by Dale Mayer
Dean nodded. “Right. I’ll get the others to write down everything they saw too.”
Jones nodded and headed around to the driver’s side of his vehicle. “We’re on this. Keep your family safe.”
Dean nodded as his buddy drove away. “That was the plan from the beginning,” he said softly to himself, “but apparently I didn’t do so good.”
“You did fine,” Stefan said from behind him.
Dean spun around.
“I’m heading home. I need some rest. I’ve put up a guard around the house. As long as you are all inside, you should be safe from this guy. But that protection can’t ever be a hundred percent as more and more abilities keep coming up and we never know what people can do.”
“Got it.” Dean looked to the house. “They’re all inside?”
“All three of them, yes. You might want to consider sending your mother and son away for a week or two.”
“If they’d go.”
“They’d go. It’s safer out there than it is here right now. Your mother has also been through a huge shock. She needs time to get over this. Your son has no idea how close he’s come. Keep it that way. He needs normal for a long time.”
“Right.” How the hell was he supposed to give his son normal in a world gone crazy? He had to protect him. That meant get him out of here. “I’ll send my mother and son back East. She can go visit her old friends and extended family.”
“That would be good. And book the tickets under someone else’s name, right?”
“Christ,” Dean said, wiping the sweat off his face. “I need to catch this asshole fast.” Remembering his conversation with Jones, he looked over at Stefan. “Any idea why he wants Tia?”
Stefan shook his head. “Not yet. I’m not even sure he’s working alone.”
“I’m wondering if he is a dupe in all this. Sent to retrieve her any way possible.”
Stefan stared at him, his eyes defocusing. “Quite possibly. But then why didn’t he? He just left. Without any of us. So more of a message? A warning? And with Wilhelm dead – you said he is, right? – then who is pulling his strings?
“That’s the question, isn’t it? And more importantly, why? What could they possibly want with her that they haven’t already gotten?”
Chapter 23
“I don’t belong here.” It was like the fourth time Tia had said that same thing out loud. No one had listened to her before. And they still weren’t listening to her. “I need to leave.”
“Nope. Not going to happen,” Dean said.
She picked up the sandwich he’d made for her and took a bite. She needed the food, the energy, but she really didn’t need the cold implacable silence over her statement. She didn’t belong here. She’d stay for a day or two and get a handle on what was happening, but after that she was done. She’d sneak out and disappear. Just like she’d always done.
“I know that look. No, you aren’t sneaking away. No more running. We put your running shoes away officially now.”
She stopped, sandwich slowly lowering. “Sorry?”
“No more running.” He took a big bite and stared at her, the look in his eyes firm yet humorous. “So stop coming up with excuses to make your exit graceful.”
“She doesn’t have running shoes, Daddy,” Jeremy said, giggling. “We can’t hang them up.”
“Quite true.” And he smiled, his gaze never leaving her face. “Right, Tia?”
She narrowed her gaze. “Not fair enlisting help.”
He grinned and took another bite. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why do you care?”
That gaze narrowed. “Because I do. And so do you. You don’t want to keep doing this.”
“No, I want to be normal. But normal doesn’t happen to people like me.”
“It can.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “No, it can’t.”
With a warning glance over at Jeremy, Dean said, “We’ll talk about it later.”
“No, we won’t.” She bit into her sandwich. “This is really good. Thanks.”
“You helped make it.” He grinned.
Jeremy giggled. “She made all of them.”
Dean laughed. “So she did.”
The rest of the meal finished quickly. Then Dean excused himself and went to his office to make some phone calls.
She wanted to go with him but knew she wouldn’t be allowed. Besides, she was going to hang with Jeremy for a few hours while he napped. She was pretty exhausted. She’d also heard a little of the conversation from Dean and his mom, Gillian, that she and Jeremy would be leaving soon. Going back East to visit friends and family.
That was the best idea she’d heard yet.
So she’d keep Jeremy occupied for a few hours while Gillian recuperated and Dean got plans together. She stood up and collected the dishes. “Jeremy, what do you want to do for the next little bit? Play some games, watch television…” She left it open ended.
“Cartoons,” he cried at the top of his lungs. “Now. Can we go now?”
“Sure thing.” She grinned, loving his enthusiasm. “Give me a minute to finish cleaning up.”
“Kk.”
She wiped the table. Dean was in the office and appeared to be on the phone. He’d likely be there for awhile. “Okay, take me to it.”
He giggled and dancing all the way, led her into the family room and a huge television with a big sound system. The biggest set of speakers she’d ever seen stood on either side of the television and glancing around the room, she saw two more. She snorted. Typical male.
The TV was on within minutes, and she settled down for a couple of hours of cartoons. While watching, she wrote up her statement of the morning’s events.
Hours later, she shifted her position to realize Jeremy had fallen asleep on the couch beside her. She grabbed a blanket and covered him up. Then she got up and went in search of Dean. There was such a normal atmosphere to the day now. As if the morning had never happened. She knew different, but this casual family atmosphere made her want something more. Something for herself. Something like this.
