by Lisa Kessler
“And I don’t want you hurt, either.” She held up the phone. “He’s threatening you now, too.”
He straightened up. “What are you thinking?”
“We work together and come up with a plan. If we can get him out in the open, we can stop him.”
“You’re giving me whiplash.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Less than an hour ago you were pushing me away. Now we’re a team?”
“Maybe.” An uncertain smile curved her lips. He’d never seen that side of her. No games, no flirting, just Erica. “It’s going to be complicated.”
“Before you go making a bunch of rules, I need to tell you something.”
“All right.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder, tempting him to touch her again.
“When I was Googling the Greek muses, there was something else that made me guess you were Erato.” His gut twisted. It sounded stupid now, but he’d gone this far. He forced the words out. “Her lover was Eros, and he’s always carrying a lit torch… Fire.”
She stared at him for a second. “And you’re surrounded by fire all the time.”
He braced himself for her laughter, but it didn’t come. She searched his face for a minute before she finally broke the silence. “If I see any hint of obsession or jealousy, I’ll kick your ass.”
He chuckled, warmth filling his chest. “Deal.”
“Good.” She took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “So, first we should figure out how your gift works.” Taking his other hand, too, she whispered, “How about closing the door and turning out the light?”
He glanced at the door, but it didn’t budge. “It’s not working.”
“When you caught that cup and diverted the fire bomb, you weren’t thinking about it, right?”
“Right.” He grinned, then leaned in and kissed her, slow and tender.
The door clicked closed, and he laid her on the bed, into a pool of moonlight. She smiled up at him. “How’d you do it?”
“I didn’t force it; I wanted it for you.” His lips trailed down her neck as he ran his hand under her shirt.
Her teeth teased his ear. “We’ll practice more tomorrow.” She caught his hands. “What about your truck?”
Shit. How was he supposed to protect her when being near her made the rest of the world cease to exist?
“There’s a good chance he sent that picture to either jump me in the dark when I went to my truck, or to come after you while I left you here alone.” He kissed her shoulder and lifted his head. “We won’t play his games. I’ll call Hunter in the morning. Maybe we can get the detective out here first thing.”
She stared at him and reached up to caress his cheek. “I’m sorry you’re being pulled into this madness. I promised no strings, and now…”
A smile crept up on him. “Now I’m trying to figure out how to control this new ability to move things with my mind? Hey, I’ve got a beautiful woman in my arms, and I’m living my boyhood superhero dream. It’s not all bad.” He bent to taste her lips and murmured, “Not bad at all…”
CHAPTER 9
Erica woke to the sound of sirens. She sat up, frowning at the empty room. “Reed?”
Nothing.
She got out of bed, wrapping the sheet around her. The clock on the bedside table read 10:00 a.m. She walked out of the bedroom to find her phone was on the kitchen counter, plugged in and charging. Gradually, the previous night came into focus.
The e-mail.
Suddenly, she didn’t want to touch her cell.
Then it rang. She checked the number and accepted the call. “Reed! Thank gods.” Relief swept through her. He was okay.
“Sorry to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I was just worried when you weren’t here.”
“I’m sorry about that, too. A neighbor saw the package your ex left in my truck and called me. I’m with the police now. Keep the door locked. I’ll be up as soon as I can.”
“Unless it’s Nate, you can’t tell them anything…”
“No worries.” He lowered his voice. “They’re dusting for prints, and they’ll contact you later to get the e-mail.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “Thanks.”
She set her phone down and pulled in a slow breath. She’d never met a man like Reed. And although she’d enjoyed every inch of his body more than once, she didn’t know much about him. But she did know that he was courageous and kind, strong and humble, sexy and funny.
Still, if someone asked her to name his favorite color…? She had no clue.
He’d mentioned watching Hercules with his niece, but did that mean he had a brother or sister? Older or younger?
She was naked in his apartment and couldn’t answer simple questions about him.
The joys of being a host for the Muse of Erotic Poetry…
After Jack had attacked her, she’d tried to accept the fact that she was destined to enjoy physical pleasures and no emotional connections. But it was lonely. And falling asleep in Reed’s arms was heaven.
Ugh. She’d been down this road before. She should know better.
She’d thought she did…and then Reed had walked into her life.
Heading for the bedroom, she returned the sheet to the bed and picked up her clothes. They reeked of smoke. She wandered into Reed’s closet and found a pair of black sweatpants and a gray tank top. She’d have to go commando back to her place.
As she turned to leave, a photo caught her eye. Sticking from the top of his belt rack was a faded picture of two tan teens with surfboards and trophies. She leaned in closer, recognizing Reed’s smile—him and Hunter on the beach after a surf competition. She plucked the picture from its spot and turned it over to look for a date. On the back it said, Brothers Forever.
She returned it to its spot and walked back into the bedroom, pulling on the clothes as she went. In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth with her finger and opened his medicine cabinet to look for floss.
The shelves had floss, condoms, deodorant, shaving cream, a razor, and a coin of some sort. No prescriptions, no NyQuil, not even a box of Band-Aids. She reached for the round token and inspected it. On one side was a trident, the Navy SEALs emblem, and on the other was the SEALs’ motto: The only easy day was yesterday.
