Stefan (The Marquette Family Book Three) (13 page)

She blinked at him. “For real?”

One side of his mouth rose. “Yeah, for real.”

Talicia glanced at the other guard and realized he was the one that protected Creed. She had no idea of his name, but this monster looked dangerous. “I wonder how that goes over for him when he tells Creed no.”

She waited for the beast to say something, but he remained silent.

“Don’t talk much?”

Jerome chuckled. “I’m sure it doesn’t happen often, but then again who knows. Mr. Creed is a different breed.”

The guard came to life and cut a look at Jerome so dark, he should have dropped dead of a heart attack right there. Jerome was apparently not impressed. However, he did quit talking about Creed. They were loyal, she’d give them that, but maybe they were paid a lot to make sure of it.

“Jerome, look, just tell Stefan or Creed or whoever told you to get in my way that I got the better of you.”

Both guards’ eyebrows shot up in disbelief. She couldn’t be serious, they said. She moved to the right, but Jerome shifted with her. The door was like inches away, but no dice. Strong arms came around her waist as soon as she was ready to shame Jerome. Stefan’s chin touched her shoulder.

“Are you trying to leave me, honey?” He kissed her ear, and she blushed. The damn man had caught her.

“Your bodyguard is stubborn. He seems to think he’s responsible for me.”

“He is. Come on.” Stefan laced his fingers with hers and nodded at Jerome.

The other man went into action right away. “Just one second. Let us check the perimeter.”

Talicia looked to Stefan to see if she could glean what all the subterfuge was about, but his expression remained pleasant but closed. Jerome and Creed’s man disappeared through the door. A few minutes later, the beast returned and held the door for them. Stefan walked her out and led her to the car Jerome had waiting for them.

Stefan’s arm curved around her shoulders in the back seat, and she snuggled into his side. Once they were underway toward home, she questioned him. “Stefan, what’s all the caution about? I’ve never seen Jerome so wound up.”

“Don’t worry about it, honey.”

“Just tell me.”

“Maybe when we get home. For now, just relax. Oh, and if you were worried Creed will fire you, forget it. He was a little angry, but just don’t go off when you’re not on break.”

“A little angry?” She snorted.

He looked down at her, and his expression grew serious. “Don’t go outside alone again.”

“I was right. There is something going on. You better tell me.”

He sighed and ran a hand over the side of her face then kissed her. She strained closer, tingles of desire spreading to every inch of her body. All day no kisses and Stefan so near made her a cranky woman in her own right.

After some time, he raised his head, but Talicia reached up to tug him back down to her. For the moment, she forgot about everything and everyone except for him.

Chapter Fourteen

Stefan moaned against Talicia’s lips, and he cupped her face so he could raise her chin higher. He kissed along her throat and felt her breasts pushing against his chest. The smallest of tremors rocked shook her, and she shut her eyes in complete surrender to him. Yet, he kept one eye on the passing scenery. If she saw how distracted he was, she would start questioning him again. He managed to make her forget about what was going on when he kissed her and ran a hand over her back down to her ass.

His wife moaned his name, but he had to pull away. She sidetracked him with his desire for her. There would be time enough to take Talicia once he got her home safe. For now, he couldn’t think straight. Some bastard had gotten close to her on the street, pretending to be drunk. If Duke hadn’t been there, he didn’t know what would have happened. Stefan had never been so grateful for his cousin’s training in his life.

Earlier, Stefan had approached Creed and Damen expecting to hear complaints about Talicia, which he fully intended to defend her against. “What’s going on with you two?” he’d asked. “If you think you’re going to fire her, Creed, then—”

“It’s got nothing to do with that.” Creed sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “My office.”

The four of them had trooped to the back, and Stefan took a seat on the opposite side of Creed’s desk, while Duke and Damen remained standing. Stefan knew he appeared calm, but something told him the situation was serious.

Creed didn’t keep him wondering for long. “Someone tried to grab Talicia out front.”

Stefan knocked over his chair as he jumped to his feet. “What?”

“Calm down,” Creed ordered. “It didn’t look like it to her. As far as she knows, he was some drunkard.”

“How can you be sure?” Stefan wrestled with the decision to go out to the dining room to look Talicia over for himself. However, he had just left her there. He sat close to her, and she seemed fine.

“I gave the order that she’s not allowed out,” Creed went on. “Don’t worry. She’s not getting past Jerome, let alone Pete.”

Stefan was tempted to say Creed didn’t know Talicia like he did, but he changed his mind. Yes, she was strong, but his beautiful wife wouldn’t be able to stand against the bodyguard. He also wasn’t worried that either man would hurt her. She was in good hands while he got to the bottom of what was going on.

