Dangerous

by Jacquelyn Frank

  “Hey!”

  “Shut up! I swear to God, Kell, if you start opening doors for me and jumping in front of me to protect me from danger, I’m going to kill you myself!”

  “I have always protected you! Just like you protect me! It doesn’t mean I think you are weak or a special case.” Kellen ground out an especially ripe curse as they both rose to their feet. “Inez, we’re best friends and partners! I’m allowed to be a little upset when you get hurt or have a close call. Wouldn’t you be?”

  “But it was three days ago! Why are you doing this now?”

  That made him pause, his entire face shuttering into an expression so blank, it was obvious he was hiding his feelings. Inez bit the inside of her cheek in regret. She’d yelled at him, and now he didn’t want to share his feelings with her. She didn’t understand why she’d been so sensitive. Why they were both being so sensitive. It was probably because they’d been separated when it had happened. Kellen had been positive that his presence there would’ve somehow protected her and Liam. But that was just Kellen. Taking responsibility for everyone in the world.

  “I’m sorry.”

  They both burst out laughing when their apologies came out in tandem. It was so like them, so normal a thing to happen. And just like that their uncanny harmony seemed to return, settling over them calmly and surely. He reached out and hugged her to himself tightly.

  “You know I can’t pretend you don’t have a kid when the little booger is practically a son to me.” He grinned against her ear. “And with tits like yours, I can’t possibly pretend they aren’t there either.”

  Inez instantly made like she was going to knee him, and he laughed as he caught the threatening uplift of her leg safely in his hand. He squeezed the arm wrapped around her tighter and kissed her loudly on the side of her neck in punishment. He knew it tickled her, and she hated to be tickled.

  Inez squealed and shoved him away.

  “Hey. No fraternizing on my time.”

  Inez stumbled as she whirled around to face their Leader. As always, her perfectly attuned partner reached to provide the exact amount of counterbalance she needed to keep herself upright.

  “You know, you don’t look very intimidating to the outside observer when you’re hugging on each other all the time,” Liam remarked dryly. He looked down at the drop cloth spread out on the lawn and the dismantled guns and equipment lying on it. “My weapons don’t look very intimidating in all these pieces, either. Sun’s dropping, kids, and the shift won’t end for you until this is done.”

  “Yes sir,” they said.

  “But since you two are taking a break, it gives me a chance to talk to you about something.” Liam’s face was set in such a way that he needn’t tell them that it was something serious. By the time he finished explaining exactly how serious, Kellen was pacing hard, back and forth, in a short concise circuit. His hands were curled around his weapon belt, the leather creaking in his agitated grasp. Inez watched him, knowing exactly what was bothering him. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and took Liam’s measure for a moment. Her boss was standing fast, as still as a monument. He was waiting for their responses and their input as well. Negative or positive, he would listen to it all.

  “Am I getting this right? You want us to jump into the middle of a war with the entire populace of Morphates?”

  “We’re already in the middle of it,” Kellen ground out, gesturing to Liam. “Didn’t you hear him? We’re guarding a woman who, in essence, is public enemy number one in the world of Morphates. I mean, I knew she’d invented things and the Morphates were peeved, but a lot of them are going to think she’s a traitor to her people. And the ones who think like that are all going to want a piece of her hide. And you want us to stand in the middle of that?”

  “That about sums it up,” Liam agreed grimly, a muscle ticking tightly in his jaw as he repressed the urge he had to argue and press. Every man in his unit needed to make this choice for himself, not because he felt ordered to or obligated to out of loyalty to him. This was a cause now, and they had to believe in the cause in order to dedicate their lives to it with full enthusiasm.

  “If we’re going to be fulfilling this contract here for a while,” Inez mused aloud, “we’re going to have to do something or we’ll be forever on the defensive.”

