“We can’t keep hiding from him,” I said, not even looking at Josh as I stared to the side, locking my gaze on a box of drinks.
My words bubbled up from somewhere deep within me. You know when you’re scared or something? People always say you should face your fears. But sometimes, those fears are justified. With Max I just didn’t know—
“We can, and we will. Now let’s go find a ladder.”
“He’s going to find us, Josh – he’s a finder—”
“Knock, knock,” a deep male voice reverberated from behind Josh.
Josh stilled.
He still had his hands on my shoulders. I was looking up into his eyes, and his expression ran the gamut from terror to pain.
He winced. He dropped his hands from my shoulders, he thumbed his nose, he turned around, and he straightened up.
I shifted to the side just in time to see none other than Maximus Knights walking down the small hallway, his hands in the pockets of his three-piece suit.
Susan looked alarmed. “Um, what’s going on here? This is the back of the premises. Customers—”
Max came to a stop just behind Josh. Josh was in the doorway, and I was just behind him, and it might’ve been my imagination, but Josh looked as if he was trying to make himself 10 times as big in the hopes he could hide me.
But Max had already seen me.
My stomach kicked. At a thousand miles an hour. I swore I felt great paroxysms of the strangest sensation shifting through me. Because it wasn’t a sensation. It was… knowledge of some description. Like I knew something about Max, but I couldn’t quite remember it.
“I apologize. I had made a time to meet. I waited for five minutes. However, when you didn’t show, Jennifer on the counter suggested I come through.”
Susan blinked once, then twice, then her cheeks practically dropped from her face. “You’re the new owner?” she asked, and for the first time in her life, Susan’s voice shook.
“New owner?” I squeaked as if somebody had their hands around my throat.
Susan swallowed. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you. This complex of buildings has been bought. George, the guy who owns this café, called me about it this morning. George promised he’d signed a three-year lease, ensuring the café can still run.”
“And it will. I’m simply here to inspect the building,” Max said. Though he wasn’t looking at me, I got the impression his every other sense was locked on me.
“You bought this café?” I asked. I didn’t know what was wrong with my voice. Okay, I knew exactly what was wrong with my voice. I’d only just met Max, and now he had, apparently by chance, bought the café I used to work at. And something told me this was no coincidence. “I didn’t know these buildings were for sale.”
“They weren’t. An opportunity came up that I could not ignore,” he said by way of explanation. He tried to flick his gaze to me, but it was hard, because Josh was squarely in the doorway, mostly hiding me from view.
“Do you mind if I come in, Mr. McIntosh? Or do you have some reason to be protecting this doorway?”
Susan cleaned her hands on her apron, straightened up, flicked her hair over her shoulder, and shot Josh a look. “We have an office down the back if you want to talk,” she said to Max with a smile.
“I was hoping simply to get a feel for the building, actually. Do you mind if I tour around?”
“Not at all,” Susan was still stuttering. I’d never seen her looking more thrown.
Josh took a step away from the door to allow Susan through. That step brought him solidly back into me, and if I hadn’t shuffled out of the way in time, he would’ve pushed me into a box of noodles.
“What are you two doing here anyway? Is this an informal secondary dining area?” Max glanced at the chipped plastic table.
“Not at all. This is the break room. I was simply catching up… with a friend,” Susan said, reluctantly referring to me as a friend. Though I could see she was a little starstruck at the fact the richest, most famous guy in town had shown up in her break room, she clearly hadn’t forgotten what I’d said.
She looked like a wary mother hen protecting me from a circling hawk.
“Just this way,” Susan said politely but with the kind of efficient tone that would tell Max the tour of the break room was done.
Max didn’t move. He looked at Josh. “I heard you’d be attending the game this evening. I’m sure I’ll see you there.”
I caught a glimpse of Josh’s throat as he swallowed hard. “I thought you didn’t like sports?”
“This will prove to be an interesting game, though.”
Josh stared back.
I knew I should shut up. I knew I should stand behind Josh and pretend I was nothing more than a statue. But I couldn’t ignore Max’s words, even if Josh could. So my lips opened with a wobble. “Why will the game be interesting?”
Josh took a stiff breath.
Max tilted his head slowly to the side, making it clear he couldn’t see me properly. “At the risk of drawing attention to your abilities in public, I’m sure you’ll find out for yourself,” he emphasized the word find. Then Max turned around and followed Susan.
Josh didn’t move from in front of me until Max was well and truly out of earshot. Then he pivoted on his foot. I’d never seen him look stiffer. “You shouldn’t have said a word,” he spat.
“How the hell did he know I worked here? I thought you told me my file would be locked down by the police? I’m meant to be on a protection order, right? Right?” My voice kept arcing up as more stress battered me like a vessel limping through a storm.
My apparent fear must’ve tugged at the one or two heartstrings Josh had left. He sighed and let his stiff arms drop loosely by his sides. “He’s a finder, Beth. That’s what he does.”
“But you told me he couldn’t locate.”
