Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2) (18 page)

She tried to tell herself that they meant nothing to her either, but she would be lying. She’d enjoyed those brief moments of intimacy. She’d dreamed about those kisses, relived them again and again, though she knew there would be no repeats.

Sighing, Tessa got dressed in her yoga clothes. A session at the studio might help her relax and shake off the worries of the last few days. She walked into the living room, where Aiden was lounging on the couch, a coffee mug in his hand.

“Morning, Tessa, hope you slept well,” he said. “Want some coffee?”

She shook her head. “Not before my yoga class. Coffee before you’re doing a downward dog isn’t a good idea.”

“Got it,” he said and put his mug aside. “What time does your class start?”

“In fifteen minutes.”

“Well, we’d better leave then or you’ll be late.”

“It’s just around the corner,” she said and grabbed her yoga mat and her handbag. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at it. “Darn, battery is dead. I’d better charge it.” She plugged it into the wall jack and laid it on the small side table.

“I’m assuming you don’t want to be seen with me,” Aiden said.

“Not that I don’t want to show up with a handsome guy, but I’d hate to have to explain to the other women who you are.”

“Hey, just checking. I prefer to remain incognito anyway.” He motioned to the door. “Lead the way. I’ll be right behind you.”

She walked to the door and opened it, then looked over her shoulder, but Aiden had already cloaked himself. “I really don’t know how you manage to avoid doors constantly getting slammed in your face when you’re invisible.”

He chuckled, but said nothing.

Her yoga mat under her arm, Tessa hurried down the stairs, then exited her apartment building. It was sunny outside, and she enjoyed the short walk to the yoga studio. But before she got there she realized she’d forgotten her water bottle.

“Gotta stop for water,” she murmured for Aiden’s benefit, and went into the convenience store next to the studio. She walked to the back of the store where the refrigerators were located and pulled a bottle of still water from one.

When she reached the cashier, she put the bottle on the counter and dug into her handbag for some change.

“How much?” she asked, but the guy was staring up at a TV, which was broadcasting the morning news. Tessa’s eyes were instinctively drawn to the screen. A red bar with the words
Breaking News
was scrolling along on the bottom.

Oh no, not another shooting or riot, she begged silently. She’d seen too many of these breaking news stories in the last couple of months.

“This just in: the mayoral race has taken a new turn,” the announcer started.

Instantly she was all ears. What outrageous statement had Gunn made now that warranted such as strong reaction from the media?

“Pictures of Councilwoman Wallace surfaced on various Internet sites this morning,” the reporter continued, while a photo popped up next to him on the screen. “They seem to show Ms. Wallace injecting herself with drugs. The councilwoman could not be reached for comment. We will continue to monitor…”

But Tessa had heard enough. All she could do was stare at the photo. A photo showing her wearing a bra and shorts. A rubber tourniquet was wrapped around her bicep, and a hypodermic needle lay next to her. Her eyes had rolled back, she looked... stoned. This couldn’t be her. It was impossible. But when she looked at the face of the woman in the picture, she was looking at herself.

“No,” she choked out. “No, no.”

The cashier turned his head to her, but Tessa was already spinning around and rushing to the door.

“Hey, you want that water or not?” he yelled after her.

She ran out onto the sidewalk when she heard Aiden’s voice behind her. “Let’s get back to your apartment, now.”

Tears welling up in her eyes, she practically ran back to her apartment building. She fumbled for her keys when she got to the door, shaking. But then she felt Aiden’s invisible hand on hers and his comforting voice in her ear.

“Easy, Tessa, you’re almost there.”

The thirty seconds it took to get from the front door to her apartment seemed to stretch forever. She braced herself against the wall once she was inside. Aiden, now visible again, was already pulling out his cell phone.

“We have a problem,” he said to the person at the other end of the line and walked into the kitchen, lowering his voice.

A sob tore from her chest, just as her cell phone started ringing, startling her. She stared at the display. Poppy, her campaign manager. But she couldn’t pick up. What would she say?

Then her gaze fell on her landline phone. Two messages. Automatically she pressed the button to replay them.

