Bedeviled Angel

by Annette Miller

  Jack gave her a skeptical glance. “I just need to rest and let all the beautiful nurses come and take care of me.” He took her hand, pressing a small kiss to the back of it. “You wouldn’t want me to get up too soon and have a relapse, would you?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “I knew it. You’re a typical male who needs to be babied constantly.”

  He pulled her down next to him. “Only if you’re volunteering.”

  “Pick me,” she whispered just before kissing him lightly.

  “Hey, you two, break it up,” Frank said from the doorway. He led Amy into the room and let her sit in the chair by the bed. He made sure she was comfortable and didn’t need anything before turning to Jack, who watched him with open amusement.

  Amy grinned. “I keep telling him I’m not made of glass. I’m fine. I’ve been fine, but he won’t leave me alone.”

  “I just want to make sure she doesn’t overtire herself,” Frank said, sounding a little more than slightly defensive.

  “How did you guys find me?” Jack asked, deciding to ignore Frank’s adoring looks at Amy and Amy’s pink cheeks every time he did.

  “Rena telepathically called me,” Amy said. “She said she thought you’d feel better if we were here with you.”

  Jack glanced at Misty. “Did you know about this?” he asked her.

  Misty shook her head. “Rena really does care, Jack. For all her quirks, she knows what people need.”

  “I just can’t believe she would do this for me,” Jack said, his voice low. “I mean, she made no secret of her dislike for me.”

  “I think it was more because she thought you hurt me,” Misty said. “She’s kind of over-protective.”

  Jack just nodded and took Amy’s hand. “This means the world to us.”

  “I’ll let you guys have some time and check on you later.” Misty kissed him again and left.

  Jack watched her leave then turned to his friends. They’d been so close and now, things were going to get ugly for the whole team. He wanted to tell them everything would work out the way they wanted, but he was sick of lies.

  “How are things progressing?”

  Frank shook his head. “Not good. No one on the street is talking.” He paused. “Everyone’s gone.”

  Jack trembled, a deep, internal chill pushing its way out to his skin. “What about Mexico? Is he safe?”

  Amy smiled. “He’s safe. The more people stopped talking, the more he knew something was wrong. He’s at the country house.” She wrinkled her nose. “And I told him to burn those rags he wears. They reek.”

  Jack grinned, knowing Mexico would probably have argued, but eventually would’ve done it. Nobody told Amy no. He looked up. “Frank, I need you to find Cyber-X.”

  Frank’s eyes opened wide. “Are you sure? Wasn’t he trying to bring you in recently?”

  “Yes, but we’ve established a sort of truce, and we need help.” Jack turned to Amy. “My girl, you’ve got the harder job.”

  She sat forward. “What? I’ll do anything to help.”

  Jack squeezed her hand. “The head of ULTRA is coming by today to talk to me. I want you to talk to him, too. You know more about the paper trail than any of us.”

  Frank began to pace. “Are you sure about this guy? How do you know you can trust him?”

  “Rena requested Michael not do anything until he had the full story. As a telepath, she’d have known if he couldn’t be trusted. I think we have more allies in this than we first believed.”

  “Ha! I told you so,” Frank said, grinning wide when Jack just scowled at him.

  “Jack?” Amy asked quietly. “What happens to you now?”

  He had thought long and hard about what would happen to him, and he had no illusions about his fate. “I’m probably looking at life in the HighPower Containment Facility or possible execution.”

  Amy choked back a small sob. “After all you’ve done to protect them? They wouldn’t.”

  “They would,” he said quietly. “I don’t know what Commander Frailer’s going to say when he hears our story, but we’ve got to face the fact I’m not a free man anymore.”

  Amy kissed his cheek. “We know, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.” She stood back, taking Frank’s hand. “We’ll let you get some rest. See you later.”

  He lay back, letting the silence enfold him. The day he’d been waiting for had finally arrived and he had nothing. All he had was his word and that hadn’t been trusted for years. Would the ULTRA commander believe him? Jack closed his eyes and prayed the answer was yes.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Rena arrived in the late morning with a bag of clothes for Misty. The two sat in the Challengers’ kitchen, sipping orange juice.

