Ripper

by Lexi Blake

  “What are you?” He stood there in the middle of the sidewalk. He didn’t seem to care that people were walking all around him. They didn’t see him there. They altered their paths to avoid him, not one meeting his eyes.

  “I was about to ask you the same question.” I steeled myself. I was going to get answers out of him one way or another. “Who are you and why are you testing me? What do you want from me?”

  He shook his head, black hair moving around his pale face. He kept his hands at his sides, but I saw a glint of metal. “Damn it. My master’s gonna kill me.”

  Then he lifted a gun and shot me. I registered the bullet hitting my chest, but it was weird. It didn’t go completely in and there was a strange hissing sound. I pulled it out and threw it to the ground as a fog started to develop in my head. Even with the fuzziness, I moved forward. I needed to get my hands around him. He was my prey and he was right there. All I had to do was reach out and grab him.

  Another shot and another hiss.

  I staggered forward, unwilling to give up.

  The Goth guy shook his head as I inched ever closer to him. He shot again and this time I was going down. My knees hit the pavement with a painful thud and then I fell forward, not even able to move my arms to brace the fall. I caught a glimpse of the man who’d tricked me and then shot me as he loomed over me.

  “God, I hope I didn’t kill you,” he muttered and then he was gone.

  Somewhere, as the world was getting darker, I registered the pounding of feet racing toward me and Gray’s desperate voice. He was calling 911, barking orders for assistance.

  A warm hand enfolded mine. It was so nice to feel someone, I thought as I started to float. I tried to squeeze his hand so he could maybe keep me tethered to the ground, but I was already flying.

  “Hold on, sweetheart,” he said. “Please hold on.”

  I was already gone.

  * * * *

  “Three hours, Gray,” I heard as I started to come out of the fog. I squeezed my hands into fists to get the circulation back in them. I registered that I was lying on a bed. The world seemed way too bright as I opened my eyes. I had to stop myself from shivering and there was an awful antiseptic smell coating my nose. There was the steady hum of several machines and the sound of Jamie’s voice. “She was with you, in your care, for roughly three hours and she’s in the hospital.”

  Yep. I was in hell and hell was a hospital.

  “Well, I didn’t plan it that way, Jamie.” Gray’s voice sounded ragged, like he’d been yelling for hours and it was going to give out soon. “Do you think I wanted her hurt? I fought like hell.”

  “You were supposed to take her to a nice dinner.” Even without seeing Jamie, I could tell his teeth were grinding together as he spoke and his fists were at his sides. “You were supposed to treat her like a lady and be gentle with her. Damn it, you promised me you would be good to her. You were not supposed to get her involved in your little war with dear old Dad.”

  “I don’t think it had anything to do with demons,” Gray tried to explain.

  “I don’t give a shit who was involved. My sister is in a coma. What are you going to do about it? If you don’t have anyone who can help then I’ll call Nathan and have him bring some of his friends in. We’ll see what they can do.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Gray growled.

  It was time to force myself up before my potential boy toy and my eldest brother tried to kill each other. I wasn’t going to be allowed to languish in the so not comfy bed. I pulled out the IV in my arm and sat up. I don’t like IVs.

  “Tell me I’m not in a hospital. Tell me this is some back-alley clinic that will take payment in sexual favors.” I couldn’t afford a hospital. The world still seemed a little gauzy as Gray was at my side before I could form another sentence. “Why am I in a coma?”

  “Call the doctor,” Gray ordered as he framed my cheeks with his hands. His handsome face gave me something to focus on and I wondered briefly if I’d finally managed to get to a state of alcohol poisoning. My mouth was so dry, and I couldn’t remember a damn thing. How had I gotten to a hospital?

  “Where am I?” I forced the words out of my mouth.

  Gray ran a hand soothingly across my forehead and then his fingers massaged my scalp. I sighed because it felt so nice. “You’re in Parkland, sweetheart. We’re in the ER, but they’re moving you up to a private room soon. God, Kelsey, I thought you were going to die. The doctor said you might never wake up. You took three doses of Ketamine, one almost in your freaking heart. If I ever find that fucking piece of shit witch, I’m gonna take him apart limb from limb.”

