by Raye Morgan
All right, that was settled. She was leaving. She glanced at him again and winced. He was so darn beautiful. But he made her heart ache with a longing she didn’t need right now. She was going. Just exactly where, she didn’t know. These last few weeks in the prison camp, all she’d thought about was finding him and confronting him for all the misery she’d been through. It still hurt so badly to know he could have spared her all that if he’d cared enough to lift a finger.
But he hadn’t. And now he was the one in trouble. Why should she bother with him?
She shouldn’t. It was over.
She was deep in thought but suddenly her senses tingled. Someone was coming into the room behind her. The butler? Another servant? Before she could turn to see who it was, a male voice shot across the room like the flash from a flamethrower.
“Who the hell are you?”
The words hit her from behind but the man’s hand was on her neck before the words even registered. She didn’t have to think. She reacted on instinct and training, setting her foot and shifting her weight and grabbing the man by the neck. It was all a matter of balance and leverage. She’d done it so often it came naturally, and she slung him over her head, onto the floor. He landed with a grunt and lay very still. She gasped, wondering if she’d killed him.
But then a string of obscenities came pouring out of his mouth and she sighed with relief. Anyone who could swear like that still had a lot of life in him.
“Hey, I’m really sorry,” she said, sounding less than sincere. “But you shouldn’t touch a woman without warning like that.”
The obscenities didn’t stop, and suddenly she realized there was a background sense of chuckling going on. Turning, she found Mykal sitting upright and grinning from ear to ear.
“I see you’ve met my brother, Kylos,” he said, half-laughing. “Wow, as a guard, I’d say you fill the bill. I hope you stay forever.”
She flushed. The tiniest hint of praise from him and here she was, blushing. This was crazy and exactly why she couldn’t stay.
“Why the hell do you need a guard?” Kylos was grumbling as he clumsily pulled himself to his feet. “A nurse I could understand, but a guard?” He glared at her. “And why did you pick one who shoots first and asks questions later?”
She tried to smile, but it wasn’t easy. She’d never even known Mykal had a brother, and this man seemed so unlike him, it was eerie. His face was long and his skin was sallow and he tended to twitch as though he had an itch he was chasing. Where Mykal had been open and welcoming and warm—at least in the past—this man seemed cold and sly and calculating.
And if Mykal had this brother, what else did he have? He’d never told her anything about his family. Looking back now, she realized that their short relationship had been built on some pretty shaky ground. They’d existed in a fantasy bubble of their own. They’d kept their marriage a secret from most of the world, knowing they could lose their jobs if the intelligence service found out. It had seemed daring and exciting at the time. And it had only lasted a few weeks—barely time for them to get to know each other, much less discover anything about their respective families.
Crazy days—but as she remembered them, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. If it hadn’t ended so badly, just think where they might be now.
“The castle sent her over,” Mykal responded, sounding cool and cynical. “She’s probably supposed to keep me from killing myself by doing something normal.”
She was dying to ask what the castle had to do with this, but if they thought that was who had sent her, any questions on the subject might seem odd. So she decided to fulfill her role instead, raising her hand in warning as he seemed to be leaning forward with a bit too much vigor.
“Careful,” she said. “I’m sure the physicians have warned you against any sudden movements.”
He sent her an icy look before settling back against the pillows. “I heard their advice. I accept it—for now. They seem to think my life, as I’ve known it, is fully over with.” He looked at her in a way that implied an intimacy he couldn’t possibly think they shared, and then his gaze took on a challenging look. “Little do they know. This human hulk will rise again. And that’s a promise.”
“Not on my watch,” she said firmly, chin in the air as she looked back into his frosty eyes. “I haven’t lost a patient yet.”
“Well, that’s encouraging.” But his attention was fading and he winced. It was obvious he was still in pain.
Her heart lurched and she had to stop herself from moving toward him. She looked toward the doorway instead. Once she was out again, she wasn’t coming back. But then her gaze fell on the bowl of soup.
“You should be hungry by now,” she said, reaching for it. “I’ll go get this soup heated up for you. You probably want to talk to your brother anyway.”
He appeared surprised. “No, not really,” he murmured, but she was out the door.
There was no one in the kitchen, but the microwave worked fine and she was back in a flash, more determined than ever to wrap this thing up and take her leave.
“Can you handle this on your own?” she asked Mykal as she set the soup up for him on a bed tray.
He gave her a look but didn’t say anything. Taking the bowl from her, he proceeded to drink from it as though it were a large cup. She stood back and tried not to smile. Everything he did, every move he made, caused her to resonate like a tuning fork. The only problem was, each response was paired with a touch of fear at the same time.
His brother was hanging around grimly. He’d turned on the television, seemingly more for background noise than for any programming content. He made a face and gestured at Janis, making it clear he wanted to talk to her alone. She was tempted to go ahead and leave without letting him get his way, but she reluctantly hung back as he drew her aside in order to speak without Mykal overhearing.
