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Chapter Twenty-Five

 

  After a collective momentof frozen shock and horror, our group leaped into action, rushing toward the building. My rain had begun to fall again, harder this time, the hail like poisoned fists. Had Sherridan and Lexis been inside that building? I could barely catch my breath, could barely force my body to remain in motion as my blood turned to thick, frozen sludge.

  An alarm blasted, screeching into the night and making me cringe.

  Along the way, there were armed guards lying on the ground, unconscious. Thanks to Jean-Luc? Or had I been wrong to trust him? Had he caused the explosion? Was Sherridan -

  Oh, God.

  No. No, no, no. I wouldn't believe it, I thought as I jumped over another motionless body. Then I tripped over a semiautomatic and landed face-first. Dirt coated my tongue as air abandoned my lungs.

  Thankfully my adrenaline was too high, my body too numb from cold to feel any pain. I'd feel it tomorrow, though. If I were still alive.

  Rome was at my side an instant later, still in cat form, pulling me to my feet with his mouth. He was careful not to break my skin and only to tug on my clothing.

  When I finally regained my breath, it was so cold it misted around my face.

  "Thanks," I uttered shakily and jumped back into motion.

  He growled. I'd take that as you're welcome .

  This time, he stayed with me, keeping pace. When we reached the compound, we didn't have to find a door to get inside. A gaping hole in the side of the building greeted us.

  I stopped abruptly, unsure whether to enter guns blazing as a team or split up and start searching.

  "Rome, I - "

  Jean-Luc peeked from the corner as if he meant to attack, realized who we were, and came the rest of the way around. "About time," he said over the still-screaming alarm, loading a magazine into his gun.

  "What took so long? I already disabled all the planes and cars, so they won't be going anywhere. " He looked every inch the warrior.

  Guilt filled me. I shouldn't have doubted Jean-Luc. Not even for a second. He was a man of his word.

  Rome snarled at him.

  Though I kept my back to Rome, I stepped in front of him, a stumbling block between the two men. I hoped. My hand fluttered to my throat and the pulse hammering there. "The girls - "

  "Are fine, far as I know," Jean-Luc interjected, his gaze meeting mine in the darkness and probing deep.

  "I didn't betray you, wouldn't have hurt them. " There was disappointment in his voice.

  My guilt doubled. "I realize that. " Now. "I just wanted to know where they were. "

  "Don't know. "

  "Any sign of Desert Hag?" Tanner asked, panting. He was bent down, digging into a vinyl bag. For. . . a knife he sheathed at his side.

  Jean-Luc shook his head. "Not yet. "

  "Hans. Hide us from outside. "

  The sound of Rome's voice had me turning. He was in the process of morphing back into a human, fur falling away and leaving skin. Naked skin. But then shadows descended on us, black overtaking everything. There was a collective intake of breath.

  I heard a rustle of clothes. Rome's transformation must be complete; he must be dressing.

  "Christian," he said. "I need light. But light no one outside our shadows can see. "

  "Keeping my light inside my brother's shadows will weaken me. "

  "That's a chance I have to take. I don't want to risk hurting you guys with the weapons I'm about to ready. "

  A ray of gold suddenly glowed from the boy, breaking through the shadows Hans had created. Gold no one but us could see.

  Rome, once again clad in all black, dug through a bag and began strapping weapons all over his body.

  My heart swelled with love. Despite everything that had happened and everything I feared would happen, I did still love this fierce and determined man.

  He tugged on a pair of boots. "We're going to stick together. " He was all business. "Tanner and Elaine, watch the rear. Hans, watch the left and right. Christian - never mind. Save your strength. Jean-Luc, you're to guard Belle with your motherfucking life. Understand?" I was both irked and touched as the two men shared an intense look.

  Jean-Luc nodded.

  "I'll take the lead," Rome finished, already moving forward. "Drop the shadows. " They fell away, the world around us once again becoming my focus. Nothing had changed. The building was still torn apart, the guards around us unconscious or dead. In fact, this area looked and sounded abandoned. That surprised me. Had we already dispatched everyone or were they somewhere else, waiting for us? I doubted we were lucky enough to have won the battle so easily.

  Christian chose that moment to collapse from the effort of lighting the darkness and Tanner dragged him to the side of the building and propped him up. Gave him a gun and told him to shoot if anyone approached him.

  "What should I do?" I asked, slipping two knives from the side slits in my pants and gripping them tightly.

