“You could be a nurse. Nurse Diesel, will you help with my gown?” Dimitri said in his best old lady voice.
“You’re pretty tall.” Troy grinned. “You could repaint the Statue of Liberty or some shit.”
James chuckled. “It’s not painted, you dumbass. It’s copper.”
Diesel barked a laugh. “You know, James, I think you’re gonna fit in around here just fine.”
Diesel took the empty popcorn bowl and put it on the bedside table. His female was sound asleep in his lap, exhausted from bringing James safely through his transition. Pride swelled in his chest when he thought about it. Sure, he was fighting for the survival of two races, but she was at the heart of the fight, too. She was right there with him. He picked up the remote, turned off Casablanca, and smiled. He thought he would be the first one to fall asleep during that one. Gently lifting his mate, he laid her down so her head was on her pillow and kissed her forehead.
No sex tonight, which meant he needed to squeeze in a second workout. New Breed bodies weren’t just strong, they were naturally energetic. Which was fine, unless you were trying to wear one the fuck out. Unfortunately, he’d always been the restless type, even before the PTSD and his second transition. So that meant some extra time building sweat equity. He wasn’t going to get any cash return on that investment, but all he wanted was some sleep. He figured about an hour run on the treadmill and he’d be good to go.
Halfway through his workout, SE came in.
“Yo, SE. First time I’ve caught you down here this late.”
“Well, I’ve got a new mate that works out in the mornings. So, that’s pretty much out.”
Diesel grinned. “Yeah, it is.”
“Besides, it gives me something to do while she’s out on duty. I never sleep ‘til she’s back in anyway.”
“Man, I don’t know how you two do it.”
SE laughed and hopped on a treadmill. “Neither do we. I’ve heard you down here a couple of times lately. Richard and I sometimes fit in a quick spar before he takes Maya for the night.”
“Yeah. I usually work out twice on my days off. I need to burn the adrenaline off so I can sleep.”
“Any time you need a partner at one in the morning, let me know.”
“Sweet. Back atcha, m’ man.”
Diesel slowed down his pace for a bit, then got off the treadmill. He took a few swigs from his water bottle on his way to take a quick shower. No need to wake up Doc by using their bathroom. Ten minutes later, he was walking back to his room. When he went in, she was still in the exact same position. Now that was impressive.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Helen was vaguely aware that Diesel was tossing in his sleep. She rolled over and got out of bed to get a glass of water. They seriously needed to put less salt on that popcorn. She leaned on the bathroom doorway and took a sip of water. Her mate was thrashing a bit. He still had frequent dreams about Iraq, but she was hesitant to treat them. The sleeping med was working so well that they rarely woke him anymore. He usually stopped moaning and tossing after a while. It didn’t hurt that she usually slept like a brick. She put her glass on the bedside table and crawled back into bed. The next thing she knew, Diesel flipped on top her. He straddled her with his powerful legs, pinning her down. She figured she had woken him up and he was going to take her as a little punishment. It was two o’clock in the morning, but what the hell. It wasn’t until he grabbed her by the shoulders and started to shake her that she realized how wrong she was.
She shoved at his powerful chest. “Dies. It’s Helen. Wake up, my male.”
His eyes were open, but she could tell he was still asleep. She had to wake him up. There was no way she could ever get out from under him.
As the shaking became more violent, and his grip on her shoulders painful, she slapped at his chest and got louder. “Diesel! Diesel! Wake up!”
He tried to grab ahold of her arms. She screamed as his hand made contact with her face, the pain shooting into her head and expanding until she thought her eye was going to explode. The next thing she knew, the light came on and Pax and SE were pulling Diesel off of her.
Pax restrained Diesel by the neck. “Get her out of here.”
SE pulled her up into his arms and backed up toward the door.
“No. Put me down. He was dreaming. Diesel!”
As she fought to get free, legs kicking wildly, she looked back at her mate’s tremendous body, crouched up against the headboard. He was pulled in on himself and shaking from head to toe.
“No!” She grabbed the door jamb with all her strength and even though she wasn’t making any headway, SE wasn’t gaining much ground either.
“You can let her go, SE. He’s awake.”
The second SE loosened his hold, she pushed herself away from his body. She landed on her feet and ran to the bed. Both of her souls cried out for her male. She crawled over the mattress and put her hand on his knee so he’d know she was there.
“I don’t know what happened, I…”
“Shh. You’re okay.”
Oh, God. The pain in his eyes when he saw her face.
“I hit you? I hit you?” Tears fell down his cheeks. “Oh, my God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
She stroked the back of his hair. “Dies, look at me. I’m okay. You were asleep. You were dreaming.” She took his face in her hands. “Hey. You had a night terror. I’m alright.” They reached for each other and she heard the door to their room close. They were alone. She held him as tight as she could and rocked him gently. As Diesel repeated over and over how sorry he was, her chest ached and a sob rose in her throat. She quickly forced it back down, along with the sinking feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.
