It seemed that the two men wished to play good cop, bad cop with her and she didn’t like it one bit. The first man spoke up again, playing the role of good cop. “Please don’t dismiss this out of hand,” he said evenly. “We will study you, it’s true, but you’ll be perfectly safe.”
Marla instinctively disbelieved him. “I don’t think so,” she said at last, mourning the loss of the chance to earn some fast cash. “I’m sorry but I’ll have to decline your offer.”
The second man, the bad cop, spoke again. “You would do well to reconsider that decision.”
Marla frowned, anger boiling just below the surface. “Why don’t you both just leave now?”
The men rose, towering over her as she sat on the couch, but she was determined not to feel intimidated. This was her home, damn it, her own private domain, one she felt she deserved after all the long months spent in the hospital. She didn’t want her first day at home marred by these two men with their strange offer and high-handed behavior.
“You will accept our offer and be grateful for it,” the bad cop said with a sneer.
Marla rose as quickly as she could from her position on the couch. The lightbulb in a lamp on the table next to the couch exploded. The two men started as the glass shattered, but Marla refused to budge. “Get out,” she said again, nearly growling the words.
The bad cop pushed his suit jacket back to reveal a gun nestled in a shoulder holster beneath his arm.
Marla felt her eyes grow wide with surprise and fear. “Are you threatening me?” she fumed.
“You will accept our offer, one way or the other. If we have to use a little force to convince you, so be it.”
Marla, furious now, bared her teeth at them. “If you don’t get out, I’ll call the police.”
The man pulled his gun on her, and the other moved to close the drapes on the window of the sitting room. Marla felt a thrill of fear mix with her anger and stood shocked as she watched them. She came to herself with a snap and dove for the phone sitting next to the sofa. She barely touched it when she felt the man press the muzzle of his gun to the side of her head.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “Put the phone down. Now, we’re going to try this again. Will you come with us willingly or not? Either way you are coming with us.”
There came a deafening crash as the door to her home slammed open.
A huge man stepped into the room. He was massive, at least six foot ten with three hundred pounds of pure muscle on him. His head was shaved bare and his cool gray eyes were piercing and bright. He looked like a giant in the confines of the room, an uncivilized brute in a slate gray suit.
He zeroed in on the man holding the gun to her head. “Let her go,” came his gruff command.
“Steele,” he sneered. “We were here first. She’s ours.”
“I think the lady has a different opinion. Let her go.”
“Sterling scum! You and Ryan Murdock can go fuck yourselves.”
“I won’t tell you again. Let her go,” said the giant.
The man hesitated, keeping the gun pressed to her temple. Marla took matters into her own hands. She knocked the hand holding the gun away with a hard swipe of her fist. She pushed the gunman back and rushed to stand by Steele.
“I think the lady has made her decision,” Steele said, eyes never leaving the two men.
“This isn’t over yet,” the gunman growled. He and his colleague left with surly looks on their faces, passing close to Steele but not daring to touch him.
When they were gone, Marla discovered she’d been holding her breath and let out a huge sigh. She grabbed her forgotten cane from where it rested against the couch. She leaned on it for support as she felt her heart rate return to normal. “Now who are you and what made you think to break down my door?”
“I’m Brian Steele, but you can call me Steele. I work for a government project called Sterling. I came to meet you and noticed the Siren vehicle out front. I figured it was in both of our best interests to get in here and make sure you were all right.”
His voice held such strength that Marla felt herself beginning to relax somewhat. Marla put a hand to her head, feeling a headache coming on as her ever-present fatigue pulled at her. She’d been prone to headaches recently as well as weakness. “Siren? What do you mean?”
“Those two men work for an outfit called Siren.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve seen them before. And because I make it a point to know most of Siren’s employees. Siren is an opposing project funded by an entirely different consortium of investors. While we at Sterling study the untapped resources of the human brain, Siren seeks to augment them with technologies that have no business being employed on any human.”
“What do they want with me?” she asked.
“They wish to exploit your gifts. Exploit and manipulate them to their own ends.”
She had suspected as much. “And what are you doing here exactly?”
“I’m here to ask much the same, but my intentions are honest, I assure you. Sterling is very interested in your gifts. We wish to study them, catalogue them, and perhaps help you to understand and therefore control them in time.”
Marla shook her head in disbelief. “What makes you think I’ll accept your offer when I wouldn’t accept theirs? They offered me quite a handsome sum, you know. You haven’t offered me anything yet.”
Steele smiled, revealing a row of very white teeth. “You haven’t given me a chance.”
Marla couldn’t help but respond to his smile. He was quite handsome when he smiled. And despite his massive size, she felt no instinctive fear of him as she had with the two men from Siren. “So make an offer,” she grinned, feeling the last of her lingering panic disappear.
“We’re prepared to take care of all your medical bills incurred during your coma and recuperation. We’ll also have our own doctors on staff to ensure your continued safety and well-being.”