  Misty ran her hand down the side of the glass. “Frank and Amy are with him.” She glanced at Rena. “That was really decent of you to call them.”

  The red-head grinned. “Yeah, I know. I figured better to have them here than have Jack trying to run off to contact them.”

  Misty punched her lightly on the arm. “You did it because you’re a nice person.”

  “I’m going to ignore that,” Rena said. “Speaking of Jack, how’s our little patient this morning?”

  “He looks a hundred percent better than last night. He should be back on his feet soon and back in action by the end of next week.”

  Rena whistled. “That’s a serious healing factor.”

  They clinked glasses, toasting Jack’s returning health. Misty looked at her friend. “Jack’s confused about why you went through so much to get him back. I mean, I love him. I’m supposed to do things like that, not you.”

  “Good,” Rena said. “A little uncertainty is good for him.”

  Misty shook her head. “I think he might be wanting you now instead of me.”

  Rena narrowed her eyes as she glanced at Misty. “You’d better be kidding. I already told you, I don’t want him.”

  Misty shrugged. “He keeps talking about you. How do I know he isn’t having second thoughts about me and our relationship?”

  “How about the fact that I was the middle man while you guys weren’t speaking?” Rena drummed her fingers on the table. “You know, I’m ready to strangle both of you. He loves you. You love him. Why can’t the two of you leave me out of it?”

  Misty stood. “I’m going to check in with Cap. You coming?”

  “No. I’ve got something else that needs to be seen to.”

  Rena marched down to Jack’s room and flung open the door. “I really don’t need this,” she said, trying hard not to shout. “What exactly is your problem?”

  Jack watched Rena stomp over to him. “What do you want? I swear I’ve seen more of you than I have of Misty, lately.”

  Rena leaned close and scowled. “And whose fault is that? Do something to reassure Misty, or I swear, I’ll knock some more sense in there. Is that what you want?”

  Jack frowned back at her. “You’re the telepath, you tell me.”

  “No,” she bit out. “It’d be like reading a children’s book.” She stepped back and folded her arms. “Misty thinks you’re getting the hots for me. You’re the only one who can set her straight.” She paused and stared at him. “So set her straight!”

  The two of them stared at each for several seconds before Jack looked away. “She can’t believe I’d give her up for you. No offense.”

  Rena grinned. “None taken. I’d kill you before the week was out. I know what you want to tell her. Let me get her for you. This needs to be done right now.” She patted his arm. “No more waiting, Jack. No more hesitation. Don’t lose her because you wanted to wait for the perfect moment.”

  Jack nodded. “You aren’t influencing me, are you?”

  Rena gave him a horrified look. “Me? Do something like that? You must have me confused with an unethical telepath.” She headed for the door, turned, and winked at him. “I’ll get Misty.”

  ****

  Jack stared at the ce
iling while he waited for Misty. Did Rena plant a suggestion in his mind to make him do this now? Unless she decided to tell him, he’d probably never know.

  “Rena said you needed to see me.” She hurried to his bed. “Are you in pain? What can I do?”

  Jack clutched her hand and knew, whether the telepath influenced him or not, she was right. “Red pushed me into doing this now. She said no more waiting. I wanted to see how things were going to play out, but she’s right. I have something to say and it needs to be said now.”

  Misty sat on his bed, waiting for him to continue. “What?”

  “Misty, I’ve loved you since I first saw you,” he said. “Please don’t doubt that.” He took a deep breath. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Misty blinked and stared at him. “You want to marry me?”

  He nodded. “You know what you’re getting. I’m a criminal, a mercenary, a cybernetic renegade, and I’m probably going to be in prison for the rest of my life. All I know is how much I love you, how much I need you.”

