Black and White

by Cynthia Rayne

  He scooted closer. “Will you let me, and the team work this case?”

  Color me confused. “You already are.”

  “Yes, we’re protectin’ you, but we can do more.”

  “The FBI’s searchin’ for the killer, along with Scotland Yard. And I’m sure they’re doin’ a bang-up job, but how many other crimes are they responsible for?”

  She had no idea what the average FBI agent’s workload was like, but she imagined it was heavy. From what the Scotland Yard inspector had told her, they weren’t making any headway either.

  “You have a point.”

  “If Black Star takes this case, we’ll only have one. Yours. Come on, what have you got to lose?”

  Just my life.

  ***

  “Evenin’, ma’am.”

  Savvy nodded.

  Zane drawled the greeting as Savvy passed him in the hallway. When he saw her and King walking together, a wry grin stretched across his handsome face. Zane raised his brows at King, and they clearly had a silent conversation, but she didn’t understand a word of it.

  They were headed up to the second floor. Savvy was going to her bedroom, and King was right behind her.

  Before they’d left the kitchen, she’d agreed to King’s proposal. He’d made a lot of sense. Besides, if a group of Navy SEALs, Scotland Yard, and the FBI couldn’t figure this one out, she might as well start digging her own grave.

  Zane ambled down the staircase, and she turned to King.

  “What was all that about?”

  “Nothin’.”

  Evidently, it was something, but she let it go. Savvy was about to enter her bedroom when King placed his hand over hers.

  “No, I’m goin’ in first.” He sprinted past her. Adam and Emerald had taken the other spare bedroom. Everyone else was sprawled on couches and other furniture.

  Damn. The six feet rule. “Why exactly?”

  “To make sure the space is secured, and I’m stayin’ the night in here.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am.” King walked to the opposite side of the room. “Let’s see, there’s a row of windows, and below it a series of shrubs, where anyone could be hidin’. There aren’t even any floodlights on this side of the house.” He peered out the window, before closing the shades once more.

  Ugh. No point in fightin’. Savvy already knew she wouldn’t win.

  “Where are you gonna sleep?”

  “Right here.”

  He took the reading chair in the corner and sat with an exaggerated sigh. While it was a large, overstuffed piece of furniture, King dwarfed it with his immense size. It was yet another reminder of how immense he was, like a brick wall.

  “And you’re gonna sit there and stare at me…?”

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “No, I’ll catch up on email first, but at some point, we’ll both fall asleep. However, I’ll be right here, in case something happens.”

  So much for privacy.

  Savvy had a feeling she was in for a long night. Whenever Savvy had slept beside a man, she’d tossed and turned, unused to having someone else in her bed. Having one stalker-watch her while she slumbered like the military version of Edward Cullen from Twilight was a whole other thing.

  She sighed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I kinda hate you right now.”

  King chuckled, far from offended.

  Savvy went to the closet and grabbed a couple of blankets. When she handed them over, King’s fingers brushed hers.

  Neither one of them pulled away.

  In fact, she swayed closer. Savvy had the wildest urge to kiss him goodnight, which was ridiculous. This wasn’t a date, and she had no business entertaining these kinds of thoughts.

  “Yeah, um, goodnight.” She backed off hastily.

  “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” There was an edge to his tone she refused to dwell on.

  Savvy quickly went through her evening routine. She scrubbed her face, pulled her long hair back in a scrunchy, threw on a pair of leggings along with an old shirt, and climbed under the covers.

  She glanced up, and King met her gaze. He suddenly became engrossed with his phone. She picked her Android up from the nightstand and indulged herself in a long scroll through her Instagram feed.

  Sleep eluded her for the better part of an hour.

  ***

  Savvy woke up at two in the morning.

  A melody floated on the edge of her consciousness, playing through her head, distracting her. Most of her dreams were set to music, and she used the melodies as inspiration.

