2. Clay
Chapter 2
Clay
Baring my soul to three burly men is not my idea of a fun Friday night, but here we are. To be fair, these burly men are family to me, and we’re all card-carrying members of The Tortured and Imprisoned by Infinitum Club . We’re a bunch of trauma-bonded assholes who are also super soldiers, and Charlie, our therapist, insists that this group therapy bullshit helps. Sometimes–okay, most of the time–he’s right.
“Paul is ready to share with us today,” Charlie says and we all face the man who barely fits in the chair. He stares at his hands in his lap. The same hands that once broke my neck and technically killed me. Lucky for me, our leader Raven was hiding the fact that he was a super soldier with healing abilities. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here. It’s taken a few months to get over that fact, but Paul wasn’t in control of his body when it happened, and it turns out, he’s a pretty cool dude. Plus, his culinary skills are out of this world. His sense of guilt over killing me means I’m eating like a king these days, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
John shifts in his chair, which he also dwarfs. He and I share a unique bond. We were both tortured by the same woman, and he’s also married to my sister. I never wanted a brother, but he’s alright, I guess. We spent one exhausting day going over the details of his captivity when Infinitum forced him to simulate killing my sister over and over, and we agreed to never talk about it again. He vowed he would never hurt my sister and gave me full permission to kill him should he slip. I’m convinced he’d kill himself before I ever got the chance. He’s completely and utterly devoted to her, and she seems happy, which is one of the few things that puts a smile on my face.
“I was aware of every kill Infinitum forced me to make while under their control. Countless people have died under my hands. I was powerless to stop it, but I could feel everything; the blood, the slowing pulses, the fear in their eyes. I remember the crunch of your neck snapping,” Paul says, glancing at me.
I remember it too. There was intense pain, and then blissful, glorious nothing. Until Raven yanked me back into the land of the living.
“I don’t blame you for that. And I’ll keep telling you as many times as you need to hear it,” I say.
He shifts in his chair, as uncomfortable with sharing emotions as the rest of us, but it gets easier the more you do it. “I’m in awe of your ability to forgive me. Everyone has been so welcoming when they didn’t have to be.”
“You’re family to us. Blood means nothing in our circumstance,” Charlie says, and John and I nod in agreement.
He smiles, dropping his gaze. “I’m…” He swallows hard. “I’m beyond grateful.”
He takes a deep breath. “So I wanted to share my story today, to show you how much I appreciate your support over these past few months. You’ve all been so open and honest. You deserve the same from me.”
He looks each of us in the eye before he drops a metaphorical punch to the gut. “Infinitum killed my sister.”
I clench my fists.
“I was sixteen years old, and they grabbed us when we were walking home from school. She was so scared, and I was…helpless.”
Tears track down his face, and my throat tightens. Infinitum held Paul captive for fifteen years before we set him free. Even I have a hard time imagining the horror he’s been through.
“What was your sister’s name?” John asks.
Paul sniffles, wiping away his tears.
“Susanna. She was a year younger than me.”
We fall silent again, giving him time to speak more if he wants.
He addresses John. “I was trying to kill myself when Raven found me after you and Specter set me free.”
Well, fuck .
“He offered me the most important choice of my life. End it all right then and there, or use what Infinitum did to me to help other people. He gave me a purpose and a chance to redeem myself. If that’s even possible.”
Charlie jumps in. “Nothing you’ve done is your fault, but I understand how it’s difficult to separate yourself from Infinitum after so many years under their control. They change our very thoughts, our desires, and do their best to unravel the fabric of our identity at our core, but they can never permanently take away who we are. You’ve been untethered from them for just a few months, and you’ve already shown us the loyal, kind, and selfless man you are in here.” Charlie puts his hand over his heart. “Everyone in this room is damaged, but none of us are who Infinitum attempted to turn us into. We’re living proof of their failure, and it’s why no matter what happens or who they kill, they’ll never succeed.”
I shift in my chair to hide my wince. They succeeded with me, but we’re not here to talk about that. I lean forward, resting my hand on Paul’s massive bicep. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He smiles through his tears. “You’re just saying that because you like my cooking.”
The emotional atmosphere evaporates as everyone chuckles.
“A big heart and kindness are cool and all, but I’d be lying if I said your food wasn’t a strong selling point.”
