by Zara Chase
“Sleeping.”
Kane chuckled. “Not all alone, I hope.”
“She’s got shifter blood.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah. So, did you find anything about Odyssey?”
“The boat’s owned by a guy called Edward Finch. Mean anything to you?”
“Not a thing. Was that the name of the guy who took the mooring in Clearwater?”
“Yep. I hacked into their database and found all they had on record about him. Fortunately they take photo ID and I’ll e-mail you the guy’s picture right after this call. I also hacked into the Department of Highway Safety. That’s where all Florida-owned boats have to be registered. Finch is listed as the boat’s owner there, as well.”
“Does he have an address?”
“Yeah, but it turns out to be a box in Bradenton.”
“Which makes me suspicious.”
“Me, too.”
“So basically, we’re no further forward.” Vadim put Kane on speakerphone, went down on all fours, and arched his back and indulged in a slow, lazy feline stretch. “Unless I, or Talia, recognize the guy’s picture, we’re screwed.”
“Oh ye of little faith.” Kane chuckled. “The mooring fees are paid quarterly and—”
“And you’re running the account details down.” Vadim’s mood brightened. “I never should have doubted you, oh great one. Let me know what you find out.”
“Will do.”
“Did you find anything on Talia Regan?”
“Not a thing.”
Vadim rolled his eyes. “Life couldn’t be that fucking simple.”
“If you unblock her and get any more names for her, let me know. Talia might just be the name she’s been programmed to give you.”
“If we unblock her, she can tell us that herself.”
“If she’s being honest with you. Be careful, Vadim. Try and think with the brain that’s situated above your waist.”
“Fuck you, brother.”
Kane tutted down at the phone. “Zayd wouldn’t like that.”
Vadim was chuckling as he disconnected.
“What wouldn’t I like?” Zayd asked, bounding back into the room with a bulging carrier full of clothes.
Vadim filled him in on their progress, or lack of it.
“Kane’s right about one thing. You don’t get to fuck any other male shifter with that huge cock of yours, or I’ll scratch your eyes out.” Zayd extended his claws and flashed them in front of Vadim’s face to back up the threat.
“You’re more than enough for me, lover.”
“Good to know.”
Zayd slid quietly into their bedroom and left the clothes for Talia.
“She’s in the shower,” he said, returning to Vadim. “Seems such a waste to leave her in there all alone. She might get scared again.”
Vadim let out a soft roar of pure frustration. “Don’t go there, buddy!”
“Just sayin’.”
The bedroom door opened and Talia joined them, looking adorable in jeans that fit perfectly, a soft-peach sleeveless top, and her hair still wet from the shower.
“Morning,” she said, sounding unsure of herself.
“Morning,” Vadim and Zayd said together. “Sleep well?”
“Perfectly, thanks. Who do I thank for the clothes?”
“Zayd went shopping,” Vadim told her.
“Well, you got the size and my style spot on. How did you know?”
“We knew,” Zayd and Vadim said together.
“Wasn’t sure about your bra cup size so I just got you panties. Figured you wouldn’t mind going braless.” Zayd glanced at her nipples, pert and firm, showing through the fabric of her top. “Those pretty tits of yours sure don’t need any support.”
Talia actually giggled and then blushed. “Thanks. I think.”
“You hungry?” Vadim asked in an abrupt change of subject.
“Yes, I am, as it happens.”
“Zayd will cook you something.”
“Oh, don’t go to any trouble on my account.”
Zayd blew her one of his trademark kisses. “It’s no trouble.”
Vadim didn’t ask her if she remembered anything more and she didn’t volunteer that information. Instead she stared out the window that faced the Intracoastal, hands clasped tightly together, looking everywhere except at him. She was coiled tighter than a cobra waiting to attack, but Vadim couldn’t think of a single subject of conversation that wouldn’t make matters worse. And so he said nothing, leaving her to her window gazing while he caught up with his e-mail and downloaded the picture Kane had just sent through of Finch.
