by Avet, Danica
He didn’t budge.
Her cornflower-blue eyes narrowed on him and her nostrils flared. Are you arguing with me? Dammit, Brit she killed… She flapped her arm uselessly. A lot of fucking people if the police reports are any indication. This is going to be a mess to clean and you’re giving me shit about it?
“Ha!” she said out loud, crossing her arms over her chest. The others in the room looked at her askance, but she didn’t pay them any attention. “You’re not the only one who can give the silent treatment, buddy.”
Murphy and Troy, used to Brit and Joe’s battle of wills, wisely moved out of the way and closer to Estelle and Leo, who had Gyda sandwiched between them on the sofa. Brit knew this because even though he wasn’t looking directly at her, his entire body was aware of Gyda. His power reached for her. It knew exactly where she was at all times, had accepted her as part of it from the moment Brit kissed her.
Proving she couldn’t hold her silent treatment as well as Brit could after years of practice, Joe finally folded. “Okay, fucking fine! I’m a bad guy for having your girlfriend knocked out without your permission, but that’s only because I knew you wouldn’t give it. But let me tell you something else, my little lightning bug, Gyda is not some fragile flower you need to protect from everything. She’s a lot stronger than you give her credit for. We probably could have gotten her to this moment without having Clay suck her powers or me break her shields, but it would’ve taken a lot longer.” She pressed a hand to her temple. “And we don’t have that time, not if we’re going to catch the bastard who hurt her and do it right. Because, Brit? Your girl is on a one-way track to a very bad place. You know it and I know it. Better we get her now and guide her in the right direction than have to put her down later.”
Brit turned on his heel and stormed over to where Gyda leaned against Leo, her eyes half closed as though she were about to fall asleep. He didn’t know what the Sensor had done to her, but he didn’t like it. Without giving either of them a heads-up, he snatched her off the sofa, cradled her to his chest and carried her to another chair away from Estelle and Leo. No one said a word as he settled himself with Gyda in his lap, her head pillowed on his shoulder, long dark hair loosely falling over his arm.
She didn’t respond to her change of protectors, her body completely limp as though Leo had snapped something inside her. Brit glared at the Sensor, the electricity in his body racing to the surface. “What’d you do to her?”
The Sensor blinked slowly, his face a mask of impassivity. “She was going feral. I locked her down.”
His entire body tensed at Leo’s words, but his hold on Gyda remained gentle, careful, as though she’d break. “Unlock it.”
“I don’t think you understand, Harper, she was going feral. And your ass was the first one on her list to rip apart. She can’t be trusted when she’s in her altered state.” Cool, calm and logical, the other man spoke as though the woman whose brain he’d fried wasn’t sitting in front of him and it pissed Brit off even more. Leo’s head cocked to the side, his gaze thoughtful, then his eyes widened. “You’re infatuated with her.”
“Gee, what gave you that idea, Leo? Could it be him banging on his chest, acting like a fucking caveman?” Joe muttered as she threw herself in an armchair. Mr. Dimples nosed open her office door and trotted to her side as though she’d called him. Her hand instantly went to his scruff, holding on, grounding herself. Some of the irritation faded from her eyes the minute she touched the dog and her eyes sparkled with renewed happiness. “Although I’ve been waiting forever for Brit to fall, I wasn’t expecting it to be with Jill the Ripper here.”
Estelle sat forward, her class evident in the way she carefully arranged herself on the edge of the sofa. “Joe, Leo and I were the ones who rescued her. We brought her to our home and we were making progress with her before she disappeared. Release her back to our custody and let us finish the healing process.” The soft, maternal light in her eyes when she looked at Gyda spoke volumes about the woman’s compassionate heart and something in Brit’s chest eased. “Yes, she acted outside of the O.T.’s rules, but you know what happened to her. Can you say you blame her?”
