Phoenix Inheritance

by Corrina Lawson

  Her dogs snored quietly under the cot. The doctors pronounced Thor’s cut properly treated and concluded he would recover just fine. She held up her re-bandaged hand to the light. She might have a scar, but it wouldn’t be bad, the doctor said, and he’d complimented the person who’d stitched it up for her.

  She’d spotted Gabe in the med tent, next to his wounded buddy Zach, acting as if he’d never left the encampment. He’d changed clothes and she saw no sign of his weapons or his combat gear. She stared at him, hoping to get some answer about Daz but he’d avoided her gaze. Damn.

  Would she ever know if Daz was okay?

  Not to mention a zillion other questions. Who were those guys with the guns? And why if they just wanted the supplies, had they let all the passengers live?

  The whole thing made absolutely no sense. Jake’s theory was that these guys were human slavers and planned to sell the entire cargo, human and otherwise, in Eastern Europe; the men to hard labor, the woman as sex workers, the drugs on the black market. She supposed that was possible.

  Jake had confirmed the pilot was in on it. He’d been bribed to land on that remote strip of road. The pilot had simply switched off communication and, poof, instant missing plane. But why go to such trouble to grab a relief plane whose absence would surely be big news? People noticed doctors dying, especially if they were Americans. Jake and his dogs tended to draw press too.

  Kim said the Turkish authorities were sending a team to check out the scene of the gunfight but Renee doubted anyone would be left to find.

  Daz and Gabe knew more than they were telling, she guessed. Maybe they’d let her know if she ever got close enough to them again to ask.

  Dammit.

  She tossed off her covers. Screw this. She was going over to the med tent now to talk to Gabe. He had all that radio equipment. Surely, Daz had checked in by now.

  “Hey, long day like this, you should get some rest.”

  “Daz?” She snapped to her feet. Thor and Loki stirred. Was she dreaming? She had to be. There was no way he could be here already. Or could he?

  “Yep.” He stepped into the light of the portable lantern. He was clean-shaven, dressed in fresh jeans and T-shirt. His short-cropped hair glistened, wet from a recent shower.

  Yummy.

  “What? I mean, how…?” Great, garble her words. Argh.

  He grinned and grabbed her around the waist. She pulled his head down and kissed him. Really kissed him. He lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “It really is you,” she whispered into his ear.

  “Yep.” He nuzzled her neck. “You smell great. Like vanilla and strawberry.”

  “I washed up, like you did. But how did you get here? Where did you change? What’s happening? Are you in trouble?” She put her hands around his neck.

  “Whoa, you’re going too fast with the questions.” He set her down. “Last question first. I’m not in trouble. I had to give the brass the whole story but since we won’t be connected to the rescue, I think my C.O. was grudgingly impressed. He was certainly pleased we’d rescued Americans. But we would never have been able to do it without you.”

  He drew her close again.

  “I just drove the truck.”

  “There was the bear thing, and following the rescue dog to the hostages, and having enough presence of mind not to crash the truck.”

  “Are you telling me that I impressed a Navy SEAL?”

  “I’ll admit it if you admit I impressed you.”

  “What?”

  “You definitely weren’t impressed the first time we met.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve met arrogant military guys before. I was wrong that you were one of them. Or maybe you just have reason to be arrogant because you’re damn good.” She grinned. “But how did you get here so fast? Daz, what happened?”

  He brushed her hair back from her face with his fingertips. She shivered. Oh. Yeah. It had been a long time since a simple touch sent her body racing. Of course, the kisses had helped too.

  “The explosions lured the guards away from the passengers, as I planned. The night-vision goggles were a definite advantage. I originally intended to draw them into the woods and pick them off individually but then I decided to circle around behind them and make sure you’d all gotten off safe.” He smiled again. “Would you believe the idiots were so worried about your escape and the slashed tires on the remaining truck that they never noticed me sneak onto their plane?”

  She hugged him. “You didn’t.”

  “I did. I snuck into the cockpit and waited. I guessed that sooner or later they’d figure getting the hell out was their best bet and the pilot would show.”

  “And?” She placed her hands on his chest. Solid. Warm. Alive.

  “That’s nice. Really nice.” He picked her up again. She kissed his neck, licking the dip where the shoulder met neck.

  He smelled so good, all soapy clean, but still so male. “And the pilot showed?”

  “Yep. I forced him to use an excuse to get everyone else out, locked the doors behind them and ordered him to fly me out of there. He protested, I told him I’d let him go at the other end, but if he didn’t cooperate, I’d just shoot him. He protested for about five seconds and then did what I asked. He landed at the makeshift airfield you guys have going here.”

  “Which was the plane’s original destination.”

  “Yeah. I reported in via the phone there, washed up, and grabbed a ride in a Jeep headed this way. That’s when I heard the whole place was abuzz about how you drove like a maniac and rescued everybody.”

  She laughed. “I felt good about everyone being safe.” She stilled. “But I don’t feel like a hero. I’m just relieved that everyone is alive. Especially you.”

  “No hero ever feels like one. But you’re the real goods, Wonder Woman.”

