As soon as she was inside, Sean put his foot down. The truck roared out of the trees and soon they were headed down the winding mountain road.
Bay sat in silence, her arms wrapped around her middle. She stared straight ahead but Sean knew she wasn’t seeing the road.
“You did good back there,” he said.
She didn’t look at him, just curled in tighter on herself. “I wanted to kill him. I wanted to press that gun to his chest and pull the trigger.”
“No one blames you for that. I felt the same way.” A part of him still did.
“But I thought of Lily. What would she have thought of me?”
“I bet she’d have loved her big sister.”
Bay’s smile was heartbreaking. Then it disappeared. “He’ll never stop.”
“You’re smart. Resourceful. Put all you’ve learned the last fifteen years into staying out of Leven’s reach.” Sean would make sure Leven never came near her ever again.
“He’ll just keep coming.” She closed her eyes, her head against the headrest. “He wants to learn how to create anomalies, to build an army.”
“Bay—” Sean gripped her arm. For all her toughness, she was still that traumatized teenager underneath. “I’ll never let him get near you.”
She turned her head, her gaze roving over him. “He’ll use everything he can to hurt me. Control me.”
“Hey.” A trickle of unease wound through Sean. Ahead he saw a sign for a lookout. “We’ll find a way to make him stop.”
“There is no ‘we,’ Sean.”
***
Bay knew Sean wouldn’t let her go.
She pressed a hand to the door as he yanked the wheel and pulled into a scenic lookout. He was out of the car in an instant. He opened her door and pulled her out. God, he was going to make this hard for her.
“How many times do I need to repeat the word ‘together’ until you get the picture?” He yanked her close to his chest.
How this man made her want. Want things she’d always known would never be hers. The cool late-night darkness wrapped around them, made her feel like they were the only people in existence.
For a little while, she’d hoped they could find a way to be together. But Leven had reminded her why she’d never have that. She couldn’t bear to ever see Sean hurt. At someone’s mercy the way he had been in that desert.
She pressed a hand to his cheek. “You’re a good man.”
He scowled and she couldn’t stop the urge to run a finger over the groove in his forehead. Then she leaned up and kissed him.
It started out soft, a teasing caress, but she wasn’t sure who deepened it. Didn’t care. It turned into a wild, ravaging exploration. She wanted more, all he had to give her.
Because it would have to be enough to hold her.
She pulled back. “Be happy, Sean. Be safe.”
Something hot flashed in his eyes. “Don’t you dare.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.” He grabbed her arms, his fingers biting. “You can’t do it to me.”
She felt her heart shatter as she stole time.
It hurt. It was far too soon to use her ability again. She’d only have seconds.
She stared at Sean’s frozen frame, his beloved face. God, she hated putting him in the situation of his nightmares.
Cupping his stubbled cheeks, she again pressed her mouth to his. When his lips remained motionless under hers, piercing pain slashed through her chest.
“I could have loved you.” Maybe she already did.
She managed to hold back her tears. She wouldn’t be able to steal time long and she needed to get as far away as possible.
To keep him safe.
He deserved the normal life she’d never have. He deserved a family. She drank in Sean’s form one last time. It reminded her of the bank, when she’d stared into his eyes and wondered when he’d catch her.
Oh, he’d caught her. Heart and soul.
She walked away and didn’t look back.
***
Sean blinked.
The crisp mountain air was cold in his nose. The night shrouded a view he knew would be stunning mountain peaks.
He knew she was gone.
He could scout for her. She couldn’t have gone far, especially since she’d left him the truck. But Bay was nothing if not resourceful and she clearly didn’t want to be with him.
He spun and slammed a fist against the hood. The muscles in his jaw strained. No. She felt something for him.
She was running for another reason. Fear? Habit? No, she wasn’t a coward.
“Be happy, Sean. Be safe.” Sean sagged against the truck. She was protecting him.
The stupid, courageous woman was protecting him.
He wanted to run until he found her and kissed some sense into her. He pulled in a long breath, released it. She wouldn’t listen to him right now. The confrontation with Leven was too fresh.
Sean slammed a fist against the truck again. It might be the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he had to give her time. Let her miss him and see that they were better off together.
He slipped into the truck and started the engine. Resting his hands on the wheel, he stared across the sea of trees lit by the headlights.
“Nowhere to go, time thief.” He set the vehicle in motion. “Nowhere you can run that I won’t find you.”
***
Bay lifted her face to the bright Australian sun. But she didn’t feel the warmth.
She’d been cold ever since she’d left Sean standing still and alone in the Colorado Rockies.
The speedboat throttled back as it moved closer to the island. She glanced at the barefoot driver.
“Welcome to Haven,” he called against the wind.
It should have made her laugh that Mara’s sanctuary was a tropical island on the Great Barrier Reef. A beautiful curve of white sand beach and a dense spread of bright green palm trees. An image plucked right from her dreams.
She should have felt excitement. Relief. Happiness.
Instead she felt empty. Like part of her was missing.
