Thursday's Child

by Jolie Mason

  It was six AM now, and she was just waiting for Gray to emerge from his room.

  It had been a long two days in ridiculously close quarters. When at first she'd been able to deny the attraction existed at all, she'd been fine.

  However, there was no denial now. Two days of conversation ending with lingering looks had taken a toll on her resistance. Their words seemed different now, more double edged, and an accidental touch nearly set the place on fire once or twice.

  Thursday sipped coffee and pulled at the ponytail on her head. This was very uncomfortable.

  She didn't experience things like this, and the moment she did, it figured it would be with a witness in a criminal investigation. Hurricane Hayden leaves destruction in her wake yet again. Whatever she did now, there was a likelihood she was going to get burned.

  His bedroom door, the one she'd been staring at for over an hour, opened and out he came; no shirt, no shoes, and there was that intense little look that settled a knot of fear down in her stomach, the one that drew her to him and made her want to run.

  "Hey, they think they found the audio, maybe."

  He just stood there.

  "Did you hear that? It's almost over." Her faux enthusiasm fooled no one. "So, how did you sleep?"

  He approached her slowly. "I didn't. I haven't since this started."

  She berated herself. He had the stress of being a target and a witness to deal with, and she was walking on eggshells about finding him attractive. God, Thursday get a clue, she scolded herself.

  "I'm sorry. That's completely understandable," she told him. "You've had a lot to deal with this week. Want some coffee?" She reached for a coffee cup.

  Hayden was so distracted by appearing unaffected she didn't notice that he had kept coming, moved closer and closer, until she felt the heat of him at her back. She sat on a barstool frozen at the feel of that heat, until he said behind her, "I can't stop thinking about you, Detective. I should be worried about dying, righting all these wrongs I've done, but, instead, I'm lying in the dark wondering what you taste like."

  Hayden felt her mouth go dry as he turned her to face him. She was face to face with the reality she'd been trying to fight since the first day. "I...."

  His chest rose and fell unevenly beneath the hands she'd put up to ward him off, or so she told herself even as her nails curled lightly into the flesh of his chest. He was like a sun, burning her, drawing her in to destroy her and make her new.

  "I can't get involved here," she choked out past the lump in her throat.

  "Neither can I," he said in a whisper, but his mouth was descending toward hers slowly, inexorably. Maybe time had slowed. It felt like being trapped in some kind of stasis field of their own.

  Then, he kissed her. Hayden felt a focused click as her body acquired a target, and it was him. Everything he did; the curl of his tongue in her mouth, his breath mingling with hers, the press of his firm body, it all had her complete attention. She was locked on. His hand cupped the back of her head to bring her closer, deepening the kiss until she lost track of everything around her, only to pull away at the last moment before complete oblivion.

  Hayden breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though she'd managed to elude something dangerous.

  She looked at him through a daze of hazy pleasure and fear. It was beyond a doubt the most amazing and confusing kiss of her life, and she thanked God it was over.

  "Now, I know," he said in a pained voice. "I can tell, Hayden. I'm gonna regret you for my whole miserable life."

  She knew what he meant. If they acted on it, she knew it could mean a disaster the likes of which she'd never yet created. If they didn't, she would always wonder, always want to know.

  But, what was that tiny regret over all the big ones that this could cause? If she didn't keep her mind on this case and off her witness, the witness could die. She could die, or get somebody killed.

  Or, it could work out, and that seemed even more terrifying.

  He seemed to draw the same conclusions because when her comm dinged again, he stepped away, went to the coffee machine and poured a cup without ever turning around to look at her once.

  "Yeah," she said in a sour voice.

  "Risen's giving us a ninety three percent probability that the file is the one we need."

  "Well, damn," she said. "Risen gave us a straight answer based on a probability. The end is nigh."

  Ace snorted. "I know, right? Well, what is the plan now? This is your show, kid."

  She darted her eyes toward Gray, and said to Ace, "I've had all night to think about that. He's not going to just hand himself to us. I'm thinking we get a decoy in here for Dr. Kerry, then leak our next safe house location and transfer time."

  "You wanna play bait?" Ace didn't sound happy, but she knew he was expecting her to bring it up because there weren't any other options beyond waiting to see if he killed again. And, he wouldn't. He'd want to lay low and find Gray. There was too much risk of getting caught now that he'd made a few mistakes.

  "Damn it, Hayden!" She could see Ace on the vid rubbing his head and making his hair stand up in spikes. She almost laughed, but she knew better.

  "I know. I'm a trial to both you and Mary, but I'm right. We have no solid leads on his whereabouts. He's too good for that, and, when we get the genetics to link this man to the murders, we'll have the case solved, but we still won't know a thing about the ones running the research trials. We need him alive, and the best way to accomplish that is with a trap and plenty of manpower."

  "Let me start setting things up. You're going to be the death of me, you know that?"

  She laughed. "More likely, you'll end up serving time for killing me in a fit of pique."

  "Truth," he said and ended the comm.

  She looked up to see her imminent demise in yet another man's gaze. "A decoy? You're planning on putting someone in who looks like me to risk his life and yours on the off chance that Tanner won't know it's not me."