  “So are you, Batman.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret.”

  “What?”

  “While I was waiting for the pilot, I distracted myself thinking about you and all the things I wanted to do once I got you in my arms again.” He tumbled her onto the cot.

  She slid her hand under his T-shirt. Her fingers quivered. He had just slight wisps of hair in the middle of his chest. She curled one strand around her finger.

  “Like what?” she asked.

  He pressed her down on the cot. “Easier to show you.”

  She stirred when she felt his absence, cold where there should have been a hard, warm body. “Daz?”

  “Sorry, I was trying not to wake you.”

  She sat up, not caring about her nakedness. “Trying to sneak out and leave me with only a memory?”

  He traced his fingers over her nipple. She moaned.

  “Are you kidding? I want a repeat, if you’re up for it. I have your number, remember?”

  “Oh, right. So when will I see you again?” she asked.

  He kissed her. She kissed him back. Maybe he’d stay a little longer…

  He broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers. “I’m not sure. I’m due leave but I never know for certain if I’ll get it until the papers are signed. How long will you stay here in Turkey?”

  “Another week, maybe less.” Thoughts of the rest of the world crowded in. “We’re at the recovery of bodies stage, unfortunately. There’s not much left for SAR to do.”

  “Text me before you fly back to the states, okay?” He laced up his boots.

  “Sure. Absolutely.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” He reached over to the desk that held Kim’s paperwork. “Here, I made this for you.”

  He handed over a piece of paper folded into a bear. “Origami.” She brought it up to her eyes. “A bear. It’s cuter than the one that attacked us.”

  He laughed.

  “Where
did you learn origami?” she asked.

  “My dad was stationed in Japan when I was a kid. I learned it out of boredom one summer. It comes in handy now and then.”

  “I love it.” She very gingerly set the little paper bear on top of her suitcase. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful.” Her voice caught. It was just a folded piece of paper. But they both knew it was much more.

  “You’re welcome.” He kissed her again and left.

  But after he walked out, she lay back on the cot. Thor head-butted her dangling hand, reminding her she had responsibilities, the first being getting him and Loki something to eat.

  But damn. Daz.

  She supposed she should be worried about what she’d gotten herself into.

  But she wasn’t.

  Chapter Eight

  The talk with Daz about Alec, Beth and the Phoenix Institute lasted over a whole pot of coffee. Once Renee recovered from her shock, she agreed that their son should meet with Beth right away.

  That meant a trip to the Phoenix Institute, right now.

  Daz also convinced her they should move there for a few days, especially if it turned out that Charlie was a telepath. The more time he spent with Beth, Daz said, the better he’d be able to control the ability. That was what Daz claimed, anyway, always assuming Charlie was a telepath.

  She accepted that. She was in way over her head as it was.

  Still dazed, Renee packed overnight clothes for herself and Charlie, plus food for Thor and Loki since they were taking the dogs with them. Charlie seemed nervous about going but Daz described the Phoenix Institute as “Hogwarts for psychics” to him. After that, Charlie couldn’t wait to leave.

  They left Odin the cat at the house.

  “I asked him if he wanted to come with us. He seemed scared. He said he had to stay,” Charlie said. “But he asked if we could leave him food.”

  “Uh, sure,” Renee said. The cat had nearly killed them yesterday. She had no problem leaving him behind. Along with leaving cat food that she’d bought a few days ago when Charlie had first spotted Odin, she jury-rigged a cat litter box with newspaper and some bits of potting soil.

  All the housekeeping accomplished, they piled into Alec’s SUV. Daz drove, over Alec’s objections. From their conversation, Renee gathered Alec had only recently gotten his license.

  “Why did it take you so long to learn to drive?” she asked Alec. It made no sense that a man with psychic powers wouldn’t have learned something so mundane.

  “I wasn’t allowed to drive growing up,” Alec said, staring out the back window. Charlie and the dogs were in the backseat with him.

  Renee glanced at Charlie. “Was it because your special abilities interfered with driving?”

  Alec grinned. “No. My guardian seemed to think I had better things to do.” He shrugged. “But I’m learning.”

  Alec turned to Charlie and began chattering with him about psychic abilities.

  “My dad called you Firefly. Is that your superhero name?” Charlie asked.

  “Sure, I guess so,” Alec answered.

  “Do you have a costume?” Charlie asked.

  “Uh, just my military-style fatigues. Why?”

  “I can design you one. Mom, did you pack my drawing books?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  Charlie was adjusting to the idea of psychics really well. Still, he grew quieter the longer they were on the road, and she became concerned. He didn’t like surprises, and they’d rushed him out this morning, plus his routine was completely disrupted. Not only that, Charlie was worried about the detours they took around fallen trees and downed electrical wires.

  “They’ll all get fixed, right?” Charlie asked.

  “Absolutely,” she told him.

  “And we’ll get power back in the house soon? I’ll be able to use my computer when we get home?”

  “Yep, you will,” she said.

  These were the kinds of questions Charlie asked when he was getting worked up. She was tempted to tell Daz to turn around for home, but they were committed now. Finally, they drove through a gate that was part of a high fence that enclosed the Phoenix Institute grounds. Daz parked in a lot that was in front of a building that resembled a hotel/conference center.

