Heroes Lost and Found (9 page)

My heart broke a little bit.

I pulled him into a hug, wincing as his hands slipped around my waist. “Dude, you’re always going to be part of the Protectors. Think of yourself as the special guest star who shows up whenever the ratings need a boost.”

Harris sniffled. I hoped he wasn’t going to wipe his nose on my jacket shoulder.

He drew back a minute later, swiping at his face with his sleeve instead. “Okay, I fucked up. How do we make this better?”

I studied the trees surrounding us. “First, it’s not totally fucked up. We just need to work on it a bit. Right now we have to find some place to hole up and plan our next move. Do you know what road that was?”

He scratched his head. “Probably old Tangled Road. Leads through Kensington Grove and then to the highway after a bit.”

“What’s up the road before Kensington? Another town?”

“Nothing. Next real stop is Portland.”

“Then we’re going back to Kensington.” I waved a hand at the forest around us. “I ain’t no Girl Scout who can build a log cabin out of twigs.”

Harris snapped his fingers. “I know just the spot.” He gestured at the road, the thick asphalt ribbon barely visible between the trees. “There’s a hotel down here, just before the town limits.”

“Do they charge by the hour?”

His sheepish smile told me the answer.

I sighed and stretched out my hand. “Don’t say a word. Please.”

A few minutes later we were aloft, skimming the tops of the trees as I tried to navigate in the bright morning light. It didn’t take long to spot the hotel from our height—it appeared as sleazy as I feared, the single-level building a long, fat slash in the wilderness.

I landed just shy of the parking lot in the trees, not wanting to make a big show. As it was I was terrified that some tabloid would see us together and have the story online within minutes of Jo Tanis in a secret love hideout with a mysterious pudgy fellow.

I shuddered.

“You okay?” Harris tapped me on the shoulder.

“Yeah, just trying not to think too much.” I dug in my back pocket, grateful my wallet had survived the incident. “Go get us a room. Get a corner one if possible, far away from the main office.” I handed him a wad of cash. “Do I have to tell you to use a pseudonym?”

Harris chuckled. “Think Mr. Dillon would work?”

“Not likely,” Hunter growled over both links. “And if you do, I will take it out of your hide when we get there.”

Harris raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it. Sheesh, can’t a guy make a joke?”

“Just go and get the key and get back here. And check if they have any vending machines.” I touched my belly. “Might need a snack by the time we figure this thing out.”

He shook his head but said nothing, choosing to pick his way out of the brush towards the parking lot.

“What’s the plan, Jo?” Hunter asked. “Switched us to private, so no one else is listening.”

“I’m not giving you link sex, before you ask,” I replied. “Too tired.”

“That’s not what you said the other night,” he joked.

“Why do you think I let you do all the work?” I brushed my fingers over my face, wincing at the sore spots.

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems, what’s the plan? Other than wait for us to arrive, which is totally fine with me, just so you know.”

“I’m going to mull things over with Harris and see what we can do to get back into town and talk to Kit before Dykovski gets there.”

A series of clicks came over the line, the sound of teeth clacking together.

“Must be interference from the satellites. I could have sworn you said you were going to talk to Kit Masters, the man who just tried to barbeque you.”

“I am.” I kept talking before Hunter could interrupt me. “He’s crazed, but he’s still a super and we need him with us, not against us. We don’t need a three-way battle going on in the town square. I can appeal to his vanity, appeal to his ego and turn him back to Harris’s original plan of following Dykovski home to his den.”

“Just for the sake of argument, let me present an alternative scenario.” He drew a deep breath, preparing for battle. “You get out of there as far and as fast as you can and wait for us somewhere far, far away from Kensington Grove. You’re both vulnerable to Dykovski, and that’s without adding in the wonderful random factor of a bat-shit crazy Alpha.”

“Hunter, they’re going to tear this town up trying to kill each other if Harris doesn’t show up for the meeting.” I looked around, making sure there was no one nearby. “Kit’s on a mission. So’s Dykovski. And the civilians are going to suffer. If not here, wherever they clash. Neither one gives a damn about the body count.”

“I know and I don’t care. My priority is keeping you safe.”

“My priority is saving lives. And so is yours if you’d pull your head out of your heart for a second.”

A mumbled curse came over the line. “I knew this was going to happen.”

“What?”

“A conflict of interest,” he said in a soft voice. “The Guardian knows what you can do and what you need to do. The lover says not a chance, get her to safety.”

“Are you having second thoughts?” I stumbled through the words.

“About us?”

“Yes.” The lump in my throat was the size of a minivan. “Any regrets?”

“That you’re not here in my bed, safe and sound. And tied up to keep you there.”

My cheeks were hot, and not just from Kit’s attack.

“Look, I’m not going to stop worrying about you whether we’re together or not. I’m your Guardian, no matter what. And I want to keep you alive and safe. But don’t think I’m happy about you deciding to follow this route.”

I clenched my fists at my side. “It’s my decision to make. It’s my team and my life and my job. We’re not going to pass up on a chance to get Dykovski now that we’re here—we might never get a better one. If it puts me in danger, it puts me in danger. I can’t ask everyone else to do the heavy lifting while I snuggle in bed with you.”

“I’ll bring donuts.” There was a hopeful lilt to his voice.

My stomach growled at the bribe attempt.

“Not even if they were chocolate-covered.”

Another series of curses came down the line. “You can’t blame me for trying, Jo.”

“Not at all.” I chuckled. “I’d be disappointed if you tried anything less, sweetie. Now, get back into Guardian mode and get it in gear. Snugglebunnies later, promise.”

“I can have Outrager send in the National Guard. Evacuate the town and lay down some sort of trap,” he offered with a lilt in his voice, already anticipating the answer.

