Circle of Desire

by Carla Swafford

  “Hey, man, why don’t you go and get some rest and I’ll keep an eye on things here?” Rex leaned against the observation room’s wall next to the glass.

  “I’m fine. Have you checked on the other Circle operative we brought in?”

  “Nah. Henry’s taking care of her. Good thing you hired him. What with Anne being gone now.” Rex shuffled his feet and stood straight. “He said the woman has a bad case of bronchitis and good thing she was brought in before it went into pneumonia.”

  “I don’t want to give her over to Rick yet. He’s busy with Olivia. Go. Ask questions. See how well she cooperates.”

  When did he start making war on women? He remembered how strong his mom had been, but she been gentle too, especially with him and his brother. She’d taught him that women should be respected and handled with care. She’d also been from another generation.

  “Okay—” Banging on the door interrupted Rex’s agreement.

  Rick looked toward Collin for guidance.

  Should Collin continue or wait to see what the disturbance was about? He held up his hand for Rick to wait. “See who it is, Rex.”

  The big guy stepped over to the door and punched in the code. A whirlwind of dark hair and fury stormed into the room. Rex’s gasp caught Collin’s attention. His friend was staring at the woman standing in the middle of the room with her hands on hips. When Collin looked the woman in the face, he couldn’t be any more amazed than if a ghost walked through the walls.

  In fact, she’d come through the door.

  “Abby!” Collin stood. For a dead woman, she looked pale but rather healthy.

  “Abby?” Rex asked at the same time and reached out to touch her hair. “You’re real.”

  “Rex?” She stumbled back and landed butt first hard on the floor. “You’re dead.”

  He kneeled in front of her. “I thought you were. The Circle told us every gruesome detail about how they killed you.”

  “They told me you went berserk when they captured me and OS had eliminated you a few days later.” Abby shook her head in disbelief. “I should’ve known they were lying.” Tears streamed down their faces.

  Rex reached out for her but she scrambled to her feet. “No. Don’t touch me. I need to let this sink in. I . . . I . . .” She looked lost.

  “Abby?” Rex held his hands out as if he was afraid she would bolt.

  “Call me A. J. That’s what they call me now.” Tears flowed down her face.

  Collin heard tapping on the window and dragged his attention to Rick on the other side of the window. Rick nodded toward Olivia. Though the glass prevented him from hearing her, she shook her head, laughing and chattering away. So unlike her. A sign she was fully under the serum’s control.

  “You two leave.” Collin wanted to know the details of how Abby ended up being an operative for The Circle but duty called. “I have work to do.”

  “No way am I leaving without Olivia.” Abby used the hem of her blouse to wipe off her cheeks. “She’s never had anyone to look after her.” Her accusing glare pointed straight to Collin.

  With his hands clasped on top of his head, Rex stared at Abby in disbelief. “How did you get here?”

  “That guy.” She pointed at Rick. “Wrapped me in a sheet and brought me here. I was running a fever and had taken so much antihistamine, I was out of it.”

  “You’re a Circle operative? You’re the one with bronchitis?” Rex glanced over at Olivia. “How did you get involved with her?” he asked Abby with distaste evident in his voice.

  Without waiting to hear Abby’s reply, Collin entered the interrogation room, closing the door behind him. Time for everyone to come to terms that greater things were in play and a woman’s life could be forfeit. He was glad Olivia would have a friend to mourn her.

  “Helllllo! Handsome!”

  Her eyes rolled in her head and drool formed in one corner of her mouth. She looked so young and helpless.

  “What has she told you so far?”

  He hadn’t cried since his family died, and his voice cracking surprised him. A couple deep swallows stopped the trembling in his throat.

  “Nothing important.”

  Rick shook his head, his hand covering his mouth in effort to stop his grin. Collin glared at him. The man was a sick fuck for thinking any of this was funny.

  “Hey, Col’n, com’ here.” She licked her lips as he stopped next to the raised hospital bed. “Com’ closer.” He leaned over. “Get me outta here. Pleeaasse.”

