by Maya Banks
“Anytime, Isaac. You know that,” she said softly. “Now go so I can go home and after giving my husband a piece of my mind, I’ll inform him that our plans have changed for this evening.”
Isaac grinned. “Sure that won’t be a piece of your ass you give him?”
Eliza scowled and then flipped him off as she stalked from the office. Isaac laughed and held his grin until she left. Then he heaved in a deep breath and hurried toward Dane’s office, where he knew Beau would be.
He knocked once and then stuck his head in. “You two have a minute?”
Dane looked surprised to see him, but Beau scowled.
“Where the fuck is my SUV?” Beau demanded. “And why the hell did it go offline earlier today?”
Isaac rolled his eyes as he took a seat in front of Dane’s desk. “It’s fine and in one piece—mostly. Just had some technical difficulties.”
Dane lifted one eyebrow. “Those difficulties have anything to do with you wanting to speak to us?”
“Yeah,” Isaac said after a brief hesitation.
Beau’s scowl transformed into a look of question and of concern. “Everything okay, Isaac?”
Isaac rubbed the back of his head, not sure of how the hell to explain the morning’s events. They’d likely think he’d finally lost what was left of his marbles. So he just put it out there bluntly. It was the only way he knew how to be.
“This morning when I stopped to get coffee and bagels, someone tried to steal my ride. Then I got shot in the chest and damn near bled out all over the fucking parking lot.”
Both men’s eyebrows flew upward.
“What the fuck?” Dane asked in a low, scary voice. Then he blinked. “Wait. You said shot. In the chest. Then how the fuck are you sitting across from me calmly telling me you got shot, and why the fuck aren’t you in a goddamn hospital, and furthermore, who is the asshole who tried to kill you? And why the hell are we just now hearing about this?”
His fury crackled through his office, but Dane was seriously protective of the men and women who worked for him.
“He didn’t try to kill me,” Isaac said softly. “He did. I was dying. Knew I was dying. I could feel myself dying. I knew it was the end, that my time was up. Scariest fucking thing I’ve ever experienced in my life and yet . . . I was calm. Accepting, I guess. Never really thought about death or dying, which is stupid, I know, with what we do and the close calls we’ve had. And after Lizzie . . .” He stopped when Dane flinched and went pale. Dane was still dealing with almost losing Lizzie when she’d damn near died the same way Isaac was sitting here calmly telling them he’d nearly gone down.
Beau and Dane exchanged puzzled, alarmed looks. Then both shook their heads as if trying to understand what the hell Isaac was saying to them.
“What the fuck?” Beau asked in a low voice. “Isaac, are you sure you’re all right?”
Isaac sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Look, I know I sound crazy and you’re wondering if you need to drag me to a psych ward. After I’m done explaining this entire day to you, if you still have any doubts, you can call Zeke, Dex and Shadow, because they were all there. I hit the ‘oh shit’ button and they got there a few minutes later.”
“Then where the fuck are they now?” Dane asked, his eyes narrowing.
Isaac held up his hand. “I’ll get to that. Just let me finish.”
“One of us is losing his mind,” Beau muttered. “I think it might be me. Finally. I need a fucking vacation. With my wife. If I could guarantee she’d stay out of trouble for more than a day, we’d take one. Right now.”
“Let me back up to the part about someone trying to jack my ride.”
“It wasn’t the same person who shot you?” Dane asked.
Isaac shook his head. “As I was walking back to the truck, I noticed the driver’s side door open and cursed because I’d left the keys in the car. I dropped everything, drew my gun and snuck up on the person. It was obvious it wasn’t a professional, and equally obvious she had no idea what the hell she was doing.”
“She?” Dane and Beau both demanded, latching on to his wording.
Isaac nodded before continuing. “She never even checked her six. Just as she was about to get in, I stepped around the back and pointed my gun at her and told her to hold it. It was only after she turned around that I even knew it was a woman and not some damn kid. And Jesus. She looked like an angel. Bluest eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. Pale porcelain-looking skin and long blond hair with crazy curls and twists in it. And she was barefooted. But worse than her not being dressed for the weather and her trying to steal my ride was the fact that some asshole worked her over and did a real number on her.”
Dane’s and Beau’s expressions darkened. A growl rolled from Dane’s throat and he gripped the edge of his desk.
“She was bloodied and bruised over most of her face, neck and what skin I could see. Who the hell knows how bad it was in places I couldn’t see. She was terrified of me and begged me not to hurt her. And she apologized, for fuck’s sake. For trying to steal my vehicle. She said she didn’t know what else to do, that she had to get away.
“I was trying to talk her down when someone opened fire on us. Rifle shot and from a good distance away. I was trying to get her down and my gun out when I caught a bullet right in the heart and lungs. Fuck! Never felt anything like it in my life, and I’d just as soon never experience that shit again.”
