by Hahn, Joni
Mitchell gave her a deadpan expression.
Oh, Good God. The thought rankled but rang true. It sounded like something her father would do. To use Angela as a pawn in a game of revenge was horribly subhuman.
Rachel chimed in for the first time. “Why does Robert hate you?”
Mitchell leaned back in his chair and stared at Rachel. “Before he shipped out to El Salvador, Robert’s name had been tossed around as a possibility for a new C.O. position. They gave it to me while he was gone.”
Holy cow. Did the drama never end?
Cass buried her face in her hands. Her father had been through so much. No wonder he felt such hatred for men that had once been his friends.
Dar said, “My father got screwed.”
Rachel nodded, her eyes sad.
Mitchell’s red face turned deep burgundy. “I could say the same thing, but you don’t see me turning to a life of crime.”
Dar’s voice resounded in the small room. “You sonovabitch. It’s so easy to judge when you’re on the inside with the world’s wealthiest population and top government officials.”
“Judge?” Mitchell gave a half laugh. “Didn’t you just judge me? All I did was accept a promotion I worked damned hard to get. That justified Robert seducing my wife?”
Standing up, Mitchell gave each of them a pointed glare. “This discussion is closed. You want more information on my private life, find it yourselves.”
He pointed at Aidan. “Report to Robinson’s lab at 0800 tomorrow. We’ll debrief on the plane crash before Robinson gets to work.”
Mitchell stormed out without a backward glance.
Elbows on the table, she covered her face and shook her head. “I don’t know what to believe. This is so screwed up.”
She felt a male hand on her back and shrugged it away.
“Cass…”
Aidan stood beside her, sympathy lining his concerned, jade eyes. He wanted to touch her now, after his outburst had caused all of this?
“Get away from me, Aidan.”
Stiffening, he stepped away. “Suit yourself.”
“I am suiting myself. Apparently, it’s in my genes.”
“Yeah, that worked out so well, didn’t it?”
“Aidan…” Rachel’s voice held a warning tone.
Jumping up from her chair, Cass got in Aidan’s face.
“Oh yeah, this coming from the one among us that started all of this mess. How do you like your handiwork, Aidan? Are you happy?”
“You’re blaming me for this?” He pointed at his chest, his look incredulous. “If I hadn’t started it, none of you would know the truth.”
She shoved him in the chest. “Maybe I didn’t want to know the truth. Maybe I was perfectly happy living my sheltered life in Grand Lake. Maybe, I wish I’d never met you, Aidan…” She looked at Tristan and Rachel. “…or any of you.”
Feeling a knot in the pit of her stomach, it bubbled up her throat and exploded into a sob. Dammit, why had she cried so much lately?
“Baby, don’t-“ Aidan reached for her again.
She slapped away his hand, his face a blur. “Did you hear me, Aidan? I hate you. You’ve destroyed my life, my family, everything.”
Rachel touched her arm and tried to pull her into an embrace.
Dar held her at arms-length and wrapped an arm around Cass’s shoulders. “Back off, Rachel.”
“She’s my sister, too, Dar.”
He barked out a laugh. “You’re delusional.”
Tristan came to stand beside Rachel. “You’d better watch yourself, Naylor.”
Lifting his chin, Dar stared at his new brother. “Or what? You’re gonna lock me up? Take away everything I own? Destroy my family?” He scratched his chin. “Oh wait. You’ve already done that.”
Aidan’s body hummed with electricity as he glared at Dar, hands on hips. “The demise of Naylor Interests is your own fault, Naylor. You went to Creekmore looking for discord and you found it.”
Dropping his arm from around her shoulder, Dar got in Aidan’s face. “I went to Creekmore to kill Jacobs, and make money.”
Tristan put Rachel behind him as Aidan closed in on Dar.
“Are you threatening him, Naylor?” Aidan’s green eyes glittered as he stood toe-to-toe with her brother.
“If I said yes, would you shock me?”
