One More Day (19 page)

I kissed him back. Damn it, I am a stupid bitch, but I kissed him back and I liked it. When Connor had kissed me, it had been fleeting, the barest meeting of lips, like he was doing the bare minimum that one could call “kissing.” But this… this was something else, the way Justin’s lips crushed mine, the way his tongue invaded my mouth and his teeth nipped and pulled at my lower lip. I pressed my hands to his chest, initially to push him away, and instead I found myself clinging to him, gathering big handfuls of his t-shirt in my fists.

I wanted to feel bad about this, to have the sense to push him away. Whether it was my battered ego or just being pissed at Connor, I wanted this for myself, in the moment. I wanted to feel good, and kissing Justin… it felt beyond good, and I kissed him in a way I don’t think I’d ever kissed anyone before.

When he finally drew back, it felt like my entire body was about to combust. I have never, ever been kissed the way he kissed me, as if he was in total control, confident, taking what he wanted from me while making damn sure that I got plenty in return. I stood still as a statue, my lips swollen from his attention, my heart racing, my hands trembling, and I stared at him.

He looked perfectly calm and collected, as if the entire earth hadn’t just shifted beneath our feet.

“Still think we shouldn’t give this a shot?” he asked in a rough voice.

“Do you plan on trying to convince me some more?” I asked, and he let out a low laugh that sent shivers up my spine.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said mildly. I didn’t answer and after a moment, he took a breath. “Just, let’s be clear that I’m not him, whoever was before me that has you convinced you’re not going to manage a good relationship.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that. And I’m still not ready for this.”

He nodded and took a step away. “Okay. Did you want me to apologize for kissing you?”

I shook my head.

“Good. Because it would be a lie. I should get back to work.”

“Okay. Thanks for the pizza.”

“Thanks for the kiss,” he said, meeting my eyes again. Then he turned and headed toward the back of the house. “Talk to you later.”

I went out the front door and down the front walk, then turned and looked at the house from the sidewalk. After a moment, I did what I was pretty sure I’d always do, what I’d always been doing in one way or another: I walked away. I know what my limits are. What I can handle at any given time. And the man in that house wasn’t something I could handle now. I had a mother to move. A super powered injection creator to find. An ex who was an even bigger jerk than I am, and a billionaire held captive in StrikeForce’s basement. My best friend had caught me stealing money, my partner was just getting over being majorly pissed with me, and some dickhead blogger was way too observant for anybody’s good.

I kind of had a full plate.

Still, it had been nice to be reminded that Connor wasn’t the end for me. He would just be a constant reminder to watch myself, to look before I leap. And to not get involved with lying assholes.

Chapter Eleven

I got back to Command and made my way up to my room, glad that I managed not to bump into anyone. For the moment, I just wanted to be alone.

Once I was back in my room, I stripped and stepped into the shower. The cool water didn’t do much to soothe the way my body was still overreacting to that damn kiss. As I washed and shampooed, I kept forcing my mind away from Justin’s hands, to imagining what it would have been like to have his hands on my body.

“So stupid,” I muttered to myself with a grin as I rinsed off. I tore my mind away from him again, reminding myself that I promised Mama I’d call her tonight, because she’d had a dialysis appointment and I wanted to check on her. I always offered to go with her, and she always turned me down. She preferred to go alone. I guess I understood. She didn’t want me to see her when she felt weak or tired. Mama was always one to keep burdens to herself, even if I wished she’d let me help her more.

Well, she was getting a nice new house in a pretty neighborhood whether she wanted it or not. And one of these days, I’d even convince her to retire.

I smiled to myself as I dried off and slipped into my ratty old flannel pajama pants and a U of D t-shirt. I called Mama, and she filled me in on her day. I settled into bed and chatted with her for a while. She filled me in on her day at work, about a couple of patients she’d dealt with, and I talked about a guy we’d brought into Command earlier that day who had x-ray vision. He’d been reported for being pervy at a local mall once women started realizing what he was up to. Mama laughed, and then tried to stop.

“I shouldn’t laugh at that, really. But what teenage boy didn’t dream of power like that?” she asked with a laugh.

“Hell. I can imagine that there are plenty of grown men and women who’d appreciate it,” I said, and she laughed again. “Oh, Mama — You’re off on the fifteenth, right?” I asked, remembering the date Justin expected to be finished with the house. I wanted to show it to her as soon as possible, and it was only a few days away now.

“I am, unless I get called in. Why?”

“I have a little surprise for you and it’s supposed to be ready then.”

“Surprise? What surprise?” she asked.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?” I teased.

“Jolene Marie Faraday,” she scolded, and I laughed. “A hint?”

“Nope.”

“Evil child,” she said with a laugh.

“But you love me.”

“More than anything.”

I smiled. “I should let you go. I just wanted to check in with you. I love you, Mama,” I said.

“Love you more, Ladybug. Good night,” she said, and I listened as the call disconnected. I nodded to myself as I set my phone down. She was going to freak out when she saw the house.

I snuggled down into bed, pulling my blanket up over my nose. I had just closed my eyes when my phone rang.

I groaned.

I did not feel like fighting any super-powered assholes. I wanted to go to sleep and not think.

