I began to feel sleepy.
It wasn’t long before I struggled to keep my eyes open. In fact, I found it almost impossible.
Dorian took notice.
“Oksana!” he called out.
His personal assistant returned. Dorian gestured towards me.
“Take Tempest to her room. It’s been a long day, and we’ve got several more to come.”
I seriously didn’t have the energy to fight with him for even one more second. Getting up from the chair, I thanked him again for the food and followed Oksana out of his office.
It looked like I’d be staying.
2
Allies (Dorian)
The door clicked shut.
Now that Tempest was taken care of for the rest of the night, I still had one thing to handle. Standing from my chair, I looked down at the metal case.
“I hope you were worth all the trouble. Fuck.”
Picking up my cell phone from the desk, I swiped it on and called the owner of the case’s contents – my friend of nearly fifteen years, Ronan Volk. The phone rang a couple of times before he picked up.
“Is it done?” he asked.
“It is, but there were some… complications.”
“I see.”
I recounted the entire story to him, including the fact we’d made a goddamn mess of the scene.
Concluding, I added, “Even so, I’ve been assured that the area was scrubbed clean.”
“What do you mean ‘assured’? You weren’t there?”
“I’m getting to that…”
Ronan paused for a moment. “All right. What about Malcolm? Does he have any idea the case has been intercepted?”
Exhaling, I walked around the side of my desk and dragged my fingers through my hair. “There’s no telling with him. You of all people should know that, Ronan. I’ll just say this -- it won’t be long before he does. After all, the list of possible suspects here is really fucking short.”
Ronan grumbled in agreement. “You were going to mention something else? Something about the reason why you weren’t there?”
“Well, like I told you, there were three confirmed kills, one survivor. It was a woman, the fiancée of the deliveryman, Todd.”
“Fuck. That’s all we need.”
By now, I’d settled into a steady rhythm of steps back and forth across my office, winding up next to the window.
I looked outside. “Yeah, it’s not ideal, that’s for sure.”
“Who is she? Do you know anything about her?”
I told Ronan everything I’d discovered about Tempest. Considering the situation, I expected him to be concerned. He was.
“Where is she?”
“She’s here, at my estate.”
A prolonged exhale sputtered through the phone. “Do you think that’s smart? I mean, how do you know she can be trusted?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I can’t be sure but that’s exactly why I’m keeping her under my thumb. One way or another, I’ll find out.”
“What does she know?”
“Nothing, aside from the fact that her fiancé was a total loser. The contents of the case are safe. You’ve got nothing to be worried about where that’s concerned.”
Ronan remained silent for a couple of seconds. “Okay, well, I’m going on record here. I’m uneasy with this little arrangement you’ve got with this Tempest woman, but as long as you’re sure you’ve got control of her, that’s enough for me. Let’s talk about the exchange. When do you want to do it?”
I slid my free hand inside the pocket of my pants. “That’s a good question. My gut tells me that we should let things die down a bit. Just to be sure that no one is the wiser, let’s give it some time, at least a week. Can you wait that long?”
“Do I have a choice?”
I chuckled. “What do you think?”
“I think that I’ll be talking to you in about a week.”
“That sounds good. Let’s chat again in a few days and firm things up.”
Soon after, I pulled the phone away from my ear and disconnected the call. That was the third person in a row to question my decision about keeping Tempest here with me.
It’s not like I didn’t respect the opinions. I did. At the same time, years of struggle in business, making tough choices twenty-four hours a day, taught me to trust my instincts. Turning away from the window, I looked towards my office door.
Not far away, Tempest would be asleep soon in one of the guestrooms.
I thought back to earlier that night when I stopped her from running, grabbing her and pulling her into my arms. One of my men even stepped in and offered to carry her for me.
There was no fucking way that was happening.
I was the one who held her close, all the way to the helicopter and then from there into my office. Her angelic face, strawberry blonde hair, brilliant blue eyes, and perfect body stoked my desire. But more than anything, it was her bravery at the scene and her courage here that really made me want to get to know more.
I hadn’t planned on having these feelings, but now there was no way I would turn back, not until I figured out where they would lead.
3
New Reality (Tempest)
I lost track of time. After that first night, exhaustion got the better of me. Days came and went, but I didn’t have the energy or stamina to even get out of bed. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so much my entire life. On the morning of what I guessed was the fourth day, I woke up, my head pounding again.
I sat up, propping myself up on my elbows and looking down at my clothing.
What the hell?
Somehow or another I’d been dressed in a pair of silk pajamas. I had no idea how I got into them or where they came from. Maybe Oksana put them on me. Hell, maybe I did it myself. It occurred to me my own clothes were missing. For the time being, I didn’t care. With a groan, I pushed myself up and got out of the bed. However, no sooner did my feet hit the floor than another throbbing of pain shot between my ears.
I winced. “Fuck.”
Walking over towards the bedroom windows, I hooked my fingers inside of the blackout blinds. Just beyond them, the bright light of the noonday Las Vegas sun shined with intensity. Squinting, I pulled the blinds back, hoping to figure out where in the hell I was. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust, but after blinking them into focus I scanned the horizon.
The Strip loomed in the distance. I figured I was about twenty miles away, probably somewhere in Summerlin. That would put my apartment a little more than ten miles from Dorian’s estate. Looking away from the window, I glanced towards the bedroom door. Was it stupid to think that I could actually escape?
Probably.
I turned and looked out the window again. There wouldn’t be anyone looking for me, not until my vacation time was over. Of course, I was supposed to visit my dad on the trip with Todd but that didn’t happen. I’m sure he was probably worried sick about me. However, being in jail himself, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
I let go of the blinds and pivoted, walking back towards the bed once again. I hadn’t missed a single monthly visitation with him since he got locked up. It had been almost three years now. Ever since mom died and he got convicted, we were all each other had in the entire world. I sat down on the edge of the bed, shaking my head.