Released

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A Champagne Books Short Story

Released By Kimber Chin

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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Champagne Books www.champagnebooks.com Copyright © 2009 by PKCS Incorporated September 2009 Cover Art © Champagne Books Produced in Canada

Champagne Books #35069-4604 37 ST SW Calgary, AB T3E 7C7 Canada

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Other Books By Kimber Chin Breach Of Trust Invisible Selling Forever

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Released The world's sexiest murderer stood in front of him, her fists clenched, brown eyes blazing. If Alvar cared at all about his life, he'd be scared. But he didn't, so he merely crossed his arms, blocking her from the entrance. "You shouldn't be here," he drawled. "I'm working." And he was, waiting to escort the Boss from his office to his home. "You didn't return my calls," she accused him. Nor had he written her back. Not once during the decade and a half in prison. “We have nothing to say to each other.” Nothing he could say. "Go away, Edenia." "I waited for you." She didn't move, her six inch heels firmly planted on the busy sidewalk, forcing passersby to negotiate around her. She’d waited for him? Why? Was he the only sucker in town? "I didn't ask you to wait." She could peddle her lies somewhere else. "You didn't have to ask. I love you." The words he’d always dreamt her saying. He forced a laugh. It came out harsh. "You don't know the meaning of love." "I…" Her full mouth opened, and shut, and opened again. He wanted to kiss those flapping lips. Dios, she got to him. Even knowing what a little liar she was. "You let me go to jail, Edenia. Jail," he ground out. "That isn't love." "You pled guilty, you wouldn't let me hire lawyers." She pushed his chest. He didn't budge. "What was I supposed to do?" 5

"How about telling the truth for a change?" That's all he wanted, the truth. Thousands of letters and she hadn't shared that once. "The truth?" Edenia flipped her long dark curls over her shoulder. "When have I ever lied to you?" Before he could answer, Alvar felt a presence at his back. Mierda. He tensed. That could only be one person. "Is there a fuckin' problem here, Alvar?" Mr. Santos demanded. "No, Boss." He stepped to the side, moving with the man to the waiting limousine, ignoring Edenia. "Alvar, don't you dare walk away!" She wouldn't be ignored. "We're done, Edenia." Forever. Alvar opened the door, and gave the love of his life one long, last glance before following his Boss into the vehicle. His Boss, chewing on a toothpick, watched him as the car pulled onto the street. "That her?" He knew the story. Tavos Santos made it a point to know everything about everyone. "Yes, Boss." Mr. Santos snorted. "You're a jackass, Alvar." "Boss." He conveyed his feelings in that one word, unable to say more without getting his ass fired. He couldn’t afford that. The job market for bodyguards convicted of killing their Bosses was tight. "You are. One look at her and any asshole knows she couldn't kill a fly." His Boss played with a small white glove he carried with him everywhere. His own memento of lost love. "Innocent fuckin' eyes." Alvar felt a moment of doubt before remembering. "She's a terrific actress, Boss." She fooled him. Completely. "Academy fuckin' award winning." Dead eyes examined him. "But your fuck up is for the best. You and I are animals, Alvar. We don't deserve classy fuckin' women like your Edenia." He turned his head to stare out the tinted windows, his scarred profile hard, signaling that the conversation was at an end. Which left Alvar to wonder if he made a bigger mistake today than he had fifteen years ago. ~*~ "I waited for that big jerk." Three hours later, Edenia 6

continued to vent as she filled Blue's bowl. The elderly hound dog limped over, his drooping eyes conveying perfect sympathy with his mistress' situation. "All these years, I waited." She threw her arms out. "And I built this place for him, did you know that?" Blue howled mournfully. There was a chorus of affirming yelps from neighboring boxes. "Not that I regret it." She assured her four-legged family. "And not that he'd appreciate it anyway." His dream was to breed guard dogs. Instead the state of the art kennel was full of animal shelter strays. "What am I going to do, Blue? She flopped down on a stool. "I've loved him for so long." Blue rested his old head on Edenia's jean-clad thighs. Jeans because she no longer cared what she looked like. This afternoon, she had, spending agonizing hours perfecting her makeup, hair, designer dress, and heels. She absentmindedly scratched behind the dog's ear. All for nothing. "I’m such a fool." "You're not the fool, Edenia." Alvar loomed over her. "And you didn't kill him, did you?" "Of course not." She didn't have to ask who, her abusive husband's death was permanently stuck in the forefront of her mind. "You did." She rolled her eyes. And since Alvar had killed the bastard himself, why would he ask such a stupid question? "Dios." He paled. "He was right." Who was right? She gently moved the drooling dog's head to the side so she could stand. "Why are you here, Alvar?" Although she was a tall woman, Edenia had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes. Wiser, more wary, eyes than those of the twenty-three year old boy she’d once loved stared back at her. He was a man now and, idiot that she was, she loved him still. "I thought we were done." That hurt her more than Dimas' fists ever had. "I thought you killed him." He ran both hands over his bald head. Edenia wanted to do the same, her fingers itching to touch him. "I was a frightened teenage kid." She ignored her conflicted feelings, focusing on the equally confusing conversation. "I didn't kill anyone. You…" 7

"I didn't." Grooves lined his mouth. That made no sense. "You pled guilty." She moved into the corridor, securing the kennel behind her. "Because I thought you killed him. I had to protect you, Edenia. Or I thought I did. Dios." She caught the flash of pain on his face before he turned. "All those years in that hell hole. For nothing." He had gone to prison to shield her from a crime she’d never committed. That would drive any sane man mad. She circled him slowly, out of reach of those powerful arms, looking for signs of violence. There weren't any. This was Alvar, not Dimas. Alvar stood motionless, his eyes squeezed shut; his short, dark eyelashes glistening with moisture. Abandoning caution, Edenia wrapped her arms around his big barrel of a torso, pressing her ear against his chest, listening as his heart beat a frantic, out-of-control tempo. Soon his arms came up around her too. "You were in the bathroom?" He finally asked, as though he questioned his own memory. "I was." There, she had washed away the imprint of Dimas' hands on her body, the blood on her face. She touched the tiny scar above her right eyebrow. "I heard the shots." The Crack! Crack! Crack! had been deafening. "I was scared, but I did what you always told me to do in emergencies. I locked the door and waited." Those minutes before he knocked had been the longest of her life. "Dios." He gripped her to him tighter. "You could have been…" Killed. "I know." But if he had died with Dimas, nothing else would have mattered. She gazed up at Alvar. He bent his head, kissing her, his lips firm yet gentle, the contact instant electricity. She gasped, allowing his tongue to slip inside. He explored. She allowed him, passively waiting. When the pain associated with Dimas' assaults didn't come, she tentatively touched his tongue with hers causing a shiver to ricochet through Alvar's body. He broke, breathing heavy. "He's still out there." Dimas' murderer. "I left you unprotected." "I survived." She gave him a reassuring smile. Being apart from him almost destroyed her but she had survived. 8

