No Love for the Wicked (9 page)

“What were you going to do if you discovered I’d been lying?”

Tony’s thoughts went through an elaborate scene where they overpowered me and turned me over to the Network, the two of them receiving all kinds of accolades. I spewed out my whiskey across the table, accidently drenching the bandages on Luce’s face. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, trying to contain my laughter. “Here, let me get that.” I grabbed some paper towels off the counter and passed them to her. The gauze was ruined. She went to the sink and started peeling off the bandages. “There’s some first aid stuff in the bathroom.”

“I know where it is,” she snapped and stomped off down the little hall. The door slammed behind her. I wiped up the table and looked to Tony. “Well?”

“We want your assistance,” he said after a moment of deliberation. “New information has come to light on our current target, and we need additional team members to guarantee the takedown. Colin doesn’t want to risk going over budget by increasing the team’s head count by three or four like we need.”

“But if it’s just one supernatural team member with the eyes and ears of three or four normal agents, that wouldn’t stretch the budget at all.” I finished off my whiskey and pretended to weigh my options. Truthfully, though, I couldn’t wait to help with their target. They’d need me there, in on the takedown. Not staring at a computer screen, flipping through page after page of research crap.

“Do you think your team chief would approve the cross-team assistance?” Luce called out from the bathroom.

Thirteen liked to keep a close eye on me. He trusted me, sure, but if I went on an assignment that he wasn’t directly involved in, it might be pushing the risk level past his comfort zone.

“I’m sure he won’t have a problem,” I said. “My team’s current mission is weeks away from moving forward, so I’m basically in standstill mode anyway.”

“Good.” Luce slipped back into the kitchen sans bandages. Her nose looked purple. “We’re reconvening at the west-side safe house tonight at eighteen hundred hours to finalize plans and go over the new information. I’ll tell Colin to expect you.” She gave me one last hard look, then headed for the door.

Tony paused long enough to give me an appreciative once-over. “Gotta admit, I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do.” He strode toward the front door, then stopped again. “Not that you’ll tell me or anything, but I’m curious. Just how many supernaturals you got on your Network team?”

“You’re right,” I said. “I’m not telling you.”

His eyes were sharp. “I just asked because at your meeting last night another guy showed up, a late arrival. I could have sworn I caught a feeling of power the moment he stepped into the house.”

I swallowed the rest of my whiskey in a long, slow gulp. Theo’s powers were strong enough now; I could imagine someone who knew what to look for feeling his energy.

When I remained silent, Tony nodded and shot me a tight half smile. “Yeah, that’s what I figured.” Then he walked out and closed the door behind him.

The next day, Heather and Cordele showed up early on my doorstep with plans to go shopping. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who got bored with research. I’d never really done the whole “girlfriends” thing before, but since my cell phone had remained silent all night—Theo hadn’t even bothered to send me a text—I had to admit that I looked forward to getting out of the house. Downtown was too far away, and the closest mall was overrun with holiday shoppers taking advantage of the last weeks of Christmas sales. So in an attempt to avoid all that, we just went to the nearest Target.

“It’s weird not having everyone drool all over you anymore,” Cordele said casually while inspecting a new bath mat.

I flipped through some shower curtains. I’d been showering with just an open stall because the last shower liner had molded while I was away. I should probably grab some thicker curtains for the bedroom too. And maybe some lamps. And groceries, definitely groceries. God, I loved Target—it had everything!

“I mean, it’s cool,” she continued. “It must be horrible having every person you pass want to jump your bones.” I ignored the hint of jealous sarcasm she didn’t realize she was throwing. “But it must take a lot of control to suppress something that’s a natural part of you like that. Your powers must be getting really strong.”

I froze with two toilet covers in my hands. She didn’t look at me, but there was a nervous tightness in her face as she continued to flip through the same bath mats she’d been flipping through since we’d come down this aisle. I looked in her thoughts. Bath mats, bath mats, bath mats—her focus was way too intentional.

“My powers are what they’ve always been,” I said carefully.

She nodded quickly, studying the pattern on the mat in her hand. “Oh, of course. I mean, you’ve always been more powerful than anyone we’ve ever heard of. Did Thirteen tell you about the truth serum I developed for interviews? I would have never thought to combine the doses like that if you hadn’t shown us how you can use your telepathy aggressively. There’s a lot we could learn from you.”

I relaxed a bit. I’d forgotten that Cordele had moved into the R & D end of things. No wonder she was so interested in my power level. I’m sure I’d make an excellent lab rat. Not that that would ever happen—I’d kill everyone in the Network, including Thirteen, before I let someone lock me in a cage and study me. But at least I could understand the why behind her interest.

“They have Merona tank tops on sale,” Heather said, appearing at the end of the aisle. She had a cart half-full of clothes and shoes.

“Why would we buy tank tops when it’s thirty degrees outside?” Cordele asked.

“Because they’re only fifteen dollars and they never shrink.”

“Seriously?” Cordele pushed past me. “I’ll meet you over there.”

“You want some?” Heather asked me.

“Er, that’s OK.” I had enough clothes for now. And truth be told, while I was fine buying discounted lamps and bath mats, I wouldn’t put that cheap-ass fabric on me if she paid me to. One of the residual effects of growing up on the estate: everything I’d ever worn had been top-of-the-line or custom-made. Not because Father cared about what I wore, but because that was all that was ever purchased. Nothing but the best for anyone with the name Kelch. That my clothes were burned or shredded off me every night during Father’s sessions had been a moot point.

