Strength & Power: Dark Paranormal Tattoo Taboo Romance (The Chronicles of Kerrigan Book 10)

by W. J. May

  “Okay. Look.” He put his hands on her shoulders, kneeling down to look her in the eye with a strained, big-brotherly kind of patience. “You can either keep interrupting me and Angel, or I can have a girly talk with you about Devon. You can’t do both.”

  She hesitated, biting her lip. “I can’t make promises either way…”

  His eyes narrowed. “Going to KILL you, Kerrigan…” Then he shoved her out the door.

  Having burnt one bridge long before breakfast, Rae decided to go try out another by seeing what Molly was up to at seven a.m. They hadn’t had much of a chance to talk since Rae’s return from New York and Scotland. To be honest, Rae argued with herself, Molly was so wrapped up in Luke these days she doubted Molly even noticed.

  This time, she knocked long and hard on the other side of the door, and waited until she heard a bright, “Come on in!” before entering.

  Molly was sitting in a beam of sunlight by her vanity, wrapped snuggly in her favorite purple cashmere robe. Her face lit up when Rae slipped inside. “Hey! Long time no see, stranger! Where did you slip off to this morning? I think you left before the sun was even up! You’re not trying to write early morning poetry again, are you? Because I know that was just for a week or so back at Guilder, but even then I thought it was bad idea. And you know what they say: what’s a bad idea back at Guilder is still a bad idea now. So seriously, what were you doing? And why don’t you just tell me! Honestly, Kerrigan, you’re so secretive these days, it’s like pulling teeth just to get you to talk!”

  As had become their custom, Rae waited patiently for Molly to take her first breath. The fresh supply of oxygen seemed to revive her, and she shot Rae another bright smile. “It is a good morning, eh?”

  Rae laughed and settled herself down on the bed. “It is! Have you eaten yet—I’m absolutely starving.”

  “Not yet.” She turned back to the mirror and smeared on a new shade of lip gloss. “I’ve been busy doing…other things.”

  She winked dramatically and Rae rolled her eyes.

  “I mean sex.”

  “Yeah—yeah, I got it.” She pulled a pillow into her lap and began tugging petulantly on the fringed edge. “Let me tell you something: you never realize how much fun all the couples around you are having until you’re no longer part of a couple.”

  Molly swiveled around, looking something between smug and sympathetic. “Oh, honey…you and Devon are going to get back together any day now. All of us are just waiting for it to happen.” She turned back to the mirror with a slight frown. “Julian says we need to make it sooner rather than later, because apparently you keep showing up at the crack of dawn and walking in on—”

  “Yeah, about that,” Rae cut her off, not eager to relive the awkward moment. “You know Devon and I were sent on a mission together last night?”

  Molly turned back around. “Yeah, I heard. How’d it go?”

  “Well, it was actually a little weird. So before we went, he gave me this whole big speech about how we were supposed to treat each other like agents and act strictly professional, right?”

  Molly nodded, eyes wide, hanging on every word: The exact reaction Rae had been asking of Julian, who predictably refused.

  This is why girls make better friends…

  “Well, everything was going fine until we got cornered in this guy’s hotel room and had to hide under the bed so he wouldn’t catch us breaking into his desk.”

  “Were you naked?!” Molly interrupted with a gasp.

  Rae paused mid-sentence. “Were we—what? Why would we have been naked?”

  Molly shook her head, covering her mouth in anticipation. “It just seems that’s the way these things always end up happening, right?”

  Rae rolled her eyes. “Calm down, Nicholas Sparks, we weren’t naked. However…” It seemed rather trivial after all that, but she couldn’t help but share. “…he held my hand.”

  Molly pursed her lips. “He held your hand?”

  “Yeah,” Rae nodded seriously, “he did.”

  The tiny redhead paused a moment before venturing, “Rae, are you that lonely, or—”

  “I’m saying, he gave me this big speech about professionalism, but when we were lying together under the bed he reached up and took my hand. And then he…he kissed me.”

  Molly almost fell out of her chair.

