Obsidian Music (Lion Security Book 3) (13 page)

Ember shrugged, and winced, her face paling unbelievably more. “Alive.”

“Are you pressing that damn button for the drugs?” Grigori asked, sounding irritated even though his posture and face didn’t change. “It’s there for a reason.”

She turned her head, somehow managing to pass the cup off to Zane, leaving him blinking down at it in his hand as she grabbed a little cylinder plastic piece with an attached cord that hung off the bed. She scowled at Grigori, muttering, “You’re such a hypocrite. You wouldn’t take them, but I have. A lot. I think I’ve used up all the good stuff.” She pressed the button at the end of the cylinder repeatedly, glaring at it now, and I noticed her eyes were dilated from whatever pain meds they were giving her, even though she was still obviously hurting.

Grigori’s eyebrows snapped together, and he leaned forward, pressing a button on the side of her bed, asking Zane, “How many are allowed in here?”

“Four.”

Grigori nodded. “Tell them she needs more meds.” He slid into the dark bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

I ignored that and went around the side of the bed, saying softly to her, “Seriously badass. You know that, right?” I moved a section of her wet hair over the hickey that was showing vividly against her pale skin, covering it, which she didn’t seem to notice. She grumbled, her face flushing a little, giving her some color, looking embarrassed. I leaned down in front of her, right in her face, so she couldn’t look anywhere else. “Thank you, Ember.”

Her dilated blue eyes stared back at me and darted all over my face, reading me. Slowly, she nodded. “You’re welcome.”

I smiled, satisfied she actually took the compliment. Drugs were good on her.

The same nurse entered the room, and Zane spoke with him quietly. The nurse moved around Ember, pressing some buttons on a little box next to the bed. Ember mumbled, “That’s nice….” She repeatedly blinked, her gaze unfocused.

My lips twitched. Drugs were really good on her.

The nurse stated, “I’ve upped the dosage. You should be feeling no pain in just a second. Call me if you need anything else, Ms. Lerrus.”

He sounded like a total suck up.

Ember nodded, her lips twitching as he left the room. She said quietly, “I think he’s worried I’ll have him fired. He’s already been in here three times.” She chuckled, her eyelids suddenly drooping. “Ah. That’s the good stuff.” Her grin widened, looking drugged and amused, and somehow, even younger. “Grigori even hid—”

She was cut off as ice chips were suddenly stuffed into her mouth. I hadn’t heard Grigori come out of the bathroom, but now he stood next to the bed in front of Zane with a spoon stuffed in Ember’s mouth. She grinned around the spoon and giggled, peering up at him.

Good God. She slowly, very damn slowly, took the ice off the spoon, her red cupids bow lips sliding over the plastic as she stared up at Grigori with a whole hell of a lot more than friendship in her heated gaze, not looking so young.

Yep, she was good and drugged.

Daniil now stood at the end of the bed with a hand over his mouth, resting his elbow on a crossed arm over his chest, his eyes crinkling as he stared back and forth between his son and her.

Grigori cleared his throat like he was hoarse, and I had a damn good view of him since I stood on the other side of the bed even though his hair hung down around his face hiding his scorching gaze from the men. But when he spoke, there wasn’t any disguising her effect on him, his voice at least two octaves lower than normal. “Here,” he stuffed the spoon back in the cup, placing it in her good hand, “eat your ice, and shut up.”

She grinned, looking like the cat that ate the canary, her head falling back on the pillows as she stared up at him, her eyes slowly widening. “You’re really tall, ya know?” She poked a finger in her bad arm’s bicep. “And your muscles are gigantic.” Her eyes traveled down his body, stopping at his crotch, her eyes going big as saucers, and her pretty mouth opened again.

Grigori slapped a hand over it, running his free hand through his hair, muttering, “You’re stoned off your ass. Maybe visitors aren’t a great idea right now.”

Behind his hand, she mumbled, “Nah. They’re fine.” She waved the cup of ice drunkenly. “I feel great.”

I tried not to laugh as Grigori sighed, taking his hand back, muttering something under his breath. He grabbed the ice bucket, and mumbled, “I’m going to grab you more ice.” He stormed out of the room, leaving everyone quiet in his wake.

