36. Chapter 36
thirty-six
New York City
I t’d taken them more or less sixteen hours to return to New York. Not too bad, considering they’d had to stop and change planes. By the time Ken and Lina had worked their special magic at the airport to keep Curtis incognito, it’d been close to four in the afternoon Eastern time and he was exhausted.
Curtis didn’t know where they’d taken him. The travel across time zones had finally caught up to him. He just remembered getting into an apartment after Lina and Ken had cleared it. She’d pointed him toward a door, and he’d crashed onto the bed and had been out.
Curtis didn’t recall all that when he awoke. He blinked his eyes several times to adjust to the darkness and almost panicked when he didn’t recognize his surroundings. He could hear a muted wail of sirens in the distance somewhere, the hiss of a heater blowing warmth into the space, and a soft breathing next to him.
Lina.
Inhaling deeply, it all flooded back to him. He hadn’t taken in anything about this new space he’d been forced to hide in before he’d passed out. All he’d cared about was the bed and sleep.
Good thing we weren ’ t being attacked right then and there. Much help I would ’ ve been .
Feeling the sudden urge to relieve himself, he rolled up and looked around. A sliver of moonlight through the shades illuminated a path toward what he hoped was a bathroom. He made his way there as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake up Lina.
A nightstand lamp turned on.
“Ugh.” Curtis covered his eyes at the sudden brightness.
“What are you doing sneaking around?”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
Lina sat up and gestured to the door Curtis was heading to. When he returned, Lina was standing by a window, looking down to the street twenty floors below.
“Sorry I woke you up.” Curtis approached her.
“That’s alright. You know I’m a light sleeper.”
“Where are we?” He looked out, trying to pinpoint a landmark.
“Harlem. My apartment.”
“Oh.” Curtis looked around the clean, modern room. There weren’t many knickknacks to show it was her bedroom. In fact, it felt like a hotel room. “Did you just move in?”
“A year ago, after I made junior partnership.” Lina noted Curtis’ unspoken observation. “I traveled a month at a time. I’m barely here. In fact, I was home for one weekend before we flew to Paris.”
“So you don’t have any attachment to the place, then?”
Lina shrugged. “Why?”
“Maybe you’ll move in with me when this is all over.”
Her gaze flew to him.
“Don’t answer that. Think about it,” Curtis quickly added. He knew he was rushing her, but he didn’t want her to retreat to her cocoon again once they got their lives back.
Lina looped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. The gesture warmed his heart. Aside from cuddling after sex, she limited physical affection. It felt good when she relaxed with him.
“Let’s make sure you’re safe before we think about all that, okay?” she said.
“I want to resolve this, Lina. No matter what it takes.” He brushed his lips against her hair. “I need you to support me, even if I have to risk myself.”
She shook her head. “There’s gotta be another way.”
“If there isn’t, can I count on you to back me up?”
Lina straightened and looked at him, new turmoil in her eyes. “I will always back you up, but asking me to put your life in danger? That’s too much. I won’t survive it if anything happens to you.”
Curtis was taken aback by her show of emotions. In his one-mindedness, Curtis hadn’t thought through what he was asking her.
“Nothing will happen to me,” he promised.
“You can’t know that.”
“I know, because we won’t go into anything unprepared.” Curtis pulled her back into his arms. “I’m not marching into the Stilettos’ den without a game plan. I might have a couple of years ago. I was that reckless, thinking I was invincible. I have something more to live for now. Something new I want to see grow.
“If it comes down to me confronting the Stilettos, you don’t have to be a part of that, if you don’t want to,” he added. “Marcus or—”
“You think I will let you go meet the Stilettos without me? Think again,” Lina warned. “I tried pawning you off to Raul. You had your chance to get rid of me. Now, you’re stuck with me, buddy.”
Curtis chuckled. “There’s nobody I’d trust more to have my back, Lina. But I also don’t want you to risk yourself for me.”
“That’s not debatable.”
He pulled her chin up so he could kiss her. “Then we’re at an impasse.”
“No. It just means we have each other’s back. I will always keep you safe from any threat, Curtis.”
Curtis half-grinned at that. “I feel that should be my line. But coming from you, I think it’s hot.”
She finally laughed at something silly but a hundred percent true.
“Well, if you insist on taking risks, let’s head down to the basement gym and put in some training time,” Lina suggested. “We’re not falling back to sleep anyhow. You could use some drilling and maybe a bit of tumbling practice.”
“How about if we do some tumbling up here first before we do all that downstairs?” Curtis winked and hauled her up by the waist.
Lina squealed, but her nimble legs automatically locked around his hips as he held her bottom. He walked them back to the bed and lay her on the mattress. Hovering over her, he captured her mouth.
“It’ll be a quickie,” he promised in between kisses as he pulled her underwear off.
“It’s never a quickie with you,” Lina said. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Curtis slid a finger through her slit. “Hm, it looks like you need a little extra attention this morning, love.”
He crawled down her body and settled his mouth on her mound. He started feasting on her sensitive flesh like he’d been starved to death. Hearing her strangled moan was like music to his ear and he followed her lead to bring her to the edge of ecstasy before joining with her in a waltz they both knew by heart.
Lina checked the messages on the new phone B&Y had given her. Curtis had distracted her again in the shower. This craving for him should subside soon, or she’d have a problem staying focused on the job.