Maybe Hunter had given it to him. Not that it was any of her business. She grabbed the floss and finished getting ready to face the day.
Then she heard the dead bolt turn. The sound tied knots in her stomach, and she searched around for something to use as a weapon. She could choose from a toilet brush, plunger, or small metal trash can. She opted for the can and crept toward the door as it opened.
Reed raised a brow. “Didn’t mean to surprise you.”
Heat flushed her cheeks as she lowered the trash can. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure who was there.”
He chuckled. “For future reference, I keep a Louisville Slugger in the back of my closet and a Taser in the nightstand.”
She took the wastebasket back to the bathroom. “That would’ve been handy to know before you surprised me at the door.”
He had the fridge open when she came back out, treating her to a nice view of his ass in a pair of low-slung jeans. She smiled. “Did they find anything?”
“Not on my truck. He must’ve been wearing gloves by the time he got here, but they did pull some prints off the cow’s horns. We don’t know if they are his or from whoever he bought it off, but they’re working on it.” He pulled a business card from his pocket and set it on the counter. “I promised the detective you’d give him a call today. He’s going to need to get into your e-mail, too.”
She picked up the card. Detective John Gilman. She tapped the corner of the card on the counter. “This is Nate’s partner. He’s a good guy.”
Reed turned around, setting eggs, cheese, and bread beside the stove. “Does he know about…muses?”
“No. You didn’t—”
“Nah,” he interrupted before she could get too worried. “I told him about the e-ma
il from your ex and that you had an expired restraining order against him.” He took out a pan from the cupboard. “I left the fires out of it for now. Until we’ve got hard evidence pinning the arsons to him, I don’t want to muddy the waters. So one thing at a time.”
He cracked the eggs into a bowl and scrambled them with a fork. She watched him work, her mind spinning as fast as the eggs. If she could lure Jack into the open, maybe Reed could use his newfound telekinesis to get a confession, or at least keep Jack from hurting anyone else. But they’d have to be certain he could control it before she put herself in the line of fire.
Staring her way, he stopped whisking. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just thinking about how we might use your gift to help us catch Jack before he burns something else.”
He shrugged. “Well, I couldn’t lift the cow head out of the back of my truck with my mind. The cops confiscated it, though, so at least it’s gone. But we’re going to need to wash the truck before we head to Callie’s today.”
She pointed at the stove. “Can you turn on the burner without using your hands?”
He stared at the knob, narrowing his eyes. Nothing happened.
Erica came over beside him and twisted the knob, igniting the gas burner. Taking a deep breath, she held her hand over the blue flame.
Reed frowned, reaching for the knob, but she caught his wrist. “I swear I’ll pull away before I get a blister. Just humor me.”
He didn’t look happy, but he lowered his hand. She moved hers closer to the fire, sweat beading on her brow.
Reed narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, the flame vanished.
Erica grinned. “You did it!”
“Don’t ever do that again.” A muscle in his cheek tensed.
“Hey, you told me you have to want it, and the gift is supposed to be to protect your muse. So I’m testing out a theory.”
He raised a brow at her. “And what’s that?”
“You can only move things if it will directly affect me.”
“Maybe. Hunter did tell me that his only works when he hears something related to Callie…” He glanced at the burner. “But putting yourself at risk while I’m learning isn’t a good option.”
She sobered. “But it might be the only option we have if we’re going to flush Jack out in to the open.”
His eyes met hers. “The police and fire department are investigating. They’ll find him.”
She sighed. “And how many more buildings will burn before they do?”
After breakfast and a stop by Erica’s apartment for a change of clothes, he pulled into a car wash stall and dropped some quarters in the machine mounted on the side of the block enclosure. Erica grabbed the power hose and started washing down the truck, while he opened the bed and climbed up, scrubbing it with the soapy brush.
All of a sudden water came shooting over the roof of the cab, drenching him.
“Oops! Sorry!” The sparkle in Erica’s emerald eyes was far from apologetic.
He grinned, hopping down to the ground. “Just slipped, huh?”
She brandished the power hose like a weapon, struggling to keep from smiling. “It shot higher than I thought it would.”
“That’s what she said.” He laughed as she pulled the trigger again, spraying him from head to toe. After experiencing the punishment of high-pressured water from a fire hose, this barely slowed him down, and he lunged toward her.
Erica squealed, dropping the power sprayer as she spun on her heel to run. The girl was fast. He sprinted after her, catching her after a few strides. She laughed, shoving him as he wrapped her in a tight bear hug.
“Ugh! You’re wet!” She giggled.
“And who’s fault is that?” He loosened his hold and took a step back to survey the damage. He looked down. His T-shirt stuck to him like a second skin, and his jeans were still dripping. He tipped his head up, peering at her through his wet hair. His hug had her top clinging to her, almost see-through in a couple of places. He smiled. “You look good wet.”
Her eyes twinkled as she walked past him and back toward the truck. “That’s what he said.”
