by V J Lee
Every eye in the room latched onto him, confused about his sudden indifference toward Rissa’s well-being.
Jock put both hands on Rissa’s desk and leaned over, coming nose-to-nose with Trevor. “I don’t know what’s going on with you. I don’t give a flying fuck, either. But this woman is one of our team and part of our family. We all need to be there for her. Seeing how we …,” he motioned his index finger between himself and the other man, “… knew she was in danger, then failed miserably at protecting her.”
“You can feel as guilty as you want. I, on the other hand, refuse to. If you don’t need me here to watch the shop, then I’ll take my son out for supper and a movie.”
His boss nodded his head, and said, “Yeah, you do that. Go out and enjoy yourself.” He turned to leave, but halted before he reached the door. “Just in case she asks about you—if she can even talk, since we have no idea how badly injured she is—what should I tell her? That you send your best regards? That you have someone more important to do?”
Jock was pissed, that much was clear, but Trevor would not feel guilty. “Tell her whatever you want.”
* * *
The nurse pushed the last of her fellow Agents out of the room, threatening them with hospital security if they didn’t hightail it out of there. Rissa needed to rest. Their visitation had been awkward, to say the least. Trevor was a no-show, and when she asked about him, no one could look at her. Rissa assumed that he must have decided to stay with Petra, after all. She wished that someone would have had the balls to tell her, though. She was a grown-ass woman. She could handle it.
There was a knock at the door. She licked her fingertips and tried to smooth out the frizzy mess her hair had become after having been tortured for days. She knew she must look like crap, but for whatever reason, she was hoping upon hope that it was Trevor at the door.
“Rissa Jackson?” The voice was deep, yet soft, rumbling like distant thunder, and seductively masculine.
Rissa looked up, and up, and up some more, to the source of the voice—a mouth that was just as sexy as its smoky delivery. The man had to be almost seven feet tall with black hair that hung down to his ass. She knew that his butt was as sculpted as the rest of him … she could just about see the definition of his abs through his clothing. And his blue eyes sparkled like sapphires. Apollo definitely lived up to his name: he looked like a Greek god. He was tall, tan, cut out of marble, and one of the sweetest men she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was a Healer for the Light Aliens and a top-notch human doctor.
“Apollo! I am so glad you’re here! Did you come to make sure I’ll live?”
He chuckled, a strong, deep sound that made her feel weaker than she already was. “That, I am. Just call me Dr. Apollo.”
As the leader of the Healers in his colony, this visit was quite an honor. The Light Aliens could heal each other with energy, but as far as Rissa knew, they couldn’t—or didn’t—use it on humans. The palms of his hands began to emit a faint blue light, then without touching her, he ran his hands from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet, then back up again. His blue eyes glowed with extraterrestrial light.
When he was finished, she asked, “So, doc … will I live?” When he inhaled deeply, fear spread through her chest and down her limbs. “How bad is it?”
“You were electrocuted. You have broken bones and internal bleeding, which I was able to fix, and also a concussion. I do believe you will live to fight another day, little warrior. Were your captors Others?”
“I never had a chance to see the head of ‘torture operations,’ but I don’t believe they were. There were only a few working there … a Siren and a few Trolls. The Siren and one of the Trolls helped me escape. I’m still not sure that their assistance wasn’t some setup. I’m glad that I ended up here and not at the Agency or home.”
“So, tell me, sweetness, where’s your man?” the velvety voice of Cosmo asked. He had just materialized into the room. She wished she had at least ran a brush through her hair.
Rissa pulled out the Jacob Minion that Lizzy brought from her bedside table. The little boy had asked Lizzy to let Rissa borrow him until she felt better. “I don’t have a man.”
“I can see that. If I were your man, a gun to my head wouldn’t keep me from you in this condition. Now, if you feel up to it, wanna tell me—in great detail—what those scum-suckers did to you?”