She pressed a hand to her thigh, dug her fingers in. She missed Sean. She sucked in the refreshing salt air. God, she was tired. Down to the marrow. She’d been running every hour of the last week. Hadn’t slept more than a catnap here and there. Leven’s men had almost caught her in LA and again in Sydney.
There’d been no sign of Sean.
Damn it. That was what she wanted. Him far away from her and her cursed ability.
She caught a flash of red on the beach. As the boat entered the cove and approached the dock, she saw Mara leaning against a palm tree.
Bay thanked the man and stepped out into ankle deep water. Her canvas shoes, purchased that morning, filled with water. She had no bag, no things. Nothing.
“I’m glad you came.” Mara held out one elegant hand.
Bay stared at it for a second before she gripped it. After a week of avoiding Leven’s men, Bay had decided there was only one place where she could disappear.
Mara squeezed her fingers. Nothing more, but Bay felt the contact all the way to her lonely soul.
“There’s a place for you here,” the redhead said.
Bay didn’t know how to deal with the kindness or the sympathy she saw in Mara’s eyes. “With all the other freaks?”
Mara tsked. “We prefer the term anomaly.”
Right, because that sounded so much better. Bay managed a nod.
“Come on.” Mara waved a hand. “I’ll show you your place.”
As they walked along the beach, Bay kicked off her shoes. She hoped the sand under her feet might make her feel something.
“I’ve been coming to Haven almost six months now. All the people here have homes spread across the island. Everyone has their privacy.”
“You live here?”
Mara lifted a shoulder. “Not permanently. I keep a small residence, but I like my freedom. It is a good place, Bay.”
&nbs
p; “And security?” Bay scanned the blue water. Lots of directions for an attack to come from.
“Leven can’t get you here. Callahan ensures everyone’s security.”
“Callahan?”
“He’s the leader of our merry little band. Another mind raider. He can help you learn more about your ability. He’s been studying anomalies for years.”
Bay was about to respond when she saw the house. Air clogged in her throat.
It was newly built. The surrounding ground and trees showed signs of disturbance. The gleaming wood was fresh. Windows sparkled in the sun and the small deck faced the ocean. A bright red hammock swung in the breeze.
Mara was talking but Bay just heard a muffled buzz. She stepped onto the deck. Accordion doors were pushed open, letting the outside in.
The open living area was exactly what she’d envisioned. Comfy couches piled with pillows, a bookcase filled with used paperbacks, a small but perfect kitchen.
“How?” she breathed.
“I wanted you to have a home.”
Everything stilled. Like another time thief had stopped time and her with it. She turned.
Sean leaned in the doorway, the sun casting his big frame in silhouette. Mara was gone.
Bay drank him in. Only a week, but she felt like she was starving for a look at him. Her mind whirled. “Home’s not a place.” Her breath hitched, watching as he walked forward with slow steps. “It’s the people you share your life with.”
He stopped in front of her. Not touching but close enough that she smelled him, felt his comforting heat.
“Will you let me be your home, Bay?”
“You did this for me?” She looked around again. Feared she was caught in the most delicious dream and if she blinked, it’d all be gone. He’d be gone.
He raised a hand, fingered a strand of her hair. “All for you.”
“You didn’t chase me,” she whispered.
“No, Leven’s done enough of that.” His knuckles skimmed her cheek. “I waited for you instead.”
“How’d you know I’d come here?” She hadn’t been sure she’d come, even after she’d called Mara. She hadn’t been sure until she’d stepped onto the boat.
“Told you, I know you.”
She pressed her hands to his chest. He wore a loose white shirt, the top buttons undone, showing tanned skin.
“I’ll probably push you away sometimes. Be prickly. Want my own way. Shout at you.”
He smiled. “Promise? Seems I’ve acquired a taste for difficult women.”
Her own smile chased away her tiredness. “And seems I’ve acquired a taste for a tough, amazing, protective man.”
His mouth crashed down on hers. Bay threw her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with every ounce of how much she’d missed him. When he boosted her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist and laughed.
She felt light and happy for the first time since she’d lost her family. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“Good.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “You can pull me over the edge with you.” He headed for the deck. “So, how about we test out that hammock?”
<<<<>>>>
Turn the page for the next book in The Anomaly Trilogy, MIND RAIDER, Mara and Callahan’s story.
Mind Raider
Anna Hackett
Dedication
For Lucian
Always follow your dreams
Chapter One
She hated waiting.
Mara Ross forced herself to stay still, nestled amongst the shadows on the deserted London street. She hated the dark, too. The way it crept in around you and whispered terrible things.
Taking a long, deep breath, she trained her gaze on the building across the road. Somewhere in there, a woman was being held prisoner.
The eighteenth-century façade in the exclusive Bank area housed offices for various finance companies. Bank was busy during the week, but—she glanced down the empty street—on the weekend this part of the city was a ghost town.
Perfect for a clandestine rescue.
Her gaze scanned the darkened windows. Hang in there, Cate.
There was a flash of movement at the front door.
Two men exited the building. They were big, armed. Ex-military. A third man followed.
