dragged herself toward the door on the crypt. "Help," she cried. "I'm in here." She
curled her body into a tight ball of misery and waited.
The first officer came through the door, gun drawn and was quickly followed by
others. Controlled chaos ensued more officers arrived, along with a team of forensics
experts. Sophia was bundled into a blanket and carried to a waiting ambulance.
Zane stood in the shadows, his heart stone cold as he watched them take Sophia
away. The urge to kill them all and to grab her and run was overwhelming. He sensed a
presence behind him but didn't turn around.
"She is protecting you. Your presence here would cause complications. You know
that you cannot afford to be held for questioning or have your background investigated
too vigorously."
He hadn't expected his cousin to return after taking his wife home. Stefan's words
couldn't penetrate the layer of ice that encased him. Even if they were true, they were
unacceptable. She was his. It was his place to protect her, not the other way around.
"She loves you."
He whirled around and glared at Stefan. "Don't mock me, Dalakis."
Stefan shook his head and sighed. "I would not do that, Zane. You are my cousin,
my brother in blood, my family. She is the woman for you, the only one you will ever
love."
Zane closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He could hear the ambulance pulling
away, taking her farther from him. He could feel her absence beating at his heart, his
body and his mind. "I do love her." He hadn't meant to say the words aloud, but they'd
been pulled from the depths of his wounded soul.
"And she loves you." Stefan clasped Zane's shoulder, squeezing it tight. "Women
are strange and wonderful creatures, my friend. Even after all the years I have lived, all
the places I have seen, I cannot say that I truly understand them. But a woman in love
will protect her man whether he wants it or not. If you do not believe me, then search
her mind."
Therein was the problem. He was too much of a coward to see what was in her
mind. He was afraid if he invaded her thoughts that he would find out that she truly
didn't want him in her life--plus, he would not do so unnecessarily and without her
consent.
Sighing, Zane raked his fingers through his hair. "I have to go." He'd follow her to
the hospital and watch out for her until this was over. After that, he'd have to see.
Although he could not envision a life without her in it. He didn't want to. If she had
made her choice, he would have to respect it. But he would protect her for the rest of
her life no matter what. She was his. Now and forever.
Swallowing his anger and his grief, he left the cemetery behind and headed toward
the hospital, toward Sophia.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cassidy drove as fast as he could, but still it wasn't fast enough. The last thing he
needed was to get stopped by the cops. For once he wished he were like the Dalakis
family. Lucian and Delight would be there long before he was. He hated the feeling of
helplessness that engulfed him. It reminded him too much of his childhood when
everything was out of his control.
His fingers gripped the steering wheel tight. He'd get Blythe back and when she
was safe and sound, they were going to have a long talk about both their pasts. No
matter what had happened, he had to deal with it. He really had no choice. He loved
her.
There. He'd admitted it to himself. For the first time in his life, he was in love with a
woman. He knew she had issues from her past that were affecting her, but they could
work through whatever it was. Together. He'd do whatever it took to keep her. If that
meant leaving New Orleans, then so be it. If she couldn't accept the Dalakis family, he'd
quit his job and get another one. That last thought left a hole in the pit of his belly, but
he ignored it. Blythe was all that mattered.
He took the corners hard and quick, concentrating on the ribbon of black in front of
him. The streets were fairly crowded as he neared The Club, so he pulled onto a side
street and parked, making the rest of the way on foot.
Lucian and Delight were waiting just outside the door for him as he strode up the
sidewalk. "What do you know?"
"The place is full tonight. It's the grand reopening." Cassidy could hear the music
blaring, feel the vibrations under his feet as Lucian continued. "Adrian has taken over
his brother's office. Follow me."
"What about Blythe?"
"She's alive." Cassidy could hear the strain in Delight's voice and knew that this
place held terrible memories for her.
"You don't have to go inside." Delight was a very special lady and Cassidy didn't
want her hurt in all this.
"I'm fine." She squared her shoulders. "Let's go."
With Lucian leading the way, they walked right past the bouncers who didn't even
bat an eyelash. It was good to be with a being with supernatural powers. The noise hit
them as they passed through a small corridor and opened the inside door. The stench of
sweat, booze, sex and perfume enveloped them as they walked inside. Cassidy scoped
the room, quickly noting the heavy presence of men in suits around the perimeter.
Good. Prince wasn't as secure as he pretended to be.
"This way." He heard Lucian easily above the din and nodded, following behind
him. They kept Delight between them, but no one approached them.
There were two armed men at the bottom of a set of stairs. Cassidy's muscles
tensed, but he rolled his shoulders, forcing himself to relax, readying himself to fight.
His fingers itched to draw his weapon, but it was too soon. Like a gunfighter, he
narrowed his eyes on his target. He was armed and ready.
Lucian stopped in front of the men. "You want to go to the bar for a drink." They
stared at him, blank expressions on their faces. "Go," he added softly. Both men
stumbled toward the bar without speaking a word.
