RECAP: At the premier of the movie Slice and Dice III, Avery and Brad are watching the preview while Sadie and Gear sit below them, watching as well. Noel and Addy are in the top row, where a plan has formed to deal with someone threatening their friend. Noel heads to the restroom to deal with the culprit…
[Noel and Addy from CONTRACT SIGNED (Triggerman Inc series)]
“Man, I hope the movie is quieter than this,” Noel said. He watched the chatty moviegoers turn back to their partners, quieting down, at least. He sat with his wife, Addy.
My wife.
He never tired of thinking of her as is his. Never thought in a million years he’d ever have a wife, not with his background.
“You okay?” she murmured and snuggled with him. He’d lifted the arm rest so they could sit as close as possible.
“Fine.”
“You’re sure? I know you hate leaving the island.”
“I’m okay, sweetheart. It’s good for us to get out and be around regular people.”
She snorted. “Deacon and Solene are semi-regular, I guess. Hammer and Vi, though…”
He chuckled. “Right?”
Normally, Noel and Addy would have been home in Bainbridge Island, just a short ferry ride from the city. But Addy had wanted to see some friends, so Noel had escorted her over last night so they could enjoy a weekend away from the kid. Gunnar might be his adopted son, but Noel swore the boy took after his Uncle Deacon. The boy was a huge pain in the ass despite being adorable.
Since Deacon and Solene had their own kid to worry about, asking them to watch Gunnar was a no-brainer. Addy and Noel did a ton of favors for them in myriad ways.
Like today, while Noel played bait while with his freaking wife.
“You’re sure you’re good with this?” Noel didn’t keep secrets from Addy. Not about who he had been and still was, though now he worked with Deacon running an import business instead of doing assassin work for a shadowy organization.
He found the logistics of importing goods from many of the places he’d been in the world to be challenging. And with Deacon and Solene selling the items in Solene’s boutique in Bainbridge Island and soon a second shop in downtown Seattle, they had their hands full with a mundane, safe enough life.
At least, after he ended the threat currently stalking them.
“I’m just fine with this. Well, maybe not this movie.” Addy grimaced. “I wish we would see that Christmas movie instead.”
“Krampus doesn’t count?” he teased.
“No.” She huffed, her green eyes crinkling with mirth despite her displeasure with the movie. But the man they’d come to meet had insisted they get a ticket for Slice and Dice III. “Just end this, Noel. Deacon and Solene need closure too.”
He nodded. For his friend and wife, taking care of the children, he’d end the threat. Unfortunately, the other friends who would have been more than happy to handle this had gotten called away overseas on an emergency job. The pair remained in the wetwork business and were damn good at it.
Noel might have been retired for more than a year, but old habits died hard. He still trained daily with exercise and shooting drills, in addition to keeping his knife skills sharp by sparring with Deacon. Just in case something like today happened…
He checked his watch. “I’m going to make a quick stop in the bathroom. You good?” He checked over her candy and drink.
“Fine. I have pepper spray if you’re that worried.”
“I’m not.” He didn’t tell her about the merc he’d hired to keep an eye on her. The woman sat a few seats over on the far aisle. If Addy knew about her, she’d been staring and giving away his extra security measure.
One of the many things he loved about his wife was that she wasn’t one for subterfuge.
As he left his seat, he gave a subtle glance at the merc he’d hired.
She met his gaze before looking down at her phone and texting.
When he left the theater, he read the text sent to his phone. “Got her. Go on.”
Addy’s safety would never be left to chance. Though he’d tried to help her with some self-defense training, anyone on the job would tear through her like paper.
And Ice, the codename he’d once assumed, wasn’t cold enough to be unbothered by the love of his life in danger. Hell, he wouldn’t have brought her at all if the contact hadn’t insisted. And if Deacon, Solene, and Addy hadn’t also demanded he end this weird threat to Deacon and his family.
Noel walked out of the film, past two others, and toward the restroom that dead-ended at the end of the hall.
On the way, a tall blond guy nodded in passing.
Something about him struck Noel as odd. He kept a wary eye on the guy, bemused by the silent way he moved. Unnatural. Predatory.
All his instincts screamed at him to treat the blond as a real threat. Especially when a glance behind him showed the blond entering the Slice and Dice III movie. He texted the merc. “Beware. Blond man. Danger.”
She gave him a thumbs up.
Noel had decided to turn around when the restroom door opened and a tall man with broad shoulders and an average face spotted him. Everything about the guy said normal. Even the way he held himself.