Brit’s muscles tightened around Gyda as he turned to bury his nose in the soft hair near her temple. She still hadn’t moved, but with Estelle’s words, tension began to gather in her lean body. She didn’t like the conversation. He brushed his lips over the silky skin at the top of her ear, unable to stop himself from instinctively trying to soothe her. Even his powers had eased down to a low-level hum, the kind that acted as background noise in an attempt to ease her without him actively thinking about it. As though everything in him was tuned in to her every need and ready to provide it.
The others kept talking, Estelle trying to convince Joe to let her take Gyda back to Philly while Joe stuck to her guns. She wanted to find out what Gyda knew, how she knew what she knew and she wanted to keep her under wraps. Brit wanted to know all that as well, but mostly so he could protect his girl from further pain. If it were up to him, he’d take her to his home in the Ozarks, shield her from the world and let her heal. Because that was what she needed more than interrogation. She needed food and peace and love.
And if my sisters could hear me now, they’d think the pod people finally invaded. Because he didn’t think like this. When his sisters had their fragile hearts broken, Brit was the one who demanded names and kicked ass, but not before he told them to rub some dirt on it. Each blow to their romantic hearts meant they would grow a callus strong enough to withstand the sharpest pain. Yet here he was wanting to wrap this woman in cotton, to protect her from everything. Even himself.
“Does she…” Estelle’s voice finally registered again but only because of the hesitancy in it. “Has she spoken?” she asked in a low whisper, drawing Brit’s gaze.
He had to think about it, really. He’d seen her, had it only been three times? Yeah, three times and each time he read her body language. Her expressive eyes. But he couldn’t recall ever hearing her voice, only that eerie growl when she got that animal-wild look in her eyes. Not even when she was beating the shit out of him, Murphy and Troy had she made a sound other than a soft grunt or hiss. His heart leapt into his mouth and he turned stunned eyes on Estelle, shaking his head.
Her narrow shoulders slumped. Leo scooped his wife off the edge of the sofa and closer to his body, offering support and comfort in one move. His sharp gaze met Brit’s. “When we rescued her, she never said a single word. We communicated through our empathy, but that was about as close to talking as we got.” He sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose before he continued. “She was more…animal than human when we found her. Dangerous.” He opened his eyes to pin Joe in place. “She hasn’t changed much if the feelings I read off her earlier are any indication. If anything, she’s more dangerous because she’s developed martial skills. You might need to—”
“I’ll take her to Arkansas,” Brit blurted before Leo said something that couldn’t be taken back. His skin crawled at the thought of Gyda ending up in one of the Sector prisons where she’d be cryogenically frozen to prevent her from using her powers or escaping. His stomach turned at the thought of her living out her life in one of those ice coffins. “I’ll take her to my cabin and work with her,” he said firmly. “There’s not much in terms of civilization nearby, the town closest to me has maybe three hundred people in it. I can work with her, Joe can come by for weekly meetings to see how she progresses, but she’s not going to El Dorado.” The supermax prison was the closest one in their sector that had the means to hold supes and imagining this fragile girl in that place sent chills down his spine. “We’ll give it eight weeks before we bring her back to K.C. for evaluation.”
Joe didn’t say anything for several minutes, her thoughtful gaze resting on him. “I’ll have to pass this by the Sector Leaders.” She held up her hand when Brit opened his mouth to argue. “No. If the reports our intelligence division have pulled up are any indication,
she’s a serial killer who has killed at least one person in four sectors. That’s not anything to sneeze at, Brit.” He choked back his argument because he’d read the reports as well. Gyda, if she’d committed all the unsolved crimes they’d discovered during their initial investigation of her, had no less than fifteen kills under her belt. Joe laced her fingers together over her stomach, studying Brit and Gyda. “If they agree to the investigation period, there will have to be better security than just you there. You’ll need someone who isn’t attached to her to act as a failsafe in case you’re compromised.”
“Give me a team of recruits and we’ll monitor the situation,” Murphy said in a low tone. “It’ll be good experience for the greenhorns and it’ll get me out of this city before I go ape shit.” His gaze shifted to Joe. “And it’ll get me away from your goddamn Spa Days.”
