Once a Marine (16 page)

She sipped. “Mmm, it tastes something like ouzo. Jack has a Greek neighbor who gave him a bottle for Christmas.”

“Pah! Those Greeks they always copy us. Sambuca much better. Drink.”

“Thanks, Enzo. You’re very sweet.”

“I know.” He waggled black eyebrows above his jarring blue eyes and made a kissing motion with his lips.

BD relaxed and laughed. Enzo had a way of tickling her funny bone.

* * *

Rafi smiled at the sound of her voice. “Hey, sweet cheeks, how’s it going? When you didn’t answer after three rings, I thought you might be stepping out on me.”

“Who is this?”

He smirked at her sarcastic answer. “It’s your ever lovin’.”

“The voice is vaguely familiar.”

He chuckled. “Sorry I’ve been off the radar for a while, Bravo Delta. Couldn’t be helped.” He turned his car into the parking slot next to his hangar office.

“Hmmm.”

“I want to see you.” In truth he ached to see her. He’d thought of little else for the past several days. He’d wake from a sound sleep and swear he could smell the fragrance of her hair on his pillow.

“I’m in New York. Where are you?”

“I got back to LA last night. I’ve got some paperwork to catch up on. Give me your address, and I’ll be there tomorrow.” Jet fuel wasn’t cheap, but he’d fly the Lear. Maybe he could pick up a courier package, write off the cost. He’d walk if he had to. He itched to get his hands on her.

“Dammit, Rafi! I missed you. Where have you been for the past three weeks? I can barely sleep at night from worrying. You have to stay in touch. I mean it.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Sure you are.”

“We can talk it out when I get there.”

“If you say ‘Trust me,’ I’m hanging up.”

“You still got those black lace panties?”

“God, Cruz, you’re impossible.”

He got her address, committed it to memory, and unlocked the outside door to his office. The hangar was dark and empty. “I might need one more day to get caught up with Bert and Joe.”

“Joe? Jill said he was with you.”

That was interesting…she’d been talking to Jill?

“He was. I needed him to ferry one of our planes back to LA, so he returned here last week.” He figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk to Joe before he took off for New York. See if Jill said anything he should know before meeting with BD.

“Oh.”

“Look, sunshine, I gotta go if I’m going to get out of here in the next few hours.”

“OK.” A pause, a sigh. “When should I expect you?”

“I’ll call when I get there. Keep it warm for me, sweet stuff.”

He could picture the sour expression on her face when she answered him. “Like I said, you’re impossible.”

Chapter Twelve

BD dreamed of Rafi all night. When her alarm sounded she was pained not to see his head next to hers. She reached across the bed and touched the empty place to make sure she was fully awake.

She hadn’t really expected to hear from him the next day. It was useless to pant around the phone waiting for him to call. If she hadn’t figured out that much about her “ever lovin” by now, she was a hopeless case.

Enzo prepared a light breakfast before they left for the office. It took two cups of strong coffee before she could think.

After an uneventful day, Enzo offered to accompany her back to the apartment before he left on his date for the evening. “I don’t want to worry about you. I have time. I’ll go with you.”

“Enzo, no way am I going to make you late for your date. It’s still light out. I’ll grab take-out at the German deli down the street from the apartment. Just go, OK?”

“I might not be home tonight,
cara.
”

She gave him a crooked smile. “Lucky you. What’s her name?”

He pursed his lips and winked. “Ava. The underwear model. You remember?”

She pushed his shoulder. “Oh, yes, I remember her. She’s absolutely gorgeous and at least a foot taller than you.”

“Yes, just the way I like it. When we lie down together everything is in the right place.”

Laughing, she held her hands over her ears. “Stop it! I don’t want any more details.” She picked up her purse and briefcase. Outside, Enzo hailed a cab for himself, and BD walked a block to the subway for the next train going uptown.

In the New York custom, she didn’t look up or make eye contact when a man took the empty seat next to her.

“Hello, BD.”

She gasped at the unwelcome sound of his voice. She brought her hand abruptly to her chest. She knocked her purse to the floor at their feet. “Nick! You scared me.”

Nick reached down to retrieve it and placed it back on her lap. “It’s nice to see you, too.”

She yanked the purse from his hand. “It isn’t nice to see you. What are you doing here?”