  “He did?! Rae! Why didn’t you call me?!”

  Rae shook her head with a chuckle. “We were trapped under a bed while our target cavorted around with two supermodels…on the bed we were under. You wanted me to call?”

  “Okay—so why didn’t you text me?!”

  Rae laughed again, then brought her knees up to her chest. “I just…I don’t know what to do about him. We’re broken up, I get that and, one way or another, we both need a little space. It’s just…he kissed me, Molls. What am I supposed to do with that?” Should she tell Molly she had been on the verge of kissing him?

  Molly scooted her chair closer to the bed, nodding with eyes wide as saucers. “Well, what did he do after he kissed you? Did he say anything? Did you guys talk about it?”

  Rae’s face darkened. “He didn’t say a word. And the second we were out of there, he took off as fast as he could to get away from me. We didn’t even end up staying the night at the hotel, even though we were probably technically supposed to.”

  Molly raised her eyebrows. “Not a single word?”

  “Not a single word. The whole drive back to Guilder. He was the one who initiated, and now he’s treating me like some kind of pariah! Won’t even get close to me!” Should she mention she’d been kind of acting the same way?

  “Wow,” Molly said softly, brow furrowing together as she tried to interpret the confusing world of men. “Well, he’s clearly still head over heels in love with you. That much is totally obvious.”

  Rae shook her head sarcastically. “Is it obvious? You know, seriously, I’m beginning to wonder. He’s just been so weird lately. Like a whole different person. And not just with me, either, but with Julian, too. He told Julian he’d be debriefing on the Collins case a couple days ago, but he wasn’t. He was in the library.”

  Molly tried and failed to look interested. “Okay, you had me up until the Collins case.”

  “But Molly, he—”

  “Who cares? He probably just finished and then went to the library. This kiss, however, is another thing all together.” Her face sharpened with almost cartoonish focus. “One on which I must use all of my not inconsiderable powers to solve…”

  Before Rae could say a word to temper her enthusiasm, the door to the bathroom burst open and Luke walked out in a cloud of steam.

  For a split second, nothing else in the room mattered.

  His skin was glowing, his light hair dripped down the sides of his neck, and little trickles of water navigated their way slowly around the chiseled muscles on his chest and stomach.

  Rae followed their progress all the way down to the towel which clung precariously around his hips, before his throat cleared suddenly and her cheeks flushed red with humiliation.

  “Good…uh…good morning!” she deflected, averting her gaze to the wall.

  Luke looked just as embarrassed as she was, gripping the towel with both hands like he was terrified it was going to fall off. “Yeah, uh…good morning.”

  The only one who seemed perfectly content with the way things were going was Molly, who swiveled around in her chair to give him a languid smile. “Hey, babe! Have a good shower?”

  He bit his lip, but returned her smile indulgently. “Yeah. You, uh, you didn’t want to maybe shout and tell me that there was someone lying on our bed before I came inside?”

  Molly shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. “I forgot.” The next second, she swiveled around again and whispered to Rae with a conspiratorial grin, “I didn’t forget. I just wanted you to see how totally hot he looks with his shirt off.”

  Rae looked down and fought back a smile as Luke crossed his ar
ms self-consciously over his chest, looking highly affronted.

  “I am not a piece of—”

  “Sure you’re not, sweetie!” Molly interrupted cheerfully. “Want to do a little twirl for us?”

  His eyebrows shot up, as he took a step forward. “Oh, you think this is funny?”

  Molly braced automatically, and glanced around for an exit. “No,” she giggled, “no I—”

  “Then how about a little kiss?” He leaned down over her chair, fencing her in, and shook out his wet hair all over her face, giving her a sloppy kiss in the process.

  She collapsed in a fit of threats and giggles, trying to ward him off as Rae shook her head like a martyr.

  “This is exactly what I was talking about. The second I’m single, everyone else is in love.”

  Luke chuckled and pulled away, leaving Molly gaping in dismay at her reflection in the vanity mirror. “That’s right. So how’s it going then with you and Devon? Any progress?”

