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Chapter Eighteen

 

  "Something's wrong ," Rome said a few hours later as he parked at the convenience store across the street from our hotel. He stared over at the bustling parking lot, expression absorbed, body tense.

  My gaze roved the cars, the people walking about, but I saw nothing out of the ordinary. "What?"

  "Don't know. Stay here and guard the car. I've got equipment in here that I don't want in the wrong hands. "

  I wasn't given a chance to reply. He was out of the car and a shadow of the night before I could get out a single word. Damn it! I could help him. I could (possibly) save him - if necessary. Instead, he'd left me here. Alone. Again.

  Damn him, actually. I was the only one who'd learned anything at the club. Mingling after the Bible brothers left had done us no good. We hadn't been ignored, but we hadn't met anyone who'd told us anything relevant, either.

  So badly I wanted to get out of the car and stomp after him. But I didn't know what was going on, what I'd walk into or if I'd just place myself in the line of fire and hinder Rome. Besides, the car apparently needed guarding. I couldn't see any of the equipment Rome had mentioned, but I stayed put. If he ever pulled this shit again, though. . . I banged a fist into the dash, watching the night, waiting.

  Half an hour later, I was on edge, pissed and looking to destroy someone. How many times in one night did Rome think he could abandon me without repercussion? I had a feeling the tequila still flowing through my blood was the only thing that kept me from shooting actual flames.

  Finally, Rome reentered the car. He had a new cut on his cheek, the blood already drying. My anger instantly died, concern taking its place.

  "Are you okay?"

  As usual, he ignored my question. "There were armed men all over the hotel, but I took care of them.

  They belonged to Desert Gal. She knows we're here, and that we're on her trail. Let's go. We don't have much time before reinforcements arrive. " He got out of the car without another word.

  My bones creaked as I emerged. The night air was cool against my exposed skin, and I breathed deeply. "Don't we need to take your precious equipment with us? And are. You. Okay?" His gaze met mine for the briefest of seconds. "I'm fine. When we reach the room, stay out of the bathroom. "

  He'd already gone to the room? Of course he had, I thought a moment later. Mr. Protective wouldn't want me even to peek inside without knowing it was safe. Apparently some things never changed. "Lexis and Sherridan are all right, yes?" They would have seen the bad guys coming and hidden.

  Silent, Rome leaped into motion and I raced behind him, staying close.

  "Well?" I insisted, my heart drumming loudly. "Don't make me ask again. Already I feel like I'm using tweezers to pull information from you that you should be offering freely. " Rome's movements didn't falter. "I didn't want to tell you until we were inside, so you wouldn't break down and draw attention to us. "

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence. " Hopefully the sarcastically growled statement hid my growing fear and anger.

  "Fine. You want information? I'll give you information. They've been taken. " Ominous words said in a flat tone.

  I stumbled as the knowledge seeped into my brain, righted myself and grabbed on to Rome's belt buckle to keep him within reach. His pace never slowed, and I had to run to keep up. "Are they. . . are they - " I couldn't force myself to say it.

  "They're valuable. " He ushered me out of the night and over to a side door of the building. Hinges creaked as he opened it. "Too valuable to dispose of. They'll be fine. Cody wouldn't have let it happen otherwise. "

  "Cody? Cody! I'm starting to lose faith in him, Rome. " The words lashed from me, blending with my pounding steps as we raced down a narrow, empty hallway.

  "He had to prove himself, Belle. How else was he going to gain Desert Gal's trust? But the thing is, Lexis and Sherridan didn't know the angle he was working. They wouldn't have willingly gone with him.

  Which means they would have fought him. "

  "During that fight, he should have found a way to let them escape yet still seem trustworthy. " Right?

  But he hadn't. Why?

  First time I'd met Cody, he'd been holding a gun on Rome and me. He hadn't shot us, had only been trying to take us in, but I'd sensed his determination to do whatever was necessary to get what he wanted.

  What if what he now wanted wasn't good for my team?

  We reached another doorway. Rome sprang through it, weapon raised, ready, but there was no one inside the stairwell. "Keep an eye trained behind me. "

  Another order, but again I obeyed, wanting to reach the room as quickly as possible. Up, up we climbed. Only one person passed us, a drunk male who nearly peed his pants when Rome pushed him against the wall and frisked him.