I tossed my bathroom stuff in the cart with Heather’s things and started to the next aisle. After a few steps, I realized she wasn’t following me. “You OK?” I asked, looking back at her.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” she said with a frown. “What were you and Cordele talking about? You seemed tense when I showed up.”

Ah yes, an empath at work.

“She was interested in my powers. How strong they are now compared to before I left.”

Heather nodded. “Yeah, she talked about you a lot while you were away.”

“Really.”

“You saved her life twice last summer: once on the assignment with your uncle’s guard, and then again when you rescued her and the others from your brother Markus. She wants to get to know you better now that you’re back, but she just doesn’t know how.”

I considered that for a moment. Becoming friends with Heather had been easy. She was so open and kind, it had been impossible not to like her. Cordele was different. Her thoughts weren’t open at all, and her attempts at chitchat seemed like forced conversation.

Heather inched the cart up next to me. “Have you talked with Theo yet?”

Instantly power sizzled beneath my skin. It had only been a day and a half, but still. I’d expected him to call or text me or something.

“No. I haven’t had time.”

She gave me an arch look. I started walking at a clipped pace. She kept up, pushing her shopping cart quickly. “We’ll talk soon,” I said. “I just don’t know when I’m going to see him outside of a meeting.”

I could see her argument forming: I should just call him and get it over with. Fortunately, when I ignored her, she decided to let it drop. For now anyway.

We had walked all the way to the electronics section of the store. A wall of TVs showed the local news in various degrees of HD. I headed to iPod accessories. Over my shoulder, Heather moved to one of the wider TVs and turned up the volume.

“With the call center expansion, Kelch Inc. is looking to bring another three thousand jobs to the greater Indianapolis area. Governor Bader was enthusiastic in his press conference yesterday afternoon, explaining that the addition will help bring the state’s unemployment rating to a twenty-year low. When asked if the north-side expansion can be seen as a stepping-stone to further growth, CEO Magnus Kelch was unavailable for comment.”

The newscaster moved on, and Heather turned the volume back down. “How come your father never speaks to the press? Senator Kelch gives press conferences every other day practically. It would make sense that Magnus would want some of the limelight as well.”

“Father hates people,” I said bluntly, browsing the available iPod docks so I wouldn’t have to look at her. “Sees them as sheep. They’re good for working the various jobs at Kelch Inc., but why should our family, with all of our powers and intelligence, waste time speaking to them any more than necessary? Normal people
are totally beneath us. Uncle Max hates them too, but he needs voters. His telepathy is powerful enough that he can coerce an audience pretty easily. So he does what’s necessary. If he didn’t need them to maintain his position, he’d never acknowledge them at all.”

“It’s all about power with your family, isn’t it?”

I felt the hum of energy tickling inside me, waiting for the rush of release. “Power is everything,” I said softly. Then I shook myself. “Come on.” I nodded back toward home goods. “I forgot to get curtains.”

The snow had taken the past few days off, giving the sun a few teasing moments to show its colors. When Heather turned onto my driveway, the dirt road had turned to slush and mud. For once, I was grateful I wasn’t the one driving. We got to the tree line, and instantly my guard went up. People were in my house again. I touched the intruders’ minds as we pulled around to the back of the house. Jon, Thirteen, Chang, Shane…

I stopped breathing. Theo. His presence was like a beacon, drawing me in.

Tempering the urge to leap out of the car and find him immediately, I led the way to the front porch and held the door open for Heather and Cordele. “I’ll be there in a second,” I said and shut the door behind them as they took their bags inside. I placed my own bags on the cleared-off stoop and walked around to the side of the house. The smell of cloves hung thick in the air, making my body tingle. Standing a ways from the house, staring into the
nearby woods, he’d put up the collar of his heavy navy peacoat. Dark hair fell in waves around his strong face. His long legs were covered in black jeans tucked into thick-soled Doc Martens. I took a steadying breath.

“I felt you coming,” he said softly as I approached. God, I loved his gravelly voice. “Before you even hit the driveway, I knew you were on your way here.” He blew out three perfect smoke rings.
Show-off.

He glanced down at me with subtle surprise. “I can show you how to blow them. It’s not that hard.”

Every muscle I had instantly tightened. “I didn’t say anything.”

He scowled and looked back out over the woods. “It comes and goes. For months now. Ever since that day we”—
made out, dry humped, almost went all the way
—“got close, I’ve felt it. I can hear people’s thoughts. Not the way I can with you, but like listening in. It doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes. And some days, I can bench-press ten times what I normally can. Or run a freaking five-minute mile.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I have all these fucked-up dreams about you, and when I wake up, I’m glowing. Glowing, Mag.” He turned his scowl on me. “What the hell did you do to me?”

I flinched. Everything came back to me in a rush. I’d been drawn to Theo from the first moment I’d laid eyes on him. No, before that—the first time I’d felt him enter the Thirsty Turtle. I couldn’t explain it. I was attracted to him—I mean, who wouldn’t be? But it was so much more than that. It was a pull, a need to be near him. He’d felt it too. And as frustrating and confusing and terrifying as it had been for me, it had been more so for him. Because the connection between us was real, a separate entity apart from either one of us. And when we were together, it grew.