by Sandy James
* * *
Zach’s flash of anger morphed back into curiosity. Gina was an enigma, to say the least.
She knew about the DOD. He’d only met with one general about the new communications devices, and his help wasn’t supposed to be documented. Maybe it had been a lucky guess on her part, or maybe a slip of the tongue connected his name with the military.
He liked her appraisal of his worth, feeling as if his ego had received a loving caress. His inventions could make life easier, but he hadn’t considered what would happen if he turned those gadgets and software programs to a sinister purpose.
Could he really bring the world to a screeching halt?
Holy shit.
He probably could.
Some well-placed computer viruses. A few sabotages of vital hardware. Hell, he could make things miserable for a whole lot of people.
That was a damned sobering thought.
He’d already suspected he was somewhat vulnerable and had been researching security firms, although a bodyguard tailing him everywhere would be a step too far. If she’d figured out how to get to him, so could dangerous people. “Maybe I do need some security.”
Gina grinned.
“But I should get a couple of guys who look like NFL linebackers.”
Her glare could have melted an Arctic glacier. “I can handle anything someone throws at you—including steroidal apes like that.”
Funny, but he didn’t doubt her claim. “Never heard of Amazon before. Not unless you count the book-selling website. Who else do you protect?”
“Um—well—we’re kind of—new.” She stared at the toe of her black combat boot the whole time she told her lie.
“What’s your per diem? Do you get mileage? How many people do you think should tail me? Do you think I need full-time surveillance or just when I’m away from work?”
Every new question he threw at her drew a wince. Something very strange was going on here, and her desire to protect him was only a small part of it. This whole situation was setting up like a graphic novel.
“Look, I can’t—I mean, I shouldn’t...” She took a deep breath. “I need you to trust me on this. I can’t tell you everything. Not yet. But I can tell you I’ve got good information that someone’s targeting you.”
“Your informant told you that.”
She went wide-eyed. “You remembered I said that? I barely mentioned it.”
“I remember everything I hear. Most of what I read, too. Who’s the informant?”
“I know a guy with connections. His name’s Richard,” Gina replied without missing a beat.
At least that showed she wasn’t lying about this Richard, whoever the hell he was. Not that Zach had learned anything important in the exchange. “And he says?”
“There’s a group—I suppose you could consider them terrorists—who want to get their hands on you. They’ll want to exploit what you know about communications and get you to tweak their equipment, make it better than anything out there that can track them.”
His heart started racing with the word “terrorist.” He couldn’t be entirely sure Gina wasn’t also part of some terrorist organization. Then he looked into her big, brown eyes.
He’d always been a great judge of character, an ability that had served him well through the years, just like his ability to tell when someone was lying to him. He could successfully size a person up within a few minutes of meeting him and decide if that person was honest or not.
Gina was genuine. A bit guarded with sharing all she knew, but honest nonetheless.
He actually breathed a relieved sigh. She was clearly hiding something, but he believed that something wasn’t being a threat to him or to national security. Unfortunately, she was still going to be a problem, even though she would never know why.
His own physical attraction to her would complicate things. Should he hire her firm to protect him—assuming she really worked for one—he’d be spending quite a bit of time with her. He needed to keep his mind on his job, not his bodyguard, and she’d probably be in his way. That type of disruption was unacceptable. He liked his daily routine, and he intended to stick to it.
“I told you before,” she said, her voice tinted with annoyance, “don’t even think about it.”
That more than answered his question
“I wasn’t thinking of anything...like that.” An absurd statement from the moment it fell out of his mouth. “I’ll tell you what. Come to my office tomorrow morning. Bring your boss. We’ll talk numbers. Maybe I’ll shop around before I make up my mind.”
Gina threw Zach a three-alarm scowl and set her hands against her hips. “I’m my own boss. And I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”
He walked to the front door and opened it. “My office. Tomorrow morning.”
“I can’t leave you—”
“My office. Tomorrow morning.”
“You don’t understand. I have to—”
“My office,” he ordered. “Tomorrow morning.”
“If I don’t—”
“My office. Tomorrow morning.”
He was enjoying this.
She gave in with an exaggerated sigh. “Fine.” She strode to the door. Right before she ducked outside, she turned back. “Deadbolt this when I leave. Don’t let anyone in tonight. Not even someone you know. Unless it’s me.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I mean it.”
“I’ll be fine.”
* * *
Gina stared at Zach for a minute, resisting the urge to smack some sense into him. “You always repeat yourself?”
“Only when someone doesn’t pay attention the first time.”
She shook her head in frustration and walked out of the door.
He shut it behind her. The heavy lock clicked into place.
The only thing outside his door was the staircase leading to the street entrance for his apartment. If she bedded down on the stairs, he would probably hear her. No, she’d have to go back to the empty apartment across the street again. Thank the Ancients, it was being renovated and was vacant at night. At least she’d be more comfortable there than sleeping on stairs.
