by Dee, Bonnie
The man’s laser-blue eyes focused on Mira. “The box?”
She had tucked the box down between the mattress and headboard where it was hidden but could easily be grabbed if they’d been forced to run again in the night. Ian retrieved the box, resisting the desire to shake it again, and passed it to Mira.
She presented it to the Protector. Ian was surprised at how quickly he’d accepted Mira’s fantasy of Protectors, Keepers of the Environment and Destroyers. If this was a role-playing game, he supposed he’d be a troll.
Foster examined the box, turning it over in his hands. “KOTE filled me in on what happened, but I’d like to hear the complete story of how you got this.”
“All right.” Mira paused. “Could I, ah, go to the bathroom first? I just woke up.”
“Of course.” A warm smile crossed Foster’s handsome features. “Take your time.”
Mira exchanged looks with Ian as she passed. She winked at him then disappeared into the rest room.
Ian was left to chat with Captain America on his own. He drew a breath, and sat down on the edge of the bed, feigning relaxation. “So you’re the guy sent to rescue us?”
“Yep. Guess so.” Foster sat on the lone chair in the room, resting the box on his lap.
“What are your credentials? I like to know whose hands I’m putting my life in,” Ian drawled, swinging his legs up on the bed to sit cross-legged, elbows on knees, staring at Foster.
The man smiled faintly. “My family’s been in the ‘protecting’ business for generations. I gather Mira filled you in on Terrans.”
Ian nodded.
“Protector isn’t a job, it’s what we are,” Foster explained. “Our history is as old as mankind’s. Because of Terrans’ many special abilities, there was a time when men considered our species gods. But we actually come from the same genetic root. Terrans simply diverged from humans along the evolutionary path. My specialized branch of the family tree, Protector, is committed to guarding the Keepers. Trust me. I’ll keep you both safe until we reach KOTE.”
“Sounds good. Unfortunately, I don’t really trust anybody.” Especially not loonies who think they’re a master race. “Can you be a little more specific about your background? Maybe provide some references or testimonials?”
Foster looked more amused than annoyed. “I was a C.I.A. agent for years. It gave me an opportunity to move globally and dovetailed with my real duties as a Protector. A few years ago I quit the Agency and began working for KOTE full time. I travel to hot spots, helping out where I’m needed.” His smirk widened into a grin. “Is this the kind of information you’re looking for? Do I pass muster?”
Ian shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you have any special powers? Laser eyes, freeze rays, super strength, that kind of thing?”
Foster laughed. “Some of the latter and a little hit-and-miss telepathy. Guess I mostly rely on my strength. I certainly don’t possess the mental powers someone like Ms. Kashi has.”
Ian had been kidding. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with that answer so he responded dryly. “Guess you’ll have to do.” He fell silent, uncomfortable and expecting Foster to grill him in return, but the man didn’t ask any questions, as if it didn’t matter, as if he already knew all there was worth knowing about him.
Ian fidgeted with the bedspread, picking at a loose thread poking up from the slippery acrylic surface. He glanced up at Foster, irritated that the man looked completely at ease. The Protector’s face was composed and self-assured as he waited patiently for Mira to emerge from the bathroom. It was annoying.
Usually Ian was a good talker, knew how to fill silences and put people at ease so as to get what he wanted, but he felt off-kilter here, uneasy and estranged from the world he knew. He felt a sharp desire to be home in his crappy, little apartment, never having met Mirabai Kashi. He tried to call up that serenity he’d experienced after Mira held his hands and did her thing last night, but the peaceful feeling was evaporating and his old insecurities and worries were already crowding back in to take its place.
A moment later Mira returned to the room. “All right. That’s better.”
Ian suddenly realized he needed to piss like a racehorse too, but he wasn’t about to miss a moment of Mira’s explanation or leave her alone in the same room with Captain America.