  He watched tears slip down her cheeks as she stared at him. “You’re all I’ve wanted since the day we met,” she said. “So, yes, ex-Field Commander Jack McClennan, I’ll marry you, and whatever the future holds, we’ll face it together.”

  He pulled her closer, and he ran his hand behind her neck then pulled her face to his. “Good,” he murmured against her lips. “As long as I have you, I can face anything.”

  Misty ran her hands over his chest and deepened the kiss they shared. She sighed when she felt his hand move up under her shirt, warming her bare skin. His touch climbed higher, skimming the bottom of her breast when the door opened.

  Rena walked in, and Jack recognized the man with her as ULTRA Commander Michael Frailer. He had seen pictures of him in the newspaper when he’d been installed as the new head of ULTRA. He’d also watched the ceremony on television.

  “Can you believe these two?” Rena said from the doorway. She winked at ULTRA’s commander, Michael Frailer. “Push them into getting together, and they’re all over each other.”

  Misty jumped off the bed and glared at her friend. “You did that on purpose, Red.”

  Rena just chuckled. “Paybacks are a bitch, my friend. And I still owe you a couple.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I’d like to hear the whole story on that one. But another day,” Michael said to Jack, then turned to the two Angels. “If you’ll excuse us?”

  “Sure thing,” Rena said. “Later, Jack.” She pushed Misty through the doorway.

  ****

  “I’m Michael Frailer, the current head of ULTRA,” he said, sticking out his hand. “Everyone just calls me Mike.” He grinned. “Or boss. And you’re the infamous Jack McClennan.”

  Jack shook his hand reluctantly. “That’s me.” He gestured to the bed. “Not a very impressive first meeting, is it?”

  Mike smiled and pulled papers out of his briefcase, arranging them on the bedside table. “A lot of agents still talk about you and your team, about how good you were. I don’t think the setting matters.” He glanced at a file. “Your ULTRA record has never been equaled.”

  “Thanks,” Jack mumbled.

  Mike glanced at him. “Relax. There’s more to this case than what appears on the surface. Hopefully, we’ll get everything sorted out the way it should be.” He shuffled some papers into a different order. “Now, it says you insisted that a hidden group was behind everything you were accused of. Care to elaborate?”

  Jack closed his eyes. “George Fenmore, Donald Harrington, and their entire teams. Anita Haines. She was my team telepath but now she works for them. I killed most of the team members when I escaped the hospital.”

  Mike made several notes while Jack talked, but stopped and looked up at him. “You’re admitting to murder?”

  “Unless I’m honest with you, you’ll have no reason to trust me.” He pushed himself up higher in the bed. “I tried to get as many as I could when I broke out. I stole my ULTRA armor and assembled my team.”

  Mike shook his head. “And I put Fenmore in charge of the panel to find you,” he muttered. “No wonder you didn’t want to come to me. I’m so sorry.”

  Jack nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. That the commander would apologize, told him volumes about the man’s character.

  “Do you know what happened to your original evidence?” Mike asked.

  “I was told they kept it to remind themselves not to slip up again.” He glanced at Mike. “That’s all my team and I were to them—a slip up—a mistake that needed to be corrected.”

  “Can you give me the names of your team members?” Mike asked as he pulled a fresh sheet of paper out from the bottom of the stack.

  Jack nodded. He didn’t want to, but Mike would need to talk to them to corroborate his story. “My network has grown over the years. My two main agents are here. I’d like to shield them, but I can’t, can I?’

  Mike shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ll involve them as little as possible. To stay with you this long, to go through what they have, I’ll not ask them to break their loyalty or their promises to you.”

  “Good enough,” Jack said. “Everything they did, they did because I asked them to. They were acting under direct orders from their field commander. That should be taken into consideration.”

  Mike smiled. “There’s a lot to be taken into consideration.”

  “A young girl, a telepath, came with us when Rena came for me,” Jack said. “Her name’s Mindspell, and she’s from HelixCorp.”

  “She’s with us for training,” Mike said, jotting down more notes. “HelixCorp didn’t have the right people to properly train her.”

