Demand

by Lisa Renee Jones

  I stare down at the necklace, the butterfly with diamonds set in its wings, and words start to come to me. Wishing I had my journal, I grab a pen, and I’m suddenly back in the past. I am back in that hotel room, moments after David left. It’s the moment after he left me alone and I ripped the butterfly from my neck in anger.

  Appalled at what I have done, I stare at the necklace on the floor, falling to my knees. I pick up the butterfly, and frown as I find a piece of paper sticking out of the back. I tug on it and stare at the handwritten words. What the heck is this? Pierre Remy—Marc—0000. That’s very odd. This has to be some sort of serial number and the manufacturer. Right now, I just need to figure out how to get the chain fixed. I need to find a jewelry store before David gets back.

  I open my eyes and write down Pierre Remy—Marc—0000. Then I underline it. This is important. The air shifts and I glance up to find Kayden entering the room. “Kayden,” I say, and one look at his intense, hard expression has me popping to my feet to meet him as he rounds the desk. “I just wanted to look at the photo. I didn’t mean to invade your private space.”

  “My space is your space, Ella,” he says, his hands coming down on my shoulders, and he pulls me to him. “Ella—”

  “I remembered what the piece of paper from the necklace said.”

  He blanches. “What? When?”

  I grab the folder and show him the note. “Pierre Remy—Marc—0000.” I glance at him. “Does that mean anything to you?”

  “A place. A person. A code of some sort. We’ll figure it out later.”

  “But it’s important—I know it is.”

  “Niccolo called.”

  My heart falls to my feet. “Oh God. Already? What happened?”

  “Just what I said would happen. He wants to meet.”

  “You’re nervous. You’re worried. You’re things I never see in you.”

  “You’re nervous. You’re worried. I’m calm. I have this under control. I promise.” Adriel appears in the doorway. “Adriel is staying here with you and locking down the castle,” Kayden says. “He knows how to get you out of here if he should have to.”

  I don’t let myself think about what might make that necessary. “Who’s going with you?”

  “Nathan. He’s done work for Niccolo and Niccolo trusts him. Matteo and Carlo will have our backs.”

  And there it is. Proof of what I suspected. My doctor is so much more than just a doctor. “What do you think is going to happen?”

  “As I told you, we’ll negotiate. We’ll come to terms, and he’s going to tell us who you really are.” He eyes Adriel, who disappears, and the instant he is gone, Kayden snags my hips and drags me to him. “This is good, Ella. This is answers and freedom. You know this.”

  “I do,” I say, sounding strong when I have to fight back the urge to tell him how scared I am. He has to focus right now, and he needs me to be strong, not a weak distraction. I grab his shirt, balling it in my fingers and ordering, “Damn it, you will make this go the way you said it would. You will be safe and come back alive. You will.”

  “I will,” he promises, cupping the back of my head and kissing me, a deep, drugging, too-short kiss that ends with him releasing me. Before I recover, he’s disappeared out the door. No goodbye, no don’t worry, but then, I’m not sure those things make me standing here, rather than chasing after him, any easier. And it’s not easy at all. I fight the urge to go after him, to scream for him to come back, when I know he can’t and won’t. I know my pleas won’t help things or stop what has to be done. But this isn’t me supporting him in a hunt or his duty as Hawk. This isn’t even about him getting the necklace and returning it to the British government. This is about him trying to protect me, and that’s a bitter pill to swallow. If anything happens to him, I have only myself to blame.

  I’m still staring at the doorway, willing Kayden to reappear, when Adriel steps inside. “Come with me,” he orders.

  “Where?”

  He grimaces. “Just come with me.”

  I grab the folder and place it in the desk. Adriel steps back into the hallway and allows me to pass. “We’re going back to the gym,” he instructs.

  That seems like an odd location to huddle down and wait this out, but it is one of the higher locations in the castle. Maybe that translates to safer. I cut left and take the steps, and once I’m in the gym I turn. “Now what?” I ask, as he joins me.

