by Joni Hahn
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Rachel kissed him back. Thank God. The feel of her full breasts crushed against his chest, the sound of her soft moan in his mouth, the lingering taste of bubblegum on her tongue made him crazy with want.
“I know the twins are tempting.” Her eyes focused on his chest. “I get it.”
With a bark of you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me laughter, he kissed her temple, her forehead, her swollen lips.
“I won’t play the fool again, Tristan.”
Placing small, light kisses along her throat, he said, “Good, because there’s room for only one fool in this situation and it’s me.”
Skimming his hands up her sides, he captured a breast in one of his palms. Rachel caught her breath.
“I’ve been a fool for you since you kissed me Scotland.”
The wide smile on her face made him grin. Her hands found the hem of his shirt and splayed on his bare chest, her movements bold and crazy arousing.
“Actually, I think you kissed me.” She gave him a sultry smile.
“If I did…” Tristan lifted her tank top to reveal a skimpy, royal blue bra. “I was one smart, sonovabitch.”
When his tongue found her nipple through the lace, Rachel’s laughter turned to a moan that echoed off the white, tiled walls.
“Oh Tris...”
“Oh hell.”
Tristan jumped away at the sound of Glenna’s voice. Dropping Rachel’s shirt, he let it fall back into place.
“Sorry, you guys.” Glenna turned her back to them. “I thought Rachel was upset. She’s obviously being well taken care of.”
His eyes shot to Rachel. She smiled up at him. Damn, tonight was going to be good.
“Uh, the pizza’s ready. Are you guys going to eat, or do you want to take our truck home?”
Helping down Rachel from the counter, Tristan pulled her against his side. “I’m hungry. How about you?”
She looked at him from under heavy-lidded eyes. “I’m starving.”
“Good.” Glenna turned back around to face them. “I didn’t want to have to explain what happened to you.”
Outside of Rachel’s arms, Tristan couldn’t remember enjoying himself more. With the team and their partners sitting around them, he laughed and joked like never before. They ate some damned good pizza, drank a few cold beers and had a normal, everyday good time. Rachel sat in the crook of his arm the entire time, bringing a sense of peace to his usually stressful life. At one point, she even turned and kissed him on the cheek, shocking him.
Nothing could ruin his day now.
“Ready to call it a night?” he whispered in her ear.
Nodding, she gave him a secret smile. “I’ve been ready since the game.”
Hell. Jumping up from the table, Tristan went to pay the tab. The others got the message and stood to gather their things. Rachel met him at the counter and slipped her hand in his. She hugged his arm as he settled the bill.
Leading the way, he reached the door and stopped dead.
Cody and two of his friends stood behind the bed of a black pickup truck. One of his friends wore brass knuckles, the other held a heavy chain taut between his fists. Cody wore an arrogant smirk, a baseball bat propped on his shoulder.
Surveying the area, Tristan noticed Dar Naylor and Matt Leopold in the distance. Obviously, Brewster had invited them to the party, too.
What was the old saying? Two’s a party, three’s a crowd… and five’s a cakewalk.
He had to get Rachel to safety first.
“Go back inside, Rachel.”
Stopping short behind him, she gasped. “Cody, what are you doing?”
The rest of the team crammed through the door and fanned out behind Tristan’s back.
Cody pointed at the group with the bat. “I don’t have a beef with any of you.” He looked at Tristan. “Just him.”
Mark came up beside Tristan and crossed his arms. “Yeah, well, you mess with him, you mess with all of us.” The team came up and circled close to Tristan.
Oh, hell no. “I’ve got this Mark. Take Rachel and go home.”
Turning to him, Mark frowned. “No way.”
He clutched Rachel’s shoulders. “Baby, I’m sorry. But, I’m going to have to take care of this. It should only take a few minutes. Will you go inside and call the police? We’re going to need an ambulance, too.”
She shook head, her eyes wide with fear. It pissed him off that Cody caused her to feel that way. The asshole would pay.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said.
Cody laughed aloud. “Yeah, well, he should’ve thought of that before he stole you from the church.”