  By the time we reached our room, I had a good ice-sweat worked up, making my motions slow and sluggish. I was scared, so scared for my friend and even for Lexis - and only growing more so as I surveyed the damage. Clearly, there'd been a struggle. The sheets were torn from the bed, there was a blood smear on the phone, which hung useless from its receiver, and the lamps were overturned.

  Rome wore a mask of fury as he stalked through the room. He stopped in front of the desk, his body as tense as a rubber band, ready to snap. "Look around. See what's missing. Make me a list. " Unlike his face, his voice was calm, unemotional. "And like I said, stay out of the bathroom. " Okay, so what was in the bathroom? Gulping, afraid to look, I bent down and began sorting through the multihued sea of clothing scattered across the floor. My hands were shaking, my chest constricting. "Just so you know, we left the club. You can stop with the commando bullshit. " He uttered a weary sigh. "Sorry. I've never really worked for you. That I remember," he quickly added.

  "I don't know what you can do, what you can't, how you operate. "

  "All you need to know is that I can help. Anyway, apology accepted," I added with barely a pause. I would have liked to hear a little more groveling, but now was hardly the time.

  There was a slight twitching of his lips. "You hold your own pretty well. I can see why John likes you. " A compliment? For me? Do not act like a gooey lovebird. Get back to work. "Maybe we're wrong.

  Maybe the girls did escape. Maybe, like I first thought, they're hiding, waiting for us. A messy room doesn't equate with kidnapping. "

  "You're right. " Rome kept his back to me as he tossed a photo in my direction. "But this does. " The small square landed with a whoosh in front of me, and I had to flip it over to see the actual snapshot.

  A gasp escaped me. There they were, Sherridan and Lexis lying on the bed, bound and gagged. "Are they - "

  "Like I told you, they'll be fine. " For now echoed unsaid between us. "Cody took the picture. I'm sure of it. The man loves his Polaroids. "

  That, I knew firsthand. "A Polaroid doesn't prove anything. And why didn't you show this to me sooner?"

  "Just found it. And look at the marks on the wall. "

  My eyes zeroed in on the wall in question and sure enough, there were tiny white circles gleaming from the shadows. Circles that could be sparks. Sparks an electrophile might emit. "So Cody is indeed dating Desert Gall and gave our team to her to prove his affection," I whispered. "What if he forgets this is a mission and really starts to fall for her? Sometimes playing pretend leads to real feelings. What if - "

  "That's not going to happen. Like I said, he'll make sure they're safe. He clearly thought this was the best and fastest course of action. " Every word Rome uttered was laced with more fury. "But damn it, I would have liked to warn the girls. They were probably scared, confused. I should have checked my fucking phone!" He slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a hole. Plumes of plaster dusted the area, forming a white cloud around him.

  I must have aspirated some of that plaster into my lungs, because there was a tickle in the back of my throat. I coughed as I stuffed the photograph in my bra for safekeeping.

  Finally Rome turned to m
e. Shame coated his beautiful features, all the more potent because it was mixed with fury and helplessness, the latter of which I'd never seen from him before.

  "Sorry for the outburst," he muttered.

  "Don't worry about it. " I lifted one of the shirts from the floor and clutched it to my chest. The material was white, cotton and baggy. Sherridan's pj's. Tears filled my eyes. "And don't blame yourself. You're only one man. You can't do everything. "

  "Do you blame me?"

  "No! You know better. "

  "Do I?" He sounded sad now, lost. But he scrubbed a hand down his face, seemingly washing away the vulnerability. "I should have told them what to do if this sort of situation arose. " I hated seeing Rome like this, so torn up inside. It compounded my emotions, made them all the more volatile. "Lexis has worked in the field before. Besides, she's a powerful psychic," I reminded him. "She had that earlier sense of foreboding. She would have planned for something. And Sherridan may not be a trained agent, but she's a fighter. No one can keep her down. "

  "You're right. I know you're right. That doesn't make it any less frustrating, though. " We finished our search of the room in silence. And yes, I admit it. I finally worked up the courage to peek in the bathroom - and promptly wished to God I hadn't.

  There was a man in our bathtub. A man I didn't recognize, but nonetheless felt sick about seeing so still.

