Invisible Recruit: Invisible Power Part 5

I don't know what I expected. Maybe a lot of stuffed s.h.i.+rts with double chins sitting around a ma.s.sive table. Wrong.

There were only two people in the room. One a stunning blond with mile-long legs lounging in a chair on my side of a ma.s.sive desk, and Bran, glaring from the other side.

I was used to Bran's thunder frowns. He tended to use them a lot around me, but I wasn't used to facing women who belonged on magazine covers or in the Miss Universe contest. A new dress model for Bran's tours? Or someone else?

Refusing to feel the quick stab of jealousy that last thought created, I notched my chin up, steeled my voice and looked only at Bran. "We need to talk."

Bran opened his mouth as if to say something then thought better of it as he ran one hand through his devil-dark hair and shook his head. "Miss Worthington," he said, smiling at the s.e.xpot in the chair with a look he used to give me. "May I introduce Miss Alex Noziak."

"Bonjour," the other woman purred as if I could be appeased by a come-hither French accent.

Okay, maybe Bran's but that was different. And in the past.

I inclined my head toward the other woman, not trusting my voice. Not yet at least.

"Miss Worthington and I are in a meeting," Bran spoke between clenched teeth.

I gave him a stink-eye look. "So I was told."

"And your discussion couldn't wait?"

"No."

I swore he rolled his eyes before turning back to Miss Bonjour. "Would you mind waiting for me in the other office, Miss Worthington? I'm sure this will only take a moment."

Think again big guy, I wanted to say, but two could play the we're-all-civilized-people-here game even if we weren't. He couldn't be civilized. He was a warlock for cripe's sake. He might wear the veneer but that was all. Scratch the surface and his warlock tendencies tended to erupt.

I offered the s.e.x kitten an aren't-you-sweet smile as the other woman brushed past me in a cloud of perfume that no doubt cost a thousand dollars an ounce, and felt my ring heat up indicating the Worthington woman was non-human.

Interesting. I wondered if Bran knew then ditched the thought. Of course he did. It was only one of the traits that p.i.s.sed me off about him. I might identify Weres, warlocks and vamps pretty easily but was still getting used to all the other preternaturals roaming around. Mostly because before joining the IR Agency I didn't have a lot of exposure to non-humans. More than my teammates, but less than Bran, far less.

The plus side to my naivete was that I was more wary around what I didn't know whereas Bran a.s.sumed he was the bigger, badder threat. Most times he was, but not always. The one session with his cousin who turned out to be a nasty, and rare, Grimple, didn't seem to have taught him otherwise.

Arrogant or not, I still needed him, so I waited until the door clicked shut before crossing to the middle of the room and taking the vacated seat. "Your latest bimbo?" I asked Bran as I settled into the plush cus.h.i.+ons, hoping the lingering perfume wouldn't gag me.

Bran continued to stand, hands flattened against his desk, his knuckles white, the pulse point along his temple beating hard. "Is that what you came to discuss, Alex?"

d.a.m.n. Just the way he said my name made my skin heat and my pulse kick into high gear. Which explained why my voice was a little tighter than I intended as I snapped, "Of course not. I expected no less of you."

He smiled, a real smile that crinkled the edges of those dark blue eyes and made him less arrogant warlock and more approachable lover.

He so didn't play fair.

"So you have thought of me with other women already, Alex? You betray yourself."

"Don't be an idiot." I wanted to jump to my feet to dispel some of the tension rocketing through me but that would put a lie to my next words. "I have more important things to focus on than you and your conquests."

He eased into his seat, his smile now mocking me. Warlocks learned arrogance in the cradle and Bran was no exception. d.a.m.n his hide, and his patience as he steepled his fingers before him, tapping his forefinger against his lips, waiting for me to speak first.

As if I'd give him the satisfaction. On the other hand I could only stare at his fingers tapping against that s.e.xy lower lip of his, again and again, and not turn into a needy puddle begging to taste him.

Good thing Noziaks never surrendered.

