"We always are," D.J. said, winking at her on his way out the door.
Somehow she doubted the truth of that statement, but she didn"t call him on it. Instead, she headed downstairs to Laurel"s lab. She caught herself pausing to check her hair in the gleaming stainless steel door. G.o.d, how dumb was that? She was here to check on the status of the injured, not to make an impression on anyone.
But, even so, her hands shook as she pushed open the door.
"Checkmate."
Larem tried not to smirk at his roommate"s defeat, but it was hard. Lonzo leaned forward to study the board, obviously still trying to figure how Larem had managed to corner his king.
"Listen, you alien jerk, you must have cheated. Did you move the pieces around when I wasn"t looking?" Lonzo started resetting the board. "This time I"ll keep my eyes on you the whole time. Try anything again, and I"ll get someone to sneak in my sword past the guards."
Larem sipped his gla.s.s of ice water. "Is it my fault you left your queen vulnerable? Perhaps you should ask Cullen for some tips, or even D.J."
Normally Lonzo would"ve taken offense at the suggestion that anyone-especially D.J.-could show him up in chess. However, right now his roommate was too busy staring at something across the room to respond.
"Lonzo? Is something wrong?"
"Not really. Sasha Willis just walked in, and it looks like our favorite Handler is not so happy to see her. What"s up with that?"
Larem wasn"t about to tell Lonzo that Laurel knew he was reluctant to see Sasha again. His roommate already knew that Larem had broken protocol by going down into the tunnels to save her. It was what happened afterward that he had no intentions of confessing.
Time to redirect Lonzo"s attention. Tapping the game board with his finger, Larem asked, "Are we going to play or not?"
"Yeah, we are." Lonzo moved his p.a.w.n and then looked past Larem again. "Or maybe not."
Someone was coming toward them-Dr. Young, not Sasha. Larem knew it without even looking. "Can we finish this game later?"
"If I"m still here." Lonzo grinned at him. "Laurel is threatening to kick me out this afternoon. Said she wants the s.p.a.ce for someone who really needs it."
Larem countered Lonzo"s move, mostly to postpone dealing with the problem over by the door. "Guess that means you"ll have to do the laundry this week. She already said I should stay here until tomorrow."
Lonzo shoved another p.a.w.n off its square. "Fat chance. The dirty clothes can wait until you get home."
Laurel stepped around the table so that she was facing Larem. "Sorry to interrupt the game, guys. Lonzo, I need to check you over before I sign off on your discharge. I might need the bed s.p.a.ce."
The Paladin went cold. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h, what happened this time?"
"Nothing so far. Lacey sent out a notice that the energy levels are fluctuating again south of here." Laurel looked grim. "I want to make sure I"m ready. You know, just in case."
Lonzo swept the chess pieces back into a beat-up box, added the board, and then jammed the lid back on. "Sorry, Larem."
"Not a problem."
When Lonzo was gone, Larem turned his attention to Dr. Young, still all too aware of the woman who was hovering just out of sight behind him. "Doc, make sure Lonzo knows you"re not releasing him to join the fight. He was still wincing in pain and rubbing his side when he thought I wouldn"t notice."
Laurel"s eyes narrowed as she watched Lonzo make his way back to his bed. "That sneaky jerk! And he"s been complaining nonstop about me keeping him so long. I should"ve known better than to trust him. You two might get to finish that chess game after all."
Then she dropped her voice. "Sasha Willis wants to make sure you"re on the mend. Okay if I send her over?"
"Sure." He wanted to know how she was doing, too.
Before walking away, Laurel motioned for the other woman to come forward, pulling the curtain partly closed. "This is the first time Larem"s been up for any length of time. I don"t want him to overdo."
"I won"t stay long. I promise."
Sasha stood in front of him. As she stared into his eyes, her hand fluttered down to gently rest on his arm. "I thought I"d stop by to see if you needed anything."
