Protector: City of Sin Page 4

  Her excitement was infectious; I felt a warm feeling spreading through my chest. That was what Ella did to me. She tempered the simmering anger, all of the cold parts of my personality, and coaxed forward something that I felt was gone forever. She made me feel alive again, and I owed her everything for that. Wealth can buy you anything; but not love. Not true happiness. Thinking back on the hollow, empty man I used to be - it was miraculous how quickly she brought her beautiful light to my darkness.

  The plane accelerated and lifted into the sky. Ella kept her eyes focused out the window and watched the world disappearing below us. She watched the buildings shrink, watched the clouds pull us into their secret world, and the sunlight streaming through. She watched all of this - and I watched her.

  After a few glasses of champagne, Ella curled up and took a nap. I used this time to work, reviewing financial statements and upcoming projects that I had delegated to my teams. There were a lot of separate aspects of my life that I needed to manage, but over the years I became skilled at juggling my obligations. I wanted Ella all to myself this weekend, no interruptions.

  Our flight landed in the afternoon and I reached over to touch Ella’s cheek gently. Her skin was so soft and warm against my fingertips. She blinked, then looked around the cabin.

  “We’re here,” I told her as she stretched.

  “These seats are so comfortable, I’ve never been able to sleep on a plane,” she told me. “How am I ever going to fly coach again?”

  I chuckled as the pilot announced our descent. Lower we traveled, leaving the world of clouds and thin air, back towards the ground and finally landing at our destination. After getting out of our seats we made our way towards the airport. I had rented a car, and after signing for it I placed our luggage in the back - then off we drove towards the villa I had booked.

  “What would you like to do first?” I turned and asked Ella, weaving the Mercedes down the sunny streets. It handled like a dream. I loved fast cars, fast motorcycles - anything powerful and reckless had my name all over it.

  “I’m a bit hungry. How about we get something to eat?”

  “Sounds perfect. Let’s go.”

  On the way to the villa we passed a small tapas lounge that caught our eye, red painted brick walls and a yellow neon sign. We parked the car, dropped off our luggage, then walked together back towards the restaurant. I reached over and took Ella’s hand in mine as we strolled casually down the sidewalk. She looked down, smiling at the subtle public display of affection, then leaned into me.

  When we arrived I asked the hostess for a table by the window so we could watch the bustling activity outside. She picked up menus and brought us over to a table, I pulled out Ella’s chair for her. It all felt so normal, so right. As I scanned the wine list, I could feel her watching me.

  “What is it?” I asked, looking at her over the menu.

  “You surprise me, Beckett. For a man who doesn’t do romance or relationships, this feels shockingly like an actual date.”

  I arched an eyebrow at her. “You know better than to tease me, Miss James.”

  “You can’t spank me in a busy restaurant, Mr. Carter,” she whispered to me across the table with an amused glint in her eyes. “No matter how much I tease you, or how badly you want to.”

  “Well then. We need to leave sometime, and then, you’re all mine,” I warned her, turning my attention back to selecting a bottle of wine.

  Our waitress appeared and I asked for a shiraz. Ella scanned the different tapas options, then closed her menu.

  “Could you order for us? I wouldn’t know what to pick. Besides, I know how much you like to be in control.”

  “Some things never change, do they Ella?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that, Beckett. I think change is entirely possible.”

  The waitress came back with our wine. She uncorked it, and after I approved of the first sip she poured us each a glass, setting the bottle in the middle of the table. I ordered an assortment of tapas plates for Ella and I. The selection here was fantastic, and I could already tell it was going to be a delicious meal from the aromatic smells that flowed out from the kitchen. We always had dinner alone in my place, and it was nice to be out in a busy restaurant for a change.

  Dish by dish was dropped off and we scooped up savory bites by the flickering candlelight on the table. I refilled our wine glasses.

  “So tell me something interesting that happened to you this week, Ella.”

  She finished the bite of chorizo in her mouth, then took a sip of wine.