As the sun rose and light crept into the bedroom, Diesel sat on the bed, his mate lying with her head in his lap. For the thousandth time, he took the ice pack off her perfect cheek and looked at the angry bruise he had caused. He touched her face lightly with the back of his hand. Jesus. When he looked at what he had done to her, he could hardly hold back the tears. And that was nothing when he thought about what could have happened. He was a trained warrior and three times her size. When he thought about what he could have done to her, his insides clamped down so hard he thought he was going to be sick. Thank God Pax and SE had heard her scream.
He let his head fall back against the headboard. This could never happen again. She was the most precious thing in his life. His mate. He was supposed to protect her and keep her safe, but instead he had become the danger. There had to be a way to keep himself in check. The thought exhausted him. He was so tired of trying to fight a body that wouldn’t let go of that night. Or maybe that night wouldn’t let go of him. You’re not supposed to be here. The thought swam through his mind as it had so many times before. Maybe no matter what he did, nothing would ever be right. Ever since that night, he’d figured he was living on borrowed time, but he never thought he’d bring everyone else down with him.
Troy crossed the youth center’s parking lot and went through the double doors. This would be his last meeting with Chris, maybe for good. It was for the best. He had already brought Evy too close to their world. She needed to forget he even existed. It had been wicked dangerous from the beginning, but he had somehow managed to rationalize the shit out of it until it all seemed like a good idea. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. This ended right here, right now. X was right. He was a total prick for putting his feelings ahead of her safety. Period. He knocked on Chris’s door.
“Come in. Hey, Troy. Haven’t seen you in a few.”
“Yeah, well, that’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. I won’t be coming in personally to discuss the center anymore. The next project is a big one. It’s going to take six months, maybe longer. I trust you know what you’re doin’. I’ll be sending you cash through wire transfer.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just gonna be out of town. The transfers will come from Xav
ier, but will be under the account name Lazarus Vintage. That’s Xavier’s company.”
Chris jotted down the name. “Okay. Sounds good. Listen, I can’t thank you enough for all you’re doing for the kids. You’ve made a tremendous impact on their lives.”
“It’s been a great thing for me too, Chris.” The two shook hands. “Thanks for lettin’ me help out.”
Troy headed out the door and down the hall. He was a real stand-up guy, Chris. As he pushed through the doors of the center for the last time, he couldn’t help thinking that he was exactly the kind of guy who’d be perfect for Evy.
And wasn’t that just ironic as hell.
Helen sat in the lab and tried to go over yet another notebook full of notes. Two coffees and her concentration was still close to nonexistent. She was just too restless. Diesel was always in the lab by now. Where could he be? Giving up altogether, she headed back to their room to see if she could find him.
And she did.
He was packing his gym bag with fresh socks, boxers, T-shirts…What the hell? Her eyes swept over the rest of the clothes on the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m just packing a few things. I think it’s probably best if I sleep in the empty room next door for now.”
The empty room next door. The one that was supposed to become the other half of their suite. Her heart started to shut down and it got closer and closer to switching off completely the more clothing that went in that damn bag. She walked over and took hold of his arm. “Wait. Diesel, stop. Shouldn’t we talk about this first?”
“Whoa. Hey, female, I’m only going next door and it’s just to sleep.”
“But the nightmares are treatable. You started the medication this morning.”
“And hopefully it works. But in the meantime, I need to know you’re safe.”
He started packing again and she stopped him again.
“I don’t understand why you’re taking all this with you.”
“I didn’t see the point in coming in and waking you if I needed a workout. It’s just socks, boxers, and sweats. Stuff to work out and sleep in.” He turned to her. “Look, obviously it’s not ideal, but I’m a real danger to you right now.” He tilted her face toward him and she knew he was looking at the bruise she’d tried to hide with make-up. “Think how I’d be feeling if things got any more out of hand than they did last night. I feel like shit as it is.”
Helen wanted to see it from his side, she really did. But all she could see was that damn bag. “Please don’t go.”
He pulled her gently into his arms. “Everything’s okay. It’s just temporary, Doc.”
She nodded numbly.
“Meet you upstairs for lunch? X and I need to work on some security overhauls in a few minutes.”
He kissed her forehead and turned to go.
She heard the door to their room click closed with a quiet snick. It was the loneliest sound she’d ever heard.
James stared down at his mentor who was currently lying on the gym mat looking up at him. Holy. Fuck. Had he just done that? All he did was execute a move they had role played in practice a hundred times.
Pax grinned and got to his feet. “That was awesome, James. See what I meant about size? You’re almost exactly my size now and it all works the same way.”
It was pretty cool. “So, when will I be able to start duty?”
“A few days. I’d like to work some more with daggers and Reyn needs to figure out how you’ll fit into the schedule. My guess is you’ll take his fill-in spot he’s been doing to start out. That’ll give you a chance to get your feet wet and really see what goes on out there.”
“So, I guess we’re all going out tonight. Will you be there?”
Pax smiled. “I’ve got duty tonight, but I can come by afterward. Look, I know you pretty well. I know Troy’s scene isn’t really your thing. It’s not mine either, to tell you the truth. You’re really close to Troy’s age. He just wants to welcome you his way.”
“So are you.”
Pax leaned over and tied his sneaker. “I’m sorry?”