She grew dizzy and faint, and when her head stopped spinning she realized she was practically in Steele’s arms. He was keeping her from falling with gentle and patient hands. Her heart fluttered with an excitement she hadn’t felt in almost two years, as she felt the burn of his skin seep into hers. She was overly aware of his male magnetism, of his sheer strength and size. She wondered if he was this large all over. She shook her head as if to clear it of her wanton thoughts and eased her body away from him.
“’Aren’t you going to offer me money straight up, as they did?” she asked weakly.
“How much do you want?” he returned.
“Are you serious?” She laughed tiredly.
“Absolutely.”
She eyed him for several seconds. “What, so I can ask for a hundred thousand dollars and you’d give it to me?”
“How does a solid five hundred thousand sound?” he asked, deadpan.
Marla reeled. “I don’t believe this.” She clutched her aching head and stepped completely out of Steele’s supportive arms, determined to stand on her own. She immediately, keenly felt the loss of his touch. “This is just too much for me.”
“I could come back later, to give you some time to think it over.”
“Are you crazy? I don’t have to think! Of course I’ll take your offer. I’d be insane not to. My medical bills alone will set you back something like a million dollars. Maybe more. I’ll take your offer gladly.”
Steele smiled again and her stomach did a strange little somersault. “Good. I’ll leave you today to get your rest, but I’ll be by in the morning to pick you up. How does nine o’clock sound?”
“It sounds great,” she said.
“Be sure to lock your door after me, and don’t answer it for strangers.”
Marla nodded. She didn’t have to be told twice. Steele gave her a small bow, turned and left the way he came, closing the door softly behind him. Marla moved to engage all three locks on her door and leaned heavily against it when she was done.
&n
bsp; She’d been having weird days ever since awakening from her coma. But this was, by far, one of the weirdest she’d ever experienced.
Chapter Two
Later that evening, after the sun had sunk in the sky, Steele walked into Ryan Murdock’s office without knocking. “I put two guards on her,” he said without preamble. “Siren got to her first and scared her pretty badly. But she’s agreed to come in with us.”
Ryan pursed his lips. “I knew Siren would want her, but I didn’t think they’d act so fast.”
“It’s no wonder. She’s as strong as we believed. Maybe stronger. That’s why Siren wasted no time in contacting her. But they made a huge mistake in trying to bully her. She may still be weak on the outside, but she’s strong as stone on the inside. She didn’t stop fighting, even when they backed her into a corner.”
Ryan mulled over this. “They must want her pretty badly to try and force her like that so soon.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Steele replied.
“Keep a guard on her at all times when she’s away from the compound. I don’t want anything else to happen to her while she’s under our care. The less stress she has, the better we’ll be able to work with her.”
“Siren will try again to get her,” Steele pointed out.
“I know. The persistent bastards. But we’ll just have to deal with that when the time comes.”
There came a knock at Ryan’s door. “That’ll be Vicious.” He reached out to hand Steele a manila folder. “Here’s tonight’s assignment.”
Steele moved, file in hand, and opened the door. The dark-haired man on the other side gave Steele a nod as he passed out of the office, then took his place within. The door closed on the two men and Steele rubbed a hand over the top of his head.
It was time to shave again. He could feel persistent spikes of hair trying to grow. He hated his hair—a cross between red and blond, it curled like crazy and only served as a distraction when he was working. Enemies could easily grab one’s hair and yank savagely. He couldn’t—and wouldn’t—have that.
He looked down at the file in his hand and opened it. Pictures of men stripping down stolen cars lay within, as well as a schematic of the building they were using to carry out their illegal activities. Steele clenched his jaw, shut the folder and went to prepare for the long night ahead of him, putting the last lingering thoughts of Marla aside.
* * * * *
Marla lay in bed, mind running furiously, keeping her from sleep. Night filled the room—she’d unplugged all of the electrical appliances—and a slight cool breeze came in from the open window. Oh how she’d missed the feel of fresh air washing over her skin!
She couldn’t stop thinking about the events of the afternoon. Everything had changed for her within the space of a few minutes. If Steele was to be believed, and strangely enough she did believe him, then she needn’t worry anymore about her hospital bills or her lack of a job. From near bankruptcy, she now had a fortune to look forward to.
All she had to do was allow Sterling to study her. And that couldn’t be too bad, could it?
Her thoughts took a turn and, with a sliver of anxiety, she dwelled on the odd and dangerous behavior of the two men from Siren. They’d actually dared to pull a gun on her! She didn’t know what to think about that. She’d been scared, of course she had, but she’d also felt assured that she could gain the upper hand. Would they have fired on her had they known of her daring? How badly did they want to study her—if studying her was all they wished to do, which she doubted?
Marla admitted to herself that she wasn’t entirely surprised by the offers from both parties. She’d suspected that, once the headlines in the papers had revealed her new quirks, something like this would happen sooner or later. She just hadn’t expected it so shortly after her release from the hospital.
And what to think of the giant, Steele? He was a hulking brute of a man…but she’d sensed gentleness in his nature right away, and she sure as certain liked him better than the men from Siren. His eyes, nearly silver they were so gray, had spoken volumes to her. She knew instinctively that she could trust him.
