Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2)

by Tina Folsom

  To her surprise, he chuckled. “I guess it must look like that. But it’s not. I cloaked myself.”

  “Cloaked? You keep saying that.” Would he finally explain what that meant?

  “I made myself invisible. And while invisible I changed position to confuse the demon and get the upper hand in the fight.”

  She furrowed her forehead. “That doesn’t make sense. If you can make yourself invisible, then why wouldn’t you just fight invisibly all the time?”

  “I would, but cloaking takes a lot of energy, and I needed the energy to fight. Demons are incredibly strong. I had to use all my strength to overpower him. I couldn’t waste energy on cloaking myself.”

  “But he got you nevertheless.”

  Hamish sighed. “Because I used some of my energy to cloak you from them.”

  Had she heard correctly? “What?”

  He looked at her then. “When the two demons attacked, I cloaked you with my mind, so they wouldn’t see you, so you’d have a chance at escape.”

  Her heart beat up into her throat now. “But that demon caught me anyway.” Even now she could still feel his hands on her.

  “Making you invisible doesn’t make you disappear. The demons could still hear you.”

  She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. I screamed. He got me because I screamed.”

  “I had no time to tell you how to act. It’s not your fault.”

  No, it wasn’t her fault, but it wasn’t Hamish’s either. “You tried to protect me, knowing that it would weaken you?”

  His shoulders stiffened. “I’m in charge of your safety.”

  He said it as if it explained everything. Yet it only threw up more questions. “Because I hired you?”

  “You didn’t hire me. I was assigned to you.”

  She turned her head fully to him, and he met her gaze for a moment, before turning his attention back to the light nighttime traffic. “But I did. Anton Faldo recommended you. And Poppy practically forced me to hire you. And she got that union to pay for it.”

  “Faldo is a liaison between the Stealth Guardians and the human world.”

  “Stealth Guardians? Is that what you and Enya are called?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Faldo, he’s one of you? Faldo is a gangster.”

  Hamish sighed. “Not everything is black and white. Faldo is human. And he might have at one time been less than honest. His methods were certainly shady. But let’s just say he’s seen the error of his ways, and as penance, he works for us. He reports to us when he sees something that’s not right. And his reputation actually helps him. He sees and hears things that other upstanding citizens don’t. He let us know about the death threat against you. And we realized immediately that we needed to protect you. So we made it happen.”

  “But why? I’m nobody special. I could have gotten a security guard from any company—”

  “—who would have been ill-equipped to deal with what you’re facing. As for not being special. You’re wrong. You’re very valuable. To us. To this community. You carry a heavy burden on your shoulders. You have to become mayor and turn this city around, or it will fall into the hands of the demons.” He locked eyes with her then.

  Her heart was beating like a locomotive. She felt as if somebody had dumped a fifty pound sack of potatoes on her chest. “But what if I don’t win?”

  “The only way you’ll lose is if the demons kill you first. And I’m gonna make damn sure that doesn’t happen.” There was a grim look on his face. She noticed how his jaw clenched and how he gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white.

  An odd sense of foreboding washed over her. “They’ll try again, won’t they?”

  He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. She understood now. She was in the demons’ way. And the only thing that stood between her and death at their hands was Hamish.

  By the time they reached the hospital, Tessa had come to terms with the new situation she found herself in. She was in danger, because the demons didn’t want her to become mayor and bring peace and prosperity back to Baltimore. It wasn’t really that different from the situation she’d been in before. All she needed to do was to replace the word demons with political opponents, and she’d be in the same mess. But if she replaced bodyguard with preternatural guardian, at least it meant she felt a little bit safer. No bodyguard had the kind of out-of-this-world skills she’d seen Hamish use.

  Oh God, he was the invisible man who could walk through walls! If she had a chance at survival, then it was because he was watching over her.

  Hamish didn’t park in front of the main entrance. Instead he drove around the corner, even though there were plenty of free spots in the well-lit parking lot.

  “Why don’t you park here?”

  He pointed to his stained clothes. “I can’t go in there like this.” He pulled the Mercedes to a stop next to a row of dumpsters. The area was badly lit and away from any windows.

  “I’ll go in without you.”

  She opened the car door and got out, but he mimicked her and met her at the trunk as she was rounding the car.

  “Oh no, you’re not going in there on your own. Not after what happened tonight.”

  “But you just said you can’t go in there like that. I need to see my father.”

  “I’ll only be a sec.” He opened the trunk, then started taking off his shirt.

  She turned around quickly, not wanting to be caught ogling him. “Why didn’t you say you had a change of clothes in the car?”

  “Cause I don’t.”

  Her heart drummed violently. “Then what are you doing? You can’t go in there naked!”

  “I can and I will. But I’ll also be invisible.” She heard him toss something into the trunk and close it. “Turn around.”

  “No! If this is some sort of sick—”

  She felt his hand on her shoulder, turning her around. She wanted to avert her eyes from his nudity, but she didn’t have to. There was nothing to see. While she still felt his hand on her shoulder, she was staring into nothingness. Hamish was invisible.

