If Tomorrow Never Comes (28 page)

Surveying
Jordan, it was as though the heat wave of the day had sifted through
Scorpio.
 
Her cool and refreshing
presence rewarded his instincts.
 
Eyes'
devouring hers allowed his mind to wander to the videos of a young girl that
now seemed nothing compared to the goddess before him.
 
A temptress who sent a sizzling message
alerting him to the pleasures he would yet discover.
 
It did not matter that Jordan’s once long,
wavy, pale blonde hair was now short.
 
It
was her, sculpted features, and sweetly rounded chin.
  
Her tempting full lips, lush lips,
infinitely kissable, that not a trace of lipstick could improve, sending
immeasurable tremors penetrating his bones.
  
Imagining how they’d taste made his mouth water.
 
Never before had he known a woman who’s
natural beauty out shined the brightest jewel that surely they would have
looked dull in comparison.
 

Jordan’s
gold, satin, spaghetti strap gown appeared as though painted on, the brush
calling particular attention to a lean rib cage, and sharply curved waist.
 
Its designer had taken great pains to expose
a liberal portion of flawless porcelain skin glowing with a pink sheen.
 
Heaving generous, full breasts pleading for
attention were pitching erected nipples against the material.

Despite
her beauty, it wasn't until within firing range of her magnificent tiger-eyes,
radiating bolts of hatred and disgust that Scorpio became irreversibly bewitched.
 
Jordan was indeed an enchanter taught well
the supple movements of the body, the eyes, and the mouth that enticed the male
species.
 
She’d be a prize to be kept
under lock and key for his amusement and the way his body was reacting to the
mere sight of her, the touch of her gloved fingers, he knew it would be a long,
long time before tiring of her gifts.

Wearing
an insolent grin, his voice reeking with confidence, Scorpio spoke, “Well, well
my dear Jordan, this is indeed a pleasant surprise.”

Eyes fixed, face void of emotion, Jordan's whip like tongue
lashing across his face lacerated it to the bone.
 
“Let's eliminate the bull shit and cut to the
business at hand.
 
I believe we’re
sitting over there.”
 
Tugging her hand
free, she sauntered in the direction of his table.

Staring after her, lost in the sway of her body, the creases
of her buttocks evident beneath shifting material, Scorpio was struggling to
come to terms with finally having met a true competitor for his games.
 
The thought alone sent scalding spasms to his
loins.

There
wasn't a woman in the world that wouldn't drool over Scorpio; the briefest
thought making Jordan gag.
  
With bronzed
skin, black hair, and ice blue eyes capable of drawing the attention and envy
of even the male gender, Scorpio was extraordinarily handsome.
 
The smell of his cologne, mind numbing, along
with his tuxedo, stark white, fitted to a washboard torso like a glove.
 
Tonight, however, he was the enemy and
without the slightest feeling of remorse, she planned to send him to hell.
          

When
Scorpio reached to assist Jordan with her chair, a stiff posture accented by a
razor-edged glare demanded he reconsider, and while he stared in awe of her
bravery, she positioned herself confidently, drew the chair forward, and placed
her purse on her lap.
  

Taking
a seat beside her, a slight movement of Scorpios' eyes summoned a waiter who
poured wine.
  
Lifting a crystal stemmed
flute of ruby liquid to his sinister lips, Scorpio spoke. “Tonight should prove
to be very entertaining, don't you agree, my love?”
  

Jordan's
fingers itched to slap him.
 
Visibly
bristling, with a sweep of her eyelids, gold challenged blue, her reply clipped
and as sharp as shark’s teeth.
 
“I'm not
your “love” and never will be.”

Though
her bile wrenching confidence exposed Scorpio’s pearl white teeth, he rallied,
“Well now, my darling, I wouldn't be too sure, the evening is still young, and
we've only just begun.”
 
His feminine
manicured hand wandering to her lap halted abruptly upon encountering a cold
steel cylinder trained at his waist.

Sneering
contemptuously, Jordan's expression turned stubbornly belligerent, her
countenance giving every indication of a woman about to lose her temper.
 
“If the thought of ever touching me again
becomes as much as a glimmer in your eyes, you’ll be wearing a hole where your
heart now beats.”

There
was no mistaking Jordan’s murderous stare or the deadly purpose emanating from
gold orbs turning them large and bright with repulsion.
  
A smart man, Scorpio knew she meant what she
said.
  
With the thought of crushing
Jordan’s spirit thrilling him beyond reason, he reluctantly relented.

Laughing
without humor faded his grin into a thin, firm line.
 
Flashing across his face was a warning
fearsome enough to make a rattlesnake reconsider.
 
Still, to his disappointment, the look of
intimidation failed to bring a trace of fear to Jordan’s features.
 
“You won't get out of here alive,” he
threatened.
 

Jordan’s
frosty reply shot slivers of surprise up his spine.
 
“I don't intend to.”

Abruptly,
Jordan’s glare pinned a figure entering from the rear of the club each
advancing step making her elegant brows collide, her gaze become wild and
fanatic.
 
Silently, she commanded her
hand to halt that almost flew to her mouth barely managing to trap a gasp of
surprise.
 
In her heart, she wanted to
disbelieve what she now knew to be true.
 
There was no mistaking the similarities, black hair slicked back, ice
blue eyes, and dark skin.
 
Except for
age, dressed in identical formal attire, exceptionally well-groomed Billy was
Scorpios' double.
 
Instantaneously, an
understanding flowed through her as to what there was about Billy all along
that was untrustworthy, and she wondered how crushed Jake would feel upon
learning the truth.

“Sit
next to me, my son.
 
