by Jaime Rush
Mallory spun to Kasabian. “You sent a Vega to me? They’re incompetent, egotistical, corrupt—”
Hayden held out his hand as though he could physically stop her words. “Whoa. We’re not all that way.” He paused. “What happened?”
Mallory glanced behind her at a shelving unit. A picture on the unit, Kye thought. “The Guard was useless when I needed them.” She pinned Hayden with a hard look and huffed. “That explains a lot.”
“Mal, please?” Kasabian said. “Work with us.”
Mallory’s eyes got sort of shimmery as they locked onto Kasabian’s. Though Kye couldn’t pick up one damned feeling, she knew Mallory was still a little in love with Kasabian.
“All right,” Mallory said. “For you.”
At least she hadn’t said, Anything for you, Kasabian. Kye would have gagged.
Kye focused on the magick that spiraled from the center of her palm and swirled into a small gray orb. “It’s not tight enough.” The orb was fraying at the edges, barely holding together. It had been nearly as hard to create the blue orb she’d used when Kasabian was fighting Silva. “I’m so out of practice. Tighter. Come on, tighter.”
The orb snapped together, shiny and gray like a metallic beetle. She directed it to float upward and then into the kitchen. She created a holographic window to see through the orb. Sleek shell-pink granite and opalescent cabinets, a black granite sink. She brought the orb back. “It’s working.”
The four of them returned to the balcony. Kye released the orb and directed it to the eighteenth floor. They all watched it fly up and out of sight, then turned to the window that hovered in the air. Balconies and French doors whizzed by as they all counted the stories out loud. Once the orb reached the right floor, she directed it to land on the balcony railing. Its legs clamped onto the smooth concrete. The windows reflected the sun, making it difficult to see inside, so she sent it closer to the French doors, where it landed on a mullion.
A man was on the phone, pacing and clearly arguing, though she couldn’t hear his words. He jammed the phone into his pocket and stalked into the interior of the condominium. Another man was in the kitchen pouring a glass of milk. She watched him carry it into the living room and hand it to…a boy. Jonathan!
“He’s there,” she said on a long breath of relief, resolve, and trepidation.
The man looked up, staring at the doors. Then he started walking toward them. She called the orb back, and it disintegrated as it reached her.
“Good job.” Kasabian gently squeezed the back of her neck. “How do we get to him?”
I want a kiss, too. It was a silly and childish thought, but there it was.
“I can make an orb to destroy the door,” Kye said, mentally sorting through the various orbs she could create. “Of course, that would draw attention. I could create a bubble orb. It creates the illusion of invisibility. We could knock on the door and go inside when someone opens it.”
“I can get us into his son’s residence,” Mallory said. “I could apologize for being rude to him.” She grimaced. “Tell him I’ve been thinking about all those freaky, jacked up muscles of his, the insane edge to his laugh, and the endearing way he stares at my boobs as though he expects them to move of their own volition.”
She seemed to shake off the memory of that encounter. “He leers at me every time we pass in the lobby or out by the pool, so I think he’d buy it. If he invites me in, I’ll make some excuse to go to the bathroom and Leap you in. I’ll have permission to enter, and you’ll be coming in with me, so we should be able to bypass any barriers on that floor.” This she said to Kasabian, no surprise. “Which covers Talbot’s unit as well, since he and Kevin have units on the same floor. We subdue Kevin and climb over to Talbot’s balcony. Not easy, but doable.”
We. She’d inserted herself into the action. Kye took a better look at the shelving unit, seeing a picture of Mallory and a little girl. Maybe she had a personal reason to get involved.
“I like it,” Kasabian said, getting agreement from Hayden. “I know you can pull off the seduction, but are you ready for combat?”
Mallory’s shoulders stiffened. “I have to be ready all the time. I can’t rely on some security guy to come to my aid. One of the Muses here was taken hostage by a Caido blissed out on Abyss. He beat her up pretty bad, and the Guard had to come in and rescue her. That was one time they got it right.”
“That was me,” Hayden said.
