Lunar Heat: 1 (The Heat Series)

by Susan Kearney

  55

  When Jamar’s boat was about a quarter mile from the house’s stone dock, Cade and Shara ducked behind the garage. Cade wasn’t likely to budge until he found the portal piece, so she dropped to her knees beside Cade and scooped moon dust with her hands.

  “Cade.”

  “What?”

  She scooped away more gray dust. “Can Jamar use his Quait on me?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “If you use Quait on me before he does, that would protect me from his control, right?”

  Cade’s lips stiffened, but he kept digging. And his silence told her that she was correct.

  “Look, I’d rather be under your Quait than Jamar’s. And it might be our only advantage.”

  “If Jamar controls me, he can make me use you however he wants.” For once, Cade didn’t sound certain.

  “Are you sure?”

  He bent over, dug his hands into the gravel, and pulled. With a grin of triumph he held up a shiny metal ball about the size of a cantaloupe. His arms strained with the weight, but he staggered forward. “We’ve got it. Let’s go.”

  She’d feared he would want to stay, try to surprise Jamar, and steal the other one, too. As Cade hurried to the vehicle, she dusted off her hands and followed.

  While Shara remained uncertain how to stop Cade, she most definitely didn’t want to tangle with Jamar. Sprinting to the hovercar, she opened the back hatch. Cade placed the sphere inside.

  Behind them the boat roared to the dock. Men shouted.

  Cade slid into the driver’s seat before she remembered that she’d never seen him drive. He’d started the vehicle and shifted into forward with a jerk.

  She glanced over her shoulder. But the garage blocked her view of the lake. “Maybe I should fly.”

  He grunted, his face set in concentration.

  She snapped on her seat belt. “If you get us killed in a hovercar wreck, you’ll never build your portal.”

  “We have similar vehicles on our world.”

  “Ones that slip and slide over moon rocks?”

  “We don’t have moon rocks. Or hovercars. Our skimmers have antigravity—”

  Laser fire struck and melted a sculpture.

  “Go. Go. Go.”

  He floored the pedal, the force pressing her back into the seat before he let off. “Hang on.” He adjusted his speed and smoothly steered down the drive.

  They flew out of fire range just as Jamar and his men made it to the garage. She could imagine his fury when he discovered that Cade had prevented him from following.

  “If we can find another portal piece—”

  “In the Caribbean.”

  “You can safely open the portal with only two of the three pieces?”

  “I’ve told you, the chances of success go down, but only by about ten percent.”

  “And the chance of a Lamenium explosion?”

  “Go up.” Cade frowned. “But not a lot. I wish I could be more specific. But I can’t figure the odds until we tap the Lamenium’s power—maybe not even then.”

  “What do you mean, ‘maybe not even then’?”

  He headed the hovercar toward the terminal. “I’m not a scientist.”

  No longer able to contain the truth, Shara told him what was eating away at her. “Jules confided in me that she’s had visions of devastating volcanic explosions on Earth.”

  He glanced from the road to her, his eyebrows raised. “And you think it has something to do with the portal?”

  “Yes.”

  “How accurate are her predictions?” Cade sounded more curious and concerned than argumentative, but she had yet to tell him her worst fear.

  “She told me not to make the film that caused Bruce’s death. I didn’t listen and he died.”

  “So you feel guilty.”

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  “Should I feel guilty for everything the Firsts made me do with their Quait?” he countered.

  “It’s not the same thing. I was warned. I had a choice.”

  His tone was both tender and hard. “But it was not your fault, and you’re still beating yourself up.”

  Remarkably coordinated—after his initial testing of brake and pedal—Cade drove the hovercar like a pro. When the back end slid on a patch of moon rock, he refrained from hitting the brake and used skill to turn into the spin. “Do people on your world usually heed the advice of psychics?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “I got the impression their prophecies were considered less than meaningful.”

  “Jules has proven herself to me.”

