“I didn’t want you to find me.”
“Gem, I can find you if you leave on your own. That chip is to protect you if Aali Imaam takes you. Please, this is Drex here—you know, that guy that loves the hell out of you—asking you not to remove the next one.”
“I won’t, I promise.” She reaches for my hand and grasps it.
“I’ll get Dr. Davis in as soon as we get back to implant another. But tomorrow evening, I want to take you out to dinner. A special evening for just the two of us.”
“Bodyguards?”
“Oh, there will be a full detail of them. We’ll be surrounded.”
I see a blur of dark hair fly at me and then I’m being kissed all over. “Thank you, Drex. That sounds amazing.”
“Hey, take it easy on me. I’m trying to drive here!” If I’d known a dinner date would’ve elicited this kind of response, I would’ve done it sooner. As soon as we get back, Dr. Davis is there, waiting on us and this time, Gemini greets him with a smile.
***
The next day I get Ellie to pick up some clothes for Gemini and me. Heather, the personal shopper, has some items ready for her to bring back. We were both in need of the clothing as our wardrobes were thinned in the bombing.
When Ellie gets back, a contingency of men carry garment and shopping bags inside. Gemini tries to make a big fuss over all the things that were purchased, but I put a stop to it.
“Now, want to know what we figured out about your mom’s clues?”
For a brief moment, I think she’s going to tell me to go to hell. “Okay. You really want me to know this, don’t you?”
My hand reaches for hers. “One of the things I’d hate to see you have to deal with is regret. I want you to know as much about your mom as you can. My heart is telling me that there’s a good reason for everything she did, and while you may believe the worst, I don’t happen to think that. I think she went to great lengths to protect you.”
Her hand grips mine in turn. “Then tell me. What do you know?”
“It’s not the Grand Canyon. It’s Las Vegas. The intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard or Highway 91 and Interstate 15. Clever, isn’t she?”
Gemini snorts. “Er, yeah, date and year, this time. What’s there? Another storage unit?”
“Yep.”
“When in the hell did she go there?”
“That I can’t answer.”
“So now what?”
I realize my girl is trembling. It claws at my heart and my tough exterior crumbles as I bring her into my embrace. She grabs my shirt and buries her face against my neck and I feel her breath, fast and furious, as it fans across me.
“Tell me, sweetheart, what is it?” Without waiting for her to speak, I pick her up and carry her to the sofa and settle her on my lap. I cup my hand against her head and hold her close in the cage of my arms.
“When she died, I was away at school. They called me to let me know she’d been killed. I’ve never felt so alone. It was right before I met Nick. I never talk about this because it’s not a time I care to remember. In fact, I don’t remember a whole lot about it. I think I block it out. I didn’t even have a funeral for her because it was just the two of us. That’s it. No family or friends. No one to pat me on the back and offer condolences. Then I went back to college and acted like nothing happened. My roommates never knew my mom had been killed in a car wreck. I never told them. How fucked up is that? They all just thought I was that weird girl from Texas who cried all the time.”
“Jesus, Gem.” I didn’t know how terribly my heart could break for someone until this moment. I want to help her … to take the giant ache away, but I don’t know how. I don’t have the right words, but I have my arms to protect her, my hands to touch and hopefully soothe her. And my lips to whisper words, sweet words in her ear. Words that let her know I’m here for her and that I love her.
“Gem, you’re not alone anymore. I’ll help you get through this. You have me now and I’ll do anything for you.”
“You’ve already done more than I could ever have hoped for.”
WHEN I THINK about the life my mom led, it saddens me. “She sacrificed everything she had. And she did it all for me,” I say to Drex.
“Maybe so. But like I said before, you would do the same. You wouldn’t want a terrorist to go free and you wouldn’t want hundreds to die because of one. ”
“Oh, but Drex, I don’t know if I would have the strength or courage to turn you in.” When I think about it, I truly don’t know how my mom did it, loving my father the way she did.
