by Maggie Way
I snuck a glance to see if he’d moved on just as everything began to spin.
Faces swirled in the tall mirror behind Tremaine. The plush velvet barstool, which had welcomed me so kindly before, now bucked, threatening to unseat me.
“What… oh no… I can’t…”
My arms flailed, thumping and bumping around me, but they found no anchor as the twinkle lights throughout the room sparkled and blurred. Nausea and heat slashed up and down my throat and my stomach lurched.
Something’s wrong.
“Uh, sick…”
My gut lurched, punching up towards my throat. Flashes of purses, knees, and shoes swam around me and pain lanced through me when my shoulders slammed down on something hard. A dark fog rolled across my vision, dimming everything as voices chirped and squawked around me.
Harsh fingers dug into my waist and lifted me. Pain seared at my hairline and my neck jerked back as my veil and what felt like half my hair were ripped from my head.
The sweet cloying scent of pot brought bile and green drinks surging upwards. Somehow I kept from hurling.
“Put her down!” a shrill cry lanced into my brain as I was bounced across the room. On someone’s hard boney shoulder. The strange pothead’s shoulder?
“I thought I saw him messing with her drink earlier, and now that bastard’s got her.”
Voices swirled around me, screams and whispers and gasps.
I had to kick, to claw, to push away, but – damn it! – my body wouldn’t work.
“Stop him.”
“Call the cops.”
“Move.”
“No way.”
“Get his picture.”
The room thrummed with the crash of glasses and barstools and trays, and peopled bobbed around me. Pushing? Recoiling? I wasn’t sure which.
Oh, Con… please… no.
Chapter Two
Con
The number one rule of SEAL team special reconnaissance is don’t engage. That’s why Gil called me from the seventh floor hallway of The Monteleone Hotel.
“But you’re still on her, right?”
“Damn skippy.”
“Frickin’ Hop. He couldn’t keep out of trouble even for a few hours?”
Gil didn’t bother to answer. When we’d arrived in New Orleans, I’d gone to The Belle Alexandrine to check us into our rooms and work up a game plan for the surprise of the century — my own wedding. Mine and Vivi’s. August was no longer an option.
“All you guys had to do was drink a beer or two and make sure my bride and her girls didn’t wind up in any of the more unsavory parts of the city.”
“Yeah, but…” Some reconnaissance they’d done.
“Never mind. You leaving now that she’s home safe?”
“Not exactly.”
A chill spiked down my spine and I shot to my feet. “What?”
“She’s in her hotel room… but I’m not sure if she’s safe.”
“Not safe? Then why the hell are you on the phone? Help her. What the fuck?”
“Down, buddy. Let me explain.”
“Make it fast.”
“When we got to the bar, people were streaming out of it, scattering faster than rats from a sinking ship. We slogged through that mess just as some guy staggered out of the main entrance with your girl in his arms.”
I paced around my complimentary suite at The Belle Alexandrine, actively stepping down my breathing while I waited for Gil, a man I trusted more than anyone on Earth, to fill me the hell in.
“A bouncer grabbed the dude carrying her and cut him down. Her would-be abductor dropped Vivian but before she even hit the ground some other guy scooped her up. This guy she seemed to know. She snuggled into his chest like a kitten to her mamma’s tit. In the meantime, the first dude bounced back up like a rabid afghan Kuchi dog and clocked the bouncer, who spiraled back, knocking Hop to his knees.”
“Unbelievable.”
“To be fair, Hop tried to disentangle himself, but the bouncer dinged him with an elbow while trying to pin down his original target. Before Hop could E and E, the cops arrived.”
Hop would wish he’d escaped and evaded when I got ahold of him. “Sounds like a shit sandwich.”
“Yup. By then, your girl was halfway down the block, still in the guy’s arms. I stuck with them. They’re pinned down in her hotel room now.”
“They? Both of them?”
“That’s affirmative.”
Rage flashed through my body and I grabbed my boots from under the coffee table and shoved my feet into the first. One yank and a twist of the laces, then I moved to the other.
“How well do you know this girl anyway?”
I thought of Viv, her kind heart so caring and sympathetic to her physiotherapy patients’ pain, her funny smile and the way she’d snort softly when she laughed too hard, the taste of sin when she kissed me. I knew her, all of her — well.
“Careful, buddy.”
“I know you two got tight in Texas, but maybe she’s not who you think she is.”
“I know her.”
“Well sure, but… marriage?”
“I’ll be there in ten.” I grabbed the plastic hotel key from the kitchen bar and bolted out of the room. I sprinted across the French Quarter blocks as if taking heavy gunfire. Scenarios flamed through my brain.
Was she taken — against her will?
Was she hurt?
Will I be too late?
A SEAL goes on hundreds of missions in his career if he’s lucky, and never once had confidence and control eluded me. Not like this.
Maybe the reason for our unexpected 96er still had me messed up. We’d earned the five nights and four days off when our most recent op had devolved into a complete goat fuck. Faulty CIA intel, mechanical failure, and a child’s runaway pet resulted in ten of the longest minutes of my life.
