CHAPTER NINE
Max eased up on the gas pedal before he drove up Ripley’s ass. Couldn’t he make that piece of shit Chevy go any faster? He risked a glance at Crystal, who sat quietly in the passenger seat. All the blush in her cheeks was gone, making her appear far paler than he liked.
“How’s the arm?” he asked.
“Stings like hell.” She shrugged, her forehead puckered as she examined the bandage. “Don’t worry. I won’t get blood on the upholstery.”
“That’s not important,” he mumbled and concentrated on relaxing the death grip he had on the steering wheel. A long, slow breath eased out from between his lips, but his blood continued to race.
When that large cat had jumped at Crystal, his heart had damn near exploded right then and there. For that half a second he thought he might lose her, and it was an outcome he couldn’t bear. In the last twenty-four hours she had become important to him in a way no one had done before. It was a coin toss as to which was more frightening: the fact he was growing attached to her or the possibility of her loss.
The feelings he was developing for her were growing beyond sexual desire, although that kiss he stole about knocked him on his ass. Even now the cinnamon cookie taste of the inside of her mouth lingered on his tongue. She was smart, wicked smart, and funny. She didn’t complain and wasn’t afraid of jumping in with both feet. Throw in the body of Venus and lips made for sin, and you had a very attractive combination.
He shook his head, banishing thoughts of what shouldn’t be. Her safety and well-being came first. He’d best remember that.
He nodded at the truck they followed. “Is Ripley the reason we came down here?”
“I think so. We’ll find out more at dinner.”
“Dinner?”
She rolled her head in his direction as if she were intoxicated. The crash of adrenaline was taking its toll, and her eye color shifted from topaz to brown. He noticed they turned brown when she was excited. Like when he kissed her. “Yep. We have dinner together. Nice house, very colorful. We’re having Thai food, which is fantastic, because I’m starving,” she moaned.
His lips quirked as his stomach rumbled in agreement. “I haven’t been taking proper care of you, have I?”
“I didn’t ask you to. Don’t worry, I’m a big girl. I watch out for myself.”
He opened his mouth to reply then snapped it shut. She didn’t need to know that he actually enjoyed looking out for her. Hell, that was a fact he didn’t need to know either.
“What did you find out about Ripley when you read his memories?”
“I didn’t.”
“What?” His voice rose with his surprise. “Why not?”
“First off, I was wearing latex gloves. Second, I was a little distracted by a two-hundred-pound cougar lunging at my throat.”
“Still, aren’t you curious about him?”
“Sure.”
Sure…but… When a minute passed without her saying another word, he realized that was all to her answer. “Wait a minute, you read me the first chance you got. Why not him?”
“Ripley’s different. I’m not af—” She broke off, her cheeks flushing as she looked away. “Seeing him shift pretty much answered all of my questions about why we’re here.”
She wasn’t what? Affected? Afraid? Why would she be afraid of him and not Ripley? For Pete’s sake, the man changed before their eyes into a beast with sharp claws and drippy fangs.
That kiss. Must be. It all came back to that kiss.
Well, good, he sniffed. He didn’t want to be the only one affected by the chemistry between them.
“Finally,” he muttered when Ripley’s truck pulled into the parking lot of an urgent-care facility.
Before Crystal opened the door, Max was hustling to help her out of the car, tucking her under his arm as he escorted her inside. He tried to fool himself into thinking that it was only to make sure she didn’t stumble from shock and not because he needed the physical contact to convince him she was really all right.
Ripley held the door open for them then strode right up to the front desk. Blood had seeped through his shirt and formed a horrific Rorschach pattern on his back. In spite of how shitty the wound must have felt, his charming smile didn’t waver as he leaned over the desk.
“If it isn’t the fair Alisia,” he greeted the nurse standing next to the receptionist. “Doc Kelly is expecting us.”
She brushed the lock of blonde hair escaping her ponytail behind her ear and adjusted the files in her arm. “I heard. She’s finishing with a patient but told me to take you back.”
“Excellent.” He turned toward them. “This way.”
