Torrent (Cosmic Forces Book 1) (9 page)

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Torrent began to retrace his steps toward the apartment with a reluctant Alyssa beside him. Her anger seethed, almost palpable.

“I’ll answer your questions. Do you mind if we find somewhere to talk that’s relatively private? I don’t want to sit here in the middle of the street talking about this where just anyone could hear us. Even if I do carry those Scancoms, I don’t want to advertise my presence.”

He knew she had no idea what kind of trouble it would cause if Cosmic Forces were found here. Their mission was to be kept quiet. Their very existence was to be kept quiet.

“Sure. There’s a spot. A building about half a block away. It leads to one of the tunnels.”

Of course it did. The woman, her tunnels, and her suicidal quest to teach. “Sounds good.”

T
orrent and Alyssa
were sitting on the marble staircase in one of Houston’s former petroleum centers.

He’d told her the basics about the mission. And the truth about not being Gillie’s father and never having met Melissa.

“I don’t understand why you have to take Gillie.”

“I’m not privy to that information. We’re given missions and we complete them.”

“And you don’t think your team would have the answer to that?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“I wish I could say I’m mad, but I felt so guilty for falling in love with my sister’s boyfriend, or lover. My dead sister’s boyfriend.” She wiped at her eyes, as if trying to hide her emotions. “Right now I’m relieved. I won’t guarantee you that I won’t be hellishly pissed later.”

He knew that for a fact. He’d seen glimpses of her temper. He was so relieved not to be living a lie that he was more than willing to deal with her fury.

“Got it. I’ll prepare myself for your rage later.” He kissed the tip of her upturned nose. Her eyes flashed the fire of her desire, then her eyelids lowered, in what he’d discovered was one of the signs that she wanted him.

She frowned, the lids rose again. “So you’re supposed to take Gillie back to your team, and then what?”

“Take him to Chicago.” Torrent shrugged. That was all he knew.

“That isn’t happening.”

She’s telling me.
“Damned straight. We’ll make sure of that.”

Shit
. He hoped, so anyway. He wasn’t sure, given the option, if the rest of the team would be okay with his forfeiting the mission. He’d have to find out the hard way. He’d talk to them tonight after Torch worked on Omar’s leg.

“Who is your team, exactly?”

“My team.” He couldn’t do this. Not now, anyway. “We need to get back. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to travel with Omar. Probably have to carry him most of the way.”

“This talk isn’t over,” she warned him.

“This thing is far from over. You. Me. Far, far from over.”

A
lyssa couldn’t contain
the smile that wanted to come out. She did manage to temper it enough so she didn’t look as happy as she felt. Why was she so worried about hiding how happy he made her, even from him?

I’m fucked up.
She was too afraid to be in a relationship. She looked in Torrent’s light eyes. They were clear with intent and burning with intensity. Their warmth and his emotions warmed her.

She rose to a stand. “I’m worried about you. And Omar. And getting Omar back to where we were.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve done harder.”

T
orrent didn’t know
what he planned to do, not exactly. He needed to think. He only knew what he would not do. He would not be turning Gillie over to the team. That he knew for sure. And he’d risk his life to protect Gillie and Alyssa.

Torrent and Alyssa went to her apartment. Pulling Jesse aside, Torrent and Alyssa told him that they had help for Omar. They’d have to take him out of Houston, though.

Jesse looked from one to the other, pausing mid-bite, a sandwich in his hands. It was clear to Torrent that Jesse looked up to Alyssa, trusting her judgment.

Jesse nodded his agreement to moving Omar. “You want something to eat? Sonya and Belinda are making more.”

Torrent shook his head. “I’m going to look in on Omar.” He wanted to check on Omar’s wound to make sure he could make the trip back to meet Vector. After that, he needed to head to his lookout spot across the street in the other building to pick up his supplies.

Omar could make the trip. Torrent was thankful of that. He patted the young man on the shoulder. “We’ve got some help for you.”

Omar grunted. Sullen. Torrent didn’t understand him, but then again, he didn’t have to. He just had to help him. Before they left to take Omar for help, Torrent had to make sure that he cleared his items out of his lookout/hiding spot in the building across the street. He walked out of Omar’s room. Jesse, Sonya, and Belinda were in the living room, while Gillie was napping in Alyssa’s room.

“I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” he told them.

Alyssa looked at him, a question in her eyes.

“Really,” he assured her.

She cocked her head, still looking a bit doubtful.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I don’t want you doing anything foolish.”

Torrent couldn’t stop the smile that crept to his lips. “I don’t plan to.” Damn, but he wanted to kiss her. He looked at the rest of the family. No. This wasn’t the time to unveil his feelings for her. Not like this.