  The only problem was, the ideas were fleeting and drifted right out of her brain almost as soon as she woke. Even though Adam didn’t allow Savvy to write her own songs very often, she scribbled down lyrics and music anyway.

  She simply had to write.

  Savvy had boxes full of notebooks, all of them contained songs she’d never get to perform. She dragged herself out of bed to capture what she could, the fragments she could remember anyway. It was a cool late spring morning, and she slipped on a hoodie and a pair of socks.

  King was asleep across the room.

  Sometime during the night, he’d taken off his jeans and shirt, and only wore a pair of boxers. The blanket was half on, half off his body. He was hard and scarred by battle. A healed gash stretched across his torso as though someone had tried to gut him with a blade.

  Savvy hissed in sympathy when she saw it. When it was new, the wound must’ve been painful. Savvy wouldn’t have been able to withstand it. She was a baby about pain and hated even getting a flu shot.

  Despite the imperfections, he was handsome. Rugged.

  Savvy had trouble taking her eyes off him. Maybe having him in her bedroom wasn’t so terrible after all. If they’d met under different circumstances, she might’ve flirted with him.

  Oh hell, you’d like to do a lot more than flirt, girl. Who are you kiddin’?

  Before Savvy knew what was happening, she drifted closer to him. She wondered how his beard would feel? And what would it be like to rest her head against his broad chest?

  Savvy shivered as a spark of awareness traveled up her spine.

  She shouldn’t be ogling him. Getting involved with someone who held your life in their hands, was the embodiment of a stupid decision.

  And what if he had a girlfriend? Or a wife? Savvy didn’t see a wedding ring, but it didn’t mean King wasn’t taken.

  Savvy switched on a lamp and sat cross-legged on the floor. She hauled the guitar onto her lap, strumming softly, so she wouldn’t wake him.

  Savvy concentrated on the words, the sounds drifting through her head. She kept the notebook beside her, stopping every once in a while, to jot down the melody. Writing was a bit like trying to catch fireflies and tuck them into a Mason jar. She’d chased after the glowing bugs as a child while they drifted away, always beyond her reach.

  “What are you playin’?”

  Startled, Savvy looked up to see King standing over her. She hadn’t even heard him get up.

  How long have I been playin’? According to the alarm clock on the nightstand, an hour. Time drifted when she composed, and she got lost in the music, oblivious to the rest of the world.

  She turned her attention back to King. Bare-chested and barefoot, he was a sight to behold. He’d thrown on his jeans but hadn’t buttoned them yet.

  Looking at him, all half naked like this, bathed in moonlight made her mouth go dry. He could take a girl’s breath away.

  “I’m sorry, did I wake you up?”

  “Not at all. Am I interruptin’ you?”

  “No, I’m due for a break.”

  He nodded to the guitar and sat across from her. “I don’t think I’ve heard this one before.”

  “You haven’t. It came to me tonight.”

  “What’s it called?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Sometimes Savvy couldn’t predict where a song was headed, or what cords her fingers would find. />
  Although, the tune was real soft, kind of mournful. She had a feeling this was a song about loss. In the past few days, some of her innocence had vanished, and Savvy doubted she’d ever get it back. Even if she survived, she’d never be the same.

  “Is it gonna be on your next album?”

  She shrugged. “I doubt it.”

  “I like the songs you write, the best.”

  “Really? Nobody else does.”

  Most critics thought Savvy was a pretty face with a pleasant voice. Almost like the musical equivalent of a mannequin, merely a vehicle for the song the record label wanted to push. Judging by the quality of her albums, Savvy couldn’t hold it against them. Her tunes were catchy but lacked meaning.

  “Because they’re fools.”

  She set the guitar aside and placed the notebook beside it.

  “Mind if I take a look?” he asked.

  “Be my guest.”

  “Hmph.” King flipped through the pages. He paused to touch the most recent one, almost reverently. “This just came to you.” He shook his head, a smile on his lips.

  “Do you write? Or draw?”

