Light the Shadows (A Grimm Novel) (35 page)

There was a soft thump of warning before Anna drifted through the bedroom door. “Hey,” she whispered in greeting.

Micah smiled at her friend then gently lifted Sully’s arm off her body. Careful not to jostle him awake, she got out of bed to grab her robe. Ushering Anna out of the room, she cast one last glance at Sully. God, she loved that man. How in the hell had he stolen her heart so quickly and completely?

“I was so worried last night,” Anna said as soon as they were in the hallway.

Micah yawned and rolled her shoulders in an effort to ease the soreness within her body. One didn’t get thrown around a room then expect to feel awesome the next day. “Yeah, things got a little hairy.”

“That’s what Thomas said.”

Micah tightened the robe around her waist then peered past Anna. “Is he here?”

Anna’s cheeks heated
, and a smile worked its way across her face. She didn’t answer until they’d reached the kitchen. “I stopped by his apartment to check on him earlier.”

“Did he get it back to a state of normalcy?” Micah asked as she filled the coffee pot with water and grounds.

Anna shook her head. “I think he’s given up for the moment. The study is in pretty bad shape. He’ll probably have to replace some things.”

“What about him?”

The ghost planted herself on the breakfast bar. “He’s in great shape. I accidentally appeared in the shower instead of the living room.” Her eyes widened, and she grinned. “He was surprised to say the least.”

Micah raised her brows, but decided not to mention Anna’s
accident
. “I meant how is he holding up? It’s gotta be hard to see your child, or at least an image of her, destroyed.”

“Considering all that’s happened he seems okay.” Anna dangled a foot below the stool, allowing it to pass through the metal bar at the bottom.

“You like him.” Micah leaned a hip against the counter and grinned.

Anna lifted a shoulder. “What’s not to like?”

Micah sat on one of the stools while she waited for the coffeepot to finish gurgling. “He is definitely tall and handsome, in a brooding sort of way.”

Anna’s eyes darted toward the hallway.

Micah knew without even looking that Sully had just come into the kitchen. She crossed her arms over her chest in mock disapproval. “Don’t you think Thomas is a bit too old for you, young lady?”

Anna licked her lips then looked away. “Technically, I’m sixty-eight years old. If I want to like Sully’s hot hunk of a friend, I can.”

“Okay, grandma, don’t get your panties in a knot.” Micah’s comment forced a laugh from Anna.

Without a word about their choice of topics, Sully moved past them to pour himself a cup of coffee. His hair was a tousled mess
, and his eyes were bleary. He was only wearing jeans this morning. Micah slanted her eyes his way to get a better look at that delicious body. She wondered if he’d like to have breakfast in bed.

He winked at her, probably reading her thoughts loud and clear. Instead of inviting her back to the bedroom, he said, “Gonna go out to the shop for a while, doll. Got some backed up orders to work on. I might see if Thomas can take a break from cleaning to do a little paperwork.”

She started to ask if he was all right, but after the way he’d reacted to her concerns yesterday, she decided not to. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Nah, I got it,” he said absently as he downed the coffee. He didn’t wince even though it was fresh from the pot and had to be scorching hot.

Micah and Anna shared a curious glance. Micah cleared her throat then threw caution to the wind. “Are you back to normal? You didn’t seem quite like yourself yesterday.”

Sully’s light eyes studied her a moment. “Yeah, I’m okay. It must have been some residual effect of Natalie’s possession.
I thought I heard her rattling around up here.” He tapped his temple. “It’s just me in here now.”

Micah released a sigh of relief.
“I should swing by the office and check my messages. Since Karla is gone and I’ve been a little preoccupied, there’s probably a ton of things to attend to. I should at least check the answering machine and email. Who knows, someone might want to buy a house.”

She slid off the barstool then rounded the breakfast bar. This close, Micah noticed how bloodshot his eyes were. They also seemed a bit darker grey than usual. Slipping her arms around Sully’s waist, she laid her head against his chest. She smiled as the light sprinkling of hair crinkled against her cheek.