I giggled, my raw throat aching with the effort. “They’re not going to be able to contain Dykovski and his thugs, never mind Kit Masters. Add in at least one armored suit and a ton of super weapons if he brings the new toys along, and it’ll be a bloodbath for the troops. And if he escapes, we’ll never be able to track him down—he’ll go so far underground he’ll be the new Mole Master.”

“Oh.” Hunter chortled. “I remember him. Sweet man but bad, bad hygiene.”

I tapped my forehead, bringing an idea to the surface. “Maybe we can quietly evac the town with local law enforcement. A mass exodus is going to look suspicious and tip off both Masters and Dykovski if people start running in all directions, panicking left and right.”

“With you and Harris in the middle of it all.”

“We don’t have a choice. If we don’t interfere, it’ll be worse than Fremont Street.” I flashed back to seeing him lying against a slot machine, injured while trying to help civilians escape Lamarr’s attacks. “I don’t think we have a choice.”

The weary sigh signaled my victory. “I don’t like it, Jo. Not one bit.”

“I know.”

“But you’re right.”

“Pardon me? Is Jessie getting this on tape? Can we make this the new answering machine message?”

“Don’t push it.” Hunter coughed. “If you can talk Kit into waiting until Harris at least meets with the rogues, we might be able to salvage something out of this without getting anyone hurt.”

“Anything to avoid setting fire to this town,” I whispered as a beat-up truck came into the parking lot. The driver exited, a middle-aged man with a beer belly and a cowboy hat. He waved at someone in the vehicle and headed for the office.

“Big if. You just zapped an Alpha who’s not going to be very open to discussion now. And is more than a little crazy.” He sounded apologetic, as if he’d been the one to send Kit over the edge.

“Yep.”

“But it’s all we got.”

“Yep.”

“Damn, I hate it when you’re right on things like this. Going to give me an inferiority complex.”

I snorted. “Could use a little humility. You’re not all that and a bag of chips, you know.”

“Didn’t say that the third time. Or the fourth. Or when you fainted.”

“I didn’t faint. I just needed a rest.”

“Yep. Sure. Yep.”

“Okay, back to the entire saving-the-world thing if you don’t mind.” I rubbed my cheeks, hoping the blush would disappear before Harris got back. “Got Jessie onboard?”

“Just showed up, and we’re on the tarmac waiting tower clearance. He’s got a box of stuff and babbling about some new ideas he’s got in hand.”

“Eep.” The sound was out of my mouth before I could self-edit.

The man strode out of the office and waved at the pickup. A lady exited the passenger side, wearing about as much fabric as a washcloth. She sashayed over to him with a wide grin as he gestured towards a nearby room.

Hunter responded, not knowing what I’d just seen. “Eep indeed.”

“No, I’m just wondering how much we’re going to have to pay to stay here an entire night. I think this is one of those places that charges by the minute.”

“Check for vibrating beds.” Hunter snickered. “Maybe give you some ideas.”

“Oh, I don’t need any ideas,” I shot back. “Just remember who’s your boss.”

“Here, yes. In bed, well…”

“Harris is back. Switch us to the main channel.” I cut him off before we could start discussing that angle of our relationship once more. Our in-bed wrestling matches had become almost regular foreplay.

The pudgy super waved me over. “I got us the last room, over there.” His hands were filled with chocolate bars and potato chip bags. “I figured I’d save you the trip. There’s a drink machine ’round the back of our room.”

I relieved him of part of the burden, stuffing my pockets with the energy boosts. “Thank you. Team should be here within six hours, give or take a bit.”

His pale face told me all I needed to know. The words stuttered out of my mouth. “And…and…that’s not enough time, you think.”

He shook his head and led me across the parking lot. “Let’s get inside.”

Harris fumbled with the old metal key for a second before finding the lock. I put it down more to his shivering than nerves. He swung the door open and waved me inside.

I stepped inside, sniffing the air. It was a mixture of smoke, perfume and a few other scents I really, really did not want to try to identify.

Harris flipped on the lights and closed the door behind him. “I got the last nonsmoking room.”

“Wow.” I looked around the shoebox. A single double bed, an old squat television set against the far wall and a chair with numerous unknown stains all over the light brown cushions. Over the bed sat a large rectangular painting of cowboys wrestling with cattle.

Not too long ago I’d been in a penthouse suite in Las Vegas, dining on lobster and anything else that wandered by. Like Hunter.

So much for the glamorous life of a superhero.

I ripped off the candy wrapper with my teeth and nibbled at the chocolate bar. It kept my mind off wondering why and how Harris knew this place. I didn’t even want to step on the floor and I was wearing running shoes.

“Washroom’s over there if you, you know, wanna…” Harris drew his fingers over his face.

“That bad?” I headed for the tiny room.

“Well, it ain’t that good.” Harris’s comment followed me into the dark closet.

I poked at the power switch until it connected, the humming of the fluorescent bar over the white porcelain sink loud and intermittent.

The burns felt worse than they looked. The jacket had taken the worst of it, leaving my cheeks and chin with a light reddish tinge. I’d gotten worse going for a deep tan.

I brushed my fingers over the annoyed skin and cringed. If I hadn’t gotten my arms up in time, I could be blind right now.

The kernel of panic burst in my chest, the fear sending jagged shards through my confidence. Kit hadn’t flinched, hadn’t pulled any punches at tossing his power at me. A second later, an inch closer, and Harris might well be leading me around the forest, waiting for Hunter to pick us up and take over the team. What use would I be to them blind?

I pushed away the dark thoughts by finishing off the chocolate bar and went back out into the bedroom.

“No big,” I announced, keeping the tremors at bay.

The bedspread was a dark, dingy red with a few bits of stuffing left. I folded it back threefold and sat on the edge of the bed. Harris moved to sit in the chair after picking up the television remote from the night table.