Cosmo was dangerously sexy in black jeans and a T-shirt, with a black leather biker jacket and biker boots to match. The look in his eyes was lethal, and pure menace radiated from him. She almost felt sorry for the people he was about to hunt down. Almost. They had caused her so much pain and suffering, not to mention threatening Jacob, that she would hunt them down herself, if not for her aching body. But she couldn’t give him the details of what had happened to her. Not yet. He must have seen the resistance in her eyes and the stiffening of her limbs.
Cosmo leaned down to whisper in her ear. “It doesn’t matter what they did to you. You can be sure I will relish in their torture, so soulfully that they will wish for death many years, before I let them pass over painfully.”
Apollo cleared his throat. “Rissa, what do you know about Trolls?”
“Not much. A few years back, Trevor and I broke up a group of them. We had a big shoot-out that lasted for three days. They had been raping women, but we kicked their asses.”
“Trolls are all men. They have to find a certain kind of woman who can carry their children. Trust me when I say that they are few and far between. Way back in the day, they learned how to harness the power of black magic in connection with fertility.”
His words sent chills down her spine. Cosmo saw her shiver and placed his hand over hers. His warmth spread to her body in seconds.
“If the Trolls realize that a woman isn’t able to care for their spawn, they’re able to magically suck a fetus out of one woman and place it into another’s womb. They will do this several times, before the fetus dies, or the woman does. They’re even able to carry a fetus in magical stasis for up to seven days, possibly longer. No longer than seven days has been documented. Even though they appear dumb, they have adapted for survival like none other.”
“Then it has to be the Roth clinic. That’s the fertility clinic Trevor and I went to visit, though I can’t see Dr. Roth doing something like that. He had such kind eyes.”
Cosmo laughed. “Honey, you can see through the masks of Others like nobody’s business, but you can’t read humans for shit. If you could, you would have given up on that asshole Trevor, years ago, then gutted that woman of his and wrapped her intestines around her neck, hanging her from the rafters.”
“Dude, really? You need some serious therapy,” Apollo said.
Rissa couldn’t hide the small smile that curved her lips from the idea of Cosmo in a shrink’s chair. Then, she remembered the drive the Troll had given her, but she didn’t want to let anyone know about it, just in case it was another trap. The USB could be a tracking device or some kind of spyware. She couldn’t tell anyone about it, until she looked into it herself.
“What about the Siren?” she asked.
“Sirens are so fucking hot.”
“Cosmo, really?” Apollo shot him a look.
“You’ve seen them. Tell me they aren’t.”
Rissa broke in. “I’d do the one I saw, and I don’t even swing that way.”
“See.” Cosmo raised his dark brows in Apollo’s direction.
Apollo looked to the floor, using the clipboard he brought in with him to beat against his head. “Sirens are very rare. You don’t normally see them around humans. They must have something of hers. A Siren’s loyalty lies with their own kind. My guess is that she felt you were different from other humans and that she could trust you. She probably used her voice on the Troll to get him to help.”
Sitting up, the electrical burns on Rissa’s back stung, making her cringe. “I think that must be who they were using to make people beli
eve that missing people weren’t missing.”
“God, I love you. Beauty, brains and you can disembowel a man in mere seconds. Marry me and have my babies.”
She hit Cosmo on the arm, but could feel her face heat up.
“I believe you’re right. They wanted you so they could find more Others to help with their dastardly deeds,” Apollo said.
Cosmo got up, walked to the window, then turned back to Apollo. “I think they needed the Others to give birth. If they are trying freaky baby experiments, most human women can’t have Others’ babies. They would need Others to birth mutants.”
“Oh, my gosh, I almost forgot! There was a Shark Boy.” Both of their dark brows shot up in question. “Yeah, he was part shark, part boy, part bat—I think. He couldn’t speak, or he chose not to. He spoke to me telepathically. The wings he had couldn’t hold the weight of his shark body, but his human arms and hands worked fine. He was miserable. He asked me to kill him. But I want to go back and save him.”
