CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sterling knew the instant Becca decided to bolt; he saw the desperation to escape rooted deep in her eyes. So much so she didn’t seem to mind she was only half dressed, without a shirt or shoes. And he hated she was that scared of him.
With a few effortless strides, Sterling placed himself in front of the door a split second before a petite package of soft curves and fiery determination barreled into him. Becca gasped at the contact, new to her ICE-induced physical prowess; she could crank up her speed, but apparently didn’t know how to apply the brakes. He wrapped his arms around her, effortlessly derailing her attempt, and that only served to piss her off. With a burst of renewed energy, she squirmed and shoved at his chest. The chairs behind her began to shake, and more and more it became apparent that her emotions triggered her abilities.
Sterling gave her a minute of eruption, letting her work out some of that energy and anger before he gave her some space. Shackling her wrists with two hands, he had the displeasure of a firm knee to the groin. He grunted and ground his teeth. “Now that was unnecessary,” he mumbled.
Her chin lifted defiantly, and she tried to repeat her offense. “Oh no, you don’t,” he said, wrapping a leg around hers, molding their hips intimately together. There was no hiding how hot and hard he was right now. Her eyes went wide with instant awareness at the feel of him pressed against her stomach.
Behind them the chairs clamored from side to side. “I’m assuming the chairs rattling around like that means you’re not so happy with me right now.”
“How are you even back in my life?”
“I’ve asked myself that same question. I don’t believe in coincidences.”
She looked appalled. “You think I arranged all of this?”
He arched a brow. “Did you?”
“Did you?”
“No.”
Her expression clouded in obvious rejection of his answer. “You lied to me.”
“Never,” he said. “I don’t lie. I’m a ‘what you see is what you get kind of guy.’”
“You’re one of them.”
“I’d die before I’d join the Zodius.”
“The pictures—”
“I explained.” He softened his tone. “If you want to be mad at me, be mad that I let you get captured, because I deserve that. You went through hell in Zodius City. But don’t accuse me of being with Adam, because he is everything I stand against.”
She searched his face, an earnest expression on hers. “If you aren’t one of them, then how are you here? How did you escape?”
“Same way you are,” he said. “Everyone around me took a nap, and I took advantage.” He eased his hold on her wrists and let her hands settle on his chest, the ICE still wrapped in one of them, but she didn’t pull away. “It killed me to let you go to that lab by yourself. When those alarms went off, and I saw all the bodies lying everywhere, I was certain you were dead. I hacked the security cameras and found you entering the ventilation system. I followed you, but I was too late. You were gone.”
She studied him long seconds before her face dropped to his chest. “I’m so confused.”
His hand slid to her hair. The feel of her in his arms pressed intimately to his body was right in ways he couldn’t examine right now. “That makes two of us.”
Turbulent guilty eyes lifted to his. “I was going to find you, Sterling. I wanted to find you, but I had to warn people about Adam, and Tad showed me those pictures of you. Then I heard voices, and—”
“You did the right thing.” She’d thought of him. She’d wanted to come to him. It was enough. “I’m just glad you got out. You would never have found me anyway.” He hesitated then gently prodded. “Can you tell me what happened back in the lab, Becca? Who is the Milton you mentioned?”
Her fingers curled on his chest, and Sterling could almost feel the simmering anger in her. “Another scientist they kidnapped,” she explained, her voice tight. “They killed him.” Everything that wasn’t bolted down in the room was suddenly in the air, floating, rather than crashing against walls and floors. “I begged Adam to spare him, but he has no mercy.”
“So Adam was there when all of this happened?”
“He left me with Tad,” she said. “That was when Tad flung Milton’s dead body to the floor, like he was a piece of trash, and said we were going to have some quality time together.”
Sterling tensed. “Did he touch you?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t know what happened. I just lost it. Every emotion inside me just seemed to explode. The next thing I knew, glass vials were shattering, and the Zodius soldiers, Tad included, were on the ground.” She was shaking and not from withdrawal.
He pressed his hand to her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“I can’t control what’s happening.” She motioned to the room. “I can’t control any of this. I’m so tired of not being able to control anything that’s happening to me.”