Just for a second there, admiration crossed Mallory’s face. Then she returned to her determined expression. “You were her hero. I’m not willing to wait for my prince to come. I take care of myself.”
Hayden gave her a wooden smile. “Duly noted. In case I get any ill-conceived notions of saving you or anything.”
They sparked off each other. Hmm, it’d be interesting to sense what’s going on between those two. Damn it, she wanted her Zensu ability back. Not only were her feelings for Kasabian short-circuiting them, but now new ones were also coming in. Jealousy? Really?
Not to mention lust, of all things. Especially when Kasabian took off his shirt in preparation for Invoking his angelic essence. Holy Zensu, mother of all things sensual. His black wings tattoo shimmered. The hard lines of his back, the indent of his spine that begged for her to run her finger all the way down to the waistband of his jeans, made her want to touch him.
Kasabian turned, catching her looking with the aforementioned lust. Busted. She shifted her gaze to Hayden, finding him also shirtless. His physique was on the other end of the ridiculously gorgeous spectrum. He was a big farm boy built with an enormous chest and biceps that made one think he could lift a house from its foundation. Still, her eyes went back to Kasabian, liking his lean physique better.
She focused instead on her upturned palm. “I’m going to send an orb down to the parking garage to keep an eye on the Hummer.”
“Good idea,” Kasabian said.
Kye hadn’t even noticed that Mallory had left the room, what with all the masculine distraction, but now she returned wearing something a bit more provocative. While Kye had worn her tight black skirts and fishnets to intimidate, Mallory’s ruffled, deeply cut blouse and tight black pants invited. And at the moment, they invited Hayden’s appreciative stare.
“Good luck,” Kasabian told her, and she walked out with a solemn nod.
Hayden let out a long, low whistle. “She’s something else, and I mean that in a lot of ways.” He gave Kasabian a wary glance. “You’re not going to get all”—he did a vague wave across his eyes—“like you did before, are you?”
Kasabian chuckled. “You may whistle all you want. It’s not the same. Not even close.”
What was that about?
Kye went back to her orb, releasing it off the balcony and sending it down to the garage. Through the window, she sent the orb to settle on the Hummer’s back bumper. If it moved, she’d feel it.
Hayden pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going on vibrate mode. Text me if you need help.”
She took the opportunity to clear her thoughts, deeply inhaling the ocean air. The breeze caressed her cheeks and toyed with the loose strands of her hair. When she opened her eyes, Kasabian was leaning on the railing next to her, and they were alone. He was going to ask her something, and it was going to be personal. She could see it in his curious expression, and it would likely be about whatever feelings he’d picked up from her earlier.
“Mallory’s still in love with you,” she blurted out before he could question her. “You two seem good together, you know. I mean, other than the fact that she’s a Muse.” When Kasabian gave her a baffled look, she forged on. Or rather, she babbled the words out of her mouth. “What I mean to say is, couldn’t you convince her to quit? I think she’d quit for you.”
He gave her a heart-stopping, roguish smile. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“I don’t have you.” Boy, could those words come out of her mouth any faster? She curled her fingers over the rough edge of the ba
lcony railing, training her gaze on the distance.
Kasabian released another sigh. “Yes, you do. I just don’t know what to do about it.”
That made her turn to him, and for a moment, their gazes locked. Her heartbeat thrummed, pulling her toward him. Before she could even begin to think of a reply, Mallory appeared—like out of thin air—in the living area.
“I’m in. Kevin’s in the bedroom waiting for me.” She shuddered.
“Damn, you’re good,” Hayden said, admiration in his voice.
Red tinted Mallory’s cheeks. She turned to Kasabian. “I need to get right back.”
“The Hummer’s on the move,” Kye said, feeling the orb vibrating as the vehicle’s engine started. They watched the Hummer pull out of its spot and stop near the elevator. “We need to get down there.”
Kasabian bowed, bracing his hands on his thighs. Silvery wings emerged from his shoulder blades, catching her breath with their magnificence. His magnificence. For a moment, the pain drained the blood from his face, but he quickly recovered and looped his arm around Kye’s. “Hayden, go with Mal. I’m going to take Kye down and scope out the situation with the Hummer.”
