by Brenda Joyce
“It’s Freddie,” he gasped, eyes bulging. “Fine! But he’ll fire me, you know that, right?”
“I think we can make things right with the union and get you another job really, really fast.”
Frankie calmed. “Okay,” he said.
Satisfied, Nick hurried to his team. They were holding the elevator, not fazed by his little bout of violence. He stared impatiently at the floor indicator as the private elevator went right up to the penthouse. The clock was ticking and he knew it. There was no point in bouncing around 1527 when he didn’t even know if Sam was there. Hemmer had taken her back in the first place. He’d have to come home sooner or later, and he’d sure as hell know where she was. Nick itched to get answers. He itched for a raw, dirty fight. Hemmer was going to pay for touching his agent. Oh, yeah.
He kept thinking about Jan, who’d forgiven him for Alex, and Katie and the kids, who were too dead to forgive him for anything. He kept seeing the faces of the Twelve.
Kit Mars was first out of the elevator.
Having read her mind without even trying, he knew she was really worried about Sam. Did Sam even know that she had a loyal friend in her coworker? She was beyond determined, but that was why he’d recruited her out of the NYPD. The kid was fierce. Untested, really, but fierce.
One of the guys, Cardozza, tried the doorknob first. “It’s locked.”
Nick tried not to roll his eyes. “Ring the bell. Missus is at home. So’s the help.”
Kit was already ringing the doorbell. “So what’s the plan, Nick?” she asked. “I mean, Hemmer isn’t here and when he gets back, I don’t think he’s going to tell us what we want to know.”
“You’ve never seen me at my most persuasive.” Nick smiled at her.
Kit didn’t smile back.
He was expecting a butler or housekeeper to answer the door—not Becca Hemmer in her La Perla bra and panties.
His eyes widened. He’d seen photos of her, of course. She was on magazine covers, celebrity rags, the Enquirer. He knew she was a knockout, but she was better in the flesh. In the five-inch pumps, she was almost as tall as he was.
“We were wondering how long it would take you to come over, Nick,” she purred.
He refocused. “Gee, I don’t recall us having met…Mrs. Hemmer.”
“We haven’t.” She smiled. “But Rupert is expecting you and you’re more than welcome to wait until he comes back. We can even amuse ourselves, if you’d like.”
He told himself not to get distracted. His surprise visit wasn’t very much of a surprise, apparently.
She stepped up to him so his groin brushed her cute panties. “You will come in and wait, won’t you?”
Cardozza snickered.
Nick slid his arm around her waist and handled her ass. He looked at Cardozza and Putney. “You know what to do,” he said.
They barreled past Becca, heading across the entry hall for Hemmer’s private office, Cardozza taking a drill out of his backpack. Kit followed them.
“What are you doing?” Becca cried.
“Well, since this is an official visit, we’re going to break into dear Rupert’s office and seize his computers and all his files.”
“He won’t like it,” she finally said.
“But he doesn’t mind his little trophy shagging the cop?” Nick asked.
She shrugged. “Are we shagging, Nick?” Her smile returned; she’d recovered.
He smiled back and blasted the chandelier that wasn’t very far from their heads.
Becca cried out and jumped as it crashed to the floor, breaking into a million tiny pieces. The marble floor didn’t look so good, either.
“I don’t like surprises,” Nick said easily, “and I bet Rupert doesn’t like them, either.”
She wet her lips, looking at him with new respect. Raw lust shimmered in her eyes. “Men with white power are always the best,” she said roughly.
“He has my agent,” Nick returned flatly. He leveled the walls in the room. Then he kicked a piece of crystal from the chandelier out of his way. “And I am not a happy camper.”
WHEN SHE STOPPED HURTING, Sam sat up. She found herself in a medieval great room she instantly recognized, in spite of the newer furnishings. She glanced at Ian in surprise. He was standing above her, glowering, arms crossed. He’d apparently recovered from the leap a bit more swiftly than she had. “We’re at Castle Awe,” she said, becoming excited. “Are we still in 1527?”
His gaze was cold. “Yeah. It’s the next day. August 10, 1527.”
