He let the cards fall to the floor.
He picked up the coffee table leg and found himself inside the head of the man who’d been knocked out. He dropped the leg.
Merrick systematically made his way around the room until he found what he was looking for. He stumbled upon the impression by accident. After gleaming nothing for so long he started to run his hands along every surface, skimming the surfaces faintly to see if they held what he was looking for. It was next to the mini fridge that Merrick came across a section of the side table where Joel had rested his hand.
“They got away,” he told Sydney. He ran his fingers over the wood again. “Joel stood here, surveying the others, amazed that they’d fought so fiercely. He was also worried about you. Us,” he corrected when he realized Joel had thought of Merrick’s safety. And didn’t that feel like a punch to the gut? You repay the man who saved you and is worried for you by making attempts on his girlfriend? Fucking asshole. That’s what he was.
Sydney got to her feet. “Anything else?”
Merrick pulled his thoughts back to where they needed to be. “They made a run for it, somewhere public where they can hide in plain sight. He’ll try to contact you as soon as possible.”
“Maybe that’s why his phone is turned off,” she thought aloud. “He wants to conserve battery power because he didn’t have sufficient time to charge it.”
“Could be,” he ceded. He listened for the sound of vacuuming. It was closer but they still had time. “You should shower,” he told her. “We need to wash as much of the fragrance off our skin as possible. We’ll probably need new clothes too if we want to stay one step ahead of Regina.”
“I have just the thing,” Sydney said brightly as if remembering something. She dove over the second bed and pulled out two luggage containers from beneath. “I forgot about these. Joel wouldn’t have had time to take our things with him.” She pulled out a nice pair of khaki pants and a white shirt that she laid a green sweater over.
A few seconds later she was digging through Joel’s things. She threw Merrick a pair of jeans and a long sleeve button-up that was dark blue. She tossed him a black jacket as well.
“The shirt and jacket should fit you okay but if the pants are too big there’s a belt in here too.” She pulled out said belt before disappearing into the bathroom where Merrick distinctly heard the lock being engaged.
He forced his eyes back to the clothing that had been laid out for him and refused to let his mind wander to where it wanted: specifically the shower, where Sydney would be wet and naked.
His cock stiffened painfully. He groaned and dropped down onto the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
Why did his thoughts always come back to her?
The water started in the bathroom.
Merrick steeled himself. You will not think about another man’s woman, he ordered himself.
He owed it to Joel. The man had done nothing to warrant this kind of treatment. If the man was a rat bastard then this would be easier, but from everything Merrick had seen, Joel was nothing but an upstanding citizen with a super hero complex and a love of all things nerdy.
By the time Sydney finished with her shower Merrick had a raging hard-on that he was desperate to relieve.
Once in the privacy of the bathroom he took care of business, all the while convincing himself the blonde that he envisioned was not Sydney.
He came with a muffled groan and put his hand out in front of him to brace himself against the side of the shower. The back of his neck tingled. His palm touched the smooth imitation marble and he found himself inside Sydney’s head.
She was running her hands over her soapy body.
Merrick’s mouth instantly went dry, he grew erect once again.
Pull away, he commanded himself.
In a second …
Her hands circled her breasts, a fleeting thought of how small they were. She gently squeezed them. Her thoughts swirled with worry over the others but in the forefront were thoughts about … him.
Merrick could hardly breathe.
She squeezed her breasts again, wondering if Merrick would find them too small, wondering what his hands would feel like on them …
“Fucking hell,” he muttered harshly.
He ripped his hand away from the wall. Arousal rode him so hard he thought he might die from it.
There was a tentative knock on the door. “Merrick,” her beautiful voice called through the wood. “Are you almost done? The vacuuming is getting closer.”
He cleared his throat. “I’ll be out in a second.” He thrust the shower knob all the way over to cold. Freezing water pelted him. He forced his head under the spray.
She wants you just as much as you want her.
He shook the thought away.
He curled his hands into fists, cursing his powers. He hadn’t asked to see inside of Sydney’s head.
But you did. Now what are you going to do?
Nothing, he thought vehemently.
Sydney’s inner thoughts meant nothing. They didn’t change their current circumstances; all his knowledge did was torment him. Now he knew that she harbored feelings for him — feelings that she would never act on.
She’d never be his.
Chapter 10
“Is everything all right?” Sydney asked Merrick as they made their way out of the hotel.
He’d been more tense and silent than usual. She was willing to move past their argument, but maybe he was still upset about it?
His hands sank deeper into Joel’s jean pockets. “I’m fine,” he said.
She’d been surprised at how well Joel’s clothing had fit him. The entire outfit gave him a rugged, hard edged look that she found very distracting.
“I’m sorry for trying to spray you with Joel’s cologne,” she said. She had been trying to help disguise his scent but Merrick growled when she caught him on the arm with the stuff. She didn’t know what the big deal was. Joel’s cologne smelled good, but if that’s what was upsetting him then she wanted to make amends. They were all each other had right now — they needed to clear the air so they could go back to the way things were before.