  “Why would someone shoot me with horse tranquilizer?” I asked after searching my addled brain for what Ketamine was. “Get my neck.” It was so sore. My whole body ached and it felt like I’d been hit by a truck.

  Gray’s hands moved obediently down to my neck and started rubbing the muscles there. I sighed and felt him relax as well as his strong fingers worked from my neck to my bunched up shoulders. “I don’t know exactly what was going on. You don’t remember? You don’t remember the wolves and the man in black with the gun? You chased him and he shot you so he could get away. I would have followed him, but I couldn’t leave you. God, I couldn’t leave you there.”

  I was so tired, but I could feel my strength starting to come back. I had the feeling back in my extremities and my mind was starting to get sharp again. “Tell me what happened. Maybe it’ll jog my memory.”

  “What’s the last thing you remember clearly, Kels?” Jamie asked, looking at me over Gray’s shoulder.

  “I remember the restaurant.” I let my mind wander over the evening. Thankfully it was coming back into focus. “I ordered too small a steak because I didn’t want Gray to think I was a big old pig, but then he told me that you had already told him I was one so I went ahead and I ate a lobster.”

  “Two lobsters, honey,” Gray said, chuckling. “You ate mine, too.”

  Jamie was not amused with our banter. “After the restaurant. What do you remember after that?”

  I sat up and Gray moved in behind me. I should have been annoyed. The man was invading my space, but it was nice to lean against him. It was nice to feel his strong chest against my back and I wondered how I’d gone so damn long without the feeling of warmth surrounding me. It made it easier to concentrate.

  Wolves. I’d been surrounded by wolves and there had been a voice in my head that wasn’t my own.

  “I killed a bunch of werewolves.” I could feel the staff in my hand, the weight welcome. I could kill them all with that little piece of metal, I remembered thinking. They’d been stupid to send in these wolves. These wolves weren’t even alphas. I shivered at the thoughts running through my head. Someone had been there watching me. He’d talked to me, his voice deep inside my brain. He wanted me to kill the wolves, but the wolves weren’t real.

  “I remember the magician.” The word seemed to fit him. I could see him, though not clearly. He’d had dark eyes and long black hair. He’d worn leather and jeans and black motorcycle boots. He’d been standing at the back of the alley and everything I fought had come straight from his brain. “The magician ran and I chased him. He talked about his master.”

  “Well, that’s the Ketamine talking, all right,” a middle-aged, briskly efficient-looking doctor said. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. I was reprimanded harshly for pulling out my IV, but then told it wasn’t completely unexpected as Ketamine could have hallucinatory effects. It often made people act irrationally. I didn’t mention I made it a habit to act irrationally all on my own. The doctor checked my eyes and frowned at Gray, who was on the bed with me, but he ignored her.

  The doctor surveyed my chart like she needed to read it twice to believe it. “The surprise is that you’re awake at all. You should still be in a coma. If you had asked me, I would have bet against you. I would have said you wouldn’t wake up. You’re a lucky girl. According to the latest blood tests, y
ou’ve metabolized the drugs completely. I can’t find a reason to keep you. I’d rather you stayed overnight for observation, but all your vitals are perfectly normal. Your eyes are clear. You’re breathing fine. I’m not sure, at this point, that we didn’t misdiagnose you. Perhaps our toxicology results were wrong. Otherwise, this is a flat out miracle. If you want to go home, I’ll let you, but you need someone with you tonight in case there’s a delayed reaction.”

  “I’ll take care of her,” Gray said.

  The doctor shook her head and gave me a sisterly smile. “I thought he’d say that. The lieutenant has been throwing some serious weight around tonight. The whole hospital has been jumping trying to handle your case. There’s something about a Texas Ranger flashing his badge and barking orders that commands respect. It didn’t hurt that he threatened to call the governor.”

  The Ranger in question shrugged as though it wasn’t a big deal. “I did some work at the governor’s mansion a few months back. He owes me. Big time.”