She stood up. His gaze went to her legs and Sam looked down. She had quite a few silly scratches, and one huge gaping tear on her calf. Now, she became aware of the pain.
“The dog bit ye,” he said harshly.
He was blaming himself, she thought, for not rushing to leap away. She cursed and limped to the trestle table and sat down hard on the bench. “Can you do something about it?” The last time she’d been at Castle Awe, she’d been with Nick and they’d been looking for Brie. It had been 1502. She’d seen Tabby, too. She really hoped her sister was still around. The odds were in her favor, she thought.
Ian’s answer was to walk over to where she sat. He knelt and he put his hands on her bloody leg. Sam realized that he didn’t want to heal her. Maybe that was because he’d have to admit to himself that bad boys didn’t heal, making him one of the good guys after all. When would he give the rebel act up? She gasped at the sensation of his healing warmth flooding into her. Instantly the pain dimmed. The warmth intensified, creeping up her leg into her thigh. She stared at him, becoming a bit breathless.
His eyes were on her knee, his huge hands wrapped around her calf. The pain was like a dull headache now. She couldn’t help it—the feeling of his hands had become sensual. She wondered what it would be like to have those hands elsewhere, flooding her with their white heat.
She wouldn’t mind him moving those hands higher.
He slowly looked up at her.
“I can’t recall,” she said softly, “if I ever got around to saying thank-you for the rescue.”
His eyes had changed during the healing, telling her that he was getting off on it, too, but his face was hard. He was angry, but controlling it. Sam didn’t know why. “Forget it.”
What was wrong with Maclean? His comeback should have been provocative, rude and sexual. “No, I’m not going to forget it. You’ve come to my rescue a few times. I am not used to being a damsel in distress. I’m used to playing hero.” When he didn’t speak, she said seriously, “I owe you, Ian, and I always repay my debts.”
“The monk took ye captive to get at me,” he said abruptly, moving his hands to her thigh.
She inhaled, her heart thundering now. But she focused on what he meant. He was blaming himself. “Hemmer captured me,” she said. “It isn’t your fault. We’re in this together. What are you doing?”
He took her arm in his hands. “Getting rid of the scratches and cuts.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said thickly. How far was the closest bedroom, she wondered. Was he truly upset because he thought that he was to blame for what she’d just gone through? “I’ve been through a lot worse. It’s part of the job.”
He moved to her other leg, running one hand up and down it, ignoring her comment.
“You’re getting awfully good at this,” Sam joked, really on fire.
“I want him dead,” he said, finally looking at her.
Okay, she thought, both of her legs and one arm now unblemished. “Is that why we’re here? So we can go back to Carlisle and nail him? Because I want a piece of the action.”
Ian stood. “He needs to pay,” he said abruptly. “And for the last time, there is no ‘we.
She got up, taking his wrist. “He needs to pay for what he almost did to me, or what he did do to you for about a decade?”
He wrenched away. As he did, Tabby ran into the room with Brie. “We were hoping you’d come here!” Tabby cried.
Maclean walked aw
ay from her, arms crossed over his chest. Sam was worried. It couldn’t be easy, coming face-to-face with one of his captors. He was going to confront the monk and she couldn’t blame him. Vengeance was a great idea. But going it alone was not. She understood that he dreaded this particular battle. She wanted—needed—to know why. That meant she needed to know the details of his relationship with Carlisle. And she dreaded that.
But she smiled at her sister and cousin as they ran up to her.
“Okay,” Brie said. “Now we can catch up!”
“SO WHAT COMES NEXT?” Brie asked.
Two bottles of wine were empty. Sam sat with Brie and Tabby at the trestle table, a small fire lazily licking the wood in the hearth. The men had left them to their own devices. Sam knew Ian had gone to a guest chamber, and she hoped he was calmer now. She had spent at least an hour bringing her sister and cousin up to speed. Tabby and Brie knew every relevant detail of the past few days. They knew that Ian had stolen the page of illusion, and that it was not his first theft. She’d told them about Hemmer and the monk, and they knew that the monk had been his guard for the last ten years of his captivity. And Sam had told them that Ian had revealed that he’d stashed the page at Loch Awe in the present. Now, Tabby reached for Sam’s hand.
