Silver Fire (Guardians)

by Victoria Paige

  “Sophie!” Derek shouted as he used the walls to guide him down the hallway. His head was still spinning and his vision was shifting in angles making him want to throw up. “It’s not what you think!” And even to his ears, that sounded lame.

  “Screw you, Derek!” Sophie yelled back. “You almost fooled me, you’ll always be a manwhore! It’s encoded in your damned DNA!” She jabbed the call button repeatedly. “Where’s the damned elevator?”

  When he got near them, he tried to reach for her, but Beth beaned him with her purse.

  “Don’t you fucking touch her, you filthy bastard! And to think I was on your side!” Beth shouted acidly.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Derek muttered, still absorbing what was happening and what had happened.

  “What’s wrong, Lockwood was you got hammered and went home with that skank,” Beth spat in disgust.

  “Sophie, please listen to me.” He was going to beg. But fuck, his mind was blank, and he couldn’t explain how he had gotten from A to B, and the evidence was so damning. Derek felt naked fear rising from his throat. He tried to reach for Sophie again.

  Taggart blocked him and shoved him against the wall.

  “Damn you, Taggart!” Derek swore as he tried to push back, but his limbs felt rubbery.

  Taggart kept him pinned against the wall until the elevator opened. Sophie couldn’t wait to scramble in fast enough.

  “Angel, please don’t go. We can discuss this—”

  “I’m done. We’re over,” Sophie cut him off, her voice flat and rife with finality.

  “Sophie,” Derek choked in defeat as her beautiful gray eyes, brimming now with contempt, disappeared from his view when the elevator doors slid shut.

  He stood in front of the elevators for a while before staggering back to his condo. The door was wide open with Layla standing uncertainly in the middle of the living room.

  “Get out, Layla.”

  “Derek—”

  “Get out! Before I throw you out!” Derek roared.

  Layla did not need to be told again. She quickly disappeared from the condo.

  Derek pulled out his phone from his tuxedo jacket’s inside pocket. He laughed bitterly when he saw Sophie’s text messages. His chest was caving in. How could he fix this? He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t fucking lose her.

  He called Jack.

  “Derek? Where did you go? Your limo driver—”

  “I fucked up.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know man. I fucked up.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Condo.”

  “I’ll send your driver home. Maia and I will be there in fifteen.”

  Derek sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands. He had never felt more defeated in his life.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Sophie stared at the blur of buildings as their car traveled back to AGS. Derek wouldn’t stop calling her phone, so she turned it off. He started calling Beth and Taggart too. Her friend turned her phone off while Taggart had his switched to silent. After her emotional breakdown by the elevators, she had nothing more to give. She was tapped out. The events of the past two weeks had finally caught up with her. She realized it had been Derek all along pulling her through. Now that he had betrayed her in the most painful way, she was left with nothing. She was exhausted. She just wanted to curl up, close her eyes and not wake up until fate dealt her a kinder hand.

  “You OK, baby girl?” Beth asked as she reached out to stroke her cheek.

  “Resigned,” Sophie whispered as she looked at Beth sadly. “I make the worst choices in men, don’t I?”

  “Oh, sweetie...” Beth replied, tilting her head and pursing her lips.

  Sophie cringed at her friend’s unusually gentle tone—and her lack of a comeback. Which meant her statement rang true. Sophie sure knew how to pick them. Or maybe it was the other way around and the asshole men could spot a gullible her from a mile away.

  When will she ever learn?

  “Why did I even think I was enough for the likes of Derek?” Sophie said morosely. “Men like him need women like Layla Robinson. Not an insipid, shapeless nerd in a lab coat.”

  “You are not insipid!” Beth countered angrily. “Don’t you ever put yourself down like that again.”

  “Lockwood is a fucking idiot,” Taggart growled from the driver’s seat. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

  “Thanks, Taggart,” Sophie mumbled, but tears stung her eyes again. Everyone was rallying around her. That should make her feel better, but it didn’t. Because the one person she wanted had his penis in another woman’s mouth. She had allowed another man to crush her heart again, shredding her self-esteem in the process. He had not been taken away from her, she just wasn’t enough woman for him.

