The Protectors Series Bundle (A superhero romance anthology) (41 page)

Cassie had said it was up to Symone. But Symone didn’t know if she had it in her to be a cold blooded murderer. Wasn’t killing Peter Reeser for the greater good? Or would she bring him back here to be put in jail? Dr. Trenery had been working on a way to strip his powers.

Jansen strapped on his guns. “I say fry the son of a bitch. But what do I know? I’m just the demo and destruction guy who likes to see things go boom.”

In an automatic move, they all held up their wrists and synced their watches. “Total time, four minutes and thirty seconds. Remember, get your asses back to the point on time.” Symone watched Jansen’s face go into shadow.

As soon as they were on the other side of Alex’s portal, it didn’t take long for things to get interesting. Peter had been waiting for them. As soon as they landed, gunshots peppered the night sky.

Alex closed the portal behind him, and they all ducked for cover. Jansen signaled with two fingers that he was headed out to lay the charges. Alex took cover and immediately returned fire, providing cover to Symone and Garrett.

When they made it into the main cabin, Peter was waiting on the couch with a Scotch. Garrett walked behind Symone, guns at the ready.

Symone’s voice was calm when she spoke. “Time to come with us, Peter. I’m tired of playing your games.”

“Symone. I’m so glad to see you here. And this time, I do hope you stay.”

Symone shuddered at his inflection. This was truly the face of evil. Moving quickly, she had her hands on Peter and watched as his body convulsed and twitched. He fought her, and her anger poured more rage into him. But somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she heard Garrett.

“Do what you need to do, Symone. I stand behind you.”  He stepped to the side.  “I’m going to help Jansen set the rest of these charges.  You need me, you holler.”

“Understood.”

Shit. Rage warred with the part of her that wanted to be loved, that ached for it, that wanted to be worthy of it. If she did this, killed him in cold blood, what kind of person would she be? She would truly be forsaken. Garrett might still love her, but she wouldn’t be able to sleep ever again, let alone live with herself.

She wasn’t the monster that Peter Reeser was.

She let Peter go, and he sank to his knees. His lips trembled as he spoke. “When will you understand that until you’re willing to do what’s necessary, you will always lose?” His body shook, and he tried to blip out of the room. The electricity in his body kept him from being able to teleport.

“You are a monster. And I would rather have you live, than become like you. I’m taking you to Cassie. Apparently she’s got just the right kind of jail cell waiting for you.”

He shook and trembled as he worked one foot under him and pushed to his knee. Symone held out the handcuff and reached for his hand.

With a speed bellied by his trembling, he pricked her with something. “You really should have killed me when you had the chance.”

Symone felt the burning pain right away. Nisulin. Agony tore through her veins like liquid napalm. Even as she sank to her knees from the pain, she reached for her comm. “Garrett. In the study. N-nisulin.” Even though her veins filled with fire, her muscles acted as if they’d been locked in a freezer for months. Lethargic . Slow.

As she collapsed, Peter Reeser stood over her. “You really were one of my greatest creations. If only you hadn’t turned out to be defective.” He stooped over her as she stared up at him. He leveled a gun on her, and she closed her eyes. If this was the end, she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her tears.

But before he could pull the trigger, Garrett crashed through the door. His roar filled the room and gunshots rang. Alex ran to her side and pressed two fingers to her neck. “Stay with me, Symone.”

He pressed the comm in his ear. “Jansen, get your ass to the study, Symone is hit. I’m opening the exit in here.”

Symone felt like she was floating in an ocean of pain. She’s been shot with nisulin before, but it had never been anything like this. This was something different. This felt like death. Through a blur, she could see Garrett and Peter engaging in hand-to-hand. Garrett had the upper hand, but Peter had regained his ability to jump. And he was evening things out. When Garrett took another blow to the back of the head, she gasped and wished it could have been different. Wished she’d told him she loved him just once before coming here to die.

Jansen barreled in with a shotgun at the ready and fired without looking. He took a chunk of Peter’s shoulder out and grinned while doing it. “Aren’t you supposed to be dead, fucker?”

Garrett rolled onto his side and bent his knee in an attempt to stand. Their eyes locked as he managed to get to a crouch. Symone reached for him.

“Garrett.”

Alex opened the portal behind them. She could feel the energy buzz vibrating. It was a small opening, just big enough for a body. Alex went through first. With Garrett’s help, he pulled her legs through. Then he kissed her on the lips, smiled at her, and while shoving her back through the portal, said, “I’m right behind you.”

But he wasn’t, once she was through and Alex supported her weight with an arm under her shoulders, she turned back to look for him. Instead, she saw him rushing to a downed Jansen who twitched and bled from his stomach. Weeping, Symone tried to crawl back through the wormhole, but Alex firmly held onto her.

Garrett kneeled gently and picked up the weight of her friend. He stumbled three steps for the open portal. Peter appeared behind them.

“No!” she screamed. Struggling in Alex’s arm’s she tried to go back through for them. Watching in horror, she cried as Peter held a gun to Garrett’s chest and fired, forcing him to loosen his grip on Jansen. As Garrett fell backward through the portal, Jansen remained with Peter.

Peter held a dark metal object in his hands which he turned over as he spoke. “I would follow you, but that wormhole could lead anywhere, and I doubt the first place you’ll stop is home, in case the bad guy—that would be me—follow. So I’ll just stay here and play with my new toy.”

A snarl bubbled up in Symone’s throat, and she lunged for what was left of the closing portal.

“Oh,” Peter said with a smile that lit his pale green eyes. “In case you think about coming after me here…” He tossed a metallic object through the portal, and Symone recognized it for what it was. One of the charges Jansen had set.

