Never Tempt Danger

by Denise Robbins

  “To answer your question, no. That was the only secret I have ever kept from you.” She closed her eyes and inhaled then released the air through her nose. When she was composed, her sea green eyes were on his, direct and open. “I never wanted to keep my ESP, clairvoyance, whatever from you. It had just become habit, a safety mechanism.”

  “For what?”

  She glowered at him and he bit his lip.

  “Rejection. People tended to reject me once they found out that I could see things or read their mind. They just assumed that I would or did do it all the time.” Her hand gripped his tighter. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

  Lucas lifted one brow in skepticism. He had experienced her ability too many times now to believe that statement so easily.

  “That day,” she paused and blew her bangs out of her face. “That day when you received the phone call, we had just spent the day working on the Mustang and we were in the kitchen getting cleaned up.” She gave a short laugh. “You had squirted me with the sink sprayer, remember?”

  He nodded. He remembered everything about that day. It was seared into his memory and as clear in his mind as if it happened yesterday. They had been in Maureen’s kitchen, soap up to their elbows trying to rid themselves of car grease and dirt when the phone rang. He snatched up the receiver from the wall phone. “Hello.”

  “Lucas?”

  He froze at the sound of his old boss’s voice.

  “Celia is dead.”

  The floor seemed to shift beneath him. His stomach bottomed out and his heart thudded inside his chest. Celia, his ex-partner and one-time lover, although no one ever knew of their intimacy, was dead. Did they? He looked around for some place to sit when Gilly swung a chair behind his knees and with a hand to his shoulder shoved him onto the seat. Two seconds later, she handed him a glass of water, which he proceeded to drop when the next piece of news was delivered.

  “It was Qalfani.”

  Bile rose up in the back of his throat and his vision blurred. Celia was dead because of him.

  Gilly knelt beside him, laid a hand on his knee and shook her head at him. He remembered frowning while rubbing a hand over his forehead when she took his hand in hers, pressed her lips to his palm. “It’s not your fault,” she whispered.

  “I know you and Celia were tight and stayed in touch.”

  He could not remember the last time he had spoken with her. They had been tight. They had been partners and lovers. When he quit the business or been asked to leave, their relationship ended but their friendship had survived. Now, she was dead. All he could picture was Celia’s aquamarine eyes empty of life, her throat slit. Qalfani never used a gun unless it was absolutely necessary. For him the kill was personal, therefore, he had to be up close and personal and preferred to use a large knife. He envisioned her lifeless body lying on the ground, blood seeping into her long, silky blonde hair. He should have been there. He should have killed Qalfani. Maybe he still could. For Celia.

  “No!” Gilly jerked away from him, stumbled back, and fell to her butt. “You can’t chase down a terrorist.”

  His head snapped up and his gaze narrowed on Gilly’s mouth. What had she said? Before he could decipher her words, his ex-boss’s voice drew him back to the phone call. “The wake is at Saint Joseph’s Friday evening and the funeral is Sunday.”

  “I’ll be there. Can we talk then?” He knew the man understood his underlying question.

  “I’m not certain—”

  “Joe.”

  “Yeah, fine. Just do not go off half-cocked. We have everything under control.” If that were true then Celia would be alive, he thought, and stood.

  Gilly took the phone from him, hung it up, and then spun on him, her hands on her hips. “You are not going after some knife-wielding terrorist. I know Celia was special to you, but just because you had sex with her does not make you responsible for her death.”

  His eyes went wide. What? How—

  “Just because you did your job and let Qalfani, the terrorist, live does not make you responsible for her death either. You cannot go after a guy who would like nothing more than to slit your throat.”

  “He’s a fucking terrorist! He should never have been allowed to live. Even the CIA idiots know that now.”

  “So what! He is no longer your responsibility. He hasn’t been since you turned him over as ordered. He almost killed you once. Do you want to see him succeed the second time?”

  Fists at his side, he took a step toward her and lowered his voice. “How do you know all that? How do you know Celia is dead? How do you know about Qalfani?”

