The Protected

by Shiloh Walker

  But sense had never been her strong suit.

  “It doesn’t matter which one it is,” she said, shrugging. “You made it clear more than once that you can and will kill to protect him. I should make it clear—I’m willing to do the same.”

  “You’re bound by the laws of your government,” he said gently. “By your job.”

  A faint smile curled her lips. “If people are hunting an innocent boy, I’m doing my job . . . protecting him. And I could do it better if you would just tell me who is after him. If we can stop him, we can make this a whole lot easier on all of us.”

  A muscle pulsed in his jaw.

  “You already pointed out he now has a whole mess of psychics after him. What makes you think that’s going to end anytime soon?”

  “Well . . . we’re working on that,” she said quietly. “All we have to do is deal with that website . . . or at least that listing. It goes away if people realize they won’t get paid. At least, he’ll be safer from that threat. But he isn’t safe until we deal with the original threat.”

  Silence fell, interrupted only by the soft sound of Alex’s breathing, and the occasional murmur from out in the hall. Gus stared at her, his gaze watchful and sober. As the seconds ticked by, tension wrapped around them, and when he finally spoke, his words shattered the tension like a hammer against glass. “How can you stop somebody who is feared . . . worshipped . . . by millions?”

  Vaughnne’s heart slammed into her chest. “Millions?”

  Gus reached up and caught one of her curls, wrapping it around one finger. In a soft, casual tone, he said, “When my sister was twenty, she met a very rich man. He swept her off her feet. Wined her, dined her. Made her feel like a princess, and within a few months, they were married. She was . . . naïve. She was from a small village and she was one of those people who saw the best in others. Maybe that was why she didn’t see the evil in him until it was too late. It wasn’t until a few years later that she realized she’d married a man that much of Mexico feared. Those who didn’t fear him worshipped him. His name was Ignacio Reyes—”

  Vaughnne hissed out a breath.

  Gus’s smile did not reach his eyes. “I take it you’ve heard of him.”

  “Ah, yeah. Yeah, I’ve heard of him.” Rich bastard. Drug dealer. Plenty of her counterparts on the more normal side of the FBI had an interest in him. And if he was tied into anything having to do with this kid, Jones was going to take a very avid interest in him. Reyes wouldn’t like Jones taking an interest in him.

  Come to think of it, she didn’t really like the idea of Jones taking an interest in that guy. People who got interested in Reyes disappeared.

  But her job didn’t change, no matter who the target was.

  “That’s Alex’s father,” she said softly.

  “Yes. That’s his father.” Gus continued to stroke her hair, but his hand had moved lower now and the back of his knuckles brushed up against the upper slope of her breast. It could have been an innocent touch. Could have been . . . but it wasn’t. Somehow she suspected nothing this man did was innocent. “When Alex was five years old, he guessed the winner of the Kentucky Derby, then the Belmont, the Preakness. A few months later, he guessed the winner of the Indy 500 and then he told his father that there was going to be a bad wildfire and he thought one of his father’s men was going to die. It all came to pass. After that, his father started having him sit in on business meetings . . . at first, it seemed Reyes just thought he was a lucky boy and Alex loved the attention. Loved the toys and presents he would get when he made a good guess. But then they had a man come to one of their parties who had heard about Alex’s luck.” Gus curled his lip. “Alex tells me the man had planned to kidnap him if he guessed right—so he guessed wrong. And the man . . . Alex still has nightmares about the images he saw in the man’s head. When Alex told his father the wrong information, on purpose, his father beat him. He couldn’t walk for a week.”

  Vaughnne closed her eyes.

  “After that, Alex was unable to see anything for almost six months, and each time he failed, he was beaten . . . again. And when his mother tried to stop it, she was beaten. It all changed when she threatened to kill both herself and the boy. Reyes laughed,” Gus said, his voice still so soft and gentle. “He just laughed at her, and backhanded her. I learned of this years after, when I could do nothing to make it better, that she lay there, bleeding, and he pulled out a gun. And that was when Alex had another vision. He told his father that men were going to come, in three days, a raid. Alex gave him names that he couldn’t possibly know, told him information that no boy of eight could understand. His father stared at him, and that was when he started to realize it was more than just luck. Reyes had always had an interest in the . . . unusual, it seems. All this time, his boy had been seeing things. It wasn’t just luck, wasn’t just perception. He had a walking gold mine . . . and the boy had just saved his ass.”