  “Now we finish your floor,” he replies, walking into my dance studio and disappearing.

  Frowning, I stare after him for a moment, then follow him. He’s already on the floor, fitting a piece of wood into place. “Is it safer up here, or something? I mean, shouldn’t we be doing something to support Kayden?”

  “We are,” he says. “It’s called staying safe and not bugging him. And keeping you busy means you won’t climb the walls and drive us both bat-shit crazy.”

  “That’s your plan? Keeping me from driving you crazy?”

  “That about sums it up, so get your ass over here and help me.”

  Grimacing at his bossiness, I decide he’s right. I settle onto the floor next to him but freeze as a low electronic hum fills the air and the room darkens. “What the heck was that?”

  “Kayden just left the castle and locked it down.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The doors and windows are now securely shuttered. No one is getting in or out, unless we hit the emergency exit buttons.”

  “Which are where?”

  “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you, and Kayden wouldn’t like that.”

  “That’s not funny, Adriel.”

  “Put the code nine-two-eight-seven in any of the panels by any of the doors. But no one except you, me, and Kayden knows that. We don’t need Giada armed with that information.”

  “What about Marabella?”

  “Not even Marabella.”

  “But they’re on lockdown, too?”

  “Yes, and this isn’t their first rodeo, as you Americans say. They’ve done this several times.”

  My hands settle on my knees. “Does this mean we can expect an attack?”

  “It means Kayden doesn’t take chances with what’s important to him, and neither do I, and that means you.”

  “In other words, we’re safe while Kayden is on his way to meet with the head of the Italian mafia, who might kill him.”

  “Kayden thinks Niccolo killed Elizabeth and Kevin. If anyone is going to die today, it will be Niccolo.”

  If he means to comfort me by reminding me just how volatile the relationship between Niccolo and Kayden is, he fails.

  eighteen

  For the next hour Adriel and I work in silence but for the sound of country music and his occasional grumbles about country music, until he finally says, “That’s it,” and grabs the phone, turning off the music.

  “My turn now,” he declares, using his phone to tune into a succession of songs from Imagine Dragons that remind me of something Kayden once told me. “I hear you forced Kayden into going to one of their concerts.”

  He arches a brow. “Forced? Is that the story he told you?”

  I laugh and fit a wooden piece into the floor. “Tell me your version.”

  From that point on there’s conversation, laughter, and lots of scowling over Giada’s behavior by both of us, but I notice that his voice always softens a bit when he’s talking about her. His love for his sister is obvious and powerful, and with each story he shares about her, I grow even more committed to helping them find a middle ground I’m certain they once had.

  Three hours later, the floor is done, and we stand up to inspect the finished product. “It’s perfection,” I say, but I can’t revel in the gift of the room when Kayden’s silence is deafening.

  Adriel clearly notices. “How about we raid the kitchen and watch football?”

  “He’s been gone forever, Adriel,” I say, ignoring his attempt to distract me. “Shouldn’t we check on him?”

>   “He went to Niccolo’s country estate, a good two-hour drive.”

  My eyes go wide. “What? That’s got to mean secluded and dangerous.”

  “Evil Eye, Ella, remember? He’s protected. He’s fine. And Niccolo is known for long negotiations that include a meal or two. He draws things out to make people nervous, hoping they’ll make mistakes. But most people are not Kayden.”

  “No,” I agree, “Kayden is not most people.” My eyes meet his. “And I do believe in him, if you’re thinking I don’t. But we’re all human.”

  “Some of us less than most, and pretend that he’s not.”

  “And get sideswiped when he’s hurt?”

  “Find a place to put it. You have to, or this won’t work for either of you.”

  “You’re right. I’m failing at that right now, but I’ll find a way to handle it.”

  “I told you how.” He indicates his T-shirt, which I now realize has an Italian logo on it. “Football. And food. Those two things are miracle drugs.”