Zayd presented her with creamy scrambled eggs, fresh juice, toast, and coffee. She ate it all and was full of compliments for Zayd’s skills in the kitchen.
“Aw, honey, anyone can scramble eggs.”
She smiled. “Not like that they can’t.” She pushed her empty plate aside and patted her stomach. “Thanks, that’s tons better.”
Zayd cleared the table and Talia finally looked directly at Vadim—something she had so far avoided doing. The time had come to get some answers, and they both knew it. Vadim led her back to the seats with the view over the Gulf. A whole flotilla of tiny sailboats wobbled along close to the shore, crewed by children learning to sail. Two inflatable boats with outboards kept pace with them, their crews shouting encouragement and instructions. One boat capsized and an inflatable maneuvered into a position to help. He wasn’t needed. The kid sorted himself out and joined the back of the flotilla. Talia watched, a soft smile playing about lips that Vadim wanted to kiss again so badly that it was like a persistent physical ache. He turned away from her, waiting for her to sit down. By the time she did so, Zayd had rejoined them.
“Have you remembered anything else?” Vadim asked, watching her carefully as he did so. If she was going to lie to him, now would be a good time.
“Not a thing,” she said without hesitation.
If she was lying she was the most proficient liar he’d ever dealt with. She met his gaze head-on and didn’t flinch when she answered him. There was no telltale shifting of her eyes to one side or the other, no desire to confuse him with a lot of justifications. She simply said the three words and then sat with her hands folded in her laps, outwardly composed. He turned toward Zayd, who nodded. There was no need to pheromone. They both believed her—so far.
“Ever seen this guy before?”
Vadim handed her the printout of Edward Finch’s picture. She took it from him and examined it, furrowing her brow.
“I think I might. He looks familiar. Who is he?”
“He owns the boat we think you fell, or were pushed, from. His name’s Edward Finch.”
“Finch?” She shook her head. “Doesn’t ring any bells. Is he the guy who stole my memory?”
“Very possibly. We’re trying to find out more about him right now.”
“I want my past back,” she said, sharing an imploring glance between them. “I might not like the screwups I discover, but they’re my mistakes and I need to know what they are and what brought me here to you guys. I feel like I’m living in a permanent state of suspended isolation all the time I don’t know.”
This display of vulnerability felt like a punch in the gut to Vadim. He might not be able to mate with her, but he could sure as hell get her past back for her.
“We’ll try that in a moment.”
Vadim wondered if she knew her expression was full of reckless sensuality and obvious faith in his abilities. Damn it, she really shouldn’t look at him like that! It definitely wasn’t helping to keep his mind on business.
“Thanks,” she said, blinking nervously.
“You’d probably start to remember under your own steam,” Vadim said, forcing himself to sound all business when what he’d rather do—hell, he couldn’t afford to think about what he’d rather do. “If the people we suspect blocked your memory, they could also manipulate you into doing stuff you don’t want to, but o
nly for a short time. They’re out of range now. Too far away to tune into your head and reinforce the block.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“We’re sure,” Zayd said. “If any scumbags were in Impulse trying to get to you, we’d know.”
“Are you saying that if I just wait, it’ll all come back?”
“Most likely. The only problem is that the bad guys will know it, too. So whatever they’re planning, they need to move fast.” Or get to Talia and silence her permanently before she gave them away. “If we can unblock your mind, you might be able to give us a heads-up.”
“Then give it your best shot,” she said decisively. “I tried to kill you, Vadim. The least I can do is put that right.”
Vadim could think of several ways in which she could redress the balance. Shit, don’t go there!
“The name of our town agitated you when you discovered it’s where you’re at,” Zayd said. “And you suspected us of being shifters. Those were the only two things that meant anything to you, right?”
“Yes. So what?”
