Soleil released her grip and stalked out. To Hedda, as Soleil opened the door, she looked like a beautiful avenging angel, only Soleil was most definitely not on her side.
“Shit…shit…” Hedda sank to the floor, trembling uncontrollably. Bart Foy scared her even more, but Solei had just proved that she too was not someone Hedda wanted for an enemy.
It was only then the weight of what she had done hit Hedda Shaw, and with no other option and no idea what to do, she began to cry.
Sailor and Soleil left the hospital just after noon, and Soleil insisted on showing Sailor around the city. Sailor loved the cool vibe of the place, down to earth and laid back. They went to the top of the Space Needle and looked out over to the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainier. They ate chowder from the concessions stand, sitting at one of the little tables on the viewing deck.
They chatted amiably until Solly’s phone buzzed. “Hey, it’s Claudio. Ciao Fratelli!”
Sailor smiled as Soleil chatted away in Italian, so quickly Sailor couldn’t even begin to translate the little she knew. She concentrated instead on the delicious chowder and the incredible view. Yeah, she could imagine living here, not as hot or busy or as fast-paced as L.A. She wondered idly if Bodhi would be up for moving then checked herself. Despite the intensity of their relationship, she really didn’t think they were ready to discuss moving his whole life entirely on a whim of hers.
Sailor rocked back a little, realizing, despite his great generosity, she really didn’t have parity with Bodhi in their relationship, and not just financially. The thought depressed her. I was meant to do…something, she thought now.
“Hey.” Soleil had finished her call. “You’ll never guess where Claudio is right now. Seattle. Uh-huh,” she nodded as Sailor looked surprised. “He had a last-minute meeting with Grady Mallory at the art museum and flew in yesterday. He wants to know if we can be free for dinner tonight?”
“Of course,” Sailor was delighted; she had liked Claudio Fonseca very much.
Claudio threw his arms around both of them as they arrived at the restaurant. Claudio’s companion, Grady Mallory watched with a grin on his handsome face as his friend made a fuss of his sister and her friend, then Claudio introduced him to Sailor, Soleil was clearly already acquainted with the other man.
Over dinner, Sailor discovered Grady was a Seattle native, part of the very rich, very famous Mallory family and had recently had a new baby with his wife, Floriana. He showed Sailor the photo of his new daughter. She was adorable and Sailor told him so.
“You have any more children?”
“Two,” Grady said proudly, “Flori loves being pregnant for some reason.”
Sailor grinned. “I wouldn’t know about that, but you two sure do produce gorgeous offspring.”
Grady grinned his thanks. The rest of the dinner was fun as Sailor and Grady watched Claudio and Soleil bicker and tease each other in the way only siblings could.
Later, Grady asked Sailor about her art and Sailor looked surprised. “I told him,” Soleil interrupted, smirking. “Both Bodhi and I have seen what she can do, Grady, although she is very good at hiding it.”
Sailor was surprised. Yes, she loved drawing, and would often sit sketching in the evenings while Bodhi and Tim played computer games, but she hadn’t noticed Soleil taking a particular interest in her art.
Grady nodded. “Listen, have you heard of The Quilla Chen Mallory Foundation?”
Sailor shook her head.
“It’s named for my sister-in-law, and through it, Quilla, Flori and I all work towards giving emerging artists a helping hand. We’re very much looking for tutors for a Los Angeles office we’re thinking of opening. Would you be interested?”
Sailor’s cheeks flushed. “Grady…look, that’s very kind, but I’m nowhere near qualified. I just sketch for a hobby.”
Grady smiled and took out a business card. “Well, then, keep in touch…maybe there’s some other area you’d like to get involved in.”
As Sailor and Soleil were being walked back to the hotel by Claudio, Sailor couldn’t stop thinking about Grady’s offer. Maybe she could be useful, and she could actually use a focus right now. Suddenly she felt a new energy inside of her, as much as she loved Bodhi and their life together, she needed something of her own to feel a connection to the earth. If their relationship was made public, she wanted to be more in this life than just Bodhi Creed’s girlfriend.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t see Soleil on her phone, and Claudio dropping back to walk with Sailor.
