Pursuit of a Kiss Read online

Dimples appeared on each cheek as he smiled, and Juliet found herself reassured by his kind face. He exuded warmth, which made her instantly like him. “Where am I?”

  “At the hospital. You collapsed against me outside James Beach Bar, do you remember?”

  The terror returned in a fierce wave. “Those … men. Did someone stop them?”

  “I’m afraid they got away, but you’re safe here. You may feel a bit fuzzy for a little while. It’s a mixture of the anesthesia wearing off and the morphine.”

  “Anesthesia?”

  “You were shot, Miss Morris. One bullet passed straight through your right arm and another grazed your hip. I’m afraid you suffered a comminuted ulna fracture. We had to insert a metal plate into your arm.”

  Juliet glanced down at the splint covering most of her right arm. “But that’s impossible. I’m an interior designer. I don’t get shot.”

  Doctor Erosou laughed, gently brushing her hair off her face. He turned his head to peer at two men approaching, nodding to himself.

  “I just have to give you a shot of antibiotics and then some detectives want to speak to you. Is that OK? Otherwise I can ask them to come back tomorrow, after you’ve gotten some rest.”

  “Um, sure, yeah. It’s OK.”

  Juliet continued staring dumbfounded at her arm. The shot stung, calling her attention to it. For a split second, the needle looked like a glistening golden arrow. Puzzled, Juliet blinked to clear her gaze, but when she looked again the doctor had finished and already disposed of the needle.

  “Did you see…?”

  “See what, dear?”

  She shook her head, realizing how ridiculous her question would sound. “Never mind.”

  “You take care of yourself, Juliet. Who knows – getting shot might be the best thing that ever happened to you.”

  She snorted in disbelief as he slipped away.

  ****

  Eros felt satisfied with his night’s work as he left Juliet’s room. “One down.” He turned to watch a young police officer in a freshly pressed uniform pass by, followed closely by the rugged FBI agent. “One to go.” That spark wouldn’t be too hard to ignite, in his estimation.

  He moved out of their way as they entered Juliet’s room. Having done all he could for tonight, Eros faded back into the shadows. He felt the presence of Himeros and Pothos before he saw them approach.

  “Interesting choice, brother,” Himeros said, nodding towards the FBI agent. “Sticking a woman afraid of passion with a man ruled by it?”

  Pothos sighed, resting an arm on Eros’ shoulder. “I bet Himeros he’s wrong about that guy. Mr. FBI Man wants to fall in love, but he focuses on lust to keep from getting hurt.”

  “How the hell do you figure that? He goes for sex before love every time. He’ll do it again here.” Himeros countered smugly.

  Eros shook his head at both of them. “Stop interfering. I know what I’m doing with these two, and I don’t want either of you to mess it up.”

  “Care to join our wager?” Himeros’s eyes lit up in delight.

  “Fine. But I already pierced Juliet with an arrow. I need to hit him too, to be fair. After that, none of us can interfere, and we’ll see who’s right.”

  The brothers all nodded in agreement, continuing to speculate on who would win as they left the hospital. In a moment of distraction, Eros’s eyes darted over to the clock on the wall. Just after 4:00 a.m. Maybe he could find an after-hours place…

  ****

  Jake Parker barged in ahead of the cop. The kid might resent the presence of the FBI, but he’d just have to get over it. Jake had already promised he wouldn’t intrude on the investigation. Or at least, he silently acknowledged, he knew he’d try his best not to interfere.

  In the doorway he hesitated, staring at the woman lying in the bed before him. Damn, Aaron hadn’t told him how much Juliet had changed when he called and begged Jake to check on her at the hospital. She looked nothing like she had when he last saw her, almost a decade ago. Gone were the spots of acne and thick glasses. How had he never noticed how bright blue her eyes were under those frames? Her face had thinned, giving her prominent cheekbones, her lips seemed fuller and rosier, and she’d done something different to her hair. Even her fragile, pale skin and the deep black circles under her eyes couldn’t disguise how beautiful she’d become. He might have raced to her bedside after her brother’s panicked phone call. Now, after one glimpse of the woman she’d grown into, he found himself surprisingly glad to be there.

