Time Thief (The Anomaly Trilogy)

by Hackett, Anna

  Uncomplicated she was not.

  But she snuggled in closer to Sean’s warmth. Felt the answering tightening of his arms, the gentle brush of his lips on her hair.

  For this one night, she’d let herself pretend. She’d let herself imagine he was hers. But tomorrow, the fantasy ended. Bay knew she’d never survive Gabriel Leven. She’d never told anyone her endgame.

  When the time came to take Leven’s life, Bay never planned to survive the fight.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Bay stepped into the sundrenched kitchen to find Matt Deakin standing at the granite counter chopping onions.

  “Ah, hi.” Her gaze automatically dropped to his leg.

  He tapped the high-tech prosthetic with the hilt of his knife. “I can run almost as fast I did before.”

  “But you still use the crutches?”

  “When I need a break. The prosthetic can hurt sometimes.” He went back to chopping. “How’s an omelet sound?” He shot her a knowing smile. “Figured you’d both be hungry.”

  She cleared her throat. “Sounds great.” She hopped up on a stool and rotated her shoulder. It was much less stiff and the pain was down to a dull throb. When Matt shoved a coffee mug her way, she snatched it up, needing the jolt of caffeine.

  After she and Sean had finally stopped touching each other, she hadn’t slept.

  Instead she’d watched Sean sleep.

  She’d been mesmerized by the rise and fall of his sculpted chest. Loved seeing the lines of his face relax. She’d kept her palm pressed to the steady beat of his heart until the deep of night had given way to the early hours of the morning.

  Then she’d left his warm embrace.

  She’d showered, in cold, bracing water and dressed in her own freshly cleaned clothes. The well-worn, beaten armor of her reality.

  “Thanks for washing our clothes,” she said.

  Matt transferred the onion to a pan. It sizzled on contact. “No problem. So, you planning to break Sean’s heart?”

  The change of subject made her choke on the hot coffee. “Ah—”

  Matt waved a wooden spoon in her direction. “He’s a good man. The best. His men loved him.”

  “And he cared about them. He’s still trying to find justice for them.”

  Matt frowned. “Justice? They died in Afghanistan.”

  “I mean, he still thinks about them. All the time.” Would give his life to avenge them.

  Matt stirred the contents of the skillet, then leaned a hip against the counter. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like you’re a light in the darkness.”

  Bay’s stomach clenched. She wasn’t anyone’s light. “We really don’t know each other that well.”

  “Really?” Matt arched a brow. “That’s not what it looks like. Looks like you’re both leaning on each other. Connected.”

  Okay, maybe she felt that connection, that sense of rightness. But their lives were crazy. How they’d collided…they could never turn that into something real.

  “Bay?” When she looked up, Matt set the spoon down and gripped her hand. “Just take care of him, okay?” He squeezed her fingers. “Sean’s always taking care of everyone else, sacrificing for others. He deserves some happiness.”

  She agreed. One hundred percent. But she wasn’t the woman to make him happy.

  As she opened her mouth to respond, she saw Matt’s eyes glaze over.

  His arm slipped away, hung at his side. He looked a robot robbed of power, just standing there staring at nothing.

  Bay’s heart skipped a beat. She slid off the chair. “Matt?” Was he having a seizure or something?

  “He can’t respond.”

  She spun. A tall, curvy silhouette stood in the doorway from the living room. Bay recognized the voice. “Mara?”

  Her roommate stepped into the kitchen. Deep red hair tumbled over her shoulders. Her long legs were encased in dark denim and an emerald shirt had enough buttons open to show off generous cleavage.

  “It took me all night to find you.” Mara strode forward, her boot heels clicking on the wooden floor. “We need to get out of here.”

  Bay’s brain raced. “How’d you find me?”

  “No time. Let’s go.”

  Bay glanced at Matt. He was…empty. It was like all the charming personality had leeched away. “What did you do to him?”

  Mara flicked Matt a glance. “We really don’t have enough time for me to explain.”

