Makar was impressed that Keely didn’t flinch at the abrasive tone or that the uptight asshole was practically nose to nose with her. Obviously, this was the norm. She stepped back and took a deep breath.
“I thought I’d go over my cases with you and get caught up.”
Webb shook his head, rounded his desk, and stared at his chair. “You sat at my desk.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Don’t lie to me, Keely. I know you did. How’d you get in here?”
“It was open.”
“Bullshit. Why do you think I’m here right now? You triggered my phone as soon as the lock disengaged.”
“Someone else must’ve been inside before me, because I walked right in. Why do you think I thought you were still here?”
He glared at her calm face for a few beats and then walked over to the machine she’d used to destroy the evidence. Reaching down, he grabbed a handful of the shredded paper and looked back to her.
“What did you destroy? Have you been in my records, too?”
Keely chuckled. “No. Why would I?”
His eyes narrowed, and he returned to his desk, pulled open the side drawer, and lifted a folder. He flipped it open and immediately turned baleful eyes Keely’s way.
Baruch’s curse flew through his mind as soon as Keely’s face paled.
Gods damn it! She was doing so well. I should’ve left that document alone.
Webb reached for the phone, punched a few keys, and then brought the receiver up to his ear. His lips twisted into a smug smile.
“Security. I need someone removed from the building immediately. Yes, my office.”
Keely snorted, turned on her heel, and headed to the door. “This is ridiculous. I’m out of here.”
Webb beat her to the door. He planted his hands on the frame and leaned forward. “You’re not going anywhere until security gets here. I want it on record.”
Crossing her arms, Keely narrowed her eyes. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She backed up when he moved closer.
“I’m not the problem. I’ve already notified the board about you actually believing those patients’ hallucinations. People don’t disappear into thin air, Keely. You need help. I asked for a review of your mental stability, but I guess that’s no longer a mystery, is it? You’re showing up to work dressed like a teenager, breaking into offices, destroying records, and acting like there’s nothing wrong. You’re crazy.”
Fuck this shit! No one talks to my sweetness like that. Makar drifted behind Webb and reformed despite Baruch screaming for him to stop. Keely’s raised eyebrow, shaking head, and hands slamming down on her curvy hips the moment she spotted him reaching for Webb halted him in his tracks. He dropped his arms to his side, clenched his jaw, and misted. She smiled. Cato chuckled when he returned to the corner.
Webb threw his hands up in the air. “Look at you. One minute you’re shaking your head and frowning at God knows what, and now you’re smiling. I rest my case.” He moved back to the door and crossed his arms.
“I know your history, Keely. I had a background check done on you. That parole hearing for McKinley wasn’t on behalf of a client. He’s your father. No wonder you’re so screwed up. You have issues with men, and now it’s bleeding over into your work. I can’t have you around the patients. You’re fired.”
Keely had obviously had enough. She flew up in his grill, sea-green eyes spitting fire, and a finger beating a circular pattern against the male’s chest.
“Listen, you son of a bitch. The only man I’m having a problem with is you. You’ve treated me like shit from the moment you grabbed my ass, and I almost broke your wrist. I should’ve turned you in to HR, but no, I showed mercy and believed your babbling apology. I felt pity for you, but should’ve introduced your nuts to my knee. I’m such an idiot for missing out on that opportunity.”
Webb’s eyes widened, and he clamped his hands over his balls, jumping when a deep voice sounded from the hallway.
“What’s going on?”
Keely took a few steps back. “Adam. What are you doing here?”
Makar was just as surprised to see the police officer that had tried to caress Keely’s cheek the first day they’d spotted her. His uniform was different.
“I work hospital security at night.” He gave her a puzzled look and stepped into the room.
Webb moved toward Keely with a satisfied expression on his mug. “I want her off the premises. I’m sick of looking at this bitch.” He reached forward to grab Keely’s arm, but Adam shoved his hand aside and stepped in front of her.
