HeroRising (10 page)

Once he obtained whatever treasure was within that safe,
Bale was positive the girl was going to be destroyed. It wouldn’t matter if she
physically survived, the woman she had once been would be gone forever.

Bale drew in a breath and allowed his arms to swing free in
preparation. With his skills and speed he could decapitate both men before they
heard the sound of his blade clearing the sheath. But he had promised Lucian to
spare lives if he could, and full-out murder was not his style. The quickest
course of action was to render them unconscious and hold them until law
enforcement arrived.

An anticipatory smile curved his lips. But what would be the
fun in that?

He rapped on the doorjamb. “Excuse me, may I join the
party?”

Two guns whipped around in his direction. “Who the fuck are
you?” the mastermind shouted in broken English.

“Your worst nightmare.” He nodded at the girl. “Do you speak
English?”

She responded with a single jerk of the head, her terror
grew as she stared up at him.

“Don’t answer him,” Foul-mouth shouted and smacked her in the
back of the head. “Tinh, kill him.”

The scout jumped. “What?” Then volleyed a fevered dispute in
his native language.

Terse sentences and wild hand movements ensued while Bale
gestured to the female with a slight wave of his hand to remain calm. Her eyes
widened but she pressed her lips together and tensed her muscles as if to will
her body to settle down.

He nodded his encouragement then looked back to the
quarreling duo. “Gentlemen, gentlemen. Allow me to settle this argument for
you.”

The woman screamed in surprise as he traced across the room,
knocking Tinh’s gun from his hand and breaking his arm at the elbow in the
space of a heartbeat. As Tinh fell to the floor in howling agony, Bale had the
second gunman up against the wall by the shirt front. He wrapped his hand
around the bony wrist holding the gun and applied enough pressure to make the
man wince and drop his weapon.

“Have you sounded the alarm yet?” he asked the girl without
taking his gaze away from the squirming worm.

“N-no.”

“Do it now. Then gather any rope or cord you have and bring
it back here. Even a telephone line will suffice.”

The patter of her shoes as she ran out the door indicated
she followed his directions and that he had about five minutes before the
police arrived.

Bale tightened his grip and soaked in the man’s
adrenaline-laced terror like a junkie getting his fix. Screams drowned out the
sound of bones turning to dust as he pulverized the wrist. The man better pray
he was ambidextrous.

“You will never pick up a weapon to cause harm again. You
will never touch another in anger. One step out of line and I will be there to
strike you down. Do you understand or shall I continue the lesson with the left
wrist?” he taunted.

A lot of nodding and agonized whimpers was the response.

“Alarm is on,” said the girl as she ran back into the
office, carrying an armful of extension cords and spools of metal wire.

“Tie them up, little one.” He dropped the thief on the floor
next to his partner.

“Tie them up?” she repeated in shock.

“I cannot be here when the police arrive, and I will not
leave you alone with them if they are still mobile. Tie them up. Secure the
restraints as you see fit. May I suggest you show them the same courtesy they
bestowed upon you?”

“Oh, no.” She tried to push the ties into his arms. “It not
proper.”

“Tell them I did it.”

A light entered her eyes as the possibility of partaking of
the forbidden chased her fear away. “Yes?”

“Yes.”

She dropped her supplies onto the floor except for a length
of extension cord. She began with Tinh’s feet and wrapped the cord around his
ankles several times, securing the ends into a knot. The fine metal jeweler’s
wire she used to wrap around his wrists. When she pulled on his arm to position
them in to place, he cried out in pain. She hissed in sympathy then her eyes
narrowed and a shy smile emerged as she bound his hands with an extra vicious
twist for good measure.

Bale left her to finish her task as she started on the
second assailant and he sensed her satisfaction in having a tiny outlet to express
her displeasure. By the time he reached the rooftop of the building across from
the store, blue and red lights flashed as the police roared up the street and
skidded to a stop.

Two more lives saved. Who was next?

What the hell happened?

