Authors: Scarlet Wolfe
Consumed
Consumed
Scarlet Wolfe
Copyright © 2015 Scarlet Wolfe Books
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Contents
Consumed
is the second novel in
The Cassano Series
.
Concealment
must be read prior.
Consumed
is told from the points of view of Victoria, Adrian, Sadie and Simon.
It is for a mature audience due to harsh language and descriptive sexual scenes.
Cover Photography by Ron Reagan Photography
Cover Design by Kim Black at TOJ Publishing Services
Cover Model Ivan Gabriel
To the members of Scarlet’s Finest. Thank you for your friendship and unwavering support of my writing.
Victoria
Please let that be the moon and not some bright tunnel I’m supposed to walk toward. My eyelids close, but I open them again and attempt to focus on the light beaming right on my pupils.
“Victoria,” Sadie, my younger sister, says enthusiastically as she jumps from the chair next to me.
Damn, I’m still in the hospital.
An ink pen falls from her lap as she stands.
“No, no, no,” she whines, trying to catch it before it hits the floor. Failing, she grabs it by the tip and lifts it. “I don’t think the five second rule applies in hospitals.”
“Do you plan to eat it?” I ask.
She gives me her “how dumb do you think I am” look before she finagles her laptop shut with one hand while balancing it on her knee.
Setting the pen and a notebook on top of it, she turns and lays them in the chair she had been sitting in.
“If there were time, I would give you a mini-course on pathogens, but instead, it seems we need to have a refresher in history.”
I rub my forehead. “I’m not following, Sadie, and what the hell happened to me?”
“You’re going to need a refresher on the Neanderthal time period.”
I throw my hand out at her. “Seriously, Sadie, what the hell?”
“OK, OK. You went unconscious today. By the way, Mom and Nicole were here. They came back after your episode. I told them I would stay since I got here late, so they left about thirty minutes ago.”
“What does that have to do with history?”
“There are two Neanderthals in the waiting room. They’re missing their clubs, and they’re clothed, which is a shame, but otherwise, their behavior is pretty caveman like. I guess you have to decide which one you want to see first.”
“Shit!” I sit straight up in the bed and feel stabbing pain in the back of my head.
“No, actually, there are
two
shits waiting in there. Reggie and Adrian. They couldn’t appear more different.”
Carefully, I lie back in bed. “They’re both still here?”
“Reggie checked on you about twenty minutes ago and said Adrian was still here, too, so I guess neither plan to leave.”
Noticing the bag of blood hanging from the IV pole, I frown, wondering who it used to belong to.
“This Adrian claims you were talking to him and became unconscious. You were rushed to get a CT scan. They were worried you suffered from an aneurysm or had swelling on the brain from getting hit.”
“I didn’t?”
“No, you needed blood from all you lost when you were hurt. You should feel a lot better by tomorrow.”
I shift in the bed and … is that what I think it is? I peek under the covers. “Dammit all to hell! I have a fucking catheter. I swear whoever put me in here is getting their asses kicked when I find them.”
Sadie snickers as she stands by my bed.
“How did you meet Adrian?”
“I am undercover at his hotel and casino.”
“Well, he knows you’re a cop. I overhead Mom telling him a story about you riding with Dad in his squad car before you followed in his footsteps.”
I shake my head. “She knows she’s not supposed to mention my job when she isn’t certain of the situation.”
“Considering Reggie is in the waiting room, and there is a cop guarding your door, I imagine she thought Adrian knew.”
I try to recall my last conversation with him. It’s a little blurry, but I think he somehow knew I was a cop.
“Reggie does not seem pleased over this guy being here. Mom, on the other hand … Good lord, someone would think you snagged George Clooney by the way she was fawning over Adrian.”
I cover my face with my hands, but it’s not a good enough escape, so I pull the blanket over my head.
“Really, Vic? That is not going to make this problem go away. When did Reggie fall in love with you?”
I jerk the blanket off my face.
“He hasn’t. He just doesn’t want me with Adrian.”
The “how dumb do you think I am” look is slicing through me this time.
“They beat the shit out of each other.”
“What?”
“Yep. I didn’t see the fight, but the evidence is on their faces.”
“I guess I better talk to Reggie first. He deserves that much.”
Sadie squeezes my hand. “I sure can’t help you on this one. I don’t understand this possessive behavior with guys, but I’ll go get him for you.”
Scooping up her things, my sis leaves me alone. A nurse enters a minute later to check on me. Reggie tries to come in next, but she makes him wait until she is finished.
When he finally approaches me, I see the battle wounds to his handsome features. “What the hell, Reggie? Your face.”
“I’m fine.” Ugh, that tone. He’s still pissed. Instead of sitting on the bed, like I recall him doing this morning, he takes the chair Sadie had been sitting in.
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” he says.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. He pursued me, and I couldn’t resist.” I finally get the nerve to glance over at him.
Shaking his head, he huffs. “Couldn’t, huh?”
“OK, I was able to at first, but then I didn’t want to.”
“I was going to say, you didn’t have any trouble telling me no after–well, after our one night together.” Reggie gazes toward the door.
“We’re partners, Reg.”