  "Stay alive," was all Rome said. Before I could work up a good steam, he added, "I texted Cody and told him to make sure Desert Gall was here. You're the only one who can fight her. She'll drain us of our water, and we'll crumple, but you won't have to touch her to take her down. " Was I hearing him correctly? He was trusting me to fight, believing in me, allowing me to be an agent rather than a girlfriend. It was. . . both wonderful and saddening, I realized. Almost surreal. Before, Rome would not have done that. He would have stuck me in a safe place and left me there until the action ended.

  I wasn't sure if this meant he accepted the "different" girl I was and had faith in her, or if he'd decided we were no longer meant to be together.

  "We can shoot her," Tanner said. "That way Belle won't have to engage in a catfight. " Rome shook his head. "Cody gave me the lowdown on the compound and if Desert Gall is where I think she is, gunfire would cause the entire building to explode. " I'd been so happy when Rome agreed I should be part of the fight, but this was more than I'd bargained for. One false move. . . "Should we be using guns now? "

  "I'll tell you when to put them away. Don't be scared, and don't get trigger-happy and shoot me. One thing in our favor, there aren't as many guards tonight as Cody had led me to expect. " Rome moved to the lead, looked around. "We were able to freeze some of her accounts, and it looks like some of her men abandoned her when she couldn't pay up. "

  When he darted forward to finally enter the building, the entire group followed as though we'd been tugged. Everyone remained on high alert. Around us, there were cages - empty. Lab coats hanging on hooks. Wall-to-wall computer systems and machines I could not identify. There were even tables with ankle and wrist restraints, and I couldn't stop a shudder from traveling down my spine.

  We cased the length of one hallway, then another, only Rome entering the offices we encountered, roving the barrel of his gun over the spaces.

  "Nice try," I heard him say in one of them. Then, Pop. Whiz. Grunt.

  I was wide-eyed as he emerged. He was careful not to look at me.

  "Guard was hiding, and could have later ambushed us," he explained to the group before starting forward again.

  Just like before, we followed as though we'd been tugged. Twice, Tanner had to shoot in the direction he was guarding - but only because he missed the first time. Three times, Jean-Luc had to fire off a round as doctors and guards emerged from corners and shadows to escape the little pockets of fire still blazing from the bomb. Even Hans had to shoot. He hit his target dead-on.

  Gotta say, he and his brother impressed me. I'd expected them to slow us down, but they'd done more for this mission than I had.

  Your turn is coming. Was Desert Soon-to-be-Dead Gall still here or had she bolted when the alarm went off? She was probably here, I decided a moment later. If Cody had gotten her here, he wouldn't have let her leave.

  I needed to keep my fear on a tight leash. Water fed her, strengthened her, so throwing ice balls at her would probably
cause her energy levels to spike. Sadness was out, too. Making it rain on her would be like signing my own death warrant.

  That left fire, wind and/or earth. Fire - I'd need fury. Wind - I'd need the perfect blend of anger, happiness and sadness. Earth - I'd need jealousy.

  "You okay?" Jean-Luc whispered to me. His eyes roved left and right, watchful. "You're pale. " I sheathed my gun at the waist of my pants, angling it to my back. "Just trying to decide what element I need for my upcoming catfight, as Tanner calls it. "

  "Any front-runners?"

  Yeah, I just didn't want to admit it. But there was no help for it. "Fire, most likely. It creates ash, the total opposite of what Desert Asshat needs for strength. "

  He snorted as he performed another quick left-right scan, then a backward glance. He moved another inch in front of me. "What emotion do you need for that? Fury, right?"

  "That's right. " We turned a corner, our steps slowing.

  He nodded, seemed to think things over for a moment, his gun sliding in sync with his gaze. "Rome doesn't like that you're an agent. "

  My eyes narrowed. "You can't know that. You gave him back his memories, which means they can't be inside you. You don't know what he's feeling. "

  "Oh, really? Well, guess what, sugar? I wrote everything down. I knew the time would come that I'd have to give them back to make you happy, and I didn't want to forget a thing about you. So I wrote everything down and read it all. The. Time. I've memorized his memories. Rome didn't want you to be an agent. He was thinking about swooping you up and carrying you and his daughter off to a hideaway. " Shocked to the core, I sent my gaze to the man in question. All I could see was the stiff line of his back and the side of his face as he performed the same left-and-right scan as Jean-Luc at the end of the hallway to decide where to go.