“Hey, kiddo. How do you like Seattle?”
She smiled up at him. She had liked Claudio from the first, his fun-loving side coming out when his sister or Bodhi was with him. She also felt she could talk to him about anything. “I love it, so beautiful.”
“You know, Bodhi was raised here for much of his childhood? That’s where we met him. Our father was working with Boing at the time, as was Bodhi’s dad, and they became friends so when he brought us over on school vacations, we would all hang out.”
“I never knew that,” Sailor said, smiling. “That’s cool.”
“He’s my brother,” Claudio said, and almost too late, Sailor realized that he was giving her the ‘Don’t hurt my brother’ talk, in a very sweet, subtle way. She nudged his shoulder with hers.
“Don’t worry, Claudio, I’d rather die than hurt Bodhi, Tim, or any of you. You are my family now, and you’ll never know how grateful I am for you all.”
Claudio, seemingly satisfied with this, kissed her cheek. “Good girl. If it’s any help, I’ve never seen Bodhi so wiped out by love. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Sailor was touched. “Claudio, I can promise you…we will all be happy together if I have anything to do with it.”
She had no idea how soon that promise would be broken.
“Bart Foy has gone very, very quiet,” Bodhi announced at breakfast a few weeks later. “The Feds leaned on him about Stuart Lawson, but he covered his tracks very well.”
Sailor looked at him unhappily. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
Soleil spooned the last of her yogurt into her mouth. “How do you know all of this?”
“I have a contact at the Bureau.”
Soleil grinned. “Impressive.”
Bodhi grinned, but Sailor didn’t smile. “It’s when he goes quiet that I start to panic,” she lowered her voice so Tim, who was running around packing his backpack for school, wouldn’t hear. “Back in the commune, it meant someone had stepped out of line and that bad times were coming. Dark times.” She felt tearful, and Bodhi stroked her cheek.
“What is it?”
Sailor just shook her head. “Just…a hidden enemy, you know? It’s harder to stay ahead of them.”
“Ahead of who?” Tim had rejoined them without Sailor seeing, and for a second, she floundered for an answer.
“Emails,” Soleil rescued Sailor, then mussed Tim’s hair. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s get going.”
Sailor looked at her gratefully, and Solly winked. “Listen, I have a meeting after I drop Tim off, so you two will have the place to yourselves for a while. To, um, work, you know?”
She winked at both of them, then laughed as she left the house with Tim. “Bye, gorgeous people.”
“Bye, nut job,” Bodhi called out after her and Sailor laughed, feeling her spirits lift.
When they were alone, Bodhi leaned over to kiss Sailor. “Sails, I’ve been thinking…it might be time for me to get back to work. Record some new stuff, do some press, and I’m thinking maybe we could kill two birds with one stone.”
“How’s that?”
“I think we need to go public with our relationship.”
Sailor gaped at him. “Why?”
“Because the more Bart Foy realizes that you are protected, that you are loved, the less likely he is to risk coming after you. He might think you’re anonymous enough that he could, and I hate these words coming out of my mouth, that he co
uld kill you and no-one would think anything of a young biracial woman being murdered in this town. God knows how many people straight off the bus from everywhere go missing, especially young women. This could be where my fame, for want of a better word, could actually be of help. From what I can see, Bart Foy won’t risk being exposed as a murderer or a charlatan. I don’t mean this to sound egotistical, and of course, you are much, much more than just my lover, but being Bodhi Creed’s girlfriend automatically gives you an extra layer of public protection. No-one can touch us.”
Sailor chewed this over. “Conversely,” she said, “Bart could think I might expose him in a bigger arena and come after me.”
Bodhi’s smile faded, and he sighed. “God, Sails, if I could get my hands on him.”
She stroked his face. “I know, baby. And I think you might be right, at least, we could consider it, because I have an idea. Maybe if I did an interview with you and not mention names, but make it clear where I come from, what I’ve seen. Bart will know I’m ready and willing to talk about him. He might panic. He might make a mistake and then we’ve got him.”