Tiny fireflies of electricity zapped around Aidan’s body. “I’d kill you.”
She caught her breath before shoving him away from Dar. “Get away from him.”
Aidan’s fierce glare settled on her. Her heart pounded as their gazes clashed. He closed in on her now, the fireflies vanishing, his fresh scent wafting around her like a funnel cloud. She felt like someone squeezed her lungs, her breath coming in short spurts.
Swallowing hard, she felt a burning warmth work its way from her toes up to her cheekbones. Memories of last night in the SUV popped into her head, causing her body to drift toward him.
How could she desire him and hate him at the same time? At the moment, she wanted to rip off his clothes and take out her anger on him. Kiss him until she bruised his lips. Make love to him until they were drenched in sweat.
Damn, she didn’t know which way was up anymore.
“Staying away shouldn’t be too hard, even for a short-timer like you, Aidan,” she said. “And for the record, I’ll be glad when you’re gone. It’ll give us all some peace for a change.”
#####
Aidan headed to Robinson’s lab, backpack slung over his shoulder. If Mitchell really wanted to strip his system, he wanted to get it done and get the hell out of Dodge.
He’d decided that since he would be unemployed for the first time ever, he’d take a little vacation on Jacobs’ beach.
After that, he’d help out around Rachel’s ranch until he found something else. If anything, he’d help the D.I.R.E. agents assigned to search for the gold in the oil barrels.
Passing through the medical wing, he nodded at a med tech carrying an armload of linens. Robert Naylor’s arrival today would wreak havoc on the D.I.R.E. compound, not to mention Cass and Dar’s emotions. The two were already on the brink of insanity and frankly, he couldn’t blame them.
Frustrated didn’t begin to describe how he felt when Cass refused to let him touch her last night. His inability to console her, to fix the situation, had pissed him off. He’d had to stuff his hands in his jean pockets to keep from shaking her.
Touching her had somehow become a stark necessity.
That proved to be increasingly hard to do when she hated his guts, and he was on his way out. If Mitchell’s threat actually happened, he’d probably never see her again.
“Aidan, you’re early. Sit down.”
Hands behind his head, Mitchell sat with Robinson and Tristan at Robinson’s desk. From the wide-eyed looks the other men gave him, Mitchell’s decision couldn’t be a good one.
“I’ve asked Tristan here this morning because I want him to witness a proposition I have for you.”
Aidan glanced at his best friend. Usually Aidan could gauge Tristan’s thoughts just by looking at his face. This time, he had absolutely no clue what went on in his future brother-in-law’s head.
Mitchell sat forward and folded his hands on the table. “Because I don’t want to spend millions of dollars dismantling your system, I want to give you an option to stay on board with D.I.R.E. If you choose to decline, we’ll start dismantling procedures immediately.”
His gut gurgled like boiling water. “Why do I have the feeling your option is really no option at all?”
Robinson stood up and walked around the corner, his voice carrying. “That depends on how you look at this, Aidan.”
Appearing again, Robinson pushed forward a platform that held a modern-day suit of armor. Dark gray in color, the titanium and aluminum material held an ominous gleam, the suit built to cover the entire body, head to toe. The only missing pieces – the forearms down to the fingertips.
Aidan’s armbands and gloves.
Mitchell said, “We know the craft you saw the other day was a time machine. Buckner confirmed that. Unfortunately, Naylor agents killed Buckner before we could get more detailed information on the mechanics – if he knew.”
“You would’ve done the same thing under the circumstances,” Aidan said.
“Yes. The entire situation is unfortunate.”
Standing, Mitchell made his way over to stand beside Robinson. “By traveling to the future, Buckner and his companions have changed the future. How, we don’t know. What we cannot allow is our modern-day weaponry to travel back to World War II. The results could be disastrous for the entire world.”
Sitting back, Aidan crossed his ankle over his knee. “We’ve prevented that so far. What does this suit have to do with it?”
