Dark Star (4 page)

Fear left her breathless and unable to
scream. Still she fought with all her might. Somehow she’d managed
to get in another blow when suddenly another man grabbed the first
man. Struggling to see in the dim light, Tonya watched as the
second man struck the first man with a brutal uppercut and then
another blow before he grabbed his neck in both hands. In what
seemed like only seconds, the man sank to the floor unconscious --
or maybe dead. She wasn’t altogether sure, but she did know that
none of these people belonged in her room. Without missing a beat,
she began swinging her fists wildly, connecting a couple of times
as the man was only shielding his face, not trying to hit her in
return.

“Goddamnit, Onion, cut it out. Cut it out.
I’m not going to hurt you. Ow! Don’t hit me again, goddamnit. I’m
trying to save you.”

Tonya hissed. Onion? No one called her that
bu -- “Nate?” she whispered not trusting what her ears were telling
her. That voice. The unlikely combination of south Alabama and
Paris blended to make a unique accent to say the least. His voice
was as familiar to her as her own face, though it had been more
than a decade since she’d last heard it. Memories undimmed by the
years flooded back. Her senses were inundated with him. The feel of
his body pressing her down on the bed. His scent. Sensory memories
that were as distinctive as his voice. “Nate?” she said again,
still rattled by the notion. With the hand still over her mouth,
the word barely came out as squeak but apparently he understood
because he moved the hand. “Nate.” It was a statement now as she
squinted in the dim light making out his features.

“Live and in color,” came the sardonic
response.

For a moment, Tonya seriously wondered if she
hadn’t been slipped some hallucinogenic drug. Certainly it would
make more sense than believing that Nate Randolph, her first lover,
had somehow turned up in her room in the middle of the night.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she
asked, automatically matching his soft tone. This situation was bad
enough; it could only be made worse by having her mother show
up.

“I told you. Rescuing you from the bad
guys.”

“How do I know you’re not a bad guy?”

“Sorry little sister, I left my white hat at
home. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“I haven’t seen you in years. Why on earth
should I trust you?”

“Because as bad as you might think I am, this
guy,” he nodded toward the unconscious form on the floor, “is
worse. And the one that hired him makes me look like a Boy Scout.”
He casually dropped beside her on the bed.

Tonya sucked in a breath. His words rang with
an air of truth she had no trouble believing. But no way in hell
was she staying in bed with Nate. She sprang to her feet. She’d
been so rattled by his nearness that it took a moment for the rest
of his words to penetrate. Coming after her? Who on earth would be
coming after her? Aside from her editor, she couldn’t fathom anyone
being out for her blood.

“I do love your sleeping attire sweetheart,”
he said, looking her up and down.

Tonya suddenly became aware that she was clad
only in a soft cotton tank top and the scantiest briefs she could
find -- she hated wearing panties. They irritated the scar left
from the fibroid surgery she’d had several years ago.

“Close your eyes, Dare,” Nate said. That was
when Tonya became aware of another man on the other side of the
room.

“The hell you say. I haven’t seen anything
this delicious since you blew up that strip club. What a waste,”
the other man said with a sad shake of his dreadlocked head.

“That was an accident,” Nate said, sounding
peeved.

Tonya looked from one man to the other in the
dim light, not believing that Nate and some dude were carrying on a
conversation like this in her room in the middle of the night. “Who
is that?” she asked gesturing toward the other man. “He rescued us
from the mugging today. What is he doing here? What’s going
on?”

“That’s Deringer, my uh, traveling
companion.” Nate gestured toward the man who was still lying on the
floor. “Dare, you want to do something with this guy?”

Deringer nodded, then walked over to the man.
After searching him thoroughly and removing several weapons he
lifted the man over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold and walked out
the door with him.

