“Are you fucking her, Vin!” she shouted. “In my
house!”
Her
house? Was this Luna’s condo?
Then
before Tess realized, Luna grabbed a decorative bowl off the island and had it
in the air with a heave, but she’d thrown it toward Tess, while shrieking, “He’s
mine, bitch! He’s fucking mine, bitch!”
Tess
cried out as the bowl went sailing, but Vincent snagged it out of the air with
a bat of his hand and it sailed into the sink, hitting and shattering. Then
before Tess could blink, a metal serving spoon came at her next.
“Tess,
upstairs now!” Vincent shouted, just managing to bat the spoon away.
“That
bitch! That fucking bitch, I'll tear her up!”
Tess was
shaking and panting as she ran upstairs. The woman was insane! She hit the
landing and saw Vincent had tackled Luna’s attempt to follow her. Vincent had
Luna by the waist from behind swinging her away from the stairs. Tess didn’t
look anymore; she just ran to the bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it.
“Ohmygod,”
she panted, leaning against the door. “It’s like she’s mentally ill or
something.”
Tess
could hear shouting downstairs, but not the words. She grabbed her purse, to
get her cell while wondering if she should call 9-1-1. The only way to know was
to look downstairs, so she kept her cell in her hand and slowly unlocked the
door. As softly as she could she opened it and she could hear raised voices,
but they weren’t shouting any longer.
She
tiptoed down the hall but her heartbeat stalled for breathtaking and agonizing
seconds, when she heard Vincent saying. “I just did her to get back at you, Luna.”
His words were snarled and low. “I knew you were doing Navarro.”
Tess'
hand shot to her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. “Baby, I thought I had to
do him to get my shot at fame.” That was Luna. Tess sank down against the wall
with tears burning her eyes.
“I don’t
fucking want her, Luna, it was a point,” Vincent’s voice growled.
No,
no, no, cried through Tess’ mind.
FIVE / NOT
FOR A BABE LIKE YOU
Tess
stomped into the office of Rowdie’s Motel, hoping her puffy eyes and red nose
looked more like she was drunk, than the truth, she’d been crying. It was
freaking nine thirty in the morning so if she were drunk it had to look like a
bender. She saw her target and marched to the counter. There was a vague bit of
surprise in the back of her mind seeing Finn O’Neil behind the counter that
early. Really, her surprise was how hot he looked in a really badass criminal
way, but she was heartbroken and could not dwell on that.
“I want
a room,” she stated in a voice that sounded like an everyday calm voice, which
she was proud of, seeing as Vincent Whitehorse had just crushed her heart, used
it, and then tossed it back.
Tess
avoided Finn’s crystal green eyes, until she heard his gravelly voice announce,
“No fucking way, Chiquita.”
“Ah …”
she started to say, looking up at him and seeing his black goatee pulled down
with the line of his firm lips. Those eyes of his gazing straight into her gave
her an inappropriate, but nevertheless, thrill of awareness. “You can’t deny me
a room,” she explained.
He stood
from a stool he’d been sitting on. It brought him over her and the counter
between them even with her high-heeled, kit boots on. Her heartbeat fluttered
more as he leaned over the counter and she forced herself not to back away.
That close he was even more handsome with long dark eyelashes and black hair so
thick it shown as if it were wet. Then she smelled a yummy Irish spring soap
smell, mixed with man, wafting over her that must linger from a very recent
shower. She tilted toward the smell before she could help herself.
Those
brilliant jeweled eyes of his narrowed slightly as if he studied her, suddenly
becoming very intent. She might have forgotten to breathe.
“Breathe,”
he ordered on a rumbled growl. Tess shuddered and sucked in a breath. “Where’s
your