Scorpio Sons 4: Chase: (SF/Shifter Romance) (2 page)

Four months ago, December, LOS ANGELES

Blood, blood everywhere, threading its way through the water, turning it a ghastly shade of pink. The sharks circled; each one malign, unfeeling, and predatory. One by one they pounded against her sides, finally driving her under. Her mouth filled with the acrid tang of blood. She tried to scream, tried to draw breath, but…

Anna Jarvis woke to find her roommate banging on the wall between their rooms. As the dream slowly faded, her heartbeat began to return to normal. But the taste of blood was still on her tongue and she was still gasping, trying to draw air into her labouring lungs.

The nightmares, which had plagued her almost every night after she was rescued from her
living
nightmare four years ago, had finally stopped when she came to America. Her therapist back in Russia had called them symptoms of PTSD, and had worked with her to overcome them, along with her anxiety attacks and cold sweats. And she'd been successful with all but the nightmares. It had taken coming to America two years ago to bring about the final healing.

Or that had been the case, up until the moment she saw Alyssa Aimes' media mogul boyfriend for the first time in the corridors of the Grand Regent where she worked. Then the nightmares had all started up again. Now her roommate was threatening to move out if she didn't find a way to stop her blood-curdling screams in the middle of the night.

Wiping the quickly cooling sweat from her face, Anna slumped back onto her comfortable bed, so different to the stinking mattresses she'd slept on in the past. Everything was different here, and from the moment she set foot on US soil, she’d felt truly free for the first time.

But now the dreams were back, compounding her worries for the little singer who had captured her heart. Not that Anna was alone in her adoration. Alyssa had captured the heart of the whole country.

It wasn't Anna's job to watch the comings and goings at the Grand Regent, other than to ascertain when it was a suitable time to clean a room. But ever since the twelve finalists of
Star Quality
had taken up residence in the hotel, she had watched the little singer avidly.

Alyssa Aimes was special to her, not only because of her talent and innocent sweetness, but because Anna had felt a connection to her, right from the start. And every time Alyssa passed Anna in the hall she'd smile and nod, as if they were old friends. Sometimes she almost felt like they were, especially when Anna stayed late and watched the competition in the staff common room. The producers gave the viewers such an intimate look into the singer's personal life that it left her feeling as if they really
were
friends.

But then Alyssa started seeing Akabar. As soon as Anna caught her first glimpse of him, ice cold fingers had run down her spine. For four, long years she'd fought to forget her past, but at the first sight of the billionaire it had all came flooding back.

Not that Akabar and her Protector looked anything remotely alike. One was short, dark, impeccably dressed and sophisticated; the other had been a huge, lumbering bear who was never quite clean sober. But there was something similar about them. And that was when she started to worry about her
friend
.

There’d been many times when Anna had wanted to take Alyssa's hand as they passed in the hall and tell her to be careful, to stay away from that man because she just knew he was evil. But the fear of being labelled crazy and losing her precious job stopped her from following through. If she'd had even one shred of evidence to support her instinctual reaction to the man, she would have gone to the pretty blonde singer and warned her. But there was no proof, just a feeling. And that wasn't enough.

Then she'd seen two new men with Alyssa. They were her new bodyguards, and yet they were far more than just hired thugs, Anna could tell. The men were twins, identical twins from the look of them; both were tall, muscular and handsome. But their appeal wasn’t about physical attractiveness, because Anna rarely found men attractive. No, these new men in Alyssa's life were like her Guardian Angels. Though she knew nothing about either of them, from the first moment Anna saw them, she felt she could trust them.

Anna knew something of human Guardian Angels. It had been a small team of them who’d rescued her from that hell-hole and taken her to a place of safety. The couple they left her with were academics and taught her many things, including English. They’d also paid for her to see a therapist who helped deal with her PTSD and her anxiety around men.

But it wasn't until she was brought to America, the Land of Opportunity, two years later that real healing took place. Anna thought it was likely the complete change of environment that did it. In Los Angeles the sun was always shining, even if the smog was thick sometimes. In Los Angeles she was surrounded by smiling, carefree people, all with hopes and dreams of making it big on TV or in the movies. She had hopes and dreams too, none as grand as theirs, but it still felt good to surround herself with people like her: people who had hope.

Why her Guardian Angels had decided to send her to America she didn't know. But she'd been given a new identity, a new last name – Jarvis – and a new life far away from the pain and shame of her past. Here, at sixteen, she'd started working as a cleaner in a big hotel and was taught to make her way in her new world by the Russian Angel who'd accompanied her.

Now, two years on, she spoke English as if she'd been born here, thanks to elocution lessons from a part-time actress working in the hotel; she knew how to defend herself, thanks to martial arts training she undertook in her spare time; and she shared a nice little apartment, not far from work, with one of the other cleaning staff at the hotel. It was light, bright, and always kept spotlessly clean.

And it was as if Anna
Makarovska
had never existed.

But Anna had no therapist in Los Angeles, and not even her Russian Angel to talk to any more, as he'd gone home after assuring himself that she was able to make her own way in the new world. So there was no one to share her nightmares with; no one to help her put the past firmly back where it belonged. This time Anna would have to find a way to do it for herself. She was no longer a child; it was time she learned to take care of not only her physical, but her emotional needs, too.

One month ago, February, LOS ANGELES

"Look at this! That poor Alyssa Aimes is in trouble again." Nancy, the motherly head of her cleaning team, thrust a newspaper in front of Anna's nose as she sat listening to
Dark Fantasies
on her precious second-hand iPod for the millionth time.

