The Men of Elite Metal: Platinum, Zinc, & Francium

by Rebecca Royce

  He should never have given in to the urge to go down and look at the body. It was maudlin and put him more out of sorts than he needed to be. What he required was a big drink and maybe a quick fuck.

  If only he could jerk off. His own hand wasn’t getting the job done, and not a single woman he’d laid eyes on had done anything for him since he’d left Rose. He wouldn’t be surprised, always Rose, was the only lady who could do it for him.

  Her image wasn’t enough. The feel of her. The ropes on her wrists. The way she came around him. He needed those things.

  He wanted his Rose back, and the chance to spend time with his son.

  Kent—the constant ache, even when Rose was with him. Jesus, everything was so completely fu—

  Silence hit the back of his neck, and he stopped moving. The random whining of his thoughts quit immediately. He whirled around. What caught his attention and made the Silence come back?

  He waited, and the sensation passed. No one was there. He would have known, and certainly if someone saw him by the dead body, there would be yelling and screaming. Fury. Terror.

  Only nothing happened, and after a minute, the sensation completely fled. Yeah, it was time for him to leave. Before everything went really down the toilet.

  Now

  He waited a beat, watching the woman arrange her equipment. Did she really think she was going to shoot him from her current position? Platinum was so close behind her, he could have reached out and touched her.

  Instead, he pulled out his handgun. It was his personal revolver. He wouldn’t use anything attached to the team. Of course if the weapon was traced, it would only lead to a dead man named Tim O’Connell.

  Still, he’d inadvertently exposed all of his crew to danger by simply getting found in the first place. He wouldn’t risk them—or Rose or Kent—again.

  “I could shoot you in the head.”

  Dora jumped and spun around. Seeing her up close, he did a quick scan of what he’d seen earlier from a distance. She looked roughly the same age as her late husband. Mid-forties. Short and fit, her hair stopped below her ears in a cut which looked as if it came from another decade.

  Her eyes were red rimmed, her mouth open in shock.

  He took the chance to rip the rifle from her hands. She gasped as she took a step back, nearly toppling over.

  “Tsk. Tsk.” He hadn’t moved from his spot. “You don’t get to die breaking your neck. Not at least until I’ve had a chance to speak with you.”

  She steeled her spine, and he waited while she said exactly what he expected. “You killed my husband.”

  “And he killed hundreds of people... Probably more. Come to think of it, you were as culpable as he, weren’t you? Both of you took paychecks from Red Wolf?”

  She didn’t move, except when she spoke, he wished he had already shot her in the head. “Red Wolf was a great man. My husband is a patriot and—”

  He raised his hand, and she shut up. He really didn’t know if he had it in him to hit a woman. Killing her constituted a different matter. Striking her? He didn’t have the stomach for it. However, Dora didn’t need to learn about his personal limitations. Let her be scared.

  “Stop.”

  She closed her mouth, and he let her stand there silent for a moment or two.

  “Did you see me the day of his death? Afterwards? When I was leaving?” When he’d felt the momentary prick of awareness. “Was that how you found me?”

  “How I first discovered it was you who murdered him, yes.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “Finding you after proved more difficult. Until your picture came up on a web search. An old woman looking for a man who should have been dead. You were in your Marine uniform and—”

  “Got it,” he interrupted.

  When he got things settled, he’d get it all down. And anything the poor woman’s search stirred up. She’d certainly paid for her questions with her life. He’d have to live with that. Another constant pang on his conscience.

  “You shot my son’s grandmother. Terrified him. You’ve left him in a state where he will have to recover from. I don’t know if he can. Is it possible for an eight, almost nine-year-old boy to come back?” He shook his head. This woman didn’t deserve so many words from him. They were Rose’s to have. “You took a shot at my love’s head.”

  “She got in the way—”

  “Are you under the impression I care what you have to say? I don’t.” He stepped toward her. “I could have killed you the second you appeared. I have people watching you. So many eyes in your direction, and you had no idea. What kind of spotter were you? Did Bernardo do all the work, and you came around only to watch?”

  “I—”

  “Don’t talk. The things I have to say to you don’t require your response. I’d rather not hear the timbre of your voice.” He held up his revolver. “This was my father’s gun. I don’t really remember the story of how he came to have it. You’re going to kill yourself with it.”

  “I certainly am not.” She gritted her teeth.

  He hadn’t expected an immediate agreement. It went against the very nature of people who did their jobs, ones who walked in the darkness to either hurt or protect the innocent. They survived. Like cockroaches.

  “You are, because you have two options. Die by your own hand—one bullet through your temple will likely suffice—or I’ll kill you.” He paused to let his words sink in. “And I won’t do it fast.”

  “What do you mean? I’ve seen how you can shoot. You and Bernardo. You can do the same as he could. A single shot. Don’t act as if you can’t.” She rushed him and took a swing at his head. He laughed as he ducked out of her way and grabbed her wrist.

  In under two seconds, he restrained against the tree. At least he had to give her credit for trying. “You should have been trained better.”

