Deadly Potential

  Katie frowned. “What is it?”

  Ray’s eyes flickered toward Ben as if begging for forgiveness. “The unsub was in your room again. He took the bags from our shopping trip today. As we expected, he didn’t like the idea of you straying from his ideals.”

  “Fuck him then.” Her head lifted defiantly, but a tiny tremor dimpled her chin. “He doesn’t get to control me. What else can I do to piss him off?”

  Ben bit back a plea for caution.

  “We can take some time to think about it,” Ray offered diplomatically.

  “No waiting. What we’re doing is working. Which means he’s off balance, and more likely to make a mistake, right?”

  “I know!” Aggi’s exclamation drew everyone’s attention. “Let’s go hit a karaoke bar. Like we used to. Remember?”

  “Perfect.” Katie nodded.

  Ben had already explained the risks of unsettling a predator. His eyes lingered on the dark leather encasing Katie’s body. He couldn’t stop her any more than he could have stopped Peter. But he could go with her into danger instead of waiting outside. He would have liked her. A lot. The jacket looked right on her.

  “Watching for signs of a spectre in the audience might be easier than in an isolated environment,” Ray suggested quietly.

  “We’ll go,” Ben agreed.

  Katie’s face relaxed into the first genuine, uninhibited smile that Ben had seen since the latest letter arrived.

  “This is going to be amazing.” Aggi took her sister’s arm. “My disguises are back at the hotel. Do you want to borrow the blond wig? You’d be gorgeous as a blonde.”

  “Director has to be able to recognize me. Otherwise he might think I’m sneaking around which undermines the whole fuck-off vibe.” Katie’s hand played with a long strand of her auburn hair as they descended the stairs.

  Twisting or playing with hair was a classic sign of anxiety. Ben followed behind them, his relief transforming into dread. What if going out provokes the Director into something extreme? His shoulders straightened. He’d be extra vigilant to make sure nothing got near her. And hope the unsub’s next move didn’t break Katie permanently.

  Chapter 27

  “Stop touching your wig,” Katie whispered as the car turned into a strip mall parking lot.

  She tugged on the collar of Ben’s leather jacket. She’d offered it back to him before they left the hotel, but he hadn’t accepted it. Third and fourth thoughts about this outing ran through her head. What if the Director comes, and he hurts someone to get to me? Intellectually, she knew she wasn’t responsible for the actions of a psychopath, but she felt anticipatory guilt for provoking him.

  “I always forget how itchy this wig is,” Aggi hissed back, dropping her hand from the thick crown of raven-dark hair. Between the wig and careful makeup application, she didn’t look anything like Aggi the pop star. She sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about Mom. It’s not like her to be quiet this long.”

  Maybe she’s finally taking a moment to consider how much it would hurt Aggi. Katie wanted to hope, but Bernice had never backed down from a threat before. The video reminded her of how vulnerable this excursion could be. One fan posting a photo, and they’d be running from the paparazzi. Her sister should be resting her voice, not partying. Katie could hear a rasp in Aggi’s upper register, a sign of early damage. And I haven’t done any of the work for the next venue.

  Only Aggi and Ray were eager about this evening. Ben’s teeth were locked tightly together enough to break.

  “Remember when we used to do this all the time?” Aggi grinned, bouncing on her seat in excitement. “Every night another two-truck bar with a bashed up pool table, or a smoky club full of chattering twenty-somethings. We’d sing our hearts out for maybe fifty dollars. We’d be exhausted, driving from gig to gig all day, staying in cheap motels. But once we got on stage, none of that mattered.”

  None of it mattered to you. Katie made herself smile back. She loved performing, but it didn’t make up for long hours on the road, cheap food, and the stress of round after round with irritated owners. Still there had been wonderful moments. Watching a couple fall in love, seeing friends laugh together, or even just seeing weariness ease for the space of a song. She missed creating those memories. They couldn’t happen in a twenty-thousand seat arena.

  “Are you ladies ready?” Ray parked the car. “Personally, I’m having a dreadful time picking between Phil Collins and Billy Joel for my first number.”

  Ben didn’t say anything as he got out, and opened the door for Katie, offering her his hand. Her fingers closed around his, warm and dry, but comforting and strong. With his touch, she felt as if nothing bad could happen. His fingers lingered on hers, and she stepped closer.

  A group of laughing women passed them.

  “The jacket looks good on you,” Ben said. He dropped her hand, and took a step back.

  Aggi dragged her into the door marked Chorus Karaoke and Café. Inside, the club didn’t resemble the dark and mist-filled clubs Katie remembered from the road. Rows of blue-lit bar stools lined one wall, but the main body of the club resembled a cafeteria, with small and long tables packed together. Ray and Aggi claimed a vacant table with four chairs.

  Katie searched the room. Is he here? Would I be able to see him? The room was reasonably full. Most of the patrons were older, men and women meeting with friends, a few brave couples on Friday-night dates, and the usual smattering of older teens and college students.

  “Don’t look for him directly,” Ben said quietly. “Have you ever watched the people in a club? There’s a rhythm to how they move.”