Daniil eventually cleared his throat lightly, his mouth opening. But he snapped it shut when a newcomer entered the room in an overabundance of color and flurry of rapid movement. The person stopped just as fast with worried eyes trained on the small person in the bed. Daniil’s eyes widened to a comical extreme.

Oh, my God.

Ember grabbed her breasts suddenly, and shoved the right one up, bellowing at the same time, “Stash, your tits are crooked!”

Stash sat on the bed next to Ember’s hip, leaning over her, talking to her quietly. He had been frantic when he first entered the room, not knowing the extent of Ember’s injuries, but he seemed to have calmed down in the last two minutes, seeing that she was alive and well.

That would have been normal if he wasn’t wearing a sparkling blue evening gown, matching heels, and a long black wig, and more—better applied—make-up than I had on right now. Oh, and falsies that gave him a decent woman’s figure that he had quickly adjusted in his dash across the room after Ember hollered at him.

Honestly, I had no clue how she knew it was him because he was pretty as hell, even if overly tall for a woman. And, somehow, even drugged, she had been able to see through his disguise immediately. I could have sat there talking with him for an hour and not realized it was Stash. He was that damn changed.

Daniil, Zane, Roman, and I rested back against the windows, staring down at him in shock. I couldn’t see his face now because his—goddamn, holy shit—long hair was hanging around his face, blanketing both him and Ember. I licked my lips and tried to speak for the third time since he had entered. Again, nothing came out.

So, I went for another form of communication. I nudged Daniil with an elbow and just pointed. I figured that was pretty self-explanatory.

A choked sound came from him, but that was about it.

Guess this was news to him, too.

Fate was really having a heyday with us tonight.

Case in point, as if our night wasn’t already fucked up enough, Ember chuckled, very much stoned, and asked if she could feel Stash’s falsies. Stash seemed to find this amusing, and he agreed with a soft laugh, indulging her drugged mind. Right when she palmed his fake breasts, Grigori walked into the room with the tub of ice.

Seriously.

It was way past one of those nights.

Grigori stopped. Stared. And…his face…

Zane started choking pretty damn bad.

Roman muttered something in Russian.

I was pretty sure Daniil was having a standing seizure, by the way his whole body shook.

Ember slurred behind Stash’s fake hair, “Damn, these are nice.” She readjusted her hands, getting a better feel. “Can I slip these babies out of your gown? I want to see them.”

I had to lock my knees to keep from falling flat on my ass, grabbing Daniil’s forearm for added balance, my lungs squeezing tight as I pushed the laugh back.

Grigori’s face was slowly turning a furious pink, reminding me of a heating cartoon teakettle, getting hotter and redder until the spout blows with a screeching whistle. His plump lips had thinned; his eyebrows were lowered over his dark eyes, staring at Ember’s hands since those were all that were visible of her under Stash, his attention complete and absolute on what she was doing. Slowly, and softly, he asked into the semi-quiet, “Ember, honey? Would you care to introduce me to your friend?” I was betting he hadn’t brought out his gun because Stash wasn’t physically touching Ember; it was the other way around. Plus, there was all that pesky oxygen equipment around that might blow.

Ember took a hand from Stash’s fake chest, batted his wig to the side, and hollering, “Grigori! Grigori! Come feel these! They’re amazing!”

I banged back against the windows, Daniil and Zane both gripping one of my elbows to keep me on my feet as I started choking, staring at Grigori’s pissed off face that altered to Stash, who had frozen in place at the low, threatening tone in Grigori’s voice.

Instantly, Grigori asked, “Who the fuck are you?” But I guess he really didn’t care who Stash was because only after a spurt of a pause, he stated coolly, “She’s drugged right now. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be touching you.” Confident, knowing words. His gaze darted to us like an arrow, his expression turning even more violent, and before anyone could get a word in, he pointed at Ember and Stash, asking Zane, “You’re just letting this happen?”

Ember said, “Grigori, quit yelling at everybody and come feel his tits.”

I snorted so hard it burned like a motherfucker.

Zane shook his head, pointing at them, and sputtered, “Stash—”

One word. That was all he got out before he threw an arm over Roman’s shoulders, laughing it up.

