The MORE Trilogy

by T. M. Franklin

  “Caleb—”

  “I can give you his cell phone number,” he offered, pulling out his phone and tapping on it lightly. “His e-mail address?”

  Ava sighed. “I don’t think—”

  “Or maybe you want my fingerprints?” he suggested. “A state patrol background check? Jeez, Ava.” He threw up his hands in frustration, eyes wide.

  Ava rubbed her forehead. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

  Caleb propped his elbows on the table, linking his fingers together as he leaned toward her slightly. “Look, I know you’re stressed out with this whole police thing,” he said in a low voice, “but you can’t go looking for conspiracies everywhere, or you’re sure to find them.”

  Ava stared at him for a moment, then sighed heavily, rubbing her hands roughly over her face. “Man, what is wrong with me?” she muttered. “I’m sorry, Caleb. I just . . . I don’t know. I keep thinking I’m seeing things . . . feeling people watching me. I guess this whole thing has me more freaked out than I thought.”

  “It’s completely understandable,” he said sympathetically, reaching out to touch her hand. “After what you’ve been through, anyone would feel a little nervous.”

  “Nervous?” She snorted. “I’m downright paranoid.” Ava tried to ignore the heat of Caleb’s hand on hers, and the fact that he had yet to pull it back.

  The fact that it felt better than she would have imagined.

  But beyond that, something still seemed . . . off. Why had Caleb seemed so indifferent when she forgot what they were talking about? For that matter, how had she forgotten? It was as if the thoughts had flown out of her head, then just as quickly, they’d flown right back.

  She eyed Caleb as he pulled back his hand and reached out for her physics book, flipping it open. Her eyes fell to his fingers as they turned the pages, running down a paragraph before tapping it lightly.

  “Let’s start here,” he said, sitting back. Ava’s gaze followed the movement, watching his hands as they returned to his side of the table.

  Caleb touched her forehead, and then . . .

  Could he have . . . done something?

  “Ava?” Caleb said, bringing her out of her thoughts. “Should we get to work?”

  Ava blinked, shaking her head lightly. Paranoia was really starting to make her crazy. She needed to get a handle on her imagination or she was really going to lose it. She smiled slightly, pulling the book over and starting to read.

  She didn’t notice Caleb’s quiet sigh of relief.

  Caleb lurked in the shadows outside the diner, tailing Ava as she walked home, as he always did. He felt a bit like a creepy stalker. Well, in fact, he was a stalker, if not—hopefully—overtly creepy, but he tried to live with it as a necessary part of his job.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket as Ava made her way into her dorm, the light flicking on in her room a moment later. He glanced down at the screen, frowning at the private caller notation, knowing it could only mean one thing. Well, he supposed it could be a telemarketer, but Caleb knew he wasn’t that lucky.

  “Yes?” he said, answering the phone in a low voice.

  “You’re wanted before the Council.”

  “What a surprise,” Caleb said with a wry smile. “Who is this? Rafe?”

  Caleb had known Rafael Vinci most of his life. They’d trained together, and until Rafe was picked to be groomed for a future Council position, had often worked together as Protectors.

  “I’m touched you remember my voice,” Rafe replied. “It’s been a long time, Caleb.”

  “Yeah, well. I’ve been out in the field.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  “And you’ve been busy being the Council’s . . .” Caleb searched for the right word. Lackey? Flunky? Minion? He opted finally for, “Go-to guy.”

  Rafe snorted, evidently following Caleb’s train of thought. “I thought you, of all people, would understand working within the system,” he said. “But with what’s been happening lately . . . let’s just say the Council’s a bit worried.”

  “There’s no need,” Caleb insisted.

  “I’m sure there isn’t,” Rafe said indulgently. “But you’re to appear, nonetheless.”

  Caleb sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “When?”

  “Immediately,” Rafe replied. “Nothing official, though. Just a one-on-one with Andreas.”

  “Where?”

  “He’s waiting at your apartment.”

  Caleb sighed again in frustration, his eyes darting up to Ava’s now-dark window. Turning down a request to appear before Andreas Petrov was not only inadvisable, it was dangerous. If he wanted to convince the Council that he had the Ava situation under control, he’d need to convince Andreas first. Caleb worried about leaving Ava alone, even in the apparent safety of her dorm room, but he figured if he appeared to be playing along, the Council would be less likely to sic Tiernan and Katherine on her—at least not yet.

  “I’m on my way,” he said finally, ending the call and melding deeper into the shadows.

  The door was open a crack when Caleb arrived at his apartment. Not that it was surprising. Andreas was never one for respecting boundaries or worrying about security—at least when it came to other people’s things. Caleb walked in, locking the door behind him and nodding at the blond man sprawled on his sofa.

  Dressed impeccably as always, Andreas wore a dark suit that Caleb was certain cost more than his car, the white shirt crisp and tailored, striped tie perfectly shaped, the slight dimple under the knot sharp along the edges. Pale blue eyes observed him unblinkingly as he set down his backpack and went to the refrigerator for a bottle of water.

  “Would you like anything, Andreas?” he asked.

  “No, thank you,” he replied, the hint of an eastern European accent lending even the polite words a threatening air.

