Darkest Desire (12 page)

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Authors: Tawny Taylor

BOOK: Darkest Desire
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She Googled for hours, through the afternoon, through the evening, into the dark hours of the night. Her eyes barely able to focus, she dragged her sore body up the stairs and into her room. She changed, brushed her teeth, and was about to fall into bed when she remembered her promise to Malek.
Hoping he was sleeping, she tiptoed down the hall to his room and pushed open the door. The soft buzz of his snoring greeted her the instant she stepped inside.
It seemed tonight he wouldn't be tormenting her. After settling into bed, she closed her eyes and prayed.
 
Once again, Lei woke up the next morning sprawled on top of Malek. She hadn't realized before how much she moved around while sleeping. Evidently she wasn't so sensitive to touch when she was unconscious.
As she shifted positions, she became aware of something else.
Malek was aroused.
Being careful, she eased her weight off of him.
He groaned, slapped an arm over her back, and pinned her down.
A little jolt of discomfort zipped through her. She wriggled. His hold tightened.
He had to be awake.
“Malek,” she whispered.
“Hmmm?” he responded. His voice was low. The vibrations hummed through her body. It was a pleasant sensation. Very pleasant.
“I need to go . . . if you get my drift.”
“Hmmm,” he said again.
“Malek, doesn't it hurt, with me lying on top of you?”
“No.” He lifted his arm, freeing her. “Not at all. Come back when you're done.”
“Come back? I need to get moving. I don't recall lounging in bed until noon being part of our agreement.”
“It wasn't. But you cheated me out of my time last night.”
“I'm sorry. Something important came up. I promise I'll come to bed earlier tonight.” Not waiting for his response, she scampered down the hall to her bathroom and took care of all the basics, including a shower. She was feeling pretty good by the time she got out. Clean. Well rested. Just overall less stressed. She dressed and combed her hair. As she was heading down the hall, toward the stairs, she heard male voices in Malek's room. His nurse had arrived.
She barefooted it downstairs, got the coffee going, and shoved a couple of bagels in the toaster. She made a tray for Malek, and before she ate her own food, took it up to him.
He was sitting up, smiling. He motioned to the IV pole. “I'm free.”
“Isn't it a little soon?” She shot the nurse a worried look.
The nurse wrapped the plastic tubing into a ball. “I wouldn't have taken him off the IV if I didn't think he was okay. His pain level is low enough now that he can take oral medications. And he can eat and drink.”
“But he had major surgery just two days ago.”
The nurse shrugged. “We all heal at our own rate. He's doing well.” To Malek, he said, “Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be resting. You don't want to do too much yet.”
Malek lifted his hand as if taking a vow. “I promise, I'll take it easy.”
The nurse motioned to Lei as he gathered his things and placed them back in his bag. “I have a feeling she will make sure of that.”
“You bet I will.” Lei set the tray on the bed.
“Okay, Mr. Alexandre, I'm through here, unless you wanted me to help with your shower.” He motioned to the plastic and metal bench sitting next to the door.
“Nope, I'm good,” Malek said.
“Okay. I'll be back tomorrow. Remember, you don't want to soak your incision, but it's okay to wash it with soap and water.” The nurse left the room, leaving the bench where it sat.
Lei slid Malek a raised brow look. “No shower?”
“I thought you'd help me.”
She tried to imagine how that was going to work. “Um . . .”
“Just kidding. I can handle a shower on my own. Now that I'm off the IV, maybe I should cancel the nurse altogether,” Malek said, grabbing the bagel off the plate. He took a big bite and chewed.
“I don't think that's a good idea at all.”
“Hmmm.” He swallowed. “Why not?”
“What if you get an infection? What if you get sicker? Doesn't that wound need to be checked at least once a day?” Looking extremely unconcerned, he continued to munch. Meanwhile, she had a mini panic attack. “I'm not a nurse, Malek. I don't know anything about wound care.”
“Okay,
maybe
I'll keep him for a couple more days, if it would make you feel better.” He slurped his coffee, lifting his cup. “Thanks for the breakfast.”
“You're welcome. And, yes, it would make me feel better. A lot.”
“Did you eat already?” Grimacing a little, he reached for the TV remote sitting on the nightstand.
“You're in pain.” She grabbed the remote for him, hit the POWER button to turn on the TV, then handed it back.
“It's fine. Just a little ache. I can handle it. Why don't you bring your breakfast up here and join me? We can watch the news.”
“Sure, okay.” She went down, grabbed her plate and coffee, and brought it up.
As she entered the room, she heard the news anchor speaking, “Another woman's body was found this morning—”
Click.
The TV went dead.
12
M
alek, still holding the remote, dropped it on the mattress and pretended nothing was wrong. “There you are. After you eat, I think we should—”
“Why did you do that?” Lei plunked her tray on his bed and grabbed for the remote. “Why'd you turn off the news?”