She sat on the end of the bed, one leg on the floor, the other drawn up beside her, and began her tale. “I first heard about Brody’s Center for Human Wellbeing about four months ago. With his connections, I doubted his intentions were good. I went to hear him speak when he came to San Francisco. Everything he said was reasonable. His message appeared to come from the heart but with Algernon Brody as a father, I couldn’t believe his agenda was for real. I received KOTE’s permission to investigate the organization.”
“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Foster said. “Is Algernon behind this?”
“No. Actually, Ray seems to be pursuing this venture on his own. I was hired by the Center to do clerical work at the Reno office. I planned to transfer to the retreat center in Indiana as soon as I could to get a closer look at the operation.”
Mira shifted her other leg onto the bed and sat cross-legged like Ian. He could smell her flowery scent drifting over to him. He wished they could be curled up in bed together again with a lot less talking going on and Justin Foster out of the room.
She touched Ian’s knee, caught his eye and smiled, almost as if responding to his thought. Hm. Interesting.
“Yesterday I was sent to Ray with some files he’d requested,” Mira said. “In the hall outside his office Algernon and his bodyguards had just arrived and were about to enter. Algernon is rumored to have a heightened awareness of other Terrans nearby, but I’d taken the precaution of having the KOTE mages cast a cloaking spell on me before going into the assignment. He didn’t sense me.”
Foster set the box on the nightstand and leaned forward, arms resting on knees as he listened to her story. The two Terrans’ gazes locked together as if more communication was passing between them than mere words.
Ian felt superfluous. He frowned and pulled another couple of inches of elastic thread out of the bedspread.
“After the men entered the office, I listened outside the door. Ray bragged about how quickly the numbers were increasing in his organization and gave some financial figures. He told his father he could count on several million people.”
“For what?” Ian asked, intrigued despite his feigned nonchalance.
“He didn’t say before his father cut him off. Ray was clearly trying to impress him, but the poor loser never even got a ‘good job’ for his troubles. Instead, Algernon told his son he had a job for him to do. He wanted him to guard something until he asked for it. His exact words were ‘What’s inside this box will change the world and secure our ultimate power.’”
Ian snorted. It was ludicrous, evil villains and superheroes. But he’d had a taste of Mira’s gift and Brody’s henchmen. The solid earth seemed to be shifting beneath his feet. He felt he might tumble headfirst into their crazy version of reality if he let himself.
“I waited for Algernon and his men to leave then went to Ray’s office with the files. He hadn’t put the box in his wall safe yet. It was just sitting there on his desk. He talked to me for a moment, asked how I liked working for the Center then reached out to shake my hand and welcome me to the team.” Mira paused and frowned. “I don’t feel right about using mind control no matter what the case, but it seemed really necessary.”
Foster nodded. “Sometimes the end can justify the means.”
The ethics discussion made Ian roll his eyes.
“I mentally suggested he needed to use the bathroom … immediately,” Mira confessed. “He said I was doing a great job and then suddenly grabbed his stomach and left the room. I took the box and walked out.”
Ian laughed at her display of guts.
“How’d you get out of the building?” Captain America asked.
“If you have Jedi mind powers, why couldn’t you lose the guys who were chasing you?” Ian interrupted.
“I can only influence people or plant ideas in their minds when I’m physically touching them,” Mira explained. “I took the elevator to the lobby and went straight for the door and was almost out of the building when a guard called after me. Brody must have contacted security immediately.”
Mira shifted, looking embarrassed. “I could’ve let the guard stop me, taken his hand and convinced him to let me go, but instead I panicked and ran. Without my purse, I had no keys or money, no way to make a phone call to KOTE or get home. Not that I could’ve gone to my apartment anyway. Brody’s men were on my heels. I ran into the park to get away from them and that’s when I met Ian.” She glanced at him with a smile and his heart gave a quick double knock.
“We need to get this box to headquarters as soon as possible,” Foster said. “The Council will decide what to do with it.”
