Black and Blue

by Gena Showalter

  "I'm not going to ask again."

  The Bree Lian peered down at Blue with resignation. He had just realized he was going to die. It was only a question of how painfully. "Tyson Star."

  Tyson? Not Gregory, the father? "Why?"

  "I don't know. I'm never told why, only what to do."

  "And what were you to do?"

  "Pick up Miss Black and escort her to Mr. Star."

  Where she would be beaten? Killed?

  Fury stampeded him. "One last question. Have you seen a Rakan with the Stars, or heard of one's skin being sold?"

  "No. The Stars are the most secretive family I've ever met. They'll assign different aspects of hired hits to different men, so no one knows the whole of what's going on."

  Secretive, and smart.

  "You've earned your death. I'll make it fast." He sheathed his gun, intending to take the guy out with his bare hands, when a noise caused his ears to twitch. He spun, a stream of bright azure light shooting out and nailing him in the chest. Every muscle in his body turned into stone, though his mind remained utterly aware. He heard the Bree Lian slam into the ground, no longer held by Blue's power.

  His fury found a new target: himself. Should have suspected the Stars would send more than one.

  A second otherworlder stepped from the shadows. A Cortaz Blue he saw guarding Star's country estate. The male was a few inches shorter than Blue, with dark hair, green eyes, and skin that looked as if it had been dipped in a honey pot. "I'm not sure how you pegged my partner, Mr. Blue, and I don't really care."

  Blue let the worst of his emotions shine in his eyes.

  The man wasn't impressed. "I only gave you a partial stun, so you'll be as good as new in a few hours. In the meantime, I'm going into the store and finding your girl. And she is yours, isn't she? A very surprising development, I have to say. You'll get to watch me have a little fun with her before I take her to see Mr. Star."

  "Hmm. I don't think that's how this night is actually gonna go down." Evie's voice echoed through the alley as a stream of azure light erupted and slammed into the Cortaz.

  Like Blue, he froze in place.

  Then she shot the Bree Lain, freezing him, too, just in case he decided to fight.

  Blue had never been so relieved to see a woman he wanted to strangle.

  Evie, his beautiful, irreverent Evie, flipped the Cortaz off as she passed him, then stopped in front of Blue. "You are so lucky I'm on your side." She dug in her purse--that glorious, magical purse--and withdrew a ring with a big oval in the center. "This will counter the effects of stun."

  Before she could stick him, her arms were grabbed, twisted, and pinned behind her back. The ring fell to the dirty ground.

  "Good thing I came as an insurance policy," a gleeful voice said from behind her.

  Still unable to move, Blue glared at the tall, muscular Arcadian spinning Evie and slamming her against the brickwork. It was like watching a horror movie in slow-mo. Every detail was in Technicolor. From the surprise on her face to the dust that sprayed from the building.

  An indignant gasp left her.

  Absolute, utter rage detonated inside of Blue. He drew all of his power into his core, letting it concentrate there, building layer upon layer.

  "I'm giving you one chance to let me go," she gritted. "And then things are going to get nasty."

  "I think they already are nasty." The Arcadian patted her body down, looking for weapons.

  "Yeah? Wait till you see this." She slammed the back of her skull into his nose.

  Bellowing, the Arcadian released her and stumbled away. She whipped around and punched him in the throat. As he gasped for air, she kicked him between the legs. He collapsed face-first, a writhing puddle of agony.

  Blue released his grip on the power, and as it exploded through him, life twitched into his muscles, allowing him to trip forward. He grabbed Evie by the arm and drew her behind him . . . then whaled the Arcadian.

  He punched, and punched, and punched. "You don't hurt her. Ever." Punched, and punched, and punched. Blood sprayed. Teeth flew and skidded across the ground.

  Soon, there was nothing left of the guy's face.

  "Uh, I think he's dead now," Evie said. "You can stop and maybe we can go the hell home."

  Blue jolted at the sound of her voice. He was panting, and he knew he had to look fearsome. Still, he straightened and jerked her into his arms, needing her close, if only to soothe the bestial rage inside him.