  Gus let go of her hair and lowered his hand to curve it over her rib cage. “Three months passed. They’d evaded the raid—moving all of the drugs—and my sister thinks Reyes used the names Alex gave him to kill those who turned on him. He used their son . . . to kill. And she knew he’d do it again. That was when she knew it had to stop. She tried to take Alex and run. He beat her.”

  “Why didn’t she just call you?” Vaughnne demanded.

  “That was why she ran,” Gus said. “She ran only to the next town. She knew she’d never get far enough away. So she ran to someplace where she could make one phone call that wouldn’t be traced.”

  “She had to know how he’d react.” Vaughnne stared at him.

  “Of course she knew,” Gus said, his voice gentle, but his eyes were pure hell. “Killing her would never be a problem for Reyes. He cared nothing for her. She was a pretty toy for him. But Alex . . . he’s everything.” He eased in closer, dipped his head, and pressed his lips to her ear. “He cares nothing for how many die. He cares nothing for who he hurts. He will stop at nothing. Half the government fears him. The others? They either want to fuck him or befriend him. Very few will stand against him. How do you think your FBI will stop him?”

  Then he pressed his lips to her neck. “As much as I’d like to think you can help me protect the boy from his father, it cannot be done. We have to run.”

  He pulled back, and the second he wasn’t pressed to her, she felt cold. It wasn’t just from the temperature in the room, though. It went so much deeper than that.

  He paused by the bed, staring down at the sleeping boy.

  “There’s another option,” she said, barely aware of what she was going to say.

  Gus looked up at her. “As long as Reyes lives, there is no other option for us. We run.”

  What are you doing? She stared at him, hardly able to believe she was saying this. If she took this step, she might as well be swimming into shark-infested waters while bleeding. It was so damned dangerous, it wasn’t even funny. She might not make it out, and if she did, she could end up living out the rest of her life in jail.

  “There is always another option,” she said, forcing the words out through a throat gone tight with nerves.

  “I’m done discussing this.” He turned away. “We run.”

  “Which were you, military or mercenary?” she asked. If she was serious about this, she needed to know what she was dealing with—whom she was dealing with, although whether or not he’d answer, she didn’t know. Still, it mattered. Military, mercenary, each one came with certain benefits, but one would have better contacts than the other.

  He glanced back at her, one brow lifted. Then he surprised her with something she’d never expected. An actual answer. He shrugged. “If you really want to know . . . my government trained me to be an assassin. But they’d never recognize me if I was caught or captured. I’d be on my own.”

  Okay. Not what she’d imagined. But . . . that was even better.

  “Being an assassin, you’d think you’d have already figured out that thi
rd option. You take Reyes out. Once he’s gone, your nephew should be safe.”

  A soft sigh escaped him and he turned back to face her. “Do you think I haven’t thought of that? A hundred times? A thousand? But I haven’t the resources to pay somebody to do it—I have to use everything I have to make sure he is taken care of. Taking Reyes out is a job that would require a substantial amount of money. I can’t call in a favor for this—nobody is going to take that man out over a favor, and even if somebody owed me such a debt, I used up any favors I had coming my way just to get out of Mexico. I can’t do it because I have to stay with Alex and keep him safe. I’m all he has, and if I go after his father alone, it’s entirely likely I’ll end up dead. Somebody has to care for him.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  He gave her a scathing once-over. “An FBI agent isn’t precisely the sort of person I’d need at my back.”

  “Could you do it alone?”

  “If I had to, and if I wasn’t worried about coming back? Yes.” He bit the word off as if it had a bitter, ugly taste. “And if it wasn’t for the boy, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But I have to take care of him.”

  “Let Jones take him.”

