by Jane Cousins
Goddess preserve her she was in trouble.
Four minutes later Hadleigh was staring in shock at her own reflection. Who knew a make out session could make a woman look so wanton; there was high colour in her cheeks, her lips swollen, her hair tousled but for once in a kind of sexy manner and her eyes, she was sure it had to be a trick of the light but she could have sworn she saw a flash of lightning in their depths.
Sighing she took a couple of deep calming breaths. She liked Vaughn. Goddess she was half way in love with the man. Could she take the next step? Could she march back in there like any normal woman and say ‘hey why don’t we move this to the bedroom?’ It wasn’t like she could hurt him, the man had proven more than once that he was strong enough not to bruise or break if she got slightly out of control. Still she hesitated, sending herself a frown in the mirror.
She was over thinking this.
She realised that but years of disappointment and self-doubt nibbled at her confidence. What if she couldn’t please him? What if her inability to get off made him cruel and hurtful? She wasn’t sure she could bear to listen to Vaughn belittle her or see that look of disdain on his face when he realised she more warrior than woman.
Though when had Vaughn done anything expected in the past? Even with all her scowls and road blocks the man had been nothing but patient, persistent and seemingly amused at her antics. He teased when most men in the past had been cruel. He manoeuvred and manipulated to get his own way yes, but he always did so after tricking, teasing or challenging her into agreement.
Look at tonight for instance, the man had stuck so tenaciously to the second date rules he hadn’t even laid a finger on her. Well cupping her butt didn’t count, he hadn’t even squeezed and Goddess damn him with the way he made her feel she wanted him to.
Throwing down the hand towel she smiled at herself. She could do this, even bad sex with Vaughn would no doubt be ten times better than with any other man. Way to think positive Hadleigh. Turning she strode back into the living room with every intention of putting on her best breathy seductive voice and telling Vaughn she was ready to move this show in to the bedroom.
Chapter Nineteen
Best laid plans and all that. In the living room the overhead lights were all blazing, the TV was off and Vaughn was pacing the room as he talked on his mobile, his expression grim. Glancing up noting Hadleigh’s return his eyes blazed solar flare hot, then he blinked and carefully banked all that heat. Putting his hand over the phone for a split second to give her an update on what was going on. “The boys have lost Xander.”
“Damn. Kidnapped?” She strode over to the sofa, sitting down to yank on her sandals.
“We’ll be there in fifteen.” He snapped the phone shut. “They don’t know what happened. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. Drum’s tracking him now.”
“I should change.” She was in date clothes not work clothes.
Vaughn shook his head, reaching out to grab her hand in his. “They’re in the club district. Better to stay as you are and blend in.” Sighing he pushed back his hair. “This was not how I wanted this night to end. I was looking forward to walking you back to your apartment and kissing you goodnight outside.”
Hadleigh blinked, the man really was strange. She’d been about to offer sex and he was talking about walking her home and kissing her goodnight. “Er … how sweet.”
His smile transformed into a grin as he turned and started towards the door, pulling her along in his wake. “Not really. The kiss I was envisaging had you backed up against the door, your legs wrapped around my waist and your hands doing naughty things to previously unexplored parts of my body.”
Hadleigh was glad Vaughn had his back to her so he didn’t have to see her mouth drop open or her nipples tighten. Scratch that sweet thought, the man really was an infuriating tease.
* * *
Marcus was waiting for them outside the club, tablet computer in hand. Vivid blue eyes trained on their approach with an intensity that Hadleigh found mildly unsettling. It was as if Marcus with only a single look could catalogue all her strengths and weaknesses and determine in an instant the best way to exploit her to meet his own ends. Whatever he found when he looked at her must have met with his approval as the edges of his lips twitched with a wry smile.
“Status?” Vaughn requested a report.
“No sign as yet.”
“How did he get out the club without one of you seeing him?”