Ian interrupted. “Look, this ‘save the world’ thing you’ve got going is really swell, but I’ve got a life, you know? I’ve got appointments. People to meet. Things to do.”
Mira frowned. “We’ve already talked about this. Do you think it’s safe to go back to your apartment knowing what you know? You’re part of this now. There’s nothing that can be done about it.”
“She’s right,” Foster agreed. “It’s best if you come with us. The Council will figure out how to help you.”
“Well, they’re just fucking full of wisdom, aren’t they?” Ian was scared. He could see his future rapidly spinning out of his control. If there was one thing he hated, it was losing control. He’d been powerless too many years and had arranged his life so he’d never have to feel like that again.
Foster passed the box with its dark secret of world domination back to Mira. “We’d better get going.” Gun drawn, he went to the window and peered out before opening the door and checking again. He motioned the others to follow.
Ian grabbed the coat they’d taken from the vajo’s car last night and slipped into it. He jammed his hands in the pockets and was thrilled to feel a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
As the Protector led them out to his Lexus, Ian felt like an elementary school kid being taken on an unwanted field trip. He looked across the parking lot at the barren land beyond and considered making a break for it. At least he’d be on his own again if he left these freaks behind. Then he glanced at Mira, sighed and climbed into the vehicle.
Mira rode shotgun. Ian was relegated to the back. “Off to see the wizard,” he muttered to himself as he sprawled across the seat.
He glanced up to catch Mira looking over her shoulder at him as she fastened her seat belt. She gave him a sunny smile that made his insides melt.
I’m usually much more charming than this, he wanted to tell her. I’m not always a bad-tempered asshole. He managed a small smile at her before she faced forward again.
Foster started the engine and they roared off toward the Emerald City.
* * * *
Mira held the box in her lap, tapping the lid with a fingernail. She wondered what object of power it could possible contain that was so important to Algernon Brody and why he would leave it in his son’s care when he could as easily have kept it safe in his fortified stronghold in New York? The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
“Do you think the mages will be able to open the box without destroying or releasing what’s inside?” she asked Justin.
“Hard to say. Magic’s not my forté.” He glanced at the side mirror before guiding the Lexus into the left lane.
“Nor mine,” Mira said. “At least, not binding spells and how to break them.” She heard a small scoffing noise from the back seat and glanced back at Ian.
He was gazing out the window, shaking his head.
She could hear his disbelief as clearly as if he’d voiced it. Wrapping his mind around the concept of magic was hard for someone so anchored in the physical. Yet, Ian showed flashes of extraordinary mental abilities himself. She wondered if he had some Terran blood in him.
“Before this box issue came up, what were you able to find out about Brody’s organization?” Justin asked.
“Not much. I hoped to learn more at the retreat center in Indianapolis. I’d secured a transfer.” Mira set the box on the seat beside her. It felt too heavy on her lap. “I know he has thousands of followers now. The files I dealt with were all dossiers of wealthy or influential people, some of whom have recently joined. Others were on a ‘wish list.’ There are plans to open centers in several other countries. I believe the retreat facilities are indoctrination centers for people once they’ve been hooked by Brody’s advertising campaign and public appearances.”
Justin nodded. “So, how’s he planning to use these people?”
“Cash cow,” Ian said. “The man’s making money hand over fist. What other reason does he need?”
Mira turned toward him. “For a Destroyer, wealth is only a means to an end. Power in all its forms is what they thrive on.”
“World domination? This sounds more like a sci-fi movie all the time—or Austin Powers.” Ian looked away from her, out the window. The back of his hair stuck up from sleeping on it. Mira had a strong urge to brush her hand through the dark strands to make them lie flat.
Actually, she had a strong urge to touch him everywhere. When she’d awakened that morning with his arm weighing heavily across her body, she’d nestled back against his sleeping form, pressing her rear into his bulging erection. With her eyes closed Mira had pretended to sleep while Ian fondled her breast and teased her nipple to hardness.