  Juliet blinked at him as he stood somewhat frozen in the doorway, an adorably confused expression crossing her face.

  “Jake? Is that you?”

  The cop frowned at him, but Jake ignored the kid and stepped forward to take Juliet’s hand. “Aaron called when he heard what happened and asked me to look in on you.”

  “But… how does Aaron know? I haven’t talked to anyone…”

  “The hospital called your dad, and he called Aaron.”

  “My dad knows?”

  The officer cleared his throat impatiently, so Jake forced himself to take a step back. “Juliet, the police need to know what exactly happened, but it won’t take long.” Jake shot the kid a look, warning what would happen if the questions upset her too much.

  Juliet nodded, trying to sit up. Jake gently pushed her back down and reached for the bed controls to adjust them for her.

  “Miss Morris, I’m Officer Williams. I know you need some rest so, as Special Agent Parker here said, I’ll keep this brief. Did you get a good look at any of the men?”

  “Yes, I saw all of them. The shooter…” She shuddered involuntarily. “He was Hispanic, with a shaved head and a mustache and goatee. And he had tattoos all over him, on his arms and the back of his head.”

  “What did the tattoos look like?”

  Fighting off the effects of the pain medication that threatened to send her back to sleep, Juliet closed her eyes to better picture the scene.

  “There was a snake on his arm, a crown, and I think the number 13. There were others too, but I can’t remember.”

  The officer’s eyes grew wider with each new tattoo she listed, his pen flying across his notepad. “How about the other men with him?”

  “I didn’t get as good a look at them. They were Hispanic too. I’m pretty sure it was a gang. They all wore something blue, if that helps ID them.”

  “You most likely stumbled onto an ongoing turf war. There have been other shootings recently at PenmarPark.”

  “I read about those. A couple of high school students were killed.”

  Williams nodded. “It sounds like you saw one of the gang leaders commit the murders himself. Detectives who specialize in gang crimes will come by tomorrow to talk to you and show you some photos, if that’s okay. Hopefully you can identify the men you saw.”

  “Of course, whatever I can do….” Her voice trailed off in a yawn.

  Williams seemed happy with this turn of events. “I’ll let you rest, then, and see you tomorrow.”

  “I need to talk to you for a minute,” Jake insisted, thinly veiled anger creeping into his voice. “Juliet, I’ll be right back.”

  Jake ushered Williams outside Juliet’s room, his irate whisper growing ever louder. “You need to get some guards around her immediately. You know the V Street 13 have a long history of witness intimidation.”

  “Now, just a minute…”

  “The last time the LAPD had a case against members of V Street

  , it fell apart when two key witnesses got killed. I know for a fact one woman’s body was slashed up and left in the open as a warning to anyone else intending to testify.”

  “I know you have a personal involvement here––”

  “You’re damn right I do, and I’ll hold you responsible if anything happens to her.”

  “Look here, I was going to call my lieutenant after questioning Juliet, before you decided to tell me how to do my job. This is L.A. We deal with gang witnesses all the
time and I know how easy it would be for someone to find out which hospital that ambulance took her to. So how about, instead of getting in my face, you guard her yourself for a little while until we can get some protection organized. You were going to stay with her anyway, right?”

  Jake wasn’t sure if he kept himself from blushing, but he did hold his hands up in surrender. “Just making sure she’s looked after.”

  “The detectives can talk to you about different options tomorrow.”

  Jake grumbled unhappily as Williams left. Juliet had no idea what she’d gotten herself into. Damn right he’d guard her himself. After all, Aaron was his best friend – he’d do the same for any friend’s little sister, right? Opening the door to her room, he gazed down at the now sleeping Juliet. He didn’t know why he felt this urge to protect her, but he absolutely knew he had no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.

  Chapter Two

  And You’re to Blame

  When Juliet awoke, sunlight streamed through the windows. Jake sat awkwardly scrunched, sound asleep in the chair beside her. He looked so adorably cramped, leaning back onto one chair with his feet propped up on another. He must have stayed all night.

