by Elana Brooks
A man’s voice, deeper than her boss’s tenor, said, “Rosalia Escamillo?”
“That’s me.” If this was a sales call or a headhunter, he’d see how little she cared about being polite to people who wasted her valuable time. “What do you want?”
The caller hesitated so long she almost hung up. She was about to lower the phone when he said, “I guess you probably don’t remember me. This is Steve Miller. From UCLA. We met briefly eight years ago.”
All the blood in her body drained into her feet. Violently conflicting emotions seized her. She wanted to scream curses at him and throw the phone across the room. At the same time, she wanted to beg him to tell her where he was so she could rush to him.
She wrenched back control of her body. Both of those reactions granted Steve Miller far too much power. He was nothing to her. Only a tiny blip in her history, an interesting but essentially meaningless interlude. She forced her voice to express mild pleasure, suitable for greeting a former lover who was now no more than a casual acquaintance. “Steve. Of course I remember you. How are you doing?”
“Fine.” The phone hissed with his long indrawn breath. “Better than fine, actually. I’m doing great.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Why the hell had he called her now, out of the blue? “I’m doing well, also.”
“That’s good.” Another deep breath. “Rosalia, I… I have things I need to tell you. Ask you. Could we get together sometime soon? Tonight, maybe?”
She could neither turn him down flat nor agree immediately, as her warring instincts demanded. “I’m awfully busy right now. I’m working on a short deadline.”
“I don’t want to interfere with your work, of course. Do you know when you’ll be finished?”
Reluctantly she told him the truth. “Five tonight.”
“So you’ll be free to meet for supper?”
“Actually, I think I’m going to take my team out to celebrate.” She hadn’t considered doing so until this instant, but it suddenly seemed like a very good idea. “Maybe some other time.”
“All right, but please, as soon as you can. Tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” The desperation in his voice was a huge red flag. Whatever had driven him to seek her out after all this time, she wanted no part of it. “I actually think getting together might be a bad idea. We didn’t part on the best of terms. Maybe we should let the past rest.”
“That’s what I thought, too, which is why I’ve never contacted you before. But things have changed. The people I’m working with now… I told them about you, and they’re very interested. They’re ramping up a big recruiting effort, and they think you’d be a good fit for our organization.”
Oh, god. He must have gotten involved in some sort of multi-level marketing scheme. They’d make you hunt down everyone you’d ever met, down to your roommate’s uncle’s landlord’s ex-wife, and try to persuade them to sell crap. “I’m not interested. I’m very happy with my current job.” The company was thriving, in no small part due to projects her team had done. She was on the fast track to promotion. Nothing he might offer her could possibly come anywhere close to what she already had.
“Rosalia, please, you’ve got to listen. I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you this in person, but… You were right. I was wrong. Psychic powers are real, and I have them. I’ve become a member of an organization that knows far more about them than either of us. Please, just agree to get together with me for supper and I’ll explain everything.”
She pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it. Steve’s voice, tinny with distance, begged her to say something, but she couldn’t formulate an answer.
Once she’d have leapt at the chance. Back when she’d still cherished hopes of her gifts someday being publicly recognized, before she’d realized that was an impossible dream. Psychic powers were too rare, too different, too bizarre, for the greater public to ever admit they existed.
She’d long since resigned herself to using her abilities only for her own private purposes. Her visions guided her to choose good projects and avoid bad ones. Telepathy let her sense what those she negotiated with really wanted and what her team members found most motivating. Every now and then she dropped in for a visit with her grandmother and talked about how Blanca’s business was doing and how her clients were faring. There was no point in hoping or striving for anything more.
But she couldn’t turn him down completely. Sheer curiosity demanded that she find out what had broken through the barriers she’d failed to breach. Something dramatic must have happened, because he’d been so deep in denial the crocodiles had been swimming over his head.
And just maybe, if he no longer feared his powers or hers, they could rekindle the incredible fire that had so briefly burned between them.
No. She mustn’t let herself fall into that trap again. He’d shown her who he really was, what he was capable of doing. He’d tossed her out of his apartment naked. He’d cursed her and thrown things at her. She could never excuse or forgive that sort of behavior. The world was full of men more worthy of her attention than Steve Fucking Miller.
Maybe in the organization he’d joined she could find someone else with psychic powers as strong as her own. That’s what had made sex with Steve so incredible. It would be the same with any other telepath. Except this time she’d make sure whoever she chose was a gentleman and a decent human being before she fell into bed with him.
She returned the phone to her ear. “Are you still there, Steve?”
“Rosalia, thank goodness. Yes, I’m here. What do you think?”
She took a deep breath. “All right. Tonight. There’s a restaurant I like called Otilia’s not far from my office. I’ll meet you there at six thirty.”
Rosalia studied Steve as he walked toward her table. The years had treated him well. He was a little thicker, a little softer, but hadn’t let himself go the way college athletes often did. His face was more mature, a few creases in the corners of his eyes and around his mouth. But his blond hair was untouched by gray, and his golden-brown eyes were bright as he studied her in return.
