Blood of Eden (33 page)

Authors: Tami Dane

BOOK: Blood of Eden

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“I've tried finding a full-blooded elf bride.” He slumped back against the seat. “There was one. She was beautiful. Sweet. Kind. She said she loved me. But then she dumped me for a fucking bogle.”

“Oh, that is harsh.” I had no idea what a “bogle” was. However, I figured playing the sympathy card was working, so I might as well keep at it.

“After Genevieve, I decided love was overrated. Marriage for convenience worked for my fatherânot so well for my mother, though. But we don't have to talk about her.”

All the more reason why I needed to get out of this marriage.

“How about we make a pact?” I suggested.

His eyes, which were already squinty, narrowed to slits. “What kind of pact? I trusted you once, and look where it got me.”

The car rolled to a stop. It didn't start moving again. This was it. I'd run out of time. The engine cut off.

“Give me a month to find you a bride. If I fail, I'll marry you.”
God help me.

“You don't understand. If I don't marry you tonight, on the eve of the summer solstice, I'll have to wait a whole year.”

“Even better! I am sure I can find you âMiss Right' in a year. You will marry your soul mate. The elf of your dreams. Not irritating old me. What do you say? Are you willing to wait just one more year for true love?”

He didn't answer right away. I figured I had maybe a fifty-fifty chance of him agreeing to my crazy scheme.

“I'm not saying yes or no yet. But let's just say I do agreeâI'm still going to have Angus keep an eye on you. And your friend.”

“Why?”

“Because you are the world's worst FBI agent. I even warned you about the
adze.
”

“You ... did?”

“Sure. I left the note, and when you didn't figure it out, I filled your apartment with fireflies. You didn't even get that hint.” He shook his head. “If you don't learn to see what's in front of your eyes, you're going to get hurt. Or worse. As it turns out, I need you alive. At least for now.”

“T-that was you?” I stammered.

“Sure. And I gave your friend the name of that doctorâ”

The car door opened.

And before my brain registered what was happening, the groom was being yanked out by JT and Gabe. I scrambled out of the vehicle just in time to see JT knocking him to the ground and clapping on a pair of handcuffs.

Gabe grabbed me and gave me a shake, and I realized I had been standing there, yelling, not responding to his questions.

“I'm fine,” I said, fighting to get away from him. “JT! Wait!”

Holding Elmer on the ground with his knee, JT jerked around. “What's wrong?”

“There's been a misunderstanding.”

He looked totally mystified. I would too, if I were him. “Huh?”

“Please let him up. We worked it all out. In the car.”

“No.” JT stood and dragged his prisoner up to his feet. “This asshole kidnapped you. There's no misunderstanding that.”

“JT, please. Can we talk for a moment?” I asked, stepping closer and giving him my sad-puppy eyes.

He gritted his teeth, shoved the prisoner toward Gabe, and snapped, “Whatever you do, don't let this asshole out of your sight.”

“You can trust me.” Gabe escorted Elmer toward the police car, which had just pulled up.

JT turned his full focus on me, crossing his arms, which told me he wasn't exactly eager to hear what I was about to tell him. “So what's this all about?”

I decided I needed to embellish the truth, just a little. “Well, it started a long time ago, I guess. Evidently, when I was a little girl, I told him I'd marry him someday. But I didn't exactly remember it.” At his bewildered look, I shrugged. “What can I say? I had terrible taste in men back then. Anyway, this is where it gets funny. He didn't realize I'd forgotten. He thought I was playing hard to get. And so he played along, by kidnapping me.”

“Uhn.”

“Not buying it?” I asked.

He gave me a would-anyone? look.

Determined to clear Elmer, I continued talking. “He bought me a fancy dress. He fed me. He even sent someone over to pick up Katie so she could be my maid of honor. Plus, he tried to help me with our case. And he helped Katie find out what was wrong with her. He's not a bad guy. He never hurt meâwell, except for that one time when he bit me. I guess he's into some kinky stuff. Anyway, other than that, he's been a perfect gentleman.” At JT's raised-brow, oh-really look, I amended that. “Okay, a
decent
gentleman. Nobody's perfect. But none of that matters anymore. We've come to an agreement. He won't hold me to my promise as long as I can find him a new bride within one year.”

JT looked at me. He looked over at Elmer. He looked at me again. “I don't know about this.”

“Please trust me. He isn't going to hurt me. Like I said, he tried to help me. Help
us.
If I'd listened, we might've stopped Rosemarie Bishop before she'd killed Patty Yates.”

“Swear to me, you're telling the truth.”

“I swear.”

JT's expression softened, finally. He lifted one index finger and left me standing there, outside of the parked limo, wondering what was going to happen next.