“They must be so heavily embedded in your memory that even the bad guys couldn’t wipe them,” Vadim explained.
“You’ve been taught to hate Impulse and shifters from a very early age, is my guess,” Zayd added.
Talia shook her head. “If you say so.”
“You ready to do this?” Vadim asked.
“More than ready.” She jutted her chin. “Let’s get on with it.”
“Okay.” Vadim and Zayd knelt in front of her chair, each taking one of her hands. “Close your eyes, babe, and try very hard not to think about anything at all. I know it’s hard and you’re anxious, but this won’t work if you don’t let us inside your head.”
She took a deep breath and did as they asked. Vadim waited until her breathing slowed and he sensed her gradually giving herself over to them. If only!
“Go back two days,” he said in a soft voice. “What were you doing?”
“Teaching kids basic karate moves.”
Zayd extended his claws and scratched the air with them—a shifter equivalent of a fist pump. “You’re an instructor?”
“Yes. Black belt.”
“Where?”
“Venice.” Her eyes flew open. “I live in Venice!” she cried excitedly.
“Close your eyes again,” Vadim said. Pain ripped through him as his dwindling powers were further reduced by the effort it took him to break through the block in Talia’s head. Shit, whoever had done this was good but still, he hadn’t realized he was as weak as all that. He sensed Zayd struggling against exhaustion, too, and shot him a reassuring look.
“We can do this, buddy,” he pheromoned.
“You think?”
“The future of Impulse rests on it.”
“Yeah.” Zayd gripped his gut and let out a soft groan. “Hold that thought.”
“What else do you remember?” Vadim asked Talia.
“My mother. I have a mother. She lives in Venice, too. She has a gentleman friend. She’s real excited about that.” Talia beamed. “She’s had a tough time of it, but she’s still young and real good-looking. Her friend, he’s a businessman and—” Her eyes flew open again. “He has a boat.”
“Ah!” Vadim and Zayd said together.
“The boat you were on? The Odyssey?”
“Yes. Mom and I had a fight about it. Ed Finch, that’s her guy, asked if I could be a hostess on the boat for a day. He had some important clients to entertain—”
“What does he do?” Zayd asked.
“Import, export, I think.”
“Vague enough for people not to ask too many questions,” Vadim muttered. “Why didn’t you want to help out, babe?”
“Don’t like boats. I get seasick. Besides, I’m useless in the kitchen. Can’t boil an egg to save my life. I’d be no good with catering, which is really what was needed.”
“But you went anyway?”
“Yes, Mom played the guilt card. Reminded me how much she’d given up for my sake. How she’d never asked anything of me before. It was only one day, blah, blah—”
“What happened when you got on the boat?”
“I was in the galley, trying to prepare fancy nibbles for the customers and pretending I knew what I was doing. I didn’t know until the boat left the marina that there were no guests. Just Ed and two crew members.”
“What did you do?”
“I was furious. Asked why they’d put to sea if the clients hadn’t arrived. Ed didn’t answer me, so I went up on deck because I felt nauseous below with the motion of the boat. Next thing I remember is feeling a shove in the small of my back and I was in the ocean.”
“You’re a good swimmer?”
“Yes, I was on my college swim team.”
“That probably saved you,” Zayd said, gritting his teeth.
“No, you guys saved me.”
“Open your eyes, babe.”
She did so and the two guys released her hands so they could sit on either side of her.
“How do you feel?” Vadim asked.
“Like the fog’s lifted,” she said slowly. “I can remember everything. That bastard Finch! They pushed me in and left me to drown. Did they really think I’d kill you both?”
“They had control of your brain, so you’d do whatever they told you to. You’re exactly the sort of gal that Zayd and I go for, and you’re a black belt in karate. They counted on those factors working in your favor. You’d catch us with our guard down and we’d be dead before you knew it.”
“Hell!”
“Yeah.” Vadim smiled at her. “Tell us why the name Impulse freaked you out.”
