We backed awayfrom the house, staying low to the ground. Only when we were hidden by brick did we stand. And for the next fifteen minutes, we hiked silently through the neighborhood, always careful to hide when someone emerged from their home or a car drove past. Finally we reached Sherridan. She was in the process of backing our Honda out of the garage where I'd parked it as the owner of said garage yelled and waved his hands at her.
"What - " I began, only to be cut off.
"Get in," Rome commanded.
He threw open one door, and I threw open another. Sherridan screeched as we settled inside. Me in back. Rome in front. The driver's seat, to be exact, shoving Sherridan out of the way.
"You scared the pee out of me." Her hand fluttered over her heart. "What the hell's been going on? I heard multiple gunshots."
Rome floored it, lurching out of the driveway and onto the street. "Get down and stay down, ladies." Both of us ducked without protest.
"The gauges are wet," he said, confused.
"They're thawing. I, uh, accidentally froze them." Thankfully, I'd managed to get my emotions - and thereby my powers - under control with thoughts of M-Squared. He was out there, watching. Protecting.
Best of all, I knew deep down he'd approach me again. He'd enjoyed our interactions; that much was obvious. More than that, he was still determined to prove to me we could be happy together.
Maybe-perhaps-hopefully I'd finally convince him to return to Rome what was rightfully his. Because, and surely he would realize this, that was the only way to make me truly happy.
Rome withdrew his cell and pressed a single button. He was speaking to...John? a moment later. "We need cleanup on Pine." Pause. "Two dead, one escapee and civilians all over the place." Another pause.
"Yeah, we're good. On our way to the airstrip now. I'll need someone to pick up my clothes and equipment."
He disconnected.
Over and over the car whipped me to the side, Rome taking the turns at an alarming rate.
"Ever get a good look at your attackers?" he asked me.
I wrapped my arms around my middle. My ice had melted on me, too, leaving me damp, so the air-conditioning was colder than it should have been. "No. Did you?"
"Not really. They pulled on masks as they got out of the car. So where'd you learn to shoot like that and where'd you store your gun? You didn't leave it behind, did you? Because I know it's not currently in your possession."
"I told you. I never had a gun. Well, not on me."
He flicked me a quick glance over his shoulder. "No, you said you didn't have a gun. What do you mean, you never had one? You fired at the bad guys."
"No. I didn't shoot those men. Someone else did."
The car jerked - I think Rome's foot flexed on the pedal. He turned his head to flick me another glance, this one through narrowed lids. Not wanting to admit to the rest just yet, I looked away from him and focused on Sherridan, who was curled on the floorboard of the passenger seat and staring at me through the slit between the bucket chairs.
You okay?she mouthed.
I nodded. You?
So far.
In unison we reached for each other and twined our fingers.
"Shit. They've already started to block off the exits," Rome muttered. The car slowed, eased into another driveway, then backed out and headed in the opposite direction. "We're going to have to brave an interrogation. Belle, Sherridan, switch places."
Switch - "What? Why?"
"Do it. Now." No compromise.
Sherridan and I shared a wide-eyed, confused look before squishing together, shimmying around each other and changing locations. The bright sun was suddenly glaring at me, spotlighting me.
"Good. Now sit up and buckle."
My heart was currently in the process of racing our car. My heart was winning, and my blood was chilling. "I thought we needed to hide."
"I doubt the bad guys will try anything with this much fuzz on location." Fair enough. I buckled, my hand shaking, and the moisture on the gauges crystallized again. I wanted to reach out, touch Rome in some way, absorb his strength, his heat, but didn't.
"What are you going to tell the police?"
"I'll get to that. First, tell me about the gun you don't have." Was he trying to distract me? Well, it was working. That didn't mean I was ready to give him the truth, though. I swallowed, searching my brain for the least incriminating excuse. "Guardian angel?" I said weakly. I'd meant it as a statement, not a question. How many times had I done something similar in the past few days? I had to gain better control of my voice inflections.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Try again."