  Bay backed up a step. She’d trusted Mara…to a point. But now… “I’m not budging until you tell me what you did.”

  The redhead thrust her hands on her hips. “You think you’re the only one with power?”

  The floor shifted beneath Bay. She glanced around the room. Matt was motionless but the clock on the far wall ticked, the onions sizzled in the pan. “You aren’t a time thief.”

  “Nope. Time’s not my thing.”

  “What is your thing?”

  “You can trust me, Bay.” Mara held out a hand. “I’ve only ever looked out for you. I’m trying to save you now.”

  “Mara, quit stalling.”

  Her friend huffed out a breath. “I’m a mind raider.”

  “What?” Bay gripped the counter to stay upright. “I thought time thieves were…rare, unique. A mutated gene.”

  “Well, the mutated gene is mostly right. So is rare. But you aren’t unique. There are others with different abilities.”

  Others. Bay couldn’t comprehend. “How?”

  “Because of the Institute for Military Scientific Research.”

  Bay shook her head. “Never heard of it.”

  “Hitler’s group of Frankensteins. They performed human medical experiments during World War II.”

  God. Bay had always thought she was a random twist of nature, not a lab experiment. “What’s a mind raider?”

  Mara sighed. “I can stop people’s thoughts.”

  And she could do it without concentrating. She was carrying on a conversation, barely even looking at the man she’d neutered. “And then what?”

  “Well, then they’re pliant, willing to do as I ask.”

  “It isn’t…permanent?”

  “No. Once I let go, they’re fine. Just like time once you stop stealing it. Some suffer a headache afterward. That’s the worst of it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Mara moved closer. “I was afraid you’d run.”

  Bay held her hands up. “Did you know what I was when you offered me a place to stay?”

  A shadow passed through Mara’s dark green eyes.

  “Don’t lie to me, Mara. It sounds like you’ve done enough of that already.”

  The other woman held up one long-fingered hand. “By omission only. I knew you’d run. Yes, I knew what you were. And that Gabriel Leven was hunting you.”

  “Jesus.” Bay pressed her palms to the smooth granite. “Why?”

  “Why’d I single you out? Because I’d save anyone targeted by Leven and you needed help.”

  It was never that simple. Bay’s gaze collided with her friend’s. Ex-friend.

  “And you still need it.” Mara held out a hand again. “I know somewhere safe we can go.”

  “She isn’t going anywhere with you.”

  Sean stepped into the kitchen, his gun aimed at Mara’s heart.

  ***

  Sean kept his gaze and his SIG trained on the tall, flame-haired woman.

  He’d seen Bay’s pale face and Matt’s blank stare. Something bad was going on and he wouldn’t let his friend or his woman get hurt.

  “Bay, back away from her.”

  The redhead took a step forward. Her compelling green eyes bored into him like a jackhammer and dizziness washed over him.

  All the energy started draining from his body. His arm lowered, his gun clattering to the floor.

  Not again.

  No. No. He’d been helpless once before. He couldn’t be helpless again.

  He looked for B
ay. His lungs constricted, he couldn’t breathe. He thought he smelled sand, felt the heat of the desert and heard the quiet murmurs of his men. The jokes they’d made right before the time thief had killed them.

  Bay’s moss eyes dominated his view. She cupped his cheeks.

  “It’s okay, Sean. Hang on, I’ll look after you.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Mara, don’t do this.”

  His vision blurred. He could just make out the clock on the wall.

  The next instant, everything came into focus again. Bay was in his arms, her body pressed tight against him. She was murmuring in his ear, silly soothing phrases.

  He pushed Bay behind him. “She’s a time thief.”

  “No, Sean. She’s—”

  “Something else.” The other woman’s voice was deeper, husky.

  He lunged forward. The primal part of him didn’t care what she was, didn’t care she was a woman. She had power and she’d left him vulnerable. Left him unable to protect Bay.

  Bay blocked him. “Stop. You’re okay.”

  His chest heaved.