He savored the small contact and slowly moved to cover her hand with his own, afraid she"d step back out of reach. Yes, there was something he needed. Before Sasha came into his life, it had been a long, long time since anyone had actually held him, touched him, kissed him.
Two days ago he"d been out of control and out of his mind. What had he been thinking when he"d latched on to this woman and poured everything he had into that kiss? More importantly, though, what had she been thinking when she kissed him back?
Not that it mattered, not if he"d become a target for the guards. The last one who"d gone rogue had tried to kill Laurel. It had taken the unlikely alliance of Barak q"Young and Devlin Bane to save her. Larem wouldn"t put Sasha in the same kind of danger. He had to drive a wedge between them and make a clean break of things.
He gave her the only answer he could. "I have everything I need."
She actually looked disappointed as she peeked out at the remaining Paladin patients.
Finally, she looked back at him. "Laurel says everyone is on the mend, including you. You definitely look better than when I stopped by yesterday."
"She"d mentioned that you"d been in to check on the wounded."
Although he bet he was the only one she"d actually touched, even cried over. His skin tingled with the remembered feeling of her gentle fingers against his when she"d thought he was asleep.
Sasha stepped back and shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "Yes, well, it"s my job to make sure everyone was all right-the guards, the Paladins, and the-"
"Other?" he offered when she hesitated. He knew she didn"t see him that way, but he couldn"t let them get any closer.
"Darn it, Larem, don"t put words in my mouth. You"re not one of them. You forget, I"ve seen the difference up close and personal."
Despite the anger blazing in Sasha"s eyes, she"d dropped her voice to a whisper. He did the same.
"You can tell yourself that if you want. Does it make it easier for you to stomach the fact that you let yourself be kissed by one? Touched by one? Remember that night at the zoo?"
"I haven"t forgotten a single moment of our time together."
Neither had he, but that changed nothing. He eased his feet down onto the floor, determined to finish this conversation standing up.
Still conscious of the fact they weren"t exactly alone, he leaned in close and whispered near her ear, "Sorry if it bothers you so much, Sasha, but it"s nothing less than the truth. Kalith, Other-the words don"t matter because they don"t change what I am. Maybe it makes me sick to think that I kissed a human. Ever think of that?"
She jerked back as if his words had been a physical blow. "No, I can"t say that I did. Sorry I"ve burdened you with my human cooties. I didn"t realize you aliens found us so repugnant."
He watched in grim silence as she stalked away, her back rigid, anger obvious in each step she took. She picked up the computer case and purse she"d left by the exit and slammed her way through the swinging door. He wanted to charge after her, to admit he hadn"t meant what he"d said, but he wouldn"t. For her sake, it was the right thing to do.
At least his wounded leg held up until she was out of sight before it gave out on him. He grabbed on to the side of the bed, barely managing to save himself the indignity of hitting the floor. After a few seconds, the room quit spinning enough that he could crawl back up on the cold steel without asking for help.
He stretched out and concentrated on taking long, slow breaths, seeking to center himself, to block out the world and the jagged edges of pain shooting through him. A few seconds later, Laurel appeared at his side with a syringe in her hand.
"This will help you rest."
She made no move, allowing him to make the final decision; taking human drugs was iffy because of his Kalith physiology. This time, though, he"d risk it. A little oblivion sounded d.a.m.ned good right then. He held out his arm so she could inject it through his IV.
"Thanks, Laurel. Maybe it will help."
It wouldn"t, not really. But for the next couple of hours he wouldn"t have to care.
Chapter 9.
Chaz Willis stared at his reflection in the window, on the whole pleased with what he saw. He prided himself on how far he"d come from his humble roots. It had been an uphill battle to shake the dirt of poverty off his shoes, but he"d done it and never looked back.
Of course, few people had any idea how much power he actually wielded, because the world of the Regents and Paladins was a secret one. He liked that. It meant that there were fewer rules he had to play by, which only made the game that much more fun. After all, the government couldn"t regulate what couldn"t be openly acknowledged as existing in the first place. Only a handful of highly placed men in each country that housed Paladins knew of their existence-and for good reason.