The absolute angst in her voice told him she was telling the truth. He believed her completely. “Maybe we can control things together.” He laced his fingers in her hair and covered her soft lips with his. Redirecting her emotions, testing the effect, because he wanted to—damn it, he wanted to in a bad way. He didn’t bother with coaxing and prodding. He was looking for fast and hard, lust that consumed, that left no room for anything else—intense, passionate, hungry. And so he tasted her deeply, with sensual strokes of his tongue, drawing her to the place they’d been in that bed, a place where everything outside the moment disappeared.
Stiff and unyielding for only a moment, her balled fist slowly opened, splaying along his biceps, as if she meant to push him away…to resist. But she didn’t resist, nor did she push him away. A soft sound escaped her lips, pouring into his mouth, a sound part weak protest, part moan.
Sterling eased back slightly from the kiss, tenderly brushed his lips over hers, before delving deeper…this time with a possessive slant of his mouth that drew her further into the kiss. This time the man in him demanded her response. And she gave it to him, body melting into his, melting until they were one. Until she became the kiss, as he did. The moment this complete abandon overcame her, she moaned again, soft, sensual, willing. Desire coiled in his stomach, tightened his body, but Sterling willed himself to check it, willed himself to remember the purpose of this kiss. Another long stroke of his tongue, a deep taste of sweetness, and he forced himself to tear his mouth from hers and turn her in his arms to see the room.
Becca stared at the aftermath of her emotions, the room in shambles, as if a small tornado had swept through, leaving only remnants of its destruction behind. Chairs rested on their backs, the Las Vegas picture speared on one steel leg; the table was turned over. Pillows were on the floor. The single lamp broken. But Sterling’s kiss had calmed that storm. How could a kiss that stirred such intense passion actually calm the erratic telekinetic ability she’d developed? But it had. Everything in the room was as it should be—on the floor. Well, not where it should be exactly. The place was a mess.
“It’s about focus,” Sterling said from behind her. “Learning to tap into a particular part of your psyche that creates the telekinesis.”
She whirled around to face him. “That’s why you kissed me? To prove a point?” she asked, not sure why that upset her so much, but almost choking on her words as she realized he was standing right behind her, close—so close—she was practically back in his arms. She could see the light dust of a new beard that had brushed her cheeks moments before, see the teal of his eyes, the light brown lashes framing them like a beautiful fan. They stared at one another. They seemed to be getting good at that.
“I kissed you because I wanted to,” he said, his voice low, gravelly. Sexy. “And for the record, I was asleep when what happened in the bed started. By the time I realized it wasn’t a dream, you were seconds behind me, realizing the same thing. I want you willing or not at all.”
He wanted her. His bold confirmation whispered through her body and made certain intimate parts tingle. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her, a brush of lips over hers. “You don’t have to say anything, and I won’t do that again unless you ask me to.” He patted her backside and set her away from him, walking to the bed and grabbing his shirt from the floor. “Why don’t you write down the personal items you want from your place, and I’ll send someone to pick them up.” He snatched a pillow from the floor and tossed it to the bed. “If we can find a pen and paper in this mess.” He pulled open the nightstand to look inside and nonchalantly asked over his shoulder, “Did I mention the GTECHs can wind-walk? It makes for speedy service. We can probably have your things here by the time you finish showering.”
She blinked, surprised, and excited. “Oh please, yes. I would kill for some of my own things right now. And a shower? A little piece of heaven.” She paused. “Wait. Did you say wind-walk? What does that mean?”
“No pen and paper in sight,” he said, closing the distance between them again and offering her his T-shirt. “I can’t find yours,” he said. “And though I have nothing against you running around the room in only your bra, it’s distracting.”
Her heart fluttered with his words. She couldn’t even remember what she’d asked him. She reached for the shirt, the idea of wearing it felt incredibly, wonderfully intimate.
He held onto it and her hand. “What you said about me having a GTECH power that allowed me to mess with your dreams, or your mind, or even your body—I don’t have any of those abilities, and I wouldn’t use them on you if I did.” There was a warm promise in those words. That warmth washed over her and spoke more than his words. There wasn’t a GTECH inside Zodius City who’d possessed such gentleness as she felt in this man. Right or wrong, foolish as it might be, she was going with her instincts. She trusted Sterling.
