“Fuck! Can you get close enough to take him down?”
“I’m too far away now. The bastard knew what he was doing.” Silence claimed the line for a few seconds before Tavia continued. “The ground is unstable. Trying to climb after him could cause an avalanche of rocks and snow. Shane is carrying. Can he get close enough to stop Cane?”
“Negative,” Shane’s voice cut in. “Tavia, the mine above you was where we were located. We’re stuck in the rubble. Cane will make it to the gate before we can reach him.”
“Base to home, target is in sight of the gate,” came another voice, this time over the monitor system. It was one of the guards from the towers. “Please advise.”
Holding his hand out, Theo helped Reese stand, confident there would be no more detonations. Cane had gotten what he wanted. He had disabled their team and knew Reese wouldn’t endanger other Nobles trying to take him out. But Cane had to get through him and Jagger before getting to Reese. “Tell your man to stand down. Reese, Jagger’s going to take position and use the sniper rifle to take him out. We’re done playing.”
“He must have planted those bombs months ago before I ever got the surveillance up and running.” Jagger grabbed his sniper case and slung it over his shoulder, stopping only long enough to tell his man to do nothing. “Which means he’s been planning this since right after I built the compound and started the outside security. That was right after we placed you in the cabin,” Jagger said to Reese.
“Something doesn’t add up,” Theo said, confused. “If he knew where your compound was that long ago, why not hand you over to the Fray then? You’re a traitor to the government, Jagger.”
“Aeeeehhhhhhh!”
Theo caught Reese before she hit the ground. The sound that came out of her was like nothing he had ever heard. Her face contorted with pain, and her arms wrapped around her middle as if to ward off whatever pain she was feeling. “Reese, what it is? What’s wrong?”
Jagger dropped his case and also reached for Reese, but Theo had already lifted her into his arms. He watched as Jagger pulled the chair around for him so that he could sit with Reese in his lap. Running his hands down the length of her body, Theo couldn’t find out what was causing her pain.
“Reese, focus. Look at me,” Jagger demanded. Theo watched as Reese struggled to focus on Jagger’s face. “If your energy is too much, then release it. Do you hear me? We’ll worry about casualties later.” Theo knew Jagger referred to his team outside, and his words were like a knife to his gut. He cared for every person out on that mountain who came to help, but he agreed with Jagger. They loved Reese and would deal with the collateral damage later. She would always come first. Reese shook her head, but was still in too much agony.
“Listen to him,” Theo said, backing up Jagger, his voice thick with anguish.
“I can’t,” Reese whispered so low they could barely hear her. Clutching her stomach, she doubled over again.
“Yes, you can,” Jagger said sternly. “Do it, now!”
“You don’t understand,” Reese moaned. “My energy is building on its own, and nothing I do can get rid of it. It’s boiling up inside me.”
“What do you mean? You can’t release it at all?” Theo was trying hard not to panic at the thought of losing her. There had to be something they could do to trigger a release.
“Open the gate.” Cane’s order came across the two-way radio like a crack of a whip.
* * * *
Reese heard Cane’s voice through the veil of pain. Theo held her in his lap, arms wrapped tightly around her upper half. Jagger was telling her what to do, but she couldn’t get her mind to cooperate. It felt as if her body was in a vise and someone had pressed the button to constrict her.
“He’s doing this. Cane is causing her pain and taking away her ability to release the energy,” Theo yelled out as Jagger yanked the radio from his hand.
“What the hell did you do, you little fuck?” Jagger screamed into the machine. “I swear I will kill you on sight.”
“No, you won’t,” Cane countered confidently. “You’ll open this gate or I’ll let her suffer. Don’t worry, she won’t die. Unless her mind just shuts down her body from the pain of it all.”
“Son of a bitch!” Jagger shouted out, turning the other way so Reese couldn’t see his face.
“Don’t let him in,” Reese begged. “Don’t let him in. He’ll kill you both. I’d rather die.”
She felt Theo rock her, his lips pressed to her hair. “You’re not dying, my favorite Noble. But we can’t let you suffer.”