“I already told you that you don’t have to apologize. It was a good idea but Regina might already have that scent memorized.”
Her phone went off in her back pocket. She fumbled for it. “H-hello? Joel?”
“Syd! You’re all right.”
Sydney’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I’m fine. Are you okay? What about the others? How’s Luke holding up?”
Joel chuckled. “Easy, Syd, they’re all fine. Damn strong bunch of kids if you ask me. We were like the Fantastic Four.”
Sydney rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. “Where are you now?”
“We’re at a library. I got in contact with an old hacker friend of mine who is getting us some fake IDs for our little refugees and then I’m booking us flights home. We need to get the hell out of dodge, or in this case Nor Cal.”
“Are there any open flights that leave today?” The sooner they got back home the better. Not only would they be further away from Regina, but they’d be able to start looking for Kevin’s journal.
The sound of a keyboard clicking traveled through the phone. “There’s a flight to John Wayne that leaves in an hour but there are only four vacancies.”
“You should take it.”
“What?”
Sydney pulled the phone away from her ear at his outburst. “Merrick and I can catch the next flight after you. But you need to get the others out of here. Every second we spend up here is more time for Regina to find us.”
“How am I going to give you Merrick’s fake ID?”
“You can leave it with someone.”
Joel grumbled something under his breath. “You know I hate leaving you, right?”
Her heart twisted in her chest. Unable to help herself, her eyes flickered to Merrick. “I know,” she said.
“Hey, I have an id
ea. What if you met up with us and then we could send Merrick along with the others. You and I can stay behind and catch the next flight.”
There was absolutely no reason for her to argue with his logic. It was doable. It made perfect sense. And yet …
She wanted Joel to travel with the others.
She felt like the world’s biggest heel.
“We might not make it to you in time.” She found the excuse slipping off her tongue. “We’ll meet you at the airport and see what happens, okay?”
“Copy that, Gold Leader,” he said.
She hung up with him and put her phone away.
Merrick came up next to her. The heat and masculine smell of him tantalized her. “So we’re off to the airport?”
She couldn’t look him in the eye. She nodded.
• • •
“I can’t believe you went back for this stuff.” Merrick nudged his elbow into the back of the car seat to signal the trunk where Sydney and Joel’s luggage was safely stored.
Sydney shrugged. “We’re just going to the airport and it seemed foolish to leave all that clothes behind.”
“You know,” Merrick leaned over to say to her. “Whoever is left behind could drive down.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “That’s like an eight hour drive.”
“It goes fast if you keep changing drivers. It beats waiting in an airport where we can be Tracked and trapped.”
“You really think Regina would attack at an airport?”
His gaze was level. “I think Regina will do whatever Vander orders her to do. And Vander sure as fuck is crazy enough to attack in a public place if he really wants me, which I’m guessing he does.”
She shook her head. “We’ll fly. It’s faster.” Something nagged at the back of her mind. “Did you see Vander here, in San Francisco?”
“He was there a few days ago when he interrogated me. It could have been the same day you came and broke us out.”
Sydney digested that bit of information. “What did he look like?” She knew the authorities were still on the lookout for him, but did that mean they’d informed all the police stations across the nation?
“Older. He’s been holding back with his powers, hasn’t sucked the life out of many people lately which is causing him to age quickly. If I had to guess I’d say he looked around late fifties.”
Sydney suppressed a shiver at the mention of Vander’s ability. She’d heard about it from Cali and was eternally grateful she hadn’t experienced it firsthand. “That’s at least a twenty-five year difference than what the media images portray him as. He’d be able to go out in broad daylight and no one would know the difference.”
“Don’t worry,” said Merrick. “I doubt he’s going to be in the thick of things. He can’t risk using his powers and becoming younger. We’ll be safe from him personally, at least for a little bit.”
• • •
Jente Mitchell watched, invisible, from the backyard as Cali fussed around the kitchen.
Something was bothering her. She kept pacing, her dark hair pulled back. Her tall, lean build was encased in black tights and an off the shoulder sweater. She looked absolutely stunning.
He hadn’t been able to visit her for a while due to the busy schedule Vander had him on. Now he’d have to watch from afar with no idea as to why she was agitated. Was it because of her “soul mate,” Felix?
Trouble in paradise? One could only hope.
Through the glass back door he saw the front door open. Felix entered, running a hand through his hair.
Cali rushed over to him.
Jente felt a pang of jealousy. Would there ever be a time when a woman would run to be by his side?
They stood together talking.
Boring.
He could sneak closer and try to hear what they were saying but he didn’t risk it. Cali had developed the uncanny ability to sense when someone else was near and now that her powers were at their maximum she’d be able to hear his heartbeat a mile away. It didn’t matter if he was invisible or not.
His pants pocket vibrated.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID.
He sighed and picked up. “What?”
“There’s been a change of plans.” Vander’s voice was tight with irritation. Good. Bastard deserved it. “You won’t be flying up. In fact, I need you to monitor the John Wayne airport and keep a look out. I’m sending you an e-mail with pictures of the targets. I need you to follow them.” Vander hung up on him.