Instead I cleared my throat, leaned back in my chair as if I had all day and glanced at the windows before finding enough spine to meet Bran's too-penetrating gaze. Only then did I demand, "How did you know Vaverek was ambus.h.i.+ng us this morning? And why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"The option was always a possibility. It's what I might have done myself. So I came to see for myself and informed you as soon as I was aware of the preternaturals surrounding you."

Believe him? Or not? Oh, the part about him being underhanded and devious was a given. It was the I-was-there-to-help-you part I had a hard time swallowing. Threatening to kill me last time we crossed paths tended to make me a bit more wary than usual.

"And now?" I pushed.

"Now?"

"Now I want to know everything you know about Vaverek." I didn't mean to growl but it sure sounded that way as I gave up my pretense of calmness and jumped to my feet. I hated this strain between the two of us. Not that ours had ever been an easy relations.h.i.+p but now it felt like ice rain pelting me.

"There's something more at play here with Vaverek, but I don't have all the details yet."

"Such as?"

He paused, then continued, "Have you heard about the family in the 8th arrondiss.e.m.e.nt?"

"What family?" If he was trying to confuse me he was doing a great job.

"Mother, father, two boys and an infant daughter appeared to have been attacked by a wild dog." He looked at me as if waiting for something.

"And this means what? That Paris needs more dog catchers?"

"Don't be flippant." He jammed his hands in his pockets. "They all died."

I unfurled my hands that I hadn't realized I'd clenched. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me."

"Think, Alex," he almost growled the words. "What's the likelihood of a whole family being savaged by a dog?"

I paused, chewing over what he said. "Are you talking about a Were?"

"Or s.h.i.+fter. . ."

That had my back snapping straight. "Are you saying my brother Van?"

"No." Before I could inhale a breath, he pushed ahead. "My contacts indicate a s.h.i.+fter was used to attack the family, but he then killed himself, his human body being found a few blocks away. Only those who knew him connected his suicide back to the killing of the family."

"What does this have to do with Van?"

"It has to do with Vaverek. It looks like he's testing his drugs on preternaturals."

I swore I could hear the toll of death knells. If Van was held by Vaverek, how soon would it be before he was forced to do something that he could never recover from?

I faced Bran head on, not caring if he heard the pleading in my voice. "I'm running out of time to save my brother. Why won't you help?"

"I am helping." His words slapped like a wet towel against my bare skin. "But I won't run head on into another ambush as you're suggesting."

"I made no such suggestion."

He stood, barely holding in the pressure I could see building behind his rigid stance. "Vaverek is dangerous, but he's nothing compared to the individuals behind him."

"I know that."

"I don't think you do." He lowered his voice until it stroked my awareness like heat lightening before a summer storm. "You're acting like one of your American gunslingers, rus.h.i.+ng in unprepared, and only by sheer luck do you come out without dying."

I walked up to the edge of his fancy huge desk, this time planting my hands on it, to give me support and to keep me from crawling across it to shake some sense into him. "Have you forgotten my brother's life is at stake? I don't have the luxury of sitting around, twiddling my thumbs, and-" I waved my hands at the door where Miss Bonjour had just exited, "doing casting calls. Van is going to die if I don't help him."

Bran leaned forward and I swore I could see steam rolling out of him. "Is that what you were doing this morning? When you used me? Tapped into my abilities?"

So that was it. That's what all this emotion hid. He was angry because I'd pulled power from him. To save the lives of my teammates. To save my life. And his too because he was there. Mister I'm-in-charge didn't like not being the one in control.

I straightened, brus.h.i.+ng my palms against my jeans, corralling my own emotions so they wouldn't betray me. Up until this moment, in spite of his threat to kill me, in spite of our differences, and in spite of everything I knew about him, knew about his kind, I had hoped a tiny kernel of hope that he would help me. That he, who valued family so much, would know why I was willing to risk everything to save Van.

"What? No pithy comeback?" he said, his jaw so tight I was surprised it didn't fracture. "No justification as to why you put all of us at risk to pull that stunt?"

Stunt?

