The Anomaly Trilogy Boxed Set

by Hackett, Anna

  “You’ve hunted me for months. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

  “No.” He strode to the sink and gripped the edges. His muscles strained under his T-shirt. “I don’t owe you anything.”

  She thought the ceramic might break under his hands. “You don’t want to talk, fine.”

  “My employer tried to kill me. My life’s a mess.” He kicked the cabinet. There was an unforgiving crack. “I’ve just accepted how fucking stupid I was to ever get involved with Leven.”

  She swallowed, watched Sean’s chin fall to his chest. His breaths sawed in and out of his lungs.

  “I’m failing everyone. I don’t know what to do next.”

  Strangely, she felt a need to reach out and smooth a hand over the taut muscles of his back. Instead, she curled her hand into a fist. “You keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep surviving each minute, hour and day.”

  Bay turned, leaving him to his pain. Who was she to think she could comfort anyone when she couldn’t even comfort herself?

  She paced the room, trying to work out her next step. Fatigue dragged on her.

  Moments later he emerged, leaning in the doorway. “You should get some sleep.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t sleep. Leven’ll have his private army looking for us. For me.”

  “We should be safe for a couple of hours. You take the bed and I’ll keep watch.”

  She was tempted. Her tired body wanted to take advantage of the rare occasion of having someone to watch her back.

  But the cracked heart of her, the survivor, told her to never trust. Staying alive depended on her and her alone. Revenge couldn’t wait for rest or sleep.

  “Hey.” He gripped her shoulder.

  She fought the urge to shrug off the unfamiliar touch.

  “I know you aren’t used to trusting and I haven’t done anything to earn your trust.” He scraped a hand over his hair, mussing the brown and gold strands. “Just the opposite. But I want you to get some rest.”

  It was like offering a thirsty man a pool of water. She wanted to close her heavy lids and let her aching body take a break for a few minutes.

  No. He was making her forget her purpose. The mission she’d mapped out over the last fifteen years.

  “First, I want the necklace.”

  ***

  Sean fingered the rubies in his pocket while he watched Bay North. She was stubborn, that was for sure.

  Her chin was lifted, her green eyes flashing. All sign of the vulnerability he’d glimpsed was gone.

  Jesus, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what her life had been like. Seeing her family killed, on the run since her teens, coping with her ability. She’d never had a chance at a normal life. Gabriel Leven had seen to that.

  The necklace was a heavy load. Should he hand it over to her?

  He withdrew the strand of rubies and tossed it onto the crappy bed cover.

  It bounced once then lay there amongst the creases, glinting in the light from the window.

  Bay sank onto the bed. Her hand hovered over the gold-encrusted gems before she trailed one finger over the brilliant surface of one of the rubies.

  “Leven boasted for months when he bought this.” She hefted it, tested its weight.

  “It once belonged to Aleister Crowley.”

  Her head shot up. “The Satanist guy?”

  “English occultist is the phrase Leven used. He’s obsessed by Crowley.” Sean studied the blood red of the gems. “Apparently Crowley gifted his mistress and muse, Laylah with the necklace. He called her his Scarlet Woman.”

  “Leven said it was symbol of his power.”

  “And you want it?”

  Bay’s fingers curled around the jewels. “I want it to hurt him. Leven took everything that mattered to me.” Her eyes darkened. “I plan to take everything that matters to him.”

  She reeked of vengeance. Seeing what had sustained Sean for so many months in another, especially in this small, pretty woman, left him uneasy. “What are you going to do with it?”

  She let the necklace drop into her lap. “Destroy it.”

  He wanted to tell her to forget Leven. To run fast and far. Find that home on the beach. But who the hell was he to give advice? He wanted revenge for his men more than he wanted to live. “How?”

  “I know a jeweler. For the right price, he’ll cut it up and not ask any questions.”

  Sean looked again at the sparkle of the rubies. It seemed wrong to destroy something so beautiful and rare. But he knew it’d be a blow to Leven.