While JT sorted the matter out with Elmer and the police, Gabe strolled over, looking a little more amused than worried or angry.

“Sloan, I gotta say, with you, there's never a dull moment.” Gabe leaned back against the limo. “What's going on?”

“You know, âsame ole, same ole.' Another man's fallen madly in love with me and thinks he can't live another minute without me,” I joked.

Gabe's expression darkened. “Poor bastard. You've crushed yet another man's heart.”

“âAnother man's heart'?” I echoed. “If you mean
yours,
I think you've forgotten. It was the other way around.”

Gabe cupped my cheek and his gaze dropped to my mouth. He leaned close, closer, and whispered, “What am I going to have to do to make you see the truth?” Then he let go of me.

Gabe, brokenhearted? Because of me? Nah.

“You were the one who slept with Lisa Flemming,” I said, sounding more emotionally invested than I wanted.

“I
never
slept with Lisa Flemming.”

“Oh, come on, Gabe. Everyone slept with her. In guy speak, she was drilled more than the Alaskan coastline.” When he continued to shake his head no, I added, “You don't have to protect her reputation, Gabe. She was proud of her conquests.”

Something flashed in his eyes. “And you believed her? Over me? Think about it, Sloan.” He walked away.

Shit, had I been wrong about Gabe all of these years?

In the last few days, I've faced at least a dozen shocking moments. Discovering my dead father was still alive had topped the listâstill did. However, learning that I might have broken Gabe's heart came in a close second.

Feeling a little off balance, I opened the limo door and slid into a seat, appreciating the cool comfort.

Katie ran up to the car a minute later, bouncing around like a rabbit. “What's going on?”

“I don't know. JT wants Elmer to go to prison. But I told JT that it was all a misunderstanding. Oh, and Gabe informed me that I'd broken his heart.”

“First, I knew about Gabe. Who wouldn't? I mean, really.” She literally rolled her eyes at me. “The man has taken every class with you since your freshman year. And he's been following you around like a lost puppy.”

“Well, I just thought that was so he could cheat off me. Or annoy me. Or both.”

Katie shook her head and heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Sloan, you are the smartest person I've ever met, but when are you going to learn to see what's smack-dab in front of your face?”

That was the third time I'd heard that in the last five minutes. “Soon, I hope.”

“I hope so too!” Katie turned, her gaze fixed in the general direction of the group of police cars that had gathered in the corner of the parking lot. She stepped to one side, and I followed her gaze. Elmer was heading for the empty limo, parked about twenty feet away. “Looks like Elmer's been cleared.”

“I'm glad.” I closed my eyes and let my head fall back. “What a two weeks this has been! In the last seventeen days, I've made three trips to the emergency room, been diagnosed a schizophrenic, had a major infestation of fireflies, took down an
adze,
learned ... something shocking about my fatherâ”

“What's that?” Katie asked.

Remembering his warning, I told her, “He used to work with the FBI.”

“Wow. That is a shock.” Katie ducked into the limo, sitting across from me.

“Plus, I was kidnapped. And my mother went missing again. And that's on top of the usual, like her shorting out the electricity in our buildings and being admitted after having a breakdown.”

Laughing, Katie said, “Just think, you still have nine and a half more weeks of summer to go.”

“I don't know if I'll live through it.”

Katie flopped on the seat next to me and flung an arm over my shoulder. “I have a feeling you will.”

JT ducked into the limo and took a good, long look at my dress. “Hey, Sloan. Now, that's a nice look for you. Although the jogging outfit was pretty hot too. Ready?”

“For what?” I asked.

Katie scooted toward the exit. “I think I'll just catch a ride with Gabe,” she said, giving me a wink.

The car door slammed shut, closing us inside.

Once again, my heart rate went out of control, but for an entirely different reason. I'd just shared a moment with Gabe. We had a history together. And who knew what kind of future? I wasn't all that clear anymore how I felt about him. Now here I was with JT. Alone. In a dark car.

“Ready to go on our date?” JT leaned toward me, cupped my cheeks, gently pressing on my head to angle it. He softly brushed his lips over mine.

I saw stars.

I heard angels.

Then he really kissed me, his mouth not only touching mine, but possessing it. And little tingling zaps of electricity buzzed through my body. I'd been kissed before, and I'd liked it just fine. But I'd never felt anything like that. I felt like the nerve cells from my scalp to my toes were electrified.

JT stopped kissing me, and I sucked in a lungful of air. He grinned, and several parts of my anatomy decided to celebrate. “Now, that was worth waiting for.”

I couldn't agree more. So we did it again as the limo drove through quiet streets, heading for destinations unknown.

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-7405-2

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Merci pour ce moment by Trierweiler,Valérie