  She recognized what he meant. An improvised dance of people flowing to and from the tables, the bar, the stage, and the bathrooms. Everyone moving at their own pace and direction, but making small adjustments to avoid collisions or take a detour.

  “With a spectre, people don’t register them. They get caught off guard, and have to make quicker, bigger changes.”

  Even as he spoke, a waitress slowed, and spun to stop the drinks on her tray from slopping onto a nearby table. The college kid who’d nearly bumped into her wore a sheepish expression. From his red face and raised hands, Katie suspected he was apologizing. The waitress brushed it off with cool professionalism, leaving to deliver the drinks.

  “Do you think he’s here?”

  Oblivious to the conversation, Ray and Aggi grabbed the binder full of song options.

  Ben shook his head. “We’ll watch for similar incidents. If a spectre was involved, there wouldn’t be an apparent cause. Just someone abruptly slowing down or switching direction. Don’t watch the people, watch the crowd.”

  “It sounds like you’ve done this a lot.” Katie toyed with a cardboard coaster bearing the club logo.

  He shrugged. “It’s been a sharp learning curve. People suspected the occulata existed for decades, but most of them were dismissed as part of the tinfoil hat brigade. My boss was one. Him and his partner had these ongoing fights about it. Eventually she requested a transfer. Her career at the FBI took off, and his got stuck in the basement next to the UFO reports. He was certain there was truth to the reports of superhuman activity. He found eyewitnesses, and eventually tracked leads back to the lalassu.”

  “La-lass—What?” Katie thought she must have misheard.

  “Lalassu,” he repeated. “It’s the name they call themselves. I don’t know where it’s from, but it seems to be part church, part community, and part description. They used to go to great lengths to stay hidden.”

  “Until the announcement and Jackson Square,” she said.

  His smile abruptly vanished, like someone had switched off a light. “Yeah. I’m going to do a quick walk around, check the exits.”

  He left the table before she could react. I forgot about his brother. Katie
stared at the glossy table, and wished she’d kept her mouth shut.

  Ray tapped the table next to her hand. “Don’t worry about Master Grumpy-pants.”

  “I shouldn’t have mentioned Jackson Square.” She plucked at the soft leather cuff. “You said he doesn’t talk about what happened to his brother.”

  “True, despite several employer-ordered attempts.” Ray leaned closer to be heard over an enthusiastic but off-key rendition of If I Could Turn Back Time. “He’s never talked about that day. Not with me, not with the shrinks, not with anyone. And yet, he brought out his most painful memory in the hopes of drawing you out of shock.”

  “I can’t be the first—”

  “Yes, you are,” Ray said gently. “I know his whole Alpha Protector thing can be hard to take, especially for a woman who’s used to taking care of herself. Just remember he’ll also put everything on the line for you, including his heart.”

  His words were a lot to process. Secrets hiding behind the fine, driving their spikes deep in your mind. As always, putting it into a song made her feelings easier to handle. She yanked her notebook out of her bag, and scribbled down the lyrics before they vanished out of her mind.

  “New song? I’m serious about wanting an inspiration fee,” Ray demanded with a straight face.

  “Maybe I’ll hire you as my new muse.”

  Ray was like a big irreverent brother. His practiced charm bounced off her with little to no impact. Not like the gut-clenching connection between her and Ben. When he stepped back into the main club, the entire world shifted around him.

  “Deal. Oh, quick, laugh at something I’ve said.” Ray leaned forward. “I’ll bet his scowl ends up cracking his head in two.”

  Despite herself, she chuckled at the image. The depth of her feelings surprised and bothered her, but recording the song had helped to put them in perspective. This wasn’t like her usual casual affairs, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy creating some good memories. After years of singing love songs, maybe she could handle taking a leap of faith. It’s not like I’m committing to forever.

  ~ ~ ~

  When Ben saw Ray and Katie laughing at the table, he knew his partner was provoking him. As he walked back to the table, fury rose at his partner. He should be protecting her, not messing with me. His brother’s jacket made her seem even younger, like a high school girl wearing her boyfriend’s clothes.

  Aggi bounced back to the table, and plunked down a set of half-full glasses. “Come on, they have Life Is A Highway. Remember our old duet?”

  Katie followed her sister to the small stage. The announcer told the crowd to welcome Alice and Karen to the stage. A few people dutifully summoned up polite applause.

  The music began, and the two women traded off the rapid-fire lyrics, not even glancing at the monitor for the words. Heads lifted across the audience.

  Katie glowed as she performed, matching her sister note for note. Lack of talent clearly wasn’t keeping her out of the limelight. Ben’s mouth dried as her gaze found him, and she delivered a gorgeous smile and wink. All part of the performance, nothing to take personally. Except there was a connection between them. No matter how he tried to fight it, his feelings kept deepening, and creeping into new corners of his awareness.

  “Before you make your next stupid decision about why two consenting adults can’t continue to explore their spark, I want you to consider something.” Ray’s low voice cut through the music. “You like her. She likes you. You’ve already slept together. The only thing you can deny yourself now is a chance to be happy.”

  “It’s not that simple,” Ben grumbled.

  He should be surveying the room, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Katie as she and Aggi sang in harmony for the chorus.

