Undercover in My First Love’s Arms

Three months later. Layer after layer of gauze fell away,and a stranger's face appeared in the mirror. Deep-set eyes,a high nose bridge,hard,rugged features. Shane pulled off the hospital gown.The old scars were gone.Not a trace of his past remained. Patrick draped a shirt around his shoulders from behind,slipping his arms around him as he did."Remember.You're Reaper,the fighter everyone on the underground circuit fears.Shane,the Sterling family's adopted son,is dead." Shane rolled his shoulders to shake him off and pulled the shirt on himself."What's going on with the Sterling family now?" Patrick stepped in front of him and fastened the buttons one by one."Uncle Conrad controls the drug trade.Aunt Laura has the clubs.But the arms trade is the family's lifeblood,and they both want to wrest it from Julian." Shane looked up."You're saying they both want to replace Julian?" "Julian's turning his father's memorial into a trap."Patrick paused,studying his face."Which of them do you think will make it out alive?" The memorial was today! Shane grabbed his motorcycle jacket and turned to Patrick."Where's the file I asked for?" Patrick picked up a folder from the coffee table and tossed it to him."The case file on the explosion five years ago.The names of the hitmen sent after you.It's all in there." Shane caught it and leafed through.His release papers and a photo slipped out. The man in the photo sat in a wheelchair,pale and aloof. Years had passed since he'd last seen Julian.He was so much thinner now. The top two buttons of his black shirt were undone,revealing the pale skin of his neck.A dark red cord lay just above his collarbone. Ten years had faded the cords to dark red.Neither of them had replaced his. In prison,Shane hadn't had a chance to change his.But Julian?Had he simply chosen not to,or couldn't he bear to let it go? Shane's fingers slowly tightened around the photo.Patrick tipped his chin up. He leaned in close,his breath brushing Shane's face."The memorial starts in two hours.If you leave now,Julian might just make it out alive." Shane knocked Patrick's hand away,tucked the file into the lining of his jacket,and strode out. Patrick studied the reddened back of his hand,then lowered his head to breathe in the sandalwood scent that lingered there. Rain poured down in sheets. With the memorial starting in two hours,Shane took a shortcut. The motorcycle cut through narrow,rain-slick streets,sending up sprays of water. Outside the Sterling family memorial hall,a brass band blared and the crowd packed in shoulder to shoulder.Wreaths of white chrysanthemums lined both sides of the street. The downpour stripped petals from the wreaths until the street seemed carpeted in white. Julian approached the memorial hall in his wheelchair. Suddenly the wheelchair jolted to a stop,and momentum threw him forward.He caught the armrest just in time to keep from pitching onto the ground. Everything fell unnaturally silent.Through the rain,Julian could hear his own heartbeat. Something was wrong! He scanned the wreaths and spotted black gun barrels through the gaps. "Ambush!" Bang! The gunshot drowned out his shout.A bullet grazed his cheek and left a line of blood. His men closed around him,forming a human shield as they tried to get him to the car.But a wheel had wedged in a gap between the paving stones.The chair wouldn't move. Gunfire rang out from every direction.His men fell one after another,and the blood pooled at Julian's feet,staining the petals red. Only Sonny Pruitt was left beside him,still holding the umbrella. Julian quietly palmed a remote detonator. Let's see whether it's Uncle Conrad or Aunt Laura who made the move! The gunfire stopped abruptly. Julian's uncle,Conrad Sterling,walked up with a cigar between his fingers and an umbrella over his head."Julian,give up your seat as head of the family and I'll spare your life." Julian's lips curved faintly."Uncle Conrad,before I agree,answer me one question." Certain he had already won,Conrad didn't mind sparing a few minutes. He took a pull on his cigar."Go ahead." Julian brushed rain from his sleeve."The family code bars you from the family plot when you die.Have you picked somewhere else to be buried?" Conrad's chest heaved with rage.He threw down his cigar,snatched a gun from one of his men,and aimed it at Julian."You're about to die and you're still putting on airs!" "You should've died five years ago!Now I'll send you down myself,so you can go keep your old man company!" Conrad's finger moved to the trigger.Julian's hand moved to the detonator. VRRRM! A black shape tore through the crowd and was in front of them in the blink of an eye. The motorcycle dropped into a low drift,sweeping sideways into Conrad and several of his men.They hit the ground,their guns flying. Shane caught a falling gun and fired.Several thugs took bullets between the eyes before Conrad's men hauled him up and dragged him aside. Seizing the opening,Shane flipped up his visor,bent low,and caught Julian around the waist.With one arm,he lifted him onto the bike in front of him. Shane put his lips close to Julian's ear."Hold on tight,Mr.Sterling!" Julian instinctively threw his arms around his neck.A stranger's face was right in front of him. The faint scent of sandalwood,those eyes... Both were so much like Shane. The heat of his body made Julian's heart skip a beat.His voice came out hoarse."Who are you?"