Before Mallory could object, Kye felt her body evaporate in a crazy way. Nothing new there. Everything that had happened to her since meeting Kasabian had felt crazy. Especially when she was in his arms.
They landed next to the Lotus in the outside parking lot, his arm still around hers as he pulled her down behind the car. “Where’s the window?”
She pulled it up and moved the orb to a nearby car for a better view of the elevator door. One of the rear doors of the Hummer was just closing.
“They just got in,” she said, clutching Kasabian’s arm. “I couldn’t see who.”
“Then we follow. Between the four of us, we have Jonathan covered.”
Chapter 15
Silva’s phone vibrated in his pocket. “Yes?” he answered.
“We’re on our way back with the boy, but there’s a problem.”
“Not another one.” He couldn’t take many more.
“We’re being followed by a yellow Lotus. Two people inside.”
Kasabian and someone else. Hayden? Kye? Apprehension and adrenaline surged through him at once. If they were following the Hummer, they had put together too many pieces. He wasn’t going to be able to hide Kasabian’s interference from Treylon anymore. Or protect him.
Silva gripped the phone tight. “Leap here with the boy. I’ll handle the Lotus.”
The tall, thin Caido appeared, his hand on the boy’s arm. Silva leaned down to the kid’s level and gave him a genuine smile. “Welcome back.”
Jonathan started crying. Well, Silva was happy to see him, anyway. The kid looked stronger than he had before his escape, enough to facilitate their final plan. The big push would no doubt be the end of him. He wasn’t strong enough for that.
Kasabian’s words about kids like this—like he had been—pinched his conscience. Sorry, but this kid’s fate is sealed.
“Take him to the house and keep this incident quiet. Treylon doesn’t need the stress right now. I’ll take care of the problem.” Silva Leaped to the passenger seat of the Hummer, startling the driver into swerving slightly. “Head to the causeway.”
“Yes, sir.”
Silva liked the sound of subservience. It had always been him saying “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” or doing everything Treylon asked of him so he could attain the position of his son. Not that the man had ever acknowledged that.
Bitterness seeped into his soul as he climbed into the back and spotted the Lotus following close behind. The sun gilded Kasabian’s shoulder through the window, a Greek god in a little yellow car. His passenger looked like the woman in the park. Kye. What was their relationship?
He returned his focus to Kasabian. Silva had fixated on him from the first moment he’d laid eyes on him all those years ago. He just hadn’t realized what the feeling was.
Damn you, Kasabian. I don’t want to have to kill you.
Hayden followed Mallory out of the bathroom, staying out of sight. He needn’t have worried. Kevin was lying on the rumpled bed, his arms and legs spread, his hand trying to work up an erection. Hayden could have lived his entire life without seeing that.
“I knew you wanted me,” Kevin said as Mallory entered his bedroom. He had an effeminate voice with a built-in whine. “I could tell by the way you looked at me every time we saw each other. I never understood why you fought it. I’ve been with the other Muses, but you always refused my requests for a visit. Of course, you know that made you even more enticing.” He lifted his head and frowned. “Why aren’t you in some sexy outfit? You were in the bathroom for so long, I thought you were strapping on garter belts or leather straps.”
Mallory knelt on the far edge of the bed, drawing the man’s attention away from where Hayden maneuvered to remain hidden. “I thought you might want to undress me yourself.”
Hayden clocked him from behind with a low dose of Light. Not enough to kill the bonehead, just enough to knock him out. Kevin flopped back onto the bed, his half-ass erection flopping to the side.
“Is this what you have to deal with?” he said, trying to wipe that image from his mind, too.
Her mouth tightened as she took in the man on the bed. “Sometimes. Just because he’s the son of an Elder, he thinks he’s entitled. He doesn’t get that it’s always our choice.”
Hayden waved his hand over Kevin’s head. “He’ll be out for a while. Let’s go.”
