He shook his head, his movements a bit jerky. “You wouldn’t convince your mother of that. She believed demons walk the earth. She believed it with all her heart. I often thought she was losing her mind that last year of her life.”
There was something he wasn’t saying. There had to be. “What is this about, Dad?” Jessica prodded. “You’re really concerning me.”
“That attempted theft was a wake-up call. If there was the tiniest truth in your mother’s beliefs, placing the journal at your work location was insane. It puts you in danger. I can’t lose you to that journal, too.”
A thud on the roof drew their attention. Both Jessica and her father looked up. Tension shot through her body. “What was that?” she whispered.
The sound came again, barely there, but Jessica heard it. She pushed to her feet. Her instincts screamed with warning, her heart beat double-time. “Call 911,” she said.
Her father darted toward the phone and Jessica headed to the door. “Where are you going?!” he yelled after her, picking up the phone. “The line is cut.” He dug in a drawer and mumbled, “I need my cell.” Then he shouted after her again, “Come back, Jessica. It’s too dangerous.”
She didn’t stop, ignoring his warning. “Des is outside, unprotected.”
Deep down, Des was still the slave who’d fallen for his rich Spaniard master’s daughter. What a damn fool he’d been, thinking Arabella had loved him. Well, he wouldn’t be a fool again. Never again.
He leaned against the Porsche, one foot on the bumper. No doubt an owner of such a car wouldn’t dare scuff it up, but right now, money and all the things that came with it, pretty much bit his ass.
He’d spent close to a hundred years distancing himself from the feelings he’d felt this night. Oh, tonight wasn’t about money, but once again, the powerful father disapproved of Des. How fitting that Jessica’s father was a senator. Arabella’s had been a high-ranking military officer.
Memories of how Arabella had turned on him when her father had disapproved of their relationship rushed at him. Reminded him of the many reasons he and Jessica didn’t fit together. Just as Des and Arabella had been of two different worlds, so were he and Jessica.
The brush of a warning touched his mind, pulling him out of his personal bashing. He stiffened, instantly on alert. The sensation increased. Abruptly, Des pushed off the car, his instincts prickling. “I’ve got trouble,” Des said into his mic.
Max sounded in his headset. “Beasts?”
Des hit the clicker to open the trunk, reached inside to arm himself, then hiding the weapons at various locations on his body. He skipped the guns. They made unnecessary noise.
“Humans, I think.” He scanned the area and cursed under his breath. With his exceptional night vision, he spotted two intruders about to enter the attic window. “Someone’s on the roof.”
“Backup headed your way.”
But Des barely heard Max’s words. He was already running. He climbed a tree at the side of the house and was on the roof in a matter of seconds. Jessica. Concern for her drove him into action, his Beast threatening to take control. With supreme effort, Des shackled his primal side. Killing humans was forbidden, and the Beast within him wouldn’t care about breaking the rules.
Still, nothing in those rules said Des couldn’t cause bodily harm. Doing so wouldn’t be hard. Even with his Beast in check, Des was far stronger than any human male. He tossed a knife into the shoulder of one man, and made sure it went deep. The man crumpled over in pain.
The second intruder turned on Des, thinking he could face off with him. Des grabbed the man by the shoulders and tossed him over the edge of the short side of the roof. The fall wouldn’t kill him, but he’d feel significant pain.
Des followed, jumping to the ground with animal-like agility, landing on his feet. He didn’t stop to deal with the man. He wasn’t moving but Des could hear his low breathing. There was only one thing on Des’s mind now—getting to Jessica.
As if on cue, she called out. “Des!”
He took off toward the sound, rounding the corner of the house a second too late. One of the intruders stood close to Jessica, a gun pointed at her head.
Des didn’t give himself time to think. He reacted. His blade moved through the air with rocket speed and cannon force, digging deep into the man’s hand in the exact spot that would keep him from pulling the trigger. A screech of pain filled the air and the gun slammed to the ground. Des reached Jessica’s side a second after she’d retrieved the gun and turned it on her attacker.
He cast Jessica a surprised look; he would have expected her to cower, not fight.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” she asked, obviously as surprised by his skills as he was by the way she’d grabbed the gun rather than shivering in fear.
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Jessica,” he said, having no intention of saying more. Now wasn’t the time or place.
The man on the ground moaned, blood spurting from his hand, drawing their attention. Des reached down and yanked the knife from the man’s hand, wiping the blood on the intruder’s shirt before sticking it inside his waistband.
“Get up!” he blurted. “Get up now. And I suggest you use your shirt to wrap around your hand and stop the bleeding.”
The man struggled to his feet and started to remove his shirt. Des shoved him at the door. “Not here. Inside,” he ordered, wanting the protection of secure walls around Jessica.
“Keep the gun on him,” he told her, bolting the door once they were inside.
“Better yet. Hand the gun over to me, sweetheart.” The voice came from the kitchen doorway leading to the rest of the house. He smiled. “Name’s Black Dog and I’m in charge now.”
A huge man stood there, both tall and broad, dressed like the other intruders in head-to-toe black. He held a gun to Senator Montgomery’s head. Two additional men joined him, each pointing a gun in Des and Jessica’s direction.
