by Ladew, Lisa
The man and woman caught his attention by leaving the water. He switched on his microphone quickly and pointed it at them.
“Their plane gets in at 3:24. We should head back,” the man said.
Raven snarled. The airport again? They’d just been there yesterday to pick up the old lady. Wasn’t anyone who was flying in for their wedding able to make it to a hotel on their own?
Raven stood quickly and headed back to his towel, stealing quick, occasional glances at Thunder and Lightning, and trying to force himself to use their code names. No one was going to change them for him. Someday he would be the guy in charge of all the code names, but not today.
He knew they were having a dinner tonight and a wedding tomorrow and he was fairly certain that sometime just before or just after the wedding would be the best time to snatch Lightning with the least amount of fuss. So far, she’d never gone anywhere without Thunder. But that couldn’t last forever, could it? His boss wanted her taken alone, saying that she probably would be the most dangerous if she thought Thunder was in trouble. But if they could get her alone she wouldn’t be able to muster the anger she needed for the electrical zapping thing - at least that’s what their research said. All the digging they’d done on her said straight fear wasn’t enough to give her that much energy. Raven hoped so, for his sake.
Then, when she was safely packed away, they could take care of Thunder. Orders hadn’t come down on Thunder yet, so Raven didn’t know if taking care of him meant a bullet in the brain or capturing him and holding him as leverage to use against Lightning if they ever needed it.
Raven puffed up slightly as he watched his two charges pack their belongings. It was his call when Lightning was to be taken, and this would be the first major assignment he got the lead on. He was not about to screw it up. That’s why he was taking a few hours off tonight, so tomorrow he could be extra vigilant, watching for that perfect moment to make Lightning disappear. Then getting to Thunder would be a piece of cake. Raven might even get a promotion out of this one.
But he wasn’t going to underestimate Lightning, no way. He had no desire to end up like Lump.
***
An hour and a half later, Raven jumped out of his black, chauffeured, government sedan and followed Thunder and Lightning into the airport. He stood along the wall and made pretend phone calls on the shuttle phones as he watched Thunder and Lightning kiss and paw each other inappropriately at the baggage carousel. When people finally started flooding their way in to pick up their luggage, Lightning let out an ear-piercing scream and ran towards the escalator.
Raven watched as she and a blonde woman hugged and cried and hugged some more. The tall, dark man who had been walking with the blonde woman held his hand out to Thunder, then the two men embraced and began talking animatedly. Raven had been studying the pictures of Thunder’s family just last night and he knew this wasn’t them. This must be the two best friends. He couldn’t remember their code names and made a mental note to look them up as soon as possible. The woman was a teacher and the man was a …? His mind blanked for a moment.
The tall, dark man’s eyes fell on him, and Raven could feel the gaze boring into him, searching him, even through the lenses of the sunglasses on his face.
Then he remembered. The man was a cop. That would certainly complicate things. Lightning and Thunder had never noticed his presence, never even looked around past each other, like two love-sick fools, but this cop had already seen him. Possibly marked him. That was bad.
As he busied himself along the wall, just a poor tourist who lost his way and needed a shuttle and a place to take it to, he remembered standing here yesterday as they picked up the old lady. For the briefest of moments she had seemed to mark him too, without even looking at him. It had been the strangest thing. He had felt her energy pointed at him, almost like her soul was looking at him, independently of her eyes. But that wasn’t possible, was it?
No.
Just the cop would be a problem, but if Raven had to, he knew how to get rid of him and make it look like an accident a thousand different ways.
Chapter 3
Forty-five minutes after they’d picked up his father and brother, plus Blaise and Jordan at the airport, West turned off the hot water with only the slightest twinge of regret. He’d gotten used to long showers and vacation days spent in the pursuit of nothing but pleasure. He didn’t feel guilty for a second either. He’d worked hard his whole life, and now it was his turn to relax a little. Of course he would work hard again, but first he was going to take a few months off to enjoy his life, and his Katerina.
He stepped out of the shower and was greeted by the sight of Katerina at the vanity, practically bouncing on the soles of her feet as she tried to apply her makeup. West could feel her excitement and it made him smile.
“You happy to see Jordan?” he asked.
Katerina put her eyeliner down on the marble counter and turned to him, her eyes raking up and down his wet body. He grinned and gave her a show, flexing his biceps and turning slightly to imitate a bodybuilder pose.
Katerina laughed and dismissed him, turning back to the vanity to pick up her eyeliner again.
West winced and resolved to go to the hotel gym the day after their wedding.
“So excited!” Katerina cried as she lined one eye. “We’ve got a million things to talk about. Hurry and get dressed so we can head over to their room.”
West dried his body and then shook his head like a dog, earning an undignified cry from Katerina. “You’re getting my dress all wet!”
“I’d like to get your panties wet,” West drawled, moving in behind her and grasping her hips.
Katerina smirked but admonished him. “Can’t you stop thinking about sex for one minute? Your dad, your brother and your best friend just flew five hours to see you. I don’t want to make them wait.”
“My dad and my brother might wait a little, but I got the feeling from my best friend that he could use a half hour or so alone with Jordan.”
