by Karen Lynch
I was about to ask if Beth was going with them when movement in the corner of my eye brought my gaze around to the front of the SUV. Through the windshield, I saw Beth exit the guesthouse. My jaw literally dropped at the sight of her in a tiny pale-blue dress and strappy high heels that showed off her feminine curves and long, toned legs. It was such a change from the jeans and boots she normally wore that I forgot for a moment who I was staring at.
A sharp whistle from Raoul brought me to my senses, and I fought the urge to scowl at him as I opened my door and got out. I wasn’t sure if I was more annoyed at him for looking at Beth with such open appreciation, or at myself for having done the same thing.
“Whatcha think, Blondie?” Jordan called over her shoulder as she walked out to meet Beth.
“Gorgeous.”
My gaze went to Beth, who looked away with pink tingeing her cheeks. She was stunning and sexy as hell in that dress – and I had the sudden urge to strip off my shirt and cover her up.
“Smooth.” Jordan grinned and hooked her arm around Beth’s. “But you’re right. We do look hot.”
Raoul came up and slapped me on the shoulder. “I’m thinking we should skip the steak and go with the ladies instead.”
Jordan held up a hand. “Oh, no. It’s called ‘girls’ night’ for a reason.” Her voice grew louder. “And as soon as we can surgically separate Sara from her mate, we’ll bid you gentlemen good night.”
I glanced over at Sara and Nikolas, who were standing beside the SUV, kissing. At Jordan’s words, they broke apart, smiling at each other.
Jordan and Beth walked over to a silver Porsche parked outside. My eyes followed the sway of Beth’s hips until I forced my gaze elsewhere.
Off-limits. Don’t even think about going there.
“Nice ride, Jordan,” Raoul called.
She patted the roof. “It’s a loaner. I’m thinking about getting one for myself.”
Beth went around to the passenger side and climbed into the back. Jordan and Sara took the front seats.
“Don’t wait up,” Jordan called as they drove away.
I turned back to the SUV to find Nikolas watching me curiously. No doubt he’d noticed me staring at Beth, but he wasn’t the type to mention it. That was a good thing because I had no idea what to say.
“Do you think it’s safe to let the three of them out in the city like that?” Raoul asked as we climbed back into the SUV.
“They can take care of themselves,” I said. Then I thought about a club full of men staring at Beth in that dress, and an unpleasant burn started in my stomach.
Raoul scoffed. “I’m worried about the city, not the girls.”
We laughed, and Nikolas and I shared a look.
“You have the receiver for that tracker?” I asked him.
He patted his front pocket. “Right here.”
Chapter 5
Beth
I WAS QUIET when we drove away from the house, happy to let Jordan and Sara carry the conversation. Thoughts and images tumbled through my mind as I replayed that moment outside the garage over and over. Even now, my stomach fluttered when I remembered the heat in Chris’s eyes when he’d looked at me.
Since our talk, I’d caught him watching me a few times, but his expression was always one of regret. He’d seemed sincere when he’d apologized and asked to be friends, and I’d been trying to get my head in a place where I could at least live in the same house with him.
But that look.
“Earth to Beth.”
Jordan’s teasing voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up to meet her laughing eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
Her gaze held mine for a second before it flicked back to the road. “I asked if you are going to tell us what’s up with you and Chris.”
I frowned. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? Right.” She exchanged a look with Sara. “Remember when you told me there was nothing between you and Nikolas?”
Sara nodded. “I believe you said I was clueless.”
“Yeah, well, I thought saying you were full of shit was a bit much at that point in our friendship.” Jordan snickered. “And I was so right about you guys.” Her eyes met mine again in the mirror. “I think our friend Beth’s been holding out on us.”
“I think you may be right,” Sara said.
I let out a strangled laugh. “Are you seriously comparing me and Chris to Sara and Nikolas?”
Sara and I had gotten close in the weeks since I’d arrived in Los Angeles, and she’d shared some of how she and Nikolas had met, bonded, and eventually fallen in love and mated. It was an incredibly romantic story and so far removed from Chris and me that it was laughable.
Jordan lifted a shoulder. “I’m saying you guys have more than a casual friendship.”
“No,” I blurted. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know,” Jordan said slowly. “Maybe because of the obvious tension between you two.”
“There’s no –”
“Or the way he looks at you whenever you’re in the same room,” Sara added.
Jordan snorted. “You mean the way he practically devoured her with his eyes back there?”
“He did not.” Heat crept up my neck. “It’s not what you think.”
“But it is something.” Jordan smirked at Sara. “Told you.”
Sara turned halfway in her seat to look at me. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but you can tell us anything and we’ll never break your trust.”
I clenched my hands in my lap. “I know.”
“The thing is,” she continued, “as long as I’ve known Chris, he’s never shown any interest in Mohiri women. But it’s clear he cares about you from the way he acts around you.”