They waited by the door to the left of reception until the nurse opened it and ushered them in. She assessed Ripley’s bloody shirt and Crystal’s bandage with concern. “Does anyone need anything? Water?”
“No, thank you.” Crystal shook her head.
Ripley cornered the cute nurse with his big body against the doorway of the exam room she escorted them to. “How about dinner on Friday?”
She sighed deep from her toes. “The answer is still no.”
“Why? Why won’t you go out with me?” he asked softly, and Max and Crystal shared a curious glance. Obviously the two had a history. Max just wished he didn’t have to be front-row center to the awkward exchange.
She swallowed hard and lifted her chin to look him in the eye. A slight tremble shook her shoulders. “I don’t date patients.”
“Then I’ll go to another doctor,” Ripley replied.
“Be my guest, but it won’t change my answer.”
“Why not?”
She glanced pointedly as his shirt. “I make it a point not to get involved with men who manage to find ways to bleed profusely at least once a week.” She took a deep breath. “Will that be all, Mr. Jorgensen?”
“Yes, Nurse Caldwell.” The second he stepped back, she escaped down the hall.
Ripley struck the flesh of his palm against the doorjamb in soft taps as he watched her go with longing in his eyes. With a final sigh, he turned and bristled when he noticed his audience. “She can’t live without me. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Max raised a dismissive hand. “Hey, man, it’s none of my business.”
He nodded. “Right.”
“What have you done to yourself now, Ripley?” The doctor sighed as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.
Raven black hair hung to her shoulders and was held off her face by a bright red ribbon. Under her blue scrubs her figure appeared fit and trim as she pushed back the sides of her white lab coat to place her hands on her hips. An amused frown pulled her brows down and the corner of her mouth up. Max guessed her age to be mid-thirties, except her green eyes held shadows of knowledge and experience that suggested she had seen more in her life than someone twice her age.
Crystal gasped and stared at the doctor in shock while Ripley answered the question.
“A cougar got loose from his cage and jumped us. You know how that goes. These are my new friends, Max and Crystal. This is Dr. Megan Kelly.” He noticed the stunned expression on Crystal’s face and smiled. “You see it, don’t you?”
“She glows,” Crystal whispered. “You have a blue halo, like Ripley, and me, and Max. You have a special power too.”
Doc Kelly inhaled sharply, her panicked gaze darting over all of them before settling on Ripley. “What did you tell them?”
He laughed and shook his head, holding his hands in the air. “Nothing. They found me. I thought you might like to meet them. I just wish we hadn’t gotten injured in the process.”
“Crap, I’m sorry.” Doc pushed Ripley toward the gurney. “Heal first, talk second. Take off your shirt.”
A buzz of excitement surrounded the good doctor and her gaze bounced back and forth from them to Ripley as if a million questions hovered on her smiling lips.
Max nudged Crystal. “Sweetheart, take a seat.”
“What?” She blinked up at him in confusion.
“Sit down.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” She stumbled to a chair. “I can’t believe I’ve met not one but two more people with superpowers in just a couple of hours.”
“You and me both,” Max replied. And what did that all mean?
Ripley removed his shirt and Doc hissed at the sight of his wounds. “Jesus, Rip, you have got to stay away from the claws.” She cleaned the slashes with gentle but firm strokes.
“That was from the teeth, not the claws. Crystal was holding a penguin the cat thought looked tasty. I shifted to fight it off, and Crystal got caught in the middle. I am really sorry about that,” he apologized again.
“You shifted in front of them?” Doc gasped. “What made you trust them?”
Ripley smiled. “They smell like you. Different. Just like Crystal can see a halo. I guess we can spot others like us. Damn.” He winced when Doc started to stitch him up. “What are you using the needle for?”
“To remind you to take better care of yourself. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired.” She tied off the thread and snipped it before working on the next section. Her gaze met Crystal’s over his shoulder. “Your power is to sense other people with superpowers?”
“I guess so. You three are the only ones I’ve met. I’m actually clairvoyant. I had a vision that Max and I went to the zoo, only I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t until I saw Ripley that I had a suspicion.”
What? Max’s focus whipped to Crystal. She made him believe their trip had something to do with his father and avenging Anthony. The little witch tricked him.