  “She’s always correct?” Cade eyed her with a frown, but she noted that he kept scanning the instruments for signs of pursuit.

  “Her visions are erratic. We believe what she sees is always accurate, but the trick is interpreting the visions. For example, the volcanic eruptions she saw on Earth might happen tomorrow or in another century—except she saw our faces combined with the explosions.” She sighed as he pulled into the terminal.

  “What else?”

  “Then there’s the matter of free will. Jules and I believe that if we act correctly upon her vision, then we can alter her prediction of the future.”

  “Are you saying if she sees a fire break out—say due to a gas leak—if you prevent the gas leak then there will be no fire?”

  “Exactly. So her vision was correct at the time she made it, but then we did something and changed the future.”

  “Tell me more about Jules’s vision for Haven.” He listened as he parked the hovercar, placed the backpack straps over his shoulders, and they headed for the mass transit system of moving walkways.

  When she finished he said, “So that’s the real reason why you came with me. To save Earth?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want me to be careful when I open the portal?”

  Shara ground her teeth together to prevent a groan. “Yes. I want you to be careful.”

  By now she knew his work was too important to him for her to dissuade him with words. “And I’d like you to consult an expert Jules has been talking to.”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Thankfully Cade changed the subject. “I need to contact the bank.”

  They strode to one of the public links in the terminal. She opened a vidlink and pulled up a 3-D hologram, and he arranged for checks, credit, a duplicate ID, and had the shuttle they’d stolen from Jamar refueled to take them straight to Earth and the Caribbean.

  Shara suspected she would only get one opportunity to stop Cade. So when she made her move, she had to make it count. Because once he learned her plan, he would likely be furious, his Quait would kick in, and he could totally control her every move.

  While Cade made travel arrangements, she made some of her own. Shara called Jules first, but when the signal didn’t go through, she sent a link to the reporter that Teresa Alverez had told her about.

  As the reporter answered, Shara took a deep breath and started talking.

  56

  Jamar had sweated precious salt to retrieve the portal device from the Martian desert. And it was stolen. Furious that once again Cade and his bitch had ruined his plans, Jamar swore it would be the last time they inconvenienced him.

  Oh yeah, the bitch had been at the lake with Cade. Jamar had seen her in the hovercar. And if he’d gotten his hands on her, her death would have been long and deliciously painful.

  Furious, Jamar had packed the sphere he’d retrieved from the Lunar Lake, cursing his lot, once again forced to make new plans. He must retrieve the Caribbean piece before Cade.

  Jamar could catch him, but he was so very tired of doing all the work.

  57

  The trail had gone cold. Perhaps Trevor should go home. Give up on the story.

  He had so little to go on. Just a name. Jamar. No nationality. No base of operations.

  Trevor knew Jamar spoke English and possessed a penchant for whips and chains that could be bought anonymously
on many vidlink sites. Finding the man was like tracing a phantom.

  His link rang. “Trevor Cantrell here.”

  “Trevor, this is Shara Weston. I understand you’ve been looking for me.”

  At the sound of her sultry voice, Trevor’s pulse escalated. “You’ve spoken to Teresa Alverez?”

  “She checked you out. She says you’re a man of your word. A man who understands discretion.”

  “I like to think so.”

  “She also said you took her to the hospital and saved her life before she bled out. I wanted to thank you.”

  Trevor wasn’t about to lose this opportunity to gather information. “I’m searching for Jamar, the man who hurt Teresa, and I’ve cause to believe that same man is after you.”

  “He is.” Shara hesitated. “As we speak, I’m linking to my banker and wiring funds to cover Teresa’s hospital bills and the plastic surgery. But no amount of credit will make up for what happened to her.”

  Trevor hadn’t expected Shara to be so open, so concerned, or so hands on. He raised his eyebrows. She obviously wanted something from him or she wouldn’t have called. “Did you leave Haven because of Jamar? Did he burn down Jules Makana’s house?”