Jente growled low in his throat and a second later his phone pinged, alerting him of a new e-mail. He opened the attachment and flipped through the pictures.
Well, well, well …
It looked like Cali’s little guild just kept digging themselves deeper and deeper into Vander’s business. No wonder the man was so pissed off.
• • •
Sydney spotted Cali waiting for them by the baggage claim. She waved, the silver bracelets on her wrists clinking together with the movement. She was dressed in regular Cali fashion: dark blue jeggings, black boots, and a white t-shirt. Her dark hair was pulled back, her side bangs framing the side of her face.
Sydney gazed out of the corner of her eye at Merrick and she couldn’t help but wonder, did he prefer his women tall and leggy?
His expression gave nothing away, leaving her to ponder the idea.
They’d missed Joel and the others at the airport but were able to catch the next available flight. Merrick had insisted on walking around the airport the entire time they’d waited for their flight. Sydney’s legs had wanted to fall off.
The plane ride had been heaven. She’d never wanted to sit more in her life. She’d even dozed off and woke up with her head propped against Merrick’s shoulder. She had apologized profusely but he hadn’t seemed to mind.
“Hey,” Cali greeted when they reached her. “Everyone else is waiting.”
“They made it okay?” Sydney asked.
“Of course,” she said to Sydney before she turned her attention to Merrick. She eyed him up and down with her obsidian gaze. “It’s nice to finally see you out of that hell hole,” Cali said.
Merrick did his own head to toe evaluation. “I know you,” he said. “You’re the one that Vander tried to get to love him.”
Cali stiffened. Her head whipped to Sydney as if to ask if she had told him about her time with Vander.
Sydney shook her head. It wasn’t me.
“You know,” Cali said at last, “it seriously creeps me out when you guys seem to already know me without actually knowing me.”
Merrick’s lips curled into a small smile. “Tell me about it.”
They followed Cali out of the airport to Felix’s white Hummer.
“Where is everyone else?” Sydney asked.
Merrick climbed into the back seat and Sydney nearly followed him. She stopped herself at the last second and hurriedly made her way over to the passenger seat.
Cali started up the behemoth of a car. “Everyone is at Felix’s. We didn’t realize it was going to be such a slumber party. A little warning would have been nice.”
“Didn’t Joel tell you we were bringing back some people?”
Cali gave her an arched look. “He said people, not kids. You know that Hazel girl is only nineteen?”
Sydney winced. “Was she taken from her house?”
Cali shrugged as she merged onto the freeway. “She doesn’t really talk all that much. Unlike Juliet.” She shuddered.
Sydney laughed.
“So what’s your story?” Cali asked as she stared Merrick down through the rearview mirror.
“Well, I’m not a kid if that’s what you’re asking. I’m thirty, a PI, and want to crush Vander like a fucking cockroach.”
Cali nodded. “I like it. You got a name, Mr. PI slash Vander killer?”
“Merrick Haskell.”
“Cali Crazar.” She flipped the blinker to exit the freeway. “Nice to meet you.
I think we’ll get along swimmingly.”
They pulled into Felix’s driveway. It was well into the evening. All the lights inside were blazing.
When Sydney entered the house she realized Cali had been right. It looked exactly like a slumber party. Sleeping bags were thrown on the floor of Felix’s living room. There were bowls of popcorn, chips, and pretzels everywhere and the distinct smell of pizza wafted from the adjoined kitchen.
Sydney made a beeline for the kitchen. Now that she knew Joel was safe she could take care of some more basic urges. Like hunger. Felix was behind the counter, a piece of pizza in his hand. Felix was the only guy in the world that she knew of who looked good with a five o’clock shadow. He smiled when he caught sight of her, but she noticed the small bags under his blue and green eyes. His bronze skin was looking a little pale too.
She frowned. “Everything okay?”
He saluted her with his pizza slice. “Busy week.”
She nodded and moved closer to the open pizza box. “Tom’s?” she asked hopefully. Tom’s Pizzeria was a few stores down from her clinic and offered the best pizza around.
He closed the lid so she could read the fast food chain name. “Sorry,” he said around a mouthful of pizza. “We tried to get Niella to order us one but she refused to go over there.”
One day Sydney was going to unearth the reason behind why Niella avoided Tom’s like the plague.
That day wasn’t today.
She snatched a piece of pizza and turned, nearly running face first into Merrick’s chest. His warm hands settled on her shoulders, steadying her. She gazed up into those ice blue eyes, her mouth dry. “Sorry,” she managed to squeak out.
“It was my fault, I was too busy following my nose to watch where I was going.”
“Help yourself.” Felix held out the pizza box to him. “We ordered plenty. I’m Felix, by the way, Felix Del Valle.”
Merrick released Sydney but he still remained where he was, which meant he was only a few inches away from her. She could feel the heat from him, her body hyperaware of his.
Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart Page 9
