The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (55 page)

The bar was packed by the time we got there.  My two bodyguards looked like they wanted to drag me back to the car as soon as we walked in the door. Two of Scott Flynn’s friends were standing by the entrance and spotted me immediately. They sneered and made gross comments to each other until their drunken brains realized I had company. Sean draped his arm possessively around me and said, “Why couldn’t you be ugly?”

I burst into laughter and craned my neck to kiss him. “Don’t be cranky. This is supposed to be fun.”

Running his hand all the way down my back, he commented, “I’m liking this dress more and more.”

Feeling pretty safe from zombies in here, I made it my mission to lighten up and force these two to have a good time. It was New Year’s Eve, after all--the end of one fairly crappy year and the beginning of a new one full of possibilities. Sean didn’t love to dance, but I pulled him onto the crowded dance floor with a determined grip. The music was loud and the lights were low setting the right mood for a party. Hardly able to move without hitting someone, I let the bass soak into my blood and swayed against him.

With a sensuous smile, he crooked his finger at me saying, “Come closer,” and fitted me tightly against him so we moved together.

My ring sparkled in the strobe lights and I tilted my head to kiss him. With one hand pressing the small of my back and the other behind my head, he kissed me until I forgot where I was. My head spun with the music and the lights and the blood pumping through my body. His hips moved against mine with perfect rhythm, filling my mind with nothing but sensations. There were no angels, no demons, no zombies. We were alone in the crowd. With fingers clenched in his shirt, I fought an overwhelming urge to take him and fly away somewhere where no one could ever find us.

“Do we have to stay till midnight?”

“Fuck no!” With that, he took my hand and led me off the dance floor.

Laughing at his sudden urgency, I asked about Dec.

“He’ll be home later. He’s busy right now.”

Groups of partiers thronged the sidewalks in spite of the freezing cold. I didn’t need a coat thanks to Sean. I was plenty hot enough. He opened the car door for me and leaned in for a long kiss before slamming the door and vaulting into the driver’s seat. The drive home was endless but I kept myself amused by whispering in his ear and letting my hands roam. By the time we pulled into the garage, he was ready to toss me down on the concrete. Scoffing at this suggestion, I ran into the house making him chase me. He caught me at the top of the stairs and spun me around into his arms. My dress was too short to be any kind of obstruction and it wasn’t.

I was lying on my back floating someplace in another universe when he splayed his hand across my belly. Very gently, he traced his fingers across the muscles of my abdomen. Leaning down, he nuzzled my belly button and I twitched.

“What are you doing down there?”

He smiled into my eyes and said, “Just thinking about your dream. You’re so beautiful.” He kissed my belly. “You’re sexy and strong, but soft and delicate too.” He was running his hand over my skin and I was trembling with the urge to giggle.

“Let’s run away,” I suggested.

Bracing himself on his elbows, he looked into my eyes and smiled. “I wish we could. I want to take you someplace far away from demons and violence. I hate seeing you in pain. Someday, I will take you away from this and give you a normal life.”

I started to reply when I caught a glimpse of a face in the window. Choking on a scream, I could only point and scramble off the bed to lunge for my gun. Sean whipped around to confront our intruder but the face was gone. There was nothing there now. Buzzing with adrenaline, I threw up the window and looked outside.

Sean said, “There’s no one there. He’s gone.”

“Did you see that?”

He shook his head and said, “I only saw a reflection. It was gone before I could see what it was.”

Taking the gun from me, he tucked it into his waistband and strode out the door. Jumping up too, I threw on a robe and followed him. We went through all of the rooms and then walked around the outside of the house.

“Damn it!” The footprints led from the back porch to the middle of the yard and stopped.

Slowly looking up at our window, he gritted out, “Consider this your warning. If you come back, I will blow your ass to dust.”

“What are you looking at?” Dec rematerialized next to my elbow. “What’s going on? Why are you outside in your robe…and barefoot?”

