Her mouth thinned. “Oh, that’s just great. ‘Big Brother is watching’ has become a reality. And here I thought your bathroom trick was bad enough.”
Adam didn’t rise to the bait. The truth was he didn’t regret invading Julia’s privacy. Letting her know he could, and would, give as good as he got had been justifiable. If he allowed her to get the upper hand, she’d be even more difficult to manage.
Besides, seeing her nude had been an added bonus, one he hadn’t expected. He wasn’t completely nonhuman, and obviously not immune to the sexual energy engendered by close proximity to Julia. He’d discovered her body was magnificent, full and curvy, not the thin, angled frame of so many contemporary women. Yes, a pleasurable experience, for the brief moments it had lasted. No regrets there.
What did bother him, however, were the tears he’d seen tracking slowly down her face, and the sense of despondency she’d projected, so unlike her. The Julia he knew was both fire and ice, a woman who fought valiantly for her loved ones. A vital, intelligent woman whose quick thinking and decisive action had saved both Marla and Luke’s lives in downtown Dallas six months ago.
He felt a flare of fury against William Bennett, for what the man had done to Julia and Marla, and the renewed pain his release in two days would cause. But Bennett would never have the chance to get near Julia again. Adam would see to that.
He exhaled, forced his focus back to the problem at hand. “I’m not Big Brother,” he said. “My only concern is the welfare of the Sentinels and conductors in my region.”
“And completely under your command,” she snapped. “Let’s not forget that.” At least her ire had brought back some of her color.
“Tell me about your vision today,” he said, shifting gears.
“Oh, the vision you forced on me?”
“The same.” No apologies on this, either, although it was his general philosophy that conductors should not be coerced.
But Julia had already given her services in Dallas; not only that, she was a matched conductor to him—a Sanctioned—an occurrence that was totally unprecedented, as far as he knew. Sanctioned didn’t do conductions and, up until now, did not have synchronized conductors. There had to be a reason for the match.
“What did you see, Julia?” he persisted. He noted the rebellious set of her jaw, and added, “A man’s life could hang in the balance.”
She sighed, relented. “Not anything I believe would be helpful. I saw some sort of theater, filled with people, who started panicking and screaming and trying to get out. Many of them were trampled. Then everything faded.”
“Any idea where this was?”
“No,” she said, her frustration evident. “There wasn’t anything to identify the place.”
“Did you see what started the panic? Was there gunfire or explosions of some sort?”
She shook her head. “All I heard was the screaming.”
“Something else, perhaps, like fire?”
“Now that you mention it, there may have been smoke. . . .” Her gaze became unfocused, as if she were turning inward. “Or maybe it was just dust reflected in the light.”
“Any idea what type of theater? Movie, live production?”
“No . . . I didn’t see the front area, just the graduated elevations of rows of seats. It could have even been an auditorium, like a college classroom.” She threw up her hands. “I’m sorry, Adam. It flashed by so quickly.”
He considered asking her to try for another vision, but she looked so drained, he opted against it. “Nothing to be sorry about,” he said. “I know you can’t control the flow of a vision. It’s fortunate that you see as much as you do.”
“Fortunate for whom? Seeing glimpses of the future is a pain in the rear. It’s almost as bad as dealing with you.”
“Ah, there’s the Julia I know.”
“I’ve given you the information you wanted. Now, are we through?”
He glanced down at the cat, scratched between its ears. “I need you to go to San Antonio with me tomorrow.” He felt her shock shoot out like a solar flare.
“I can’t do that. I have classes to teach.”
“Matt Stevens lost his wife four months ago. They had been married twenty-two years.” Adam looked up, locked gazes with Julia. “She was killed by a Belian.”
Her expression mirrored horror and sympathy. That was something he admired about both Marla and Julia—they genuinely cared about others, perhaps because of their own painful experience.
“I’m so sorry for him,” Julia said. “But I can’t go to San Antonio.”