“Honey, it’s your dad. You’ve gotta call me. I know that photo isn’t you. We need to talk. Please.”
A beep ended her father’s message.

Immediately the next message played.
“Tessa, are you there?”
It was Poppy.
“I just saw the news. It’s all over the Internet. We’ve gotta get ahead of this. We need to work on a statement, come up with an explanation. Something plausible, or this will derail your campaign. Damn it, girl, why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you. Call me back now. We have to do something before this can’t be contained anymore. I’ll try your cell, too.”

Another beep. But the phone didn’t remain silent. Immediately, it started ringing. Caller ID identified the caller as one of the news outlets in the city. Reporters were calling for comment. But she had none. She couldn’t talk to them, because she only had one thing to say: “It’s not me. That’s not me in that photo.”

Tears were now streaming down her face. Aiden looked blurred to her as he came back into the living room. Without a word he pulled the phone jack out of the wall outlet, silencing the ringing. Then he took her cell phone and switched it off.

Silence descended on her apartment. But everything began to spin. Her life was spinning out of control. Everything she’d worked for was slipping through her fingers.

“Who would do such a thing?” she cried out, staring at Aiden.

“We’ll figure it out.”

However, she couldn’t help but see a sheen of doubt in his eyes. Did he believe that the woman in the photo was her? A bolt of adrenaline suddenly assaulted her, making her heart beat frantically. Hamish! Had he seen the photo yet? Was that why he hadn’t returned yet? Because he thought her to be a drug addict not worth protecting anymore?

“It’s not me,” she repeated to herself. “That’s not me.”

26

Hamish had decided to get a few hours of rest at the compound after getting back from Gunn’s house in the early hours of the morning, knowing Tessa would be asleep anyway. When he heard somebody knock loudly at his door, he reared up, still dazed.

“Hamish! Get up, you need to see this!” It was Pearce.

Hamish jumped out of bed, wearing only his boxer briefs. “What? Get in here!”

Instantly, Pearce entered, holding a laptop in his hands. “This is all over the news.” He turned the laptop, and Hamish approached.

He blinked, looked at the image on the screen again, then back at Pearce. Adrenaline shot through his veins, and his heart began to thunder. “Shit! Which hospital is she at? Where the fuck was Aiden? I’m gonna kill him!”

“Stop, Hamish!” Pearce pointed at the lines of text below the picture that showed a half-naked Tessa shooting up what looked like heroine. “Tessa is at home. I checked with Aiden. She’s fine. Nothing’s happened to her.”

His pulse started to beat a little slower. “Then what the fuck is this?” Because the woman in the photo was clearly Tessa. No doubt about it.

“The news says the photo may have been taken a while ago. But no matter when it was taken, this will derail her campaign. Nobody wants a druggie as a mayor.”

Hamish grabbed Pearce by the collar of his shirt. “Tessa is no druggie, damn it!” No, it couldn’t be true, though the evidence was damning. “There must be an explanation for this.” There had to be. Had he been wrong about her? Just like he’d been wrong about Olivia? Was he doomed to fall for the wrong woman all over again?

Fall for her? Fuck! Was he falling for her? Had he lost his marbles? Hadn’t he tried hard enough to stay away from her and not let her into his heart? Apparently he’d failed again. And now he was paying the price for it. She’d deceived him. Hidden something from him.

“Call Aiden. Tell him not to let her out of his sight even for a moment, not even to use the bathroom. I’m on my way.”

Hamish had never showered and gotten dressed this quickly in his life. Nor had he ever disregarded the rules of traffic as blatantly as he did now. By the time he reached Tessa’s apartment building, two traffic cameras had caught him running red lights. But he would pay those tickets gladly.

He parked around the corner, noticing that a news van had already pulled up in front of Tessa’s building. The vultures were circling their prey. Making himself invisible, Hamish jumped out of the car, entered through a tradesmen’s entrance in the back of the building and ran up the staircase to Tessa’s floor. At the door, he took a breath. Without ringing the door bell, he marched into the apartment and made himself visible.

Tessa, her face tear-stained, shot up from the couch, shrieking. Aiden, who’d been pacing, spun around, clearly relieved to see him.

