Red Hot Obsessions (88 page)

We turned back to look.

Knox was leaping out of the duct work, gun in hand. “Hands on your head,” he snarled.

French and my father both complied, their eyes wide.

Griffin pulled me into the room.

Knox tensed, training his gun on us as we entered.

“It’s us,” said Griffin.

“Great,” said Knox. “I’ve been having trouble killing French.”

“We noticed,” said Griffin.

French turned to Griffin, her voice urgent. “You’re nothing but a cocksucking faggot. Now get the gun from Knox.”

Griffin sneered. “Yeah, that’s not going to work anymore.”

She glared at me. “What did you do to him?”

I smirked.

French sucked in an audible breath and turned to Knox. “You. You didn’t lift a finger to save the woman you loved.”

“Shut up,” said Knox. “I’ve got a gun to your head, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

French smiled. “You’re adorable, Knox. Very sweet in your confident act. You think you’ll be able to keep it up, though? You’re just a coward, really, aren’t you? You knew about the order to kill Beth, and you did nothing. And from what I understand, you didn’t manage to save her when you left on your last mission either. You aren’t very reliable, are you?”

Knox clenched his teeth. “Listen up, you bitch.”

“Don’t,” said Griffin. “It’s what she wants.”

“Leigh,” said my father, “tell Knox that I’m not part of this.”

Knox swung the gun around to face my father. “That’s the thing, Thorn, you are. You helped establish this place. You ran it. You didn’t do anything to make it better.”

French moved quickly, sweeping Knox’s feet out from under him.

He stumbled. The gun went off. Knox fell into the wall, scattering “stage two” needles everywhere.

French wrenched the gun from his hands. “How convenient. A gun.”

“Damn it,” said Knox, getting to his feet.

French gestured with the gun. “All of you in that corner, please.”

Griffin, Knox, and I did as she said.

“You too, Thorn,” she said.

He pursed his lips. “But French, you and I are—”

“Move,” she said.

My father joined us.

“Now,” said French, “I’ve got to figure out what to do with all of you. You’re all very interesting subjects, and I’m sure I’d have a lot of fun getting inside your heads, but I don’t know if that would be wise.”

Knox nudged Griffin and me. We looked down. He had one of the “stage two” needles in his hand. He must have gotten it when he knocked them off the wall.

“I just want you all to know,” she said, “that your lives won’t be given in vain. You’ll be helping me to set up my new rule here at Operation Wraith, and you’ll be dying for a good cause.”

“Shut up,” yelled Knox, brandishing the needle. He dove for her.

French shot him.

He landed on her, driving the needle into her skin. Then his body went still. Beneath him, French wasn’t moving.

“Oh my,” said my father.

I took a deep breath. Knox would be okay. He’d only gone dark.

Griffin knelt down and picked up the gun. He pointed it at my dad. “Frank, what did he give her?”

“Very concentrated,” said my father. “Full amnesia, I’m afraid. She’ll be unconscious for a few hours. When she wakes up, she won’t even know her name.”

I grabbed another of the syringes. “Sounds good.” I advanced on my father.

“Wait,” he said. “What are you doing, Leigh? I did everything for you.”

“You killed people for money, dad,” I said. “You would have had Griffin killed. And you wanted to make me a killer.”

“Please,” he said. “I’m your father.”

“You’re a terrible father,” I said. I pushed the needle into his neck.

His eyes rolled back up in his head, and he slumped to the floor, lifeless.

Griffin was watching me.

I turned to him. “I had to do it.”

He nodded. “You did.” He pointed the gun at French. “Move Knox out of the way.”

“Wait,” I said. “She’s not going to remember anything.”

Griffin’s jaw twitched. “She deserves to die.”

“You don’t want to kill, though, do you, Griffin?”

He wavered a little.

“She’ll have amnesia. She’ll be someone else.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay.” He looked at me. “For you, doll. For you, she lives.” He bent down and hoisted Knox over his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Griffin, Knox, and I stood together in another anonymous hotel room. The lights were out, and we were gathered around a row of unlit candles.

Griffin took a deep breath. He struck a match, brilliant flame in the darkness. He brought the match to the wick of the candle. “For Beth,” he said.