  Caleb leaned against the wall, unable to calm down enough to take a seat. “So, what’s this all about?” he asked.

  Andreas crossed his legs, arms extended over the back of the sofa as if he owned the place. “I think you know,” he said. “There are some . . . concerns about your handling of the situation with the Michaels girl.”

  Caleb gulped some water, his mouth dry. Andreas always made him nervous. “The Council’s never had problems with my methods before,” he replied, forcing a steadiness he didn’t feel into his voice as he peeled the label from the bottle and rolled it into a tube.

  Andreas tapped a long finger against the sofa, slow and steady. “You’ve never gotten personally involved before.”

  Caleb laughed humorlessly. “I always get personally involved. It’s the only way to get close to the subject and find the information I need.”

  “Ah, yes, of course,” Andreas said with a tight-lipped smile. “But in this case, you seem to be more involved than usual.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Caleb drained the water and slid the label into the bottle before tossing it into the trash. “I’m being completely professional.”

  “Then why did you interfere when Tiernan intercepted the girl?”

  “This is not Tiernan’s assignment!” Caleb shouted before thinking better of it. He rubbed sweaty palms on his thighs, clearing his throat. At Andreas’s raised eyebrow, he said quietly, “Apologies. I mean no disrespect.”

  “Of course not,” Andreas said icily.

  “It’s just that . . .” Caleb chose his words carefully. “If the Council has doubts about my abilities, I would appreciate being informed about it straight out. Sending another Protector . . . it’s a bit of an insult, with all due respect.”

  Andreas pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Perhaps you’re right,” he said. “Sending Tiernan and Katherine might have been a little premature.”

  Caleb held his tongue as Andreas appeared to consider that thought. After a moment, he stood, brushing his hands over his immaculate suit to straighten it.

  “I’ll recall Tiernan, for now,” Andreas said. “You have three days t
o finish your investigation and determine if the girl should be taken in for testing.”

  “Three days? That’s not enough—”

  “Three days,” Andreas repeated firmly. “And this grace is only due to your exemplary service in the past. Don’t forget that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Make no mistake,” Andreas added. “Despite your reputation, and your rather significant political connections, you are not irreplaceable, Caleb.”

  “I know that.”

  “And you will be watched.” At that, Caleb’s head snapped up. Andreas arched his patrician brow once again. “Surely, you have nothing to hide?”

  “No,” Caleb said quietly, biting his tongue. “Of course not.”

  “Of course not,” Andreas repeated with a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “If the Council determines that you are not acting in the best interest of the Race, our little deal here is off the table, understood?”

  Caleb nodded.

  “Good.” Andreas picked up a black trench coat draped over an armchair and reached for the door. “By the way, your mother says hello.”

  Caleb said nothing, and Andreas walked out, leaving the door wide open in his wake.

  Chapter 6

  Things were changing around campus.

  In the days since Ava reported the attack, campus police had stepped up security, hiring extra freelance officers to patrol the campus at night. Even though it did not appear to have been a random attack, neither the police nor the college administration wanted to take any unnecessary chances.

  The school implemented a massive PR campaign dubbed Don’t Go Solo, encouraging women not to walk alone after dark. Even the dorms got into the act, instigating a partner program to pair up volunteer guys with girls who needed an escort—any time, day or night.

  So, all in all, Ava felt relatively safe. She still had a personal escort wherever she went—sometimes Nick, who’d walk with her, cracking jokes—sometimes other, nameless faces who’d walk a few steps behind and say nothing. Caleb also popped up regularly, appearing outside her classes, or in the library—even when they weren’t scheduled for a tutoring session. She couldn’t decide if he was worried about her or if he just liked hanging out with her.

  The latter thought sent a strange warmth through her that she thought she’d rather not examine too closely. With everything else Ava was dealing with, a potential crush on her tutor was the last thing she needed. Even if there was a chance—small in Ava’s mind, gargantuan if you were to ask Lucy—that the feeling might possibly be reciprocated.

  Of course, it could all be a coincidence, as well. Ava didn’t know what to think anymore when it came to Caleb. She’d gone over and over the strange feeling she had after what happened at the diner, and she still couldn’t make sense of it. It wasn’t as if she’d never been in the middle of a conversation and forgotten what she was talking about. It happened to everyone once in a while, right? But the way it happened just felt so . . .

  The only word she could think of was unnatural. It was like something—or someone, she thought idly—actually blocked the memories, at least for a moment.

  But that didn’t make any sense, either.

  Did it?

  She sighed, walking out of the library and into the brisk afternoon air. At the sound of her name, she turned to see Nick climbing the steps to meet her. “Pulled the short straw again?” she joked as they turned to walk toward the dorms. She only had a few minutes before she had to head to work.

  “Nah, I don’t mind,” Nick said, dark eyes crinkling with a smile. “But I needed to talk to you about tonight.”

  “What about it?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Campus security is pulling everyone to work the concert, and I checked with the local P.D., and they can’t help us out either. There’s no one assigned to you.”