Deringer was a tall man whose dreadlocks hung
midway down his back. He’d clipped them at the nape of his neck
with what appeared to be a large leather barrette. Tonya had a
brief moment of envy, as she’d never found a barrette strong enough
to hold her own locks. Maybe we could go shopping, she thought as
she held back a giggle. Clearly she was becoming a bit hysterical
because really, was this any time to be thinking about hair? The
hairstyle indicated that he might be black, but his complexion was
considerably lighter than Nate’s, but then so was hers. With a
summer tan Nate could pass for almost any ethnicity. In college
everyone assumed he was Jewish or maybe Arab. Some thought he might
be biracial. Few guessed he was white, even the ones who knew him
well.

The years hadn’t been particularly kind to
him -- the large sable brown eyes were still the same -- framed by
impossibly long lashes and punctuated by heavy dark brows, but the
lines around them were new, as was the deep sadness she sensed
about him. Lines bracketed the full sensuous mouth as well. His
hair was cut shorter than when she knew him, but it was apparent
that he still didn’t bother much with it and the inky curls were
left to run riot over his head.

Tonya sighed. “You guys do realize this place
is full of security, don’t you? What the hell are you doing
here?”

“Not anymore,” Nate said with a casual yawn,
as he stretched out more comfortably on the bed. “I told you, we’re
here to rescue you. This mattress is awesome, by the way. Love the
life you’re leading, Onion. Five-star hotels do have their
perks.”

Tonya frowned. What on earth had they done
with the guards? Lots of celebrities were staying at the hotel and
there had to have been tons of security personnel. Suddenly, she
had a sinking feeling as she visualized dead bodies all over the
place. Terror, which had abated once she recognized Nate’s voice,
was back in full force. She grabbed her robe from the foot of the
bed and quickly put it on. “What in the hell is going on? Why are
you here? Who was that other man? What do you mean you’re here to
rescue me? Rescue me from what?”

“We’re taking you with us. Otherwise a really
bad dude is coming after you, little sister,” Nate said.

“You mean like the muggers today? They
weren’t really muggers were they? And the man you just...he’s not
dead is he?” She shuddered as she realized she really didn’t want
to know the answer. “Wait, don’t answer that. Who are these people?
And why are they coming after me?” she said.

Nate reached out and took her hand as though
making an effort to comfort her. “I know all this stuff is bizarre
and hard to deal with, but we’ll take care of you.”

Tonya just shook her head, too panicked at
the moment to form a response. Just then, Deringer slipped back
into the room and took up a position near the door. Amazing how
quickly the man could dispose of a body. Was the other man dead?
And what had he done with him?

“I see your mom is still with Reuben,” Nate
said, still lounging on the bed.

Tonya’s mind scurried as she tried to keep up
with the subject change. “You went to my mama’s room? Is she
okay?”

“Of course she’s okay. What do you think I
am?” Then he laughed derisively. “Don’t answer that. We went to the
other woman’s room, too. It’s a big suite.” Nate shrugged. “I
didn’t know you had an entourage. I couldn’t figure out which room
was yours,” he continued and even had the nerve to sound a trifle
miffed.

“Who is the other woman? She’s absolutely
gorgeous. I wanted to bring her too, but Nate wouldn’t let me,”
Dare interjected.

“That’s our operations manager, Roshonda,”
Tonya answered automatically.

“Trust me, little brother, the one we’re
taking is going to be more than enough trouble,” Nate said. “Okay,
little sister, we’ve got to get going.”

“Why should I go anywhere with you? Why
should I take your word that I’m in danger?”

“What the hell do you think that guy was
going to do to you? Invite you to an all night bid whist game? He
came here to kill you, and if you don’t leave somebody is going to
succeed. And even if I have to kill everyone in this hotel and take
you out trussed up like my love slave I’m not leaving without
you...In fact, I’d probably enjoy it,” he said with a suggestive
leer.

Tonya sucked in a deep breath as his words
sank in. She realized that she’d started feeling safe once she
recognized Nate. Even though she hadn’t seen him in years, she knew
he wouldn’t hurt her, at least not physically. Now she had to deal
with the fact that these men were dangerous. Hallucinogenic drugs.
Someone had definitely slipped her some hallucinogenic drugs.
Struggling to make even the slightest sense of the situation, she
decided to simply stop asking questions.

