“No!” she screamed, taking a step toward the center of the haphazard half-circle they’d formed. “I’ll allow you inside if you don’t hurt him. I need your word. If you won’t give it, my team will blow up the time machine before we enter. They’re observing everything on the security cameras and have their orders.”
“Fine,” Eli said, sounding annoyed. “You have my word. I won’t harm any of your men if you let me inside to discuss what we came here to say.”
“Lainey, no—”
“Enough, Cyrus,” she said, cutting him off with a hand in the air. “Eli, you may come inside. I expect a cease-fire while we talk. Cyrus will stay out here with Hunter’s men and your own.”
Eli glanced at his camouflaged troops. “Cease-fire, men. Await further orders until I return.”
Her gaze found Cyrus’s, so filled with worry, and she slowly pivoted to walk inside. Eli and Hunter followed, closing the large door behind them. Turning, she faced them: the dictator, and the traitor.
“You son of a bitch,” she hissed at Hunter. “How long have you been working with him?”
“Yikes,” Eli said, his expression droll as he looked at Hunter. “She’s pissed.”
Lainey gritted her teeth as she glared at Hunter. “How. Long?” she asked, the words stilted.
“Six years,” Hunter said, lifting his palms as he began to approach her. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Don’t touch me!” she said, causing him to freeze. “Six years? You had a letter from my father. I trusted you!”
“It’s all my fault, really,” Eli said, flippant as he shrugged. “You see, I’ve done such a good job at advancing the notion I’m a ruthless dictator that my reputation precedes me. It’s gotten out of hand, really. I’m not sure anyone could be as nefarious as the dreaded ‘Eli Hernandez’ is rumored to be,” he said, fingers forming quotes as he said his name.
Confusion coursed through Lainey, and she took a step back. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Can we sit?” he asked, gesturing to the chairs that lined the room.
“No.”
“Tough as nails,” Eli said to Hunter. “You said she would be.”
Hunter nodded. “Lewis was right, she’s a ball-buster. And a great asset to our team.”
“I’ll never join the New Establishment,” she said, furious they were discussing her as if she wasn’t there. “I abhor everything they stand for.”
“As do I, my dear,” Eli said, further enflaming her ire. She was lost in their cryptic conversation, and to a scientist, lack of understanding was probably the most uncomfortable experience imaginable. “I have no love for the regime,” Eli continued. “I’ve fought them since I was young. But all great strategists know that true evil can only be destroyed from within.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m a spy, Dr. Randolph. Perhaps the best one who’s ever lived. I infiltrated the New Establishment in its infancy and worked my way up to become its most powerful leader. Now, it’s time to abolish them. Namely, with your time machine.”
Lainey gave an incredulous laugh. “You want me to believe you’re one of the good guys? Are you insane? Your reputation is deplorable.”
“As I meant for it to be. I’ve had to make sacrifices in the name of protecting my identity. It hasn’t been easy. One of my greatest regrets is that one of my subordinates killed Hunter’s wife before I could stop him. I wasn’t able to find a way to prevent her death without revealing my identity.”
Lainey glanced at Hunter. “Trace Gibson,” she said softly.
Hunter nodded, a muscle clenching in his jaw.
“It was a terrible insolvency on my part. Eventually, Hunter was able to move past it and realize my true intentions. The New Establishment is vast, Elaine. It won’t be brought down by one person. All the pieces must fit exactly for it to happen.”
“And how do you know this?” she asked, hands flailing in frustration. “A little birdie told you how to destroy the regime?”
“No,” Eli said, his tone thoughtful. “Actually, you told me.”
Lainey felt her mouth fall open. “Excuse me?”
He gave her a timid grin. “You told me when I was only seven years old. You came to me in the year 2039, looking much as you do now, and told me that I must infiltrate the New Establishment and convince them I’m one of theirs. You detailed the path I would follow and that I should show up to your hub, on this date, in the year 2075, because this was the day you finally succeeded.”