Gabriel fucking Leven.
Under the streetlight, she watched the crime boss’s loose-limbed stride. He was clad in some designer suit and crisp blue shirt. He looked like any other wealthy businessman. Mara ground her teeth together. You couldn’t tell from his distinguished face that he made his money from the drug trade, human trafficking and a thousand other criminal activities.
You couldn’t tell he was a murdering, torturing bastard.
She wanted to run across the street, tear into his mind and leave him a drooling mess. Her gut clenched into a hard tangle and she shoved her hands into her pockets. She’d killed the bastard a thousand times in her dreams. The temptation to do it now was overwhelming.
All too easily, she imagined the atrocities he was putting Cate Hartmann through. God, it had been over three months since he’d snatched the schoolteacher off the street.
If only Mara had pushed Cate harder. Convinced her to move to Haven. Then she’d be safe on the island filled with people like them, not chained up doing Leven’s dirty work. Mara shook her head. No point in wishing, the present was what mattered now.
A sleek, black sedan pulled to a stop at the curb and Leven slid into the back.
Mara watched the taillights disappear down the street, her throat tight. Her focus was Cate, not Leven. Releasing a long breath, she searched for calm. Leven had been here, so that meant there was a good chance Mara’s intel was right. After months of being too late and searching the wrong locations, it seemed she was finally in the right place.
And she wasn’t leaving Cate in there one more minute. Mara moved out of the shadows.
She headed for the front door, tugging up the sheepskin collar of her leather aviator jacket. Head held high, she injected some swagger into her step. Sneaking in was always better accomplished brazenly.
She withdrew a swipe card she’d snatched from a building employee earlier in the day, slid it through the reader on the door.
Then she was in.
Her boots clicked on the marble tiles of the lobby. She entered a small elevator and hit the button for the offices of Equinox Capital, Leven’s financial advisors. When the doors opened, it was to a long front desk lit by a single lamp and empty except for a vase full of wilting lilies. The air was filled with their overripe scent.
She turned left and worked systematically, searching each of office. They were all decorated in what she thought of as old English style—dark wood, leather and lots of books. And other than that they were empty. Empty, empty, empty.
She cursed. Maybe her information was wrong. She stalked through one last office and headed for the conference room marked by an engraved brass plate.
After pushing the doors open, she flicked on the light. Hissed in a breath.
The long conference table was made from a dark wood. Chains dangled from its side and the surface was now stained with deep red blood that dripped onto the plush carpet.
Her gaze stayed on the chains, distant horrors lurking, threatening to rise.
Swallowing hard, she looked beyond the table. The body of a middle-aged man sat slumped in one corner. His eyes stared ahead sightlessly from a swollen face, his mouth twisted into the shape of a scream.
Bile rose in Mara’s throat. She was too late.
A noise from the doorway startled her.
She spun. Just in time, she blocked an arm coming at her. She punched out, aiming for the gut.
The tall guard grunted and stepped back, eyeing her warily. He drew the gun holstered at his side. “Get on your knees.”
Mara cocked a hip. “I don’t think so.”
His gaze slid down her fitted trousers before jerking back to her fac
e. Got you. She held his gaze and let her ability take over.
His mouth went lax and his arms dropped to his sides, his gun making a muffled thump on the carpet. His eyes were blank.
She clucked her tongue. “Didn’t your employer warn you to never look a mind raider in the eye?” She sauntered closer. “Was Cate Hartmann here?”
“Yes.” The word came out slowly. “She was used to kill the Equinox CEO.”
Mara glanced at the body. Wondered what the poor bastard had done to piss Leven off. “Where is she now?”
“They moved her.”
“Where?”
His brow creased. “I don’t know.”
Mara swore. “You’re going to find an empty room and take a nap.”
A slow nod. He wandered into the hall and disappeared.
Fighting the sharp sting of frustration, she turned to leave. Then she heard multiple voices moving in her direction. Quickly growing louder.
Shit. The damned building was supposed to be empty. Body tense, she ran through her options. No time to run. Hiding would be no good in the confines of the offices, and that really wasn’t her style anyway. Her skill was almost useless since she couldn’t raid more than one mind at a time.
She spread her feet. That only left one choice.
A woman and a man barreled through the door. From behind them, a broad-shouldered, blonde man stepped forward. “Mr. Leven thought you might pay a visit, Ms. Ross.”
A trap. Damn, how had Leven known?
Mara kicked out, aiming for Blondie’s gut. He cursed and stumbled back. She spun and landed a kick on a second man.
But she underestimated the woman.
The muscular brunette moved in with a powerful kick. Mara staggered, fighting to block the lethal blows raining down. A strike to the head, a chop to the back. The woman’s fists were unforgiving.
Mara tasted blood in her mouth. She fell backward, her hip hitting the table. Blondie moved in and grabbed her arms. He spun her, shoving her against the wall. Her head rapped back against the plaster.
Looking up, she focused her attention on the other man. He was younger with hazel eyes set a little too close together. Come on, look at me.
The Anomaly Trilogy Boxed Set Page 9