by J. L. Drake
Nicholas rose beside me. “Emily, would you care for a dance?” He reached for my hand and ignored Seth.
“Leave her alone,” Seth snapped and wrapped a protective arm around my lower back. The moment his skin touched mine, I felt our connection.
“Perhaps another song.” Nicholas leaned down and kissed my hand. He nodded at Seth before he casually walked away with a swagger.
I heard Seth let out a long breath, and his fingers flexed on my bare skin. I turned to him and waited for an explanation. He didn’t say anything. I stood there for a moment longer. “And the gap widens,” I whispered. I walked away from him toward the bar.
“Wait, Em,” he called out after me.
“Dirty martini, please, three olives.” The bartender went to work.
“Em, please let me explain.”
Suddenly my brain kicked in and I whirled around. “Is…is Lasko here?”
His eyes shifted around the room. “I don’t know for sure. Look, I’m sorry, I wanted to come with you, but Johnnie—”
“Hello again, Ms. McPhee,” Professor Dean said as he came up next to us. “You’re looking lovely this evening.” I had to jump into friendly mode, which was hard.
“Thank you, so do you. This is my friend, Seth Connors.” They exchanged hellos. I took another sip to clear my cloudy head. Why was Seth here? Was I in danger? And why had he never mentioned his brother?
“How are you feeling?” Professor Dean eyed my drink.
“Physically or mentally?” I asked flatly, then glanced up at Seth, who kept his composure.
The professor smiled. “You just don’t strike me as a martini drinker.” He doesn’t know me very well.
“Well, I wanted something strong, so it’s this or tequila,” I joked. “I think given our surroundings, I’ll stick with this.” I held up my glass.
He laughed softly. “Good thinking.”
I watched the band end their second song, then Seth leaned down and whispered, “I’ll be back in a moment. Then I’ll explain, all right?”
I nodded. I spotted Nicholas as he came toward me.
I turned to Professor Dean. “Please excuse me.”
I didn’t get three feet in the opposite direction before Nicholas caught my arm. “Come on, Emily, dance with me.” He pulled me onto the polished dance floor that had swirls of gold woven through it. He wrapped one arm around my back, and pulled my arm to sit on his shoulder. The violin skimmed the strings at a slow pace, while a man hummed into the mic and a piano kept the flow of our dance in rhythm.
My eyes did a sweep of the guests’ faces. Where had Seth gone?
“You seem nervous about him seeing us together.” He gazed down at me. I didn’t answer. “Is it because he’s such a jealous guy?” I shook my head at him and stared off over his shoulder. “We’ve never met any of Seth’s girlfriends before. So when Mother filled us in, I knew this was my chance to meet you.”
“Us?” I finally found my voice. Wait, his mother knew about us?
He grinned. “My mother works for the Getty Foundation, and when we heard you would be attending, I had to come. She couldn’t make it, so I used her ticket. My father and I are both visiting for a few days.” I looked all around. “He’s not here.” He shook his head. “Father and Seth had an argument. Seth warned him to stay away from you.”
My eyes flickered to his. “Why?”
“May I cut in?” Ethan asked, standing formally with his hands behind his back. I actually didn’t want to stop dancing with Nicholas. I finally got some information about Seth.
“Next song, man,” Nicholas brushed him off. Ethan made a face and then turned to look at someone. I followed his gaze but couldn’t see who it was.
“Ethan,” I said as he glanced back to me. “Tell Seth if he wants me to stop dancing with Nicholas, then he can come and cut in himself.”
His eyes scrunched slightly as the guilt ran over his face.
“Okay.” He backed away, then disappeared into the crowd.
Nicholas smiled down at me. “I’m impressed, Emily. Seth’s intimidating to most women. He must really like you.” He laughed, and he sounded just like Seth. “I wish my mother could see this. Oh, that reminds me. She asked me to invite you to dinner.”
I raised my eyebrows. “He’ll never let it happen.”