"You're one scary bastard, you know that?" As many times as he'd witnessed
Lucian's power, he couldn't get used to it. "You ever pull that shit on me?" He hoped
not, but he couldn't be sure.
Lucian shot him a wicked grin. "No. Your head is much too hard to penetrate."
Cassidy relaxed, but just slightly. It didn't pay to let his guard down around the
Dalakis brothers. Not for a second. Not that he'd thought they'd hurt him, but he didn't
put it past them to try to make him do something stupid, like quack like a duck, just for
kicks.
Lucian laughed as if he'd heard Cassidy's thoughts, but said nothing as they
climbed the stairs. Delight reached out and squeezed his arm. "We'll get her back."
He nodded, focusing all his attention on what lay ahead. "I'm going in first." It was
still his job to protect the Dalakis family and he intended to do it.
Lucian narrowed his eyes, staring at Cassidy thoughtfully for a few seconds before
taking a step backward. He waved his hand toward the door with a flourish. "After
you."
Knowing that Lucian would cover his back, he opened the door and stepped inside.
His sweeping gaze took in the entire room in one glance. It was a large room with
hardwood floors scattered with opulent rugs. The same
large desk still dominated the
far end as the last time Cassidy was in this room. A comfortable sitting area with plush
sofas and chairs was off to one side. The furniture was different, as was the artwork
covering the walls.
"Ah, Mr. Cassidy. Come in." The pleasant voice came from the man seated in the
large chair situated behind the desk. A tall man in a suit stood just behind him. Cassidy
recognized him from his stakeouts. This was Prince's new right-hand man, Saunders. "I
was expecting your employer, not his flunky."
Sam ignored the insult and the other man, concentrating on the man in charge.
"Adrian Prince."
The man inclined his head as he moved from behind the desk. He was tall and
whipcord lean, his face was thin, his hair blond. Cassidy could see the family
resemblance to his brother, Jethro.
Prince leaned against the edge of his desk, casually crossing his ankles. He cocked
his head to one side. "Now why did Lucian Dalakis send you? Could be I was mistaken
about how valuable Blythe was to him." He shook his head in mock sorrow. "I usually
don't make such mistakes."
"Where is she?" Cassidy kept all emotion from his voice, knowing that the other
man would pounce on any show of weakness.
Prince rubbed his jaw with his fingers. "Maybe not such a mistake after all." He
inclined his head just as a door opened. A man who Cassidy recognized pushed Blythe
into the room. Another armed thug followed them. The two men from Blythe's
apartment. Cassidy wasted a precious second wishing that Stefan had just killed the
bastards then.
Unable to stop himself, his eyes flicked toward her. Blythe's face was pasty white,
but he could already see the fresh bruises on her face. His jaw tightened and he could
feel the vein in his temple throbbing. They'd pay for this.
"You shouldn't have come, Cassidy." Her voice was low and broke on a sob as she
said his name. Cassidy, not Sam. She was trying to distance herself from him.
"Of course he had to come," Prince continued cheerfully. "I'm sure Mr. Cassidy and
his employer will be all too happy to know more about the woman they've been
harboring in their midst." He picked up a tattered journal from his desk. Cassidy tensed
when he recognized it as Blythe's.
"I'll admit that I knew some of it, but even I was surprised by the inventiveness of
my brother." He chuckled as he leafed through several pages. "Did you know that
Blythe was my brother's whore for a year?"
Cassidy took that revelation like a punch to the gut. Blythe paled even more, but
said nothing. He'd suspected that she'd had a relationship with Jethro Prince, but he'd
hoped that he'd been wrong. "So?" He forced the words out from between clenched
teeth.
Obviously, Adrian Prince wasn't anywhere near finished. "My brother had a
problem, shall we say, getting aroused. Seems the only way he could have any fun was
with oral sex." Prince motioned to the two goons and they shoved Blythe forward. She
straightened but kept her gaze on the floor. "Blythe has a quite a talented mouth from
what my brother told me. I wish I'd known about her sooner, but alas, he kept her a
secret from me until he needed my help. Then he offered her as an enticement. Alas,
she'd disappeared before I arrived and then I had other things on my mind. I imagine
she makes quite a pretty picture naked on her hands and knees with that sweet mouth
open." He squeezed her cheeks between his fingers and jerked her head up. "Maybe
you'd like a demonstration."
"Enough." Cassidy took a step forward. "What do you want, Prince?"
Prince feathered his fingers through Blythe's blonde hair before grabbing it and
yanking her head back. She winced but didn't cry out. "I want your employer and his
wife. It took me quite a while to figure out what happened here three years ago. No one
in the club remembered anything. But there were a few outside the club who remember
seeing your brother come into the club, but not leaving. It didn't take long to figure out
that your brother had something to do with it, especially since Jethro made the
unfortunate mistake of kidnapping young Chase Deveraux." Hooking his fingers in the
front of Blythe's blouse, he ripped it open, exposing her plain white bra and bare
stomach. "The entire situation was a fuck-up from start to finish."
