42nd & Lex (26 page)

With that, Serge dashed from the building. Quite
the dramatic exit if he said so himself.

“Lucan?” I call out again into the darkness,
not entirely sure it was his voice I heard before. There were two voices, but
one sounded distinctly like Lucan.

“I'm here. Hold still; let me turn on a
light.” Lucan moves across the tiny apartment and flips the switch for the
overhead light.

The bulbs flicker first and then light
themselves brightly. I am sitting haphazardly in one of my kitchen chairs but I
cannot remember how I got there or how Lucan got inside. All I can remember is
the noise and the blow to my head. I need to look into Lucan’s eyes and know he
is really here.

“Lucan! Your mouth is bleeding,” I yell
without really meaning too. My head spins at the sound. I haven’t had anything
to drink, but my head feels like I’ve been on a binder for a week. “What
happened?”

“Serge broke in and knocked you out.”

“Serge the valet guy? Why would he break in
my apartment? Why does my head hurt so badly?” I feel at the throbbing lump on
the side of my head. Blood. There is blood.

“Oh shit, Lucan. I'm sorry, I'm bleeding.” I
look up to see that Lucan’s eyes aren’t red, or even violet, but their normal
blue. “This isn’t bothering you?”

“No, I'm fine. You’re in no danger with me. Why
don’t you sit here and I'm going to call Zaid to bring the car around for us. You
can’t stay here right now.” Lucan is calm and collected as he pulls his cell
phone out of his coat pocket.

“Lucan, I'm sorry.”

“Don’t be, Abri. Really, I'm okay. I fed—” I
cut him off.

“No, I mean about earlier. I'm sorry I ran
out. It was just too much information. I hope Zaid and Amelia will forgive me.
I hope you will forgive me.”

“Oh! Oh no, Abri. Don’t.” He puts the phone back
in his pocket and kneels in front of me. “Don’t be sorry for that. It’s me who
should be sorry. I shouldn’t have let Amelia and Zaid be the ones to tell you.
I should have told you myself. I just figured, stupidly I might add, that it’d
be easier for you to see that we aren’t alone. I didn’t take into account
Zaid’s bluntness in telling you.”

It is so hard to be mad at this man and it
makes me laugh. Laughing makes the pain in my head worse. “Apology accepted, but
I still say it’s me that should be sorry. I’m still a little freaked out and,
most of all, embarrassed, but I'm not staying here tonight regardless. I want
to go home.” I don’t even care that I’ve said I want to go home when I’m
already at home. Lucan is home to me now.   

“Good,” he says, kissing my forehead gently
before getting back up. “It’s just a superficial scratch on your head. Head
wounds always tend to bleed a lot worse than they really are. Now can you go
pack a few things while I call Zaid?”

Lucan holds out his hand to help me up. “Okay.”
I say, squeezing it gently. The tingle of the amps is more reassuring to me
than his words for reasons I can’t explain. “Hey, Serge didn’t amp me any when
he grabbed me, isn’t that weird. I'm mean, after all he was literally trying to
prey on me right?”

“That is weird,” Lucan says, dialing the
phone again. “Zaid, pick us up out front in ten, brother.”

I don’t hear the rest of their conversation
as I head to my closet to pack another bag for Lucan’s. The one I packed this
morning was just for the weekend. I don’t imagine I will be coming back here
anytime soon. Not that I really want to after this. 

“Lucan,” I call from the bedroom. “Can you
come help me? I’m too, well, I can’t keep it together to do this.” I hate how
weak my voice sounds.

Lucan helps me pack a large suitcase with enough
stuff for the week and I dump all of my toiletries into a shoulder bag, even
though the stuff at Lucan’s apartment is of far better quality. I take out a couple
of suits for work as well.

“I’m ready, I think.” Lucan is in the living
room straightening a lamp and cleaning splatters of blood off the floor. “I just
want to wipe this blood off. I don’t want to bloody up your car.”

My left eye is starting to blacken a little.
Great, that will be fun to explain come Monday when it's a full on shiner. Somehow,
I know the old I-walked-into-a-door routine won’t do it for Max and Lindsey. I don’t
want them to think Lucan smacked me around or something, especially not given
how Max feels about Lucan.