  “Fine,” I say. “Food and football, but it’s Sunday. That also means American football. If I watch Italian football, we have to find some American football, too. And I need to get my phone in case Kayden calls me.” My eyes widen. “What if he already called and I missed it? How did I not think about this?”

  I start for the door and he grabs my arm. “He didn’t call and he won’t. So get your phone, but don’t go working yourself up again staring at the screen.” He releases me. “Calling isn’t his way. He focuses on what he’s doing, which is why he stays alive.”

  This time, he’s managed to say something comforting. Kayden’s focused. He’s staying alive. As I head toward the stairs Adriel calls out, “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” I waste no time heading down the steps and entering our bedroom, snatching my phone from the nightstand just as it rings. Hopeful that it’s Kayden, I glance at the caller ID and frown at the unfamiliar number. Not sure what to expect, afraid it’s Niccolo, or somehow related to Niccolo, I press the “answer” button and will myself to sound calm. “Hello?”

  “Eleana, it’s Chief Donati.”

  “Chief,” I greet him cautiously, assuming Gallo gave him my number, and considering I’m now worried he’s calling to tell me something is wrong with Kayden, I somehow manage a cool, “This is a surprise.”

  “Why don’t you tell me why Kayden is at Niccolo’s country estate?”

  Alarm bells go off in my head, and I choose my words cautiously. “I’m watching football and stuffing my face, Chief Donati. I don’t involve myself in Kayden’s business.”

  “That bracelet you had on last night says differently.”

  “The bracelet is about commitment. That doesn’t equal conversation to a man like Kayden.”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Eleana,” he shocks me by spouting. “Why is he there?”

  “Everyone wants a favor from Kayden, so it’s likely that,” I say. “And you know as well as I do that Kayden listens to all requests but doesn’t hand them out freely.”

  “No one turns down Niccolo.”

  “Then you don’t know Kayden well.”

  “On the contrary, I know him better than you think. Perhaps better than you. Gallo was right. You’re either blind, or a problem we have yet to understand.”

  The line goes dead and a chill runs down my spine, and I wonder at his statement: “No one turns down Niccolo.” What did he give Niccolo? And why do I think he’s afraid Kayden is about to find out?

  By nine o’clock, football, Italian lessons, and food have all filled the hours, but news from Kayden has not. “I’m going to nap,” Adriel says, lying down on the living room couch.

  “Then I’m going to take a shower,” I say, but his arm is already over his face, and he’s tuned me out.

  Retreating to the bedroom, I shower, dry my hair, and, still feeling that I need to be prepared for anything, I dress in pink sweatpants, a black T-shirt, and tennis shoes. The clock now reads nine thirty, and I’m going crazy. Surely Kayden will call on his way home? Or will he still be concerned about an ambush? Not sure what to do with myself, I grab my journal and phone from the nightstand and check my call log, but there is nothing. I sit down on the big brown chair between the security room and the bed, and set the journal down next to me. What’s the point in tormenting myself to remember my past, if Niccolo is sharing that with Kayden? And oh God. What if Kayden learned something about me that wasn’t good, and that’s why he hasn’t returned? I lean forward and press my hands to my face. What if we are enemies? What if—

  That same low electric hum that sealed the castle begins again, and I drop my hands. Sure enough, the lights flicker and brighten. We’re out of lockdown, which means Kayden must be here! I rise and enter the security room, sitting at the built-in desk and keying the computer in the center to life. Tabbing through several screens, I all but shout for joy when I see Kayden entering the main castle foyer, with no one by his side. A good sign, at least for now, that trouble has passed.

  “Yes, yes, yes!” I stand up and enter the bedroom, tossing my phone on the chair and rushing out of the room into the hallway just in time to find Adriel disappearing down the stairs. Fully intending to follow him, I move down the hallway, and as soon as I reach the top step, the sweet relief of hearing Kayden’s voice lifts in the air, followed by Adriel’s. Almost instantly, footsteps sound, traveling in my direction, and my gut knots in fear that somehow, some way, whatever he has learned about me has changed us. I’ve barely had the thought when Kayden appears, looking ruggedly sexy in his black-and-gray leather biker jacket, his hair a light brown rumpled mess, his expression weary.