Shit. “Fall back. Fall back.”

Before she could even shout instructions, a bloodied Garrett immediately covered her and Alex with his hulking frame and flew them thirty feet from the portal.

As the bomb exploded, and orange flames filled her vision, she wept.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Symone pealed open her gritty eyes. They felt like they’d been covered in sand for days. Her senses gathered the information she needed—it was still dark outside, and the smell of leather in the air told her Garrett was still by her side. The hollow feeling in her chest reminded her that she’d let Jansen down.

She tried to speak, but her throat was so raw she didn’t manage it at first. “Any word?”

Garrett’s voice was gentle. “No. Alex tried going back to the house, but no dice. They were already gone, and our charges had already gone off. There was nothing left.”

“Shit. Peter’s going to kill him.”

Garrett squeezed her hand. “I’m not going to let that happen. You need to rest. Let me worry about Jansen.”

“It’s my fault he went after Peter. I knew what frame of mind he was in. I never should have let him come. I should have had Cassie make him stay.”

“How were you going to manage that? He’s a grown man. You can’t let the guilt beat you up. The only person to blame is Reap—Peter Reeser. I’m not going to give that asshole the satisfaction of using his code name.”

Symone tried to sit up. “How long before we head out again? I’ll be able to help. I’ve seen Peter’s memories. Some of it might be useful. I don’t know. I need to talk to Cassie. I—”

Garrett set his jaw. “Symone, I’m the one going after Jansen.”

A spear of pain ripped at her chest. “No. You know they’ll kill you. It’s my responsibility to get him back.”

“No. I repay my debts. Jansen pulled you out of a burning building. Then sacrificed himself to save both of us. I’m not leaving him behind. He’s mine to save. Besides, you’ve been out of commission for three days. You need to get your strength back. Cassie and Seth are working on the plan. But we leave day after tomorrow.”

“You don’t even know him.” Had she really been out for three days?

“I know you”—he cleared his throat—“care about him.”

Symone squeezed his hand and pulled him toward her. Taking his face in her hands, she whispered, “I owe you something.”

He frowned. “You don’t owe me anything. I know how hard—”

“When a lady’s trying to tell you she loves you, it’s in your best interest to shut up.”

He smirked. “Shutting up now.”

“I didn’t know how to say it before. I’m not used to saying the words, but…” She sniffled.

“But you’re willing to put yourself at risk to bring my friend back. No one’s ever been willing to do anything like that for me. I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you.”

“And you won’t. I will move mountains to come back to you. And to bring your friend home.” He leaned in and pressed soft lips to hers. The kiss was undemanding, but immediately morphed, sending liquid heat to pool between her thighs.

“I don’t know what to say.” She inhaled sharply. “Except, we’ll bring him home—

together.”

“Symone, you need your rest. I—”

“Garrett, I’ve waited so long to find you. I’m not willing to be separated from you. You don’t know where Peter is, so you’ll be out there blindly searching. In another day, I’ll be strong enough to come with you. We do this together. Promise me.”

He searched her gaze. “I can make that promise.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “There’s nowhere else I would rather be than by your side. We’ll go together.” He kissed her again. “In the meantime, why don’t you show my how much you love me?”

Other Books by Nana Malone

Game, Set, Match

©2010 Nana Malone

“Titillating and heartwarming, GAME, SET, MATCH is a delightful contemporary romance that will touch your heart….Wonderfully enhanced with a poignant plot, compelling characters, humor, secrets, blazing hot sex scenes, surprising plot twists and plenty of love, this story is brought to life right before your eyes by the appealing writing style of author Nana Malone.”

~Review by Dottie for Romance Junkies

http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/contemporary/Game_Set_Match_NM2.shtml

“Game, Set, Match had me enjoying Izzie’s sass and Jason’s coming back for more attitudes. Ms. Malone’s depth to her characters, their actions, and their choices made them more lifelike and gratifying in this story.”

~ Reviewed by Vanessa for Joyfully Reviewed

http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-reviews/game-set-match-by-nan-malone

Blurb:

Off the court, tennis star Jason Cartwright's playboy image is taking a public beating. On the court, he's down forty-love. A knee injury is shutting down his game, and the paparazzi are splashing his love life on every magazine. A comeback is in order, but the makeover he needs to save his faltering career is in the hands of the woman he loved and left fifteen years ago.

While single-mom, Izzy Connors, sees people for who they really are through the lens of her camera, even without it, she knows Jason isn't the star he appears to be. Although his charm and good looks haven't dimmed since he broke her heart, all she sees is his wasted talent and playboy lifestyle. Can Izzy put the past behind her and help Jason get his game, and his image, back on track? Or will the click of her camera shatter his world as well as his heart?

Available for purchase on 
http://www.nanamalone.com

Sexy in Stilettos

©2012 Nana Malone

~ 4 out of 5 stars - Picked by Poison ~ "I liked Nana's writing style and how she made her characters quirky and fun, and not the usual romantic type."

http://www.pickedbypoison.com/2012/04/review-sexy-in-stilettos-by-nana-malone.html?zx=fa27d807c12068ec

Blurb:

What’s worse than having to watch your sister marry your ex fiancé?  How about when that fiancé fires you from the family business?   

Hyper-organized, event planner Jaya Trudeaux is used to doing things by the book and never making waves.  It’s a strategy that’s served her well until she finds herself in failure alley with no fiancé, no job and her thirtieth birthday looming.  Maybe it’s time to change her methods.  Starting with an unlikely date to the wedding from hell.

The only thing that can tie carefree playboy, Alec Danthers down is his formidable step mother.  When she calls him home to help find his wayward brother, he never imagines an uptight, list making, sass- talking woman would make him think about putting down roots.