black, he radiated a menace that permeated the entire room.
Blythe gasped and flattened herself against the wall as he approached her. She'd
thought the other men were large, but this man was beyond big. He was huge. But it
was more than his size. There was something about him that was deadly. His long black
hair was pulled back over his wide shoulders. His face was all angles and planes, but it
was his eyes that were the most frightening. Green as emeralds, they glittered with the
promise of retribution.
She shivered as he sauntered toward her. She tried not to flinch away when his
hand reached out to her, but she couldn't help herself. His finger was gentle as it traced
the bruise on her cheek. A white handkerchief was pressed into her hand as he stepped
back and offered her a slight bow. "My name is Stefan Dalakis and I am sorry for the
problems that helping my family has brought to you." His voice was tinged with an
accent she couldn't place. His words and phrasing had a slightly old-fashioned feel to
them.
She nodded and raised the crisp, white handkerchief to her nose. A hand rested on
her shoulder, making her jump. Cassidy. She recognized the clean, masculine scent
from earlier this evening. He was staring down at her with concern in his eyes. Her gaze
flew to the other men. Had they forgotten about them?
Tom was sitting quietly on a kitchen chair with his hands on his knees. His eyes
were totally blank. What the heck was going on? The other man was still lying on the
floor, not moving. Was he dead?
"Not yet," Stefan answered. Had he read her thoughts? She rubbed her forehead
with her hand. Maybe she'd hit her head harder than she'd realized. He turned to
Cassidy. "Sorry it took me so long to get here, but I had to leave without the ladies
knowing."
"They aren't alone, are they?" Blythe could hear the concern in Cassidy's voice and
was struck with jealousy that he seemed so concerned about these other women. Now
she knew she'd hit her head too hard. This wasn't like her at all.
Keeping a cautious eye on the two enforcers, who for the moment seemed to be
subdued, she sidled closer to the bed. At least she tried to. It ended up being more of a
drunken sway. Giving her nose one final swipe, she dropped the bloody piece of cloth
to the bed. Thankfully, it had stopped bleeding. Opening the tote bags, she watched the
men out of the corner of her eye as she turned back to the armoire and began to unload
her clothing.
"No, the women are not alone. Lucian is with them." Blythe tried to ignore the
conversation going on behind her. She wanted to know who the other women were and
what connection they had to Cassidy, which was crazy. She didn't have a connection to
Sam Cassidy. Why should she care?
"What are you doing?" Cassidy's voice was even, but she could hear the concern
beneath it.
"What does it look like?" She finished emptying the drawers onto the bed and then
began to stuff clothing into the two bags. "I'm packing. Obviously I can't stay here any
longer."
"You were packing even before they got here, weren't you?" Cassidy motioned to
the other men.
"I'd thought about what you said." She grabbed a handful of silky underwear and
shoved it in the bag, hoping he didn't notice what it was. Why she felt embarrassed
over the thought of him seeing her panties, she didn't know. There was a man bleeding
on her floor and she was concerned about him seeing her underwear. She shook her
head, ignoring the shaft of pain that movement caused. "I decided it was better to leave
town."
"That's impossible now, you know." His matter-of-fact tone made her angry.
"No it's not. I can disappear in any city in this country. All I have to do is leave."
"It takes money to disappear. Do you have any?"
Just like a man to hit her while she was down, she thought bitterly. "Not your
problem, is it?" Zipping both bags, she ignored the roomful of men as she picked up her
purse and checked the contents. She had her bankcard and her wallet. Other than her
clothing and her journal, she didn't need anything else.
Stefan stepped forward and she eyed him warily. This man gave her the willies. "I
beg to differ. It is my problem or, rather, my family's problem. If you hadn't warned us
about Prince's plans, my family might have been hurt and you would not be in danger."
His green eyes glittered and for a second appeared to be tinged with red. Blythe took a
step back and banged into Cassidy, who was standing right behind her.
She shrugged. "I did what I had to do. Now all I have to do is leave town. It's no
longer your business."
Stefan frowned as if he weren't used to anyone telling him basically to mind his
own business. Blythe knew the type. She'd also done her research, searching the
database at the library before she'd approached the Dalakis family. Both Stefan and his
brother were rich and powerful and used to people doing what they wanted. She'd had
enough of those kinds of men.
"Of course it is my business. If nothing else, you have my gratitude."
Blythe was tired and getting more woozy by the second. She had to leave while she
still had the strength to take herself to a hotel for the night. She'd leave town on the bus
first thing in the morning. "Fine. You've said thank you. Cassidy saved my life tonight,
so we're even."
Stefan smiled. "You remind me of my wife. Laurel Rose has your kind of spirit.
Most annoying at times."