  The look of shock on her face and the fact that she took a step away told him something was wrong. “How, Gilly? How do you know? Did you have me investigated?” He shook his head. Nothing about him, about what he did would be available for any investigator, no matter how good he was.

  She gulped audibly and glanced around the kitchen. She was looking to retreat. He advanced, pinned her between his body and the counter. “How?”

  “I…I’m…”

  She bit her lower lip and tears pooled in her green eyes. She looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. “Spill it!”

  “I’m psychic!”

  Shell-shocked, he stumbled back, hit the chair he had just gotten out of and sent it sliding across the floor until it crashed into the table. He tugged on his hair in disbelief.

  “Believe it.”

  His head snapped up. “How—”

  “I told you, I’m psychic.”

  Lucas held up a hand, palm out. “Wait, just wait.” He focused on breathing, getting his heaving chest under control. “When? How long?”

  “Always.”

  Always? “Since day one, you’ve read my mind?”

  “No! I do not read minds. I can usually prevent that.”

  He narrowed his gaze on her tear-streaked face. “Bullshit!”

  “It’s true.”

  He stared at her, reeling from her words. It was true. “You wait until now, now, to tell me?” Gilly’s mouth opened but he interrupted her before she spoke. “You didn’t tell me! You slipped and got caught. How long have we been together? Shit!” He stomped his foot and raked his fingers through his hair.

  “I…”

  “You what? Did you or did you not tell me you loved me?”

  “Yes!” She reached for him and he sidestepped.

  “Don’t!”

  “Yes, I love you!”

  “Your complete lack of honesty does not have me convinced.”

  “Lucas,” she yelled as he spun on his heels and left the kitchen.

  When he reached the front door, he paused, his hand on the knob, and looked back at her. “You are a liar. You can’t claim to love someone and keep a secret of that magnitude from the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.”

  “I just…” She hiccupped.

  “You just have no excuse! Two years, Gilly. Two wonderful years and not once did you ever attempt to share with me your most intimate secret. Two fucking years!”

  He turned to go.

  “Lucas, please,” she whispered in a hoarse voice.

  “See if you can read my mind now.” Goodbye.

  “Lucas?”

  The wave of Gilly’s hand in front of his face brought him back to the present. “Lucas?”

  “I’m sorry.” He cleared the memory from his mind. “What did you say?”

  “I said I never purposely or consciously tried to invade your privacy, but that day your pain and guilt was so palpable your feelings swamped me. I can’t always block another person’s thoughts.”

  “It still does not explain why you never told me. Two years, Gilly. Two years and you kept a secret so personal from me, the man you claimed to love.”

  “Can’t you understand? I spent my entire life hiding who I was from everyone, afraid of rejection. Whenever anyone discovered my freakish ability, it scared them. Then shortly if not direc
tly after discovering my secret, my friend would no longer be my friend. It became second nature to keep my mouth shut and my mind closed.”

  He noticed tears swam in her eyes and felt for the young girl she had been.

  “But Gilly—”

  “I know.” She held up a hand palm out to him. “I was afraid of losing you. There’s no other excuse. I was afraid you would walk out on me if you learned my secret.”

  Lucas yearned to reach out and touch her, offer her comfort, but not yet. “I guess you didn’t have much faith in me, trust in me.” Gilly opened her mouth and he shook his head. “True love is unconditional trust.”

  “My fear had been right. You left me when you found out,” she accused.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes—”

  “I walked away because of your lack of trust, your ability to hide who you were from me.” Her brow furrowed and a little crease appeared just above her nose. “Yes, your confession rocked me. It nearly knocked me on my ass. I admit that. Hell, it still scares me but mostly because I don’t understand it, yet.” He shrugged. “But I walked out because the woman I loved, had wanted to marry…”

  Her sharp intake of air had his lips curling up at the corner. “The woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with didn’t believe in me enough to tell me something that affected her life, our life so deeply.”