No matter how I laid this out, Rome was going to hate it. He would shout, maybe lecture me. "Someone was there, all right?" I tossed the words like a weapon. "Someone was there, helping me. Shooting the bastards to protect me."
"Someone - a man?"
"Yes."
"Was he cute?" Sherridan asked.
"Yes, but you're not dating him." You're not going near him, I silently added. I didn't know what I'd do if Memory Man decided he wanted Sherridan's memories of me, too.
"And you didn't think to tell me he was there?" Rome asked quietly. "I could have talked to the man, learned more about his purpose."
"He took off when you arrived." I think. M-Squared was wily, I'd give him that.
"Or so you think," was the harsh reply, as though he'd read my mind.
"I'm sensing anger, Rome," Sherridan said. "The guy saved her. You should kiss his ass in thanks, not yell at Belle because you failed her."
I loved Sherridan.
Rome ran his tongue over his teeth. "I can drop you off here, you know."
"All right, kiddies," I said, clapping to gain their attention. "That's enough. Rome didn't let me down, and Sherridan's staying right where she is." Who would ever have thought I'd be placed in the role of moderator? Usually, I had to be moderated.
"What'd the guy say to you?" Rome demanded, not allowing the subject to drop.
"Nothing." I rolled up the ends of my jeans, removed my shoes and tugged off my socks. They were too wet, having collected most of the water that had dripped from my skin. "Well, he told me not to be afraid of him and that he'd help me."
"That's something. But who was...he. Oh, hell, no." The steering wheel whined as it bent backward.
"Tell me it wasn't Memory Man, Belle."
Sometimes it sucked to love a man who was good at putting clues together. "So you want me to lie?" Crack.The top half of the steering wheel detached from the bottom half.
"He called me, too," I added. Might as well disclose the full truth, now that our channels of communication were so open.
Like a child who'd just been told he couldn't play with his favorite toy anymore, Rome tossed the decimated piece on the floor.
"Jealous?" I asked hopefully.
"Hardly."
He was, I thought, trying not to grin. He really was. His breath was sawing in and out and his teeth were grinding together. That was more than just anger, and what sweet progress it was! This was the Rome I knew and loved. A man who wanted me all to himself, who hated for other men to even glance in my direction. Sounded Neanderthal, but I loved it.
In the past, boyfriends hadn't cared who looked at me or even what I did with the person doing the looking. I'd been a kind of backup plan for them, easily discarded when something better came along.
To Rome, I'd always been that something better, and he'd wanted to cherish me.
"We're being pulled over, ladies," he suddenly said. "Let me do the talking."
"What!" Sherridan shouted. "Why? You weren't speeding. At least, not that much." I rubbed my palm over my chest, my heart once again fluttering wildly. "Think they know we - " Rome gave a single shake of his head. "They'd have guns trained on us if they suspected. They're just taking names, finding out who was out and about in this area during the shootout." The car slowed, then came to a halt altogether at a curb in front of a sprawling two-story house.
Once again I found myself watching a scene play out through a rearview mirror. The black-and-white car door swung open. Booted feet hit the ground, and then a short, stocky male was unfolding himself from the car and standing.
I groaned when his rough, weathered features came into view.
"What?" Sherridan and Rome demanded in unison.
"I know him." And that was not a good thing! "I bet he's trying to catch us riding dirty."
"Wait. You know the policeman?" Rome asked, brow furrowing.
"Yeah. A girl never forgets her first arresting officer."
Sherridan snapped her fingers, anger flaring in her navy eyes. "So we're about to have a face-to-face with K. Parton?"
"You know him, too?" Rome demanded.
"Well, Belle was driving my car, and I had to bail her out. Get ready to meet the antichrist, my friend.
This guy likes to treat innocent women like hardened criminals."
"You were arrested?" Rome turned the mirror so that he could have a better look at the man approaching. "For what?"