  She offered no resistance. Even curled closer.

  "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry I let him get to you. He'll never harm you again."

  "Hey, it wasn't your fault. I was so primed to get to you, I forgot to scour for a third hit man." Very gently, she began to pet his chest. "And you killed him real good, Blue. Watching you work was a real pleasure. My review will be glowing. He's not going to harm anyone ever again. Promise."

  If anything had happened to her . . .

  He wasn't sure what he would have done. Right now he was having trouble muting his emotions. Panic. Fear. Relief. Anger.

  A long while passed before he felt calm enough to speak again. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady!" he snarled, pushing her away while maintaining his hold on her shoulders. Dude. Maybe you should have waited a bit longer. "Why the hell did you leave the house?"

  She broke away with a single step back, and a rumble of irritation cut through his chest. "Do you really want to do this here and now? Some of our audience is still alive."

  He turned and shot both the Cortaz and the Bree Lian in the face. Yellow beams. Not azure. Death rather than stun. "Not anymore."

  "Blue!" she said, and stomped her foot. "We could have interrogated them."

  "I got all the answers I needed from them. So. I ask again. Why did you crawl out the freaking window, Evie?"

  She threw her arms up in a what-did-I-do-to-deserve-this gesture.

  "Well?"

  "Several reasons," she said, raising her chin.

  "Name one."

  "I saw the guys lurking in my yard."

  "And you didn't call for me?" he shouted.

  "I didn't want to lose them, and, quite frankly, I needed a little time away from you. Time to think."

  Inside him, the fury chilled, becoming far more dangerous. "Is that so? Well, then, take all the time you need, princess." He stomped away, never looking back.

  *

  Evie knew she'd made a mess of things.

  Blue was in the guest room and she was in her room. They were like boxers in their respective corners. Sunrise would be the starting bell, and only one of them would be declared the winner.

  I can't wait that long.

  She had to make things right. Already she missed their easy banter. Their . . . friendship.

  They really were friends, weren't they?

  Wearing a tank and shorts, she marched down the hall and into his room. For once he wasn't working. The lights were out, and she couldn't see jack, but she could feel the hum of his power.

  "You awake?" she asked loudly.

  "I am now," he grumbled.

  "Good. You promised we'd have snugs and then you dare not deliver? Don't be that guy." She climbed into the bed and stuffed herself under the covers. Divine body heat enveloped her, and she shivered, her lust level rising quickly.

  Though she pressed into his side, he didn't tug her any closer. "You aren't the only one in need of time apart, Evie."

  Ouch. "I'm not used to this relationship stuff, okay? I've never even had a boyfriend. I've had boys that took advantage of a young girl desperate for someone's approval, guys that used me for a night and snuck away--and, yeah, okay, that always made me feel like crap and I suck for doing the same to you, and I'm sorry. I was wrong. And I know you told me not to apologize anymore, but it really does bear repeating. I was also wrong to judge you and call you the very names I called myself for years. Minus the 'he-' and '-man,' of course. You're a great guy, Blue, and it's throwing me off
my game."

  At first he gave no reaction. Then, with a sigh, he tucked his arm under her nape and rolled her into his side. She nearly wept with relief.

  "You are not a whore or a slut," he said. "And I don't want to hear you talk like that ever again."

  His vehemence thrilled her. Who was she kidding? Everything about him thrilled her. "I want to be with you while we're working this case," she admitted. "You and no one else. Not just once or twice, but every day, every night. I want us to be exclusive."

  A pause.

  A pause that scared her.

  Rejection? This one would hurt more than any other. But she was a fighter and wasn't going to give up easily. Not this time. "You need space to think. I get it. Meanwhile, ask me anything," she said. "I'll tell you straight up. I'll even kick things off. Do I think this relationship is going to be easy? No. Do I think it'll be worth it? Yes."

  No longer hesitating, he said, "What happened to Claire?"

  She stiffened. Of course he'd go there. But she'd said she would spill, and so she would. "Three years ago, Michael assigned me a job, told me to pick a couple of agents to help with recon before I made the kill." The more she spoke, the easier it was to get the words out. "But I didn't want to pick a couple of agents. I wanted to do it on my own. I was so certain I'd succeed, and then I could hog all the glory."