  "Also, he had a fling with Desert Gall shortly after his divorce from Lexis. He called her Candy. They were pretty hot, but he broke things off to try and win Lexis back. Pissed Candace off royally.

  Embarrassed her. "

  Every muscle in my body was stiffening. The ice inside me was melting, swifter than it ever had before.

  Little flames were branching from my fingernails. "That's not possible. One, she's a scrim who was in Pretty Boy's employ. Two, Rome hates scrims. Three, touching her drains a person of their water, and he wasn't drained. "

  Jean-Luc was shaking his head before the last word left me. "Nope. She's only worked for Pretty Boy a year, so maybe she wasn't a scrim when Rome dated her. And she's not like Elaine. Skin to skin doesn't drain the water from a body. Candace controls it. She decides when to drain, when not to. " He was right. I'd watched Cody touch her and nothing had happened to him. "I - I - " Had no words.

  Why the hell had Rome not told me about this?

  We rounded another corner and stopped abruptly as Rome held up one hand. I rammed into Jean-Luc.

  He humphed, stumbled forward and rammed into Hans.

  "Sorry. " I scanned the room we'd entered. Spacious but with more cages, these actually filled with people. Around fifteen of them. I searched their dirty, bruised faces - and found Sherridan and Lexis.

  My heart raced and tears popped into my eyes. They were alive. Thank God, thank God, thank God.

  Each occupied her own cage. They were more bruised than the other prisoners, but alive. They gripped the iron bars and watched the happenings with a mix of fear and hope.

  And there, in the center of it all, was Cody. If I'd had any remaining doubts about whether I could trust him, the sight of him put them to rest. Lightning streamed from one of his hands, wrapping around Desert Gall in a supercharged cage of her own, her hair standing up from her scalp, her eyes bugging out from the intensity. Clearly, she couldn't move. But the lines of tension around her mouth suggested she was trying to do so with every ounce of strength she possessed.

  Cody's other hand was pointed at a group of people. Doctors, judging by their lab coats. Sweat was running down Cody's face, his shirt already soaked to his chest. "Can't hold. . . them. . . much longer. " Every word emerged strained, even as they echoed from the walls.

  There was a weird sort of air pressure in the room that made my ears constantly pop. It was unnerving.

  "No guns," Rome said, placing his on the ground and kicking it to the far wall. Everyone in our little group did the same.

  I stared over at the woman who had supposedly once shared my man's bed, and my teeth gnashed together. She was prettier in person than she'd been on Rome's small cell-phone screen, even lit up like a Christmas tree as she was. Damn it! All of Rome's exes were prettier than me.

  "Elaine. " Rome withdrew a knife. "When Cody's shield falls away, take out as many of the doctors as you can. "

  She nodded and marched forward, shoulders squared, expression scared but determined. Was she recalling the cage she'd occupied for so long? Poor thing. But what bravery to march ahead anyway.

  "Hans, guard the doors," I said. "Don't let anyone escape. " The boy looked to Rome, who nodded, and marched off.

  "Jean-Luc, if at all possible, jump into Desert Gall when Cody frees her and take as many memories as you can," Rome instructed. "We'll sort through them later. If you can't get to her, wait. Belle will try and give you a chance. Tanner, get our girls. "

  Both men raced to obey.

  That left me and Rome. He looked at me, mouth firm, unyielding. "Cody's going to collapse. I'm going to pull him to safety. If Jean-Luc can't access her, you'll have her all to yourself. Don't be afraid to use your powers. She won't. "

  "I'll win," I said on a trembling breath. I wondered, though, how he could be so ruthless when he'd once slept with this woman.

  "You better. " His eyes darkened, the pupils expanding. "Don't worry about the rest of us. All right?

  Don't think about holding back or caging your emotions. Unleash them. And. . . be careful. "

  "I will," I replied.

  "I love you, Belle. I hope you know that. " He didn't give me time to reply. He closed the distance between us and meshed his lips to mine, his tongue plunging deep for a split second.

  Sweet fire. I was instantly transported out of the building into Paradise, where angels sang and ambrosia flowed in golden rivers. In that moment, I knew everything would be okay, that nothing bad would happen, could happen, that tomorrow I'd wake up in this man's arms, and soon I would be his bride.

  But then he pulled away, rushing to Cody's side, and I came down from my euphoric high, unsure about today, even more unsure about tomorrow.

  Still the passion burned inside me, though. And it was hot, so hot. Blistering me from the inside out. This was probably what Rome had intended, not a reassurance of his feelings. Or maybe the new me was just being cynical. I couldn't worry about that now.

