by Abby Blake
The woman stepped closer to the bed. “Davin, it’s me. I’m fine. That day, I didn’t realize it was you, but you’re the one who told the professor I was dead, aren’t you? You saved my life.”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Mine too,” he admitted. “I’m pretty sure he would’ve ordered me to shoot you otherwise, and I would never have been able to live with myself. I’m just glad help got to you on time. I’m so sorry we couldn’t help you more.”
“Pffft,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “It’s over and done with. How do you know Alana?”
“We tried to protect her, too, but she was a ‘test subject’ so we didn’t have much access to her. She disappeared soon after the professor implanted her with an embryo,” Darrick answered.
Jenna just nodded. It seemed obvious that she’d met her twin sister, but it appeared that she wasn’t going to give them any more information than was absolutely necessary. “Jason says we have the same father—the professor?”
“Yes,” Darrick said, rubbing his forehead like a headache had just started. “We’re not sure what happened to our mother, or yours either, but we think your genetic mother’s name was Lydia. Is Jason the doctor who disappeared several months ago from the professor’s medical labs?”
“Yes. And he’s my brother. Yours, too, if the genetic tests are accurate.” Jenna smiled, glanced at her wrist, and checked the time. “Look, I’ve got a plane to catch and bags to pack and kids to organize. I’ve got to go.” She looked awkward, like she wanted to say something else, but after a moment’s hesitation she turned and left the room.
Davin watched her go, the urge to grin countered only by the weakness he felt. She might have been wearing a wedding dress, but that was definitely the Jenna they remembered.
As soon as she walked out the door, Sandra and Jason walked in. Panic stole through Davin’s heart as memories of the vision he’d seen when he touched Sandra once again flickered through his mind. But it hadn’t been a vision. It had been a memory. Something that had already happened. Davin wanted to shake his head to clear it, but considering the headache that was brewing behind his eyes, it seemed more prudent to lie still.
“Welcome back,” Sandra said with a wide grin.
“How are you feeling?” Jason asked.
“Like I got run over by a truck. Why can’t I talk?”
“The aneurysm was close to the part of the brain that controls speech. We managed to repair most of the damage, but the human brain is extremely complex. We’re hoping the numbness you’re feeling is temporary. If not, you’ll need some time in a rehabilitation facility so you can learn how to talk again.”
Fucking great. The professor’s final gift—months of rehab.
“Jenna said we’re related.” Darrick was obviously trying to figure friend from foe, but Davin could sense his underlying concern that they were somehow related to Sandra. Considering the fascination that they were both feeling toward the pretty blonde, finding out she was their sister could lead to a big disappointment. Although, at this moment they should probably be worrying more about their immediate futures than any sort of sexual attraction.
“Yes, Jenna and I and the rest of our sisters share the same mother and father. We just had no idea who our father was until you filled us in. I’ve got to say that even though I’m not completely surprised, I’d been hoping otherwise.”
“Us, too. You can imagine dear old dad’s disappointment when we were born without extraordinary talents.” Darrick laughed in a way that made it clear it wasn’t really funny. “That’s probably when he got the idea to use Lydia. We’re not sure what happened to her. As children we used to be allowed the occasional visit, but she was moved to a different facility around our tenth birthday, and we haven’t heard of her since.”
“There might be some information about her in the files I stole.” Davin hadn’t really meant to mention that. He had planned to use the files as leverage to hopefully gain his and his brother’s freedom, but it somehow seemed more important to find the woman and introduce her to her children.
Jason gave him an assessing look, almost as if he could see every thought in Davin’s head. Hell, considering he was Lydia’s son, he probably could. She’d been extraordinarily talented and had spent time teaching him and Darrick how to communicate telepathically. Without her they probably would never have been able to access that particular skill.
“Lydia is safe. She was rescued some time ago. So was Alana.” As he spoke, Jason placed his hands on Davin’s head. At first Davin thought Jason was checking the wound. After brain surgery he’d surely have stitches and a hole in his skull, but Jason simply held still for a moment. Unbelievably, Davin’s headache receded quite noticeably. “You’ll undoubtedly meet Theresa before the day is over, and well, Dana makes Jenna look like a sweetheart, so you might want to wait until you’re feeling a little stronger before meeting her.”
“Hey, that’s my sister-in-law you’re talking about,” Sandra said with a wide grin.
“And no,” Jason said with a smile that suggested he was about to impart some secret information, “Sandra is not one of our sisters, and she’s single.”
“Good to know,” Darrick said with a genuine grin as Jason left the room.
* * * *
It was probably really very stupid in light of their current situation, but no matter how rational he tried to be Darrick couldn’t shake his attraction to this woman. Physically she was everything he’d ever wanted, but it was more than that. Her personality, body language, and sweet voice all appealed to him. The trouble was that a small part of him screamed that she was too good to be true. They were in the enemy camp, being held as prisoners but somehow being treated like family.
Considering how much he and Davin had wanted to be part of a real family, it would be a very effective weapon to wield against them.