He ignored her protest. “I’ve been extremely worried about him. He’s been in a deep depression, and I suspect he’s been drinking heavily. To have him suddenly start fading out like this is very alarming. Think about it, Julia.”
Adam continued to hold her gaze. “It could be one of two things. He could become open to Belian influence, or he could go off the deep end on his own. Either way, he’s far more powerful than normal humans. He could be very dangerous and a real threat.”
He could practically see the information processing in her mind. Her eyes widened as she stared back at him. “A Sentinel gone rogue?”
“That’s what I fear. Matt is one of my most powerful and experienced Sentinels. I’m not confident another Sentinel could take him down, and I wouldn’t ask that. This is something I have to do. You can see why I need your help.”
“No, I can’t. You’re a big boy, Adam. You’ve being doing this for—what did you tell me—hundreds of years?”
“If Matt has gone rogue, you’re probably the only one who can tell me what he’ll do next, where he’ll go. We have to find him before he hurts someone. It may already be too late.”
“Damn it, I-I can’t do this.” She rubbed her forehead.
It was obvious she was too exhausted to think clearly. He shooed the cat from his lap, frowning at the long white hairs plastered to his black wool pants. Standing, he offered her his hand. “You need to get some rest.”
She ignored the hand and struggled up on her own. “I intend to, as soon as you leave and I finish grading papers for my class on Friday.”
He shook his head, his patience gone. She was swaying on her feet, and he was responsible for her welfare. He didn’t give a damn about class papers. He raised his hand toward her. She was going down—now.
The burst of energy was so subtle, so swift, she didn’t even have time to register it. She sagged forward, and he caught her and swung her up into his arms.
She wasn’t a small woman, but his superhuman strength allowed him to carry her with ease. He strode down the hallway to her bedroom. She was soft and warm in his arms, so unlike the prickly woman he normally dealt with. Her scent, a mix of lavender and vanilla, drifted up, teasing his senses.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d held a woman like this. Especially one whose mere nearness sent his body on full alert with a flood of testosterone, and gave him his second hard-on of the day. The last time he’d been affected like this had been six months ago, when he’d first shaken hands with Julia.
The time before that had been about . . . two or three hundred years ago.
Ignoring his newly raging libido, Adam lowered Julia to her bed, slipped off her robe and slippers, and slid her beneath the covers. He sent a powerful mental command, insuring that her sleep would be deep and dreamless.
Staring down at her, he noted that the lines of tension on her face had eased. But they’d be back tomorrow. So would her acerbic personality—as soon as she discovered that she was going to San Antonio with him, and that he had manipulated circumstances so that she had no choice in the matter.
Absolutely no choice at all.
JULIA fumed as she drove her white Honda to the university. Adam Masters was . . . he was—oh damnation, there weren’t enough uncomplimentary adjectives in the known Universe to describe the man. Although sneaky and devious certainly topped the list.
She had awakened th
is morning with no recollection of going to bed the night before. Her groggy state and the stack of ungraded papers on her desk, along with the memory of Adam demanding she accompany him to San Antonio and then ordering her to get some rest, enabled her to draw a conclusion that had high odds of being accurate.
It was infuriating, and also disconcerting, to know she’d been manipulated by him, and totally at his mercy. And that he’d most likely put her to bed, as if she were a child. Well, she could be just as determined and obstinate as he could. She wasn’t going to become involved with any more Sentinel crap, and she was not—repeat, not—going to San Antonio with him.
For all his forcefulness and the power he wielded, she knew there were lines even Adam couldn’t cross. She didn’t believe he would do anything illegal, such as kidnap her. She was well aware of the Sentinel code of honor, and while he might stretch the boundaries to the limit, he would never desecrate that code. He could try to wear her down verbally and mentally, but she was stronger than he realized, and she was now familiar with his tactics.