“Well that’s where things get interesting. Dash followed X to the men’s room but didn’t go in. Ten minutes go by and no X, so Dash goes in to look and nada. X is just plain gone. That’s when we started tracking him. Drum figures he’s been out of our care for roughly twenty-five minutes.” Marcus handed over two ear pieces and then showed them a map on his tablet. “This is your search grid. I’ll take command post here; Flynn is flying, Dash is doing rooftops, Rafe to the South, Drum West, Nate East. We figure a fifteen block radius.”
“Good.” Vaughn nodded, fitting his ear piece. “Anything else?”
Marcus paused. “Drum thinks he scented Serena about a half a block away from here. It’s faint, maybe transference.”
Vaughn frowned. “Fuck. Is Serena involved in this voluntarily or not? Haven’t you been able to find out anything on her whereabouts?”
Marcus gave a sharp negative shake of his head. “It’s like she’s left the planet. Either she doesn’t want to be found or someone has gone to a lot of trouble to disappear her.”
Vaughn sighed in frustration. “Just tell everyone to keep their eyes peeled.”
So that’s how Hadleigh found herself walking the humid night streets of downtown Atlanta hand in hand with Vaughn. “I might need that hand.”
Vaughn shrugged off her statement. “You’re ambidextrous with weapons, you’ll be fine. We need to blend.” He shot her a smile. “Plus I really just like holding your hand.”
“That I had already guessed.” Hadleigh peered down an alleyway. “What do you think is going on?”
“I wish I knew.” Vaughn scowled at a hunched over street kid who eyed them a little too hungrily. The kid’s eyes widened at being caught scoping them out, hurrying away into the shadows. “The fact that Serena might be involved in this, well it kind of changes things.”
“Meaning that those earlier attacks had to be about Xander?”
“Yeah.” Vaughn admitted reluctantly. “If Serena is involved somehow, then it destroys my theory that the attacks were directed at you.”
“Me! I thought we had agreed that it was Xander they were after.”
“Whoever is behind this tipped their hand in Washington. But why attack with the entire team present if Xander was their primary target? The guy’s a null. He lives in a minimally secure home in midtown. They could have taken him anytime. Then to compound things they follow up two nights later at a public location like the fun park? Again, if Xander was their primary target they wouldn’t need to be sending paralyxis spiders and a demon. They could have just sent a Mary Kaye rep to his front door with a rag soaked in chloroform.”
“Maybe the public attacks were set up to lure Serena out of hiding. When that failed, whoever is behind this decided to bait a more elaborate trap by taking Xander.”
Vaughn shrugged and sighed, stopping beside a noisy club door, flashing a photo of Xander at the bouncer. “Seen him tonight?” The bouncer looked up at Vaughn, backing up a step in fear before shaking his head fast in response. They continued walking, Vaughn’s eyes shifting constantly, assessing every shadow for a threat. “Your theory is as good as any that I can come up with.”
Hadleigh moved a little closer to Vaughn as several couples bustled past laughing and talking loudly. Unexpectedly her sandal caught on a crack in the pavement sending her ramming hard into Vaughn’s side. He looked down and smiled. “If you wanted to snuggle Honey...” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders pulling her in tight. “You just had to ask.”
“Ha.”
Hadleigh tried to shake him loose but he wouldn’t budge.
Another group of people were approaching.
Vaughn squeezed her shoulders gently. “Smile and act like you’re on a date. Which reminds me, we need to discuss our next date, lucky number three. I’m thinking a romantic dinner for two somewhere with a nice view.”
“What is it you want from me?” Okay she hadn’t meant to blurt the question out quite that bluntly.
“Well in a perfect world you might smile, throw yourself into my arms and whisper throatily in my ear that you’d love to go out to dinner with me.”
“No, I meant what’s your end game? We go on another date, then a few more I presume and then we have sex? Why don’t we blow off all the stupid games and the get to know you crap and just cut to the chase?” She silently applauded her bravery.
Vaughn laughed loudly, shook his head and then swallowed hard. “And if we were to cut through all the ‘crap’ as you put it, what do I get out of it exactly?”