The men had exchanged a look, before Cosmo said, “Sorry, but we can’t let that happen. We will talk to Titus, though, to see if we can do something for him.”
Rissa couldn’t help but feel that Shark Boy was a goner, but when the men didn’t leave, she had a feeling it wasn’t only Shark Boy who was in trouble.
“Just say it. Tell me. I know something is wrong, or you all wouldn’t have brought in the top-dog Healer.”
Rissa watched as both men approached her bed with hurt and confusion in their eyes.
Chapter 17
Rissa had been out of the hospital for two days. Trevor hadn’t gone to see her while she was there, nor afterward, and didn’t bother asking anyone about her. He hadn’t had any contact with her since that day at the gun range. So, to say he and Jacob’s visit would be a shock to her, was an understatement. But he had to get what he was sitting on, out of his mind, washing his hands of his secret, and of Rissa.
Trevor pulled into the driveway, then got out and walked around to the side, pulling Jacob out of his car seat. The boy was bouncing with joy at seeing one of his favorite people of all time. It was going to break the little man’s heart when he found that he could never see Rissa again. That gave Trevor a pang of guilt.
Ringing the doorbell was more difficult than he thought it would be. Normally, he just let himself into the little cottage with his key. Trevor heard someone shuffling, then the door came open.
The sight before him was not a pretty one. He knew that Rissa had been hurt, but under the extensive bruising, her skin was paper-thin. It looked like she had lost twenty pounds that she couldn’t afford to lose. Her hair was piled on top of her head, but he could still see that it wasn’t as bright and shiny as normal. Even though the usual gleam in her eye was gone, she still looked at the pair like they were a sight for sore eyes, and beamed at them with a beautiful, genuine smile.
Jacob jumped from his arms, singing, “Wrissa! Wrissa! Wanna kiss ya!”
Trevor couldn’t help but notice her stagger under Jacob’s weight. She turned her head so the little man could plant a mushy kiss on her cheek. “Wub you, Jacob-Wacob!” Her face lit up at the sight of his son.
“Come in and see me for a minute,” she said, swinging the door open to allow them in. She sat Jacob down, and he ran straight to the couch, where a pile of blankets and pillows revealed that Rissa had been sleeping there.
“Hey! You still gots my Minion! Did he make you feel better?”
Trevor noticed that Rissa walked to the couch slowly, tenderly, like every movement hurt her.
She sat down gingerly, then caressed the little boy’s face. “He did. He kept the bad dreams and bad guys away. Thank you so much for letting me borrow him. But I’m all better now, so you can have him back.”
“You sure? ‘Cause you don’t look so good. Your light’s not berry bright.”
“I’m good, little man.”
“Dad, I forgot what I was gonna gibe Wrissa. Can I go make a new one in my room?”
“Sure, go ahead.” As Jacob jumped off the couch, Trevor called after him. “Shut the door, okay?”
“K!” The door slammed shut.
“Can I get you some coffee? I made coffee cake.”
“No. I’m not here for a social call.”
Her face fell and her spine straightened. “Okay … is it about work?”
“Not really.”
Rissa took a deep breath. “Then just get it over with, Trevor. I’m tired of worrying about what’s going on in your head.”
He was trying to think of a way to say things without coming off as an asshole, but the words began to fall out of his mouth without restraint.
“You know, I thought Petra was bad, but you? I expected better things from you. You, of all people … to go around all this time, lying to my face … not even thinking I was worth the truth.”
The look on her face was like he had just slapped her.
Rissa reached up, smoothed her hair, straightened her back, then raised her chin. “I’m not sure what you mean, or if I deserve such venom.”
His fist clenched. “You claimed to love me, that you would do anything for me.”
“I do love you, and I would do anything for you.”
