by Sharon Kay
She nodded, her face pale.
“This is a huge break. Exactly what we needed.”
She stared at the screen and the expression on her face morphed from timidity to revulsion. “What are you going to do to him?”
“Stop him. By any means necessary.” Mathias growled.
“Where is he, anyway?” Gin asked.
Rhys tore open a bag of M&M’s and tossed a handful into his mouth. “I’ll find out. Give me five minutes to get into his email.” He turned and his fingers began flying across the keyboard.
“If you’re going after him, I want to go too.” Gin turned and looked at her sisters, then at Mathias.
“We’ve been ordered to not take you three, if we can help it. I don’t want you—any of you—in harm’s way.” Mathias stood.
Kai rocked back on his heels. “Has Arawn actually met any of the Solsti?”
Mathias shook his head.
Kai folded his arms over his chest. “And there’s the problem. If Gin is anything like her sisters, she won’t take no for an answer.”
“I don’t want her in danger.”
Kai held up his hands. “You’re preaching to the choir, Hunter.”
“We can’t all go charging over to him. We’ll take as few people as possible.” Mathias shoved a hand through his hair. “Look, I need to go to help get us to his exact location. Ria is still on security detail, so if you go, she goes.”
“But if he’s doing something with the water, maybe I can figure it out,” Gin said.
“And maybe I can fix it somehow,” Brooke piped up. “Since I can manipulate at the molecular level. Gin can describe it to me.”
“It’s freezing. You can’t get in the water,” Gin said.
“Actually, I can. I’m now the proud owner of an insulated wet suit.” Brooke grinned. “I don’t know what this bitch has planned, but I wanted to be prepared for anything.”
“If she’s going, I’m going,” Kai said.
“Hey, if you’re both going, I’m going too,” Nicole said.
“And I should go, in case anyone gets hurt,” Ashina added.
Other voices chimed in until the room was in a full-talk frenzy. Mathias pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn it. A small team was best. But a mate’s urge to protect his other half was stronger than common sense. Or so he heard.
That warm feeling pulsed in his chest again, and he opened his eyes to see Gin staring at him. She leaned closer. “I won’t be left out.” Her eyes blazed. “And I want to work with you. Fight on your side.”
“I want that too, just not against an unknown enemy.”
“Aren’t they all unknown, until you fight them? Don’t you guys train to be the toughest and expect the worst?”
“God dammit, Gin. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
“Nothing will. Look at what you and Ria did in my parking lot. And that was against eight.”
He took her hand, pulling her away from the crowd at the computer and closer to the windows. Snow still fell, covering their landing spot from last night. “By now he knows you’re gone. He’ll be able to detect the scent of Lash demons in his house. I’m betting he, and maybe Elegia, will have an extra big hard-on for revenge. That’ll make him more unpredictable at best, and more lethal at worst.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “I can figure out what he’s been doing to the water.”
Fuck. She was right. He hated to admit it, but they’d get answers faster if she was on-site. “We have no idea what, exactly, he’s doing.”
“We know he says he’s created a new filtration process, which is when they remove the tiniest particles. Then it goes to the disinfection stage, then storage.” Gin fiddled with a hair tie at her wrist “And if it’s sitting in storage, it may go to the public soon. What if he’s poisoning it?” Her voice rose on the last sentence.
Ria appeared at Gin’s side. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop. But I totally eavesdropped.” She shrugged. “I’m still on the job, you know.”
Gin and Mathias looked at her expectantly.
“Gin’s right about taking a look at the water. And I don’t know Brooke well,” Ria held up her hands for emphasis, “but I’ve heard about her skills. I say we bring her along, in case she can undo any damage Xavier might have done. We don’t know how much time we have.”
“Thank you,” Gin said, and wrapped her arm around Ria. Both women turned to him.
Mathias knew when he was defeated. “Fine.” He motioned between the three of them. “Us, and Kai and Brooke. That’s it.” He looked over to Rhys. “Rhys, anything?”