Dane and Beau were staring in bewilderment at his chest covered by a simple T-shirt, no evidence of any injury anywhere.
“This is where it gets weird, but well, you two are certainly accustomed to the weird and unexplained, so you shouldn’t even blink an eye over this.”
Dane’s brow furrowed while Beau just stayed focused, his concentration on Isaac’s story absolute.
“I knew I was dying and there was no helping me. I’d already activated the call for backup and knew someone was on their way. I told the woman to take my vehicle and go, to get out of there before whoever was shooting got close enough to either kill her or take her. And now I know they wouldn’t have killed her, but they sure as hell would have taken her.”
“What happened?” Dane asked calmly, sensing something huge.
“She was hysterical and kept screaming no over and over, and then said she wouldn’t let me die. She wouldn’t! And then . . . Jesus. I don’t even know how to say this, but she put her hands on me. Her entire body tightened and her expression was strained to the point of agony. She looked as though she’d been the one shot and that she was in horrific pain. And she fucking healed me. I felt her warmth from the inside out as it spread throughout my entire body. It was like . . . a miracle. She’s a fucking miracle. My miracle. Afterward it was as if it had never happened. And she was devastated, her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth in complete despair. I realized that she’d given up any chance of escaping by deciding to save me. I was still a little weak, probably from shock more than anything, and I knew backup would be arriving shortly but she might not have that much time, so once again I told her to take my vehicle and go. She finally did, and I regretted telling her to do it when I saw it didn’t appear that she even knew how to drive.”
Dane’s brow crinkled again. “How old is this woman, Isaac?”
Isaac shrugged. “No clue. My guess is early twenties, but who the hell knows? I could see how someone could easily mistake her for a child or a teenager, but her eyes. Jesus, when you look into her eyes, you see someone a hell of a lot older.”
“So you lost her? She’s gone?” Beau asked incredulously.
Isaac scowled. “Fuck no! I waited until Dex, Zeke and Shadow got there. Explained everything to them because when they saw all the blood, they wanted to take me straight to the hospital. Using the tracking device on my vehicle, we followed her to where she’d pulled off into a wooded area several miles away, and I found her in the backseat, unconscious and crying in her fucking sleep.”
“Jes
us,” Beau muttered.
“Tell me about it.”
“So what exactly did you need to talk to us about?” Dane asked in puzzlement.
Isaac sucked in his breath as he stared at the two men he considered not just friends, but family. “She’s not a DSS client, but there is no fucking way I’m turning my back on her. I left her with the others so I could come talk to you two, but then I’m going back and I’m going to do whatever’s necessary to get her to confide in me, and then I’m going to protect her and figure out a way to take out any threat to her.”
He paused again for a moment to let his statement sink in.
“And I need to ask for a leave of absence to do that,” he said quietly.
Beau frowned and Dane’s head came up, his eyes narrowing with anger.
“What the fuck?” Dane growled. “Leave of absence? What the hell, Isaac?”
“I can’t give DSS my full time and concentration and do what I need to do for her at the same time,” Isaac said in a low voice. “It wouldn’t be fair to her or you. If that’s a problem, then I’ll resign and you can fill my position.”
“You need to shut the fuck up now and quit talking before I lose what’s left of my goddamn temper,” Dane snapped.
Beau didn’t look any happier.
“When did you get the idea that I or Beau or anyone at DSS would ever turn their back on someone who is not only in great danger and need but also saved someone very dear to us all, just because she isn’t a paying client?” Dane asked through gritted teeth. “Jesus Christ, Isaac. We damn near lost you today and the woman you’ve sworn to protect is the only reason we still have you and aren’t making fucking funeral arrangements instead. You’ll protect her all right, but so will the rest of us. She gets my and DSS’s full priority from now on.”
“Means a lot,” Isaac said around the knot in his throat.
“You don’t get it, do you,” Beau muttered. “You’ve risked your life for the most important person in my life. In Zack’s life. In Wade Sterling’s life for damn sure, and you’ve risked your life for us time and time again. Dane and I just had to sit through listening to you talk about damn near dying, and only because this woman risked her life to save yours are you able to sit here in front of us, whole, not dead. And you don’t think that would mean something to us? That she wouldn’t mean something to us, no matter who she is, what she’s done or not done or what kind of baggage she brings to the table? Or that we wouldn’t all take an active role in protecting her and eliminating the threat to her?”
The knot only grew larger in Isaac’s throat.
“She’s pretty goddamn special,” Dane murmured. “I mean God, when I think of what Ramie, Ari, Tori and Gracie can do, it’s mind-boggling enough. But this woman pulled you back from death. She performed a fucking miracle. I’d be more surprised if she wasn’t in danger or if she didn’t have assholes constantly trying to take her so they could take advantage of her powers. Because Isaac, she’s always going to be in danger. No matter if we eliminate the current threat to her, with what she can do, she will never be safe.”