“Yeah, I see your point. I know I sure as hell couldn’t do it to you. I’d run away and hide you somewhere. I love you too much to live without you.” He kisses me on the top of my head. “Go shower. All this thinking will drive you crazy. I want you to take your time getting ready because we’re going out for a nice dinner tonight. Remember?”
Smiling, I lean in and kiss his lips. “Thanks. What about you?”
“I have a couple things to do in the office and I’ll shower there. Can you be ready in an hour and a half?”
“Yep.”
THE WAY HE licks his lower lip and stares at me ravenously when I walk into the living room tells me everything I need to know.
“Well, fuck. Yeah, just fuck. You look like sex on wheels. My perfect Gem.” Drex ogles my deep V neckline of the black lacy dress I wear. It’s form fitting and shows my curves. The way he stares at me already has me filled with need for him.
“Er, thanks, I think.”
“What? Not good enough?”
“How about, ‘Gemini, you look pretty in that dress’?”
“I can say that but it doesn’t do you justice. Sex on wheels is way better. Come, my sex princess.”
“Drex, really.”
“Hmm. I can’t think of a more appropriate name, so I’m keeping it.”
We walk out of the apartment where our team of bodyguards awaits. Drex gives them instructions and we head out. We’re in one car with three other men. There’s a car ahead of us and one behind.
“Um, isn’t this a little overkill? We’ll be surrounded at the restaurant. I feel like the President.” I say.
“Not overkill at all. I’m taking zero chances.” He’s in work mode right now so I’m not going to distract him. He reaches for my hand and fastens his fingers with mine. He watches everything around us and I watch him. I love the way he looks in a suit. Dark and seductive, but he’s not so fixed that he looks like an uptight businessman. Everything he’s wearing is navy blue, except for his crisp white shirt. His tie is perfectly knotted. His face has a bit of scruff and his hair looks like he just rolled out of bed. Every time I look at him and his hair is like this, I want to sink my hands into it.
The drive to the restaurant doesn’t take long. Drex chose an inconspicuous one, located on a quiet side street so we wouldn’t draw too much attention. The men let us out at the front door. Escorted by our team, we’re seated at a back corner table, which affords Drex a view of the whole place. Ever watchful, we have a very romantic dinner. Even though I know he constantly scans the place, he never makes me feel like I’m not the most important thing in the room.
“Drex, what happens to us when this is all over?”
“What do you want to happen?”
My heart pounds. Why did I ask him that? I don’t really know what I want. “I want you to stop answering my questions with questions.”
He laughs, a look on his face that screams, “I’m a cool son of a bitch.”
“Is that what I do?” he says.
My brows shoot up. “You’re the mastermind behind this huge corporation and you ask me that?”
His look is so playful, I laugh. “God, I’m such a sucker for you, Drex.”
“No more than I am for you.”
We’re silent for a moment.
“Why does this make you nervous?” he asks in a soft voice.
“Because it’s so important to me.”
&
nbsp; He leans toward me and takes my hand. “Sometimes when I look at you, like now, it takes every ounce of my self-control not to walk around this table and pick you up out of that chair and do all sorts of unspeakable things to you. I want to hear you beg for more, to tell me not to stop and to say how great I make you feel. But most of all, I want to hear you tell me you’ll love me until your heart stops beating and the sun doesn’t rise anymore, because that’s how I feel about you. So if you want to know what I want to do after this, I think you have my answer. I want to be with you, Gemini, in whatever way you choose. You name it and we’ll do it your way.”
My breath seizes in my throat and my lungs will not fill, no matter what my head tells them to do. I stare at him, trying to soak in every word he’s just said. Finally, I push myself away from the table and go to him. He leans back in his chair and I sit on his lap.