“We’ve got a Peeping Tom. And he’s got
powers
,” I explained. I filled him in while Sean pondered the situation. His scowl was nearly as scary as Killian’s so I sidled a little closer to Dec.

Dec was just as mad as Sean. “I’m getting sick of this crap. I’m going hunting.” He disappeared leaving me envious.

“I’M SORRY, MICA, really I am. James already made plans for us this weekend.” Dani handed the manicurist her bottle of polish and turned back to me. “I can’t cancel on him.”

Studying my nails to keep from saying something rude about James, I swallowed my disappointment. “No, but you could bring him with you. It’s my 21
st
birthday party. It’s not like we haven’t been planning this since we met.”

She looked a little sheepish at that. “I know! But I totally forgot. James and I have been so busy these last few months. He’s crazy about doing things together. He’s like the Energizer bunny!” She smiled blissfully and I wanted to smack her. “Honestly, I’m exhausted! I haven’t had a night to myself in months.” She laughed and blew on her nails.

Ah, the opening I’d been hoping for…

”I’ve noticed you two have been together a lot. Are you getting, uh, serious about him?”

“Oh, my God, he’s…” She broke off and blushed furiously. The manicurist gave her a curious look and left us to dry.

Already knowing what she was going to say, I hesitated to ask. “He’s what?”

Giggling with her secret, Dani leaned over to me and whispered, “God, he’s amazing in bed. I can’t say no anymore!” Finally chortling out loud, she added, “Damn, I don’t want to either! He adores me, Mica. I feel amazing when he’s with me. I swear he’s the perfect man!”

Okay, count to ten first. I took a deep breath and asked, “Good in bed is good. Does he, uh, have any…unusual
skills
?”

It was my turn to blush, but I needed to know if James had shown her his powers. He could be good in bed without sharing his powers with her. After all, they all had the ability to read thoughts and were bound to use that for pleasure if they were inclined to.

She was re-braiding the tiny braid that hung by her cheek so didn’t answer for a minute. Finally, she secured the end and asked, “Special skills? Other than knowing my every thought? No.”

I knew she was telling the truth and breathed a sigh of relief. Sean would be glad to hear that. I hadn’t spent any time with Dani since before Christmas and it was February already. Every time I tried to do something with her, she had plans with James. I was beginning to worry about her, but couldn’t quite put a finger on the problem. Back in December, Dec and Sean had suggested we ask James about his relationship with Dani. At the time, I thought they were joking. But Dec’s plan had been sneakier than that and I was still thoroughly impressed with it. Thinking back to the last update I’d gotten from Dec, I was just slightly reassured.

It had been very late one night in early January. Dec came in covered with ash and assorted disgusting fluids. I’d taken one look at him and pointed to the bathroom.

“You smell like barbequed demon. Get that nasty crap off of you before the whole house reeks.”

Exhausted, he hesitated as if he was going to flop down on the couch. I glared at him and he reconsidered and shuffled off to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he was clean and ready to fill us in.

“Where have you been? You look tan,” I asked.

Rolling his shoulders tiredly, he said, “Rome first, then Madrid. I swung by Los Angeles for a couple of days and took out a couple of old
friends
I ran into.” He took a long drink and continued, “Do you have any idea how many demons are in LA? It’s ridiculous! I was having such a good time I had to stay a few extra days.”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Geez. I’m sorry I missed it. Next time you should bring me. I’ve never been to California.”

“Maybe someday, but I actually just stopped in to give you some info on Dani and James. The bug worked. He’s been staying with her a lot and they’re not very quiet.”

Yuck.

”Geez Dec, I don’t want to hear about their sex lives…”

Looking down his nose at me, he said, “You have a dirty mind. That’s not what I meant. James spends a lot of his time telling her how beautiful she is and how much he wants her for himself. He’s really laying it on thick.”

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “It’s odd though. He doesn’t sound that sincere to me. I would’ve thought she’d see through the bullshit. I think he’s using his powers to influence her, but I can’t tell without being closer.” Frowning, he added, “I don’t like it.”