  King shook his head. “No, but my wife was an artist. I used to stare at her paintings for hours, wonderin’ where the ideas had come from. One day, she had a blank canvas, and the next, there was a complete work.”

  “She sounds talented.”

  “Yeah.” King sighed. “She was amazin’, like you. You’re both special.”

  King was easy to talk to, and he appreciated her work, but not in a creepy obsessed way. She could get used to having him around, and Savvy had a feeling they might become friends.

  “Thank you. How’d you get interested in my records in the first place?”

  King cleared his throat before he spoke. “Nicole introduced me to your music.”

  “What’s your favorite song?”

  “Lonesome Wind.” He bent his head and smoothed a hand over the carpet beneath them.

  She sucked in a breath. “I wrote that.”

  “I know.” His grin was playful.

  “It wasn’t ever released.” Adam had slapped it onto the tail end of her album, like an afterthought.

  “Which is a damn shame, considerin’ it’s the best song on Saturday Night Sparkle. Don’t get me wrong, I like all of them, but I love Lonesome Wind.”

  Savvy cleared her throat. “You said your wife’s a fan. Did she—”

  “Was a fan. Nicole died a couple of years ago.” The pain in his eyes was palpable. Savvy could almost reach out and touch it, as though it had become a part of him.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.” He swallowed. “Anyway, whenever Nicole worked on a project, she played music in the background. She liked your songs best.”

  It’s funny. Other people’s art stimulated her own creative process as well. She drew inspiration from movies, television, arts, and crafts, you name it.

  “I took her to one of your concerts in Richmond.”

  “Yeah?”

  “The corner of his mouth lifted. “It was supposed to be her birthday present, but I got a kick out of it, too.”

  Savvy would’ve given anything to see King surrounded by a crowd of teenage girls, singing along with her.

  “I think my legs are going numb.” She stood and hit the light switch on the wall. All of a sudden, Zane’s puppy started barking.

  And then she heard the crackle of breaking glass and that familiar dart-like sound.

  Oh God, the shooter’s back.

  Chapter 5

  I’m gonna die.

  Before Savvy knew what was happening, King shut off the light, and he was on top of Savvy, pressing her back into the floor.

  “It’s okay, I’m right here. You don’t have to do this alone.” Their breath mingled, and for a moment, the world stood still, and she forgot to be afraid.

  And then another bullet hit the wall.

  The panic was back, in full force. Another one hit the window and glass exploded all over them.

  King withdrew his gun and peered into the darkness.

  “I can’t see a goddamn thing.”

  “Don’t move,” he growled.

  Another shot. This time it hit the headboard, boring a hole into it.

  Holy shit. What if that had been my head instead?

  Savvy’s instincts prodded her to run. She tried to scramble away, but King held her still. She had no idea where she was going.

  “We go when I say so. If I don’t time our exit right, he’ll tag both of us before we make it to the hallway.”

  Another shot rang out.

  She yelped. “King, you should go. It’s me he wants.”

  King’s big body was the only thing standing between her and a bullet. But she couldn’t bear the thought of someone else dying for her, even if he’d signed up for the job.

  “Better me, then you,” he muttered, almost to himself.

  His comment didn’t make any sense to her. Why was this so personal for him? Even if he liked her songs, King barely knew her.

  She’d think about it later. Assuming there was a “later.”

  “Was he waitin’ out there this whole time?”

  “Snipers are patient bastards. They can wait hours, even days if they have to. “

  It was like being chased by the grim reaper.

  And then another hail of bullets completely shattered the window, and he dragged her with him into the other room, bellowing for Zane the entire time.

  ***

  Two hours later, they were all in the kitchen.

  King was in a foul mood.

  When King and Zane stormed outside in their body armor, guns blazing, they didn’t find the shooter. He must’ve taken off shortly after they’d escaped the bedroom. Once again, the prick hadn’t left any evidence behind.