Rome had once done a background check on me, so he already had this info at his fingertips. Rehashing it did not equal fun. "I had an expired license. No big deal." Now he blinked over at me. "You're kidding. There are violent felons out there, and he booked you for a damn license violation?"
"Yep. I was on my way to a job interview. Of course, I never made it so I didn't get the job. And I would have nailed that interview, I just know it. I've always been good at those." I should be, anyway.
I'd sat through what seemed like thousands of them.
"Kill him," Sherridan commanded of Rome.
Officer Bastard, a.k.a. Officer Parton, advanced on the car with strong, sure strides. What were the chances I'd run into the devil twice in a lifetime?
Who knows? Maybe he'd changed. Maybe he'd -
He stopped in front of Rome's window and I was given a full, unobstructed view of him. Oh, no. Little Partie Wartie hadn't stopped loving himself, that much was obvious by the proud tilt of his chin and the superior gleam in his eyes as he lifted his sunglasses. Clearly, he still considered himself God in that dark blue uniform.
Funny, but just then he reminded me of Lexis.
Don't get me wrong. I had nothing against cops in general. We worked in a similar field, so of course I respected what they did. But people who were so in love with their own power drove me batty.
I had the power to destroy families, armies. I mean, I could fry this man with a fireball. He'd scream and he'd suffer and he'd die. But while the thought morbidly pleased me, I wouldn't act on it. I didn't think myself better than him - well, than everyone - because of what I could do.
That was the difference between us.
Rome opened the driver-side window and rested his elbow on the rim. "What's the problem, Officer?
Was I speeding?"
Parton tapped a pen against the pad of paper he held. "License and registration." His gaze traveled over me, but it was clear he didn't recognize me. Unlike last time, his lips did not curl in distaste.
At this rate, I was going to develop a complex. Was I that forgettable?
He looked Sherridan over next, paused to admire her for a bit, then studied the jacked-up steering wheel. He didn't ask, to my surprise, but he had to wonder.
Rome gave him both with a nervous laugh. I knew that laugh was faked. Nothing made Rome nervous.
Look how he'd handled those shooters. Not even a moment of hesitation.
"You live in the area," Officer Parton said, looking over Rome's information. "Where you headed?"
"What does that matter?" I found myself asking.
Rome pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sweetheart," he said through clenched teeth, "just because you have a headache doesn't mean you should inflict your bad mood on the rest of us. Let the man do his job."
Parton wanted to slap Rome on the shoulder in a way-to-keep-your-woman-in-her-place gesture, I could tell. "You'd do best to listen to your husband, ma'am."
"He's not my husband," I grumbled.
Rome stiffened.
Parton's head tilted to the side as he considered me a second time. "Do I know you?"
"No," I lied. If only Rome had recovered his memory that quickly. "I'm sure I'd remember - "
"We're actually in something of a rush," Rome interjected before I could finish with an upstanding law enforcer such as yourself. Really. "Doctor's appointment. For her headache. So if you're through with us..."
Parton slid his sunglasses back into place, and a dark brow arched over the top of them. I had the feeling he was still looking at me, trying to place me, not really listening to Rome. There was a cold brush of ickiness all the way to my soul.
I glanced down at myself. My T-shirt and jeans were still damp, my nipples hard and peeking through my bra. I appeared every inch the aroused vagrant. Rome was no better (minus the aroused part, alas).
He had a few cuts on his face and bruises already forming on his hands, all of which would be healed by the end of the day. Grass stains and soot clung to his clothing.
"Officer?" Rome said.
Parton's attention whipped to him. Oh, gag. He had been sizing me up. Maybe even perving on me. I was going to need a hose rammed down my throat to wash out the vomit.
His pen started tapping against his notepad again. "You guys hear or see anything unusual since leaving your house?"
"Why?" Rome asked, acting like any other morbidly curious person. "Like what?" Parton shrugged. "Gunshots? Yelling? Cars crashing together?"
"There was a shootout? In this neighborhood? Oh, man. What's the world coming to? I mean, nowhere is safe nowadays. I wish I could help you, Detective, but I didn't see anything."