Tristan lowered his voice to calm her. “Rachel, you have to trust me.”
“I do. With my life. But, there are three of them and one of you.”
“I’ve had worse odds.”
He didn’t want her to see this side of him, this side of his life. She was too innocent to be around this kind of violence. He knew it would remind her of all the reasons why she’d hated him in the first place.
The chain brushed against his calf before whipping across Rachel’s leg. Gasping, she clutched her calf with both hands. Angry red marks marred her beautiful skin.
An irrational anger exploded inside of him. F this. Cody was done. No one hurt his girl and got away with it.
Whipping around, Tristan grabbed the end of the chain in a tight fist. He yanked on it, pulling idiot number one to the ground, his chin scraping along the pavement. Heaving him up, Tristan slammed his fist into his face. Blood splattered One’s shirt like wind-driven rain. Jumping back, he high-kicked him under the chin, sending him back onto the pavement, unconscious. Tristan wrapped the chain around One’s wrists and hooked him on a peg in the pickup bed.
Turning around, he glared at a wide-eyed Cody who shoved Idiot Number Two in front of him.
Number Two swung at Tristan with the brass knuckles. He caught his fist in mid-air, holding it there as Two’s arm shook with diminishing strength. Flipping his arm upside down, Tristan bent back his fingers against the hard brass. The crack of broken bones carried in the air. Number Two screamed as he doubled over in pain. Tristan kneed him in the stomach before giving him an upper cut to the face. Two’s eyes rolled back in his head as he fell to the ground.
Tristan heard the swish of the bat a second before it hit. Pain shattered in his back but he blocked it out of his mind. Spinning around, he grabbed the end of the bat and shoved it into Cody’s chest and anchored it there. With lightning speed, he planted a foot on Cody’s leg, skipped up his abdomen, and gave him a high kick across the face. Cody’s head swung to the side, blood spraying the bat and the ground at his feet. He swung the wrong end of the bat into Cody’s jaw. He fell face first to the ground. Tristan threw down the bat at his head.
“Tristan!”
His head shot up. Rachel.
Naylor dragged her, kicking and screaming, towards the SUV. Even teleporting, Tristan would never reach them before Dar got her inside. He had to gain the advantage.
“Naylor.”
Dar whipped around, a confident grin gracing his face.
Tristan hit his armband, cloaking himself. Naylor stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth dropping open. He searched the parking lot, his gaze frantic.
Reaching Rachel, Tristan wrenched her out of Naylor’s stunned grasp. “Run, Rachel.”
She rushed towards the restaurant.
Naylor turned towards the sound of Tristan’s voice. “What the f-?”
Tires squealed. The SUV roared as it sped toward Tristan. He leaped out of the way a second before the SUV would have hit him.
Dar grabbed the passenger door handle and jumped in. They sped out of the parking lot and took the road headed out of town.
They’d be back.
Turning around, he faced his teammates. Everyone he’d spent the evening with now knew he could become invisible. Wouldn’t that make Mitchell’s day?
Becoming visible again, he walked to Rachel waiting for him at the corner of the building. She ran and threw her arms around his waist. He winced.
“You’re hurt.”
He set her away from him. If Naylor caused one scratch…
“Are you okay?” he said.
“I’m fine. What about you?”
Glancing beyond her to the crowd of people, he said, “I’m fine. I have bigger problems right now.”
Turning to face the team, Rachel clutched his hand as they made their way back across the parking lot. Their friends were in shock, their round eyes staring at him in wonder. What had all transpired in less than five minutes probably ran in slow motion through their minds as they searched for a logical explanation for what they’d seen.
If Tristan hadn’t caused such a spectacle, they wouldn’t have been too distracted to keep Naylor away from her.
Glenna said, “Well, if no one’s going to say anything, I will. What the hell just happened here, Tristan?”
Rachel glanced up at him before looking back at Glenna. She squeezed his hand.