But the man appeared anything but annoyed. His entire face softened as he talked
about his wife. What must it be like to be loved like that? Maybe she'd find out
someday, but she doubted it. That kind of devotion was rare.
Grabbing her tote bags, she dragged them off the bed. Cassidy removed them from
her hand before she could protest. "You're not going off by yourself tonight."
"I'm sick of men telling me what I can and can't do." She'd leave the damn clothing
behind. She could always buy new. Most of it had come from thrift stores anyway.
She'd given away or sold the clothing that Jethro Prince had made her wear. The
intimate apparel she'd burned.
Hiking her purse strap over her shoulder, she tried to head to the door, but Cassidy
stepped in front of her. "Be reasonable." He stared down at her, his blue eyes filled with
concern. She couldn't buy into it, couldn't believe it was real. He might be concerned
tonight, but what about two nights from now, or a week from now, when this situation
was out of control? Adrian Prince would not give up and just go away.
"I am being reasonable. You're the one who isn't thinking straight. Prince won't
stop until he finds me, especially not now." She glanced over at the men. Tom was still
sitting there, just staring. "And what the hell did you do to him?"
Stefan stepped forward. "He is not hurt. At least not yet." His voice was silken, but
filled with a menace that chilled Blythe to the bone. "I want to question him. I need to
find out what Prince plans to do to my family." This was a man you did not want as an
enemy. Blythe almost pitied Adrian Prince. Almost. The truth was the man deserved
whatever he got.
"Fine. Good. Whatever." She noted t
hat Stefan hadn't told her what he'd done to
the man and she decided that she didn't really need to know. She tried to push past
Sam, but he wouldn't step aside. "Look, you need to get out of the way so I can leave."
"I can't do that." With his hands on his hips and the scowl on his face, Cassidy
looked almost as fierce as Stefan, but she wasn't afraid of him. Instead, she was filled
with the silly notion that she wanted to soothe the scowl from his face. She wondered
what it would feel like to have his strong arms wrapped around her, protecting her.
And then they were there. He pulled her close to him, pressing her head gently
against his chest. She could feel the solid muscle beneath his shirt, hear the deep thud of
his heart against her ear. It was comforting. She allowed herself to lean against him,
closing her eyes and breathing in his masculine scent.
Blythe hadn't wanted a man. Ever. Had, in fact, been accused on many occasions of
being frigid. And after what had happened with Jethro Prince, she'd never expected to
feel the bite of desire.
But there was something about Sam Cassidy that made her wish she were another
woman. A woman without her jaded past, a woman who could give herself to a man, a
woman who could find pleasure with a man. But she wasn't and no amount of wishing
would change what she was.
Pushing away from Cassidy, she steeled herself to do whatever she had to, say
whatever she had to, in order to get away. She'd gotten good at lying to others, and to
herself, these past years.
Cassidy gently pushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Just for tonight.
Come and stay at the house for the rest of the night. Lucian and the rest of the family
want to meet you. You can always leave in the morning if you still want to."
It wasn't as much what he said as the look in his eyes when he said it. She'd never
seen that kind of genuine concern in any man's eyes, not when they were looking at her.
Because of an act of birth, she'd been born with the kinds of looks that caused men to
view her as an object, or prize, to be obtained. They stared at her with covetous eyes,
undressing her in their minds. They ogled her with undisguised lust, with anger, but
never with concern.
She was tired and her entire body was hurting. She knew she'd have bruises on her
back, arm, hip and possibly even her leg. Her face was one massive ache. She didn't
think she'd broken her nose, but she knew she'd have bruises in the morning.
"Come home with me, Blythe." Cassidy's voice weakened her resolve. "Let me take
care of you. Just for tonight," he coaxed.
"Just for tonight." The words were out of her mouth before she knew she was even
thinking them. Damn, she was tired.
He picked up her tote bags and slung them over his shoulder. She could see the
gun, back in its holster, tucked beneath his sports jacket. This man had saved her life.
"Thank you."
His expression tightened, his eyes hardened, but his touch was gentle as he
wrapped his arm lightly around her shoulders, guiding her toward the broken door.
"You shouldn't have been in this situation to begin with." She stiffened, thinking he
was criticizing her, but she realized she was totally off base when he continued. "I
should have prevented it." It was quite a revelation to realize he was angry with himself
for not stopping the attack.
"You couldn't have stopped this, Cassidy."
He said nothing as he led her from the room, but his arm tightened ever-so slightly
around her. He looked back over his shoulder. "When you've cleaned this up, make
sure her door is fixed."
Blythe held her breath, thinking that Cassidy was either very brave or totally crazy
to give this man orders. Stefan just gave them a small salute. "I'll see you back at the
house."
