Seduced by Two (13 page)

Biting her bottom lip, she stared at him as if looking for something, some hint of what he was thinking or feeling. Then he realized she was debating what she should tell him. “I know about Nica. About who she is and what she can do. She told me, Tira.”

Her gaze sharpened even more. “She told you everything?”

“Yeah, she did.”

“And did you run screaming all the way back to your house?”

His back stiffened at the implied sneer in her voice. “Honey, I didn’t run screaming out of Sal’s house. I walked to my car and drove home.”

She digested that for a second before she nodded, her expression easing. “And why did you go home?”

“I needed to pick up something. Do you have any idea where we are?”

She paused for a moment and he willed her to stop asking questions he couldn’t answer without revealing exactly how he got there.

When she shook her head, he couldn’t tell if she was letting him off the hook or answering his question. Then she sighed. “I don’t know where we are. He knocked me out and when I woke up, I was here. He did say I’d be free Monday. Just not free as in still alive or as in free of this body.”

“Well, let’s make sure it’s the first and not the second.”

And that Tanner was able to find them before whoever had jumped him earlier decided they were no longer useful.

Chapter Eight

“You’re sure this is the place?”

Tanner nodded. “Jensen’s right through those trees, only a couple yards away.”

Cam de Feo nodded, his gaze glued to the rearview mirror of the nondescript sedan he drove. He and Tanner sat in the front, Nica in the back, hunched down so no one could see her. Although the tinting on the windows of the car made that pretty much an impossibility.

Cam hadn’t questioned Tanner once during the drive. Once they’d started driving, Tanner had closed his eyes and given Cam directions based on his feelings. Turn left, go right, go straight. And with every passing second, the sense that Jensen was closer increased.

Until it was almost like his brother sat next to him. Then he’d opened his eyes and told Cam to stop.

Looking around, Tanner saw trees and a two-lane road stretching out in front of him.

At first, he hadn’t seen a house or a structure of any kind. Then Cam had started forward again.

“Cam, what—”

“There’s a lane, hard to see it but it’s there.” He nodded toward Tanner’s side of the car. “Someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure no one saw it. If you say Jensen’s here, then my gut tells me that path will lead us to him.”

“And you believe me, just like that?”

Cam’s mouth quirked in the closest thing to a smile Tanner had seen from the guy. “Yeah, I do. Believe me, it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve seen.”

Okay, when he put it like that…

“You’re clear on your role here?” Cam asked. “I’m gonna go scout. You and Nica wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes to let you know what we’re up against then we’ll figure something out from there.”

Tanner nodded, shifting the hilt of the sword from one hand to the other. The damn thing was heavy, even though the tip rested on the floor of the car. Nothing like the whip-thin rapiers he’d used for fencing in college. And much sharper. “Yeah, we’re clear.”

Cam looked him in the eyes for a few brief seconds before he dipped his chin once, stepped out of the car…and disappeared.

“Holy shit.”

Tanner stared at the empty space beside the car where Cam had stood a second ago. The man hadn’t merely walked away. He’d fucking disappeared.

“Jesus, Nica, what the hell?”

A small warm hand fell on his shoulder and started to knead at the sudden tension there. “Cam is
linchetti
. We call them night elves. They have the ability to become shadow, invisible. If there are no spells around the house barring his way, he’ll be able to get in the house without anyone knowing, find out where Tira and Jensen are, and get them out using a teleportation spell.”

Tanner’s mouth fell open for several seconds before he spoke again. “Teleportation. Like on
Star Trek
.”

Nica nodded and smiled but her lips trembled. “Yes. But only if the people holding Tira and Jensen haven’t erected wards. If they have, he won’t be able to get in.”

“So we need a backup plan.”

“I think that’s why you have a sword. Did you really take fencing in college?”

“Believe it or not, yeah, I did. And I won most of my matches. If Jensen was sitting out here, he wouldn’t know what to do with this thing.”

Tanner wasn’t sure he’d actually be able to use the sword with any accuracy but he would use it and hope like hell that he didn’t cut his own damn head off.

Nica fell silent then, her gaze searching the forest, watching for Cam’s return.

He hadn’t had time to switch his gaze from her when he heard her gasp and Tanner looked around to see Cam standing next to the car.

Shit.

“Wards. Lots of them.” Cam shook his head. “I can get in but it’ll trip alarms. I don’t sense any spells strong enough to keep me in or out so I should be able to get one of them out before they catch me but…”

“Then go in, get Tira out,” Tanner said. “And while they’re scrambling, I’ll go in and get Jensen.”