His voice took on a menacing tone. “I came to take you home.” He squeezed her knee hard enough to leave a bruise.

Pushing at his hand she hissed, “Don’t touch me.” He didn’t let go. BD gritted her teeth and gasped. She glanced around the car. Nobody paid the slightest attention to them. She pushed at his hand again. “Nick, please, you’re hurting me.”

He loosened his grip ever so slightly. “You won’t get hurt if you do as I say.” His hand didn’t move from her knee. “Don’t say another word. I’m warning you.”

God, how she wished she’d taken Enzo up on his offer to accompany her to the apartment. What should she do? Nick could probably beat her to a pulp right here in the subway car and nobody would come to her aid. She struggled to organize her thoughts. They passed four stations. Her stop came up next.

He released her knee, grabbed her arm, and yanked her to her feet. “This is your stop, I believe.” He hauled her toward the pneumatic doors. They were barely open when he shoved her forward onto the platform.

Heart pounding, she tripped. The man was crazy!

Nick had always been controlling, but never had he laid a hand on her. In all their time together she’d never been afraid of him. But now—

Gripping her arm with steel fingers, he led her to the escalator. Once they were at street level he steered her toward the entrance of her building. The doorman stood outside.

BD’s heart hammered against her ribs, breath caught in her throat. This could be her chance to get away from Nick. She stared hard at the doorman, willing him to look her way. He finally turned when they were a couple of steps away. She jerked her arm free of Nick’s grip and shouted, “Don’t let this man in the building. If he doesn’t leave, call the police!”

The doorman yanked the door open and stepped between them as she rushed inside.

He stiff-armed Nick as he tried to push forward. “Beat it, pal. The lady doesn’t want you in the building. Get lost! Now!”

BD slumped against the counter, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks.

The doorman stepped inside. “Are you all right, Miss James?” He grabbed a handful of tissues and thrust them toward her. “Should I call the police?”

Unable to answer, she shook her head and wiped at her cheeks. She gasped for air. “I’m…I’m…OK. Don’t call the police. He’ll leave.”

BD and the man glanced at the glass doors. Nick paced outside, scowled. Another tenant approached the entrance. The doorman opened it for him and glared a warning at Nick. He reached for the phone on the countertop and held it up for Nick to see. He left.

“Thank you, Mike.” She got into the open elevator with the other tenant.

Mike touched the bill of his cap, and turned to make sure Nick was gone. He nodded to BD as the elevator doors closed.

She selected her floor and shrank back in the corner. The man got off one floor before hers. A sob caught in her throat and chest, and the tears began. At her door her hand shook so much she could barely get the key in the lock. Inside the apartment she shot the deadbolt, locked the doorknob, and attached the security chain. BD slid to the floor and dropped her chin on her chest. Her heart pounded wildly while tears of relief and anger streamed down her cheeks.

* * *

Rafi cursed when BD didn’t answer her phone. He was stuck in LA, waiting for a shipment that he had to sign for. His small commercial jet was gassed up and ready. He moved it to the apron outside the hangar. If the courier truck arrived in the next half hour he could still make it to New York by early morning.

He snapped his phone shut, dragged his hand through his hair, and paced. At the sound of the delivery truck, he whirled around, grabbed the package, scrawled his signature on the clipboard manifest, and then jogged to the plane, pulled up the stairs, and buttoned up. In the pilot’s seat, he radioed the tower that he was ready to depart. They assigned a runway, gave him his position in the queue. He waited.

Once airborne Rafi relaxed, checked his instruments and settled in for the flight. He had a stop in Cleveland to leave the package before continuing to La Guardia. He glanced at his watch and mentally calculated the time in New York. Already after ten there, he decided to put off calling BD again until morning.

She wouldn’t believe he was there until he showed up, so why call? After he’d talked to Joe he figured he was in deep shit with BD. It would be best if they spoke face to face, rather than on the phone.

Joe had nearly decked him when he said Jill had a big mouth and should mind her own business. He regretted the words as soon as they passed his lips. Rafi apologized, said it wasn’t Jill’s fault, he was at fault. He was accustomed to keeping his undercover activities to himself, never sharing it with any of his other women, but not this time. Now there were no other women. He wanted BD in his life and she had a right to hear the truth from him. He only wanted one woman, BD, and he wanted her bad.

