“Good question.” Jake nodded approvingly. “So you’re not just a pretty face.”
“He’s not even that,” the Beast growled. It seemed he was still nettled by Heath’s minor jabs at him, or maybe because of his apparently unsatisfactory encounter the previous evening.
Irritated, Heath let out a low, rumbling growl of his own, answered by a snarl from the Beast, and then they were on their feet, snapping and bristling at each other.
“Enough!” Jake pounded his fist on the table. “We’re here to work, not get pissy with each other, so sit down and shut the fuck up. Goddamn prima donnas.”
Heath sank back down in his chair, grumbling under his breath, and the Beast did the same.
“Maybe if you ever got laid, you’d be less of an asshole,” Heath grumbled to Jake.
Jake snorted at that. He wasn’t one for dating, as far as Heath could tell. “I have my hands full dealing with you guys. It’s like hearding cats, for Godsakes. So, Heath, I assume you have some thoughts on why the Chameleon would strike here.”
“Well, the only advantage of being on the boat that I can see is that it’s possible for total strangers to get up-close and personal with the passengers,” Heath said. “The companions especially, of course. So who would be hard to approach anywhere but here? Out of the people we’re protecting, Benedetta and Duncan are both very approachable generally. Benedetta holds fashion shows all the time. Duncan is always the man about town, taking his model girlfriends, who we now know are his beards, out to movie premieres and plays and nightclubs. It would be easy to assassinate either of them on land. Reshef, however, from what you’ve told me – he’s usually in an enormous palace surrounded by bodyguards, and he’s rarely seen out in public.”
“That is true.” Jake nodded. “When he goes shopping, apparently he has the stores and the streets shut down so it’s just him and his retinue. Him being here would give an assassin a unique opportunity. Unfortunately, he’s the one we’re having the hardest time getting close to. What have you learned so far from watching him?”
“Not much, other than that he can screw for hours, and being his bodyguard would be an awesome job,” Heath said. “Or at least some of them. There are three or four of his bodyguards who get to share the companions. It’s not that he’s unprotected. He doesn’t let his guard down; there’s still always a dozen bodyguards in the room watching. He always has a dozen or so companions in there, and he pays them very generously to service both him and his employees.”
“He is the most likely target, you’re right. Unfortunately, since he won’t let us send in any additional security, all we can do is be extra vigilant and ensure we never take our eyes off him,” Jake said.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Heath headed up to the restaurant where Reshef was going to be eating. He’d let Tonya know that he’d be working all day, but he’d make it up to her when he was relieved for the evening.
He felt a warm glow at the thought of being with Tonya again that night – and also an uneasy feeling brewing deep inside. Being with Tonya felt perfect, like he’d been missing a part of himself his entire life and he was only whole when he was with her. He’d never felt that way about any woman, ever. A lifetime of growing up on the streets had made him cautious about letting anyone get too close, outside the ragtag little family he and Bobbi and a few others had built while squatting in abandoned buildings.
He wanted to be able to let his barriers down for her, he realized. He wanted to get to know her; they hadn’t even talked much. They’d been all over each other the night before, finally falling into an exhausted sleep.
Would she really want him if she knew about his childhood, the way he’d grown up, the things he’d done?
Thinking about it made him uneasy, and he had to concentrate on his job. He pushed all thoughts of her from his head and settled down for a long day of watching the rich, arrogant asshole who wanted to have sex with his fox.
Reshef kept him busy, moving around all day – visiting various erotic cabarets and sex shows, stopping to shop, always with his crowd of bodyguards moving with him. Several times Heath switched off with Tanner, heading off to watch Duncan instead so Reshef wouldn’t notice that Heath was there every time he turned around.
The day dragged. He kept hoping he’d catch a glimpse of Tonya, but he didn’t. He’d never been so eager to sit down with someone and just talk. He actually wanted to hold her hands and stare into her eyes and listen to her beautiful voice. If anyone had told him just a few short days ago that he’d be feeling this way, he would have laughed. Or gagged in disgust.
