me out like this.”
She spun around, hazel eyes blazing. “What’s there to explain? I thought you cared about me, and then you drop that on me?”
Her words felt like a slap across the face. She despised him. He disgusted her. He thought about letting her go and leaving. Walking out the door behind him and not coming back. After all, if she were truly repulsed by the fact that she’d been sleeping with one of those terrible barbarians from Cascadia, then why would he want to be with her?
And yet, something told him that maybe her anger was because she was hurt.
“I do care about ye,” he said, not bothering to hide his accent. He didn’t want to lay his heart bare, but he was going to have to if he wanted to get through to her. “I never expected to develop feelings for ye, Keely—I tried so bloody hard not to—but when I did, I was afraid that if ye learned the truth about me, you’d kick my ass to the curb and want nothing more to do with me.”
“So you lied.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t completely honest.”
“There’s a difference?”
She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her go. “Listen to me, Keely. I—”
“Why would you think I’d do that?” Her cheeks were two bright spots of color. “Do you think I’m that shallow? That a person’s birthplace or nationality is a checkmark on a list of acceptable traits for my ideal man?”
“I wanted to tell ye, but when I learned that your family believes my people were responsible for the bomb that injured your mom, I was— Well, I didn’t know how you’d react.”
Anger simmered behind her eyes. “You’ve been nothing but wonderful to me and yet you think I’d be incapable of accepting you? Jeez, Toryn, I’m the one who’s used to not been accept
ed.”
“I’m an Iron Guild warrior and we are coming over here to fight your army, so it would be logical for ye to abhor me. Blame me as a proxy for what happened to your mom. I know I probably would, if I were in your shoes.”
“Seeing what I did today,” she said, rubbing a hand over her face, “I doubt that your people were even responsible for my mom’s accident.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think you trusted me to keep your secret. Is that it? Did you think I would go to the authorities?”
His gaze snapped to hers. “Of course not. I had to be careful at first, sure, but it became clear to me early on that ye would never do something like that.”
“Then why, Toryn?” Her voice was soft. “Why not tell me tell me the truth?”
He looked away, his heart pounding in his ears. Why was she pushing him like this? Hadn’t he told her enough? He didn’t want to admit to her one of his darkest fears, but if he didn’t, he would lose her. “It’s just that…I’ve been betrayed by people I’ve cared about, so trusting comes hard for me.”
“What happened to you?” she asked gently.
“I was a young warrior and fell for a girl I thought loved me back. Turned out all she wanted was to use me to get through a portal and make a life for herself here. Without me.”
Keely was quiet for a moment. “And you thought I would do the same thing? Hurt you like she hurt you?”
“I…I didn’t know.”
At first he thought she was upset, but then she leaned down, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, her lips so soft and tender against his. “I’m falling for you, Toryn, so I sincerely hope that you can learn to trust me.”
His heart thudded in his chest at her admission. “I’ll try, Kitten,” he said thickly. “That’s the best I can do for now. Okay?”
She was silent for so long he feared that it wasn’t okay.
“As long as you’ll try,” she said. “That’s all I can ask.”
Then he swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.
They made love in the shower, just as he had fantasized. After washing away the sweat and stress from the morning, he splayed her hands on the tile wall and took her from behind, holding onto that sweet ass of hers as he buried himself inside her. Rivulets of water ran down her back and dripped from her full breasts, making it easy for his hands to slide over every luscious curve.
Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 77