“Listen, did they leave any medication for him?” he asked her urgently, leaning close. “I’ve looked all over and I can’t find anything. I was told they would leave something to help keep him quiet.”
She nodded, surprised at his intensity. “In the bathroom,” she said, pointing it out. “On a shelf in the medicine cabinet, I think.”
“Oh. Of course.” He looked as though he was starting off in that direction, then he hesitated, grimacing. “I guess that’s supposed to be your job, right?” He gestured toward Mykal. “Don’t you think you ought to give him something? He seems awfully wide-awake to me.”
“I think he’s allowed a little awake time,” she said, feeling slightly annoyed, then realizing she was talking through her hat. For all she knew, Kylos had talked to the doctors himself and knew much more than she did.
But actually, he didn’t act like it.
“Oh. Of course,” he said, fidgeting. He gave her an arch look. “But we wouldn’t want him to hurt himself.”
She frowned. “Don’t worry. I think he understands the possible consequences.”
She moved a little away from him. There was something definitely unpleasant about the man. Funny. Mykal had always been the sort of man who drew people to him. His brother seemed to be just the opposite.
“I think he can probably monitor his own need for the drugs, don’t you think?” she added.
He didn’t look convinced, but Mykal was holding out his empty bowl and she turned to take it from him and put it down on the top of the dresser.
“That ought to help make you feel a little more alive,” she told him.
He nodded, looking at her with a spark of interest in his eyes. “What’s your name, guard lady? What shall I call you?”
She took a deep breath. “Janis,” she said. And she didn’t give her last name.
“Janis?”
He was still frowning, thinking it over as
though it might ring a bell. She held her breath.
And then he showed the hint of a smile. “Nice name,” he said. His eyes drifted shut again. “Will you still be here when I wake up, Janis?” he asked her softly.
She couldn’t answer that. After all, he’d told her to leave earlier. But he didn’t seem to remember that.
“I hope you will,” he said groggily. “I have some things I want to talk to you about. Later.”
“I…I’ll try,” she said faintly.
He held out his hand and she knew what he wanted. Quickly, she moved closer and took his hand in hers. He smiled and held on tightly, as though he really did need her to anchor his existence. Then his smile faded as he fell quickly into another deep sleep.
She stared at the hand she was holding, then pressed it to her heart and gazed down at him. He looked like a wounded warrior. Her heart filled with love for him. She couldn’t help it. No matter what he did, she couldn’t seem to shake it. And in truth, she didn’t really want to.
Their marriage had been short, barely two months, but oh, so sweet. They had been friends as well as lovers, but the love had been the best. She remembered the night he’d aroused such passion in her, she’d clawed his back with her fingernails. He’d laughed and teased her that he was going to go around without a shirt for the day so everyone could see what a hot woman he had. She’d been mortified, and so apologetic. But he’d just kissed her and before she knew it, they were making love again.
If they could go back to what they had created between them in the short time they were married, before it all fell apart…
But that was dreaming and in her experience, dreams very seldom came true. She’d grown up hard and tough, learning how to defend herself early. Her mother died when she was young and her father was a mobster. He’d been killed in a police raid when she was ten. Her brother, Rolo, had been the only real family she had left, though they had both gone to live with her uncle, Max Gorgonio. Rolo had been the only person who’d ever been close enough to gain her trust, until she’d met Mykal.
Trust. The word tasted bitter on her lips. What good had all that trust done when the rubber hit the road? It melted away like a springtime snowfall and left cold comfort behind.
“Hey, what’s the deal?”
She dropped Mykal’s hand with a start. She’d forgotten his brother was still here.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I was just…thinking.”
“Oh, yeah?” He gave her a doubtful look. “Well, I’ve got to go meet…uh…my lawyer. I’ve got to get going now. Are you going to be here for the night?”
Was she? No. She had to go. Staying wouldn’t accomplish anything. She looked back down and sighed. She hated to leave him, but what else could she do?
Kylos twitched, blinking rapidly. “If you are, you can keep an eye on him. But I want to be perfectly clear. I want to make sure he stays quiet, and in order to do that, I think we ought to keep him pretty drugged up.”
The way he’d phrased that gave her a bad feeling and she looked at him, curious. “Drugged up?” she repeated doubtfully.
“Sure. That’s what they did in the hospital, didn’t they? No one wants to take any chances with that shrapnel thing in his back.”
“Oh, I agree. But he doesn’t have to be out cold in order to stay quiet, does he?”
He shrugged and looked bored with it all. “Whatever it takes, honey. I’d just as soon you kept him groggy. He’s easier to handle that way.”
Her mouth dropped. What on earth was this man talking about?
“Hey.” He pinched her cheek and grinned at her. “Just play along for now and I’ll make sure you get a bonus when this job is over. I just need a couple more days and then…” He twitched nervously and looked as though he was afraid he might have said too much. “What I mean is, I’m really worried about my brother’s chances. He’s got big things in the works and we have to keep him calm. Get it?”