  “Fenmore was using her as a tracker to find me.”

  Mike frowned. “She wasn’t supposed to leave the building. She could barely use her powers. Fenmore is going to have a lot more to answer for than I first thought when I find him.”

  Jack nodded. He was beginning to warm to the ULTRA commander as much as he tried not to. Michael Frailer seemed to be just the person he needed. He looked up. “I’m surprised at myself for wanting to trust you. It’s been so long since I talked to anyone in authority.” He smiled a little.

  “You were one of ULTRA’s best.” Mike asked, “Do you miss it?”

  Jack nodded. “Almost every day. After this mess started, heroes I worked with, heroes I knew, turned their backs on me. All I heard was ‘I never expected him to turn traitor.’ And ‘he seemed like such a good person.’ It turned out the hero population actually had no use for me. So I returned their contempt.”

  Mike chuckled quietly. “When we get this straightened out, there’re going to be a lot of heroes with some pretty red faces.” His eyes took on a faraway look.

  Jack watched for a few minutes. “What are you thinking about?”

  “I was a squad leader when your case broke,” Mike said. “Things just didn’t seem to fit. I wondered why you sent Captain Starblast for evidence if it was so incriminating. I asked around and did some investigating on my own, but nobody would talk to me. I was getting ready to come see you at the prison, when I immediately was shipped out on remote tour. Spent almost two years in that hell hole.”

  Jack shook his head. “I guess I did have people on my side after all. It didn’t seem like it at the time, so I became what everyone said I was; a cold, heartless, killing machine.”

  Mike rose and clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll talk again. I’d like to speak with your friends briefly before I go.” He smiled. “I believe in your innocence fully. Convincing me was the hard part. It’ll be all downhill from here.”

  Jack wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Misty turned as Mike walked into the briefing room. This was it. She wanted to hear what he thought but, at the same time, dreaded what he would say. Her future with Jack was in Mike’s hands and his opinion was important to them. A large knot formed in the pit of her stomach and she wi
shed he hadn’t eaten anything that morning.

  “So, what do you think of our guest?” Cap asked.

  Mike laid his briefcase on the table and sat. “I believe he’s innocent of the original crimes, but then, I always did. He’s admitted to some new ones, so as much as I don’t like it, I have to acknowledge them.”

  Misty glanced toward the door. She wanted to run down to Jack’s room and help him escape again but knew that wouldn’t be smart. “Are you sure? Is there anything you can do for him?”

  “Don’t worry. I have a few ideas I need to discuss with other people.”

  “I can’t help worrying,” she mumbled, her voice shaking.

  He patted her shoulder. “Everything should go the way I hope.”

  Mike shuffled through his papers and pulled out the one he wanted. “I need to see Frank DiNello and Amy Rogers. Are they both still here?”

  Cap nodded. “Yes. I’ve invoked the Hero Sanctuary Law. If any more of Jack’s team come in, they’ll all be protected here.”

  Mike nodded. “I know you’ll do your best to help Jack’s team. I don’t think I would expect you to do anything less for him.” He turned to Rena. “You brought a young girl here named Mindspell. Is she still here?”

  Rena nodded. “Yes. After we rescued Jack, I didn’t think it was safe to leave her at ULTRA. She’ll be with me until this is wrapped up.”

  “I’m going to have to talk to her,” Mike said, making more notes.

  Rena chewed her lip and nodded. “She’s not going back to HelixCorp.”

  Mike narrowed his eyes as he looked at the telepath. “Any reason?”

  “More than you think.”

  Mike stared at Rena a minute longer, made a notation, and turned to the rest. “Well, let’s get the ball rolling. Cap, if you’d be so kind as to show me where people are, I’ll get the initial interviews out of the way. Then, I’ll know how to proceed.”

  Misty stood and shook Mike’s hand. “Thank you for listening. I’m glad I was right about you wanting to help him.”

  “I’ll do everything I can to make this as easy as possible for him and for you.” He smiled. “It’s all about the paperwork now.”