Breath hitched in her straining lungs as Lainey struggled to comprehend his words. “We haven’t succeeded yet,” she lied.
Eli lifted a brow. “We both know that’s not true, Dr. Randolph. You sent Puss in Boots back this morning. The chain of events has started.”
Shock ricocheted to every inch of her body. “You can’t know that,” she whispered.
“The cat you sent back to 2035 was found by a very powerful man who observed the wormhole. He was an associate of your grandfather’s. He began to put the pieces together and realized there were people from the future attempting to change the past. This man was quite evil and determined to succeed in his quest to reshape the world.”
Slowly closing the distance between them, his expression turned conciliatory. “You and I have more in common than you can ever know, Elaine. The man who found Puss in Boots was my father, Victor Hernandez, and I want nothing more than to ensure he never succeeds.”
Unable to withstand the barrage of unbelievable information, Lainey fell into the chair behind her. Holding her fist to her mouth, she felt the words coil and digest in her gut.
“I know this is shocking, and I’m sorry for that,” Eli continued. “But we need to sit down and chart next steps immediately. There are fifty New Establishment soldiers outside who have no idea I’m not an evil dictator. I need to give the appearance of seizing the hub.”
Lainey squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “It’s so much to process. My people’s safety is everything to me. I’m supposed to believe, after a two-minute conversation, that you won’t harm them? It goes against every instinct I possess.”
“I know,” Eli said, crouching down in front of her. “Here,” he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out small, shiny arrowhead. “You said you found this beside the river to the north. You and your father spent hours researching the indigenous tribes of Virginia to figure out who fashioned it. Eventually, you determined it was Iroquoian.”
Lainey extended her hand, taking the arrowhead and slowly rubbing her thumb over it. “Yes,” she said, her voice as pebbled as the stone. “I would’ve given you something like this to help you convince me.”
“It’s back in your possession now,” he said, sliding his hands over hers and closing her fingers around the arrowhead. “I wonder if the original still sits on your father’s desk, or if this is the only version. It would be a great example of a time travel paradox.”
Lainey lifted her gaze from her hand, still clutching the stone. “It disappeared several years ago. I remember being sad because it held significance for me, but Marie is a tornado when she’s cleaning, and things often go missing. I didn’t think anything of it, really.”
Eli smiled. “Perhaps we’ll never know its true trajectory through time. It’s possible that the arrowhead disappeared as a result of the universe trying to amalgamate space-time. Only one such arrowhead should exist, in theory. Or, perhaps Marie accidentally wiped it into the garbage. As much as I’d love to postulate, Hunter and I need to form a plan with you. We’ve already wasted too much time.”
Anger reared its head, flushing through her body as she stared at the handsome captain who’d gained her trust so easily. Cursing herself a fool, she stood.
“I need to speak to Hunter alone first. Please call Cyrus inside and bring him up to speed. Show him this.” She thrust the arrowhead back into Eli’s hand. “You,” she said, glaring at Hunter, “follow me.
”
Pivoting, she stalked toward her office, knowing Hunter would follow.
Chapter 17
Lainey pushed open the office door and marched through, holding it open for Hunter as she glared at him. Once he was inside, she slammed it closed.
“Lainey,” he said, holding up his hands.
“Don’t you ‘Lainey’ me, you son of a bitch!” she hissed. Coming to stand before him, she fisted her hands at her sides, her nails digging into the soft flesh. “You’ve lied to me from the first moment you turned up on my doorstep.”
“Yes, I lied,” he said. The sentiment in his eyes was so genuine, reminding her of how he’d played her. “Everything needed to come to light in its own way. There’s a certain sequence of events that have to take place for us to succeed.”
“Don’t talk down to me, you imbecile! I understand the space-time continuum better than you’ve ever dreamed of!”
