Mag-log inBarshan swung his gaze over to stare at her. “Were you a virgin?”Talli turned her face to hide her flushed cheeks.Barshan wouldn’t let her hide. Grasping her chin gently he turned her head to face him, he noted the flushed cheeks and shamed eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me little one? I could have been gentler with you.”Talli shook her head. “I have no complaints.”“I hurt you when I didn’t have to. I’m sorry.” He sighed.“It only hurt for a moment then I visited heaven.”Barshan smiled. “No you took me to heaven and beyond. Now you belong to me and I think I’ll keep you.” H
“I don’t want you to go,” Talli repeated.Barshan paused without turning. “Are you sure this is what you want?”“Yes, I’m sure.”Turning his head, he searched her face. “Once I take you…you’ll belong with me. I won’t let you go once I have you.” He knew this to be true. Yes, he’d been with other women and he’d let them go. Not this one, he had a feeling they would be pure fire together and he would want to keep her.Talli nodded slowly. “I can live with that.” She sat up letting the blanket that covered her drop to her lap.The moonlight lent a soft light to illuminate the room and Barshan could see quite clearly. Her pale s
“I was hopeful she could be happy again,” Talli explained. “Then I met him.” She glanced at Barshan and shivered. “Oh, he looked good and acted just right but there was something about him that he tried very hard to hide. I first saw it in his eyes. They seemed dead to me. When I looked at him, his eyes were cold and empty.”Yes, the very same thing Barshan felt coming from Jerome. It had bothered him too.“I tried to watch out for my mom but he began to isolate her,” Talli went on. “She didn’t see it at first and it wasn’t until after they were married, she finally caught on to what he was doing. That’s when I saw the fear in her eyes. She tried to stop it but he wouldn’t let her go. He tightened his hold on her and it was then when she got sick. I tried to get to her but he wouldn’t let me near her.” She paused then turned her head away from his gaze.
Talli explained her fatigue to him, “As you can understand, I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night.”“Turn around and back up,” Barshan ordered. “Let me help you.”Talli turned away from him and backed up almost into his lap.Barshan inhaled deeply and her scent washed over him. Reaching out, he touched her skin. His hands gently massaged the muscles of her neck and shoulders. Barshan could feel the tightness lessen as he worked the area on either side of her head.Talli closed her eyes and groaned as she let go of the stress. His fingers bit deep yet soothed at the same time. Her whole body had been sore but after a few minutes of his hands on her neck and shoulders, she could feel the soreness lessen. She rolled her head to one side and moaned as his thumbs sank into her neck muscles. His fingers came close to the place on the back of head where she’d been struck yesterday but he never touched it.“Oh my, that feels so good,” she whispered as she groaned.“Stress always feels
Talli’s gaze went first to the dog then to the man. Her eyes were drawn back to the dog. For a long moment, they stared at one another.Then the dog broke contact and looked up at Callen.“Is this the person you wanted my Rugar for?” he asked Barshan. He held the dog’s collar in his hand but not too tightly.“Yes, this is Talli Janick. Talli, this is my friend Callen and his dog Rugar.”Talli nodded at Callen then looked at the dog again. “He’s beautiful. Will he accept me?”“Let’s find out,” Callen said as he let go of the collar and made a motion to the dog.Rug
“I’m not a fool,” Talli told Barshan. “I do appreciate the care you and the others are offering. My parents taught me to be independent from a very early age. They also taught me to accept help when it’s offered if I think it’s warranted. My mother was a wreck after my father was murdered, so I didn’t have much choice about it. It took her years but she was finally able to stand on her two feet again. I held everything together for a long time. I’ll do what I have to do to stay safe and let you guys do your thing.” Turning her head, she glared at him. “I don’t know what you hope to gain from this. My father’s will cannot be compromised. You’ll never get what Russell promised you. You’ll never get ownership of my father’s shop.”Barshan glared right back at her. “I think this goes beyond ownership of your store. That’s what drew us in but this is something else entirely. This could bring chaos and blood to
Mikial dragged both her and Raven to the floor. He covered both their bodies with his own and waited for a moment.When there were no more gunshots, Mikial got up while still crouching low. He assisted both women to their feet and hustled them to the back of the gallery. On the way past the paintin
“Did you ever remember anything else?” Mikial asked.Pepper shook her head. “Later, they told me I was dirty and hungry and they didn’t know how long I’d been out there on the streets. I couldn’t or wouldn’t speak at the time but I could write my first name. I had a small cut on my head but where i
“Does Yuri know about this?”Raven shook her head. “No and I can’t tell him yet.” She grabbed at his arm. “You can’t tell him either.”
“I think ole Leon Knight didn’t expect to see her here.” Mikial turned to stare at the girl in question. “We also need to know more about him. He’s been coming on strong and I want to know why. I have a feeling he’s hiding someth