"And you'll find him." He'd want to, to clear his name. "I don't know if I can. It's been a long time." He ground his square jaw. "The evidence will be impossible to uncover." Not all the evidence. "I have a copy of the surveillance videos." In her bedroom, where she watched images of Alvar every night before falling asleep, reminding herself how much he loved her. "You'll know who entered the house." That earned her another kiss followed by a fervid vow, "I'll find him, Edenia, I promise. And when I do…" He cracked his knuckles. ~*~ "See!" Alvar jumped up, pointing to the break in the picture. "Where?" Edenia's beautiful face compressed in confusion. "I didn't see anything." He hadn't noticed either. Not at first, not with the hours of footage. Only after giving the video to the Boss' expert, Jack, had the abnormality been discovered. "It's easier if you watch the time stamp." He played the frames again. "Oh." Complete comprehension now. "We're missing three minutes. Why would…" "That's when he entered." The killer. To shoot a man to death a bathroom door away from Edenia. Waves of red hot anger and white cold fear washed over Alvar. "Someone deleted it." The killer. Or it could have been an accomplice. Dimas Robano had many enemies. "Was it missing when you got it?" She blinked at him. "I don't know. I wasn't myself after…" After the murder. He hadn't been either, the trial a daze. "Who's been in your house?" "Which one?" This new house was all Edenia. Cozy, warm, the home they always talked about. No servants, no security. "And when? It's been fifteen years, Alvar," she pointed out. "Mierda." A dead end. "Anyone could have accessed the videos." "Not necessarily." Her face grew rosy. "I kept them in the bedroom and no one went in there." 9

"No one?" His focus no longer on the investigation. "I waited for you, Alvar." She had waited for him. Faithfully. Dios. For him. The man who failed to protect her from Robano. "It could have been deleted before." Had to. Because the thought of a killer in Edenia's bedroom made him want to split skulls open. "I have someone looking at your copy. If it is recoverable, he'll do it." He heard a soft click. The front door. She didn't notice. "Do you think you'll…" "Shhh…" Alvar hushed her, gently pressing his index finger to her mouth. There was someone in the house. Footsteps approached. Quiet. Stealthy. He motioned for her to stay still and moved to the doorway. "Denie." Alvar acted before the name registered, grabbing the man, twisting his arm behind his back, pressing his face against the wall. The stranger struggled, kicking, and twisting, and yelling, "No, no, never again." "Alvar, stop!" Edenia pounded on his shoulders. "He's a friend." A friend. He let go. The platinum blond-haired man slumped against the wall, his entire body shaking. "Stigr, you okay?" Edenia reached out. "Don't." This so-called friend cowered from her. "Don't touch me." "But… I…, Ummm…" She turned to Alvar for help. Edenia couldn't see how Stigr's defensive stance mirrored hers of fifteen years ago. She didn't understand that there was nothing a stranger like him could do. That this was an old wound reopened. By his actions, Alvar took a deep breath. "I…" "No." Stigr blocked his approach with one slender hand. Dios. With Edenia, he had pushed past that hand, taken her in his arms, and rocked her. Like hell he was going to do that with this character. "I'm not going to hurt you." He kept his voice soft. "I wouldn't let you," Stigr snapped, the fear now morphing into anger. "I'd kill you first." Alvar let that empty threat go. "I know you." Stigr had 10

a face one wouldn't forget. Eerily luminescent eyes, filled with hurt and hate, met his for an instance then flicked away. "I worked for that devil Robano." Edenia's husband. Alvar remembered now. He drove this man to the office to meet with him. Late at night. "Worked?" Too late at night for a business meeting. "What other business would I have with him?" Slight shoulders twitched. "He was a monster." "Stigr was his accountant." Edenia hurried to elaborate. "He helped me after…" After he had gone to prison. Stigr's name mentioned in her letters. This was the Stigr who ensured Edenia received her fair share of Robano's wealth. This was the Stigr who helped her build the kennel. He was there when Alvar couldn't be. Dios. This Stigr was a threat. Alvar widened his stance, straightening his shoulders. "I appreciate you doing that." The 'for me' unspoken, unnecessary. "I'd do anything for Denie." A soft glance in her direction expressed Stigr's feelings. "That's why I'm here." "What is it?" Edenia squeezed Alvar's bicep. "Kurt…" Stigr stopped, his attention gripped by the paused image on the screen. It was a frame showing the mansion's front door. Alvar frowned. There wasn't anything special about it. "Kurt what?" Edenia nudged. "He… he..." Stigr shook his head as though to clear it. "He quit." She groaned. "His contract…" "Was only for a year. It's been a year. I tried to get him to stay but…" Stigr smoothed his French cuffs. A fancy shirt for a visit to a friend. "What am I going to do?" Edenia flopped back on the couch. "I can't look after the dogs by myself." "I'll help." Although Stigr made the offer to Edenia, his unearthly eyes were on Alvar. Challenging him. "No need. I'll do it." "Could you?" Stigr scoffed, inching closer to the couch, closer to Edenia. "I can." Alvar sat down, put his arm around her, and 11