“Anyway,” Creed said, “Duke made sure she didn’t know how serious it was.”

Stefan faced Duke.
“Was
it serious?”

Duke nodded. “Yeah, I’m not a fool. I know when a man’s drunk and when he’s faking. That guy was faking all the way, which gives rise to the question of why. I gave him a hit that didn’t do as much damage as I expected. He couldn’t have taken that blow unless he was guarded against it.”

Stefan swore.

“There’s no need to panic yet,” Damen told them. “We don’t know it wasn’t just some jerk wanting to get in her panties or if he attacked her because of us.’

“What are you saying?” Creed snapped. “We haven’t had any incidents in a while. I say it’s too coincidental to her situation. It’s likely someone spilled about who you are, Stefan, and they decided she was hiding out with you. In all the time you played at the club, didn’t you think about being recognized?”

“I did but…” He let his voice trail off. He had never used his real name except with Talicia and Tyjon. The entire time, he realized he was being foolish, but it had never stopped him going. After she and he became lovers, logic hadn’t entered his head.

“But you wanted to perform,” Creed growled. “Singing at Marquette’s wasn’t good enough.”

“Lay off him, Creed,” Damen said. “We have a potential situation. It might be nothing. Like I said, the incident could end with running that guy off, and we’ll hear no more about it.”

“I’m not that convinced. Have either of you considered this might be all in Talicia’s plan? Destroy the club, get a firmer hold on Stefan, and force him to reveal her existence?”

“Ouch.” Duke winced. “Even I felt the winter breeze coming off that comment, cuz.”

Stefan didn’t say a word.

“Aren’t you going to say anything, Stefan?”

Stefan took his time standing to face his oldest brother. “You seem to think I’m some airheaded fool who can’t figure out when a woman is using me.”

“I never said that. You must admit you’ve never brought a woman around. Duke, the fool, thought you were gay.”

“Hey,” Duke called out, but he chuckled. “Anybody could have made that mistake.”

“So what?” Stefan hated talking about Talicia with his brothers behind her back. She deserved better. “I know people a hell of a lot better than you three do.”

Damen squeezed his shoulder in an effort to calm him no doubt. “But you’re taken with her, Stefan. Admit it. Your eyes followed her the whole night, and we know that little song you sang was for her.”

Duke snorted. “Even if it did make her bolt out of the restaurant like the devil chased her.”

Heat suffused Stefan’s cheeks. He’d seen her run too. She fought him a lot less than she fought everyone else, but she still kept him at arm’s length. He never intended to keep the marriage going, but from the time she entered his house, he knew he wanted her to stay. Did that mean he cared about her more than he first thought? The prospect seemed unlikely, but he didn’t doubt it. There was no denying Talicia consumed his thoughts.

Creed rolled his shoulders. “Talicia may or may not be in real trouble. The fact is we can’t be too careful. So, we up security tonight and see if there’s a repeat. Is that agreeable to you two?”

Stefan agreed, and so did his brother Damen.

“What am I chopped liver?” Duke asked. “I was the one that protected your little sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” Stefan said with emphasis. “I mean it.”

“Any time. It was fun teasing her. She’s got a lot of fire.”

“She does,” Stefan agreed. “Licia is an unbelievable woman.”

All three of them stared at him, and his face grew hot again. Creed was right in saying he never brought his lovers around. That was his way. He liked to keep his private life private, and he wasn’t the playboy that Damen was before he married.

They spoke a little longer, discussing the details of leaving the restaurant for the night. Because they had gone through several incidents in the past decade of people trying to get to one of them, Stefan and his brothers knew the drill. They also trusted their bodyguards to be able to handle the situation and to move smoothly through the process of leaving the restaurant for the night.

“I’m going out ahead of you,” Stefan had told the others. “Licia is probably tired, and after all she’s gone through, I want her to be as relaxed as possible.”

He finished up with his brothers, and now he and Talicia were in the car heading home. Stefan believed they were fine with just a few more miles to go, but he stayed on alert and tugged Talicia closer to him.

The first indication that his assumptions were all wrong was at the sound of the back window shattering. Something whizzed by his ear and burned his skin.

“Get down,” Jerome shouted.

Stefan twisted in his seat, taking Talicia with him. He landed on top of her on the floor and pressed her down. She clutched at his shoulders, already shaking hard. “It’s okay. We’re okay, Licia.”

Her nails dug through the material of his shirt and sank into his shoulders. He winced but didn’t move. The car swerved and dipped to one side. He was pretty sure a couple tires had gone flat.

In the front seat, Jerome was shouting into his phone. “We’ve been shot at. They’re not behind us, but I don’t know if they’ll be back. Bring two men, and meet us now!”