I stared at her, not sure how to respond to hearing Chris didn’t date Mohiri women. I’d gone out of my way not to hear about his extracurricular activities in the last four years, so I had no idea about his love life.
“He’s not interested in me, at least not that way. Trust me on that.”
Jordan turned the wheel, and the Porsche suddenly swerved into the parking lot of the French restaurant where we had reservations. A few minutes later, we were seated at a corner table, ordering appetizers.
As soon as our waitress left us, Jordan leaned in, giving me an expectant look.
I sighed in defeat. “I told you guys I was an orphan and that I lived at Longstone since I was six. What I didn’t tell you was I nearly died in an apartment fire. A warrior saved me and brought me to Longstone.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “Chris?”
“Yes. I don’t remember much about my first days at Longstone, except him. Rachel, my guardian, told me I was traumatized when I came in and I wouldn’t let anyone near me but Chris. She took me to her home, and Chris stayed with us until I felt safe with her. He even slept in a chair in my room for the first few nights.”
Sara put a hand over her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
Jordan nodded in agreement.
“Eventually, Chris had to go back to work. He’d come home every few months, but he didn’t stay with Rachel and me. I used to get so excited when I heard he was coming for a visit, and he’d always spend a whole day with me. When I was a kid, we’d play games and do fun things. I grew out of that, and he showed me how to fight and let me hang out with him when he trained. Those were some of the best days of my life.”
The waitress returned with our beverages, and we ordered our meals, so it was a few minutes before I could continue my story. Now that I’d begun, I wanted to tell Sara and Jordan the rest of it so they’d understand why there would never be anything romantic between Chris and me.
I took a sip of water and set down my glass.
“I think I was thirteen when things changed for me. Chris came home one day, and the next thing I knew, I was crushing on him. He had no idea, of course. By the time I was sixteen, I was head over h
eels in love with him. I thought all I had to do was wait until he noticed I was no longer a little girl.”
“Did he?” Jordan asked.
I pressed my lips together and shook my head.
Sara laid a warm hand over one of mine. “What happened?”
“I told him how I felt.” I winced. “It didn’t go well.”
I looked down at my hands as I remembered that day. Had it really been only four years ago? It felt like a decade had passed since then.
I smoothed down my hair for the last time and knocked on Chris’s door. I couldn’t believe he was finally home after an eight-month job in South America. He’d missed my sixteenth birthday by one day, but having him home was the best gift I could have asked for.
The door opened and Chris stood there, his hair damp like he’d just gotten out of the shower. He stared at me in surprise for a moment before he smiled and reached out to pull me into a hug. I was so happy to see him I didn’t make much of the fact that the hug was quicker than usual.
“Look at you,” he said when he let me go. “You grew up on me. When did this happen?”
I beamed at him, my heart near to bursting. “While you were running around the Amazon.”
He moved back to let me into the small apartment he used when he was home. I sat on the couch, and he disappeared into his bedroom for a few minutes, returning with a small box wrapped in tissue paper, which he handed to me.
“Happy birthday, Dove.”
I smiled and accepted the gift from him, trying to quell my disappointment when he took the chair across from me instead of sitting beside me like he always did.
“I’m sorry I missed your birthday,” he said as I unwrapped the box. “But I hope this makes up for it. As soon as I saw it, I thought of you.”
I lifted the lid on the white box, and my breath caught at the sight of the dainty silver necklace inside. He’d never brought me jewelry before. I swallowed at the thought of what this could mean.
With trembling fingers, I lifted the necklace from the box and gazed at the silver pendant in the shape of a dove taking flight.
“It’s perfect!” I held the necklace to my chest. “I love it.”
He smiled, showing his dimples. “I thought you might. Put it on, and let’s see it.”
I stood and held up the necklace. “Will you help me?”
He hesitated for a moment before he got up and came over to take the necklace from me. I turned, and he lifted the chain over my head, his warm fingers brushing the back of my neck as he secured the clasp and sent a delicious shiver through me.
I looked down, admiring the pendant lying just above my breasts, before I turned to face Chris.
“How does it look?” I asked him.
For a second, he wore an indecipherable expression. Then it was gone, and he smiled at me again as he took a step back. “Beautiful, just like the girl wearing it.”
Joy radiated through my body. Chris thought I was beautiful and grown-up, and he’d brought me jewelry. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
“I love you, Chris.”
“Love you, too, Dove.”
Taking a deep breath, I leaned back to look up into his green eyes. “No, I mean I really love you.”
The smile faded from his eyes, and his face took on an almost pained expression. His hands came up to my shoulders, and he gently set me away from him before letting his arms fall to his sides.
“Beth,” he began slowly. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do,” I said in a quieter voice.
His expression softened. “You’re only sixteen –”
“I’ll be eighteen in two years,” I pressed.
At eighteen, you were an adult and you could become a warrior. Age difference no longer mattered once you reached eighteen.
“I know. But so much can happen in two years, and things you like now might not matter to you by then.”
My chest constricted, making it hard to breathe. “It won’t change how I feel about you.”