Ari rolled out of bed and held on to her head as she
staggered into the plush bathroom. If she hadn’t seen the bartender pour her
drink, she would have thought she had been slipped a mickey. She was usually
better at holding her liquor, especially when she only had the one. And most
especially when snuggled in the arms of a ridiculously hot guy.

Had that whole event even happened or had she hallucinated
the entire moment? Maybe she had been more exhausted than she had realized. One
minute she was feeling groovy and relaxed next to Bale’s heat then wham,
nothing. Complete blackness until she woke up, still fully dressed and tucked
into her borrowed bed.

The idea of Bale carrying her in his arms and laying her
down on the fluffy mattress sent a surge of heat through her veins while her
brain kicked her in the ass. While the fantasy of Bale doing wicked things to
her was nice, she had a future to begin, like, now. Bale was going to have to
reside in the place of might-have-been. At least for now. The future was still
undecided. Maybe in a month or two things would be different

In a month or two, she reminded herself and set about facing
the day.

She splashed cold water on her face and changed into another
borrowed shirt before racing down the stairs where she was greeted by a smiling
Lucian.

“Good morning,” he said with a slight bow.

“Morning.” She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and
sneaked a glance at him from beneath her lashes.

Lucian was dressed in black slacks and a white button-down
shirt that made his tan skin appear golden. It stretched dangerously tight
across his melon-sized biceps. He was what she’d call tongue-tying gorgeous, so
handsome he robbed her of the ability to form a sentence.

But that was before she met Bale. Yeah, after spending time
with tall, dark and silent the only thing that made her nervous around Lucian
was that now she had a good idea of just how well he used his cock. A mental
image that was not going to go away any time soon.

She felt the heat of the redhead curse steal across her
cheeks. “I’m sorry to have slept so late. I’m sure y’all have lots going on, so
I’ll be out right quick. If it’s all right though, I’d like to grab some toast
before heading on my way.”

He laughed. “Do not fret. You needed to rest and we are
happy to have fulfilled that need. And I know you require more than toast to
fill your belly. Come with me. Amaryllis has been cooking all morning. She
loves to have people to fuss over.”

“She shouldn’t have, really. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“We know, and you aren’t.” He gestured for her to precede
him into the kitchen, which she did while wishing her embarrassment to die
down.

“Whoa.” She stopped short and gaped at the buffet spread
across the center island where bowls of fruit cut into decorative shapes
bookended platters of eggs made three ways and the entire roll call of pork,
from sausages to ham steaks. “Is she expecting an entire football team?”

Lucian chuckled and reached across her for a slice of bacon.
“No. We men can eat a lot.”

“Men?” As in plural?

“Good morning,” Bale rasped by her side and she nearly
jumped ten feet into the air. Damn, that man took silence to an entirely new
level.

“Morning,” she mumbled and took a sudden interest in the
star-shaped pineapple and melon balls as the heat in her cheeks returned.

What else was there for her to say?
Sorry for passing out
on you
, or,
Were you the one to tuck me into bed?
Yeah, that sounded
real classy.

Lucian rescued her from having to break the silence. “Bale,
is all taken care of?”

“Yes sir.” He bowed. “It is with the repairman.”

“Good. Well, take a seat everyone. Amaryllis? Where are you?
We’re starving.”

“Eat then,” she called out as she entered from the pantry
with a green bottle in her hands and a smile stretching her lips. Bacon grease
and strawberry juice dotted her purple apron and tendrils of hair fell from her
ponytail, but there was no mistaking her happiness at providing for her family.
She held up the bottle. “I thought mimosas would be fantastic this morning.”

Ari saw Lucian lean over and whisper into Bale’s ear, who
then nodded with a twitch of understanding in his brow and offered Amaryllis a
slight smile. “That sounds lovely.”

What was that about? Had he never heard of the
orange-juice-and-champagne cocktail before? Granted, she had never heard of it
either until she was fifteen and saw them in a movie, but Bale was surrounded
by people who owned food and beverage outlets. Maybe the drink wasn’t popular
in Sweden.

Her curiosity was interrupted when Amaryllis hugged her
tight and said, “Good morning, Ariel.”