She rolled over in bed and tried once more to find rest.
Seconds later she heard a faint sound coming from the front of her house and froze. The sound came again, a rattling sound like that of a doorknob. Marla crawled out of bed and went to her window. She looked down from her second-story room and saw the dark figure of a man by her front door.
Her heart thundered as a thrill of fear took her. She flew over to her closet and rifled within it. She came out holding a baseball bat and steeled herself for what she knew she must do next.
She crept down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, careful not to stumble on her still unsteady legs. She went to the side of the door, leaning against the wall for support as her knees suddenly went weak. With a click, the last lock turned and the door opened inward. Marla hardened herself, locking her traitorous knees in anticipation.
The dark, shadowy figure stepped into the room.
Marla raised the bat over her head and brought it down on the man’s shoulder. He went down with a bellow of outrage, flailing out at her. Marla raised the bat again, swung and missed.
But it was just as well. Another man came through the door, moving so fast he was a blur, and she could barely follow him with her gaze. She staggered, fear choking her. But instead of coming for her, the newcomer zeroed in on the fallen man sprawled on her parlor floor.
“I’m sorry about this, Ms. Rivers,” the new man apologized. “I looked away for a second and there he was.”
Marla went weak against the wall. “Who are you?”
“They call me Vicious, but you can call me Johnny. I’m from Sterling. I was supposed to be guarding you while you slept.”
Marla’s eyes went wide with surprise. “You’re from Sterling?” she asked, dazed.
“Yes,” he answered, lifting the intruder to his feet. “Now to see who Mr. Sneaky is here.”
The intruder was dressed all in black, with a stocking cap pulled down over his face. Vicious tore the cap from his head and Marla was surprised to see one of the men from Siren standing there. “What the hell?”
“You’re a persistent son of a bitch, aren’t you?” Vicious shook the man by the nape of the neck. “Didn’t the lady already tell you no?”
“You can’t win every time, you Sterling bastard,” he snarled.
Vicious laughed and shook him again. “Didn’t your mother teach you that breaking and entering is a crime? Or was it that your mother didn’t like you enough to teach you anything important like that?”
The man twisted in Vicious’ grasp, but Vicious held fast.
“I’m sorry you had to witness this, Ms. Rivers. Why don’t you head back to bed? I’ll take care of this asshole, pardon my French.”
Dazed, Marla nodded and trudged over to the stairs. Then turned resolutely back. “What had you hoped to accomplish here?” she asked the intruder.
“We contacted you first. You’re our project,” he sneered. “You just haven’t accepted that yet.”
“Well, you can rest assured that after your behavior today and tonight, I’ll do my very best not to ever have anything to do with Siren.” Marla turned and went upstairs, content that Vicious would take care of things for her. She didn’t know what to think about having a guard from Sterling watching over her, but in this instance she was grateful.
It was a long time, however, before she found sleep. It wasn’t until the first faint pink streaks of dawn were showing through her curtains that she finally dozed off and found peace. And, strangely enough, her dreams were filled with images of Brian Steele.
Chapter Three
Steele waited patiently while Marla prepared herself for her first day at Sterling. He looked at the pictures on her mantel and marveled at how lovely Marla was. She had been heavier before the coma, full of breast and hip, and where before she looked much like a woman unafraid of a good time,
she now looked fragile and breakable.
She had lovely red hair, long and curling down around the middle of her back. Her eyes, a startling cross between blue and green, were wide and large on her face. Her nose was a pert button, her lips a fullness that begged to be kissed. She had a small overbite that gave her a gamine look, one he had already started to appreciate despite himself.
Marla came down the stairs and walked over to him, her purse clutched tightly in her hands. “Should I bring anything else?” she asked, suddenly looking nervous, as if she didn’t know how to proceed.
“No. Sterling will provide you with anything you might need.” He led her out of the house. “Come on,” he said, directing her to his idling Expedition outside. She had to crawl up into the seat and ordinarily Steele would have helped her into the cab of the vehicle, except that he was afraid to touch her. Afraid of what he might do. She was too beautiful, too fragile still, to get close to. And he was a brute at best.
She let out a huge sigh as she settled back against the plush seat. “So what exactly do you have to do with Sterling?” she asked softly, eyes closed.
“The same thing as you.”
She started. “You can mess with electricity?”
“No. But I have an ability, the same as you do. Sterling acquired me when I was only thirteen. Back when my boss’ father was in charge. I’ve been with them ever since.”
“Acquired you?”
“Yes.” He refused to elaborate.
“What’s your ability then?”
“I’m generally the strong guy at Sterling. I take care of all the grunt work. I guess you could say I’m tough as steel.” He smiled wryly at his own use of words.
Marla digested that. “That doesn’t seem like an unusual ability. I mean, no offense, but aren’t there a lot of people with the same gift? I once saw a guy take a cannonball to the stomach.”
“I’m not at all like that,” he said, keeping his eyes firmly focused on the road as he drove. “I’m something more.”
“What?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Now,” he said, changing the subject, “are you ready for your first day at our compound?”
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