  "Well, yeah," she said. "But it sounded smarter when I said it."

  "He's going to know, and he's going to kill you. Then, he'll come looking for me anyway. Tanner is basically a machine at this point. He can calculate height, distance, weight; all of it exactly, just from a visual. It was part of his implant. It has to be me."

  She sighed. "You're going to get yourself killed."

  "If you fail, I'm going to die anyway. Probably, horribly."

  Hayden climbed off the stool and made her way into the foyer where her jacket and holster were draped over a chair. She shrugged into the straps and secured her weapon, not a stunner this time. She suspected this suspect was uniquely qualified to avoid a stun. She imagined there was a program for it.

  Gray had gone very quiet himself. She caught him staring at her and still holding his steaming coffee. "What?" she demanded.

  He stammered, "Nothing, really. That was just...." He swallowed thickly.

  Hayden fought off the urge to strangle him. He might be right, but he didn't have to be so cocky about it when he was. She hadn't factored in Tanner's cyber components. The man had abilities that surpassed her meager planning skills. She'd just wanted Gray removed form the line of fire, and he'd seen through her play and stopped her with logic. That sent her into fits, as Mary called it.

  "Just what, Gray?" The irritation bled through, although she was trying not to let it.

  "Distracting. That was just distracting is all." He didn't sound cocky now. In fact, she felt like she should apologize, but she had literally no idea for what.

  "I'll go get dressed," he said.

  Then, he was gone, and Thursday stood there half terrified because he'd found her distracting and half relieved that she'd managed to resist him.

  *

  Hayden stood there in the foyer trying to be thankful that he'd turn all of his intensity another direction. She really tried.

  But, it bugged her.

  She followed him into his room without knocking, and he'd just sh
rugged on a shirt. It hung open over his shoulders. Now, who was distracted?

  "What is wrong with you?" she demanded loudly.

  His whole body tensed at the sound of her voice, and he had that arrogant, cold stance that both irritated her and made her want to kiss him.

  "What is wrong with you?"

  "I'm one of the lead detectives on your case. This...," she waved between the two of them. "Cannot happen."

  "I know."

  "Then, why is it still happening?"

  "I don't know."

  She sat down on the edge of the bed. She could see him buttoning down his feelings as he was buttoning his shirt, while her feelings wanted desperately to explode out of her and all over the room in a huge ball of attraction, frustration, fear and exhilaration.

  She looked up at him, curiosity killing her. "What the hell is the attraction, Doctor? I would picture a smart guy like you looking for a brain or a socialite or both."

  He sat next to her, and took her hand where it rested on her thigh. "Hurricane Hayden."

  "Able to wipe out small cities in a single pass," she said.

  "There are a lot of ways in which you aren't what you think you are."

  "Right back at ya," she returned.

  "Can I tell you what the attraction is? Would you hear me?"

  She nodded and swallowed hard. It could be painful, but she could take it. Pain might help her put this whole thing down.

  "The world I come from... No, the world that I built for myself is well-ordered, quiet, tame. I liked it that way. I dated academics mostly. You're right there, but you're usually right on people, aren't you?"

  His thumb played up and down on her wrist. "Then, you blew in and all of that became colorless, boring." He moved closer. "I doubt I will look at any woman the same again."

  "You are controlled chaos, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he finished.

  "Oh, wow," she murmured. "You are good with the words, aren't you?"

  She breathed in deeply and told them both again, "If I don't focus, you could die. The people working with me could die. Someone could die."

  He had leaned in, while she had her eyes closed in a centering breath she'd learned in meditation classes once. She opened them to take him in. His eyes were closed as he appeared to be lost in the scent of her hair. It was impossible to look away, but she did. She moved back as well.

  "And there's that control again," he whispered. "Do you know how sexy that is?"

  She shook her head. "It's not the control that's sexy. It's the idea of breaking it that you like. I'm not going to be the reason you get killed."

  She put the steel back in her voice on the last statement. She was a police detective, and they were still charged to protect and serve as they had been for centuries.

  "Everything hinges on keeping you and Tanner Murphy alive," she said firmly. "That is my job."

  "I know," he said.

  "So, why am I still sitting here letting you hold my hand?"

  "I don't know," he said with a smile.

  Her comm dinged. She looked at her wrist. "It's Ace," she told him.

  She answered the comm. "What's going on?"

  "Hey, kid. Thought you might want a wake up call."

  She laughed without any mirth in it whatsoever. "You're right."

  "It's just me out here in the van. No one else heard it."

  "Thank you," she said in relief.

  Standing, she ended the comm. "This isn't going to come up again. We're adults, and this is too important to screw up."

  He smiled at her from his place on the end of the bed. "Oh, it will come up again... after. I'm good with the words, remember?"

  He stood to face her. "I told you before I would regret you my whole miserable life. That's probably still true, but I don't want that to be a regret at having never really known you. I'm going to try again, just not when we're both about to be shot at or thrown in a river."

  She smiled in spite of herself. "Tell you what, you catch me on a day when no one's trying to kill me, and we'll call that a date."

  "Deal."