“He’s supposed to be in Fairhaven today,” Rhys said around a mouthful of candy. “’Bout an hour from here.”
“All right. Rhys, you stay here in case we need you to hack us in anywhere in the building. I’m going in, along with Gin, Ria, Kai and Brooke.” Murmurs began from the group, but he talked over them. “All the Watchers know that small groups are best for this kind of takedown. And there will be a bigger one later. That’s why we’re here.”
Nicole glared from her position in Gunnar’s embrace. “I really don’t like staying out of this one. But I see your logic. And I know you work well in small groups. But it feels all wrong, having my sisters heading into a fight without me.”
“What if you were in the area, as backup?” Brooke asked. “Both of you,” she gestured to Gunnar and Nicole, “and Raniero and Ashina.”
“And what am I, chopped Neshi tail?” Brenin smirked from the couch.
“Sorry, dude. You drew the short straw today.” Kai threw an M&M at Brenin.
“Okay, I can work with that. The four of you stay in one car, a few miles away. Just in case. That way everyone is nearby. Cool?” Mathias asked.
A chorus of yesses and nods went around the room.
“Then let’s go.” He turned to Gin. “You’re not leaving my side. Understand?”
She had the courage to wink at him. “Understand. I know you’ll find me if I do.”
He took her arm and pulled her close. “I will always find you.” He kissed her, not caring if anyone in the room saw. The conviction to protect her exploded into something infinitely greater. His heart crashed into his ribs with the force of the feeling. “I will always protect you.”
CHAPTER 36
I WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU…I will always protect you. Mathias’s words echoed in Gin’s mind as their SUV rocketed down the highway. Always… A contented feeling bloomed in her chest, knowing he meant the find-and-protect part. But the always part? Why did that make her feel so damn giddy? Considering that their relationship had started out based on deception, she had every right to suspect he was lying.
But he’s not. She knew it on a deep, instinctive level. She squeezed her eyes shut and gave herself a mental kick in the booty. The deception was where it belonged: in the past, alongside her stubbornness. And this man was in her future.
She turned, casting a smile to the backseat where Brooke sat between Ria and Kai. The three of them had been trading fight-and-escape stories non-stop since they got in the car.
Brooke met Gin’s eyes, angled her thumb toward Ria, and mouthed, “Love her.” She grinned before going back to amend one of Kai’s statements. “Yes, I saved your ass twice. And then …”
Gin turned back to Mathias, whose face was a pensive mask as he drove. She couldn’t read him. He must have hundreds of fight-and-escape stories. She wanted to hear each one. But now, he was too quiet. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
Hazel eyes flicked to her, and his sensual mouth turned up into a smile. “Just going over the plan.”
“Oh.” The plan relied a lot on Rhys’s hacking and security-camera-tampering skills, and on Mathias’s mind scrub skills. Mathias would lead them to Xavier, and somewhere along the line Gin had to figure out what, if anything, he’d been doing to the water supply. It sounded kinda crazy to her, but the Watchers had executed similar tasks before.
“How about you?” he
asked. “I’d ask if you’re ready, but I get the feeling you’re tired of that question.”
“You’re right.” She sat back in her seat. “I’m completely ready. I remember how we practiced on Tarsa.”
He reached across the console to lay a warm hand on her thigh. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.” She dropped her hand on top of his. “We make a good team.”
“When this is over, I’m taking you out.”
“On a date?”
“Yep. We’re going dancing. Don’t you have a hundred-year-old ballroom dance place somewhere around here?”
“Yes!” Excitement colored her voice. “The Willowbrook Ballroom. You’re on. Step one, eliminate Xavier. Step two, go dancing.”
He looked over at her. “This is why I love my job. Kill the bad guy and end up with the pretty girl.” His eyes held a question she didn’t understand. They searched her face, looking for…
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He looked back to the road. “We’re almost there.”
“Well.” She twisted a lock of her hair. “What if I have to kill the bad guy?”
