Saved by Sin [Paladin Protection Agency 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (12 page)

She got dressed quickly, already feeling better now that her revelation had time to take hold. It was only after she tugged on her T-shirt that she realized that at some point Sin had gone into the bathroom and closed the door. She could make out his voice, but that was all. Whatever he was saying on the phone, he didn’t want her to overhear him. The moment she saw the closed door, she knew what he was doing. He was going to try to keep her at a distance, but she was damned if she was going to let him have things his way. She’d been a passive observer in this drama long enough. Remington was right when he’d called her a damsel in distress. It was time she started dealing with her own problems instead of running away from them.

She was headed for the bathroom door to let Sin know her thoughts when he came out on his own, the phone still in his hand.

“I need to go for a bit. I’ve got someone coming down to stay with you.”

“No.”

He stopped and blinked at her. “What was that?”

“No, you’re not going anywhere without me. No, you’re not sticking me in this room with a stranger for Robert to take over just like he took over you. No, you don’t get to walk out on me just when I need you the most.” She crossed her arms over her chest and met his narrow-eyed stare, determined to make her opinion crystal clear.

“Michelle.” He sighed her name. She could briefly see the guilt he was feeling, but then it was gone, replaced by detached determination. “You promised me you’d obey me without question. Do you remember that? I need you to do this for me. It’s for your own protection. This isn’t your decision to make. It’s mine. I’m compromised, and that means you need someone else to protect you. Someone with a better track record than mine has been lately.”

“So you lied to me?” She fought back the tears that threatened to fall as she hugged herself hard. “You promised me you’d protect me, Sin. How are you going to do that if you walk away from me now?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw, and she hoped she’d gotten through. But then her heart shattered in her chest as he shook his head and stepped away from her. “I’m protecting you the best way I know how, by making sure better men than I am are watching over you.” He turned and walked away, but not before she saw the flash of regret in his eyes.

“I don’t want better men. I only want you,” she whispered as the door closed behind him, but it was too late. He was gone. She’d finally found the courage to go after what she wanted, and he’d walked out on her.

She’d spent the rest of the night in a well-lit, windowless room that had none of the amenities of the hotel-like room she’d been escorted out of. Curled up in one corner of a sofa, she didn’t so much actually sleep as manage to doze fitfully until morning. Given she was under constant surveillance by the two other women assigned to guard her, it was the best she could do. One was there to guard her, and one was there to guard the guardian in case Robert attempted to take over another body.

At least they had given her what privacy they could, sitting at the far end of the room. Her back ached, her mind felt dull and woolly, and her heart was still hurting from watching Sinjin walk away from her last night. All in all, she was in a less-than-perfect mood when Jase strolled through the door carrying what Michelle prayed was a cup of very strong coffee. He took one look at her and the grin faded from his face as he whistled low and crossed the room to hand her one of the two cups he carried.

“You look worse than Sin does.” He dropped onto the couch beside her and shook his head ruefully. “What the hell happened last night? I leave you two lovebirds alone for a few hours and the next morning I find you both looking like someone kicked your kitten and stole your puppy for good measure.”

“Sin is an idiot,” she muttered and inhaled the fragrance of the coffee with a grateful sigh. “Thanks for this. I’m in dire need of caffeine right now.”

“No problem, and yes, I’m aware Sin can be a bit thick. What in particular did he do this time? Give a man a clue here. It’s a big, wide ocean of possibilities.”

“Robert possessed him for a while last night, and now he’s convinced himself that he can’t protect me. So he walked out and left me to deal with this on my own. He said the only way he could keep his promise to keep me safe was to let someone better do it.”

Jase was staring at her. “Wait, back up. Robert can possess someone now?”

“Apparently.” She nodded to the two women watching them from the far wall. “Which is why I now get a two-for-one service.”

“Well that explains his lousy mood this morning.” He settled back on the couch and gave Michelle a long look, as if deciding something. “I know you care about him, that much is obvious. But what do you know about Sin? How much did he tell you about why he’s with Paladin?”

“Not much,” she confessed, suddenly aware of how little time they’d had to get to know each other.

