Music floated from the large speakers in his Land Rover as Rome drove carefully through the crowded streets on his way to meet with Jeff. He was pretty sure no one knew yet he’d helped Harper escape. He’d find out for certain the moment he stepped into the facility. If he was seized and dragged down to the romper room for some of creepy Dr. Andy’s lovin’, chances were Jeff knew.
He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in time to the ABBA song on the radio. A smile cracked his face when he recalled Harper idly doing the same just days ago while sitting in the seat next to him. Only then it was “Dancing Queen,” not today’s “Super Trouper.”
Hmm, they had similar taste in music. He wondered what other tastes they had in common. He had certainly enjoyed the taste of her lips against his. Deliciously sweet and savory. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. He had sure as hell wanted it. And he knew without a doubt she’d wanted it, too. But knowing the crazy, unstable situation they were in, a kiss should have been the furthest thing from his mind.
Only the kiss, plus planning future ones, was the foremost. The more time he spent with her, the more he was drawn to her. And not just physically. Something in her strong and spirited soul called to him. And something in her sinewy and sexy body roared to him.
Shifting in his seat, he mentally slapped himself. He had to focus, or they could both end up dead. He wouldn’t be able to explore Harper Kane and her luscious lips if that happened. And that was more than enough incentive.
After their much-needed sleep earlier, they had spent more time hashing things out over grilled cheese sandwiches. She’d told him everything that had happened to her after her bus ride, up to the point where they squared off in the lab. Seeing her brother murdered, the inadvertent injection of the serum, unwittingly using her powers. Everything she’d gone through had just seemed to fortify her fierce determination to resolve this whole mess. And it reinforced his belief that Harper was an unbelievably remarkable woman.
But he’d also realized that Harper didn’t trust him. Prudence had tinged every word she’d spoken and those she hadn’t. Her emerald green eyes were full of caution. He knew he couldn’t have expected her to trust him right away, but now he was certain it would take a whole lot to win it back. If he even could. His betrayal, regardless of his duty, had cut her deeply. And now she bled vigilance.
Rome had decided that it was imperative he talk to Jeff. He wasn’t sure how much he trusted his boss anymore, but he and Harper needed a lot more information. He would talk to Jeff under the ruse that he’d heard the woman had escaped and see whether there was anything he could do to help find her once again. He hoped he could gain some more knowledge about the situation they were in.
It was a chance he had to take.
Harper had grudgingly agreed to stay put back at the warehouse. She’d wanted to come in case he needed her. That had made him laugh. He didn’t need anyone to take care of him. Then she’d said she was responsible for the fact that he was in this whole disaster in the first place. The heartfelt sentiment had touched him deep down and had almost made him cave in.
But no. She was safe at the warehouse for the time being. If he brought her near Jeff again, he wasn’t sure she would be. Or really, if Jeff would be safe from her.
Truth be told, the damage she was capable of still scared the life out of him. But underneath her strange powers lay a charming and strong woman. One he felt an impossible connection to. So he had to do what he could to keep her out of sight as long as he could, until he got more answers.
She hadn’t argued his appeal for her to stay put. Well, not too much. But strangely, the one thing she did ask for was a laptop. And the flash drive he kept in his top desk drawer at his condo. How did she know where he kept his spare drives? And why would she want it?
He didn’t ask what she’d needed them for and assured her he’d honor her request. Harper was a programmer. A programmer with a computer when they needed data couldn’t be a bad thing to have around, he’d surmised. Plus he had a feeling her technological talents were more substantial than she had let on, if the subtle twinkle in her gorgeous green eyes was any sign when she’d revealed her bill-paying job.
A rare parking space on the street opened up about two blocks from the facility. Rome maneuvered the Land Rover into the tight spot, deciding to walk in. The more people around, the less conspicuous he’d be. Especially if he had to make a subtle yet quick getaway.
The tempting smell of freshly baked cookies forced him to detour into a hole-in-the-wall bakery. He selected a couple of warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, then walked out the door and resumed his mock unassuming stroll, savoring the home-baked taste.