“Daddy?” Gillie’s sleep-husky voice came from the doorway.

Alyssa’s head snapped in Torrent’s direction.

Shit.
He hadn’t told Alyssa yet, but he didn’t want to hurt or confuse Gillie so he’d decided he could keep calling him Daddy.

“What’s up, little man?” Torrent knelt and held his arms out to Gillie.

Gillie ran into them. “I missed you.”

Torrent sighed.
Damn.
He kissed Gillie’s soft cheek. “I promise not to be gone as long. Only if I have to. Okay?”

“Okay.” Gillie gave him a sloppy, slobbery kiss on the cheek.

Torrent cleared his throat. He couldn’t look at anyone. They’d see the raw emotion in his face.

“I’ll be back in a few.” He caught the door handle and opened it swiftly.

“Torrent.” Alyssa was calling him. He stopped in the hallway, froze, but couldn’t look at her so he kept his back to her, his eyes pinned to the floor.

She walked around, faced him, and pushed his chin up until he’d raised his gaze enough to look her in the eyes.

“Thank you,” her lower lip trembled.

He knew what she was saying, and it wasn’t thank you.

“I feel the same way.” He wrapped his arms around her, planted his lips on hers.

She pulled back a notch, looked him square in the eye, her warm brown gaze traveling straight to his soul. “I know you do.” She nodded. “I know you do.”

The emotions that coursed through Torrent weren’t unknown, but they were foreign. He’d never felt so strongly about anyone. He knew without a doubt, with every fiber of his being, that this was something he couldn’t let go. No way. No how.

“Let me go,” he told Alyssa. “I swear I’m just going to get my supplies. I’ll be right back and get your cousin some help.”

She stepped away, smacked him on the ass. “Bring that fine self of yours back.”

“That’s my girl.”

And she was. And she would be. Forever. Torrent had a new mission, and it overrode every other mission he’d ever taken. Every allegiance, every oath.

T
orrent had cleared
his lookout spot of all his items and made sure he’d left no evidence of his stay there. Gear in hand, he rounded the corner from a side alley, and prepared to cross the street and make the run back to Alyssa’s building.

A privateer vehicle turned the street corner and stopped right in front of Alyssa’s building. Its dark tinted windows and windshield didn’t yield the occupants.

Torrent stood still, partially hidden by the darkness and the shadows.

More privateers? Here for retaliation? To attack her family once more? He drew a pistol from his waistband and waited for the doors to open. The passenger door was on his side. Wouldn’t you know his luck—the driver’s door opened.

At the same moment, Alyssa stepped out of her building.

What the hell was she doing? He told her to stay upstairs, to wait for him there. Didn’t she know she could be killed? Torrent jumped out of his hiding place, weapon drawn, ready to fling himself over the vehicle’s hood and take out whoever came out before they could hurt Alyssa.

She was smiling. Looking into the privateer’s lighted interior and smiling? He paused mid leap, confused. His enhanced night vision revealed Vector stepping out from behind the wheel.

“What the hell are you doing?” Concern made Torrent’s voice gruff.

“This seemed a better plan than you trying to haul a grown man to the wall.”

“Can’t argue that logic.” Alyssa’s smile yielded the relief that the set of her shoulders seconded.

“Hurry up and bring him down. Bring everyone,” Vector commanded.

“What? Why?”

“Control said.”

“No.” Torrent wasn’t comfortable with this. Anything could happen. “We can’t do that.”

“Listen.” Vector leaned on the vehicle, looking over the hood at Torrent. “You know me. You know I won’t let anything happen.” His steely dark blue gaze looked obsidian in the night’s darkness.

Torrent turned to Alyssa. “Let’s go get your family. Now.”

T
hey traversed
through Houston in a privateer vehicle driven by Vector. This allowed Torrent, Alyssa, Jesse, Belinda, Sonya, Gillie and a limping and pale Omar to make good time getting to their destination undisturbed by patrolling Leaguers or other privateers.

The electronic device opened the gate without issue, the monstrosity composed of welded steel and barbed wire swung wide, allowing the vehicle passage. The guard post was manned by two Leaguers, but they couldn’t be bothered to check on a vehicle that was authorized and assumedly occupied by their allies.

Torrent scowled at the guards who were worthless and couldn’t see him anyway.

A few minutes later, Vector was pulling the vehicle into the grove where the transport was waiting. A second transport was in place now.

“Where’s the first transport?” he asked Vector when he noticed it was gone.

“The team that brought this one out towed it back. They didn’t want to leave evidence of our being here.” Vector glanced at Alyssa, as if to see if she knew more than before or not.