  So. . . dead. He'd been completely drained of water. His cheekbones were sunken, his skin papery thin, yellowish and flaking.

  What a sad, terrible way to die. And completely unnecessary since I could only surmise Desert Bitch had left him for us to find as a warning. Cross me, and this is what will happen to your friends, to you.

  My hands clenched at my sides. "Did you tell Cody where we were staying?" I asked Rome. Knowing Rome, he'd feel responsible for this death, as well, if he had.

  "No. I didn't tell him. "

  Good. But did that mean Cody had had to dig for the information or. . . A terrifying prospect hit me.

  What if there was a leak at PSI? What if that's how he'd found out?

  "Anything missing?" Rome asked, jerking me from my musings.

  Ponder it later. "Just their purses, which have their IDs, makeup most likely, and business cards for Sherridan. " She was a Realtor. Not that she'd sold any houses lately. She'd been spending too much time in her Happy Place, dreaming of superpowers. Dreams that had brought her here. Who are you kidding? You brought her here. You should have protected her, not enabled her misguided fantasy.

  "I don't know exactly what clothing they brought, so I'm not sure if any of it was taken. Their toiletries are here, though. "

  "Anything of yours taken?"

  I shook my head. Except for what I had in my purse, all of my stuff was in my bag and my bag was in the corner. Why had they left it?

  "Good. Let's go," Rome said, and motioned me to the door.

  I padded across the room and bent down to grab the duffel, but Rome stalked to my side and gripped my arm, stilling me. Silent, he shook his head. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, but he gave another of those head shakes.

  O-kay. We were leaving empty-handed, it seemed.

  His grip remaining firm, he ushered me to the door and into the hallway. As he shut the door behind us, he leaned down and whispered, "They probably placed tracking chips on your clothes. " My eyes widened. Of course.

  "Assume we're being watched. Say nothing. Do nothing without my permission. " This time, the permission thing didn't bother me. This man knew what he was doing. I didn't. One day I would, though, I vowed. One day soon.

  When I'd first been recruited to be an agent, I hadn't really wanted the job. Okay, a part of me had still craved the excitement. But mostly, I'd agreed for Rome. To protect his daughter, he'd wanted out, so I'd traded myself, taking his position as my own.

  Because he loved me, he hadn't wanted to leave me at PSI without him. He'd shocked me by changing his plans and staying on, asking only that I help him safeguard Sunny. Well, that, and love him always.

  I'd considered before but truly accepted now that I'd kind of coasted through the job all these months, doing what was required of me, but nothing extra. Nothing above and beyond. I hadn't really trained like I should have, hadn't hunted Desert Gall like I should have. I'd put myself first. My wedding first. My life first. Because of that, my best guy friend was lying unconscious in the hospital, my lover was without his memory and my best girlfriend was now a prisoner of a water-sucking scrim.

  No more, I thought, hands again clenching into fists. From now on, I was an agent, pure and simple. No longer would I play at this job, pass time with it or place my own desires over my missions. They called me Wonder Girl, after all. I would do wonderful things, I told myself - and tried to believe it.

  I remained close to Rome as we trekked the length of the hall and down the staircase. He had a weapon trained ahead of us, but he never had to use it. The rest of the hotel had seemed to drift off to sleep, leaving us to our spy games.

  "This way. " He didn't lead me to the parking garage as I expected. No, he led me outside, back into night's shadows. A few cars meandered along the road, their lights glaring.

  I was still wearing my hooker dress, and the air was chilly against my skin, causing goose bumps to break out over every visible inch. My gaze remained watchful, circling the area with suspicion. Any moment, I expected someone to jump out at us and attack.

  Keeping his own gaze alert, Rome removed his jacket and draped it over my shoulders, though he never broke stride.

  "Thank you. "

  "Welcome. Now get ready. "

  "For what?"

  "Anything. "

  Smart man. Hmm. What to do to prepare? The only way to be ready for anything, I supposed, was to work up a simmering anger. That way, I could torch something - or someone - if necessary, and the ensuing smoke would help hide us. But I had to be careful. Anything beyond simmering would light me on fire. I had to be just angry enough so the flames would be contained inside me until I was ready to unleash them.