He grins at me and shoves at my shoulder. “Asshole.”
I laugh, putting my hands up. “Hey, you said it, not me.”
“Is there anything else you’d like to say, Paul?” Charlie asks as we settle down.
He looks at each of us. “Just…thank you.”
“Susanna is our sister now, too,” John says and Paul tears up again.
“I thought I would die there. This group…this family…it’s more than I ever dared to dream of.”
I grin and slap his arm. “We love you too, big guy. So, how about those burgers for dinner?”
On instinct, I send a pulse of energy into the guitar amp to turn up the volume. My fingers move over the fretboard of my most prized possession, creating vibrations that sluice through the air like a coordinated dance. My super soldier abilities are pretty fucking cool, but when I close my eyes and still see the patterns the energy makes as I play, it takes my breath away every damn time.
Nature is so metal.
Part of me wonders if Eddie Van Halen could see music like I do, because his work creates some of the most beautiful designs I’ve ever seen on the planet. The pulsing shapes and waves are otherworldly. Perhaps it’s what all those drugged up hippies saw back in the late seventies when they listened to his music. The drugs unlocked the part of their brains that I have constant access to.
I smirk, remembering the image of my dad in short running shorts and a crop top in the photo sitting in my desk drawer somewhere. My mom is in bell-bottom jeans and a scarf for a top with her big hair and smile. Happy teenage hippies living it up without a care in the world. Blissfully unaware of the brutal end in store for them.
My dad handed me my first guitar when I was four. It was plastic, but I slept with it like a stuffed animal. It never left my side. Not until they gifted me an upgrade when I turned eight. And then again when I turned fourteen. And on my eighteenth birthday, they presented me with Lexi.
Lexi is beautiful, dependable, and one of the few things that’s gotten me through the past eight years of trauma recovery. She’s a Fender American Special Stratocaster with a gorgeous sunburst. When Infinitum captured me, I never thought I’d see sexy Lexi again.
I thought they beat all emotion out of me along with any shreds of dignity I had left, plus my will to live, for good measure. But when Sylvie presented me with Lexi a week after she rescued me, I cried for the first time in ages. I’m talking wracking, purging, cleansing sobs as I clutched her—the guitar, not my sister—to my chest. Nowadays, you’d have to pry Lexi from my cold, dead, rigor mortised hands to get your grubby mitts on her. I’m well aware of the unhealthy nature of my attachment, but in the grand scheme of my fucked up existence, it’s the least of my problems.
Skye clears her throat and I startle.
“Sorry to interrupt whatever moment you were just having, but can we continue with the lesson?”
“Sorry, Lexi has a way of making me forget anything else exists.”
She smirks. “You need a girlfriend.”
I roll my eyes and strum a few chords. “Did you see anything?”
She frowns. “No, but I felt it. Can I try?” She lifts her hand towards Lexi and I smack it away.
“Ow! Asshole,” she grumbles as she shakes her hand.
“Lexi is off limits.” I set her on her padded stand and point to the TV on the wall. “Let's start with the replaceable things that won’t get you murdered.”
“Why did you name it Lexi?”
“I named her Lexi because it rhymes with sexy.”
She flattens her lips. “Original.”
I shrug. “I was a horny eighteen-year-old.”
She chuckles and aims her hand at the TV mounted on the wall. A tiny tendril of energy that looks like a glowing thread to my eyes leaps from her palm and slams into the TV. The TV zaps and crackles and the screen cracks.
“Maybe it only works one way?” she asks, referring to the fact that since she’s joined our team, I’ve been able to wield her fire just like my lightning. They’re both types of kinetic energy, so the same principles apply. The only difference is, while I can create heat, I can’t create fire. I can only manipulate it once she’s manifested it. Skye can pull on energy just like I can and create electricity. Which means she is more powerful than anyone is willing to admit.
I shake my head. “I’ve got years on you. It takes practice.”
She sighs and sags against the chair.
“Just keep at it. It’s only been a few weeks.” I glance at the wall. “You owe me a new TV.”
“You can have ours. Jordy and I never watch it.”
I crinkle my eyebrow. “Why not?”
She grins. “We’re too busy doing…other stuff.”
I press my lips together. “You can go now.”
She chuckles. “Sorry, Clay. Your time will come.”