gave Stigr his best eat-shit-and-die glare. "She needs a dog trainer, not an accountant." "You're a bodyguard, not a dog trainer." Disdain twisted thin lips. "And she doesn't need a bodyguard." "Are you sure about that?" Because Alvar wasn't. She let anyone, including this character, simply walk into the house. Stigr's pretty face froze. "What are you implying?" "Nothing." Edenia stepped in. "He isn't implying anything. Stigr, I appreciate the offer but we're okay, Alvar can handle it." "Alvar can handle everything," Alvar expanded. In case, there was any confusion about the situation. "I don't think…" Stigr hesitated in the doorway, his eyes darting between Edenia, Alvar, and the screen. "Then don't." "We'll be okay," Edenia ignored Alvar, assuring Stigr. "I'll call you later." Much, much later if Alvar had anything to do with it. "You do that, Denie." That promise seemed to pacify him. "I want to hear everything." Another hard glance at Alvar and Stigr was gone. Alvar waited until he heard the slamming of the front door before asking "What do you know about that guy?" Edenia patted his chest, smiling ruefully. "Enough to know he's going to knock next time." ~*~ "Wiggles," Alvar called out, his voice firm. The beagle raised his head. "Come." The dog needed no other encouragement, hurling himself with all his might at his new master's legs. Mock staggering from the impact, Alvar looked across the play area at Edenia and shook his head, the corners of his eyes crinkling. She bit back laughter, trying her best to appear encouraging. "What's he doing?" Stigr leaned against a pole, arms crossed. "Teaching Wiggles to sit." Alvar jogged the beagle around the perimeter, burning off some of Wiggles' excess energy. Wiggles panted, his pink tongue lolling out while Alvar, with his longer legs, moved 12

effortlessly. "Sit?" Blond eyebrows shot up. "How about stopping him from chewing shoes first?" "He'll do that too." She was confident. Although Wiggles was very fond of shoes, Edenia had seen Alvar perform bigger miracles. "When he's through with Wiggles, he'll be the perfect dog. Some family will want to adopt him, give him a home." Freeing up space for another stray. They could help more dogs this way, putting Dimas' ill-gotten wealth to good use. "That'll take a lot of patience." Stigr doubted her plan. Edenia didn't. "He has it." Alvar had patience in spades. He crouched down, talking to the dog on his own level, Wiggles' head cocking as though he understood. "Hhhmmm…" She heard the concern. "He's not like Dimas." "His job is violent." "But he's not." Alvar guided the dog's nose up and back with a doggy treat. Wiggle sat with a smack. Success. Edenia clapped in appreciation. This caused Wiggles to jump up again. Alvar chuckled, shaking his finger at her. She smiled back, not at all repentant, before turning to her friend. "It'll be okay." She'll be okay. "Alvar doesn't like violence. He does what he has to do and no more." "He slammed me against the wall, Denie." Stigr rubbed his bruised wrist. "He was protecting me. He thought you were Dimas' killer." Stigr wasn't the only one worried. "Why," his voice squeaked out that word, "would he think that?" "He doesn't know you, that's why," Edenia consoled. She wanted the two of them to get along. She loved Alvar, and Stigr was her best friend. They watched in silence as Alvar tried again. This time, Edenia didn't clap, and Wiggles stayed sitting. The beagle received a pat on the head and a doggy treat as a reward before Alvar strolled over to them, Wiggles jumping around in joyous circles beside him. "Did you see that?" "I did." Edenia beamed. "I told you he was a smart 13

dog. You are, aren't you, Wiggles?" She bent down and Wiggles licked her face. "Trainable, yes. Smart, I don't know." Even covered with dog slobber, she was beautiful. Alvar forced himself to address her friend. "Stigr." "Alvar." Stigr didn't trust him. Good. He didn't trust Stigr either. "Add any numbers today?" "A few." Colorless lips thinned. "Beat anyone up today?" "No one yet." Alvar grinned. "But if you're offering to volunteer…" Edenia gave him one of her 'you-better-behave' looks as she pulled the overexcited Wiggles into his box. The door shut, there was a solid thud against it and Alvar winced. Wiggles had to be the dumbest beagle alive. Stigr sighed, studying the closed door. "Research says abused women go from abuser to abuser." "I would never hurt her." It would kill him. "You could." Everyone had that potential. Abusers weren't all big guys. "I wouldn't." "You better not." Or what? Alvar wanted to ask. He didn't. He wouldn't humiliate Stigr. Not for defending Edenia. "You want a coffee?" Edenia was back, brushing the dog hair off her hands, completely oblivious to the undercurrents. "Yes," both men replied at the same time, neither willing to be the first to leave. "Good 'cause I don't want to be alone." Although she smiled at both of them, she held Alvar's hand as they walked towards the house. "Stigr reminded me about something." Edenia glanced at her friend. "Wiggles likes shoes." A significant pause. What was she talking about? "The dog wears shoes?" A choked sound beside her. "No, no, he likes to chew on them. He ate a pair of my sandals." She grimaced. "Italian leather." "Sank his teeth into my best dress shoes. Prada," Stigr added. "They were ruined." 14

"He likes the good stuff." Prada. Alvar examined his own serviceable steel toes. "We can…" Stigr stopped suddenly, his head snapping up. Trouble. Alvar reacted immediately, putting himself in front of Edenia. "What is it?" He saw nothing out of place. "You expecting a delivery, Denie?" "No." Alvar's back muffled her answer. He followed Stigr's line of sight. A piece of paper pinned to the door flapped in the wind. A piece of paper. Alvar relaxed. Mierda. Stigr's nervousness was rubbing off on him. He bounded up the steps, feeling foolish. Then he scanned the message and that feeling disappeared. "Dios." Edenia poked her head under his arm. "What?" "No." Alvar fastened a hand on her hip and swiveled on his heel, sweeping her along with him. "Don't touch it." He'd have the prints lifted. "Into the Hummer," he barked. It was his Boss' vehicle. The glass was bullet proof. "But…" Stigr protested. "Both of you. Now." Although he didn't like Stigr, his job was to protect. And that meant everyone. Edenia didn't argue, traipsing along silently by his side, her bright eyes on his face. Only when they were safely in the huge black Hummer, the doors securely locked, did she ask "What did it say, Alvar?" He swept his hand over his skull. "Leave the past in the past." "Leave the past… This is about you." Pale eyes blazed from the back seat. "Your past. You're putting her in danger with your investigation." A sarcastic twist on investigation. "Stigr." This truth Alvar didn't want to hear. "But no, you had to poke around," her friend didn't heed his warning, "and now Denie is…" "Shut. The hell. Up." There was stunned silence for a couple seconds, Alvar regretting his lack of control. "I'm calling the cops." Stigr pulled out his phone. "No." For this trivial threat, they'd send a rookie. "I'll have my people handle it." Mr. Santos employed the best security team in the world. 15