Bodhi looked unhappy. “Using yourself as bait is not an answer.”
“We have to use what is available to us, Bodhi. Until the threat of Bart Foy is gone, then I don’t know how to really feel free. Be free. I don’t want a death threat to follow me around forever.”
Bodhi took her in his arms. “I know. I know.” He sighed, pressing his lips to her temple. “We’ll work it out. We’ll work something out.”
She tilted her head up for a kiss. “In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about Grady Mallory’s offer.”
Bodhi looked surprised. “You have? That’s great news.”
“I still don’t think I’m right to be an art tutor,” she said, sitting down on the couch with him. “But I know what I’m good at and that’s organization, scheduling, all the dull stuff.” She grinned at Bodhi. “I know, it’s a bore to you, but it gives me a sense of control. If the Foundation is opening a branch in Los Angeles, then they’ll need someone like that.”
Bodhi smiled at her enthusiasm. “I see you as much more than a paper pusher, Sailor.”
“Well, maybe I could handle the charitable part, arrange benefits, or marketing…something like that. I don’t have an awful lot of experience in anything, as you know,” she grinned at his wicked smile, “except some things, Mr. Creed, I think I’m becoming an expert.”
“I would agree with that.”
They were both laughing now. “See, I was having a serious conversation about a possible career, and you have to bring up sex.”
Bodhi laughed loudly. “You brought up sex, you little nympho.”
“Fair enough.” She snuggled into his arms. “So, what did you have in mind for today? Recording sessions?”
His fingers were trailing up and down her spine. “I was thinking of going into the recording studio, but not recording.”
“Oh?”
“Uh-huh. I was going to take my girlfriend in there and fuck her senseless on the mixing board.”
Sailor started giggling. “Oh, you were huh?”
“Oh yeah. Well, first I’d strip her slowly, then put my face in her sex and suck and taste her until she came…”
Sailor was getting very turned on by his dirty talk, and she looked up into his intense green eyes and he brushed his lips against hers. “Then,” he continued in a low, slow, sensual voice, “I would part her legs and put my cock inside her so hard that she would scream my name so loud that even the soundproofing couldn’t muffle her cries…”
Sailor moaned softly. “Put your hands on me, Bodhi Creed.”
Bodhi pulled her top down and took her nipple into his mouth, his fingers sliding into the waistband of her denim shorts, stroking her lower belly then massaging her clit. “You’re getting wet, baby.”
Sailor responded with a moan then Bodhi tumbled her to the carpet, yanking her shorts and her panties down. “This isn’t the recording studio,” Sailor chuckled as he kissed her belly then blew raspberries on it, making her shriek with laughter.
“There’s time enough for the studio,” he said gruffly, hitching her legs around his and thrusting his rigid cock inside her. Sailor sighed happily as they began to make love, and she thought to herself, Maybe. Maybe Bodhi’s right. Maybe no-one can touch us…
In the next few hours, she would be shown, in the most painful way possible, just how wrong they both were.
“You got the words wrong again,” Tim complained, and Soleil rolled her eyes, going back over the song they were singing together again. As usual, the Los Angeles traffic had ground to a halt, and the clock was edging ever nearer to nine. Tim didn’t seem bothered by being late, but it made her feel like a bad aunt, so she’d deliberately set off a few minutes earlier, only to be constrained by a traffic accident up ahead.
“Dang it,” she said, for once not cursing in Tim’s presence. That made her feel like a bad aunt too. She glanced over to Tim. He was so different from the shy, sullen boy she’d met almost a year ago; he had thrived under Bodhi, Sailor’s and she had to admit, even her own care. “Hey kiddo, you talk to your mom this week?”
Tim nodded. “She says she’s feeling a lot better now. I talked to Evan too.”
“You did? That’s good.”
“Yeah. I didn’t tell Dad that. I don’t think he likes Evan.”
Soleil smiled at Tim. “He just doesn’t know him, buddy. I think your Dad’s just a little jealous that Evan got to raise for so many years.”