“My armband gives me certain… capabilities. I knew if I didn’t find a way to distract him, I wouldn’t make it to Rachel in time. So, I had to gain the advantage in order to save her. My ability is something you were never supposed to see.”
A few of them nodded while others just glanced back and forth between his face and the armband.
Mark said, “Well, we’re a team and teams stick together. Your secret’s safe with us.”
Although he knew it would get around town anyway, a foreign sense of belonging washed through him. First Rachel, now… friends. He’d definitely stepped into the Twilight Zone.
An ambulance and police car pulled up to the scene. Mark lowered his voice.
“Holy cow, man, you kicked their asses in, like, one minute.”
Another teammate said, “You need to teach me some of that kung fu shit.”
Tristan grinned as Rachel broke away to help the emergency medical team with the unconscious men.
Zach and his female partner came around the back of the ambulance and stared at the men lying on the pavement. “Damn Jacobs, was this you?”
He grimaced. How did he respond to that? It wasn’t something that made him proud. It was a necessary part of his life. He hated that it had interfered in Rachel’s world.
They waited around while Sheriff Andrews got statements from everyone. He talked to Rachel and Tristan last. By the time they were done, Zach and his partner had taken Cody and his friends to the hospital and had returned to look at Tristan.
“Ok, Jacobs, get in here.” Zach sat in the back of the ambulance, hands hanging between his knees.
“I’m fine.”
Rachel shoved Tristan toward the open doors. “No, he’s not. Zach, I think he got a shot to the kidney with that bat.”
Tristan shook his head. “Rachel, go talk to Glenna.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “Tris, I’m a nurse. Give me some credit, will you?”
Trailing his palm down her bare arm, he softened his voice. “Baby, I am. I just don’t want you mothering me.”
Pressing up against him, Rachel gave him a sultry smile. “Please, Tris? For me?”
Like he could ever refuse her…
Sighing aloud, he jumped up into the ambulance. Rachel turned to talk with Glenna a few feet away.
“So, that’s how it is…” Zach said.
“Yep.” Tristan whipped off his shirt with a wince.
Zach cursed under his breath as he shook his head. “Damn, I really screwed up with her.”
Tristan sat down in front of him. “Yeah, you did. Thanks for that.”
Frederickson barked out a short laugh. “Asshole.”
Looking him over a few minutes, Zach said, “I think you need to have some x-rays done. You may have a cracked rib or two.”
“No, they’re just bruised. I’ve been here before.” Taking a breath, Tristan pulled his t-shirt back over his head.
He put away his stethoscope. “Suit yourself. She won’t be happy.”
Rachel headed back their way, lines of worry on her brow. At first Ben’s idea of marriage to Rachel had struck Tristan as preposterous. She’d hated him and his way of life from the get go.
Whether he wanted it or not, tonight had proven she’d taken center stage in his previously isolated existence. Dar Naylor knew Tristan’s weakness now and would play it.
To go away would leave her in constant danger.
Convincing Aidan he loved Rachel before he revealed Naylor’s newfound information would be the hard part - if Aidan didn’t kill him first.
If he did, the cheating bozo standing next to him would step in at her most vulnerable time. The thought angered Tristan to no end.
“You screw up, Jacobs, I’ll be waiting.”
Tristan jumped down from the vehicle. “The only way that’ll happen, Frederickson, is if I end up dead.”
#####
Dar met his father on the private landing strip outside of San Antonio. His nerve endings still sparked with disbelief, even though Matt had confirmed what he’d seen a hundred times on the drive there.
Invisibility was something out of science fiction. Something no one in their right mind would consider a possibility in their world of espionage. Sure, there were always scientists working on the concept, but none were ever taken seriously.
Tonight proved The D.I.R.E. Agency was a leap above any other intelligence organization in the world. Mitchell Jacobs had always been a force to reckon with but with this discovery, he’d managed to put Naylor Interests right up there with an afternoon bridge club.
If D.I.R.E. had made invisibility possible, what else did they have in the works?
“You are not going to believe this, Father...” Dar walked beside Robert as they made their way across the pavement to the waiting SUV. Matt had the vehicle running, the interior lights on.