"It's officer."
Rome glanced at me. "Did you see anything, honey?"
"No."
"Me, either," Sherridan said, shifting in her seat.
Parton frowned and eyed our car. "How'd your car get so beat up in the back, the windshield shattered? Why is half your steering wheel missing?"
"Fender-bender," Rome said, glancing irritably at his wristwatch. I wasn't sure if he was pretending now or if he had unintentionally unleashed a bit of his anger. "We were rammed from behind and the impact caused all kinds of damage. Cars aren't as durable as they used to be."
"Do you have a case number?" he said easily, but he started writing in his notepad. Taking our names?
Making us suspects? Pretty soon, he'd probably be radioing for backup.
"Don't remember it."
"That's all right. Your name will be enough to find the report." I nearly groaned. Should I freeze him? Most likely he'd thaw and go on to live a long life - unfortunately.
Or would dousing him in ice bring too much attention to us? Were people watching us from inside their homes, peeking out through the windows?
Either way, I couldn't allow him to detain us longer than he already had. We had a flight to catch. An agent to...save? No telling with Cody.
"Were you the one driving?" Parton continued. "Or was your girlfriend? I seem to recall cuffing her and taking her in for some sort of vehicular violation. Your name, though...We called you Foul Mouth James, or something like that."
"Enough of this." In a motion so swift I saw only a blur, Rome reached out and grabbed the officer by the neck, squeezing his carotid tight. First Parton turned red, then blue, and then his knees gave out and he collapsed. He never once fought.
"A quick lesson for you girls. Block the blood to your opponent's brain, not their airway. They go down faster and won't struggle." Rome let the man fall, not even trying to catch him as he emerged from the car. "Stay here," he said, scooping Parton into his arms.
I unbuckled, leaning out the window to watch him place Parton in the backseat of his squad car.
Moments passed, the job done, but Rome remained bent over in the car. What was he doing?
Finally he strode back to our car, settled inside and threw it into gear. He tossed the notes Parton had written into a heap on the floorboard.
"What'd you do to him?" I asked.
"Left him naked for his buddies to find. You're welcome. I also radioed that one of the men from the shootout was found about a mile from here. Hopefully, all available officers will head that way, allowing us an easy escape. Now let's get the hell out of here."
His plan worked. We made it out of the neighborhood with no other incidents. We even reached the airstrip unimpeded.
Rome parked and killed the engine, and everyone released a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," I told him. "For everything."
Sherridan emerged to get her bags from the trunk, and I attempted to do the same. But Rome reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me. His expression gave nothing away.
"I thought I'd lost you back there," he said, and even his voice was devoid of emotion.
I couldn't help but wonder how my loss would have affected him. "But you didn't."
"I'm glad." He released my arm only to reach up and caress my cheek. "And I'm sorry about this." Tingling, heating up, I gulped. "About what?" The question emerged breathless, needy.
"I can't let you fly. You nearly froze the car before I reached you and then again while I was driving. If that were to happen in the plane..."
My growing desire morphed into anger. "I'm not afraid of planes, so there won't be any chance of sudden sky-frost."
"What about turbulence? What if one of the engines blows?"
"What if I grow bunny ears and a tail?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're not flying like this, and that's that." Oh, really? "You can't leave me behind. I'm the agent in charge." On paper, at least. "I'm on this case whether you like it or not."
"No, I mean, I can't let you fly awake. Your emotions are too volatile, which means your powers are too volatile. So once again, I'm sorry."
A second later, something sharp dug into my shoulder. Having distracted me successfully, he'd reached over with his free hand and injected me with something. His night-night cocktail, I suspected. That was why he'd wanted me and Sherridan to switch places, the diabolical bastard. He'd been planning it all along.
"Sweet dreams, Belle."
"I can't...believe..." Lethargy beat through me, spreading and consuming me. Black winked over my eyes and rocks settled over my lids, pressing them down. "Payback will be hell," I managed to gasp out before sinking into oblivion.