“Okay. But that’s not Evan’s fault.”
“No, it’s not. And it’s not your dad’s, it’s just how things are.”
Tim was silent for a long time. “I think it’s my mom’s fault. I feel kind of angry with her.”
Soleil shook her head. “No, Timbo. Sometimes we make decisions based on what is the best at the time. Your mom made a choice. Whether it was the best one or not, it was her choice. That’s all anyone could do.”
“I don’t want to go back to live with her.”
That shocked Soleil, and she swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. “Why not, pal?”
“Because…I think I make her sad. That’s why she went away.”
Tim’s word broke Soleil’s, heart. “No, sweetheart, you didn’t make her sad. And look at it this way, because your mom was sad, and that happens to us from time to time, you got to know your dad, and Sailor and me. And your grandma and Claudio and Tag, of course.”
Tim smiled at the mention of his canine friend back in Italy. “I’d like a dog.”
“Talk to your dad, I’m sure he’d get you one.”
Tim nodded happily. “I like living with Dad and Sailor and you. Will you live with us forever?”
Soleil, touched, grinned at him. “Sure you want me to? You know those missing Pop Tarts? That was me.”
Tim laughed. “I knew they hadn’t been stolen!”
Soleil peered out at the traffic in frustration. “Timbo, I’m going to get off the freeway here and go a different way. It might make us a little late, but not more than this damn traffic will. Okay with you?”
“Sure.”
Soleil pulled the car onto the off-ramp and off the freeway, not noticing the black SUV following behind them. They drove around the back streets for a while until they were only a few blocks from Tim’s school.
“So, what you got on today, kid…”
Soleil didn’t finish her sentence as her car was sidelined by the black SUV. It cornered their vehicle, slamming into it again and again, and didn’t let up until both Soleil and Tim were both stunned and concussed. Then Tim’s door was wrenched open, and he was grabbed by a large man. Tim started to scream and Soleil, yelling, was about to get out of her seat when she was grabbed and pinned back against her seat by someone who jumped in the back of her car. A hand was clamped over her mouth. A tall man, dragging Tim around to Soleil’s door, held Tim’s head, so he was staring directly at Soleil.
/> “Now, watch, Timmy. Watch what happens when you disobey me.”
Soleil, unable to move, saw Udo slip into the passenger seat. In his hand, a switchblade knife. Soleil tried to free herself as Udo cut open her shirt, but when she knew it was too late, she bit the hand covering her mouth. As the man behind her cursed, she turned to Tim with desperation in her eyes. “Don’t watch, Timmy, close your eyes.”
Bart Foy smiled at her. “No, do watch, Timmy…this will be fun.”
Udo stabbed Soleil repeatedly as Tim screamed. Solly gasped as the knife cut through her belly again and again, viciously, Udo smiling the entire time, before Bart told him to stop. Bart released a sobbing, hysterical Tim to his guard, and stepped up to the dying woman. Soleil moaned, her wounds pumping her precious blood out of her body. “If you live long enough, beautiful girl, tell Sailor that this can happen to her bastard lover’s son or it can happen to her. It’s her choice.”
Bart ran a fingertip down Soleil’s face as she bled out. “A shame. What a lovely woman.” He looked at Udo who handed him the knife, and with one brutal movement, Bart plunged the blade into Soleil’s stomach one last time. She vomited a fountain of blood as she heard Tim’s screaming getting further away.
Soleil now left alone, her hands freed, knew she was dying. She clutched the wounds on her abdomen and threw herself out of the car onto the hot asphalt, causing a scene, desperately to get her message across before she died. She heard voices, alarms, sirens, the sound of people rushing to her aid. The pain was unimaginable.
It’s too late…it’s too late. I’m dead…
As the first responders reached her, she pulled his head close and repeated what Bart had said to her. Tell them…tell them I’m sorry…Bodhi…Sailor…Tim…save Tim…
“Jesus, Jesus,” the cyclist bent over the bloodied, brutalized girl on the road and tried to give her first aid. Another woman rushed over. “I’ve called 911.”
No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 58