She let him look. She could still fit into the jeans she’d worn in college, if she ever wore jeans any more. Her business suit was expensive and custom tailored, her makeup subtle and flawless, her jewelry understated but genuine. Her hair had been cut by a stylist whose clientele included politicians and movie stars. She was on her way up in the world, and she presented herself accordingly. Whatever motley collection of cut-rate fortune tellers Steve had fallen in with would never be able to afford her.
Steve smiled charmingly as he seated himself across from her. “You’re even more lovely than I remembered, Rosalia.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Apparently he’d overcome the nerves that had afflicted him during their call, because he was all smooth confidence as he picked up his menu. “Hope you like authentic Mexican food, because you won’t get any Cal-Mex or Tex-Mex here.”
“I’m sure it will be delicious. What do you recommend?” Steve leafed through the pages, perusing them idly.
She pointed out a few of her favorite dishes, and they discussed the merits of beef versus chicken. By the time they’d both settled on a choice and placed their orders with the waiter, the tension between them had eased to the point Rosalia felt ready to broach the real subject. She sipped her water, set it down, and folded her hands in her lap. “All right, Steve. Tell me what happened to change your mind about psychic powers.”
He grinned sheepishly at her. “I suppose you want the whole story? I’d much prefer to skip the embarrassing bits and get straight to the part where I look good.”
“Oh, no. I want every juicy detail.” Obviously with a setup like that he wasn’t actually reluctant to tell her anything.
He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “I could tell you what happened with words. But if you’d rather, I can share my memory with you telepathically. It’s not hard when you know how.”
“It won’t take long. I expect we’ll be done before our food arrives.” He extended his hands toward her, palms up.
She both longed for and feared the intimacy of shared minds. Considering their history, she should probably avoid telepathic contact with him altogether. But how could she do that, when the whole reason for this meeting was for him to demonstrate his new acceptance of his psychic powers? If they were going to communicate telepathically, it was a good idea to do it for the first time in a public place, where it couldn’t lead to anything more. Not immediately, at least. Not without a chance for her to come to her senses and back out.
“All right.” She set her hands on top of his. Even though she’d braced herself for the contact, the touch of his skin on hers sent a jolt like an electric shock racing through her body. Judging by his indrawn breath, it had a similar effect on him.
His fingers closed around hers. “It started out like any other session with a test subject. I didn’t notice anything different about Mathieu until Brendan brought me his results.”
The image of an answer booklet filled with precisely reproduced pictures appeared before her eyes. The memory filled her mind until she was experiencing it with him, minute by minute, word by word, emotion by emotion. Enthralled, she absorbed the whole experience.
When it was over, she blinked and the present came back into focus. She shook her head in wonder. “Aliens? The dragons in your visions were aliens?”
“They are aliens. According to my most recent vision, they remain on course to arrive in seven years. The Covenant is shifting into expansion mode. We’re recruiting every psychic we can find. That’s why I had to contact you, along with the rest of my test subjects. Especially the ones who realized I was blocking them.”
She pulled her hands away and rubbed her eyes. “This is all pretty overwhelming.”
“It was for me, too. It hits everyone hard. Actually, you have an advantage over most people because you already know about psychic powers.” He sat back in his chair, watching her with earnest concern. “There’s no rush. You can think about it as much as you want before you make any decision.”
Just then, the waiter arrived with their entrees. Rosalia was grateful for the distraction. She focused on her plate and ate in silence, struggling to cope with the new information.
For some reason, she had no doubt whatsoever that Steve was telling the truth. She supposed it was because she’d seen the dragons in a vision, too. Her visions always came true, one way or another. Shocking as this revelation was, she felt as if she’d always known it, somehow. As if all her life she’d been waiting for her real destiny, her real purpose, to make itself known. And this was it.
She chewed a bite and swallowed it. “When the aliens arrive, everyone on Earth will find out about them. And about your Covenant.”
Steve put down his fork. “And about psychic powers. That they’ve been real all along.”
Rosalia felt dizzy. “That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
“I know.”
“Except I’d given up ever seeing it happen. But you’re telling me it’s not only possible, but inevitable. Seven years from now, the whole world will be forced to acknowledge that our abilities really exist.”
“That’s right.”
“Whether I join you or not.”
He pushed a piece of steak around his plate with his fork. “Yes. But the Covenant needs you, Rosalia. Your powers are strong, and you’re already skilled in their use.”
“Not as strong as yours, though. Otherwise I would have been able to break through your block the way Mathieu did.”
He shrugged and looked to the side. “Apparently my talents are among the strongest in the Covenant right now.”
She gave him a crooked smile. “I’m not surprised. I got an up close and personal experience of exactly how strong you are.”