Jessica remained calm, again surprising Des. Her hand shook a bit but she had her weapon aimed at the man. “Let him go.”
Des fought the urge to grab her and push her behind him. Bullets wouldn’t kill him but they would Jessica. His focus went to Black Dog since he claimed to be in charge. Des asked, “What is it you want?”
“You can start by dropping your weapons.”
Des inhaled and let it out, debating his next move, his sworn oath not to kill a human weighing on his mind. The most important thing right now was getting Jessica and the senator out of here alive.
“Do it,” Black Dog yelled. “Do it or I’ll shoot the senator. I won’t kill him but I’ll cause him some real pain.”
Des cut Jessica a cautious sideways look. “Do it, Jessica. Drop the gun.”
“Do as they say, sweetheart,” the Senator called.
Des felt her hesitation, her concern over obeying what had been ordered, but the gun fell to the ground.
“Now, kick it over here,” Black Dog said.
Jessica kicked the gun to him.
Black Dog pinned Des in a hard stare. “Now your knives.”
Making a good showing of dumping his weapons, Des kept a select few. If they wanted to search him, he’d use that as an opportunity to take them all down.
As Des tossed the final blade he was willing to give up onto the ground, Max spoke into his headset. “We’re in position to move when you give us a go.”
At least he had some support, but too little. It was now evident they were grossly undermanned. If his team was here, they weren’t at the museum.
Des held his hands out to his sides. “You’ve got our weapons. Back to my original question. What is it you want?”
The senator spoke up then. “They want my wife’s diaries.”
“That’s right,” Black Dog said. “The senator’s going to open the vault or his daughter will die.” He motioned to one of his men.
“If you kill her I’ll never open that safe,” the senator spat, anger in his vo
ice.
“Then I’ll simply wound her,” Black Dog said. “One painful bullet hole after the other.” He motioned toward Jessica. “Get the girl.”
Des pulled her behind him. “You touch her and you die.” He said the words and meant them, his vow forgotten.
The approaching man stopped in his tracks, Des’s deadly presence obviously having an impact. He’d lost his soul once before while fighting for a woman. Arabella. She hadn’t deserved his sacrifice. He knew that now. She’d been ruthless and cold, using him for sex, but pretending it was more.
With a clarity he wouldn’t have thought possible, he now recognized the differences between the two women. He’d felt Jessica’s pureness, even tasted it on her lips.
She was the one worthy of protection this night. Regardless of his vow to protect humanity, these men were not worthy of sanctuary. If Des had to kill them to save Jessica, he’d face the consequences.
Des waited for his enemies’ next move, prepared to do whatever was necessary to defend Jessica.
Black Dog laughed, a hint of uneasiness in the sound. He tried to hide it, but it was there. Des heard it, and he felt the man’s discomfort.
“You’re an arrogant bastard,” Black Dog said. “I’d make you eat that arrogance if I had time. But judging from the way the senator is shaking in his shoes, I’ve made my point.” He motioned to his men. “Bring them to the den.”
Des pulled Jessica to his side, taking her hand. Their gazes locked for a quick moment, and he noted the appreciation in her expression, the hint of admiration and respect. It warmed him in a way he’d never experienced before. No woman had ever looked at him as if he were a hero. But Jessica did. He didn’t know what to make of that.
He cut his gaze from hers, comforted by having her close, ready to defend her if needed, ready to spill human blood if it meant saving her life.
Once they were in the den, the two gunmen framed Des and Jessica, weapons pointed at their heads. The senator stood beside a corner safe built into the wall, and clicked the combination, one turn at a time.
When the safe opened, Black Dog shoved the senator aside and grabbed the notebooks. He smiled and eyed his men. “Tie them up. We leave in exactly two minutes.”
Des didn’t fight as they tied him up, confident he could easily free himself, confident his people would get those diaries. He’d already given Max a go for a takedown upon the intruders’ exit.
“Buena suerte,” Des said to Black Dog as he headed for the door.
The man frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means good luck,” Des supplied. “You’re gonna need it.”
Chapter 8
“Is everyone okay?” Des asked.
Jessica sat on the floor, her father by her side, Des across from her. Their legs were stretched in front of them, bound, their arms tied at their backs.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fine.”
Her father murmured the same and added, “Better, if we get those diaries back.”
Des freed his hands and started to work the ropes at his feet. Jessica stared in shock. “How do you know how to do all of this stuff?”
“You some sort of Special Forces, son?” the senator asked.
Des eyed Jessica’s father. “Just resourceful, sir,” he said, pushing to his feet and moving behind her to free her hands. “Your daughter is very brave. You should be proud.”
She laughed, but not with humor. “More like pissed. I knew why they were here.” She glanced at her father, her expression grim. “I knew they came for Mom’s diaries.”
“I hate that I called you here tonight. I mean, holy hell, I wanted to warn you about danger, and I led you right into it.”
Her father never cursed. Nor did he show the emotion he had tonight. His gentle manner had, in fact, been what served him best in the public eye.