  “It’s OK to cry, Sophie,” Beth said softly.

  “Not wasting another tear on that jerk,” Sophie said, but her scratchy voice belied her words. “But my life sucks. Honestly, how much worse can it get?”

  The words had barely left her mouth when a car slammed into them from the left. Sophie could hear screaming and she was not sure if it was hers or Beth’s. After the jarring from the initial impact stopped, Sophie tried to clear the cobwebs from her head. She felt like she had gotten tossed around in a rollercoaster. She was not wearing a seatbelt and ended up on the floor of the car, Beth half on top of her.

  “Beth, are you OK? Taggart?” Sophie shrieked in panic. She heard her friend groan.

  “I think I hit my head somewhere,” Beth mumbled. “Oh. Am I too heavy, Sophie?”

  “Um. Yeah. Taggart?”

  No response.

  “Taggart!”

  They heard the breaking of glass followed by two gunshots.

  “Oh my god, oh my god,” Sophie repeated over and over, goosebumps creeping all over her body. This was how she was dying, a gunshot through the head. Beth froze above her too. The women stared at each other, the million emotions in Beth’s eyes probably reflecting her own: fear, despair, outrage and sorrow. Then the back passenger door across from them flew open and Beth was hauled off her.

  “Don’t hurt her!” Sophie shouted angrily, momentarily forgetting her terror.

  A man, who looked faintly familiar, leaned into the car and rested one knee on the seat. He looked over her critically as if making sure she was not hurt, then he gently pulled her up. “Finally, my beauty, I have you.”

  Sophie felt a chill run through her body as his words disclosed who held her captive. Justin Bishop. A man of many disguises. The man who stole her research. Her stalker. Polly’s killer. She had spoken too soon. Things just got worse.

  ***

  Derek didn’t know how long he was out, but when he woke up, it was like he had consumed an entire bottle of whiskey. He had the hangover from hell. He recognized the industrial looking medical bay at AGS. He got up from a bunk bed and tore off the IV that was giving him some fluids—much help that had been.

  When Jack and Maia turned up at his condo, he was barely coherent. The initial adrenaline rush that had helped him fight against the haze wore off and he was left with a very bad trip. There was no question—he had been drugged. His friends immediately whisked him off to AGS and he had passed out. Sophie. The events of the previous night made him flinch. She should be here.

  He was thankful that the dizziness had subsided, and he could walk steadily. He was still wearing his trousers, but the nurse had removed his dress shirt. Viktor kept a small team on retainer to supervise the medical facility. Odd gunshot wounds, broken bones and other non-life threatening injuries were treated here to keep missions under radar. Dr. Lance Henderson caught him getting up.

  “Where do you think you’re going, Lockwood?”

  “Sophie, Dr. Leroux,” Derek muttered. “She should be at the bunker.”

  “She’s not there,” Maia said behind Lance. “How are you feeling?”

  “Worse hangover ever.”

 
; “Have a seat, Derek,” Dr. Henderson said.

  Derek did not care for his tone as if he were about to tell him some bad news. But he ignored the doctor when Maia’s words finally sunk in. “What do you mean she’s not there? Where else should she be?”

  Maia sighed. “Apparently, after getting everyone all in a panic—we couldn’t get hold of Sophie, Taggart and Beth—we called Stephen. He said Sophie had called him last night and said she and Beth were going away for a few days. They’re taking Taggart, of course.”

  “What?” Derek said disbelievingly. “What?” He repeated. How dare she run away from him?

  Not wanting to be ignored any longer, Dr. Henderson firmly guided Derek to a high swivel chair and sat him down.

  “Your drug test came back with an alarming cocktail of controlled substances.”

  “I knew that, Doc,” Derek said impatiently. So, Layla roofied him. That was the least of his worries right now.

  “It wasn’t just Rohypnol, there were also traces of Sildenafil citrate.”

  “Oh my,” Maia gasped and tried to hide a grin.