Sandra blushed prettily as Jason left the room, and Darrick was momentarily distracted by the fascinating sight. She was beautiful, and she was still here. She didn’t seem to be medical staff, so that would most likely make her a field agent.
And that brought him full circle. If she were an agent, she was probably here working undercover, trying to pry all their secrets out of them before they locked them up and threw away the key.
“What do you want?” The question came out more aggressively than he’d really intended, but his cock was throbbing, and his balls were aching, and he couldn’t think of anything more ridiculous than being handcuffed to a bed and having a hard erection.
Well, that might be a little more fun if Sandra were the one handcuffed to the bed and he and Davin were doing the interrogating.
He closed his eyes, trying to stem the tide of erotic images washing through his brain. This was exactly what The Agency wanted. To have him so distracted that he would tell them everything and demand nothing in return.
He smirked a little when he realized the sum total of what he and Davin knew was probably a whole lot less than these people were expecting. They may have been the professor’s eldest sons, but they were also his biggest disappointments. Anything they knew of any value they’d learned trying to undermine the professor, not assist him.
“Believe it or not, I have no clue why I’m here,” Sandra said with a shrug. “So as for what I want, I can’t explain. I just feel like I need to be here.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Davin sent to him privately.
He had no idea how his brother would know that—they were average empaths and telepaths at best—but he took his brother’s words at face value. “So you’re not here working to try and pry secrets from us that we don’t know?”
Sandra shook her head, a slightly bemused smile gracing those beautiful lips. “I was trying to avoid being the only single at a wedding reception filled with happily married couples and triples. Somehow I ended up here.” She leaned over and touched Davin’s hand where it was handcuffed to the bed. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
* * * *
It happened again. The moment Sandra touched him, Davin’s brain went into some sort of download mode, and he ended up with thousands of pictures dancing in his head. They seemed to be something like computerized images of her life, of her memories.
At least this time the influx seemed more controlled, and when he concentrated, he found he could sift through the images and somehow watch and call up related video-type files at will. He stopped the image that had concerned him before and watched the whole event play out from Sandra’s point of view. Jason had risked his life to save her by letting her go before the professor could have her murdered. Davin fast-forwarded the images until he came to one where Jason had rescued a child—Sandra’s niece—and returned her to her family.
On and on the images rolled through his brain, giving him insight into this incredible woman and the way she’d lived her life. She was telling the truth. She had no idea why she was here, but like him and Darrick, she felt an attraction she couldn’t deny. Even in his weakened state he felt his cock rise with interest.
“Davin,” Darrick called sharply. “Davin!”
Sandra leaned over and touched his face. “It’s okay. Hang on, Davin. Jason’s on his way. He’ll be able to help.”
The meaning of their words finally sank into his brain, and he released her hand, jerking his arm away from her touch, wrenching his wrist painfully against the metal cuff. He opened his mouth, but again the words wouldn’t form on his tongue. He switched to telepathy.
“I’m all right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”
“What the fuck was that?” Darrick asked out loud. He must have scared the hell out of his brother because Darrick wasn’t even trying to hide his shock.
“I think that was the result of the professor’s ‘vitamin’ shot.” He hoped like hell this new skill was accurate because he’d already decided to trust Sandra and Jason. He was still undecided about The Agency as a whole, but these two people had shown by their past actions that they were honorable people. That was assuming of course that he was actually reading her memories and wasn’t completely delusional.
“What happened?” Jason asked as he placed his hands lightly on the top of Davin’s head.
“I think I just downloaded all of Sandra’s memories.”
“You did what?” Oh yeah, he probably should’ve phrased that more tactfully. A woman as private as Sandra wouldn’t be happy about her memories being raided without permission. But already the possibilities were starting to sink into his brain. If this skill was accurate, he suddenly had the ability to take whatever knowledge he wanted from whomever he wanted.
He closed his eyes as the moral ramifications started to crowd his brain. Was he any better than his father? Taking information without a person’s permission had to be about as invasive as a skill could get. He knew Sandra had a well-developed telepathic block in her head, but the moment she’d touched him it had been completely useless against his skill.
“I’m sorry, Sandra,” he said telepathically, knowing the apology was too little and far too late, but he had no idea how to reverse what he already knew.
It took Davin a whole other minute to realize that Jason was touching his head, but there wasn’t any sense of being able to download anything from him.
“Whatever happened, it doesn’t seem to have undone any of the repairs we did in surgery.”
“How can you tell that just from touching him?” Darrick asked belligerently. His brother looked a little pale, but Davin had no idea how to reassure him.
“Because I can heal using my telekinesis.”
Darrick fell back into his seat. He didn’t even seem to notice the way he wrenched his wrist against the handcuff. Jason glanced over to Darrick’s rapidly bruising wrist and then back at Sandra. Davin got the impression that they were conferring telepathically with someone else.
Sandra moved toward the bed, pulled a small key from her pocket, and undid the cuff on Darrick’s wrist. “Davies—he’s the head of our division—has decided that neither of you present an immediate danger. We’ll figure out some accommoda—” She cut off midsentence as she argued telepathically with whoever was talking to her. She rolled her eyes, mumbled the word “fine,” and then started again. “Accommodation is being arranged as we speak. Davies is setting you up in a safe house not far from here.”