“For such a controlling badass, you can deliver quite a speech.” My mouth is on his and my hands are in his hair. I don’t hold back as I kiss him and then I move my lips to his ear and say, “I want so much more than just this, and I don’t ever want us to stop because you make me feel so much better than my insignificant words can describe. But know this, Drex—I do love you, and I will always love you until there are no more beats left in my heart, or breaths left in my lungs and until the sun dies and the earth ceases to exist. What we decide to do after all this ends will be a joint decision. And wherever you are is where I want to be.” I kiss him again and am satisfied to hear him groan into my mouth.
“Jesus, babe, you make me want to forget about dinner and just take you back home.”
Desire and want are written all over his face as he licks his lips. “You wouldn’t want me to starve, would you?”
He grabs my hand and bites the tip of my index finger. “I could feed you in other ways.”
“Hmm, I’m sure you could.”
The waitress chooses that moment to approach us. “Can I bring you something to drink?”
Drex orders a bottle of wine, ice water, and an appetizer. She starts to hand over menus, but he stops her and asks for the lobster tails and baked potatoes. I don’t pay close attention because I’m fascinated with his raw male sensuality.
I return to my seat just in time for the waitress to deliver our wine. Drex barely notices her because he’s looking at me with his half-closed, sexy-as-hell blue-grays. His hand holds mine and every so often he kisses it.
Dinner is delicious, but I’m so excited about what’s going to happen when we get home, I don’t even care about it after a certain point. I don’t care that he asks me what my dreams were before all of this. And I don’t care that I tell him how I wanted to be a marketing specialist for a mountain bike manufacturer before the crash. I care about nothing but him and how he makes me feel. When we’re finished, Drex takes my hand and leads me to the door. We walk outside, again surrounded by our team, to where our car is waiting. As we round the corner, we hear odd popping sounds and Drex pushes me to the ground. I’m blindsided and don’t know what’s going on.
Then I’m dragged away from Drex, something stinging at my neck. My vision blurs and everything fades away.
DAWN IS BREAKING as I regain consciousness—I’ve been out for six or seven hours. I’m in some alley on a filthy mattress. My shirt is unbuttoned, my tie undone, and I’m leaning against a brick wall. My hands move to my throbbing head.
Gemini! Where the hell is she? Upon looking around, I find my team of six men here too, but no Gemini. Fuck!
“Wake up!” I yell. My hands reach into my pocket for my phone—it’s gone. That’s no surprise.
It takes a couple of attempts but I finally stand.
“Hey,” I nudge the other guys. “Wake up! We gotta get out of here.” My heart races as I think about Gemini and where she could be. The guys groan as they begin to stir.
“What happened?” one of them asks.
“We were hit and drugged. They took Gemini. Does anyone have a cell phone?”
Only one guy still has his phone, stashed in his boot. Damn, I’ll have to remember that. I call Huff. Reinforcements arrive within twenty minutes.
“What the fuck happened?” Huff asks. “We’ve been calling everyone but no answer. We’ve been combing the area. I was just about to run a chip search.”
“We were ambushed coming out of the restaurant. They used silencers. They drugged us. They must’ve thrown us in the back of a van or something. They took everyone’s phone but Jason’s.” I explain.
“I don’t know why Jason’s phone didn’t pop up on the GPS locator,” Huff responds. “It must be malfunctioning.
Turns out we’re in an alley on the other side of Denver, in a part of town that is relatively deserted.
I’m so angry I want to scream but my head is splitting open. Huff, Blake, and a few other guys who weren’t with us last night look around for evidence but come up empty.
“The restaurant!” I yell.
We pile into the cars and head there. The guys check everything out but don’t find a thing. Luckily, all the bodyguards were wearing Kevlar vests, so no one took a bullet.
“Fucking shit! Where is she?”
“We’ll find her. I’ll contact the restaurant and see if they have security cameras,” Huff says.
We get back to headquarters and I’m physically ill. My head swims from whatever drug they used. The men who were drugged are also in bad shape. Huff calls in Dr. Davis and he gives us anti-nausea medication. It helps.
“Fuck, I can’t believe this happened with all the protection we had,” Huff says.