Now he got it. Love songs. Heartbreak. Passion. Valentine’s Day cards. He really, really got it. He found himself wondering what he’d buy her for Christmas. How foolish was that?
When he got back to his room, he found out just how foolish it was.
There was a bouquet of roses on the table, and a note next to them. He walked over and opened the note, smiling. Aw, she’d left him roses. How adorable.
But they weren’t for him. They were for Tonya.
Today was delightful. I can’t wait for more, the note read, and it was signed with a big, swirling R.
He felt rage cloud his vision and red-hot fury flowing through his veins, and his whole world went black with an explosive need to destroy.
* * *
The Midnight at the Oasis Bar was crowded and the dark sky overhead was the deepest black Tonya had ever seen. Far away from the lights of the city, the stars glittered and seemed close enough to pluck from the sky.
The night air was warm, and Tonya thought that she wouldn’t mind a stroll around the ship with Heath. Perhaps a drink or two. And then…
Tonya glanced at her watch. She imagined Heath would be back in his room by now. She should head back to meet him. Or should she wait? She didn’t want to seem clingy and needy. How did one do this? Dating was not her forte. Men hardly ever asked her out. According to Bridgit, that was because she tended to ignore their signals and send “leave me alone” vibes.
She’d been thinking about Heath all day long, yearning to feel his strong arms wrapped around her again. She loved how safe she felt when she was with him. She loved how beautiful he made her feel – not just with words, but with actions, with the raw hunger she saw in his eyes, with his groans of pleasure, with the way he tore her clothes from her and threw himself on her as if he’d die if he wasn’t with her. Nobody had ever made her feel beautiful before.
She didn’t know a thing about him, and all of a sudden she wanted to know everything. But what did he want? Was this just a cruise-ship romance for him?
The thought of him walking down the gangplank and driving away without her made her heart ache and her stomach queasy. How had she come to care for him so quickly? Bridgit would probably tell her that must mean he was her Fated Mate, but then Bridgit was a moony-eyed romantic who was waiting for her prince to sweep her off her feet.
Heath acted all jealous and possessive, which she had to admit she found flattering – but did that mean he wanted a real relationship with her?
She sighed and set down her mojito. She found herself feeling nervous now. Would he be happy to see her? Would he be bored with her already?
“Look, there is Benedetta,” Antonia said happily, nodding across the room at the glamorous designer. Tonight Benedetta wore a delicate lace gown that looked as if it were strung together from cobwebs – with no bra or panties underneath. She was holding hands with two companions, a man and a woman, and a group of companions were trailing behind her.
Antonia glanced around, then lowered her voice. “I hope someday to be designer like her.”
“You should say something to her,” Tonya said. “She’s very approachable. “
Antonia shook her head. “Maybe. I don’t know. She such big star, she is so perfect…I think about it.”
“Go now,” Tonya urged. She gave Antonia a shove.
Antonia put down her drink, headed off t
owards Benedetta, and stopped. Then she quickly headed towards the restrooms with a panicked look on her face.
As Antonia vanished from sight, Tonya felt a rippling of hairs on the back of her neck, and then Tom Hooper stalked up to her. Dear God, every time she saw him his hair got spikier. He could impale someone with that horror show. He had several very visible hickeys on his neck, and he was swaying and slightly drunk.
“Your bodyguard’s gone, I see,” he sneered.
“Obviously, or you wouldn’t have the balls to come bother me,” Tonya replied in a bored tone. She pretended to be drinking her mojito, which was mostly water from melted ice cubes by now.
He glanced in the direction in which Antonia had just headed. “Figures someone like you would be consorting with the help. And that thug you’re sleeping with. I could have introduced you to the richest people in Playa Linda. Well, enjoy wallowing in the gutter.” He turned and stomped off.
Tonya stifled a low growl of anger at that. How dare he insult Heath? Snobbish dickwad.