It was so great to be back together, Sam thought. She looked at Brie. “I have to recover the page and hand it over to Nick, which will stop some of this madness.
“Can you really betray Ian?” Tabby asked softly.
Sam tensed. “Can you read minds now, or do you still know me inside and out?”
Tabby smiled. “No, Sam, I can’t read minds, except for Guy’s. But I do know you as well as I ever have. You haven’t told us everything, have you?”
Sam was rueful. Tabby suspected the truth. She glanced at Brie and sighed. “Okay, Maclean is hot. I caved. I laid Maclean.”
“Sam!” Tabby gave her the best schoolteacher stare she possessed.
Sam smiled then. “Am I made?”
“It’s obvious that you and Ian have teamed up—he has your back and you have his. You used to protect us that way. Now you’re fighting for him that way,” Tabby said.
“And he was so worried about you,” Brie interjected. “Not to mention that he’s still really upset about what happened at the Cathedral.”
He’d been worried about her. He’d leapt time to rescue her—again. They’d fled together—he’d healed her twice. What did that all mean? Sam reached for the wine and realized both bottles were empty.
Tabby stilled her hand. “Underneath the anger and despair, he is a good man,” she said.
Sam looked at her. That was what Brie had said, a day or so ago. “I know. He comes across as a total jerk—wealthy, arrogant and unbelievably self-centered. But I’ve seen the truth.” She spoke slowly, choosing her words with care. “He was in demonic captivity for sixty-six years. He suffered unspeakably. I’m afraid to think about what they did to him. Those wounds remain and they’re raw. I think he suffers from flashbacks, from nightmares. You’re right—he lives with despair.” She was grim. “The arrogance, the scorn, the indifference and even the selfishness, it’s all a facade, so we will never know how fractured he is, how frightened, how hurt.”
Tabby’s eyes were wide. “You care about him,” she said softly.
“I hope not!” Sam exclaimed uncomfortably. “Not the way you mean, anyway!”
Her sister and cousin looked at her.
“Okay, I do care, but not that way! Damn it. It all started when I began to realize what he’s been through. I fought the compassion, I really did. But no one should ever have to suffer what he has—and it’s not even over! That damned monk is back!”
Tabby and Brie exchanged glances, smiling.
“Nothing is funny, guys. The monk needs to pay. Ian needs payback, and can you blame him? I think peace will follow, and then he can heal. Of course, stealing the page of illusion and refusing to hand it over to Nick doesn’t exactly lay the groundwork for a peaceful life. So I guess that’s where I come in.” Sam paused.
“Maybe you’re meant to be the one to bring him peace,” Brie said. “The way I brought Aidan to salvation. He’s certainly gone out of his way for you.”
Ian had gone out of his way for her, many times, but Brie was wrong. “This isn’t a karmic love connection!”
Brie smiled.
“Can you really go behind his back and hand over the page to Nick?” Tabby asked quietly.
“I hate the idea, but there’s no other choice,” Sam said quickly. “It will save our lives.”
“And what will that do to your relationship?” Tabby seemed worried.
Sam started. “Whoa! Didn’t you hear anything I just said? We don’t have a ‘relationship.’ We’re allies, but we’re still rivals. We may be lovers, but it’s not the real deal, Tab, like you and Macleod. It’s not even close. He’ll be pissed as all hell at me. We’ll have great make-up sex. We’ll vanquish Hemmer and the monk. And then we’ll go our separate ways.”
Tabby didn’t respond.
Sam flushed, uncomfortable. “This is just a case for me. There’ll be other assignments and lots more war. Eventually this will be an interesting memory…if that.”
“Wow,” Brie said. “You have your life all charted out.”
Sam looked at her.
Brie just shrugged. “You’ve never bothered with compassion for anyone other than me or Tabby, and of course Allie. I don’t think this will be as easy as you think. Ian reminds me so much of Aidan when he took me hostage. He’s meant for great things, I just know it. But he can’t achieve his destiny until he heals. I don’t think you will find it easy to walk away, Sam, not when he needs you.”