“Now, Murphy, I was going to give your entire unit some downtime, a trip to Aruba or something. You can go scuba diving and…pet the dolphins or sea turtles or whatever they have to pet out there. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” she finished with a perky voice that was just shy of a cheer. She practically bounced in her seat. “And then I was going to make an appointment for you all to have a massage on the beach and—”
“Send me to fucking Arkansas,” Murphy growled.
She sat back in her seat with an exaggerated pout. “You and Brit just want to get out of office fun time. I know how you guys think.” She threw her hands in the air. “Okay, if the Sector Leaders agree to this arrangement, you can handpick a team and go play Rambo in the woods with Brit and Jill the Ripper. Happy?”
“I don’t like this,” Estelle protested, her eyes on Gyda. “She was never easy around men and if what you’ve found out is true, then she hasn’t changed much. Is it smart to send her to the country with a group of men she doesn’t know?”
Joe waved her hand. “She’ll be fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make an appointment with the Sector Leaders.” She stood and fixed her skirt. “Bring Gyda back to her cell and this time I want anything dangerous taken out before she comes back to herself. Troy, get someone to go with you and trace her psychic signature back to wherever she’s staying and get her stuff. Murphy, handpick your team of baby-commandos and let them know they’ll be shitting in the woods for the next eight weeks if this goes through. See how many of them jump at the chance to do that rather than get a full-body massage from Inga.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Leo, Estelle, I’m sorry but I can’t agree to send her back with you. You lost her once before and she went on a Mickey and Mallory Knox killing spree. Sorry, but that doesn’t exactly scream stable to me. I won’t forbid you from seeing her any time you want. I’ll be sure you know where she ends up.
“Brit, make out a list of everything you’ll need to house a full T.U. while you’re out there, get it to Ethel and make sure she orders everything to make the next eight weeks possible. Now I have to go wake up some men and let them know we have work to do.”
The words were an obvious dismissal and the slight pop in the air a final farewell to avoid any arguments as Joe and Mr. Dimples disappeared. No doubt she was teleporting to her private office at her house. Brit glanced at Murphy, who stood with Troy at his side. The big man nodded and left the room. Brit was actually glad to have his friend on his side. Murphy would do his best to protect Gyda as well as give her some much needed training. He also didn’t doubt for a second that Joe would go to bat for the fragile woman in his arms. She might have come off as bitchy and cool, but Joe had the biggest heart of any person in the O.T..
Well, with the possible exception of the woman sitting on the sofa watching him with Gyda as though she were afraid he’d devour her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to her,” he finally growled when the silence in the room grew heavier and Estelle looked as though she’d wring her hands to the bone. “She’s…” How did he explain what Gyda felt like to him? Would Estelle and Leo think he was out of his mind if he admitted he was possibly in love with her? Despite never having had a conversation with her? That his power was drawn to her the same way lightning was drawn to lightning rods? “She’s safe with me,” he finally said. “I would never hurt her.”
Leo stood, drawing his wife to her feet, keeping his arm around her waist. “We’ll stay until the decision is made. That’ll give Estelle time to visit with Gyda, pick her up a few things she might need.” He began to walk out of the office, pulling Estelle with him. They paused at the door and the Sensor looked back. “By the way, we’re not worried about you hurting her so much as her hurting you.”
With that cryptic statement, the Alpha Void and Sensor left Joe’s office, leaving Brit with Gyda. He looked down at her to see her looking up at him, her eyes beginning to glow with awareness and sworn vengeance.
Chapter Six
Cuffed and shackled and sandwiched between two huge motherfuckers, Gyda glared at the van full of people who were taking her someplace quiet and serene for her own good. She didn’t bother memorizing their faces because there was only one person in this frigging vehicle who’d feel the full wrath of her pissed-offness and he was driving like the hillbilly he was. And dammit, it looked good on him.