  Molly paused in her damage-control efforts long enough to interject, “There was a kiss!”

  “Really?” Luke raised his eyebrows good-naturedly as he fumbled around in the dresser, looking for clothes. “A whole kiss, huh?”

  Rae glared at the both of them. “Yeah, there was a kiss.” She focused the glare far more on Molly, who was frantically re-curling her hair. “Which was supposed to be secret, by the way.”

  Molly was far too distracted by her reflection to take notice, but Luke laughed again as he slipped on a shirt. His fingers twirled in the air, and Rae looked away as he pulled on jeans as well.

  “Well, your secret is safe with me.” He raked his fingers through his wet hair, then decided it was done and settled next to Rae on the bed. “Contrary to what you ladies think; we guys really couldn’t care less about your relationship dramas.”

  Rae gave him an icy look, and even Molly turned slowly away from the mirror, looking dangerous. He back-pedaled in a hurry.

  “I mean…when did this magical kiss happen, Rae?”

  She jutted up her chin, but decided to tell him anyway. “It happened last night when we were paired up on a mission.” A sudden beam of illumination struck her and she continued on carefully. “A mission where we were asked to check out a guy named Jackman White.”

  She raised her eyebrows knowingly, but Luke kept a perfect poker face. “Jackman White, huh?” He pretended to be puzzled. “Weird name.”

  Rae pursed her lips. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.” She leaned back on the pillows in defeat. “So you’re really not going to tell me anything about him?”

  “Nope.” Luke kept his smile fixed on the bed. “But I also won’t tell the people I work for that a Privy Council agent was asking about it, how about that?”

  She shot him a rueful grin. “Fair enough. It was just me anyway. Scratch that. The Knights might not appreciate a Kerrigan digging.” He gave her a playful shove, and she gracefully changed the subject. “So you’ve been working out with Devon, huh?”

  “See!” Molly grinned triumphantly. “Those abs really make an impression, huh?”

  Rae rolled her eyes. “I saw the two of them heading out to the gym the other day.” She turned her gaze to Luke. “Seems you’ve found a new work-out buddy.”

  He scoffed. “That’s one way of putting it.”

  Rae frowned sympathetically. “Hey, the guy has, like, built-in steroids.” She gestured on her arm to where Devon was inked. “Don’t take it personally.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant,” Luke said quickly. “The problem is he never stays there for more than like twenty minutes.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. Then he says he was some weird appointment or something else to do, and bails out every time.” Luke shook his head thoughtfully. “I don’t get it. I mean, we have fun when we’re hanging out. And he’s always the one to suggest it…”

  Molly scoffed and turned back to the mirror. “Contrary to what you guys think; we ladies really couldn’t care less about your relationship dramas.”

  He chuckled and the two of them struck up a teasing banter, but Rae couldn’t get past what she’d just heard.

  Why would Devon continually ask Luke to go to the gym with him, only to end up cutting it short every time? Where was he really going instead? The same place he’d snuck out to when he lied to Julian’s face?”

  “Rae?”

  She looked up to see Molly and Luke looking at her strangely.

  “Yeah? Sorry, what?”

  Molly grinned. “I said, do you want to come and see a movie with us later?”

  All at once Rae pushed to her feet, a flood of investigatory adrenaline pumping through her veins. “Actually, I’d love to but I can’t. I’m meeting Julian at Guilder, and I should probably get ready.” She skipped to the door and waved. “But thanks! And…uh…looking good, Luke!”

  There was a burst of laughter behind her as the door swung shut.

  Picking up speed, she raced to her room and started getting dressed.

  One mystery at a time. First she’d find out whatever was in the file about her grandparents. And then she could turn her attention back to Devon…

  Chapter 11

  Rae took time to dress as inconspicuously as she could before meeting Julian in the reference center. They might not technically be doing anything wrong, but it would take but a nudge for the whole thing to go spinning out of control and land them somewhere they didn’t want to be.

  This is prison paranoia talking, she told herself as she swept nervously through the double doors. This is what comes from having spent time in the ‘big house.’

