She was right. When they finally got back to the hotel around eight that night, she was utterly exhausted. Adam had been able to convince the police that he had nothing to do with the shootings. He’d told them he’d seen a man from his PI agency standing behind the stadium and acting suspiciously; had approached him and been attacked. Julia didn’t know if Adam used mind powers on the police, but they had accepted his story.
Still, it had taken hours for them to check Adam’s background, and for him to answer an interminable amount of questions. She’d had to answer her share of questions as well, but Adam had briefed her while he waited for treatment in the ER, and so her story matched his.
She didn’t like police procedures. No matter how low-key the detectives who had questioned her, no matter the courtesies they had extended her, it was a so-called blast from the past, and not a good one. She’d spent plenty of time answering police questions, both in the hospital shortly after Bennett’s horrendous attack, and later, when she was recovered enough to answer questions in the Harris County prosecuting attorney’s office.
Today had raised more ugly memories of the events twelve years ago—just nasty icing on the horrendous events at SeaWorld. She was drained, emotionally and physically. Adam must have sensed it, because his lecture about her disobeying his orders at SeaWorld had been short and not as blistering as it might have been.
And for once, she welcomed his supporting arm as they entered the hotel lobby and walked to the elevator, although she’d been careful to avoid leaning against his cracked ribs.
Sean and Miriam were waiting for them in the suite. Miriam’s eyes widened when she saw Adam. “Oh, man, you don’t look very good. Are you all right?”
“I will be.” Adam closed the door.
Sean was on him when he turned around. “Did you have to tell the police that Matt was the man you were fighting with?” he demanded. “God damn it, Adam, you just signed his death certificate.”
Adam stepped around Sean and took off his ruined coat. His face was battered and he looked exhausted, which concerned Julia. She’d never seen him appear the least bit tired, even when he manned the Belian bomber hunt in Dallas, going three days with virtually no sleep.
“I had no choice in the matter,” he said. “I planned to tell them I didn’t know Matt, but then they confiscated the pipe he used on me, and got several clear fingerprints. He left his gun behind, too. Since he works for my private investigation agency—as do you—and has an investigator’s license and a gun permit, his prints are on file with the state. What would you have me do? Tell a lie that would immediately be discovered, and bring suspicion down on me?”
Sean’s expression turned bleak. “Shit,” he muttered. “This is a disaster.”
“Tell me about it.” Adam went to the bar and got out the scotch. “There’s a lot of damage to our cover, not to mention the loss of life.”
“We’ve been listening to the scanner and watching the TV since we got back,” Miriam said. “It’s awful.” She looked pale and tired, too. Poor girl, Julia thought. She’d seen a lot of disturbing things over the past few days.
“The police killed the shooter. They’ve identified him as David Gains, Matt’s old military buddy.” Sean sank onto the love seat, placed his head in his hands. “I really liked him. He was a decent guy. He had a little girl.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Adam came over and sat carefully on the couch. “It’s going to get tougher before it’s over.”
Sean raised his head, his eyes blazing. “I want to be in on it every step of the way.”
“I have to know you’ll be objective,” Adam said quietly. “There’s a good possibility Matt won’t survive this.”
Sean’s jaw tensed. “I know. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. That’s not Matt doing these horrible things. I know he would want us to stop this monster, even if it meant sacrificing him. He’s always lived by the Sentinel code. It means more to him than his life.”
“Matt has always honored our purpose here.” Adam said.
Her heart aching for Sean, as well as all the people who’d lost loved ones today, Julia sat on the couch by Adam. “I’m sorry about this, too, Sean. I know it’s hard on you.”
Miriam, who was standing behind the love seat, briefly rubbed Sean’s shoulder. “We’re all sorry. Adam, do you want me to get you some ice for your eye?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll work on my injuries shortly. Let’s discuss our game plan.” Adam sipped his scotch, contemplated. “I know I broke the Belian’s nose, and I inflicted other damage.”
He shifted, winced a little. “It’s got at least as many injuries as I do, so it’s got to be in a fair amount of pain, enough to slow it down. I’ve been feeling Matt on and off since then, so I know the physical injuries have weakened the Belian’s hold. Since it has to heal itself and continue to control Matt, it has to work that much harder. I believe that will buy us some time, maybe a day or two, before the Belian strikes again.”
“The police will probably show Matt’s picture on television, which will make it harder for the Belian to move around freely,” Julia pointed out.
“And will probably get him arrested,” Sean said.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Adam replied. “It’s to our advantage to have Matt detained. If he’s in jail, the Belian can’t launch any more attacks. We’ll be able to get to it, and maybe deal with it without harming Matt.
“Later tonight, we’ll go back to SeaWorld and work the BCS. We’ll also check Matt’s house. Then we’ll see if we can trigger Julia’s visions and Miriam’s abilities. Miriam, in the meantime, work with your pendulum and Tarot and see if you can locate Matt. Anything you can pick up might help us. In other words, we’re going to keep doing the same things we’ve been doing. I know the process must seem monotonous.”
Miriam arched a brow with a silver ring through it. “Oh, yeah. Atlantians, Belians, people with superpowers, shootings on the Riverwalk and at SeaWorld. Very monotonous.”