Robinson grinned, his hand on the suit’s shoulder. “It’s a time machine.”
Aidan stilled, his gaze shooting to Tristan.
“Decades ago…” Mitchell crossed his arms over his chest. “…the government sent me to meet with a Professor Nathan
Chalmers...”
“The girl’s father,” Aidan said.
Mitchell nodded. “…to see if his claim to time travel was indeed a reality. It was.”
Sitting up in his chair, Aidan dropped his leg. “So, he’d been practicing it for decades…”
“Yes, although I didn’t learn that until you brought in Buckner. When I talked to Chalmers back in the eighties, he never indicated he’d worked with Einstein or, that he’d actually used the technology. He only told me it worked.”
Aidan pointed at the suit. “So, you took his technology and created this thing?”
Robinson shook his head. “Chalmers and his lab, notes, everything were destroyed in a fire twenty-five years ago. I’ve taken what information I could find in archives and on the internet, used Einstein’s theory, which is what both of you are based on, and created my own mechanism.” He smiled at Aidan. “It’s just missing one key component.”
Aidan knew where this was going.“Me.”
Mitchell nodded. “Your electrical powers are necessary to power the suit. Robinson put the technology on hold until we had you up and running.”
It made sense. He could generate the high-frequency needed to power the suit. He’d done it on a smaller scale when he powered Tristan in the X-ray room.
“I’ll do it.”
Robinson’s worried gaze shot to Mitchell, who held up a halting hand.
“Before you agree to anything, Monroe, you need to know something.”
Tristan said, “There are risks.”
Aidan held out his hands, palm up. “What? I could get shot into outer space?”
Robinson shook his head.
“Explode in mid-flight?”
Mitchell cocked an eyebrow.
“Never come back?”
The room went deathly still. He looked at each man, waiting for a get-serious response.
None came.
Aidan blew out a breath. Okay, think about it, Monroe.
He could go back in time and stay there. What did he have to live for here? Rachel had Tristan now, his mother had gone Team Bobby, and Cass didn’t want anything to do with him. His life and his powers made him the perfect candidate.
Tristan spoke up. “There’s a definite risk of you not coming back.”
Aidan shrugged. “Every day I go out, I run the risk of not coming back. It’s part of my job. But that’s not what you’re talking about, is it?”
Robinson shook his head. “Precise speed is everything in this endeavor, Aidan. If you reach the speed of light, you could end up in timelessness forever.”
Aidan absorbed that for a moment. Wasn’t heaven timeless? And forever? Would that be so bad?
At this point, anything would be better than life without Cass.
Robinson said, “The suit, in conjunction with your system, gives you the ability to adjust your velocity relative to the speed of light. If you reach the speed of light, it would be of your own doing.”
“Wouldn’t I need an antenna or some type of amplifier in order to create a storm the magnitude they’ve created with their machine?”
“You’d need more energy than an average, everyday antenna or lightning rod could create. You’d need a radio tower or cell phone tower,” Robinson said.
“So, if I go back to nineteen forty-four, I’d have to find a radio tower to help me get back.”
“Yes, and based on my research, Princeton, New Jersey, had a radio tower.”
Aidan knew Einstein had worked for the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton during the war. It was the logical place to go.
He could do this.
Mitchell stepped forward. “Aidan, we wouldn’t attempt this unless we were sure of its potential. We could do a test run today to see if the concept worked.”
“Today?” Tristan said. “Why the hurry?”
“I think it’s imperative we act on this now, while Chalmers is under pressure to deliver gun technology or retrieve the gold.”
Aidan gave a firm nod. “I’ll do it.”
Tristan glared at him. “Shouldn’t you discuss this with your sister, first?”
He knew what Tristan implied. Rachel had lost a lot recently. He didn’t want to worry her more, but when it came down to ensuring a safe future for her and Jacobs, his future nieces and nephews, and Cass, he’d take the dangerous road any day.
