Mikala's Passion (Pulse Series Book 2) (33 page)

***

When Mikala’s phone started chirping from the counter in the kitchen, all heads turned in its direction and Eden gasped as the intruder came into full view. Ross Stiles stood before them in a mechanics jump suit and white sneakers.  Mikala’s stomach churned at the sight of the one man in this world that truly scared the shit out of her.

“There you are, my love, did you miss me?” he asked, with an almost angelic tone and a curled up malign smirk.

The girls tangled their arms together and scuffled in the direction of the kitchen as the creeper stepped towards them.

“You’re supposed to be in jail?” Mikala put on a brave face and tucked Eden slightly back as if to shield her friend.

His vile laugh sent shivers racing up and down the girls’ spines, causing them to visibly cower as they backed against the kitchen table. “That is a funny story I will save for another time.” he said.

“I read an ad in the paper the other day,” he said, as he moved forward pulling out two chairs, scraping them over the ceramic tile floor. “Where are my manners? Sit.”

When neither of them complied he roared. “SIT!” And they dropped onto the seats. “Much better.” He turned away and searched for a light switch and flicked it on. “Where was I? Oh, yes. The ad disturbed me, as you well knew it would. Why darling, are you inviting people into that immoral sanctuary? I thought I told you…no more.” He ran his fingers roughly along Mikala’s jaw and she twisted her head away. The fingers of his other hand wove into her hair and he yanked her head back so she had no other option but to look into the cold empty eyes of a villain.

“Fuck you!” she spat out.

“Oh, darling, do not make me hurt you because of that filthy mouth of yours,” he snarled.

Tears ran down Eden’s face as she reached over to her friend to comfort her.

His hand clamped onto Eden’s wrist and twisted, causing her to let out a cry of pain. “Hands to yourself little lady, this one is all mine.”

“Leave her the fuck alone!” Mikala roared, and she was met with a stinging slap across her face.

Ross stared over at Eden with a disturbing smile. “She will never learn how to conduct herself as a lady,” he sighed. “That is why I have to kill her.”

“No!” Eden yelled, jumping to her feet. His hand clasped onto her shoulder shoving her back onto her seat with a painful thud.

“Not to worry, you will be joining her,” he announced, placing his index finger onto his chin and feigning the look of deep concentration. “Which one will be first?”

“You’ll never get away with this,” Eden cried, as tears stained her cheeks.

“I like this one,” he pointed to Eden with his thumb, laughing to Mikala. “Unlike you she cries.” He reached over and wiped a tear with his pinkie and held it up for a closer look. “Real tears too.”

His head whipped back and Ross Stiles full belly laughed as the girls eyes met.

Eden eyes were entirely engulfed in tears and terror, while a glint in Mikala’s said with a silent thunder,
‘Hell Hath No Fucking Fury’
.

***

“Any movement at all,” Mason whispered into his phone.

“None,” Chris whispered, from his location nearer the house’s front door. “No sound, nothing.”

When a dim light flicked on at the side window of the house the girls were apparently occupying, Mason couldn’t help but be distracted by the sight of two heads clearly sitting side by side at a table. Too far to make out much more, Mason’s gut told him something was off.

“Maintain the perimeter, I’m on the move,” Mason announced. “Chase and J are with me.” He motioned to the pair to follow and they started crawling through the cold, damp sand.

“What are you up to, man?” Chris whispered.

“Need to check out something next door, keeping the line open.”

“I’m here,” Chris said, and the line went silent.

Directing Chase to the left and J to the right, they surrounded the house as Mason watched the window, now that he had a clearer view. It was difficult to decipher the situation, but it looked as if Mikala was comforting Eden who looked to be crying. A girlie moment, he asked himself until he saw a shadow cross the ceiling and Mikala lurch from her seat.

“Get everyone over here, NOW!” Mason ordered, into the phone. “The assailant is inside and he has two hostages. 911 Blackstock!”