“For Beth,” said Knox.

Griffin handed the matches to me. I struck another match, and then I lit the next candle. “For Stacey and Jack,” I said.

I handed the matches to Knox. He struck a third match and lit the next candle. “For the other casualties. The assassins killed doing Op Wraith’s dirty work.”

Griffin took my hand. I reached out to take Knox’s, and, to my surprise, he let me. We stood silently, gazing into the small, flickering flames.

“Gone, but not forgotten,” whispered Griffin.

*

I gazed at Knox, who was bouncing Dixie in his arms. “I still don’t see how you convinced them to give you that baby.”

He tickled her tummy. “I got skills. And I know how to fake documentation. I learned stuff in Op Wraith.”

“I know. You said that, but...” I shook my head. “I mean, they just gave you a baby.”

“Well,” said Griffin. “It
is
his baby.”

“That’s true,” I said. “But you walked in there and came out with a baby.”

Knox shrugged, grinning. “Like I said, I got skills.”

“You sure that you don’t want to come with us?” Griffin asked.

“Positive,” said Knox. “I need to be alone with my daughter for a little bit. That’s what I want. Just the two of us.”

“All right,” said Griffin. He offered Knox his hand.

Knox shook it. The two looked into each other’s eyes, both gripping the other’s hand. “Look, about Beth—”

Griffin shook his head. “I tortured you for days. I think we’re even.”

Knox nodded. They dropped hands.

“Come here,” I said, hugging Knox. “You know if you ever need anything to find us.”

“Definitely,” he said.

I kissed the top of Dixie’s head. She gurgled.

“See you around,” said Knox. He turned to Dixie. “Can you wave bye-bye?” When she didn’t do anything, he raised her hand for her and made her wave.

I waved too. Griffin took me by the hand and led me away. We walked to the street, where a sleek, black car was parked.

“You know,” I said, as I opened the passenger door. “You’ve got to stop stealing cars.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m gonna have to go legit. Luckily, you remembered your dad’s bank password, and he’s got total amnesia, so he doesn’t even remember he
has
money. I used some of that information to procure this fine automobile.”

“Wait,” I said. “You bought this?”

He closed the door after himself. “Sure did.”

I grinned. “Okay. Well, I guess that’s cool.” I looked back to see that Knox and Dixie were going inside. “Knox seems happy.”

“You know, he does,” said Griffin. “And I can see why. He’s got his kid, he’s free. Everything’s all right.”

“Sure,” I said. “But I mean, I don’t ever want to have kids.”

Griffin turned the key in the ignition. “Never?”

My eyes widened. “What? You do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we got time to talk about it, huh?”

“I’m not having kids, Griffin. There’s no way. You see this stomach?” I pointed. “I’m not doing that.”

“You don’t even want to talk about it?”

I glared at him. “Of course you want to have kids. You don’t have to
do
anything.”

“Well,” he said. “You should probably finish college first.”

“You think?”

“So, I guess I better get you back to Thomas, so you can finish out the semester.”

I folded my arms over my chest. “Yes. Drive. And no more crazy talk of babies.”

He leaned across the car. “You’re all I need, doll.” And his lips found mine.

*

I banged the door of my apartment closed behind me and rushed down the steps. I was angry. We’d been back in Thomas for a month, long enough for me to get caught up on all my classes. I’d taken my last final exam earlier that afternoon. I’d come back to the apartment, hoping to celebrate with Griffin.

And then we’d gotten in a fight.

A bad fight.

We’d never fought like that before. Not once.

I made my way downtown, seething, turning over things he’d said to me, feeling angry about them, thinking of the perfect come back. I wished there was some way I could go back in time and tell him off, because I obviously hadn’t done it right the first time.

How dare he say things like that to me?

The jerk.

I went into The Purple Fiddle, made my way to the counter, and ordered a beer. The Holy Ghost Tent Revival was playing tonight, and they were setting up. That was part of what we’d argued about. I loved this band. They were high energy. They had brass musical instruments. They wore suspenders and button-up shirts. They sang harmonies together into their microphones when they weren’t jumping all over the stage. I wanted to see them.