And it so wasn’t going to happen.
She walked toward the office and heard Dean in conversation. “I know I’ve been off for a month. But I’m fine now. I can go back to work full-time. I need to be on this case.”
“You need to let us handle it.”
“Not going to happen.” Dean’s voice was hard, defiant.
“Damn it, Dean, I know this is your family and I know this is you, but we have teams of men working on it. We’ll get him. You focus on keeping your family safe. So go East with them and we’ll take care of Tia.”
And then silence. Tia strained to hear more then realized the other voice had been on speakerphone. And had now been muted. Shit, had she made too much noise? Let him know she was here? That wouldn’t be good. But at least she knew the department wanted him to leave too. She was in full agreement. As for the same department keeping her safe. Like hell.
She walked around the corner and saw Dean and a stranger sitting in his office. How had he gotten in without her knowing? But it did explain the reason for the speakerphone. She nodded at the newcomer and gave Dean a tight smile. “He’s right you know. Leave with your family and keep them safe.”
He snorted. “Trust you to listen in on conversations when you aren’t supposed to.”
“It was a little loud, sorry,” she said in a cheerful voice. Well, she wasn’t sorry and there was no one in that room who would mistake her tone of voice for anything else. “So what…are you going to go into protective custody and let them look after you?” she asked. “See, I don’t trust the cops anymore than I trust the assholes who kept me locked up. I’ll never forget it was a cop who delivered me back to the lab in the first place.”
“What?” Dean roared, standing up. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about having escaped while in Wilhelm’s program and the cops returning m
e. Excuse me if I don’t put too much faith in them now.”
The stranger stood up. “My name is Jones and I work with Dean. You do realize he’s a cop – right?”
*
Dean watched the mix of emotions cross her face. He hadn’t known her very long, but the expressiveness of her face was endearing. From shock, to horror, to sheer disgruntlement. She shot him a dirty look, spun on her heels and walked away.
“Uh oh,” Jones said. “I guess I shouldn’t have told her?”
“Don’t worry about it. She knows but is having trouble with the concept. We just haven’t had much time to talk.”
Jones snickered. “So what have you been doing since you met her?”
Dean rolled his eyes and chased after Tia. She’d returned to the couch and dropped down beside his son. She stared at the ceiling as if trying to process the information and not liking the outcome.
“Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It didn’t occur to me you didn’t know.”
“I did know but I tried to forget it. Besides, you acted like a cop at the hospital, but you were a guard there,” she accused.
“At the time I was working as a guard for Stefan. I wasn’t a cop in that role.”
She nodded. “And when you said you’d been on leave it had been from the force?” Her head rolled to the side, looking for a visual confirmation.
He nodded. “Since not long after you were attacked.”
“And that night weeks ago, when I was attacked…” she said bitterly. “What the hell was that all about?”
“I was trying to save you. You were alone on the street corner and having some kind of psychotic fit. What was I supposed to do? You were frozen on the spot and looked like your whole world had collapsed. Of course I came and helped.”
She stared at him. “I was under attack.”
Dean glanced behind him but couldn’t see his partner. Jones wasn’t into drama and the full extent of his relationships were humps and bumps in the night with not even a greeting the next morning. That’s the way he liked them. Dean couldn’t imagine anything worse. He turned his attention back to Tia and nodded. “Remember, I was also attacked. I didn’t understand anything I saw or heard. You were in so much pain, but there was no one else there with us.”
“Now you know better. But you were there though, right?” she questioned him as if she had to reexamine everything she knew about him in light of his career choice. As long as she came down on the side that all was good then he was fine with it.
“I was. I thought I saw someone following you. Then another man walking past you but soon after – as in right after – you had this weird frozen-can’t-move-and-my-life-is-over event.”
She snorted. “That’s pretty damn close. Then you called for help and were attacked at the same time. Now six weeks later we find each other again. I’m in a psych ward and you’re my guard. How do you think that makes me feel?”
He had no clue. “I didn’t know it was you I was guarding,” he said, quietly. “Stefan didn’t give me any details. Just said you needed protecting and if I saw anything unusual to take it in stride.”
A broken laugh slipped out. “Yeah, weird, that’s me.”
“No, but I did see something weird,” he said in a low voice. “I saw a beautiful woman who’d been dealt a rough hand in life and who had some crazy abilities to go with it. I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t know you but in a way I knew you.”
“That would be the energy stuff. Whatever hit you was a part of what hit me and our energy will automatically recognize each other now.” She shot him a warning look. “And just in case you have any ideas of knowing me, you’re wrong. You don’t know anything about me.”
“And you know nothing about me,” he said, his voice cooling. “I’m a cop. Inside and out. But I’m not a bad guy.” He took a deep breath. “And there could have been many reasons why that other cop took you back to Wilhelm. Not all of them because he and all his cohorts are assholes.”
She glared at him. “Maybe not, but I think he was paid to return me. A reward or a payout. I don’t know and I don’t care. Cops are dirty.”
