CHAPTER EIGHT
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Thomas awakened long after the sun had risen. His exhaustion had betrayed him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. Cars whizzed by again on the bridge above them. It was their hum that had lulled him. Figures moved around the disheveled camp, but the two who had greeted him so dubiously last night were still fast asleep. He got up, stomach rumbling. He glanced south, though there were roads beyond the bridge and tall buildings that obscured his view. He had a long walk today. He’d better get started. He was already later than he hoped. He took off his denim over-shirt. He’d promised it as payment for letting him sleep here. As he laid it by the man with the thicket of tangled curls and scraggly beard, the man’s eyes opened. They were clear blue, such a contrast to the tough and dirty skin of his face.
“You keep it,” the man said, sitting up under his blanket.
“I promised.”
The man picked it up and held it up. He looked around. “Take this back too.” He retrieved the cap Thomas had given the man with the long rolled hair and held them up together.
Thomas felt wrong about taking them back.
“Go on,” the man said roughly. “You gonna burn to a crisp, pale like you are.”
True. And Morgan didn’t want him brown. She’d been very particular about that with Brother Theodosius. It must have something to do with his purpose.
“Thank you,” he said, as he accepted the shirt and the cap.
“Now get outta here. I ain’t got time for you.” The man scooted back and retrieved the stub of rolled tobacco from his coat pocket.
“If I can, I’ll come back with food and clothing,” Thomas promised.
“Fuck that,” the man grinned. “Just bring a bottle of Jack.”
Thomas didn’t know what that was. But when he got Tammy away from her family, he could ask her. Of course, then there was the problem of money. Money seemed to be so important here. Well, he’d figure that out later.
He held up a hand in salute, and walked out from under the underpass into the sunshine. He put on the denim shirt, and pulled the cap down over his brow. He made his way out among the grass and vibrantly magenta flowering bushes to the roadway and turned south.
*
“What do you mean, he’s not in his room?” Jason turned on Duncan. “How did he get out?
“Hell if I know. One of the books I returned was tore up, but that don’t mean anything.” Duncan looked like he was about to faint.
Damn kid should have gone to Morgan with his confession. Now Jason would have to tell her just to protect the kid. Probably what Duncan wanted. When had Jason gone soft? He hardened his expression. “Fool. He jammed the lock with paper. Oldest trick in the book. Which means he actually planned an escape. He’s probably out in the middle of the desert dying of dehydration, you piece of shit, and Morgan is going to have your balls hanging from her rearview mirror.” More likely Jason’s balls. Morgan was always one to kill the messenger.
Duncan went fish-belly white. “He…he couldn’t get out of the complex, could he?”
“Well, we’re going to find out, now aren’t we? And don’t think I’m going to cover your ass for this. He was your responsibility.” Let the kid sweat.
Now the question was, why would that innocent boy want to escape? Had someone told him what his “purpose” really was?
All that was for later. First, Jason was going to have to tell Morgan her prized pet was on the loose, either inside the compound or out somewhere in the desert.
*
Tammy didn’t get much sleep. She’d doze off, only to wake and check that the beautiful young Clan guy hadn’t moved. But he was stationary all night, somewhere up by the airport. Had he booked a hotel room? Probably. Would he come for her today? She shuddered in anticipation, but she didn’t know whether it was fear or relief.
The Clan might be looking for him. But there was nothing to do until he got to The Breakers. She only woke when it was nearly nine o’clock. She dashed through a shower, dressed practically in jeans, boots, and a knit top.
And then waited. She didn’t dare go down to breakfast. The family would be there. Would she look different, now that she’d decided to confront her Destiny? They’d probably be too busy with their own concerns to even notice her, but she couldn’t take a chance.
At a little after nine, her guy started to move again. He was making his way south very slowly. He was still walking. How long did it take to walk nearly twenty miles? Seven hours? Maybe less. Why didn’t he call a cab or hitch a ride or something?
But he didn’t speed up.