  Afterward, they’d all been interviewed by the FBI, the local police, and spoke to Scotland Yard as well. The Brits relinquished jurisdiction to the FBI, since it was an ongoing situation, and not an isolated incident.

  Everyone was awake, although Savvy was in her own little world. King had tried to talk with her, but she wasn’t responsive.

  She was wrapped up in a blanket on a chair, with a vacant expression on her face. Some people ran for the hills when faced with a frightening situation, some people got angry, and fought back. And others froze.

  Apparently, Savvy was the last kind.

  King addressed the group. “Okay, everyone, why don’t you try to get some sleep?”

  He wanted to speak with Savvy and help her process the trauma. King had been his SEAL team’s medic, but he knew firsthand, the worst wounds weren’t physical.

  Everyone shuffled down the hall, except for Adam who lingered in the doorway, observing Savvy. The man was intense when it came to her, and King couldn’t decide if it was professional concern for his most important client, or something deeper.

  Intuition told him it was personal.

  King stared him down until Adam left the room with a grimace. Clearly, he wanted to stay and comfort Savvy. Well, too damn bad.

  He sat next to her. “Hey, how are you holdin’ up?”

  “Not very well,” she said hoarsely.

  Her eyes were far away. King needed to bring her back to the here and now, help her focus, deal with the shock before it got the best of her. She was headed down a rabbit hole with no bottom if he didn’t intervene.

  King started with something simple. “Here, let me clean you up.”

  “I’m not hurt, am I?” Her eyes were wide as saucers.

  “You’ve got a few scratches on your face, from the broken glass, but that’s it.”

  He gathered the supplies and got to work. King dabbed at the tiny cuts with a soapy paper towel, then washed them clean, before applying rubbing alcohol so they wouldn’t get infected. Savvy hissed in pain but didn’t stop him.

  While he took care of her, King spoke softly, trying to distract Savvy, but she couldn’t follow
the conversation.

  “How are you feelin?” he asked, afterward.

  “Fine.”

  King didn’t believe it for a second. “Have you ever heard of box breathin’?”

  Her eyelids fluttered, as though she had trouble comprehending the question. He knew she was in a state of panic, and her mind was probably going a mile a minute. Her thoughts were clouded, and it was impossible to sort through them all.

  “No,” she said after a moment.

  “I learned it in SEAL trainin’. It can improve your concentration and slow down your heart rate so you can calm yourself. Wanna try it?”

  She bit her lower lip and then nodded.

  “Okay, we’ll do this for five minutes, and if you don’t relax, we’ll try another round.”

  “Alright.”

  “First, I need you to release all the air in your lungs, blow it out.” She exhaled, and he joined her.

  “Excellent. Take a deep breath through your nose and hold it in.” She sucked in a gust of air and closed her eyes. “And release it.”

  Savvy expelled the breath.

  She seemed better, but Savvy still carried a lot of tension in her shoulders.

  “Yeah, you’ve got it. Breathe with me again, and if it’s okay with you, I’m gonna massage your shoulders.”

  “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  He stood behind her and kneaded the muscles in her neck and shoulders, loosening the knots. Human touch lowered stress biomarkers, like cortisol.

  This was supposed to be about her needs, but he hadn’t counted on how smooth her skin would feel under his fingertips. Or how good Savvy smelled. He had the overwhelming urge to bury his face in her hair.

  King tried to ignore it, focus on her.

  He hadn’t meant to flirt with her earlier, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. King had heard the phrase “never meet your heroes” before, but Savvy lived up to every single one of his expectations and more. She was humble, and beautiful as a wildflower. If he didn’t watch himself, King could fall for her.

  King had taken this gig to protect Savvy, pay her back for what she’d done for him.

  It was his way of thanking her for preserving his sanity during the worst months of his life. He’d always thought she was lovely, but King was actually attracted to her. He knew from experience feelings could be a distraction in the field and got folks killed because their attention drifted. Like West had ordered, King planned on being professional, but it was going to be hard.