Tragic Desires

by A. M. Hargrove

  “I will.”

  “And sometimes I like to talk during sex … dirty talk. And I’ll want you to talk back to me. I need to know if you’re into what we’re doing. It’s damn easy for you to tell when I’m into it. Like just a few minutes ago.”

  I smirk. “So you’re saying you’re into me?”

  “Not anymore,” he says as he pulls out, laughing. But the levity disappears and he’s again serious. “I don’t ever get involved in my cases, Gemini. This is the only exception I’ve ever made.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …”

  “I didn’t tell you that for you to apologize. I wanted you to know that this kind of thing is not the norm for me.”

  “But I’m not one of your cases.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I never hired you, remember?”

  “True. But I’m taking you on nonetheless.”

  “Okay. Well, then, since you don’t sleep with your clients, are you saying you’re not a manwhore?”

  “I didn’t say that. I just said …”

  “Oh, so you admit to being a manwhore?”

  I don’t give him a chance to say anything else before I smack him with a pillow. And then it hits me. “What time is it?”

  He looks at his watch. “Eight thirty-three. Why?”

  “I don’t have a headache. At all. Nothing. I haven’t gone without a morning headache since the accident.”

  He grants me a huge smile. “It must be me, Onyx.”

  For that comment, he gets another big whack with the pillow.

  GEMINI LOOKS AS though she wants to crawl under the bed. Dr. Brady Griffith has asked her everything under the sun, but now he’s asking her about her sex life. She insisted that I stay with her for the examination, even though Brady and I both tried to talk her out of it. Now I think she regrets that decision.

  “So, Gemini, are you sexually active?”

  “Well …”

  Deciding to save the poor girl, I say, “Yes, Brady, as of this morning, she is. She and I are sleeping together.”

  He looks at me and nods. “Good.”

  Gemini’s mouth opens.

  Brady laughs. “Gemini, new data supports sex as an effective tool for reducing the incidence of migraine. Or rather, orgasm can. Did you notice any difference?”

  So help me God, I tried to stop my laugh from escaping. I really did. But I couldn’t. Gemini punches me in the shoulder. Hard. “Ouch!”

  “Too bad, asshat. And yes, Dr. Griffith, it helped. A lot. This morning was the first time since the accident I didn’t have a headache.”

  “Interesting,” Brady mumbles.

  Gemini fires a missile at me with one glance. The only thing I can do is shrug. But then a thought occurs to me.

  “What about Nick?”

  Her face turns shades of scarlet. And if I thought she looked pissed before, I’m really in for it now. I fucked up.

  Her voice is icy as she says, “Nick and I weren’t sexual after my accident.”

  Me and my big mouth want to dig a little deeper, not because I want to know for her headaches’ sake, but because my ego is fucking nosy. And then I look at her lips that are tightened into two thin lines and decide to keep my stupid-ass mouth shut.

  Brady clears his throat and says, “Okay, so can you give me a list of all the drugs they tried you on?”

  “Maxalt, Lortab, tramadol, naproxen, and acetaminophen.”

  “No preventive? No oral contraceptives?”

  Shaking her head, she says, “No. None of that. I did keep a diary.”

  “Idiots.” Brady’s pissed. “Did they try you on any other triptans?”

  “I don’t know what those are,” Gemini says.

  “It’s your rescue treatment. Maxalt is a triptan, but there are several others. I’m wondering if any of the others would’ve worked better.”

  “Oh, they put me on Imitrex but it didn’t work at all.”

  “Okay. Let’s stick to what we have, then. But I want to put you on topiramate. It works as a preventive. But you have to titrate up slowly. Twenty-five milligrams a day for a week, then fifty, then seventy-five, then a hundred. That’s the dose I want you on. So it’ll take you a month to get there.”

  “Okay, every week I increase at twenty-five-milligram intervals.”

