Isaac looked over just in time to see Jacob’s mouth moving in a silent prayer. This was the moment of truth. If Rathe knew what was going on, he would call Izzy’s bluff.
“Like hell.” Izzy’s voice may not have been her own, but the woman’s fire lived in every syllable. “I gave you my show of faith the moment I got your fucking ink. Release Molly or I walk—with Nikki.”
It was just a flicker of movement, but a man wearing a blue baseball cap, brown shirt and jeans in the back took a step toward Rathe but stopped abruptly at a barely perceptible shake of Rathe’s head. “Did you see that?” he asked Jacob.
“Sure did. We have our man. Blue baseball cap, brown shirt and jeans at your eight o’clock. He’s the one holding Molly’s bond.” Much to Izzy and Nikki’s credit, neither gave anything away.
But there was another tense silence and Izzy backed up a step. “Try it and I’ll light this place up like the Fourth of fucking July.” Izzy’s laugh rumbled through the earbud. “You didn’t think I’d step in here without a backup plan, did you?”
Again with the silence. Isaac cursed and took a deep breath. They were risking a lot with the earbuds, but since they were small they’d used them. A mic would be too conspicuous, though, so it was out of the question. Didn’t mean he had to like the decision.
“Do I look like a man who’s afraid to die, Rathe?”
Isaac had to admit, Izzy made a pretty intimidating impression. The woman had stones. “Some wife you’ve got there.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
At Rathe’s gesture, a man in red walked confidently into the room with Molly trailing behind him. It was meant to look like he was the one holding the bond, and it was a pretty good showing, too. If they hadn’t already seen the man in the brown shirt jump, they might have made that assumption.
“That’s not the man,” Isaac said calmly. “But let him think you’re buying it. Now that we know who holds the bond, we’re good to go.”
Isaac led the way to the back door of the warehouse, the silencer on his gun keeping their location secret as he fired at the guards. The ammo was only stun darts so the men guarding the building would live another day, but Isaac took some comfort in the fact that when they woke up, the intense headache would make them wish for death.
Three other cars pulled up just before the door closed behind them. The cavalry had arrived. Now they just had to hope they’d wait for their leader to give them the order before they busted the door down. If everyone did what they were supposed to do, they might just make it out of this alive.
He and Jacob kept to the shadows of the building, staying close to the walls and low to the floor as they made their way around the room. When they were parallel with Rathe, Isaac turned and braced his back against the wall. He caught Jacob’s gaze and then gestured at himself and then at Rathe. He waited for the man’s nod before pointing to Jacob and then nodding back toward the man that held Molly’s bond. He waited for Jacob to nod again before running a finger across his throat. It was a fairly easily interpreted command, but Jacob’s brow creased in concern just the same. Damn humans. They had no idea how the world really worked.
“No choice.” He couldn’t make a sound, so Isaac hoped mouthing the words would be enough. “Has to be done.” It was the only way to break the bond against the man’s will.
Jacob didn’t look convinced, but he did nod after a second and that was good enough for Isaac. Before Isaac stepped away from the wall, he took off the windbreaker and left it in a bundle on the floor. The glasses and hat, though, he kept on. He hoped to get as close to Rathe as possible before calling any attention to himself and, though the jacket provided good cover up to this point, announcing himself as DEA was the only thing that would get him killed quicker than having his true identity discovered. Nobody in this gathering feared the DEA. The name Isaac Marrow, however, carried some weight. Still, the longer he could go unnoticed, the best for everyone involved.
He tried to time his approach, synchronize it with Jacob’s, but when he was only a few feet from Rathe he had to focus all his attention on his goal. He called to his magic, embracing its comforting hum of energy as Izzy said the words that would release Nikki—if Nikki were bound to Izzy.
Once the words were spoken, Rathe tossed Molly at Izzy and the man in red grabbed Nikki by the arm and wrenched her to his chest. Every muscle in Isaac’s body tensed in readiness to pounce on the asshole, but he forced them to relax. He had to stay focused. Nikki would be fine. Her bond to Isaac would keep her safe—for now. In order to keep her safe for the long haul, though, he had to take out the real threat.