“Really close to Troy’s age.”
“Oh, just a couple of years older, right. Ready for knives?”
He kicked the side of the mat. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
So this was Anarchy. Well, he’d certainly heard it talked about enough. It was definitely slightly more impressive than anywhere he’d been allowed in before. It was also on the trashy side. Looked like they must be running some kind of contest. Whoever could come up with the most clever way to show the most skin won. Damn. If it were up to him, he’d definitely make the grand prize giving the rest of the winner’s outfit back to them.
It was a popular spot though. The place was packed to the rafters. As he walked through the crowd with Xavier, Troy, and Dimitri, everyone seemed to move aside. Made sense. Together, they were like half a professional football team. The base was thumping so loud he could feel it pulse under his skin. They stopped at a large booth in the back and sat down.
James wrinkled his nose. “What is that smell?”
“Which one?” Dimitri asked.
X smiled. “The sharpness of your new senses takes some getting used to. You’ll pick up on things you couldn’t as a civilian, dig?”
Dimitri flagged a waitress. “The acrid smell is the drugs.”
His brothers ordered before him and he wasn’t sure what half those drinks were. He decided to follow Troy’s lead and just order a beer. He’d had plenty of those when he’d partied after games with his old team. Two rounds later, he barely felt buzzed. Man, they weren’t kidding when they said weight made a difference. No wonder everyone else was drinking the hard stuff.
Troy looked across the table. “So, James, see anything here you like?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The females, man.”
He looked around. “Oh, ah, I dunno.”
Whoa. James couldn’t have been taken more off guard if he’d wandered into Scores Strip Club thinking it was a sports bar. Oh, God. What was he supposed to say? That he’d never had sex and wasn’t even sure if he liked females? Hell, most shifters were practically asexual until they mated. He had felt attraction before. Just never to a female.
Dimitri gave Troy a firm elbow in the arm. “Quit riding him.”
“Who you ridin’?” Pax asked before sitting down.
Dimitri snorted. “Diesel opt out?”
“Yep. Gone home to his female.”
X grinned. “Another one bites the dust.”
Troy started to lift his beer then froze. “You feel that?”
Dimitri put down his drink and started to get up. “Yeah, my Spidey sense is tingling.”
Pax turned to James. “We got company. Stick with me, okay?”
James nodded and followed them out the back door into the alley.
Troy looked up at the roof. “Bunch of hellions. And I’m not gettin’ a read on any shifters with them.”
Dimitri cursed. “Rogues. Awesome.”
X surveyed the rooftops. “We got the roof, D.”
X gleamed out along with Troy.
Dimitri and Pax headed for the street. James followed closely behind.
It was Friday night and the street was full of traffic and partyers. “Focus, James. You feel that? Almost like a void in the energy grid?”
He felt it alright—a creepy kind of nothingness. Downright disturbing. “Yeah, I got it.”
“Good. That’s our target. Stay close.”
Dimitri gave a nod. “Up ahead.”
They took off. It was the first time James had taken his New Breed body out for a test drive on the street. In twenty seconds he was surpassing his civilian body on its best day. Suddenly, his New Breed senses went into warp speed. He could not only see the four mutants running ahead of them, but feel each one of them, too.
The hellions dodged into an alleyway, but it didn’t run through to the next street. A dead end. They were
forced to fight their way out.
Pax waved James back. “Stand down. We got this.”
As the mutants stopped at the fence and turned around, James could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Seth.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
James froze. Holy shit. He even recognized some of the clothes Seth was wearing, especially his favorite green army jacket. He was bigger and they were fitting him a little 80’s, but…Jesus. His best friend was a hellion? Was there a bigger what the fuck in the entire universe? In the mere seconds before the battle started, James had exactly zero time to figure out what any of this meant.
The brothers went straight for the enemy and even with James sitting it out, they still had the advantage. Pax pointed to a bunch of discarded, refrigerator sized boxes closer to the alley entrance, and James moved back and stood in the shadows. The rogues seemed to carry only switchblades and the brothers all had their daggers out. He couldn’t believe how fast the New Breeds moved. Troy had already decapitated one rogue and was moving in on a second. Pax went for the biggest. Wait. Where was Seth? James lost sight of him.
As the fight raged on, he noticed the glint of something shiny near some stacked crates. A silver, wallet chain. Seth. He looked around. The rest of the brothers seemed to have their hands full. He wasn’t sure what made him do it. He knew he was supposed to stand down, but instead, he took off after Seth like a shot as his old friend flew past him, on his way out of the alley. He followed him past the clubs on Lansdowne and onto Ipswich. From there, he took a left onto Boylston. Where the hell was he going? Wherever it was, it couldn’t be much farther. Seth’s pace had slowed a bit. He hung another left onto Massachusetts Avenue and took the bridge over the Mass Pike. The Hynes entrance to the trains. Yep. The rogue ran to the entrance and hopped the turnstile. James did the same and followed him into the tunnel where Seth leapt through the closing doors of a B train, just in time. James stopped and tried to catch his breath. He could hardly gleam onto a moving train in public.
Deadly Call Page 11