Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,49
cupped her breast. His lips reclaimed hers. Fuck duty.
Raised voices in the hallway made them pause, and a knock on the door forced them apart. One voice outside rose above the others and Varik groaned. “Your brother’s here.”
Alex sat up, smoothing her clothing. She sensed Varik moving to her side as the door opened and an intoxicating mix of new scents mingled with hers and Varik’s. Her nostrils flared as she replaced her sunglasses, and she recognized the fragrance of musk and cloves Stephen possessed, her mother’s natural perfume of lilac and lavender, and the spicy ginger and sage combination that was Damian.
The air vibrated with the intensity of their emotions. Fear, sadness, and concern washed over her followed by anger. Alex shrank from them, seeking to find a refuge from the emotional storm that assaulted her.
Varik’s weight on the bed beside her and the protective arm that snaked around her waist reassured her. She leaned into him, letting the aura of calm he projected encompass her.
“Oh, honey.” Emily’s voice was heavy with the bulk of the fear and sadness Alex sensed. Her hands smoothed Alex’s hair away from her face. “Damian told me what happened.”
Alex grabbed her mother’s hands, guiding them away from her head. “I’m okay, Mom. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I was really fucking stupid, that’s all.”
“Nonsense,” her mother said and Alex could hear the half-smile in her voice. “You were doing your job. These things happen. I’m just glad you’re all right.”
“These things seem to be happening a lot more often now that he’s in town,” Stephen grumbled from across the room.
Alex felt Varik stiffen and the carefully constructed bubble of calmness around her popped. “Varik had nothing to do with this. We were attacked.”
“Which wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t dragged you into the case.”
“He asked for my help.”
“He’s a fucking Enforcer, or at least claims to be. Let him deal with it himself.”
“Oh, grow up, Stephen.”
“That’s enough, both of you,” Emily scolded. “Stephen, now is not the time for you to launch into an anti-Varik campaign. If you can’t calm yourself, then you can wait outside in the car.”
“Why is everyone determined to defend this guy?” Anger and frustration carried Stephen’s voice into a higher octave. “For that matter, why aren’t you defending yourself? Why are you hiding behind my sister and mother?”
“I’m not hiding,” Varik said softly. “I’m showing respect.”
“Respect?” Stephen laughed. “How is letting them fight your battles respectful?”
“Firstly, I haven’t killed you. Yet.”
“You son of a—”
“Knock it off,” Alex growled. “Either beat the shit out of each other—right here, right now—or get the fuck over it because I’m tired of listening to your pissing contest every time you’re in the same fucking room.”
“Language, Alexandra,” her mother hissed.
“Sabian’s right,” Damian said, silencing everyone. “We’ve got a body to identify and a missing girl to find. This isn’t the time for you two to be comparing dick sizes.”
Varik’s hand brushed against Alex’s back and his voice filtered into her thoughts. Mine’s bigger.
Stop it.
I’m just saying, but then again you’ve—
Alex elbowed his ribs and was satisfied to hear a sharp grunt.
“None of this even matters, anyway,” Stephen said. The direction of his voice changed as he spoke. “There’s no way you can keep working.”
Alex turned her head, following the sound movements. “Like hell I’m going to stop now.”
“You cannot be serious,” Stephen sneered.
“As a damn heart attack.”
“How can you possibly work? You can’t fucking see!”
“Not with my eyes, but I see just fine in other ways.”
Stephen snarled in frustration. “Mom, talk some sense into her.”
“What would you have me do?” Emily asked softly. “She’s a grown woman. She can make her own decisions.”
“Damian?” Stephen asked. “You’re her commanding officer. Surely you don’t expect her to return to duty.”
The silence that followed was menacing in the way it cloaked the room. Finally, Damian spoke.
“Normally I would agree with you and tell her to go home,” he said. His tone switched to a more formal cadence as he continued. “However, given the present circumstances of the Mindy Johnson case and with the upcoming Tribunal inquiry, I expect Enforcer Alexandra Sabian to fulfill her duties as best she can and in whatever capacity she is able.”
She released her held breath in a slow exhale. By using her title and full name, he had made his statement an official decree. Although her duties in the field would obviously be curtailed due to her physical limitations, he wasn’t going to send her home.
“This is bullshit,” Stephen