  “Answer our questions truthfully and we’ll let you go free.”

  Nausea rolled his stomach. The thought of her cold and lifeless body being carted out of the room made him unwell.

  “But you don’t un’erstand. I tried to protect you because I love you.” A sad look crossed her face.

  Her words slammed into his chest and he struggled to keep his breathing steady. He glanced at Rick. The man had the sense to look busy with the gauges and buttons on the machinery in the corner.

  The drugs worked by making the person feel euphoria. So in this case she believed she felt love, but it wasn’t necessarily true.

  “What were you protecting me from?” he asked, curling his fingers into his palm.

  Her hair had fallen across her eyes and she blew noisily to push it away but the strand returned. He wanted to stroke her hair and ask her to tell him again that she loved him. But he needed to keep his mind on business.

  “The shooters. They came. You were hurt,” she slurred.

  “You knew they were coming,” he said accusingly.

  “I did?” Her forehead wrinkled. “Yes. I did.”

  So she admitted it. His shoulders slumped.

  “How did you tell Theo where we were?” he asked.

  “I didn’t tell Theo squat!” Her outburst dislodged the strand of hair, and he could see her hot emerald eyes glaring at him

  “You just said you did.” When he caught the confusion on her face, he added, “You said you knew they were coming.”

  “No.” She furiously shook her head. “No. You told me they were after us. That’s why I knew they were comin’.” Her bottom lip poked out like a petulant child.

  She had him there. He had told her they were being chased by Circle operatives.

  “What did Theo tell you when he saw you again? The night we stole the sword, was it with Theo’s knowledge? Were you setting me up? And for what?” Time was running out, the truth serum lasted around eight minutes.

  “You’re funny. A. J. got in trouble for helping me. I hate Theo. He threw me into the dungeon and forgot about me for days. Well, ’cept the times he wanted to ask me about you. He hit. He cut. But I didn’t tell him nuthin’. Where did you put A. J.? Is she okay?” She looked hard at him as if she was trying to figure something out. “I’ve got an important question to ask.”

  “What do you want to know?” he urged.

  A. J.? Was she talking about Abby?

  “Is he only nine months older than you?” she whispered.

  “Who?”

  “Your brother. He looked like you but he had a mean look. You can be mean too, but you look serene even when you’re mad. It’s scary.” She yawned and blinked.

  Collin held his breath. He’d seen the look of a deadly woman or a sensual playmate on her face but never a sleepy innocent.

  “I can shoot her with some amphetamine to keep her awake, but it might make her heart explode.” Rick held a hypodermic needle, waiting for Collin’s decision.

  “No!” he bit off. After taking a deep breath, he calmly said, “You can leave. I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”

  The pity in Rick’s eyes was hard to take. Collin wanted to snap at him to leave now but waited while the man stored the needle away, typed in some data into the computer connected to the machinery surrounding her, and exited the room.

  “Why is your brother working for The Circle instead of with you?” She opened her eyes wide and blinked.

  “Olivia,
my brother died in the blast with my mom and dad when we were kids.” Could Theo be trying to pull a fast one? Maybe he had a surgeon cut a person to look like Arthur. But for what reason?

  “Well, he’s the most solid ghost I ever saw. He even talked to me. Theo said your brother hated you enough to kill you.”

  Her eyes closed and when he believed she’d drifted off to sleep, she opened them again. “Collin?”

  “Yes.”

  He gave into the desire to touch her hair. The silky softness reminded him of their first time together. He never could remember feeling anything as soft as her and probably never would.

  She licked her dry lips as she blinked up at him.

  “Are you going to kill me now? I think I rather have you kill me than Theo.”

  “Why’s that?” he asked. This had to be the most surreal conversation he’d ever had.