After a long minute, he comes and sits on the side of the bed. His hand cups my cheek, and he gazes at me with the adoration I saw in his eyes this morning.
“We don’t have to be, Victoria. We can change partners and see if there’s a future for us. I know you feel something for me. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about the possibility of us being together.”
I swallow, unsure of what I’m thinking or feeling.
“Reggie, we both agreed that drunken night was a mistake.”
“I only felt it was a mistake because of our jobs, no other reason.”
I pull his hand down from my face and shake my head.
“I can’t do this right now. I can’t even think clearly.”
Slipping his hand from mine, he brings my palm to my chest. “Don’t think, Vic, feel. What is your heart telling you to do? I know you. If you think about it, you likely won’t give either one of us a chance.”
Leaning over, Reggie presses his lips to my forehead. There is no way I can tell him right now that Adrian and I already made a commitment to each other.
The thought of Reg not being a significant part of my life crushes me, so what does that mean?
“I’ll check on you tomorrow morning.”
“Goodnight, Reggie, and thank you for being here,” I say as he walks toward the door. It was never said, but I believe I’ve been given an ultimatum. I have this uneasy feeling his friendship and love are a package deal.
Adrian
I thought the pain of waiting for Victoria to wake up was the worst I would experience today, but I was wrong.
When Sadie walked in and told Reggie that her sister had woken up and wanted to speak to him first, I felt like my heart was being split in two. What are her intentions?
Once Reggie and I had calmed down after our fight today, we came to a temporary truce. Neither of us will breathe a word to Victoria about knowing the other until we see how this unfolds.
I should’ve known he liked her. He gave way too many orders about how he wanted everything to go down while she was undercover at the hotel. He had never butted into my business that much before.
I guess that should’ve been a clue, but I thought it was because it was the closest our professional worlds had ever come.
Prior to Victoria showing up, Reggie had only been hired to do minor things, like tell me when one of my servers had been busted for prostitution or using drugs.
He ran criminal checks and fished around for information when I was untrusting of a potential client for the lounges.
When he came to me and told me an undercover detective was going to be infiltrating my business, his help became more vital, so I made it worth his while financially.
To make matters worse, I knew Victoria’s father, Sonny, and hadn’t made the connection until her mother began talking about him today. This could only complicate the situation further.
Sadie and I are the only ones in the waiting room. I stare at her and think about how much she favors Victoria. Like her sister, she has that natural look. She’s not a walking billboard for cosmetic surgery.
It appears they both share that same fiery determination, too. Sadie’s forehead is creased as she concentrates on something she’s reading in a textbook.
The door opens, and my head jerks up.
Oh shit, Simon.
Sadie
I’m trying hard to concentrate on my schoolwork, but it’s near impossible with all the shit that has gone down today. It’s especially difficult since Adrian won’t stop staring at me. I fight the urge to take another glimpse at him.
What is he thinking?
No, he’s a man, so I’m sure I don’t want to know. The door swings open, so I glance up, hoping someone is coming to rescue me from this awkward situation.
Holy guacamole, this guy is hot.
“Simon, what are you doing here?” Adrian asks.
“I think you’re the one who needs to be answering that. I thought I would never find you in this damn place. Holton had to bring a bouncer here to get checked out. The guy stepped in-between a fight and took a punch to the nose.” Simon’s eyes widen.
“It’s broken bad, Ace. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a nose moved out of place this far before. He will definitely need surgery. Anyway, Holton gave me a call after he spotted your ride in the parking garage.”
“Um, it’s Victoria. She’s sick.” Adrian looks away from this guy and bites his lip. I say this guy, but he has to be a brother. He favors Adrian, but I’m sensing a difference in their personality.
“Is she going to be OK?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, man, does this have to do with her passing out in the lounge? Does she have some serious illness? If so, bro, you don’t need that shit after everything you’ve been through.”
I gasp loudly, shocked by what I just heard. Insensitive asshole. His head whips my way as he acknowledges that someone else is in the room.
He scans all of me like a damn copy machine before eyes finally settle on mine, staring long and hard. I push my glasses up my nose and break our eye contact.
“Simon, this is Victoria’s younger sister, Sadie. Sadie, this is my younger brother, Simon.”
“Hi,” he says.
Thanks, Adrian. Force me to look at the hot guy again. I glance up but then away as quickly as possible.
“Hi,” I respond not so nicely before I speedily shove everything into my backpack and stand. I’m not staying in a room with a guy who thinks you should bail on someone when they’re sick.
He steps in front of the door about the time I reach it.
“Don’t leave on my account. The more the merrier,” he says with a sly smile.
I shove my brown glasses up my nose again. Damn, I need to get them adjusted. “You mean as long as I’m not plagued with some disease that would somehow put you out.”
He knits his brow, seeming utterly confused by my remark. Figures. “Uh, I’m not sure what you mean.” His black eyes are surveying all of my face, and it’s making me extremely uncomfortable.
“Could you please step aside, so I can leave?”
The corners of his mouth descend, revealing a look of disappointment. He’s still staring at me as he steps aside. Now, I feel kind of shitty, and I’m not even sure why.