  Gilly’s mouth opened but no sound came out so he continued. “I never lied to you. I never misled you. I let you into my life, into my heart.” He pressed a palm to his chest near his heart. “All of me belonged to you.” He swallowed the knot of emotion that threatened to choke him. “You only gave me a part of you, the part of you that you shared with the rest of the world. You gave me nothing more than you would have a total stranger off the street.”

  Lucas leaned back, his gaze intense on hers. “I deserved more. I thought I had more until that day.” He inhaled and exhaled. “I walked out not because of your psychic gift. I walked out because you ripped my heart out of my chest and stepped on it with your three-inch Jimmy Choo’s.”

  Her head lowered into her hands. “I…I guess I never realized.” She hiccupped. “You’re right. I was a fool. I should have trusted you. I did trust you.”

  “With everything but that,” he said to the top of her head.

  “I trust you now,” she said on a sob and sniffed.

  He smiled at the crown of her red hair. Cupping her chin in his hand, he tilted her face up until her wet, tearful gaze met his. “Do you?”

  She nodded several times.

  He leaned into her, pressed his lips to hers, and kissed her. She tasted salty, warm, and soft. With the pad of his thumb, he brushed away the tears that streaked her cheek. When he pulled back, he tucked a loose strand of wavy hair behind her ear then stroked her ivory skin. “I love you Maureen Gillman. I always have. I always will.”

  “I…”

  Lucas touched her lips with two fingers, silencing her response. “You don’t have to answer. You have to decide whether you can share all of you this time. Until you do, I can wait.”

  The smile she gave him was warm and genuine and eased his aching heart. He would wait forever for Gilly.

  “You can answer one question for me.”

  Curious eyebrows rose to her bangs.

  “Would you have married Jimmy? Would you have said yes?”

  He waited. Heart hammering, he waited.

  “No.”

  He searched her face, her eyes for any telltale sign. What he saw was truth. Relief did not even come close to describing how he felt. Elated, ecstatic, happier than a pig in slop. Whatever, his heart did a happy dance.

  Lucas pulled her to him and this time when he kissed her there was nothing gentle or sweet about the embrace. It was hot need, and claiming his woman.

  TWENTY-SIX

  She had never experienced such joy and sorrow, both at the same time. The joy came from knowing Lucas loved her, never stopped loving her. The sorrow was due to the lost time they could have shared, should have shared, and all because of her own stupidity, her own fears. If she had not been so conditioned to close herself off, protect herself, she would have seen what she caused. Without opening up and sharing all of her, the good and the bad, she had doomed her relationship with Lucas from the beginning.

  Not anymore, she thought, as she carried her mug of coffee into the office. They had a second chance. She had a second chance and this time she would never tempt Danger or Fate again.

  While Lucas slept, recuperated from their lovemaking, she intended to get more engineering work done. Sitting behind the desk, she picked up her cup, took a long sip, and eyed the sunrise over the rim. The glow of the sun barely peeked over the horizon, but warmed the room and filled her heart.

  “Okay, enough mushy thoughts.” She set her mug aside and slid on a pair of magnifying glasses. “Time to work.”

  She had no clue how long she had been working when the phone on the desk rang. Without looking, Maureen picked up the receiver. “Hello.”

  “Miss Gillman?”

  “Yes,” she answered absentmindedly, her attention focused on the tiny sensor and its placement.

  “Deliver the robot to DARPA and your boyfriend dies.”

  Lucas! Her spine snapped taut. The parts hit the desk with a clunk. The caller had her full attention. “What? What did you say? Who is this?” Her voice rose and she bit her lip, waiting, hoping the man had not said what she thought she heard.

  “Do not finish the robot. Finish it and your boyfriend dies. Finish it and you die.”

  “How—” She swallowed the fear and spoke. “How did you find me?”

  The caller hung up.

