BOOK FOUR in THE GUARDIAN'S SERIES
Book One: A Guardian's Touch, Book Two: A Guardian's Love, Book Three: A Guardian's Passion
Disclaimer See Part 1
Feedback: Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, so feel free to drop a line or two at steinwillard80@gmail.com .
PART 6
Chapter 11
A bottle of water miraculously appeared from nowhere and was pushed into her shaking hand. Jessica quickly unscrewed the bottle and gulped it down thirstily. After taking a full breath, she looked up and her eyes were a dark stormy grey as they skewered Howard.
“Once we are downstairs, I promise I'll kill you. No, first I'll kick your ass in front of that beautiful fraulein you've been making eyes at the whole afternoon and then I'll kill you.”
Howard shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling merrily.
“You knew I didn't want to do this but you pulled rank over me and gave me no choice. I had to find a way of getting back at you.” He swirled on his heels , his arms spread wide, encompassing the Cologne skyline. “This is it.”
Jessica bent over from the waist down, still struggling to control her ragged breathing.
“I suspected as much. You are quite predictable Howard,” she wheezed and took another sip of water.
Laughing, Howard wandered off to enjoy the panoramic view of Cologne and left her there, still gasping for breath. She's going to fire his ass as soon as she touched ground again. Her lungs felt like they wanted to cram out through her mouth. She really needed to find time to go to the gym again and cut back on her alcohol consumption. This morning she woke up with the mother of all hangovers and thought about calling off the sight-seeing tour but Howard wanted nothing of that, insisting that because of her he had to change his plans and wasn't going to wander around the city alone. She looked up to see where he was but instead her eyes were drawn to the tall woman standing a few feet from her.
What the hell was she doing here?! The green eyes stared back at her with an expression of mild amusement. If she'd climbed the 2 000 steps up here, it didn't show at all. She looked crisp and composed as always in a flowing white linen pantsuit, expensive shades clutched in a well-manicured hand.
“Is there an elevator somewhere that I don't know about?” she mumbled with a frown and smiled when Trinity grinned at her. She didn't look too intimidating when she smiled, Jessica thought. In fact, she looked very young and even sexier with her laughing green eyes.
“I'm into extreme sports and work out a lot. These stairs were a piece of cake for me.”
“It shows.” She looked around pointedly and Trinity followed her gaze.
“She's not here. Someone fed her gin last night and I left her in bed to sleep it off,” she said softly and from the look in Trinity's eyes, Jessica knew that she knew who the culprit was.
“That person should be shot,” Jessica said dryly, not meeting the green eyed stare.
This time Trinity burst out laughing, drawing several eyes to them and Jessica stared at the woman, dumbfounded by the transformation. If this was how she was with Gabriella then she understood fully why Gabriella was crazy about the woman. No other woman stood a chance.
Howard came over to where they were, his blue eyes darting between the two of them and Jessica quickly made introductions. Soon after the introductions, Trinity reminded her of their date tonight and excused herself. She couldn't help following the tall woman with her eyes as she walked away. Damn! She turned to Howard and smiled when she saw the smitten look on his face as he too followed Trinity with his eyes.
“Howard…” When she didn't receive a response, she grabbed his chin and turned his head so he was facing her.
“What a woman!” He gushed. “Are you going out with her tonight? Like on a date?” Howard asked, his blue eyes turning back to follow the tall figure of Trinity as she made her way to the exit leading to the narrow staircase.
Jessica smiled. There was nothing wrong with Howard's taste in women; he knew a jewel when he saw one.
“Yes and no.”
“Which is it? Yes, you're going on a date with her or no, you are going to stay in your hotel room tonight raiding the mini bar and watch TV?”
Howard knew her too well and she wasn't sure she liked that. She'd never been a creature of habit until after her breakup with Gabriella. It had taken her a while to realize that Gabriella was the one who brought stability and routine to the relationship whereas she was the impulsive one. Too late she'd came to the realization that she actually wanted the stability their relationship offered her.
Howard's exasperated sigh brought her out of her reverie.
“Yes, I'm going out with her and her girlfriend tonight.”
Howard look dejected at the mention of the girlfriend.
“For a while there I thought you'd finally met someone again. She's amazing.”
“Gabriella seems to think so too, because she's engaged to her.”
Howard's mouth fell open.
“And you don't mind going out with them, knowing that you still have feelings for Gabriella?”
“I had feelings for Gabriella. We are just friends now.”
“Then why haven't you been out on a date in the past four years?”
Jessica took a sip of water.
