wasn’t her?” He paused. “Unless you know who did it.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course I don’t know who killed Bernard.”
“You said Siobhan didn’t kill Dad or anyone else.” He held up the page in his hand. “If she didn’t kill these Enforcers, who did and why is she being blamed for it?”
“It was your father,” Emily said and continued in a rush before he could interrupt. “Your father killed those Enforcers in order to protect Siobhan and her newborn baby. Afterward, it was decided Siobhan would leave Louisville and take the blame for the killings so Bernard could stay behind and raise his family.”
“Dad killed three Enforcers? What-what about the baby? What happened to him?”
“She stayed in Louisville with Bernard.”
“She?” Stephen repeated. Realization crept into his eyes and he dropped his jaw. “It’s Alex, isn’t it? Alex is Siobhan’s daughter.”
Tears brimmed in Emily’s eyes as she took a shuddering breath and nodded her confirmation.
Alex’s memory haunted Varik. He stood in the center of her silent hotel room, and everywhere he turned his eye was drawn to a reminder of her: discarded clothing, a bottle of lotion, a book she’d been reading. The entire room smelled of her, and perhaps that was why he’d broken every speed limit in town and ran more than a few red lights to get here.
He stretched out on the bed, sending up a wave of jasmine and vanilla. Memories of their lovemaking flooded his mind, seizing on an image of her lying beneath him, the engagement ring he’d convinced her to wear for that night nestled between her breasts.
I love you, the memory whispered.
Varik shuddered as an overwhelming sense of loss crashed into him. How cruel was fate to give her back to him only to take her away?
Dweezil hopped up from the opposite side of the bed, sat down, wrapping his long fuzzy tail around his paws, and stared at Varik. The cat blinked and looked to the door and then back, as if asking where his mistress was.
“She’s gone,” Varik whispered, his voice breaking. “And I’m not sure I can get her back this time.”
Dweezil stretched his long Maine coon body to its fullest before striding across the bed to rub his head under Varik’s chin. His omnipresent purring was oddly quiet as he circled once before curling in a tight ball.
Varik stroked his hand over the cat’s thick black-and-tan fur. He laid his head on the pillow last used by Alex. “I miss her,” he said to no one in particular.
Dweezil began to softly purr next to him, as if voicing his agreement.
Peter secured the final strap around her waist and stepped back to admire his handiwork. Bands immobilized her arms, legs, and torso. He allowed her the freedom to move her head, a luxury he hoped would be a sign he intended her no harm.
It hadn’t been easy to restrain Alexandra—she was much stronger than he anticipated—and she fought harder than the humans he normally had to control. Of course, the humans had all been drugged, but Alexandra needed to be awake and lucid if she was going to understand the level of betrayal perpetuated by those closest to her.
He gently stroked the developing dark bruise on her jaw. He’d had no choice in the end but to punch her, stunning her long enough for him to lock the bands in place. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted. He brushed his lips over the bruise, wanting to kiss away the pain.
His hands followed the line of her arms, her torso, her hips. His fingers found the hem of her shirt and slipped beneath, feeling the flat smoothness of her stomach. It would be so easy to claim her. So easy …
“No,” he gasped and forced himself to back away. “I’ve come too far to risk losing her now.”
He drew a ragged breath, calming his chaotic thoughts. She was his soul mate. He’d known that from the moment he first saw her in the Shadowlands when she was just a child. Forty years he’d waited for this moment. A few more hours at most wouldn’t kill him.
She groaned and her eyes fluttered open. She tried to move but the bands held her in place. Her attempts to escape became more frantic. “What the hell? Let me go!”
Peter moved to stand in front of her. “Not until you’re willing to listen to reason, darling. After all, I’m only trying to help you.”
“Help me?” She smirked. “How about you help me out