The Protectors Series Bundle (A superhero romance anthology) (27 page)

Symone held her ground and glared. She wasn’t some wayward child to be yelled at. She was a grown woman, and he had no right. “Now would be a good time to back the hell up, Jansen. Unless you’re looking for a little electric shock therapy to help you sleep tonight.”

He blinked at her rapidly, as if not believing her words. Then wisely, he took a step back. But that didn’t stop the berating. “What the fuck did you just say to me? Do I need to remind you of why you left the Lair in the first place?”

Symone staggered back as if he’d hit her.

Cassie stepped between them. “That’s enough, Jansen.” She turned her attention to Symone. “Lisa’s on her way down. What happened? I expected you an hour ago.”

Symone’s voice wobbled as she yanked open the door to the backseat. “Long story short, he found me after I talked to Jansen. I had him secured and was bringing him back when we got ambushed by Trackers.”

“No doubt coming for their man,” Jansen ground out.

She shook her head, sending her hair spilling over her shoulders. “No. They want me. He came to warn me.”

Jansen squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Cassie put a hand on Jansen’s chest. “Jansen, this isn’t the time or place. Symone could have died. We have a Tracker to treat and get answers from.”

Worry etched over Jansen’s features. Symone told herself he was worried about her and that’s why his inner moron had come out to play. He’d personally pulled her out of that building they’d blown up. He’d taken of care of her, helped nurse her back to health. She’d known how upset he was about her leaving. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted to come home.

Cassie turned back to Symone. “Okay, where did they find you?”

“A few miles out of Mylands. They’re alive, but pretty badly down. In case they had cameras, I double-backed and took the freeway.”

“How many were there, did you cut the tracking chip out of this one?

“There were three. And yes, first thing I did before I left my place. I don’t know how they found us.”

Cassie frowned. “How did he find you in the first place?”

Heat suffused Symone’s cheeks. “That was my fault. A bullet grazed the kid I was trying to save. I got her out of town, but her blood was all over me. He followed that right to my place.

Jansen groaned. “I thought I taught you security measures.”

The thread of Symone’s patience snapped. “And they were in place. I got forewarning, but he didn’t attempt to use the door or the fire escape. Moron rappelled in from the roof.”

Jansen blinked, then glanced at the open door where Lisa knelt with Seth. A brief look of respect flashed over his face, and Symone resisted the urge to hit him with something. She scrubbed a leather-clad hand over her face.

Grave-faced, Cassie pulled her aside. “Symone, we need to talk.”

Symone tried to breathe evenly as Cassie walked with her to the main house. Garrett was in good hands, but she didn’t want to leave him behind. She didn’t trust Jansen with the Tracker, and she still needed some answers from Garrett before any of the guys got bright ideas to tune him up. Mostly she needed his assurance that he wouldn’t blab about kissing her. That was the last kind of shit storm she needed.

The moment she was inside with Cassie, she carefully constructed her mental walls. She told herself it wasn’t a deliberate lie but more of an emotional protection.

Cassie stared at her long and hard, then said softly, “You don’t have to do that, Symone. I wouldn’t deliberately read you without your permission.”

Symone narrowed her eyes. “Then how can you tell I’m blocking?”

“Because your barrier is actually intruding onto my mental space. I feel like I’m being shoved backwards.”

Immediately ashamed, Symone ducked her head and dropped some of her shields. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget what it’s like to be around other people.”

Cassie’s eyes were kind as they misted over. “You don’t have to stay away. This is your home any time you want it to be.”

Symone sniffed. “I know. Just after the last time, keeping my distance is easier.” Nine months ago she’d almost killed one of the younger kids Cassie had rescued from the Riddenwell Lab—Andrew. She’d fallen asleep in the tub upstairs and the damn thing had overflowed. When Andrew had come up to find out what was wrong, she’d accidentally sent a charge through the water, nearly electrocuting him. It had taken him a week to recover. She’d left the compound shortly thereafter.