  “Yes, it is actually that simple.” Ray rolled his eyes. “Not to be morbid, but how will you feel if we can’t stop the Director, and he kills her?”

  Ben’s heart clenched, and refused to beat. His mind could only summon up a horrified denial. No.

  Ray nodded. “Exactly. Now, I’m confident this will end with Katie safe, and the Director behind bars. In which case, you can deal with the repercussions later. But if the worst happens, will you be able to forgive yourself for wasting the little time you had together?”

  Put that way, it did seem simple. “Don’t let this go to your head, but you’re a wise man.”

  Ray’s jaw dropped. Katie and Aggi finished up the final chorus, and bowed to the eagerly clapping audience. She glanced at him again, and he tried to keep his inner conflict out of his smile. He didn’t want to spoil the moment. Let her have this escape, if only for a short while.

  He must not have been successful because she hurried back to him.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “It’s fine.” He scoured his mind for something else to say. “You did a great job with the song.”

  “I told you this was a good idea,” Aggi trilled before lowering her voice. “And no one is recognizing me.”

  “You’re right.” Katie hugged her sister. “This was exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

  Ben lowered his gaze to the drink in front of him. He already had all of the consequences of being attracted to Katie. Whether long or short term, didn’t it make sense to allow himself a chance?

  Chapter 28

  Katie hit the last perfect note for Shania Twain’s I Feel Like A Woman, and thrust her microphone into the air. Thunderous applause filled the karaoke club. Aggi’s wild clapping rang louder than anyone else’s from her place beside Ray and Ben at the table.

  The announcer took the microphone. “Well, I don’t think I’m alone in hoping Karen will come back to sing with us again. But it’s time to wrap it up for the night. Thanks for coming to Chorus, and we’ll see you again soon.”

  Tired and happy had replaced anxious and afraid in Katie’s head. The attention of the crowd left her giddy, as if she’d done shots instead of songs. So what if some jerk hacked her computer, and took her newly acquired lingerie? Her eyes were on what she really wanted. A sense of invincibility armored her doubts. I can have it all. Including the man whose jacket hung off her shoulders.

  Aggi cheered. “You were amazing! Admit it, you miss nights like this.”

  Her arms wrapped Katie in an enveloping hug.

  She conceded gracefully. “It did feel good to be on stage.”

  “I could help you both with that.”

  The unknown male voice triggered immediate tension in Katie’s muscles. Ben moved into place beside her, but she kept her unblinking eyes on the tall man with floppy brown hair who had spoken.

  He smiled at them, ignoring the men. “You deliver an amazing performance. With some work, you’d have a real chance at breaking into the industry.”

  “Thanks,” Aggi said dryly, her fingers confirming her wig was secure.

  “Of course, it’s not enough to have talent. You’ve got to look the part, and the two of you are attractive enough to make it.” He lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. “If you’d come by my studio, I could take some promotional photos, and get you started on your careers. I’ll just need your phone numbers.”

  Katie had heard this sleazy pitch too many times to count. This creep would coax them into doing naked or nearly naked photos, and offer his supposed influence in the industry in exchange for sex. Predators like him made Katie’s blood boil. Too many girls were forced into deciding between their integrity and their ambitions.

  She shook her head. “Not interested.”

  He glanced over at the two men, smirking. “My mistake. I thought you were modern, independent women. Not ones who make decisions to please a man.”

  “They said they aren’t interested.” Ben’s gravelly voice dropped half an octave.

  Ray made a shooing mo
tion. “Do pretend you’re not too stupid to take a hint, and run along.”

  “Now, hold on,” Aggi interrupted, fluttering her eyelashes at the predator. “This guy must be a big player in the industry to be so confident of what he can do for us.”

  “Exactly.” The intruder beamed, oblivious to what came next.

  Katie hid a smile.

  “I should get your photo to celebrate this moment.” Aggi pulled out her phone before the predator could object.

  “Ah . . .” He pushed his floppy hair out of his face, obviously uncomfortable.

  “Oooh, look. It’s already got three thousand likes.” Aggi showed him the screen. The caption under his picture said This guy thinks I’m pretty enough to succeed in music, and wants to help me with my career. LOL.

  The man paled. “Who—”

  “It’s been fun chatting with you. But we’re headlining the CA Forum in Los Angeles next week, so we’ve got to run.” Aggi smiled.

  Turning away, she linked her arm with Katie’s. The would-be predator flushed with embarrassment, and gaped in confusion. Ben and Ray followed them out of the club.

  “Over eight thousand likes now. It’s going viral,” Aggi commented.

  Laughter bubbled up, adding a heady giddiness to Katie’s performance high. “Let me know if I’m fired, and being replaced with your new career manager.”

  “I’ll stick with you, kid.” Aggi winked. A limousine pulled into the strip mall lot. “I called the service to take me home. Ray, do you want a ride back to the hotel?”

  “Absolutely.” Ray cheerfully abandoned them. “I’ll see you at the hotel tomorrow, Ben. Great show, Katie.”

  The two of them disappeared into the darkness of the limo, racing the surprised attempts to catch a photo. All the flashes would show the closed door. And Katie and Ben standing in front of it.