He held the remote out of her reach. Damn him for his long arms. “I didn't think you needed to hear about another murdered woman right now. Especially after our attack.”
“I'm an adult. I get to decide what I do and don't need to hear, thank you.” She lunged for his hand and tried to pull the remote free.
He refused to give it up, stubborn man.
Praying the victim wasn't either Kate or Heather, she sprinted down the stairs, zoomed through the kitchen, and remoted on the family room TV.
“The body was found behind this hardware store,” the reporter said, motioning to the dilapidated concrete building behind her. “An autopsy will be performed today, but it's fairly apparent the unidentified victim died of a gunshot to the head. There is nothing linking this murder to the other two from earlier this week, but people in the area are convinced the three are related.” She paused for a moment, then smiled. “And now, back to you, Meredith.”
No photograph of the victim had been shown. No sketch. Nothing.
“Dammit.” Lei hit the CHANNEL button, hoping to catch more details, a police sketch of the victim, or a description. But the other channels weren't broadcasting the news. She killed the TV and headed back upstairs. When she stepped into Malek's room, she gave him a glare. “I missed most of the report.”
“The police don't have anything yet.”
“Did you know about that murder?”
“I did. It was on last night's news.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was sleeping—”
“This morning.”
“There's nothing to tell yet.”
“Bullshit. Three women are dead. I personally knew two of them. And we were attacked.”
“And at this point there's no reason to assume this third one had anything to do with the other two, or with our attack.” He tipped his head and narrowed his eyes. “Unless there's something you're not telling me...?”
“No, of course not.” She wanted to fiddle. Or look away. But he was studying her, trying to decide if she was lying. She didn't need him thinking she was.
“Do you know who attacked us?” he asked.
“No.” She pointed at the TV. “Do you know who that dead woman is?”
“No. Do you?”
“How would I know?”
Malek's gaze sharpened slightly. “I can't shake the feeling that you're keeping something from me.”
“I'm not.” Lei sat on the edge of the bed. “I'm not hiding anything. I'm just scared. I don't know what to do.”
“You're safe as long as you stay in this house.”
“How can you be so sure? Someone attacked us. Here. In this house.”
“Which is why we'll be going on a little trip as soon as Talen returns.”
She needed to get to her phone and call Vasquez. Find out what he knew about the dead woman.
“Drako and Talen are working on this. Hopefully it'll all be over soon and things will be back to normal.”
Normal. How she longed for that. She slumped onto the bed and cupped her hands over her face. “When is this nightmare going to end?”
“Soon, baby. I promise.” He eased one of her hands from her face, wove his fingers through hers, and squeezed. “I'm going to take care of you.”
“You shouldn't have to.”
“I don't mind.”
“But—”
“Hellloooo!” a male voice echoed through the house. Lei recognized it. Talen.
“Damn,” Malek mumbled.
Lei jumped up off the bed and scrambled back away from it. She didn't need Talen getting the wrong idea.
Talen thudded up the steps and into the room. His gaze jerked from Lei's face to Malek's, then back again. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Nope,” Lei said.
Malek didn't respond.
It took all of two long strides for Talen to reach the bed. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked Malek.
“I fell,” Malek said.
The brothers laughed.
Lei failed to see the humor in the situation. But she did see an opportunity, and she was going to take it. If she could get Malek out of town, hidden away somewhere safe, that would be one less person to worry about. Then she could focus her energy on locating those two—or was it one now?—girls.
“Two men attacked us. Right here. In the house. Your brother almost died trying to protect me,” Lei explained.
Two sets of male eyes landed on her.
“Is that so?” Talen asked, his tone not at all light or joking.
“Yes, that's so,” she said. “And it's no laughing matter.”
“Sure.” Talen's mien was serious now, as it should be.
“And I'm wondering if the attack was my fault,” she added.
One set of eyes widened—Talen's. Malek didn't look surprised.
“It's not your fault, Lei,” Malek said.
Talen asked, “Why's that? Why do you think it's your fault?”
She explained, “Because two girls I used to . . . work with . . . were killed recently.”
“And you think you were supposed to be next?” Talen asked.
“Sure.” Lei pointed at the television, which was now off. “I think someone's going around killing all the girls who've recently left that bastard. A third woman was found dead this morning.”
“We don't know yet if that one is related to the others,” Malek reminded her. “She hasn't been identified yet.”
“Were the police involved in your situation here?” Talen asked.
“I called them, of course.” Catching the hint of something negative in Talen's reaction, she added, “If I hadn't called for help, Malek would be dead. As a matter of fact, I believe he was dead when EMS arrived.”
Talen's expression soured even more.
“Obviously, we need to go stay somewhere else for a while,” Malek said.
“Already taken care of. Drako's made all the arrangements. But you're not in any condition to drive, and I need to stay here and take care of some things.”
“I can drive,” Lei said.
“No,” the guys said in unison.
Now she was insulted. “There's nothing wrong with my driving.”