  “Because you wouldn’t make it hurt. Theo likes to dish out pain.” She smacked her lips. “I bet your brother likes pain too.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Olivia wanted the image of Collin imprinted onto her brain. Then she could haunt him later. Damn, these drugs screwed with her mind even though the affects were finally dulling somewhat. She was a fighter and he hadn’t injected her with anything to kill her yet that she knew of. For over two hours he’d drilled her, wanting to know when Theo planned to attack the OS again.

  The look he gave her whenever she mentioned his brother clearly said he didn’t believe her.

  “Collin, I’m not going to beg you to believe me. He’s your brother. Ask A. J. If you don’t trust her, ask Jason. He got us out of the dungeon.” She swallowed deeply. Her throat burned as if she’d drunk acid. Thank goodness, she no longer sounded drunk.

  “I find it hard to believe Jason released you.”

  A thousand nails pounded into her head. Talk about a hangover; this was so much worse than any all-night binge could produce.

  “Why is it, since I’ve met you, I’ve found myself in several beds about to throw up and not from having a good time?” She eyed him and realized she wasn’t making her case. “Listen, Jason is your double agent, so why is it so hard to believe he helped me and A. J. escape?”

  Unmoved, he continued his silent treatment.

  Frustration curled her fingers.

  “For Christ’s sakes! Do I have to pull every word out of your mouth? Tell me! Are you going to kill me or not?” If her hands were unbound, she would be pressing the heels of her palms into her temples.

  He blinked. For him to show that little bit of emotion meant something had happened.

  “We received news after we brought you in that Jason turned on us. He’s the reason three more OS operatives are dead now,” he said as his dark eyes waited for her reaction.

  “What?” Circle operatives and now OS. Had he been sniffing too much hair lightener? She continued to stare back as she waited for Collin to say more.

  “What did you say to Jason?” he asked finally.

  Did he believe Jason’s betrayal had something to do with her? Tired of trying to prove herself to him, to everyone, she shuddered.

  “I had nothing to do with Jason’s deceit.” She shook her head. “Kill me. Put me out of my misery. I never believed in happily ever after until I met you.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment unable to believe what she’d just said. Besides she couldn’t stand looking at the man who refused to see the real Olivia. The drugs in her system had dissipated a little more and she could think clearly.

  “I understand. Your seduction was all a sham to get nearer to Theo through me. You wanted to steal his sword and drive him further into insanity so you can take over.” She opened her eyes, hoping he couldn’t see her pain. “Well, I got news for you, dickwad! You’re just as evil as he is and I hope your brother kicks your ass when he takes over OS!”

  That was one way to burn the bridge she’d hoped to cross with him. Love, marriage, white picket fence, and two point five kids were a pipe dream anyway, especially for people like her. Who would want a wife and mother with the issues she had? Shit! What had she just thought? Love? Marriage? Kids? Where did that come from? She couldn’t have kids anyway. Besides she wasn’t the marrying type.

  Panic tightened her chest, wondering how he planned to eliminate her. Then she looked at his face as he’d been quiet an awfully long time. His dark eyes flashed amber.

  “I believe you. I don’t know why or if I can trust you completely, but I believe you. Jason’s betrayal colors a lot of what he’s told me,” Collin said so low, she barely heard each redeeming word.

  Her limbs suddenly felt weightless. She wasn’t sure what convinced him she’d been telling the truth, but she felt he no longer planned to kill her. But something about the way he held his shoulders, all straight and tight, had her suspicious about why he was finally believing her.

  “I see. So none of my actions before today told you that I can be trusted?” Her voice trembled on the last word.

  She fought the desire to hope. Hope and optimism were the ingredients for becoming a man’s pawn to be used and abused.

  As Collin opened his mouth to answer, Rex returned and rattled the glass with a fist. Then he motioned for Collin to return to the observation room.

  Collin stepped away and then Olivia said, “You got to be kidding, right? Tell Big Foot you’re busy with setting me free.”

  She hoped she hadn’t misunderstood his sentiment. He’d looked at her funny when she’d said the last sentence. What was up with that?

  “Just give me a few minutes. He wouldn’t interrupt unless it was important,” Collin said before he strode over to talk with Rex. That small explanation was the first one in the entire time they’d been together.