He might be used to getting his way with everyone else, but Julia didn’t cower before anyone. The hell she’d faced twelve years ago had irrevocably hardened her. An image of William Bennett flashed though her mind. Tomorrow he’d be free. Fear rose, swift and brutal. Her chest tightened and her heart stuttered.
Another reason why she couldn’t help Adam. She had to deal with this new upheaval in her life, come to terms with it, and somehow fortify her defenses. She wasn’t giving up her carefully cultivated life, her career at the university, just because a monster had been set free. Bennett wasn’t going to win.
But right now, today, she would focus on math and science, on the students she prodded and tried to inspire on a daily basis. She’d concentrate on one of the constants in her life, outside of family—the joy of sharing knowledge, of teaching.
She parked in her handicapped space, got her briefcase and cane, and entered Hoffman Hall, the hub of the mathematics department. Her main office was here, although she also taught physics and had a small cubicle at the Science & Research building.
As she got off the elevator at the sixth floor and walked down the corridor past various offices, she was soothed by the textures of academia: the photos of distinguished alumni and staff lining the walls; the scent of coffee mingled with the musty flavor of books and paper; the muted sounds of copiers, printers, phones, and voices.
Some of the terrible tension inside her eased. This was her world, her existence, her lifeblood. She was alive and vital here. She could lose herself in the intricacies of university politics, in spirited discussions on various theorems with her colleagues, and in the classroom with her students.
She took a moment to stop at the main reception area, to check her mail slot and say hello to Tami Lang, the office manager and assistant to Dr. Elias Moreno, the head of the mathematics department.
“Hey, Dr. Julia,” Tami, an attractive, vibrant woman in her forties, greeted her. Tami was a force in her own right—an energetic whirlwind who was ruthlessly organized yet glowed with true Southern charm. “How are you today?”
“Fine,” Julia said, forcing a cheerful front. “Anything new or interesting going on this morning?”
“Well, there’s the usual shortage of funds, political backstabbing, and staff grumblings,” Tami replied. “And then . . . we have this really hot guy who is meeting with Dr. Moreno right now.” She gave Julia a knowing smile. “Is there something you haven’t told us?”
Julia stared at her, confused. “What are you talking about? And who is the man meeting with Dr. Moreno?”
“Mr. Masters. I assume you know him. When he came in this morning, he said it was urgent that he speak with Dr. M. Then I heard him mention your name before Dr. M. closed the office door.” Tami fanned herself with a periodical. “Mr. Masters is very impressive.”
Oh, no. The heart palpitations returned. This was bad—very bad. “How long has he been in there?” Julia turned and started toward Dr. Moreno’s office.
“About thirty minutes. Where are you going? Wait—”
But Julia wasn’t about to stand on ceremony, not with Adam loose in the math department. She strode to Dr. Moreno’s door, bracing herself for major damage control. Before she reached it, it swung open, and Adam stepped out, followed by Dr. Moreno, who was positively beaming. Since the diminutive Spanish man rarely even smiled, this was a very bad sign indeed.
Adam, looking his usual GQ self, was wearing a charcoal gray suit, set off by an elegant gray and red striped tie. “Good morning, Julia,” he said, showing no surprise at seeing her.
She gripped her cane, too stunned to react. Dr. Moreno stepped around Adam, his expression turning sober. “Dr. Reynolds, you should have phoned. You did not have to come in today, not under the circumstances.”
“Circumstances?” For a crazy, jumbled moment, Julia thought Adam must have told the department head about William Bennett. She’d never discussed that part of her past with anyone at the university, had kept her career separate from her personal life.
“I am so sorry about the death of your Aunt Willie.” Dr. Moreno patted her shoulder awkwardly. “I understand you were very close to her. Please accept my condolences. Certainly you will want to attend the funeral in San Antonio.”
“My Aunt Willie?” Julia shot a scathing glare at Adam. “Funeral in San Antonio?”
“I felt I needed to tell your boss,” Adam said smoothly. “Considering how upset you were, and how concerned about taking time from work.”
