Chapter 5
Kane watched the kiss through narrowed eyes but remained silent.
He sensed Josie come up beside him and gave her a sideways glance. She looked no more pleased about the kiss than he was.
Finally, Kaitlin released the man and raised her head, her expression...defiant. Still, she didn’t look as if the kiss had stirred her in any way.
Kane turned his attention to the man. He’d said he wouldn’t go into Kaitlin’s head, but anyone else was fair game. Unlike the Kindred—who had been brought up to never read anyone who wasn’t a designated target—Kane had never had any limits on who he read.
Except self-imposed ones, and he didn’t bother much with those.
Now he slipped inside the man’s mind with ease, and what he read was...shock. Plus, he wasn’t happy Josie had seen that kiss, and why the hell had Kaitlin kissed him in the first place? And who the hell was this guy?
Kane stepped forward and held out his hand. He smiled—the man was no threat. Kaitlin was merely trying to wind him up. Nothing new. “Good to meet you, Detective Bennett.”
Detective Steve Bennett reached out slowly and took his hand. “Do I know you?”
Kane raised a brow.
Bennett’s eyes narrowed. He glanced from Kane to Kaitlin, no doubt taking in the similarities. “Of course, I don’t know you. You’re like Kaitlin.”
He gave a small nod. “I’m Kane Revilla.”
Recognition flashed in his eyes. Then amusement. “Would that make you…that fucker Kane?”
“Or that asshole Kane?” Josie offered from behind him.
He smiled. “She’s spoken about me. That must mean she cares.”
Kaitlin rose to her feet, her nostrils flaring. “How about…what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-here-no-one-invited-you, Kane?”
That would be him. He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the back of the sofa. “I came to give you two a lift to the meeting tomorrow.”
“We’re not going.”
“I’m sure Josie would like to see her sister.”
Kaitlin scowled. “Then she’s welcome to go with you.”
“No way am I leaving you alone here. Not while you’ve got crazy guys after you,” Josie snapped.
What crazy guys?
Kaitlin glared at her. He guessed that was something she hadn’t wanted him to know. And if someone was after her, why hadn’t she told anyone, asked for back up, requested help…? He opened his mouth to ask, but she beat him to it.
“Don’t bother,” she said. “I was going to phone Jake today. Christ, it only happened last night.”
“What happened? Is that why the police are here?” His eyes narrowed on her. “You involved the police?”
“No, Steve is a friend. A good friend.”
“Not that good,” Kane said.
Another glare. “It’s not polite to go into people’s heads.”
“When have I ever been polite?”
“Never. Bastard,” she muttered under her breath.
“Are they always like this?” Steve asked Josie.
She shrugged. “Yes.”
“You want me to arrest him?”
Amusement flickered across Josie’s face. “Perhaps not.” Did she know he was armed? He never went anywhere unarmed these days. She turned to him. “Do you want some food? A drink?”
“Scotch?”
“Stop being nice to him,” Kaitlin said as Josie crossed the room and poured a couple of drinks. She handed him one and the second to the detective. He was staying?
She then disappeared into the kitchen and appeared with a bottle of white wine and a couple of glasses.
They were all still standing where she had left them, and she waved a hand toward the sofa.
It occurred to him how much she had grown in confidence in the year since he’d last seen her.
This time away had been good for her. Clearly, she’d needed it.
Unlike Kaitlin, who needed to get home where she belonged.
Josie and the detective sat down on the sofa, and he and Kaitlin took the two matching chairs. He sat back and sipped his drink. He was tired now that he’d stopped moving. For a minute there was silence, then he exhaled slowly. “Tell me about this threat.”
“I was walking home last night, just after midnight, and two guys jumped me.”
“Are you okay?” Stupid question. He probably should be asking if the poor sods had survived the encounter.
“Ha, ha,” muttered Kaitlin, obviously plucking the thought out of his head. “They’re alive and in custody.”
“Who are they and what did they want?”
“Just hired muscle. They didn’t know anything of interest. They were given my details and a number to call once they had me. I’ve tried it and it’s a dead end.”
“And you have no other clues? Nothing? Anyone you’ve really pissed off recently?”
“Such a funny guy. And no. Strangely, I’m nice to most people—” Josie snorted at that, and Kaitlin tossed her a dirty look. “You just bring out the worst in me.” Her brows drew together as if she’d thought of something.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Just beforehand, I had this funny feeling, as if someone was trying to get into my head. A pressure, but then it was gone.” That was interesting; Rose, another Kindred member, had once described something similar.
“I just remembered Rose said she’d experienced the same thing before that attack at the party where—” Kaitlin waved a hand toward where Josie sat.
“Where my husband was shot,” she filled in for them.
The detective sat up straight at that, twisting so he could look at Josie. “What?” Clearly, he didn’t know much about Josie’s past.
She patted his knee. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you one day.”
“Anyway, I just remembered,” Kaitlin continued. “I’ll call and ask her about it.”
What did it mean? The agents who had attacked at that party had been from the future.
They’d been telepaths, like the Kindred, though with much more sophisticated equipment.
But they were dead. Kane had killed them when they had turned up in Uganda—no one could be allowed to discover their secret.
Could this be the same agents but from an earlier visit?
That was the thing with time travel; the possibilities screwed with your head.
But no way could Kaitlin stay alone here in London if there was any possibility of agents from the future reappearing.