“Gin.” He blew out a breath. “I can take a hit and recover. Not sure of your healing abilities yet. I’m trained. You’re…learning. I’ve done thousands of jobs like this. I don’t want him to lay his greedy eyes on you again. Fuck, I don’t want him to even be able to scent you again.” His fist clenched the wheel and his tone softened. “But I can feel your strength. It’s rolling off you in waves.”
“It may come down to it,” she whispered.
“I know.” His hand flexed on her thigh. “If you get a clean shot, take it. If not, I will. But if he lays a hand on you, this deal changes. I will ensure he learns a new definition of agony.”
His last words dripped with menace, but Gin couldn’t fault him for it. She even felt…thankful. For all his bossiness, he seemed to know when to dial it down a notch, at least with her. Compromise. She needed a man who could push her when she needed it and back off when she didn’t.
I need Mathias.
Blinking fast, she willed her suddenly-dancing heart to settle. They had to focus on this job. The hearts and flowers could come later. But she could sneak in one little show of affection. She raised his hand to her lips and pressed a quick kiss to his knuckles. “Okay. Deal.”
From the backseat, Kai dialed Rhys. “We’re almost there.” He was quiet for minute, then leaned forward and rattled off their fake names. “You’re both professors from Stanford. You’re on the visitor list, and the guard will only remember you two being in the car.”
“Got it.” Mathias said.
He left the highway and followed the calm directions of the female voice on the GPS. “Your destination is on the left in five hundred feet. Turn left to arrive at your destination.”
Gin stifled a giggle. Turn left to meet your psychotic demon kidnapper.
Mathias raised an eyebrow and looked at her like he was about to say something. She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
He steered the car into a long driveway. Several yards from the road, a gated guardhouse sat between the two lanes. Mathias rolled his window halfway down.
“ID and purpose for your visit today?” a guard asked in a voice that managed to sound gruff and weary at the same time.
Mathias leaned an elbow on the window frame. “John Alton and Diana Jennings. We should be in the system.”
The guard turned to his computer with a scowl. “Alton…ah here you are Mr.—excuse, me, Dr. Alton. And Dr. Jennings. Take this road around the curve there, and park in the first lot on your right.”
Mathias thanked the man then paused, resting his fingers on the open window. The guard’s stare turned blank and peaceful. Mathias rolled his window back up.
“What was that all about?” Gin asked.
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” He shot her a grin. “Bet I’ll do it again before we leave.”
Kai was on the phone to Rhys again, relaying their position. Kai switched the phone to speaker and Rhys’s sarcastic tone echoed from the phone.
“…I know where you are, dude, I see you on the GPS. Geez.” Fingers tapped in the background. “There’s one camera on that parking lot and…you’re good. I put it on a five minute continuous loop of nada.”
“Excellent.” Mathias steered the SUV into a parking space. “Now for the fun part.”
Gin’s veins buzzed. She was actually excited for this. She had no fear….even if they ran into Xavier, how could he hurt her? She had three Watchers and her sister at her back. She reached for the door handle, only to be stopped by Mathias’s voice.
“Gin.” He reached for her hand. “Stay with me, or one of the others. Don’t go off on your own.”
“I wouldn’t—”
“If you see a test tube out of place, or a new kind of microscope—anything at all, you bring one of us with you if you want to investigate.”
She nodded. “Okay.” It’s not like she wanted to spend hours in there. It was all pretty standard stuff…except for whatever Xavier was plotting. That intrigued her, and she didn’t even know what it was. Yet. Her hands itched to get into his work.
He flipped the unlock button and they all piled out. Heaps of dirty gray snow lined the perimeter of the lot, shoved there in huge scoops by the plows. She walked next to Mathias, peeking up at his face.
He radiated a formidable aura. Still handsome, but lethal and calculating.
He took her arm as they approached an icy patch. “Later, I want you to tell me what you’re thinking.”
How does he do that?
