A Test of Love: Interracial Erotic Romance (Chasing Love) (2 page)

“Go ahead and close up once we leave, and have someone deliver the title to Mr. Gabriel Jones.” Chase buttoned his shirt. “Do you have his address?”

Oscar nodded his head, shoved through the back door, and kept it open for us.

“So you’re really going to give the restaurant to Gabe?”

“A deal is a deal. I asked him to get you to me tonight.” Chase’s gaze swept over me. “And he definitely did that. I would give him a restaurant chain if he asked for it.”

Since he had stopped ignoring my questions, I decided to ask again, “Is Dawn here?”

He turned away. “Does it matter?”

A cool breeze hit my face and carried a foul odor my way, reminding me of the smell one got with decaying food and trash that had been out for days. Moonlight glowed over the alley, but still could not brighten the darkness that hovered over me.

“I don’t like this.” I placed my hand on my hip. “You’re avoiding a simple question.”

“No, I’m not.”

A beep came from Oscar’s phone. He put it to his ear, mumbled something into it, and turned to us. “Mr. Stone, the limo just pulled out and is turning the corner.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” I glanced at Chase.

“What question is that?” A wrinkle creased his forehead. He checked the alley from side to side and never looked my way.

“Is Benson Dawn’s last name?”

An exasperated breath left his lips. “Yes.”

“She’s here?”

“Correction. She was here.” He gritted his teeth. “Lucy and Wendy, too. They wanted to talk to us and asked Oscar if they could come in.”

“How did they know we were here?”

“I have a new assistant that Lucy trained. It would’ve been easy for either of them to simply ask him. I never told him to not say anything.”

“Your new assistant is a guy?”

“Yeah.”

Oscar’s walkie-talkie beeped again. He listened to the person on the other line and answered, “Yes? Good. Okay.”

The limo rounded the corner.

“Are they gone?” Chase asked when Oscar finished.

“Yes, sir. They all left in their own cars.”

The limo stopped in front of us. Chase rushed to open the door.

“Jasmine!” a woman yelled at the end of the alley.

I twisted that way. A silhouette stood down at the opening. She wore a jacket, skirt, and heels. A hat covered her face. I couldn’t make out who she was, but I knew she was Caucasian. I wasn’t sure why; maybe it was due to this side of Oshane City’s being mostly populated by Caucasians. Or maybe I spotted the color of her pale skin as she raised the gun.

A boom sounded.

“No!” Chase yelled.

Oscar dived in front of me.
Too late
. A bullet ripped through my right arm, traveling through my flesh, breaking apart the bone, and searing a new opening on the other side.

So much pain!

Crying out, I held my arm and slumped against the limo door. Blood coated the air, dripped on the ground, and spilled all over me. Pain blinded me. All I could focus on was the ripping burns that stabbed throughout my arm as if someone held a hot steak knife and sliced me open. Another shot boomed. Oscar’s body ricocheted against me. Blood sprayed, but I wasn’t sure from where.

Heels clattered against the pavement as the woman ran off. Oscar raced that way with a gun in his hand, screaming orders into his walkie-talkie. I was glad he hadn’t gotten shot in the face or worse.

Chase dragged me into the limo. “Are you okay? Jasmine! Jasmine!”

“Yes.” My arm spasmed. “Shit, this hurts.”

Footsteps stomped. Gunshots exploded. People screamed and shrieked. Horns honked. Metal crashed against metal. It sounded like a war had come. Chase tugged me to the floor and tried to shield me with his body.

“Drive, goddamn it!” Chase yelled at the driver. The limo started. The engine hummed. Tires screeched as we sped off. The limo door swung back and forth. The odor of rubber whooshed in. I slammed into Chase as the limo raced out of the alley at high speed.

“The door is open!” I tried to get up, my body being slung back and forth by the impact of the limo as it turned again.

“Stay down!” Chase yanked me back and slammed it closed. “Is it just your arm? Where else? Are you okay?”

“Y-yes.” I tensed my shoulders as I hugged the wounded arm. I could see the hole. Torn flesh outlined the gunshot wound. Blood trickled out, staining my dress and painting my arm.

“I don’t know if this would work.” Chase ripped off his shirt. “But I see it in movies all the time.”