“I’ll suffer if he takes me back,” Reese cried, finally breaking under the pressure, tears starting to roll down her face. “Please, don’t let him in.”
Theo stood with Reese in his arms and handed her off to Jagger, his face tight with anger. Reese started to struggle, but Jagger held her secure against his chest, moving out of Theo’s way. “Whatever happens, follow my lead.” Theo directed his words to Jagger, walking out of the room without looking back.
“Please don’t let him do this, Jagger,” Reese sobbed, sanity starting to recede from the pressure her body was under. “I can’t help us anymore, and they’ll take me away. I wouldn’t survive going back there. You know that, Jagger.”
* * * *
Jagger couldn’t take her pleas any longer. Following Theo through the house, he kept her close to his body. Reese was starting to shake, and her words were starting to slur as she kept imploring him to not let Cane inside the compound. How had everything gone straight to hell? They’d had every plan in place, every person situated where they needed to be, and Reese as their major weapon. Now, Cane was outside with no army backing him up, the Nobles were useless due to Cane’s placement of explosives, and Reese was out of commission.
Jagger mulled over Theo’s words regarding Cane being on the mountain months ago. If Cane had known that Jagger had purchased this land, then why not turn him in to his superiors? If he were out of the picture, Cane would still have had Theo to find Reese. Theo would have eventually led Cane to Reese, although that hadn’t happened in the year they had Reese at the cabin. Theo had been using different venues to travel from the compound to where Reese had stayed and used his gift to read the thoughts of anyone in the vicinity.
Jagger hadn’t set up the security system until three months ago because the expert that he required was a Noble, who happened to be hard to locate. It had taken him seven months to find the Noble and two months to have it installed. Shit, he thought, plenty of time to stage an ambush. The question was why. And how did Cane know things would play out this way? Did he have access to a Seer? Theo and Reese said legend had it a Seer did exist, but no one knew of his or her location. Some say he or she was living among the humans. Others say he or she lived isolated in some faraway land.
“Theo,” Jagger called out. “Theo, we have to talk about this. You can’t take this decision out of her hands.”
“Too late.” Theo appeared in the kitchen doorway, facing the living room where Jagger and Reese had made love. “He’s on his way in.”
“Damn it, Theo! I’ve always given her a choice. She’s had enough decisions taken away from her because of who she is. I will not—”
“Won’t what, Jagger? You want her to die all because you might hurt her feelings? Let me tell you something,” Theo yelled, stepping into the room and coming to stand before them. “I have loved that woman for over ten years. I witnessed her father try to sell her to the highest bidder for his immunity from the Fray. I watched her struggle day after day to rein in every emotion she ever felt so she wouldn’t end up killing what ‘family’ we had left. I then had to watch as they carried her drugged body away from me as we were locked away like animals to be dissected. And the kicker? I was powerless to stop her from falling in love with someone else. I’ve had enough, Jagger. I’m taking control from here on out. If you don’t have the guts to keep her alive despite your good intentions, then fine. Let me be the bad guy. At least she’ll
be alive.”
“You’re letting your anger get the best of you, Theo,” Jagger warned. “I love her just as much as you do and will do everything in my power to make sure she’s safe. But Reese is right. If Cane walks in here and takes us out, he’ll deliver her back to those crazy-assed scientists who’ll do God knows what. And if by chance we survive and rescue her again, do you think she would ever look us in the eye after that, let alone love us? It’s not so much hurting her feelings as destroying her faith.”
“You think I don’t fucking know that?” Theo screamed, his face turning red in anger. “But I will not watch her die in our arms, do you understand me?”
Jagger looked down at Reese, who had slipped into unconsciousness right after leaving the security room. Her breathing was ragged, and her body remained tense. “What do you want to do?” Jagger asked, lowering his tone. Fighting now would get them nowhere.