“When Sin was in the Corp, he saw some pretty horrific things. The truth is that we all did. Some of us can let it go, and some of us…well… some of us have trouble putting it behind us. Every single employee of Paladin is either ex-military themselves or from a military family. The cooks, support staff, security officers, all of us. Remington’s company is his personal attempt to balance the scales, undoing some of the darkness we’ve all had to face. Paladins are supposed to be these chivalrous knights in shining armour, the good guys. That’s why Remington named his company for them, you see? It’s our chance at redemption. We’re the white knights, and we want to believe that the good guys don’t fail. That means we tend to take it pretty badly when we don’t win every fight.”

“So this isn’t just about me? This is about Sin’s past.” Michelle sighed and took several more sips of her coffee. “We’re both haunted, is that it?”

“You’re much too smart for him, you know.” The smile was back on Jase’s face as he flirted with her. “When you figure that out, I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Nothing personal, but I hope you have to wait forever.” She smiled back, feeling somewhat better after Jase’s explanation. “That’s if I can get Sinjin to stop beating himself up over something that wasn’t his fault. If anyone else had been possessed, I’m not sure they’d of been able to stop Robert from finishing what he’d started.”

“That bad, huh?”

“That bad.” Michelle couldn’t stop the shiver that washed over her at the memory of Robert’s arrival last night.

“Well, luckily for you Remington knows some very interesting people. One of them is on her way here, and she is certain she can help.”

Hope swelled up inside Michelle, and she found herself standing before she’d even thought to move. “When will she be here? Can I meet her now? What do I need to do to make him leave me alone?”

Jase was laughing at her as he stood up and tucked her arm under his. “She’ll be here soon. I’ve been sent to wake you up and get you presentable, so yes, you can meet her soon, and you’ll have to ask her the rest of your questions. I’m just the messenger.” He led her to the door, pausing just long enough to speak to the two women guards. “One of you can head out. The other needs to come with me for another few minutes.”

The two stood, conferred for a few seconds, and the younger of the two came over to join them. “I’ll stay.”

“Thanks, Val.” Jase nodded toward the other woman and then winked at Michelle. “Now I for one like the ‘just got out of bed look’ on a woman, but I’m guessing you may want to get freshened up before we go upstairs. Sin looks like hell, so I imagine you will want to look like you slept well and don’t have a care in the world, right?”

“You have an uncanny understanding of women.” She couldn't help but laugh as he squired her down the hall toward what she assumed was the room she had been assigned earlier.

“Oh, he thinks so,” she heard Val mutter from behind them. “Please don’t add to his delusions, Ms. Jamieson. The rest of us have to work with him.”

* * * *

Sinjin was on his third cup of coffee when he heard Jase’s voice in the hallway, and it was almost painful to hear Michelle laughing in response to whatever his friend had said to her. They came through the door together, arm in arm. The sight caused a bitter knot of jealousy and doubt to form in the pit of his stomach. She looked beautiful this morning, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders and her lips shining with some sort of pink gloss that made him yearn to kiss her. She’d managed to find a dress to wear, something light and summery, and his groin tightened at the sight of her long, bare legs peeking out from beneath the hem.

She took a seat across from him, and when his eyes met hers, the pain he saw there made him wish there was something a lot stronger than coffee in his mug. He’d left because it was the right thing to do. Why couldn’t she see that? He had failed her last night. It had been his hands that had hurt her while he had been controlled by someone else. Thoughts of what could have happened if he hadn’t gotten control back had kept him awake and on edge for the rest of the night.

Jase took a seat next to Michelle, and Sinjin found himself gritting his teeth as she turned to smile at his friend as though nothing at all was wrong, all the hurt she’d allowed him to see vanishing as she turned away from him.

“We’re just waiting for Anya to arrive, and then we can start.” Remington’s voice filled the office, drawing all eyes to him. “But before she gets here, I want to explain a bit about who and what she is.” He fidgeted in his chair, a surprising show of nerves from a man who had often been accused of having ice water in his veins. “Anya Anwyl is a psychic, a clairvoyant to be exact. Her credentials are extensive and impressive. She has helped police all over the country locate missing persons and solve cold case murders. Paladin has employed her several times, with a 100 percent success rate. So, no snickering, bad jokes, and none of your usual smart-ass remarks, Waters, or I’ll have you guarding penguins in Antarctica before the end of the week.”

