Incredible Dreams (23 page)
Ava’s contact stood, shoving the barstool back with his foot. “You can go with me. Your boyfriend can ride with Skeet.” He moved away from the bar and headed toward the door. He didn’t wait or look over his shoulder to see if she was following.
Ava quickened her pace, catching up to him. Two could play this game. “You got a name? Or should I just call you, hey?”
“Stone.”
It was all she could do to keep from laughing. “Stone?” What the hell kind of name was that? It sounded like a product of the twentieth century, something a pair of stoners would name their kid.
“Yeah, Stone. You got a problem with that?” He turned away, pretty much dismissing her as he shoved his hand against the wooden door. It swung open with the force of his frustration.
“No. No problem at all.” She laced her hands behind her back and snickered as she followed him outside. “You’re the one who’s got to live with it.”
Mickey was hot on Ava’s tail. “Are you sure about this?” he said, just above a whisper. Which was pointless. He could take both these guys at once. She’d seen him in action. He was a black belt in Karate. Mickey could definitely kick some ass. A trait that came in handy for time-traveling bounty hunters.
Ava remained silent, and gave Mickey a quick nod to follow her lead. One thing she was sure of—this guy was going to take them to Cole.
Stone slipped a set of keys from his front pocket and began unfastening a small chain securing two helmets to an old Indian—old, even by the current time period’s standards.
She’d pegged him right. He was the biker type. She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for her skilled insight.
“Here.” He shoved a helmet toward her. “Put this on.”
Ava took the gear and slipped it over her head, fastening the strap. “Thanks.” Snootiness overtook her tone; she didn’t care if he found her offensive.
But he didn’t. He paid her no mind, grabbed a handlebar and straddled the massive machine. Okay, Ava had to admit the motorcycle was kind of cool with its black frame, chrome forks, valanced fenders and that rich, blood-red color gleaming against the streetlights’ glow. It was breathtaking, and so was he.
A grin spread across his face as he turned to her and rested his hands on his thighs. “You coming or what?”
She moved toward him at a snail’s pace, knowing what was coming once she mounted his bike. In her peripheral vision, Mickey didn’t look happy behind Skeet.
Ava laid her hand on Stone's shoulder and climbed behind him, leaving as much space between them as possible without sitting on the rear fender.
“You’d better come closer if you don’t want to fall off.” His tone held a mixture of amusement and arrogance. She didn’t like it. “I’m sure your boyfriend will understand.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” As much as she didn’t want to, she scooted closer to Stone. “He’s my associate,” she added of Mickey.
Stone turned the key on the bike and it roared to life. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” His laughter droned through Ava, keeping time with the bike’s growl.
She leaned toward his ear. “Be a smart ass if you want, but Mickey is my brother.” It wasn’t a total lie. That’s how she saw Mickey.
He turned to look at her. “Brother, huh?” His expression hardened.
“Yes.” She nodded. As long as she felt it, it was so.
He dragged up the kickstand. “Well, all right.” The engine revved and the bike charged off, yanking her backward. Ava locked her arms around his waist to keep from falling off.
Humiliation charred her cheeks, but soon her shame gave way to annoyance. She cleared her throat, wanting to cast out the disagreement, anxiety, and doubt.
Loosening her rigid hold on him, she trailed her fingertips to his sides and laid her hands freely against his fine, firm body. Her face flushed hot again, but not from shame, resentment, or irritation.
Skeet and Mickey cruised up beside them and Stone let off the gas, slowing.
“Dex, 4th or Auburn?” Stone’s companion said over the roar of the motorcycles.
Dex? What the hell?
“Let’s go 4th,” Stone replied.
Ava leaned in, pressing her breasts against his back. He laid a hand on her thigh and tugged at her leg, as if coaxing her closer. She ignored the gesture.
“I thought you said your name was Stone?” She asked over the bike’s thunder.
“It is. My name is Dexter Stone. But you can call me Stone.” He slowed, approaching a red traffic light. Dropping his feet to the ground, he glanced over his shoulder. “And what should I call you?”
“Ava,” she said, resting her hands, palms down, on her thighs. “My name is Ava Valentine.”
“Well, Ava Valentine, we’re going to make a little stop before I take you to Cole.”
What? Agitation pumped faster through her veins and pounded her heart against her chest. This guy was supposed to be trustworthy. She was going to kill Lorenzo Leighton, the dipshit that hooked her up with Dexter Stone—if she made it out of this alive.
“Where exactly are we going?” she asked, trying to conceal her anxiety.
“I just want to confirm that your payment is genuine.” He must have sensed her body tighten, because he laid a hand on her thigh again and caressed it as if they’d already been intimate. “Don’t worry, sweetheart...as long as the jewels are real, you’re safe with me.”
His touch heated her blood, flushing it hot against her skin. She wanted to be safe with him, just as much as she wanted to feel indifferent. Stalled somewhere in the middle, she couldn’t quite make either mark.
The light turned green. “Hold on.”
Appreciating the warning, she slid her hands around his midriff and his rippling muscles ensnared her. They soared in front of Skeet and Mickey with the wind chilling her cheeks. The farther they traveled down 4th Street, the more deserted and dangerous the neighborhood became. She didn’t like it, but she had no choice. Not if she wanted her bounty.