And then he’d accused me of all kinds of stupid things.

I screamed at him. We weren’t in danger anymore. We were safe. I could go see a band and drink some beer if I wanted. He didn’t have to stop me from having a life.

But as I sat down to nurse my drink, watching the band do their sound tests, I didn’t feel vindicated for coming out on my own. I only felt lonely. I’d wanted to share this band with Griffin. I’d wanted to show him something fun and normal, since he’d lost so much of his life to violence and fear.

How had that turned into yelling at him? It should have been a good thing. Now, it all felt ruined.

My anger was draining away. I mostly felt sad now. I wished I could take back half the things I’d said. I fiddled with the salt shaker on the table. It was the male half of a pair of kissing hippies. The girl was the pepper. I pulled them away from each other, so that they stood back to back.

Now even the salt and pepper were fighting.

I sighed. Seeing this band wasn’t going to be worth it without Griffin. I’d wonder about him all night. I couldn’t be out here while he was at home. I couldn’t have fun if things weren’t right between us. I needed to apologize.

I got up. I wouldn’t get to finish my beer, but that was okay. I carried it back to the counter and set it down.

“Something wrong with that?” asked the guy working.

“No,” I said. “It’s fine. I just have to go.”

The door to The Purple Fiddle opened and Griffin walked in.

I ran to him. “Griffin, I was just coming to—”

“I was out of line, doll,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I am. I shouldn’t have said the stuff I did.”

“It’s okay,” he said.

“Is it?”

“Yes.” He fitted one of his hands behind my head, tangling his fingers in my hair. He kissed me thoroughly, right there in the doorway. I felt the kiss everywhere, from the top of my head to the ends of my toes. My limbs went shaky. I had to hold onto him to stand upright.

He broke the kiss, but we were still close.

“Let’s never fight again?” he murmured.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Will we always kiss like that afterwards?”

He chuckled, winding his arm around me and walking with me into the Fiddle. “So, this band isn’t religious?”

“Ma’am?” said the man at the counter. “You still want your beer?”

“Thanks,” I said, scooping it up. I looked up into Griffin’s gray eyes. “You’re going to love the music. And I’m going to make you dance.”

He cringed. “I don’t know about that.”

I smiled up at him. “If you love me, you will dance.”

He grinned. “Way to lay down an ultimatum, doll.”

I giggled. He kissed me again. My laughter filled both of our mouths. And I knew that everything was okay. We were safe. We were together. We were happy.

*

Want to read more about Griffin and Leigh?

SLOW AGONY is now available!

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V. J. Chambers writes about being inexplicably attracted to the dangerously alluring. Her works span mundane settings and fantastic ones. She writes about serial killers, cult leaders, werewolves, witches, for-hire assassins, zombies, space pirates, and regular everyday people.

She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.

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LAYERS DEEP © Lacey Silks 2013

He needs her to save a friend.

She needs him to plan her revenge.

Their pasts scar them Layers Deep.

Their passion distracts them...

...and distractions can be fatal.

Tristan Cross is battling emotional demons from the past. He lives in a world where trust is earned, loyalties are tested, and love is impossible. That is, until he meets Allie Green. She’s the only woman who can help him find a kidnapped friend and to top it off, she captivates him. All he has to do now is persuade her to work for Cross Enterprises, his top investigations firm.

Allie Green is a rookie cop seeking revenge and she’s willing to sell her soul to get it. With an opportunity to use Tristan Cross’s resources, Allie calculates her time for payback. As vengeance boils her blood she can’t keep her mind off her new boss and Allie finds it difficult to keep her employment professional. With the mouth watering Tristan Cross distracting her, she struggles to prioritize an undercover job she’s been assigned and her hunger for revenge.

And when you’re ready to give up your life to save someone else, distractions can be fatal.

Warning:
This new adult/erotic romance novel is the first part of a Trilogy that is designed to be read in order. Tristan and Allie will get their happy ending but not until book 2. This book contains a suspenseful cliffhanger ending you will not expect. A prequel to the series which can be read alone is Dazzled by Silver. Intended for adult audience 18+