As she went back to the alley to approach her nest from the back, she checked her watch alarm. The drywallers would show up at eight again, so she’d have to get out of the place before they arrived. Since Zach always left at six, an alarm wasn’t really necessary. She always seemed to know when he was up.
Using the Key to enter through the back, she settled herself in front of the window facing his building, resigned to another all-nighter. Since she’d been tailing Zach Hanson, sleep had been minimal. She couldn’t exactly call on her Amazon sisters for reinforcement. They had their own assignments. The damned Sons of Gaia were keeping them all major busy.
Rebecca would still be in New York City, trying to sort out which of the Stock Market officials had been compromised. Since Sekhmet hoped to start some kind of panic by driving the economy into a downward spiral, Rebecca’s job was the most difficult. Too many people to check each and every one and an ocean of companies to watch for drastic change. So far, Sekhmet seemed to be failing miserably. The only changes the Amazons had seen on Wall Street were normal ups and downs. Not a single CEO had shown unusual buying or selling of volatile stocks.
Megan was ferreting out Sekhmet’s home base. If the Amazons could find out where she and the rest of the SOGs were holed up, they could face the threat head-on instead of being two steps behind.
Sarita traveled to Silicon Valley to find other guys like Zach, computer nerds who had no idea what could happen to them if they fell into the hands of a vengeful goddess like Sekhmet.
Johann was holding the fort down back home in Avalon, helping Artair watch the children. The Sentinels were also trying to figure out how Megan’s uncle, the god Freyjr, figured into this whole mess.
Damn him anyway.
His twin might be one of the Amazon patron goddesses, but it seemed Freyjr tried to b
alance all of Freya’s good deeds with his own bad behavior. Although the Amazons hadn’t figured out exactly how he played a part in this attack by the Sons of Gaia, it was clear he was involved. SOGs—as Megan had dubbed them—and Freyjr. Bad combination.
Fighting the almost overwhelming urge to close her eyes and rest for a few precious minutes, Gina concentrated on watching out for Zach Hanson. The street remained empty. No people. No cars. No...anything. She faced another night of being bored to tears.
Trying to keep her eyes open, her thoughts scattered as much needed sleep claimed her.
* * *
There was a Starbucks cup dancing in front of her face. As if she could be that lucky. Probably just a dream...
A familiar voice waded through her mental haze. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
She’d fallen asleep on duty. What kind of Amazon was she?
“Venti Caramel Macchiato. Extra caramel.” Richard’s rumbling baritone pulled Gina the rest of the way awake.
Thank heavens, the Starbucks was real. “Will you marry me?” she teased, stretching her arms over her head as she tried to relieve the stiffness that had settled in her muscles.
“Ask me again when you really mean it, and we’re heading straight to Vegas.” He handed her the cup and brushed a quick kiss on her cheek.
She squelched the urge to pull away, her usual response to someone getting too close.
“And before you ask about him, he’s fine.”
“You took the watch? How did you know I was snoozing?”
He sat down on the floor next to her, sipping from his own cup. “Your apartment was empty, so I figured you were here again. Looked through the window and saw your hair change and your head drop, so I let you sleep and parked it on his stairs.”
Gina ran her fingers through her hair. It had to look like hell. “Blue?”
“Always is when you’re relaxed.”
“Why were you following me?”
He shrugged and took another sip.
“You’ve gotta stop worrying about me.”
Not that she disliked seeing Richard. He’d become one of her best friends. Only Sarita was closer in her heart, but they’d trained as Amazons together. Of course, Air and Water would be closer to each other than to Fire or Earth. Gina loved Megan and Rebecca like sisters, but she loved Sarita like a twin.
And she loved Richard, just not in the way he wanted her to. “I’m fine.”
“I know my brothers. They’re not going to stop until they get this guy.”
“I’m not about to let Sekhmet and your fucking brothers get Zach.”
“She wants his technological expertise, and you know damn well she won’t stop until she’s got him.”
Her heart pounded a rough rhythm. The bodies of two technological wizards had already turned up—savagely murdered—and she wasn’t about to let Zach be a third casualty in Sekhmet’s quest. The lioness wasn’t getting her claws on him, too.
“That’s why I’m here.” Gina took a cautious sip of her drink, hoping she wouldn’t burn her tongue. “To watch his ass.”
“You’re in the line of fire for some geek you don’t even know.”
“For the greater good. You think I’m gonna sit on my ass while Sekhmet makes the world crash and burn?” His derisive snort raised her temper. “We’ve been over this before. I’m an Amazon, Richard. It’s what we do.”
“Protecting people who don’t know you’re helping them?” His fingers brushed against her jaw.
This time she tilted her head away.
He let his hand drop. “Hardly seems worth the sacrifice of someone as special as you. What do you owe them anyway? You didn’t ask to be Wonder Woman. It was an accident of birth.”
Although touched by his concern, it didn’t change anything. “I can’t fight who I am any more than you can. And you put your ass on the line too, you know. What did you gain by coming to warn us about your brothers’ dirty deeds? You could’ve died just from leaving them.” How could he possibly criticize her for doing exactly what he’d done—putting the good of the humans above his own life? “Without you we’d have no idea who was behind this mess.”