Zaid and Amelia are waiting for us
downstairs in the Karma. Graciously, neither of them says a word as I climb
into the back seat with Lucan. If I had just stayed at dinner like a big girl
none of this would have happened. “Don’t think about it like that,.” Lucan
whispers to me as Zaid pulls away from the curb.

“No worries, Abri. Amelia freaked out a
little too when I told her, didn’t you, Amoré?” Zaid is looking at me in the
rearview mirror, a big goofy grin on his face.

“Yup. I completely ruined a set of draperies
at the Ritz by throwing a bottle of Merlot a Zaid’s head. I missed him by a
mile, of course, but I think he got the point.” Amelia smiles at me over her
shoulder. “Don’t worry Abri, you’ll figure it all out.”

I smile back but the pain in the side of my
face turns it into a grimace. I am glad Amelia seems to have it all figured out
but now is not the time for me to think about it. I am going to need the
bathroom wall between us for that.

When we are all safely upstairs at the Chrysler
my fortitude finally gives out. It is only eleven o’clock, but it might as well
be four in the morning because I am beat, both literally and figuratively. Zaid
and Amelia refuse Lucan’s offer to spend the night in his guest quarters and leave
to walk the few blocks back to the Algonquin. Zaid is going to accompany Lucan
to the Enclave in the morning brief the Council on Serge. 

I am still wearing my ratty sweats and
t-shirt when I climb into Lucan’s palatial bed because it hadn’t occurred to me
to change before we left my place. It is almost a sin to be wearing the same
thing I clean my bathroom in here. There is a hole in the ass of my pants for
godsake. All of the other nights we’ve spent together I’ve manage to find
sleepwear suitable for public consumption. Right now, however, I don’t care. Lucan
slides into bed next to me and I press my body full length into his, wrapping
my arms around him tight. My body relaxes and I know I’m safe.

“Abri?”

“Hmm?”

“Never mind. We can talk about it later.” He leans over and
kisses my forehead. “Goodnight. I love you.”

“I love you too, Lucan.” I reply before sleep pulls me under
for the second time tonight.  

Serge made it back to his apartment before
his legs completely gave out. The cab he’d hired was gone in spite of the fifty
dollars he’d given the driver to wait. He should have taken his Mustang but
there was never any place to park in Chinatown.  

In spite of the good fortune of making it
out of the apartment with his life, Serge was pissed that his plan to kidnap
Abri Cole was so easily thwarted. He really blew it. There was no way that
Lucan O’Reilly would allow his love to return to her apartment after his little
breaking and entering routine. He knew where O’Reilly lived but there was no
way Serge would try to fight Lucan on his own turf. That was just suicide and
the only thing he cared about more than Abri Cole was himself. 

Serge took out his phone and dialed Mark. “Ainsworth,
you awake?” Serge snapped into the receiver. Serge was glad to have his
apartment back to himself but almost missed Mark—Mark’s money—being around.

“No. What do you want?” Mark snapped back. His
new diet had greatly improved his mental faculties and opened his eyes to the
fact that Serge, among other things, was an asshole.

“I’ll thank you not to talk to me like that,
Ainsworth. Do you still have that court hearing on Monday?”

“Yes. And no, you’re not welcomed to attend.”
Mark knew that if Serge accompanied him to the courthouse it would be trouble,
for him and for Abri Cole. But mainly he was concerned about Sarah.

“Ha!” he barked back at Mark. “I will be
there. Your wife’s attorney owes me big time.”

“What did you do Serge?” Mark asked. Serge
was a sick fuck, but was he dumb enough to hurt her in public? After his run in
with Lucan O’Reilly there was no way Mark wanted anything to do with that guy
or his girlfriend. In fact, he was kind of nervous about going to court on that
account. It was a public place and Mark was sure Lucan would be there to keep
an eye on things. Hell, even if the guy didn’t come along to bodyguard, Abri had
enough on him bury him with the judge and Sarah.  

“Nothing yet. Let’s just say that she’s not
going to have her game face on for court on Monday. Now, I was planning to get
shitfaced tonight, you in?”

“Ah, no. I'm good. Just about ready to turn
in myself.” Mark replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Actually, he planned to
go over to Sarah’s apartment. On second thought, perhaps he’d better stay home
since Serge would probably just find him and spoil his plan.

“Fine. Suit yourself man. I'm just saying
that you should enjoy the night, embrace what I’ve given you.”