Jeez. This was going to kill her.
And when he did arrive at the front gate, how was she going to get him to go round to where they wouldn’t be seen?
But that was easy. There was only one reason he could be bearing down on The Breakers. He was coming for her, and he could feel her just as she could feel him. So as he got closer, she’d go down to the corner of the security fence. He would cut across the vacant land her father had bought to the north to as a natural barrier for The Breakers.
Nothing to do but wait. And think about him. And get all hot and bothered.
This was awful. She headed down the back stairs and out to the terrace, then around to the stairs down to the stables and the riding ring. A nice long work-out with Gwenny on her dressage moves and a warm-up for Cally was what she needed. Otherwise she was going to go crazy wondering if her guy was evil incarnate, if she was insane for even wanting to meet him, what she would do when she did meet him, how she’d break it to her parents…. There, see? She was already going around the bend.
She took a breath. Gwenny. Stables. Now.
*
Thomas was hot and hungry and thirsty by the time he got close. He’d dutifully kept his denim shirt and cap on even in the warm day. After the privations of the monastery, this was nothing. He’d turned off the main road with all the cars when it curved away from the bluff where Tammy was. Then he’d walked along the quieter road, through clusters of very big houses and open views of the water beyond or the cliffs above. He came to a little store, but he had no money for water, and he didn’t see any troughs outside to duck his head. Then, just past the store, he saw it. A fountain in the middle of the roadway. It cascaded sweet water from high fluted bowls down in to a wide basin lined with bright tiles. He waited for a break in the cars going by and trotted to the fountain. Taking off his cap, he knelt and splashed his face with water. That was good. He sipped from cupped hands and then ducked his head. Cars behind him paused at the stop sign and then surged off down the road. As he was getting up to continue his journey, a black and white car with “Palos Verdes Police” written on the door pulled up, and a man in a uniform driving it leaned out. Thomas didn’t know what police were. But he could tell the man was official, because of the uniform, and that meant danger for Thomas.
“Hey, what are you doing, kid? You can’t take a bath in the fountain.”
“No, sir. Sorry, sir. I was just thirsty.” Thomas was acutely aware that his jeans and his tee shirt weren’t entirely clean.
The man frowned. He looked like the monks from Italy, Greece, or Spain, with olive skin and dark hair and eyes. His uniform was dark blue with gold embroidery. The man got out of his car. “Put your hands on the edge of the fountain and spread your legs.”
Thomas was surprised, but he complied. The officer patted him under the arms and down his legs. Thomas was afraid to move.
“Okay, you’re clean. You live around here?”
“No, sir.” Thomas knew the man was trying to determine if he belonged among all these very rich houses. “But I have a friend who lives a few miles that way.” He pointed south.
“And what is your friend’s name?” The man looked very suspicious.
Thomas didn’t hesitate, since hesitation would indicate that he was unsure he belonged here. If he didn’t belong, this official might take him away. “Tammy Tremaine. She lives at a place called The Breakers.”
“I know where she lives.” Now the man’s expression was thoughtful. Thomas could see him come to a decision. “Okay, kid. Hop in. I’ll drop you there. Edwards, their security guy, is a friend of mine. And if Ms. Tremaine doesn’t want to let you in, I’ll know what to do.”
Thomas tried not to look dismayed. If this man deposited him at the front door, Tammy’s family would prevent him from seeing her. They might take him prisoner—even kill him. The official leaned over and opened the other door of the car.
Thomas got in, and pulled it shut.
“Seatbelt,” the man said. He had a nametag that said, “Officer Rodriguez.”
Thomas scrambled to comply. All vehicles seemed to have them. The car moved off.
“So, where did you and Ms. Tremaine meet?”
“Uh, in Las Vegas, sir,” Thomas said.
“And you decided to visit her here?”
Thomas nodded. “Yes, sir.” He swallowed. “She’s very important to me.”
The officer looked him up and down. “I see.”