The woman might as well have hit her upside the head with
the bottle of champagne. Her heart pounded hard and for several seconds she
couldn’t breathe. When the need for oxygen overrode her surprise she gasped,
“What did you call me?”

“Ariel. That is your full name, correct?”

“I—how?”

“And it is a beautiful name.”

“Unless you’re a redhead,” she managed to sputter. How in
the hell did Amaryllis know her real name?

“Why would that be?” The woman blinked with innocence in her
lavender eyes.

“Ha ha. Funny.” A long silence ensued as three pairs of eyes
stared back at her without comprehension or teasing. “Seriously. Seriously?”
Nothing. “Look, I know y’all aren’t from around here, but you’re from Sweden,
which is like, right next door to Holland, right? I know you’ve heard about
The
Little Mermaid
.”

“Ah.” Amaryllis clapped her hands. “That is a cartoon,
correct? One of the girls in the club dressed like the character last year at
Halloween. Is that who you are named after?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Do you know how many times I’ve been
asked to show my tail? People can be cruel.” As well as the press.
The
Naughty Little Mermaid
had been a popular headline when the scandal broke
out.

“Did your mother not suspect this name may cause you strife?”

“At sixteen my mother wasn’t much older than a child herself
when she had me. She thought it would be cute. She was wrong. Please, just call
me Ari.”

“As you wish.” Amaryllis handed her a champagne flute.
“Mimosa?”

Ari ignored the glass. “How do you know my name?”

“When we retrieved your car, we had the vinny number
researched to make certain it was yours.”

“You what?”

“Vin number,
alskata
,” Lucian corrected. “Ari, please
have a seat and all will be explained.”

“Yes, Ari, fill your plate and we will chat.” Amaryllis
thrust a plate into her hands.

Only because the Kilsgaards were smiling at her and not
emitting malicious intent, she followed the directive and kept quiet.

“I’m sitting,” she said the moment her butt hit the lushly
upholstered chair.

“Take a bite.”

“Amaryllis,” she growled but took an obligatory bite of
fluffy eggs. “Oh, that is good.”

“Thank you.” Amaryllis dropped onto a chair next to her
husband. “Now, this morning Lucian and Bale located your vehicle and had it
sent to a local repair shop to be taken care of. Once it is in working order,
it will be sent here. In the meantime, you and I will go out and do some
shopping and celebrate new beginnings.”

“While shopping sounds great, I’ll need every dollar to go
to the car.”

“Nonsense. Everything is my treat.”

She froze with a full fork near her lips. “What? That can’t
mean what it sounds like.”

Lucian chuckled behind his napkin as Amaryllis nodded
enthusiastically. “Yes. I’ve covered the costs.”

The fork clattered to her plate as she was again struck
dumb. She really needed more rest to keep up with all of these surprises.
“You—why? I-I— How?”

“Say thank you, Ari.” Amaryllis saluted her with her flute.

“Yes, yes, thank you, of course. Both of you. It’s more than
I could ask for. But I can’t accept such a generous gift.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m a stranger.”

“And?”

“Isn’t that enough?” She looked at Bale, who had inhaled an
entire plate of food and was going back for seconds. “Bale, tell her it’s too
extravagant.”

He paused like a child caught doing something naughty. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I have learned not to argue when Amaryllis is being
generous. It is a losing battle.” He turned his back to her and scooped up a
platter of fruit.

“I still can’t accept.”

“It is already done.”

Well, crud. “I’ll repay you. I promise.”

Amaryllis smiled. “You will, in a way. I’ve been checking up
on you, Ari. You weren’t just a bartender at your last place of employment, you
were an assistant manager, weren’t you?”

“There wasn’t a whole lot of competition for the position.”
If she hadn’t watched the inventory and the daily take, the bar would have gone
out of business due to theft years ago. Of course, that diligence hadn’t
mattered when public opinion of her turned ugly and they booted her on her ass.

“My restaurant, Tutala, is in need of a bar manager. Someone
who has grace and poise, as well as the ability to handle the occasional unruly
customer. What do you say, Ari? Would you like to give it a go?”