  I forget dread and worry, launching myself in his direction. The few steps between us feel like an eternity before I am finally in his arms, wrapped in the warm cocoon of his embrace, his powerful body absorbing mine. The hours of worry fade and I melt into the hard lines of him, sliding my hands beneath his jacket and inhaling the deliciously spicy scent that is so wonderfully Kayden.

  My gaze goes to his, and I feel the punch of our connection. “I was so worried about you,” I whisper.

  His mouth closes over mine and I can taste his urgency, the fear that he’s not dared speak to me, but which I recognize as my own. A fear that he’d go to this meeting and something would go horribly, terribly wrong, and we’d never be here, like this, again. I arch into him, drinking in his passion, instantly, willingly consumed by all that he is. I shove my hands under his shirt, absorbing the hot feel of taut skin over hard muscle, pressing closer to him. A rough sound of desire rumbles from Kayden’s chest, and I gasp as he tears his mouth from mine, staring down at me, his hand cupping my face, his gaze meeting mine.

  “We’re fine,” he says, speaking what our bodies have already tried to answer. “I told you. No one is going to take you from me, no matter what that means. And that hasn’t changed. Everything went as planned.”

  “ ‘No matter what that means’?” I repeat. “What does that mean? What did he tell you about me and us?”

  “Nothing we can’t deal with,” he promises, lacing his fingers with mine and leading me down the hallway.

  I let him, asking nothing else, dread becoming a living, breathing monster I cannot escape. I’m not going to like what he tells me.

  We enter the bedroom and he shuts the door, releasing my hand. I walk to the chair by the bed and sit down. I can’t explain why, but my heartbeat is now slow and steady. I am calm, icy even, like I’ve shut down my mind and emotions. No doubt it’s an extension of my amnesia. Kayden shrugs out of his jacket and tosses it on the arm of the chair, settling on a knee in front of me, his hands resting on my legs.

  “Easy, sweetheart,” he says, catching my legs, which seem to be trembling. Okay, maybe I’m not so calm. “I told you everything is fine.”

  “What did he tell you about me?”

  “He knew your name and how you connected with him, and not much more.”

  “My first and last
names?”

  “No. He just knows you as Ella.”

  “That’s all? Just . . . Ella?”

  “That’s not all. You went to him for help.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You were trying to escape the other man. You met Niccolo and knew he was very powerful. You wanted escape and safe passage, but Niccolo does nothing without a price.”

  “He wanted the necklace and knew I had it.”

  “He didn’t know you had it. You somehow figured out that he, like the man you were living with, wanted it.”

  “So this other man was using me for the necklace.”

  “Niccolo says he believes that was how it started, but that you became property.”

  A dark sensation claws at my chest. “Yes. I was his property, and he doesn’t let his property be taken from him.”

  “Do you know who he is, Ella?”

  I wet my dry lips. “No. I still don’t.”

  “The head of the French mafia.”

  Ice fills my veins. “Sasha said the French mafia is run by Niccolo’s stepbrother.”

  “That is correct.”

  “That’s how I know French. I came here to escape Paris.”

  “That’s correct, too, and where my mind went last night when you started speaking French.”

  “Sasha told me the two stepbrothers killed their parents.”

  “It’s widely believed that they did, though they deny it. The murders divided the mafias again, and the reluctant brothers became enemies, each looking for a way to destroy the other. In the position you were in, you were smart enough to know that Niccolo was one of your only ways out.”

  “Going from one mobster to another was smart? That doesn’t even compute.”

  “The good news is that he is motivated to deny his brother anything he wants, including you.”

  “And the necklace I still can’t remember. You aren’t saying his name. You can say his name. Please say it and make me remember it.”