Thomas could feel them getting closer to where Tammy was. They passed a lighthouse. The houses glimpsed behind high gates now were huge. And there, in the distance, on a bluff over the sea, just peeking out behind a row of cypress, was a big, square house. He didn’t have to be told it was The Breakers. Tammy was near it. He started to panic.
“Officer Rodriguez, I…I can’t just go up to the front gate of The Breakers. I…I need to talk to Tammy alone.”
The officer raised his brows. “Daddy doesn’t approve of you?”
Thomas shook his head. He didn’t think any of the Tremaines approved of him. Maybe even Tammy. But he’d convince her.
“Oh, boy.” The Officer sighed. “I feel for you kid. My wife’s father wasn’t exactly my biggest fan either. Were you planning to try to break in to see her? That place has more security than Fort Knox.”
Thomas had no idea what Fort Knox was but he got the gist. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? He hadn’t planned what to do to talk to Tammy alone. He’d just kind of assumed it would all work out.
But wait! Tammy was moving. Not walking speed, but faster. She must be running. She was moving north and slightly west, which would be out toward the cliffs. Maybe…
“She’s going to meet me out by the cliff.”
“Place has a fence around it.”
Thomas nodded, really panicked. “I just want to talk to her, through the fence.”
“I’ll call Edwards, let him know.” He reached for a small square box connected to the dash by a curly cord.
“No, no. Please, sir.” Thomas didn’t mind begging. It was his only choice at this point. “I mean her no harm. I have no weapons. I am not dangerous. You said yourself the house is secure. She’ll meet me there.” He pointed out across a field to the cliff as the car drew near to where Tammy was. He sucked in a breath. A figure with flaming red hair stood at the fence.
“Looks like you’re right about that, kid,” the officer said.
At that moment, the dashboard crackled. “Car Seven. Possible burglary at seven-fifteen Rockland Road. Do you copy?”
Officer Rodriguez sighed. “Copy that. I’m on my way.” He turned to Thomas, looking disgusted. “I don’t have time to deal with you right now. And maybe I don’t want to stand in the way of love. I can just hear what Maria would say if I did. God.” He rolled his eyes. Thomas didn’t need to be told that Maria was his wife. “I’m a fool. Get out of here. And I’ll call Edwards after I get done with this burglary and tell him everything, so you better talk to her fast.”
“Yes, sir,” Thomas nodded, getting out of the car. “Thank you, sir.” He jumped as the car let out a blaring sound and began to flash red and blue lights from its roof. It wheeled around and headed back north.
Thomas started off across the empty land filled with native plants.
*
When the beautiful Clan guy suddenly started speeding up, Tammy panicked. He was in a car or a bus or something and he was coming closer fast. She took off at a run for the corner of the fence where she wanted to meet him, Lance trotting after her. Now she stood, trembling, right under the security camera, in front of the chair she usually sat in. Kemble or the guys would have seen her running out here on the security monitors, but, if she was right, they wouldn’t be able to see her meet the guy. Unless he was stupid enough not to obey her directions. He was close. Tammy’s heart pounded in her chest. She could hardly get her breath. The camera above her swept the perimeter of the fence line. A tall clump of pampas grass grew fairly close to the fence. That would conceal him from the cameras. She just had to time things right.
The California lilac and the creosote bushes parted about twenty feet away, and her heart pretty much stopped. As a matter of fact, everything slowed down, including the focus of her attention. He stopped as though he’d been turned to stone, which was good, because the bushes out there still concealed him from the cameras. The afternoon sun was behind her. Lance whined, ears pricked forward. She felt a pressure on her legs and glanced down to see Bagheera rubbing against her. She leaned down and picked him up, cradling him to her chest, her eyes never leaving the face that was both intimately familiar and like nothing she had ever seen.