He’d bugged Dani’s room with a device he could tune into remotely using an app on his cell phone. He’d been trying to catch James doing something wrong, but so far it seemed like he was only guilty of too much flattery and questionable motives.

I guess my worrying wasn’t productive, but I’d learned to trust my intuition and something about Dani and James was off. We were done with our manicures and I had to finish my other errands. Leaving her with a promise to do lunch, I left the shop. I was on the way to my car when a furtive movement caught my eye. I dropped my bag and bent down to pick it up. Out of the corner of one eye, I saw him. Tingles of recognition teased my memory. Hmmm. Dark pants with a leather jacket. It was too nice a jacket to be a student even though I was leaving the college bookstore. He turned away to talk on his phone but stayed exactly where he was. I started towards the parking lot and pulled out my own phone. Using the mirrored screen, I watched him nonchalantly enter the lot. Instead of getting into my car, I called Sean and put him on speaker. With the phone sitting on the roof, I turned around and crossed my arms.

My tail looked up to find me studying him and stopped. We weren’t exactly close, but I could see his face clearly. He was probably in his mid-thirties with close-cropped red hair and green eyes. His ruddy face was square and he had a scar running down his cheek from his eyebrow to his chin. It looked like a sword wound. Ouch. Even though he was clearly busted, he was a professional and tried to play it off.

“Hey there, I hate to bother you, but I’ve lost my directions. Can you tell me how to get to the old base from here?” He smiled easily as if he was just a new guy in town.

“Cut the bullshit. Why are you following me? Are you stalking me?”

He looked stunned at the accusation. “Stalking you? You’re crazy!”

I'd give him an A for effort if it weren't for my enhanced intuition. He was totally lying. Pulling away from the car door, I picked up my phone and took a picture of him before he could flinch. To Sean I said, “It’s on the way. What do you want me to do with him?”

The man hesitated while I listened to Sean and finally murmured a response. It was his turn to be angry now. He wasn’t faking it either. “You’re in a lot of trouble, Miss Thomas!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m perfectly fine.”

Warming to the subject, he pulled out his own phone and handed it to me. “Does this man look familiar to you?”

My brain nearly froze in surprise. It was a grainy picture taken in the pouring rain, in the dark of night, in the deep shadows of a wraparound veranda. The man’s face was pretty obscured but my heartbeat quickened at the sight of him.

I scoffed, “I can’t see a thing in that picture. It’s black.”

Unconcerned, he passed me another one. “How about now, Miss Thomas?”

Uh-oh.

This one wasn’t as blurry. Even with my hand shaking, it was impossible to miss the resemblance.

Instead of answering him, I posed a question of my own. “So what kind of trouble am I in?”

Smiling like he’d won, he purred, “Oh, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, arms smuggling, and murder are the top three. As you can see by these pictures, you and this man are clearly involved with known terrorists and arms dealers.”

Okay, this had gone on long enough. I needed to get out of here before anything bad happened. I nodded and closed my eyes for just a minute. When I opened them again, he was smiling at me like I was his new best friend. I shook his hand and smiled back.

“You should be good to go now. The base is just down the street. I’m late for an appointment! Bye, now.”

“Okay, thanks again!” He smiled and waved good-bye as I got into my car.

My face was about to explode and I broke out in hoots of laughter as soon as the car turned the corner. “Sean! You’re a freakin’ genius! It actually worked.” I did a little happy dance with my butt and headed towards the house.

Domino greeted me with a big doggy grin when I pulled up. It was a bit warmer today so Sean let her out to romp around the yard. He was lounging against the porch post throwing a ball to her. The snow was melting and the grass was starting to poke through. Spring was on its way.

Throwing my arms around him, I crowed, “You’re a genius! No, wait! I’m a genius!” I did a little dance around him just to prove my point.

Laughing, he asked, “What did you actually do?”