The clock on the wall tolled the hour, reminding him that his fellow Regents were due to arrive soon. Footsteps approached, their sound muted by the thick Persian rug on the floor. Chaz turned around to acknowledge the Paladin"s presence.
"Excuse me, sir, but I thought you"d like to know I"ve finished sweeping the house. Everything"s clear. If you don"t need me for anything else, I"ll get out of your way."
"Thanks for coming on short notice, Jake. I"ll walk you out." Chaz headed toward the foyer with one of the few men they all trusted to make sure no one had bugged their homes. After all, if the Regents who gathered together couldn"t speak freely, then what was the point?
When they reached the front door he said, "Tell Jarvis I appreciate him letting me borrow your services again."
"Not a problem."
With the few minutes Chaz had left before the others arrived, he studied the agenda for the night"s meeting. Most was routine, but his fellow Regents were starting to press hard for details about Kincade"s escapades and their far-reaching effects on the Seattle sector and beyond.
Unfortunately, Sasha had remained remarkably close-mouthed about her findings so far. After all, she was her father"s daughter. She wouldn"t tell them a d.a.m.n thing until she was good and ready. He couldn"t fault her for that, even if it was inconvenient for him and his plans.
Luckily, he had his own source busy gathering intelligence out there. Rusty had reported the fighting up and down the I-5 corridor had been incredibly b.l.o.o.d.y and vicious, although it had finally settled down some. Additionally, a guard had d.a.m.n near killed one of the pet Kalith. Too bad he"d failed.
A car pulled into his driveway, the first of his guests arriving right on time. Tonight"s agenda also included discussion about what to do about Colonel Kincade himself. It really was a d.a.m.n shame Devlin Bane had let the b.a.s.t.a.r.d live. Yes, the Paladin had shown admirable restraint and all that, but he"d left it up to the Regents to decide the traitor"s fate.
Unfortunately Kincade knew where a lot of skeletons were buried. Who knew what would happen if he started naming names? They all stood to suffer if that happened. G.o.d knows who would be tainted when Kincade was finished. Maybe it would be better for everyone if the b.a.s.t.a.r.d were to die in custody. It had happened before.
The doorbell chimed softly. Time to put his game face on.
Duke pounded the heavy bag, his hands aching from the punishment, but he kept going. In his head, he wasn"t hitting heavy canvas patched with duct tape at all. No, he was beating the enemy to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp.
He stopped the swinging bag with his hands, needing a moment to let his lungs catch up. Thanks to the past few days of fighting, he was tired and sore, but he"d been unable to unwind enough to sleep.
With good reason, too. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the dying screams of his two friends. There would be no coming back for them, not like the Paladins. G.o.d, even after years of fighting beside them, he still couldn"t get used to seeing them dead one day and back up walking around the next. It was creepy. Unnatural.
He used to think they were okay, even considered them heroes. But that ended the day Devlin Bane let his p.r.i.c.k start making his decisions for him. When that softhearted Handler he"d married told him to let that first Kalith live, things had gone to h.e.l.l and stayed that way.
Duke unleashed his pent-up rage on the bag, pretending it was that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Larem. It didn"t help.
Another day at the most and Larem would be back on his feet. Duke hadn"t been the only one who"d hoped the Kalith"s wound would be fatal. But no, just like the Paladins, his ability to heal had kicked in and dragged him back from oblivion. What a f.u.c.king d.a.m.n shame.
One of his fellow guards had tried to do the right thing by ridding the world of the pale-eyed killer and failed. Maybe the next attempt would succeed. With another punch, he imagined the sweet slide of a metal blade through Larem"s gut. A bullet would work, too, but where was the fun in that? He wanted that Kalith to die slowly and screaming for mercy, just like the guards had down in the tunnels. And Larem would only be the first.
Right jab, left. Right jab, left.