  “Yes and yes. You have been busy.” Shara hesitated.

  Trevor knew that despite her PI’s investigation, Shara wanted to make up her own mind whether he was trustworthy. “Let me guess why you called. You want my help, but you don’t want me to print the story.”

  “Oh, you can have your story, I just want you to delay printing it until . . .”

  “Until?”

  “I give you the go ahead.”

  She’d tweaked his curiosity. Of course, he’d agree, but she had called for a reason besides thanking him. “And in return for your giving me an exclusive, what do you want?”

  “Impeccable reporting.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I want my story documented, photographed, witnessed. Because the world isn’t going to believe us—not unless you can deliver with integrity.”

  “My reputation is—”

  “Brilliant. Otherwise we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

  “It’s a deal, Ms. Weston.”

  “If we’re to work together, call me Shara. I want you on the next rocket to St. Thomas.”

  “I’ll be there.” Trevor hung up the vidlink, his heart pounding crazily. He recalled seeing Teresa’s bloody body, remembered the story of Jamar’s brutality, and wondered what kind of danger he might be facing.

  This story could be huge. But he had to live long enough to report it.

  58

  The shuttle ride to Earth had been fast, and again Jamar had jammed their communications. But once Shara was safely back on Earth and ensconced in her St. Thomas hotel room, she’d reached out to Jules again. This time the vidlink connection worked. “Jules?”

  “Oh, lord. Are you all right? Where have you been? Why haven’t you called me until now?”

  “It’s complicated. But I’m okay.” Shara sat on the bed, avoiding the mirror that would reflect the poor quality of her wig—the best disguise they could come up with during their quick Lunar departure. Now she was hiding at the hotel while Cade had gone off to hire a boat and divers to retrieve the third portal piece.

  This might be her only chance for a private talk with Jules. It was so good to hear Jules’s voice, to allow her warmth and caring to soak in. “Where are you?”

  “Still on Io with Lyle.”

  Shara quickly brought Jules up to date. “Cade expects to find this last portal piece today. Then we’re heading back to Haven.”

  “Lyle says that if the portal ignites the Lamenium, the resulting explosion could rocket your asteroid out of orbit, crash it into Earth. A possibility becomes a probability given my vision.”

  “Oh, God.” Shara raised her hand to her mouth in horror.

  “An asteroid of Haven’s size striking Earth could cause all the volcanoes in the Pacific Rim to go active at once—wipe out everyone on the planet.”

  Shara went icy-hot. As a sweat broke out on her forehead, inside she froze. “Jules, is he sure?”

  “The man knows his science.” Jules sighed. “We have to do what’s best for Earth. Cade’s portal could kill billions—”

  “I understand, Jules.” Shara swallowed past the lump in her throat, knowing the moment she had to act had almost arrived. “Have you seen how I can stop Cade?”

  “No.”

  Frustration and tears tightened Shara’s throat. Although she’d played a super heroine once, the writer had concocted the plot, stunt women had done the dangerous work, and she’d merely followed directions. But she had no script. No clue what to do, and she’d never felt so frustrated in her life. “Can you bring Lyle to Haven with you?”

  “I’m working on him.” Jules lowered her voice.

  Shara heard a note of tenderness in Jules’s tone. And she seized on the distraction of the ordinary kind. “What have you been doing?”

  “Besides worrying over you?” Jules chuckled. “I’ve been doing everything I’ve always dreamed. Even in the cold, Lyle keeps me warm.”

  “Maybe that why you envisioned Lyle’s face with flames. He’s hot?” Shara teased her friend, glad that she’d found some happiness. After Lou’s cheating, she deserved to meet someone special.

  “What about you and Cade?” Jules changed the subject with the abruptness of friends who were almost always on the same page.

  Shara sighed. “Cade’s upped salt intake has given him even stronger mind-control abilities, and he thinks it’ll turn him into some kind of monster.”

  Jules must have heard the doubt in Shara’s tone. “You disagree?”