  Curious, she stretched out her hand until it met his naked chest. Instantly she pulled back, sucking in a breath. It was true. He was still there. But he was invisible.

  “But why did you have to take your clothes off to do that? When you fought the demons, you didn’t have to.”

  “Normally I wouldn’t have to get undressed, because whatever I wear will become invisible with me, but the demon blood on my clothes defies my power. Did you ever watch The Invisible Man?”

  She nodded.

  “Then you probably remember that when he ate colored food, it remained visible in his body. It works the same way with demon blood. It can’t be made invisible.” He took her elbow. “Now let’s go inside. Just behave normally. Don’t worry about holding any doors open for me or wondering where I am. I won’t let you out of my sight. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “And another thing: watch for flickering lights. They indicate the presence of demons.”

  “How?”

  “The aura of the demons reacts with two gases: neon and mercury, which are inside of fluorescent and neon light tubes. If they come too close, the light starts to flicker first, then it burns out. Flickering lights will give us a warning.”

  She shook her head, stunned about everything she’d learned tonight. “So watch out for flickering lights and for anybody with green eyes.”

  “Not everybody with green eyes is a demon; it’s a very special green. You’ll recognize it when you see it.”

  She swallowed and nodded. “Anything else?”

  “Plenty, but right now we don’t have time for more.”

  21

  Relieved that Tessa had calmed down and seemed to have accepted the explanations he’d given her, Hamish followed her into the main foyer of the hospital. He was dressed in only his boxer briefs and socks—not exactly an appropriate look, but then again, he was invi
sible, so nobody would have to see him this way. And being invisible afforded him all kinds of advantages. He would be able to snoop around if he needed to without anybody being the wiser. Though his first priority, of course, was to remain with Tessa and make sure nothing happened to her.

  In the foyer, Tessa headed straight for the information desk. A TV in the nearby seating area blared, “Gunshots were exchanged during an altercation in Carroll Park only moments ago. Several civilians are said to have been shot. One police officer is confirmed dead.”

  Tessa addressed the person behind the information desk, “My father was admitted just now. Where can I find him?”

  The employee looked at her. “Name?”

  “Philip Wallace.”

  The woman typed something on her keyboard, then looked up a moment later, a regretful smile on her lips. “Sorry, ma’am, but I can’t find that name. Are you sure he came to this hospital? Maybe he went to County—”

  “The ambulance brought him here less than an hour ago,” Tessa interrupted, getting more agitated every second.

  “Oh, why didn’t you say so? Then he wouldn’t be in the system yet.” She leaned over her desk and pointed to the end of a long hallway. “Go down that way, follow the sign for Emergency, and you’ll see the triage desk. They would have checked him in there if he came by ambulance.”

  With a hurried “Thank you”, Tessa ran down the hallway and through the double doors at the end, Hamish following close on her heels.

  Around the next corner was what looked like a nurse’s station. Triage, the sign above it said. Tessa stopped at the desk.

  “My father, Philip Wallace, was brought in here less than an hour ago,” she said breathlessly.

  The male nurse looked at a clipboard on the desk and scanned the list of names. Then he shook his head. “Sorry, he wasn’t admitted here.”

  “Oh no!” Tessa sounded close to tears.

  “What’s your name, Miss?”

  “Tessa Wallace.”

  The nurse looked back at the clipboard. “I have a Diane Wallace here.”

  Tessa froze. “My mother?”

  “Room three, but you can’t go in there right now. There’s a waiting room just—”

  But Tessa was already spinning around and charging down the short hallway, where long blue curtains reaching from ceiling to floor separated a large room into separate treatment areas.

  The nurse hurried after her. “Miss, you can’t go down there!” Just in front of the curtained-off area with a large white number three hanging down from the ceiling, he caught up to her. “Miss!”

  “Please! I need to know what’s going on.”

  He grabbed her arm, and Hamish felt like punching him, although he knew he couldn’t. Luckily, at that moment, a male voice called out from behind the curtain.

  “Tessa?”

  “Dad!”

  The curtain was pulled back and Tessa’s father appeared. She practically flew into his arms.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  The nurse repeated, “She can’t be in here.”

  Hamish passed through the curtain, entering the treatment area, while the doctor who was tending to Diane Wallace walked out, saying to the nurse, “It’s fine. Let her in.”

  As Tessa and her father reentered, Hamish walked to the gurney. Diane lay propped up on it, looking pale. She was hooked up to a monitor and an IV drip. She appeared to have no external injuries. Hamish leaned in closer. Her eyes didn’t seem to register anything around her. As if she was zonked out on meds.

  “What happened?” Tessa asked her father.

  “I was looking for her so we could see our guests off together. I found her upstairs in the bedroom, collapsed. She seemed conscious, but was unresponsive. So I called 9-1-1,” her father said.

  “She’ll be fine,” the doctor confirmed. He looked at Tessa, giving her a reassuring nod. “Most likely just a momentary spell of weakness. According to your mother’s medical file, she’s been on different medications. It’s probably an interaction. Her GP should assess her medications again. She’s also dehydrated, so I’m giving her fluids.” He pointed to the monitor. “Her blood pressure and heart rate are stable now.”