Jason laughed softly as Sandra shot him a look of absolute disgust. She moved to undo the handcuff on Davin’s wrist, and he noticed she carefully avoided touching him. But Jason wasn’t so cautious. He held out his hand, and Davin hesitated a moment before attempting to clasp his hand for a brief shake. But Jason held on. “Welcome to the family,” he said as he used his skill to heal the small bruise on Davin’s wrist from the handcuff.
But as soon as Jason stopped using his healing ability, the download of his memories began. Davin wrenched his hand away, unwilling to intrude on someone else’s memories without permission.
Jason nodded as if he understood exactly what had happened. He placed his hand on Davin’s shoulder, nodded, and then moved to the end of the bed and touched his foot. Nothing happened.
“Sandra, it might be an idea to organize some gloves for Davin before he leaves here. It’ll be more comfortable for him if he doesn’t accidentally use his new skill.”
Davin nodded his thanks. Whatever Jason’s skills were, it was obvious that he was far more talented than the professor had understood. Davin was fairly certain the old man hadn’t even realized Jason was one of his own offspring.
“Okay,” Sandra said, sounding resigned. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Davin watched her leave. Safe house? Why the hell were they being moved to a safe house? Weren’t they considered the enemy here? “What do you make of all that?”
“No clue,” Darrick answered. “But this has been one majorly fucked-up day.” Davin chuckled telepathically, his face and jaw still seeming not quite right.
“Get some sleep,” Darrick said out loud. “I’ll wake you if anything interesting happens.”
Chapter Four
Sandra checked the surveillance equipment one more time. She’d known when Davies had offered her the use of this home—a safe house owned by The Agency—that it was a possibility that she’d have guests from time to time. It had seemed a fair trade-off for free rent. Dana, Pete, and John hadn’t wanted her to move out, but with a second baby on the way their place had started to feel a little crowded.
Yet Sandra hadn’t expected roommates that were not only good looking and sexy as hell, but also two men she felt more attraction for than for any other man on the planet. Frustration from last night’s broken sleep still rode her emotions, and she tried to channel that into something more positive. So far it wasn’t working. Her home was well secured but not overly large. At least it was fully furnished. She would have had a serious problem if the other rooms hadn’t contained beds. Of course that thought brought her back to last night’s amazingly erotic dreams, and her body softened as memories once again filled her head.
Damn it all to hell.
“Is everyone finished?” she asked telepathically, not bothering to hide her irritation. She adjusted the camera angle on one of the remote feeds and listened absently as the three agents who’d been busy installing extra surveillance equipment checked in.
The worst part about all this was that she had no idea how long they would be staying or how long she’d be able to hide her attraction. It hadn’t escaped her memory that Rick and Zane had been ordered to accommodate Jenna and ended up in love with the woman. If Sandra’s boss thought that was going to happen this time, then he wasn’t the highly skilled precog she’d given him credit for. She knew her future, and it wasn’t being a baby maker for a couple of men.
This had to be the worst fucking assignment she’d ever been given. She’d be working twenty-four-seven to keep two men safe from an unknown threat. With the professor in custody Sandra couldn’t even im
agine who’d be coming after them. She could only assume that Davies’s concern had something to do with the new ability Davin had developed. She’d never even heard of that type of skill.
She still blushed as she wondered what exactly Davin had seen. He’d explained last night as she’d sat by his bed that he retained none of the memories he’d taken from her. He only had his memories of what he’d seen in her head. As far as she could understand that meant he only had the memories that he’d specifically looked at. Now if she could just find out which ones those were.
Her cell phone rang, and she flicked it open, already knowing it would be Pete. He and Ethan were transporting Davin and Darrick to her home. If that wasn’t an indication of just how serious Davies considered the threat against them, nothing was. “We’re leaving the hospital now,” Pete said without preamble. “Is everything in place?”
“Yes,” she said, feeling annoyed that he would ask. She wasn’t just his older sister. She was also the senior agent.
He chuckled, the jerk, and closed the telephone connection. It wouldn’t take long for them to be in telepathic range, and she fully expected the smug attitude to continue. Her brother’s behavior just added to her frustration. She’d been assigned to do a job. Davies had been the one to insist that she sleep in the room between the bedrooms she’d set up for Davin and Darrick so that she had instant access via the connecting doors if the need arose. But her family acted like she was on some sort of date.
She wasn’t.
She had a job to do.
No matter how hot the brothers were. Or how many times dreams of them had interrupted her sleep last night. Or even how she’d woken on the verge of orgasm several times as visions of her dream lovers taking her over and over still swirled in her head.
“Shit.” She ran her hand over her braid, making certain that her hair was in place and that she looked like the professional bodyguard she was and not the wedding guest they’d seen her as yesterday. Her hand shook as memories of what her dream lovers had done to her while wearing that dress invaded her mind once more. Hell, maybe she should have grabbed her vibrator last night, but at the time she’d been annoyed enough to deny her own need.