“Jacobs, she has you now. If I can go back in time and stop these assholes, I’m going to do it.”
“Hold up a minute, Monroe.” Mitchell held up his hand. “This trip would just be for intel. No engagement. We want to alter the past as little as possible.”
What the hell? “No, sending me back with possibly no way to get home wouldn’t alter the past at all.”
Mitchell’s nostrils flared. “Are you telling me you’re going to screw this up?”
Aidan shot out of his chair. “No, I’m telling you that if I get there and can do something to stop them, I want to do it.”
Closing the distance between them, Mitchell spoke in a calm, ominous voice. “And, I’m telling you no. If you can’t accept a direct order, we need to start dismantling procedures now.”
Quit ruining your life. Rachel’s words sounded like an air raid siren in Aidan’s head.
He’d nearly lost his job yesterday. Mitchell had given him another chance. Not only a chance, but the opportunity to make history.
Would he actually argue with Mitchell over whether or not he would put himself in danger during a time when he had no modern-day technology at his disposal?
Use your head, Monroe.
Stepping back, Aidan held up his hands. “No engagement. Got it.”
Hands on hips, Mitchell studied him. “Isn’t it enough that you’d be the first man ever to time travel without a machine? Is that bar too low for you, Monroe?”
Aidan cleared his throat. “No sir.”
Mitchell and Tristan pulled back their heads in obvious surprise.
“What?” Aidan glanced back and forth between them. “I’m
showing some respect.”
Robinson laughed.
Shaking his head, Mitchell turned away. “Save it, Monroe.
I like you better as a dissident.”
“So, are we doing this today, after the debriefing?” Robinson said.
“That all depends…” Tristan said, “…On whether his sister kills him first.”
Chapter 11
Aidan stood a few feet from the cell tower on the D.I.R.E. roof. He stared at the endless desert below, as the sun set over the mountains in the distance.
Robinson’s suit fit him like a glove, his system adapting to it without flaw. All of the preliminary tests went off without a hitch. Even the time travel test that sent him back to the D.I.R.E. garage two hours earlier, worked beautifully.
The experience had felt like he flew in an F-35 Lightning - only a billion tim
es faster. The short excursion made him nauseous, but otherwise, he came through it okay.
“Aidan.”
Turning around, Aidan watched Rachel run to him from the elevator. Mitchell had kept their testing under strict security today. His sister was bound to be livid by now.
She hit him full force, punching him on the chest with both fists. He stumbled back.
“How can you do this?”
Her anguished voice caused his weak stomach to cramp even more. “Sis, I’ll be fine. Today’s tests all went well.”
“Aidan, if I lose you too, they’ll have to commit me, I swear...”
Aidan gave her a comforting grin. “Nothing’s going to happen to me. I promise.”
She stood hands on hips. “How can you promise that? If Mitchell felt the need to warn you, the threat is serious.”
Nodding, he dropped his arms. “I realize that, but I have to do this.” He clutched her upper arms. “Just think, if we can perfect time travel, our ability to keep the world safe will be nearly fool-proof.”
“I understand that. Why does it have to be now? Why can’t someone else test it?”
“We have to act now while Chalmers is under pressure to deliver. And, if you know another human electrical conductor, have him give us a call. We can use him.”
Looking away, she shook her head.
“Look, Sis. It was either this, or leave D.I.R.E. You’re the one that told me to quit ruining my life. I’m trying to do that.”
“I’m going to kill Mitchell…”
“Sis, he’s just trying to do the right thing and protect the future.”
Her wide-eyed gaze shot to him. “The right thing? Mitchell?”
What was she implying? That Mitchell had an ulterior motive?
“Why do you say that?”
“He’s hidden so much from us, Aidan. I just don’t trust him.”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out. I need to go.”
Stepping away from him, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Tristan told me you were dead set on this.”
“He’s right.”
She looked up at him with watery, aqua eyes that had seen too much crying lately. “So, you’re not going to change your mind?”
