The Pride

by Patricia Morse

  “Lexie? You’re spacing out again!”

  Evie was always around to keep me on track.

  “Oh um, sorry Evie. Hey Lenny, have you heard from the others? Have they seen anything?”

  “Nothing yet, Lex. Just keep quiet and lay low. We can’t afford to blow this mission.”

  Uuugh! Even Lenny was being serious. It probably had something to do with my earlier tantrum. I should have just given him a quick peck on the cheek so everyone wouldn’t feel so on edge around us. I was losing focus again. Dear goodness there had to be a better way to infiltrate this organization. Anything was better than laying in pine needles and mud. I’d never get the dirt out of my hair. I didn’t know why we were here, and I didn’t really care. Laughlin had sent us in blind, and I didn’t feel ready to take on this kind of mission. Besides, recon isn’t my role in the pride. I seduce the prey and the others flock in for the kill. That’s how it’s supposed to be, but now we are here at Domus Aurea watching and waiting for something interesting to happen. I guess they expect a nuclear missile silo to pop out of the back yard. Oh the boredom is killing me. I had to do something to try to get out of these woods. A thought popped into my head.

  “Evie, why don’t we just become wrestlers too?”

  “Huh?” Evie seemed perplexed.

  “The way I see it, if we become one of them, we can learn more about them. It’s better than rolling around in the mud night after night. Laughlin sent us here too quickly to come up with a good plan. Laying in the dirt and watching a quiet house isn’t going to fulfill our mission any time soon.”

  “Lexie, that’s actually a brilliant idea! Lenny, go get the others, and we’ll meet up to discuss Lexie’s idea.”

  Lenny sprinted away in a flash. Just as Evie and I were about to leave for our camp the front gate rolled open. “Wait,” I whispered. I pointed towards the massive mansion. Evie turned. Both of us crouched down into the overgrown forest. A stunningly beautiful man stepped out of the door. He stretched his long muscular arms. I took every inch of him in and memorized every perfectly chiseled feature. “Who is that?” I whispered to Evie. The Adonis turned as if he’d heard my whisper and began walking rapidly in our direction. “Evie, we gotta get outta here!” I whispered even more quietly than before. The man began to run toward the edge of the forest now as if his suspicion of intruders was confirmed. Evie and I swiftly climbed to the top of the nearest and largest trees and made our way back to base camp through the tree tops.

  “How in the hell did he hear us?” Evie gasped as we ran.

  “I-I’m sorry Evie. I only whispered. He couldn’t possibly have heard from that distance.”

  “No worries Lex. I think we have some serious digging to do on these guys before we go back there again.”

  “Lenny! Oh no, you don’t think they’ve been found?” I nearly choked on my worry.

  “I’m sure they’ll beat us back to base camp. We hung around a little too long gawking at the beefcake.” Evie laughed. It was nice to hear her laugh. She’s always so serious.

  “He was a hunky piece of lusciousness wasn’t he? Did he look familiar to you?”

  I sought to remember where I may have seen him before.

  “You probably just saw him on T.V.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” I agreed

  We made the rest of the run in silence. Our base camp was a luxury suite at Montbleu resort in Tahoe City. Evie and I stopped at the forest’s edge overlooking the resort. We’d left civilian clothing there to change into. I couldn’t wait to get this drab, black, itchy, mass of military issue off my back. I guess it did work well for recon, much better than the sparkly, feathery, stylish attire I would have chosen. The guys had already been there as their clothing was gone. I was relieved. Evie and I changed in silence. She chose to wear a dark pair of denim shorts with a spaghetti strapped baby blue cotton shirt, and I chose a pair of ivory shorts with a sleeveless pink cashmere sweater. Evie laughed at me as I fastened my pearls around my neck. Evie slipped on her cowboy boots as I slid into my silver sandals. We casually strode through the parking lot making our way to front entrance. We nonchalantly walked through the neon lights to the elevator and up to our suite on the top floor. Lenny was pacing furiously as Evie and I opened the door.

  “What the hell was that?” Lenny growled at Evie and me.

  “What are you talking about?” I shouted back defensively.

  “How in the hell did he see you?” Lenny shot Evie and me a nasty look.

  Evie stepped in. “Len, I don’t know why you’re yelling at us!”

  Cam interrupted. “Because you two may have blown the whole mission. Laughlin is gonna have our asses!”

  “Shoot Evie! I can’t leave you screw ups alone for a second.” Lenny snarled, practically baring his teeth at Evie. I could feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes. I’ve never been one to deal well with confrontation. Lenny could see the pained look on my face. He approached me, but Evie got between us.

  “Since when do you run this show Leonard Montgomery Banicek!

  Lenny winced at the use of his full name and continued staring at me. My tears always turned him into silly putty.

  Evie inhaled deeply. “Lexie will be fine! Look at me!” Lenny obeyed. “We have no leader here. We are a team and we fight as equals. Lexie and I did nothing wrong. Somehow that man heard our whisper from nearly a half mile away. No human has hearing that good. Hell, our hearing isn’t that good. Either it was a strange coincidence that he ran right for Lexie and me, or there is something very fishy going on.”

