“I have an idea.” I pulled away, reluctantly, and tugged at his arm. “Come on.”
“Should I be worried?” He rolled his big body off the bed and helped me up.
“Always.” I grabbed my sneakers out of my bag, contemplated how they’d look with my yoga pants, and decided I didn’t care. “My dad is gone until tonight, and I want to take advantage of that while I can. Can we go back to your place?”
“I need to talk to you about that.”
Serious tone. Frown. Uh-oh.
“I live in the Georgian.”
“I know the building. That’s where Poe lives.” Not that I’d ever been inside. He’d just popped into my place when we spent time together.
“Yeah. I live with him.”
“He’s back? How long has he been back?”
“Since I got here. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but Liam and your dad are trying to keep him off your mom’s radar. That’s why he hasn’t been in touch with you.”
I couldn’t accuse Dune of lying to me, because I’d never asked where he lived. He’d told me he’d met Poe, even that he’d talked to him about me. I wondered what exactly Poe had told Dune about us, but then dismissed the worry. Poe didn’t kiss and tell.
Dune was eyeing me, waiting for an explosion of anger.
“I’m not mad. Mad is a waste of energy. I wanted to go to your place to see it, to draw out my time with you, but Poe and I have some things to discuss. Namely, what the hell he was thinking when he threw in with my mother. How’s that going to sit with you?”
“Fine.” He rocked back on his heels. “I have some ideas about drawing out my time with you, too.”
The statement should’ve sounded sexy, but instead, it was serious.
“Okay. Let’s get it done, then.”
The Garden District went by in a slow and beautiful blur. I was usually thinking too hard about the job I was about to do to appreciate the view.
I followed Dune into a classy lobby. Black-and-white-checked floor. Fancy lighting. A shiny-faced girl sitting at a desk in the office smiled at him, all wide-eyed and hopeful.
“Hi, Dune!” Cheery, too. Probably one of those genuinely sweet girls who had lots of friends.
“Hey.” He waved and smiled back.
Jealousy roared to life, and I stepped into her line of vision.
The smile faded when she saw me. She was cute enough that I wanted to do something outrageous, like smack him on the ass or put my hand in his back pants pocket, just to make sure she was clear about where things stood.
“Her name is Jodi.” He leaned over to whisper in my ear as we stepped into the elevator. “She’s here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And she’s not you, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
If Jodi had access to the camera view of the elevator, she got a good eyeful for the next thirty seconds.
Dune looked a little dazed when we exited. “Jealous Hallie is … I don’t even have words.”
“You’re welcome.”
He grinned and slid the key card into the slot, then took my hand and stepped into the apartment. Poe was on the couch.
“Long time no see,” I said.
Poe was more than a little surprised, meaning Dune hadn’t given him a heads-up, which meant Dune’s loyalty was to me. I liked it.
“Hallie.” He stared at our joined hands.
“That’s what they call me.” I didn’t let go of Dune. I knew where my affections fell, and I wanted to make sure Dune knew, too. Even though jealous kissing was maybe my new favorite thing ever, and I wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end of it.
Poe got right to it. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m going to need a lot more than an apology.”
“We have a lot to talk about,” Poe agreed.
I turned to Dune. “Do you mind?”
He gave my hand a squeeze and disappeared down the hall.
Same as he was the first time I saw him, Poe was stuck somewhere between sexy and scary.
“You look like crap.” I joined him on the couch.
“You look hot.” British boys. Full-blown charm the second they opened their mouths. Poe and I usually had a way of understanding each other without saying a lot, but this situation was going to require multiple explanations.
“I was worried about you.”
“I was worried about me, too.” He lifted up his shirt.
The scar ran diagonally, obviously a slash rather than a precise cut. It was pink and raised.
“I’m assuming you didn’t try to give yourself a liver transplant.”
He grinned and dropped his shirt. “I assume you’d probably like to know how all this happened.”
“You think?” I didn’t hide the sarcasm.
“Your mom sent me to steal the Skroll. I thought it was a legit Chronos job. I didn’t even think twice about it until she told me not to mention it to you or your dad.”
Even though Mom hadn’t worked closely with us for a while, she still assigned Chronos jobs. “That smells all kinds of shady.”
“Exactly. I threw her off track and pretended I couldn’t get the Skroll open.”
“But you did get it open.”
“Not me. Dr. Turner. I had to return it to Teague before he finished reading all the information. He tried to get it back, but your mom suspected something was up.” Poe stared at his fist as he flexed it. “And then, the next day, he was gone.”
“I didn’t even know you knew him. How did you meet?”
“Long story. But he believed in me when no one else did.”
Something told me not to push. “He told Dad how the Infinityglass gene worked before he died. We know something triggered it, but we don’t know what.”
“I’ve been trying to help Dune figure it out.” He pointed at his laptop on the kitchen table. A neat stack of index cards and a crystal skull pencil holder, with multicolor pens, sat beside it.