That got a slight smile from Adam. Then he became serious again. “If we don’t sense an attack coming tomorrow, Sean and I will check the hotels in the area, showing Matt’s picture to see if he’s at one of them. Of course, if his face gets plastered on TV, someone may remember seeing him and call the police. But that’s out of our hands.” He glanced at each of them. “Thoughts, questions?”
Julia wanted to point out that Adam looked like he’d collapse if he didn’t get some rest, but refrained. Instead, she said, “We should all take a little downtime. I don’t see how we can be effective if we’re all running on empty.” She desperately needed some rest herself—she was mentally and physically worn-out.
Adam nodded. “I agree. I think we have a little time before another strike, and we can’t go back to SeaWorld for several hours. We’ll rest, eat, meditate, pray, do whatever we can to stay focused and in the Light. I’ve got to do some healing work on myself. Sean, be back here at midnight.”
“Sure.” Sean stood, and Miriam followed suit. “Later.”
He went out the door. Miriam hesitated, looked at Adam. “I’ll do my best to find the Belian’s location.”
“I know you will. We’re very fortunate to have your assistance.”
She raised her bejeweled hands. “Yeah, well, I haven’t contributed much to the cause yet.”
“You’ve done plenty.” Adam glanced at the doorway. Sean was already gone. “It occurs to me that one of your contributions might be to keep Sean grounded. I need him calm and clearheaded.”
She made a wry face. “I haven’t had much luck there, either, but I’ll try. I hope you feel better. I guess we’ll see you later.” She left, closing the door behind her.
“She’s a good kid.” Adam sank back.
“Yes, she is. And she’s got a brilliant mind.” Julia was alarmed by his appearance. Maybe he looked worse because of the stitches on the side of his face, the black eye swollen nearly shut, and the blooming blue and purple
colors over his face—not to mention his wrinkled, stained clothing—but he appeared washed-out and ill. “Adam, you look awful.”
“Thank you for pointing that out. I just haven’t had a chance to recharge, which I need to do when I’m not sleeping. I’m also not used to being in pain this long. I normally have the chance to heal myself soon after any injuries.” He looked at her. “A necessary ability when I’m with you.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed, although she wanted to reach out and smooth away his pain. “You can hold your own with powerful Belians. A human female should be no challenge.”
“You’d think so. But it appears you’re a deviation on the bell curve, Professor.” He held out his hand. “I could use some of your vitality right now.”
She stared at him suspiciously. “Just what does that entail?”
“A simple third-eye link. No visions or anything like that.”
She kept her hand back. “No weird brain drain or energy dumps?”
“What, you don’t trust me?”
“Why would I trust a man dumb enough to take on a crazed Belian bare-handed?”
“I had a gun.”
“A lot of good it did you,” she muttered. “Shades of Dallas.”
Today had been a brutal reminder of that. In Dallas, she’d watched a madman hold her sister hostage with a knife to her throat. She’d used her cane then, as well, to save her sister. Seeing the Belian on top of Adam, whacking him with a pipe, had brought back the horror.
“While I should probably thank you for coming to my aid today, I don’t want you to ever risk yourself like that again,” Adam said. “If the police hadn’t been there, the Belian would have come after you. And I might not have been able to protect you.”
Like she would have stood by and watched him get killed. “We’ve already had this discussion. Not doing it a second time.”
He reached over and took her hand. Immediately, she felt the tingle of sexual awareness. But she also felt that sensation of waves rising and falling and a soothing warmth. There was a low-level hum, like an electrical flow. She felt the tension easing from her body.
She leaned her head back. “You’re not sucking out my soul or anything like that, are you?”
“Of course not. I have my own soul.”
“You probably got it from the Devil.”
“Now I’m offended.”
She smiled at that, and turned her head to look at him. “I am sorry that you were hurt today. Is this helping any?”
Warmth glowed in his good eye. “More than you know. I wasn’t lying when I told you that you ground me, Julia. Your life energy complements mine.”
Disconcerted, she tried to think of a snazzy comeback, but her thoughts were scattering like autumn leaves in the wind. Her body was sinking, and she was incredibly sleepy. A sudden realization jolted her to a more alert state. “Are you doing something to me?”
“What do you think?”
“That you’re underhanded and devious, even when you’re injured. And that you’re probably up to something. Oh hell, I don’t know.” She was too frazzled to know much of anything right now. “This had better be helping you, Adam.”
“Just rest for a few moments. Let yourself drift. Let go of today’s events. There’s nothing we can do about them, or about the Belian right now. Instead, we need to focus on healing and recharging ourselves.”
He threaded his fingers with hers, lowered their hands to the sofa between them. She closed her eyes with a sigh. She was so tired. . . . And he was right about letting go. If she held on to the memory of the past few days, she wouldn’t be able to function. She was definitely drifting. . . .
“Let go, Julia. Trust me, and let go.” There was command in his voice, and a mental push.
She slipped into a warm cocoon of darkness.
THE alcohol had been a mistake. Even with the fast Sentinel metabolism, his reflexes had still been slow at SeaWorld. It had also made it very difficult to focus on David Gains and control him.