“Yeah, well... I’m not as noble as you think. I couldn’t stomach letting those bastards destroy the world before I got a chance to live in it.” His nonchalant tone belied the concern he had to feel over what his brothers wanted to do for their beloved goddess.
Like any other demigods, they wanted power. And damn if they hadn’t hitched their star to Sekhmet—a goddess with a chip on her shoulder the size of Gibraltar.
Richard had been thick into worshipping Sekhmet until he’d learned what she had planned. The goddess had promised him freedom—a real life like any other man. Then he’d discovered she was going to wipe out the world he’d just begun to live in. He’d escaped, putting his own life at risk to reach the Amazons and reveal the whole horrifying plot.
“Coffee do you much good?” Gina took another sip of her own brew. Sucking in nothing but whipped cream, she popped the lid and licked off the remaining white topping.
Richard groaned in response. “You need to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Being so damned sexy. Makes it hard to keep my hands off you.”
“Liar,” she replied with a wink. “You’re just trying to sweet talk me into a feeding.”
“That’s not why I want to be with you.” His voice had taken on a hard edge.
“It’s fine, babe. I understand.”
He narrowed his blue eyes. “I’m not a fucking vampire. You mean more to me than a feeding.”
She smoothed her fingers over his forearm. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just—I know it’s been almost a week. You really should feed. Might as well do it now before Zach gets up and heads to work and we have to be on the move.”
“Gina... I hate—”
She wouldn’t let him finish. None of this was his fault, and if he needed some of her blood to survive, she would gladly give it. He’d saved her life. How could she deny him something as simple as a small amount of blood when it kept him alive?
“I know. It’s not like you have a choice. Just do it and get it over with. Wrist or neck?”
He ran his fingertips from her ear to the ticklish place where neck met shoulder. “Still sore from last time?”
She tried not to giggle as his fingers stroked her skin. The urge to move away was always there, but Gina forced herself to relax, not wanting him to know how uncomfortable she was. The tender way he touched her made her almost believe he really did desire her.
But Richard wasn’t just some guy—he was her friend.
“I told you, it’s not that bad. Your pick this time.”
His hand dropped to her forearm. He took her Starbucks cup from her fingers and set it on the windowsill next to where he’d put his own. Then he lifted her wrist to his lips and kissed it in a reverent fashion.
Gina braced for what was coming.
Baring his teeth, the small fangs grew quickly, and he sank them into her wrist.
She hadn’t been lying. It didn’t hurt. Not too bad. And he was always gentle. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like for a real vampire to tear into a person. She was grateful he took her wrist this time. Having him nuzzle against her neck seemed too intimate. He never seemed to mind the inconvenience of feeding, although she always felt a bit uncomfortable when he embraced her to get close enough to sink his fangs in her flesh. The last time he’d pressed against her, he’d had an erection. That’s what bothered her most. Sucking someone’s blood shouldn’t turn a person on.
But Richard wasn’t “someone”—he was a Son of Gaia. Maybe the rules of attraction were different for them. Surely he didn’t get a boner when he sucked Rebecca’s blood. Getting a hard-on for his sister? Not Richard.
That was too “yuck” to give any more thought.
He didn’t feed for long before he pulled his teeth back, and his canines receded to t
heir normal size. He kissed her wrist again, rubbing his thumb gently over the two small puncture wounds and waiting to be sure she didn’t bleed more. He was always thoughtful that way, and he didn’t take enough blood to make her dizzy. Any other SOG would have sucked her dry.
Gina pulled her arm back when he didn’t seem in a hurry to let her hand go. “Better?”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” She reached for her Starbucks.
The front door to Zach’s apartment opened. Mr. Clockwork stepped out.
“Right on time.” Richard pointed to his watch, not hiding the scorn in his voice. “Mr. Wizard needs some Prozac for that OCD problem.”
“You heading out or following him too?”
“Not leaving you alone with him.” He sounded as if he was jealous.
“Then let’s boogie.”
Chapter Three
Gina fell into step beside Zach as he walked to his office.
“You’re back,” he said, not at all surprised.
“Told you I wasn’t leaving.”
She’d spoiled any chance of a good night’s sleep. Her stories about conspiracies succeeded in turning him paranoid. There had been a couple of strange noises on the stairwell, squeaks and the sound of footsteps, but when he’d hauled himself out of bed and peeked through the peephole, no menace lurked there. He’d slept restlessly, imagining all sorts of threats he’d barely considered before.
Whenever he worked on a new project, all he saw was the potential to help people. What he should’ve seen was how a piece of technology could be twisted into something evil if it fell into the wrong hands. The invention he’d shared with the Department of Defense bordered on reckless now that he considered what someone could do with it.
No wonder he was a target. A shiver raced the length of his spine at the same speed guilt draped over him like a cloak. If it weren’t for Gina, he’d have gone on working, blissfully ignorant of the consequences.