She glanced at her watch again when Antonia came back to her seat. “I need to head back to my cabin,” she said. “Heath will be waiting for me.”
She headed back to his room.
When she opened the door, she blanched. It looked as if a hurricane had whirled through there. The bedspread had been ripped to shreds, there were chunks of mattress scattered all over the floor, a shattered vase lying by the wall where someone had hurled it, the couch was literally broken in half, and Heath swung towards her when she walked in – with a look of mingled rage and misery on his face that nearly made her heart stop.
Chapter Ten
“What happened? Someone broke in?” she asked, her voice shaking. Did he think she’d done this? She couldn’t understand why he looked furious with her.
He shook his head. “Nope.” He bit the word out as if it tasted foul.
“Uh…are you saying that you did this?”
“Yep.” She could see bones rippling under his face, and his eyes kept changing color as he struggled to keep his beast suppressed.
“Why?”
He gestured at the broken vase. A dozen red roses were scattered on the floor.
“Reshef sent those. With a stack of beaded necklaces and a note that said today was delightful. What exactly did you do today while I was working?”
“Are you serious?” Tonya felt fury and hurt welling up inside her, and tears burned in her eyes. “You spent all day watching him. You’re suggesting that I was fucking him?” She spat the crude word out. She didn’t usually use language like that, but she was so enraged she couldn’t think straight.
“I wasn’t watching him at all times. Sometimes I switched off with another operative.” His eyes were blazing with rage. He was actually frightening her, he was so furious.
“Like I knew that?” she yelled. “You’re saying that during those moments when you weren’t watching, I ran right over to his quarters and screwed him?”
“Did you? Because it’s pretty obvious that he’d be much more your type than I would.”
“What the hell does that even mean?” she shouted. “You know what? Forget it. I’m going back to the companions’ quarters for the rest of the cruise. And screw you. I hope you and all your friends have a good laugh over your night with the fat girl.”
She grabbed her suitcase and stomped out, tears running down her cheeks. Behind her, she heard roars of rage and the sound of shattering furniture. She spent the night crying into her pillow and throwing up in the bathroom. Heath didn’t come by to apologize, not that she’d expected him to. She wished he would, though. She wanted him to beg for her forgiveness.
* * *
The next morning, Antonia met her for breakfast at a café on one of the upper decks. She had the afternoon and evening shift that day. “You no sleep good?” Antonia asked as Tonya listlessly picked at her breakfast.
“No, afraid not,” she sighed. “Long story. The guy who claimed me, uh, we stopped getting along.” She wished she could tell Antonia what had really happened, but she couldn’t reveal Heath’s mission.
“Men.” Antonia made a tsking sound, shaking her head. “He was only passenger. You back on shore, you find good man.”
“Thanks. Hasn’t happened so far.” Tonya managed a smile, and then she saw that Antonia was looking across the room.
Benedetta was taking her seat at a table, with the Beast and a bunch of companions. She looked as radiant as ever, dressed in filmy floral chiffon.
“Go tell her,” she urged Antonia. “I am telling you, she is really easy to talk to. She’s not a snob at all. When else will you get the opportunity to be this close to her?”
Antonia looked hesitant. “I don’t know…”
Suddenly there were yells of alarm coming from Benedetta’s table, then a thud.
One of Benedetta’s companions fell to the ground, shrieking and thrashing. Everyone crowded around him, and the Beast bellowed “Stand back!” as the man foamed at the mouth, heels drumming on the deck.
The Beast gathered the man up in his arms and ran full speed out of the restaurant, but Tonya saw the companion go limp and she knew he’d be too late. The man was dead already; rushing him to the ship’s clinic wouldn’t help.
She also saw a couple of big, hulking shifters hovering protectively near Benedetta. They were dressed in expensive resort-style clothing, but she suspected they were Shifters, Inc. employees.