“I know,” Isaac said softly. “But she will never be without protection.”
The room went silent while Dane and Beau digested Isaac’s response, but they didn’t comment on it.
“Where is she now?” Dane asked.
“For now, my place with Dex, Shadow and Zeke guarding her. I need to get back as quickly as possible. I don’t plan to keep her there. It’s too risky.”
“You got a plan?” Beau asked.
“Yeah, or at least an idea. Just need to finish working it out when I get back and hopefully get some intel from her.”
“Let us know if you need anything, and I mean anything, Isaac,” Dane ordered. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather not be making funeral arrangements for one of my own.”
Isaac smiled faintly. “You always were a fucking mother hen.”
“You’ve been talking too much to Lizzie,” Dane muttered.
“No, but I did see her when she left and she wasn’t very happy with you,” Isaac said with a grin.
“She’s just pissed because not only does she work for an overbearing, overprotective asshole but now she’s married to one as well, so there’s nowhere she can go to escape it.”
Beau and Isaac laughed, but they also knew it was very true.
Isaac rose. “Hate to cut out so quickly, but I have to go. She was still unconscious when I left her, so I need to get back so I can figure this shit out.”
“You going to report in later?” Dane asked.
“I’ll call one way or another. Just can’t promise what information I’ll be able to give you.”
“Good enough. And be careful, Isaac. I do not want you getting shot again.”
“No shit,” Isaac muttered as he walked out of Dane’s office.
He paused at the doorway and turned back to the two men he not only worked for but considered his only family.
“I need you to be patient on this. I don’t want to drag DSS into this yet. Not until I know the whole story and know what we’re dealing with. It’s too dangerous. If any connection is made between her, me and DSS, then you’ll all be in danger. The wives will be in danger. It’s obvious that this woman is highly sought after and that they’ll stop at nothing until they have their hands on her. Knowing now what she can do, I understand why. This is bigger than anything we’ve ever come across and I don’t want anyone in this organization to be collateral damage like I almost was. I know this slays the control freak in both of you, but I need you to stand down and wait for my move. I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’ll absolutely call if and when I need help. But for now I have to keep all risks to a minimum and I have to keep her off the radar. But I’ll report in. I won’t keep you in the dark. And at any time if I sense we’re in any danger, you’ll be the first to know.”
Dane nodded slowly. “Don’t do what Eliza did, Isaac. I’ll be pissed. No going it alone to protect the rest of us. We’re big boys and we make our own choices. You’re family and nothing is too much to ask of us. For now, I agree with your play, but I’m not going to sit around on my hands and do nothing for long. So find out what you need to know and find out fast so we can assess the situation and come up with a plan going forward. If she can do all you said she can and did do, then the people after her aren’t just going to give up and walk away at the first sign of difficulty. They’ll just go harder after her and they won’t care what kind of mess they make in the process. And Isaac?”
Isaac’s gaze lifted to his team leader and drifted over to Beau, who was staring every bit as intently at him. “Yeah?”
“You need to understand what you’re taking on. This isn’t a temporary assignment where we take out a threat and then the client walks away safe and able to resume their life. Someone with her abilities is always going to be sought after. Someone will always want to use her, control her, and it’ll never go away. You need to think about that before you decide just how involved you want to be in this. You’ve already hit their radar and you damn near died. There’s no shame in walking away and letting one of us take on her protection. Just say the word and I’ll make it happen.”
Rage boiled in Isaac’s veins and he barely managed to hold on to his temper. Barely. Only the knowledge that these men and this organization would go to the wall for him just as he would for them every goddamn day prevented him from putting his fist right through Dane’s face.
“She’s mine, Dane. No one else’s. I told you I’d ask if and when I need backup or help. Until then, it’s better that none of you are associated with her or are seen anywhere near her. She risked everything to save me when I could have been no better than the assholes trying to get to her. She sealed her fate in that moment because I’m not going anywhere. I need time to hear her side and I have a feeling she’s not just going to volunteer any information about herself, so I’m also going to need time to gain her trust and I’m going to prove to h
er that she can trust me. I appreciate the offer. More than you know. But she isn’t a DSS client or assignment. She’s mine, and I’ll protect her with my life.”
Dane sighed but nodded then held up a hand to stop Isaac before he left. “If you can get any information from her at all, call Quinn and put him to work on it. God knows he already spends twenty-four seven with his goddamn computers. Might as well give him some real work to do and let him wow us with his technical prowess. His pride is still smarting over the fact that Lizzie is very likely far more adept at hacking than he is, but she pretends to be dumber than she is to spare him the embarrassment.”
Dane snorted at the very idea of Lizzie playing dumb, but she had a soft spot for the youngest Devereaux brother and it didn’t surprise Isaac at all that she’d play down her abilities to make him look better.