  Shara lapsed into silence and finally spoke. “If it wasn’t for your vision, I could be happy with Cade.”

  Jules swore. “You love him, don’t you?”

  “I’ve chosen not to fall in love.”

  “Don’t give me that shit. You’re talking to me. And you can’t choose to fall in love any more than you can choose your parents. It just happens.”

  “So”—this time Shara changed the subject—“after we find this portal piece, Cade plans for us to return to Haven. He says there are enough redundancies in two pieces for the portal to work with only a ten percent chance of failure.”

  “Do you think a ten percent chance of blowing up the entire planet is work risking?”

  “That’s why I want you and Lyle to meet us on Haven.”

  “Suppose Lyle says it’s not safe, and Cade thinks it’s okay to go ahead. What then?”

  “I don’t know.” Shara’s heart twisted. It was a choice she’d hoped never to have to make. “I’m not killing him. I can’t.”

  Shara and Jules lapsed into taut silence.

  Shara had to remind herself to breathe. How could she betray the man she loved? Jules was right. She did love him. And that made what she had to do worse.

  Sorrow and frustration radiated out of her every cell. She shook with the agony of knowing she must betray him.

  Oh, God. Why her? She wasn’t cut out for this.

  Shara sighed. “If I didn’t need you so badly, I’d tell you to stay safe on Io.”

  “I won’t be alone. I’ll have Lyle with me, and we’ll see you on Haven in a day or two.”

  Shara’s throat tightened. She hoped to come up with a plan to stop Cade before then. If she failed, this might be the last time she ever talked to Jules. “If I don’t make it, Haven is yours.”

  “You don’t sound good. Maybe you shouldn’t try anything. Maybe Lyle can talk Cade out of—”

  “Cade’s determined. Unless Lyle has scientific evidence of real harm to Earth, there’s no changing his mind.” Shara saw no way out. She had to discover how to stop Cade, and she needed to do it soon. “I’m trying to think ahead. I’m okay, really.”

  “And you’d better stay that way.”

  “I hope we all stay that way.”

  Shara�
�s stomach tightened. “What haven’t you told me?”

  Jules’s voice thickened with fear. “I had another vision about Lyle. He was lying injured on the ground, covered in a white ash. And there’s an explosion.”

  “Was Lyle on Haven during the vision?”

  “I don’t know. I wish I had more.” Jules sounded resigned. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

  Shara ran her hand through her hair. “So far, I haven’t seen any opportunities to stop Cade . . . so I’ll have to create one.”

  “You have an idea?”

  “Maybe. I’ve got to go.”

  59

  While Cade didn’t have the expertise to dive down to the sunken portal piece, he’d hired a dive crew to do that for him. Shara had stayed on St. Thomas to make vidlink calls and deal with the reporter.

  Through the clear Caribbean water, Cade watched the dive team slowly make their way to the surface. One of them kicked his flippers more rigorously to remain with the others, and in his hands he held something round, something shiny.

  The last sphere. Yes! They’d retrieved it.

  Now he was unlocking the door of their hotel, and Cade called out to avoid startling her. “Shara. I’m back.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “We found it.”

  “Any trouble?”

  “None.” He didn’t want to think about Jamar’s whereabouts when he had so much more pleasant things on his mind. Shara was in the shower.

  Her skin glowed a golden tan from the sun, water sluiced over her toned curves. She’d already washed her hair, and the scent of citrus teased his nostrils. He couldn’t resist taking her into his arms, holding her against his chest. His groin pulsed, and the urge to kiss her roughened his tone. “I missed you.”

  She snuggled against him, letting the water pour down his back. “You sound like a man who wants to make love.”

  “That I do,” he agreed. “But I want to do it with you.”

  “Mmm. Sounds good.” She lathered her hands with soap and smoothed it over his back. Her fingertips lingered, exploring the valleys, the ridges, the hollows, enticing him to return the favor.