His gaze lingered on her swollen mouth, as if he were thinking of the kiss they’d just shared, and it was all she could do not to touch her lips. “I believe you,” she said, summoning the courage to ask the question she so needed answered. “Why don’t you pass out when the others do?”
He went stone still, his hand still covering hers, his expression indiscernible. “Maybe you have more skill than you realize, and you choose to protect me.” He smiled, the tension fading, almost as if she imagined it. “And you like kissing me.” He let go of the shirt.
Hiding her smile, Becca turned away from him, not about to admit that she did indeed like kissing him and that his logic actually made a bit of sense. With a quick tug, Becca slid the shirt over her head. It smelled spicy and masculine like him. Hugging the shirt to her, she stuck the vials of ICE under her arm. She didn’t want to let her lifeline go. “Wind-walking? What does that mean?”
He righted the wobbly table, muscles flexing deliciously. Now she was the one distracted. “Pretty much what it implies. We fade into the wind and hitch a ride. It’s fast and efficient.”
“Wow,” she said, not questioning it being true. She was already living in a bizarre world. Still…“I mean…just wow.”
He reached into the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. “It comes in handy.”
He walked to her side and offered her the water. “Drink. You have to be dehydrated and hungry. I’ll get you food while you shower.”
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the water only to have him hold it as he had the shirt.
“And keep the ICE,” he said softly. “I won’t take it from you. In fact, I want you to have a dose on your person at all times in case you start going into withdrawal.”
The protectiveness in his voice washed over her and made her stomach flutter. “Thank you,” she said again, far too comforted by his presence. Being alone was frightening. She didn’t want to be alone.
He moved away from her, picking up around the room, but she stayed where she was. She’d never been afraid of being alone, never felt such a thing in her life. It scared her, made her worry her judgment was impaired, that she was trusting too easily. She hadn’t even asked for evidence that those pictures didn’t prove Sterling was a Zodius. She hadn’t even asked where the safer place he was taking her was located. He kissed her, and she melted. She trusted…“I need proof you’re not Zodius,” she blurted.
He stilled in motion, the broken picture in his hand, then glanced at her and set it against the wall. And damn it, why was she staring at his pecs? She jerked her gaze upward to find herself captured in his steady one, his expression unchanged, indiscernible.
Long tense seconds passed before he said, “You’ll get your proof.”
It was thirty minutes after leaving her to shower, and Sterling sat in the back of a surveillance van outside the motel on a portable stool. He showered and changed into black fatigue pants and a black T-shirt in the adjoining room he shared with Becca. He’d spent that time telling himself to get a grip. Becca was turning him inside out, and he knew it—probably impairing his judgment. Not probably—she was. Why did it bite him in the backside that she wanted proof of who he was? Of course she wanted proof. She was smart. She’d been through hell and back. But it bit him already, like a big ol’ grizzly bear chasing dinner.
“Explain exactly what happened in the warehouse,” Caleb said from where he sat beside Sterling. Two flat-screen monitors hung on the wall directly in front of them—one displaying the motel door, the other, a live feed of Doc Kelly. Between her and Caleb, the two of them spat out questions about Becca like it was a contest—who could ask the most questions the fastest.
“She panicked when the other scientist was murdered. She said glass started shattering, and the soldiers passed out. And now that I think about it, when the Zodius came to take her to the lab, her orange juice glass shattered. I just thought it was caused by some sonar signal from military testing Adam might be doing.”
“And you’re immune to passing out around her. Why?” Kelly asked, shoving a long lock of blonde hair back into the clip at her nape. “I don’t like unknowns.”
“I watched her freak out around a couple of humans, and they were fine, which I’m guessing to mean I have just enough of a deficiency in the GTECH area to make me desensitized to whatever she is doing.”
Kelly pursed her lips. “That’s interesting. I’m not sold on the idea, but it’s a good hypothesis.”
“Hmmm, okay,” Caleb said, his light brown eyes thoughtful. He sat up straight and ran his hands down his jean-clad legs. “If Becca’s emotions trigger these episodes she’s having, then my ability to probe and influence human emotions might allow me to help her control it.”