  Sean pressed a hand to the back of his neck. Leven had turned on him, but the man wasn’t Sean’s target. He eyed Bay as she stared at the necklace.

  Neither was this woman.

  “Do you know any other time thieves?” he asked.

  She looked up. “We don’t have a club.”

  That sarcastic tongue. “I figured you’d know about each other.”

  “I’ve heard about some. I think there are only a few.”

  “You don’t know?”

  One shoulder lifted. “Not like there are books on the subject. What I know, I’ve pieced together from little bits of information.”

  “Leven has a team of scientists dedicated to learning how time thieves tick.”

  Her face paled. “I’m not surprised.”

  “They developed this.” He pulled the horologion out of his pocket.

  “A horologion.” She angled her head. “I’ve never seen one up close.”

  “You can have it, if you answer a question for me.”

  She considered. “Okay.”

  “You know a time thief from Afghanistan? Works with the Taliban?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Maybe. Why?”

  “He murdered my SEAL team.” Memories threatened to break in a vicious, hungry rush and pull Sean under. His hands clenched on the device. “He stole time and killed everyone.” Sean’s lungs constricted. “They never had a chance to defend themselves, to fight back. They just stood there, letting this bastard spray them with bullets.”

  She stood, swallowing hard. “And you survived?”

  To his ever-living regret. “Was in hospital recovering from my wounds for a month.” Every night haunted by the grieving wives and kids of his men. Every day wondering why the hell he’d survived.

  “God.” She went to the window, her stride jerky.

  Sean’s eyes narrowed. “What do you know?”

  “I don’t…I…” She shook head. “I told you why Leven wants me.”

  Damn it, he wanted to know about the Afghan time thief, not Leven. “So he can use your skill.”

  A nod. She wrapped her arms around her middle. “He gets a thief, keeps them contained and forces them to steal time for his benefit. So he can kill rivals, steal, murder, make drug deliveries, traffic people…you name it.”

  Sean knew Leven was bad but had avoided the details.

  “I heard he had a thief working for him. One he didn’t need to torture or keep locked up.” She turned, her face pinched. “One Leven paid a lot of money to keep his opium shipments in Afghanistan flowing.”

  The ground dropped away from Sean. “No.”

  “The thief was tasked with keeping the US forces away from Leven’s drugs.”

  “No.” Sean surged forward and gripped her arms. He lifted her off her feet.

  “I’m sorry, Sean.” Her moss eyes flooded with sympathy. “I’d guess you and your team got too close.”

  He pushed her away. Edgy energy roared through him, an angry beast ripping at his insides. He wanted to pummel his fists into someone, to yell until his throat was raw. But all the vicious feelings were stuck inside him, boiling and churning.

  “I can’t—” he flexed his hands, released. “I can’t have ended up working for the person responsible for their deaths.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Unable to control the rage, he slammed a fist into the wall. Again. Again. “I was their co
mmander. I swore to look out for them.”

  She moved up beside him, but didn’t touch him. “You can’t have prepared for a time thief.”

  “I’m the king of having a Plan B and a Plan C. I should have protected them.” They’d been his—his friends, his brothers. Helpless rage choked him. “Butler always joked I had a contingency for my contingency. McNeil said his wife was glad I was in charge because she knew I’d bring her man home.” Sean sucked in a breath, fighting to keep control. He gripped the watch on his wrist. The cracked face and worn leather band was all that was left of the rugged McNeil. “She just never guessed I bring him home in a body bag.”

  “They were Navy SEALs. They knew the risks.”

  “They were fighters. And they never had a chance to fight back.” He looked at her. “I failed them. Leven, the fucking bastard, smiled at me, told me he’d help me get revenge.” It made sense now why Sean had never been able to track down the Taliban time thief. Not even a hint of him. Leven had blocked Sean.

  “Sounds like Leven.” She pressed a hand to Sean’s forearm.

  The heat of her fingers burned into his skin.