  Derek glanced sharply at the doctor. “Is that—”

  “Viagra.”

  “What the fuck?” Derek cursed. What the hell was Layla trying to do? Fuck him to death? Maia started choking with laughter. “I’m not finding this funny, Maia.”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Derek said, shifting his attention back to the doctor. “I remembered most of what happened last night. I thought Rohypnol was an amnesiac drug.”

  “As I said it’s a blend of different drugs and it appeared to be a specialized dosage. Not something that would have been thrown together in some smoky backroom,” Dr. Henderson explained. “You guys haven’t heard of any new street drug, have you?”

  Maia shook her head. “How did Layla get you out of the Manor and back to your condo?”

  Derek massaged his throbbing temple. He’d probably have a chat with the condo’s security and give them a piece of his mind. Exhaling deeply, he said, “No fucking clue. She probably roped in one of Daddy’s bodyguards. Anything else, Doc?”

  “Take it easy today, take lots of fluids. The Rohypnol is still in your system. If you kept the IV on, the electrolytes would have helped,” Dr. Henderson chided. He walked to the sliding doors. “See you around, Lockwood.”

  “Hope not, Doc,” Derek called after him as he glared at Maia who was still trying to contain her laughter.

  “If you knew what clusterfuck happened last night, you wouldn’t be laughing,” Derek said tersely.

  “Jack and I couldn’t make out your blabbering,” Maia said. “You said Layla was giving you a blowjob and then—”

  “Sophie walked in,” Derek said.

  “Shit,” Maia said, her face sobering. “That is messed up.”

  “Do you know where they went?”

  “Stephen didn’t share. He actually didn’t feel like sharing. Obviously, Sophie had explained to him what had happened and they were closing ranks around her. Now, Viktor has to explain Taggart’s absence to the CIA. They’re the ones who hired him from one of our contractors. He should have known better than to have two women talk him into going on a vacation. He should have checked in with AGS. Unfortunately, his phone is not one of ours and if the women convinced him to take the battery out, it’s untraceable.”

  Sophie probably turned her big gray eyes on him. If not Sophie, Beth Turner had a way of bulldozing even the toughest of agents. And after witnessing his supposed douchebaggery, Sophie definitely had the man’s sympathy.

  “Can’t you track the car? It’s AGS issued, right?”

  “They’ve taken out the transponder. Found it in a gas station in New Park City.” Maia looked exasperated. “Your girlfriend is a pain in the ass. Couldn’t you just have picked a dumb blonde?”

  Derek smiled faintly. His heart ached from missing Sophie desperately.

  “Are you pressing charges against Layla?” Maia asked.

  “What’s the point? It’ll only end up in the tabloids,” Derek said with distaste. “But she better stay away from me. And if Sophie never forgives me...”

  Derek exhaled deeply. Sophie didn’t have a choice. He was not giving her up.

  ***

  Sophie studied her room closely. The windows had been boarded up—whether from wear or on purpose she didn’t know. It was a very old house; some of the floorboards were suspect. And the walls permeated with the smell of mold, mildew and tobacco. At least her bed had a new mattress with clean sheets. There were some clothes folded neatly in a corner. The attached bathroom had no running water, instead there was a big drum with an empty bucket beside it. Looked like someone had scrubbed the filth off before she arrived judging by the strong odor of bleach.

  The door knob rattled. Sophie tensed as she watched it turn. Justin walked in. He smiled at her, but his smile did not reach his eyes. Sophie might call the smile charming but unfortunately, right now, it made her skin crawl. “How are you, my dear?”

  “Look, I don’t know what you want from me,” Sophie said. “But I really need to know how my friend is.”

  “Ms. Turner is fine. And she won’t be harmed if—”

  “If?”

  “If you do exactly as I tell you.”

  Sophie sucked in a breath and trembled slightly. Justin frowned and moved into the room. When he raised a hand to touch her face, she flinched. His mouth tightened as he dropped his hand.

  “I won’t hurt you, my sweet Sophie.”