  I needed Tanner and Rome for this; I'd never done it on my own. Tanner would have warned me before things got out of control, and Rome would have filtered out the excess emotion. Without one, it was risky. Without both, it was probably suicide. A one percent chance of success was better than nothing, though.

  Rome and I moved into a hedge of trees, the leaves swaying behind us. Twigs snapped under my heels, minute after minute passing in fraught silence. Before I could force my mind down an anger trail, we broke through another thick bush and a well-lit building came into view. A bar. Red neon flashed: Pool here. A group of middle-aged men exited the front door, smoke billowing behind them. They were talking and laughing and slapping one another on the shoulders.

  All four stopped and gawked at me as I passed. One even whistled. Guess my cleavage was visible through the slit in Rome's jacket.

  Rome growled at them, but at least he didn't attack. He simply quickened his pace, and once again I had to run to keep up.

  "Where're we going?"

  "I need some equipment, then we'll find a place to rest. "

  "Equipment? Other than what you've got in the car?"

  "There's nothing in the car. Sorry, I lied. I just wanted you safe so that I could assess the situation. " And to think I'd been wondering how to make myself mad. I popped my jaw, my anger simmering as I'd wanted. Rome believed in doing what he thought was right, no matter what. It was part of the reason I loved him, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

  "Don't do that again. "

  "Can't promise that. But I'm wondering, did I ever lie to you? Before?"

  "At first. But we'd reached a point where we were totally honest with each other, no matter how badly it hurt. "

  He was silent a moment, contemplating my words. "Fucking Memory Man," he muttered.

  Bye-bye anger. His remorse was irresistible.

  Where was
Memory Man, anyway? I'd pondered it earlier, but now I was surprised by his absence.

  He'd called me a magnet for trouble, had claimed he was desperate to protect me, but hadn't been here for the action. Did that mean he had remained in Georgia? Or had he lost my trail?

  "We can get there again," I said. "We just have to - "

  "I can't discuss that now, Belle. I want to, but I can't. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I have to keep my mind clear, focused, and when we talk about our feelings, the past, I just want to hold you, and I can't right now. . . . "

  Ir-re-sistible. But I'd try to focus on the matter at hand, as he wanted. "Maybe you haven't noticed, Rome, but everything's closed," I said, looking around at the darkened storefronts. Well, except for the bars, but I doubted they had what he needed.

  "Doesn't mean I can't get in. " He squeezed my fingers in reassurance.

  I should have known he'd add B and E to our long list of necessary evils. "Where are we going exactly?

  What if we're being followed?"

  "So far I haven't spotted anyone trying to follow us. Besides, Desert Gall doesn't need to follow us. She has something we want, so she knows we'll go to her. "

  I nodded shakily.

  "Everything will be okay. " He drew my hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on the inside of my palm. A kiss of comfort, I imagined, but it was enough to fog my brain.

  Okay, that wasn't helping. Back to the anger thing, I thought as we reached an abandoned sidewalk.

  What made me mildly angry? Traffic. Slowpoke drivers. Memory loss. Oh, yeah. That was the ticket. A spark lit inside my chest, burning, melting away the cold.

  "Why are you suddenly radiating heat?" Rome muttered. "Pissed?"

  "Slightly, and it's on purpose. For our protection. "

  "Good. This will be a good test for both of us. If it becomes too much, give some of it to me. "

  "Uh - "

  He pinned me with a fierce glance, the force of it nearly knocking me backward. "You will this time, Belle. No excuses. "

  I swallowed, despite the fact that my mouth had dried, and nodded. I didn't want to hurt him. That would make me a worse agent than I already was. But I would do this. For us, for Sherridan. Maybe even for Lexis. If my anger spun out of control, I would give some of it to him, whether he knew what to do with it or not, forcing it from my body and into his. But if he burned because of it. . .

  Don't think about that. All right, so. I needed more anger. Lines were irritating. Waiting in the doctor's lobby for forty-five minutes, then half an hour in the actual examining room. Then, of course, the doctor would have an emergency - a. k. a. running late because of a long lunch - so the appointment would have to be rescheduled. Memory loss.

  Flames broke out over my fingers.