"Remember the name.Reaper.I just saved your life." Reaper's voice was low and rough. Surgery on his vocal cords had stripped the richness from his voice,leaving a low rasp like coarse sandpaper. The man had arrived at exactly the right moment,as if he had known Julian would be ambushed. Julian's upturned eyes narrowed."Reaper,who sent you?" Reaper was about to answer when,out of the corner of his eye,he caught Conrad shaking off his men and getting to his feet. He raised his arm and fired. The bullet struck Conrad's knee,and he dropped to the ground with a thud. Clutching the wound,Conrad roared,"Kill them!Leave no one alive!Whoever kills Julian gets fifty million dollars!" Reaper took aim at Conrad again,but Conrad's men already had their guns trained on Julian. He pulled Julian tight against his chest and squeezed the trigger first,taking out the first thug to charge in. Sonny drew both guns and opened fire,pinning down the men behind them."Get Mr.Sterling out of here!"he shouted. Reaper twisted the throttle.The heavy bike roared,plowed through the crowd,and sped toward the end of the street through a hail of bullets. "After them!Don't let them get away!"Furious,Conrad raised his gun and took aim. Steering one-handed,Reaper twisted around and fired. Bang!Bang! The two shots rang out at the same time. Conrad took a bullet in the chest,coughed up blood,and collapsed. Reaper's shoulder jerked hard,and warm blood splattered across Julian's face. Blood rolled down Julian's cheek.His gaze wavered."You've been shot!" Reaper glanced down and sped up again."It's nothing.Just a mosquito bite." Behind them,Conrad's thugs,some in cars and some on motorcycles,were about to make it out of the Old Quarter. Murder flared in Julian's eyes.He lifted his hand and pressed the detonator. Boom!Boom!Boom! One deafening blast followed another.A wave of burning heat surged from behind,scorching Julian's face red. The firelight lit up Julian's smile. It was bewitching,enough to make a person's scalp prickle. In the rearview mirror,flames engulfed both sides of the street through the Old Quarter,leaving the center clear. Something didn't add up,but Reaper's worry overrode the thought."Were you planning to die with them?" If he hadn't come,Julian would have died here! Throwing his life away over a traitor like Conrad.Was he insane? "Vertical blast.The lateral spread is under ten feet."Julian leaned against his chest and let out a contented sigh."The Old Quarter's main road is thirty feet wide.A ten-foot safe zone is plenty!" "You chose the spot where your wheelchair got stuck!"Reaper's mouth curved in a self-mocking smile."Looks like you didn't need saving after all.I'll get you somewhere safe,then I'm leaving." Before he had finished speaking,cold steel flashed. A throwing knife pressed against his carotid artery.Julian caught the back of his neck with his other hand."You think you can come and go as you please?What do you take me for?" Reaper's Adam's apple bobbed."What do you want?" "We'll talk when we get there." Half an hour later,the heavy bike rolled into an estate screened by trees on the banks of the Mississippi. Richard Sterling had given it to Shane for his eighteenth birthday. He never would have imagined that Julian would turn this place into a safe house. Once the bike came to a stop,Julian wrapped both arms around Reaper's neck."Carry me inside." Even after he was settled in his wheelchair,Julian still didn't let go. "Mr.Sterling,I should go,"Reaper said quietly. Julian crooked a finger at someone behind him,and a tall subordinate hurried over. Reaper assumed Julian was going to have the man see him out. Instead,a sharp pain exploded at the back of his neck. Everything went black,and Reaper fell stiffly into Julian's arms. Before he lost consciousness,he stared straight at Julian. All he saw was Julian's cryptic smile. *** When Reaper woke again,he found himself lying shirtless in bed,his left shoulder wrapped in gauze and an IV running into his right hand. The wound had already been treated. His initials were engraved on the back of the saint medallion.Good thing he'd removed it beforehand,or his cover would have been blown before the job even began. A breeze lifted the