“What do you mean, what do you get out of it? We have sex!”
He kept his eyes resolutely ahead, watching the shadows for any hidden threat. “And then what?”
“And then what … what?”
“What do we do after the sex?”
Hadleigh bit back a sigh. Did other women have this much trouble getting a guy to have sex with them? “Well then we go our separate ways.”
Vaughn shook his head slowly. “Oh … well I don’t like the sound of that at all. So dinner tomorrow night?”
“Hold on.” Hadleigh gave him a shove hard enough to rock him sideways and get her out from under his arm. “You don’t want to have sex with me?”
Being Vaughn he was ready for the move, easily capturing her hand in his so they could continue their patrol. “Oh I want to have sex with you.” He turned and looked at her, those gold eyes glowing liquid hot. “I can’t tell you how much I want to have sex with you.”
“Then…” She took another deep breath so she wouldn’t scream the next words. “Why won’t you have sex with me?”
“Oh we will ... someday real soon. But if we just banged it out right now, well you’re as skittish as hell when it comes to men … to relationships and I’m looking for more than just sex ... with you. I need you to trust me and I need to trust that you won’t do a runner at the first sign things are getting serious.”
“I don’t do serious. And I don’t do relationships.”
Vaughn shrugged, a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. “You said you didn’t date and look here we are.”
“We’re on patrol looking for Xander.”
Vaughn flicked a glance down at her feet. “You’re wearing sparkly sandals, definitely a date.”
Hadleigh turned abruptly to face the man trying to sneak up behind them, a large gleaming knife suddenly in her hand, twice as big as the one their potential attacker was carrying. “Seriously, I’m not in the mood for you right now.”
Vaughn glared. “Can’t you see we’re trying to have a serious discussion here guy?”
The mugger froze mid creep, his eyes glued to Hadleigh’s blade. “Oh … um.” He started to back away slowly. “Sorry.” Then he turned and ran.
Hadleigh sighed again. “We should go after him. He’s only going to pick on someone else.”
Vaughn held her in position, placing two fingers in his mouth blowing a loud whistle. “Flynn will hunt him down.”
There was a loud harsh shriek. A shadow passed overhead racing in the direction the mugger had taken. Turning they continued on their assigned route. Silence blanketing them as they walked, only a distant male scream of surprise and terror interfering with the hushed night sounds.
Three blocks over Vaughn stopped and then tugged her across the empty road. “Let’s look in here.”
Here being a tiny tree filled park, old fashioned iron gas lamps lining the paths, a decorative fountain burbling at the centre. They’d only taken two steps along the path when there came the sound of predators dispersing like rats from a sinking ship. No doubt when they saw Vaughn they recognised a bigger, deadlier predator than themselves.
“So where were we?” Vaughn stopped and looked at the fountain. “Ah yes, planning our third date.”
“I told you, I’m through playing games Vaughn.”
“Who says I’m playing games?”
“Look I understand, you’re over hundred years old, you’re bored, I’m in town for a month and I’ve proven to be a bit of a challenge.”
“So you think I’m sniggering behind your back? Plotting some nefarious love ‘em and leave ‘em hit and run fuck because I’m bored? Seriously which asshole did a number on your head that I’m paying the price for it now?” Vaughn’s voice sounded neutral but there was something in his eyes … hurt?
Hadleigh was fed up. She wasn’t in Vaughn’s league. Whatever game he might be playing she’d be the loser. She always was. Without thinking it through she replied. “They all did. They all blamed me, made me out to be the bad guy. Haven’t you heard I’m a freak? Too tall, too forceful, I’ll bruise you, break your bones. I have ice where a heart should be and am frigid to the core. Too controlling to be a good fuck let alone allow myself to feel pleasure.” She wrenched her hand from his, for the first time succeeding in freeing herself from his grip. Taking a step back she ran fingers through her hair in frustrated. “Too emotionless … too cool … too silent … too scary. I don’t smile enough or laugh. Not feminine enough to understand what a man would want in bed or out.”