  “We are fulfilling this contract no matter what,” Liam informed them. “The nature of the principal and the identity of the enemy changes nothing contractually. I will expect each and every one of my people to continue on with this assignment just as they would any other. Personal prejudices have no place here if that is affecting either of you. Fear has no place here either, if you plan on surviving. This is no different from any other assignment with the exception of what’s at stake, our weaponry and that the need for caution is jacked up to the extreme. The question I’m asking is about what will go on above and below those obligations. Above and below the law, perhaps.” Liam shrugged and glanced at the low sun. “But as you know, when it comes to Morphates, certain laws have … gray areas.” He dusted off his hands, although they were not dirty. Not yet. “I’ll leave you to talk it out. There’s a meeting at ten tonight where the day shift can discuss it with me. I’m giving you time to think about it. In the end, the goal is to safeguard the life of our principal while keeping our own heads attached. I’m not out to take unnecessary risks, but there will be risks out of the ordinary.”

  “That’s putting it very diplomatically,” Kellen grumbled a few beats after Liam had turned and walked away. “Christ, this is insane.”

  “Actually, I think it’s pretty clever,” Inez argued with a shrug when he looked at her. “Look, in the end we’re going to be beating Morphates off with everything we have, and they don’t exactly go down easy, as you know. If a show of force does the trick, then I’m all for it. It’s less risk in the long run. And there’s something poetic about the weak human mortals bringing the immortals back down to earth.”

  “Man, I want to know when you became the insane one in this partnership,” Kellen sighed. “I mean, I’m as gung-ho as any other maniac in this outfit, Inez, but this isn’t the same as beating down a crazed stalker or even outfoxing the mob.” Both of which their outfit had done in the past. “That Morphate in the alley was the first one I’ve ever heard of getting killed by anything, and I’ve heard of some rough stuff getting thrown at them. If you hadn’t told me you’d seen it with your own eyes, I probably wouldn’t believe Liam had pulled it off, as disloyal as that sounds.”

  “I understand your concerns, Kell. I really do,” she said sympathetically, laying a soothing hand on his arm. “I also hear what you aren’t saying.” She met his dark eyes pointedly. “If you pull out of this, Kell, I won’t do it either. I can’t fight this fight without my partner to back me up. I won’t trust my ass to anyone else but you. I won’t risk my son’s mother unless you’re there to back me up all the way.”

  Kellen chuckled under his breath, dropping his head and shaking it ruefully.

  “Damn you, Inez, you can’t put the decision all on me like this. If I get us into this mess and something happens to that fine ass of yours, you know I’m going to be mentally scarred for life, don’t you?”

  She grinned widely, striking a Marilyn Monroe pose, hands on her thighs and her lush bottom thrusting in his direction. “It is rather fine, isn’t it? Come on, partner, you’d never let anything happen to my ass, so what are you worried about?”

  Kellen quietly watched her playful display, that shuttered frown falling over him again. She sighed and leaned into him with a nudge. “Come on, handsome,” she needled gently, “it’ll be a wild ride, but I could use the excitement.”

  Kellen’s attention snapped onto her fully and an expression she had never seen on him before darkened his eyes. She made a sound of surprise.

  “Be careful what you ask for, Inez,” he said, the tone of his voice so deep and velvet soft that it gave her a chill. “You might get more in the bargai
n than you expect.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Come,” Devon called when the knock sounded on her office door. She didn’t look up because she was concentrating on finishing the contract she was reading, but she knew immediately who it was and she could pretty much guess what he wanted.

  She made Carter wait until she reached the end of the page, her digital pen flying over it to make last-minute corrections as she went. When she was satisfied, she put it aside and looked up. She saw the scowl on his face and had to resist rolling her eyes at his predictability.

  “Yes, Mr. Spencer?” she greeted.

  “Mr. Spencer? Have I been demoted now?” he asked, a barely concealed sneer edging his tone.

  “Only when you piss me off. Sort of like when your mother uses your middle name when you get in trouble?” She sat back and gave him a tame smile. “Relax, Carter. No need to pass around your resume.”