"But…" Stigr wasn't backing down. He didn't have time for this. "Let me do my damn job, Stigr. You…" A soft hand covered his. "Alvar will take care of it." Edenia's brown eyes mirrored trust, the grumbling from the backseat ignored. "I know you want to take action but…" She squeezed Alvar's fingers twice. Give her friend something to do, the silent communication. Mierda. Alvar tapped his right foot, thinking. He could. He had to make calls. Look around. "You'll stay with Edenia. You'll lock the door after me. You won't open it for anyone but me. No matter what happens. Understand?" They both nodded. "Stigr, if I don't come back in three hours." Edenia's fingernails dug into his skin. "Then you can call the cops, yes?" A sullen yes from her friend. "If anything happens to her, Stigr…" "I'll protect her with my life." Alvar believed him. "Oh, you are. Trust me. Because if she's harmed, death will seem like a pleasant alternative." For some reason, that made Edenia smile. She leaned close to whisper, "Thank you." Alvar gently cupped her sweet face in his hands. "You'll be safe, love." The endearment slipped out. "No one will harm you. I won't let them." He kissed her forehead. "I know." No hesitation, no doubt. He brushed her lips with his and reluctantly released her. He had to do this. She'd be safe in the Hummer. Alvar met Stigr's gaze in the rearview mirror, nodded, and opened the door. ~*~ "This house is not secure at all." Alvar paced back and forth. "We'll have to install an alarm system, motion detectors, and cameras." He counted off on his fingers. "No cameras in the house." This was her home, soonto-be their home. She didn't want some creep in a monitoring station watching them. "Edenia, love." He stopped. "The Boss has…" "I don't care." Alvar had told her about his super paranoid Boss, but she wasn't some crime lord and she wouldn't live like one. "No cameras inside." "It…" 16

"You can have as many as you want outside," she compromised. He narrowed his eyes at her. She narrowed hers right back. "Dios." Breath blew out through flared nostrils. "I'm clearing the trees around the house." Her beautiful trees. "You're moving them." "Far away." He turned to the front window, flinging aside the lace curtain, yanking at the frame. There was a crack and the pane slid up. "This will have to be replaced." Because he broke the latch. Not everyone had his strength. Edenia watched with trepidation as a huge hand covered the front doorknob. He had to be distracted from his security check or she wouldn't have much of a house left. "There's another window in the bedroom." Without waiting for his reply, Edenia hurried down the hallway. She knew this was coming. It was part of the trade-off in a relationship. Alvar was a man, men expected sex, and if she could take the pain with Dimas, she could take it with the man she loved. "A two story house is more secure." Alvar's warm breath fanned her neck, he was that close. "I'm not moving." She liked this old ranch house, as similar to their dream house as she could find. "You don't like it?" She waved a hand in the direction of her window. "It's not that." He was more careful with the silk curtains, a sign he was calming down. "It's about your safety." Another crack. "This will have to be replaced also." "Then it won't be secure tonight." She stepped towards him, uncertain. She had never been the aggressor with Dimas. He had simply flung her on the bed face down, ripped off her clothes and… She shuddered. "No." Alvar looked over his shoulder. Seeing her proximity, he turned. "Maybe you should stay." Her hand shook as she touched his shoulder. This was Alvar, she reminded herself, she could do this. "Maybe I should." He folded her into his arms, pressing her against his chest. "Are you scared, love?" "Yes." She was. Would she love him after this? After he inflicted pain? Edenia couldn't look at him. She let her hand drift down. 17

Alvar sucked in his breath. "No one will hurt you, I promise." He would and she didn't want him to feel guilt. "I know pain is a part of it, Alvar." She undid his top button. "It doesn't matter." Another button. "I want this." "Pain?" Alvar stared at her bowed head, frustrated and confused. He couldn't think clearly when she touched him. "You know." She glanced at the bed as her fingers worked on his shirt. "Pain." Pain. Robano, that bastard. Alvar gritted his teeth to keep from exploding. "But that's okay," she soothed. "I can take it. I want to do this. For us." Dios, he was unworthy. "There won't be any pain, love." He hoped. He was a large guy and it had been fifteen years. "You'll do your best, I know." She gave him an indulgent look. "But if there is…" He couldn't bear to hear more so he kissed her, showing her with his mouth how it would be between them. "Oh, Alvar, " she sighed, sagging against him, her arms around his neck. "Yes, Alvar." He wasn't her late husband, he would assure her of that. Alvar peppered her glowing face with noisy kisses until she laughed. He then kissed under her chin. She tilted her head back so he could nip on her neck. She tensed when he picked her up but relaxed again as he laid her gently on the bed. He hesitated, his gut seizing when she turned onto her stomach, her perky ass in the air. Robano, that perverted bastard. He would make her forget him. "You're so lovely, Edenia." He rolled her back so she faced him. "But?" Alvar kissed her bewilderment away, laying down alongside her. "Let me love you." He ran reverent hands over her clothed form, well aware of the gift she was giving him. "So beautiful." He cupped her breasts and her eyes widened. He circled his thumbs over her nipples and she arched. "Alvar?" Her own hands hovered, unsure. Alvar wanted those soft hands on his bare skin. He shrugged out of his shirt. Edenia sat up, following his lead, 18