“I’m sure that’s true,” he said, showing her his palms. His placating tone made her want to punch his handsome face. “But it’s possible that if I’d told you I was working with Eli, you wouldn’t have trusted me, and I wouldn’t have been able to grant you the extra time you needed to get the Sphere to work. You must understand, the compound only remains unoccupied because Eli held them off. Our alliance is instrumental to your success.”
“I don’t trust him,” she said, defiant.
“Honestly, I don’t trust anyone. Except you.” Closing the distance between them, he tried to place his hands on her shoulders.
“No,” she said, stepping back.
Sighing, he dropped his hands. “We can’t lose the goodwill we’ve built here, Lainey. You need me more than you know. I’m imperative in your quest to take down your grandfather.”
“Like hell you are,” she said, thrusting up her chin. “I had this plan before you arrived, and I can certainly accomplish it without you.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, he clenched his eyes shut. “My god, woman, you’re infuriating. You could drive a saint mad.”
“I’m infuriating?” she cried, eyes wide as her arms flailed. “You come here, giving me some sob story about your dead wife—”
“That wasn’t a lie,” he cut in, slicing her with his silver eyes. “Every single thing I told you about Kara was true.”
“Then I don’t understand,” she said, exasperated. “How can you help me prevent the past? You’re going back to 2063 to save Kara.”
“If you prevent your grandfather’s actions, my hope is that the New Establishment will never form, and she’ll never be in danger. I was only a toddler in 2035, but I believe the younger version of myself will eventually find my way to her. Unlike you, I believe in fate, Lainey. This older version of myself—my present self now—will warn my younger self of the date of her death. Hopefully, it’s not a ‘fate paradox,’ and she’s not destined to die on that date in every timeline. If she is, it will be a huge blow, but I’ll at least know I gave my younger self the knowledge to try and prevent it.”
“Good lord,” Lainey said, “this is preposterous. It upends everything we know about space-time. You’re banking your future on something unknown.”
“We’ve been staking everything on unknowns for years, Lainey. Time travel itself is the greatest unknown ever invented.”
She scowled at him, unwilling to admit the truth of his words.
His irises roved over her, contemplative. “There’s something else Eli didn’t tell you.”
“Great,” she muttered, rolling her eyes as she fisted her hand on her hip. “Go ahead, lay another one on me. Maybe you had an evil ancestor we need to align against too? Hmm?” His lips quirked, and she glowered. “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”
“I’m not,” he said, inching toward her.
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned.
“Why?” he asked, still advancing, lithe as a cougar. “Because you feel it too? I know you do, Lainey. Believe me, no one was as shocked as I was when Eli told me.”
“Told you what?” she asked, her voice breathy. The front of his body brushed hers, and she refused to capitulate. Straightening her spine, she repeated, “Told you what?”
“That we were married.”
Her mouth fell open, and her eyes threatened to bulge out of her head. “Excuse me?”
“When you visited Eli when he was seven. He told me your husband accompanied you. I accompanied you.”
“That’s impossible. You’re going to save Kara—”
“Going back to 2063 was the only part I fabricated, Lainey. I never intended to go back to that timeline. From the time I met your father, I always intended to go back to 2035 with you and help you stop President Randolph.”
“But you love her.”
“I’ll always love her,” he said, his expression relaying his frustration. “But my time with her is over. The best thing I can do now is warn my younger self. I truly believe that once you reset the timeline, the younger version of me will still find her. That version will live with her in the new timeline for however long fate allows. And apparently, this present version of myself is going to continue on and marry you.” His features drew together. “Although, I don’t quite understand how at the moment. You seem to hate my guts, and I’m not really a big fan of yours right now either.”
“Screw you,” she hissed, pushing his chest. “I wouldn’t marry you if it meant the entire world was saved. You’re a traitor and a liar.”
Strong hands shot to her upper arms, grasping firmly and giving her a shake. “I’m your greatest asset. My alliance with Eli is going to cement your success. Admit it.”
“Never!” Attempting to shrug from his grip, she managed to free an arm and lifted it to strike. He stopped her mid-swing, grabbing her wrist as she gasped, “I hate you!”