Hot damn, but he was handsome. His eyes were very blue and wide set. His cheekbones were broad. The combination gave his face an open, almost innocent look. She was throbbing in all those places that said, “Get naked now!” Like she was going to act on that little bit of compulsion. And of course he wasn’t innocent, in spite of his expression. He was Clan. He wore a denim shirt over a navy blue tee shirt stretched over the muscles of his chest and jeans and boots. He took off a baseball cap and ran his hands nervously through his curling hair. Were Clan members nervous?
Well, he should be nervous. They were tied together by genetics and forces that neither of them could control. And they were enemies.
But she had a purpose here. It was to determine whether he was evil and devoted to the Clan, or whether he was trying to escape their influence. And she was going to find out what the Clan thought would happen when the comet created a five-sided Pentacle with the Big Dipper.
“Don’t come closer ’til I tell you,” she called. Her voice was a little squeaky. Not exactly impressive. She glanced to the camera above her and at the ones down the fence on either side.
He followed her gaze and nodded, cautiously.
“Wait ’til I say ‘go,’ then come in close, right under this camera, next to the pampas grass.” She pointed to the spot. She’d have to get the timing right on all three cameras down the fence line that had a chance of seeing him, but there would be a moment. She watched the cameras for a long moment, trying not to feel him looking at her. Unsuccessfully. There!
“Now! Go fast.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He took off at a run for the fence.
“Don’t touch it!” she hissed as he came close. “It’s electrified. Plus contact will set off alarms everywhere.”
He froze again, his blue eyes wide. She hugged Bagheera. She thought Lance would bark at him with all that sudden movement, but he didn’t. He just stared seriously at the newcomer. Almost as seriously as Tammy was staring, or as the guy was staring at her. It was like they were frozen ice carvings at the Winter Festival in Quebec City. He must be more than six feet, though not as tall as Michael or Tris. This close, his bulky muscles showed even under his denim shirt. His complexion was pale, his skin fine and silky as a girl’s. The physical presence of him made her want to shudder. Had he really come all this way to find…her?
Suddenly, he smiled. It lit up his face. His mouth was wider than most. It sat normally in a way that made him look a little sad. But when he smiled….
“Tammy Tremaine,” he said. “I found you.”
She nodded. Her eyes wanted to fill and she resolved not to let them.
“How did I find you? Why do I know where you are?” He seemed truly puzzled.
That was shocking. Didn’t he know what happened when you found your Destiny? She didn’t know how to deal with that, so instead she asked something way more mundane. “What’s your name? You know mine, but I don’t know yours.”
“Thomas,” he said earnestly.
“Thomas what?”
He looked puzzled again.
“Last name,” she prompted.
“Oh. Wait. I know that.” He thought. “Llewellyn. It’s spelled with two ‘ls’ at the beginning and in the middle.”
He had to think about his last name? Tammy was getting more confused by the moment, and, she had to admit, intrigued. His last name was obviously Welsh, so that’s how he got his connection to the Celtic magic of Merlin. Or rather, Morgan Le Fay. Well, she wanted to know about him. That’s why she was here. Best get started.
“Why do you have to think before you answer?”
“Oh.” He shrugged apologetically. “No one has called me by that since I was little. I was just Thomas at the monastery.”
Monastery? Oh, wow. She licked her lips. Where to start with that? “You were a monk?” She didn’t picture Clan members living religious lives. Or someone so gorgeous being celibate.
“Oh no,” he said. “I mean I lived at the monastery, but my mentor didn’t allow me to study religion or to participate in the rituals. He…she directed that I work to strengthen my body, read the ancient texts to improve my mind and eschew comforts to better form my character.”
She hardly knew how to assimilate this. What guy his age used the word, “eschew?” But she knew who his mentor was. “Morgan was your mentor?”
He smiled again and nodded. “She brought me to the monastery when my parents died. I was nine. She came to get me at Mt. Athos only a few days ago, so I might serve my purpose.”
He’d spent his whole life locked in a monastery? Not exactly how she imagined you got to be an evil genius. And that smile was so innocent, so pure…. Wait. She couldn’t get trapped into thinking like that. Morgan had trained him his whole life to serve her purpose.