Torrent gave him an imperceptible head shake. It wasn’t that Torrent wanted to keep secrets from Alyssa, but knowing about Cosmic Forces may put her in danger. He had to check on the team and Control. He hadn’t talked to them. He didn’t know if they’d understand where his head was.

Head?

More like his heart.

The crew stepped out of the transport.

Torch, Control, Throttle.

Torrent looked at Vector, then back at the other team members. He took a deep breath. He felt so different. He was different. He was a different man completely, and it happened in a few days. These men had been—were—like his brothers.

Vector gave him a side glance as he put the vehicle in park. “Stop worrying. We’re family.”

Torrent exhaled. It was surreal the way that Vector was always in sync with him.

From behind them, Alyssa put her hand on Torrent’s shoulder. “You do have more than one family, you know.”

He knew. He had two families now. Would he have to choose one over the other? What were the consequences of that? That was what worried him, but he couldn’t tell her. He put his hand on hers on his shoulder.

Control stepped forward, flanked by Throttle and Torch. Torch was holding a body board for carrying injured people.

“That’s for me?” Omar scoffed. “I can walk.”

“Let them help you,” Jesse’s voice had an undercurrent of steel.

Torrent understood. Omar was irritating. Omar made poor choices.
And my choices haven’t been bad?
Certainly viewed objectively, one could say that his choices had been unwise, poor even.

Except that Torrent didn’t feel uncomfortable at all with his decisions and choices. He felt at peace.

Torrent got out and opened the door on his side. He gave Alyssa a hand and helped her out of the vehicle. Gillie jumped out behind her, wrapped his arms around Torrent’s leg and held on tightly.

Across from him, Vector was opening the door and helping Sonya and Belinda out. Torrent couldn’t help but notice the glint in Vector’s eye as he escorted the two women from the vehicle. He glanced at the trio of the team standing across. They were looking at the women with interest as well. Throttle’s eyes settled on Alyssa a little longer than Torrent cared for. He would have a talk with Throttle later.

Torch stepped forward with the carrier to help Omar. He indicated for Throttle to help him with Omar.

“Let me walk,” Omar said.

“Come on, then.” Torch pointed to the transport and gave Omar a shoulder to lean on. “I need assistance,” he announced.

Control looked at Throttle. “Help him.”

With a lingering look of regret at all of the ladies, Throttle joined Torch.

“Let’s give you a debriefing,” Control said to Torrent. “We’ve got a shelter set up with a table. Let them have the transport for the procedure. Vector you come too.” Control glanced down at Gillie. “You have a new friend, I see.” He quirked a brow at Torrent.

“More than one.” Torrent glanced over at Alyssa, then her brother and cousins.

A
lyssa sat
in the privateer’s vehicle, Gillie napping in her arms, she watched Torrent, Control and Vector walk away. She caught Jesse watching her. “What?” She punched him in the arm lightly.

“You. I’ve never seen you like this before.”

“Like what?”

Jesse shrugged one shoulder. “You care for him. A lot.”

Completely. Totally. Overwhelmingly so. Forever.
“Yeah. Guess I do.”

“The kind of
a lot
that Mom and Dad used to have.” His expression was melancholy.

“True.”

“So I guess he’s part of our plans, whatever our plans are.”

“If he wants to be.” She paused for a moment. “If you want him to be.”

“Are you kidding? He’s badass. You should have seen him take out the privateers. You have no idea.” Jesse’s face glowed with the admiration.

Oh, I have an idea.
She watched him rip through a few privateers herself.

“He’s like Superman and a ninja, blended together.”

You have no idea.
“Let’s don’t lavish him with too much praise. He’ll get an overinflated ego.” She knew better, but she didn’t feel comfortable talking about Torrent like this, especially when she was guilty of a lie of omission—like not telling them about what Torrent really was.

One day she’d have to tell Jesse. One day soon, or he’d feel betrayed if she didn’t. Maybe she’d ask Torrent to tell him. Right after he told her more about it.

She wished she could be a fly on the tree that was near the table that Torrent, Vector, and Control sat at. She would love to know what was being said.

She brushed Gillie’s hair off his forehead. All she really needed to know, for right now, was that Gillie was safe and Torrent would protect them.

She knew he had been in the military. She didn’t need him to tell her. She wanted to know more about what side he was on, but at the same time she didn’t want to push him into talking aboutsomething that was disturbing.

She’d get the rest of it later, if he could tell it. If it mattered.

All that mattered right now was that he wanted her. Completely. Unconditionally. And he was willing to sacrifice for her.