No, she didn’t get it at all, but she nodded. And at the same time, she had a sinking feeling. She wasn’t going to leave, was she? Not while this vulture was strutting around asking her to drug Mykal. She couldn’t allow that. Someone had to monitor the situation. She sighed. Maybe she would be here for the long haul after all.
Or at least until Mykal’s last few years came back to him and he realized that she was his wife—and that he hated her.
She woke up feeling odd. For a moment, she looked around, disoriented. Where in the world was she? And then it flooded back to her and she jerked upright. The bed was empty. Where was Mykal?
She heard water. A shower. The bathroom.
Leaping to her feet, she raced to the bathroom door and flung it open without thinking twice.
“What the heck do you think you’re doing?” she demanded into the steamy room.
“Well, hello to you, too.” He leaned around the shower curtain, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Care to join me?”
She drew in a sharp breath, realizing this must seem odd to him. At the same time, the sight of his naked body, which was clear at the edge of the shower curtain, did nothing but bring back delicious memories. It was a body she knew only too well—but he didn’t know that.
“You’re not supposed to do anything without support,” she said crisply, making it up as she went along, but pretty sure she had the melody right, if not the exact words. “I’m here to help you. Any sudden moves could kill you!”
He made a face. “Okay, take it easy. I’m not suicidal. But I can make some decisions for myself.”
“Not until you clear them with me.” She might have gone over the top, but she was genuinely worried. He was being reckless. She had to find a way to make him think things through before he acted.
“Clear them with you?” He looked at her as though she were a slightly annoying insect he could bat away at will. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re nothing to me. You’re an employee.”
Something choked in her throat. He was right, of course. She was nothing to him. Not anymore. She started to turn away, but he seemed to regret his harsh words.
“Wait a minute,” he said, calling her back.
She stopped and glanced back at him, hoping he couldn’t see how much he’d hurt her. She had no right to be hurt. She was nothing to him. But there was one problem. He was still everything to her. She just needed time to train herself not to care. Slowly, reluctantly, she turned back toward him and waited for his explanation.
“I apologize,” he said. “That was uncalled for.” He smiled at her, then turned off the water and leaned out. “And anyway, I need you here to hand me a towel.”
She made a face, but did as he asked, handing him a nice thick one. He dried himself behind the shower curtain, then wrapped it around his waist and stepped out onto the bath mat, being careful and a bit tentative, but able to manage it on his own. And looking proud of himself for it.
About then she told herself she really ought to be backing out of the bathroom. Ordinarily, with a stranger, she would have been long gone. But being here like this with Mykal felt natural and familiar. And so here she was.
She should have gone. But her body didn’t seem to be obeying orders from the top right now. Every piece of her attention was being soaked up by the sense of the beautiful man standing before her. A few weeks in a coma didn’t seem to have sapped away any of that long, lean muscle mass that worked together to form a hard, sleek classic statue of a man, and the memory of what his strong arms had felt like as they tightened around her took her breath away. Her gaze trailed from his wide shoulders down across his gorgeous chest with its fine mat of dark hair.
This was the man she had loved with a crazy passion such a short time ago. Something inside, some insane impulse, told her to throw herself into his arms. That he would reme
mber if she only held him and kissed him like she used to. That all would be forgiven and they would laugh together and make love together and blot out all the bad times as though they had never happened. It was worth a try. Wasn’t it?
Everything in her yearned to take the chance.
But then she looked up into his eyes and what she saw there stopped her cold. There was no love. There was no memory. There was only a faintly amused look of surprise. He thought she was being overwhelmed by his manly presence, and he was right. Only, he thought she was an employee who could be flirted with, to a point, but needed to be kept at arm’s length. And she wasn’t.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to get her bearings and get back to the job at hand.
“Uh…” She swallowed hard and lifted her chin, blinking in the light. “Listen, playing Russian roulette is not just a fun option. It’s risking your life. And I’m supposed to make sure you don’t do that.”
His frown was stubborn. “But that’s just it. It’s my life. It belongs to me. Not you. Not the doctors. Not the wise guys at the castle. Just me.”
He was right, but it made her want to cry. She couldn’t explain to him why she felt she had a stake in this situation. She couldn’t tell him much.
He hitched up the towel and gave her a look of pure skepticism. She drew in her breath, startled by his distrust. Still, he was so beautiful, she was tempted to start letting her gaze travel over him again, a simple, guilty pleasure. But his look suddenly hardened, as though he’d remembered she was an interloper and wasn’t sure why she was still hanging around.
“So let’s get this straight,” he was saying. “I’ll do things at my own pace. You can give advice. But you’re not going to set any agendas. I’ll do that.” He gave her a challenging look. “No rules.”
She nodded reluctantly. “Okay.” She drew in a deep breath. “But…”
“Uh-uh.” He shook his head. “This is my game. I’ll play it my way. If you can’t handle that, it’s time for you to go.”