"Fuck.” Things would have been tough enough for the lady if her identity had only been broadcast locally. Now, there wouldn't be a place she could go without being recognized.
"Yeah, that's what I said.” Grady's tone went from carefree to serious. “Try to convince her to come back with you. We can put her up in a safe house until this blows over. I'm concerned about her safety."
Dustin gripped the steering bar at Grady's words and tried to ignore the tightening in the pit of his stomach. Pulling into a parking spot in front of Ms. Corbitt's building, he cut the engine. “I'm here. I'll see what I can do."
"Okay, keep us posted."
Dustin pocketed his PCD as he stepped out of the solar-glider. He'd had the same thought about bringing Ms. Corbitt in, but hearing Grady say the word brought reality home.
Once he reached the apartment door, he buzzed and waited. To his surprise, the occupant opened the door without first determining his identity over the intercom system. The woman before him was the same one in the picture, but she looked nothing like the drowned rat he'd seen earlier in the day. Long, auburn hair fell in waves around her shoulders, reminding him of pooled silk. Her emerald green eyes widened as recognition registered an instant before she slammed the door in his face.
"Damn,” Dustin muttered. He rubbed his eyes as he pushed the intercom button again. If he hadn't been so distracted by her incredible good looks, he'd have stopped her from closing the door.
He jabbed the buzzer one more time. When it became obvious nothing was going to happen, he retrieved a slim leather packet from his hip pocket. Opening it, he pulled out a thin electronic strip before returning the rest to his pocket. Placing the strip across the access panel, he pressed down on the two red dots then stepped back.
The two red lights turned to green followed by an almost inaudible click of the lock releasing. He retrieved his badge from his pocket as he slowly pushed the door open. There wasn't a sound in the house as he closed the door behind him, and he wondered if Ms. Corbitt had vanished out a back exit. He walked down the short entryway and stepped into a large open living area.
She stood across the room with her back to a large window. Behind her, dark clouds whirled and lightning bolts struck the ground with uncommon intensity. For a brief moment, he wondered if she controlled the weather because the look on her face was as deadly as the lightning.
"Who are you?"
Her words were short and curt and cut through the silence with enough force to stop him in his tracks. Her words carried no direct threat, but the lack of fear in her voice was enough reason to make him stop. Raising his badge, he kept his voice neutral. “I'm with the police."
The badge flew from his hand so fast he didn't have time reach for it. Holding up her hand, she snatched it from the air and studied it. He took a step forward but stopped when a knife rose from a floral arrangement and flew toward him.
"I'd stay where I was, Mr. Martinez.” She closed the case to his badge. “You are not with the police, so why are you really here?"
"I'm with a government agency that's in charge of policing people with extraordinary powers."
"The name of this agency is?” Her tone oozed skepticism.
"Special Powers Division, SPD for short.” Dustin sighed. He hated trying to explain his job to people. They never believed him.
"Never heard of them."
This time wasn't going to be any different. “Good, then you haven't been in trouble with the law before."
"And I still haven't done anything wrong. Now get out."
His wallet flew across the room directly at him. He snapped it out of the air when it reached him and dropped it into his pocket. The knife moved closer to him, but Dustin held his ground. He forced his gaze away from the weapon and to the woman. Wavy auburn hair framed her face and stark green eyes silently dared him to move.
He met her gaze and stood his ground. “I'm not here to arrest you, but we do need to talk."
"Forgive me, Mr. Martinez, but I'm not in the mood for chit-chat today. Call on me again tomorrow evening after seven, and I should be in a better frame of mind."
He spread his hands out in front of him in a sympathetic, non-threatening gesture. “I'm sure you're pretty much brain-fried at this point. The few times I've been forced to push my powers to their limit, I was near comatose for hours."
She arched one perfect eyebrow at him. “You are assuming I stressed my powers. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."
Dustin dropped his hands and studied her. “Look. I'm not here to debate the level of your gift. I came to check on you and let you know we can provide protection if you need it."
"Pro ... protection?"
The one word faltered on her lips as the knife clattered to the floor. He went to step on the weapon, only to have it slide across the floor away from him. A few feet from the woman, the knife lifted off the ground and floated to her. She wrapped her hand around the handle then turned her gaze back to him.
"Impressive."
She shrugged as if it was nothing. “Why do you think I need security?"
"First hand experience has taught me how harsh the world can be for those of us with unique gifts. SPD can give you a safe place to stay until this blows over."
"I'm well aware how cruel others can be, Mr. Martinez, but I'm not about to put myself in the position of being a lab rat for some secret government agency. Thanks for the offer, but no, I'd rather go it alone. Please close the door on your way out."
The determined look in her eyes and the set of her jaw told Dustin this meeting was over. Normally, he would have dropped the subject and walked away, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something here. He glanced around the room and, for the first time noticed the boxes. “Moving?"
Her reply was a silent stare and another arched eyebrow.
"Fine. Do you mind if I download my contact information to your PCD?"
Her eyes took on a steely glint, and he knew she was irritated with him, but damn, she was stubborn beyond belief.