You could have left her behind if you had really wanted to, the voice in his head piped up.
Yeah, but still, she’d played him. A flash of heat ignited in his belly as he contemplated ways she could make up for her transgressions, and each one was naughtier than the next. If only he’d be around her long enough to play them out.
“Were you born a clairvoyant?” Doc asked, smoothing the last strip of tape into place on Ripley.
“No. I was nineteen when I started to have visions.”
“And you have powers, too?” she asked Max.
He nodded. “Telekinesis.”
“It was awesome,” Ripley raved. “You should have seen it, Doc. He picked up the cougar and me and tossed us into the cages just using his mind. Although I would have preferred if it had just been the cat and not me.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t going to take a chance on picking the wrong animal.”
“What are your abilities?” Crystal asked.
Doc smiled, anticipation lighting her eyes. “The only person I really get to practice on is Ripley, so this will be fun.”
She lifted Crystal’s injured arm and laid it along the counter next to her. Gingerly she peeled the tape back, exposing the open cuts.
“What did you clean this with?” she asked.
“Ripley put an anti-bacterial cream on back at the zoo.”
“Good.” Doc took a deep breath, then another, and then placed both hands over the wound.
Crystal held her breath and stared wide-eyed at Doc’s hands on her arm. “It’s getting warm.”
Doc’s shoulders relaxed and she let out a shuddering sigh as she stepped back. Three red lines were all that remained of the claw marks on Crystal’s skin.
“Whoa,” Crystal exclaimed.
“Holy shit,” Max muttered. “That’s incredible.”
“Obviously I can’t do that with all of my patients, but I try, in my own way, to lessen whatever ails them.”
Crystal ran her finger along the faint scratches in amazement. “Can you heal anything?”
Doc tilted her head from side to side with a wary smile. “I’ve tried. When I look at a person, I can see exactly what injuries or ailments they have.” She pointed at Max. “You need more vitamin K and D. Your bones will thank you.” She stepped up to the sink and washed her hands while she continued. “I can heal small cuts, minor burns, and contusions with my hands, which I try to do as inconspicuously as possible. Anything more major becomes trickier. One, it’s physically exhausting. I tried to heal a child with cancer once and blacked out. Was sick to my stomach for weeks. And even then, it didn’t help that much. I guess the universe was telling me I can heal, but I can’t play God.” She dried her hands on a paper towel and tossed it into the bin before shoving her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. “But I do heal what I can. If I was given this power, I was supposed to use it for something. Right?”
“I believe that, too.” Crystal smiled and looked over at Max with a narrowed gaze and a grin meant to needle him. “We are put here at this place and time for a reason.”
A fact that still remained to be seen.
He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. They found other people with powers. So what? He still had a death to avenge, a maniacal father to take down, and billions of dollars to return to fleeced Americans. His plate was full enough as it was, without adding a heaping spoonful of new people. Even those with superpowers.
“Look.” Doc sat next to Ripley on the gurney. “I would like to talk, really talk, privately with both of you. I’ve being doing research in the hopes of finding out how we came to be.”
Max pushed away from the wall. “We need to be getting back to Seattle.”
“We’d love to,” Crystal said at the same time.
“Crystal,” he growled.
“Don’t even start.” She got up and stood toe to toe with him. “I told you we needed to come here for a reason. The least you can do is see this through. It’s just dinner.”
“Please,” Doc implored. “Can’t you see how important this is? Just dinner, that’s all I ask.”
“I know a great Thai place that has takeout,” Ripley offered, pulling a clean scrub top over his head.
A nuclear reactor couldn’t generate as much power as Crystal’s smile did as she looked up at Max.
Shit. He closed his eyes and sighed. “All right.”
Doc pulled a prescription pad from her pocket. “Let me give you directions to my house.”
Crystal kept her dark chocolate gaze on Max and bit her lip in a vain attempt to hold back her smug smile. “Thanks. By the way, I love the painting in your dining room. Renoir is one of my favorite artists.”
Doc looked up in surprise. “How do you—” she gasped, then threw her head back and laughed.