Years ago in college, after he’d been injured, he’d been so angry at his inability to move around and his dependency on others, he’d hunted for something he could do on his own.
Cooking. He’d found an inexplicable peace when he baked and loved the fruits of his labor. He’d never told anyone about it. He’d even told his dates the food he’d served was takeout. But not Harper. Apparently she loved to eat as much as he did, so he knew his hidden talent would be appreciated.
Biting into the chewy cookie, his mind readily pictured Harper sucking on the dessert they’d had last night. Oh, how he had wanted to be that spoon in those moments. To feel her tongue all over him. Heat surged through him, making him smile at the delicious thought, which made the chocolate chips buried in the oatmeal all the tastier.
Harper. Why was he so willing to risk everything for her? His job. His life. All he could come up with was that he had an instinct about her. He’d told her that. And it was the simple truth. If he didn’t help her, he would be going against everything he stood for.
Rome had a vision of how life should be. What was right and what was wrong. If he didn’t help Harper, that vision was dumped on its ass. And the bad guys would win. He couldn’t let that happen. Harper hadn’t meant to become what she had. This was bigger than she was. And he had to make it right.
Finishing the second cookie, he brushed his hands together, ridding them of crumbs, and steeled himself for his reconnaissance mission.
Approaching the building, Rome didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Though very minimal, he knew the surveillance had to have picked him up by now. Now all that remained to be seen was to find out what was waiting for him behind the nondescript door to the facility. He entered and shut the door securely behind him.
The hallway was quiet and dim, as usual. Making his way through the winding walls to Jeff’s office, he began to feel a little more confident about his status.
But it did pay to be paranoid. Years of harsh experience had instilled that belief. Folks were rarely paranoid for no reason. There was almost always a kernel of truth to their fear. And being suspicious had saved his ass more times than he cared to admit.
“Rome.” Jeff’s voice from behind almost made him jump.
“Hey, boss.” Rome turned to lean against the wall as Jeff slowly approached.
“What now?” His boss gestured him into the office he’d seen more of in the last few days than he had in the last few years. They both sat down.
“Word is the girl escaped.” Rome injected a hint of amusement in his tone. “What’s with her?”
“What do you care?” Jeff asked while riffling through some papers, his usual attentive disinterest intact, knowing full well Rome had contacts and resources everywhere.
“I’m just wondering why you couldn’t hold her.” Rome noticed Jeff tense at his feigned accusation. “She is freaky, but damn, Jeff, I was able to bring her in all by myself.”
“Because she was unconscious.” His boss’s usually impassive voice had an accusing lift to it. “It couldn’t have been that hard.”
Rome remembered he hadn’t revealed the circumstances to Jeff or that he’d witnessed her powers. He’d just brought her in and dumped her limp body into their cold hands. Rome never had to be briefed. He did the job by whatever means he needed or chose. Jeff never cared about methods.
As far as Rome knew, Jeff had no idea that he and Harper had been at Bobby’s house together. For sure, Jeff must have found out about the men Harper had killed there, but there wasn’t any evidence that Rome had been there-of his own volition-too. For all intents and purposes, it appeared that Rome had apprehended her by himself.
“So then why was it so hard to keep her here?” Rome asked with a trace of mirth. Jeff expected this much bravado from his agents, so he gave it to him, just like always.
“Tell me, how did you capture her?” Jeff leaned back, now giving Rome his full attention.
“I knocked her out,” he lied, thinking he had to get Jeff talking about Harper. “She’s kind of different. You know what I mean?” He watched Jeff closely. “Like she has some power or something.”
“What do you know about it?” His boss narrowed his eyes, giving him a direct stare. Good. Jeff wasn’t going to be evasive. Now he could get somewhere.
“Nothing really.” Rome leaned back as well, keeping his gaze locked with Jeff’s. “Like the force or something. Maybe she’s a Jedi.” He added a skeptical laugh. Pretending that he cracked himself up. Which was true, anyway.
Jeff quirked his mouth. Even better. His boss was loosening up. Well, what was loose for him.