  The doctor promised to get a nurse started on my discharge paperwork. The minute the doctor left the room, my brother rounded on Gray.

  “I’ll take her home with me.” Jamie stared down at Gray. It was the only time he could look down on the taller man. While Gray was big and had a powerful build, Jamie was lanky with a much smaller but deceptively strong frame. “You’re obviously more involved in your father’s business than I thought you were. Kelsey, get dressed. I’ll have Nathan pick up your car.”

  “They weren’t coming after Gray,” I insisted, rolling my eyes at Jamie’s father act. He didn’t do it often, but there were times he used the six years between us as a blunt object with which to beat me about the head and shoulders.

  Jamie crossed his arms over his chest as Gray chose to smartly withdraw. The Ranger moved from behind me and started gathering everything I would need to get out of here.

  “And how would you know that, Kelsey Jean Atwood?” Jamie asked. “You were hit by some asshole with three, count them, three veterinary doses of Ketamine. Did you note I said veterinary doses? There was so much of that shit in your system you should be dead. There was no mistake in the tox reports. He shot you with enough of that stuff to kill a horse, much less a hundred and twenty pound woman. What the hell have you done that would constitute someone wanting revenge like that?”

  “I’m annoying.” A thought occurred to me. “Maybe I ran out on a bar tab.”

  Jamie wasn’t in the mood. “Damn it, Kelsey. Don’t you joke about this.”

  “Fine,” I said with a sigh. “But it wasn’t about Gray. It was about me. Someone was testing me. There was this voice in my head. He was telling me to relax and let my instincts take over. He seemed to think I could do all these fighting things. I’m not explaining this well.”

  “I don’t know about the voice in your head, sweetheart.” Gray brought over my jeans, T-shirt, and bra. God, I wondered who had taken off my bra. Gray set the clothes down on the bed. “But you could fight. She was amazing, Jamie. She moved like I’ve never seen a human move before. You said she was a badass, but I didn’t believe you until I saw her fight.”

  “Maybe you got hit with that shit, too, Gray,” Jamie said, disbelief evident in his posture. “My sister doesn’t fight.”

  “She sure as hell does,” Gray replied with admiration. “If tonight was any indication, she’s had a lot of training. You said it yourself. She has excellent instincts. They were on full display.”

  Jamie’s green eyes lit with frustration. “I meant she’s a badass investigator. She has great instincts when it comes to sizing people up and finding things. My sister isn’t some street fighter. She has absolutely no training. Our father didn’t train Kelsey the way he did me and Nate. He mostly ignored her except when he needed bait.” Jamie’s face was savage and I heard Gray’s startled hiss behind me. His hand came up on my shoulders as Jamie continued his tirade. “I swear to god, if I find out you’re using my sister that way I’ll send you to the Hell plane myself, do you understand?”

  I sat up straight and was surprised to find I was very steady. Any weakness was gone. “Back off, Jamie. He isn’t using me. He tried to protect me. He tried to get me to run and leave him alone with a pack of hungry wolves. He was ready to do whatever it took so I got out of there. I don’t know exactly what happened in that alley, but I know it was about me and I trust Gray to watch my back. I’m going home with him and you have to deal with it.”

  Gray’s satisfaction was practically tactile as he put a protective arm around my shoulders. “I’ll take care of her, Jamie. I promised you that. I mean to keep that promise.”

  “You know what he is?” Jamie asked shortly. He obviously didn’t want to go into it. I could tell it was a hard subject for him but he needed to make sure I was up to date.

  “He told me,” I replied.

  Jamie shook his head and smoothed back his fashionably shaggy hair. “All right. You’re an adult. If you know what you’re getting into, I’ll back off.” He walked over and kissed me on the forehead. “I love you, little sister. You call me if he steps out of line.” He strode to the door. “And Kels, I’m neglecting to mention this incident to Nate since it involved actual drugs. I don’t want to know where his paranoid brain would go. See that you keep your mouth shut.”

  I nodded because I didn’t want to think about Nathan riding herd on me. That would be embarrassing. The door closed and I was alone with Gray and wearing nothing but a thin hospital nightgown and a pair of zebra striped cotton underwear.