A wicked grin ran across his mouth. “He’s coming to dinner Tuesday night. You just need to show up before he does, and then there’s nothing he can do about it. That way my parents can actually get to meet you before he arrives. Besides, she’s inviting you to come, so it’s not like you’re just showing up out of the blue.”
It felt weird. I didn’t want to overstep behind Seth’s back, but I really did want to meet his family. I glanced up at him. He smiled and knew I was interested.
“Be there at five. We live at 24 Victoria Drive. I’ll leave your name at the gate, and they’ll let you in.”
I agreed, but felt strange.
“All right, enough fun, Nicholas.” Seth said from behind me.
“Thanks for the dance, Emily.” Nicholas winked before he walked away.
Seth stepped in front of me. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Yes, it was nice to have a conversation with someone.”
He sucked in a deep breath through his clenched teeth. He held out his hand for me to join him for a dance. I hesitated for a moment before I took it. He wrapped his other hand around my back, pulled me in, and pressed me hard against his body. I leaned my head on his chest and breathed in his smell. We fit so well together. He ran his fingertips up and down my back gently. How could something so complicated feel so right?
“You look beautiful tonight, Emily,” he whispered into my hair. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be the one to bring you.”
I looked up but didn’t break our contact. His deep blue eyes pulled me further into his trance. All I wanted to do was hold on to him and never let go. “Why didn’t you?”
“We need to talk.”
Fine.
I stepped out of his hold and grabbed his hand, then pulled him through the crowd and down a long hallway. I found an empty room, then closed the door behind us and locked it. I turned to watch him as he leaned against a table. I moved to stand in front of him. “Okay, so talk.”
He rubbed his face. “I had something to do earlier that I couldn’t get out of—”
“You spoke with your father, and you told him to stay away from me. But why?” Seth’s face fell. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily.
“My brother needs to keep his mouth shut.”
“Why? He was only being friendly.”
“I’m sure he was,” he snapped. I was used to Seth’s sharpness when it came to anything personal. It only fueled me, but then it hit me.
“Are you jealous?” I was interested in why he would be jealous of his own brother.
He pushed to his feet so he hovered over me. His eyes raked down the whole length of my body to the point I felt every inch he covered. “I would be crazy if I wasn’t. You’re a beautiful woman, Emily. You’ve caught the eye of every guy here.”
“Not every guy,” I whispered.
“You are all I think about, all I feel.” He cupped my face and brushed his lips over mine. “I want to—”
He was about to finish, but suddenly his eyes met mine and he raised his hand to his mouth.
“Copy that.”
I shifted away from him. “What? W-who were you talking to?”
“Riggs.”
“What?” I suddenly felt hurt that we were in the middle of an intimate moment, and once again our reality came crashing down and ruined it.
“Riggs is here with a few of the other guys. We thought some extra protection was needed. Johnnie got a message from Lasko. He was going to show up here tonight. We thought that by you arriving with someone else, not with me, he’d think you were an easier mark.”
My hand flew to my mouth. I really didn’t know how I felt. I was thankful they were there, but
beyond scared all at once.
“We’ll talk later, baby. I have to get out there. Don’t worry, the guys have an eye on you.”
I rubbed my chest and tried to gather my scattered emotions.
He leaned down and kissed my lips softly. “I know you’re confused, and so am I.”
“That doesn’t begin to explain how I feel about us, Seth.” I can’t do this right now.
I made my way into the restroom, where I braced myself in front of the mirror. I took a few deep breaths to steady my nerves. So much raced through my head that I didn’t know where to begin.
After I dampened some paper towels, I blotted them along my neck. The door swung open, and a bunch of tipsy women came in. I beat a hasty retreat to the closest stall and locked the door behind me. I leaned my hip against the door and waited for them to leave. Finally, after about five minutes of discussion over which bartender made the best cosmo, they did.
I opened the bathroom door and looked around the room until I spotted Riggs. He nodded at me while he raised his wrist to his mouth.