  Fingers flexing at my sides, I stalked to Desert Gal. I pictured her in Rome's bed, naked, straining, biting him, begging him for more, and my passion mutated into the fury I'd craved. My hands caught fire.

  "Now, Cody," Rome shouted. "Now!"

  The lightning suddenly stopped. I heard grunting, groaning, heard clothing rustle as Elaine leaped into motion, touching everyone she could. Heard the shuffle of feet as Rome dragged an unconscious Cody out of the way.

  Desert Gall dropped to her knees, her pale hair shielding her face, her small shoulders hunched.

  Jean-Luc dove for her, but she'd clearly expected it and rolled out of the way.

  I launched a fireball at her. But again, she was quick, and flattened to her stomach, the ball flying over her. She looked up, her gaze clashing with mine. She reached toward me, fingers pointed at me. I threw another fireball. Water rushed from her hands, meeting my fire midway and causing it to dissolve.

  Her action was so unexpected, I wasn't able to jump out of the way before the water pummeled me to my back. The name Desert Gall implied she needed water, not that she had it in abundance and could spew it like this.

  "Belle Jamison. I've been waiti
ng for this moment for months," she said. "And now, here we are. The other woman in my father's life. "

  "Yes. Here we are. " The spray continued until she made it to her feet. Then she stopped, grinned at me, free hand shooting out. It was aimed at Jean-Luc, keeping him back with another spray. "But I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never met your father. "

  "Really? When he taught us both our tricks?"

  Tricks? Can we say de-lusion-al? "He likes me better than you, right?" Soaking wet, I glared up at her through spiky lashes, trying to catch my breath. Fury was still rising inside me, still smoldering. I just needed a moment to bring it to the surface again. "Care to tell me why?"

  "I wish I knew. You're weaker than me, ugly and stupid. "

  Bitch. "I'm not your biggest fan, either. So what's his name?"

  "Dr. Enrich Roberts, of course. As if you have to ask. "

  My jaw dropped, shock momentarily replacing my fury. Dr. Roberts? The man who had fed me the formula that made me into what I was? The man I had chased for weeks, unable to find?

  How had we not known he had a daughter?

  "I know what you're thinking. I could be lying since no one knew. " Close enough. "How'd you keep it secret?"

  "Do you know how easy it is to forge documents and make others disappear?" No, but I was learning.

  "It was his way of protecting me from outside forces, just like his running away was. But I don't want to be protected anymore. I want him back. And you're going to help me. " Uh, what? "I understand missing a parent, but - "

  She laughed cruelly. "I don't miss him, you stupid bitch. Like you, he made me what I am, experimenting on me my entire life as if I was an animal. And just when I finally began to like the results, he vanished.

  He didn't like that I had started working for Vincent, same as him, was afraid that our secrets would be discovered, that I would be used and hurt in an effort to control him. But now Vincent is dead, I'm in charge and my father is going to return. For you. And he's going to make me stronger. " Rome had once warned me about this. People often became drunk on their power, craving more. But more was never enough. The thirst was never quenched. "I hate to break it to you, but he won't come back for me. " I worked my hands behind my back, as though I was trying to lift myself on my elbows.

  Meanwhile, I mentally pushed the fire to my fingertips. "I'm nothing to him. An experiment. Just like you said. "

  From the corner of my eye, I could see Rome sneaking up on her.

  But she must have sensed it, too, because she threw out her other arm, water spraying from her fingers and propelling him backward. She laughed, though her attention never left me. "Wait your turn, Agent Masters. You're next. "

  Agent Masters. Not exactly former lover-speak.

  She released Jean-Luc, who was turning blue, unable to breathe, and reached for me once more. I rolled, avoiding impact. She stalked closer, trying again, and again, but I kept rolling. And when she finally reached me, I kicked her arm away. She swung to the side, freeing Rome from her watery fury.

  He remained crouched, coughing up water.

  "He'll come back for you," she said as if our conversation had never stopped. She was panting. Using her power must exhaust her. "He won't be able to help himself. You're his greatest success. He won't want me to kill you. "

  Yeah, she was probably right. He had apologized several times for what he'd done to me. I didn't think he'd want me to die, either. But how could he have experimented on his own daughter? "I'm not staying here with you. I'm taking my friends and going. And oh, yeah. I'm locking your ass up for good. " She'd had a crappy life, sure, and I pitied her for it. But Elaine had had a crappy life, too, and Elaine had not turned to the dark side. Desert Gal, I feared, was beyond redemption.

