by Carly Fall
She glanced down and saw Zach below, walking around with Savannah. After she finished her climb, he had said he would like to try. She’d argued, but then finally relented. If the guy wanted to climb, who was she to stop him?
Gripping her next handhold, she pulled herself up, her foot landing properly on the two-inch piece of rock as she had intended.
While climbing, she often wondered what it would be like to die. To simply forget her safety harness and climb up a hundred feet, then just let go. Would she be afraid? Would she regret her decision as she fell to the hard ground below? She considered it, but she also knew she’d never go through with it—she didn’t have the guts.
Zach had turned out to be quite interesting. Good looking, very intelligent, and incredibly resourceful—she couldn’t help but admire him. He’d taken his disability and overcome it. Yet, she couldn’t seem to get past a stupid scar on her face and what it represented.
As she pushed and pulled, making her way up the face, the tension left her body despite the tightness in her muscles and her sore fingers as she considered her next move. Hopefully, the calm feeling she possessed as she scaled the rock would last when Joe came over tonight. She hated the way she reacted to him, hated the anger he brought forward within her, hated the woman she could be around him.
At some point, she needed to believe she was better than that.
Zach sat at the dining room table, his muscles begging for some ibuprofen, yet, he found himself happy and very content, and possibly addicted to rock climbing.
Go figure.
He sipped his wine and petted Savannah while waiting for Ella to emerge from her shower. The day had been fabulous.
Ella had hooked him up in the safety gear, and he’d eagerly taken on the challenge of climbing the face. With her direction, she said he’d made it about half-way up. He’d loved the utter concentration necessary as he moved, the breeze against his skin, the feeling of being above the ground. Frankly, he’d also appreciated the danger involved. It had been a long time since his adrenaline had pumped through him at such high levels, and he’d relished the buzz.
As he’d climbed, his admiration for Ella had also grown. He’d never considered the sheer strength involved in the sport, and he imagined Ella could overpower him, if she were so inclined.
After his descent, Savannah had jumped up on him, obviously worried for her master. He’d thanked Ella profusely for the experience, hoping it would be something he could do again in the near future.
He heard Ella’s bedroom door open, and she padded into the dining room.
“Are you hungry?” she asked as she brushed by him, the light smell of lilacs tickling his nose.
“Yes. Why don’t we order a pizza or something?”
She pulled open the refrigerator. “No, I’m thinking turkey sandwiches.”
He grinned, glad that vision was about to come to fruition. “It sounds wonderful. Will you be having wine tonight?”
“Yes,” she murmured. “I think I’m going to need it.”
He stood and felt along the tops of the chairs until he found the wine rack. He pulled a glass for her, as well as another bottle of what he hoped would be red and the corkscrew, and then made his way back to his chair.
A few minutes later, Ella came into the room and he heard her set a plate down in front of him.
“It’s nothing fancy—just turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo. I also brought out some Doritos.”
He hadn’t seen the Doritos in the mirror this morning, and his howling gut let him know it definitely was on board with the idea.
As he took a bite, he couldn’t help but grin. The sandwich proved to be as delicious as it had looked.
“I saw this sandwich in my visions this morning,” he said after he swallowed.
“Seriously? You saw images of a turkey sandwich?”
He chuckled. “Yes. And it is exceeding my expectations. In the vision, it looked amazing, but the taste is astounding.”
Ella laughed, a light, airy sound that didn’t match her dark demeanor, and he realized it had been the first time he heard it. “I can’t believe you saw a turkey sandwich. That just seems so … silly.”
He shrugged. “Yes, but it’s delicious, and I thank you for making it for me.”
“Of course.”
He reached toward her and laid his hand on the table, his palm open. “Thank you again for also taking me today, Ella. It was an exhilarating experience, one I’ll never forget. I really appreciate it.”
After a moment, she laid her hand in his, and he gently squeezed.
The energy in the room changed, and a sort of electricity cascaded through him. Her skin felt soft, except for her rough fingertips, courtesy of the rock climbing.
Good God, was the front of his pants getting tight?
“You’re welcome,” she whispered, and he wished he could see her face.
He had the urge to pull her toward him, to feel her lips on his. He drew her image from his memory and longed to take her face in his hands and passionately devour her mouth.
Should he try? Should he even be considering it? Ella, although beautiful, came with baggage, a weight he didn’t understand. What would her reaction be?
The more he considered the idea, the better it sounded. If he didn’t try, he’d never know.
However, it seemed that fate had other plans, and the doorbell rang.
Chapter 10
“Hello, Ella.”
“Joe.”
“Zachary! I trust everything is going well for you?”
Zach nodded as he held on to Savannah’s halter. “Yes, everything is fine. Ella has been very kind.”
A beat of silence ensued as his words hung in the air. He hadn’t known Joe very long, but he had pegged him as a man with manners, and whatever the issue between him and Ella, he doubted Joe would contradict his statement, or have a sarcastic quip on the tip of his tongue.