“Be gentle.” I jerked a little as he tied the shirt around my arm. Red seeped through the white fabric in seconds. My bottom lip quivered at the unmerciful throbbing. “Did you see who it was?”

“No,” he said through clenched teeth. It was probably due to all the blood loss and shock of being shot, but I could swear his green eyes darkened to a pool of black. Fury swam in those angry eyes. Fury and a wrath so strong I shivered and looked away. He flexed his hands in front of him and stared off in the distance. Light from the street lights skittered over his face as we entered the highway. “But I will find out and when I get my hands around her neck. There will be no fucking mercy. Whichever one it is, she’ll regret that she didn’t leave you alone.”

Chapter 2

CHASE

Jasmine’s blood lay everywhere—on my clothes, the bathroom floor where I dropped them, and definitely on my hands. This wasn’t the first time I’d had a woman’s blood all over me, but this would be the last. Whoever shot her had tried to take away
my Jasmine
—the one thing in my life that made me complete.

Which one of you did it?

Fury boiled in my veins, so much that I’d been slamming things the whole time in the hospital. The doctor begged me to give Jasmine some space as she continued to sleep. It was hard. I had to be around her, had to make sure she was safe.

Was it you, Dawn? Couldn’t be. You know I can hurt you the worst of all.

I pulled out my phone and texted my new assistant.

Me: Freeze the three bank accounts listed as personal. Make sure no credit cards can be used. Have several men close down Willow Park. If anyone is in there besides the staff, have them arrested and notify me. Any cars in the lot need to be taken to my private garage near the building.

Cedric: Yes, sir.

No way. It can’t be you, Dawn. Surely you were close to leaving soon. It seemed like Wendy was picking up where I’d left off in the bedroom.

Half the time I bumped into Wendy as she left the restaurant and I entered.

Was it you Wendy? What would you gain by Jasmine’s being dead? You would’ve been the last one I would’ve fought to return to out of all three of you. Too vocal and always complaining when you were never worthy enough to be in that apartment to begin with. If not for Dawn, I would’ve gotten rid of you a long time ago.

“I should have.” I stepped into the shower with my plastic slippers on. I’d asked one of the guys to buy me a pair due to my annoyance with stepping on floors with wet bare feet. For some reason the feel of moist feet on a dusty floor always irritated me. Floors were never clean enough to walk on barefoot. They were always messy, as filthy as this situation right now.

Was it you, Lucy? No. Not you. If I remember correctly, you loved Jasmine’s being there most of all. You considered her a sister and maybe a possible best friend. Or was that what you wanted me to believe?

All wet and nowhere near clean of this mess, I got out of the shower to send another quick text to my assistant. I couldn’t dry my hands fast enough.

Me: Get in touch with Dock Evans. Tell him to have Dawn’s, Lucy’s, and Wendy’s passports on the radar. If he wants to go the extra mile and have the authorities searching for them, tell him go ahead.

Cedric: Sir, is there a problem?

Me: There will be if you don’t have those tasks done by tomorrow morning.

Chapter 3

JASMINE

“I’m taking her out of the country,” Chase said.

I wondered who “her” was as I began to wake up.
It better not be me. I’m not leaving.
I lay in a soft bed. Blankets covered me. My right arm ached, but didn’t feel half as bad as it did before we made it to the hospital. My eyelids hung heavy, giving me only a few seconds of vision before closing again. All I could make out were two figures towering over my bed.

“You’re not taking Jasmine anywhere.” The voice sounded like Benny, but I wasn’t sure. Fog clouded my head.

“Plans have already been made,” Chase continued. “Once the doctor says it’s okay, we’re going.”

“Does she know about these plans?”

“She will eventually.”

Chase and Benny are talking without coming close to blows? I must be dreaming.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I mumbled and moved my fingers and head with a sort of sluggish determination.

“I told you that you would wake her up.” Chase’s voice held an edge.

“I’m her family,” Benny pointed out. “I have more of a right to be in here than you.”

“When she fully wakes up, you have less than fifteen minutes to visit,” Chase said, “then I want you out of here.”

“Why, Chase, my boy.” Benny laughed, which usually was a bad sign. “I had no idea you were so ready to die.”

Yeah. Bad sign.