Head down, Robert moved at a brisk rate. Dar knew his father had a lot on his mind when he walked fast.
“Do we have a hotel room nearby?” Robert pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen.
“Yes, but you have to hear this.”
Placing the phone inside his blazer, he marched on. “I’m starving. Do you know if they have room service this late?”
Dar stopped short, his patience thin. “If not, I’m sure we can find a freaking convenience store on the way. Now, will you stop and listen to me?”
Reaching the SUV, Robert opened the passenger door before turning around. “Dammit Dar, what is it?”
“Jacobs can cloak.” Dar shoved his fingers through his hair. He still couldn’t believe it.
His father stared at him with furrowed brows. “What did you just say?”
“Jacobs. He turned invisible. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Robert pulled back his head. “Get the hell out of here...”
Matt said, “I saw it too, sir.”
Robert’s eyes glanced off of Matt, Dar and the pavement, his mind obviously whirling.
Wrap that around your busy brain, Father.
Dar said, “It would explain the frequency and why he’s been able to interfere with our deals so easily.”
“How?” Robert shook his head. “Does he wear some kind of suit or uniform?”
Matt shook his head. “He wore shorts and a t-shirt when we saw him.”
Dar shoved his hands in his pockets. “He wears some kind of copper and gold band on his left forearm. That’s gotta be it.”
Naylor shook his head, hands on hips. “I want him alive, but there’s no way in hell we’ll ever catch him.”
Contrary to what his father believed, Dar had all of the answers - most of the time. This was no exception. “Yes, we will. He has a weakness.”
Naylor’s gaze shot to him. “What is it?”
“Rachel Monroe. Tonight, he made mincemeat of our informant and two of his friends. We get our hands on her, he’ll come
to us.”
Chapter 12
“You sure are quiet, Rach,” Glenna said on the ride home.
Rachel stared up at the moon outside the backseat window. She was quiet because Tristan had ticked her off. He could be sitting next to her with bruised kidneys, cracked ribs or some other serious injury.
The super-agent made her super angry.
“She’s mad because I won’t go the hospital and have x-rays done.”
Glenna glanced back at her with a wry smile. “Rachel, getting men to go to the doctor is like asking them to buy feminine products. Fat chance.”
She scowled at her friend. “I find it funny that he asks me to do what he says and expects me to do it. But, when I ask him to do something for me, he gets a choice.”
“Rachel…” Tristan reached for her hand. She snatched it away.
Pulling up to the house, she climbed out of the truck before Tristan could come around to meet her. Waving her goodbyes to Glenna and Mark, she made her way to the front door, Tristan at her back.
When he turned to lock the deadbolt, he flinched.
She blew up. “See? You’re hurt, and you’re too dang macho to go to the hospital and get it checked out.”
He pulled off his t-shirt and threw it on the floor. “Rachel, if I thought it was serious, I would’ve gone. D.I.R.E. requires me to go in. But, I’ve been down this road before. I know my body.”
Heaven above, she knew that body, too.
Swallowing hard, she said, “Turn around. Let me see your back.”
A large area below his left shoulder blade had already started to color. Ugh. Grabbing him by the hand, she led him to the full-length mirror in her bedroom. “Look at that.”
Twisting around, Tristan gazed at his back in the reflection. He grinned. “That’s going to be ugly.”
Grabbing the baseball cap on his head, he tossed it across the room. She watched it hit the draperies and drop to the floor.
“It’s not a laughing matter, Tris.”
He backed her towards the bed, his eyes full of mischief. “No, it certainly is not.”
He dropped his athletic shorts to the floor. His erection sat barely concealed behind a pair of gray boxer briefs.
The back of her legs hit the bed. Tristan pulled her hair out of its ponytail and arranged it around her shoulders. With a knee on the mattress, he lowered himself to the bed, forcing her to lie back under him. She braced her hands against his chest, the heat of his skin scorching her fingers. The scent of spicy deodorant, mixed with sweat and beer, filled her nose.