  “Work has been busy, the new police chief is going to have his hands full, but I don’t have to tell you that. It seems like ever since Marco Venetti’s arrest, other criminals are taking it as a sign they can move in on his territory. It’s as if you eliminate one rat, but three more creep out to take its place.”

  I nodded. “I know. Some nights I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle, but I won’t stop what I do. Not now, not when I know I’m making a difference.”

  “Speaking of Marco Venetti, Reya and I went out to a club last night and you won’t believe who I ran into.”

  “If this is a story about men flirting with you, I’d caution you against telling it to me,” I warned.

  “That’s not what I was there for,” Ella smiled sweetly at me. “But I like that you’re jealous.”

  “Of you, always. We may not be able to be public when we’re in Vegas, Ella, but I consider you mine. And I don’t like to share. I’m sorry to be blunt and possessive, but it’s the truth.”

  She reached across the table and placed her hand softly over mine.

  “I am yours, Beckett. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  I reached up and stroked my thumb over her jaw, she nuzzled into the palm of my hand.

  “And I’m yours. So tell me then, who did you run into?”

  “His son, Tony Venetti. He wasn’t happy to see me there, apparently it’s his club. He blames me for his family falling apart, and he basically threatened me.”

  I stiffened in my chair and clenched my fists, my jaw tightened reflexively. There it was again, that darkness in me, rising up like a storm cloud. Anyone who threatened Ella had me to fear. Noticing the change come over me, Ella reached across the table, stroking my arm softly. Soothing the savage beast within.

  “It’s okay, Beckett, they’re idle threats. Tony is just angry and lashing out. I know how to deal with people like him, I’ve been threatened by criminals before and probably will again as long as I continue to cover crime for the paper. Besides, I have a powerful friend watching over me.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. She was smart and resourceful, it was true, but Ella was also naive with a knack for getting herself into dangerous situations during her undercover investigations. I would watch over her, always. But the idea that may not be enough to save her one day scared me.

  “I need to tell you something else,” she said, hesitating.

  “What is it?”

  “Today is a bit of a hard day, so I was looking forward to seeing you. I’m glad we’re here, away from Vegas.”

  I watched her, curious what was bothering her. She lowered her gaze and folded her hands in her lap. I let her take her time, clearly this was difficult for her. I may not date much, but I knew pain when I saw it. I had lived with it long enough.

  “It’s the anniversary of Dana going missing,” Ella said softly.

  Her missing sister, the escort who disappeared in Vegas. The reason she covered crime, and the part of her past that motivated her. I could relate.

  “I didn’t know,” I said gently. “I’m sorry, Ella.”

  “It’s okay,” she sighed, picking back up her wine glass. “I thought by now I would have found something, anything. People can’t just disappear. There is always a trail.”

  “I’ll call my investigator when we get back to Vegas. I want to help you with this, Ella, maybe they’ll uncover something. Once they
start asking around, someone is bound to talk. Money is no object.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that, Beckett,” Ella shook her head, but I could see tears starting to build in her eyes. “This is my problem. She’s my family. She’s… all I have left.”

  “That’s not true,” I reached across the table and caressed her cheek. She turned her soft eyes towards me. The pain I saw there shot a dagger through my heart. “Tell me about her.”

  Ella tilted her head. “You know, all this time together, I don’t think I’ve ever told you about my family.”

  “I’m listening right now, and I’d love to hear about them.”

  A smile spread across Ella’s lips as she looked out the window. I could tell she was reliving memories from happier times in her mind. I sat there, the candlelight dancing between us, as she told me about her life growing up. About her mother, Brenda, who would make a cake every Sunday, telling her children that each week was a celebration. About their father, Steven, who couldn’t help but spoil his girls.

  They used to take trips to the beach, had picnics in grassy parks. Their parents read them stories every night before bed, and Brenda had a beautiful voice for singing lullabies. They didn’t have much growing up, but they never felt like they were missing something. It sounded like a beautiful childhood.