“He doesn’t.”
My stomach pitched. I was close to throwing up my chef’s special. My mouth was so dry, I wanted to reach for the box of drinks behind Josh and down every single one. I managed to crack my lips open, though. “… What do you mean?”
“Think about it, Beth.” Yet again, he used my real name, a testament to the fact that Josh had a heart somewhere underneath that insufferable façade. “He finds opportunities.”
“… So I’m meant to be an opportunity?” I couldn’t keep my voice even.
Josh looked at me with genuine compassion. That was no lie. The way his eyebrows darted down, the way his mouth fell open, and the way his shoulders dropped – none of those were faked. “To him, I guess you are. But you don’t have to worry.”
“Why? Because of that dumb PO? It didn’t stop him from buying this place. What exactly do you think he wants to do with this café, anyway?”
“Look, Beth, you don’t need to freak out.”
“Why don’t I need to freak out?” My voice was getting steadily louder, whirring up like an air raid siren at the approach of an enemy plane.
“Because Max is….” He shook his head. “Max is a complicated guy.”
“What does that mean?”
“He may neither be good nor bad, but when things…. He…. Look, he’s not going to do anything directly illegal.”
I threw my hands up. “There are plenty of things that aren’t directly illegal,” I emphasized those two words, “but are still terrifying. And buying the establishment where my friends work is one of them. And what do you mean he’s a complicated guy? Just how do you know him, anyway?”
Every last flicker of compassion in Josh’s eyes burnt up as he turned from me. “We’ve just got to get out of here, okay?”
“Josh – answer me.”
“You don’t want to know the answer,” he snapped. “Now come on.” He waved me forward.
I felt so defeated, weak, and stupid. I wanted some goddamn answers. And more than anything, I wanted someone to assure me that Max wasn’t going to do anything dangerous.
But there was no one
to assure me.
… Except that feeling. That tether that I swore connected me to Max. The same tether that told me where he was while I was sleeping.
That seemed to promise that Josh was right. This was worrying, but it wasn’t dangerous. It was just complicated.
That word reverberated around my mind as Josh walked me out through the café.
Max was seated with Susan at a table close to the counter.
As soon as I locked eyes on him, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. And yet, at the same time, I think I felt tingles rush through my skin.
Before I could lock eyes on his back, Josh shifted beside me, breaking my view. Without another word, he frog-marched me out of the establishment.
Max? Didn’t look at me once.
At least not with his eyes.
With the rest of him? He couldn’t look away.
The promise that he would see us tonight played in my mind as Josh took me to his car and drove away.
Chapter 10
“Why don’t you just try to get some rest?”
“Because I want to go to the stadium before the show. It’s important. I don’t really know why, but I just.” I let out an exasperated groan. “I just know it’s important.”
Josh was leaning with his back to the wall, his arms crossed, and a bored look on his face. Behind him, his burnt toast was smoking softly on the counter.
I’d only been living with this guy for the past several days, but that was more than long enough to realize that Josh was one of those people who couldn’t cook a thing. Not even toast.
I would have cooked it for him, but you know what – no. He could ruin his own life – I didn’t need to get involved.
Now I sat at the kitchen table and turned around in my chair, my arm looped around the back. “Call them again. There has to be some way to get inside.”
“Apparently there’s been a request from the sponsor,” he explained to me for the fifth time, and for some reason, his voice was patient – or at least patient for Josh. He wasn’t threatening noncompliance, and he wasn’t calling me an idiot. Which were both signs that the rational side of his mind was currently in control. “Because this game is a crucial one for the season, there will be people messing around and setting things up before tonight.”
“But we’re bounty hunters. You said yourself that if we have reasonable expectations that one of our targets is on the premises, we are legally allowed to go inside.”
“You just said it yourself – reasonable expectations. We’ve got nothing.”
“I’m a finder.” I tapped a hand on my chest.
He didn’t snort, though I could tell he wanted to. For some reason, he was being sensible. Hell, he’d been sensible ever since we left the café. Though I could conclude it was because of Susan’s threat, I knew it was because of Max.
I would give anything to know the history between these two men. Though when Susan had suggested tracking down Josh’s scars to understand him I’d pooh-poohed her, now I had my heart set on that very fact.
So far I’d only found one testing officer, but perhaps it was time to set my mind to finding out what made Josh McIntosh tick.
“You haven’t come into your full powers. At all. Even then, you’re going to need to go through several more testing scenarios before you are given a special warrant.”
The term special warrant was about the only thing that could derail me. My eyebrows clunked down. “What does that mean?”
“It means that one day, one day,” he emphasized those words, “when you have proven that you have full control of your powers, then yes, you will be given special leave from the government.”
“Hold on, you mean I’ll be able to go anywhere?”
“When you’re registered. And I said virtually anywhere. And don’t get ahead of yourself, Missy. It takes a long time to pass that test.”
“How long?”
He looked at me seriously, as if he was sizing me up. “For you? Oh, I don’t know, probably 20 years.”