  Hamish looked at the monitor. Everything looked just as the doctor had said.

  “Dr. Hartnell!” came a voice from outside the curtain.

  “Yes?”

  “We’ve got two gunshot victims coming in in thirty seconds.”

  The physician rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment. “I’m coming. Alert Nellman and Booker.”

  “Yes, doctor.”

  Dr. Hartnell nodded at Wallace and Tessa and pulled aside the curtain. “The nurse will check in with you in about half an hour when your wife has had all the fluids. I’ll be back after that to see if we can release her or need to keep her overnight.” Then he rushed out into the hallway.

  Tessa let out a breath and glanced at her mother lying on the gurney. Diane murmured something, and Tessa looked over her shoulder, addressing her father, “What’s she saying?”

  He shrugged, and they both approached the gurney. Wallace took his wife’s hand and held it. “She’s been babbling incoherently since the ambulance.” He stroked her hand. “I’m here, darling.”

  Hamish saw the love Wallace had for his wife. True and unconditional love. But he didn’t see the same love in Tessa as she looked down at her mother. He’d sensed a calmness come over her the moment she’d realized that her father was okay. She hadn’t transferred her worry about her father’s health to her mother. As if the woman were a stranger to her. Hamish studied Tessa’s face again. No, not a stranger, but somebody she hated.

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine soon, Dad.” The words, obviously meant to calm her father, had a hollow ring to them.

  Philip Wallace turned his head to his daughter. “You have to forgive her, Tessa. You can’t hold onto the past forever. Forgive her before it’s too late.” His pleading eyes were brimming with tears.

  Forgive her for what?

  “That day isn’t today, Dad.” Tessa turned away.

  Just then, more mumbled words came from Diane. Hamish bent down to bring his ear to her mouth.

  “The other child… should have taken her, too… belong together… didn’t have the strength… couldn’t handle both…” Then she broke off.

  Hamish looked at her face. Her eyes were closed now. He spun his head to the monitor, but the vital signs were stable and the heart monitor kept beeping at the same rhythm as before. Diane Wallace was asleep.

  22

  Tessa woke late. The night had been exhausting to say the least, and she was glad that it was Saturday and she didn’t have to go to the office. But she had responsibilities nevertheless, which forced her to get up when all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and hide.

  The doctor had kept her mother in the hospital overnight, and Tessa had promised her father she’d help him bring her mother home in the afternoon and get her settled. She wasn’t doing it for her, but for him. He’d looked awfully pale when she’d seen him at the hospital, and she was worried that the stress of having to take care of her mother would take a toll on his health. And that was something she wanted to avoid at all cost.

  Tessa swung her legs out of bed and headed for the shower. It felt good to stand under the warm spray and pretend that everything was fine. But too much had changed last night. A new reality had taken hold of her life. She remembered Hamish’s words: Once knowledge is obtained, it can never be returned. He was right. Now that she knew what the world was really like, she couldn’t go back to her old life. She had to try and come to terms with this new one.

  When she was dressed, she took a deep breath and walked into the living room. She looked around. Had Hamish left without telling her? The sound of the front door opening made her spin her head in that direction. Hamish walked in, holding a box of pastries.

  Her heartbeat kicked up. “You left me alone to go out and get pastries?
”

  He immediately shook his head. “I had them delivered. But I had to walk downstairs to meet the delivery guy.”

  Relieved, she exhaled.

  “I would never leave you unprotected. Particularly not after last night,” he assured her.

  “Thank you. I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just… I’m still a little…”

  “I know.” He smiled, understanding and kindness in his eyes. “Sit down, I made coffee.” He placed the box of pastries on the coffee table and walked into the kitchen. A moment later he returned with two steaming mugs, hers with plenty of cream, his black.

  She sat down in one corner of the couch, taking a sip of her coffee, while Hamish took the other corner.

  “After last night, we need to go over a few things regarding your safety,” he started.

  She nodded. She’d figured as much.

  “You met Enya. She’s my second, my backup. But what you don’t know is that she’s been protecting you all along during the times when I wasn’t with you.”

  “Enya? She was there?” She suddenly remembered the day she’d thought she’d heard something as she was leaving her office. “In my office?”

  “Yes. We couldn’t leave you unprotected during the day, though the risk while you’re at City Hall is obviously lower. Everybody has to go through the metal detectors and be checked in. It limits access somewhat. Nevertheless, we made sure you were never alone.”

  “And now?” She reached for the box on the coffee table and picked out a pastry.

  “Enya and I will still protect you. If I can’t be with you, she will be. But now that you know what we are, I need you to promise me that you won’t share this knowledge with anybody. Not with your father. Not with Poppy, or anybody else. We’ve worked like this for centuries, and we can’t risk being exposed.”

  “Enya, is she as good as you? I mean when it comes to fighting demons.”

  “She’s one of the best. I trust her with my life, and so should you. She may not look it, but she’s strong. And she’s been at this for decades.”