“But you couldn’t bother to tell me that Jacob wasn’t mine? That he is part Other? I know you saw him for what he was, the instant you laid eyes on him. Not once did you even think in that fucking brain of yours, that maybe, just maybe, that would be a nugget of information I needed to know? I went with what Petra wanted for him, for my son. I could have stayed with you. We could have been together, but now, I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“Trevor, it’s not what you think.”
Storming over to her, he leaned down to put both hands on the coffee table and looked her in the eye. “Do you see what Jacob is? Have you known this entire time what he is?”
“I know that he’s different, but I can’t see what Other he is. How do you know he is not your son?”
“I’m not Other, and I’m pretty sure Petra isn’t either. Or are you keeping that from me, too?”
She shook her head.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so. So, you’ll excuse me, once again, for being pissed that you just can’t seem to fight for me. For us.”
“Trevor, you need to understand what’s going on here. I’ve uncovered some things that will make you understand.”
He had noticed the two laptops sitting open on her coffee table. Not even out of the hospital more than two days, and she was already working. “Nothing you say right now is something I want to hear. I’ll just assume it’s another lie.”
Rissa put her head down in defeat. “I have never lied to you; I just didn’t tell you everything. For that, I am truly sorry. But, tell me this: does it change the way you feel about Jacob?”
“Of course not. But this will be the last time I let you see him.”
“That’s cruel, Trevor. You couldn’t hurt me worse if you stuck a knife through my heart … actually, that would be kinder.”
Trevor shouted toward the back bedroom. “Jacob! Come on, little man! You need to say goodbye to Rissa. We have to go now.”
“I don’t want to leabe her, daddy.”
“We have to. Come on.”
The little boy slowly ambled out of his room. Eyes down on the floor, he walked up to Rissa. “Wrissa, Wrissa, wanna kiss ya.”
When she turned her head so he could kiss her cheek, Trevor saw the tears streaming down them. “Wub you, Jacob-Wacob. And I always will.” She handed him the Minion and patted him on the head. Rissa turned her head so he wouldn’t see her heart breaking, but Trevor saw it, and it affected him more than he wanted to admit.
When Jacob turned to Trevor so they could leave, he too, had tears running down his pink cheeks. Trevor would not let either one of them get to him. He was done being a punching bag for women.
Jacob’s little hand shot out with the drawing he had done for Rissa. Trevor saw Rissa,
Jacob and Trevor standing in a line, hand-in-hand, or at least it was Jacob’s version of them.
“Member me, Wrissa,” Jacob said, as he put his little face in the crook of Trevor’s neck.
“Always, little man … always.”
Chapter 18
Nearly a month had passed since Trevor’s visit. Rissa had immersed herself in work, having secret meetings with Jock about the findings from the USB drive the Troll had given her. Part of it had been encrypted, so the Agency turned that part over to the Light Aliens to see if they could decode it. She needed to touch base with them soon, but today, she was at the Agency for a much more difficult reason. She wore a navy blue pantsuit with a red blouse and red three-inch heels, the highest she could get away with, without falling and making a fool out of herself. Rissa felt professional, and that gave her confidence. She even had her briefcase.
Rissa marched down the narrow corridor, slowing slightly as she passed the daycare, tempted to drop in and get an eyeful of Jacob. Her heart was still drawn to him, and even though she knew she couldn’t see the child, she paused outside of the daycare door each time she passed it, having to will her feet to continue forward. She continued to the largest conference room, knowing that everyone was already gathered inside. She took a deep, cleansing breath, squared her shoulders, then entered.
Her eyes automatically sought Trevor out. He looked like shit. Good. He did not—or would not—meet her eyes. It was just as well; she had business to take care of.
Jock stood, wrapping her in his big arms, silently telling her that she could do this, that he had faith in her. The other Agents smiled at her, everyone except Petra, who sat next to Trevor, but not as close as usual, and Trevor, who refused to look up from the ground. He had fought Jock about being here, but her boss had threatened termination if he wasn’t present at this mandatory staff meeting. Jock moved from the head of the table, turning the meeting over to Rissa.