  “Then I want you on a birth control pill to get your hormones regulated. The week that you’re normally on the placebo, I want you to take a very low dose of estrogen. That will help any breakthrough headaches. How much hydrocodone are you on?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Lortab.”

  “The maximum. And I can’t go without it.” Gemini looks at her clenched hands, her hair covering her face. And this is where Brady shines.

  He crouches down in front of her and takes her hands in his. “Listen to me, Gemini. Your medical care sucked. I’ll be honest with you. You should’ve been on this other stuff from the beginning. Anyone who they say is treatment-resistant really isn’t. There are ways to tweak everything to get you functioning again. I know. I do it with my patients all the time. You’re tolerant to hydrocodone now … you’re not an addict. Got that? I want you to repeat that. Now. Say, ‘I am not an addict.’”

  Gemini smirks and says, “I am not an addict.”

  “Good. Now, what we’re going to do is slowly decrease your dose. But I don’t want to do that until we have your headaches controlled. How does all of this sound?”

  She sighs and grins. “Good. Sounds good.”

  “And maybe you can tell the big guy here to keep it going in the bedroom. Knowing him, though, he’ll probably need a lot of instructions from you.”

  Her jaw hits the floor.

  “Don’t be so shocked. Like I said earlier, there’s a lot of evidence to support that. It has to do with endorphins. And if this doesn’t work, we’ll try other things. So, how do I need to write these prescriptions?”

  “Now that may be a problem,” I say. “Let me think for a sec.” I’m worried if the prescriptions are in her name, it’ll trigger something in the database. “They can’t be in her name. I can’t tell you why, other than it’s for her protection.”

  “Yeah, no worries. Just tell me what to do.”

  “We need to establish a false name, and that may take a while. Let me talk with Huff.”

  AS WE WALK into the kitchen, Jeff, Huff, and Blake are checking out the news. Apparently, something went down on Dirty Sixth the night before.

  “Did they get the guys?” I ask.

  “It looks like it. The police aren’t releasing much. They’re just saying there’s a solid lead in the disappearances,” Huff answers.

  “Well, that’s a relief for the people of Austin. Huff, make a call to our guys over there to see how things are going,” I say. “And I need fake ID for Gemini … the works. We need to get her some prescriptions.”

  “You got it, boss. I’ll call the office and have them get on it,” Huff says.

  “And Brady needs a ride home.”

  “Copy that,” Blake answers. “The jet is still standing at San Angelo.”

  “Hmm. Let’s move that thing somewhere else,” I say.

  “Where to?”

  “Jeff?”

  “Midlands/Odessa isn’t too far. Have it fly there and then you can get Brady there by helo.”

  As we’re waiting, Jeff hears a beep. “What the hell!” He walks over to his security cameras and says, “Gentlemen, we have company.” The monitors reveal two black SUVs outside his main gate. Then the buzzer sounds.

  “What do you want me to do?” Jeff asks.

  I stare at the screen. “Looks like feds, wouldn’t you say, guys?” Heads nod all around. “Well, I’ve gotta tell them something.”

  The buzzer sounds again.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I decide. I look at Jeff and say, “You can say we were outside so you didn’t hear them buzzing. It’s your property and you have the right to deny them
a search. If they have a warrant, we haven’t left anything behind anyway.”

  “Okay, go! Get out. Make sure you didn’t leave anything upstairs.”

  Gemini and I sweep our rooms and grab everything, and then check the bathroom. We only had the one backpack between us so it only takes a few seconds. Then we grab all the stuff that was in the locked box and head out the back. Huff has the chopper running and we climb aboard and take off like lightning hit us. I mentally run through everything, checking off things I had with me to make sure nothing was left behind in the car, either. I’m positive I have it all.

  “Fuck!” I slam my hand against the side of the aircraft. “How the fuck did they find us?”

  “GPS,” yells Huff over all the noise. “It’s the only feasible answer.”

  “Yeah, but whose? Mine’s secure like yours and Blake’s and they wouldn’t know Brady is here.” Then a thought hits me. I turn to Gemini. “You wouldn’t happen to have a cell phone on you, would you?”

