glad to know you were thinking about me because I definitely thought about you.” He reached for her hand. “All week long.” He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had invaded his dreams, but this petite fireball had not only entered them, but also consumed every corner of his mind each night.
Lexia withdrew her hand. “Khalil, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Why not? Are you saying you don’t like my company?” he asked, referencing her earlier comment.
She slanted him a look. “Your company is fine...for now. But...”
Khalil’s cell rang and interrupted whatever he planned to say. He pulled out the phone to check the display and cursed under his breath. It was his assistant manager. “Can you excuse me a minute, Lexia? I have to take this. I won’t be long.”
“Sure.”
He slid out of the booth and answered while heading out to the lobby. “Hey, Felicia.”
“Hi, Khalil. You asked me to call if I noticed anything regarding the charges and I thought you’d like to know that I saw Logan going into your office. I asked what he was doing and he said you asked him to check something on the computer.”
He shoved the front doors open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Logan knows damn well I never told him to enter my office,” he said through clenched teeth. He mentally retraced his morning. Had he been so anxious to leave that he forgot to lock the door? He always kept it secure when he wasn’t there.
“I thought the same. That’s why I called.”
“Is he still there?” With the noise coming from traffic and the road construction, he stuck a finger in his ear to hear her better.
“No. He went to lunch. He didn’t get a chance to log on to your computer because I busted him as soon as he went in. After he walked out, I locked your door.”
Khalil paced in front of the building. Thank goodness Alonzo had come in to install the cameras last week. Khalil would be able to see exactly what Logan had been up to. “Thanks, Felicia. I’ll check it out when—” A loud explosion sounded and before he could turn around, he was pitched backward and airborne.
Khalil came to lying on the ground. Every inch of his body hurt, he had difficulty breathing and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He tried to get up, but the pain forced him back down. He moaned. He could see glass and debris everywhere and people scrambling for cover. He closed his eyes as another wave of pain hit.
“Khalil! Are you okay?”
He felt someone touch him and looked up to find Lexia on her knees next to him.
She palmed his face. “Where are you hurt?”
His eyes widened, his heart raced and his chest tightened. Her mouth was moving, but he heard not one sound. He lifted his head and scanned the area—flashing lights from police vehicles, people still running, cars, but he didn’t hear anything. “I can’t hear you,” he said, panicking. He grabbed her hand. “I can’t hear you,” he said again. But he didn’t even hear his own voice.
Lexia scanned her surroundings. Thick smoke filled the air, a large hole sat in the center of the street and nearby buildings were damaged, including the one housing her café. Her front window had been shattered, as well as several other ones in the building. She saw a few injured people being tended to and wondered if anyone had been killed. Since it was midmorning, most people were working. Had it been an hour later, things would have been much worse. She turned her attention to Khalil, who lay with his eyes closed. Lexia toyed with trying to get him up and inside, but every movement seemed to increase his pain and she didn’t want to cause him further injury.
Khalil opened his eyes. “Lexia, I can’t hear anything.”
Although he tried to hide it, Lexia saw it for a split second. Fear. She assumed the blast had damaged his hearing and prayed it was temporary. She sensed his fear rising and placed her hand gently on his chest. She used the other one to turn his face toward her and mouthed, “You’re going to be okay.” He placed his hand over hers on his chest and she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Khalil stared up at her with a strange look on his face and, belatedly, she realized what she had done. Before she could analyze it, people began streaming from the building and she caught the gaze of his brother. Lexia waved at him.
His eyes widened when he noticed Khalil and he pushed through the crowd. He dropped to his knees in his expensively tailored slacks, concern evident in his face. “Khalil, are you okay? Where are you hurt?”
Lexia laid a hand on his arm. “He can’t hear you.”
He whipped his head around. “What do you mean he can’t hear me?”
“The blast. I think it damaged his hearing. He told me he couldn’t hear anything.”
He cursed and whipped out his cell phone. He snapped at a 911 operator who, apparently, wasn’t responding to his satisfaction. “Well, how long is it going to take? My brother is lying in the street injured.”
Lexia understood where he was coming from. She felt just as helpless. Finally, four fire trucks and a number of paramedics descended on the scene. “They’re here.”
He glanced up, mumbled something that sounded like a thank-you and disconnected the call. “I’ll be right back.” He stood.
“Brandon.” Khalil tried to sit up and moaned again.
Brandon stopped and placed a hand on Khalil’s shoulder. “Whoa. Don’t try to get up.” He turned to Lexia. “Make sure he doesn’t move.”
She nodded.
Khalil rolled his head in her direction. “Brandon is bossy as hell,” he whispered. “I don’t have to hear to know what’s he’s about to do. Don’t let him piss off the paramedics. Otherwise, they’ll leave me lying on this sidewalk all damn day.”
Lexia smiled and nodded. She glanced up in time to see Brandon pointing in their direction and standing over the paramedic, with a heavy scowl—just as Khalil predicted—until the man followed. She and Brandon moved off to the side while the medic assessed Khalil.
A moment later, another medic joined them with a gurney. The first one spoke to Brandon. “By his shallow breathing and pain when I barely press on the area, I’d say he has a couple of broken ribs.”
“And he can’t hear,” Lexia added.
“Thanks,” the medic said. “I’ll make sure to let them know at the hospital.” He nodded to the other paramedic and they carefully transferred Khalil to the gurney.
Brandon stepped forward. “I’m coming with him.”
His tone and the look on his face let Lexia know he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Apparently the paramedic realized it, as well, and nodded.
“Are you coming?”
She