Jase raised his hand. “What about good jokes? I tell a great knock-knock—”

“No.” Remington glowered at the blond pilot. “Behave yourself, just for a change of pace.”

“That’s the problem with being management. You have to give up your sense of humor,” Jase muttered as he lounged back into his chair.

The mood in the room shifted a half second before a soft knock sounded on the office door. It was as though a gentle thrum of energy lightened the air itself, like the sun had come out to shine after a long storm.

“Come in, Anya,” Remington called out.

Sinjin’s curiosity was high as he turned to watch the arrival of the woman Geoff Remington, a noted skeptic, believed was an actual psychic.

“Hello, Geoff.” Anya’s voice was gentle, but somehow her words carried to every corner of the office. She was a tiny thing, no more than five foot two. Her hair was dark red, with a lock of pure white that started just behind her left temple and flowed through the red strands, making it seem even darker by contrast. She was wearing a long, flowing outfit that had more colors than he could count, and as she walked into the room, Sinjin swore he heard bells ringing. The reason became obvious a moment later when he glanced down and realized that she was wearing a pair of delicate anklets with tiny silver bells attached. A second later, he had to swallow back a chuckle as he saw she wasn’t wearing any shoes.
This is Remington’s psychic?
No wonder he’d warned them not to snicker.

“You must be Michelle,” Anya turned to her and offered Michelle a smile. Then she went completely still, and her eyes stared off into space, unfocused. “Oh, I see,” she murmured a moment later and then glanced over at Sinjin with a knowing look before turning her attention back to Michelle. “It’ll work out, my dear, trust me. All that you have been through has prepared you for what is still to come, but I see better things coming for you, very soon.”

Her bottle-green eyes fell back to Sinjin, and she shook her head. “And you, stop feeling guilty for things that were not your fault. This isn’t over yet, not for any of you.” She seemed to come back to herself then, and her rueful laughter filled the room. “Forgive me being so forthright. It’s a bit of an occupational hazard. When I see things, I am often compelled to say something, even when I likely shouldn’t.”

“What, no fortune-telling for me?” Jase pouted.

Anya glanced at him, and her eyes widened in surprise. “In your case, I think it would be best if I stayed quiet. Your destiny hasn’t found you quite yet, but it will, soon. And I promise you’ll be quite happy when she does.”

“She?” Jase leaned forward, and Sin groaned as he recognized full flirtation mode kicking in. “Is she a blonde? A brunette? A redhead? Are you sure it isn’t a redhead?”

“Waters, I warned you.” Remington’s voice tone was close to a growl as he stood and offered Anya his seat, taking up a standing position by her shoulder.

“Sorry, sir,” Jase apologized, looking anything but repentant.

Anya drew a small bag from her purse and gently poured the contents out onto Remington’s desk, revealing five identical glass vials, all strung with a simple black cord. “I spoke to my friend Tristan before I came here. He has experience with this sort of thing, and I have followed his instructions carefully. He’s provided us with the means to accomplish our task. The first thing we all must do is to wear one of these, starting right now.”

She demonstrated by slipping the cord over her head so that the vial sat around her neck like a pendant. “You, too.” She glanced back at Remington and handed him one of the vials. “And don’t try to tell me you don’t need to. Trust me, you do. Just be thankful it’s nothing more than purified sea salt and essence of lavender.” Her tone turned droll. “They were all out of bat wings and adders’ forks at the local shop.”

They all dutifully took one of the vials and did as instructed, everyone carefully avoiding looking at Remington as he put his on with a look of utter distaste.

“These should protect each of you from Robert’s influence. So long as you are wearing it, he won’t be able to inhabit your body. It should also slow him down if he tries a physical attack, though I’m not sure how long it will hold him off. He’s far more powerful than your normal ghost.”