sheer curtain.As it settled,Julian's expressionless face came into view. He wore silk pajamas,the collar slightly open,showing pale,delicate skin. Reaper's heart leapt,and he instinctively looked away. Julian caught his jaw and forced him to meet his eyes."You have two choices.Feed the alligators in the Mississippi,or stay by my side." Of course Reaper would choose to stay. Before he could answer,Julian pressed a finger to Reaper's lips. Julian leaned down,his breath fanning across Reaper's face."Before you give me your answer,answer my questions." "Go ahead." Julian's touch was cool,yet it made Reaper's heart race and his throat go dry. The murderous look in Julian's eyes brought him sharply back to his senses. He was Reaper. To Julian,he was a stranger,someone not to be trusted. "Why did you save me?And where did you hear that I'd be ambushed?" Julian pinched his wound,slowly pressing harder. Blood soaked through the gauze.Reaper gritted his teeth and let out a muffled grunt."I saved your life,and this is how you repay me?!" "Convince me,or you die."

Julian kept pressing down,and the blood spread across the gauze. Reaper gritted his teeth."Your father supported the orphanage where I grew up.I owe him my life." "Which orphanage?" "St.Mary's Orphanage." He,Patrick,and the original Reaper had all lived at that orphanage. The original Reaper had been adopted at six and hadn't left behind a single photo. He and the original Reaper were about the same age.As long as the real one never showed up,the fake was safe. "Your father's gone.Protecting you is how I repay him." Before he had finished,Julian released the wound and wiped away the blood with a tissue. He hadn't answered the second question.Why didn't Julian ask? While Reaper puzzled over it,Julian took a file from the nightstand and slapped it against his chest. It was Reaper's file. Reaper frowned."You already looked into me.Why ask?" "A file can be forged.A man can pretend to be someone else.But..." Julian pressed one hand against his abs and reached across him with the other,peeling back a corner of the tape on the back of his right hand. Beside the needle,against the pulse point near his wrist,lay a card the size of a SIM card. "A miniature lie detector.If you lie,it sounds an alarm." Reaper's gaze darkened."And then you kill me." "But it didn't go off." Reaper shot upright and clamped a hand around Julian's throat. With the slightest pull,Julian fell against his chest. Julian braced a hand on his chest and tipped his head back to look at him. If Reaper lowered his head,their noses would touch. The smell of blood mingled with sandalwood. The scent was strangely familiar,and Julian felt a little dazed. Reaper's face stayed blank."It's just you and me in here." "If I'd wanted to,I could have snapped your neck just now.You sure you can kill me?" Short of breath,Julian flushed.He glanced toward the IV bag. "What if there's poison in that?" Reaper's pupils contracted.He let go of Julian at once and reached for the needle. Julian leaned into him,using his weight to push Reaper back onto the bed,and pinned his hand."Don't move.You'll make blood back up into the line." With Julian pressed into his arms,Reaper couldn't bring himself to push him away.That did nothing to quell his anger. "If you want to kill me,kill me.Why play games?" Reaper pried his hand off,yanked out the needle,tipped his head back,and let a drop of the fluid fall into his mouth. Salty! "Saline!" Reaper paused,the corners of his eyes reddening with anger."If you'd really used poison,one drop would've been enough.Why bother with a whole bag?Why play me like that?" "It was a test!"With that,Julian laughed out loud. Reaper turned away in irritation,hiding how much it hurt to see Julian like this. The Julian he remembered had seemed aloof in public.In private,his eyes lit up,and when he smiled,he seemed to glow. Now he was cold-blooded and paranoid,like a madman! Julian pressed a cotton swab to the bleeding puncture."Without you,Conrad's bullet would've gone straight through my lung.Why would I poison you?" "Still,even if you'd gotten me to a hospital in time,I wouldn't have survived." Reaper ground his teeth."But if I'd failed your test,you'd still have