They stepped onto the balcony. The ocean breeze snapped against him. Buildings, roads, and water spread out below, and he hoped no one looked up to see two people scaling the walls. Several yards away, another balcony jutted out.
Mallory’s hair, caught by the breeze, washed over her shoulders as she turned to him. “See the cornices and the stone angels?” She pointed to some decorative pieces mounted to the exterior, fat cherubs in various poses. “We can use them.”
“You do mean ‘we’ theoretically, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. There could be a few Caidos in there. You might think you’re a big, tough Vega, but you’re only one Caido.” She tapped her collarbone. “Now there are two of us.”
“You must really be in love with Kasabian if you’re willing to throw yourself in like this.” At her surprised expression, he added, “I saw the way you held on to him for just a little too long when you greeted him.”
“I care about Kasabian, but…it’s not love. I’m doing it for my niece, who went missing two years ago.”
The girl in the picture. “And the Guard did nothing to help.” The pieces started to come together.
“That’s an understatement. There was something hinky about it, because even the Elders wouldn’t intercede.”
She’d gone past the cool, detached woman and became a vulnerable, hurting one. He would investigate her niece’s disappearance, but he wouldn’t tell Mallory unless he found something. He would offer her no false hopes, no promises.
Hayden kept watching the balcony. “My plan is to grab the kid and just get him out of there. He’s my first priority.” But now he had Mallory’s safety to keep in mind. “If either of us finds him, we yell ‘target!’ Then Leap him to Kasabian’s apartment. Do you know where that is?”
“No. I’ve never been to his place.”
Hmm. Maybe she was telling the truth about Kasabian. Hayden gave her the address. “If only one of us gets out—”
She put her hand on his arm. “I can take care of myself.” She seemed to realize that she was touching him and jerked her hand back. “Like you said, the boy is the priority here.”
Mallory pulled off her shirt, leaving her in a lacy red bra that cupped two luscious handfuls. He had to catch his breath at the sight of her willowy figure, trim hips, the way her hair brushed her waist. A script M graced the top curve of her breast. Her wings pushed out of her back, and she grimaced in pain. He had the absurd urge to com
e up behind her and wrap his hands around her waist. Pull her against his body and comfort her. That urge stabbed through him, as though a dozen knives had come flying his way.
She sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Damn, that hurts like a bitch every time.” Her creamy flesh showed through the red lace of her bra. “I bought it at Victoria’s Secret if you want one for yourself.”
Yeah, he was staring. “Why don’t I just take yours, save me the trip?”
She blinked, then slapped her arm over her chest. “Touch it and die.”
Damn, she was feisty. Probably better to capitulate than continue to antagonize her. “Sorry, I’ve never seen a female Caido Invoke before. I have no interest in your bra or what’s beneath it.” But he did, and it rocked through him. “Let’s go.”
He Invoked, too, the angelic form muffling the pain of desire. Leaving only desire. Helluva time and place for that.
Hayden hoisted himself up over the balcony, reached for one of the decorative pieces, and took a long step. His foot barely made contact with the shallow ledge. He grabbed for the next cherub. The head broke off, and he started to pitch backward. He heard Mallory gasp, but his only focus was finding something to grab on to. That turned out to be the target balcony’s banister. He climbed over it, dropping down to the floor. Through the railing, he saw Mallory’s white face, her wide eyes staring at him.
Maybe she cared a little that he didn’t fall and go splat.
Not that he would have fallen. He would have Leaped back to her condo.
This end of the balcony wasn’t near any windows or doors, but he checked to make sure no one could have spotted him. He stayed tucked to the side and ready to help Mallory. She was already climbing over, agilely stepping onto the cornice with her bare feet, then grabbing on to the broken piece. He reached for her, but she sidestepped his hand—and lost her balance.
Stubborn woman.
He grabbed her, feeling that lacy material at her back and those soft mounds of flesh collide with his bare chest, and hauled her over the banister. He immediately released her. She mouthed her thanks, passed him, and crept to the edge of the window. He was right behind her, in the electric energy of her wings. Someone had likened it to the feel of running one’s fingers through the arms of a sea anemone without the sting.