Holding my commanding officer’s head still while our medic brought him back to life three times was a reality check to be sure. Thank God Lieutenant Koa was still kicking.
But maybe it wasn’t the mission unbalancing me at all — maybe it was just her. Vivi, my breath of fresh air, my touchstone. Vivi was everything, and, before this weekend was over, the ring on her finger would shout it to the world. Vivi’s mine.
I just had to pull off the most important, most personal mission of my life. Failure was not an option.
Con
I pounded the elevator button three more times while scanning around the expansive lobby for fire stairs, hell, any stairs that would get me to the seventh floor.
There.
I sprinted across the plaid marble floors and around three painted columns before darting up the carpeted staircase.
Why had Vivi left the bar with another man?
Who was the guy?
Why did she go with him?
Gil met me and pointed towards the third door on the right.
“Any sight or sound?”
“None.”
“Stand by.” Gil nodded and placed his back to the wall to stand watch while I went in.
I forced two deep breaths in and out, in and out. My heart rate slowed and the flood of adrenaline in my veins cooled. My deliberate tap on the door gave away none of the wave of emotions punching though my gut like nails from an IED.
Seconds passed, and I resisted the urge to pound my fist or slam the door out of its frame with one aggravated kick. Keep it together, Wright. My job required steely control in even the most daunting challenges, but this was testing my limits.
The polished brass handle tipped down and the door eased open. A tall, muscular man obstructed my entry, and the scowl on his face did nothing to ease my mind.
“Who are you?”
“Back at you.”
Challenge burned in his stare as the man acknowledged me but gave no ground. The defiance in his chin tip wasn’t lost on me.
“Where’s Vivi?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Her fiancé.�
�
A spark of recognition flashed, but ice froze in his glare and I found myself waiting the guy out. There was no way I was leaving without seeing her. Long seconds ticked by, but eventually the man accepted the resolve written in every line of my body.
“Your name?”
“Conner Wright.” He nodded once, then shut the door in my face.
I glanced at Gil, who pressed forward. He met my stare, ready for anything.
“Son of a –”
The door swung open again, and this time the dark, angular man stepped out.
Our dual dead-eye fighting faces didn’t faze him.
He looked at me first, then to Gil. Recognition pinged in his eyes. The man knew about the Toussaints then, Gil’s very wealthy, very local New Orleans family. “I’m Gabe Diaz, Marianna’s brother.”
“I see. Where’s Vivi?”
“She’s not up to seeing anyone just now.”
What the hell? Diaz had balls of steel if he thought he was keeping me away from my fiancée.
“Explain.”
“She’s had a rough night.”
“Tell us. What do you have to do with that?”
“Me?” The guy crossed his arms and scowled at me. “I’m the one who got her to safety.”
“Got that, but why are you still here?”
“She needs me, that’s why.”
“You?” Incredulity and annoyance flared and I fought for control of my temper. “She needs me, not you.”
Diaz snorted, “Huh. That’s rich. Where were you and your SEAL buddies when I was carrying her out of there?”
So the guy knew something about me too.
“About that. Want to explain why you did that?” I stepped closer and steel-eyed him.
He stepped in too, taking ground and putting us nose to nose. “Someone had to.”
“Whoa there,” said Gil. “Take it down, guys.”
An ounce of bloodlust leaked away at Gil’s words, allowing me to step back into a more neutral stance. Neutral, but ready.
“I saw you pull Vivi from Pat O’s,” said Gil. “What happened?”
“GHB, I’m guessing. The date –”
“…rape drug,” Gil completed Diaz’s sentence.
Raped? Shit. Vivi? My world tilted as I thought of the women I’d crossed paths with on various missions. Women who’d been raped as spoils of war, or just out of pure mean. I shuddered as I pictured Vivi in the same shattered condition.
“Is she okay?” The words scraped out of my vocal cords, grating like month old razor blades.
“She was drugged and almost abducted — definitely not okay.”
Raw fear punched through my chest as the hand of some demonic overlord grabbed my heart and squeezed it to dust. “God no…”
“Was she hurt? Raped?” My buddy pushed for details while I reeled, trying to process unspeakable horrors.
“The asshat didn’t get her, if that’s what you mean. NOPD arrested him. Not for what he did to Vivi though, drug charges and resisting arrest she thinks. She’s pissed. The officers on scene held her for questioning.”
Breath came again and my ears stopped ringing.
“She’d been drugged,” said Diaz. “But, I got to her in time. I wouldn’t leave any woman in that condition, and Vivi… well, she’s damn sure not just any woman.”
Something in his tone made my teeth grind. This guy cared for her, or thought he did.
“She’s my sister’s best friend. My friend. No chance she’s getting raped on my watch.”
“Where the hell is Marianna? She should have called me. You should have called me. She’s my fiancée.”
“Maybe so, but you don’t deserve her. You can’t take care of her.”
“She’s damn sure not yours to protect.” Tired of jerking around, I shoved up into the guy’s face again, this time leaning my shoulders in too. “Buddy, get out of my way.”
“Make me.”
“I said, step aside.”
“No, not yet.”
“Gil, I’m going in. Deal with him.” My resolute tone had the intended response.