“Agent Firebolt, Jordy Ramirez is at the door,” Nova, the bunker’s AI, says into the room.
“Perfect timing.”
Skye jumps up as the door opens and Jordy appears, wrapping her up and kissing his new wife like he’s just come home from war.
“This is a PDA free zone. Take your adorable coupleness elsewhere,” I grumble.
Jordy waves at me with his insanely cool bionic arm. “Sorry, man.”
He’s not sorry in the least. Skye tosses me a sympathetic smile before the door slides shut between them. I heave a sigh and gather Lexi in my arms, cranking up Celine Dion’s version of All by Myself . I lend my guitar to her vocals and smile when Jordy and Skye’s laughter reaches my enhanced ears. I finish out the song at a lower volume, so I’m spared from another speech from Raven about “respecting my neighbors.” Sure, they can fuck loud enough to wake the dead, but my music is off limits. Tell me how that’s fair.
A familiar pulse, like a featherlight touch against my skin, signals my sister’s approach. I can tell everyone in a room apart from just the way their bodies process the electrical synapses firing inside of them. I’ve learned to tune it out over the years, but ever since I took the super serum a few months ago, my senses seem lifted from a fog and I can tell the tiniest nuances, like the fact that another heart beats in sync with Sylvie’s, and I can already tell that the huge fetus filling up her uterus is a boy.
The information sits close to my chest. Soon, it will belong to everyone, but right now, it’s just ours. And besides Lexi and Sylvie, you won’t find a lot of special things in my life, so I’m holding onto this connection to my nephew for as long as I can.
I set Lexi into her cushioned stand again and open the door. She smiles—my sister, not my guitar—dropping her hand from the panel and follows me to the couch.
“Hey, brotato chip,” she says, sighing as she sinks into the cushions. She’s due in just two short months, and it kills me that I might miss his birth. I pull the coffee table closer and she props her feet on top. She glances at my damaged TV, but she’s seen crazier things living in an underground bunker with super soldiers.
Another of my new abilities flares to life as Sylvie’s synapses take shape, forming into a pattern that’s as unique to her as her fingerprint. I smile as her son’s less intricate patterns complement hers.
“Still obsessed with Celine?” she asks. I turn the volume down with a small burst of energy into the stereo.
“Always.”
She chuckles.
“You’re fucking huge,” I say with a grin, and she rolls her eyes.
“I could have left you in that prison.” My smile grows. Gallows humor is the best medicine around here.
“Yeah, but then you’d miss out on my charming wit.”
She smiles, rubbing her hand over her swollen abdomen. We’re all worried this kid is way over the threshold for a normal sized baby. She will have to have a C-Section, which means Doc will be here, and Skye and Raven will be close to help with their healing abilities. It’s the only reason I agreed to go on this mission. Plus, I’m beyond ready to end this fight so my nephew never has to worry about Infinitum.
“You’re sure it’s safe?” I ask for the thousandth time.
“I’ve been monitoring things. So far, besides his gigantic size, he’s a healthy baby. He’ll have dormant super soldier DNA, and John and I will wait until he’s eighteen to talk to him about what he wants to do with it.”
I bury my disappointment. “You guys figured out he’s a boy?”
She narrows her gaze. “You knew?”
I shrug. “I figured it out ages ago.”
“Thank you for not spoiling that.”
I nod, shifting on the couch. “Your plan won’t work.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s your kid. He’s gonna be super smart. I bet the moment he figures out how to talk, he’ll start asking why his dad can lift a fucking house.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Are you scared?” I ask, and she puts both hands over her son.
“Terrified,” she whispers.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she props her head against mine. “John won’t let anything happen to either of you.”
“There are some things even super soldiers and geniuses can’t control.”
“It’s going to be okay, Vee. I can feel it.”
She sighs. “Dylan just got here.”
“Raven hasn’t sent for me yet.”
“I’m worried about you. Raven said that nobody remembers you, but what if he’s wrong? Edgar knows you exist, thanks to Eli. What if this all blows up in our faces?”
“Then we’ll deal with it like we always do.”
She drops her shoulders and puts all her weight against me. “I have this deep sense of dread. It’s been ages since one of us has died. I feel like it’s our turn, and the other shoe is going to drop.”
“That’s just your pregnancy brain focusing on the worst-case scenario. You’ve already dealt with that twice. Pretty sure you’ve paid your dues.”