  He didn't say anything, but his arms tightened around her.

  "Do you remember the Night-light Killer?"

  "Yes."

  "It was her. I narrowed down my suspects to two, did more recon on both, and decided it was one over the other. I was right--and I was wrong. I made my kill, and while I was busy patting myself on the back for a job well done, the other woman was doing recon on me. The two were partners. I'd taken her best friend, so she waited for the perfect moment to strike and take mine."

  Blue kissed her temple. "You don't have to tell me the rest."

  Yeah, but the rest of the details poured out of her anyway, unstoppable. "I came home and found Claire in pieces. Blood everywhere. And on the television screen was playing a loop of the murder. In it, Claire screamed. She screamed so much and even begged for me to save her. Until the woman ripped out her throat. Then she quieted, and I wanted so badly for the screams to start back up because it would mean she was alive. My sweet, gentle girl alive."

  "Oh, baby. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

  Her chin trembled and tears trickled down her cheeks. "After that, I told Michael I was done with the agency, and I meant it."

  "So you're not back on payroll once John is found?"

  "No. I'm going back to the hospital."

  "Do you like it there?"

  "Yes."

  "But not love?"

  "I . . . don't know anymore."

  "I think you love being an agent. You're so good at it."

  "Thank you." But . . . "I'm not going to risk leading a criminal to an innocent ever again."

  "You're wiser now. You know how to avoid--"

  "No."

  He sighed. "Okay, baby. Okay. Let's backtrack a little, then. You said you want to be with me as long as we're working on the case. What happens after?"

  "Afterward you go back to your house and your life."

  "And that means we can't see each other anymore?"

  Her brows drew together in genuine confusion. "Doesn't it?"

  "No," he said. "Not to me." Never had he sounded more determined.

  "I know this isn't the deal with Tiffany, but one day the seduction of a target is going to be the only option open to you. And I'm not dropping the hammer of judgment on you or anything like that. I just know the kind of cases you're given, and I'm stating what I can and cannot accept from a boyfriend."

  At first he gave no reaction. Then his grip tightened on her, almost bruising her, and she wondered what thoughts tumbled through his head.

  "So . . . I called Michael," he said, changing the subject, "and told him to put a watch on Tyson Star if at all possible."

  Disappointment hit her. She'd wanted assurances from him, she realized. "Good thinking. It's odd that the guy wants me. I mean, he wouldn't even meet with me when I toured Star Light. Talk about setting myself up for the perfect snatch-and-kill."

  "Didn't want your disappearance linked with his business, I guess."

  "All right, I'll give you that, but why does he want me?"

  "I can think of two reasons. Either to please his father and help the guy nail Michael, using you as bait, or he's taken over the empire, since Daddy is hiding in the country, and as Michael's daughter you're now a liability."

  Blue always seemed to home in on motive, something Evie always struggled with. She was great with gadgets but horrible with other people's reasoning. "Well, I'm sending Tyson a personal invite to the victory party. He'd better come."

  "I have a feeling he will, since there's no way his sister will stay away--which is why I want you to stay away. You shouldn't make it easy for Tyson to get to you."

  "Uh, that would be a big fat no. Besides, the party is at his hotel, and if you're right and he doesn't want to involve his business, he won't make a play for me while I'm there. It's the safest place I could be."

  "Had a feeling you'd say that," he grumbled. "We need to get some sleep--after we have sex. Papa wants some loving. But I'll make it fast, because we've got a big day tomorrow."

  "So kind of you." Feeling suddenly shy, she said, "Afterward are we going to have our snugs?"

  "Try to get away. I dare you."

  *

  "Intruder. Intruder."

  Blue jolted upright, instantly alert. Evie did the same, the covers falling to her waist. Sunlight slanted through the curtains, highlighting her beauty. Her tank was bunched under her breasts, revealing the flat plane of her stomach. She was blinking rapidly, trying to focus.