A waiter zipped by me and offered me a glass of champagne. I took it just to keep my hands busy. My eyes skimmed the crowd as I took a tiny sip from my glass. Everyone seemed normal; no one stuck out.
Hands in his pockets, Ethan caught my eye as he walked up to me. “Sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t be,” I reassured him. “Seth and I have a complicated past.”
“Past or present?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know the answer to that.”
He asked me a question, but all of my attention was suddenly focused on the goosebumps that raced up and down my body. My eyes were on the red-haired man on the stage all alone with a cello between his legs. His fingers drew the bow over the strings. The haunting notes flowed over me.
“Is that Bach?” Ethan asked as he turned to face the stage.
“Yes,” I whispered as the glass slipped from my fingers. It shattered on the ground and sent tiny sparkles into the air. Ethan hopped back to avoid the champagne spill. I was stuck in place, barely able to move a muscle. My eyes were still locked on the man who played the song from my six-day nightmare.
“Emily.” Seth appeared quickly as he checked me over to see if I was cut.
“He’s here,” I whispered. “I can feel him.” Seth prattled off words into his wrist, and the whole time he had a tight hold on my waist. I had to admit, he grounded me, made me feel safe.
“Time to go.” He began to pull me, but I stopped him and forced myself to snap out of the trance that held me.
“No! This is the time to get him. Why would we leave?” I stepped out of his reach, and my brave side took a stand. “Now is our chance. I want my life back, and that won’t happen if I run.”
Seth stepped into me and laid a firm hand on my lower back. His lips were at my ear. “No, now is not the time to play ‘bait,’ Emily, not here. It’s time to go.” His words sent a shiver through me. “Garrett,” he said over my shoulder, “take her.”
Seth stepped back and let Garrett come to my side. He took my arm above the elbow.
“Seth, aren’t you coming?” I felt panicky all of a sudden.
“Car’s waiting,” Seth said to Garrett.
“Come on, Em,” Garrett encouraged. He practically pulled me out of the ballroom. I watched over my shoulder as Seth made his way over to Riggs and Johnnie.
I tried to think fast. I didn’t want Seth to stay behind. We flew out the front doorway and down the stairs to the red carpet.
“Garrett, I can find him. Please just let me have a chance to flush him out,” I begged, but he wasn’t in the mood. He stopped short and jerked my body back into him.
“Where’s the car?” Garrett shouted into his cuff. I watched his face as he listened to the message from the tiny device that was stuck in his ear. “That should have been mentioned to me before I left!”
My eyes scanned the property to see if anything seemed out of place. A limo pulled up a few yards away from us, and Avery hopped out of the driver’s seat.
“Johnnie told me to be at the south entrance.” He walked toward us, radiating frustration. “I’m sorry.”
Garrett looked at me. “Avery and Davis will take you to a hotel tonight. We don’t need to draw any attention to your place while your mother is here.” He handed me off to Avery.
“You’re not coming?” I felt slightly relieved that he would be with Seth.
“We’ll meet you back at the hotel. Don’t worry.” He nodded at Avery, who ushered me off toward the car. Davis got out and opened the door for me, then returned to his seat once I was safely inside.
“Emily.” Davis looked at me from his visor mirror. “They’ll catch him. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I can feel it. We’ll get him one way or another.”
“Yeah,” I muttered while I kept my eyes fixed on the city zipping by. I was more worried about Seth and Garrett not getting hurt right now. Jimmy Lasko was made up of one hundred percent evil. I wouldn’t put it past him to take one of the guys and torture him until he gave up my location. Goosebumps ran along my arms and made me push that thought away.
Questions kept a steady flow into my brain, looping round and round consistently like a child’s spin toy in the wind.
Why?
Why me?
What did I do to catch his attention?
Would I ever be safe?
“Em?” Avery’s tone made me look up. His eyes held mine in the rearview mirror. “We got this.”
***
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in the hotel room. I stood, arms wrapped around my stomach, as I waited for the guys to return. I watched the lights of the city twinkle below me from the penthouse suite of the Westin Hotel.