  Her soothing hands skimmed up his chest. “This is Mara. She owns the condo in LoDo.”

  Sean’s gaze sharpened. If the woman had wanted to hurt Bay, she would have had plenty of easier opportunities. His mind ran through the options, not finding one that fit.

  “Why are you here?” he demanded.

  The woman looked at Bay. “To save Bay from you. You’re the dog Leven sent after her, aren’t you, Commander Archer?”

  His hand flexed on Bay’s arm. He didn’t like the reminder of what he’d done to her. “Things have changed.”

  Bay’s hand covered his, squeezed.

  Mara’s gaze didn’t miss the move. “So I see.”

  “Leven tricked Sean, manipulated him. We’re working together now.”

  Mara’s eyebrows lifted. “To do what?”

  “Make Leven pay.” Sean looked away from the redhead and studied the motionless Matt. “What’d you do to my friend?”

  “He’s fine. Just…incapacitated.”

  “Let him go.”

  She flicked a strand of blood-red hair over her shoulder. “I assume he doesn’t know of time thieves and the like, it’s best he doesn’t remember I was here.”

  “What are you?”

  “A mind raider. I’d love to go into details, but we really don’t have time.” Mara strode closer, her gaze on Bay. “This man can’t help you. He can’t keep you safe. Leven, or others far worse, will keep hunting you.”

  Bay sucked in a breath.

  “I can offer sanctuary. A place where there are others like you. A place where you don’t have to run.”

  Something flared in Sean, burning his throat. He didn’t want Bay to leave him. But what did he have to offer her? Hatred, revenge, death?

  When she stepped away, the pain he felt was crazy. He’d only really had her for a day. It shouldn’t hurt so much.

  She gripped Mara’s hand. “I can’t come with you.”

  “Why?” Mara demanded, clutching Bay’s fingers.

  “I still have things I need to do.” She stepped back beside Sean. “That we need to do.”

  “Revenge won’t make you happy.” Mara dropped her gaze. “I speak from experience.”

  Bitter experience if her tone was anything to go on. Sean kept his mouth shut. This was between Bay and her friend.

  “It’s all I’ve had for so long. And a part of me needs this.” Bay squared her shoulders. “Leven took a part of my soul. I need to see him suffer to get it back.”

  “I’d love to see Leven dead, but killing him will just steal more of your soul.” Dark green eyes flicked Sean’s way, boring into him. “Both your souls.”

  His jaw locked. He didn’t care what this stranger had to say. He could no more turn off this path than stop a Stinger missile at twenty feet.

  Mara shook her head. “Fine.” She withdrew a card from her pocket. “If you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.”

  Bay took the card without looking at it. As the woman left it felt like the room itself sighed in relief.

  Matt blinked. “Shit, how’d this burn so quickly?” He stirred the pan. “Sorry, breakfast will be a little singed.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, Sean, didn’t hear you come in.”

  Sean studied his friend’s face. “You feel okay?”

  Matt frowned. “I’m fine.”

  “Head okay?”

  The man’s frown deepened. “Yeah. You okay?”

  “Sure.” Sean rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t been okay for four long months. No, that wasn’t true.

  Holding Bay North in his arms, losing himself in her—that was the one moment he’d felt more than okay. He’d felt alive and whole.

  ***

  With a light dusting of snow underfoot, Bay waited, crouched behind a pine tree. The scent of evergreen teased her senses as she kept her gaze trained on Leven’s mountain “cabin.”

  The sprawling home was a mixture of natural stone and red-hued wood. It spread down the side of a hill, with acres of glass that would allow a stunning view of the snow-covered valley.

  She felt the thinness of the air here in the mountains. Denver was a famed mile high, but unless you really exerted yourself or drank too many martinis you wouldn’t notice. But in the mountains, you wanted to gulp in the air to relieve your lungs.

  Sean crouched beside her. “There’s another guard.”