“Because I wasn't ready to date again … which I am now, by the way.”
Howard nodded his approval and grabbed her hand.
“Please try and find someone like Trinity. Sexy and mysterious with a hint of that…that thing that clings to Trinity. It's very attractive.”
Jessica couldn't help seeing two dark brown eyes popping up in her mind. Maybe she had already found her.
“I'll try my best, Howard. Now let's get down there and go find a nice place where we can have lunch. I'm famished.”
“As long as you're picking up the tab.”
“It never even crossed my mind that you might want to pay for lunch, Howie.”
“Good. As long as we're clear on that.” Howard said and walked to the exit. “What are you still waiting for? Let's go ! ”
*************************************
Irmgard Stroller's face was unreadable as she listened attentively. She reminded Tahlia of John, who was now retired and living his last years out with his children and grandchildren. He was instrumental in the appointment of Irmgard as head of the Consortium office in Germany. In her late forties and with extensive military training, Irmgard climbed the ranks fast. She served as a Lieutenant in the GSG-9 before leaving to join the clandestine Consortium team as the head of a deadly group of human vampire hunters. She was promoted to Head of Security soon afterwards, making her an executive member of the agency and was handpicked for the position she was filling now.
“ Its really is a big setback for us. How are we going to monitor her movements without her noticing? She is very dangerous.”
Tahlia turned to Paloma. “Since she's not aware that we know that she's gone rogue, we will pretend as if nothing's wrong. It will make it easier to monitor her while she's still an active member of our team. Our sources say that she is operating alone at the moment but is keen to start her own renegade group or join an existing one.” Paloma looked at each and everyone around the table. “She's highly trained and shouldn't be taken on by anyone. Since Jonas has been her mentor for the past three years, the two of us will monitor her and take her out when the time is right.”
There were nods all around the table at the suggestion.
“How can we assist?” Irmgard asked.
“We would like you to keep tracking Mary. We need to catch her and neutralize her army. She's becoming too elusive and powerful. We need to stop her; fast.”
Irmgard nodded.
“That will be no problem. I'll send out two units immediately.”
“Then it's all settled. Meeting adjourned.”
As soon as they were alone, Paloma felt under the table and found what she expected to find.
<Just as we thought. The room is bugged. Whoever is listening in must be somewhere near. Do you want us to find them?>
<Let's give it a few days. I want the news to circulate for a while, to make it more convincing. What we need to do now is to let these people think their scheme has not been detected. They will eventually lead us to Mary.> Tahlia's black eyes hardened suddenly and started to glitter with menace. < When the time is right we will clean out the agency once and for all.>
At hearing Tahlia's deadly tone, Jemima slowly came to her feet. Tahlia knew that that was a subtle warning from Jemima that her temper was slipping and that Jemima was trying to get her away from there and in an environment where she could cool down. She took a deep breath and calmly followed her wife out the door, knowing that the others were following on her heels.
__________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 12
The music was ear-deafening and one look at Trinity's face told her that they weren't going to stay long. The green eyes scanned over the dancing crowd and back at Gabriella. Jessica couldn't help but laugh at the horrified expression on Trinity's face. Even Gabriella was struggling to keep her amusement in check at her partner's reaction.
It was while they were standing there that a young woman walked up to Trinity and started to dance, rubbing her scantily-clad body provocatively against the tall redhead. The green eyes froze in abject horror and Jessica saw Gabriella's eyes narrowing slightly.
Oops…The situation needs saving. She quickly stepped in and pulled the girl away from Trinity. These places were hotspots for the paparazzi and she didn't want Gabriella's face plastered on every tabloid just because she tried to warn off the woman. Gabriella was too classy for that. She on the other hand was tabloid fodder and knew how to neutralize the paparazzi threat. She saw the relief in Gabriella's eyes and even Trinity looked suspiciously close to hugging her out of gratitude.
“Let's go, I know of a nice place not far from here.”
She took them to the lesbian bar she'd been at the previous night and was glad when she found that the bar was not as packed as last night. On the small dimly lit stage, a woman was singing a slow, melancholic song in a deep husky voice. She turned to her companions to see if they approved of the venue. Both Gabriella and Trinity nodded quickly and together they went in search of a table. A waitress came over to take their orders and while they waited for their drinks, they took the time to listen to the music.
“Why didn't we just come here straight away?” Trinity asked and Gabriella smiled up at her.
“Because the guy at reception recommended the club, probably thinking we were some crazy tourists hoping to explore the raunchier side of Cologne.”