  "You're about to burst. Give some to me, Belle. "

  "No, not yet. I can handle this. " Memory loss. The flames spread, licking up my wrists. Shit. I had to stop thinking the words memory loss. The fire spread to my armpits and Rome yelped and jumped away from me. Damn it! Okay, calm down. Happy thoughts now.

  "Belle," he growled. "Do it. Now. "

  "We're not at that point yet. I can calm on my own. " Ice cream. Memory loss. "This isn't critical yet. " Chocolate cake. Memory loss.

  He snarled. Stomped to me. Grabbed my shoulder despite the heat I radiated and shook me. His teeth were bared in a scowl. "Do it!"

  You promised. Memory loss. No other choice. Memory loss. You'll BBQ both of you if you don't at least try. Memory loss. The fire was leaping inside me, desperate for escape. Any moment it would spring free. Shaking, I closed my eyes and shoved the hottest edges of my fury at Rome, my body instantly cooling.

  He grunted as though he'd been hit with a meaty fist.

  My eyelids popped open. He was not on fire. Neither was I. He was pale, lines of tension around his eyes, but he was fine. Thank God. He'd done it. Even without his memory, he'd done it.

  "Told you it'd work," he gritted out. He hunched over, drew in a breath. A moment passed, then another. Finally he straightened and jolted back into motion as if we'd never stopped.

  I had my filter back.

  Before I could reply or laugh or twirl from joy, he stopped in front of an electronics store. A streetlamp glowed above us like a spotlight. Rome didn't ask me to, but I pointed a finger at the bulb - Desert Gal, my friends hurt, scared, memory loss - and forced a beam of fire out. That flame slammed into the bulb, causing it to explode. All the while, I could feel Rome's strength surrounding me, keeping the worst of my abilities under wraps.

  The world around us darkened.

  Rome could see in the dark, a perk of having cat senses. Thankfully, my eyes also adjusted quickly.

  Before I could finish saying, "Here's your jacket back," to drape around his hand and protect the skin, he busted the glass above the door lock.

  Cuts appeared and blood trickled, but he didn't seem to notice. "Didn't want you cold," he said.

  How sweet. And something my Rome, the old Rome, would have done. Was he coming back to me?

  Without his memories? I didn't dare hope.

  He reached inside the store and swiftly disabled the lock. In the background, I could hear the alarm beeping, preparing to erupt.

  "Stay here," he said. "Stand guard. " He pressed a quick kiss to my lips, frowned down at me rather than pull away, and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. Then he leaped into motion, the alarm finally screeching to life.

  I stood there, my back to the store, my attention on anyone who might pass, my nerves dousing the fire and leaving a sheen of ice. I was coming to hate the ice more than any other element. Behind me, I could hear the shuffling of feet, scraping, cords dragging.

  In the distance, I thought I heard sirens.

  "Cat Man," I called, not wanting to use his real name.

  He was at my side in the next instant. "Let's go. "

  He was weighed down with equipment, but raced along the street without any problem. I kept pace beside him, huffing and puffing, determined to start working out as soon as possible. It would be part of my Become A Better Superagent plan.

  No one chased us, thank God, and fifteen minutes later we strolled into a motel without incident. Rome got us a room, and when we were finally inside, I collapsed on the bed, completely spent.

  What a hellish night.

  Using my powers always tired me. Being hit on by eleven men at once, petty theft and the kidnapping of my friend did, too, it seemed. As for Lexis, she wasn't my favorite person, but even her kidnapping upset me.

  Rome dumped his contraband on the twin bed beside mine. He didn't look at me, I noticed. "I'm going to review the feed from the room. " His voice was strained.

  I blinked in surprise, sat up. "You can do that still?"

  "Of course. I had everything recording on my phone. I can hook that to the laptop and watch what happened. Now get some sleep. You're going to need it. "

  "No. " I threw my legs over the bed, groaned at the ache in my joints. "I'll help. " Finally his gaze landed on me. His pupils were dilated. With anger? Arousal? He studied me, taking my measure. What did he see? What thoughts were drifting through his head? That I could help, see something he didn't? That being near me would only make him want me more? Or was all that wishful thinking on my part? And where was the new and improved me? I wasn't supposed to be pining after a man when there was a rescue operation to plan.

  He gave a curt nod. "All right. Let's do this. "