pulling her tee over her head, exposing golden curves. She was so, so… Words left him as she shyly unhooked her white cotton bra, her dark curls falling forward. He kept his eyes on her down turned face, tucking a soft lock behind her ear. She gave him a nervous smile. "Touch me, love." He kissed her again, to reassure her, reminding her of who he was, of how he felt about her. The pads of her fingers fluttered over his bare shoulders, like butterfly wings. Then as his rough hands caressed her breasts, fingernails pressed into his skin. His mouth on hers, he caught the hiccup in her breathing as he unbuttoned her jeans, unzipping, sliding the faded denim down. "Edenia?" He paused. Although it might very well kill him, he would only go as far as she wanted. She broke their kiss and his heart sank. "I want to do this, Alvar." She reached down, her hands trembling so badly, she needed both to unbuckle his belt. "I have to do this. Help me." A plea he didn't ignore. Alvar stripped off the rest of his clothes. She inched back, those big brown eyes widening as they roved his body. He flexed under her perusal, waiting for her reaction. "Am I supposed to?" Her palms turned upwards. "No supposed to's." He gave her another kiss to bolster their courage, exploring her body with his hands, lower and lower, until he was stroking her. Edenia was lost. She didn't know what was happening, what she was supposed to do, so she lay back, eyes closing, giving herself over to Alvar's touch, to the puzzling feelings he was drawing from her, the unbearable itch. She needed something. She didn't know what. Her hips moved of their own volition, as though he could give it to her. The movement increased the need until she couldn't bear it anymore. "Alvar!" Her body seized and her world exploded, fireworks bursting on her closed eyelids in a kaleidoscope of color, a flush of pleasure bathing her skin. "Alvar?" Bemused, she opened her eyes. He grinned down at her, a smug smile on his face. "You?" He nodded. He had given her this. "That was wonderful." He was wonderful. His eyes danced even as he frowned. "Could have been better, love." 19

Better. "It couldn't." Better would kill her. "Those were my fingers. Now if it had been…" He looked down. She followed his gaze. Was it possible? She bit the inside of her cheek. Could the part of the male anatomy she always associated with pain give her pleasure? Dimas had hurt her. But then, she lined up her palm with Alvar's, he had also used his fingers to hurt her, while Alvar, she shuddered as another tremor rippled through her body, Alvar had used his to give her such joy. Decided, she gripped his hand tightly. "Show me how it could be better." ~*~ "Where the hell is that friend of yours?" He said he'd be there by six and here it was five minutes after six. Alvar was trusting the unreliable Stigr with the most precious thing in the world, Edenia's life. Dios. He paced. Why was he doing this again? Because Stigr cared for Edenia. Alvar recalled the devotion on the man's face. Because he hadn't anyone else. Because he needed the Boss' resources to track the killer down. "He'll come," Edenia soothed. "And if he doesn't, I have Blue for company." She snapped her fingers to capture the hound dog's attention. "Go to work. I'll be okay." "You'd be better off with Wiggles." Blue wasn't protecting anyone. He could barely make it up the stairs. Edenia drew the struggling dog up into her lap. "I wouldn't have a shoe left with Wiggles." "You'd be…" Alvar stopped as Stigr's sleek silver Mercedes pulled into the drive. "Finally." He strode towards the car. "You stay there." He didn't want Edenia to hear this. "But…" "Stay." Blue sat in Edenia's lap, drooping eyes expectant. "I have things to say to Stigr." "Play nice," she called after him. Play nice? A killer was after her and she wanted him to play nice? Hell. He twisted his mouth up into a smile, and heard her laugh. Stigr wasn't laughing. Exiting the car, he looked as serious as Alvar felt. "Alvar." 20

"Stigr." He nodded. "Jack will be here in a half hour." Another person looking out for Edenia. "Dark guy, this tall," Alvar indicated a couple inches shorter than himself. "Walks with a limp. He'll be driving a black Escalade, bullet proof glass. If there are any problems, you get Edenia in there. And I don't want you to leave her alone for a second, you understand? Not until we put this bastard behind bars." Pale eyes flickered. "You think he deserves jail time for killing Robano?" "Hell no." Alvar snorted. "If he wasn't after Edenia, I'd thank the man myself, but since he is…" He shrugged. Alvar looked over his shoulder. Edenia watched them. Mierda. He loomed closer. Stigr nervously stepped back, pressing against the car, his hand on the door handle. "Look Stigr, I want you to have this." He took the gun out of his pocket, shielding it with his hand. "In case." Stigr glanced at Edenia and turned slightly so Alvar blocked her view. "No need." He raised his black leather jacket. "I have my own." A Glock. Alvar grunted, surprised. "You know how to use it?" "I wouldn't carry it otherwise." Maybe Stigr wasn't as inept as he looked. "Regardless, you stick close to Jack." Jack knew what to do. "I'm counting on you, Stigr." His voice broke, the weakness irking him. "Nothing will happen to Edenia." Stigr tilted his head, sizing Alvar up. "You love her, don't you?" "Always." From that first meeting. "Then why didn't you stop him?" They were no longer talking about the killer. "Robano was a powerful man." Connections everywhere. "I didn't know how, not without risking Edenia." And in not knowing, Alvar had failed her. Serving her prison time was the least he could do. "Edenia wasn't the only one he hurt." As the bastard's bodyguard, Alvar knew that. "She was the only one I cared about." ~*~ "Fuck, finally." Mr. Santos waited for him at the breakfast table, an untouched place setting to his left. "You deliver it?" 21