  She struggled for a few seconds, and he felt the second the fight moved out of her. Death was in the air. She might not feel it the same way he did, but deep down inside, she had to feel her time was up. He’d seen it with patients in hospitals. The fight left.

  “I’ll shoot you first in the gut.” He could picture the wound. “Gut shots hurt. And you don’t die right away from them. From there, I can become downright creative. I’ll—”

  “Okay,” she interrupted him, and he let her. Would he actually shoot a woman in the stomach? No. She’d terrified his people. That meant she got to suffer before she died.

  “I could take the gun, and I could shoot you with it.”

  He whispered in her ear. These would be the last words he’d speak to her, one way or another. “You could try.”

  Now

  Platinum knelt down in front of his son. Kent sat in a lounge chair too big for his small body and stared intently at a tablet where he must have been playing a game. His hand moved fast, tapping frantically.

  “Hi.”

  Kent’s head shot up. “Hello.”

  They stared at each other for a second, neither of them speaking. He supposed he should figure out something to say. It couldn’t fall to Kent to take charge of their relationship.

  “Where did you acquire the tablet?” He pointed to it.

  “A lady gave it to me.”

  The woman in question must be Poppy. The face of Warbucks’ organization. She was in charge of all the toys. The big, dangerous ones, and apparently, the smaller fun ones too.

  “Did you say thank you?” His response felt like a really inane thing to say. The kid hardly knew him. He wasn’t really in a position to be giving lessons in manners.

  “I did.” Kent sniffed. “Did you give me the money to pay for school?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Kent nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. “Ms. Rose says you guys take care of bad guys here.”

  “She’s right. We do.” Had there ever been a harder conversation in the history of the world? At least Rose wasn’t calling him the devil to his son.

  “Did you find the bad guy
after me?”

  In all the world, Kent should never have to ask such a question, and Plat’s heart sunk into his gut. Never-fucking-again. “Yes.”

  He wouldn’t elaborate, wouldn’t tell The Boy the details. Kent never needed to learn it was a woman. The particulars of her death would remain with Platinum. The team with him hadn’t seen the final moment.

  The bang, and then the Silence. His friends wouldn’t have felt it anyway, not the way he did. Hell, maybe he was crazy.

  He was all Kent had left, and someway, he’d have to figure out how to be a father.

  “Good. Ms. Rose, she took me and ran. Is she going to be in trouble?”

  “No, son.” He couldn’t believe how easily the word came out. “The people who run this place, they’re fixing it all up. Everything is going to be fine for Rose.”

  “Good.”

  “Yep. Real good.”

  Kent held up the tablet. “I’m playing Minecraft.”

  “Yeah?”

  Kent patted the side of the chair. “Would you like to sit here and play it with me?”

  “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

  Kent smelled of soap and icing. Maybe Poppy had given him more than the tablet. He’d have to find out all the things the child liked and what he didn’t. They’d have to figure it out together.

  It looked as if they had plenty of time.

  Rose stared out the window of her room. Platinum would have to teach her to lock her door. He knocked on the side of the wall, and she didn’t turn around when she spoke.

  “I knew you were there.”

  That was surprising. “You did?”

  “The air always moves differently when you’re in the room.”

  Huh. “Really?”

  She finally turned around. “Yes. Like tickles on the back of my neck.”

  He knew the feeling well. Of course, he had no idea she could feel it, or why she did when he was there.

  It was time for the truth.

  “I’ll never be able to undo the hurt I caused you. I can’t begin to try. What I can do is try to tell you, so maybe you’ll understand some things I don’t really get myself.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay. I’ll listen to whatever you to say to me, Eli. Oh damn, I’m sorry. I might never be able to stop.”

  “Don’t try. I actually want it. I want to be Eli for you. I liked who he was. Either way, I need you to see me.”

  She walked toward him. “I’m so stupid. I should be getting out of here as fast as I can. Yet, I’ve found you again. I was going to be killed in a cabin, and you showed up. I don’t want to let you go again. Although I am so mad at you…”

  “Rose, sweetheart. Out there in the world, there are people who are trying to sell plutonium. There are people trafficking drugs. There are folks who have devoted their lives to destroying others.”

  She shifted her weight on her feet. A small movement. Still, a tell spoke volumes as to her discomfort.

  “I’ve seen all of them, and I can’t let any of it touch you.”

  8

  She sat up on her bed, the moon shining through the window, and leaned her head down on her knees. Rose’s head wouldn’t turn off. She was safe, free to leave if she wanted. Yet, she hadn’t lied to Elijah when she’d told him she didn’t want to leave him.

  Maybe her conflict made her sick in the head

  Stupid, foolish heart.

  Only now, things made sense. The parts of Eli’s life which had always been distant—the bad dreams which were rare and potent, the insomnia which was much more common, the I’m never going to talk about my past attitude—all of it could finally be reconciled.

  As she’d fallen in love with him, she’d known deep in her heart there were going to be things she needed to learn about him before there could be a real future. Of course, she’d been in such la-la land in love, she’d shoved it away from her day-to-day thoughts.