I picked the phone up, glancing at the screen, which said “unknown.” I considered not answering. It was probably a telemarketer or some shit like that. Or a reporter finally managed to track down my personal phone number.

It could actually be important though, I thought, and I answered.

“Is this Daystar?” a man’s voice said on the other end of the phone. Vaguely familiar.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“How are your ribs?”

There was silence for a few moments, when it clicked. Dr. Death. That slight accent, the smooth tone.

“How did you get this number?”

“Oh, a little Virus bird told me.” Damian. Fuck.

“So what do you want?”

“I think you can guess what I want. I want my associates released from your custody. And I want a sample of your blood for my little pet project.”

I laughed at him.

“I assure you I am not joking. You have until four o’clock tomorrow afternoon to return my associates, and one of them will have a vial of your blood.”

“Yeah? And if I don’t?”

“You won’t be happy with what happens next. Four o’clock, Daystar. Not a moment longer.” And with that, the call came to an end.

I sprang out of bed and carried my phone down to David’s lab. He was, as always, hunched over his keyboard. Jenson sat in a chair beside him, looking at her tablet.

“Hey,” I said, and they both looked up.

“What’s up?” Jenson asked, studying my face. “Something happened.”

“Dr. Death just called me at this number. Said he got the number from Damian.”

“What did he want?” David asked, taking my phone.

I relayed his demands to them, and they both said that he must be crazy. Which was obvious. “Can you trace it or anything?” I asked David.

He was already poking around in the settings of my phone. “You really should start using your official phone. We have all kinds of tracking and other stuff set up on those. Yours is pretty locked down and the tracker we install on the official phones isn’t here.” I didn’t bother mentioning that I knew the official phones had all that shit on them, which was why I didn’t use them. I figured that calling my fence from an official StrikeForce phone might just be the kind of thing that would piss her off.

“So you can’t?” I asked him, and he shook his head.

“What do you think he meant? About what will happen?” I asked.

David shrugged. “Knowing Dr. Death, he’ll try to turn more innocent people into super powered freaks. We’ll increase patrols throughout the city tomorrow, especially after four, so we’ll be ready. I mean… you’re not considering trying to meet his demands, are you?”

“Oh, hell no. I mean, does he seriously think I’d do either of the things he wanted?”

Jenson had been quiet for the entire conversation, and I looked at her. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Other than the obvious, I mean.”

She shook her head. “That demand. Coming to you directly with it. He could have brought it to Portia as our team leader. He could have called it in to any of us. And it’s so ridiculous… he has to know you’d never comply with it.”

I shrugged. “He’s a super villain. I think we can assume he’s nuts.”

She furrowed her brow and shook her head again. “It just kind of reeks of desperation. I wonder if there’s something going on. Something we’re not seeing. I mean, why the rush now?”

“Probably just got tired of waiting,” David said. “You know how these villain assholes are. They make demands. I’m pretty sure it’s part of the villain handbook or something, right after ‘how to deliver a villainous monologue.’”

“Yeah. He usually keeps a pretty low profile, though. Contacting us directly isn’t really his style,” Jenson said.

I shook my head. “Well. I’ll go fill Portia in,” I said. “I really wish we would have gotten this asshole last time.”

“Next time,” David reassured me. “We’ll get him next time. Which will probably be tomorrow, I guess.”

“Great. Let’s just hope he doesn’t manage to harm too many people before we manage it.”

“Stop, Jolene,” Jenson said.

“What?”

“Blaming yourself for not getting him before,” she said. “That’s on us, not you. And David’s right. We’ll get him this time, lock him up, and throw away the key.”

I nodded, then waved at the two of them and left, heading up to Portia’s office on the top floor. By the time I’d filled her in with all of the details and gotten her agreement that we should increase patrols, everyone on duty, it was into the wee hours of the morning and I felt dead on my feet.

Chapter Twelve

At our morning meeting, Portia filled the entire team in on Dr. Death’s phone call and his demands, as well as his threat. She went over the plan, to have everyone on the street around four to ensure that if he did pull anything like what he’d pulled before in Midtown, we’d be able to act on it quickly. The team was quiet. I knew each of us was thinking of the last time. Of almost three dozen still, lifeless bodies on the street near the art museum. Of the beating we’d taken afterward. Caine spoke up first.

“Somebody should be with Jolene all day.”

“I think I’m safe,” I said.

He shook his head. “This doesn’t strike anyone else as weirdly personal? Why go to Jolene with this?”

“Exactly what I said,” Jenson said.

“Because it’s her blood he wants for his stupid little injection project. We know that already from the files David cracked,” Portia said.

“For that, whatever. But why go to her about the prisoners? She’s not in charge here. She has no authority to set anyone free.”

“Well, she’s done it before,” Chance said. We all looked at her, surprised. She rarely talks, and it’s pretty easy to forget that she’s even there. “I mean… when Alpha was holding Amy and the others,” she added, then looked down and away.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that,” Caine said.

“Unless one of the people who decided to leave went to Dr. Death,” David said.

“That electro bitch. I knew we should have kept here here,” Monica said. “She hated you,” she told me.

“Thanks, Monica.”

She flipped me the bird, grinning. I shook my head and continued listening to Caine and Portia argue about how it should all be handled.