Theo ran his hand through his hair, which had come undone, letting it fall into his face and cover his shoulders. Pushing it back, he stepped away from Jagger and Reese to walk back through the kitchen. Jagger followed and went over to the couch in the open area by the fireplace to lay Reese down where she would still be in their sight. Turning, he saw Theo pull out a handgun, unclip the cartridge to check for a full round, then snap it back in.
“Take this. You’ll know when I signal to take him out. I’ll hear what he’s thinking and try to decipher what device he’s using to block Reese and, once I find the location of it, eliminate him,” Theo ordered.
They both turned at the sound of the kitchen door opening. Jagger didn’t bother to hide the gun. Cane would only have to sense the air to know that Jagger was armed. Jagger would watch the scene play out in front of him and wait for Theo’s signal. Moving to where his body blocked the sight of Reese, Jagger stood with his feet apart and hands at his side, gun in his right hand, ready for anything.
* * * *
Theo studied Cane as he stood in the entryway. Even to Theo, this Noble was menacing. The scar gave his face an ominous tenor, while his long black hair did nothing to hide it. Dressed in black, Cane held his face mask in one hand and a long hunting knife in the other. A backpack was strapped to his back, with an apparatus clipped to the shoulder strap. Was that the device that was hurting Reese? Theo tried to probe Cane’s mind, but it was blank. Cane let the door shut behind him.
“You’re good. I’ll give you that.” Theo spoke first, breaking the silence.
“I do my best,” Cane replied, not having moved an inch.
Theo figured Cane was taking in the air around him to make sure there was nothing amiss but what stood before him. Cane’s eyes went from him to Jagger and then to the area behind where Reese was laying. Theo saw Jagger tense when he realized Cane knew exactly where she was. Giving a shake of his head, Theo warned Jagger not to do anything too soon. He didn’t want to act too quickly until he knew if that was the device they needed to help Reese.
“I would never have figured you to be the type to sell out. We know they offered you immunity. How much cash will you get for turning in one of your own?” Theo asked, trying to get Cane to break concentration long enough to hear what he needed.
“Is she unconscious?” Cane asked, ignoring Theo’s questioning.
“What did you do to her?” Theo countered him, not wanting to give Cane any information on Reese.
“I already told you, she won’t die.” Cane finally took a step close, causing Jagger’s arm to twitch. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Why not? Killing you seems like a great idea right about now,” Jagger tightly replied.
“For one, you don’t know how the mechanism works,” Cane answered. “I highly doubt you’re willing to let her suffer longer than she needs to.”
“You have another reason?” Theo asked, praying Jagger didn’t take aim and pull the trigger.
“Yes, I do.”
Theo waited for Cane to answer, but it was obvious that Cane liked playing with them. Theo spared Jagger a glance when Jagger raised his arm and pointed the barrel at Cane’s head. Shit, things were going from bad to worse. The only thing flashing through Cane’s mind was Reese and the gun in Jagger’s hand. Nothing else was forthcoming, and one wrong word would make Jagger shoot, regardless of what Cane threatened. Jagger had apparently seen the black box attached to Cane as well. He obviously didn’t want to wait anymore.
“And what would that be?” Theo questioned, praying Jagger didn’t shoot.
“Reese’s sister.”
Chapter Seven
Reese came awake with a jolt and sat straight up on the leather couch. Her thoughts a jumbled mess, she couldn’t sort them out and started to panic, making the house shake. She heard her name through the fog, but couldn’t grasp on to anything. Her energy built, and she heard loud voices trying to get her attention. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from struggling to stand. It wasn’t until Jagger’s hands shook her shoulders that she heard what he was saying.
“Reese, I’ve got you! Stop struggling! Eyes on me.” Reese’s vision cleared enough to see Jagger’s green eyes staring intently back. “Breathe in. That’s right, breathe in and let it out.”
Gradually, the shaking and rattling settled as she held on tightly to Jagger’s shoulders. He seemed to have become her anchor. She did as he asked and took even breaths, relaxing as the tension eased out of her. She wasn’t in pain any longer, and her body felt fine. Jagger was in front of her and standing on his own two feet. Pieces from the day slowly filtered in, and she took a minute to let her brain process things. Jagger pulled her to him, one arm around her waist, the other cradling her head to his chest. She burrowed as deep as she could, inhaling his calming scent and cologne of sandalwood and nutmeg.