Sully’s hand ran up her back all the way to the nape of her neck. Fingers tangling in her hair, he pulled her head back, exposing her throat. The movement was just rough enough to bring a sting to her eyes. He kissed a trail up her throat all the way to her mouth. A surge of desire rose within her as his lips grazed hers. His teeth nipped at hers before he finally released her.

“I’m going to hop in the shower,” she said then kissed his chin. The invitation was there
; now would he take it? If not, it might be a cold shower.

“Sounds great,” he said in that faraway voice that said he wasn’t really paying close attention. Sully’s fingers caressed the side of her neck then roved downward beneath the satiny robe. His fingertips brushed the top of her breast then trailed lower to
cup one in his palm.

The breath caught in Micah’s throat as she remembered the time he’d nearly taken her on the kitchen island. Her hand ran down his chest, tangling in the sprinkling of hair there. She walked her fingers to his waistband then curled her fingers beneath. He rewarded her with a low, throaty growl.

Anna made a noise, reminding them she was present.

Sighing in resignation, Sully dropped a kiss on Micah’s forehead then removed his hand from beneath the robe. Lusty promise shone in his eyes. “We’ll continue this later.”

“Horn dog,” Anna whispered with a roll of her eyes.

“
’Til the day I die.” As he passed the ghost who was still perched on the barstool, he shot her a derisive grin. “Again.”

A while later, Micah parked outside the real estate building. She unlocked the door with her head cocked at an angle to hold the cell phone to her ear. Diane had called just as she’d left the house. She was still visiting her parents and had called to check in.

Diane said, “A cop called the other day to ask about Ben’s whereabouts.”

A cold brick of apprehension settled in Micah’s stomach. “You didn’t take him back, did you? He’s dangerous, Diane.”

“God, no!” Disgust dripped from Diane’s voice. “Detective Brewer said he tried to drown you.”

“He nearly succeeded.”

“I’m married to a murderer.” Diane said with a miserable groan.

“Attempted murderer,” Micah
said in hopes of making her friend feel better.

“How could I be so goddamn stupid?”

Micah sighed, knowing Diane needed to know the rest of the story. “Apparently, that wasn’t the first time I walked in on them. My little accident turned out not to be an accident after all. He tried to kill me that night as well, but my dad interrupted.”

Diane sighed. “I’m just in shock. I can’t believe he’d do something like this. Cheat on me, sure, but try to kill someone? He’s a monster.”

“It’s not like you knew.” Micah said as she turned on the computer. Tons of requests for info on the houses and condos Harmon Realty represented blinked onto the screen. She hadn’t even had a chance to check the phone messages yet, but the little red light was blinking like crazy.

Diane groaned with frustration. “I can’t get that man out of my life fast enough. I filed the paperwork last week.”

“Any idea when you’re coming back?” Micah asked as she scrolled through several of the emails. “We’ve got a lot of interested people wanting to look at houses. There’s too much to do by myself. I’ll set up the appointments, but I need help with the showings.”

“I’m going to owe you a long vacation when I come back, aren’t I? Diane asked.

“And a trip to the spa,” Micah said with a grin.

“Deal,” Diane said without hesitation. “I’m heading back this weekend. We’ll have to look for a new secretary.”

Micah scratched her head. “I’ll write up a help wanted ad and see what we get. Maybe we’ll luck out and get a grandmotherly type who’ll make us cookies.”

Diane laughed. “You’ve got all the best ideas.
”

They spent a good twenty minutes talking about the properties and having a girl’s night out when Diane returned. The bell jingled in the lobby, indicating that someone had come in. “Hey, someone’s here. Gotta go.”

Micah hung up the phone then rounded the desk. “Just a moment,” she called to the client then grabbed a business card from the holder on the desk.