“Oh no,” Kelly said quickly. “It’s too dangerous, Caleb. So far we’ve seen GTECHs pass out from whatever mental compulsion she gives them. What if she has the ability to kill them as well? What if you’re the first? What if the others weren’t passed out at all? What if they were dead?”
“Jeezus, Kelly,” Sterling said. “Enough with the what-ifs.”
“She’s right,” said a stern voice from behind.
Sterling and Caleb swiveled around to face Michael, a remark on Sterling’s tongue quickly swallowed as he found a cute, petite blonde package of sweetness next to Michael. Cassandra was Michael’s mate, but she appeared to be his polar opposite—light and understanding where Michael was dark and unsympathetic. “It’s too dangerous,” Michael continued. “You can’t go near that woman. I don’t care what kind of story she’s offered in explanation. I don’t trust her. For all we know she has the ability to somehow influence your mind, Caleb. Maybe that’s her goal. To get close to you, to convince you she needs to be inside your head—or you inside her. Adam wants you to join him in a bad way. You know this.”
“Again—with the paranoia,” Sterling said irritably. “I was with her. I saw how scared she was.”
“Good acting,” Michael said. “Do we even know she really has cancer? The medical records could be a cover. She was missing for months. She could have been with Adam.”
Sterling wanted to punch Michael, and not because he was wrong, because he was voicing concerns Sterling had as well, but didn’t want to face. “If Becca were working for Adam, he wouldn’t have tried to kill her last night.”
“Maybe it was a setup to make you think she could be trusted,” Michael said. “He had to have seen how protective you are of her. You pretty much write it on a wall in fluorescent color. And amazingly, the Zodius knew exactly where she was at that club, despite the fact that she has no psychic imprint from sex with a GTECH.”
“It was an ICE club that had security cameras,” Sterling bit out. “Of course, they found her.”
Michael’s expression hardened. “It was a setup if I ever saw one. A way to make us feel the need to bring her into our inner circle and protect her.” He shoved a bag of food at Sterling. “I don’t know how I became your delivery man, but don’t get used to it.”
“Service with a smile,” Sterling jibed because he enjoyed irritating Michael, especially considering his opinion of Becca. “Or no tip.”
Michael ignored his comments as he did most jokes, eyeing Caleb. “You can’t go near that woman.”
“Becca,” Sterling ground out between clenched teeth. “Her name is Becca.”
Michael narrowed a suspicious gaze at Sterling that said, “Something you want to tell me? Like she’s your Lifebond?”
A muscle in Sterling’s jaw clenched at the silent prod, uncertain what he thought about his relationship with Becca at this point. The woman made him insanely hot and out of his mind.
Caleb, still focused on Michael’s concerns, waved off his warning. “Rebecca Burns can’t control my mind. She can’t control her own. We need her in a lab, helping us find a way to deal with ICE. That means we have to help her, so she can help us.”
Kelly tried to respond. “Yes, but—”
Michael cut her off.
“Assumed lack of control,” Michael said. “It could be an act.”
“If I touch her mind, I’ll know if it’s an act,” Caleb said. “And that has to happen before we allow her near one of our facilities.”
“Quarantine her at Neonopolis,” Michael said. “Don’t allow her inside Sunrise City. Our main headquarters needs to stay off limits.”
“I agree,” Kelly argued, never one to hold back her thoughts. She’d been with the Renegades since the day of the Area 51 takeover, and she was as devoted as any of the men to protecting her country. “She can work in a lab there and communicate with me via webcam while I evaluate her myself. And for the record, I double-checked our initial information, and not only did Becca have cancer, her treatments were highly experimental. Frankly, I don’t know how she got into the program. It’s so exclusive. We’re working on her detailed records. I’m curious to see how ICE reacts to her specific medication. It’s the most logical cause of these abilities, since she’s the only one who’s developed them. And I have to say…as bad as all this is, there could be some amazing cancer cure discovered. So in other words, get me that blood sample, Sterling. I’m dying to see what’s going on with Becca.”
“I will,” he said.
“She’s going to need more ICE,” Kelly added. “I have about three weeks worth for her, and that’s it. And that’s being really sparing in the lab to ration it.”
“I’ll get it,” Sterling said. He had to. He would.
“Back to the prior topic, Caleb,” Michael inserted, ignoring the rest of the conversation. “Don’t underestimate how much he wants you by his side. He could use this woman to manipulate your mind. He believes together you will be unstoppable—that you could rule the world.”
Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ll extract at 1400 hours.” Which gave them three hours until departure. He eyed Sterling. “I’ve already cleared nonessential personnel before her arrival.”
Sterling inhaled a rough breath and let it out. “She wants proof we aren’t working for Adam before she helps us.” It bit hard that she didn’t trust him, even if he was forced to question her. He knew better, but it still didn’t sit well.
Caleb nodded. “I’ll arrange documentation and a call to the White House.”
“And we want proof she isn’t working for Adam as well,” Michael stated flatly.
Cassandra elbowed him. “Stop, Michael. You’ve made it clear you don’t trust her.” She removed the canvas bag from her shoulder. “I brought Becca some clothes and girl stuff to carry her over until we get to her place. I felt like this would be faster.”
Sterling accepted the bag. “Thanks, Cass.”
“I’m happy to help,” she said. “I only wish it were safe for me to go into the room and talk to her. The poor thing has cancer, a forced ICE addiction, Adam chasing her, and now you guys to deal with. I can’t imagine what she must be going through.”
Sterling shook his head, amazed that this caring woman, a psychologist who’d worked with soldiers and their families, a friend to everyone who knew her, was the daughter of the mastermind behind the GTECH “immunizations.” But indeed, her father was General Powell, now MIA and most likely up to some government plot to control the GTECHs. And she’d been brave enough to stand against him.
Michael grimaced at his Lifebond, now GTECH through their connection. “I told you not to go getting sappy over this woman, Cassandra. I don’t want you to become attached and get hurt. For all we know, Adam has promised to cure her cancer by making her a full GTECH in exchange for her service to him.”
“He’d never give the GTECH serum to a woman,” she scoffed. “He believes women are beneath men, meant to be converted only through Lifebonding.”
“Adam often makes promises he does not intend to keep,” Michael reminded her. “Especially to women.” He cut a glare at Sterling. “I will continue to believe he has sent her here to infiltrate our operation and tear us down from the inside out until I have proof otherwise.” He glared at Sterling. “You’d be smart to do the same.”
Sterling stared bullets at Michael, ready to launch himself at him, ready to throttle him once again for being right. Michael stared right back at him, welcoming a confrontation.
Caleb looked between Michael and Sterling, and then arched a brow. “Something I should know?”
“Nothing,” Sterling said and meant it. Michael, in all his asshole delivery of the facts, was still right. He wasn’t objective with Becca. Just thinking of the way she’d tasted on his lips, tightening his groin, and he knew it was more than that. He wanted her in a bad way, and fuck, fuck, fuck, he was emotionally involved with a woman who really could be the enemy. A soldier knew better than to be emotionally involved. No more. From now on, it would be all business.
It was a resolution he set solidly inside himself, just as a text message buzzed his cell phone. Thankful for the distraction, he yanked his cell from his belt and glanced at the screen. It was Marcus. “It’s one of my street contacts,” he told Caleb as he motioned to the door. He’d reply to Marcus once he was inside. “I’ll be ready at 1400.”
“We’ll have a car and driver at the front door,” Caleb said. “You and Becca take the backseat. Make sure she’s tranq’d, Sterling. For everyone’s safety.”
Damn. “Copy that, boss,” Sterling said, heading toward the motel, a new attitude toward Becca firmly installed, or so he thought.
The instant he walked into the room and shut the door, the scent of Becca permeated his nostrils, seeped into his soul, and he had to remind himself that touching her would paint a bull’s-eye on her for the Trackers. Becca was off limits.
He set the food on the table, walked to the bathroom, and knocked. “I have clothes and some other items one of the Renegade’s Lifebond put together for you. They haven’t had time to get your things as I’d hoped.”
The door cracked open, and Lord have mercy…when he saw that tiny, white splotch of towel through the crack, he knew it was all she had on. A wild, hot image of shoving open that door and ripping the towel away tore through his mind right before the cruelly vivid fantasy of bending her naked body over the cabinet and burying himself inside her.
Off limits, he told himself, but he didn’t move, didn’t walk away. He stood right there, all but talking himself into pushing that door open and pulling every naked inch of her next to him.