As he counted down the last of his routine, he thought about the other rumor he"d heard. Something about Sasha Willis. He didn"t want to believe it and wasn"t sure he did. But, G.o.d knows, there was certainly precedent for it.
Yesterday she had stopped by to visit Laurel Young"s lab and check on those injured in the fighting. That much was all right. h.e.l.l, he"d even applaud her efforts to bolster the morale. It had been too d.a.m.n long since any of the upper management paid much attention to the grunts in the trenches.
That wasn"t the disturbing part. She"d had a long talk with Devlin Bane behind closed doors. Again, okay. But then she"d made a beeline to the curtained-off area where they"d stashed the wounded Kalith. What was up with that? Surely with a Regent for a father she knew better than to mistake the guy for anything but craziness waiting to happen.
But then Lacey Sebastian was shacked up with Barak despite her own brother being a Paladin. Cullen Finley was living with a Kalith woman and her two brats. It was like some kind of disease.
Last two reps-right, left, repeat. Finished. Maybe now he was tired enough to sleep. Picking up his gear, he headed for the showers.
Odd. There was something stuck in the door of his locker-a folded-up piece of paper. He listened hard to see if he was alone. On the way in, he"d pa.s.sed that new guy, Rusty, but no one else. For sure, the paper hadn"t been there earlier.
It creeped him out big-time. What if he"d been cursing the Kalith"s name out loud without realizing it? If someone, anyone, had heard him, it could be disastrous. He needed this job no matter how bad things had gotten lately.
If this was some kind of prank, he"d beat the culprit to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp. That"s what it had to be. Right? Only one way to find out: read the note.
The message was written in block letters: YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN HOW YOU FEEL. WE"LL BE IN TOUCH SOON.
What the h.e.l.l? Duke spun around, looking for any sign that someone had been watching him. His skin crawled at the possibility. He was still alone in the locker room, but all of a sudden the thought of using the facility"s shower lost its appeal. He"d wait until he got home to clean up, then order in a pizza and watch whatever game was on television.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to think about the message and what it might mean. Either way, maybe it was time to look for a new job. Trouble was, he wasn"t qualified to do anything but security work, and no one else paid like the Regents did. If he hung in there for just a few more years, he"d walk away with a generous retirement package. That was the carrot at the end of the stick that convinced most of the guards to find some way to cope with all the weirdness connected with their job.
But days like these past few made him seriously wonder if the money was actually worth it. Right now, he"d have to say probably not. With that happy thought, he walked out into the Seattle night.
Sasha paced the length of her hotel room. She"d only wanted to know that Larem was on the mend. That"s all. Under the circ.u.mstances, she"d felt she owed him that much.
Instead, he"d acted like the biggest jacka.s.s ever. What was wrong with him? Sure, he was hurting and justifiably upset about being stabbed by a guard. Did that mean he had to take it out on her? She had no intentions of being a handy target for his anger ever again. Nope, next time their paths crossed-if they crossed-she"d freeze him out.
Yeah, she knew just how that would play out. His pale eyes would look so sad as she brushed past him with only the barest of nods. He"d turn to stare longingly after her, wishing he hadn"t acted like such a jerk. She could just see it.
Like that was going to happen. She flopped down on the couch and hugged a pillow. Working up a nice case of righteous indignation was fun and all, but it didn"t change the facts. Regardless of Larem"s bad behavior, she"d been the one in the wrong. Her actions had put the man-no, the Kalith-in mortal danger not just once but twice.
He knew it, and so did she.
Worrying about him was bad enough, but she also hadn"t heard how things were going for the Paladins Devlin had sent south to Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. Maybe her father had been right to maintain a careful distance from the men who fought and died for the Regents. Knowing they were fighting for their lives was bad enough in the abstract, but knowing them personally took it to a whole new level.
She reached for her laptop, and shot Devlin a quick request for an update. She wrote another message to Lacey Sebastian, hoping the geologist would have good news for her.