“I’m happy to hear that. Thank you, Ella.”
She didn’t answer.
“I have some good news. Can I please come in?”
“Of course,” Ella said, her tone slightly pinched.
Zach backed up to allow him access into the foyer. He smelled a light cologne, a scent he’d come to associate with Thomas, Joe’s right hand man who rarely spoke, and he’d always been curious as to why.
“Hello, Thomas,” he ventured.
“Hey.”
He followed the group into the dining room and listened as chairs were being moved around, most likely to accommodate Joe’s wheelchair.
“Zachary, please, come sit down. This will concern you, as well.”
He did as told and found his chair.
“I apologize for interrupting your dinner,” Joe said.
He must have noticed Zach’s half-eaten sandwich and the bottles of wine.
Joe had interrupted far more than that. If he hadn’t shown up, would he have Ella laid out on the dining room table, licking wine off her breasts? The thought made him grin, and he shifted in his chair.
“What’s up, Joe?” Ella asked.
Her voice had changed. The tone seemed a little harsher, but he doubted anyone else in the room would be able to pick up on it.
“Well, as you know, I’ve had you working on a virus to break into the back door of the Group Nine server. If we can get access to that, we’ll be able to move on them, not to mention disable their plans.”
“I’d just as soon gut them,” Zach murmured.
“Why is that?” Ella asked.
“Zach’s blindness wasn’t a coincidence, Ella. His whole unit and their paranormal abilities are a product of a government experiment.”
The silence stretched as she took in the information.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. He’s got a little skin in the game,” Joe said.
“What about the others? What are their paranormal abilities?”
“I’ve only found a total of four of them, but the
y’re all interesting in their own right. Brody can control the sea, poor Lucas sees people dying, and Garrett can turn into a bear.”
“You’re kidding me,” Ella said.
“No, I’m not. Quite an eclectic group, wouldn’t you say?”
“That’s crazy.”
“I agree. Now, let’s continue. Ella, I’ve also had two other programmers looking to enhance the virus to get us in, and it seems one has been somewhat successful. We were able to get into their server and see a few things. One thing we did find out was that they have activated one of their agents, and he’s on his way to the West Coast. He’s landing in Los Angeles in two days’ time. What he’s doing there, I’m not certain, but it’s something.”
Zach listened intently, his heart racing. How he’d love to get his hands on an agent from Group Nine and rip him limb from limb.
“What do you want me to do?” Ella asked.
“This is a huge task, but I’d like you to see if you could figure out what the hell he’s doing there.”
“And how do you expect me to do that?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
Zach’s mind spun. Group Nine’s objectives seemed to be simple—death. In fact, they reminded him a lot of his time in the clandestine group all those years ago. If the operative had been activated, he would most likely be killing someone.
“I have some ideas,” he said. “That is, if you’d like my help, Ella.”
“Okay,” she said, and he heard the hesitation in her voice. “We can work on it together.”
“Excellent. I appreciate your offer to help, Zachary. I’ll leave you two to your dinner and the rest of the evening.”
Zach stood at the sound of the rustling around him of the others standing and the roll of Joe’s wheels on the carpet.
“Please, I can see myself out,” Joe said.
Zach sank back into his chair. Ella picked up her glass, it seemed, the fragile crystal tinkling against the marble countertop.
The front door shut, and she turned on him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were part of an experiment?”
He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I guess I was far more interested in your story.”
“Was it horrible?”
“What? The explosion?”
That night came back to him with such clarity, he could feel the heavy humidity slick on his skin, the weight of his gear on his back. Every step he took along the damp foliage seemed to reverberate throughout the jungle. He’d sensed something had been wrong that night, and as far as he knew, so had the rest of his unit. Garrett certainly had, but they’d all ignored their inner warning bells.
“All of it, Zach. How bad was it?”
“Yeah, it was horrible.”
“Tell me about it.”
He took a long sip of wine. Maybe the time had come to tell her everything. He’d definitely hit on all the high points, but she still didn’t know his full story. What would it hurt?
“We knew something was off, but we didn’t know what. The forest had gone completely silent, and in that second, my suspicions had been confirmed—something terrible was going to happen, and it did.”
He told her of the bright light, the deafening sound, the earth that seemed to shake so hard he couldn’t get his footing, almost as if he tried to run on jelly.
“What happened, then?”
“I woke up completely blind. After a few moments of panic, I was told I was in a hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming.”
“That must have been terrifying.”
“It was, especially when people wouldn’t tell me what had happened to the rest of the unit. After a couple of days of feeling sorry for myself, I realized I needed to learn to live with my disability. As I began my training, I poured my energy into it as I hate being dependent on others.”
“Well, you do quite well for yourself.”
He nodded. “Yes. When the counselors came in that first day and told me that I would need to basically relearn everything I knew about surviving, I told them I was willing to do whatever needed to be done so that I would become a fully functioning person, one who relied on no one.”