“Easier does not equal better.” Cassie tossed her raven hair, causing it to cascade down her back. “Back to the situation at hand. Do you believe what he’s saying?”

“About wanting to help me and not knowing what Peter was up to?” Symone shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve touched him, and I can see his memories, but it’s not like I can see his intention. Besides, he’s an empath. I don’t know how much of it is him manipulating emotions.”

Cassie’s eyebrows darted up. “An empath? Isn’t that an interesting piece of news?”

“Whatever. Problem is, I can’t trust what I get off of him. What did you see?”

Cassie smiled beatifically. “You know full well I don’t probe without permission. Unless it’s a matter of life and death.”

Symone grinned. “Did you get anything useful?”

Cassie shook her head. “No. I’ll need to wait till he’s conscious. But I did get something else.”

Symone blushed but didn’t bother to start an explanation. If Cassie wanted to be angry and kick her out, she could. Shit, it was probably no less than she deserved. “Exactly what did you get?”

“That maybe it’s time you cut yourself some slack, Symone. So far, what I get from that man is that he’s not a danger to you. It feels like a deep bond. Whether he’s an unwitting danger to us remains to be seen. We’ll talk to him when he’s awake. In the meantime, we’ll take turns guarding him. You should get some rest.” She paused, and pale green eyes met Symone’s gaze. “One thing you should know. When two of us get together, there’s a heightened sense of arousal that makes us combustible. He’s enhanced like you are, so I don’t know what will happen if you get…close. It’s not your fault, and there’s not a ton that can be done about it. Your body is trying to be in control. It’s natural, but a bit tricky.”

Symone finally exhaled the breath she’d been holding onto all night. The kiss hadn’t been entirely her fault. “I was pretty sure I was losing my mind. He kissed me and I—” she cut herself off. “I know it shouldn’t have happened, but I was just so surprised I could touch him, then he…”

Cassie put a hand on her arm. “It must be very lonely being you. I can’t even imagine what you have to go through every day. Like I said, cut yourself some slack. Nobody could blame you for needing to be close to someone—even if he’s a Tracker.”

Symone nodded. “I might as well take first watch. Maybe bring him some food. It’s not like I’ll be able to sleep now anyway. Maybe I can get him to open up.”

Cassie mumbled something as Symone headed for the door that led to the guest cabins. It sounded like, “I hope he’s not the only one.”

Jansen stalked around the kitchen, trying to diffuse his anger while he fed his growling stomach. As he paced the kitchen, he gnawed on a chicken leg from the leftovers of Lisa’s roast chicken dinner. Damn that woman could cook. The only nod he made to decorum was the napkin he held under the chicken leg, so as not to drip fat all over the floor.

“You know, last I checked we have plates in here somewhere.”

He whirled around to find Lisa leaning against the doorframe. His face flushed as he paused mid-bite. “Sorry, Doc. I was still hungry.”

“I see. If you’re going to take out your aggression on my perfectly roasted chicken, have the decency to use a plate.”

He blushed. Lisa always had a way of unsettling him. She was so far away from him in the scope of the world. She all neat and prim and proper. And he a brutish soldier. A brutish soldier in a shitty mood. “Um, sorry.” He reached into the cabinet where the plates were kept and pulled one down. He placed the chicken leg on it, unsure of what to do now.

Lisa chuckled and opened the fridge. “Have a seat. I’ll make you a proper plate with a knife and fork maybe? You want some of the roasted potatoes?”

His stomach growled, and he smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, um, if there are any left. I know the boys likely already cleaned them out.”

“You’re in luck. I always cook enough for an army.”

He sat at the center island as she served him, and it made him feel uncomfortable—she serving him. He was pretty certain it should have been the other way around. Worse, she didn’t have any food. “You’re not eating?”

“I’m stuffed. Besides, if I eat any more carbs, I’m going to have to sign up for an Iron Man or something just to work it off.”