Trinity shook her head, disgust clearly on her face as she turned to Jessica.
“How did you find this place?”
“A friend recommended it to me and I was here last night to try it out. It wasn't too bad.”
“The atmosphere is nice and the clientele is more … mature … than at the other place.” Gabriella said as she looked around. “I take it you were coming from here when I bumped into you last night?” Jessica nodded and looked up as the waitress placed their drink orders in front of them.
“Yes.”
“And?” Gabriella probed her gently. “Didn't you meet someone?”
Before she could form a reply, Trinity came to her rescue, darting a sharp look Gabriella's way.
“That's private,” she said softly and took Gabriella's hand in hers. “If she had met someone she would've volunteered the information, don't you think.”
Gabriella pulled a face at Trinity and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before addressing Jessica again.
“But I want to know,” she said in a whining tone and Jessica smiled faintly at the resigned expression on Trinity's face. Gabriella was very stubborn and didn't yield easily.
“No. Probably because I wasn't looking for someone.”
Gabriella muttered something in Spanish and took a sip from her wine.
“How do you expect to meet someone if you keep on telling yourself that you're not ready to allow anyone in?” She turned her amber gaze on Trinity. “What do you think?”
Jessica was surprised to find that Trinity's steady green eyes were resting on her the whole time while Gabriella was harassing her. “I would firstly like to apologize for Gabriella's rudeness but I would also like to know why you're not interested in dating again.”
Jessica looked at the two women over the rim of her glass. Trinity never struck her as the matchmaking type. She seemed to be too … too … practical to fit into that category. She placed the glass down slowly and jumped slightly when a soft hand landed on her shoulder.
“Nice to see you back here again,” a woman's voice said behind her and she turned in her chair. It was the girl from last night. What was her name again? Anne? The girl's blue eyes smiled down into hers. “You weren't that drunk. It's me Annika.”
She quickly came to her feet and brushed the girl's cheek with her lips. When she stood back to introduce her to Gabriella and Trinity, she found them both staring at her with anticipation. Now they have gotten the wrong idea, she thought and groaned inwardly. She quickly introduced them and Gabriella gestured to the waitress, who quickly came over.
“What can we order for you, Annika?” she asked sweetly and Jessica stared back at her pointedly.
“Thank you very much but I'm here with a group and I just came over to greet Jessica.” She turned to look at Jessica with her soulful blue eyes and smiled. “I'll come and check up on you again later.” She nodded to Gabriella and Trinity and walked away to rejoin her group.
“What a nice girl,” Gabriella gushed and Jessica rolled her eyes at her.
“We shared a table last night and that's how we got acquainted. Just for the record, she's not my type.”
Gabriella smiled slyly. “How do you know if you haven't asked her out on a date yet?”
“That will never happen. I'm leaving for New York in a few days time and she's based here for a few more years. I don't want to give her hope.” Even as she said it, the loneliness in her eyes touched the other two women.
Trinity came to her feet and held her hand out to Gabriella.
“You're harassing Jessica. Let's go dance for a while.” She didn't wait for Gabriella to answer instead she dragged her out of her chair and they made it over to the small dimly lit dance floor.
Jessica turned in her chair and watched them moving together to the beat of the music. They looked good together. Trinity was holding Gabriella tightly against her body and with every step her tall body was brushing lightly against Gabriella's. She missed that…that feeling of familiarity amongst partners, when their bodies recognized each others. She took a long gulp from her drink and signaled for the waitress to bring her another.
Tonight was going to be another lonely night in a big cold bed. The waitress brought the drink over and she immediately took a sip. There was another couple on the dance floor but they didn't draw as much attention as Gaby and Trinity did. All eyes were resting enviously on the two sexy women who danced closely, their bodies brushing and bumping into each other's sensuously. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. What a mess she's made of her life. She looked over to where Annika and her friends sat. Their drinks had just arrived and she winced inwardly at the lethal looking shooters . Annika picked up her glass and threw back the contents, sputtering as she replaced the now empty glass.
Gutsy girl, Jessica thought and looked more closely at the girl. She was quite pretty with her dark auburn locks and sky blue eyes. Her body was nice too. Tall and slender. Maybe she could try and talk her into accompanying her to her room later tonight. She really liked the girl and maybe that'll be what she'll need to break the curse when she try to make love to her tonight. The girl looked up and smiled at her and Jessica grinned back lifting her glass. Yes, maybe she …
“Would you like to dance?” A husky voice suddenly asked behind her, startling her. Irritated by the interruption into her thoughts…hell, pleasant thoughts for once …she took a deep breath.