killed me." Julian tipped his chin up."Aren't you curious why even a hospital couldn't save me?Or...do you know something?" Reaper froze for a beat. Years ago,the Sterlings had taken him in because he and Julian both had Rh-negative blood. If anything happened to Julian,Shane was there to keep him alive.His own personal blood bag. He'd reacted far too calmly just now.A stranger shouldn't have known any of this. Reaper feigned disdain."Shot through the lung?Who survives that?" Julian leaned close to his ear."Because I'm Rh-negative.You and I are the only two left in New Orleans with that blood type." A jolt ran through him. So that was why Patrick had put the Reaper tattoo on his back five years ago and made him use the name. So Patrick had known all along that the real Reaper was Rh-negative too! But why would Julian say they were the only two left in all of New Orleans with Rh-negative blood?Could it be... "Be my personal bodyguard.From today on,you don't leave my sight." The demand cut through his thoughts.Reaper turned toward Julian's voice,and his lips brushed the corner of Julian's mouth. Their breath warmed each other's faces.Neither pulled away. Reaper looked at him,his expression complicated."You don't want a bodyguard.You want a blood bag." "You can refuse."Julian pulled out a bank card and tossed it in his face."Conrad offered fifty million dollars for my life.I'll give you fifty million as a thank-you.Take it and get out." With that,he braced his hands on the bed and shifted himself toward the wheelchair. Reaper jumped off the bed,scooped Julian up,and gently set him in the wheelchair. Bracing his hands on the wheelchair's armrests,Reaper handed back the card."Fifty million won't cover it,Mr.Sterling.If I'm going to keep you alive,I expect more in return."

Julian pressed his fingers against Reaper's shoulder,and Reaper took the hint and dropped to one knee. "How much do you want?" Reaper pressed his lips together."I don't want money.I just want to get someone into the Sterling family's private medical center." "Why do you care so much about the Mother Superior of St.Mary's?" Reaper hesitated."I was always ill as a kid.I only survived because she looked after me." At the orphanage,both he and the real Reaper had received special care from the Mother Superior. Even if Julian checked,the story would hold up. Better to give Julian something to hold over him than endure endless tests.It would help him secure his place sooner. "She has ALS.The drug your medical center developed can slow its progression.So...I paid for information on the black market.When I learned Uncle Conrad planned to attack you today,I came running." Julian hadn't pressed him,yet the man had answered his second question and offered up a vulnerability of his own. There was more to this man than met the eye! Julian peeled off the lie-detector card and tossed it into the trash."I'll have someone take her to the medical center and put the best medical team in charge of her care." Reaper bowed his head."Thank you,Mr.Sterling." "There's a small room off the master bedroom.You'll move in tonight." "Yes,sir." Julian turned his wheelchair and left. Only once he was gone did Reaper dig the lie-detector card out of the trash. The instant he got a good look at it,he nearly ground his back teeth to dust. It was a SIM card! It wasn't Patrick's clever planning or his own nerve that had gotten him through the test.No... Julian had played him again! *** By midnight,wind drove sheets of rain against the glass.The air smelled damp and faintly of the river. The house was so well soundproofed that he couldn't hear the rain. The crash from the master bedroom rang out all the more sharply. Reaper sprang out of bed and,without stopping to pull on a shirt,grabbed his gun and kicked open the master bedroom door. A scatter of broken glass lay in front of the bed,and a large wet stain spread across the carpet. The dim yellow glow of the bedside lamp fell across Julian's face. It was pale and slick with sweat. He was curled up under the covers,both hands clutching the edge of the comforter so hard his fingers left deep creases in the silk. The moment their eyes met,he raised a gun."Get out!" Reaper tucked his own