by Mary Wine
Garrick nodded once. “You’re part of it, or at least I won’t risk that you aren’t. So you’re coming.”
The major opened his hand, extending his arm toward the helicopter.
But Kalin stood for a moment, considering what he’d said. His expression tightened and he put his shades back on as the minutes added up.
“Deal,” she said at last. “Not that you asked me, but I’ve never walked away from a patient in need.”
He didn’t like something she’d said. His expression remained rock solid. But she felt an inkling of something she’d normally have said was from her gut. Tonight, she wasn’t so sure. Maybe Sonya had a point about her abilities. She actually tried to reach out and get a feel on the major’s mind. It was there, like a book she could make out just some of the words in.
He lowered his eyebrows and she jerked herself back.
“If you weren’t coming before, you certainly are now,” he confirmed. “I felt that.”
Her mouth went dry. It was like a noose was knotting around her throat. She was surrounded by things she shouldn’t know about, and the blunt truth was there were only a few ways to ensure she didn’t talk.
None of them particularly savory.
She felt exposed and unbearably alone against the hardened men around her.
Like being caught in a trap.
“Devon is waiting for us.”
She stiffened. The major’s tone had softened.
Yeah, like a hunter’s did right before he wrung a rabbit’s neck.
But there was nothing she could do. Well, except not panic.
If dignity was the only thing she had at her control, she was going to maintain it. She suddenly understood how nobles had walked to the block and paid the executioner before lying down to have their heads chopped off.
But it still made her sick.
She started toward the helicopter, the major keeping pace with her, hanging just a half step back like a cop did. She focused on the aircraft. The thing was even more ominous looking up close. The exterior was coated in some sort of black armor. Garrick pulled the front passenger door open for her.
She caught a hint of approval on his face before he closed the door and sealed her inside the aircraft. The lights were soft and different colors. She reached back and found the shoulder harness. The pilot’s door opened and the major climbed in.
“Helmet on,” he ordered briskly as he started his preflight checks.
Suspended from a hook on the dash in front of her was a black helmet. The thing was heavy, but once it was on her head, she was linked into the internal sound system. The major continued his preflight check, the two other helicopters answering him through the communications system. He was focused on his task, giving her the chance to compose herself.
When he lifted the bird off the ground, it wasn’t the soft motion she’d felt inside an air ambulance. Major Gennaro left the earth and arced upward in a smooth, fast motion that would have made his bird harder to hit.
She shivered. But it wasn’t the tightening in her belly that made her respond. It was the blunt reminder that there were people out there interested in shooting at them.
At Devon.
She closed her hands around the straps securing her to the seat and ordered herself to relax.
But she wasn’t listening to her own advice.
“You feel her coming.”
Devon jerked, turning to peg Grace with a hard look. Grace wasn’t impressed. She considered him for a long moment before looking at the horizon and stretching out her senses toward Kalin.
“I wondered why Garrick let you out of his sight so soon after recovering you.” She looked past him to where a Ranger was keeping an eye on Devon. The junior officer was taking his new posting very seriously, shadowing Devon and making notes on his tablet from time to time.
“He wants to know my reaction when he brings Kalin near me.” Devon shook his head slowly. “I think I hate this part of the job.”
“Actually, you blend in far better than the rest of us,” Grace admitted.
Devon felt the stirrings of a memory, but something else teased his senses. He looked away from Grace, toward the dark night sky.
“Your link with her is very strong, Devon,” Grace observed.
“Which is your way of saying you can’t link with her.”
He was frustrated and his tone was short, but he didn’t like anyone else trying to gain the same link with Kalin that he had. In short, he was jealous. Grace didn’t take offense. She turned her attention back to him and he felt the full force of her abilities hit him square between the eyes.
Grace often had her own way of making points.
“I concede the point.” He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “But I am going to enjoy you getting a feel on Kalin.”
“You think she has ability? Sonya does. It would explain your link with her,” Grace said, looking back toward the dark horizon. They flew mostly at night to keep the curious residents from spotting their birds. But the forest surrounding her mountain home was federal property. The only human inhabitants were hikers who didn’t stay long.
It was the perfect setting. One she was going to miss dearly if they had to evacuate.
“I’m sorry about that,” Devon announced. “I didn’t have enough of my memory back to realize I was putting your home at risk.”
Grace linked with him, sinking into his mind without a struggle. Devon fought the urge to fend her off. Not that it would have mattered. Grace was too strong when it came to her abilities. He’d have better luck punching her out if he wanted her out of his head.
“I don’t suggest doing that,” she muttered. “Jacobs is already jumpy. Hit me and he’ll take you down hard.”
There was a movement off to her right. Her commanding officer sent Devon a hard look right before he flexed his hands so his knuckles popped.
“You’re inside my head, Grace. It isn’t fair to take every impulse as something I’d actually try.”
She shrugged and backed out of his head. “You came to my home.”
Grace didn’t spend much time on conversation. She tended to drift with her senses. A character trait that alienated her far too often. He found her ability to link with him interesting, but it was nothing like the way Kalin made him feel when their thoughts merged.