Damn, even in his cold, soaked jeans, she had his blood pumping south.
He caught up to her and grabbed the power washer. “Maybe I should do the rinsing.”
She smirked. “Suit yourself. I’ll just take in the view.”
Once the truck was clean, he hung up the hose and went over to where Erica was standing in the sunshine. “This is hardly fair. You’re almost dry already.” He glanced down at his clothes and back to her. “Should I go change before we head to Callie and Hunter’s?”
“Nah.” She grinned. “Most of my muse sisters haven’t found their Guardians yet. I don’t mind giving them something to think about.”
He took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. “I owe you one.”
“One what?”
He could almost see the halo sparkling over her head.
“A drenching.” He leaned in close. “When you’re least expecting it.”
“Good luck with that.” She turned her head, her lips brushing his cheek. “Because I’m always ready.” She walked back to the truck, her hips swaying, her red hair blowing in the wind.
God, she was sexy as sin.
He shook his head and jogged after her, but something moved above them. He stopped, shielding his eyes as he peered up at the roof of the car wash. Someone was up there. He jumped in the cab beside Erica and drove around the car wash, watching the roof.
There had to be a way up. On the far end of the bay of self-serve washing stalls was a service ladder. The bottom was folded up and chained, but any tall guy who was in shape could make that jump.
Erica frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” He stepped on the parking brake and put the stick shift in neutral. “I thought I saw someone up there.”
He got out and ran two steps, jumping to catch the bottom rung. He pulled himself up one rung at a time until he could get his feet on, too. When he got to the roof, he frowned. At the other side was a person in a black robe and gold mask. The height and build suggested this was a male.
And unless Jack had joined a cult, this wasn’t the guy in the picture. “What are you doing up here?” he shouted.
No reply. The man took a few steps backward toward the edge.
“Wait.” Reed held out his hands. This guy was obviously not the stalker he was looking for, and judging by his attire, he was probably unstable. “I can help you.”
The man in the gold mask looked over the side of the roof and moved to the edge.
Suddenly Reed’s birthmark burned. He froze.
Fuck.
Erica.
He glanced over his shoulder at the truck. She was still inside—good. With a push from his mind, the doors locked. He faced forward again, but the masked man in the robe was gone.
“Shit!” Reed ran for the ladder. He grabbed the edges and slid down. He dropped to the ground, the tremor of impact shooting up his legs. Before he could straighten up, the robed guy came around the corner.
Erica hopped out of the truck and raced toward Reed.
“Get back inside,” he growled.
“Not without you.” She hooked her arm around his waist and plucked a tube from her pocket, shouting at the man in the mask, “I will pepper spray the shit out of you if you come any closer. And I already called 9-1-1.”
Reed’s legs ached, but he nudged her back to the truck as sirens blared in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, the guy raised his arm. Holding a gun.
Reed’s heart hammered as he narrowed his eyes. A moment later, the robed man dropped the weapon, screaming and clutching his hand.
Reed pushed Erica into the passenger side and hobbled into the driver’s seat. He slammed the truck into reverse, gunned the engine, and squealed away.
His pulse pounded in his ears. Did he just break someone’s hand with a thought? Shit. His mind raced almost as fast as
the truck.
Once they were a few miles from the car wash, he glanced at Erica. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Think so.” He nodded. “But that wasn’t Jack.”
She shook her head. “No. Those guys are the reason the gods gave us Guardians.”
“What do you mean? I can’t take the riddles right now.” He ran a shaky hand down his face.
“Their called the Order of the Titans. They killed our sister Nia—she was the Muse of Astronomy—and they almost got Mel and Callie, too.”
Reed turned her way. “And they know who you are.”
“We’re pretty sure they know who we all are now.” She stared out the passenger window. “We’ll fill you in at Callie and Hunter’s.”
He pulled over, shaking his head. “No. I want to know what the hell is going on, and I want it from you.”
Erica sighed and met his eyes. “We think they’re linked to Belkin Oil. Callie says their CEO, the one who just died—Ted Belkin, Sr.—was one of her kidnappers.”
His eyes widened. “Callie was kidnapped? When did this happen?”
“Before Hunter went back for his final mission with the SEALs.”
Reed’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “He never told me.”
“He couldn’t. Callie asked him not to tell anyone.” She rested a hand on his forearm. “That’s why he asked you to watch over Callie while he was gone.”
“He could’ve trusted me. Hell, he talked to me about hearing other people’s thoughts.”
She lowered her voice. “When he told you about that, he didn’t know what he was yet.”
“We have the same fucking birthmark. Once he learned, he had to know I was a Guardian, too, and he didn’t say anything.” His chest constricted like it was in a vise. He could take plenty, but not lies.
Lies had ruined his life.
Erica squeezed his arm. “Would you have believed him?”
“I don’t know.” His gaze locked on hers. “But he never gave me the chance.”
She searched his eyes. “I should have told you about the Order, but we haven’t seen them in a few months. I guess we were hoping that they disbanded after Ted Belkin, Sr.’s death. Obviously, that was wishful thinking.”