  All of it made sense, at least to a point. She might never really understand it, only she could try to work with the fact she finally understood the truth. He was a hero, and given his proclamation about the threat after her having been eliminated, she assumed he killed the person responsible.

  How did a person live with taking another life, when they were all alone in the dark?

  She knew the answer to her own question. When he’d been with her, Elijah Jones, also known as Platinum—and apparently, another name too—hadn’t slept very much at all. And when he did, he endured nightmares.

  She jumped to her feet, and in a few seconds, got dressed to make her way to his room. Kent was asleep down the hall from his father. The child was sleeping a lot. His behavior was probably normal. She needed to remember to ask about the psychologists. They’d find him some help. Funny, how she was already putting herself into his plan.

  Rose really had no idea if Eli wanted her in his life that way or not. He’d not told her either way. In all the time he’d stood in front of her and told her about the things in the world which were frightening and scary, he’d never once said anything about how he felt about her.

  Well, other than the remark about being tied up, which made her a lot more hot and bothered than it should, considering she was determined not to be.

  She scurried toward his room and knocked gently on the door.

  “Yep,” he called out, and she paused for half a second before she entered. There would be no going back after she did this. Her hand shook, and she stepped through the doorway anyway. Being scared never worked for her.

  Eli stared at her for a moment. “You okay?”

  “No.” She spoke quickly, determined to only tell him the truth. “I’m not.”

  He lay on the bed, his legs crossed in front of him. Eli wore only dark green pajama pants, leaving him shirtless. She took a moment to stop and look at him. Undressed, there were some obvious changes in him.

  Elijah had always been fit. Lean and muscular. He’d run more daily than any other person she knew who wasn’t training for an Iron Man or a marathon. He looked more bulked up, as if he lifted weights.

  “What’s wrong?” He raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.

  “You, Platinum.” Hell, she might go crazy changing around names. It all amounted to the confusing male sitting in his bed, looking delicious and frustrating at the same time.

  Caution be damned, she was still in love with the enigma of a man.

  “What about me in specific?” He still hadn’t moved. He’d definitely gotten into the not-moving zone he frequented. It wasn’t as confusing as it used to be. When he got still, it was because he was a predator ready to pounce, if need be.

  “I can’t pull you out of my head.” She cleared her throat. “Mostly because all the reasons why I shouldn’t be withstanding, I’m still in love with you. And so I need to find out, if leaving me to go save the world for me, changed your heart. You never did tell me you loved me. I thought you might have. I guess I’m asking you, Elijah, should I stay, or go and finally move on?”

  And somehow, she would. If all he wanted to do was tie her up because he liked to do so, she would go home and put him out of her mind. It would take years and probably ten pounds put on from ice cream. Still, she would do it. Somehow.

  “Am I in love with you?” He moved, rising to his knees and edging to the end of the bed, close enough that she could feel the heat from his body. “Are you kidding?”

  “No.” She grabbed a pillow and whacked him with it. “Can you answer? Outside of running for my life, coming in here tonight is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “I’m so in love with you, every bone in my body hurts when I’m away from you for too long. You’re on my mind the second I wake up, and I fall asleep thinking of you. I love you so much, I did something I’ve never considered doing before today, so on the off chance you ever let me touch you again, I wouldn’t have torture on my hands.” He stood up and backed her up until she pressed against the wall. Her h
eart beat so fast, it might explode. “I can never undo what happened. I have to earn your trust again. Don’t go. Let me do it.”

  She threw her arms around him, and he caught her, pulling her legs off the floor. Their lips fused together. She didn’t know who kissed who first, just that soon he was devouring her, and she loved every single fucking moment of it. His hands roamed her body.

  Rose didn’t fool herself. Tonight wasn’t going to make everything okay between them, not by a long shot. The heat between them was going to explode. She needed it, and after his multiple confessions to her, it seemed he was in the same bad way.

  Denying it only postponed what they both needed, each other.

  He pulled back, letting her body slide down the front of his. She could feel his hard cock as she traveled the length of him until she hit the floor. Her mouth watered, and Eli took her cheeks in his hands.

  “Do you remember your signals?” They’d always talked about a safe word. Only, she’d liked the red, yellow, green directions. Since she hadn’t wanted to change it up, he hadn’t made her. They’d always stayed with their street light instructions.

  “Not likely to forget them. I see them every time I’m in the car.”

  He stroked his thumb down the side of her face. “You’re funny.”

  “I know.” When he moved his finger over her mouth, she nipped it lightly and he hissed, which quickly turned into a groan and a hard press of his hips against her own. Moisture pooled on her panties. Yes...

  Her body tingled with anticipation. “Do you have your rope?”

  “What do you think?” He leaned in to kiss her again, and she loved the way his mouth gentled against hers. She might never grasp exactly how much power he contained inside of him. All she could be sure about was the way his hands would never harm her.

  Maybe she shouldn’t ask the question, it would spoil the mood. Only she didn’t want to keep things to herself anymore. They’d lived enough of those days. “Anyone else had those ropes around them since you took them from me?”