A pulse radiates from her abdomen and she gasps, grabbing my hand and pushing it against her stomach. My tiny, yet still somehow huge nephew kicks my palm, sending his energy into me for the first time and my eyes water.
“Hey little dude,” I whisper. “Can you tell your mom to calm down? Worrying doesn’t help either of you.”
Sylvie smirks at me before she settles against the couch, and I take my arm back. “Do you want to squeeze in another session with Charlie before you leave?”
“I probably should.”
“Be careful out there, okay? Don’t get distracted. Specter already promised he’d keep you out of the strip club.”
I laugh. “Things are different now, Vee. I can’t explain it.”
She smiles. “Things are different because you’re free. I hate that she tortured John, but if it gave us the opportunity to get rid of that vile woman forever, I’m grateful.”
I push the image of Candace from my mind before it can take shape. Instead, I focus on the memory of her betrayal. The day she left me without a backwards glance, yanking my poor young heart out and stomping on it. Figuratively, just to be clear.
When I walked in on her naked with John during that insane rescue mission over a year ago when we almost lost him, something inside of me snapped. She attempted to do the same thing to John as she did to me and countless other poor souls trapped in that hell. My name fell from her lips and the rage that built inside of me was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I was jealous that she wanted John over me, hurt that she could disregard me so easily, but above all else, I was pissed that she was coming after my family. She could do whatever she wanted to me, but John? He was my sister’s boyfriend at the time, which made him family, and I couldn’t stand for him to be subjected to the terror she could unleash. It all slammed together, and I knew that my love for her wasn’t enough to save either of us. I lashed out with the full force of my power, surprising everyone, including me, with the devastation. All that was left of her was a smoldering skeleton. But I didn’t care. I spat on her corpse. And that’s when the reality of what I’d done sank in.
She won .
She unraveled my identity and turned me into a killer. The person I was died that day, too. I could never be with a woman while carrying that kind of baggage. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. Once we take out Infinitum, there is no future for me beyond taking care of my family, assuming I’m lucky enough to survive what’s coming. Death never scared me, so I welcome either option.
The only thing to give me pause is my unborn nephew. The thought of not knowing him, of not watching him grow into a great man, is heartbreaking. I want to be there for all the milestones, but I can’t get my hopes up. Killers don’t get to cuddle cute babies and be fun uncles. That’s not how this works.
“Hey, where’d you go?” Sylvie asks and I snap out of it.
“How long will it take for him to be taller than me? Five or six years, you think?”
She laughs and I smile, pushing aside my gloomy thoughts.
“Don’t do anything stupid. And if you meet a nice woman, don’t push her away by being an idiot.”
I snort. “Have we met?”
She laughs again. “I’m serious. Just be yourself.”
I look to the side. “I won’t be meeting any nice women. That’s not what this mission is about.”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but none of our missions are about that. Yet we’ve had two weddings and two engagements in the past three years. It’s your turn, Clay.”
I stand, sliding Lexi’s strap around my shoulder and fiddling with the strings even though she’s in tune. Sylvie’s hand lands on my arm and I meet my sister’s concerned gaze.
“You’ll find love, Clay. If anyone deserves to, it’s you.”
I focus on my guitar and say nothing as my throat clogs with love for her. She’s the only one who doesn’t view me as a loose cannon, just one dangerous trigger pull away from accidentally killing everyone. She’s the only one who believed I was alive after all signs pointed to me being gone after Infinitum took me. She never gave up on me, and it’s kept me going these past few years. But now, she has John and their baby. She doesn’t need me anymore, and that’s okay. Her happiness is worth every ounce of my misery.
She sighs and leaves the room, but I call out for her and she pauses in the doorway as I force a smile. “Thank you. I love you, Vee.”
She smiles. “I love you too, brotato chip.”
The door slides shut and I heave a sigh. I get it. They just want me to have the same happiness they get to experience. But every time they bring up my lonely existence, a little piece of me dies. Just because I’ll never find love doesn’t mean I don’t dream about it. I’m only human. Well, mostly human. Thanks, Infinitum.
Less than an hour later, I get the summons I’ve been waiting for. “Agent Firebolt, Raven requests your presence in the common room,” Nova says.
Duty calls.