  As Jake shifted positions, she had an irresistible urge to check her hair and makeup. Even as she thought it, she knew it would be pointless, not to mention unnecessary. Jake had never looked at her as anything other than Aaron’s baby sister. Juliet, on the other hand, had developed a crush on him as a twelve-year-old girl the moment she met him. Jake and her brother Aaron had been freshman roommates at college and had remained best friends ever since. But she hadn’t seen him in years.

  She could still vividly remember the last time: Aaron’s twenty-fifth birthday. He’d thrown one of his infamous parties, and Jake had sauntered in late, his classic cocky grin in place, his arm draped around a woman whose black dress looked as though it had been painted directly onto her body. Not that it actually covered much skin. At nineteen, Juliet wanted to prove how grown up she’d become, so she invited Jake to do some shots with her. Bad idea. Having not eaten much, she spent most of the party puking in the bathroom. Jake did leave his date for a while to nurse her through the worst of it, holding her hair back and bringing her water. He didn’t leave until her friends assured him they would take her straight home. As they escorted her out, she saw Jake return to his date’s side.

  “That was so sweet of you to take care of your friend’s little sister. At that age I didn’t know when to stop drinking either,” his date murmured as she clutched Jake’s arm.

  Juliet wished she hadn’t heard that comment. Her face turned bright red. Not that Jake would have noticed at that point, with the hottie snuggled up to him once again.

  Shortly thereafter, Aaron had gotten married and had two children, ending his party days. Without those gatherings, Juliet had no excuse to contact Jake. Yet now, here he was.

  Feeling Jake’s eyes on her, she looked over to find him awake and smiling. He sat up, rubbing his hands over his face as if to clear the sleepiness away.

  “How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?”

  Juliet shook her head. “It’s not nearly as bad as yesterday, but I’m still so tired. How long do I have to stay here?”

  “Probably one more day. They’ve got you on IV antibiotics. They always worry about infection with gunshot wounds.”

  “But if I’m on an IV why did that doctor give me a shot?”

  Jake shrugged and automatically reached for the TV remote. Juliet stifled a laugh. In some ways he hadn’t changed a bit.

  “I may fall asleep again soon.” As proof of her words, she couldn’t quite stop herself from yawning.

  Jake studied her a moment then reached over to smooth her hair back from her face.

  Juliet felt her heartbeat speed up. Unfortunately, the heart monitor picked that up too, but she prayed Jake wouldn’t notice the slightly faster beeps. He still had the same piercing green eyes. When he turned his gaze on her, it felt as though she were the only person in the world. His chestnut brown hair had gotten a bit long, and it was mussed from him running his hand through it. Stubble covered his chin and cheeks, giving him a rugged air. And he still had that one delectable dimple on his right cheek that appeared when he smiled, which he did in response to her half-smothered yawn.

  Concern filled his eyes as his hand lingered, entwined in her hair. Then, ever so softly, he ran his thumb along the shadows under her eyes as though he could wipe them away. Without warning, he shrank away from her and cleared his throat.

  “You should rest.” His harsh tone surprised her, but it softened somewhat as he added, “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

  “You’re staying?”

  “Your family would kill me if I left you alone. And luckily, being a high and mighty Special Agent gets me around visiting hours.”

  Her heart thumped as his lips turned up in that cocky expression of his. Juliet fought to stay awake, wanting to prolong the conversation, but her body refused to obey.

  “I won’t tell them if you want to go home for a while,” she mumbled, struggling to keep her eyes open.

  In answer he leaned back in his chair and once more propped his feet up. “As long as it doesn’t bother you if I watch TV, I’m all set.”

  Juliet felt herself falling asleep before she could reply.

  ****

  Brad paced around the waiting room, tilting his head to peer at Carly’s watch practically every fifteen seconds. Carly let out an irritated sigh, flipping the pages of her magazine with far more force than necessary. “Will you sit down? They promised to get us when we could see her.”

  “Do you think she wants to see me?”

  “Probably not.”