Uniformed security guards rushed in. One of them, a dark-skinned man with several stripes on his uniform, yelled, “Attention, everyone! My name is Pierre Robard, head of ship security! Nobody eat anything else! If you feel sick, notify a security guard immediately. We must interview everyone in the room and review all security tapes before you are released! We apologize for the inconvenience, but I must ask you to return to your seats at once.”
There were shouts of protest and cries of panic, but most of the guests returned to their seats – except for the dozen or so guests who had suddenly developed phantom stomach pains and were urgently swarming around the guards. The guards gathered those guests and led them out of the café.
Tonya, ignoring the instructions to stay put, got up and made her way over to Benedetta’s table. “Are you all right?” she asked. Benedetta grabbed her hand, tears in her eyes. “That was meant for me,” she cried. “He grab my coffee and have one sip. Just one sip, and he is dead!”
Tonya looked around the room and saw that Heath had returned, and the Beast was with him now. Heath looked utterly miserable too, she saw with satisfaction. He had circles under his eyes and his hair was bed-rumpled and uncombed. Good. Asshole.
She turned her attention back to their surroundings, then she put her hand on Benedetta’s arm.
One of the waiters was making his way through the crowd towards them, with an angry, determined look. His hand was inside his apron.
Tonya leaped to her feet. “Waiter!” she screamed, and she saw Heath and the Beast spin around at the sound of her voice and start running towards her. They were all the way across the room; they wouldn’t get there in time. She leaped into the waiter’s path as he whipped out a knife and ran straight towards Benedetta.
With one flying kick, she knocked the knife out of his hand. He swung a fist at her and she ducked, responding with a quick left hook to the jaw that sent him staggering back. Moving forward, she kept up the attack, kicking him in the stomach, punching him in the face…
He fell to the ground just as a pile of security guards landed on him.
“Are you all right?” Heath looked panicked. She fell back a step, breathing hard.
“Never been better.” Except for the fact that my heart’s been ripped in two, she thought but didn’t say.
He looked bewildered. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
She shrugged. “I mean, I’ve taken a self-defense class.” The waiter was being hauled away now, screaming curses in Italian. Antonia was standing at the side of
the room, clutching her necklace and looking horrified.
“That was pretty good for one self-defense class.” Heath looked at her skeptically.
Was it? She’d never been in a street fight before.
She shrugged, turned and walked away. “Natural talent. Or maybe I’m lying and I’m secretly a ninja. Since apparently I can’t be trusted.”
He followed after her. “Really, are you sure you’re all right?”
The doors were open now, and she joined the stream of guests who were rushing out, chattering amongst themselves.
“As if you care,” she said bitterly.
“If I didn’t care, why would I get so upset about you and Reshef?”
She stopped, spun around and slapped him as hard as she could. He actually rocked where he stood, blinked in surprise and rubbed his cheek. “You pack quite a wallop.”
“If the way that you show that you care is by falsely accusing me of sleeping around, and then destroying your hotel room, and not even bothering to ask me before you throw accusations in my face, then screw you. Go care about someone else.”
She stomped off, head held high, blinking really hard so she wouldn’t burst into tears.
* * *
Heath and the Beast stood outside Jake’s door, waiting for him to return so they could have a briefing.
“I saw you and Tonya in the café,” the Beast said. “What did you do to fuck things up there?”
Heath whirled to face the Beast, letting out a rumbling growl and unsheathing his claws. The Beast didn’t even blink. Nothing fazed him. In wolf form, he was enormous, the biggest wolf Heath had ever seen, and he’d taken down, among other things, a lion, a bear and a panther.
“Unless you want me to separate your head from your body, you won’t say another goddamn word.” Heath hoped the Beast would challenge him. He really, really needed an outlet for his pent-up emotions. He’d never felt so utterly horrible, bleak and despairing, and he could barely stand to be in his own skin right now.
Shifters, Inc. The Bear Who Loved Me (A BBW paranormal romance) Page 7