I run into Paul in the hallway, and he acknowledges me with a nod. After our group session a couple of months ago, we’ve been best buds. I have to admit it’s nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t sucking face with their significant other. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
We enter the common room and find Dylan and Liv in a tight embrace as she sobs into his shoulder. Luke rubs her back and when she steps aside, Dylan hands him a small box.
Luke grins and opens it, presenting it to Liv, and she bursts into tears again. He withdraws a sparkling ring and places it on her finger. Raven smiles at them from nearby as they embrace and he shakes Dylan’s hand.
“He brought your ring?” Sylvie exclaims, rushing the couple as they separate.
“Mike had it stowed away.” Dylan says, turning to greet Liv and John’s dad, Henry. “Your brother sends his love.”
Garrett appears with Vera and he rushes to his best friend. They embrace for several minutes, swapping insults to show their affection as brothers do.
“Fox. It’s good to see you,” Dylan says, extending his hand to me. He was unaware I was working undercover for Raven when he was my boss at Maddox Security, but there were times I almost broke and told him everything. I’m glad we’ve brought him in. We shake and he moves on to greet Garrett’s mom, Clara.
Raven waits for everyone else to gather and dispense with greetings and introductions when necessary before he addresses us. His true identity is on full display, the mind-boggling high tech mask he wears as Raven turned off, so I guess Dylan is part of the inner circle now.
“While we’ve been busy fighting Infinitum directly, Dylan has been working with Emilia to uncover the secret dealings going on within Reilly Tech, most notably in the millions of dollars that are being embezzled. Now that we know Edgar is behind it, we can take a more direct approach.”
I glance at Skye and Jordy off to the side. A few weeks ago, Skye killed Victor Angelo to get the name of the Commander of Infinitum, who turned out to be her father’s right-hand man and the current CFO of Reilly Tech. How’s that for loyalty?
“We’ve had a recent development this morning. Edgar is releasing the fake details of Victor’s death to the public in a few days. He’s taking control of Angelo Tech, which gives us the perfect opportunity. A merger on this scale requires a detailed analysis. Emilia is wary, for good reason, that there could be a nasty surprise waiting if they aren’t careful, so she’s ordered a complete cybersecurity audit. The plan is to distract Edgar with the investigation while we probe deeper into his comings and goings. I’m sure he’s eager to embezzle the profits as soon as possible to help him take full control of Infinitum.”
“And we’re not just taking him out because….” Jordy asks.
“Edgar is the linchpin. Once we know everything he knows, we can dismantle Infinitum as ethically as possible, liberate the captive super soldiers, and ease the followers of Infinitum into the truth. Most have been brainwashed all their lives. Killing Edgar isn’t enough. I won’t abandon the people Infinitum has victimized.”
“That’s a noble undertaking, but how are we supposed to manage that?” Paul asks.
Raven gestures to me and Dylan. “The three of you will return to Reilly Tech as security officers. Emilia has already hired Dylan as head of security. Meanwhile, there are a few key individuals we need to suss out. Edgar isn’t working alone. If we can get his team to turn on him, it will make our jobs that much easier. Once we have irrefutable proof that Edgar is embezzling, we get the authorities involved.”
“Authorities?” John asks.
Raven sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “I won’t let us turn into the very thing we’re fighting against. If it becomes necessary to put Edgar down, then so be it.” He glances at Skye, who frowns at him, then he looks at me. We’re the only two who have killed outside of self defense. I drop my gaze and he continues.
“I’d like to see Edgar rot in prison for his crimes. It’s a far greater punishment for a man like him.”
The team and I share a look, then we nod at our leader.
“When do we leave?” Paul asks.
“Specter is setting up HQ in LA as we speak. Once he gives us the go-ahead, we’ll head out.”
“I’m assuming Dylan is part of the team now?” I ask.
“Yes. We brought him up to speed. He’s going in willingly as a civilian, so he will rely on you for protection should things go south.”
Dylan presses his lips together, but remains silent, no doubt feeling slighted considering his impressive military background. But they don’t teach you how to fight super soldiers in the Army.
“Also, I need you to keep the details we reveal to Emilia to a minimum. I don’t want to bring her into this if we don’t have to, but her safety is top priority,” Raven says.
Paul and I nod at him.
“Why am I not on this mission?” Garrett asks.