  *

  The escort car was due any time, as she and Gray waited in the front hallway away from any windows that might invite a sniper's bullet. The safe house had genetic security, so only a few select MPD staff had access. In theory, anyone coming through that door had to be a friend, but this case was making her even more paranoid about technology and its limits.

  So, Hayden stood near the door with her gun drawn as she waited. To pass the time, she let her thoughts sift out loud as she normally did.

  She'd become really comfortable with Gray in a short time that she would let him see her talk to herself. Ace was used to it, and so was Mary. They usually ignored her or listened in fascinated silence.

  "One thing's really bugging me. Why did he kill so horribly? Why stasis? Why all the cathartic brutality?" She paused to think over her questions as she normally would.

  "I have a theory, if you care to hear it," he answered grimly.

  He leaned on a phone stand holding fake flowers, since no one was ever here to water real ones. "I think that part has to do with Dr. Macy's work on the bionics. There's been buzz that theories were surfacing. Theories that the human brain could be overridden through the bionic implants were mostly being laughed off as fantasy, but it's possible, maybe."

  "You don't sound certain."

  "I'm not certain of anything these days, but Macy was capable, driven and keeping secrets from me. It's possible that they've done more than erase Tanner. It's likely they've made him someone else or messed with his basic psychology by changing brain patterns. In this case, he's a perfect fall guy, a guilty man."

  "My god, that's frightening. So, they programed the brutality into it to make him a believable murderer?"

  "It's a theory," he replied.

  They said nothing more, and both just stood waiting in their own thoughts. They remained like that, until the doorbell chimed and Hayden stepped up, gun at the ready, to see who it was.

  She pressed the approval key in, and opened the door to their ride.

  "Damien, how did you pull the crap job?" She smiled at the big, balding man who'd been ready to retire about two years ago, but he'd stayed on as a consulting detective.

  "You know, I'm in between fishing trips, kid."

  And just like that, Hayden felt calm drift over her. She wasn't safe, but she was protected. Ace had sent Damien because he was the best, because they had a history and he was a trusted friend. They were stacking the deck in her favor, and she felt that focus she'd been missing since she met Gray slide back and lock into place.

  "He tell you the plan?" she asked with a smile.

  "You mean, the crazy, stupid plan where I keep your ass out of the fire while you dangle it over. Yeah, I heard that plan. What is wrong with you anyway?"

  She laughed. "Word is I was dropped a lot as a baby."

  "That I believe," he said jovially and then spotting Gray stuck a hand out. "I'm Detective Damien Lance, retired."

  "Dr. Gray Kerry."

  "How's perimeter reports so far?" Hayden asked while holstering her weapon and moving out to the front door.

  "We've put extra detail on at this end hoping to force him to engage at arrival."

  She looked at Lance. "You think that will work?"

  "I took a stab. If he's got military or paramilitary training, then he's gonna look for a weakness. That weakness is going to be at the arrival point now, keeping him out of populated neighborhoods. Escort cars are going to peel off at the gate. The compound has only robotic droid security which I am told is no stop to your boy. If he follows a play book, he'll hit you there, even if he suspects something. He's on a clock."

  "All right. Let's go. I can't stand waiting."

  They drove outside the Borough and into the next, passing multiple, much safer locations as they attempted to lead their suspect to the decoy site, but Murphy wouldn't know that. He'd be co
nvinced this was a legitimate protection transfer, she hoped. If not, maybe Lance was right, and he'd try anyway.

  She was so jumpy that Hayden hated to admit she lost track of their location on their dark ride. She and Gray were in the backseat like good little protectees. At some point, she felt his hand creep over to hers and lock it in his.

  She met his eyes. He knew she was nervous, and the mixture of emotions on his face were impossible to translate in the dim light of the consoles, instead she merely squeezed his hand and held on. In a little while, they'd either be successful or dead. Why not live a little? What could hand holding hurt?

  As planned, the escort car peeled away just before they entered an already open gated compound. High, brick walls ringed the entire grounds which weren't as large as one might assume from the fortress-like exterior.

  Once they stopped, Lance and the other officer she didn't know exited and did a sweep. She and Gray were then taken inside where they would play at everything being perfectly normal until someone tried to kill them.

  They'd know in a few hours if their killer had taken the bait.

  Thursday occupied herself making sandwiches, the only thing she could feasibly cook at all, as they waited. Each of the men popped a drink and chatted while she put bread and meat together to make dinner. She couldn't boil water, but she could make a mean sandwich.

  Check in came and went many times, and Gray was looking pretty green from where she stood. She got on her scrambled comm. "Aces, any sign of pests?"

  He was in the gatehouse of the compound across the street. "Not yet. Whoa, spoke too soon."

  "What have we got?"

  "Security protocols have been lifted on the droid system. The mouse took the cheese."

  She caught Damien's eye. "Here we go."

  Hayden pulled out her weapon to put it on the counter beside her and waited, while the other two men each took an entrance. Ace spoke calmly in her comm again. "Exterior cameras down. Capture unit taking up positions."

  "How's our secondary system?"

  Ace paused a moment. "Working beautifully. Interior cameras are down. This guy moves fast. Secondary visual puts him at the gardeners entrance. Damien owes me fifty bucks."