“Are you offering me a job?” she squawked at the same time she
heard Bale bark with just as much incredulity, “What did you say?”

“Yes, and before you ask if I am insane, or believe you are
unworthy of such an offer, this is not a done deal. What I am offering is an
opportunity to prove yourself. We will start slow and I’ll introduce you to the
right people to get your feet wet, and then I’ll throw you into the deep end.”
She grinned.

“Your highness—” Bale began and was stopped with a shush
from Amaryllis and her palm held an inch from his face.

“No.” She shook her head and closed her fingers together in
a “close your mouth” motion. “No.”

And he obeyed!

Well, he fumed, with those expressive nostrils flaring and
his lips pinched tight, but he didn’t say another word.

Whoa. Ari felt her eyebrows hit her hairline as she tried to
decide what surprised her more, the fact Bale addressed Amaryllis like royalty
or how she silenced Bale as if he were a child, and he didn’t put up one iota
of an argument.

Just what exactly was going on here? Bale had mentioned
Amaryllis had been some sort of a celebrity where they were from. Perhaps she
was a secret princess and he was part of her secret service detail? If that
were so, then why would he be allowed to leave her side?

“Ari.” Amaryllis interrupted her train of thought. “Do you
agree?”

Of course! Yes! Absolutely!

But the words refused to leave her tongue. Free car repair,
a place to stay, a job. Twelve hours prior she had nothing, and now she was
being offered the world. She should be ecstatic, jubilant, on the ground and
kissing the feet of her hosts. It was a Christmas miracle, only it was
February.

Why her?

That was the question she couldn’t comprehend. Why was she
suddenly so deserving of such good fortune? Everything she ever had, from her
crappy car to the two-bedroom apartment she had left behind, she worked hard
for, scraped together every penny she earned with her sweat and tears. The only
time something had been handed to her was when she had met Anthony and he had
lavished her with presents and attention.

And look how great that turned out.

“I still don’t understand. Why me?”

Lucian reached for Amaryllis’ hand. “We have all been where
you are now, Ari. Alone, in a new land, with only what you carried with you.
However, I was fortunate enough to have had my brother with me, unlike
Amaryllis and Bale. But we all found someone who was willing to take a chance
on us. Whether we felt we deserved it or not.” He shot a pointed glare at Bale,
who stared down at his plate. “They provided us with an opportunity and that is
what we offer you. What you do now is your choice.”

Was it really so simple? Had she really stumbled upon the
kind of people who did things out of the goodness of their hearts? Had fortune
finally decided to smile down on her?

Okay, Ari. What are your options?

Say no thanks, give them a hearty handshake and walk out
into the big city and stick with the original plan of hoping to snag a job
quickly and make do in the low-rent motel she had booked for a month, living
day-to-day on a hope and a prayer.

Or…

Stay with the Kilsgaards, who probably saved her a boatload
of money on car repairs, in a penthouse apartment and try her hand at managing
the bar in an upscale restaurant that even she had heard about all the way in
Missouri.

Yeah, this was going to be a tough choice.

“Okay. I accept. But I want to pay rent and for my own
groceries. And I’ll move into my own place as soon as I find one.”

“Agreed.” Amaryllis clapped her hands together with a little
squeal. “I know just the apartment for you too. But first we’ll have a girls’
day out and I’ll show you all around town. Tomorrow morning we’ll go together
to the restaurant. Sound good?”

“Yeah.” She felt twenty pounds lighter with the decision
made. “Sounds great.”

Lucian beamed a huge smile and she felt her lips stretch to
match until she looked at Bale. He remained frozen in his seat with eyes cast
down and a hard line where his mouth should have been.

For half a second she felt her breakfast swirl in her tummy
but then quelled the sensation with a fit of temper. What was his deal? Did he
not want her around? Did he think she was encroaching on his territory by
becoming friends with his bosses?

Well, screw him. She didn’t ask for them to be nice to her,
and did the idiot forget it was he who had insisted she come with him? And if
he was worried about her being near his female hunting grounds, he could go
suck an egg. If the option was to face his displeasure or be out on the street,
she’d deal with his sourpuss mug anytime.