"Go ahead. It's there on the table behind you."
He pulled his from his pocket, jabbed at a few buttons then pointed the infrared beam at hers. It was then he noticed the custom paint job on her device. Why would anyone paint flowers on a PCD when black was a perfectly good color?
His handheld beeped when the transfer completed. He pocketed his communicator as he turned back to the very frosty Ms. Corbitt. “Call me if you need anything."
"I'll move you to the top of my contact list."
Her words dripped with sarcasm, causing him to grind his teeth in frustration. He opened the door then turned back to her.
"I noticed your ViewScreen was off, so I'm guessing you don't know your story has traveled across all the colonies."
He had the privilege of seeing her jaw drop seconds before he closed the door and walked away from the most frustrating woman he'd ever met.
* * * *
Lexi leaned against the large picture window and watched Mr. Martinez leave her building and cross the parking lot to his vehicle. He was tall enough that even at five-nine, she was forced to look him in the eyes. His eyes were a dreamy, dark brown that reminded her of melted chocolate. His hair was short and dark as coal, sending an urge through her to touch it. He reached his solar-glider and turned back in her direction.
Her breath caught, and for several seconds, she was sure he looked right at her. She felt as if she'd been stripped bare, and he could see her deepest, darkest secret. Finally, he turned back to his vehicle and disappeared into it. His solar-glider made a left at the far corner, and as it did, she rested her cheek against the cool glass.
Her head pounded as if a million meteor rocks pinged around inside it. She was amazed she'd managed to remain upright while he was here and hadn't embarrassed herself by falling to the floor. Her body ached with exhaustion. She forced herself to move, making her way to the sofa where she collapsed. Switching on her ViewScreen, she watched long enoug
h to verify what Mr. Martinez told her.
Turning it off, she forced herself to stand. She didn't have much time to get packed and moving. Since the news had made her whereabouts known to the world, she couldn't stay here tonight. After walking across the room, she picked up her PCD and glanced down at the screen. Mr. Martinez's contact information glared back at her.
She saved the information, cleared the screen, and cursed her bad luck. For the first time in years, she'd received a phone number from a guy who wasn't a total dweeb, and she wasn't even going to get to use it.
The day just kept going from bad to worse.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Three
The next morning, Lexi stood outside the nondescript, gray building and double-checked the information Mr. Martinez had given her. This was the address, but there wasn't any sign or advertisement to mark the business entrance. Opening the door, she entered a bleak, sterile waiting area.
The receptionist took her personal information and verified it with a palm scan. The man told her to wait as he made a call.
Lexi took a seat on an old, uncomfortable chair. She hoped Mr. Martinez didn't keep her long. She'd only managed to catch a couple of hours of sleep last night, and she was starting to feel it. Not to mention, stopping here wasn't one of her brightest moves. She should have spent the night putting as much distance between her and this town as she could. Instead, she'd circled the city in her old solar-glider, never staying in one location for more than an hour.
Rubbing her temples, she prayed she had made the right decision. Trust wasn't something that came naturally to her any longer; it had been beaten out of her years ago. All night long, she'd heard her grandmother telling her there were people she could trust if she'd only open her eyes and look around. She didn't know whether her eyes were finally open or whether the pure fear running through her was making her feel this way or whether the sincerity in Mr. Martinez's voice had drawn her here. Whatever the reason, she prayed she was doing the right thing because she was sure her life hinged on this decision.
The door to the inner office opened, and she stood as Dustin Martinez walked out. His dark brown eyes connected with hers. If the chair hadn't been behind her, she'd have stepped back from him. Unfortunately, she was forced to hold her ground as he closed the distance until he was no more than a foot away. The circles under his eyes and the lines around them suggested he'd gotten no more sleep than she.
"Good morning, Mr. Martinez."
He took in her appearance. Lexi knew he didn't miss the fact that she was still in the same clothes she'd worn yesterday. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her, but she forced herself not to fidget like she wanted.
His gaze returned to her eyes. “I didn't think there was a chance in hell I'd ever see you here."
"If I had half a brain I wouldn't be here. Or maybe I like playing with fire."
He ran a hand through his short-cropped black hair, and the urge to run her fingers through it made her palms itch. She closed one hand into a fist and rubbed her eyes with the other. Sleep deprivation was starting to induce strange thoughts. He wasn't the type she normally found attractive. Despite this, she couldn't help but wonder what his body looked like under those stylish, pressed clothes.
"Look, Ms. Corbitt, I don't know what changed your mind, but yesterday you made it perfectly clear you had no desire to talk."
"I know exactly what I said. But after a long, sleepless night, I changed my mind."
Without speaking, he turned and opened the door to the inner office area, then motioned her through.
She reached into her pocket. “I didn't come here for a long discussion. I need to hit the road, but wanted to give you this before I left."
She held out her hand and dropped a data-chip into his. He studied it for a minute then pinned her with cold eyes. “I don't have time for games, Ms. Corbitt."