  “You know, you wouldn’t have even made a joke like that before that Nash showed up. What the hell is going on here? We’ve known each other for decades, Devona. Why are you suddenly acting like I’m the enemy and that … human is someone you can trust?”

  “Because you’ve been screwing up in ways that are just too careless to be excused in a man known for his efficiency, and that human has nothing to gain in his life except payment for keeping mine in existence.”

  “Are you sure about that?” he drawled, leaning a hand on her desk and bending forward slightly as he narrowed his eyes on her. “You are a rich, beautiful woman with the sexual aura of a cat in heat, and he’s no different from any other tomcat, human or otherwise. He’s already staked a claim, you know. You can feel it on him like some sort of primitive monkey beating on his chest and screeching to warn other males away. He reeks of possessiveness. You’d best be careful, Devona. This is not the sort of man you’d want for a stalker.”

  He straightened up, trying not to look too pleased with himself when she frowned thoughtfully. He had known Devon for years. Many long and loyal years. He knew her inside and out, and he knew one of the things that scared her most was the idea of things she couldn’t control. It was why she had so few personal relationships. She could not control others, so she often subconsciously went about discarding them almost as eagerly as she picked them up. It was a shame because she really enjoyed the stimulation of others, but she feared it too. She always had and always would. Carter had only lasted this long because he made every effort to understand this about her. He was well suited to her needs. He took great pleasure in being everything she could possibly want or need at any given moment, without ever giving her cause to worry.

  When she was displeased with him on the rare occasion, as she was now, it disturbed him deeply. He didn’t like the insecurity. Devon was solid and secure in all ways imaginable. Or she had been before the information on how to kill a Morphate had finally come across her desk and she’d taken on the folly of inventing these damnable weapons. And while her wealth, comfort, and position, the things he treasured most highly, had not changed, they could and would if something were to happen to her. So he had to accept this outside influence that suddenly surrounded them and filled every corner of the previously museum-quiet mansion. This … NHK. Though he thought very little of the human forces surrounding them, there wasn’t much choice in the matter.

  Carter didn’t mind their self-imposed exile. He didn’t even mind pretending to be human. It had its perks and amusements. But Devon depended solely on him, and he on her, as the only Morphate contacts in each other’s lives. The only ones sharing the secret of their existence. It made for a very special bond between them.

  “I know you and Liam have taken an instant dislike to one another,” she said softly, “but it would please me if you could at least try to get along.” She stood up and turned to the covered window directly behind her. She folded her arms across her middle, looking at the window coverings as if she could see right through them. “It’s a rare human who can welcome Morphates into their circle without feeling fear and prejudice. So many look on us as monsters. Unfortunately, many of them are right.”

  “I don’t know what you were thinking, telling him we are Morphate. No one except other Morphates knew that. Now a small human army is going to know. And while Nash might not be prejudiced, there’s no way he can speak for his entire workforce. It’s impossible. These are well-armed and well-trained killers, Devona. They have access to your house. Your bedroom. You. Mark my words, you are risking your life trusting these people. What’s more, I resent you telling them about me without even asking me!”

  “I didn’t tell them, Carter,” she snapped, whirling to face him down with angry fire in her eyes. “Your holier-than-thou superiority gave you away long before I could ever have done so. Liam probably suspected you were a Morphate even before he knew I was one! You have no idea what a pompous ass you can be sometimes, you know that? And you talk about racism among the humans? Look at yourself, Carter. One day just watch and listen to your behavior and you’ll see what it is that has me so damn disappointed in you!”

  Spencer jerked back at the accusation as though she had slapped him in the face. The change that washed through him was phenomenal. He practically deflated before her eyes, his arrogance streaming out of him. He was tall and handsome in a narrow sort of way, so much leaner than Liam that he almost seemed scrawny in comparison, though Devon knew it was unfair to compare anyone to Liam’s outstanding physical stature. But as his bravado left him, Carter looked very small all of a sudden. And very young. If a Morphate could look vulnerable, then he had achieved it. He had been careless, but she knew he would never betray her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, and she believed him. “I know I do have some obnoxious behaviors sometimes.”