Her gaze met his as Isaac stepped behind her father. Rathe twitched as if he was going to turn, but Nikki picked that moment to slam her heel into the top of the asshole in red’s foot, ensuring Rathe’s attention stayed on her. Isaac could kiss her. Hell, he would kiss her as soon as this was over. He’d probably get punched for his efforts, but he’d still have his kiss.
“Get her bound—now.” Rathe’s voice was calm and radiated waves of strength that were palpable.
The asshole fidgeted as if nervous, but turned Nikki so she was facing a man holding a knife. This was it. It was now or never. Isaac’s heart pounded so loudly he was convinced everyone in the whole building must hear it and time slowed to a painful crawl as he reached out to touch Rathe. His head was swimming with adrenaline and endorphins and the sweat beading on his forehead made it hard to concentrate, but he could taste the victory at hand. This was going to work. They’d finally be free of Rathe. Isaac’s fingers were a breath away from Rathe’s neck and the man was focused on the struggle Nikki was putting up. Nothing could stop Isaac.
Only, the second his fingers were supposed to brush against the unprotected skin between Rathe’s hairline and his expensive, tailor-made collar, they didn’t. Instead they hit a wall of impenetrable air. Isaac pushed harder, trying to break through the centimeters of air, but he couldn’t move. Something was definitely wrong. It wasn’t until he heard the evil chuckle in his ear, though, that he fully comprehended how screwed they really were.
Chapter Eleven
Nikki was so busy keeping all eyes on her and focusing on the victory at hand, she almost missed the moment when the tide turned. If the man holding her hadn’t gasped, she might have been too late to help. But that sound, as small as it was, made her heart stop.
Looking up, her breath caught painfully in her lungs as one of her father’s men advanced on Isaac as her father was turning to face him. Swinging her head the other way, she saw the man in the brown shirt bringing Jacob through the crowd, a gun to the agent’s head. Isaac and Jacob were going to die in a matter of seconds and, since Izzy had used most of her energy holding her disguise, Nikki was the only one left with half a shot at saving them.
Before she could consider the consequences or question the wisdom of her decision, for the first time in her life, she reached out to her magic. Power, pure and sweet, raced through her and the chaos around her froze. The world was hers. The certainty of that statement filled her with a joy and excitement she’d never felt, not even in Isaac’s arms. She could have anything she wanted. All she had to do was ask for it.
Turning to catch the attention of the man holding her, she smiled as she whispered her first desire. “Die for me, please.”
The pure, unadulterated pleasure flooding her was reflected in his eyes as the man smiled down at her lovingly. “It’d be my pleasure.” He crumpled behind her before anyone even noticed they were speaking. He’d died for her. Just because she’d asked it and he wanted to make her happy. That knowledge filled her with such an intense pleasure she almost passed out with it. And she wasn’t the only one pleased. Her magic was humming with approval deep within her veins. It was happy, but already it craved more. And she planned on giving it everything it wanted.
It only took two steps for her to reach the man using magic to paralyze Isaac. Had the idiot not wasted time gloating, Ni
kki might not have been able to reach him before the shock of watching a man die for no discernible reason wore off. But he had gloated, and now she would have him as well. She reached out to her next victim, her fingers caressing his wrist softly. “Let Isaac go, please.”
The light in the man’s eyes held her enthralled as he complied. “It’d be my pleasure.” But the pleasure really was all hers. It swept through her, hot and delicious, but not as intense. The man had given her something, but not everything, and she wanted the high that came with everything. “Thank you. Now, die for me.” This time she was ready for the high the man’s death brought and sighed as it filled her.
Isaac had her father firmly in his grasp but that left the man in brown to neutralize. The man saw her gaze swing to him and he started backing up slowly. Not that it mattered. She would catch him. “Bring him to me, and I’ll spare the rest of you,” she announced, barely recognizing her own voice.