  Brad’s hands tightened around the bouquet of roses he carried. “She’ll forgive me. I know she will.”

  Carly snorted in response, turning back to her magazine. A Latino man wearing a black t-shirt that showed off arms covered in tattoos sat down nearby. Carly automatically shifted away from him, leaning the opposite direction in her chair. She felt him watching her and her skin began to crawl. Taking a few quick breaths, she slid her eyes towards him, wondering if she should go get security or what. Maybe he was part of the same gang that attacked Juliet and she could help catch her attempted murderer.

  Growing bold, Carly turned her head. The man sat thumbing through a GQ magazine. He didn’t even glance in her direction as she continued to stare. Either the magazine was a clever ruse, or she was a colossal idiot. Reluctantly, Carly admitted to herself it might be the latter.

  Just after nine o’clock a nurse came out to let them know they could go to Juliet’s room. Carly bounded forward, eager to see her best friend. Brad looked as though he were on a death march. Still, he caught Carly’s arm before she reached the door so he could go in first.

  It didn’t matter, however, as Dr. Erosou stepped in their path.

  “Ah, what lovely flowers for Miss Juliet.” He ran his fingers along the stem of one rose, lingering on a single thorn. “Forgive me, I had to admire the bouquet. Go ahead in.”

  ****

  Jake cursed at the loud knocking at the door, annoyed anyone would dare interrupt Juliet’s much-needed rest. Before he had a chance to move, a lanky guy carrying what looked like a dozen long-stemmed red roses burst into the room. Through the open doorway, Jake spotted Dr. Erosou approaching, watching them intently.

  “Can I help you?” Jake asked.

  “Who are you?” Brad demanded.

  Jake stood up, getting some satisfaction that the guy had to look up to him.

  “A friend. And you are?”

  “Her boyfriend, so get out of my way.”

  “Brad, stop shouting,” Carly hissed, trying to take his arm. He shook her off.

  Jake stood firmly in front of the newcomers. “She’s resting.”

  “I need to talk to her.” Brad pushed forward.

  Dr. Erosou moved towards the doorway as Jake move
d to stop Brad. One of the thorns on the roses poked sharply into Jake’s hand. For a moment the wound burned and Jake thought he saw a flash of gold…

  When he lifted his eyes, he spotted Dr. Erosou keenly observing him from over Brad’s shoulder. Before it could all fully register, Juliet’s voice rang out, sounding much stronger than before. In fact, it sounded downright livid. “Stop it, both of you.”

  Both Jake and Brad froze and turned towards her.

  “Sorry the noise woke you.” Jake moved to stand protectively beside her. He didn’t care if this guy claimed to be her boyfriend; Jake didn’t like him.

  “Carly and I saw what happened but they wouldn’t let us in the ambulance or even in to see you last night.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I, um, well I thought we could talk. And I brought these.” He thrust the roses in front of him as if they could shield him against Juliet’s palpable anger. His eyes darted between her and Jake, seemingly unsure of the situation between them. Jake found himself enjoying Brad’s squirming. He moved closer to Juliet as she took the bouquet Brad held in her face, wondering what she would do. How the hell could she like this douchebag?

  “I have nothing to say to you. I thought I made that clear last night.”

  Jake tried to cover his chuckle with a cough, but judging from the amused look Carly gave him he hadn’t been entirely successful.

  Brad rubbed at a spot on the floor with his shoe. “Look, that was… I mean, I hadn’t seen you in ages, and I was drinking…”

  “You’re the one who’s been too busy with work to get together, so don’t you dare try to pin this on me.” She tried to chuck the flowers back in his face, but with her right arm immobile she had to use her left, so the flowers barely reached the foot of the bed. She growled in frustration.

  Jake picked the flowers up. “Want me to throw them for you?”

  She shot him a dirty look. He couldn’t help laughing again. He liked this side of her, especially since her surprisingly fierce temper wasn’t directed at him. Not only had she gotten more beautiful, she’d grown into herself. Her strength and confidence showed as she stared Brad down. Hell, if the old cliché about looks killing had any truth to it, Brad would be toast.