  I held Ella’s hand as she talked about the accident that changed everything, the car crash that killed her parents and landed both girls in foster care. There was no one else to care for them, no family to take them in. She shook slightly as she talked about the abuse they endured, about the nights when Dana didn’t eat so she could sneak extra food for Ella since they were barely fed enough.

  When Dana turned eighteen she left and took her younger sister with her, working as an escort to make enough money for them both. They were close, Dana adopting a role that was both sisterly as well as maternal. I don’t know how she did it, she was barely an adult herself, plunged into a dangerous world but somehow she made it work. I pitied Dana, but I also admired her.

  I learned about how Dana encouraged Ella’s love of writing. Ella entered contests and won a scholarship for college. Everything in their lives was turning around, they were finally happy, but that happiness didn’t last long. Dana disappeared. The trail led Ella across the country to Las Vegas, but then it went cold. It was as if Dana had simply vanished.

  I could feel the weight of her loss in Ella’s voice as she shared her painful history with me. She knew I understood all too well. After my parents were killed, I was left virtually alone too. We were both orphans, struggling against everything that was wrong with this unfair world.

  Looking across the table at Ella, I knew that I needed to help her find closure about her sister. There was nothing I would not do for her, whether I needed to use my resources as Beckett Carter or whether I needed to hunt down criminals for information as the Vegas Phantom. Ella would have her answers, one way or another.

  5

  Ella

  How could I even begin to describe what it was like to enjoy a meal in a restaurant with Beckett, then walk back to our villa hand in hand? Being out on the street together, just as if we were like everyone else. Like we had nothing to hide.

  In the morning I turned over and found the curtains open, sunlight streaming across the bed illuminating the room, the other side of the bed empty. I was used to waking up without Beckett; he was a man who didn’t sleep much. Beckett was still occasionally plagued by nightmares that pulled him from a peaceful rest, but with me nearby to soothe him, he usually fell right back asleep. He called me his little sleeping pill. I knew he harbored a lot of darkness in him, but in the brief time that we had been together, I could see a gentle calm and playfulness slowly creeping into Mr. Stern and Serious.

  I slipped out of bed and hunted for clothes, walking past the garments that Beckett had yanked from our bodies frantically when he rushed to get me into bed last night. He was just as dominant when it came to sex as the very first time, a carnal need that drove him to ravish me over and over again. He always left me breathless and deeply satisfied. I didn’t need to be with anyone else to know that no other man would ever be able to please me the way Beckett did.

  I pulled on a pair of underwear and a t-shirt, my “weekend wardrobe” that I had packed when I was under the mistaken idea we wouldn’t be leaving his bed, let alone the penthouse. I slipped out of the bedroom of the gorgeous villa he had booked for us overlooking the water. In the kitchen there was bacon sizzling in a pan, coffee brewing, and in the living room Beckett was on the floor - shirtless, doing push-ups with his grey sweatpants low on his hips. I leaned against the wall and bit my finger watching him greedily. The man had an immaculate body. As the Vegas Phantom, he was a powerful force for criminals to come up against. For me, he was a firm-bodied sex god who moved me into positions I never knew my body was capable of.

  Pushing himself to a standing position, Beckett wiped his face on a towel and took a deep drink from a water bottle. When he noticed me standing there, I was rewarded with a roguish grin.

  “Were you just standing there, watching me?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Whatever gets you out of bed - at least you’re finally awake.”

  “What can I say, you wore me out last night.”

  “Hungry?” he asked, moving towards the kitchen. “I got started on breakfast.”

  “I’m starving,” I said as I hopped up onto a barstool at the counter. Beckett handed me a mug of coffee. Right away, I started to fill it with cream and sugar while he shook his head in disapproval. No matter how much he tried, no matter how good he told me the coffee was, I still couldn’t drink it black.