  “Yeah, but it’s dead by now, I’m sure.”

  “Jesus, Drex. You need to stop thinking with your damn dick and get your shit together here,” Huff yells. He’s right.

  “Give it to me.” My voice is harsh as I extend my palm toward her.

  She hands it over. I take out the SIM card and crush the damn thing. Then I demolish the phone while she watches.

  “Hey!” she shouts.

  “Fucking-hey-nothing!” I shout right back to her. “They’ve tracked every step we’ve made through that damn thing. And I’m the fuck job who didn’t think about it. That’s what I get for …” I almost torch everything by saying something I’ll regret. And she knows it. Her lips thin and her hard-as-nails eyes pin me down until I’m squirming. Me, the one who never squirms. She has the ability to do that to me? What. The. Fuck!

  “For what, Drex? For fucking me?”

  Oh motherfucking hell! “No! That’s not what I was going to say, and this isn’t the time or place for this discussion.” I glance around. The men are trying their damnedest not to pay attention, but it’s next to impossible. Poor Brady bears the brunt of it because he’s in the back with us, facing us in our seats. We’re in a damn helicopter the size of a small walk-in closet. There’s nowhere to hide.

  “I think this is the place. Right here. Right now. Just say it, Drex.”

  “My judgment was clouded, Gemini. That’s what I was going to say. I should’ve destroyed your phone hours and hours ago. I was stupid and fucked up. That’s how they followed us to San Angelo. To your house. And I’m a shit ton smarter than that. But not this time. Fuck!”

  “Well, I’m the one who clouded your judgment. So it’s my fault.”

  “Stop it. Right now. We got away. And now they won’t figure out where we are.”

  “Oh, and in the meantime, we’ve messed up Jeff’s life. All because of a little romp in the hay, right?”

  We can’t talk about this now. It’s completely inappropriate. She’s angry, I get that. But this is going to have to wait. I ignore her question.

  “Blake, how long until we get to Midlands/Odessa?”

  “Thirty.”

  I can feel her glare boring holes in my back, so I turn and say, “This discussion is shelved for now.” She knows I mean business, but she’s not happy about it. She gives me a nasty scowl. I’m not going for that, so I reach for her hand but she shrinks away. I go for her anyway. My hand finds hers and grasps it tightly. Then I pull her close so only she can hear me.

  “If you think for one minute that I regret what we did, you’re only fooling yourself. Being with you was singularly the best thing that I’ve ever experienced. Yeah, my judgment is clouded, but you’d cloud the judgment of a fucking saint.” She stares at me, quiet. Her hand relaxes and she lets me hold it. I’m not sure if she’s still angry, but I know there will be more words when it’s just the two of us.

  And so help me God, I have to restrain myself from kissing the hell out of her.

  WE LAND IN Midlands/Odessa and the G-550, the company jet, awaits. I make a quick change of plans because I need my team around me for some strategizing.

  “Change of plans. We’re heading home.” Gemini looks at me and frowns. “This is for the best,” I tell her.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “My team is the best. I think if we leave a bit of time between us and Austin, we can get rid of some of the heat. Besides, I need to pull my team in and brainstorm. And then there’s that little thing between you and me that needs discussing.”

  She nods. Her hair’s a mess, still sexed-up from earlier. I want to grab and kiss her until her lips are swollen again, but I don’t. Instead, I lead her to the jet and guide her to a seat. An attendant waits on us. The group settles for water only.

  We’re Denver-bound as soon as we’re cleared for takeoff. Gemini grabs my hand as the plane picks up speed.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  Her eyes dart around and then they’re back on mine. “Did we screw up by sleeping together?”

  “I wish there was an easy answer. In a way, yes. I’m missing things … important things. You are a huge distraction. I’ve never done this before and it’s not possible to separate myself from this case now. I can’t look at it objectively. So I guess I may have fucked it up in that sense. Would I do it again? Yes. Because I’ve had you on my mind from the very minute I saw you. Is that a good thing? Guess that depends on who you ask.”