“Look. There’s no need to be rude, and I’m certainly not going to allow you to put your hands on her. Step aside.”
Baruch articulated exactly what he was thinking. Damn. I wanted to hate the cop, but he just ruined it for me.
Webb grunted and moved over a few steps. “Whatever. Just get her out of here. She’s no longer an employee. Take her badge before you lock the door behind her.”
Adam shook his head and followed Keely out into the hall.
Makar hesitated for a few beats as he stared at Mr. Webb. Every scenario running through his brain inevitably ended with the dickhead’s neck snapped. Baruch was faring no better. Cato finally encouraged them to follow their mate.
They caught them at the elevator as Keely walked in and punched the button for the ground floor. Makar drifted to the ceiling, and Cato and Baruch followed suit.
“Thanks, Adam. I’m glad it was you that showed up, but I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Mind telling me what happened? Why did he fire you?”
Huffing out a breath, she leaned against the wall. “We have differing opinions on patient care. I lost the round.”
“I’m sorry about that. Is there anything in your office that you want me to sneak out before they pillage it? I have the master key.”
“Nah. I never kept anything personal here. Thanks for the offer, though.”
Adam stared down at his boots for a few minutes and then huffed out a breath. “Why did you miss our date the other night, Keely?”
“Aw, Adam. I’m sorry if you misunderstood my intentions. That wasn’t meant to be a date. I’m…uh…I’m seeing someone. I just needed to talk with you about something important. I should’ve been clear. It’s my fault.”
Makar gave himself about three seconds to feel bad for the guy. Baruch gave him two. Cato just snorted. At least this one’s not bat shit nuts. Consider yourself fortunate.
Adam looked away, his cheeks flushing. “Ah. Okay. Good to know. No, you’re right. I was assuming. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Makar watched Keely bite her lip as she thought of something else to replace the original reason.
“Well. I was hoping that you might contact the Colorado detectives that investigated Scott’s wife’s death. I think there’s more to the story. They should be informed about this latest round of violence. It might help them. I didn’t want to make an official request since Webb was already cranking on me hard for spending too much time on each case.”
“Sure, Keely. I can do that. So, are you going to appeal the termination?”
“Nope. I never liked working for him anyway. Besides, I’m not sure if I want to stay in this line of work. It’s all about the money, not the care. He probably did me a favor” She stepped off the elevator, turned to Adam, and handed him her badge.
“I got it from here, Adam. My car’s not far away. Thanks for being so nice.” Keely pushed the door open and held on to the frame for a second.
“You’re a great guy, Adam. There’s a wonderful girl out there wondering how long before you finally show up in her life. Keep your eyes open.”
Adam gave her a little smile and looked down. “Thanks, Keely. Tell your guy that he better treat you right, or I’ll come back to steal you away.”
Keely tapped him on the arm. “You got a deal.”
Halfway across the parking lot, she started chuckling.
>
“I’m getting good at knowing where you guys are. The hairs are sticking up on the right side of my body, and my back’s tingling. In the elevator, it was the hair on my head. You can come out now. We should be out of range of the cameras.”
She smiled when they reformed next to her. Cato was a few steps ahead and beat them to the Suburban. Baruch wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Makar grabbed her hand.
“Are you okay? We’re so sorry you had to go through that by yourself.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I wasn’t alone. Thanks for listening to me and not going barbaric on the idiot. We were too close to making our getaway. I’m just sorry that we didn’t have time to get everything.”
Cato bent and kissed Luna at the window and then leaned against the vehicle. “No worries. I linked up with their server just before I spotted him in the hallway. I only found one e-mail that referenced you or the patients. I located and captured the outgoing e-mail to the board members. None had been read, yet.”
Keely released her breath. “Thank goodness. He probably won’t follow up on it since he’s canned me.”
Chuckling, Cato held up the computer. “Nah. He’ll be too busy trying to get his ass out of a sling.”