They had managed to go to the gym after their first tumble and got some actual training in this morning. Seeing his defenses and fighting skills eased her worry a notch. But he’d still be vulnerable if the Stilettos changed their MO. That family liked it close and personal, but they were criminals. They couldn’t maintain their territory without more firepower.
Though, after reading what Ken had on the Stilettos, Lina concluded that Serafina had a penchant for the dramatic. There were a few murders of witnesses against the family, the weapon had been a knife. The police had never found the murder weapon or any evidence to link the murders to the Stilettos, even if it seemed obvious who the culprit was.
The bodies were found clean and naked, except for the wound, as if they’d been bathed before being disposed. Lina shuddered as an image of Curtis in that state invaded her mind. She quickly shook it off.
Do not let your head go there!
Lina read the new message Marcus had sent as she walked to the kitchen. Curtis was staring at the coffeemaker, willing it to brew the second batch faster. There wasn’t much in her pantry, so they’d had to make do with plain oatmeal for breakfast earlier. She wished they could just walk to the nearest restaurant for lunch. Hopefully, they could do that soon.
With that in mind, she texted Marcus back.
“Want more coffee?” Curtis held the pot over her cup.
“Sure.”
At least she had coffee. She also had a bunch of instant ramen, but it seemed unhealthy without at least an egg.
“Marcus and Ken will be here soon,” Lina informed.
“Will we talk strategy or will you try to shuffle me off somewhere again?” he asked.
“Ken and I told you we’d find a permanent solution to the Stilettos problem when we agreed to take you home. Marcus wasn’t happy about it. So we might need to convince him.”
“I can’t get on another plane and sneak around again, Lina,” he said. “I do that enough touring. I don’t want to do it in my spare time.”
“There’s a big difference between being chased by the mob and by a mob of groupies.” She snickered.
“Neither is fun.”
Lina scoffed at that.
“Fine. I’ll admit being chased by cute girls had its moment.” Curtis grinned as he leaned on the counter. “But it’s not nearly as fun as it was when we were in our twenties.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“We didn’t have a care in the world back then. We played music to a crowd. It was exhilarating, still is. The extra attention from the fans was flattering. We did a lot of crazy shit. You’ve witnessed some of it.” He chuckled.
“Oh yes, I did.”
“But how long can this last?” Curtis shrugged. “I hope I can make music for the rest of my life, and play for people as long as they want to hear it. But I don’t need the girls. We all have to grow up sometimes.”
“Are you telling me you’re too old for those young girls chanting your name, throwing their underwear at you?” Lina asked.
“Well…” A corner of his lips rose into one of his irresistible half-grins. “They can do whatever they want.”
He came around the kitchen island to her. “But I have my eyes on only one girl.”
“Right,” Lina said plainly, with a small smile.
Curtis’ grin grew, and he eyed her as if she’d issued him a challenge.
“I know it’s hard to believe. I mean, why would I, a sex symbol of my generation, want to settle down with one woman?” he boasted in exaggeration.
“Ooo...kay.” Lina laughed. “I never mentioned the words ‘sex symbol.’”
“But you think I’m sexy.”
She crunched her nose.
“I saw you watching me on stage every night, Lina Cheung,” he teased.
“I was working. I was supposed to be watching—”
“The crowd.” Curtis laughed.
“I had my guys on that. It’s called delegation.”
“Uh-huh.” He took her hand and said seriously, “Listen, I’ve watched other great musicians before me who can’t get past the fame, the partying, the girls or boys—whichever way they gravitate—and continue trying to get all those back even when their time has passed. I don’t want to be a cliché.
“Like I said, I hope my brothers and I can do this for the rest of our lives, but I also want more. I’ve been racking my brain out, searching for this ‘more.’ Until you showed up at my door, and things shifted inside me. With each day we’ve been on this crazy ride, all these odd notes playing in my head started to make sense. I can hear the music and what it’s telling me.”
Lina exhaled slowly. She was almost afraid to ask. “What is it telling you?”
“You remember when I jammed with Luc in Paris?” Curtis’ face lit up. “Every time I was there, I taught him a little more. He’s so good now. And at new year, teaching those kids how to play the guitar, sharing with them the love of music made me feel as good as writing and playing music.”
She nodded and smiled at the memory. “Yeah, I saw that. You were fantastic with them. So what does that mean? Are you gonna start teaching?”
“Maybe.” He pursed his lips, thinking. “I’m considering proposing to the band to start a foundation to bring music to underprivileged children or those stuck in hospitals being treated for illness.”
He was vibrating with excitement. “I don’t know. I haven’t really figured out the details yet. I found music early, and I know I was privileged to have access to instruments and classes, but it kept me from fucking up much.
“Maybe if more children had access to something similar, we’d have fewer Rocco Stilettos,” he finished with a thoughtful frown.
Lina cupped his jaw in her hand. “Curtis, that sounds like a pretty good idea.”
“You think?”
“Yes. It’s definitely something you should explore.”
He nodded with a self-satisfied grin. “I’m glad you agree, because there’s something else it’s telling me.”
“What?” She smiled.
A loud buzz snapped their attention to the door.
“That must be Marcus and Ken,” Lina said. “What were you saying?”
Curtis gave an easy shrug. “We’ll talk about it later, when this is all done.”