“I need you here. If something goes wrong with the baby, I need you to teleport Sylvie to a hospital. I’m not taking any chances,” John says.
“You’ll be on standby should something go wrong with the mission,” Raven says.
Vera rubs his arm and his face softens as he gazes at Sylvie, his sister-in-law. It will be his nephew too. This kid is so lucky to be born into this awesome family. I’ll make damn sure the world he grows up in is awesome too.
“I love you, Clayton,” Candace purrs, and I slide deep inside her. She groans, tilting her head back as her dark hair cascades over her perfect breasts. I reach up and palm one, pulling the brown nipple into my mouth.
“Yes, my love,” she pants and I bite down. She climaxes, and the sight will never not send me over the edge.
When I open my eyes, she stands from the bed, grinning at me over her shoulder as she disappears inside the bathroom. I smile at the ceiling, tucking my hands behind my head as I take a deep breath. Fuck, I love her so much. I don’t care that she’s nearly twice my age. True love like ours doesn’t care about numbers.
“Clayton,” she calls, and I frown at the strange timbre of her voice. I scoot off the bed and raise my hand towards the door.
“Candace?”
“Clayton,” she rasps again.
I push the door open and terror grips me by the balls as the woman I love stands in front of me, her beautiful, smooth skin blackened and melting off in places. The smell makes me gag, but everything stops when lightning crackles in my hands and I notice scorch marks of electrical burns running up the side of her neck.
“How could you?” she rasps.
“And that’s when I wake up,” I tell Charlie, who sits in the armchair next to the couch I’m sprawled across.
“How often do you have this nightmare?” he asks, pen poised over the notepad in his lap.
I tap my thumb across each finger tip, skipping my ring finger. It’s a soothing habit I picked up during my imprisonment.
“Is it every night?” he asks when the silence stretches.
“Almost,” I whisper.
He sets his paper down, and I meet his gaze when his hand rests on my shoulder. “I know that was hard.”
I look away before I get all stupid and emotional, and he picks up the notepad again.
“I’ve said it a million times, but I’ll keep saying it until you understand. The blame rests on her shoulders. She groomed you at the most vulnerable time in your life as a frightened young man, abused you, and forced you to do unspeakable things without your consent. You made sure she can never do it to anyone else ever again. You saved lives by killing her. But it’s okay to mourn that loss. Your feelings for her were real.”
“She never loved me,” I say, and he nods.
“I would argue that she could never truly love anyone.”
I drop my gaze to my lap. “Do you think she was abused when she was young?”
Charlie pauses to consider. “Your empathy speaks volumes about your character, Clay. But nothing in her past excuses her behavior.”
I lean forward, jamming my fingers into my hair, reminding me I need to ask Sylvie for a haircut.
“The stress of the upcoming mission may make your insomnia worse, which could mess with your control over your powers. Are you ready for this?”
Getting only a few hours of restless sleep per night has become my norm. “I’ll be fine. I haven’t lashed out with my powers in years, and since the super serum, my powers are even more controlled. Why? Do you think I should step down?” Charlie’s opinion means as much to me as Raven’s.
“Do you recall your answer the first time I asked you that question?”
We both smile.
“You’ve come a long way, Clay. I’m proud of you, and you’re the best man for the mission,” he says.
“Thanks, Mindbender.”
He rolls his eyes at the code name I tried to enforce years ago, but never stuck. Sylvie came up with his current code name, Polaris, which is the stupidest name ever, but nobody ever listens to me.
He chuckles as he stands, pulling me in for a long hug. The irony here is that Charlie was Infinitum’s prisoner at the same time as me. He was there for less than a year before Sylvie saved us, but we lost his twin brother Grant during our escape. The day we met was one of the scariest of my life, and the saddest of his, but he was strong enough to keep me from drowning, even as he struggled to keep himself afloat. I admire him more than I could ever describe.
“Love you, brother,” he says before we part.
“Love you, too,” I say and smack him on the ass as I depart, because that’s who I am. I’m the one people go to when they need levity, when they need to be reminded that life is short and to not take it too seriously. Making people laugh may mask my trauma, but it also makes my shriveled heart happy.
“You’re sure it’s Edgar?” Emilia asks, frowning at the evidence laid before her.