“Is that your romantic nature speaking, or have you seen something I should know about?”
“Ian has white power,” Brie explained. “The gods will want him to use it to protect the Innocent!”
Sam stared. “Do you know that for certain?”
“I’m sure of it, but not because of a vision,” Brie said. “I just know it.”
Sam tried to imagine Ian as a Master. It was hard to do. She knew that if he ever took those vows, he’d fight evil his way—flying solo and acting as indifferent as possible about it.
Tabby touched her. “Sam, has it ever occurred to you that if he can get past his past, he might have a very different future? I think you two are peas in a pod. Aren’t you his flip side, in a way?”
“What?”
“You come across as arrogant, indifferent and tough as nails. But it’s all a facade—one that began when Mother was murdered.”
“Are you crazy? Are you trying to piss me off?”
“Why would my pointing out that you shut down your heart the day she died infuriate you?” Tabby wasn’t perturbed. “I always wondered if you’d ever come to grips with her murder.”
“I have come to grips with it. I learned that being soft is for suckers and for victims. Mom was a helluva witch, but in the end, she was just another victim.” Sam breathed hard. “Life sucks, doesn’t it? I sure as hell learned how to be strong that day and I have no regrets.”
“I think you can be strong and compassionate without being a sucker or a victim.” Tabby put her arm around her. “I love you. I’m glad you care about Ian. He needs you—and you need him.”
Sam pulled away and stood. Was she crazy? “You don’t get it, Tabby. Let’s back up. No, let’s start over! We’re only having sex. This isn’t love. It isn’t even friendship.” An odd pang went through her, as if she wanted what she was denying, which was absurd. “We’re not even on the same side! And we are not the flip side of one another! Right now, we’re partners, but only because the die landed that way. He’s out for number one and I’m an HCU team player. This is a moment in time for us. A brief moment, one that will pass.” She paused to take a breath. “I love you guys. And that is the extent of my romantic nature.”
Tabby stood, too. “Okay, Sam, if you say so.”
<
br /> Sam hated it when Tabby became that know-it-all-schoolteacher, speaking to her as if she were an ignorant child.
“I think she doth protest too much,” Brie murmured.
Sam realized she’d forgotten how annoying her sister and cousin could be. She sighed, but it was great to have them around to annoy her! “Let’s make a bet. Five years from now, no, one year from now—no, six months from now, not only won’t Ian and I be together, I won’t even recall his name.”
“I’ll take it,” Brie said quickly. “Loser buys dinner at the best restaurant in L.A. Better yet, at the Beverly Hills Hotel.”
Tabby and Brie weren’t getting what she was trying to tell them, that she and Maclean were no big deal, not now and not ever.
“So what’s next?” Brie asked seriously now. “In order to steal the page and hand it over to Nick, we need to get to 2009. But if we’ve figured out where Ian stashed the page, Hemmer probably has, too. And then there’s Carlisle.”
Before Sam could speak, Tabby said, “I don’t want you doing this alone, Sam. Brie is right. My powers are very strong now, and we can help. It sounds like Hemmer is dangerous, the monk even more so.”
Sam began to smile. She was thrilled.
“We are going to come with you,” Tabby said firmly.
“Sounds like a plan,” Sam said happily.
“Can I point out something logistical?” Brie asked. “Before we bop over to the future, the monk happens to be right here, right now, just a few hundred miles to the south.”
“I’m almost certain that Ian kept us in this time so he could hunt Carlisle. For him, it’s personal. As much as I think the page should be handed over to Nick immediately, Brie has a good point. Let’s get rid of the monk before we do anything else. It will be one less bad guy to worry about.” Maybe Ian’s vengeance would pave the way for his healing, Sam thought.
“Since when do you worry about the bad guys?” Tabby teased.
Sam was thinking about Ian’s need for revenge against the monk now. She didn’t answer, because her answer would be, “Since Ian.”
Tabby said seriously, “If we intend to go back to Carlisle and confront and destroy the monk, we need to bring the men into this.”