The man’s eyes went wide as hands gripped his shoulders and then thrust him toward her. They’d been following the orders of a seducer too long to do otherwise. They’d all witnessed what happened when someone with her kind of powers was angry. “Please,” she purred softly, “release Molly.”
His stammering and stuttering only made the moment sweeter. “I won’t.” He tried to take a step away from her, but someone pushed him at her. She reached out and ran her fingers down a cheek. “Release her now,” she commanded.
This time, the man was happy to do as she bid. Each word was clear and rang with pride as he released Molly, and that he’d refused the first time only made the moment sweeter for Nikki. Sweeter, but not quite sweet enough. One only got the ultimate high from asking for the ultimate sacrifice. And, her fingertips still caressing his cheek, she was about to do just that when strong hands pulled her away from that man. Her magic cried out with loss within her, but she couldn’t break free of the hold.
“Enough, Nikki. It’s done.”
“No,” she growled as she wrapped a hand around the man’s wrist. “Release me.” She needed to make her magic happy—craved that burst of pleasure only it could give her.
“Jacob. Toss me those cuffs.”
Somewhere in the hazy mist that was her mind, she almost recognized the voice. But, try as she may, she couldn’t place it. Not until cold metal wrapped around her wrists securely did the world once again start to take shape.
“I’m so sorry, Nikki.”
“Isaac?” She barely noticed as DEA agents began filing into the warehouse. “What happened? Why am I in cuffs? Am I under arrest?” She twisted her wrists against the cold metal of the Sim cuffs, but couldn’t remember being restrained.
“No. They’re for your protection. We need to get you back to my place, though, before the agents start interrogating the witnesses, or you might be.”
It didn’t make sense. None of it did. Not the anguish in her father’s face as they led him away or the fear the others were looking at her with. What the hell had happened? The last thing she remembered was that moment she’d admitted defeat. They were going to lose. She’d been so certain.
And then she saw one of the bodies lying on the ground and it all came back to her. “Oh my god. I did that. I killed him and I liked it.” The remembered pleasure only added to her nausea and she had to fight the urge to gag.
“You did what you had to. None of us would’ve made it out of here if you hadn’t.” Izzy appeared to her left and wrapped a light windbreaker over her shoulders. Nikki wasn’t sure if it was because she was shivering or if it was to hide the cuffs from the cameras outside, but, either way, she was thankful.
Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, but she couldn’t brush them away, so she had to just accept the weakness as they fell. “But what happens to me when you take the cuffs off? What if I’m just as evil as my dad now?” The words were so painful she could only force them out at a whisper.
“If you were that far gone, you wouldn’t give a shit about those men in there. You’d be doing everything you could to get out of the cuffs so you could feel the high again.”
Men. That was right. She’d killed two of them. Guilt filled her at the memory. Not that she felt bad she’d killed them. As far as she was concerned they deserved to die. What was killing her was how out of control she’d been when she’d ordered them to die and how much pleasure she’d taken from their deaths.
“Nikki.” Isaac held on to her tightly as she battled her private demons. “Are you okay?”
She looked up into his concern-filled eyes and answered honestly. “No. Please, I just want to go home now.”
He nodded stiffly at her request. Wrapping an arm around her waist securely, he helped her walk toward the door once more. She had to squint as they walked out of the warehouse and into the bright, sun-drenched day. “Thank you, Isaac. For everything.”
He opened the door to his car and then put his hand over her head to protect it as he guided her into the passenger seat. When he had her settled, he paused to study her for a second and then leaned forward to brush a soft kiss on her forehead. “I know. It’s a lot to take in. It might be a while before the images fade. But they will fade.”
“It’s not that. I was in the passenger seat when my mother died. I know the images fade.”
“Then what is it?”
“I killed two people. And I enjoyed it. Really enjoyed it.” Her stomach threatened to lose its meager contents at the confession.