  He'd been having the most erotic dream, his hands all over her body, his mouth soon following, when all of a sudden--

  "Intruder. Intruder."

  That.

  "Someone's trying to break in," she gasped. She jumped to her feet and raced out of the room before he could stop her.

  Cursing, he grabbed the pyre-gun he'd shoved under his pillow. He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs that did nothing to hide the stiff morning wood he would have liked to introduce to Evie.

  "Intruder" was going to pay. Severely.

  He stalked into the hallway. The sunlight was brighter there, streaming through uncovered windows, filling the confined space. No sign of Evie.

  Gonna spank that girl so hard. She'd left him behind like a damsel in distress.

  Then she raced out of her bedroom, still in her tank and shorts. Her expression was all Why are you just standing there?

  "They're in the kitchen," she whispered.

  " 'They'?"

  "There's two of them."

  "How do you know?"

  "I checked the data stream from my room."

  Blue moved to the stairs, descended quietly. Evie stayed at his side. He wanted to lock her in a room, keeping her out of danger, but couldn't bring himself to do it. She was a good agent--very good.

  Last night, she had rescued him.

  And afterward, in the dark of his room, she'd nearly broken his heart with her sorrow over Claire. Every day he fell a little deeper under her spell.

  When they reached the bottom step, he motioned for her to branch to the right, go around back, and come in the kitchen through the yard entrance.

  She nodded and took off.

  He slunk around a corner, gaze scanning, ears listening. A woman's voice registered.

  "--please turn that thing off. It's upsetting the baby."

  Baby?

  "I'm trying, sweetheart, I swear I am, but I've never encountered a system quite like this one."

  A male voice.

  One he recognized. Solo. Solo was here.

  Running now, Blue burst into the kitchen. Solo had his back to him as he messed with the security box beside the yard en
trance. The male immediately straightened, pulling a small blonde behind him with one hand and aiming a gun at Blue with the other. As soon as Blue's identity registered, he lowered the gun.

  "You're alive," Blue said. He'd known Solo was alive--of course he had--and had even known the male was in the area, but that was the equivalent of a starving man stumbling upon a banquet--with raw, uncooked food. He'd needed to see his friend with his own eyes.

  "I'm alive," Solo agreed.

  "Dude." Blue strode forward, grinning from ear to ear.

  The back door splintered open and Evie flew into the kitchen, pyre-gun raised and ready. Solo reacted just as he had before, protecting the blonde and lifting a weapon.

  "Solo?" Evie demanded, arms falling to her side. "Bloody hell, man. Do you know how close you came to losing your head?"

  "As close as you came to losing yours?" The male did not lower his weapon.

  Having none of that, Blue used his power to force the gun out of Solo's kung fu grip, letting it hover just out of reach.

  Solo frowned at him. "I wouldn't have shot her. I just wanted to make a point."

  "No one's losing their head today," Blue snapped, swiping the gun and slamming it on the counter. "Especially Evie."

  "Especially Evie?" Solo stared at him as though he'd just sprouted horns and a tail.

  The little blonde jammed her hands on her hips. "If you're going to fight, let's make it interesting. Take off your clothes while I get the oil."

  Evie slapped her gun beside Solo's. "Next time, come to the front door and knock, you bloody--argh!" Glaring, she pointed at Blue. "If he broke anything, it's going on your bill. And I'm charging double!"

  Knowing Evie better now, Blue saw her through a new pair of eyes. She wasn't angry with Solo about possible damage to her home. She was scared about what could have happened--harm to her, to Blue, even the harm she could have done to Solo and his woman--and she was trying to purge the excess emotion the only way she knew how. Through her fiery temper.

  He wanted to pull her into his arms so badly, he shook. And he would have done it, uncaring about their audience, if he thought she would let him. Right now she might just claw out his eyes and use the insides to spread on her toast.

  "I'll pay the charges, whatever they are," he said, and Solo gaped at him.

  "Good, because you owe me a new back door! A good one, too. Nothing mass-produced." She stomped to the security panel Solo had been screwing with and punched in a code, then rerouted some of the wires. The alarm finally shut off. "That just cost you an extra thousand."