  She shut her mouth with a click and shook her head in amazement.

  The minutes dragged by until about a half hour later. Collin returned and yanked off the Velcro strips holding her down.

  “There’s an emergency and we need your help.”

  While Collin helped her to a sitting position, Rick rushed in and after slamming a few drawers pulled out a wicked-looking needle. The fluid inside the cylinder was a different color from the one earlier but no less intimidating.

  “What’s that for?” Her head was floating a foot off her shoulders with the sudden movement. The drugs they’d given her were making their presence known even though she could speak clearer.

  “We need to sober you up, you could say.” Rick stopped next to her and without cotton swab or warning jabbed her with the needle.

  “Shit! What’s your problem? Give a girl a heads-up.” If not for Collin holding her, she’d have kicked the guy as the medicine zipped through her veins, leaving a trail of fire. “That’s some evil stuff.”

  “We need you alert and ready to kill,” Collin said. Red-hot anger flowed in waves from his body, his flushed face warned the amount of effort he exerted holding back his emotions.

  “So it’s going to be like that? No, ‘I trust you, Olivia,’ or ‘I can’t live without you?’ ” Before he could respond with an explanation that would disappoint her, she asked, “Who do you want me to kill?” Maybe he planned to use her again before he ordered her death. What did it matter? She was alive for now.

  Calmness blanketed her, focusing her attention on what he would answer. Theo would be a good answer. Even she was surprised how quickly her old killer mind-set returned.

  If it was his brother, she wasn’t sure how right she was for the job. Despite how angry Collin made her, she worried she couldn’t do it. He had Collin’s face, scarred but nevertheless his face. Eliminating him felt wrong.

  “Jason Kastler,” Collin said as he tossed a duffle bag to her.

  Collin watched as she dressed. Her wounds would need to be seen to later. Several areas of her body were different shades of blue and green. Theo had worked her over good.

  She didn’t act sore, but considering the amount of drugs in her system that didn’t surpr
ise him. He wanted to make sure she was steady and the shot had diluted the truth serum’s effects. Her reflexes and sight must be in top condition for what he needed her to do. But perversely he found watching her lift one long leg and then the other to pull up a “barely worth it” thong to cover herself with a scrap of silk to be so sensual he hardened like a steel bar. When she bent over and cupped her breasts, slipping on her bra, he forced his gaze away before he exploded in his pants.

  Christ! This wasn’t the time to let his body rule his mind. He had to set the wheels in motion. They had only one crack at making sure his plan followed through.

  Theo’s latest decision had pushed up their plan. Jason had gotten word to Lucian that Theo had ordered a hit on Collin. Lucian who was one of the calmest operatives Collin knew was shaken by what was coming down.

  “I know how sick Theo can be, but this goes beyond . . .” Lucian, pale as his white shirt, stabbed his fingers into his thick hair. “Jason said Theo was salivating with anger on realizing you had stolen not only his sword but his lead eliminator. Theo told him to kill you and every OS operative he came across. If he returned without the job being done, he’d cut off his dick and then start on his limbs, piece by piece, and if he still lived, he would cut out his heart.” When Lucian finished, he dropped his hands into his lap, holding them in effort to stop their shaking. “The man is really a sick fuck.”

  Lucian was right. Theo had finally reached the end of his sanity.

  Collin returned his gaze to Olivia on hearing the rustle of denim. He’d believed her about Theo but he still was using her again. Once she realized that, and she would find out the truth, he wasn’t sure if she would forgive him again.

  She snapped her jeans and then dipped her head into a T-shirt. As soon as her head popped out she asked, “Where’s he located?”

  She had her professional face on, almost robotic, well trained by The Circle to do her job. One moment, he threatened to kill her and then next she prepared to follow his orders. Like a good little soldier. Though he admired her talents, it bothered him deep inside. Maybe when all of this was over, he’d . . . what? Help her be a normal person? How would he help her if he couldn’t help himself?