That was beyond hot. It epitomized the meaning of ecstasy, because he sure hadn’t experienced any sexual encounter prior that might be labeled with that word.
“I agree.”
Devon threw up a wall, but too late. Grace had already heard him.
“Get out of my head, Grace,” he growled.
“My skill isn’t as great as yours when it comes to empathy.” She pegged him with her emerald-green eyes. “Stop broadcasting at such a high level if you don’t want to be overheard.”
Devon dropped his defenses. She knew him better than he knew himself and it was frustrating. “How?”
He didn’t like being reduced to asking.
His question brought Grace up short. She blinked rapidly. “Each of us has to learn that for ourselves.” She tapped the black bracelet locked around her right wrist. “I’m wearing this because I was linking so completely with you that I just took off.”
“And you almost ran her over, because one of my newer men dropped the ball,” Jason Jacobs added. “He’s history.”
Devon looked past Grace to where her C.O. was hovering. They were at ease with one another. A bitter taste filled his mouth as he felt the sting of loss again. His unit was on the way, but they were all new draws into the shadowy world of psychic Operatives. Only Garrick knew him and Devon couldn’t fully remember him.
It was enough to drive him insane.
But something punctured the frustration threatening to smother him. It was familiar and he reached for it,
hungry for stability. He found himself connecting with Kalin. The thrill of her first ride in an ultra-high-tech helicopter was consuming her. He ended up grinning, enjoying her excitement.
“When did we stop enjoying our lives?” The words just sailed out of his mouth. Devon didn’t really notice until his new shadow pulled out his touch pad and made a note, jotting down what he’d said so it could be analyzed. A feeling surfaced from a long time ago. A sense of invasion that he’d somehow grown past caring about.
Grace blinked. “We all have to.”
The men watching them didn’t understand, but Devon did. Grace pulled back, shielding him from her thoughts for a moment.
“You never forgave yourself for Heather’s death,” Grace answered. “And I started enjoying mine when I let someone inside my heart. I didn’t make it very easy for him though.”
Heather’s face surfaced from the dark pit that his memories were hiding in. Just a glimpse of her fear-filled eyes before she faded away, leaving the sting of loss behind.
But Kalin remained.
She was radiant and full of life. Just as Heather had been. He recoiled from it, backing into the darkness as the lights of his unit’s birds came into sight. Garrick was right. He needed to distance himself from Kalin. Maybe he didn’t recall the details, but he could feel the intensity of his feelings on the matter. Civilians didn’t transplant into his world.
He had to let her go.
The landing spot Major Gennaro aimed for was lit only with red light. Kalin gripped the straps of her harness until the rough material dug into her skin before she realized there was a clearing. In the dark, tall trees rose up looking like there was nothing but forest below them.
The red light was hard to make out until Major Gennaro decreased altitude. His motions were smooth and confident, but she heard the faintest sound from him that betrayed just how much he noticed her distress.
She relaxed her hands, her fingers aching from how tight her grip had been. The helicopter hovered slowly before touching down gently. Garrick began to power the mean machine off while Kalin pulled the helmet off her head. She set it down before reaching for the door handle.
It remained locked. The major was looking at her, a hard shake of his head letting her know he didn’t like her moving without permission. Kalin shot him a hard look right back. The instrument panels illuminated his face, granting her a glimpse at his mood. For a moment, it almost looked like he was amused, but he turned away and climbed out of his seat.
Kalin groaned, grateful for the noise coming from the rotors as they slowed down. Her door opened and the major offered her a hand. Maybe it was perverse, but she declined the offer, climbing out of the aircraft with the use of a sturdy handle. The major didn’t take rejection well. He reached over and cupped her nape, pressing her head down as they walked beyond the range of the rotors. The moment they gained a safe distance, she twisted away from his grip.
Okay, so the guy could have held on to her if he wanted.
“That’s right, Kalin, he could have.”
She heard Devon like a bell being struck next to her. She jumped, the separation dulling her senses to just how loud he was inside her head. Garrick looked at her curiously but she was spinning around, searching for Devon. He wasn’t anywhere in sight but she heard him, felt him as though he was right next to her.
“Is this some kind of test?” she asked the night, still searching for a direction. Garrick was watching her pensively, obviously not unfamiliar with one-sided conversation.
Devon didn’t answer her and he didn’t show himself. But she could feel him watching her.
Fine. Two could play that game. She shoved him out of her head, using every bit of focus she could muster. For a moment, she was alone, only her own thoughts inside her head.
But a moment later, she stumbled as Devon surged back inside her head. It was mind numbing, making her see flashes of light instead of the dark forest. Garrick lunged after her.
“You don’t want to do that, Major. Devon is being an ass. They’re linked.”
Kalin regained her balance as a petite woman emerged from the darkness. Grace was being shadowed by a giant of a man but she didn’t appear intimidated by the Rangers. The only thing that appeared out of place was her distended belly. Kalin looked at her with a practiced eye out of habit.
