“Laurel…”
She didn’t bother to hide the tears streaming down her face. “No, let me finish. You’re the only one who understands how important my work is to me, how much it means to me to fight to save every Paladin who enters my lab. Not only do you respect what I do, but you’re proud of what I’m trying to accomplish. I know you and the others think of me as a little sister who needs protecting, but I’m not some weakling who can’t face up to adversity.”
She used the hem of the shirt to wipe her face. “Damn it, Devlin, I love you and I won’t let you deny me that right.”
Then there was silence. She waited to see what he would do or say.
It wasn’t long in coming. He cradled her in the safe harbor of his arms and held her as if she were all that was wonderful and dear in his life.
“Your love is the best gift I’ve ever been given, Laurel. It’s been a long time since I’ve let myself care about anyone other than my friends, mainly because they were the only ones who truly understand what I am: a man born to spend his life killing. Then you came along with your bright smiles and gentle touches.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, too, but I won’t let you die because of me.”
He walked back into the room and left her alone.
That did it! She stormed inside and turned on the lights. Devlin was sitting on his side of the bed and reaching for his cellphone, and the sudden brightness made him stop midmotion.
“Don’t you dare lay that on me, Devlin Bane. You don’t have the right to make choices for me, not without talking to me first. It’s hardly your fault that some whacko is after you. Heck, a drunk driver could run me down tomorrow. Would that be your fault, too? How about a terrorist attack on the city? How much blame are you willing to take on, to avoid taking a chance that this might work out between us?”
She marched over to stare down at him, and he tumbled her down onto the bed and pinned her with all his weight. As he glared down at her, she smiled and reached up to cup his face. “So you love me, huh?”
“Damn straight I do.” He swiftly freed himself from the confines of his drawstring flannels, and in a few short thrusts, he was inside her. “And you love me.”
She lifted her legs and wrapped them high around his waist, urging him on. “Yes. And nothing—not even you—is ever going to change that.”
Chapter 13
Laurel was alone, and so was he. This was it! Either he made his move now, or he might as well grab his packed suitcases and disappear. He hadn’t been home when his mysterious employer called, and the message on the answering machine had been short and to the point: Get the job done or prepare to die in Bane’s place. The cold, matter-of-fact tone made the threat all the more scary.
He’d scrambled around for two days trying to find Devlin Bane, with no luck. If he couldn’t find his prey, then he’d force the Paladin to come to him. He’d waited all morning for a chance to get Dr. Young alone, but she’d been in meetings with Dr. Neal and then Colonel Kincade. He didn’t know what had been discussed, but judging by the expressions on their faces, it hadn’t been good. He hoped it was some bad news about their precious Paladins. Maybe the whole lot of them needed to be put down like the rabid dogs they were.
He liked that idea except for the problem of the Others. Sure, he and the other guards could handle the situation when only a few of them crossed at a time. But when Others poured past the barrier, it took those crazy bastards to turn back the tide. Maybe the Regents should lock the whole bunch in cells underground and only open their cages when things got really bad.
Of course, who’d be crazy enough to be the one who tried to shove them back in the cells when the fighting was done? Not him; he had no death wish.
He peeked through the window into her lab. Son of a bitch, she was eating a sandwich at her desk. What was up with that? She almost always went out to pick up something for lunch, saying a walk in the fresh air cleared her mind. Often she offered to bring something back for whatever guards were on duty, including him.
She couldn’t help but be suspicious that something was going on, after the fiasco the other night. Under other circumstances she might have told Bane and Trahern that they were paranoid if they had tried to convince her that someone was after her. But shooting Trahern had no doubt given their arguments the proof she’d needed. The only question was, had they warned her about trusting members of the Guard? He was pretty sure he’d covered his trail, but Bane may have told her not to trust anyone except himself.
There was only one way to find out. Time was running out on him. Unless he succeeded in taking her now, he might as well put the barrel of his pistol in his mouth and pull the trigger. It would be an easier death than either his unknown boss or Devlin Bane would give him.
His hands were a little unsteady as he braced himself to confront the delectable Dr. Young. Maybe he’d keep her “occupied” for a day or two before letting Bane know where to find her. He figured the last place the bastard would look was in the tunnels below the Center. If he got tired of her himself, he could always leave her in one of the tunnels for the Others to find on their next attempt at crossing over.
Yeah, he liked that idea. They’d kill the bitch without hesitation. And when her lover boy found out, Bane would go berserk. It wouldn’t take much to convince Kincade or even Dr. Neal that Bane had crossed the line, making his death a mercy kill. His hands steadied now that the pieces were all falling together.
He checked his gun one last time and pushed open the door.
• • •
Laurel couldn’t believe her eyes, but she’d been staring at the truth for the better part of an hour. The change in Devlin’s scans had been substantial on the scan she’d run after he’d revived and when Dr. Neal repeated the tests as part of the general screening.