Amongst the stone shoulders of the city, a few lights streamed by in the darkness. The stench of decaying refuse mingled with the more pungent aromas of the river a few blocks away. It smelled like fish. The near-deserted streets conveyed a lost, lonely feeling—one that loomed with imminent danger.
They slowed to a stop in front of a pawn shop. Ava scrutinized the immediate area, sensing nothing threatening. She glanced at Stone, tried to read him again and got nothing. But Skeet had this brassy glow around him. He didn’t care for whoever they’d come to see.
Uneasiness crowded her confidence. Her niggling attraction for Stone, and the fact that he may or may not be a vampire was messing with her head.
A sense of urgency commandeered her judgment and she followed Stone around the corner to a side door. Raw desire cajoled her to wrap her arm around his, to run her fingers down the length of his bare arm, but she refrained and counted off three steps instead.
A twisted vamp spell was behind this affliction. It had to be. Confusing it with anything else was risky, not to mention stupid. Ava needed to push it aside, and she’d start by putting a little distance between herself and Dexter Stone. She had to overpower this impediment, and fast.
Stone paused at the door and looked over his shoulder. He turned his palm up and waved his fingers at her, flashing one of those hurry-up-you’re-wasting-my-time looks.
“What?” Ava threw her frustration out with that one word.
“Come on.” He waggled his fingers. “Cough ‘em up.”
Mickey stopped beside Ava and leaned against the building. I don’t like this. His voice invaded her head, even though he hadn’t said a word out loud.
Me either, Mickey. Me either. She glimpsed into Mickey’s eyes. Maybe you’d better wait out here.
Just yell if you need me.
That’s one of the things Ava liked about Mickey—his absolute trust in her direction.
Stone nudged her shoulder. “Time’s wasting.”
Ava latched onto Stone’s arm and used him as a prop. Electrified desire pulsed through her. She tried to pull away, but it was like she was magnetized to him. He didn’t move while she stuffed her finger and thumb inside her boot and fished out the small leather pouch. “Here,” she said, handing him the cache. “I expect you to keep your end of the bargain,” she said, thankful she still had her wits about her, even if she couldn’t control her desires.
“Or what?” He winked and raked his hand against hers, taking the jewels.
Ava masked the awkwardness by feigning boredom. “Let’s just get on with it. I’m in a hurry.”
“Uh huh.” Stone’s tone matched the doubt crinkling his brow. He turned away and opened the door to a dimly lit room.
A cloak of caution swathed around Ava, but she stepped through the door anyway. Lucien used to say that was a fault of hers, ignoring her intuition.
Damn it. There he was again, invading her thoughts. She forced her brain in another direction, scrutinizing the inside of the building.
A musty smell permeated from all the junk on the shelves lining the walls. Glass-top cabinets formed a rectangle around the center, showcasing rows of sparkling jewelry under miniature spotlights.
She followed Stone to the opposite end of the store and gave reading him another shot. The process was a lot like trying to interpret a blurry x-ray, the information was there, yet lost in the distortion.
Wasting her energy on someone she couldn’t grasp was not conducive. In fact, it was dangerous. She only had so much to spare. Instead, she settled on someone easier. Skeet’s emotions still glowed bright and brassy, giving her no indication she should be worried. The man was nothing more than annoyed.
That didn’t stop the blaring alarms and warning signals overloading Ava’s brain. Something was wrong, but she wasn’t leaving without her bounty.
She tapped out a divertive tune on the counter with her pink-tipped fingernails.
Stone stopped her with a gentle hand. “This’ll just take a minute.” He looked at her while passing the jewels to the guy emerging through a door behind the counter.
Ava slipped her hand out from under Stone’s. “Good, because that’s about all the time I’ve got to spare.”
Stone ignored her, watching the guy with the jewels instead. The stranger looked over a couple of pieces and returned them to the pouch. He pushed the small bag across the counter toward Stone and then cleared his throat. “Where’d you get these?”
“Are they real?” The tension in Stone’s voice reached out and knotted Ava with agitation, even though she knew she had nothing to fear—as far as the jewels were concerned.
“A more real gem...” The jeweler shook his head. “I have never seen.”
Stone dragged the pouch off the counter and shook a diamond into his hand before stuffing the rest into the front pocket of his Levi’s. “Thanks,” he said, offering the gem.
Ava’s opinion of Stone plummeted. He was either very generous or incredibly stupid. Even the smaller stones represented a steep payment just to confirm the jewels’ authenticity.
The jeweler took the diamond and a smile stretched across his face. Ava cringed. He slipped the diamond in his front pants’ pocket and glanced over his shoulder.
Uh oh. Who was the jeweler looking for? Dread ripped through Ava’s veins like an out-of-control raft riding the rapids.
Insight exploded in her head and pounded out through her ears. Sometimes her Karellian blood felt more like a curse than a good thing. Especially when she realized stuff a split-second before it happened—too late to react.
She closed her eyes. As if that was going to help. Maybe if she didn’t see him, he’d go away. Fat chance.
“Well, well, well...” Lucien’s familiar voice clouded around her like a stifling fog and she opened her eyes. “If it isn’t Nevada Valentine.”
She wasn’t surprised to see the two guys lurking behind Lucien, hanging on to Cole like he was some kind of prize.
The sight of Lucien pulling something out of his jacket’s inner pocket and Stone stepping in front of her was the last thing Ava remembered before everything faded to black.
** I hope you enjoyed this excerpt of
Staked
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