Julia’s blood pressure shot up. “You told him that?”
“It is good your cousin did so,” Dr. Moreno interjected. “You take very little personal leave or vacation, Dr. Reynolds. You must certainly attend your aunt’s funeral!”
Julia’s gaze shot back to Dr. Moreno, another shock piling up on the first. Her boss was very strict about leave and discouraged employees from taking personal days. He’d been somewhat difficult when she’d taken off suddenly six months ago.
Her eyes narrowed and she turned back to Adam. “You did something to him,” she hissed. “You took control of his mind—”
“I knew if I explained the situation, he would fully understand your need to take off a week or two to bury poor Aunt Willie and settle her affairs,” Adam said, with a warning look.
“A week or two!”
“Take all the time you need,” Dr. Moreno said. “I have already spoken with Dr. Richards, and he has agreed to take your math classes. I’ll speak with Dr. Bruce about your physics courses, and I am sure he will be able to get them covered.”
Julia swayed, suddenly light-headed. “But—”
“It is fine. Fine!” Dr. Moreno said brightly. He nodded at Adam and waved what looked like a check. It appeared to have quite a few zeros in the amount. “Thank you again, Mr. Masters, for your most generous donation to the department’s expansion fund.”
Adam inclined his head. “It’s the least I could do, especially since one of your best professors will be on hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time.”
Generous donation? Indeterminate amount of time? Julia lifted her cane, trying to decide where to hit Adam first.
She was abruptly smothered by two arms going around her, followed by the warm press of a soft body and the scent of Organza perfume. “Oh, Dr. Julia, I am so sorry about your aunt,” Tami said against her ear, and hugged her tighter. “I didn’t know you had family in San Antonio.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Julia muttered.
Tami released her, and she drew a deep, shuddering breath, considered her options. She could tell Dr. Moreno and Tami that she’d never seen Adam before in her life—that he was delusional, and they needed to call security. But that was risky, and Adam might be able to override her, either by freezing her vocal chords—again—or using some sort of brain control over her coworkers.
She desperately tried to think of another solution, but nothing came to mind. Adam had so n
eatly boxed her in, she didn’t see a way out. Of course, once she left the office, she could simply refuse to go anywhere with him.
Dr. Moreno cleared his throat. “I hope the interview while you are in San Antonio won’t be an imposition. Your cousin—Mr. Masters—assured me that you would be glad to do it, that it would be a welcome distraction from your grief.”
Feeling like she’d stepped into The Twilight Zone, Julia could only stare at her boss. “Interview?” Add sounding like a parrot to the mix.
“Yes. You are aware we have been evaluating candidates for two open teaching positions?”
And where was this going? “Of course.”
“Well, one of the top candidates is Dr. Melissa Curtis, and she is currently in San Antonio. Mr. Masters suggested you could speak with her while you’re there, and offer an evaluation on her suitability for the mathematics department.” Dr. Moreno’s gaze darted to the check in his hand, then back to Julia. “I would be most interested in your input. I’ve already spoken with Dr. Curtis, and she said she will await your call. Tami has her phone number.”
The sharpest box cutter wouldn’t get Julia out of this, unless she wanted create a major scene, which she had already ruled out, and risk her position at the university, a position she’d worked extremely hard to attain.
She shot a venomous look at Adam, wishing a thousand agonies on him. He stared back blandly, apparently smart enough not to display a victorious smirk. She’d find some way to make him pay for this.
“I’ll write down Dr. Curtis’ phone number for you.” Tami went behind her desk and pulled out a file. “Oh, and do you have the name of the funeral home for your aunt?”
“The arrangements haven’t been finalized yet,” Adam told her. “We’ll have to let you know later.”
Julia was furious and so upset, she was shaking. Clenching her free hand, she drew a deep breath, tried to calm down. She felt trapped, much like she’d felt when William Bennett had pinned her to the ground, and it was an awful feeling. Adam had a lot to answer for.
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