  The tension eased from Lenny’s shoulders. Cam approached cautiously. He had an astonished look on his face.

  “Wait a minute. You’re telling me he heard you?” Cam asked in disbelief. “That just isn’t possible!”

  I looked straight in his eyes and nodded. I didn’t want him to be mad at me for blowing the mission. I only hoped he’d believe what Evie and I were telling him.

  Lexie, don’t do that!”

  “Don’t do what?” I asked defensively

  “Don’t look at me that way, all hot and sexy. I can’t think straight when you’re lips all puckery and pouty. You know it makes men gooey. No body with the Y chromosome is immune to a look like that.”

  I blushed intensely. Cam was gorgeous, and my modesty couldn’t handle compliments from someone of his caliber.

  “I really did just whisper,” I stated meekly.

  “No one doubts you Lexie. We just need to find out what is going on here.” Lenny said sternly.

  I knew instantly, from his tone, that he was jealous. I felt it best to leave the room. The sun was just beginning to peek up over the mountains as I made my way down to the casino. The sun’s hue turned the sky into brilliant brush strokes of pinks and purples, my two favorite colors. I stared blankly into the heavens before climbing into the elevator.

  Chapter 5

  Meets and Greets

  Lexie

  I leaned on the railing overlooking the casino. The Bronx brothers were hitting on the female dealers at the blackjack tables. They were making nice headway from my perspective. Both women appeared to be in their late teens to early twenties, and judging from their accent, they were from Poland.

  “Lexie!” A voice yelled from across the lobby with haste.

  I turned to see Cam quickly striding towards me.

  “Lexie, you gotta tell me what’s going on between you and Len. He just punched me in the jaw and locked himself in your bedroom. Evie is trying to get him out now.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was ready to spill my guts to Cam. I needed someone to hear my side of the story. Cam would totally understand. I was stunned when I opened my eyes.

  “Cam, go get me a coffee now please.” I was careful not to look directly at him, and I kept my voice very low.

  “What? Why?” A look of confused concern crossed his face.

  “Just go now! I’ll explain later.”

/>   Cam cautiously walked away from the casino floor. The Bronx brothers were staring at what I was seeing, both of them on the edge of their seats. The man from Domus Aurea was staring grotesquely at me from across the casino. My mind flashed to many scenarios all at once. Perhaps this is just a coincidence. Did he follow us? Have I put my family in danger? What do I do? Do I run? Do I stand my ground? Should I just go over and greet him? That’s what I’ll do. I took another deep breath, flipped my blond locks back over my shoulder and sauntered towards the perfectly chiseled Adonis. I never let my eyes leave his. Why did he still seem so tense? I could feel Cam, Brent, and Paul watching me. I knew what they were thinking, because it was the same thing I was thinking. If we attack, we blow the mission. I extended my hand towards the man as I approached.

  “Hello, I’m Lexie Love. Have we met?”

  The man cleared his throat as he shook my hand. He suddenly seemed nervous. Perhaps my special little charms were working.

  “Thane, Thane Ganyon.” His voice was rich and velvety. I nearly turned to marshmallow fluff when he grabbed my hand. “I don’t believe we’ve ever met,” he said gruffly.

  “It’s just that you were staring at me as if I was someone familiar to you. I apologize.” I turned to walk away, but he tightened the grip on my hand. I whipped around and saw the frightening look of anger on his face.

  “We’ve never met, but you’re exactly who I’m looking for.” He growled intensely.

  In that instant, I was being dragged down the escalator and thrown into the back of a limousine. The car peeled away from the front of the casino. I saw Paul and Brent struggling to catch up to the car on foot. They used the dimly lit morning and the heavily wooded sides of the road for cover. I didn’t see Cam, so I assumed he’d rushed back upstairs to alert Evie and Lenny. The man, Thane Ganyon just stared icily at me as I did my best to stay calm. I could no longer see Brent and Paul, but I knew they could track the car. I was not going to panic. I looked to Thane’s eyes to try to measure an emotion, but he instantly looked away.

  “Thane, right?” I barely managed a whisper.

  “MmmmHummm.” He mumbled and nodded in agreement.

  “Why are you kidnapping me?” I mustered a little conviction in my voice this time.

  “Why were you watching me?” He asked defiantly as he pushed his massive body towards me. He placed a steel grip on my upper arms and pulled my face to his. I exhaled and opened my eyes. His piercing blue eyes sent shockwaves of emotions through my body. As I looked at him in silence, he began to relax. His grip on my arms loosened. Maybe I did have a little effect on him.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t hurt you did I?” He asked cautiously. “Sometimes I forget my manners.” A crooked smile crossed his lips as if he was remembering something that I probably didn’t want to know about. This could be good if I played my cards right. I certainly couldn’t admit that Evie and I had been in the woods watching him, but if I didn’t admit to something his anger may resurface and I would get nowhere. I’ll play coy.

  “I already told you. I thought you looked familiar.” Shoot! I bit my bottom lip hoping he wouldn’t notice my error in syntax.