  “What are we doing today?” I asked. I sipped my milky-sweet coffee while he plated up eggs, bacon and fruit for both of us. He placed the plates down and walked around the counter to sit beside me. Being waited on by Beckett - I could get used to this.

  “I thought we’d head down to the beach, since it’s right on our doorstep.”

  I shook my head. “Sorry, I didn’t pack a bathing suit. I didn’t know you’d be flying me off to Hawaii, I was more prepared to spend a weekend at your place. And that usually requires a very limited wardrobe, if any.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Becket’s eyes sparkled wickedly as he bit into a piece of bacon. “Don’t wear one.”

  My eyes went wide. “No way,” I laughed. “I’m not getting arrested in Hawaii for public nudity.”

  “Oh I’d definitely bail you out for that - but don’t worry, you won’t. The villa includes the private stretch of beach out back, no one will bother us. But if you’re too scared…” he teased.

  “Scared? Me? You obviously don’t know me Mr. Carter. Nothing scares me.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to argue while I ate.

  “If you say so, Ella,” Beckett chuckled as he worked on his breakfast. “If you say so.”

  I finished my breakfast quickly, picked up my coffee and drank it, then I stood up and started to walk away from the kitchen. Beckett turned on the stool to watch me as he finished his eggs.

  “Where are you going?”

  I slowly pulled my t-shirt over my head, maintaining eye contact. His expression grew stormy with lust as he watched me strip. I turned and pushed down my underwear, stepping out of them, until the only thing on my skin was the morning sunshine streaming in through the windows.

  Without another word I ran for the back doors, pulling them open. I sprinted across the lawn, down the steps until I reached the beach. There were a few sailboats far in the distance but the beach around me was deserted.

  The sand was hot and soft under my feet. I walked into the surf, letting it cool my body as I went deeper and deeper to cover myself. Soon I was treading water. Looking back towards the villa I saw Beckett was standing in the sand, watching me.

  “Were you just standing there, watching me?” I mimicked, splashing water in his direction and echoing
what he said to me earlier after he caught me watching his workout.

  In response Beckett pulled his sweatpants down, his body gleaming in the sunlight. He walked straight into the water until he was beside me, pulling me into his arms.

  “Mmmm, this feels amazing,” I sighed as I tipped my head back, wetting my hair. Beckett did the same, then he leaned forward to kiss me.

  “This feels amazing too,” he whispered in my ear as his hands skimmed my body. His touch sent a shiver through me, reminding me I was outdoors and completely nude.

  “I can’t remember the last time I went swimming,” I started to kick my feet, lying on my back and looking up into the endless blue sky. “It must have been ages ago, and never like this.”

  “I like introducing you to new things,” Beckett told me as he swam beside me.

  “Well, eventually you’re going to run out of things to show me,” I turned my head his way. “What will you do then?”

  He raised his eyebrows at my challenge. For such a serious man, I loved how expressive his face could be with just the slightest change.

  “Oh, there will always be new things to show you, Ella.”

  “I don’t know, I think you’re starting to run out of steam,” I teased. “But that’s okay. We can totally start having vanilla sex if you don’t have it in you anymore.”

  Beckett’s eyes drilled into mine. I knew that look. That look meant trouble, and it never failed to get my heart racing.

  “Careful, Ella.” His voice lower now, his lips twitching, suppressing a smile.

  “I mean, everyone hits their peak sooner or later,” I continued. “I won’t think any less of you.”

  Beckett suddenly reached for me and scooped me up, dragging me back towards the shoreline as I kicked and shrieked.

  “You just love pushing my buttons, don’t you, Ella?”

  “They’re just so easy to push!” I giggled. “All big and red, flashing at me...”

  Beckett threw me over his shoulder and walked back towards the villa, my legs dangling over him and water dripping down our bodies as I struggled against him helplessly. He carried me straight into the bedroom and dropped me down on the bed. Then he went into his luggage and took out a length of rope, dangling it in front of me.