"Yes, Boss." As instructed, he had placed the watch box in the locker. "He pick it up?" His Boss spun a purple envelope on the wooden surface. "Yes, Boss." "Good." A glimmer of life sparked in those dead eyes. "You're not a complete fuck up, Alvar." Alvar drew himself up proudly. From the Boss, that was the highest of compliments. "Sit the fuck down." He pulled out the chair in front of the empty place setting. "Not there," Mr. Santos roared. "Fuck." His Boss was insane. Well and truly. Alvar kept his opinions to himself and his mouth shut, moving to sit on his right. "Your information." Mr. Santos slid a stack of papers five inches thick his way. "A world class collection of scumbags. Makes me look like Mother fuckin' Teresa." He took his knife out, the big blade glistening. "Patron saint of fuckin' old ladies," he grumbled. "Boss?" Alvar was only half listening as he flipped through the mug shots. Hong Kong Triad, Italian Mafia, Russian… Mierda, who hadn't Robano dealt with? "Fuck. And, clearly, of jackasses too. You move in tonight." The knife twirled so fast, it was a silver blur. "Marie is getting your fuckin' room ready." "Edenia…" "Will be pissed. Shit. Grow a pair, Alvar. This is the safest place in the fuckin' city." Mr. Santos was one to talk, Mrs. Santos who knows where. "Jack is putting in cameras." "Fan-fuckin'-tastic." A twist of grim lips. "We'll have your throat slittings on video." He made a slash with his knife an inch from his own throat. "And I'll have to replace another fuckin' bodyguard. Dios, Alvar, don't fuck with your Edenia's life." Mr. Santos pointed the blade at him. Dios indeed. Alvar skimmed his skull with a moist palm. His Edenia. Dead. Mierda. He'll bring it up again but when she decided upon something, it was hellishly hard to change her mind. "I'm going to find this bastard." That would solve everything. 22

"Once Jack is through installing your fuckin' entertainment system, he'll compare the faces to the videos. Killers like to scope out the territory before making a move." Mr. Santos sounded certain about that. "You have a look too. If the asshole is a professional, he'll know about the fuckin' cameras and avoid them." That Alvar could do. Although fifteen years had elapsed between then and now, the past was crystal clear in his mind. It was all he had to think about in prison. That and Edenia, always Edenia. "There's been a fuckin' delay on the evidence." Mr. Santos bit off his words as though it pained him to say them. "Evidence, Boss?" "The shit the police had," he said like stealing police evidence was the logical next step. "Fuckin' incompetent jackasses." A shake of his Boss' head. "It'll take more fuckin' time." Up until now, Alvar hadn't understood why Mr. Santos' employees were so loyal. "Thank…" "Don't," Mr. Santos stopped him. "Save your sweet talking for your fuckin' woman. Get her ass in here." ~*~ Alvar studied the camera by the front door, his broad face contemplative in the lantern's light. "Stigr and I helped install that one," Edenia told him proudly. They worked all day on the installation. "You did?" Alvar's eyes twinkled. "You want to be the head of security now?" He pulled her close. She nuzzled her nose into his shoulder. "I want the head of security." Last night had been absolutely wonderful. "Is that the same thing?" "It's better." He kissed her forehead. "Let’s take this inside." "Night Jack." She looked back, straight into the camera. Alvar chuckled softly as he held the door open for her. "Jack is a good guy." "He is." That laughing Jack was the one watching the house made her feel better. "Was he able to recover the missing data?" "No." Alvar's smile faded. "But we'll get the rest of the 23

evidence and figure it out. Until we do, we're staying with the Boss." This again. "And if we never find out who did it? What then? Are we to stay locked up in this prison of his forever?" "It's not a prison, trust me on that." Edenia winced at her thoughtless use of words. "So I'll be able to come and go as I please?" "I'm going to find the bastard." As she suspected, the answer was no. "The evidence…" "What evidence? Except for your confession, the police had nothing. They didn't even find the murder weapon." Alvar stopped suddenly. "The Glock." Edenia raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "Stigr has a Glock," he explained. He did, at least he had in the past, but how would Alvar know that? "Is he carrying it again?" Edenia grew alarmed. Please no. It had taken her years to convince Stigr not to. "Has he before?" Alvar's question was sharp. "After Dimas' murder. He was shaken up." Frightened to death. "One day, I walked in and he was looking at the gun and…" She swallowed hard at the memory. "You were scared?" Alvar tightened his grip on her. "Not for myself." For Stigr. Edenia had never seen someone in so much pain. "He's my best friend, Alvar. I can't lose him. It would kill me." "You won't lose him, love." Alvar hugged her. "But if he did it, if he's the one threatening you, if he…" "Did it? Kill Dimas? You think… Stigr?" It was a challenge not to laugh. The thought was so ridiculous. "He has a Glock, Edenia." "Dimas' missing gun was a Glock." She never did find it. Not that she looked hard for it. She hated that gun. "So anyone could have done it." "Stigr could have done it." Edenia took a deep breath. "Okay, let’s suppose for a second that Stigr, our gentle friend, Dimas' accountant, killed my demonic husband. Why?" Alvar studied his steel toe shoes. "He hated Robano," he mumbled. "Of course he hated Dimas. Who didn't?" Edenia swept her curls back. "But Stigr? You saw him when you first met. 24

After Dimas' murder, he was a hundred times worse." She placed a hand on Alvar's bicep. "Like his world had fallen apart." That was the man Stigr was, overly sensitive. "Do you think someone like that has it in him? To shoot a man in cold blood?" And not any man, her intimidating brute of a husband. "Everyone has it in them. People are capable of anything." Haunted brown eyes caught hers. "I saw that in prison." His pain cut her. "Oh, Alvar." She stroked his chest in an attempt to soothe him. "I'm sorry." "I'm not, Edenia. I should have done much more." He placed a big hand over hers. "You…" "I should have killed him for you, love," he declared passionately. "Even Stigr thought…" "Stigr doesn't know." She stopped him, stopped the regrets. "You protected me the best you could." She wrapped her hands around his neck pulling him down, giving him a long, tender kiss. ~*~ "Denie." "Hey Stigr." Edenia opened the Hummer door, waiting patiently as Alvar bundled a sleeping Blue up from her lap, the excitement having worn the hound dog out. "Minor emergency. We had to go to the vet." "Denie." Stigr tossed an anxious glance Alvar's way. "Don't worry," Edenia rushed to reassure him, jumping down from the vehicle. "It ended up being nothing. Dr. Vitner said he'll live for another twenty years." "Dog years," Alvar corrected. Which was less than three years. Edenia didn't want to think about that. "I was so proud." She patted the dog's head. "Blue behaved himself, didn't make a fuss. That deserves a doggy biscuit, don't you think?" She baked a batch this morning, leaving them to cool on the kitchen table. "I'll go get…" "Wait!" Stigr blocked her progress. "Stigr, I gotta go." In more ways than one. She hadn’t taken a bathroom break before the long ride home, Edenia not liking the vet's office any more than her dogs did. 25