“No, Tanner. You can’t. You’ll—”

“Nica.” Tanner turned to face her. “I’m not leaving without him. Jensen and I know how to fight.”

“Not against magic.” Fear made her eyes wide. “If that guy throws a spell at you, you could die.”

“Then I better be fast and quiet. And if anything happens, we have you to patch us up.”

If there was anything left to patch up.

“Tanner—”

Reaching over the seat, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her forward to kiss her. Quick and hard. She fought him, shaking her head, then kissed him back.

When she pulled back, she looked him straight in the eyes. “Don’t do anything foolish. Get in and get out. I want you both back.”

Tanner smiled at the passion in her voice. “Honey, you won’t be able to keep us away.”

* * * * *

Jensen blinked when a dark-haired guy suddenly appeared in the room with him and Tira.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he jumped to his feet and stepped in front of Tira.

The guy didn’t come any closer. “You must be Jensen. I’m Cam. I’m gonna get Tira out of here. Your brother’s coming for you. He should be here any minute. But I gotta get Tira out of here now before they see me.”

Jensen turned to find Tira getting to her feet. “Can’t you take us both?” she asked.

The guy shook his head. “Spur of the moment. Not enough power.”

Hearing footsteps thundering outside the door, Jensen grabbed Tira and practically shoved her at the guy. “Take her. I’ll be fine.”

“No, wai—”

Tira vanished into thin air along with the guy.

Jensen had two seconds to stare at the empty space in front of him before he realized the door was opening.

Flinging himself against the wall behind the door, he hoped like hell to gain a few seconds of surprise and jump his captor before the guy knew what hit him. Otherwise, the guy could just paralyze him with a spell.

The door flew open, nearly hitting Jensen in the face but he pushed it away and threw himself at the figure in front of him.

Jensen hit him mid-back and tackled the guy to the ground. He knew he had one chance to incapacitate his heavier opponent and he tried to get his hands on the other guy’s head and smash it into the floor.

But damn if the guy didn’t turn his head at the last second and twist out of Jensen’s grasp. Catching hold of Jensen’s shoulders, the guy tossed him across the room so hard, Jensen hit the wall.

His ears rang and he shook his head to get his brain to drop back into place. Something wet trickled out of his ear but Jensen pushed himself off the floor and ran straight at the guy again. He expected to get hit with a spell at any moment, to feel his heart seize in his chest.

Nothing happened and he hit the guy’s stomach with his shoulder, knocking the air out of him. But Jensen didn’t have a chance in hell of wrestling the man to the ground unless he was smart.

And the way the guy started to batter him with his cinderblock-hard fists, Jensen knew smart wasn’t going to be enough. He got in a few decent punches, making the guy’s head rock back once or twice, but Jensen couldn’t take much more abuse.

His head swam, his stomach rolled and pain shot through his entire body as his captor landed blow after blow.

Barely able to maintain his feet, Jensen heard more pounding and figured it was his heart about to burst. At least Tira was safe.

Nica would be relieved—

“Jensen, drop!”

Tanner’s voice sounded behind him and Jensen didn’t hesitate to obey. He dropped.

The guy released him, whether in surprise or because he figured Jensen was no longer a threat. Jensen had no idea. But when he looked up from the floor, he saw what looked like a long blade sticking out of his captor’s chest.

The guy looked shocked as shit. His mouth dropped open and a rush of air escaped, followed by a stream of blood as he coughed.

Following the line of the blade, Jensen found Tanner on the other end of it, holding the hilt, his expression hard and determined.

Holy hell, Tanner had just killed this guy with a sword.

With a yank, Tanner pulled the sword out and the other man fell to the floor near Jensen.

Leaning over, Jensen turned the guy’s face toward him. “Who are you working for?”

The man opened his mouth but no sound came out.

“Tanner, we need to find out who he was working for. He’s going to die if we don’t get him help.”

“Nica’s in the car.” Tanner reached down for Jensen and pulled him to his feet. “Let me—”

“No, I’m right here.”

Jensen looked over his shoulder to see Nica hurrying into the room. Her worried gaze traveled over both of them, a little gasp of distress escaping as she took in his injuries.

“Jensen—”

“Babe, I’m fine. He doesn’t have a lot of time and we need to know who he’s working for.”

Her gaze lingered for another few seconds, her eyes dark with worry. Biting her lip, she moved to kneel beside the dying man on the floor.

Jensen watched as she laid her hands over the man’s chest, his mouth dropping open as a blue glow enveloped her hands.