  “And you’ve got a pool and game room underground?” Charlie asked Alec.

  Charlie sounded calmer. Good.

  “Sure do! I’ll show you while your mom and dad see the doctors,” Alec said.

  “Mom, are you going to be okay?”

  “I’m going to be fine,” she said. “You heard what Alec said. He has good doctors on call here.”

  “I’m sorry I hurt your shoulder,” Charlie mumbled.

  “You didn’t hurt my shoulder. The storm did.”

  As they climbed out of the truck and got their gear, Renee took Daz aside. “I think Charlie should stay with me. He’s getting worked up.”

  “He’ll be fine. He’s already bonded with Alec and, anyway, Alec has the TK. He’ll be better at keeping Charlie from running off than we are. They were fine in the yard, right? And won’t Charlie be worried while the doctors are looking at your arm? He already seems to feel guilty about it.”

  “Yes, he would but…” She shook her head. A brand-new place, with a brand-new person. That was never a good combination for her son.

  “You have to take care of yourself too, Renee.”

  “Not if it hurts or upsets Charlie. He’s priority number one.”

  “If you’re not in good shape, how can you take care of him?”

  She sighed. “You’re right, I guess.”

  “What if you send the dogs with Charlie?” Daz suggested.

  “That’s a good idea.”

  Daz grabbed their gear and they walked into the lobby of the Phoenix Institute. Charlie instantly ran over to the botanical display at one of the windows. “Mom, these are banzai plants!”

  “Bonsai plants,” she corrected his pronunciation automatically. “But good eye, Charlie, that’s exactly what they are.”

  The Japanese influence was evident in the entire lobby, including the symbols painted in green and gold on the white walls of the circular lobby. “I’ve seen these symbols before, in Buddhist temples on the island of Japan. I think they mean peace and serenity.”

  With the symbols, the smell of sandalwood and the bonsai plants, the lobby was far more temple than business center.

  “You’ve been to Japan?” Charlie asked her.

  So she’d managed to impress him. Nice to know she still could do that with her son, after he’d seen someone lift things with their mind. “I was in Japan once, before you were born, on a SAR mission.”

  “Was it this pretty there?”

  Renee thought of the rubble of homes and the tears of survivors after the tsunami. “In places, it was.”

  “Want to see the game room now, Charlie?” Alec asked.

  “What kind of games you got?”

  “Oh, some video games, a pool table, air hockey, a few other things.”

  “I like air hockey.” But Charlie didn’t sound enthused.

  “Great, let’s go,” Alec said.

  Charlie mumbled a quiet okay. Renee ordered the dogs to go with him and he perked up.

  They set off. Renee took a deep breath. It would be okay. She had to learn to let Charlie out of her sight.

  Daz put a hand on her shoulder. “Relax, Renee. Everything will be fine.”

  “Maybe.” Thor would keep Charlie calm. Relax, as Daz suggested. But she could still feel the tension in her shoulders. She looked around again at the lobby. “I never pictured your Phoenix Institute like this.”

  “You expected it to look like a barracks?”

  She nodded. “Yes, more like some sort of military installation and not like an upscale hotel and
conference center.”

  “The fortress part is downstairs.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “Nope,” Daz said. “The downstairs is a military installation.”

  “Daz Montoya, you’re telling me you work in an underground complex?”

  He grinned. “Yep. There are living quarters, where you and Charlie will stay, and the medical facility and some military stuff.”

  “Okay, then.” Her sense of having stepped into a new world increased. “Then I hope all of it feels as welcoming as the lobby.”

  “Thank you for the compliment.” A young woman entered from one of the connecting hallways. “I’ve discovered I like decorating. I wanted this lobby to remind me of my mother. It’s a way to honor her memory.”

  Daz introduced them. “Renee, this is Beth Nakamora.”

  “Pleased to meet you.”

  Like her lobby, Beth wasn’t what Renee expected.

  Beth was no more than five feet tall and thin-framed as well, but yet she had an aura about her that would likely attract attention anywhere she went. Quiet self-confidence, Renee decided. She’d seen it in many SAR personnel over the years. Beth Nakamora knew what she was doing or, rather, she was certain that what she was doing was correct.

  “Let me take you to our medical facilities. Daz sounded very worried about your shoulder when he called.” She gestured down one of the hallways that emptied into the lobby.

  Renee followed, wishing she had Thor and Loki at her heels. Usually, when she went somewhere unusual, her dogs were with her, silent but welcome companions. Without them, she felt naked. Alone.

  Daz took her hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  She wasn’t alone. Daz was here.

  They went down one floor to a state-of-the-art, almost futuristic, medical facility. The doctor on duty was a short, pudgy man with an owl-like face. Daz stayed with her as the doctor poked and prodded at her shoulder. She gritted her teeth to hold the pain at bay. Then it was time for X-rays. When those came back negative, Renee felt a wealth of worry lift off her shoulders.

  The doctor provided her with a shoulder sling, and full bottles of painkillers and muscle relaxants.