“You did good in there. You protected your family. Believe me when I say I’ve done much worse for far less.” He stepped back and sighed. “But that’s not everything, is it?”
“I would’ve killed you, too. I wanted to and when you grabbed me, I didn’t recognize you. If I hadn’t been bound to you—”
“But you were. A precaution, I might point out, you insisted on for just this situation.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and then stepped back so he could shut the door.
She wasn’t ready to let the conversation go, though. And, as he slid into the seat next to her, she picked it up where he’d ended it. “I’m going to have to stay bound to you until I can control my magic again.” It was the clear answer. The only way she could guarantee his safety.
“You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
But as they drove down the vaguely familiar alleys and roads, Nikki’s mind obsessively ran though the events of the day—repeatedly freezing on that moment of pure bliss when the men had died. It had been everything she’d ever feared and yet so much worse. There was no way a person could imagine that much pleasure. Now that she’d actually felt it, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to ignore it. “No, you give me far too much credit,” she mumbled under her breath.
Either he didn’t hear her or he chose not to acknowledge her words, as he kept his silence until they got to his house. Then, at the sight of several cars in the drive, he uttered a string of curses and threw the car into reverse and left.
They were almost to her apartment before she recognized where they were. It’d been so long since she’d been home and so much had changed, she’d almost forgotten she had a home before Isaac had stepped into her life. Hell, maybe she hadn’t. The apartment didn’t feel like home when they pulled into the parking lot.
She waited patiently for him to park and then for him to open her door and help her out. When he went to reach for the Sim cuffs that held her magic in check, though, she moved away from him. “I don’t want them off.”
“You can’t keep them on forever, sweetheart. We need to know what kind of shape you’re in before I turn you loose on the world at large.”
“But wouldn’t it be safer to wait until we were in my apartment?” She tried, but she couldn’t keep the panic completely out of her voice.
“No. It would only give the busybodies something to gossip about.” There was a click and he removed one wrist from the restraints. Her heart beat faster and her stomach rolled with nervous energy, but
the man was determined. The second click was deafening as it opened the gates and her magic pounced on her impatiently.
“You can do it, Nikki. You can control it.”
Never let it control you. The thought was foggy at best as her magic whispered seductively to her, but she still recognized it as the truth. She clung to the thought—chanting it over and over in her head. It was the rock keeping her from being pulled into the ocean of oblivion.
When she didn’t give in to the loving caress of her magic, it changed. Instead of soft, tempting whispers she was consumed by raw anger and hatred that sliced at her like razorblades. Pain, pure and consuming, racked her body in intolerable fits. Her skin felt like it was crawling with a thousand fire ants and her stomach churned on itself in hard knots. There was no way she could live through this. If she didn’t embrace her magic, use it to soothe the pain, she would die.
“Fight through it, Nikki. You can do it. You’re in control, not the magic.” Strong arms wrapped around her and she was no longer supporting her weight, but she couldn’t feel anything other than the pain. Even when they were in her apartment and there was no one she could use her magic on, it still punished her.
“How are you doing?”
She risked opening her eyes and found his gaze locked on her. “It hurts.” She ran her fingernails along her arms, trying to stop the itching, burning pain. But, even though she scratched hard enough to break the skin, it did no good.
“I’ll make this better, I promise.” He grabbed her phone out of her purse and dialed the only number on it. Soon Izzy arrived and not long after that the ambulance came to take her to Angels of Mercy, the hospital Izzy had done her own rehab in, and the only one with half a chance of saving Nikki.
Chapter Twelve
Three months. She’d spent three months in hell as she battled both her magic and her demons at Angels of Mercy. But now, after sitting on a beach for a week and a half, Nikki couldn’t help but wonder if she shouldn’t have stayed a little longer. She was doing okay, taking it one day at a time, and even though they’d told her relapse was a part of her newly acquired disease, she hadn’t lapsed once. But she just wasn’t happy. She wasn’t miserable or, thankfully, in any pain. She was mainly just numb and she wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
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