  “He probably maneuvered for you to run into him. Wanted to keep you close and use you.”

  “To kill you.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been his thorn for a long time. I’ve done everything I can to destroy his world.”

  Because he’d destroyed hers.

  He’d killed Sean’s men. All of them.

  The bubbling pain boiled over. Sean let out a roar. Spinning, he searched for a target. He strode into the bathroom, staring at his image in the speckled surface of the mirror.

  He barely recognized the contorted features as his own.

  He slammed a fist into the mirror.

  It shattered and he kept punching, blood splattering. He didn’t care. The pain was nothing compared to what was tearing him apart inside.

  Leven would pay.

  Sean would take everything the man valued. Make him nothing. Leave him bleeding like Sean’s team. Dead bodies in a faraway desert.

  Again and again Sean punched the mirror until his knuckles were raw flesh.

  “Stop.”

  A feminine hand gripped his wrist. She was stronger than she looked.

  He turned on her.

  She showed no fear. “This doesn’t help them.”

  A rush of grief blindsided him. It mixed with the anger.

  He hadn’t fallen apart when he’d been rescued. Nor had he shown any emotion in the hospital, except a grim determination to get back on his feet.

  When he’d run into Leven in an airport lounge and been offered his chance for vengeance, he hadn’t even blinked.

  Now he felt like he was being held together by the thinnest thread. That if he let what boiled inside him loose, he’d just fall apart.

  He dropped to his knees on the stained, white tiles splattered with his blood. He was used to being part of a well-oiled team. They’d known each other in ways others never did—they’d looked out for each other, they’d sacrificed for each other.

  Now Sean had nothing.

  A sob tore through his chest. He’d failed them all. Was failing them again.

  “Shh.” Arms wrapped around him.

  His first instinct was to push her away. A small, nasty part of him crying out that if her kind didn’t exist, his friends would be alive.

  But Bay North hadn’t killed his men.

  He grabbed her, tugging her compact body close. He needed an anchor, something to hold him to his sanity.

  She felt good, smelled good. Made him feel like he wasn’t so alone.

  Chapter Four

  Bay could barely breathe. Sean Archer was holding her so tight.

  But she let him hold her, his big body shaking. He didn’t make a sound but she felt his pain.

  She didn’t say anything. What words would make this better? She brushed a hand over his muscled back. She wasn’t sure how long they knelt there on the cool tile floor. For the first time in her life, time stood still without her having to use her ability.

  When he lifted his head, his stubbled cheek brushed against her jaw. She stilled, looking down at his sun-streaked hair. His hands gripped her shirt and she felt the touch through her sweater.

  He shifted until they faced each other. Only a whisper of air between them. His eyes churned like storm clouds over an angry sea.

  She didn’t know how to comfort another but she recognized the agony in his eyes. She knew the guilt, anger, sorrow—they were old friends to her.

  His hands loosened, his fingers grazing over her skin. “Bay.”

  Just her name. Said in a way that made her shiver. This was crazy. She didn’t know this man and he’d been trying to kill her.

  But she knew how he felt. Lost in a world ripped apart, and God help her, she wanted to feel something more than the urge for revenge.

  For a few minutes she wanted to forget reality and be close to someone.

  His lips touched her temple.

  A small brush. Gentle when she’d expected a hot rush. She’d thought he’d kiss her, that they’d attack each other in a blind rush to forget their shared misery.

  A skim of lips across her cheekbone.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed. She couldn’t remember anyone being this…tender with her. Then his lips moved over hers.

  Now she felt the strength, the urgency.

  His tongue pushed into her mouth. She returned the kiss. The taste of him was like a hit of a too-strong martini. Heady, flooding all the right places.

  They were chest-to-chest now. Her breasts pressed against his hard muscles, sending shivers of sensation through her.

  He groaned, the kiss turning more frantic. Like he couldn’t get enough of her. Or like he was fighting to forget his memories.

  He pulled away.