The trip down the stairs was a blur and then she was being bundled into a car. The
leather seats were comfortable and she relaxed, not protesting when Cassidy strapped
her seat belt around her. She must have dozed, for it seemed that the car had barely
started to move when it stopped again. She blinked and noticed that the driveway
looked familiar. He pulled the car into a garage and the door closed quietly behind
them.
"Welcome home," he said as he leaned over and brushed his lips over hers.
Chapter Twelve
Cassidy ushered Blythe into the house, shutting and locking the door to the garage
behind him. He left her belongings in the car for now. He'd get them later.
He stopped long enough to reset the house alarm. There was no way he was taking
any chances. He knew he'd caught her off guard with the kiss, but he wasn't sorry he'd
done it. There was something about Blythe that made his heart hurt. She hadn't had an
easy life based on what he'd been able to find out about her, and he guessed that what
he knew was only the tip of the iceberg.
"You don't live here, do you?" Her eyes widened as he led her through the huge
kitchen toward the main hallway. He'd grown accustomed to the place and barely
noticed the priceless artwork on the walls or the antique furniture that littered the
rooms. But he remembered being awed the first time he'd walked into Lucian Dalakis'
home.
"Nah. I live in an apartment above the old carriage house out back. This is the main
house where Lucian lives. Stefan, the guy you met earlier, lives next door."
Blythe looked a bit pale to him, the bruises on her face already beginning to bloom.
where she'd be safe from harm, but he didn't think she'd go for that. Ah, a man could
dream though.
He noticed that she winced as she walked, rubbing her hip. "Your hip hurts?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I hit the coffee table hard when I fell."
Cassidy ground his teeth so hard he made his jaw ache. He hated the fact that she'd
gotten hurt and cursed himself for not being quicker. His arm supported her as they
entered the library. She was leaning heavily on him now, giving him an idea of just how
bad she felt. He'd wanted to take her to a hospital, but knew it wouldn't be safe to do
so. Cassidy decided he'd keep an eye on her and, if he felt it necessary, he'd find a
doctor he could trust and bring him to the house to examine her.
Blythe came to an abrupt stop. The two women on the sofa glanced their way, while
the man leaning against the fireplace pushed away from the mantle and stood staring at
them.
"Cassidy, what's happened?" Delight came to her feet and started toward them.
Blythe wished she could sink into the floor and disappear. The man glaring at her
from in front of the fireplace had to be Lucian Dalakis. He looked too much like the man
she'd met in her apartment to be anything but his brother. Why had she let Cassidy
bring her here?
Because your brains were addled when you got hit, a small voice inside her head
announced. Her head was pounding and she ached from her toenails to top of her head.
All she wanted was some painkillers, a bath and some rest.
The woman who spoke to Cassidy was pretty in a girl-next-door sort of way. She
was of average height with light, sandy-brown hair and pale blue eyes. Blythe could see
the affection in the woman's gaze as she addressed him. She didn't like that at all.
The second woman slowly came to her feet. She was taller with extremely long,
black hair and a pale complexion. This woman's eyes were an impossible color of deep
indigo. They were old eyes that saw way too much as they stared at Blythe.
She tugged away from Cassidy, ignoring the scowl he gave her. "I shouldn't have
come." She started to back away from the group. The walls of the room were closing in
around her. There wasn't enough air for her to breathe. "I have to go." She kept her feet
moving backward and came up solid against something. It wasn't a wall.
Slowly, she turned her head around and looked up. Stefan Dalakis was standing
behind her, blocking her retreat. "You must stay." His words were more a command
than a suggestion and Blythe bristled.
"Listen, I did my part. I warned your family. I don't owe any of you anything." Her
breath was coming faster now and her head was spinning. She blinked hard as she
suddenly saw two of Stefan. No, not two. The other brother had come to stand beside
him.
"But we owe you much." There was a finality to his words that made Blythe shiver.
She wasn't getting out of here until they decided to let her go. Okay, she'd let them say
their piece and then she'd leave.
"Fine." Trying to appear calm and cool, she sauntered over to a plush chair. It
looked comfortable enough and she really needed to sit down before she dropped in a
heap. And wouldn't that be dignified?
Cassidy appeared by her side, helping to ease her down into the chair. She bit her
lip but was unable to stifle her groan completely. "I need some ice packs," he called
over his shoulder. The shorter woman hurried out of the room.
Blythe closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath as pain washed over her. She
could do this, she reminded herself. She'd been through worse and survived. Knowing
she couldn't hide indefinitely, she opened her eyes and studied the group surrounding
her.
The woman rushed back into the room, ice pack in hand. "Your poor face," she
whispered as she carefully laid the kitchen towel filled with ice against Blythe's cheek.
"I'm Delight Dalakis."
"Blythe Nixon." Blythe held out her hand.
Delight squeezed it gently. "You're the woman who brought the note last night.