“On it,” Chris said, and the line went dead.

“Chase, J,” Mason called out as quietly as possible to get their attention, but not so loud as to be heard from anyone inside.

Chase looked up at the window watching as Eden jumped up and ran out of sight. They could hear scuffling above their position under the stilted structure and then a loud crash, Mason rose to his feet but he saw nothing.

“Move in,” he said, as a scream and another crash sounded.

J ran to the front door, swiftly kicking it open with his gun raised and cautiously stepping inside. Mason and Chase ran up the back steps two at a time, standing on either side of the sliding glass door. Chase tried the handle and discovered it was locked. Mason took the handle of his gun smashing out the glass without delay and they jumped into the room with guns drawn.

Their jaws dropped open when they saw the scene before them. Blackstock was accompanied by several uniformed officers when he burst into the room a moment later, and a grin spread from ear to ear across his face.

“Ladies,” Blackstock laughed.

Mikala’s knee was pushed between the shoulder blades of Ross Stiles, who was lying face down on the floor. Eden was busy tying the cord from a broken lamp around his feet. Clearly unconscious and bleeding profusely from his nose and a deep gash over his brow, the girls grinned like they had taken down King Kong with their hands tied behind their backs, and then ran into the boys open arms like frightened little kittens.

“Going to need a statement from you two,” Blackstock said, smiling at Mikala and Eden. “Pretty kiss ass, tiger, where’d you learn to do that?” he pointed to a still unconscious Ross lying motionless on the ground.

An officer knelt down and secured the creeper’s wrists with handcuffs. He seemed well amused while untying the lamp cord and replacing it with tie wraps.

“My body guard,” Mikala said, proudly lifting her chin high.

“Landon?” Mason asked.

“Yep, he showed us self-defense moves.”

“Remind me to give the man a raise,” Mason said, wrapping Mikala tightly in his arms and peppering her temple and cheek with kisses. “We’re going to talk,” he warned.

“Better be nice or she’ll kick your ass,” Chased snickered.

Landon’s huge form took up the entire entryway to the club as he stood scowling with his hands on his hips ready to skin her alive. Mikala swallowed hard as she climbed down from the truck and turned her eyes to Mason. He shrugged his shoulders with an I-can’t-help-you smirk and shoved her towards her waiting fate.

“Sorry?” Mikala said, as she moved a bit closer to Landon’s angry stare. “I…I don’t know what else to say.”

“Say whatever you will,” Mason chuckled. “I don’t think there’s much you can say that’s gonna help get you out of this.”

“Mason,” she pleaded.

“Don’t Mason me…this is between you and the big guy here,” Mason thumbed over to the doorway, as he wrestled her bag from the backseat.

Mason rested his hips against the truck with his arms across his chest in anticipation of the show about to take place. One angry mountain lion was about to take on one feisty tabby cat, and he wasn’t too sure which one was going to come out of it unscathed.

“If I didn’t think I’d lose my job, I’d take you over me knee and spank you,” Landon said, surprisingly calm behind fuming eyes. “I knew you were hot headed and had a stubborn streak the length of a football field, but I didn’t for a minute think you had a death wish, what in the hell possessed you to go off on your own?” He raised his hand into her face as her mouth opened to speak. “I’m paid quite well to make sure you’re safe at all times, if you had wanted to go to the beach all you had to do was ask and I would have taken you. Anytime, anywhere, no matter what it is, ask and you got it. Am I understood? I’m furious with you, livid, you scared me to death.”

Landon could maintain his anger no more and nudged her shoulder. “But…I’m glad you’re safe. I’m also happy that the self-defense lessons were not a total waste of my time.”

A smile slowly curled from ear to ear across Landon’s face and Mikala jumped forward and hugged him around the waist as she tore into a ramble. “You should have been there Lando, we were fucking incredible. I took him down with that jugular move you showed us and Eden smashed the fucker over the head with a lamp when he tried to get back up, she tied him like she was in a rodeo, we rocked.” Mikala pulled back and smiled up into his face as he gently knocked her chin with his fist.