“Yes.” Steve swallowed. “Rosalia, I won’t lie to you. That night with you was the most incredible of my life. I bitterly regret the way it ended, even more so now that I know the truth about what happened. I was an ass, and I treated you horribly. You have every right in the world to tell me to go to hell. But please, don’t let what happened with me stop you from joining the Covenant. You need them, and they need you. You never have to speak to me again after tonight if you don’t want to. I’ll give your contact information to the recruiters and they can handle your training. I’ll make sure you’re assigned duties that fall under one of the other members of the Eight’s jurisdiction. I’ll stay far away, I promise.”
“So you did take Mathieu’s place?”
“He gave me his medallion a month before he died.” Steve’s voice was heavy.
“Oh. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Rosalia suppressed an urge to reach out and stroke his cheek.
He waved away her concern with a sad smile. “I didn’t know Mathieu for long, but in that short time he taught me an immense amount. I only hope I’m able to live up to his legacy.”
“Could I see it? The medallion, I mean? If you have it with you.”
Steve hesitated a moment, then shrugged. He drew a gold disk from his pocket. “I always keep it with me. Here.”
He pressed the heavy medallion into her hand. It looked just as it had in the memory, although its gleam was softer in the dim lights of the restaurant than it had been under the harsh fluorescent bulbs in Steve’s office. Bands of colored stones arced across it, forming the Covenant’s eponymous rainbow. Ridges of gold formed the taut bowstring and nocked arrow.
She traced the band of shimmering gems with the tip of one finger. “So you went straight to the top. I guess they don’t care about experience or paying your dues or proving your loyalty. Only raw power.”
He looked uncomfortable. “Pretty much.”
She closed her fingers around the gold. “Am I strong enough to aspire to one of these?”
He looked away. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see where you are after your training is complete.”
“Come on. You’ve got a pretty good idea of my strength. How do I compare to the rest of the Eight? Am I close enough to earn a place among them eventually?”
He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Um… probably not.”
At least he was honest. “If I stay with my current employer, there’s a real chance I can work my way up to CEO someday. I don’t think it makes much sense for me to leave a job with unlimited potential for one where I’ll never make it past the glass ceiling.”
“For your career, maybe not.” He finally looked straight at her again. “But this is about the future of Earth. It won’t matter how close you are to the top if your company falls apart along with the rest of civilization because the Covenant wasn’t strong enough to keep the Seraphim from flooding the planet.”
“But I’d be in a position to lead them through the chaos. There could be great opportunities for a company that was prepared for the upheaval, especially if it was guided by precognition.”
“Is that what you want to do? Get rich while millions of people die?” His voice was heavy with sarcasm and judgment.
No, but she certainly couldn’t admit it after that taunt. “It sounds a hell of a lot better than enlisting as a grunt in a psychic war. I value my life too much to put myself at the mercy of generals chosen because the muscles in their brains were thicker than anyone else’s.”
“That’s not—” Steve swallowed hard and shook his head. His fists clenched. “Please, just give the Covenant a chance. You don’t have to make a commitment until you’ve seen all the Memories and gone through the first stage of training. Until then we can work around your schedule. You can meet with your mentor on evenings and weekends. Only if you decide you’re willing to make your vows to the Covenant would we ask you to quit your current job and go full time with HBQ.”
“Vows? What is this, some sort of cult?”
“No. But we do require members to take vows of loyalty an
d commitment to our cause. That goes back all the way to the founding of the Covenant eight thousand years ago.”
“Eight thousand—” Mathieu had mentioned the number in Steve’s memory, but it hadn’t sunk in. Thinking about the vast sweep of history contained in Steve’s casual remark left Rosalia breathless.
“That’s right. You’ll learn all about it when you see the Memories.”
She couldn’t make a good decision based on incomplete information. “All right. I’m not promising anything, but I do want to see these Memories and do the training you talked about. Scheduled around my job, the way you said.”
His smile was so brilliant Rosalia felt as if she were staring into the sun. “Great. I’ll get your first session set up as soon as possible. Can you start tomorrow evening?”
“Sure.” She didn’t have any plans she’d have to cancel. She’d been pouring so much time and energy into her work she hadn’t had much of a personal life for months. “Not tonight?”
He glanced at his watch. “I can take you by our LA office, but all the trainers will have gone home already.”
“You’re not going to train me?” Irrational disappointment made Rosalia’s heart sink.
“I can’t. I’ve got too many other duties right now. Besides, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Not if you want me to keep my distance.”
“I never said I did.” Rosalia looked at him, then away. “I might be willing to give you a chance to make up for what you did last time. Eventually.”
Steve’s voice was grave and sincere. “I’d be very glad of the opportunity.”
Rosalia turned her attention back to her plate. “I would like to see your office tonight. Let’s get done here so we can go by before it’s too late.”
Steve agreed. When they finished their meals, Rosalia insisted on splitting the check. Just as he had eight years before, Steve agreed without arguing. Rosalia wondered if he remembered that part of that evening as clearly as she did. Surely he couldn’t have forgotten a moment of what followed, any more than she had.