“Leave us,” Hamish ordered his fellow guardian.

Aiden nodded and left the apartment the same way Hamish had entered it.

For a moment there was silence between them. His eyes strayed away from Tessa’s face to her arms, which were bare. He realized that this was the first time he was seeing her in a short-sleeved top. He homed in on the inside of her elbows, checking for the telltale bruising that drug addicts who used needles exhibited. Her arms were pristine—pale, but unblemished.

“That wasn’t me in that photo,” Tessa said, her voice cracking.

He searched her eyes. Was she telling the truth, or was she lying just like Olivia had lied to him? Could he really trust anything a human said? Could he trust Tessa?

“I don’t want you to lie to me. If it was you, I’ll help you get through this. But you have to be honest with me.” He didn’t even know why he was offering his help. To do what? To get her clean? What for? Now that her reputation was tarnished in the eyes of the citizens of Baltimore, her chances of becoming mayor were practically nil. His work here was done. The demons wouldn’t bother her again now that she’d destroyed her own career.

“You have to believe me.” She took a few steps closer, her eyes pleading. “Please, Hamish. I’ve never taken drugs. Never in my life.”

He dropped his lids, avoiding her gaze, and stared at his boots instead. “Are you saying we’re all blind and the woman in the photo isn’t you?”

“It must be photoshopped. It can’t be me! It’s impossible!” Her voice took on a high-pitched tone.

“At least admit it,” he begged. “So I can help you.” Because despite everything, despite her deception, despite the blow she’d just dealt her race, despite the huge advantage she’d just handed to the demons, he still felt something for her.

More tears shimmered in her eyes. She pointed to the laptop that sat open on the coffee table. “Her face might look like mine, but her body doesn’t.”

Tessa suddenly gripped the hem of her yoga top and pulled it over her head, then tossed it to the floor.

“Tessa, what are—”

She wore a simple white cotton sports bra underneath. But that wasn’t what had shoved his words back down his throat.

“Oh my God,” he choked out and bridged the distance between them in two steps, reaching for her.

Her stomach was covered in scars. Small round scars. He’d seen enough scars in his long life to know what they were: burn marks.

“The woman in the picture has flawless skin,” Tessa continued, tears now streaming down her face. “She’s perfect, and I’m not.”

Hamish touched her stomach, but she shrank back.

“No, don’t!” she cried out on a sob.

“Tessa, I’m so sorry. I should have never doubted you.” He reached for her then and pulled her into his arms, stroking one hand over her back, trying to soothe her, but her sobs kept coming. “Please forgive me.” He pressed a kiss on top of her head. “Please, Tessa, I should have had more faith in you. But…” He hesitated, but he needed to let her know how he felt, and why he’d reacted the way he had. “I loved a woman once. Her name was Olivia, and I thought she loved me, too. But it was all a lie… And then I met you, and when we kissed, I felt something so strong…”

Tessa lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. “You told Enya it meant nothing to you.”

“Because I didn’t want to admit it to Enya or to myself. But it meant everything. That kiss awakened something in me that I thought had died for good with Olivia. I thought she loved me, but she deceived me. The demons, they were using her to get to me. And I didn’t see it, because I was blinded by love.”

She sniffled. No words came over her lips, but she was listening intently.

“The demons had their claws in her so deep that there was no way of bringing her back. She was already lost. I had to kill her, Tessa, I had to kill the woman I loved.” He felt tears stinging his eyes. “When I saw the photo, when I thought that everything you’d shown me about yourself was just a cover, a lie, I thought that my heart would break a second time.”

He took her face in both hands. “Tessa, I put chains around my heart so nobody would ever get inside it again. I wanted to be my own master again. The ruler over my own heart, my own emotions, my own destiny. Nobody was supposed to ever get close enough again. But then I touched you. And when I kissed you, those chains around my heart started to loosen. But when I saw that photo, I thought you’d deceived me, too.” He searched her eyes for a sign that she understood. “Please forgive me.”

27

Forgive him? There was so much more that she wanted to do, and his words had given her the courage to act. To be brave for once and demand what she desired.