“She’s not.” Jeff let out a long breath. “But I need her back to figure out what she is. Can you find her again?”
“Probably.” Rome’s answer was laced with indifference. Gotcha. “But I need the truth about her. No bullshit, Jeff. I’ve seen what she can do. I want to know what I’m up against this time.” He watched Jeff watch him. His boss was obviously deciding what to reveal. Which meant he had something to hide.
“There’s a serum that a Five Watch scientist was developing,” Jeff began slowly. He was choosing his words carefully. “The scientist went rogue and destroyed the lab, and with it, the formula. Ms. Kane has the serum inside her. We have not been able to replicate it.” Well, that cleared up absolutely nothing.
“What does it do?” Rome asked, genuinely wondering about its intended use. “This serum. Why is it such a big deal?”
“It was being developed for soldiers,” Jeff answered. “To enhance them biologically so that they could withstand severe situations.” Was he serious?
“Like what?” What did that mean? Was Harper not giving him the whole story? She’d said she thought her brother worked with plants, not human subjects. Was she really part of the experiment?
“The serum needs to be tested.” Jeff ignored his question. So that was off-limits. His boss leaned forward, pinning him with a glare. “It’s not working the way it should. That’s why I need her back. We need to find out why she’s reacted to it the way she has.” Rome couldn’t discern how much of what he knew Jeff was revealing. But it seemed to follow what Rome did know. Sort of. “She’s dangerous. And she’s a danger to herself. It’s for her own good, Rome.”
The way Jeff said the last line chilled him. Did he know Rome helped her escape? That he was helping her now? And what was that underlying current of censure that tinted Jeff’s words?
Rome promptly decided that what little he had found out from Jeff would have to be enough. It was time to go.
The stories from Harper and Jeff, though similar, didn’t quite seem to jive with each other. But then, the whole thing was annoyingly suspicious and had holes.
Rome was more confused than ever. He’d trusted his duty for so long, it was tough to think that Jeff was feeding him crap. Yet Harper honestly believed she was an innocent victim in this mess. He was committed to his job, but he’d committed to Harper, as well. Most of all, though, he was committed to doing what was right.
Torn as he was, he’d already betrayed her once. He wasn’t going to do it again. Something very strange was going on and he was going to have to sort it out himself. He’d much rather do it with Harper. She was a phenomenal kisser.
And he wasn’t sure Jeff was on his side anymore. His boss was always evasive, but this time was different. Almost like a warning. Do your job or we’ll find someone who can, was Jeff’s message.
“So if you find her, bring her in.” Jeff tilted back in his leather chair and picked up his papers, dismissing him.
“Great.” Rome nodded with a coolness he didn’t feel and stood. He walked to the door and looked back to Jeff over his shoulder. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes, you will,” Jeff said, evenly holding his gaze.
Jeff was so damn hard to read. That’s what made him so good at what he did. And it’s also what made Rome now question whether going there was as good an idea as he’d thought it was earlier. Maybe he’d just tipped his hand. Damn it all.
Quickening his pace without appearing to do so, he moved down the shadowy corridor. A couple of burly guys turned the corner ahead and moved his way. They were unusually huge. Shit. Were they after him?
They looked like the same guys who’d tried to stop Harper when he helped her escape. He was sure no one had seen him in the alley, but he had witnessed them use the same power as her, though a tad muddied. And it confirmed what Jeff told him about the experiments. Maybe these brutes were the subjects.
Rome gave them a cordial nod as they passed. Nodding back, the two hulks kept walking. He resisted the urge to turn around and see whether they were watching him. He didn’t want to appear concerned, but his back felt as if it were on fire.
Walking out the door, he held his breath as if waiting for someone to yank him back inside. Or tackle him. But nothing happened.
Reaching his car, Rome quickly inspected the Land Rover. He was going to have to switch it out before returning to the warehouse with the items Harper requested.
He had to get back to her. Now. Someone was hiding the whole truth. And hard as it would be, he needed to make sure it wasn’t her. He was so damn tired of secrets.