  Nevertheless, she had taken certain wardrobe precautions and was feeling pretty damn confident about her ability to project complete and utter innocence.

  “Hey!” she greeted Julian warmly as she spotted him beside a table. “You ready for some good old-fashioned, legal fun?”

  His eyes drifted up to her forehead, before returning dubiously to her face. “A headband?”

  She fidgeted nervously. “I wear headbands sometimes. Nothing wrong with headbands.”

  “No, of course not.” He pursed his lips. “It’s just…you kind of look like the leader of the GSUSA – the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.”

  Her eyes narrowed into a scowl. “That’s kind of the point, smartass. I’m blending in. No one ever suspects the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, now do they? And how do you even know what that is, anyway? Aren’t you from Liverpool?”

  He made a noble effort to keep from laughing. “How did they let you graduate?”

  “Hey,” she shot back, “at least I’m not trying to bed a girl who’s more interested in the season finale of “Dexter”.”

  He shook his head and guided her gently towards the front desk. “It’s like there’s crack in those shows. I swear she hasn’t slept in like four days…”

  His face cleared into a charming smile as they came to a stop in front of the receptionist. She had to be at least four or five hundred years old. And even as Julian flashed her his most winning look, the wrinkles around her eyes deepened in distrust.

  “What do you want?” she barked, beady eyes flashing between the two of them.

  Julian fell back a step as his smile faltered. “Hi, Janice. How’s your day going?”

  “I said, what do you want?”

  Both teenagers blinked as she sprayed them with an angry wave of spit.

  Rae resisted her body’s instinctive urge to become invisible, while Julian wiped his face and maintained a composed smile. I’d like Sophia Tresseux, Bill and Melanie Hilton, Peter and Katerina Kerrigan, and Laurence Funnel, please.”

  He lumped in Rae’s grandparents along with a few of his other active cases. It was a good strategy, but one that the inscrutable Janice was able to see through almost immediately.

  “Won’t that be a little awkward?” she croaked, fumbling around a file cabinet. She cocked her head towards Rae in a pointed star
e. “With her sitting right there with you?”

  Rae opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, but Julian caught her elbow beneath the counter, and answered with a graceful smile. “She thrives on controversy. We’ll be fine.”

  Janice peered at Rae over the top of her spectacles. “I guess she’d sort of have to.” She left the room and came back ten minutes later with files in her hand. Rae resisted the urge to talk or look at Julian while they waited. Who knew what kind of cameras were in this place? Janice walked in with the files, appearing not even to notice their weight. “Well, here’s everything you wanted.” She handed him a stack of papers. “Anything else?”

  Again, he squeezed her arm and Rae stepped forward. “Yeah, can I have the background file on Jackman White, please?” She had no intention of going through it, but figured it gave her a plausible reason for being there if anyone were to ask.

  “White…White…” Janice disappeared for a moment before plopping a heavy manila envelope into Rae’s hand. “There you go—enjoy.”

  “Thanks, Janice,” Julian said politely as they both innocently backed away.

  Janice kept her eyes locked on Rae. “You know, I think this is the first time I’ve even seen you in here.”

  A wave of panic washed over her, but Julian nodded solemnly and took her hand.

  “We’ve only just taught her how to read.”

  * * *

  “Was that really necessary?” Rae asked a few minutes later. She and Julian were huddled at a table in the corner, as far away from everyone else as they could get. “‘Taught her how to read’?”

  He nodded briskly and flipped another page. “Oh, I think so.”

  She rolled her eyes and leaned forward, keeping her own file open for good measure but keeping all her attention on his. “So…what does it say?”

  He read softly under his breath, speaking so quietly that if anyone were to look it would appear that he was simply reading it to himself.

  “Two people…an older couple…killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.” He skimmed through, frowning slightly as he committed the page to memory. “Rae, it doesn’t really say anything more in here than in the newspaper article you told me about. Only, instead of naming your dad as a suspect, they flat out list him as the perpetrator.”