He looked away, as if searching for what to say. When his gaze returned to mine, the anguish in his eyes told me his answer before he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Dove. I love you but not in that way.”
Tears scalded my eyes, blurring my vision as I backed away from him. His hand reached for me, but I turned and ran for the door.
“Beth, please understand,” he called after me in a voice laced with regret.
I didn’t look back. I ran home, trying to hold together the edges of my broken heart.
I watched Sara’s and Jordan’s faces as I finished my story. My telling was less detailed than the actual events of that day, but it was enough to paint a clear picture for them.
Understanding filled Jordan’s eyes. “You can’t forgive him for breaking your heart.”
I shook my head. “I would have forgiven him for that eventually.”
“Then what is it?” Sara pressed gently.
“He left, and I never saw him again after that day. He walked out of my life and didn’t come back.” I swallowed painfully. “That hurt more than anything else he could have done.”
“So that day he showed up here…” Jordan began.
“That was the first I’d seen him since my sixteenth birthday.”
“Well shit.” She sat back heavily. “No wonder you’re giving him the cold shoulder.”
Sara’s brow furrowed. “Why would Chris do something like that? Has he said anything about it since he got here?”
“He said he’s sorry for the way he left and that he thought he was doing what was best for me, but now he realizes he handled it wrong.” I toyed with the stem of my glass. “He asked if we could be friends again, but I don’t know if we can after all that’s happened.”
Sara smiled kindly. “Maybe just give it time.”
I wished it was that easy. Sometimes when Chris smiled, I remembered the man I’d adored before that day in his apartment. But it was always followed by the memories of the pain after he’d left, the feeling of abandonment and betrayal when he never returned. He might be sincere in his wish to rekindle our friendship, but he also had the power to hurt me deeply. I couldn’t let him do that to me again.
Jordan let out a deep breath. “I think that’s enough serious talk for tonight. We’re supposed to be having our wild girls’ night, and you two are depressing me.”
Sara’s eyebrows shot up. “When did this become a wild girls’ night?”
Jordan made a pfft sound and lifted her glass. “Is there any other kind?”
Sara frowned.
“Come on, bestie. I promise it’ll be fun,” Jordan said with a playful pout.
I hid my grin behind my own glass. It was impossible to stay sad for long with these two.
“Just dancing. No crazy stuff.” Sara fixed Jordan with a hard look.
Jordan held up a hand. “No crazy stuff. Scout’s honor.”
* * *
“Son of a bitch!”
I looked up from the first aid kit I was rummaging through to see Jordan throw her shoes down in disgust.
“What’s wrong?”
“I broke a heel on my new Jimmy Choos.” She stomped barefoot over to where I sat on the couch beside my bleeding patient. “He going to live?”
I pressed a wad of gauze to the shallow cut near the man’s hairline. “Just a flesh wound. He won’t even need stitches.”
“This one might need a doctor,” Sara called from the other side of the room.
I took the man’s hand and pressed it to the gauze. “Hold this here.”
Standing, I made my way across the room to Sara, skirting an upended side table and stepping over two bodies. She was kneeling behind a white grand piano that listed to one side, its polished surface marred by blood splatter.
I crouched beside Sara and the red-haired woman she was tending to. The woman’s eyes were closed, and her skin was almost pasty white, except for a bruise forming on her right che
ek.
“Cecelia,” I called, remembering her name from earlier in the night. “Can you hear me?”
The woman’s face twitched, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“What the hell?” A loud male voice filled the room. “Sara?”
“Over here,” Sara called.
I stood to see Nikolas striding toward us, his expression a mix of anger and relief.
Raoul stood on the other side of the spacious living room, and I could only guess what he was thinking as he took in the scene before him. Almost every one of the windows was broken, and there were blood sprays on the white walls along with a person-shaped scorch mark – Sara’s handiwork. Any piece of the expensive furniture not overturned had an injured or drunken human draped across it.
Nikolas reached us and crouched beside Sara. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. But we have people here who need medical help.” She gave him a wry smile. “Or a good dose of gunna paste.”
His face softened, and he smiled as he reached inside his jacket, producing a can of paste, which he handed to her. Then he stood and assessed the situation before looking from me to Jordan. “How many?”
“Six,” Jordan answered. She walked over to check on a blonde girl who was retching behind a potted plant that had miraculously survived the carnage.
I heard running feet, and Chris appeared in the doorway, his hair windblown like he’d ridden without a helmet. His gaze searched the room until he found me, and my breath caught at the intensity of his stare as he took in my torn dress and bare feet. The blood on my legs wasn’t mine, but it probably made for a pretty gruesome picture.
“Are you hurt?”
The edge in his voice surprised me. I’d never heard him speak that way, and it took me a few seconds to respond.
“No.”
Something unreadable flashed in his eyes before he looked at Nikolas. “Our guys are a few minutes out. No one’s called the police yet, but there are two men with cameras by the main gate.”