“You did good, princess. Though I should be pissed as hell with you, I’m proud you handled yourself. You don’t need me anymore.”

“Like hell I don’t, you have to teach me more of those moves.”

Mason came over with her bag and shouldered his way between them, like a possessive bear. “Lando?” He looked at Mikala and then eyed Landon. “Princess?” he asked, but all it got him was laughter from the pair as they turned and headed to the elevator.

“Everything done?” Mason asked.

“All taken care of,” Landon pushed the button and stepped back. “I’ll be at the bar if you need me.”

“At the bar?” Mikala questioned.

“Helping Carl with set up for tonight.” He winked. “You gave him the night off, remember?”

“I remember. Tell Carl I’ll be down soon,” she instructed. Landon nodded as the elevator door closed.

“Are you sure you want to work tonight? You’ve been through some pretty intense shit,” Mason asked.

“I have, but I’ll be damned if that little prick will stop me getting on with my life, he’s done enough to me, my friends and my business, but no more.”

“That a girl!” Mason said.

“Want to fool around?” Mikala asked, with a roguish grin. “I don’t need to be downstairs right away, the boys can manage.”

“No.” Mason said in a curt tone, catching her off guard.

Mikala felt her stomach tighten and a severe anxiety attack coming on, as the elevator came to a stop and Mason stood in her way. His face was expressionless as he stood studying her. Neither one spoke and just as she thought she was going to burst, Mason’s large hand grasped her chin and he kissed her hard.

“Mason, you said you forgive me, you can’t still be mad because me and Eden took off.”

“My ass is still burning a bit because you put yourself in harm’s way, but basically I’m over it,” he assured her. “This has nothing to do with that.”

The alarm for the elevator sounded, Mason stepped them off and stilled her from moving any further.

“If you’ve changed your mind and this isn’t what you want I’ll understand,” he said. “But I won’t be happy.”

“Changed my mind?” She looked confused as Mason stepped back and placed his hand at the small of her back, forcing her forward.

A dieffenbachia plant with shiny dark green and heavily variegated leaves sat on the end of the counter, draping to the floor. There was a card on a spike in the center, Mikala walked over and smiled as she read,
Honey I’m home!

She held her hand over her mouth and focused her gaze on added objects around each room as she made her way through the apartment.

The first thing she noticed was her hot pink make-out chair placed by the large plate glass window in the living room. The bare wall behind the sofa was now adorned with her portrait which once hung above Mason’s fireplace. The fireplace mantle sat like a tribute to Charlie with Mason’s photo that had been hidden in his desk proudly taking center stage, and the gifted frame from Chase and Eden beside it. A new addition was a photo of her and Mason at Eden’s wedding, she ran her finger along the frames edge and sighed.

“Welcome home, sunshine,” she said, with her back turned to him. “Want to fool around,
now
?”

“Nope, there’s more to see,” he said, taking her hand and guiding her down the hall to the spare room.

“Oh my god,” she said, when he opened the door and shoved her inside. “What the fuck, I thought this was going to be your workout room.”

“Oh, that’s exactly what this is, sugar,” he whispered, with a gleaming smile as he nuzzled into the curve of her neck and she giggled.

Mason’s bed from the loft sat directly in the center of the room with only a black satin fitted sheet on it. The wire weaved headboard had a set of chained handcuffs hanging from the center and Mikala laughed at the newly installed hot pink silky ropes that sat at all four corners of the mattress. The black chest of drawers, that at one time occupied one of the sex rooms in the back club and contained every kinky toy known to man, had been brought out of storage and relocated to the far corner of the room.

Mason’s TV hung on the wall above a black shelf displaying her nasty little assortment of porn movies. Although he didn’t want to openly admit it, he did enjoy a kinky movie playing in the background when the mood took them.