They’d been far more powerful than the Kindred.
Or maybe they just understood their powers better.
Either way, Kane had only managed to take them out last time because he’d had the element of surprise on his side.
If he couldn’t persuade Kaitlin to leave, then he would have to stay. She wouldn’t be happy about that, but hard luck. It was non-negotiable. They’d have to video-link to the meeting.
“You could ask Rose in person if you came to the meeting,” he suggested.
“I’m not—” Her words were cut off by the ring of a cell phone.
She jumped up and grabbed the phone from the table, glanced at the screen, and swiped it.
After listening for a moment, she glanced at them.
“It’s Ethan.” She brought the phone back, placed it on the table, and switched it to conference.
Ethan was the leader of the Conclave, one of the most powerful clandestine organizations to ever exist. Unknown to the Kindred, the Conclave had been in control of their group for years before they had broken out.
That was mainly due to the Conclave’s recruitment of Colonel Harry Winters, the man instrumental in bringing the Kindred into being, and the Kindred’s government controller at the time of their escape.
Kane was aware the colonel was the one man Kaitlin hated even more than she hated him.
She held him personally responsible for the death of her brother.
The colonel was now working with them—otherwise he was pretty sure Kaitlin would have found a way to finish him off.
“Go ahead, Ethan, you’re on conference,” Kaitlin said.
“I was calling to check that you’re coming to the meeting.”
“I can’t make it.”
“Kaitlin.”
She was pacing the room, and now she stopped and turned to glare at the phone. If looks could kill… “I’m not ready, okay?”
“Well, I might have some information that will change your mind,” Ethan said. “We’ve found the missing files.”
She was silent for a moment. “Sam?”
“Yes, but also Josie’s. Christa is reviewing them now.” Christa was Jake’s wife, the colonel’s daughter. She was also a genetic scientist who had been unknowingly studying the Kindred for years. She had a brilliant mind, and if there was anything useful in the files, she would find it.
“Send them to me,” Kaitlin said.
“Never going to happen. Come to the meeting, and we’ll go through them with you.”
Her lips tightened. “That’s blackmail.”
“Yup. But really, Kaitlin, you don’t want to see this stuff alone.”
Pain flashed in her eyes. She paced a little more, tension radiating from her figure. Kane leaned back in his chair, relaxed, sipping his drink, the smooth malt flowing down his throat.
Almost sparking with energy, she was beautiful, tall and slender but with a leashed power that belied her slim frame.
He allowed his gaze to drop down over her figure in the tight black jeans and violet T-shirt that clung to her full breasts.
Warmth stirred in his belly. It wasn’t often he got the chance to just look at her.
Suddenly, she whirled around and glared down at him, her hands on her hips. “What are you staring at?” She turned away without waiting for an answer, but he did hear her muttered, “Pervert.”
Once, he might have been worried that she was right. There was a considerable age difference—about a hundred and thirty years—but he wasn’t counting.
The truth was, in most ways, Kaitlin had matured when most children were still in school.
She’d been used by her controllers from the age of sixteen, and she’d left her childhood behind not long after.
Yet in other ways, she’d been emotionally stunted.
Perhaps she’d needed this time out in the world alone, however much he’d hated the idea.
“Kaitlin?” That was Ethan. Waiting for her answer.
She huffed. “We’ll be there.”
Yay.
“Do you need us to organize transport?” Ethan asked.
“No, thank you. We have a lift. Kane’s here. He might as well be good for something.”
“Kane’s there. Why?”
Mind your own goddamn business. “Same as you,” he replied. “Making sure Kaitlin and Josie get to the meeting.”
“I see.” Somehow Kane doubted it. Or maybe he was deluded. It was clear that everyone knew how he felt about Kaitlin—except Kaitlin who was in denial. They probably all regarded him as a pathetic old man. He almost smiled at the thought.
“We’ll see you tonight,” he said, then leaned across and ended the call. They’d have to move if they wanted to get there today. As it was, they would arrive in the dark. At this time of year, Scotland hardly saw daylight.
“Go pack what you need,” he said.
“Stop telling me what to do.”
He smiled as she walked away, slamming the door behind her.
“Well, it’s probably time for me to go,” Bennett said. “Do you know how long you’ll be away?”
“We might not be coming back,” Kane replied before Josie could answer. Something occurred to him, and he turned to Josie. “How much have you told him?”
Josie shrugged. “He knows Kaitlin can read minds but nothing more.”
“What else should I know?” Bennett asked.
“Nothing.” Though maybe it was something they needed to discuss at the meeting. Most of them had “normal” friends. And he had people who’d worked for his company for years. Should they be warned? Would it compromise his mission? Christ, he didn’t know what to do anymore.
He’d always been so sure of everything. Now he was floundering.
“I’ll see you out,” Josie said, hooking a hand in Bennett’s arm and leading him to the door. They spoke quietly for a while before she returned.
“Do you think we should tell people?” she asked. “About the cataclysm. I mean?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I doubt they would believe it anyway. I’m not sure I believe it. But it’s something we can discuss at the meeting.”
“I suppose. It just seems so unreal.”
Maybe it was.
“Anyway, I’d better go and pack.” She swallowed. “I’m scared. It’s strange, I’m just getting to the point where I want to live again. I don’t want to die.”
“You won’t.”
But he had no idea whether he was telling the truth.