She entered the short hallway then stopped dead in her tracks. Ben, disheveled and
wild-eyed, charged down the hall. His clothes were rumpled and dirty. It looked like he hadn’t shaved in days. Murderous anger danced in his eyes as he stared at her.

Micah whirled to dart back into her office. Within seconds Ben was there, forcing the door open though she struggled to close it. His determination to reach her drove him forward, pushing the door wide and knocking her backward. She stumbled against the desk
, and everything on it shifted and tumbled. The computer monitor was knocked to the floor.

Ben grabbed at her, an ugly snarl on his face. “C’mere, bitch!”

“Get away!” Micah kicked at him, driving him backward. When she twisted to grab the phone, he knocked it out of her hand.

“I’m not going to prison over you,” he growled then yanked her up by the hair. “Soon as this is over, I’m going to disappear. Cops aren’t going to find me.”

Micah’s fingers clawed at his while her roots screamed for mercy. “Why aren’t you in jail?”

Ben laughed, blasting foul breath in her face. His teeth were yellowed and looked like they hadn’t been brushed in several days. “I bonded out.”

She struggled to get away from him. Ben had already tried to kill her twice and failed. She might not be as lucky a third time.

His hands clamped around her throat. A deadly glare narrowed his eyes as he squeezed harder. He pushed his way between her knees, preventing her from kicking him in the balls.

Micah clawed at his hands and kicked at his shins. Dark spots floated across her vision, and her throat burned. Her lungs protested the lack of oxygen while her heart thundered in her chest.

“You stupid bitch.” Each word was punctuated with a brain rattling bang against the wooden desktop. “I’ll make sure you’re dead this time.”

Micah’s vision went black as her gurgled pleas for mercy went unheard. She felt as if she had floated far away, had been removed from the situation. She was dying, plain and simple.

Somewhere in the background, she heard the door chime. Had she imagined it
, or had help arrived?

The office door banged against the wall, rattling the shelves. Suddenly Sully’s face loomed over Ben’s right shoulder. Ben was so bent on destroying her and any evidence she had against him, he didn’t even notice.

Growling an obscenity, the scythe slid into Sully’s hand. The weapon arced downward, the dull overhead light glinting off the polished metal.

Blood spattered across the front of Micah’s shirt and the desk. Ben threw his head back and screamed as the tip of the scythe sank into the soft spot just below his right clavicle.

Murder danced in Sully’s eyes as he hauled Ben backward. Ben’s fingernails scrabbled at Micah’s throat momentarily then slid away.

She sucked in a desperate breath then scrambled off the desk. Fear curdled her stomach. She’d never seen Sully this angry before. Murder danced in his darkened gaze
, and his lips had pulled back to show teeth.

“I told you you’d be a dead man,” Sully growled. The scythe’s blade
sank deeper into Ben’s shoulder. When Ben cried out again, Sully grinned then gave it a little twist.

Snot and tears moistened Ben’s face. “I’ll leave her alone, I swear!”

“Too late, asshole.” Sully’s grin was frightening. It transformed his features into something demonic.

“Sully,” Micah said in a hoarse, pained voice. She had to make him listen to reason. “I’m calling the police
.”

He said nothing
. Instead he gripped Ben by the hair and pulled his head back to expose his throat.

A sickening lump of dread dropped into her stomach. Would he slit Ben’s throat?

Micah rescued the phone from the floor. “Let the police deal with him. They’ll lock him up for good this time.”

Ben pulled away, but Sully didn’t allow him to get far. He pulled Ben dangerously close. Their noses were only inches from each other as Sully snarled in Ben’s face. He said, “Now you die.”

“The phone’s broken,” Micah said then scrambled around the corner of the desk in search of her purse. Frustrated when she didn’t immediately find the cell phone, she dumped the contents in the floor. Pawing through the items, she cried out in frustration. Where the hell was the damn thing?

Sully and Ben continued to scuffle on the other side of the desk. Ben managed to knock Sully backward. His hip clipped the corner of the desk. Growling an obscenity, he righted himself then came at Ben again.