  Gus stilled.

  Then he shook his head. “No.”

  “Hear me out.” She held up a hand. “If Jones takes him, he’s protected. Better than you can imagine. Take me with you. Maybe I’m just an FBI agent and that’s not much in your eyes, but I’m a little more equipped than the typical agent and I’ve got . . . well, abilities that others wouldn’t have. Trust me, I’m useful. One person at your back is better than nobody.”

  He shook his head.

  “Why not? You won’t be alone, and you’d have somebody protecting that boy. Reyes wouldn’t stand a chance at getting to him once he’s under Jones’s care.”

  His eyes narrowed and he took one step toward her. “We’re done discussing this, Vaughnne,” he said softly.

  She folded her arms over her chest, resisting the urge to flinch away from the look that had crossed his face. For a split second, she’d been scared. Absolutely terrified of the man in front of her.

  “Nobody, and I mean, nobody in the damn country can keep him as safe as Jones can, next to you,” she said, closing the distance between them. “He can put the kid up at HQ, surrounded by a shitload of psychics who would feel any threat coming before it even breached the horizon. You want him safe? Surround him with the kind of people who are hunting him—there are psychics who can passively shield him and keep anybody from even sensing him. He’d be safe there and he could get trained. So he’s not making himself a walking target. Until you do that? Even if you take Reyes out, he’s still not safe. Somebody else will figure out what he is and try to grab him, or he’ll hurt somebody. He’s a danger until he gets that gift under control.”

  “No,” Gus said again, shaking his head.

  He turned back to the bed.

  And then, Alex startled them both by turning his head and looking up at them.

  He’d been awake, Vaughnne realized. The entire time.

  Guilt grabbed her by the throat, but as she watched the boy, she realized she hadn’t said anything Alex didn’t already know.

  He was staring at his uncle with dark, unhappy eyes.

  “Do it, Tío,” he said softly as he sat up and faced his uncle.

  “We’re not discussing this, m’hijo,” Gus said, his voice flat and cold.

  “I’m tired of being afraid.” Alex drew his knees to his chest and gazed at Gus, his face miserable.

  “Let’s go.”

  Alex hugged his knees to his chest, staring up at his uncle with defiance written all over his face. “I’m tired of running.”

  Gus went to pull the sheets back.

  And Vaughnne felt it coming—it was too late to react, though. Far too late.

  Alex had already reached, slamming into Gus with that massive, untrained power of his. Gus made a sharp, startled sound, and before she could reach him, he hit the ground.

  SIXTEEN

  “YOU want me to do what?” Jones said again, his voice patient and level.

  “Take the kid.” Vaughnne eyed Alex and hoped that the boy knew what he was doing, because if he didn’t, she just might be dead in a few hours. Gus hadn’t been issuing empty threats. She already knew that. “He needs to be someplace safe, he needs to be trained, and he can’t get any of that if he’s constantly being dragged around the country.”

  “You want me to take a boy away from his legal guardian,” Jones said slowly. “That’s kidnapping, Vaughnne. Never mind that it can cost me my job and what it will do to the unit. It can get me arrested. It can land me in jail.”

  “He’s not my legal guardian,” Alex said quietly. “I don’t think. I think my guardian would be my father.”

  Jones spun away, scrubbing his hands over his face. “And where is your father?”

  Vaughnne lifted a hand, silencing Alex. With a sweet smile, she met Jones’s look directly and answered, “His father is a drug dealer in Mexico. A pretty infamous one. The kid is in danger from him. These are extenuating circumstances if ever they existed. Gus kidnapped him to keep him safe, but the kid’s gift is raging out of control and Gus isn’t going to let him get trained . . . what do you want him to do? Hurt somebody by accident before we step in and help?”

  Jones turned away and stared out the window. He was so quiet, standing there calm as could be like he was riveted by the scenery. Of course, there wasn’t much to admire. A busy parking lot. Atlanta traffic. Nothing fun. He stood there, hands in his pockets, shoulders straight, gaze locked on something only he could see.

  “Alex, you know for certain your father is involved in the drug trade?”