Then he’d been attacked by that man who had to be a Sentinel, only his energy felt different. The cursed Sentinel inside him had responded to the man, and tried to come to the surface. If it hadn’t been for the effects of the booze and the internal battle with the Sentinel, he’d have beaten that man. He’d have shot him, and bathed in the blood. He’d have killed the stupid bitch with the cane, too. He should have been victorious.
As it was, he’d had his nose broken, sustained fractures and contusions, been whacked with a cane, and forced to flee the police. They shouldn’t have been there. How had they known?
Cursing, he pressed the folded cloth to his nose. The bleeding had almost stopped, but the blood loss had weakened him. His body was a mass of aches and pains, and his head throbbed where that bitch had hit him. And the struggle with the damned Sentinel inside him had become incessant.
He called to Belial for the strength to overcome these challenges. He would heal, he knew, but it might take a day or two. Then he would create a new plan of action.
Until then, he’d revel in the lives taken today, all the blood offered to Belial. The glory and honor of that would uphold him, sustain him. Belial was very pleased.
And there would be more . . . much more.
JULIA awoke to a slow, rhythmic sound. She was still tired, exhausted. Keeping her eyes closed, she stretched, her sore body protesting the movement. The surface beneath her cheek felt odd—hard, rather than the down-filled softness of the hotel pillows. And that sound . . . that steady, lulling thud . . . A heartbeat. Her eyes opened.
She was sprawled across Adam, both of them lengthways on the couch. And she was fitted against him like metal to a magnet, her head on his chest, her right leg resting between his. Confused, she saw that the room lamps were on, and it was dark outside. Then she remembered what had happened at SeaWorld and Adam’s injuries. And she was putting considerable weight on his cracked ribs.
She shifted, feeling the weight of his arm across her back, and something else pressing against her abdomen. Oh, man, how had this happened? She tried to lift enough to slide off him, was halted by his arm tightening around her. She glanced at him, saw his eyes were closed.
“Adam, wake up.”
“I am awake,” he said, his raspy voice languorous. “But I couldn’t get up without disturbing you.”
Too late on the getting up part, she thought, trying to figure out how to move from this position without inflaming things more. Soft-pedaling probably wouldn’t work. “Let me move,” she said. “Your ribs have got to be hurting. And your—” She looked at him again, saw his eyes were open and glowing. “Your . . . face. Well. It’s much better, and most of the swelling is gone. Couldn’t you heal it completely?”
“I could. But if the police decide they have more questions, I need to appear relatively normal, which in this case would mean slower healing and some residual bruising.”
She couldn’t resist reaching out to gently touch his cheek. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not at all. I took care of that. And the ribs are back to normal.”
“That’s good.” She smoothed her fingers over his face, feeling the roughness of a day-old beard that cast a very masculine shadow on his face. “You do need to shave.”
He smiled. God, the man had a sexy mouth. “Tell me about it. I can command the Earth’s energy. I can heal myself and others, travel outside my body, and move things at will. But I can’t stop my facial hair from growing. Or control other . . . things.”
That was patently obvious. “Must be tough being a semihuman guy.” But he does such a bang-up job of it, she thought. And she had to be honest—having a sexy male like Adam get an erection when he was in close contact to her was a real turn-on. Which was a bad thing.
Reluctantly, she dropped her hand. Pressed against him as she was, she felt more than his erection. He radiated heat, and his phenomenal prime-male scent teased her senses. She wanted to stay there, wrapped in the comfort of his warmt
h and strength, to soak up his amazing energy that was both calming and stimulating at the same time.
It wasn’t just sexual. She wanted to forget about the horror of the past two days, to forget that there were two monsters she personally knew of out there—William Bennett and a Belian. And she wanted to return to her normal, uneventful life, and put all this behind her.
Except then Adam would be gone, back to his own life. It was inevitable. Even so, she was slow to move away. The energy flowed around the two of them, as predictable as the tides. She was very aware of the sensual tension spreading through her body, like the inexorable flow of lava down the banks of an erupting volcano. This was a dangerous game, one which could—and would—leave her bleeding, at least emotionally.
Preservation finally kicked in. “Adam—” She had to stop and clear her throat. “Let me get up.”
He released her, and she slid away from him, pushed awkwardly to her feet. Certain her hair must be sticking straight up, she tried to smooth it down, while she studiously avoided looking at his crotch. “What time is it?”
Sitting up, he swung his feet to the floor and looked at his Rolex, which had miraculously survived the fight with the Belian. “Eleven twenty five.” He stood, and she realized he was still in his torn and bloodstained clothes. “Sean should be here around midnight. I need to take a quick shower and change.”
Then they’d return to the Belian crime scene, and pick up more of its energy. A shiver went through her.
“Are you all right?” Adam asked.
What was she supposed to say to that? Hell, no. But thanks for asking. “I’m fine. Go do what you have to.”
His expression said he didn’t believe her, but he turned and went to his room. Feeling strangely bereft and restless, Julia knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet. So she went to the bar and poured herself a large glass of merlot.
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