  “I’m in the way.”

  “Hell yes, you are. You’ve been in the way from the beginning. You’re the very reason we’re here. So I’d say you’re not only in the way, you are the way.”

  “Maybe we should part ways. I don’t want to mess up your business or get you hurt by your involvement in this.”

  “Oh, Onyx, if you think for one second that I’m letting you out of my sight again, you’ve lost your fucking mind. The last time I did that, you ended up in the hands of Aali Imaam—you still have the bruises to show for that. Those are brutal men with a complete disregard for human life. I know you’ve said you don’t care about dying, but do you honestly feel that way now?”

  She ducks her head for a moment. “No. I never really wanted to die. I only entertained the thought when I was hurting so badly.”

  “Okay, so listen to me. We know they want that file. That has to be what they’re after. There’s a good chance they’ll kill you to get it, and I can’t live with that. So you’re stuck with me, babe, whether you like it or not. And I’m sorry this turn of events isn’t quite what you imagined, but as they say, it is what it is. I think what we need to do is solve the damn puzzle of your life and get those bastards off your tail.”

  “But …”

  “It’s not your choice anymore, Gemini. Besides, I’m a lot better at this than you are. Understand?”

  She takes a deep breath and nods. “Okay. But I need you to promise me something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If you get to the point where you want to get out of this circus, you tell me.”

  “Fair enough.” What I fail to mention is that the chance of that happening is zilch.

  The flight to Denver is only about an hour and a half. We land at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, which is much more convenient than dealing with the chaotic Denver International.

  Denver is an oddity. When flying into the mile high city, as it’s called, one would think they were in prairie country. But in the distance, the great Rocky Mountains can be seen, with their snow-capped jagged peaks. Their beauty is captivating and within thirty minutes on the interstate, you’re gaining altitude and surrounded by incredible views. The city of Denver itself is just as amazing. It offers everything from university life to the big city atmosphere, with mild weather and most of the days being sunny.

  When we deplane, two cars are waiting—one to take us to the office and the other to take Brady home. Right before we depart, Brady says, “Let me know what you want to do as far as Gemin
i’s prescriptions go. I can make it work however.”

  “Yeah, I will. As soon as I have a name, I’ll get it to you. And I owe you huge one, man.”

  “Oh, I’ll send you a bill.”

  “No. I’m paying you in cash, remember?”

  “Right.” Then Brady turns to Gemini. “Drex knows how to reach me. Call me if you need me. Anytime—I mean that.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Griffith.” They shake hands and we climb in the back seat while Huff drives us to the office.

  “Hey, Drex,” Gemini says, “Is there somewhere I can grab some clothes?”

  She’s still wearing the oversized sweats from Jeff. “Yeah, I’ll get Jill to work on that for you.”

  “Jill?”

  “My admin at the office. She’ll take care of it.”

  My phone rings and I see it’s Jeff. Shit. I’m sure this won’t be good news.

  “Jeff, what happened?”

  “The boys are pissed. I held them off but they got a warrant and searched. Of course there wasn’t a damn thing here, which pissed them off even further. They said I was aiding and abetting a criminal. I asked them to which criminal they were referring and they wouldn’t answer. Drex, you know when The CIA wants something, they’re relentless. You need to watch your back. They’re gonna start pulling in favors of all sorts and then you’ll be screwed.”

  “Eh, I’m not worried. They don’t know it’s me. And now they don’t know where Gemini is. We figured out how they found us and it was through her phone. I destroyed it somewhere over your ranch.”

  “Drex, I’m serious, man. You might need to talk with them and see why they want her. They’ll be knocking on your door up there.”

  “It’s not happening. If they figure out I have her, I’ll have my people stall them. They’ll try to butt in and I don’t want them screwing things up.”

  He breathes into the phone. “I got you, man. Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”