  Slowly I rose. "We done talking?"

  Another laugh. Cold, heartless. "You can't beat me, Wonder Girl. "

  "Wanna bet, Candace? " I launched another fireball at her. This one hit her, and she yelped.

  The yelp became a screech as she frantically patted herself with her hands. Water poured from them and did douse the fire, leaving her in tattered clothes, soot smearing her skin. The scent of burned hair filled the room. Her poor, pretty golden hair.

  Both Jean-Luc and Rome had regained their bearings and approached her, running toward her, but she hadn't lost her reservoir of water and extended her arms, keeping them both at bay. But that left her vulnerable to me.

  I, too, approached, trying to work up a good jealousy, planning to bury her in a mound of dirt. Sure, she could turn the dirt to mud, but that would take some time. Time I could use to grab one of Rome's night-night syringes and inject her. Time Jean-Luc could use to jump inside her.

  Desert Gall had other plans.

  Just as I reached her, she dropped her arms from Jean-Luc and Rome, who once again started gagging up the water they'd swallowed, and latched onto me in a choke hold. I gasped, instantly feeling her drawing the water from my cells and into her. It was painful, some of my vessels popping from the strain of her suction.

  "It didn't have to be this way," she said through gritted teeth. "We could have worked together. My father could have given us both more power. "

  Think, Belle, think.

  The men tackled us, throwing us to the ground and trying to separate us. But that only increased my pain. Her hands were practically glued to me. I couldn't even scream. Thankfully, Rome and Jean-Luc realized they weren't doing any good, only harming me further, and backed away. I could hear them muttering frantically in the background, Jean-Luc saying there was some sort of shield around her, that he couldn't get inside her. Their voices seemed to fall farther and farther away.

  Was this it for me? The end? My last day on earth? I wasn't afraid as I would have assumed. I was disappointed. I hadn't gotten to say goodbye. Hadn't gotten to make love to Rome one last time. Hadn't gotten to experience my dream wedding, Sherridan my maid of honor, my dad walking me down the aisle.

  You can stop her. There's still time. I could. . . what? Ice myself? Why not? Maybe it would strengthen her as I'd feared earlier, or maybe it would immobilize her. Either way, it was worth a shot. But even as I played fearful thoughts through my head, the emotion remained out of my grasp, my disappointment too keen.

  Ice, damn it. I just need a little ice. Come on, come on, come on. Oh, the irony. I had to work for it the one time I wanted to summon it. Ice, ice, ice.

  Finally, my blood thickened and my veins hardened. My lungs crystallized. Ice! Yes! Except, I wasn't afraid. I was simply picturing it and it was forming.

  This hadn't happened in so long, I was stunned. I didn't need my emotions, just the power of them. It was like looking at a sunset and experiencing its beauty, but being unable to physically touch it. But here the ability was. Mine again. Well, separate from me. As numb as I was, so quickly fading, there was nothing left of me. Only the abilities remained.

  Desert Gall frowned, her suction easing. She even tried to pull away, as if drawing the ice was painful for her. As if her body didn't welcome it the way mine did. My eyes widening, I grabbed on to her. More ice, more ice, more ice, I thought, mentally projecting it inside her. Ice might be composed of water, but it didn't strengthen her. It slowed her down, actually weakened her, because she had no way of melting it. Her own source of water began to freeze.

  Before my eyes, her skin turned blue. A glaze of ice smoothed over it, icicles forming in her hair. Only when she was completely motionless did I let her go. I crawled out from under her and fell back onto the ground, my strength now depleted. Didn't matter. I'd won. Won!

  I turned my head, searching for Rome. I saw Lexis instead. Jean-Luc had her cradled in his arms, and she was sobbing into his chest. I could also see Cody. He was cradling Sherridan as if she were a precious treasure. Sherridan tried to pull away, but gave up after a few moments and simply sagged into his arms.

  Tanner stepped into my dimming line of sight, his features concern
ed. I think he would have come to me, but Elaine crumpled beside him, as used up as I was. He turned, bent down and scooped her up.

  All the women were out for the count. Made sense. We'd done the most work. But had we won the battle only to lose ourselves?

  "Belle," I heard Rome shout, sounding like he was in an underwater tunnel located in another state.

  Where the hell was he? Didn't matter, I supposed. He'd get me to safety.

  It was the last thought I knew before darkness claimed me.