I balked. “What? 20 years. That doesn’t make any sense. I used to know a kid in primary school who became a witch. It took her a couple of classes before she could keep her powers in check.”
“Listen to yourself. It took a couple of classes until she could keep her powers in check. That did not mean she had a full hold of them. And before the State is going to let you walk willy-nilly wherever you want to, you’re going to need to know what you’re doing.”
“But 20 years? That seems ridiculous. What if I found someone who could teach me—” I began. I stopped. For a very good reason.
Josh looked at me, his expression unquestionably challenging. “I don’t think you need an answer for that one.” He pushed past me, grabbed up his burnt toast, yanked the plate out of the dish rack, slammed the toast on top, walked over, and sat. Though there were plenty of other seats around the table, he chose to sit right next to me. “Okay, there’s something we’re going to need to get straight.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned.
“Tonight,” his voice went right down low.
I opened my mouth to demand what he meant once more, but then reality struck me. Reality struck me, specifically, with an undeniable image of Max. The way he’d looked over his shoulder at me as he walked away. He’d promised we’d see each other tonight….
“That right there,” Josh suddenly said as he leaned in and stabbed a hand at me.
I had to virtually jump out of the chair lest he stabbed me in the nose.
“Hey,” I grumbled in a high-pitched tone. “What are you doing? Get your finger out of my face.”
“Gladly, if you promise to get your mind off him.”
I didn’t need to ask for any clarification. I blanched.
“That is precisely what I’m talking about. Look I… I get it. He’s the only other finder in town, and you’re intrigued by him,” Josh seemed to select the word intrigued after a great deal of thought. “But for now, it’s gonna be much safer if we keep you two apart.”
“But you keep telling me that he’s not a threat. Then in another breath, you tell me he is a threat. Just who exactly is Maximus Knights?”
“A complicated guy,” Josh defaulted to saying.
Before I could snap at him, he shoved his toast toward me.
I looked at it suspiciously. “What exactly is this?”
“I forgot you are an idiot. It’s toast. T-o-a-s-t. It is a miraculous invention. Comes from sliced bread.”
My lip ticked up in a snarl. “Are you ever going to grow up?”
“Not with you around, that’s for sure.”
“Very mature. But why are you offering me toast?”
“Because you are going to eat here.”
“I thought we were going to the pre-party—”
He snorted. “Are you not following this conversation at all? Why would we not be going to the pre-party?”
I opened my mouth to say I didn’t have any idea what he was talking about. I paused. I looked down at my hands. “Because Max will presumably be going to the pre-party.”
Josh clicked his fingers. “That’s it. Gosh, you’re a quick learner.”
Rather than snarl at him for that childish joke, I crossed my arms and stared at his toast offering, unimpressed. “Who burns toast?”
“The toaster. Blame the toaster. Now don’t shift the topic. You seem dead set that Howard is going to be there tonight. And though it’s against my better judgment, I’m gonna go out on a limb for you. Because this is a valuable contract, and the courts want Howard tracked down sooner rather than later.”
“Why?” I questioned automatically, interested again.
Josh narrowed his eyes. “I thought you were a bounty hunter?”
“Just shut up and answer. Have you heard anything from the courts? What exactly have they told you? Have you looked at his file?”
“You realize I’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you, and thoug
h you may be a glorified finder, you’ve never actually found anything yet apart from one irritating testing officer called Stanley. This will be completely different. You’ll be finding someone who doesn’t want to be found. And though you have seen a photo of this guy, it won’t count for much. Even the most developed of finders can only get a vague sense if they aren’t given enough information.”
I opened my mouth to ask whether that was the case with Max. I thought better of it. Plus, unlike me, Max obviously knew how to control his full powers.
Maybe I gave something away, because Josh settled back and crossed his arms. “It’s the same with Max. He’s stronger than you, granted, but he still can’t sniff out a deal at a thousand paces. Unless it’ll be very important to him. Just like everyone else, strong emotions or direct physical experience that holds some special significance will allow his powers to blossom.” As soon as the words were out of Josh’s mouth, I could tell he regretted them. “Look, that doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
“I barely know the guy. I just met him. How can I be—”
“Can we please not have another freakout?” Josh said as he slammed a hand on his head. “Look, let’s just agree not to talk about Max for now. Let’s agree to, instead, talk about what we’re going to do at the stadium and what our plan of action is.”
I pressed my lips together, hoping he realized I wasn’t happy, but at the same time, I wasn’t ready to push him again.
Josh had a limit, and it was clear I was rapidly heading toward it.
“I’m going to head to the pre-party,” Josh said, then he shook his head. “No, I’m not. I can’t leave you alone. Fine. No pre-party. We’ll go to the stands,” he corrected himself. “And then you’re going to use your finder magic, and I’ll use my far superior detective skills, and we’ll find Howard.” Josh slapped a hand on the table and rose. “This has been a valuable meeting. Now, here is your toast.”
Forgotten Destiny Book One Page 10