  “When you are threatened,” she agreed, not quite ready to let him off the hook. “What is it about Liam and his people that threatens you?”

  “Jesus, Devon, they have mercury!”

  He said it like it made all the difference in the world. And she supposed it did. For the first time since Paulson’s labs, Carter was facing the only human beings who knew about that vulnerability and had the means to use it against him, and it wasn’t bringing out the best in him. How could she not understand that? When one treasures immortality for so long, only to have it so suddenly destroyed, it was bound to make the fear of death prominent, and ten times as daunting.

  But nothing should live forever. It simply wasn’t a natural part of the lifecycle. The universe was all about life, death, decay, and rebirth. From the smallest bacteria to the exploding stars so far away, the same rhythm existed.

  So she simply accepted that she did, indeed, exist, whether or not it was a natural existence. She enjoyed that existence in her own way, managing it the best way she knew how. Devon figured that was the freedom of being an intelligent being. Unlike her brethren, she believed she would die one day. The price on her life had only reinforced that feeling. Perhaps that was why she saw things so differently. She believed it enough to want to give her people a dose of the feeling.

  “I have mercury,” Devon said gently. “And I explained to you some time ago that this day was coming. Didn’t you prepare yourself for it at all?”

  “I …” Carter shrugged and looked away. “I thought you’d change your mind.”

  Devon actually laughed aloud at that. “When did you ever know me to change my mind?” she wanted to know.

  The truth was on his sheepish face. He had been fooling himself because it had given him temporary comfort to do so.

  “Now, please,” she said gently, brushing her hand before herself as if to brush away all these issues, “let’s focus on the present and the future and the things I desperately need your help to accomplish. In all fairness, Carter, you’ve been unforgivably careless with private and secure information and it stops right here and right now. You will obey every directive regarding security that Liam Nash gives you. Understood?”

  “Yes, Devon.
If that’s what you would like me to do.”

  “It is.” She smiled. “Thank you. Now I need to fix my schedule and organize a few more meetings before things get any worse than they are.”

  “You’re going to continue meeting with the members of the Morphate sects, Devon? Are you crazy? After what happened last time?”

  “All the more reason to do it,” she said firmly. “I am making my propositions to each and every one of them, the Alpha Council as well, until each one sees this situation properly. And in the process, I’m watching for evidence of who my enemy is.”

  Devon and Carter finished moving back her schedule the recommended two weeks. It meant reneging on some important appointments and withdrawing from some events she had agreed to attend, but not very many. She was not known for her public persona as much as she was the power of her position. As for the night meetings with the various Morphates she was trying to court, she would design her future meetings to be even more impulsive. No one but herself and the other party would know the time and location and she would even put off naming the location until the last minute. She would warn Liam, of course, but only to give him minimum time for preparation. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She was simply tired of learning her lessons the hard way and she refused to make any further mistakes.

  Outside of the safety of Dark Manhattan, there was no one she could trust except herself. She had known that for decades now, but this was going beyond even the precautions of the past. Devon stood up and turned to the windows behind her chair. She pulled the drapes open now that her desk was cleared of sensitive data and she wasn’t sitting with her back to the glass. She hadn’t needed Inez to warn her about that vulnerability. She’d been aware of it already. Still, with a corner office, it was hard for her to find anywhere in the entire room that wasn’t somehow exposed to the outside. And with infrared scopes, drawn curtains would do little good. If someone wanted to kill her badly enough, they would eventually find a way, and there would be very little she could do about it. Inez’s recommendation had been to substitute the glass with something bulletproofed. She had agreed with the idea. The glass was being replaced later that week.