  “No Miss Love, you said I was looking at you as if you were someone familiar.” His voice was filled with annoyance. Why couldn’t he be as easily manipulated as every other man on this planet?

  “Gawking is more like it,” I barked back at him smugly. I raised my eyebrow and smirked at him. That was the wrong move. His grip on my arms once again tightened. If I had been a normal human woman my bones would have been crushed. His hot breath rushed across my face. I closed my eyes and turned my face away from his. He threw me full force back into the seat of the limo. My head hit the glass shattering it into thousands of tiny shards. I glared at him, my eyes glowering with hatred.

  “You’re going to make me do this the hard way aren’t you Miss Love?” His menacing laugh filled the car. A hand reached through the broken window and a cloth drenched with chloroform covered my mouth and nose. His laughter became a fuzzy dream as I drifted into darkness.

  Chapter 6

  Link

  Lexie

  My eyes opened slowly. The light was blinding and it took me a moment to gain my focus. The nightmarish reality of what happened in the limo came flooding back to me. Every inch of my body became overwhelmed with panic. The fire of rage and the iciness of fear waged a war inside me. What had happened? Where was I? I was lying in a large canopy bed. A warm satin embellished down comforter covered my frame. My head was lying on a large satin pillow embroidered with pink roses. I flipped the comforter from my body causing my arms to ache. That was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a while. My head was still fuzzy so shook my head in the hopes the wooziness would clear. The room was striking, not at all like the dungeons I’d imagined. Dark mahogany wood covered the floor. Under the bed was a large white shag carpet. A giant stone fireplace flanked the wall in front of me. To my left was a wall of windows overlooking a lake, but I wasn’t in Lake Tahoe anymore. That was evident by the foliage surrounding this new house. A white leather couch and two white leather arm chairs were positioned perfectly in front of the wall of windows. They sat atop another large area rug much like the one under the bed. The room smelled warmly of vanilla, perhaps to calm my nerves. The smell of Thane Ganyon intertwined with the serene spicy scent. He was either in this house or had been here recently. The wall to my right featured enormous double mahogany doors. I leapt from the bed, landing in front of the ten foot tall doors. I desperately tried to push and pull on the doors, but with no success. Locked! Darnit! I ran to the other side of the room, lifted the white leather arm chair, and heaved it against the wall of windows. It ricocheted from the window and blasted into my chest hurling me onto the floor with a large thud. Only then did I notice the delicate silky pink pajamas on my frame. Rage bubbled up from within. Had he seen me naked? What else had he done while I was out of it? What a sick freak! My mind was spinning with possibilities. With a guttural growl, I once again launched the chair into the window. This time the chair smashed into pieces as it hit the window. Clapping? Who was clapping? I turned, stunned to see him standing in the now open doorway. His pasty white skin was nearly translucent, which was sharply contrasted by his raven black shoulder length hair. His eyes were a menacing shade of purple. I’d never seen purple eyes before. He wore a black button down shirt and black trousers. Thane Ganyon was on his right, dressed in a navy pinstriped business suit. He was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Stunning performance, my dear. Are you through with your temper tantrum?”

  I analyzed his blood red lips as he spoke. I was too stunned to find the right words.

  “That chair was awfully expensive, but I know you’ll find a way to pay me back for it someday.”

  He gracefully began to walk towards me. He had a wicked smile on his lips now. I saw an opening and rushed towards the door, but Thane Ganyon grabbed me from midair, his grip of steel holding me in a bear hug, pressing the air from my lungs. I struggled against him, but I was no match for his superior strength. More roughly than necessary, he threw me onto the bed and pounced on top of me. He grabbed my face below the chin as he sat on top of me. The raven haired stranger perched on the end of the bed.

  “Now now Thane, there is no need to be so rough with our new guest. She will learn to love it here soon enough.”

  I couldn’t speak as he held his claws on my chin. I wanted to spit in his face, and I think he knew it. He turned to the raven haired man.

  “Link, should I give her another shot of Diprovan?”

  Link…This is Link. My mind raced. I was in too much danger now to even think straight. I continued to struggle under Thane’s weight. Link looked directly into my face. His beauty was mesmerizing as he spoke softly into my ear.

  “Lexie, if you can calm yourself down, we won’t have to hurt you. If you continue to struggle and behave like a child, your punishment will be severe.” His last words were nearly a
growl. My mind flashed to the dungeons and tortures of medieval times. Fear began to win the war inside of my body, and I stopped struggling.

  “That’s better love,” Link whispered into my ear as if calming a spoiled child.

  Thane kept himself perched on top of my abdomen, but released the grip on my face and shoulder. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them gently to my sides. Tears began to well up in my eyes, and there was no fighting them back. I looked deeply into Thane’s piercing blue eyes and held his gaze as the tears fell down the sides of my face. Thane began to lean into me, a longing look in his eyes. I continued to hold his gaze.

  Link abruptly threw up his arm and pushed Thane upright. “Look away Thane,” he croaked angrily.

  Thane instantly averted his eyes, his jaw clenched. He tightened the grip on my wrist as Link tapped his long alabaster finger on the end of my nose. “Now I told you to behave didn’t I?”