“That’s my girl. I’ve got you.” Jagger’s deep voice washed over her.
The sighs of relief came from the island in the kitchen, making her turn her head to see who was there. Tavia, Shane, Ace, and Kalen sat on the four stools, all of them looking a little bit shaken. Feeling bad she had scared them, Reese closed her eyes to block them out. “Sorry about that, guys. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Reese felt Theo come up behind her and rub her back in assurance. She lifted one hand up to her shoulder, reaching out for his. He must have heard her thoughts that she wanted to touch him, so he placed his hand on her shoulder, letting her hold on to him. Both men were here and alive. Somehow, someway, they must have taken Cane out and been able to get the Nobles back up the mountainside. Where were the other six Nobles? Reese opened her eyes again to look into the kitchen, and terror overtook her.
Cane. He was leaning back against the countertop, staring at her with his dark eyes, loose black hair that hung around his unshaven face, and his intimidating scar.
One of the lightbulbs exploded above the island, causing shards of glass to shatter against the marble. Shane jumped out of the way, as he was in its path. The other three stood and shoved their stools back, yelling at Jagger and Theo. Everyone moved but Cane. He stood still as a statue just watching the events unfold like he was invincible.
“Stop it right now, Reese! You’re going to hurt someone,” Jagger said sternly, taking her face in his hands so she looked at him instead of the imposing figure in the kitchen. Theo had yanked her back against him, capturing her arms to her chest. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
Reese brought her power down a notch, hearing the items around the house settle. She never took her stare away from Jagger’s eyes, watching them dilate, hiding the beautiful green color she loved so much. Focus, Reese, she told herself. Just focus on Jagger. Finally, when she felt in complete control of her body, she pushed against Theo’s arms and reached up to cup Jagger’s face like he was doing to hers. “I’m okay.”
Both men stepped back cautiously, as if they were afraid she was lying. Reese wasn’t. She let her hands fall from his face. She saw the truth in Jagger’s eyes and instinctively knew that neither Jagger nor Theo
would ever let Cane hurt her. If he was still alive and standing in their kitchen, it was only because Jagger and Theo let him be there.
“I apologize, again,” Reese said, directing her apology to the Nobles at the island, blatantly ignoring Cane. Though she trusted her men, she didn’t trust Cane. She watched as Ace cleaned up the broken glass and everyone uneasily took their seats back.
“It all right, Reese,” Shane answered. “Come over here, Deity. Give me a hug. It’s been a long time.” Shane was a Compeller, able to alter a person’s perception of reality. Standing as tall as Theo at six four, his massive build was more in line with a linebacker, although he was gentle as a warm summer breeze. His black hair was never out of place with his military cut. And, always the touchy-feely one in their group, he never ran out of hugs.
Reese walked over to where Shane stood up, holding his arms open. She stepped into them and returned his embrace. It was good to see friends from the past, especially these four. They had been part of her and Theo’s group back when they were in their teens and their abilities complemented each other’s. Tavia was a Sadist, able to inflict pain. Ace, an Immobilizer, was adept at immobilizing his prey, while Kalen was known as a Feeler, able to feel other’s emotions. She knew that Theo had maintained contact after their rescue from the facility, but she had been too preoccupied with the safety of her cabin to really even think of them. She gave each Noble a warm hug and then stepped back into Jagger’s waiting arms. Theo stood on her other side, cocooning her in warmth. When she felt strong enough, she brought her gaze up to meet Cane’s intense stare.
“Why are you still alive?”
Cane smirked, the first sign of any movement she had seen since spotting him in the kitchen. “Your men were lenient on me. They decided I should live to see another day.”
“I might not be so merciful,” Reese answered, miffed that he was acting so casual, like he hadn’t been the cause of damage these last few days. “You got a lot of Jagger’s men killed near my cabin.”
Noble Desire [Nature's Nobles 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7