I have an
interesting party planned for this evening.”
 
So filled was he with a wealth of satisfaction that the word “son” had
summoned the reaction he'd been unable to do, Scorpio never once took his eyes
off Jordan‘s melting features.
   

Deciphering
Jordan's narrowed eye's spitting venom and screaming questions, feeling her
intent of murder sift through him, Billy complied despising himself for
bringing that look to breathtaking features.

Filtering
out the music filling the background, Jordan heard only silence bred from
deceit.
 
It wasn't until a woman stood
beside Scorpio, that her eyes' became daggers directed toward enemy number
three.
 

With
a smile full of amusement, Scorpio gloated, “Marla!
 
I don't believe introductions are necessary,
do you?”
 

Unable
to respond, Marla’s eyes fell short of Jordan’s glare.
              

Now
Jordan understood that Brenda was Marla’s stage name.
 
        

           
After long moments, as if a
mechanical robot, Marla positioned herself in a chair on the other side of
Jordan.
 
There was no need for her to
speak the frothing inside Marla could be heard.
 

With
a lift of Scorpios' pointer finger, Jordan instantly recognized the black man
reaching his side in a matter of seconds.
 
“Take a seat, Butch.
 
I wouldn't want you to miss the party.”
 
Looking uneasy doing so, Butch now sat beside
Marla.

Hawkish
eyes' darted around the table authoritatively.
  
“My, my, my, aren't we one happy family,” words spoken through a wide
smile exposing venom tainted teeth.
 
“Only one person is missing, the most important game piece of all.”
 
Obviously relishing wielding his lance,
Scorpio turned his attentions to Jordan.
 
“Now, my little cherub, it shouldn't be too much longer. While we wait,
let's toast the master of drug enforcement.”

“He
won't be coming,” Jordan confidently spat through meshed teeth. “He doesn't
know I'm here.
 
Any game played tonight
will be between you and me.”

Scorpios'
gaze dropped to well-rounded breasts.
 
In
the candlelight, Jordan was soft, and creamy-looking, edible like the most
tempting of deserts.
 
Eyes leveling with
hers, that appeared liquid gold, and surprisingly intimidating, dove to
luxurious cherry lips.
 
The heat
massaging his groin told him tonight no menu would be required.
 
“I'm sure you're quite mistaken, Jordan.
 
You see, if you were mine, I would not allow
you out of my sight for one second.
 
Knowing
Morgan, trust me, little one, he'll be here.

 
Marla, my love, I believe you have a special
additive for our honored guests’ drink.”
 

 
As jealousy gave a little punch to her heart,
Marla's glance flicked to Jordan's then to her purse on the table.
 
Scorpio’s glare boring through her collapsing
her defiance forced trembling hands to retrieve and clutch the handbag.
  
Melting from the heated stare, fingers
hesitantly withdrew and held a capsule. Like a tennis ball, her pleading eyes
bounced from Billy to Butch hoping one of them would intervene.
 
When they didn’t, with disgust and
disappointment realigning her features, obediently Marla dropped the capsule
into Jordan's glass.

Releasing
a savage laugh, Scorpio returned his attentions to Jordan.
 
“Now the game has begun, sweet thing.
 
You see I won't have to touch your precious
Morgan.
 
You're going to kill him.
 
I have a feeling Mr. DEA is just a trifle
smitten by you, and you, well, maybe, just maybe, you feel the same.
 
Therefore, whether or not he walks out of
here alive is up to you.
 

Choice
number one, if you agree to come with me, I'll leave Chicago and Morgan in one
piece.”
 
Reaching under the table,
tugging on a package taped beneath with a thump, he placed the sizable parcel
in the center of the table.
 
“As an
incentive to make the appropriate decision, inside this envelope is riveting
information pertaining to a young runaway girl that would be of great interest
to Morgan.
 

Choice
number two, you can give your lover this informative package yourself or I
can.”
 
Scorpio chuckled, then continued,
“Either way I'll get to watch him die.”
 

Like
the best of poker players Scorpio was bluffing.
 
He knew “love struck” Morgan kept his investigation of Jordan a secret
from everyone, especially her.
 
The
thought of his own cunning swelled his chest like that of a pigeon's as he
watched Jordan shrivel in agony, how she turned ashen halfway through his
speech to sickly-looking at the end her agitation soothing his temper like
nothing else could.

As
Jordan's past stood out in memory with unnatural sharpness, the room spun like
a top.
 
Lapping flames exploding from her
neck set her hair on fire.
 
The pieces of
her heart that Jake stitched back in place ripped open and propelled into
oblivion.
 
Inwardly, like a leaf in a
hurricane she felt herself shake from the hatred and frustrated helplessness
caused by Scorpios' patronizing amusement.
 
She wanted to scream, claw his heart from his body, and vomit in his
face the bile pitching into her throat.
 
Instead, in useless supplication her eye's found Billy, Marla, and
Butch, before flicking back to Scorpio.
 

Jake
couldn't find out about her past, if he did, no one would have to kill her,
she'd do it herself.
 
As the finger on
the hand holding the gun trained on Scorpio tightened, another found and
pressed that misplaced button capable of catapulting emotions and sensations to
the familiar side of darkness.

Mashing
his teeth, Billy forced himself to stay in his chair.
 
Desperately, he wanted to erase the torture
conquering Jordan's confident countenance, cleanse away the poisoned screams
she barely managed to imprison.
 
Wide
eyes' turned the palest blue as he shot a disparaging glance toward Marla and
Butch wondering if they’d remain loyal considering the atrocities Scorpio
employed but they had joined the ranks of many others too weak to survive his
wrath, himself included.