Drake Sisters 06 - Turbulent Sea

the bed made her feel vulnerable. T don't sleep with others in the room.'
    'It's not going to hurt.'
    Joley sighed and complied, crawling to the far side of the bed and lying down, feeling small and vulnerable. She was too tired to argue, and it wouldn't take all that long for him to realize she really couldn't sleep.
    Ilya bent down to remove her shoes. He tossed them aside and ran his hands over her feet in a rough caress that felt like he was taking her over. His hands made one pass only, but she trembled, the blood heating instantly in her veins.
    He sank down onto the mattress, sitting with his back to the headboard, his legs stretched out. The heat from his body warmed her as she lay stiff and wary beside him. 'Relax for me, Joley. We're just going to talk.'
    'I feel like I'm lying down with the big bad wolf.'
    He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her temple. 'What big eyes you have, devochka moya. Close them now.' He dimmed the light.
    Joley moistened her lips, so aware of him there in the darkness. Every sway of the bus sent her body sliding against his. 'How often have you gone to sleep with someone else in the room with you?'
    'Never. But I'm in a line of work guaranteed to make enemies.'
    'That's a nice way of saying you have trust issues.'
    He tugged at her hair, so that she felt a small bite of pain before his fingers soothed with long, caressing strokes. 'We fit.'
    She wasn't certain she wanted to hear that. She still feared he could see her aura the way she could see his, but she wasn't certain she could face him knowing, so she didn't ask. 'We fight all the time.'
    'That's just you running. Why do you think I'm here, Joley? You haven't slept in days and you're not at the top of your game. I want you back at your fighting weight when we do this thing, so later you can't say I took unfair advantage.'
    She found herself smiling. 'Liar. You don't want me at my best; I'd kick your ass and you know it.'
    'We'll see.' He leaned down and brushed a kiss across each eyelid. 'About this girl who's missing. Are you absolutely certain you saw her at the party? Maybe she just looks familiar to you.'
    'Steve doesn't think it's her,' Joley answered honestly, 'but in my heart, I'm absolutely certain. She was there with a group of other young girls. I wasn't looking when they first got there, so I don't know which car brought them, but they had to come through the gate. Whoever was on guard duty should remember them. Maybe five girls. All very young.
    One of them, this one,' Joley opened her eyes and tapped the photograph he was once again holding, 'made a cell phone call. Another girl shouted at her that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone that she was there. That confirmed it for me that they shouldn't have been there.'
    'Joley.' Ilya took her wrist again and brought her hand to his chest. 'Did you notice anyone around? Anyone who would have observed you there at the time?'
    'Sure. Dean, one of my crew, and another man who I didn't get a good look at seemed to know the girls. They all took off running together when I shouted at them.' Joley closed her eyes, replaying the scene in her head as she lay in the dark. 'Brian came out and went to find them. Denny and some blonde were a distance away, and RJ and his bodyguards had driven up. I know they saw the girls and heard me talking to Brian. There were other people milling around as well. And Steve saw the girl, too. We both thought all the girls with her were too young to be there. Steve and I discussed it, but they were a distance away and we didn't get the best look at them.'
    He stroked his fingers through her hair. 'You take too many chances.'
    Joley frowned. 'What does that mean?'
    'It means you should never have gone to that party and gotten out of that car without your bodyguard right beside you. And earlier, the moment trouble broke out in the arena, you should have backed away, not gone to the edge of the stage where someone could reach you. I don't understand your security people. They know you've been threatened…'
    'How do you know that?'
    'It's common knowledge in your family, Joley. That man was with the Reverend's demented flock, and he had a can of spray paint in his hand to mark you as the devil's harlot. Your voice really affected him, which is why he was too slow to do any damage. I was lucky I got to him before he got to you.'
    She didn't think it was luck. Ilya didn't rely on luck. 'Well, thank you for keeping me from being spray painted. It