As she ranted Vaughn just stood there in silence, his eyes igniting into an intense burnished gold. His mouth set in a tight white line.
When she finally ran out of steam, her breath coming in harsh sharp pants she was glaring at him. “Well?”
He studied her for a moment longer then nodded slowly. “You’re right, a third date is out.” His tone dismissive, his eyes a dark antique gold, a distinctive shimmer of heat haze creating a halo effect around his massive frame. Reaching up he tapped his earpiece. “Marcus I need a pick up at St Eustace Park, I’m calling it a night. Call everyone in. We’re heading back to base.” Looking over at Hadleigh he gestured for her to precede him out of the park. For the first time ever he didn’t try to hold her hand or snuggle in close.
Taking the lead it was all Hadleigh could do to keep her head high and her shoulders straight whilst something inside, something new and tentative curled up and died.
* * *
Back at Maat Tower she headed straight for her apartment. Trying not to think about Vaughn’s second date rules recommending how their date should have ended as she passed through her front door. If she’d just kept her mouth shut she could have been plastered up against that door right at this moment. No it was better this way. Better to end things before they got out of hand. Before she became too attached. Before he grew disappointed with her and ran a mile or worse lashed out, placing the blame squarely on her short comings. Because honestly as she stormed into her bedroom to stare at the pristine bed she didn’t think she could bear to hear Vaughn list her flaws out loud, it would … Goddess it would break her in two.
Not pausing to think she swivelled on her sparkly sandals heading towards the closet door, slapping her palm down she envisioned her room back home at the Sanctuary. Her cosy, far as she could get from Vaughn, room. Where she could climb into her own bed, pull the covers over her head and sleep until this whole mess went away. Avoidance thy name is Hadleigh Valhalla.
Opening the closet door she slammed in and then slammed out, wincing at the early afternoon sun streaming in through the large bedroom windows. Damn she’d forgotten about the time difference. Oh well, yanking off her sandals she walked over the sun warmed floorboards to close the curtains on both windows. Her jeans were next then the gold top that didn’t even belong to her, bra and knickers were kicked to the corner, she’d tidy up later. For now she climbed under the sunshine yellow sheets and pulled a pillow over her head.
* * *
It was a brusque and humourless briefing. Vaughn rattled off orders. He wanted Xander found, Serena tracked down and he wanted it done yesterday. Enough with someone taking magical pot shots at the team. Enough with not knowing what was going on. He wanted answers and by Maat he was going to get some.
In the back of his mind Vaughn was aware of the wary looks his team were sending him. But he ignored them and kept his focus. Because if he lost his focus right now he was going to explode, he was that fucking angry. If he hadn’t locked his knees and spine he was sure he’d be vibrating with the amount of adrenalin currently surging through his limbs, beating at his skin, screaming for release.
With the men dismissed only Drum remained, his midnight black eyes boring into him, seeing so much. “You okay V?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you have a time machine and some castration tools.”
“So it’s not Hadleigh you’re angry with?”
“Maat no.” Never.
“Don’t take this the wrong way V but your head’s up your ass.”
Vaughn’s eyes narrowed. “How can I not take that the wrong way?”
“Look I don’t know what’s going on, other than the Xander/Serena stuff but when you climbed in the van tonight you were radiating anger. I think you singed the leather seats. But did you take a moment to look at Hadleigh? She looked like her best friend had just taken a lead pipe and smacked her down and she was thinking about not getting up again.”
Another wave of anger coursed through Vaughn, not aimed at all those fuckers out there who had hurt Hadleigh over the years but this time at himself. “Ahh shit.” He winced, Maat he could be a tool. He’d been so caught up in trying to control the killing rage that had threatened to swamp him at the thought of Hadleigh being so badly mistreated that he hadn’t even thought about how she might misconstrue his abruptness. “I’m going to have to go fix something, it might take a while.”