I couldn’t shake off a really bad vibe. Unable to pinpoint what it was, it was nearly driving me insane. The guys tried their best to distract me, but it didn’t work.
“I ordered some food.” Avery came up behind me. “Here, since you didn’t finish your last one.” He handed me a glass of champagne.
“Thanks.” I glanced at the time as I took a sip.
“They should be checking in shortly,” he said as if he read my mind. I looked back at the window and tried to sort my thoughts into words.
“The city looks so peaceful at night. Sometimes I forget there are monsters down there waiting for the perfect moment to strike,” I said softly. “In a blink of an eye, you’re gone.”
“Emily,” Avery leaned against the window to look at me, “I honestly can’t pretend to know what you’re feeling, but let me say this. You are very much a part of the OPD family. When you’re family, we have your back, no matter what. I know you’re scared, you’d be crazy not to be, but if it gives you any comfort, we’re not. We got this, so trust us enough to keep you safe. When this is all over—well, for all the time we put in and all—I want you to have us for one of your barbecues.”
I smiled at that last part. “I’m not the one you should be asking.”
“Garrett told me to ask you.”
I rolled my eyes and blinked back my tears. I hated that I had to rely on other people. For so long I only had myself, and I made peace with that, but now…I jumped when the bell rang.
“I got it,” Davis yelled.
Avery set out the food and we all sat in front of the TV. Avery flipped through the channels and tried to keep my mind occupied. After a while, Davis set up his laptop and started to work in the dining room, leaving me and Avery to hang out.
I kicked off my shoes and tried to get more comfortable. I really wished I had a change of clothes. The slit in the skirt was annoying. He noticed I struggled with it and passed me a blanket. I smiled at the kind gesture.
I clicked off the TV and faced him on the opposite end of the couch. He gave me a puzzled look.
“Tell me what you know about the bodies they found at Lasko’s cabin.” I tried to act like I was fine with the whole thing. His eyes
widened as he coughed on some food.
“I wasn’t aware you knew.”
“I overheard Seth talking to Garrett about it.” I knew I was a bad liar, but I hoped he wouldn’t notice. He set his plate down on the table.
“Well…” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “It was two women. One had been there for about a year. They figure she had been tortured pretty badly.” He eyed me to see if I was affected by his words, but I kept my face blank. I wanted to know. I needed to understand Lasko better. “He had dismembered her and burned an eye into her skin. It was the only piece left on her bones.”
I gave him a puzzled look. I didn’t follow. “Most likely branding her, making sure that everyone knew she was his.”
I made an uncomfortable face. I didn’t have a problem with tattoos, but to scar someone against their will, and so violently, made me feel ill.
“They still haven’t ID’d her yet,” Avery continued.
“And the other girl?”
“Ummm,” he stalled. “She hadn’t been there for more than a week, about your age. Apparently she was a student at the Laguna Arts School. He had stuffed her into a barrel, waiting to be buried, I guess, but he took you before he got around to it.”
“Oh my God!” I mentally replayed my encounter with the innocent art student on that morning. “I got her killed.” The room started to spin as I put my feet to the floor. “This is all my fault.”
“No, Emily, it’s not.” Avery moved closer to me. He placed a hand on my back and made small circles as he tried to soothe me. “This is no one’s fault but Lasko’s. You had no idea he would harm her. How could you?”
Tears fell. I felt so sad for the poor girl. I wished I had never spoken to her. This was all too much. My stomach turned, and I knew what was next. I hopped up and staggered to the bathroom. When I got there, I leaned over and let my dinner show itself again.
***
Lasko
I should have been pissed, but frankly, this had been a fun evening of fucking with food.
I slipped behind one of the pillars in back of the band and ripped off my blond wig, tux jacket, and mustache, tossing them under the stage. I spotted a silver tray full of caviar hors d’oeuvres on a nearby table and casually walked over, picked it up, and balanced it on my right palm.