"You can't enter the house, Denie." There were dark circles under her friend's eyes, his complexion paler than normal. "It's not safe." Alvar stopped abruptly on his way to the kennel, his arms full of dog, his eyes flashing. "What is it?" "The door was open when I arrived. I thought you might be there. You weren't." "Dios." Alvar strode back, shoving a docile Blue into Stigr's hands. Her friend's knees bent under the weight. "Get in the Hummer!" Alvar roared. Edenia squirmed, remembering the hours spent there during the previous investigation. "Alvar, Blue needs a nature break." "I don't give a…" "I need a nature break," she admitted, blushing. "You're not going in the house." Alvar's obstinate expression said he wasn't moving on that. She tried another location. "The kennel has a bathroom." "I looked for you in there first. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary," Stigr confirmed. "There, see." Edenia smiled, relieved. "And we'll be surrounded by guard dogs, what could be safer?" "The Hummer." "Either the house or the kennel, that is your choice." She wouldn't make it. Alvar glanced from her to the house to the kennel, his hands on his hips. Finally, decided, he turned to her friend. "Take Edenia and Blue to the kennel." The dark expression on Alvar's face alarmed Edenia. "You still have the gun?" "Yes." "Alvar?" Guns and death. "Good." Alvar nodded, ignoring her. "Go. I'll take care of this." "Alvar?" If anything happened to him— "I'll be fine, love." He kissed her quickly and gave her a shove towards Stigr. "Go." Did she have a choice? Edenia hurried along beside her friend. "Do you think..?" "He'll be fine," Stigr reassured her. "I had a look around. Whoever was in there before is long gone." 26

"Did they take anything?" "No, but…" His gaze slid away. "But?" What was it? "He shredded Alvar's jacket to ribbons. With a knife, it looked like." "His leather jacket?" She shivered. "The way it was done, it has to be a message. I think he's after Alvar, Denie." Edenia's stomach twisted as she held the kennel door open. "They killed Dimas." Dimas had bodyguards, a security system, and they still shot him. Alvar had no such protection. "Is finding the killer so important to you, Denie? That you'd risk his life?" Stigr moved to Blue's box. She unlatched the door. "I don't care about that." Alvar did, though. "Then talk to him," Stigr pleaded. "Tell him to stop his investigation, leave the past in the past." Leave the past in the past. Edenia kept her gaze downcast as she chewed on her cheek. The exact same words the killer used. Could Alvar be right? Stigr? Her friend? "I'll be back. I have to..." She squirmed. Stigr smiled at her. Not menacing like a killer. Fondly like a friend. "Of course. I'll take care of Blue." ~*~ "I told you there weren't any shoe prints." Alvar glared at Jack. Mr. Santos stood beside him, looking even more pissed than usual, the call coming in the middle of his daily security update. "Nothing that shouldn't be here." "And I told you I saw a shoe on the video." Jack awkwardly crouched down, wincing at the painful action. "And here are the prints. What are you, blind?" Alvar glanced at the mud. "That's not it. I know who those belong to." "I do too. Your killer." For once, Jack's face was serious. "Distinctive shoes. Prada-wearing prick." Prada. Stigr. "Dios." Alvar paled. "He's in the kennel with Edenia." "Fuck." His Boss spat. "You are a trusting jackass, Alvar." He pulled out his big knife. "Time to take care of this asshole." 27

"No." The Boss would slash throats first, ask questions later. This was Edenia's best friend. Alvar wanted to be sure. "I'll take care of this." Mr. Santos eyed him. "I'll give you five fuckin' minutes." The knife glimmered in his hand. "After that fuck it, I'm coming in and doing this myself." Five minutes should be enough. Alvar stalked towards the kennel, slipping quietly in through a side door. Not that his precautions made a difference. The dogs, catching his scent, yelped a nosy welcome. Blue howled. There was a solid thud against the door of Wiggles' box. Stigr sat beside a bewildered Edenia, the gun in his hands. "Alvar." He didn't look up. "Stigr." The gun was pointed at nothing and Stigr's finger wasn't on the trigger but Alvar was acutely aware of how quickly all that could change. "Edenia, come here." He pointed to his feet. She placed her arm protectively around her friend, jostling Stigr's gun hand, causing panic to pulse through Alvar. "Alvar, promise me you won't hurt Stigr." "Edenia, love…" Alvar softened his voice, desperate to separate her from her unstable friend. "There's no reason for you to be mad at him." Her full lips pressed into a stubborn line. "This is just a silly misunderstanding. Stigr hasn't done anything wrong." "But I have, Denie." Guilt weighed down Stigr's confession. "I have. And Alvar knows that. It was me. I killed him." "You?" Edenia's jaw dropped. "You shot Dimas?" A pause. Alvar easily followed the emotions flying across her expressive face. She cared for Stigr, more than was healthy. "And if I hadn't been in the bathroom, you would have…" "No!" Stigr's bowed head snapped up. "I waited. I never would have hurt you, Denie, you have to believe me, but Robano, Robano was a monster." He shuddered. Edenia studied her friend. "He was." She placed her hand on Stigr's. On Stigr's gun hand. "Edenia," Alvar tried again. Although he wanted to believe Stigr wouldn't hurt Edenia, he couldn't risk it. "Go outside and assure Mr. Santos everything is okay." Before the situation got any worse. 28