Now he was getting pissed off. “No, a few, a small number of cops are dirty. The same as a few, a very few psychics are bad. If you can become invisible and walk into a bank and walk out with as much money as you can carry, you might not do that, but you know perfectly well there are other people out there who would.” He was on a roll now. “And just because this cop was wearing a uniform and driving a cruiser doesn’t mean he was a cop. He could have been an ex-cop.”
She glared at him.
He glared at her.
Jones broke the silence from several feet behind them. “So when’s the wedding? You two are acting like you’re married already.”
She gasped and color washed up her neck.
Dean groaned. “Shut up, Jones.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m heading back to the office now. Unless you two have anything to add?”
Both Dean and Tia shook their heads. “Everything is in the statement I gave Morgan already,” Tia said. “Thanks for coming.”
Jones grinned at her. “No problem. Keep this big goof safe.”
She nodded and said very seriously, “I will.”
Dean groaned. “Like hell she will. Keep me in the loop, Jones.”
“Will do.” Jones raised a hand and walked out the front door. “I’ll call with an update.”
And he left.
Dean turned back to face Tia and found she’d disappeared too.
Chapter 24
Tia walked upstairs, wishing she had a bedroom so she could throw herself on her bed and cry. Not that she was the crying sort but damn it, today just felt like that type of day. At least to hide away and be alone for awhile. She could try to sleep but it wouldn’t work with her head all messed up.
How could she be hooked up with a cop? God she was an idiot.
She was also a fool for making it matter so much.
He was right. Not all cops were bad. Just because she’d had a horrible experience didn’t mean they were all like that.
Dean certainly wasn’t. But he might turn on her and do something to screw her over eventually. She hoped that was her history talking. Seriously, he’d bent over backwards to help her so far. So good cops did exist. And she shouldn’t be mad at him. She sat down on the bed and buried her face in her hands. What the hell was she supposed to do? She had nowhere to go and this was a waiting game that would never end. The asshole had to be connected to the lab. No one else knew she existed. No one ever had. This had to be related to the lab. And she couldn’t squelch the fear that somehow Wilhelm had faked his death and was after her himself. He’d never forgive her for escaping a second time.
The man she’d seen at the restaurant was vaguely familiar, as if he’d been at the lab with her, but had he been Wilhelm’s assistant? A grad student or another patient?
She frowned, letting her hand drop away. Was it possible to gain Wilhelm’s records? A list of who’d been put through his program. Those who stayed. Those who failed out? That would at least give them a list of where to start. Hell, the cops should know who he was by the damn fingerprints he’d left behind. Her prints were taken when she’d first arrived at the lab. The process had terrified her. She’d done nothing wrong. They’d said they needed them for their security clearance process.
It had been minor to all the other infractions. Not the least of which was to keep her a prisoner for all those years. Like what the hell? How had that been legal? Or okay with society? She didn’t even want to think about her family and their responsibility in this. She had a brother – were her parents still alive? Her brother? Did she care?
Mostly on a curiosity level but other than that, no.
At least she didn’t think so…
She groaned. All of that had been taken away from her a long time ago. It was stupid to care. Stupid to wonder. If they’d wanted anything to do with her, they always
knew where to find her. Except her brother.
He likely didn’t know she existed.
Sad. For both of them.
“Are you okay?”
Dean. Damn.
“I’m fine.”
“Well, you look more than fine to me.”
At the note of humor in his voice and that little bit of something else…she opened her eyes to realize she’d laid down on his bed.
“No, don’t move.” He came around to the other side – his side – and sat down beside her. “There’s so much going on I just wanted to make sure you were okay and not worrying.” At the look she sent him, his grin widened. “Yeah, I know. It’s not something you can’t not worry about.” He reached over and lifted her hand to cradle in his. “I was hoping you’d come up for a nap.”
“I won’t be able to sleep.”
He nodded. “I know the feeling. I keep walking past my son and reaching out and touching him to make sure he’s really here.”
“When are they leaving?”
He glanced down at his watch. “In a couple of hours.”
She nodded. “Good. I’ll feel better when they are safe.” She studied his face. If anyone should nap it was him. “You look tired.”
“I’ve been wracking my brain looking for angles we might have missed. Threads to pursue.”
“I was too. Can we get access to Wilhelm’s project? Maybe the list of people he tested, worked with, hired? The ones who didn’t stay in the program?”
“Jones is looking into it as I’m not back to work yet, but so far the material is very slim. We did find out who the man was from MacDonald’s. A Torrence Vladrong. Jones is digging into his background. A lot was kept off the books.”
An idea percolated. An ugly idea but at what point did she have to do something much uglier? Abruptly she said, “What about an unexpected visit to the lab?”
He stopped then leaned over. “What do you mean? I thought it was closed down?”
“The building was his own. The estate was a trust set up by his parents for paranormal research. I’m sure the records are all there.” She frowned. “His lab might still be running under different management. Under a different name.”