The baseball cap was tugged low over his eyes, shadowing them. He sat slumped to the side a little, left arm out with his wrist hanging over the steering wheel. He was perfectly relaxed, perfectly sexy and he knew it. His gaze caught hers in the rearview mirror yet again, the corners of his eyes crinkling as though they shared a secret or something. She looked out the window again as Tora snapped and snarled, even more pissed than Gyda and it had to do with something Leo had done to them back at the O.T. Headquarters. And Sixteen was oddly quiet.
She lost some of her anger at the thought of her rescuers. Time had treated Estelle and Leo very well. They looked as happy and perfect and beautiful as they had the night they saved her from hell. Estelle, fuck. Estelle was still as wonderful as ever, as loving and compassionate as she’d been that night. And it was compassion the Void felt toward Gyda, not pity. Why that made such a huge difference she couldn’t say, but it did. Leo, though, was still as powerful and dark and protective as ever.
And she had no idea what he’d done to Tora. Sure, Gyda felt her lurking in the back of her mind, pissed off and raging because she couldn’t come out and handle up on these mothers, but there was no fight to keep Tora down. Her protector was effectively under wraps and Gyda didn’t know whether she should be freaking out or not. With Tora as a voice in her mind, not a presence, it was almost… Well, almost like being normal again. The way she’d been way back when.
You ungrateful bitch! Tora screamed in her mind. After everything I’ve done to keep us safe, you’re glad they locked me away? This is my fucking life at stake as much as it is yours.
Just relax, Tora, Sixteen inserted in a calm voice. Remember, Gyda, you need us as much as we need you. We’ll let you lead when we think you can, but if you put us in danger…
This shit was beginning to freak her out. Her gaze darted around the van at the bulk of the group that was moving into the woods with her and found no comfort there. Besides Brit and the behemoths, the others were fresh-faced recruits who looked as though they cried watching Bambi. Like Estelle, they looked as though they were untouched by anything bad and they were supposed to be, what? Protecting her? Protecting the world against her? Yeah right.
Even without Tora, Gyda could chew them up and spit them out and not break a sweat. Well, the young ones. Brit and the big guys would probably be a little harder to handle. Sixteen would have to put her bullshit plan aside and take care of business if needed.
“Is it true you can’t talk?”
The words, unexpected in the silence of the van, nearly caused Gyda to jump. Only being hemmed in by the big boys kept her from going anywhere. She craned her neck to look at the bench behind them, her gaze landing on the young recruit in the middle. He was the logical choice since the other two wouldn’t meet her eyes, poin
tedly looking away from her even as they tried to get away from the kid sitting between them.
She arched an eyebrow at him, noting he looked about a century younger than her with hazel eyes and a corn-fed cuteness that could only come from the Midwest. He beamed when he had her attention, not seeming to notice how the air in the van carried an electrical charge. Without turning back around she knew everyone was looking at them, wondering what she would do. Which wasn’t much considered they’d wrapped her up as tight as Hannibal Lector.
The kid leaned forward, getting closer to her. “Is it true you took down Brit, Troy and almost had Murphy too? And that you took a vow of silence in order to concentrate on your martial skills? Did you study with monks and Green Berets?”
Gyda blinked at him, doing her best to keep her jaw from dropping. She’d never heard someone ask so many questions, all of them obviously drawn from gossip, at once. She stared at him in complete dismay until movement next to him drew her attention.
“Seriously, if she took a vow of silence, she isn’t going to be able to answer one of those questions,” the kid to Curious’ left muttered. This guy looked a little older, a little wiser and sent a chin lift Gyda’s way. “’Sup. Don’t mind Gomer here, he’s fresh off the farm and believes everything said in the barracks. I’m Pyro, that’s Slick,” he said, pointing to the kid on the other side of Curious.
“Your name is not Pyro.” The voice was deep, like a bottomless well and Gyda swiveled to look at the behemoth to her right. “That’s Paul and the other one is Steve. I’m Murphy, that’s Ted,” he introduced the other behemoth with a tilt of his head.
He rattled off more names, of those in the vehicle with them and those in the other until her head whirled with them. She’d never been a social creature even before her captivity and wasn’t sure what to do other than study the faces turned toward her, looking for threats.