gun into the back of his waistband,walked straight to the bed,and yanked back the covers. Julian's legs were spasming uncontrollably. Documents lay scattered beside the pillow.One title was visible beneath the others:Devil's Bend Waterfront Development Proposal. The ship that exploded five years ago had sunk at Devil's Bend. The currents there were treacherous,and in all these years the police had never raised the wreck. Julian had leased the site to investigate the explosion! Before Reaper could think further,a gun muzzle pressed to his forehead. "Get out,or I'll shoot you dead!" Reaper clamped one hand around Julian's ankle and,with the other,pressed hard on a pressure point on the sole of his foot. Pain shot up from Julian's foot,raising goosebumps all over his body. He slapped Reaper hard enough to snap his head to the side. "Did I say you could touch me?" A bead of blood welled at the corner of Reaper's mouth and slowly rolled down. Reaper lowered his head and wiped the blood away with gauze."If you can feel pain,there's still a chance of treating it." He sat on the edge of the bed,rested Julian's feet across his thighs,and began massaging upward from his ankles,inch by inch. "You're an underground fighter.What would you know!" Julian pressed on Reaper's wound,trying to make him stop. Blood seeped through again. Reaper didn't flinch."A SIM card for a lie detector.Is playing me that much fun,Mr.Sterling?" "So you're using this to get even?" Reaper said nothing.He only pressed harder. The massage forced a response from nerves that retained only a trace of sensation.Julian arched in pain,biting his lip to stay silent. But his ragged breathing and heaving chest gave him away. "How does it feel,Mr.Sterling,having to take it while I settle the score?" Julian lunged and bit down hard on his shoulder. Already drained by the pain,Julian gradually lost his grip,leaving only a damp ring on Reaper's skin. The bitten spot burned faintly.Reaper's heart hammered. Julian slumped against Reaper's shoulder,his breathing even.He seemed to have fallen asleep. His pajama top hung open,and his hair was plastered wet against his face. Worried Julian would be uncomfortable,Reaper supported the back of his head and carefully settled him in the bathtub. Water began to trickle,and Julian slowly opened his eyes. "Call me when you're done,Mr.Sterling."Reaper started to rise. At that moment,the door swung open and a figure slipped inside. Julian raised his hand and fired. The shot cracked beside Reaper's ear.

Sonny pushed the door open and froze where he stood. Everyone in the Sterling household knew Mr.Sterling allowed no one to touch him except to help him in and out of a car. Yet here he was,letting Reaper help him bathe! At Sonny's searching look,Julian raised his gun and fired. Bang! A fresh bullet hole appeared in the wall. A cold sweat broke out across Sonny's forehead.He was about to back out when Julian stopped him. "What is it?" Sonny looked up.Reaper's hand was still gripping Julian's wrist. That was the only reason Mr.Sterling's shot had gone wide. "Mr.Sterling,Uncle Conrad crawled out of that fire in the Old Quarter.He's been taken to the council of elders." "The elders want a meeting at the memorial hall tomorrow...They say we should settle this peacefully." The gun spun once around Julian's finger. "Uncle Conrad secretly bought weapons to kill me,and now they want me to make peace?" Sonny didn't dare breathe.Then Reaper stood up."Mr.Sterling,call me when you're done." Reaper backed out,crowding Sonny out the door along with him. The door closed softly,and the patter of running water started up. Sonny pointed at the door."You're not needed here anymore." He swept his jacket back,revealing the grip of his gun. Reaper drew his own gun and slapped it down on the cabinet beside him. "Conrad wouldn't need an extra arms shipment just to stage an ambush outside the memorial hall."Reaper paused."He has a second move planned.For tonight." "I'm new.I don't know the men yet.I'll stay with Mr.Sterling tonight.You secure the grounds." "I take orders from Mr.Sterling.No one else."Sonny's voice was cold."Who the hell do you think you are?" "Conrad has the elders'backing.If Mr.Sterling is