"You won't hurt Stigr?" Her lips pursed. "I won't hurt Stigr, I promise." He'd promise anything to keep her safe. "Now go." "But…" "If you care for your friend at all, go." He ignored the thud coming from Wiggles' box. "No one is going anywhere." Stigr waved the gun, a half-hearted motion. Alvar sucked back his rage, leveling a patient glance at him. "You want her," he nodded to Edenia, "to hear this?" Hesitation and then a sigh. "Denie, you can go but he stays here." Concerned brown eyes darted between the two of them. "You won't hurt him, Stigr?" Stigr stared at Edenia. She stared back, expectant. "No, I won't hurt him," her friend capitulated. "And you won't hurt yourself?" Alvar knew Stigr couldn't promise that. "Edenia, in thirty seconds, Mr. Santos is coming through that door and…" Her face lit with understanding. "I'm going, I'm going." She hurried up to Alvar, giving him a hug. "Take care of him." She nodded towards Stigr. Alvar frowned. Dios. She was asking him to make this right. "I'll try." That was all he could do. "Thank you." A kiss on Alvar's cheek and she was gone, the kennel door swinging shut behind her. "She'll be back." A humorless smile twisted Stigr's lips. "No, she won't." Mr. Santos would assure that. There was another thud. "Mierda. Wiggles is going to brain himself on that door." Another broken smile from Stigr. "She loves that stupid dog." "She does." His soft hearted, trusting woman. "So now what, Stigr? I promised not to hurt you, you promised not to hurt me, and we're both men of our words." "But I didn't make that last promise, did I?" Stigr stared at the Glock in his hands. "To not hurt myself? That is the only way." "No, it isn't." It was an unacceptable solution. "You don't want to do that." 29

"Oh, I do. I've thought of it often. Ever since that night. You drove me there, you know. That night." That Alvar hadn't known was no excuse. He drove. He was partially responsible. "He held a gun on me, this gun. I thought I didn't have a choice. I thought it would be better to… than to die. I thought wrong." "Surviving takes strength." "More strength than I have." Stigr raised the Glock. "If you care for Edenia at all, don't." Alvar watched Stigr's finger tap against the trigger. "This would break her heart." "I won't go to jail, Alvar. You know what will happen to me in there." Alvar did. With Stigr so slender, so pale, so beautiful, he wouldn't stand a chance. "I'd rather die than let that happen again." He was a victim, as Edenia had been. Except there was no one protecting Stigr. "Stigr…" The gun shook. "No, I can't." Alvar could. He could do this for Edenia. For Stigr. For himself. "You won't go to prison." The words said, the promise made. "One of us did time, that's justice enough." A pause. "What?" "No one has to know." There was no reason to reopen the case. A vacant stare met his. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying I would have killed him, Stigr. Eventually. You did that for me. What I couldn't do. Let me do this for you now." Stigr blinked rapidly. "You don't want to clear your name?" He did, but not at this cost. "It doesn't seem to matter to Edenia." "It doesn't. She loves you." Stigr set the Glock down on the bench. "If I had known, I never would have…" He bent over, cradling his head in his hands. "I thought you were like him." They had both, in their own way, been protecting Edenia. "I know." ~*~ "Let me go." Edenia yanked her wrist away. It was no use. She was securely captured, Mr. Santos' wiry build 30

holding as much strength as Alvar's bulky frame. "Nothing will fuckin' happen. That I know." Alvar's Boss told Jack, ignoring Edenia, his arm held straight out from his body so she couldn't kick him again. "The softhearted jackass will let him go." He slapped a crisp dollar down on the hood of the Hummer with his free hand. "No way." Another dollar bill joined the first. "The Prada-wearing prick threatened his miss." Jack nodded towards Edenia. "I've never seen Alvar so angry." "He didn't threaten me." She struggled, twisting. She hadn't believed for a second Stigr would harm her. "And Alvar won't hurt him. He promised." "Fuck. He would." Mr. Santos' face was grim. A huge figure exited the kennel, a hyper beagle jumping in circles around him, the door slamming with a bang behind them. "Alvar!" Released, Edenia raced across the yard into his arms. Swung up, she patted his big body all over, searching for damage. Satisfied he was healthy, only then did she peer anxiously around. "Stigr?" "He's okay." Alvar slid her down, hugging her to him tightly as they walked away from the kennel, Wiggles yelping at their heels. "But he needs some time to himself." Jack groaned. Mr. Santos shook his head, looking disgusted, gathering the dollar bills, tucking them carefully into his pants pocket. Stigr alone with the gun. "He won't?" "No, he won't." Alvar read her worries. "He wouldn't do that to you." "But…" She studied the closed door. Stigr had killed Dimas. Stigr, her best friend, he'd have to go to jail. Another loved one in jail. For years. Her shoulders slumped. "We calling the fuckin' cops, Alvar?" Mr. Santos asked the question Edenia couldn't. "No. This is none of their business." "Fuck." Alvar's Boss seemed to understand. Edenia didn't. "Alvar?" The vein in his neck pulsed, the way it did when he was nervous. "I'll have a record, love, forever. I'll always be an ex-con. Can you live with that?" He would do that for her friend? "Oh, Alvar." She 31

wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you." "I love you too, Edenia." And then he kissed her, both of them disregarding the muttered 'fuck' in the background and the beagle hurling himself repeatedly against their legs. ~*~ "This is supposed to be me?" Alvar pointed to the huge black figure in the drawing. Edenia slipped onto his lap, the recently arrived mail in her hands. "I believe so, and there is Wiggles," she indicated a brown and white tube with legs, "and Kelley." Wiggles' new owner. A blonde-haired girl depicted with a wide grin, standing beside her mom and dad, also smiling. They did the right thing, letting Wiggles be adopted. Kelley and her parents would take good care of the dog, he told himself for the hundredth time. "I'm bigger than the trees." Alvar's attention returned to the giant. Was that how he looked to the little girl? Like a monster? "Well, at least you got in the picture." Edenia wrinkled her nose at the junk mail. "Supposedly I'm in the house, baking dog biscuits." "Where any good wife should be." He jiggled his knee, making her bounce. "You wish." She calmly sifted through the mail. "Another one," Edenia crowed, holding up a battered postcard. "He's in Tibet," she read. "Studying with the monks." A deep sigh. "So far away. I sure hope Stigr finds what he's looking for. Whatever that is. Then he can come home." Alvar knew what Stigr was looking for. Peace. Tranquility. Love. He stared at his wife's beautiful face. Everything he now had. "I hope he does too." He hugged Edenia close.

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About Kimber Kimber Chin writes romance novels set in the exciting world of business, a world she continues to play in daily. She is happily married to her first and only love, a naturally talented (and cute) salesguy. They spend any spare moments they have traveling and starting new ventures.

Visit our website for our growing catalogue of quality books. www.champagnebooks.com

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