02 Hunted - The Chosen

by Denise Grover Swank

  Her fingers tensed and his grip tightened in case she tried to pull away.

  She looked over her shoulder and shook her head.

  Will looked back at James, who raised his eyebrows with a cocky smile. “Don’t mind me. I’m curious myself.”

  “We could always put him in the trunk,” Will said with a smirk.

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  “I believe that falls outside the terms of Treatment of Prisoners of War in the Geneva Convention.” James crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back. “Comfy seats, by the way. Why don’t you start with telling us how you stumbled upon a bulletproof luxury sedan.”

  Will’s mark tingled, which meant she was frightened or in pain. What was she frightened of?

  “How about we start at the beginning,” Will suggested. It might be better to ease her into it. But that didn’t help either. The tingling continued.

  “I don’t have to tell that asshole anything.” Emma narrowed her eyes and refused to look at Will. “He’s the reason I left in the first place, not that I wasn’t good and pissed finding out you dumped me there.” She shot him a furious look. “What the hell were you thinking, leaving without telling me?”

  Will almost regretted starting the conversation. He didn’t want to get his ass chewed in front of James. “I thought it would be easier for both of us. I knew you’d want to come and it wouldn’t be safe. But I couldn’t bear to tell you no, so I left while you were sleeping. It was stupid.”

  “Damn right it was! Don’t you ever do that again.”

  Fuck, that was an order. He felt it to his marrow. “Now I can’t. You just ordered me not to.”

  “You mean you won’t.”

  “I mean I can’t.”

  She turned to him, wide-eyed.

  He decided to change the subject before she thought of other things to order him to do. “So what did James do to piss you off enough to make you leave?”

  “He insulted my intelligence and ordered me to cook him dinner.”

  James laughed. “I’m sure chefs worldwide are offended that you found my comment insulting.”

  “Really? I don’t recall you ordering coq au vin.”

  Will shook his head. “So you left?”

  “I had no idea how long you were going to be gone and I was pissed. There was no way I was going to spend days with him.” She tilted her head toward the back seat.

  “Where were you going?”

  She looked contrite, her eyes darting to him before looking back at the road. “The bus stop.”

  His hand stiffened, but she didn’t pull away. Had she really planned to leave him? “Where were you going?” South Dakota. Please say South Dakota.

  She scrunched her mouth on one side. “I hadn’t figured it out yet, I planned to go find Jake. But…” she turned to look at him. “I was mad and wasn’t thinking straight. In the end, I couldn’t leave you. So I decided to go back, especially after Raphael was certain you’d be home by morning.” She stopped and cringed.

  “Raphael? Who is Raphael?” His tone was quiet but direct, and there was no denying that she noticed.

  She shook her head, looking annoyed. “He’s no one. He helped me. When you weren’t there, I might add.”

  “He helped you? I’m sure he did everything in his power to help you,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Are you serious?” she shouted. “You abandoned me with that dickhead in the backseat and then have the audacity to insinuate the man who helped me did so for ulterior motives?”

  The strength of her protest screamed a warning at him. He wondered if she convinced herself as little as she’d convinced him.

  “Let me break it to you, sweetheart,” Will drawled, his playboy attitude slipping out from years of use. “Men don’t help beautiful women for altruistic motives. He hoped to get laid.” Just the thought of another man even thinking about touching her drove him insane.

  She seethed with anger, rolling off of her in ripples and filling the car. “Perhaps he was, Will. Maybe he hoped to score big-time with pretty-little-ole-me.” She used the fake southern accent she had used on him the night they met. “But he was too busy warning me to get the fuck out of there before I got my head shot off.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, while you were off in South Dakota playing Military Commando Guy, Raphael woke me and said they were coming and I had to leave. He gave me his car.”

  “How did he know they were coming?”

  “I don’t know! I asked him and he told me he just knew.”

  “How could he just know? That doesn’t make sense.” He sucked in his breath. “What if he was one of them?”

  Emma shook her head, scowling. “Why would he be one of them and help me? What motive could he have?”

  Will lowered his voice as he fought to control his anger and think rationally. “Emma, you’re forgetting how we met.”

  Her body stilled.

  “Oh, that sounds like a good story.” James chortled. “How did you two meet?”

  “Fuck off, James.” Will lowered his voice and turned to Emma. “Tell me everything that happened. How did you first meet him?”

  He saw the emotions vacillate across her face, the way her grip on the steering wheel twisted slightly. She doesn’t want to tell me. Why wouldn’t she want to tell him? Her eyes shifted to Will then back to the road.

  Her teeth caught her lower lip and she pulled her hand from Will’s to grip the steering wheel with both hands. She took a deep breath. “No matter what I tell you, Will, you’re not going to like it. So how about we just skip the story and look at the facts.”

  Anger mixed with a healthy dose of fear. “Perhaps we could look at the facts, Emma, if I had some to actually study.” His words were cold and clipped, with carefully enunciated syllables.

  Still, she held her tongue and his heart began to stammer.