gone,he becomes head of the family." Reaper stood taller and broader than Sonny.One step brought Sonny into his shadow. "If Conrad takes over,we're both dead.I'm an outsider.You were born into this family's service.How will you answer to Richard Sterling when you join him?" Sonny opened his mouth. Not a single word of argument came out. "If you can't make the call,I'll ask Mr.Sterling."With that,Reaper grabbed the doorknob. Sonny pulled his gun and pressed it against Reaper's chest."You're not going in!" "Sonny!" Julian's voice carried a faint echo. "His orders are mine." "Yes,sir!"Sonny glared at Reaper,holstered his gun,and left. *** Early the next morning,Julian ate breakfast on the terrace while Reaper stood against the wall. The rain had washed away the smell of blood,but not the reek of gunpowder hanging in the air. The fountain,the statues,and the tree trunks were riddled with bullet holes,and the flower beds were heaped with broken branches and torn leaves. Seized weapons were piled at the foot of the wall,and beside them lay row after row of bodies under white sheets. Sonny approached quietly."Mr.Sterling,the car is ready." "There are two routes to the memorial hall.Put some men in my clothes and send them down both.As for you..." The rest was for Sonny's ears alone. Sonny nodded,then asked,"How will you get there?" Julian acted as if he hadn't heard and turned his gaze to Reaper."Let's go." "Yes,sir." Reaper pushed the wheelchair straight toward the helipad on the roof. Sonny watched them leave,bitter with jealousy. The place at Mr.Sterling's side was his! *** Incense curled through the family memorial hall.Tablets bearing the Sterling ancestors'names lined the altar. A long table stood in the center of the room,with ten elders seated along both sides. Conrad was wrapped in thick gauze from the neck down. He occupied the head of the table,tapping his knuckles against his phone case as if waiting for news. Reaper wheeled Julian inside.The moment they passed Conrad,Julian gave a light cough."Now!" Reaper strode forward,twisted Conrad's arm,and dragged him out of the chair,pinning him to the table. Conrad's thugs drew their guns and aimed at Reaper. Reaper drew Conrad's own gun and pressed it to the back of his head."Drop them,or I blow his head off." "Don't you dare!"Conrad struggled against Reaper's hold."He wouldn't dare touch me!" Reaper cracked him across the head with the butt of the gun. Blood ran down Conrad's forehead and dripped onto the table,slowly spreading. Reaper's lips curled."I just did.What are you going to do about it?" Conrad wiped the blood from his face."Get him!Chop him up and feed him to the dogs!" The thugs closed in at once. Keeping the gun trained on Conrad,Reaper drew a grenade with his free hand and caught the pin between his teeth."Anyone ready to die?Come on,then." The thugs stepped back on instinct,but none of them lowered their guns. One wrong move,and someone was going to fire. Bernard Fletcher struck the floor with his agarwood cane."No bloodshed in the memorial hall.Those are the rules!" Julian pressed a button,and his electric wheelchair came to a stop at the head of the table. At that moment,he was no more than three steps from the grenade. Julian faced the room,his gaze cutting across the assembled men."People make the rules.I'm the one in this seat now.That means I make them." "I thought Uncle Conrad wanted peace.Then he sent men to kill me,again and again.If my people hadn't been so capable,I wouldn't be here to see you." Julian turned to Conrad."You tried to overthrow the head of the family.Do you deny it?" Conrad clicked his tongue."My people acted on their own.I didn't know a thing." "If you can't control your men,Uncle Conrad,I'll control them for you." Julian swiped a fingertip through the blood on the table and rubbed it between his fingers."Blood is thicker than water...I want every business you own.I want you out of the country,and I never want you coming back." Conrad pounded the table in fury."And if I refuse?" "Then I wipe out your whole household.Not even the dogs will live." Conrad thrust his chin out and bellowed,"What are you waiting for?There are only two of them.Kill them!" The thugs closed in again.