“That's not the problem,” Malek said. “If we're followed, things could get a little dicey.”
“I can handle ‘dicey' better than you can right now. After all, you've recently had surgery. You're not in tip-top shape. Not to say you didn't give those two guys a run for their money, Malek, but you're a writer, not Special Ops...”
Malek and Talen exchanged looks.
Malek blurted, “Talen is—was.”
“What?” she asked.
“Navy SEALs,” Malek told her.
Talen looked mighty surprised. Either he wasn't Navy SEALs, or he was but didn't want anyone to know.
“He should drive us.” Malek motioned to the stairs. “Lei, go get packing.” He acted as if he might give her fanny a smack, but a don't-you-dare glare stopped him before he made contact. She noticed, as she scurried away, that she wasn't the only one glaring at him.
“Okay, if you think it's necessary.” She headed for the door. “I'm not sure how much to pack. How long do you think we'll have to stay away? A few days? A week?”
“Oh, I don't know,” Malek said. “Maybe a month.”
“A month?” she repeated. Yes, she wanted to get Malek out of town and away from Holloway. But she was hoping they wouldn't have to stay in hiding that long. Her whole life was crumbling apart. “Classes start right after the New Year. I hope we can make it back by then.”
“Me, too, Lei. Bring everything you'll need for one month, just in case.”
“Okay.” Feeling a sense of urgency, and hoping his estimate was way off, that they'd be back home long before the first day of classes, and this whole hellish thing would be over, she scampered upstairs to gather a month's worth of clothing, personal items, and her school books and supplies. A half hour later, she had a mountain of things sitting in the middle of her room, including her sewing machine and laptop. After putting in a call to Vasquez and leaving a message on his voice mail letting him know she was leaving town, she shuffled downstairs to find the brothers had locked themselves in Drako's office. She jiggled the handle, then knocked.
Talen opened the door and she peered inside, finding Malek sitting in the room's corner, looking a little pale.
“I'm ready to go whenever you are,” Lei said.
Talen said, “Good. We'll get going shortly.”
Angling her body half in the room and half out in the hall, she told him, “My stuff is sitting in the middle of my floor.”
Talen headed through the door. “I'll load up the truck.”
Lei followed him up the stairs.
His expression, when he saw the mountain, was more than a little comical.
“All this?” He sounded breathless, and he hadn't lifted a single thing yet.
“Yes, ‘all this.' I need everything here. Malek said I should pack for a month.”
Talen grumbled something under his breath. Lei had some notion of what he might have said. In all fairness, she couldn't blame him for being a little cranky. She'd packed a ton of things.
To appease her guilt for making him work so hard, she helped Talen haul her stuff out, despite his repeated attempts to convince her he could do it by himself. It didn't escape her notice that Malek had packed absolutely nothing. Not even a pair of underwear.
“Where are Malek's things?” she asked.
“Doesn't need anything. We're taking you to another of our properties. He has clothes there.”
“Another property? Sheesh. How many houses do you guys own?”
Talen merely shrugged and smiled.
“Did you three inherit—” She cut herself off. “Sorry, that's none of my business.”
“Yes,” Talen said as he wedged the last bag in the back of his Navigator. He turned to face her. “We did inherit a crapload of money.” He waved her toward the door. “Now, let's get you two somewhere safe.”
She hesitated. “One thing we haven't thought about, what about Malek's nurse?”
“What about her?”
“Him,” she corrected.
“Him,” he echoed. “My mistake.”
“Well, if we're in hiding, how will the nurse find us? Will you tell him?”
“Hmmm.” Talen visibly considered the situation for a moment. “It's probably better if we don't tell anyone where you're staying.”
“But Malek still needs medical care.” She didn't like the way Talen was looking at her. She held her hands palms out. “If you're thinking I can handle the job, you're wrong. Malek and I already discussed it.”
“Okay. We'll figure it out later. If you can help Malek with the basics in the meantime, I'd appreciate it.”
“The basics I can do.”
Together, they went inside the house. Lei headed up to her room to make one final sweep. She didn't want to forget anything. Once she was sure she had everything she'd need, she headed back down. Malek and Talen were at the door. Talen had an arm around Malek's waist and was supporting him as he slowly crossed the threshold. Lei watched, wincing, as he struggled to get down the front steps.
He'd been acting pretty spunky when he was stationary, but now that he was up and moving around, she could see he still had a lot of recovering to do. She owed Malek all the help she could give him until he was one hundred percent back to health. Being in hiding for at least the next couple of weeks meant she'd have plenty of opportunity to give him her undivided attention.
Malek insisted he ride in the backseat, with Lei beside him. Talen helped him into the vehicle, leaving him to fasten himself into his seat belt, so he could climb behind the steering wheel. Off they drove, heading west.
Malek looked at her as they zoomed around the tight curve of the freeway entrance ramp, blinked slowly, and said, “Sorry, but I doubt I'll be much company.”

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