“It’ll work out,” she assured him, thankful Des had been here. Thinking back, Jessica realized her instincts to bring him along had been strong. Compelling, even. She looked up and murmured a silent thank you. Someone up there had been looking out for her when Des had invited her to dinner.
The bite of the rope on her hands eased and she let out a sigh. Though she didn’t understand how Des had gotten loose, she didn’t care. Thank God he had, or who knew how long they’d have been stuck here, waiting for help.
Once Jessica was free, she took care of untying her father. As soon as he was able, the senator grabbed his mobile phone off the floor. “They caught me right as I went for my cell. I only needed another few seconds.” He punched in the numbers and called for help. When he ended the call, he stared at Des. “I don’t want my daughter in this kind of danger.”
“And you’re telling me this why?” Des asked, his tone as sharp as the look in his black eyes.
“Tonight is an example of why she needs out of that museum. Out of that entire world.”
Jessica felt as if her heart was going to explode out of her chest. “Why are you acting like Des is to blame? He might well have saved our lives.” Her mother’s diaries were gone, probably lost forever and her father was acting out of his mind. “Damn it, Dad. I told you those diaries would be safer in the museum.”
The senator’s eyes went wide at Jessica’s rare disrespect. “Don’t you talk to me like that.”
The pain that crossed his face laced his voice, delivering instant guilt. Her tone softened. “I’m sorry, Dad. We’re both upset.”
Sirens sounded outside. “I’m going to meet them out front,” Des murmured.
She watched him depart, fighting the urge to follow. The minute he was out of hearing distance, she turned her attention on her father. “I like Des, Dad. Please cut him some slack.”
“Your mother is the one who got you involved in the museum. I had hoped you would see how it affected her life and leave it behind. This man is simply going to stir your interest the same way your mother did.”
Her chest tightened, a whirlwind of feelings spinning inside. “I left the museum to please you and I was miserable. I love what I do.”
Unbidden tears were pinching the backs of her eyes. She hadn’t allowed herself to cry since the funeral, determined to be strong for her father. But this had been a tough day, even in a year that had been an emotional train wreck.
Her father continued, “You never bring men home but that man is here. I don’t know how long you’ve known him, but it doesn’t matter. The fact that he is here says you’re serious about him.” He drew a breath, his lips forming a grim line. “Besides, the real issue is that I don’t want you working at the museum anymore. That world has done nothing but bring pain to this family. Tonight proves that once again.”
Slowly she exhaled, understanding seeping into her mind. He was desperate, grabbing at anything to keep her safe. She went to him then, wrapping him in an embrace. “You aren’t going to lose me, Dad.”
His arms closed around her in a bear hug before he leaned back to look at her. “I can’t lose you, too,” he whispered, his eyes bloodshot, as if he, too, was fighting tears.
“You won’t,” she promised. “But you can’t save me from living, either. And why would you want to?”
“Senator Montgomery?”
Jessica glanced up to see a police officer in the doorway. She looked back at her father. “You might not be able to save me, Dad, but maybe they can save Mom’s work. It was part of who she was and what made her special.”
He gave her a sad smile and nodded before greeting the police officer. Jessica watched him, wishing she could take away his pain. She’d never experienced the deep love he’d shared with her mother, but she’d seen the way they’d lit each other’s eyes, the way they’d made each other happy.
She could only imagine his loss, and the pain of losing the one you cherished most. The one you felt in your heart to be your soul mate. Seeing him hurt was almost enough to make her never want to love. Almost. A memory of her parents strolling together hand in hand flashed thro
ugh her mind. She smiled despite the tingle beginning again in her eyes, happy that they’d shared those times.
No one could walk away from that kind of love. But could they survive the other’s death? And would her father ever be the same? Jessica’s thoughts went to Des, and she wondered about herself—would she ever be the same after meeting him? Something about him called to her on a level she didn’t quite understand. She wasn’t sure what to do about it—only that there was no turning back now. She had to see where this thing with him was going, where her desire for Des would lead her.
Two hours later, the crowd had finally begun to break up. Jessica stood at the back door of the house, a foot away from Des. A plainclothes detective stood with him, drilling him with the same questions she’d heard asked several times before.
“And where exactly did you get the knife?”
Des shoved his hands on his hips. “For the third time, I took it from the attacker.”
The detective studied him a moment. “How’d you manage that?”
Jessica had had enough at that point. She stomped forward and stood at Des’s arm. “Detective. I’ve heard him explain his martial-arts training several times to several people. If you have any more questions, I suggest you direct them to my father.” Why was everyone so damn determined to make Des the enemy?
The detective’s face reddened but he flipped shut his notebook. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Smith.”
Jessica turned to Des, ready to find some peace and quiet. “Do I dare ask you to drive me home after everything I’ve put you through?”
His gaze swept her neck, her lips, her face, and she felt her limbs heat in response. “I consider it my duty to see you home safely.” His voice held none of the warmth in his eyes.
Heat turned to a chill. “Duty?” she asked, shocked by how much she didn’t care for that choice of word. She felt alone. Yes. And it hurt.
Alone had never hurt before but tonight it did. Tonight, a year of being tough appeared to be crashing in. “Never mind.” The words were clipped. “Thanks for everything. I’ll get an officer to drive me.”