“You’re shifters,” she said slowly.
Vadim and Zayd shared a glance.
“Might as well tell her,” Zayd pheromoned. “She’s gonna find out sooner or later.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Impulse is a feline colony of shifters and we’re alpha jaguars,” Vadim said.
“That’s why you run security. Jaguars are good at defense strategies.” She shared a look between them. “Am I right?”
“Pretty much. Impulse has special ions in the air that humans find hard to breathe but which enhance our shifters’ abilities.”
“We try to use our situation to do some good here,” Zayd said. “Mikael is pretty adept at curing childhood diseases that are beyond the scope of traditional medicine.”
“But our enemies, other shifters not part of the colony, are always trying to steal Impulse away from us so they can profit from its unique qualities.”
She wrinkled her brow. “Why were they so keen for me to kill you, Vadim?”
“Well, here’s what I think. I’m head of security, and so far I’ve managed to foil every one of their attacks. But I’m weakening for reasons you don’t need to know about. All that counts is that Zayd and I are the gatekeepers whom any predators need to get past. I’m guessing you were programmed to kill me, and then Zayd. With the two of us gone, security in Impulse would be adversely affected. Our enemies would use the opportunity to spring a surprise attack, while we were still in disarray.”
“Oh, God!” Tears leaked down her cheeks. “I’m so glad I didn’t succeed. You think Ed Finch is involved?”
“Him or someone connected to him,” Zayd said. “We don’t know who he is yet, but the leopards are working on that. They’re good with information technology.”
“I don’t believe it. Mom hates shifters and would never knowingly have anything to do with one.”
“You’d better tell us why that is,” Vadim said. “You have shifter blood, don’t you?”
It was a long time before she responded. When she finally did, she spoke so softly that they barely heard her.
“My grandfather was a wolf shifter,” she said.
Chapter Seven
“I never really believed that shifters existed,” Talia said softly. “I didn’t know my grandfather, you see. He died way b
efore I was born.”
“But you were taught to mistrust them?”
“To start with, I was told they were like fairies and giants and that they didn’t actually exist. But I heard things. Heard my mother and grandmother talking and picked things up, like kids do. I asked a question once. Asked what a rogue was, and what was Impulse? My mother hit me. She’d never done that before, but she got real mad and told me I shouldn’t listen to other people’s conversations.”
Vadim covered her clasped hands with one of his own. “But she started warning you off shifters and Impulse after that? Am I right?”
Talia paused to arrange her thoughts. Vadim’s hand covering hers didn’t help much. The warmth seeping into her skin, the scorching gleam from his intelligent golden eyes, combined to derail her concentration. He and Zayd were so kind to her, so understanding, that she found it hard to compute. It was a long time since anyone had cared about her. Not even her mother had—especially not her.
Men came and went in Talia’s life, all of them wanting more than she was prepared to offer—usually sex. They were intimidated by her because of her ability to land them on their asses if they came on too strong and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was used to being alone, to looking out for herself, and now these two hunks were eyeing her with equal expressions of concern. She tried to kill them and yet they didn’t bear a grudge, which confused her even more. All the adults in her family bore grudges like they were a fundamental human right.
“My grandmother was pure human. So are my mom and dad.”
“Is your dad still alive?” Zayd asked.
“I have no idea. I’ve never met him.” Talia lifted her shoulders. “He and Mom weren’t married and he left before I was born. Mom won’t speak about him. I don’t even know his name, and if she does, she isn’t saying. On my birth certificate, under ‘name of father’ it says ‘unknown.’”
“Why would she inflict that sort of stigma on you?” Vadim asked. “I don’t mean to be indelicate, but did she sleep around and really not know?”
“Oh, she knew all right, but, like I said a moment ago, she’s made bearing a grudge into an art form. My father left her and so she she’s expunged him from our lives like he never existed. ‘We don’t need him’ was her favorite phrase when I was growing up.”