"This isn't a game, this is very important. It's taken me fifteen years to gather all the information on that chip. I'm only asking for you to take five minutes to review it. You should find it very interesting. If you don't, then toss it."
He released the door and closed the space between them until she was forced to tilt her head up to look him in the eyes. He was close enough now she could feel his body heat and smell the subtle, spicy cologne he wore.
"Why don't we look at this together? Then you can leave after we're done talking."
The hard look in his eyes and his menacing tone caused her to sidestep toward the entrance. This wasn't the same man who'd visited her apartment yesterday or even the same one who'd only minutes ago walked out those doors. She retreated closer to the outer doors. “I don't expect you to understand, but I can't."
She turned and walked out while she still could. The bright sunshine blinded her as she exited the building and made her way toward her secondhand solar-glider parked at the curb. Stopping beside the vehicle, she dug in her purse for her sunshades, but her hands were so shaky she dropped them to the ground. Muttering a curse, she squatted to retrieve them.
There was a sharp crack followed by the window of her glider door shattering into million flying pieces. Lexi screamed and fell back on her butt as a hole appeared in the door where her head had just been. Terrified she stood and ran.
The door to the building behind her flew open as Dustin stepped out holding a pistol in one hand. “Lexi! Get down."
She dropped to the ground as a bullet hit the wall next to him and sent a spray of clay and concrete into the air. She looked up and watched Dustin move away from the doorway and into the street.
There was a roar behind her, and when she turned, all she could see was a wall of dust and debris blocking their view down the road.
"Lexi! Get inside. Now."
She pushed herself up and ran for the safety of the building, but before she even reached the door, Dustin was behind her, hurrying her along. He reached around her, opened the door, and shoved her inside. They weren't even through the door when he started barking orders to others in the office. A second later, large metal shutters rolled down over the windows.
Emergency lights blinked in the small reception area, lending everyone and everything a yellow tint. Panic ensued as people started pouring in from the back room. She needed to leave this place as quickly as possible. As pandemonium filled the air, she casually made her way through the door and into the inner office. People rushed around, talking and yelling. She used the confusion to find the back exit and headed toward it.
Dustin stepped into the office area and looked around the large open workspace. He was looking for her, and she knew it.
"Lexi. Stop, we need to talk!” Dustin shouted above the clamor.
She swung around to him. “I've got to go. If I stay in this town, I'm dead."
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Chapter Four
God, she was more beautiful than he remembered from yesterday. Her hair was tousled and her face flushed, almost as if she'd just made love. It was more alluring than the cover girl look, in his opinion. He walked toward her, and she stiffened visibly.
"I can't let you leave."
She arched one elegant eyebrow at him. “And you can't stop me."
She stepped back so fast from him her heel slipped on the tile floor. He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away and continued to put space between them.
"Don't touch me. God, I'm so stupid. I should have driven out of town last night instead of coming here."
Her eyes were wide with fear. It wasn't the response he'd expected at all. He held his hands up, palms facing her and assumed a non-threatening stance. “No one here is going to hurt you. If you'll let me explain—"
"Explain what?” Her alarm-filled voice cut him off. “That you're going to lock me up and rid me of my evil ways? I'm not going to let that happen."
She moved her arm across her body, and in a flash, a metal desk chair flew through the air at him. Dustin put his hands together then
opened them, forcing the air away from his body and sending the chair careening in the opposite direction. It crashed to the floor on the opposite side of the room. By the time Dustin turned his attention back to Lexi, she had reached the back door and was opening it.
"No!” He held a hand out in front of him and shot a column of air across the room strong enough to pull the door from her hands. It slammed shut with enough force to rattle the windows.
She turned back to him, and he saw the raw fear in her eyes. “Lexi, you've got to believe me when I say we're not going to harm you."
"It's not a chance I'm willing to take."
The next thing Dustin knew, he hit the ground to avoid a flying desk. Off to his right, he saw Grady and Dominick Hodge heading his way. He scrambled to his feet. He had to stop her before someone—mainly her—got injured. He concentrated until he created a small funnel of air around her. Ten seconds later, she hit the floor.
Dustin moved beside her, knelt, and checked to see that she was fine before he picked her up and took her to one of the conference room couches.
"Is she dead?"
He looked over to see Grady standing in the doorway. “No, but she's going to have one hell of a headache when she wakes."
"I'm thinking she's going to be madder than a rattlesnake, too. From what I heard of your conversation, she's not extremely trusting, and what you did won't help that matter at all.” Grady propped a hip on the conference table.
Dustin stood and glared over at his friend. “I couldn't very well let her walk outside before the area was secured."
Grady's eyes turned hard. “Most importantly, you couldn't let her walk out before we were able to question her. Security and secrecy is our top priority."
"I'm perfectly aware of what needs to be done, Grady.” He tried to keep the irritation out of his voice but failed miserably.
Grady's eyes narrowed. “Good, because I want to know who she brought to our front door and why."
Dustin glanced over at the unconscious woman and wondered if his first impression was incorrect. His gut told him he wasn't wrong. “I'll find out, but until we know different, we're going to treat her like a victim, not a suspect."
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