“So what’s your purpose?” This might tell her about the coming Pentacle.
The smile was doused like a campfire on the beach. An anxious expression crossed his face. “I do not know. I know she wants to help the world. I know I’m important to achieve her desire, but I don’t know how. And you must be important to the purpose too. I feel you are most important.”
This whole thing could be an act. He just wasn’t telling her what he knew. And of course she was important to him. She was his Destiny. How could he not know about that? She felt like she was standing at that place at the edge of the waves where the sand was sucked out from under your feet.
“Why did you come here?” she finally asked. Did he even know why?
“I came to get you,” he said earnestly. “So you can help Morgan with the purpose.”
Oh, great. “Did you plan on kidnapping me? This place is pretty secure.” Unless of course, he’d gotten a power way more dangerous than she had. The thought sent frissons of panic down her spine. What if he could dissolve like mist and slither through the chain link? The fence between them didn’t seem like anywhere near enough protection.
Now he looked uncertain. “You wouldn’t want to come out? I thought maybe you would feel the importance of Morgan’s purpose as I do and be anxious to help.”
“The last thing I want is to help Morgan.” Bagheera meowed for emphasis.
“Oh. Of course. Your family would have told you she was evil.”
Tammy frowned, anger rising. “I kinda witnessed that for myself when she almost killed my father. Or maybe when she and her thugs attacked the house and stole the Cup. She tried to kill all of us. Or maybe when she held my brother and his fiancée hostage and tortured them.” Lance barked at the emotion in her tone.
Thomas drew himself up in the face of her anger. “She would never do those things. It is your family who is evil. I came to set you free from them.”
He must have seen the shocked and angry look on her face as she sputtered, wondering if she should find a response or just whirl away and leave him standing at the fence. He held up both hands. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Of course you don’t believe your family is evil, any more than I believe Morgan is evil.” He looked at her and his face softened. “I don’t want to make you angry, Tammy Tremaine.”
“Well, you’re failing miserably,” she sniffed.
He held his hands very close to the fence, but he didn’t touch it. “Can you not put your hands close to mine? We will be Tristan and Isolde, with the wall between us.”
She looked up at him. This guy truly was an anomaly. What kind of guy talked about a French Medieval tale? She suppressed a gasp. A tale where the hero was a knight of the Round table who was supposed to have known both Merlin and Morgan Le Fay—the original one, not the Tremaine’s family’s nemesis who took her name. True, the real Merlin and Morgan lived 700 years before that knight, and the author just took literary license. Still, this guy’s reference couldn’t have been accidental. He must know that the Clan/Tremaines were descended from Merlin and Morgan Le Fay. Unless he was just an opera fan…
Absently, she opened her arms and let Bagheera leap to the ground. He meowed his protest and stalked off. “You like Wagner?” She moved a step closer to the fence.
“Who is that?”
She held up one palm, inches from his raised hand. “He wrote an opera in the middle of the nineteenth century about Tristan and Isolde.”
He watched her move her other hand to mirror his. “I studied nothing after the eighteenth century.”
Why was that?
The pull between their hands was tangible. She could feel the physical presence of him like a magnet. Only the fear of touching the fence kept them apart. Tammy was throbbing in her loins. She couldn’t help but glance down at Thomas’s body. Yeah. The zipper of his jeans looked like it might burst. He felt what was between them too. That’s why he came all this way from wherever he had come.
He knew where Morgan was. He was probably lying when he said he didn’t know what his purpose was. He’d lie again if she asked him about the Pentacle. And yet…
He didn’t seem like a liar. He was so earnest. And his background. A monastery…
She was intrigued. What did he study in a monastery if it wasn’t religion? Why nothing modern? Why did Morgan keep him there all his life? What did she want with him now?
Who was this man who was her Destiny?
She jerked her hands away from the fence. The feeling of loss was immediate. She hugged her body. Thomas looked shocked. Was it at the loss of connection? How could he be a hardened Clan member when every fleeting emotion was so clearly visible on his face and in his eyes? “I can’t stay out here,” she said. “They’ll get suspicious. Come back tomorrow.”