Katerina finished lining her eye and dropped the liner, whirling around to face West, pushing him back slightly with her hand “He’s had Jordan in his bed for more than two weeks. It’s my turn now!”
“You want her in your bed?” West teased, a suggestive smile on his face.
“No,” she glared at him and walked out of the bathroom. West followed, still grinning, while she continued to scold him. “I want to talk to her! I want to hang out with her. I want to work out what she’s going to wear tomorrow. We haven’t talked about the wedding at all!”
West flopped down on the bed and began to dress as Katerina pulled on her shoes.
“Ok, just don’t be surprised if you find them in a compromising situation,” he told her.
“What? Is he as bad as you? Can’t he keep his dick in his pants for more than two minutes?” Katerina baited him with a raised eyebrow.
West leaned forward, his grin mischievous. “The only reason my dick doesn’t stay in my pants is because you’re always pulling it out, sweetheart.” He softened his banter as her eyes grew wide in mock outrage. “Besides, I don’t think they’ve had sex yet.”
Katerina’s movements slowed as she considered. “Really? He told you that?”
“Well, not in as many words. I’m not positive.”
Katerina leaned forward, her eyes hard. “You guys talk about sex with your girlfriends? What have you told him about us?” she demanded harshly.
West grasped her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. “Calm down baby. First of all, you’re not my girlfriend,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck. “You’re my fiance, going to be my wife tomorrow,” he finished as she gasped lightly and leaned into him. “Second of all, I haven’t told him anything, really,” he said, his voice low and sultry. He could feel her body start to soften and respond to him. But he couldn’t resist. “Just that you’re the hottest fuck I’ve ever had and that you can’t get enough of my cock.”
Katerina jumped to
her feet, her eyes flashing as she tore her arm away from him. “West! Oh my God! You didn’t-!”
West boomed laughter and grabbed her again, pulling her to him as she fought like a wildcat. He pinned both her wrists to her side, being careful not to hurt her. “I never said that, I swear. I never told him anything. He hasn’t told me anything either. I don’t really know if they’ve had sex or not, it’s just a feeling I get.”
Katerina stopped fighting and eyed him cautiously. “You’re mean,” she finally said.
“Baby, I’m sorry. Forgive me. My brother brings it out in me I think. You saw how much he razzed me on the way here. That’s how he is, and sometimes I get sucked into doing it too. But I won’t do it to you again.”
“You promise?” she asked, her voice sulky.
“Promise.”
“Ok.” She perked up immediately and removed herself from his grip, fastening her shoe. “We’ll meet you in the lobby!” she called as she grabbed her bag and hurried out the door.
“Katerina, wait!” West called, pulling on his shirt. By the time he had it over his head and tucked into his pants, the door was already slamming shut behind her. West felt a twinge of fear and jammed his feet into his shoes, wanting to catch up to her. He knew it was unreasonable - that she was completely safe and they had rooted out anyone who had any reason to hurt her - but he couldn’t help but think his entire life had just run out the door on three inch heels.
He shoved his wallet into his pocket and followed as quickly as he could.
West ran down the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw Katerina’s pretty form waiting at the elevator. He sidled up next to her and cupped her waist possessively, then kissed her lightly on her ear. The elevator dinged and they entered it, Katerina mashing the button to Jordan’s floor aggressively, then telling the doors to hurry up.
The elevator ignored Katerina and responded at normal speed, but they were still in front of Jordan’s door within only a few moments. Katerina pounded on it and West shook his head, laughing to himself.
Jordan opened the door quickly, fully clothed, but her hair messed suggestively. West could practically feel Blaise’s frustration floating out into the hallway. Sorry man, he thought, then tickled Katerina’s arm, trying to pull her attention away from Jordan for just a moment.
“I’m going to check on Agnes, see if she’s ready. I’ll meet you guys back here or in the lobby, OK? Don’t leave without us.”
Katerina nodded and turned her attention back to Jordan. Dismissed again, West shrugged it off and headed down the hallway. He stopped at Agnes’ door and knocked.
Agnes opened it immediately, looking light and younger than her 60-odd years in a flowery summer dress and sheer makeup. She gave West a weak smile as her hands fluttered to a bauble on a heavy chain around her neck. West saw she was wearing long, white, satiny gloves that were too hot for her outfit and the humid Hawaii weather.
West felt concern flood through him. She’d been positively radiant yesterday when they’d picked her up from the airport, but had faded quickly, retiring to her room before dinner, claiming tiredness from the flight. West hadn’t even had time to tell her the real reason he had asked her to come out.
Of course he was eternally grateful for all the help she had given them when Katerina had been in the worst throes of being unable to control her own thoughts and impulses, plus they both thought that maybe Agnes could shed some light on why Katerina had lost her powers and if the powers were likely to stay gone. But West also secretly hoped to get her alone and ask her about his own new and frightening power - the fact that he seemed to be able to make people do things just by touching them.