“Soon enough.” Grace narrowed her eyes. “You do broadcast on a high level. Interesting.”
There was a shift and tingle as the other woman pushed right inside Kalin’s thoughts. Kalin stiffened and a sense of invasion rippled along her senses. She wanted to pull back, needed to actually, but Grace was too powerful. Fear tingled through her.
“Back off, Grace.” Devon emerged from the darkness. For a moment, he merged with her, shielding her before he separated his thoughts from hers and stood between Grace and herself. Grace blinked and offered a soft shrug. Relief made its way through Kalin, but it was short lived as she got a good look at Devon.
Everything she’d suspected he might be was now visible. Her grandfather’s clothing had done more than she’d realized to mask just how hard he was. Devon fit with the ultra-sleek aircraft and the high-powered rifles so plainly on display. He had a gun belt strapped to his hips with a holster secured to his thigh.
“This is considered a hot zone.”
“It’s not like I’ve ever known you when you weren’t packing.”
But she had known him alone. Major Gennaro was hovering, clearly keeping an eye on his…well, psychic.
“Operative,” Devon supplied. “Grace and I are Operatives.”
The huge man shadowing Grace stepped up. “We’re going to have to get some ground rules established here. You’re already spilling sensitive information.”
Major Gennaro puffed up, obviously king of his own hill and not in the mood to be ordered around by someone he considered his equal. “My Operative is in a state of recovery, Jacobs. Don’t make accusations he isn’t in a condition to be accountable for.”
“It was your idea to bring this party to my post.”
“Wrong.” Major Gennaro took a step closer to Major Jacobs. “Your Operative drew my Operative here.”
“Your Operative reached out to mine.”
Kalin melted back because a pissing match was a pissing match. There was nothing to do but enjoy the show. Grace looked at her and sunk right into her thoughts again. The other psychic was different, the feeling of Grace inside her head more refined and less likely to blow out her ear drums. Grace suddenly smiled. She had midnight-black hair and when her lips curved her face became radiant. Like some sort of beauty queen from the black-and-white film era.
Devon did a double take, turning his full attention on Grace. Jacobs looked away from Gennaro and his eyebrows shot up. Gennaro ended up looking at Grace like she’d grown a second head. They were all staring at her, and who could blame them, she was drop-dead gorgeous.
Kalin ground her teeth together right before her eyes widened in horror. She couldn’t be jealous. Kalin ordered herself to not be.
But she was.
Devon pressed straight into her thoughts. Her irritation level doubled and she shoved him right back out. A soft sound of amusement came out of Grace, drawing Devon and the two majors’ attention back to her.
“She blocks extremely well.” Grace studied Kalin for a long moment before she sent Devon a narrow-eyed look. “I believe I am going to enjoy this…visit.”
She turned and melted into the darkness without a hint of reservation. Major Jacobs followed her.
Devon was lost in thought, a memory surfacing.
Everything shifted and he was once again the man who had needed her. The harsh edges of the military uniform melted away. She was moving toward him, letting her defenses drop as she tried to think of a way to keep his connection with his memory open.
But Major
Gennaro moved to intercept her. She wasn’t sure the man really thought about it, but he was in motion and she drew back in response.
Devon snapped his attention back to the moment they were in. He moved like a flash, smacking the major’s hand aside. The sound was loud and she felt the shock race through Devon. The major looked just as stunned, the two men standing in silence for a moment.
Devon finally cussed. He turned and left, disappearing into the dark forest beyond the small clearing where only the moonlight illuminated the trees. The unnamed man who had been behind him when they landed followed.
She should let him go.
Really.
But she wasn’t interested in thinking things through. She was moving before the impulse finished firing off in her brain. The major reached out and captured her wrist, pulling her to a halt.
“Don’t crowd my Operative.”
The warning was razor sharp, but there was still something that betrayed the fact that Gennaro was shaken. Kalin opened her hand and made a large, round motion with her arm before dropping her hand on the other side of his. The movement broke his grip. Surprise flashed across his face right before he narrowed his eyes because she’d taken him off-guard.
“We’re here to finish this. Walking away won’t help him.”
His eyebrows lowered, but there was the unmistakable flicker of respect in his eyes. “If that’s your goal, I’ve got no quarrel with you.”
He tucked his hands into his belt, holding position and giving her his permission. Part of her wanted to rebel, just needed to say she didn’t want his permission.
But one look at the pristine uniform he wore reminded her that she was a long way from the world she knew. She didn’t want to need his approval, but she’d be a bloody fool to ignore the fact that he was in far more control of the environment than she was.
Which reduced her to feeling like that rabbit that was about to get its neck snapped.
So she turned and walked into the dark. Five paces away from Gennaro, he was only a shadow. Another ten and she was alone. The forest was dark, but it was far from silent. The wind blew through the branches of the trees, making the needles rustle. Kalin lifted her face, recalling her grandfather’s advice on letting the spirit of the moon clear her thoughts.