  The college was hosting a big charity concert at the football stadium. Ava would have liked to attend but couldn’t get the time off work. It was just as well, since it was a Thursday night, and she had classes the following day—although she was sure attendance would be pretty low across campus, anyway.

  She shrugged. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine. I’ll just get someone from the partner program.”

  “You promise you will?” Nick had become rather protective of Ava. She supposed being the first one she went to about the attack made him feel a bit responsible for her safety.

  Ava rolled her eyes. “I swear,” she said, holding up a hand in a mock Girl Scout salute as they reached her dorm. “I need to change and drop off my books. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  Nick nodded, leaning back against the wall next to the door as he swept the surrounding area with his gaze, then checked something on his phone. When Ava returned a few minutes later, he fell into step next to her. They chatted idly, and he followed her into the diner for a piece of pie before leaving her alone.

  “Don’t forget to call for an escort,” he reminded her, and Ava held up her phone in reply, dialing the number and leaving a message when nobody answered.

  The rest of the afternoon and evening passed relatively quietly—busy, but not so much so that Ava felt overwhelmed. That all changed when the concert ended, however, and crowds of excited fans filled the booths and tables. Jake asked her to stay an extra hour or two, and by the time they finally shut the doors, Ava was dead on her feet.

  When she checked her phone for a response from the partner program, however, she found none, and a second call went straight to voice mail. It was after eleven, and other than Jake, everyone had left for the evening. She could ask Jake for a ride, she supposed, but he’d be cleaning up for at least another hour, and she was exhausted and just wanted to get to bed. It would be hard enough to wake up for her morning classes as it was.

  “Problem, Ava?” Jake asked as she frowned at her phone. She forced a smile.

  “Nah. I’m fine.” She bit her lip, weighing her options. A cab, maybe? She dialed the partner line one last time.

  Voice mail.

  “You heading home soon?” Jake asked as he wiped his hands on a towel. He glanced toward the door. “Looks like your buddy’s here.”

  Surprised, Ava followed his gaze to find Caleb standing outside the front door, hands jammed in his pockets as he shifted on his feet nervously. He lifted a hand in a slight wave, shrugging with a small smile. Ava hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and unlocked the door.

  “Uh . . . we’re closed,” she said, unsure of what else to say.

  Caleb rolled his eyes. “I know that. The Closed sign was a dead giveaway,” he said, waving toward the dark front windows. “I was passing by and saw you through the window.” He looked down at his feet, his cheeks flushing slightly. “I didn’t see any police around, so thought you might need someone to walk with you. You know, just in case . . . or whatever,” he finished lamely, not meeting her eyes.

  Ava wasn’t exactly sure what to make of that, but she couldn’t deny she felt a bit of relief knowing she wouldn’t have to walk home alone. “I appreciate that,” she said finally. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.” She called out a good-bye to Jake, who waved a rag at her in response before heading down the street with Caleb. “What were you doing?” she asked.

  “Hmmm?” Caleb seemed distracted.

  “What were you doing downtown,” she clarified. “Why were you ‘passing by’?”

  “Oh.” Caleb shrugged slightly. “I was visiting a friend.”

  “Huh,” Ava replied, unsure why his response irritated her. “You have a lot of friends.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, you know . . . the one you were going to meet the other day for lunch. Now this one. You have a lot of friends.” Ava knew she sounded ridiculous, but couldn’t seem to stop the flow of words from her mouth.

  “That’s two,” Caleb pointed out. “Hardly a vast number.”

  Ava gave a noncommittal grunt and looked straight ahead. She just couldn’t stop thinking t
hat there was more to Caleb than she saw, but she also couldn’t figure out just what it was. On the surface, he seemed to be one thing, but for some reason, her gut told her something different.

  In fact, her gut just about screamed at her that there was something . . . something . . . about Caleb Foster.

  But what?

  They crossed the street, stepping into the shadows of the trees along the edge of campus and Ava found herself sidling a little closer to Caleb. He didn’t seem to notice, though, so she pretended she hadn’t, either. They walked in silence, their steps synchronized despite Caleb’s much longer legs. He seemed tense, alert, as his eyes swept the area around them, never settling on any one thing for too long.

  “Is everything okay?” Ava asked.

  Caleb smiled, but didn’t look at her. “Sure.”

  “You seem . . . I don’t know . . . nervous?”

  He glanced at her briefly. “Just doing my job.”

  Ava snorted. “Your job is tutoring physics.”

  “Call this moonlighting.”

  Ava tucked her hands more deeply into her coat pockets as Caleb returned to his steady surveillance. She started to say something more, but forgot it immediately when Caleb stopped suddenly.

  “Caleb?”

  “Shhh . . .” He stepped in front of her, his head tilted to the side.

  “What is it?”

  He touched a finger to his lips, his body impossibly still.

  Ava froze, pressed slightly against his back as she tried to peer over his shoulder. He stretched his hand behind him, as if blocking her from something, and his fingers curled slightly around her hip, stilling her movement.

  A prickle of awareness ran over her skin, stealing her breath. For a long moment, the world seemed to slow around her, growing silent and still, and Ava closed her eyes, unsure what she was searching for, but feeling her consciousness reach out, calling out into the darkness.