Though as irritated as she was she decided not to be rude since the person actually sounded very polite. She turned in her chair to tell the woman as gently as she could that she wasn't interested, fixing her face into a fake mask of politeness …
But she never got to say what she'd planned to say. Instead, her face turned as white as a sheet. She just stared and stared, her eyes frantically searching the face before her. She was so scared the vision would disappear any moment now and then she will lose the chance to engrave the beautiful face into her mind.
She was as beautiful as that first night she had met her. The chocolate brown eyes were still the same, except for a slight hardness in them. She unsteadily came to her feet when she realized that maybe this wasn't a vision after all. They were standing there, just looking at each other. Please don't let this be a hallucination or the side effects of the crippling hangover she'd struggled with the whole afternoon.
She just couldn't get enough of looking at her. Those lips had done the most amazing things to her body and those hands… She reached out and without thinking, laced her fingers through Rissa's. It was cool to the touch and calloused; as if she'd been doing hard labor for the past three years. Rissa didn't pull her hand out of her grasp, instead she just looked down at their joined hands and then up into her eyes again.
Jessica's throat was working hard as she tried to keep the emotions; which was so close to the surface, from spilling over. As she struggled to control her emotions, the brown eyes just stared back at her, hooded.
“I thought I will never see you again,” she said in a low whisper and she saw the dark eyes flashing at that. “I went back to look for you but nobody knew anything about you.”
“You wanted me to leave, remember.” The tone was even, giving nothing away.
Jessica shook her head.
“I was stupid to let you go.” She stared intently into unreadable brown eyes. “I wasn't ready to commit to you then.”
“And you are now?” There was a hollowness to Rissa's voice that made her shiver.
She had definitely changed over the years. She wasn't the smiling, impulsive woman anymore; the one who made love with child-like abandon in a barn. She looked deeply into the brown eyes, taking in the long eyelashes which threw mini half-moon shapes on her cheeks. That spontaneous woman was still somewhere in there behind the pain and anger and she wanted to see her again. Her grey eyes studied the other woman closely, a little scared of what she was about to ask her. She wasn't going to take the chance of letting her disappear again. Once was enough.
“What if I ask you to give me another chance?” Jessica asked softly. This woman was the key to unlock three years of utter despair. The moment her hand had touched Rissa's she'd felt herself caving in, letting go of the rigid control she'd adopted over the years on how to mask her emotions and hide them deep inside. A sheen of tears formed in her eyes and she quickly blinked to clear them away. For the first time in so long, she had felt desire again; raw and unexpected, by just looking into the cool brown eyes. She felt alive again just being in the presence of this woman. There was a mesmeric air about her that wasn't there three years ago and which added to the mystery that was her. “Do you think we can try again?” Please say yes! Please!
The brown eyes stared back at her but no answer was forthcoming yet. If it took the whole night she was going to wait. Rissa looked past her shoulder and Jessica knew instinctively that Gabriella and Trinity had come up behind her.
Gabriella moved sideways until she could look at both of them, a bewildered expression on her beautiful face as she looked from Clarissa to her and then back at Clarissa. Trinity was standing as still as a statue looking intently at Clarissa, a strange expression in her eyes.
“It's her isn't it?”
Jessica didn't trust herself to speak, scared she might breakdown and cry from the sheer relief she was feeling at that moment. She looked at Gabriella and nodded before looking back into the brown eyes. She was so scared that if she looked away from her too long she might just disappear and then she will not find her again.
“Who would've guessed? Clarissa and you?”
Jessica quickly looked back at Gabriella, shocked.
“Do you know each other?”
“Yes. We are kind of related.” She looked at Clarissa and shook her head. “What a small world indeed.”
“How are you related?”
Gabriella's expression suddenly changed and she quickly shook her head but not before Jessica had seen the panic in the amber eyes.
“It's a long story. Let's leave it for another day.”
She didn't waste time trying to analyze the puzzling look in Gabriella's eyes instead she looked across at Clarissa. She was still there and hadn't disappeared like she did three years ago.
“Do you still want to dance?” she asked quickly, itching to hold Rissa in her arms again. The brown eyes narrowed to slits as they looked at her.
“There's no music.”
“We don't need music.”
She gently tugged on Clarissa's hand which was still linked with hers and she smiled when she felt the other woman yield. The dance floor was empty as she led Clarissa to the furthest , darkest corner and pulled her into her arms. The minute the strong arms came around her she gave in to the tension in her body and allowed the tears to flow silently.