Luna laughed and squeezed his arm. “What’d you do? I can’t wait to hear this one.”
Keely’s eyes widened. “What?”
Snorting, Luna propped her forearms within the window frame. “I was listening to his thoughts the entire time you were in there. My gorgeous, brilliant Seeker here would never let a male get away with treating a lady badly. Would you, sweetie?”
“Nope. I replaced the subject line and the message content. Your Mr. Webb gave them a scathing diatribe about how he’s not getting enough money for his worth, and the whole place would fall down around their ears if he left. He expects to receive a forty percent bump in pay and a title promotion or he’s going elsewhere. Oh, and I submitted your resignation dated three days ago. Sort of hard to fire you when you beat him to the punch.”
A small smile gradually grew wider as Keely assessed Cato with new eyes. “Oh, you are an evil genius. I like the way you handle things, Cato.”
“Glad you liked it, because I also fried his computer before I shut the monitor off.”
Keely burst out laughing and crawled into the backseat of the Suburban. “I’d give anything to see his face when he tries to explain that e-mail. Maybe they’ll give him a psych evaluation, the dirty bastard.”
Luna lifted her handheld. “Well, while you guys were having your fun, I got some of my own. My website is already receiving image uploads. I’ve gotten over fifty already.” She chuckled and handed the computer to Cato.
“Check it out, babe. Some of them decided to display different attributes besides a smudge behind their ear.”
Baruch leaned forward as soon as Cato started growling. He was flipping through images of varying penis poses.
“What the hell is wrong with these males? If mine was that small, the last thing I’d do is shout it out to the world.”
Luna chortled and took the computer out of his hand. “Sweetie, those are pretty average. You’re not.”
Cato grinned and snatched the device back. “Aw, you say the sweetest things.” He linked his computer with hers and growled again. “What these average assholes don’t know is that they just gave a very pissed-off mate their IP addresses. I’m going to give them a virus so rotten, they’ll wonder if their little pricks are going to fall off next.” He returned the equipment and kissed her cheek. “I shut the website down until I can write in a scan program. No more strange dicks. I promise.”
Keely poked Baruch in the rib and gave him a questioning look.
“Luna’s trying to find more Insedi offspring like her. Kallon found the faded mark behind her ear. As soon as she stepped onto Insedivertus ground and interacted with the energy, she transitioned to full Insedi. The mark filled in.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, wow. That’s amazing. I hope you find the others, Luna.”
“Thanks, Keely. Well, at least I have two intriguing images. One appears to be a warrior mark and the other photo needs to be cleaned up a little for me to be sure. It could be an artist quill or a blade of grass. Maybe neither. I just can’t tell. They’re both out of Houston. Since I’m originally from there, this gave me some serious goose bumps. Cato, who are we sending to verify them?”
“Maxim was the first volunteer, but he’s taking Skylar to New York for her friend’s funeral. I doubt he’ll want to do it even when he returns now that he has a mate.”
Sotarios threw his hand up. “Let me go. I’ll do it. I need to give myself a break from flying, or I’m going to start hating it.”
Cato shrugged. “Fine with me. After you swing by the club so Keely can get her car, take Luna and me home. I’ll get you the information on those locations and our subjects.”
Sotarios started the engine. “Well, all right, then. Something new. Piece of cake.”
Keely immediately leaned over and tapped his shoulder.
“If it doesn’t disrupt your plans too much, can you handle one more flight out of here?”
Makar’s gut flipped, and he glanced to Baruch. He looked just as stunned.
Sotarios shrugged. “One more won’t kill me. Where to?”
Keely leaned back against the seat, grabbed both of their hands, and took a deep breath.
“Back to Insedivertus. I need to speak with Kallon.”
* * * *
“I’m a vortex aficionado, now. I didn’t wobble once after that crazy thing shot me out of there. I even landed on both feet.”