Grigori was already making his way to the bed, but he stumbled a step at Zane’s answer, staring at the black haired ‘woman’ over Ember. His furious expression turned incredulous as he advanced, his eyes widening as his gaze traveled over Stash, who was whispering something quietly to Ember from his position over her still. Grigori put the tub down on the table and took three long strides, grabbing a handful of Stash’s black hair, and yanked back.

“Ow! Goddammit!” Stash shouted as he was thrown onto his back next to Ember’s feet. He scowled up at Grigori. “The wig doesn’t come off that easy, asshole!”

Grigori’s jaw dropped, even as he tried to untangle his fingers from the wig.

Stash grunted and cursed the whole while.

The four of us standing by the window lost it, laughing our asses off, especially when Ember whined, “Dammit, Grigori! I wanted to see them!”

Grigori ignored her, finally getting his fingers free, staring down at Stash, and trying to keep a straight face. “Moonlighting, Stash?”

“Fuck you,” Stash grumbled, sitting up and righting his dress and wig. “I was on reconnaissance for a job when Ember called. I didn’t have time to change.” He scowled at Grigori. “Speaking of which, there’s a fuck load of dead Russians all over your house. Care to explain?”

Ember raised her hand. “I killed ‘em all. ‘Nuff said.” She tilted her head, eyebrows snapping together.

“You can’t be in pain right now,” Grigori stated, his fingers twitching like he wanted to touch her, his face back to a blank mask. “You’re too doped.”

She shook her head, her eyes going around to each of us, a different finger thumping with each person she passed before she hit the button for the nurse. “No. I’m not feeling a thing. I’m good.”

Grigori sighed, staring at the button she had pressed before heading toward the bathroom, dragging Stash with him, who had evidently bypassed the nurses’ station just as easily as Grigori.

Ember held up her hand. “I own the damn place.” A hand flutter that encompassed the room. “Just stay out here. I’ll fire anyone that tells you to leave.”

Grigori raised his eyebrows, letting go of Stash to lean against the wall. “Taking advantage of your position?”

Ember opened her mouth, but shut it slowly, then shrugged. “Maybe. But I want something that will require all of you in here.”

“What do you need? Name it and it’s yours. You saved us all tonight,” Daniil asked calmly. Pure fact that whatever she asked for in the world she could have.

Ember grinned. And it was a little drunken evil. “You’ll see.”

The nurse came in, and with one look from Ember, he kept his mouth shut, asking her what she needed. She motioned for him to come over, grabbing the front of his scrubs, making him bend down so she could whisper in his ear. Whatever she said to him, his eyes closed, but when he stood back up, he was all business, smiling.

She said, “Don’t forget. Seven of them. It shouldn’t take that long to find.”

Abruptly, the mayor and his wife were in the room, wearing pajamas. Extremely expensive, nice ones, but still pajamas all the same. I cocked my head. At least, they were pants and a button down shirt for both of them. Also, in black, so it wasn’t so noticeable.

The mayor rushed to Ember. “Dr. Benedict called. What happened?”

Ember smiled a little, putting a fist up in the air, her head listing to the side. “I killed a zillion mofos tonight that invaded my home.” She shook her fist at the mayor, his expression stunned. Her eyebrows came back together. “Well, it wasn’t a zillion. Closer to like forty-five.” She shook her fist again. “Come on!”

The mayor closed his mouth gently. And fist bumped her.

His wife started talking with Ember as the mayor came over in front of Zane, nodding to Grigori first, and staring oddly at Stash—guess he didn’t recognize him—asking in a whisper, “She’s obviously drugged. What really happened tonight?”

Zane stared him in the eye, and only said, “Yes. She’s on pain meds.”

The mayor stared back as the silence extended, Zane not giving any more details, offering the mayor the chance of deniability if ever questioned. The mayor blinked. Blinked again. And slowly, his eyes widened. Right before they shut down, frosting over, and he muttered, “Good Christ.” Running a hand through his hair, he turned and went back over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and hold her hand, his gaze covertly on Daniil, who was watching him just the same even as he moved over to the side of the room to speak privately on his phone.