Unless she was reading more into the numbers than she should be, his scores had first dropped when she’d reached out to hold his hand. She’d like to think that was significant, but the scientist in her wouldn’t let her jump to conclusions. It had to be done right; she’d have to set up controlled experiments to validate the findings.
The trouble was, she didn’t know what was triggering the changes. Could it be something as simple as physical contact?
Images of the way she and Devlin has spent the previous evening filled her head. Now there was an experiment she’d volunteer to participate in, at least in private. The scenario made her grin.
Her intuition was convincing her that she was on the brink of something important. She carefully packed up the reports in date order and returned them to Devlin’s chart. He’d have to be told after Dr. Neal had reviewed the data. No doubt he’d be upset to find out that she’d crossed the line by becoming involved on a personal, not to mention intimate, level with one of her charges.
But she’d willingly take the heat, if it meant they had found a way to help the Paladins escape the endless cycle of death and destruction. She gave into the urge to do a little happy dance—
And came face-to-face with the business end of a revolver. Frozen with terror, it took her a minute to recognize who was holding the gun. His normally friendly eyes looked more like Trahern’s now.
“Sergeant Purefoy? Is this some kind of joke?” One look at the cold hate in his eyes burst that particular little dream.
“Yeah, Doc, it’s a joke. But I’ll be the only one laughing.” He motioned toward the door with the barrel of the gun. “You and me are going to find someplace nice and private to hole up for a day or two. I have some special fun in mind just for us.”
He focused his gaze on her breasts and then slowly moved down her body from there. Then he smiled, letting her know exactly what he had in mind. She stepped back even as her stomach roiled. It was as if she were staring at a stranger, rather than a man she’d known and trusted.
Her revulsion must have shown on her face because he drew back his hand and slapped her. “Don’t give me that holier-than-thou lo
ok, bitch. I know you’ve been spreading your legs for Bane. Hell, he’s not even human.”
She met his gaze head on, determined not to cower. She glanced at the camera mounted in the corner, hoping that someone was watching this little drama play out. Surely not all of the guards were involved in this mess.
When he noticed, he laughed. “Who do you think is supposed to be monitoring the labs right now? And my partner had a sudden bout of food poisoning and had to go home. Imagine that—such an amazing coincidence. So until the next shift arrives, I’m bravely carrying on alone.”
He picked up her cellphone from the counter and tucked it in his uniform pocket, then waved the end of his gun in the direction of the door. “You’re going to walk through that door with me and act like everything is just fine. One false move or any attempt to escape, I won’t hesitate to shoot anyone we run into.” He smiled again. “You, too—although not to kill, mind you. But a leg wound wouldn’t interfere much with my plans for us.”
That did it! She wasn’t going to go along with his plans like a docile sacrificial lamb. What could she use for a weapon? He must have figured she’d try something because he shoved her away from the counter into the middle of the room. Then he was beside her, his gun pressed firmly against her ribs. He half dragged her down the hall to a flight of stairs that led down to the rarely used lowest level.
She deliberately stumbled, breaking her fall by grabbing on to the railing, and sat down hard. When he immediately tried to drag her back to her feet, she refused to move. “Unless you want me to fall and break my leg, you can hold on for a second.” She yanked off one of her shoes and held it up. “Thanks to you, I’ve just ruined a perfectly good pair of heels.”
Before he could stop her, she tossed it behind her and then sent its mate tumbling down the steps. Purefoy yanked her back up by her hair, the last vestiges of civility gone.
“I’m not stupid, Laurel.” He ran the barrel of his gun down the curve of her neck. “I know you’re trying to leave a trail for your Paladin lover to follow, but it won’t work. Even if he finds the shoes, he’ll think I’m trying to lead him into a trap. By the time he figures out that I really have taken you down into the tunnels, it will be too late—for you and for him.”
He started down the stairs, keeping up his commentary. “At one time I thought about trying out one of the female Others. Once I caught one, though, I couldn’t get past the stench of their world. And with that gray skin, she looked like a corpse. But I’m willing to bet that one of their males wouldn’t mind getting it on with a human female. Did you know the males sometimes travel in pairs? That would make the experience extra special for you, don’t you think? After all, there has to be some reason they keep crossing the line between worlds. Maybe it’s something as simple as getting laid by a woman who doesn’t look dead.”
“Better one of them than you, you sick bastard.”
She braced herself for another blow, but Purefoy didn’t react to her taunt. He shoved her into the corner at the bottom of the stairwell while he fumbled with the keypad. After he’d entered the code and opened the door, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the storage room beyond.
They were surrounded by a deep silence, broken only by their own breathing. She knew from previous visits that the room was filled from floor to ceiling with environmentally controlled files. As a further protection, the lighting was limited to a small pool of light right at the door. Beyond that, motion detectors were set to switch on the overhead lights as needed, limiting the amount of light. Such precautions were necessary because here lay the heart of the history of the Paladins, carefully written and maintained by the Regents since the misty beginnings of the written word.