Diaz stepped aside.
I pushed into the dimly lit hotel room. Antique bed, mahogany wood furniture, and ornate striped curtains draped from ceiling to floor. No Vivi.
The sound of the shower led me towards my woman. I knocked loud enough to be heard inside, then turned the knob and cracked the door.
“Vivi, it’s Con. Can I come in?”
Steel rings clattered. “Con?” Questions – and was that anguish? – laced her tone. The pain in that one word curdled my blood.
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.” My husky reply was met with a long silence and a sniffle, so I stepped into the bathroom.
Streaks of black eye makeup smudged the translucent skin beneath her eyes, and her wobbling lower lip told me all I needed to know. I crossed the room and stepped into the shower beside her, wrapping her in my arms. Barely warm water showered down on my clothes. She was normally a hundred and four degree shower kind of girl, so she’d been in there a while. She drooped against me as if standing on her own was too hard. Maybe it was.
“Oh, baby. I’m here. Let me help you.”
I felt the nod of her head, but she said nothing, so I just held on. The water grew cold and I shielded her from the chilling blast, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. Her detachment scared me, but I’d have stood there holding her for days if that’s what she needed.
Three quick taps on the door snapped me into action.
“Everything okay in there? You need anything?”
“Give us a few,” was all the response I could muster. Were we okay? Was she okay? I needed to get her out of the shower and warmed up.
I lifted her and stepped out, swiping a towel down her chilled arms and legs before wrapping her in the plush white bathrobe that hung from a hook nearby. She shivered and watched my every move, saying nothing, but not resisting.
Confusion clouded her face. “Why are you here?”
“Oh, baby, there’s nowhere more important.” I tugged her close and wrapped her in my love.
“Call for down for some tea,” I hollered through the door. “She needs to warm up. Maybe toast too, or dinner rolls. Something solid for her stomach.”
She blinked but didn’t add anything or react to my words in at all. Crap.
I held her until her shivering stopped. Her skin was a grayish green, which was better than sheet white, but still not good. She rubbed her hand over her tummy, looking both fragile and unfocused. How much of that junk was still inside her, mucking up her system, and keeping her off center?
Picking her up, I slid her onto the counter, pausing to slick her hair back from her face. Huge amber eyes stared vacantly back at me, and in that moment I missed her, my confident, bubbly Vivi who was nowhere in sight. God damn that bastard! If the cops didn’t have him already, he’d be a dead man.
Con
Diaz waited for us when we returned to the bedroom. No sign of Gil.
“Room service was backed up, so your buddy ran downstairs to get tea from the restaurant instead.” He reached for Vivi and took both of her hands in his. “Sweetheart, are you feeling any better?”
Her wan smile tried to greet him. “Some, but I’m so tired.” She veered away from us both, and started to lay on the bed, not even bothering to lift the covers.
Diaz was closer, getting there before me. He caught her mid-way down, tugging the blankets back before easing her down.
Another guy I need to take out. But that could wait. Vivi needed me now.
She reached up and looped an arm around the other man’s neck. “Thank you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
I struggled against my instinctual responses, but lost the battle as my hands curled to fists and my jaw clamped down tighter than a hatch on our Virginia class submarines.
She released her hold and he stood, but still gripped her hand.
“I’d never let someone hur
t you. You hear me? Never, and no one.” His lifted his gaze from hers and delivered the warning.
Like I was the threat. To hell with that.
I stepped over and jammed my foot between Diaz and the bed and kneeled, wedging my body into the nonexistent space between them.
“Baby, do you think you can sleep now? Or should we wait until Gil gets here with some rations?”
She shook her head and curled into herself, closing her eyes.
“Time to go.” My flat words were an order, and Diaz looked pissed, but nodded and moved to the door.
“Don’t leave her. Someone needs to watch for new symptoms. GHB passes through the system within hours, and I think she’s past the worst of it, but no telling what else was in the mix. I called a trauma doc I know. He walked me through what to check for, respiration, heartrate, and vomiting.”
“How do you even know we’re dealing with GHB?”
“We don’t. Doc said as long as she can breathe and beat normally over the next few hours with no other symptoms cropping up, she’ll be okay.”
“Maybe she should have gone to the hospital, not here.”
“I made the call. I’m an ATF agent now, but before that I was a cop. Drink-drugging cases almost never stick. Even if everything is managed flawlessly from first report until full recovery, there are too many variables for the prosecution to put together a clean case.”
“I wasn’t worried about a stupid case.”
“Maybe not. I’m just saying I didn’t see the point in putting her through the extra poking and prodding when the outcome would be the same. She got a light dose, or she’d have stronger symptoms. As it is, they’d just keep her a few hours, then send her home to sleep it off. She just needs someone to watch over her.”
His intention couldn’t have been more clear. He’d planned to be the one staying. He wanted Vivi for himself. He’d have been there, if I couldn’t.
And with my job, I was away — a lot. Was it always going to be that way, with some guy trying to horn in on my girl while I was fighting to keep everyone safe? Someone who wanted to protect her and watch over her, in sickness and in health.
God, I hope not.
No, it wouldn’t be.