“When did you figure out your mirror trick?”
“About two weeks into my hospital stay. I had gotten to the bathroom by myself and splashed cold water on my face. I lifted my head, and suddenly, I could see my reflection in the mirror, but just for a brief second. Then all these other images appeared, and then nothing.”
“What did you think was happening?”
“At that moment, I thought I was having some strange side-effect to being blind, and for a brief time, I thought my vision was returning.”
“How did you know that you were seeing snippets of the future?”
He sighed. “As the days wore on, I began to have a sense of déjà vu when things would happen, and then I realized that I must be seeing bits of the future.”
“Like what?”
“Well, for instance, one day while looking in the mirror, I saw a bowl of red Jello and a gorgeous Golden Retriever. That afternoon, I had Jello for lunch, and two days later, they brought me Savannah.”
“Amazing.”
“Quite.”
The sat in silence for a few moments, and Zach resumed eating his sandwich. Savannah laid her head on his lap, and he debated whether he should slip her a little piece of turkey. It would be bad practice, but he could never deny her.
“She’s more than just a seeing eye dog,” Ella commented.
He nodded as he chewed. When finished, he set his sandwich down and wiped his mouth. “Far more. Yes, she helps me, but she’s also an incredible companion. Oftentimes, I wonder if there’s a human soul in there. She’s kind and her feelings get hurt. She’s truly wonderful.”
“I’ve never had a dog.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I grew up in the military.”
He smiled, letting her know he understood. “Let me guess … a large family, and mom said she had no time for a dog, especially when you moved around a lot, right?”
Ella laughed again—definitely a sound he could get used to.
“Exactly.”
“I grew up in an orphanage in Salem, Oregon. We weren’t allowed pets, either, so I was surprised how attached I became to Savannah in such a short period of time.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. It is what it is, and in the meantime, feel free to love up on this girl.” He stroked Savannah’s head. “She never gets tired of it.”
“I’ve never even petted her,” Ella murmured. “I’ve never been much of a dog person.”
“Come here.”
“What?”
“Come over here.”
She got up, her chair scraping back, and came to his side of the table, standing next to him. Heat radiated from her body, the smell of lilacs almost making him light-headed.
“Give me your hand.”
As he opened his palm, she placed her hand in his. He set it on top of Savannah’s head, and Ella stroked her.
“She’s so soft,” she murmured.
Savannah began to pant, and Ella laughed. “Her tongue is hanging out the side of her mouth, and her eyes are rolling in the back of her head while she looks at me.”
He chuckled. “Now, you’ve made a friend for life.”
The room grew quiet as they both petted Savannah, the only sound being her happy breathing.
Chapter 11
Ella stared at Zach. It seemed odd to have someone in her office, and she tried to remember when she’d last shared the small space with someone.
She couldn’t.
How pathetic her life had become.
The room only measured about ten by ten, and with Zach in there, it seemed even smaller. He stood tall, but thin and muscular; yet, his presence in the small area seemed to almost suck out all the air. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized he proved to be a force of nature—strong, incredibly clever, a
nd devastatingly good-looking.
Inhaling to try to clear her thoughts, she smelled his light cologne. The scent, something woody and natural, sent shivers traveling down her back.
“So how are we going to do this?”
She needed to get down to business, not think of Zach’s smell, looks, or intelligence.
“Well, I think we’re looking for some type of function, a meeting or party with a list of wealthy people.”
“How do you know that whoever he’s after is wealthy?”
He shrugged. “I don’t, but considering he’s landing in Los Angeles and there are areas all around the city that hit the top one hundred richest lists, I’m making an educated hypothesis.”
She nodded. It sounded far-fetched to her, but she didn’t have any ideas on what to go on, so she’d follow his lead.
“Where do we find that list?”
He sat down in the chair next to her. “How about if you just start with a general search? Parties, Beverly Hills. Meetings, Los Angeles. Fundraisers … political events. Just start somewhere.”
“It kind of seems like a waste of time to me,” she murmured as she began typing.
“It’s not. Rich people like everyone to know their business, especially when they’re going to be surrounded by people richer than them, and possibly more important. Big ego boost and all that.”
After a few moments, she spoke. “Here’s an announcement of a Democratic fundraiser taking place at a producer’s house.”
“What’s his name?”
“Steve Gill.”
Zach rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. Write it down please, Ella.”
Thirty minutes of silence later, she spoke again. “Here’s a Republican fundraiser in Beverly Hills.”
Zach threw his head back and laughed, a deep, throaty sound that sent shivers through her. She couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s so funny?”
“Their guest list will be locked up tighter than a virgin’s chastity belt. Very few in Hollywood will admit they’re conservative because they fear for their jobs.”
She didn’t pay much attention to Hollywood, but guessed he must be right. She remembered seeing an article a few years back about six months after the presidential elections. An actress had come out in support of the more conservative candidate, and she couldn’t find work after that.