They reached the door and he opened it for her. The others came through behind them, and Mathias moved to the front of the group. They stepped through a second set of doors to a room where a perky blond receptionist sat behind a U-shaped desk. Two of the beige walls were decorated with enormous framed pictures of rivers. The rest of the room was empty save for a few chairs and another closed door behind her.
She looked up from her computer, eyes going wide at the sight of their group. “Can I help you?”
“John Alton from Stanford. We’re here for a tour.” Mathias flashed a smile at her.
The woman blinked, peering at him as a faint blush colored her cheeks. “ID, please.” A coy smile played across her pink lips and her eyes roamed Mathias’s chest.
Oh, hell no. This blond was not flirting with her man. Gin clenched her fists at her sides and stepped forward, brushing against Mathias. “And Diana Jennings. We should be in the system.” She nodded at the woman’s computer screen.
“Oh. Yes, let’s see.” Blondie turned to her monitor and started typing.
“And, miss?” Mathias held up one hand in front of him, seemingly to catch her attention. He leaned closer. “That’s Alton, spelled with an o-n, not e-n.”
Blondie opened her mouth to speak, then abruptly closed it. “O-n,” she murmured, turning to her screen. But she remained motionless.
Gin’s eyes snapped to Mathias. “Is that the thing you did to the guard? What did you do?”
“I took her memory of us walking in and talking to her. We have five minutes before she realizes she’s been staring into space. The guard at the gate doesn’t remember us either.” His face was all business as he turned to Kai. “You still got Rhys?”
Took her memory that quickly? Whoa.
“Yo, I’m here,” the other demon’s familiar drawl came through the phone. “There’s a white button under the top edge of the receptionist’s desk. Look next to the keyboard. That’ll open the door to the back.”
Mathias was already halfway around the U of the desk. “Got it.” He pressed the button and a quiet buzz emanated from the door.
Ria darted over to open it. “Let’s find this guy. Visually or by scent.”
Mathias released the button and jogged around the desk. “Follow me.” In two long strides, he was through the door.
Gin stayed close behind him, with th
e rest of the group behind her. Anticipation surged through her at the thought of getting into Xavier’s work, whatever that may be. The halls were bathed in white—white walls, white floors, and white fluorescent lights overhead. Mathias walked with long purposeful strides, as if he’d been there before.
A bald man in a lab coat rounded a corner down the hall and started toward their group. A tingle of apprehension swirled through Gin. They’d planned for this, of course, but what if—
“Morning!” Mathias called out. He stuck out his hand, and the man reflexively extended his own. “Dr. Alton from Stanford. We have a meeting with Xavier Martin—do you know where I’d find him?”
The man’s eyes flicked over their group and his brows knitted together. Kai and Mathias easily towered over him. “His office is around the corner, second door on the left. Room 142.” He frowned. “I thought he was testing samples from storage this morning.”
“Yes, we’re a bit early.” Mathias didn’t miss a beat. “I have his cell number. Thanks much.”
They continued onward to Xavier’s office. Mathias grabbed the doorknob and twisted. “Locked.” He peered closer. “It just takes a regular key, not a swipe card.” With a sharp twist, metal ground against metal and the doorknob hung loose in its socket. He pushed the door open.
“Wow,” Gin whispered as she entered the room. Breaking and entering? That was all in a day’s work for Mathias. She found herself strangely unperturbed at how easily he’d done that. It’s part of his job. She knew he was one of the good guys, but—
Her attention snapped to a rack of test tubes on a table. Like a beacon of familiarity, and dangling the possibility of a breakthrough, they drew her. She walked across the room to the table.
Today’s date was written on some tubes. The others were labeled with previous dates. Each one contained a small amount of clear liquid. Samples? I need a microscope.
Swiveling, she scanned the rest of the room—A-ha! A gorgeous electron microscope sat tucked in a corner. “Bertha’s twin,” she murmured.
Brooke sat at the desk and shook the mouse, waking the computer from its sleep. “I’ll start with his email.”