The line was disconnected, and Jerome dialed again. This time, Stefan knew he called his brothers. He started to sit up, but Talicia screamed and held onto him. “No, Stefan, don’t. If they hurt you…”

He gazed down at her and was shocked to find tears streaming down the sides of her face. Of course this was an intense situation and he shouldn’t have expected anything else. The fear was what tore his gut apart. Talicia wasn’t just afraid for herself. She was terrified of him being hurt.

“Please, don’t,” she begged. “I can’t…Stefan, stay down.”

He kissed her lips then turned his head. “Jerome, I don’t want my brothers to get it into their heads to come out here.”

“They won’t,” Jerome called back, but they should know. “Mr. Creed didn’t believe it, did he?”

Stefan tensed. “Later.”

“Yes, sir.”

The car seemed to speed up then slow down and finally stop. Stefan tugged his wife to his chest and ran hands over her length to be sure she was fine. In the spot where Jerome had stopped, there were no streetlights, so he couldn’t see Talicia clearly. He was glad because she wouldn’t notice the blood he felt dripping down his ear.

Jerome’s door opened, and he stepped out. Through a gap between the seat and the doorframe, Stefan noticed his bodyguard pull a gun from somewhere and hold it at the ready.

“Anything?” Stefan called.

“Nothing. I think it was a scare tactic.”

Talicia started under him. He felt for her face. “Okay, honey?”

“No.”

“You’re hurt?” His gut clenched. “Where?”

“No, I mean, I’m so sorry, Stefan. This is all my fault. If I never met you, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Shh, quiet. This isn’t your fault, Licia. In a way, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have thought I could get away with performing at the club without consequences. I’m not going to get down on myself either. I can live the life I choose to. If anyone’s really to blame, it’s the greedy men who don’t know how to work legally for what they want.”

“Stefan, did you get hurt?” He heard the worry in her tone, but he didn’t want to lie to her.

“Everything’s fine, Licia.”

“Stop saying that! All that glass, and you were so fast. I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt.”

“I know. Shh. Rest easy.”

Another car arrived, and Talicia put him in a death grip. Then she took a deep breath, and on the smallest of whimpers, she started searching the floor for something.

“What are you looking for?” he whispered.

“My bag. I have a knife. If they try anything, I’m not going down easy.”

Her hand closed over her purse, and he laid his atop hers. “No.”

“Stefan.”

“It’s not an enemy. It’s backup.”

When the other car stopped, men’s voices filled the night air. Stefan recognized the guards he had hired to watch his house. Jerome opened the back door and leaned in. “Both of you okay?”

“We’re fine,” Stefan said. “Safe to sit up?”

“Yeah, but let’s move fast. I don’t like being out here in the opening.”

They transferred to the new car. As they moved, Stefan made sure the car Jerome had driven was blocked from Talicia’s view. He knew it was a mess, and she didn’t need to relive it with a visual.

“Get us home fast, Jerome.”

Behind the wheel of the new car with a guard sitting across from him and another on Stefan’s other side, Jerome peeled away from the curb. “Stefan, it’s been suggested that I take you to Creed’s place.”

“And put them at risk?”

Jerome met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “It’s easier to guard you all if you’re going to the same house. Then we can use more men to begin the search.”

Talicia sat forward. “What do you mean begin the search? We need to call the police.”

Stefan tried pulling her to his side again, but she resisted. He knew he’d be in for an argument if he didn’t explain. “The police haven’t been able to handle things up until now.”

She looked at him. “So you all are taking it into your own hands? Is that what rich people do?”

He didn’t respond, and she flopped back against the seat. Stefan reached for her hand, but she moved it out of reach. Talking to her did nothing. She sat as a statue at his side, obviously angry but more afraid. The look in her eyes, the trembling, he knew she fought her emotions with everything she had.

“Licia,” he whispered, hating it when she didn’t speak to him. She didn’t answer, and he squeezed her fingers gently between his. “Honey.”

A shuddering sigh shook her shoulders. “Stefan, this isn’t you, is it? You’re okay with hunting down people and killing them?”

“I’m not going to do the hunting myself.”

“But you’re sending men out?”

“Yes.”

“Why? The police—”

“Aren’t good enough,” he growled. She stared wide-eyed at him, and he drew her into his arms, this time by force. Stefan shoved her head to his shoulder and stroked the back of her head. “Do you think for a minute I’m such a nice guy that I’ll let a man try to kill you and then walk away?”

She clutched his shirt. “But...”

“But nothing.” He pushed her back to look into her eyes. “I don’t know what’s going to happen between us in the next week or month or year. If you’re going to live in peace whether it’s with me or away from me—” His voice wavered at those words because he already knew he didn’t want her gone from his life, ever. “—then nothing and no one can threaten you.”