"That wasn't any stunt, Mister High-and-Mighty," I snarled, stepping away to give myself breathing room. "What I did I'd do again to save lives."

"And if it had backfired? What then? You'd have left all of us vulnerable to attack with no abilities, no powers. You blindsided all of us, Alex. Can't you see that?"

"Yes." The single word shot from me. As if I was so clueless. So uncaring. "But if I hadn't acted you, and my teammates, would have been killed. So it was a risk I was willing to take."

He shook his head, his eyes darkening in color, his shoulders tensing. "Your risk. Your decision. I don't know how you can call yourself a team member when you don't have any idea what the word means."

Where was this coming from? I was a teammate. I was part of the IR Agency. And who the h.e.l.l cared anyway?

Not him obviously. He was just nursing a bruised ego.

I didn't have time for this c.r.a.p. Or for him. I'd have to hunt for Van on my own without his contacts and a.s.sistance. I had to believe my team and I could find and nail Vaverek.

But just as I was turning to storm out, his desk phone rang.

For a second our gazes clashed. His unreadable. Mine no doubt looking as I felt-betrayed.

As he reached for the phone I started walking across the expanse of his office, until his words stopped me. "She's right here."

He thrust the handset toward me as if daring me to ignore it, and him.

But who would call me here? No one knew where I was.

I swallowed, a nervous betrayal of emotions and something I hoped he couldn't see.

Walking back to take that phone from him was as hard as facing down a raging rogue Were who was trying to kill my brother.

And look where that had got me-a life sentence in prison.

"h.e.l.lo?" I had to speak over the fist-sized lump in my throat. "Alex Noziak here. Who's this?"

"Ling Mai."

CHAPTER 13.

Bran jammed his hands in his pants pockets to keep from reaching for Alex. He had no idea who the h.e.l.l was on the other end of the phone. He knew it was a woman but he didn't know who or why they'd tracked Alex down here.

All he knew was her skin had paled and the fiery emotions behind her eyes winked out and he wanted to grab her, pull her close, and protect her from whoever was on the other end of that line.

No doubt he'd get his head bitten off for the gesture.

Alex was the p.r.i.c.kliest, most infuriating, most pig-headed woman he'd ever met and she continued to have him tied into knots even as he debated whether eliminating her might be the best approach to protecting her and everyone around her.

Did she have any idea what she'd done this morning? Fairytales and ancient ma.n.u.scripts spoke of the ability to steal and amplify others' abilities, but he'd thought it was the stuff of legends.

Now he knew better. He knew and feared. For her and because of her.

Sacre bleu, the woman was going to be the death of him. But that's not what had him awakening in the middle of the night in cold sweats, nor what was driving him to shout at her like a fishmonger's wife. He feared she would be the death of herself. And that would be a loss he'd never recover from.

"No."

"But I"

"If you'll let me explain."

Each of her chopped words sounded softer and less acerbic and he doubted it was because he was in the room. From her body language he might have been another chair, an inanimate object that could be ignored. Witches could be like that-use you and then discard you. He knew that going into a relations.h.i.+p with her and yet it still blindsided him when she had manipulated him to get what she needed. Her and her team. The 'greater' good.

He caught his hands curling and released them, out of sight of her. Not that she would notice. Alex Noziak was the most focused person he'd ever met, outside of himself. He had been a fool to get involved with her once. He was a bigger fool to still care now.

"Yes, I'll be there." She spoke the words with the somber cadence of death bells ringing and replaced the phone in its cradle without looking at him.

"Who was it?" he demanded, aware how close he was to losing his control.

"Doesn't matter."

This wasn't the spitfire, in-his-face Alex of a moment ago. The one who crashed his meeting like a heat-seeking missile and latched on to Guinevere Worthington as the target. An action that gave him the most hope in weeks that he wasn't the only one hurting since their breakup.

No, this Alex was pulled in, which wasn't her way at all. Hurt or preparing herself for battle? Knowing Alex, it was probably the latter.

As she reached for the closed door he stepped toward her. "Then tell me what they wanted? What they said."