  “He knew me,” she said, her voice barely audible. “He knew my name, knew you. He knew about this pendant and my powers.” She stopped, to test his reaction, leaving her eyes on the road.

  Questions pummeled Will’s brain, but she had opened up and if he were too aggressive she’d shut down. He forced his voice to remain calm. “Did he say how he knew you?”

  “No, but he said he had watched me. That he had a vested interest in my well-being.”

  “Sounds like a stalker.” James snorted.

  Will took a deep breath before he lost it on James. He was beginning to regret bringing him. But James’s comment added a fire back into Emma’s spirit. She sat up straighter, a hard glint in her eyes.

  “I accused him of that. He, of course, denied it. But he helped me escape and didn’t come with me.” She shot a glare at Will. “Seems to me if he wanted to get laid the best way to make sure that happened would be to come with me. Worked for you.” Her knuckles whitened from her grip on the wheel, but her quick inhale and exhale told him she was holding something back.

  She was right. On both counts, but damned if it didn’t sting for her to put it that way. If this Raphael guy had just been trying to get lucky, he would have gone with her. But he wanted something more than to get her into bed if he had been watching her, finally made contact then let her go. Or had he just made contact?

  “Emma, had you ever seen him before yesterday?”

  It was a simple yes or no question, yet she hesitated and his blood ran cold. “When was the first time you saw him?” he asked through clenched teeth, unsuccessfully shoving his jealousy to the side.

  He needed the answer for their safety, to work out where this man fell into the chaos of their world. He knew she needed his assurance that he wouldn’t lose his temper, yet the words of comfort stuck in his throat.

  But he also needed the answer as a man, her partner, to reassure him she still wanted him. His hold on her was tenuous at best.

  “In Joplin, at the bar. That night with my mother.”

  The memory rushed in. The dark-haired man sitting w
ith Emma across the room, the way he leaned in, too familiar. Yet she brushed him off, her eyes on Will.

  He tensed, his shoulders twitching. “Then again, in Kansas City,” Will said. “In the parking lot.” His words were straightforward, but the accusation implied.

  She gave two small nods, her eyes ahead.

  Will would gladly relive the beating he received in that parking lot to the pummeling his heart was taking now. Not only had the man known her name, but she listened to him and let him tell her what to do. When she stood next to the car, he’d gotten close, far too close. She hadn’t pushed him away. He closed his eyes.

  She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed. He turned and she gave him a grim smile, her eyes set in determination before she turned back to the road.

  “In the parking lot, he told me that I could heal you, to use the pendant. I didn’t think about it at the time. I was too scared. But then when you woke up and couldn’t breathe, I was terrified. The pendant got so hot in my pocket that I took it out and saw it glowing. I remembered what he said. I couldn’t believe it worked.”

  He turned his palm up and squeezed her hand.

  “When I saw him yesterday, he asked about you, if I healed you. When I told him I had, he said I would get other powers. That I had to practice.” She stopped and glanced at him, her eyes locking with his. “He said I needed you.”

  The significance of her words crashed into him and he released the breath he hadn’t known he held.

  “And the explosion in the forest? How did that happen?” he asked.

  “I was scared and pissed at being scared that I was at their mercy. It made me angrier and the pendant got hotter the madder I got. The heat and pressure began to build.”

  “I felt it,” he said. “I felt your fear turn to anger. I felt the energy.”

  “It took over. I had no control and it built until it became unbearable and I knew what to do. So I released it through my hands and there was an explosion.”

  “And you almost died.”

  “But I didn’t, you found me.”

  “No, not just the fire. You almost died doing whatever you did. It took too much out of you. I felt it through our connection.”

  “Let me get this straight,” James leaned forward between the seats. “Not only is your girlfriend hunted by gunmen but she’s got freaky powers too.” He shook his head. “You sure know how to pick them.”

  “I’d watch it if I were you, James.” Emma lifted an eyebrow and glanced over her shoulder. “Make me angry and I could turn you into a roasted marshmallow at any moment.”

  James’s eyes widened before he slid back in his seat.

  Will shot James a glare. “He said he had an interest in your well-being. Did he say why? Do you think he’s working with Warren?”

  She shook her head. “No, when I realized he knew so much about me, I asked him if they hired him. He acted offended and said no one hired him.”

  Will inhaled slowly. “Shit, I almost wish they had. Now he’s one more unknown variable in this whole fucking mess.”

  “He did say he needed me to develop my powers. He didn’t say why, but he said I needed you to be able to do it.”

  The dread returned. “So he does want you. Just not yet.”

  Her face paled. “One more thing,” she said quietly. “When he woke me and then gave me his car, I asked him who he was. He told me it was the wrong question.” She turned to look at Will. “He said I should ask what he was.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?” James asked.

  Will rubbed his chin and sighed. “I don’t know, but I’m thinking a whole lot differently than I did a month ago, so anything is possible.”

  ***

  They checked into a rundown motel off the highway about thirty miles from the compound. Emma was thankful that Will got two separate rooms. She’d already had enough togetherness with James to last a lifetime.