Until Noel met his gaze.
Flat and empty, his eyes belonged to those of a killer.
The guy nodded for Noel to join him before turning to head back into the restroom. The door closed, showing a “Closed for Cleaning” taped to it.
Showtime.
Noel tapped the knife tucked at his hip, pleased he’d left his jacket with Addy. Better to move without it.
Then he entered and locked the door behind him.
“Well? Time to talk.”
The large man just smiled.
*
[Samantha and Darius from STORM LORDS: THE FIRE WITHIN (Storm Lords series)]
Ten minutes before
“Watch it, bitch.” The large man with average features had deliberately bumped into Samantha. He stood a good head and half taller, with wide shoulders and clenched fists. Something had him on edge, but it wasn’t her.
Samantha glanced around, glad to see no one paying attention to them in the corner. Her husband, fortunately, had gone to grab them some refreshments. If Darius had witnessed such rudeness, he’d have fried this jerk in his boots. Literally.
Samantha rubbed her shoulder. “You bumped into me.” The old Samantha would have apologized for something not her fault to a large, imposing man. But not the new and improved queen she saw every day in the mirror. Technically, she really was a queen.
Samantha grinned, amused when the glowering idiot took a step closer to her. At his own peril.
The past few years spent abroad had given her a new lease on life. A husband, triplets, and access to magic she’d never in life imagined might exist. This short trip back to her old world answered a nostalgic need that had been growing, but it couldn’t replace her new home in the sentient world of Tanselm.
She only wished Tessa, her sister-in-law and fellow Earth person—as Tessa’s husband called them—could have come. But Tessa had her hands full with a new baby on the way and Marcus clucking like a worried hen every time she so much as twitched. For a water prince, he was surprisingly rigid in his anxiety. Fortunately, the rest of the family remained close by to help.
But for now, Samantha got a break from her rambunctious three-year olds and the running of the kingdom, if only for the holidays. It had even snowed! She refused to let this jerk ruin her vacation. Who knew when she’d get a chance to come back to Seattle again?
“You want trouble, keep talking.” The guy said with a sneer.
She studied him, sensing the repressed violence. A vision of his very near future hit her, and she smiled. “Oh, I’m not the one walking into trouble. You’re going to slip on Ice. And you’ll never bump into anyone ever again.”
She turned and walked away, pleased she’d handled that without alerting anyone to any trouble or getting her hot-headed husband involved.
Seeing him standing apart from the concession stand and giving her an irritated look, she laughed. “You are so impatient.” And so blasted handsome. Identical to his quadruplet siblings, Darius had classically handsome features, bronze skin, and short, dark hair. He only differentiated from his brothers in eye color.
His eyes, normally a reddish-orange, showcasing the fire that burned inside him, now looked dark, hidden by contacts.
“I don’t want to miss the previews. I remember movies from my time here before. I’ve missed this movie watching.”
In Tanselm, the closest thing they had to movies were live plays. The mages popular in the kingdom had recently created something similar to Earth anime, but the magical constructs weren’t the same. There was just something about actors, film, and watching and hearing action on the big screen.
Not to mention the bucket of popcorn, soda, and candy Darius had purchased.
“Come, my love. Let’s watch and indulge in…”
She checked the tickets and beamed. “Slice and Dice III! I can’t wait.”
He frowned. “You’re sure this one, and not the romantic, kissing movies, suits?”
Samantha grinned. “I like the ones where they fight monsters.”
“Reminds you of home, right?” He laughed. “No wonder I married you. You’re perfect.” They entered their movie theater and took their seats.
Just as the lights dimmed and the previews readied, Darius stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“But you’ll miss the previews!”
“Right back,” he promised, kissed her, and left.
She sighed. But he had a body to burn. An early Christmas present for the assassin known as Ice, she supposed. But that’s what the rude guy deserved. When naughty around the Prince of Fire, expect to get burned.
Samantha hunkered down and watched the previews, hoping Darius hurried.
THE FINAL, PART 3 COMING TOMORROW!
[Rolf, from Between the Shadows series. This occurs just after book 2 ends, when Duncan has found his mate. Rolf’s story is coming soon in BETWEEN BLOODE AND GODS]
Rolf, a member of the Night Bloode, the most powerful clan of vampires in the world, passed the human who moved like a predator. He stopped, intrigued enough to conceal himself, keeping him invisible to others.
He gave the man a few beats before joining him and his human challenger in the men’s restroom. Fortunately, it had room to allow space for the sudden fight that broke out…