“Given me?” Mark scoffed. “You haven’t given
me shit. You couldn’t even finish what you started with me if I remember
correctly.” Mark was shocked at the words coming out his mouth. And proud. Of course,
that was short lived as he heard Serge end the call. No doubt on his way to
kick Mark’s ass.

The shades let me catch a few extra hours of
sleep after sunrise, but my bladder wakes me at nine thirty. I start to slide
out from under Lucan’s arm and tiptoe to the bathroom, but the fact that I can
actually move his arm means he isn’t asleep.

“You okay?” he asks quietly, which my
throbbing head appreciates.

“Yeah, just need to pee. Sorry, that was
kind of TMI wasn’t it?”

Lucan laughs. “No, just honest. You ready to
get up?”

“No. Do you have any aspirin or anything? My
head is still pounding. It’s a shame there’s not a night of drinking to blame
this on.”

“In the cabinet where the towels are, I
think.” He fluffs up my pillow for my return. “Are you sure you’re okay? I
should take you to see Dr. Steinman today at the Enclave.”

“I’ll be fine. I just need a little more
sleep and a shower. Plus, I have to go to work today. I told Max I would be
there around ten, but I'm going to be a little late I think.”

I find the aspirin and swallow three with
some water out of the tap. I catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror. It isn’t
nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The bruising is mainly past my hairline
and thus invisible, although no less painful. My eye is a little black, but
nothing I can’t blame on lack of sleep.

I crawl back in bed and set the alarm to
wake me at in an hour. I plan to shower before going down to the office. I
might even go in sweat pants if I can’t find anything else comfortable to wear.
It’s Saturday and dress codes doesn’t’ apply. I snuggle against Lucan and dose
off. 

When my alarm goes off an hour later, I am
alone in bed. I might have convinced myself to stay another hour if Lucan had
been there. I can hear him trying to be quiet in the kitchen.

“Tell me there’s coffee?” I call, crossing
the living room.

“Yup. One lump or two, my lady?”

“Ugh. Watch it with the lump talk,” I
protest. “Two and cream.”

Lucan hands me my cup and ushers me to the
table. “Do you want anything to eat?”

I shake my head and immediately regret it.
“No. I’m good. I'm only going to work a few hours on Sarah’s file and then come
back up. Maybe we can do a late lunch?”

“Sounds like a plan. I'm going to get Zaid
and head for the Enclave. I have a lot to report and I want to do some digging
on that asshole Serge.”

“Wow, I’ve never heard you call anyone an
asshole. I think that’s way too nice for what he is though. I'm going to go hit
the shower and head down stairs. Don’t wait on me, go ahead and head out if you
need to.”

“Are you kidding?” Lucan almost yells at me.
His eyes flare red and just as quickly return to blue. “I'm not leaving you
alone. I’m going downstairs with you and make sure your office is secure first.
If I wasn’t under orders of the Council to report today, I would stay there
with you until you’re finished working.”

“Lucan, you can’t watch me forever. Besides
Max will be there and probably some of the litigation guys, they always work on
Saturdays.” I am so not going to be chaperoned twenty-four/seven just because
of Serge. After all, he ran away last night. My face says more than my thoughts
as I glower at Lucan from across the kitchen table. This is not up for debate.  

“Abri, I like Max and all, but there is no
way he’s protecting you against a vampire attack.”

“I’m getting in the shower. If you’re still
here when I'm done, then I’ll think about it.” I set my coffee cup back on the table
and head to the bathroom. I need some space to think.

I turn on the water in the shower and gather
a towel and washcloth from the linen closet. I plug my iPod into the dock on
the counter and scroll down to some Train. I need something lighten my mood. When
it is warm enough I shuck off my sweats and step into the giant shower. Moving
cautiously under the stream of water, I test the cut on my scalp. It stings but
not bad enough to keep me from enjoying the warmth. 

What the hell happened last night? Why was
the parking valet from the Enclave trying to kill me? Or worse, eat me. Okay,
well not necessarily eat, but close enough. There is more to the story than I
remember or than what Lucan is telling me. He and Zaid had had a very hushed
conversation in the car last night about what had gone down in my apartment. I
had been too tired to listen in and their voices were almost too low for my
human ears to comprehend. This weekend is not getting off to a good start and Monday’s
hearing with Mark will be icing on the cake.