“I may not be able to do that.” He looked worried.
“Why not?”
“Well, the nice man who gave me a ride here knows a Mr. Edwards, who works here. He had to go to a burglary, but he said he would call Mr. Edwards when he was done.”
Great. The nice man must be a member of Palos Verdes’s finest. How long did it take to investigate a burglary? Once Edwards was warned about Thomas, the security staff would either chase him off, or take him in, and then…well, she wasn’t quite sure, but she had a feeling neither Thomas or she would like it.
She stared at Thomas. He was Clan. He admitted that. But not in the way she had thought. He was either doing the best acting job ever, or he was more a tool than a hardened proponent of Morgan’s plan. He defended Morgan, but he didn’t seem to know much about how evil she could really be. It was almost as if Morgan had kept him in the dark about what she was doing on purpose. And he might know something about the Pentacle, perhaps something he didn’t even know he knew. She needed time to question him. Time away from her prying family.
“What are you thinking?” Thomas asked.
“Okay, just give me a minute here.” She couldn’t let the policeman pick him up again. She couldn’t let Edwards chase him off. She definitely couldn’t let her family start to question him. Once they knew he was her Destiny, it was either a shotgun wedding (not attractive, if he really was hateful) or…or she wasn’t sure what else. But she’d lose all control of the situation.
And what if he brought Morgan down on them? If Morgan needed him for her purpose, she’d come looking. That meant to protect her family Tammy had to get him far away from here.
How to do it? Her mind raced.
Okay, there was a laundry truck making a delivery today. She’d need a distraction. Her gaze fell on Lance. She could count on him. But Michael would Find her as soon as anyone missed her. So she needed Michael on her side. How could she persuade Michael to let her go? He’d want to make sure she was safe. How could she reassure him?
And then she knew. It was all coming together. She couldn’t help the excitement she felt welling inside her. She realized she’d been staring at Thomas’s face. It came into focus again.
“I have a plan. I’ll get out of here, and we’ll go someplace quiet together to talk this out.” Uh, oh. She’d forgotten something. She glanced to Thomas’s very pronounced erection.
He saw her eyes drop. His fair skin flushed. “Sorry.” He tried vainly to adjust himself so it wouldn’t be so visible in his jeans. “I don’t know how this is happening….”
“Don’t worry about it. But you can’t act on the urges, okay?” If they made love, the draw to him would ramp up until it was impossible for them to break the bond. It was already stronger than her siblings had reported. And if he was bent on serving Morgan, she didn’t want to be bound to him any more securely than she already suspected she was.
He shook his head, blushing an even deeper pink.
“Okay.” Frankly, the blush was…comforting. She couldn’t imagine a hardened Clan member blushing over having an erection. “You walk back the way you came. On the right hand side of the road is a place called The Admiral Risty. It’s a restaurant. There’s a sign. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.”
“Is that a place where you buy food?” he asked, looking abashed when she nodded. “I have no money.”
Tammy certainly didn’t have money on her. She never left The Breakers so there was no need. Something else she’d have to take care of. “Just sit on the bench by their door. It’s around the back, off the parking lot. The bench sits in a little garden, and it’s shaded. Just tell people you’re waiting for a friend, if they ask.”
He nodded. “Yes. I will do that.”
“It’s about two miles.”
“I will go now, then?”
She nodded, even though she didn’t want him to leave. She felt like she was dancing on a wire hung over the funnel of a volcano. Would she have the courage to break this off?
But she must have the courage to try to find her Destiny too. Greta said you had to take the leap if you wanted love. Maybe if you were a Tremaine, you had to trust your DNA.
Aw, to hell with it. She was going to do this. She was at least going to try.
He closed his eyes as he turned away, a look of pain on his face. She got that. Watching him walk away felt like her soul ripping and tearing apart.