She’d felt him looking at her, examining her face, and had suppressed a smile, but couldn’t suppress the soft moan of pleasure he’d elicited with his roaming hand. Still faking sleep, she’d wiggled her ass against his groin, earning a little gasp from Ian before Justin’s banging on the door interrupted their somnolent sex play.
Mira turned away from gawking at the back of Ian’s head and faced forward again. She caught the Protector looking at her and nodded at him, before staring out the windshield at the early morning traffic streaming toward the California coast. “How much longer?”
Justin glanced at his watch then back at her with his piercing blue eyes. “Another couple of hours.”
They drove for about twenty minutes in complete silence. Mira switched on the radio to a news station to fill the quiet and at the first commercial break Raymond Brody’s smooth, lulling voice rolled through the vehicle. “Apathy and depression are chronic illnesses in our society today. With the constant barrage of negative news about war, crime, poverty, drug use and abuses of power is it any wonder we are a people in disconnect? There is an answer to your despair … and the answer is inside yourself. Let me help you find you.” The commercial went on to give the dates and locations of Brody’s next series of speaking engagements and invited people to send for more information from the Center for Human Wellbeing. “1-888-MYPEACE.”
Ian let out a whoop of laughter. “Man, I love this guy. He cracks me up.”
Mira couldn’t help smiling. His laughter was infectious. She wished she could hear more of it when the situation wasn’t so dire.
“So,” Ian leaned up between the front seats, looking back and forth between Mira and Justin. “What do superheroes do when they’re not fighting evil? Got any hobbies or interests to share?”
Mira laughed. Ian’s irreverence was a breath of fresh air. “Beading,” she admitted, touching her necklace. “I make jewelry—necklaces, earrings and bracelets—even some beaded rings.” She held out her hand to show her latest creation.
Ian leaned over the seat and fingered the delicate fringe of beads at her neck, making her skin prickle, then took her hand and rolled the blue and white bead ring around her finger. “Nice. You sell these?”
“Mostly give them as gifts to friends and family, but I do have an Internet site. If anybody ever googled and fou
nd me, they could buy from there.”
Ian’s hand lingered on hers as he stroked more than the ring. His fingers slipped seductively over the palm of her hand before he let it go. “Very nice.” He turned to the Protector. “What about you, Captain? What do you do when you’re not saving the world?”
Justin grinned, turning his face from handsome to movie star gorgeous. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his even white teeth flashed. “Golf. I’m an avid golfer. Like to watch it. Love to play it.”
“Relaxing,” Ian agreed. “A round of golf sounds like the perfect way to unwind after a day of killing bad guys.”
“What about you?” Justin glanced at Ian. “How do you kick back after selling drugs to school kids and stealing old ladies’ purses?”
“No rest for the wicked. I’m too busy to have a hobby, got all my evil schemes to keep track of.”
Mira thought of Ian’s portfolio of drawings that displayed his tender side. She didn’t say anything, letting the men posture and dig at each other for the next few miles.
She’d never met a man so full of self-loathing as Ian. She wished she could permanently siphon off the negativity from his weighed-down spirit, but knew it was impossible. Only Ian could release himself from the prison he’d created. A person was responsible for freeing his own soul from self-made chains of insecurity and doubt. She smiled at the irony that Ray Brody appeared to be telling that truth.
“Hey, I know you guys have super stamina or whatever,” Ian said after a bit, “but us mere mortals have needs.” He gestured at the sign indicating a rest stop ahead. “How about breakfast and a bathroom break?”
Justin sighed and looked at Mira. “When he starts in with ‘Are we there yet?’ can I put him out of the car?” He pulled off at the rest stop, checked to make sure they weren’t followed or walking into a trap, then allowed the others to leave the vehicle. “Make it quick.”
Mira didn’t want to let the box out of her sight
“Want me to take charge of that for you?” Justin asked.