* * *

Next morning BD pulled on sweat pants and a sweater and went downstairs to talk to the doorman. She wanted to know if he’d seen any more of Nick, wary of leaving for work if he still skulked around. A different man was on duty now, and he didn’t know what Nick looked like. He offered to review last night’s security tapes.

“No, thanks, that won’t be necessary. I’ll see if I can find an old photo of him. If so, I’ll bring it down for you to post here at the desk. I’ll be leaving for work in the next hour or so.” She returned to the apartment to shower and dress.

She’d left her BlackBerry on vibrate and didn’t hear it when Rafi called. He didn’t leave a message.

“Dammit, Rafi,” she grumbled. “Couldn’t you even bother to leave a voicemail?” She turned the ringer on and went to the kitchen to scrounge something for breakfast.

Startled when she heard a key in the lock, she grabbed a pot and pressed herself against the wall behind the kitchen doorway. The entry door banged against the security chain. She held her breath.

“BD, open up. It’s me, Enzo.”

Relief flooded her. She ran to the door and slid the chain off. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d go straight to work from Ava’s.” She greeted him with a relieved smile and a hand on her chest. “Did she throw you out?”

Enzo eyed the big pot she held. Hands on her shoulders, he kissed her on both cheeks. “No, she beg me to stay.” He pointed to the pot. “You cooking breakfast?”

“No. I was in the kitchen to see what we might have when I heard you open the door.” She brandished the pan in a menacing way. “This was for Nick.” She grinned.

“I came home to accompany you to work.”

She stepped back and soaked in the warmth of his smile. “That’s so thoughtful.”

“Get your things. We’ll eat at the deli. I love their scrambled eggs and onions. I need a big breakfast this morning.” He winked and mimed a big yawn.

She nodded, tickled by his true meaning, and opened the hall closet to retrieve her jacket. Her reorganized briefcase sat by the door. “You won’t believe what happened last night. I’ll tell you on the way. One thing’s for sure, the next time you offer to escort me home, I’ll take you up on it.”

Rafi arrived much later that afternoon than he’d hoped. On top of that, there were delays once he landed at La Guardia with finding hangar space for his Lear. Finally, he was in the city approaching BD’s apartment building. He spotted her in animated conversation with two men about fifty yards ahead.

As he got nearer to them he heard the bigger man shout in a threatening tone. “Is this the guy you’re screwing, BD?” Then he shoved the smaller man out of the way and pressed BD back against the building, his hand against her chest.

Shocked to spot Rafi, her face bloomed with relief. But she wasn’t as shocked as Nick was when Rafi grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked him off her.

He gave Nick a vicious shove. “No, ass-wipe—that would be me.”

BD threw herself into Rafi’s arms, and the little guy sidled up next to them.

Rafi glared a warning at the guy he’d just manhandled. “Who is this asshole?”

Tears escaped BD’s eyes. Her lips trembled. “Nick…my ex-fiancé. He says he came here to take me home.” She tilted her head toward the smaller man next to her. “This is Enzo. I told you about him. He works for Shari.” She nestled deeper against Rafi’s side.

Rafi acknowledged him with a nod. Enzo’s clear blue eyes reflected his concern for BD. Rafi glared at Nick. “You’re not welcome here, bozo. Haul your ass down the street and out of my sight or I’ll do it for you.”

Nick shook himself, straightened his jacket, and jutted his chin in BD’s direction. “You haven’t seen the last of me.” He turned and swaggered away from them.

Rafi held up a fisted hand. “It better be the last time I ever see you, you son of a bitch!” He tightened his arm around BD and extended his hand to Enzo. “Thanks for looking after my girl.”

Enzo nodded. His mouth in a firm line, he pointed down the block. “Let’s go inside. BD needs to rest. That Nick, he scares her. He’s a bad man.” He turned and led the way to the building entrance.

Enzo preceded them into the apartment and went to the kitchen. Bravo Delta hadn’t said another word. Rafi turned her to face him. She clung to him, her arms tight around his waist. Anger thundered in Rafi’s head when he felt her tremble. “You OK, beautiful?” He stroked her short hair with love and concern.