  Alex shot her a glance.

  With a tired sigh, Vaughnne met his eyes. “Tell him the truth, Alex. We’ve already come this far.”

  “Yes, sir,” Alex said, his voice soft but steady.

  Jones looked back, eyed Gus’s still form. He hadn’t stirred once in the past thirty minutes. Alex said he hadn’t ever hit anybody as hard as he’d hit his uncle, but he had to go at him hard—he’s harder to read than most.

  Some people were just more immune to psychic abilities. Harder to read, harder to touch. Vaughnne had to work harder to whisper into his mind, so it wasn’t a surprise that it took more to affect Gus. It was probably that thick-as-stone skull of his.

  Alex shot her a look. “He’s okay,” the boy said, his voice nervous. “I wouldn’t have hurt him. Really.”

  “I know.” Vaughnne smiled at him.

  Taige had done a mental probe a few minutes ago—the man was out, but fine. Still, Vaughnne didn’t like the pale, grayish look to his skin. This whole thing was messed up.

  “Are you going to help or not?” she asked quietly, looking at her boss.

  “Help,” Jones muttered, shaking his head. He slid a look her way. “And what are you going to do?”

  She gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence. “I’m just going to stay here and try to talk some sense into him, of course.” Make sure he didn’t tear off after his nephew. “Ah . . . although I’m thinking it would be best if you didn’t head straight to D.C.”

  Jones snorted. “Yeah, that’s assuming I’m crazy enough to do this.” He paused. “I can’t believe I’m even considering it.”

  “You have a better idea on how to keep this kid safe?” She stared at him. “If you do, I’m all ears.”

  She heard something crack and looked down, saw that Jones had one hand clenched into a fist—a tight one. His knuckles were bloodless. “You already know I don’t. I’ve got a source who is working on the website. She tells me that she’s working on disabling the link. Once that’s done, he’ll be safer, but it’s going to take her some time, I’m afraid.”

  The link—yeah, that little I’ll pay you to kidnap a boy ad. The website. Good. If they got that down, things were already improved. But not enough.

  Nothing would be e
nough, not until Ignacio Reyes was dead. But she couldn’t exactly tell her boss that she was planning on helping an assassin go all assassin on somebody, right?

  Shrewd, steel blue eyes narrowed on her face. She kept her expression bland, although she wasn’t expecting that to get her very far. Jones might not have shown any of the traits in the psychic testing he’d developed, but the man could read people the way others read a book. Absently, he ran a hand down his tie and then shook his head. “You’re not telling me everything.”

  “I’m telling you what you need to know.” She shrugged. “I’m telling you what’s the most important information . . . for you. And if you’re going to do something to protect the boy, the time to do it is now. You won’t have another chance like this. Gus is down, he’s out, and he’s going to move slower for a little while.”

  A heavy, taut silence hung between them, and although she said nothing else, she knew damn well Jones was picking up on all the things she wasn’t saying. Even some of the shit she’d rather him not be aware of.

  But then, slowly, he nodded and looked over at Alex. “Son, you realize what we’re talking about, don’t you? If I do this, I’m taking you away from somebody who may or may not have a legal right to take care of you . . . but I have none.” He slid Vaughnne a dark look. She didn’t read minds, but she didn’t have to read anything to know what that look meant. I’m out of my mind to do this. “Do you believe you’re in that much danger that I should do this?”

  Alex stared at his knees, his thin shoulders trembling, shaking. “I don’t sleep, sir. Not much. I’m always afraid they will come. That they’ll someday kill my uncle and there will be nobody to stop them from taking me back.”

  “Back to where?” Jones asked.

  Alex shot him a look and then he shifted his eyes to Vaughnne. Tell him, she thought, hoping the boy’s gift was as strong as she thought it was. Tell him what you can . . . make him understand.

  The boy seemed to wilt. His eyes closed and he dropped his face to his up-drawn knees. “Back to my father,” Alex said. “He’ll make me do it again. Use . . .” He waved a hand in front of his face. “This. He did it before and killed people.”