switched on.
“You okay, baby?” Bianca asked.
She was across the room, had turned on the main light using the switch by the door. There were two lamps on either side of the bed; he wondered momentarily why she hadn’t turned on one of those, why she wasn’t in the bed next to him.
“Get me something to drink,” he told her using the back of his hands to rub against his eyes.
It took effort to steady his breathing, but he was determined to get it right. Beneath the blankets he moved his legs just to make sure the damn things still took his command.
In a few minutes she was beside him, extending her arm with a glass. Sabar grabbed her arm because his vision was still a little off and the glass wobbled in front of him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again, looking up at Bianca to see if they’d work right on her.
She was beyond beautiful, even in the middle of the night. That much could be seen, he figured, even if he were blindfolded with a bag over his head. Her hair was pulled to hang over one shoulder, eyes glittering when she stared down at him, full lips puckered as they spread into a smile.
“Serve me,” he said to her because he didn’t fully trust his own hands to grab that glass and put it to his lips without making an embarrassing mistake.
Besides, he had a feeling she needed a reminder. She was looking at him as if she wanted to laugh. There was the air of knowing something he didn’t know as well that hovered over her like a drape. Even the way she smiled down at him was different than it had been before.
“Of course, Sabar. Did you have a bad dream?” she asked as she leaned forward slightly, putting the glass to his lips.
“I’m fine,” he told her before taking a long, greedy swallow.
His mouth felt like cotton. It even hurt to swallow. But there was no mistaking the distinct taste as he finally managed to do so. “This isn’t water,” he said looking up at Bianca once more.
She shook her head. “No. You didn’t ask for water.”
“What did you give me?” he asked licking his lips and blinking uncontrollably fast.
“We thought you needed to get more rest so we fixed you some tea,” she told him.
The glass was gone and Sabar’s hand had dropped from her arm. He’d tasted this tea before, at dinner he thought. Or maybe it was lunch yesterday, he couldn’t remember, but knew it was familiar. He fell back on the pillows as if someone had pushed him. Attempting to turn to look at Bianca again wasn’t easy. His head felt like lead.
“What did you put in the tea, bitch? Are you trying to kill me?”
She leaned in closer. He couldn’t really see her clearly, but he smelled her, the rich intoxicating scent of her pussy filling his nostrils as he inhaled slowly.
“We would never hurt you, Sabar, baby. We’re only trying to take care of you so you can continue to lead us.”
“We?” he said his voice becoming slurred. “Who the hell is we?”
He heard her laughing then, a deep-throated chuckle that echoed throughout the room. Then her lips were at his ear, her tongue lapping along his lobe.
“Sweet dreams,” she whispered in his ear. “Sweet fucking dreams.”
Chapter 26
Friday, 10:38 PM
Rome and Kalina had just finished a hot shower. Their just-dried bodies lay entwined on the cool silk sheets of their king-size bed.
He wrapped his arms around his wife, loved the feel of her backside pressed firmly into his front. As his palms cupped her breasts—their favorite resting spot each night—he’d kissed her neck and muttered a sleepy, “Good night, my
She’d sighed into his embrace. She loved his nickname for her, loved to hear him whisper it while they made love and afterward. He never let her down. Kalina was the other half of him he’d yearned for but hadn’t the good sense to search for, wasting far too much time without her. But now that he had her, Rome was determined to keep her safe. He was determined to keep them all safe.
And as he slowly drifted into the place just before sleep where he thought about his duties and responsibilities and the conflicts that waited in the distance, his cell phone rang.
Not letting Kalina go, Rome reached one arm behind him to fumble on the nightstand until the sleek device was in his hand. Sliding his hand across the screen in the security pattern he’d memorized, he accepted the call.
“Reynolds,” he answered.
“Sabar’s making a buy tonight. You want to stop this war you need to stop him now! RSE Warehouse in Woodland. Midnight.”
The call was disconnected before Rome could say another word. At the mention of Sabar’s name he’d shot straight up in the bed. Kalina, light sleeper that she was, sat up beside him. The moment he pulled the phone from his ear she was talking.
“Who was that? What’s wrong?”
Rome was already dialing another number. “Got a lead on Sabar, meet me at the door in ten. Get three teams to go with us, and find X.”
Kalina was throwing back the sheets, climbing out of the bed. She’d already reached for her robe when Rome grabbed her arm.
“You’re not going,” he told her firmly.
She opened her mouth to speak and he kissed her lips hard. Resting his forehead against hers for a few seconds after the kiss, he said, “It’s too dangerous. You stay and help Ary get the medical center ready in case there are injuries.”
“Rome,” she started.
He shook his head. “No, Kalina. I don’t care how much training you have on these streets. There’s no way I can do this if I’m worried about you getting hurt. I need you to stay here. I need you to do this for me, baby. Please.”
Rome understood her need to work, to fight beside him; he knew that urge and respected it. But she was his wife, his First Female, and he would not risk her for anything in this world.
When she nodded her agreement, cupping his face and kissing his cheek, he realized how much he truly loved this amazing woman.
“I’ll be waiting,” she told him quietly. “I’ll be right here waiting.”
“Caprise is with X,” Nick said the moment he disconnected the call.
Ary had already gotten out of bed and was slipping into dark blue scrubs and black Alegria nursing clogs.
“Then she’s safe,” she told him as she pulled her hair back and secured it tightly in a ponytail.
Nick was already dressed. He reached into his closet, all the way in the back where he kept his personal firearm. Nick was accustomed to carrying his weapon when they were out at public events, and even more so lately. He checked the nine-millimeter for bullets and made sure to put the safety back on before tucking it in the back band of his dark jeans.
“She should come here to wait with you and Kalina,” he said, moving toward the door, then stopping to wait for Ary.
She walked slower these days, her stomach protruding a little more each day. Despite the circumstances, as he watched her, Nick’s excitement piqued. He couldn’t wait to see what he and Ary had created.
“Do you really think Caprise is going to come back here to twiddle her thumbs with us?” she asked, moving by him and looking up with a smile.