When the kidnapper lifted his hand toward Nica, Tanner pushed Jensen behind him and lifted the sword, pointing it at the guy’s neck.

“Tanner, it’s all right,” Nica said as she took the man’s hand. “He’s too far gone. I can do nothing for him.”

“Tell us who you’re working for,” Tanner demanded.

“It won’t matter,” the man said, his voice weak and breathy. “You won’t find her. My death is only a temporary setback. She won’t stop. All I can say is good luck.”

Nica drew her hands away from the man with a gasp, the glow vanishing as if it’d never been there. Then she reached out and put two fingers against his neck.

“He’s gone.” She stood, wiping her hands on her jeans, staining them with the man’s blood.

She turned back to Jensen, fear and grief and anger all showing in her dark eyes and the tight line of her mouth. Standing in front of him, she lifted her hands to his face and immediately some of the pain slipped away.

He raised his hands to put them over hers. “Come on, babe. I’ll keep ’til we get you out of here.”

Looking over her shoulder, he saw Tanner staring at the dead man.

Hell, they all needed to get out of here.

“Guess you knew how to use that blade after all.”

Jensen turned to see the guy who’d taken Tira from the room standing behind him, his hand outstretched. “Cam de Feo. You must be Jensen. I suggest you get the hell away before this guy’s boss gets here to investigate. Take Nica and Tira home.”

“What about you?” Tanner asked.

“I’m gonna clean up the mess, see if I can learn a little something about the kidnapper, maybe get a lead on who he was working for or with. I’ll be in touch tomorrow. Tanner, take the sword home with you. Just in case.”

Tanner nodded and reached out again for Jensen. “Come on, bro. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

* * * * *

The car ride was mostly silent.

Nica and Tira sat in the backseat, Nica’s arm around her friend’s shoulders. She’d opened her sense of empathy to take some of Tira’s fear but Tira hadn’t been that frightened. Or maybe Nica was too worried about the brothers in the front seat to pick up anyone else’s feelings.

They couldn’t shield their feelings from her completely but they’d both shut down part of themselves. Probably so one twin couldn’t pick up on what the other was feeling. They’d had years to build those walls, to hone them. Even if they didn’t consciously realize what they were doing, their mental blocks still worked.

She didn’t like that she couldn’t read them. In fact, she hated it. She needed to get them cleaned up and into bed.

They’d already decided they would all spend the night at Sal’s. Hopefully Cam would be able to figure out who the kidnapper had worked for and Cam and his brothers would be able to take care of the problem.

But there was still the problem of how to protect Jensen and Tanner. And the fact that tomorrow she was expected to take her mother’s place in the
boschetta
.

And leave behind these men forever.

* * * * *

Nica didn’t expect to find her mother in Sal’s living room.

Like a bulldozer at full speed, Carmina Donato made a beeline for her as soon as Nica walked in the door. Her mom wrapped her in strong arms and crushed her against her chest.

Her mom’s very real fear nearly suffocated her.

“Niccola, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom. Everything’s fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Her mom’s gaze narrowed on hers, and Nica forced herself to hold that gaze. “I know what’s going on but don’t blame Sal. Tira’s Aunt Lais had a vision. We need to get you both back home—”

“No.” Nica took a step back and out of her mom’s arms, closer to Jensen and Tanner, who she felt behind her. “I’m not leaving. Not right now. I’ll be there tomorrow. I just need…some time.”

Her mom’s gaze shot to the brothers and narrowed even further.

Carmina Donato didn’t like men on the best of days, but Nica knew her mom had her reasons for being wary. She’d been hurt—crushed, according to some—by her father’s rejection and abandonment before Nica turned two. He’d wanted the woman he loved to forsake the
boschetta
and dedicate her life to him and their child.

Carmina had refused and paid with her heart.

Nica had often prayed to the Great Goddess Uni for her father to return, for her mom to turn some of her considerable focus away from
boschetta
business and Nica’s training, toward simple family things, like baking cookies and taking Nica to soccer games or softball practice.

None of the
boschetta
children had been allowed to play organized sports. They took too much time away from their studies. They’d all been homeschooled and had received diplomas. But math, English and science hadn’t been their major subjects.

They’d been expected to excel in spellworking, herbalism and mastery of their Goddess Gift.

Nica had been raised to believe her only purpose in life was to take her mom’s place in the
boschetta
, to serve her people as a healer and to keep the old traditions alive.

Her mom’s lips parted as if to say something then shut. And when she looked back into Nica’s eyes, Nica saw something flash in her mom’s eyes. Something like regret.