  No, no, no! Not again. Gilly dropped the phone and hung her head in her hands. What had she done? She bent over, wrapped her arms around her middle and wanted to vomit. “Oh, please, please,” she begged rocking back and forth. Then she ran to the bathroom, shoved the door open, and made it to the toilet just in time to toss her cookies.

  Her stomach empty, she cleaned up and staggered out to the kitchen for a bottle of water. When she returned to the office and saw the parts and pieces that made up the robot, the caller’s words “Do not finish the robot. Finish it and your boyfriend dies. Finish it and you die,” echoed in her mind. She slumped in the chair and stared unseeing at the circuits and sensors. Thoughts and images swam in her head.

  A gunshot rang out and Lucas’s head exploded, his body slumped over a table, and blood, so much blood splattered her face, her clothing. Her heart raced out of control and she wanted to scream. A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped, spilling the open bottle of water in her lap. “Oh, good morning,” she offered without glancing up. What should she do, say?

  “Did I hear the phone ring?”

  That had been Jimmy, not Lucas. It would not be Lucas. Should she stop her work, call the DARPA program manager and bail out of the project? She could do that. Everyone was aware of what had happened. Surely, they would understand. She pressed fingers to her eyelids. She would never get a chance again and Jimmy had already lost his life. Didn’t Jimmy deserve retribution? What about Lucas? She would die herself just knowing she caused his death.

  Phone? Oh, shoot! “N…no.” Stop stuttering, she ordered herself. “I mean yes the phone rang, but it was a wrong number.” She gnawed her bottom lip. Did he buy that excuse?

  “Didn’t you sleep?” He stroked the pad of his thumb just under her eye. “You have circles. Trying to imitate a raccoon?”

  Raccoon? “I…uh…I slept for a couple of hours then my mind wouldn’t shut off so I decided to get up and try to make up for lost time on DANGR.” Quit it! Pull yourself together, act as if nothing happened.

  “Danger? As in my last name?”

  Hand to her chest, Gilly willed her heart to slow, blinked back the fear she knew would show in her eyes and glanced up, biting the inside of her lip as she did. Sometime in the wee morning hours, she started thinking of the
new robot as DANGR. More than likely it was due to all the great sex, but she would not say that aloud and have Lucas strutting around.

  “Not to kill your ego or anything, but no,” she lied. “DANGR as in Defense Air Naval Ground Robot.”

  Lucas chuckled and lifted one dark brow in her direction, probably reading her bullshit. Oh, well.

  “I like it. It sounds mysterious and ominous, and perfect for the military.”

  “Ha! I’m done,” she announced holding her shape shifting android up in the air and smiling.

  Lucas strode around to the other side of the desk. “Can I see it?”

  Gilly wrapped her fingers around the machine and pulled it back in a protective gesture.

  “I’m not going to break it.”

  Her concern was not about breakage, but about anyone knowing the robot existed. Damn! She should have kept her mouth shut, but then Lucas would have asked and nagged her as to why she had not completed the job. He would interrogate her as if she were a criminal. No. No, it was best to continue as if nothing had happened. When the time came, she would know what to do. She would protect Lucas, her work, and get justice for Jimmy.

  Gilly wrinkled her nose and then with both hands held it out for Lucas. Laughter erupted from his chest and she made a move to take the robot back, but he stayed her off, grasping her wrist and tugging her so she leaned over the desk while he held the machine in his other hand.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  He released his grip and she stood up straight. “What?”

  “It’s a freakin’ dog!” He cleared his throat. “It’s not even a killer dog, it’s a…a…what the hell kind of miniature mutt is it?”

  “It is a tea cup Chihuahua.”

  “A Chihuahua? And you named it Danger?” Lucas laughed again. “That’s like calling a bald guy curly, or a really big guy slim.”

  “Well, it can’t be big,” she snapped back defending her ingenuity.

  “I’m not making fun of your work. I’m just commenting on its size.”

  Gilly rolled her eyes and bit back the comment that rested on the tip of her tongue, something about size mattering. “Give him back,” she demanded holding her hand out, waiting for him to comply. He did not.