Cassidy wanted to shoot the bastard, but he was too close to Blythe. Not to mention
the fact that there were three more of Prince's men to contend with. "My employer isn't
coming."
Prince shook his head. "Too bad." He shoved Blythe's bra aside and palmed her
breast. Blythe's breathing deepened and he could see the fear spark in her blue eyes just
before they went blank. Prince waved at Cassidy with his free hand. "You can go. We
are finished. Just be sure and tell your employer that I'm not done with him. Not by a
long shot."
"I'm not going anywhere without Blythe." A feeling unlike any he'd ever felt in his
life surged through him. No matter what she'd done in her past, she'd had a damn
good reason for doing it. He'd gotten to know her well this past week and she was
intelligent, loyal, funny and...his. Something deep in his gut recognized her as his and,
if he didn't trust anything else, he trusted his instincts.
"What do you say, Blythe?" Prince slid his hand down her stomach, leaving one
full, creamy breast exposed. The two goons were practically drooling on themselves,
but Saunders seemed strangely unmoved.
Cassidy watched her closely as she licked her lips. "You should go." Her words
He couldn't believe his ears. His heart ceased to beat and his limbs felt as if they
were filled with lead. "You can't mean that."
"You heard the lady." Prince waved toward the door. "Go while I'm feeling
generous. The boys and I are going to have some fun."
Cassidy tensed, his mind trying to figure out where Lucian was. With his powers,
he might be in the room and no one would know it. There had to be a way to get Blythe
away from them without her getting hurt.
"Please, Sam," she pleaded. "Just go."
Sam. She'd called him Sam. The woman was protecting him. He wanted to roar and
rip the room apart. It was his job to protect her and it was time that she accepted that.
He shook his head at her. "Sorry, Blythe, but I'm not leaving without you." He
could see the surprise in her face and then the dawning of hope in her eyes. It was
dashed when Prince spoke again.
"You had your chance. I can see that we'll just have to kill you and send your body
back to your employer. That should send them a message that they'll understand." He
beckoned to Saunders, who'd stood silently to one side.
"You want to speak with me." Lucian materialized as if out of nowhere.
Prince jerked as if startled, but quickly recovered. "Lucian Dalakis, I presume. Now
if only your dear wife was here, it would be perfect."
"I'm here." Delight stepped through the open doorway. Sam loved both her and
Lucian more at that moment than he ever had. They were risking themselves for him.
And for Blythe.
Prince stared at Delight. "You're the reason my brother died."
"No," Cassidy corrected. "Y
our brother died because he was an insane criminal. It
was only a matter of time until someone murdered the sonofabitch."
Prince hauled a nine-millimeter semiautomatic from his pocket and aimed it at
Delight. "Perhaps. But she was the cause." He wrapped his arm around Blythe,
dragging her forward. "Women are always so much trouble."
"Stop." That one word froze everyone in their tracks. Lucian stepped forward. "I
will offer you the same deal that I did your brother. Leave us alone and I'll let you live."
Prince laughed. "I'm the one with the gun on your wife, Dalakis."
Blythe chose that exact moment to lift her feet. The unexpected movement threw
Prince off guard and he dropped her, stumbling forward in the process. Cassidy drew
his weapon and fired at the two goons in the corner, knowing Lucian would deal with
Prince. Both men fell as Cassidy continued to fire. Blythe crawled toward the desk,
keeping her hand over her head.
Prince fired even as he staggered to one side, but Delight was no longer there. His
body jerked. Blood appeared on his chest as he fell to his knees. All eyes flew to
Saunders, who stood with his feet spread and his gun still on the fallen Prince. "Matt
Austin, ATF on special joint assignment with the FBI." Gone was the man who lowered
his head in a deferential manner. In his place was a self-assured man who meant
business. His brown eyes gleamed with a combination of anger and satisfaction as he
checked to make sure that Prince was indeed dead.
Cassidy slowly lowered his weapon. "Sam Cassidy, former New Orleans police
detective."
"I know who you are. I know who all of you are." He stepped slowly toward
Blythe. "Are you all right, Ms. Nixon?"
"Fine. I'm..." She swallowed hard. "Fine." She tugged down her bra and pulled the
ends of her blouse together.
Saunders glanced at the door as he walked toward the bodies of the two men that
Cassidy had shot and nudged them with his shoe. "They're both dead," Cassidy
offered. He hadn't been taking any chances and had shot to kill.
"So I see." Saunders sighed. "This creates some problems."
Lucian stepped forward. "No. It doesn't."
"Lucian." Cassidy put a dose of warning in his voice. This involved two federal
government agencies. This could be a mess of epic proportions.