He almost opened his mouth to say something like her body looked just fine to him, but that was probably inappropriate, so he kept his trap shut. Instead, he said, “Erm, thanks.” Using the knife and fork, he began to self-consciously eat again.

“So you want to tell me what that was all about?”

He frowned? “What?”

“The display on the lawn with Symone. Don’t you think you were a little hard on her?”

His skin tightened and drew hot. He hadn’t even noticed anyone but Cassie and Symone were around. “She shouldn’t have brought him here. It puts us all at risk. Not to mention, he tried to kill her.”

She shrugged. “She seems to know what she’s doing. She’s an adult, Jansen, you can’t control her.”

“I don’t need to control her. I just need her to see what’s right in front of her.” Symone had always been reckless. When she left the Lair halfcocked nine months ago, she hadn’t given any thought to how the rest of them would worry about her. “She’s impulsive and selfish.”

Lisa leveled him with a hard look. “She’s not selfish. She just doesn’t know how you feel about her. How much you…worry.”

A hot blush crept up his neck and singed his ears. “How can she not see?” He cleared his throat. “This is her home, we all care about her.” He hoped that made it a broader statement. He, better than anyone, knew how a relationship with Symone would never work. He couldn’t even hold her hand without her singing his hair off. He couldn’t live with the constant frustration of never being able to touch her. Though that wasn’t much different from now.

Lisa’s voice was low. “It must be frustrating when someone can’t see how you feel.”

***

Garrett’s head snapped off his pillow the moment he smelled Symone coming. As bodyguards went, it could have been worse. Could have been that uptight Jansen guy.

She walked in carrying a tray of food and several bottles of water. “I brought you dinner. I didn’t know what you liked, so I just grabbed leftovers—fried chicken, rolls, and salad. You should eat something.”

When she put the tray down and lifted the glass lid, his mouth watered. The aroma alone could temp a man to sell his left nut. But he didn’t spring on the heaping tray of food. Instead, he put his senses to good use, sifting through the smells for anything that shouldn’t be there. At the very least he had a career in taste testing if the whole soldier thing didn’t work out. His stomach grumbled in protest. He was famished, and his body didn’t want to wait for the necessary precautions.

“You don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t poison you.” She shrugged delicate shoulders and eased herself into a teak chair that faced the door. In her wife-beater tank and fitted cargo pants, she looked every bit the warrior she was. Except he knew how soft she was.

“If we wanted to kill you, there are a million other ways to do it here, given everyone’s talents.”

She had a point. She herself could have killed him in her apartment. She could have let the other Trackers take him out. Hell, that Jansen guy probably would have done it with his bare hands. Garrett pulled the tray closer, and picking up a chicken leg, he tore into it with his teeth. He moaned as the spices awakened his taste buds, tasting the pepper, garlic and—was that tarragon? He shut his eyes in bliss as he chewed.

Her soft laugh had his eyes cranking open.

“You look like you’re in heaven.”

He snapped up the napkin and wiped his mouth. “It’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything. Let alone something home cooked.”

Symone nodded. “I know the feeling. Dr. Trenery has this whole love of cooking thing. Every time I come here, I feel like I walk away with five extra pounds. Cassie says it’s good, seeing as I’ve always been a hair too skinny anyway.”

He automatically focused on her chest. Nothing skinny happening there, but he forced his eyes to lift to hers. His gaze narrowed at the two, now-familiar names. “The Doctor, she’s the one who checked your sewing job? The brunette? And gave me some drugs while stitching up the gunshot wound?”

Symone stayed silent. Her shrewd eyes meeting his in a flat stare.

“And Cassie’s the itty bitty thing with the black hair and eerie eyes. Is she the one who healed me?” He tapped the gauze on his forehead. He’d lost a decent amount of blood when that damn bullet grazed him.

“Your intel gathering sucks. If I were you, I’d keep all the little tidbits of info to myself.”