  Gray sat down on the bed beside me. “Are you really feeling all right? You can stay here tonight if you feel the slightest bit weak. I’ll stay with you.”

  “No way.” I got to my feet. I wanted to be ready when the nurse had the paperwork done. “I’m sure this place charges by the hour and I don’t have insurance. I need to run before they figure that out.”

  I had my clothes in my hands when Gray pulled me back. “I already took care of the bill, Kelsey. You don’t have to worry about it.”

  His eyes registered surprise so I was pretty sure my face was a decent reflection of the rage I felt at that statement. “I can handle my own bills.”

  “Okay,” he allowed, calmly proving he wanted to live. “I know you can but…” His brain was working a mile a minute and I watched as he selected and discarded several scenarios in which I would reasonably accept his financial assistance. I waited patiently and a pleased smile finally came over his face. “It’s a work related expense. You’ve been on the clock since I picked you up earlier tonight. Don’t you normally bill your clients for stuff like this?”

  Smooth bastard. I had to give it to him. He was smart. “Fine. But if we’re partners, I need to know everything.” My smile was sweet since it felt a little like victory.

  Gray was intelligent enough to know when he’d lost. “I’ll go over everything with you in the morning. Now, let me help you get dressed.”

  I laughed as I opened the bathroom door. “Not on your life, mister.”

  His blue eyes were hot as he looked at me and he had the confidence of a man who was sure of the woman he was with. “I’ll just see it later, sweetheart. I mean to have you naked soon.”

  “Good luck with that.” Even after everything that had happened, I could feel the heat building between us. It scared me more than the magician.

  He invaded my space, his big hands on my waist, and he hauled me close. His lips hovered above mine. “Luck has nothing to do with it.”

  He lowered his head and there was nothing of the previous gentleness in his kiss. He plundered. His tongue mated with mine, showing me exactly what he wanted our private parts to be doing later on tonight. He was rapacious. He was sultry. He was very persuasive.

  When he finally let me go, I was ready to do him on the hospital bed and damn any nurse who walked in for the show. No man I’d ever met could get me as hot as fast as Grayson Sloane could. My knees were weak and it had nothing to do with
my previous tangle with horse sedatives.

  “Go get dressed, sweetheart,” Gray said, amused at the look on my face. “I’ve decide to wait until I can do something about your nudity. Otherwise, it’s too damn tempting.”

  I let out a deep breath and cleared my head. I walked into the bathroom and started to untie the gown. I needed to get this relationship back to somewhere safe.

  “So, Sloane,” I said through the door. I hooked my bra and went to work on the jeans. “Why have you been so scared to bring me into this case? Are you afraid I’ll screw it up?”

  “I’m not afraid of you. I believe Jamie when he says you’re good.”

  “I’m damn good.” I smoothed the T-shirt down. I wished I’d brought in my bag so I could gloss up. I settled for finger combing my hair. “So what’s the trouble?”

  “It isn’t you.” His face was grim as I opened the door between us, and I knew I was finally getting somewhere with him. “I don’t know many men who would want the woman they love involved in a case with Jack the Ripper.”

  Chapter Seven

  I woke up alone in the middle of Gray’s enormous four-poster bed, the light of day forcing its way through cracks in the curtains and sending filmy light through the room.

  The night before came back to me in a totally embarrassing flash.

  I’d fallen asleep in the cab of Gray’s big black pickup. The hum of the road had sort of lulled me to sleep after all the stress of the night. I vaguely remembered Gray lifting me from the cab and carrying me inside his house. I snuggled against his warm body and hadn’t bothered to try to hold on. I’d been so tired I’d woken, saw it was Gray carrying me, and went back to sleep.

  I sat up in bed and shook my head at the thought of it. I was a loner. I liked being alone. Except that now I had to accept the fact that it wasn’t preference that kept me alone. It was fear and habit. I’d pulled back so harshly after that night when I was sixteen that I’d convinced myself I didn’t need anything from a man but a quick, occasional lay. I trusted Gray on a fundamental level and I didn’t really know him.