“So you’re helping the Hourglass now?”
“No.” He frowned. “I’m helping you.”
“They’re different from Chronos in so many ways.” I leaned back on the arm of the couch. “The Hourglass keeps Dune … informed, at least.”
“That’s not the only difference. I was in Ivy Springs. I saw the way they all worked together. The kind of jobs they do. They help people.”
“And?” I asked.
“It was impressive. I guess that’s what it’s like to work for the good guys.”
“That makes Chronos the bad guys.”
“Are the jobs we do there legit? Do we help the people who need it, or the ones who can afford it?”
“I don’t know. But the reason you fell for Mom’s bull is because we never questioned anything.”
“It opened my eyes.” He looked at me. “I don’t want to be that guy anymore. Do you want to be that girl?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“I know you think you’re invincible, Hallie, but you aren’t. Every time your mom takes a chance to get what she wants, the consequences are worse. I don’t want to see you on the receiving end of whatever Teague does to manipulate you next.”
“I don’t want to see it, either. But Dad’s cut her out of Chronos now. We don’t have to deal with her.”
“I don’t,” Poe said. “You do. She’s your mother.”
“That’s just blood. And in my book? Choice wins out over blood every time.”
Dune
Hallie walked into my room without knocking. “Are you always this organized?”
“I actually am.”
“Impressive.”
“How did it go with Poe?” I asked.
“Fine.” I could see her, trying to convince herself to believe her own lie. My hackles rose.
“Do I need to go have a talk with Poe?”
“No, no. It wasn’t anything he did. Just some fair points he brought up about Chronos. And my mom.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.
Not yet. But Dune? Thanks.”
Instead of meeting my eyes, she leaned over my desk and looked at the small corkboard Emerson had filled with pictures as a going-away present. “Ever wish you’d stayed there, in Ivy Springs?”
“Never.” I sat down on the edge of the bed.
“What happened here?” The picture she was pointing to was mostly metallic silver.
“My friend Michael’s room. We wrapped everything we could in aluminum foil.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” She moved closer. “Who’s he?”
I looked over her shoulder. “Nate. You’d love him. He’s a dancer, too.”
“And has good hair. Hold on a second.” She pointed at another picture. “Speaking of hair … you had dreads. How long did you have dreads?”
“Pretty much always.”
She turned around, her hands on her hips. “When did you cut them?”
“Right about the time I decided to come here. I didn’t want to give your dad any reason to turn me down. I wanted to help you.” I shrugged.
“You had to give things up. Your home, friends—and your hair—all to come to New Orleans. For me.”
“Coming here wasn’t mandatory. It was my choice. And don’t doubt for a second that I wouldn’t do the same all over again.”
“The dreads were hot.” She bent toward me, smoothed her fingers over my hair. “But this … being able to slide my hands in and keep your face where I want it? I like that better.”
I met her eyes. “I might need a demonstration.”
She smiled, slowly, and pulled me in for a kiss.
Chapter 15
Hallie
I wasn’t done with the kissing by any means, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the pictures or his life in Ivy Springs. I took the corkboard off his desk and climbed into his lap.
“Who are they?” I pointed to a group picture. “Them first.”
“Kaleb and Lily,” Dune said. “She can find things; he can read emotional time lines.”
“That’s a lot of sexy in one couple.” Kaleb stood behind Lily, with his arms around her waist.
Dune laughed. “You got that right.”
My jealousy tweaked a little. “And these two?”
“Emerson and Michael. Travelers. They set off electrical equipment when they touch.”
“So do Amelia and Zooey. Imagine how their mom felt when they were in her womb.”
I refocused on the photo. Tall, dark, and handsome held hands with short, blond, and cute, and they both looked fierce, like anyone who tried to come between them would get taken out.
“And you never had anyone?”
“I hadn’t met you yet.”
I turned around to face him. “Why are you giving me puppy eyes?”
“I thought you were going to kiss me.”
“Oh, keep looking at me like that and I can do better than kiss you.” I put the corkboard down and slid my hands inside the short sleeves of his shirt and up, just to touch skin I hadn’t before. I stopped when I saw the tattoo that completely covered his right shoulder. I pulled up the fabric and stared at the intricate lines.
“A tattoo?” The sexy surprises never stopped with this one. I wondered if there were more and made the resolution to go exploring.
“It’s Samoan. Descendants of chiefs usually get the traditional pe’a.”
“What’s a pe’a?”
“The pe’a goes from the waist to the knees. Everywhere between the waist and the knees.”
I blinked. “Do you …?”
“I opted out.” He grinned. “It takes ten days. If an intended chief received it and didn’t cry from the pain or die from infection, he was fit to rule.”
“That’s … terrifying.”
“I’ll never be a chief, so the shoulder was the better option.” He looked down at it. “It stands for a lot of things. All of them important enough for me to carry around for life.”
I pushed him down on the bed. “Who are you and where did you come from and how did I get lucky enough to be here with you now?”