“They have her, Huff. We have to find her. If they kill her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Okay, okay, just try to stay calm.”
Mania takes over and my voice booms. “I can’t stay calm! Aali Imaam has her and so help me God if they do anything to her, I’ll fucking take them all out. I want you to call The Company. Now.”
“Drex, are you sure?”
“Do it. Tell them I want to meet with Alex Michaels. Alone. Do it, Huff. Now!”
“Okay. But why alone?”
“Because I said so, that’s why. In the meantime, track her chip. And see what you can come up with from the restaurant.”
“Got it, boss.”
Light speed can’t come close to how fast my thoughts churn. It’s so ridiculous, even I can’t keep up. Sitting won’t work and neither does standing. Pacing doesn’t suffice. I want to hit something or someone, namely the fucking asshole who took her. Thinking straight is impossible. This is the craziest my mind has ever been and I feel so fucked because I need clarity and I’m in a murky pond with zero visibility. The fact that I’m this knee deep in shit makes it even worse for Gemini. Pull it together, Drex. She needs you, goddammit!
Before I know what I’m doing, my hand is through the wall. Huff comes running and he calls Dr. Davis back to my office.
“Can you move your fingers?”
“Yeah.” I know it’s not broken. “It’s just bruised.” I flex my fingers for the doctor and he seems satisfied. They hurt but not too bad. The skin on my knuckles is torn off. Whatever. I need to get my mind right because I’m worthless like this.
Blake runs in and tells me they have a location on Gemini—she’s in Denver. Not too far from where we picked you up.
“Why would they keep her in Denver?”
“Can’t answer that,” he says. “I can only tell you the location of the chip.”
Huff is on his heels with some information about the restaurant. “The owner says he’ll meet us in thirty minutes. But Drex, you need to stay here. Alex Michaels is supposed to call you.”
“Fuck that. I’ll forward my number to my cell, which I’ll need another one by the way. I need to see that scene again. Maybe it’ll come back to me.”
“Drex. You won’t remember, not if it was rohypnol,” Dr. Davis says.
“Yeah, well, I have to take that chance. What if it was a different drug?”
I know I’m a pressure cooker and at any time, my lid’s going to blow. Forcing myself to use controlled breathing techniques, I feel much more stable by the time we get to the restaurant. Upon looking around, I don’t remember being here at all. Nothing about the evening rings a bell. We review the tapes and I see Gemini and I walking out, and then we’re surrounded. There’s gunfire, and then I’m pushing Gemini out of the way. I don’t see who takes her. Someone lays one right in my kisser and then drugs me, but I can’t see his face. He’s wearing a keffiyeh, a Middle Eastern headdress, but that’s about it. I seethe, not only with anger but with a need so strong to find her and get her to safety.
My phone rings but I don’t hear it.
“Drex, your phone,” Huff nudges me.
“Fuck.” I shake my head and tap the screen. “Wolfe.”
“Wolfe. Michaels here. You wanted to speak?”
“Yeah. My office. One hour.”
“No. That won’t work. We meet on neutral ground. You come alone.”
“When and where?” I ask.
“One hour at your house.”
“You mean my place that was bombed?”
“The same.”
The fucking bastard. What is he up to?
“See you there.”
“And Wolfe. No wires or cameras. You come alone or no deal. Got it?”
“Sure do.”
I rejoin the crowd.
“Well?” Huff asks.
“I’m going to meet him in an hour.”
“Who’s going with you?”
“No one. Just me.”
“Drex …”
“I’ll be fine. I need to go back to the office and get some gear.” Huff isn’t at all happy and none of the other guys will be, either, but they can’t come with me. They don’t know about my covert activity with the CIA. It’s classified. End of story.
When we get back to the office, I arm myself to the teeth. Shoulder and leg holsters, back belt holster, knife, extra magazines for my guns. I hope to hell he gives me what I want and need because I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t.
Tragic Desires Page 26