  That made three so far. They’d been doing recon for the last half hour. The temperature was dropping with the setting sun. She kept her gaze on the building but Mara’s visit reverberated around Bay’s head. She was stunned the other woman had known what Bay was all along.

  What if Mara had worked for Leven? Bay would be dead now. Or worse, chained to some table in one of Leven’s hideouts.

  She couldn’t let it happen again. She knew trusting others was bad for her survival.

  The redhead had offered sanctuary. For a single, shining second, Bay let herself imagine. A home of her own. A chance to breathe without having to look over her shoulder.

  Her gaze unerringly went to Sean. What would it be like to simply loll in bed with this man? To spend unhurried minutes—no hours—exploring every inch of his warrior’s body?

  No. It was all pure fantasy. A fantasy too far out of her reach.

  He shifted. “Three guards on rotation. Can’t see any dogs but I’d bet there are at least three or four.”

  She focused back on the mission. “No movement from inside.”

  “Any staff should be gone for the day.”

  “If anyone’s still in there, they’ll be stopped, just like the guards.” She rolled her shoulders, eager to get moving.

  Sean pulled out his SIG, checked his ammunition then slipped the gun back into the small of his back. “Then let’s go give Gabriel Leven a big ‘fuck you’.”

  “All right.” As she stood, Sean grabbed her shoulders. She shrugged out of his hold. It was time to start cutting the ties. “We don’t have time.”

  Before she could think, he tugged her close again and kissed her.

  She struggled for a second before she kissed him back.

  Weak. She was so weak. She savored the spearmint taste of toothpaste and the unique flavor that was all Sean. Her hands flexed on the jacket he’d borrowed from Matt.

  They broke apart. Stared at each other.

  He gripped her chin in a none-too-gentle hold. “I know what you’re doing.”

  She arched a brow. “Breaking and entering?”

  “No, smart ass.” He slid his hands into her hair, cupping her head. “Pushing me away. I thought you finally let me in last night. Trusted me.”

  Her heart thudded against her ribs. The man was too tempting. He pushed all the right buttons for her, made her yearn for more. “As I recall, I let you in numerous times. And we both enjoyed it.”

  He gave her a small shake. There was a hint of lightning in his storm-cloud eyes. “I’m ke
eping you, Bay.”

  Panic pooled in her throat. “I’m not a possession.” She tried to shake him off. “Leven’s been treating me like a thing for fifteen goddamn years.”

  Sean wound his arms around her. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. I want more time with you. I want to fall in love with you.”

  Every cell in her body froze. As still as the snow around them.

  She’d always wanted a normal life, someone to love. She traced his face with her gaze. Every rugged angle and tough line. Memorizing them all.

  Then she pulled away. “We have a manuscript to steal.”

  His sigh cut through her. “There’s no room for anything but revenge, is there?”

  Turning her back on him was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

  Chapter Nine

  Sean was used to hunkering in shadows. But waiting outside Leven’s mountain home rubbed on already strung nerves.

  He didn’t want to go in there.

  There. He finally admitted it. He wanted to drag Bay away—from danger, from Leven, from revenge. He wanted to protect her, give her something else in her lonely life.

  He wanted to cherish her.

  Swallowing a snort, he stared at her back. Who was he to think he could cherish anything? He was a man of war, blunt and simple.

  He fingered the leather on his watch band. He’d spent months running on his need for vengeance. Now that need was dulled. Softened by a woman who’d burrowed into his tattered soul. Somehow she’d started to fill the empty spaces.

  But convincing her to give them a chance was going to be the biggest challenge of his life.

  She looked over her shoulder. Moss eyes were calm, focused. “Ready?”

  There’d be time after they destroyed the manuscript to hold her close and convince her to give them a chance. “Ready.”

  He grabbed her hand, stopped her from pulling away and studied her palm. He let his fingers graze her skin before settling his hand into hers.

  “In and out, Bay. No risks. I don’t want you hurt.”

  Her chin lifted. He expected a tart remark.

  “Same to you.”

  Her fingers squeezed his hand then the world around them became a brief blur of green and white.