“Good idea,” Isaac said, as he turned to hurry out. “I’ll give him a call if I have anything he can work with.”
FIVE
ISAAC parked in his garage and then hurried in through the garage entrance. He was met by Dex, whose expression gave nothing away.
“How is she?” Isaac demanded.
Dex shrugged. “She’s been out like a light. Never even stirred when we carried her in and put her in your bed.”
In his bed. Something within Isaac settled at those words, as if everything had righted itself. Then concern took over his momentary inattention.
“She hasn’t come to even once?”
Dex shook his head. “We’ve taken turns watching her. Didn’t want her to wake up and freak out, so we’ve made sure someone has been in the room with her so we could calm her fears if she roused. But she hasn’t so much as twitched. She looks like she’s completely out of gas.”
Isaac frowned and then pushed by Dex on his way to his bedroom. Zeke was in the living room watching television. He paused at the door of his bedroom and turned back to the two men.
“Eliza and Sterling are coming over at seven with dinner. Since Lizzie is officially off for another three months and Sterling is a man of many talents, I’ve enlisted their help. If at all possible, I want to keep DSS off the radar with this. I don’t want my actions to bring danger to everyone’s doorstep. Our women have suffered enough, and I won’t be the cause of more pain to any of them.”
“You want us here for the sit-down?” Zeke asked carefully.
Isaac stared at him and then at Dex. “Yeah. But only if you want to be. This isn’t official. It’s off the books and you won’t be paid for it.”
Dex scowled. “Fuck that. You think our offer has anything to do with money?”
Isaac shook his head. “No, but you need to know what you’re getting into and what getting into this means.”
Zeke shook his head. “Just shut the fuck up before you piss me off even more than you already have. Go check in on your girl and give Shadow a break. We’ll let him in on the plan.”
Isaac acknowledged Zeke’s words with a chin lift, and then he opened the door and slipped into his bedroom.
He sucked in his breath when his gaze lighted on his mystery angel. She was curled into a protective ball in the middle of his bed, her unruly curls spread out over his pillow. The bruises were still evident on her face, but it had been cleaned of the blood and she wasn’t wearing what she’d worn when she’d been taken here.
Irrational jealousy crawled up his nape, seizing his chest as he turned to where Shadow sat.
“You undressed her?”
His words came out as a snarl before he could take the time to control his outburst.
Shadow blinked in surprise. “Not me personally. But shit, man, we couldn’t put her to bed in those ragtag clothes and with blood all over her. And we needed to know the extent of her injuries. We had no way of knowing how badly she was hurt. I would think you would want her to rest comfortably and not wake up believing herself still in the nightmare of before.”
Isaac closed his eyes, wishing he could recall his words and the fact that he’d practically bared his damn soul to his teammate.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly. “Is she . . . is she okay?”
Shadow rose and walked to where Isaac stood, but his gaze never went to the woman but instead locked on to Isaac. “It doesn’t look serious. Just looks like she was knocked around. She has some bruises on her abdomen and one hip in addition to the ones on her face, but the bleeding stopped a long time ago. Most of the fresh blood was . . . yours.”
“Christ,” Isaac muttered. “Who the fuck would rough up such a tiny angel?”
“Good question, but you aren’t going to get your answers until she wakes up, and here’s some advice, man. If you don’t want to scare the fuck out of her, get rid of the scowl. She’s going to be terrified enough when she wakes up in a stranger’s bed after all she’s gone through. You’re going to need to be easy with her if you want her to trust you.”
Isaac expelled a long breath and rubbed his neck wearily. “Yeah, I get it. And thanks, man. I appreciate the help. Dex and Zeke are waiting for you outside. They’ll fill you in with what’s going on or what will go on.”
Shadow took it for the dismissal it was and with a nod, he exited the room, leaving Isaac alone with the woman who’d saved him. He moved quietly to the bed and slid into it beside her, staring down at her delicate, ravaged features. Rage consumed him all over again. Was this the price she’d paid for her miraculous gift? Were people hunting her so they could control her and her gift?
He knew the answer. Of course they were. He’d witnessed the hell that the other women of DSS had endured, each of them possessing an amazing psychic or supernatural talent. Even now, they were vulnerable. Targets. But they had the best protection possible. They had husbands who adored them and who would die for them. They had the rest of DSS, who’d die for them just as their husbands would.
But this angel had nothing. No one. Until now.
Unable to resist, Isaac gently traced his finger down the unbruised side of her cheek and then tenderly tucked a wayward lock of her hair behind her ear. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“Never again will anyone hurt you,” he whispered, a vow. “Never will you have to face the world alone. I will protect you with my life. A life you saved even though I was nothing to you.”
She stirred restlessly and he froze, afraid he’d awakened her, and it was obvious she needed sleep. Healing sleep. Apart from whatever hell she’d endured