  She gasped for air, reeling from what that impromptu kiss had left her feeling.

  “Sorry.” His voice was a harsh rasp. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  Right. He was sorry. “Forget it.”

  She pushed to her feet, willing her knees to steady. She looked down at the blood he’d accidently smudged on her hands. It reminded her of another time she’d been covered in blood.

  He grabbed her arm. “Bay…I mean it.”

  “I said forget it.” She pushed her mussed hair back and stomped on her memories. “You’ve messed up your hands. Let’s get them cleaned up.” She tugged at her shirt. “And I need to wash this blood off before I head out.”

  This time she kept a cautious distance between them as she washed his wounds.

  “I’m coming with you to get rid of the necklace.”

  “No.” Her denial was instant. Destroying the Scarlet Lady was her plan.

  “I need to strike at Leven.”

  She stared at Sean’s reflection in the shattered shards of the mirror. “It won’t bring your friends back.”

  His gaze met hers, his face a crazy, broken puzzle. A mirror image of his soul. “Will it bring your family back?”

  “No.” She looked at the blood washing down the sink. “Nothing will. But I can at least find some justice for them.”

  “Then let me help. Let me find it for my men.”

  “No.”

  “What’s next? After the necklace? Cutting that strand of rubies into little pieces won’t be enough.”

  She shrugged. “I haven’t decided. But I’ve been hitting at Leven whenever I can. Killing him would be too quick. I’m going to destroy everything he owns. Last year I burned down one of his warehouses. Before that, a priceless painting he bought at auction went…missing.”

  “I’ve been part of his inner circle. I know something he values above all else. And where he keeps it hidden.”

  Her heart stuttered. She needed to know. “What?”

  Sean shook his head. “I’ll tell you after we get rid of the Scarlet Lady.”

  She wanted to kick him. She didn’t take on
partners. Once or twice she’d made the mistake of letting someone too close.

  They either betrayed her to Leven or died.

  But Sean Archer burned with the same need for revenge. He hated Leven as much as Bay.

  “Just for the necklace and the next job. After that, we go our own way.” She didn’t want this man too close for too long. Something about him called to her and she couldn’t afford to care.

  “Deal.”

  Sean’s raw pain could drown them both. Even now she felt it beating at her, making her own misery rise to the surface.

  If Leven thought Sean was a weakness to her, the crime boss wouldn’t hesitate to use Sean to bring her to heel.

  She wouldn’t ever let Leven hurt her again. Even if it meant staying alone forever.

  ***

  The sun was sinking over the jagged line of the Rocky Mountains when Bay and Sean arrived at the pawn shop.

  Sean felt hollow. The mass of horrid emotion from earlier was dulled, deflated. His gaze fell on Bay walking ahead of him. Knowing she understood his pain helped.

  And that kiss…

  Don’t go there. Sean turned his attention to the shabby building nestled in behind a used car dealership. The salesmen had left for the day and a chill wind swept past the collection of Fords, Chevys and Saturns.

  “This jeweler agreed to take the necklace, no questions asked?”

  “Yep.” Bay headed for the door of Lucky’s Pawn Shop.

  Sean had difficulty believing any jeweler—even one who ran a grungy pawn shop—would take a stolen priceless artifact without a big payoff. “How much does he get?”

  “All of it.”

  Jesus. They were talking millions of dollars. “You aren’t going to keep any?”

  She swung around, eyes hot. “I don’t want any of Leven’s blood money. Not a cent.”

  Sean held his hands up.

  She exhaled in a long, slow rush. “Sorry. I’ve never taken any money from what I’ve stolen from him. I donate it.”

  Sean touched a hand to her cheek. “I understand.”

  Her gaze ran over his face, her shoulders sagged. “I know.”

  A crooked sign on the door said the shop was closed but when Bay tried the door it was unlocked. A bell jangled as they entered.

  A man emerged from behind a glass counter filled with jewelry, watches and other knickknacks.