Small puffs of air escaped his lips as his body throbbed against hers. “Now, who’s lying?” he asked, the silk in his tone causing bumps to rise on her flesh.
Drawing her hand to his face, ever so slowly, he placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Open your hand.”
Warring jolts of arousal and anger spurred through her, the nerve endings of every limb crackling with unreleased energy. Unable to cease the tiny huffs of breath, she let them linger between them, the air warm and thick.
“Why?” she whispered.
“Relax your hand,” he commanded softly.
As if motivated by an unseen force, her fingers uncurled, slow and shaking, until he placed his lips on her sweaty palm. Eyes locked with hers, he extended his tongue and licked the soft skin. The sight of his wet tongue darting over her flesh, his gaze boring into her, sent a gush of wetness to her core.
“I know it doesn’t make any sense,” he said, maneuvering her palm to cup his cheek and placing his hand over it, securing it against the scratch of his scruff. “I wondered about it too when he first told me. I’ve had years to digest it, Lainey. At first, I thought I would never get over Kara.”
The words hurt for some reason, and Lainey’s features must’ve fallen, because compassion entered his eyes.
“Wait,” he said, his voice holding her by some invisible tether. “Just stay with me for a sec, okay?”
She nodded, hating how shaky she must seem.
“I never had any notions of being with Kara again. I understand how timelines work. I knew I would only ever be able to save her for my younger self and hoped that version of me would find her and be happy. I told myself that was okay because we’d already had a passionate love that lasted for eleven years. I didn’t need more.”
“I don’t know what this has to do with me,” Lainey said. She didn’t begrudge him his great love, but did he have to throw it in her face? Especially when she was literally dripping inside her jeans and desperately trying to push away the image of his full lips overtaking hers?
“It has everything to do with you,” he said, eyebrows drawing together as he slid his palm from her arm to her f
ace. “Because if we truly are married in the future, it means I didn’t give up. I opened myself back up to something I thought I never would. That gives me hope.”
“I’ve never wanted to get married,” she said, her brain foggy from the intense desire pulsing between them. “I don’t believe in love. It’s just a bunch of chemicals—”
His lips stole the words from her, closing over hers as he inhaled them. Lainey stiffened, frozen as he nibbled at the sensitive flesh.
“Stop thinking,” he said, moving one hand to thread his fingers through her hair, the other sliding around her waist and drawing her flush against his hard body. “And for god’s sake, stop talking.” Opening his lips, he devoured her.
Lainey melted as his tongue swept over her lips then darted inside the warm confines of her mouth. Unable to control her high-pitched mewl, she clenched onto his shoulder with her free hand. His thick arm pulled her close, aligning their bodies, heat radiating from his chest to the skin bared by the neckline of her t-shirt. Her nipples pebbled, aroused by the pressure against his pecs, and she rubbed them against his chest, sending sparks of pleasure through her body.
His resulting groan vibrated in her throat as he plundered her. Sliding his hand to her ass, he latched onto the round swell, drawing her into his erection. Lest she have any doubt of his arousal, he jutted into her, hard behind his black pants, curving into the juncture of her thighs. Needing more, she parted her legs, bringing one high to wrap around his waist.
Moaning in approval, he bent over her, arching her back and tugging her hair with his hand. She capitulated, head limp, as he traced kisses along her jaw. Coming to rest over the shell of her ear, his lips tickled the sensitive skin before he spoke, low and sexy.
“I know this is a lot to process,” he said, blowing into her ear and rimming it with his tongue. Lainey clutched him closer, feeling she might collapse to the floor. “I’ve had six years. You’ve had six minutes. After a while, it won’t seem so incredible.”
Lost to desire, Lainey barely understood what he was droning on about. No—she just wanted more of that delicious tongue. Granting her secret craving, he pushed the tip of his tongue into the sensitive channel of her ear.
A Paradox of Fates Page 12