“Be nice, please.” I opened my eyes. Both men stared down at me. Silver white hair was cropped close to Benny’s head. He’d finally stopped dying his hair black after Vivian and I picked at him. The new look gave him an older appearance.

“How do you feel, sweetheart?” Benny clasped his hand onto mine.

“Better.” I glanced down at my bandaged arm. “Did I pass out in the limo?”

“Yes.” Chase combed his fingers through his hair. In the restaurant, those midnight black waves were soaked in sweat from our sex. Now, they returned to sculpted perfection and framed his face. He must’ve changed during the time the doctor put stitches in my arms. A new and expensive suit draped his body. “I carried you inside. Doctor Scott said you may have reacted that way from shock or too much blood loss.”

“What did they do to my arm?” I tightened my fingers around Benny’s huge hand.

“The doctor stitched you up and said there were no big problems.” Chase’s gaze went to Benny’s hand and mine. “No major vessels were hit. No severe muscle damage or infection.”

“So I can leave soon?”

“You have to stay overnight.” Chase directed his view to me. “You’re not supposed to use the arm too much for a while. He gave me a list of doctors I can get to do your rehab for a month or two until it’s back to normal.”

“Where is this list?” Benny looked up at him. “I’ll take care of it.”

“I can do it myself.” I stretched my good arm. “Thank you both for helping me out, but I’ll take everything from here.”

“I disagree.” Benny released my hands and patted my head like I was a little kid. “I’ve made arrangements for you and Vivian to move back into my house. You’ll both have your own rooms and—”

“Vivian!” I struggled with trying to sit up and collapsed back into the bed. “How’s Vivian?”

“Troy is with her, two floors down.” Benny formed his lips into a frown. “They’re pumping her stomach. They think she tried to kill herself or overdosed on whatever pills she swallowed.”

“We have to get her someone to talk to,” I offered. “A psychiatrist or counselor.”

“I’ve already taken care of that.”

“Good.”

“Back to what I was saying—”

“I’m not moving in with you, Benny.”
I bet Vivian won’t either.

“You are coming back home.” Anger darkened the corners of Benny’s eyes. “Vivian attempted suicide. Someone shot you. You two are ruining your lives over men.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Oh, really? You left me in the park earlier today to go on a date with Gabe and now you’re lying in a hospital bed with a stitched arm and the devil standing beside you.”

Chase snorted at the devil comment. I was already tired of Benny’s being in the room.

I rubbed the temples on my forehead as an ache rose in them. “Chase is not the devil.”

“Are you sure about that?” Bennie snarled.

“Watch what you say, old man.” Chase sat down in the chair next to my bed. As if he’d secretly called for them, two guards entered the room and flanked the door. He tapped his fingers on my bed. It was a nervous habit of his. “I have some names for you myself. Murderer comes to mind first.”

Murderer?

“Let’s stop with the name calling.” I blew out a long breath.

“Why were you with him and not Gabe tonight?” Benny rested both hands on the side of my bed. “I’m sure Chase figured out a way to strong-arm his way into your evening. Didn’t he?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have time,” Benny countered.

“You actually only have ten minutes left.” Chase glanced at his watch and then gestured for the body guards to come to the foot of my bed.

“Chase you’re not going to kick him out.” I shook my head and then faced Benny. “And you have to calm down. I’m fine. Vivian will be fine. All will turn back to normal.”

“Are you back with Chase?” Benny raised his eyebrows.

“I’m not sure.” Unease lodged in my throat. A muscle in Chase’s jaw twitched. I averted my eyes. “We have. . .some things to work out.”

“Things?” Benny laughed. “Is that what you’re calling his mistresses? Things?”

“I’m not in the arrangement anymore.” Chase glared at Benny. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“So you broke up with your bimbo squad and Jasmine gets shot tonight while she’s with you.” Benny’s voice rose to a roar. “I don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve this case.”

“Benny, please lower your voice,” I said.

“One of his bimbos is trying to kill you?” Benny asked through clenched teeth.

“Maybe,” I admitted. “It was definitely a woman.”

“I have investigators looking into this.” Chase pointed his finger at Benny. “Keep your friends out of this.”

Friends?

“One of these bimbos tried to kill my daughter.” Benny dug his hands into his pockets. “Phone calls have already been made.”