“Come on.” He headed for the farthest corner, stumbling along the aisle at the leading edge of darkness as he outran the speed of the detectors.
They skidded to a halt in front of an elevator tucked way back out of sight. Purefoy’s fingers flew over the keypad, calling the elevator up from the depths below, and a chill settled over Laurel. She’d never seen an Other except in pictures, and once in an autopsy done to show new Handlers the kind of being the Paladins did battle with.
The thought of being staked out like a goat to attract a predator male made her sick. But would that be any worse than being used by the crazed man at her side? Had the fact that she’d chosen a Paladin lover really driven him to this extreme?
No, that didn’t make sense. If he’d ever been interested in her as a woman, he’d never show any sign of it. Their relationship had always been professional but cordial.
What was motivating him to risk certain death at the hands of the Paladins? Surely he had to know that even if he was successful in his attempt to kill her and Devlin, the others would line up for the chance to take him down.
“Why are you doing this?” She did her best to keep her voice level and calm. Purefoy already showed signs of coming apart, from dilated pupils to beads of sweat on his face. There was no telling what he’d do if she pushed too hard.
“Enough money to make me rich.”
The elevator opened in front of them. He gave her a shove and then followed her in. “The Regents give their pet Paladins all the riches and glory. Meanwhile, us Guards make piss-poor money and barely get by.”
“But the Paladins fight the Others.” And how could he think the Paladins were steeped in glory, when their existence was one of the best-kept secrets in history?
Purefoy snorted. “Oh yeah, they have to fight, what, maybe a few days a month? Even when things go bad, they come back from the dead like some freakin’ zombie. We get sent down into the tunnels to back them up, but when we die, we stay that way.”
There would be no reasoning with the man. The more they talked, the more he would convince himself that he was on some moral quest to right a wrong on behalf of the Guard everywhere, rather than just being greedy. Meanwhile, the elevator continued its trip downward to the tunnels far below the streets of Seattle.
They reached bottom with a jarring thump. When the doors slowly slid open, she got her first view of the dank tunnels where the Others and Paladins fought and died. And where she might die, as well.
• • •
Cullen stuck his head in Devlin’s doorway. “Hey, Dev, you wanted to know if we picked up any unusual readings.”
Devlin looked up from the scan reports that D.J. had printed out for him after hacking into the medical files. He pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing Laurel was there to interpret the medical jargon for him. He should have made it his business to learn more about how to read the damn things before this.
“What’s going on? Is the mountain acting up again?” Lonzo wasn’t quite up to speed yet and Trahern was moving slowly; the last thing they needed was another free-for-all right now.
Cullen shook his head. “No, but D.J. picked up a blip on one of the monitors in the tunnels. He’s trying to trace it, but it was only that one time.”
“Keep me posted.”
“Will do. By the way, we’re sending out for sandwiches from the deli. Interested?”
He hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. “No, I’ve got plans for dinner.” For after dinner, too, but Cullen didn’t need to know about that. The only one who knew that Laurel was still staying at his place was Trahern. For her sake, he planned to keep it that way.
“Okay, I’ll be gone about half an hour if you need me.”
When the door shut, Devlin leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, hoping to ease the headache that reading and the lack of sleep had given him. He couldn’t help but grin, though. Last night with Laurel had been energetic to say the least. The woman must work out, because she sure as hell had stamina. After talking about the current mess, they’d managed to sleep. But then she’d nudged him awake a couple of hours later, and he’d returned the favor just before their alarm had gone off.
They’d also tried out his shower to see how it compared to hers. Soap-slick skin an
d pulsating water jets had gotten his morning off to a happy start. They’d run out of hot water; he’d have to order a larger water heater as soon as things calmed down.
The idea had him reaching for the phone. It was almost six o’clock, time to check in with Laurel to see when she wanted him to pick her up. If he shared some of his ideas for the evening, she might decide that some of her work could wait until tomorrow.
He punched in her number and leaned back in his chair. The lab phone rang five times and then kicked over to her voicemail. He considered leaving a message, but there was no telling how secure the system was. The last thing he needed was Dr. Neal or one of the guards listening in.
Maybe she was in the middle of something and couldn’t come to the phone. He tried her cellphone anyway. It rang once and then went immediately to voicemail.
They had agreed, when he’d dropped her off at work, that he’d check in sometime during the day. Why would she have her cell turned off? To do so was either careless or stupid, and Laurel Young was neither one of those things.
Son of a bitch, had they underestimated the bastard? It would take balls to snatch her at work, with guards and Dr. Neal likely to walk in at any minute.
He reached for his gun and then picked up his sword. If the bastard had laid a single finger on Laurel, Devlin was going to take great pleasure in carving him up in little pieces.
On the way out, he stopped to tell D.J. where he was going and why, but D.J. wasn’t at his desk. Rather than wasting time hunting him down, Devlin got on the intercom and did an all-call for him.
“D.J., get your worthless butt back to your desk!”
Dark Protector Page 20