  “But you would hurt my friend.”

  “To keep you in line.”

  “What? What are you going to do to me?” Sophie was almost afraid to ask.

  Justin eyes drifted to the bed behind her and she swallowed hard. No, please no, kill her now, Sophie prayed.

  “You know what I want,” Justin murmured as he stepped closer.

  Sophie tried a different tactic so she glared at him. “I think I know what you want,” she said icily. “But what if it’s not what I want.”

  Justin’s face was impassive, but the the twitching in his jaw revealed his anger. He firmly grasped Sophie’s chin and said, “There is some mulishness about you I need to tame. This challenge you present will give me great pleasure.”

  “I am not challenging you.”

  He smirked as he walked to the door. “Morgan, you can bring it in.”

  The big man called Morgan walked in, carrying two buckets of steaming water. He went to the bathroom and proceeded to pour them into a big rain bucket that stood in the shower.

  “You’ll have to excuse the facilities, my dear,” Justin murmured as Morgan left the room. His eyes swept the length of her body. “Now, strip.”

  “Not on your life,” Sophie said indignantly.

  Justin stalked toward her and yanked her hair, causing her to yelp. He was only slightly taller than her, so they were almost eye to eye.

  “You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” Sophie whispered to him.

  “I define the limits of what is considered ‘hurt.’ I am merely disciplining you,” Justin said and without another word, he tore off the front of her blouse, sending buttons flying everywhere. Sophie screamed, Justin released her. His face turned red, his fists balled at his sides.

  “Now—Strip!” he roared.

  Sophie started dry-sobbing, she was shaking so hard as she started to peel off her clothing. She left her bra and panties on.

  “Everything,” Justin said and his eyes started flaring with lust. Sophie twisted a little and unhooked her bra. Before she knew it, Justin was before her as his gaze ran down the length of her body.

  “You are beautiful,” he murmured. He ran the pad of his thumb against one nipple as he sucked in a breath. He kneeled in front of her, kissing her just below her belly button. Sophie squeezed her eyes shut as she felt him kiss lower and lower and then he stopped. He threaded his fingers through her panties and pulled them down, helping her step out of them.

  He stood up and started n
uzzling her neck, nipping her shoulder and inhaling her scent. He cupped her bare breasts and squeezed lightly. When his lips reached her ear, he kept them there for a while before exhaling deeply. “Go clean up, Sophie, before the water gets cold.”

  Without another word, Justin turned around and left the room.

  ***

  “I’m really not up for company,” Derek sighed when Jack came through the door, holding a bag of Chinese takeout. He had been nursing his hangover all day and just when he thought he was over it, Jack buzzed him on the intercom telling him he had brought a migraine-inducing dinner.

  “Chinese food isn’t exactly the best remedy for a hangover you know,” Derek continued when Jack ignored him and prowled into the kitchen.

  “My wife is working on a Sunday,” Jack told him. “Your woman is on vacation because she’s pissed at you. Wait. No. She’s probably planning your funeral because she caught you with your dick in another woman’s mouth.” Jack shuddered dramatically. “I’m really feeling sorry for you man.”

  “Are you?” Derek asked sarcastically. He was still not finding this funny even if his friends apparently did.

  “Yeah. That’s why I’m keeping you company. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to cook for shit and since Maia is busy, I brought take-out,” Jack replied as he shoved a container of food at him. “Get me a beer, will you?”

  “Don’t want to hurt your feelings man, but I’d really prefer Sophie’s company to yours right now,” Derek said. He couldn’t get the scene from last night out of his head. Sophie’s face cringing at what she had seen was forever etched in his mind, as he was certain the scene of him and Layla together was stamped in hers. He needed her to be here. He needed to know that they were going to be okay, that they could get past this.

  “You need to let her calm down,” Jack said, reading his mind correctly.

  “The crazy thing is, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Derek countered. “She needs to know what happened. I don’t want her overanalyzing if she was enough woman for me or why we weren’t having sex—”

  “No sex?” Jack frowned. “Are you sure Sophie and you are—”