  James had napped in the car after their conversation so he excused himself to start digging up information on the Vinco Potentia and the Cavallo. He claimed that he’d spent so much time looking for Emma he hadn’t had a chance to research, although she doubted that.

  Will had gotten a map of the area and marked the location of the compound as well as possible local sources for deliveries. His plan was to go back first thing in the morning and begin surveillance while James continued to look for information and sift through the contacts on Senator Warren’s cell phone.

  “And what about me?” Emma asked. “You’re planning on taking me with you, right?”

  “Emma…” He sat down on the bed next to her and kissed her head. “You’ll be safer here with James than with me that close to Warren’s compound. I have a hard enough time with you being thirty miles away from them, let alone a few miles. Think about it, if they realized you were in their own backyard, they’d stop at nothing to get you.” He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up to look at her. “I can’t afford for something to happen to you.”

  “You can’t seriously consider leaving me here with him. Let’s say we can even get along … what if they show up again? Do you think he’ll protect me like you would?”

  Indecision flickered over his face.

  “Isn’t this what got us into the latest mess? You leaving me behind?”

  “No, what got you into this latest mess was your temper.”

  She scowled and changed tactics. “Think about it. You’re watching the compound. What if they figure out we’re here? What if they find the motel? Find me? I’d be dead before you ever got here.”

  His face hardened.

  She lightly cupped his face. “Will,” she searched his eyes. “I’d rather face fifty men with you than one with James. I’m safer with you.”

  When he closed his eyes and groaned, she knew she’d convinced him. If all else failed, she’d order him to take her but only as a last resort. She saw how hard it was earlier for him to accept her ability to do so. She needed to remember to be careful with her wording.

  He pulled her into his arms and growled in her ear. “You fight dirty. This will cost you.”

  “What did you have in mind?” She kissed his neck, finding his pulse point.

  “I think you figured it out.”

  She pushed him back on the bed and straddled his waist.

  With a grin, he pulled her down. “I think maybe I did.”

  Later they lay in bed, Will’s arm wrapped around her waist. “Emma?” he murmured, tightening his grip.

  “Hmm?”

  “I need to know.”

  She knew what he wanted, she just wasn’t sure how much to tell him. She hated telling him about Raphael. She was tired of hurting him. He deserved so much better. It was bad enough he continued telling her I love you without her reciprocating. She decided to tell him as little as possible without lying. Rolling over, she looked up into his worried eyes.

  “All right. What do you want to know?”

  “Did you sleep with him?”

  “Of course not. How could you ask me that, Will?” she asked softly, but without recrimination.

  “You said he woke you. You were at a motel.”

  She caressed his face with her fingertips and kissed him with tenderness. “He didn’t sleep in my room. I had my own room. I just woke up and he was there standing over my bed.”

  “God, Emma, he could have hurt you while you slept. How did he get in?”

  “I swear, I have no idea. I even had the chain latched, but the door wasn’t busted open. Besides, it all happened so fast. He woke me up and told me I had to hurry. I got dressed and he took me to his Lexus and told me to leave Minnesota. They showed up as I got in the car.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me after you saw him in Kansas City? Isn’t that odd, seeing him again? Quite a coincidence,” he said bitterly.

  “I’m sorry. I was more worried about you dying in the car.”

  “What did he say?”

  “I already told you, W
ill.”

  His eyes narrowed. “But not everything. I can see that. What did he say?”

  She wanted to cry. How could she tell him? She steeled herself. “He said he would come for me.”

  His jaw clenched. “Over my dead body.”

  She believed he meant it. “I doubt there’s anything to worry about. He sent me away.”

  “He said you weren’t ready yet. That’s why he sent you away, Emma.” He sat up, pushing up his knees and resting his elbows on his thighs. He sat for several long seconds. “Do you want him to come for you?”

  The memory of her body’s reaction to Raphael made her feel like a traitor, but she wrapped her hand around his arm. “Will, I’m with you right now, aren’t I?”

  “That didn’t really answer the question, now did it, Emma?”

  She bit her lip. “No. I don’t want him to come.”

  He turned to look at her. “Why won’t you tell me you love me?”

  Tears burned her eyes and shook her head. “Will, I wish to God I could, but I can’t. Not yet. I want to, please believe me when I say I want to, but I refuse to lie to you. You deserve better than that. Just give me some time, okay? We’ve only been together about three weeks and it’s all happening so fast.”

  He looked away and nodded.

  She kissed his shoulder. “No man has ever made me feel more safe or loved.”

  “But it’s not enough.”

  “Will, you of all people know my history. Just give me time.”

  You can free him Raphael had said. Was she selfish to keep him with her? Should she consider it? But she couldn’t. Selfish or not, she needed him and not just to protect her.

  He pulled her down and she laid her head on his chest, the beat of his heart reassuring her that he was there. He smoothed the hair off her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pressure you.”

  “I want to, Will. Really I do.”

  “I know.” He kissed her head. “It’s okay.”

  She fell asleep in his arms, praying that Raphael would stay out of her dreams.

  And knowing that everything was far from okay.