His answer was his fingertips on my face, my neck, the small of my back. So gentle, so careful. He found sensitive spots, teased me with his touch, and then brought every ounce of focus back to our joined mouths.
When my explorations got a little adventurous, he rolled me over, took my wrists in his hands, and put them over my head. Then he adjusted our bodies so nothing but our lips were touching.
“Dune.” I pressed toward him, yearning for more. I’d have begged for him in the middle of the Saint Louis Cathedral during Easter mass.
“You sound winded.”
“You’re withholding.”
“I’m delaying gratification.” He lowered his body half an inch.
I was two seconds away from levitating.
“Delay this.” I managed to work one leg free, and I hooked it around the back of his knee.
His answering groan was bliss. He turned on his side and pulled me to his chest. “We have to talk.”
“No idea where you’re going with this, but I can already tell you I don’t like it.” I started wiggling.
“Stop.” He held me closer, kissing me on the forehead. “It’s not bad. It’s just not your usual MO. A few people from the Hourglass are coming to help us.”
“A few people?” I said, stunned.
“Yes. The ones you saw in the pictures. Except for Nate. He’s on a job with another friend, Ava.”
‘That’s a lot of people.” I twitched. “Why can’t we handle this on our own?”
“I don’t work alone, Hal. The Hourglass was always part of that for me, and you’re part of it now, too, whether you like it or not.”
Overwhelmed didn’t touch my emotional state. “I’m not really a team player.”
“I know.”
“I’m not good with groups.” I stood up.
So did he. “I hear you.”
“I don’t depend on other people. Not really.” Not since Benny.
“Now you can.”
Dune
“Talk to me. Where’s your head?” I asked.
She started laughing. “It’s just sad. I need help to handle my own mother.”
“Have you ever called her out on the way she treats you?”
“What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Mom. You suck at this. Love me more. For once, put me first. Make five minutes about me instead of always making it about you. Hear me. Damn it, just look at me.’ ”
“You could start there.”
“There’s no point.” Hallie threw up her hands. “She’ll never hear it.”
“Maybe it’s more important simply to say it.”
“Right.” Her expression closed in on itself. “If you want the Hourglass here, you’re going to have to ask Dad.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
She gave my floor a good stare-down. “Do you know how demeaning it feels to talk about how little your own parent cares for you? Especially to someone who matters?”
“Nothing you ever say should make you feel that way.” I lifted her chin with my hand, saw the emotional wound in her eyes. It wasn’t the kind she could heal in a second. “Especially since I care about you, too.”
“You mean that.”
“I do. I want you to believe it.”
“You’re doing a good job of proving it.” She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. “And you haven’t even been trying.”
“I hope I’m around to try later. ’Cause now I have to talk to your dad.”
As we approached Hallie’s house, I didn’t know if I was more afraid of pissing off Paul Girard or pissing on myself.
“I’ll be right there.” She pointed to her dance studio. “I’ll leave my phone on in case you need a lift to the hospital.”
“You aren’t helping.”
“I wasn’t trying to. I don’t want you to sustain injury.” She held up crossed fingers, and then she was gone.
I
wished I’d added another swipe of deodorant as I walked to Girard’s office and knocked on the open door. “Sir? I’d like a minute, if you have one?”
“Come in.”
I handed over the crystal ball we’d stolen from the hotel.
He nodded and put it on his desk. “No problems?”
“No, sir.” I didn’t move.
“Is there something else?”
“Yes, sir.” I didn’t mean to blurt it out, but my mouth had other ideas. “I want to bring in some of my friends—colleagues—from the Hourglass.”
He studied me for a second. “Can’t handle this by yourself?”
“It’s not that.” I pulled at the collar of my shirt, and then dropped my hands, trying for confident body language. I just needed my armpits to agree. “There was a development last night. A serious one.”
I explained the possessions and watched him pale.
“Is my daughter all right?” he demanded, standing up and starting for the door.
“Wait.” I held up my hand. “She’s fine. She’s in her studio.”
Now he stopped cold. “Does she know you’re telling me this?”
I shook my head.
“But she’s okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Girard. I swear.”
“Trying to get back in my good graces?” He crossed the room to a table that held crystal tumblers and an almost empty bottle of Maker’s Mark, poured a glass, and looked me over. “You broke your promise to me in the first week of your employment. The only reason you’re still here is because Hallie drives a hard bargain.”
“No, sir. Hallie is the priority. The protocol needs to change. I’m the only person here who can see the same things she can, besides Poe, and they aren’t on speaking terms.” That you know about.
He took a drink. “Your reserves. How many are there?”
“Four.”
“I have to go out of town for a couple of days. I was content to leave Hallie in the care of my security staff, since that’s the way we usually handle things, but I don’t think that’s going to cut it.” He rubbed his upper lip. Took another drink. Paced. “I can hire all the bodyguards I want, but they don’t know the players or the stakes, and there’s an advantage to numbers.”
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