“I erased myself from his memory. All he knows is a pretty brunette gave him directions to the old base. Mica Thomas doesn’t exist--not face or name. We need to get those pictures though. You can see me with Dec in the trees and it’s a good shot.”

“I'll call Alex. He's got techies who can make them disappear.  Killian wasn’t exaggerating when he said your abilities had really evolved last year. You’re getting good at this.” He glowed with pride and my heart did a little dance too.

“Do you think so?”

“Absolutely! You’re impressive, love. There are many Primani who would give their right…uh, arm, to have this kind of psychic power.” His voice had dropped as he scanned the forest around us. “Domino! Come!”

Catching his unease, I asked, “Is something wrong?”

Calling over his shoulder, he said, “No, just an odd feeling, like we’re being watched. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Is Dec going to be back this week? I was hoping he’d be at The Lizard on Saturday.” I made small talk while putting away the things from the store and grabbing drinks. I knew him well enough to know he was scanning the property and ready to cross over into soldier-mode at the barest hint of threat. We were all a little edgy these days.

With eyes still distant, he murmured, “I’m not sure. He hasn’t found him yet.” He suddenly stiffened and moved towards the front room. Domino paced him with her ears alert. Growling softly, she pressed her nose against the front door. I raised my eyebrows in question. He shrugged.

“I’m not sensing anyone…what do you hear?” I asked.

He shook his head sharply and put a finger to his lips. Okay, no talking. I strained my ears and still didn’t hear anything. Domino growled deeper in her throat and raised her hackles. He whispered something to her and she trotted over to me and sat. He vanished. Okay…

Ten minutes later, he reappeared, cursing. “I’m going to rip his head off when I catch him!”

“What happened to your eye?”

Instead of answering, he growled at me. 

“Who was it? James? Dagin? I’m confused.”

Still swearing creatively in multiple languages, including several dead ones, Sean slammed his hand down on the island and irritably swiped at the blood that was running from a cut above his eye. It was a hard blow judging from the split in his skin and the amount of blood pouring out of it.

“Is he gone then?” I asked as I soaked a washcloth in cold water. “This’ll sting; hold still.”

Irritably, he jerked it out of my hand and smashed it against his eye. He seethed while I watched with a million questions. None of which were getting answered until his temper cooled down.

“Who’s bleeding? I can smell it from here.”

I snapped, “Don’t you knock?”

James shrugged and waved a negligent hand towards the door. “It wasn’t locked. You should be more careful about that.” He smiled coldly. “Haven’t you heard about the serial killer running around?”

Sean tensed but kept his voice even. He said, “Glad to see you finally made it in. Alex wants you back with Dec in Brooklyn.” He tossed the wet cloth into the sink. “Things are heating up down there and you have skills we need.”

James raised a bushy eyebrow at that. “How soon do I need to go? I have plans.”

“There are no higher priorities than our work, James. Cancel your plans. You need to be there ASAP.”

My surprise must’ve been obvious because James sneered at me on his way by. “This is your doing, isn’t it?”

“What? I’ve got nothing to do with this!” I was flabbergasted and stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“Happy birthday, Mica,” he said as he stalked out of the room. He vanished before I could say another word.

“He just gets creepier and creepier…”

Saturday dawned clear and sunny and I thought this was a good omen. My birthday was today and I was officially old enough to drink. I hadn’t needed the calendar to change anything though. I’d been getting into bars for years. For some reason, no one ever asked for my ID…

“Stop sulking. He’ll be back if he can.” Sean leaned over and kissed my lower lip before heading down to the basement. I followed him but I wasn’t working out today. My shoulder was stiff and I was trying to let it heal on its own.

“It’s been too long.”  I frowned at the floor, “I’m worried about him.”

Slipping on his gloves, he answered me with a casual shrug. “Babe, he’s fine. This is what Killian does, remember? He’s been in touch. He’s just focused and not in the mood to slow down.” He patted me awkwardly with his gloved hand. “And he’s only been gone a few months. I’ve gone decades without the pleasure of his company and I’ve survived just fine. You will too!”