"What?" Anna gave her head a shake to bring her mind back from the world of daydreams the song always took her to. Alyssa's album had gone to Number One the day after it was released and had stayed there ever since. And though Anna loved the whole album, it was the title track that always transported her to another place.

"You're a fan of hers. You used to fight to get assigned to her room when she was stayin’ here. And I caught you watchin’ those bodyguards of hers with stars in your eyes." The short, tubby, middle-aged woman gave Anna an affectionate nudge and wink. "So I thought you'd like to see what's happened to her now."

Anna took the paper and scanned the headlines. Sure enough, Alyssa had indeed found herself in trouble again. Or maybe
in
trouble wasn't the right word.
On the edge
of trouble was better.

She'd almost been kidnapped, back in December, and then her boyfriend had disappeared. The police considered the two events linked. In a newspaper at the time, a police-officer was quoted as saying that Alyssa was just collateral damage in an intricate plot designed to claim her boyfriend.

Somehow, Anna knew that what the papers said wasn't quite the truth. Alyssa had been the target, and whoever had taken Akabar had saved Alyssa's life.

And ended Anna's nightmares.

Now, more than a month later, Alyssa was back in the headlines again. This time because she was on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean when pirates kidnapped the owner of the yacht, English billionaire, Karl Rothmen. The newspaper recounted the details of the sensational event. It finished off by saying Alyssa was unavailable for comment, but that an unnamed source close to the star had said that the singer was very upset by the events, especially coming as they did so soon after Akabar's abduction.

"That girl must wish she could go back to her old life. At least there she was safe. People weren't trying to kidnap her or her friends back then. Good thing she has those handsome twin brothers looking out for her. Now there was some prime male flesh, if I do say so myself. They used to set this old heart to flutterin’ every time they prowled by. Hmmm, it sure wasn't fair that one woman should have the attentions of
two
hunks of male lovin' like that."

Anna blushed, not wanting to find herself on the same page as a woman old enough to be her mother. But it was hard to deny. Those brothers had been attractive. Even to her, they'd seemed oddly attractive. And clearly she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

"Well, I'm glad she wasn't hurt or kidnapped too. You might be right, maybe it was less dangerous for her back before she became a star." Anna folded the paper and returned it with a smile.

Moments later, someone turned on the communal TV where the latest news on the kidnapping was being broadcast. Footage of Karl Rothmen giving a speech at a charity gala in Germany was screened, as the newsreader explained who he was. But it was clear the main thrust of the report still remained focused on America's sweetheart, Alyssa Aimes.

Anna watched Rothmen, unable to drag her eyes away from him. Her heart missed a sickening beat. Though there was no discernible similarity between her Protector and this missing billionaire, Anna couldn't help knowing him for what he was.

Not again! Alyssa had only just escaped the last monster circling her like a shark. Now another had gone missing, before he could move in for the kill. Either Alyssa was very lucky or her Guardian Angels were very vigilant. But unless the singer learned to see the sharks for what they were, the next monster to swim after her just might succeed in taking her down. Like they always took Anna down in her nightmares.

Anna wouldn't let that happen. She
couldn't
let that happen to Alyssa.

"You okay, Gorgeous?" Fat Franco said in passing, his usual lecherous grin replaced by concern.

"Huh?" She looked around, trying to get her bearings again, and noticed how many staff in the large common room were now staring at her oddly. "Yes. Yes, I am perfectly fine. I'm just worried about Alyssa. She seems to be in danger all the time."

"That pretty little thing would be in danger from me and my magnetic charm, if I gave her half the chance. Though my heart belongs to you, sweet cheeks, she might succeed in tempting me away from you for a while. I'm only human after all." Franco's tone was sleazy, and Anna shuddered, even though she sensed the man was harmless.

It had taken a lot of therapy to get her to the place where she could acknowledge that all men were not monsters and that she could tell the difference. Franco was no monster; he was just a guy past his prime who still thought he could pull the ladies. He was no threat to her.

"Franco, you stop sexually harassing my girls or you'll be lookin’ for a new job. You've been warned before. Can't you see you make Anna uncomfortable? She thinks you're serious, you dirty old man." Nancy charged in like a mother hen, flapping her wings at the fat, old fox after her chick.

"Now, Nancy, you know I'm only playing with the girl."

"Then stop playin', you hear me? Or I'll be reportin' you. And you're too fat to get another job!" The middle-aged woman crossed her arms over her own copious breasts and scowled at the man until he slunk away, grumbling.

"Don't you go worryin’ about that sleaze-ball, honey. He's all bark and no bite."

Anna nodded and sighed. She had more pressing concerns than Fat Franco right now, but she had to appreciate Nancy's vigilance. Had there been a Nancy in her life six years ago maybe her path would have been a different one.

She returned her thoughts to her greatest worry. What was she going to do about Alyssa's ignorance? How could she warn the singer about the men befriending her, when there was no proof that they were anything more than highly successful businessmen in love with Alyssa, just as the rest of the country was? Being rich didn't make them evil.

Could she write a fan letter? Would Alyssa even get to see it if she did? Now that she was America's newest sweetheart she must have a team of secretaries keeping up with all her fan-mail. And then there was Face Book and Twitter and all the other social networks fans could utilize to declare their undying allegiance and adoration.

Maybe she could try. She might not succeed, but at least she could try. Of course, it would have to be a letter she sent because she wasn't computer literate. To her the internet was just a word. She and her roommate didn't even have a TV, no less a computer. The only tech she owned was her iPod and a cheap, pre-paid phone she kept so Nancy could get in touch with her if any extra shifts came up.

The overtime was always useful. Having a growing buffer between herself and life on the streets always helped her sleep better at night. It didn’t matter that she was always tired. What mattered was never going back to that life again. She’d die first.