“He’s the only one who stands to gain. Are you aware of his religious affiliations?” Dylan asks, shifting to face her. She sighs, leaning back in the conference room chair that probably costs a fortune. The glass walls make me feel like an ant under a mean kid’s magnifying glass, but hidden tech blocks any eavesdropping.
“We don’t talk much about our personal lives, but I know he attends church. I can’t recall the name. Something with an infinity symbol.”
“It’s called the Church of the Infinitum. Edgar is a high-ranking member of its global leadership.”
Her eyebrows raise. “I was unaware.” She chews on her bottom lip, reminding me of her younger cousin, Skye. They also share sparkling green eyes and dark hair, a common Reilly family trait. Not to mention a stubborn obstinance accompanied with a fierce, protective personality. All the younger Reillys come by it honestly. “You’re implying he’s stealing money from us to fund this church?”
Such an oversimplification, but still true. Dylan nods and she sighs. “I still don’t understand why it’s necessary to have a permanent bodyguard.” She eyes Paul and me.
We’ve already moved into her luxurious guest house on her property near where Luke and Skye grew up.
“It’s precautionary, and it also allows us to keep up appearances to reduce suspicion. If Edgar sees us coming, he’ll do whatever he can to destroy vital evidence,” Dylan explains and she nods.
“Very well. What do you need from me?”
“We need a representative from the cybersecurity team to help us with the Angelo Technologies takeover. Ideally, we want someone who could be working for Edgar under the table. It will be easier for them to crack when we put the pressure on.”
She twists her lips to the side. “How do we know if they’re working with Edgar?”
“Is there anyone who may be over-excellent at their job, or someone promoted faster than others and granted access to secure programs faster than usual?”
She looks to the side as she ponders then her face falls. “There is, but I would be hard pressed to think she’s betraying my company. She’s idolized my uncle her entire life. She went to his alma mater, and trips over herself every time she has the chance to tell me what an honor it is to work for me.”
Bingo.
“What’s her name?” I ask, pulling up the company employee list on my laptop.
“Fiona Edgewater.”
I type in her name, my eyebrows climbing my forehead as I read over her credentials. Ivy League, super high GPA. She’s credited with being the lead designer for a program used by local law enforcement that has lowered clerical errors by impressive margins.
“Her father is Lawrence Edgewater. He’s been on the church payroll for the past twenty years and got promoted a decade ago to the head of the California chapter,” Dylan says, reading Nova’s report.
I bite back a curse. That was too easy. I share a knowing look with Paul, but Dylan ignores me.
“We’ll start with her,” he tells Emilia.
“Please assume she’s innocent until proven otherwise. She’s up for a promotion, so I’m sure she’ll be eager to help. I’d hate to lose her because she thinks we don’t trust her.”
We nod at her and she pulls out her phone to make the arrangements, then excuses herself to the door leading into her office. Paul follows her and I give him a thumbs up and a suggestive eyebrow wiggle before he rolls his eyes and shuts the door between us.
“When Fiona gets here, we need to be subtle,” Captain Obvious says from the chair next to me.
“Roger that. So what’s the plan, boss?”
“Make her believe she’s part of the team and watch for anything peculiar. You have much more experience in the tech department, so watch everything she does on the computer.”
“And if I find something?”
“You tell me before you take any action whatsoever. Understood?”
I narrow my gaze. “I don’t know what Raven told you, but I’m a team player.”
“He told me I could trust your judgment. Don’t give me a reason not to.”
I swallow my snarky retort and get to work formulating a plan. See? Team player of the year over here.
A half hour later, the door to Emilia’s office opens and Paul struts through, leaving it open.
“Fiona is on her way,” he says, taking the seat next to me.
A strange buzzing sensation runs up the back of my neck and my gaze darts around the room. The buzzing increases, like a bee flying around my ears.
Paul tosses me a questioning look, and I’m about to tell him there’s a disturbance in the Force when the buzz stops. My eyes lock on the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and my control slips for the first time in years. The floodgates open, and I ride a rogue wave, struggling for control as my powers reach for the goddess in the doorway. The lights in the room flicker and dim before they brighten. Paul nudges me and I yank on the energy, almost falling backwards as it returns to me without resistance. It all happens so fast that nobody notices anything but the lights.
She’s breathtaking, but it’s not just her pretty face that has me in a trance, it’s the gorgeous Van Halen-esque patterns flowing off of her in a dance without music.
Holy shit.