He hadn’t told Katerina yet, not wanting to worry her. He hadn’t even tried it out again since he’d told the waiter to cluck like a chicken and the waiter had complied in that freaky, zoned-out tone. He’d been trying to forget all about it actually, and he was happy he hadn’t displayed any other powers or abilities in the last few weeks.
Agnes’ eyes appraised him coolly, and he knew she was watching him not comment on her gloves. He spoke quickly, not wanting to appear rude. “You look lovely, Agnes, how are you feeling today?”
“Better, thank you,” she said, but he could see the strain around her mouth and eyes. Strain that hadn’t been there yesterday.
“I’m so glad you were able to come,” he told her, intending to share how helpful Katerina had found their phone sessions, especially the later ones, but she held up a finger and he stopped talking.
“West, I need to tell you something, and I don’t know how to do so without scaring you.”
Anxiety gripped West’s heart and he looked back down the hallway towards Jordan and Blaise’s room. He’d been afraid of something like this. He gritted his teeth and looked back at her, motioning for her to continue.
“I’m having the strangest free-floating premonitions. They aren’t making any sense, really, because they’re coming at me through the air maybe …” She trailed off and stared over his left shoulder for a moment.
West looked that way down the hall, nervous suddenly. There was nothing there so he turned back around.
“You are in danger,” she said simply. “You and Katerina.”
West shook his head, denying the words. “That can’t be. It’s all over. Those men are in … ” West trailed off, thinking they weren’t exactly in jail, were they? One was in a hospital and the other was in some sort of a home. Agnes didn’t seem to notice his indecision.
“I know it, but I still feel it.”
She wrung her hands together and West could hear the slippery sound the gloves made. It sounded grotesque to him, like a funeral shroud against the grain of a coffin.
She leaned in close to him and said, “Just - just be careful okay? I wish I could tell you more than that, but I don’t know any more. I can’t get a handle on anything but it seems to be coming at me from all sides. Somebody is watching you. I don’t know why, and I don’t know who.”
West felt itchy all over, like something was crawling on him. Should he believe her? Did he dare not to believe her?
Agnes forced a smile on her face and deliberately lightened the moment. “Anyways, thank you so much for inviting me. I just love Hawaii, and I’m so excited that the two of you are getting married.”
She grasped his forearm with both hands. He shivered, not liking the feel of the gloves on his skin.
“We haven’t had much time to talk yet. I know you said there were some things you wanted to share with me.”
West nodded and took the hook she was offering. He didn’t want to think about someone watching them right now. Besides, if someone were watching them, it was probably just a member of the press, trying to get the next big story about the psychic paramedic.
“We did have a bit of an ulterior motive, inviting you out here,” he told her, not looking at her as he said it because of everything he was leaving out. “Katerina lost all of her powers,” he said, looking her in the eye at the end of his words.
Agnes dropped her hands and stared at him openly. “What? How?”
West began to unbutton his shirt and she watched him with interest. He pulled it open and showed her the slight, circular scar on his chest. “I got shot,” he said lightly, looking up and down the hallway to make sure no one was around. “I died. Or almost died. She saved me - healed me. And then she didn’t have her powers anymore.”
Agnes watched his face for a second and he could see the fascination in her expression. She dropped her eyes to the scar and lifted a gloved finger to it. “May I?” she asked.
He nodded and she touched it gently, no more than a graze really. She pulled her finger back and began to work off her glove. West watched her closely, anticipation building. He wondered what she was going to discover when she touched him. Would she immediately be able to tell what had really happened?
“Amazing,” she whispered, peering at the slight indentation. “I wonder if -”
Down the hall, West heard a door open and Katerina’s voice float out. Jordan’s laughter followed it.
Quickly, he pulled his shirt closed and buttoned it again. “Let’s talk later,” he told Agnes. She watched him closely, then reluctantly pulled her glove back on.
Chapter 4
Katerina looked around the table at all the people she loved the most in the world, joy filling her very being. The restaurant was divine, the company amazing, and tomorrow was her wedding day. A day she’d never dared to let herself think about before. A day she had sometimes never thought would come. Marrying West was a dream come true. She let her gaze follow his profile as the words from the people around the table washed over her.
He was strong, incredibly handsome, true to his word, thoughtful, and kind. And he was all hers. They’d gone through hell together and come out the back side, whole, and with their relationship still intact. With anyone other than West, that would be a miracle. With West though, it was just a side effect of who he was. Steadfast. True. Faithful.
Katerina’s eyes flicked to Brody, West’s brother, and again she was surprised by how much they looked alike but how different they were. Brody sat on West’s left, and Jordan sat on the other side of Brody. Brody and Jordan were sharing a laugh as Blaise looked on in amusement.
“C’mon, Jordan,” Brody said. “What are you doing with that guy?” Brody pointed his chin at Blaise, his voice booming across the crowded restaurant. “You should be with me!” he teased, winking at Blaise, and Katerina wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.
Blaise snorted a laugh and picked up his beer. “You couldn’t handle her, Bro,” he said, putting a tough edge on the last word. Blaise’s eyes glittered, and he never looked away from Brody once, like Brody would disappear with Jordan if Blaise so much as blinked.