Baruch tried to keep his own foot from tapping a hole in the floor. He was surprised how upbeat Keely appeared as she slouched back in her seat, a satisfied smile plastered on her face. He and Makar weren’t doing so hot. They’d been waiting outside Kallon’s office for ten minutes, but it seemed like a lifetime. He glanced over when Makar shot yet another frantic message through his skull.
What if he tells her no? She’s going to be devastated. I wish she wouldn’t put herself through this.
Look at her, Makar. She seems so happy. We’ll just have to keep our shit together and be ready if she gets bad news. Where the hell is Kallon?
“Right here. Why are you so damn jumpy? Hi, Keely. It’s good to see you again. My assistant said you wanted me to look at your chest. Follow me. The exam room’s just around the corner.”
Baruch jumped up and practically knocked Makar over trying to catch up with them.
Kallon pushed the door open and gestured to the table. “Remove your shirt and slip that gown on. Just knock on the door when you’re done and then hop up on the table.”
Keely nodded and closed the door.
Chuckling, Kallon leaned against the wall. “I swear, Baruch. You have got to learn to quit projecting. You sounded like you’re losing your mind. What bad news could she get? What’s going on?”
Shoulders slumping, Baruch took a deep breath. “We tried to contact you earlier, but they said you were in a conference. Keely needs you to look—” A definitive knock sounded on the door, and Kallon held up his finger.
“Well, I guess I’ll find out in a second.” He walked into the exam room, motioned for them to sit down, and pulled a silver device from his lab coat.
“So. Are you having any breathing difficulties? That injection was powerful. It was meant for a fully-grown male. You could experience shortness of breath until it’s completely out of your system and your lungs remember what to do. It’s nothing to be concerned over.”
Keely shook her head. “No. I’m fine there. I’m hoping that you can help me with some wounds.”
Brows lifting, Kallon moved closer. “Oh. Sure. Let me see.”
Keely opened the front of the gown and closed her eyes. Baruch knew this was difficult for her, and his heart broke all over again. Makar gripped the armrests to the point his knuckles turned white. Kallon’s stiffened posture and his clenchin
g fists were no surprise, nor were the tormented words flying through their collective brains.
Chapter 35
Gods damn! Please tell me the attacker is dead.
Baruch experienced the same anguish that had consumed him in the shower. He fought to control his features. No. He lives. It was her father. Both her mother and sister perished. He rots in prison. Kallon’s lashes batted frantically at the news.
Oh, this is breaking my heart. I can hardly breathe. Let me get my shit together before she senses my distress. Baruch watched Kallon’s chest expand and quickly deflate before resting his palm on the exam table. Despite his young age, the male was the consummate professional, and it reflected in his calm tone.
“Oh, I see. These are extensive. I’m sorry this happened to you, sweetness.” He glanced to them both and then back to Keely.
“May I examine them?”
Keely nodded, and Makar gave permission. Of course, amici. Keely is our only concern. Whatever she wishes.
Kallon ran his fingers over each one. He spent a little more time on the angry, red punctures. Finally, his fingers hesitated over her breast. Baruch could see him shaking his head in disgust that a precious female should have ever suffered like this. After examining her deformed nipple and the deep indentation on her side from the breathing tube, he stepped back.
“You may close your gown, Keely. You did very well. Thank you for trusting me with this. I’m honored.” When her eyes opened, he stepped away, sat at a small desk, and fussed with his computer.
Keely tied the gown and looked over to him. “I’m not going to get my hopes up. I just want to know if there’s even a small chance to fix this mess.”
Nodding, Kallon finished his entry and then swiveled on the stool. “I’ll not lie to you, Keely. If you ever see an Insedi with a scar, it’s usually a warrior keeping the wound for bragging purposes. Our healing units are designed to correct fresh injury. I don’t have any records that show otherwise.”
White teeth gripping the edge of her trembling lip, Keely nodded quickly. “Yeah, I figured as much. But…can you try?”
Fueled by Lust: Makar and Baruch (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 31