Nate rose slowly from the bed. “So why don’t
you get dressed -- you’re a bit of a distraction -- and come with
us? I promise I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

Tonya paused, tempted to tell him to go to
hell, but she knew Nate well enough to know that Hades would
require snow plows before he would do anything before he was ready.
Besides what was her other option? The man that they’d somehow made
disappear was all too real. As were the muggers from earlier that
day. Though it didn’t make even the slightest bit of sense, she had
to accept that somebody was out to do her in. Also, she didn’t
doubt for a moment that Nate would follow through on exactly what
he said. Despite their banter and the casual air about them, both
men had the hardened faces and sharp eyes that she’d seen when she
interviewed combat veterans. It wouldn’t pay to cross them. She
stalked over to the dresser and grabbed the first article of
clothing that fell under her hands. Fortunately it was a pair of
jeans. She pulled an oversized T-shirt over her head.
“Satisfied?”

“Not by a long shot,” he said, giving her a
lingering look. His companion cleared his throat and Nate shook his
head as though coming out of a stupor. He continued in a huskier
tone. “Can you pull together a few things to take with us? We’ve
neutralized security here, but it doesn’t pay to take chances. Oh,
and be sure to bring that dress you had on tonight. I really like
it.”

Tonya turned with a gasp. “You were at the
party! I knew I saw you.”

“You wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for that
dress. Watching you in it took me out of my game and I forgot what
I was doing,” he said with a smile. “By the way, he dyes his
hair.”

“Wha--Who dyes his hair?” Tonya stared at
him, dumbfounded by the
non sequitur
.

“That kid you were talking to
and
kissed
at the party. That’s not his real name either. Who the
hell would name their kid Badger? And what’s with you and these
young dudes anyway? Aren’t you a little young to be getting your
cougar on? And who was that other boy who was practically eating
you alive? I’ve got socks older than him.”

“Were you always this crazy, or did you
recently sustain a brain injury?”

“I’ve always been crazy where you’re
concerned. You were just too young to recognize it,” Nate said.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Deringer muttered
under his breath. Tonya was too flabbergasted to respond to either
comment.

“Now get packed, it’s going to be a long
night.”

Chapter Three

Escaping from the hotel was not nearly as
difficult as Tonya had assumed it would be. As they sneaked down
the back stairs, she tried not to think about the guards that Nate
and Deringer had “neutralized.” The stairs opened onto an alley
behind the hotel where she saw that the men had stashed an escape
vehicle, a sleek four-door sedan. In the dim light it looked black,
but could’ve been dark green or blue. Nate took point with Deringer
covering their exit. Suddenly, just as they reached the vehicle,
strange men rushed toward them from around the corner. Tonya
gasped, as she saw nothing but black nothingness where the men’s
faces should’ve been. It took her a moment to realize they wore
ninja-style masks. It didn’t take nearly as long to see that they
were armed to the teeth. Nate grabbed her arm and dragged her along
with him toward the car. Deringer pulled what looked like an Uzi
from...somewhere and started firing repeatedly at the pursuing men
while she and Nate ran as quickly as possible toward the car. Nate
snatched the rear door open and threw her inside and her soft-sided
suitcase after her.

“Get down,” he said unnecessarily. Tonya was
so terrified that she almost immediately curled into a fetal
position the minute her backside hit the floorboard. Her ears were
ringing so loudly from the gunfire she could barely hear anything.
The sound reverberated between the two buildings on either side of
the narrow alley and intensified in volume. She’d have to remember
that in her next book -- gunfire is incredibly loud. Nate pulled a
large automatic handgun out of his backpack and immediately began
firing at the men chasing them. Tonya assumed that he was providing
cover, because before long Deringer climbed into the driver’s seat
while Nate joined her in the rear of the car. They crouched there
even though there was no more gunfire as Deringer burned rubber
speeding out of the alley.

Tonya struggled to regain her composure
without succumbing to an overwhelming need to sob. What on earth
was going on? Deringer had slowed the car to an inconspicuous rate
of speed, and Nate rose up from the floor of the car. She watched
as he looked repeatedly out the back window.