Connor (6 page)

But while Cam might trust
his
cat's instincts, she didn't. Instead, Allie was slowly coming to realise that this alien part of her just might be the cause of all the misery she experienced in her early life. Until now, she'd blamed it on her name or her middle-eastern heritage. Now she was starting to comprehend that the sense of wrongness she'd felt ever since she was a kid was because of an ingredient someone had stuck in her human DNA. They'd turned her into a monster. And there was
no way
known to man she was handing over the reins of her life to
that
monster, no matter how hard it pushed for control.

Cam was talking again, his voice hoarse but his expression neutral. "As far as the Guild is concerned my mother was largely purebred. She demeaned herself by marrying a human and having me. I'm seen as inferior, because at least half of my DNA is human. Of course that's a lie. I didn't have a Guild mother. I have no Guild blood."

"If they won't accept you, why do you want to be in with them? I assume that's why you're marrying Meredith, to get in with them?"

Cam smiled his approval again. "That is the reason, the
only
reason I'm with her. The Résistance has to have someone on the inside if we are to succeed in finally bringing the Guild down. That is my duty. That is what has driven me my whole life. If the fate of this planet didn't hang in the balance, I'd walk away today. But I can't. I won't. Because there's nobody else who can do what I will be able to do, once I'm in their upper ranks. Getting engaged to Meredith gave me entry into the Guild rank-and-file. Once I marry her, I'll be fast-tracked to the Board. And from there, who knows, I might even make it to the Inner Sanctum. But I doubt that. My blood isn't pure enough. There's no getting around that for them."

Allie shook her head in bemusement. No wonder this man's life had seemed so regimented. He'd been in a secret army fighting a secret war since he was a child. He knew no other life.

"Okay, I'll accept that my natural aversion to Meredith does lend credence to your argument. But dogs aren't bad, they're just not cats. Who knows, you may have built this whole myth around these people just because they're not like you. That's what xenophobia does, after all."

"Xenowhat?" Connor asked with a laugh.

"Xenophobia. The intense fear and dislike of foreigners or strangers. Looking like I do in the mid-west of the US of A taught me all about that word."

A flash of a memory came to mind. Grade school shortly after 9/11. Kids in bunny ears and black cloth made to look like burqas. Dozens of paper airplanes diving at her from every direction. One hitting her eye. Running down the corridor screaming. The laughter following her far longer than it actually lasted.

"We Irish have come across it once or twice, too. Never knew there was any other term for it but bigotry."

"So you want evidence that could be used in a court of law, do you Alice?" Cam asked, ignoring Connor. "Come with me and I'll give you all the evidence you need."

He rose with feline grace and offered her his hand. At Connor's growl, he withdrew it and bowed smugly. "You may not feel you have a mate, but Connor clearly does, and I have no desire to fight him. We're on the same side, after all. So please, accept my apology for not being the gentleman I was raised to be."

Did he make his cut-glass upper-class accent that much snottier for Connor's benefit? It certainly rubbed the Irishman the wrong way. She felt his hackles rise every time Cam spoke.

She scowled at Connor, who didn't look in the least bit sorry for his boorish manners. Climbing to her feet she happily followed Cam into his office, where he pulled a laptop from his safe and proceeded to show her more than enough evidence of the Guild's crimes to convince her Cam was telling the truth.

When she had taken in enough, she sat back, frowning. "How can they get away with all that? I mean, intentionally causing an oil leak to destroy the ecology of wetlands they wanted to turn into a residential area, for instance. It was so damn blatant. They barely attempted to cover it up at all."

"Of all the crimes you've just seen, that insignificant one is what you focus in on?" Connor laughed.

"They get away with it because they have power and money," Cam answered her, studiously ignoring Connor's observation. "The apathy of humans just makes it that much easier. Think about how long it took people to accept that smoking was a health hazard. My god, Hitler knew it and banned smoking in Germany in the 30s, and yet it took the new millennium to get smoking in public places banned here and in the States. The fact that people still smoke… It's just one addiction the Guild continues to promote, despite the growing backlash against it.

"Do remember, they've been at this a long time. They know just which strings to pull and when. But now we're fighting back. By creating us, they assured their own eventual destruction. Every piece of evidence I showed you has been used to bring a Guild member to justice. We're hacking away at their ranks, slowly but surely. Eventually, we'll bring them all down. Hopefully, before the planet is totally destroyed."

"Happy thoughts. So what happens now? Do I quit and let someone else take my place?"

Cam looked at Connor, who shrugged. "This needs to go to the Sons, to Chase, our leader. But I imagine he'll see what you just did, that if you stepped away someone else would simply fill your place, someone who might also notice the anomalies. How long are you supposed to remain on this job?"

"It was a month and then my report would determine whether it would continue. I've more than enough evidence that you're squeaky clean. I can leave out the anomalies with little difficulty. Would I need to tell them about Connor and your two other visitors?"

"Yes. That's all above-board. But I hadn't realised the lack of lighting would seem suspicious. None of us requires much light. You'll likely find your night-vision has improved substantially now you've been activated." Cam paused to let that piece of news sink in.

"I brought Alyssa over here to perform for one of the Inner Sanctum, to garner kudos and get another one of us close to the action. That will occur tonight. Meredith and I will be attending. It would be useful to know who has their eyes on me tonight. Is there any way you can find out who actually hired you?"

Allie thought for a moment. Her boss, Harry Davies, was from across the pond, just as she was. He was brash and pugnacious, but they got on like a house on fire. Much better than with her previous employers. Losing him as a friend and boss was the one real regret she had about leaving England.

"I can ask my boss to Covent Garden this morning. I can say that I need his eyes on the situation because I sense something is wrong, but can't put my finger on it. He'll love that. Harry's a guy who prefers to be in the field rather than behind a desk. While he's there I can pump him for info. Why
do
you go to that bistro?"

Cam smiled. "I pass messages through Charles. The bearded Son. When I said we have better senses than humans I meant we can hear fourteen times better than most humans. So we mumble away to each other behind our papers and no one's the wiser. Except you. I'm scrupulous about not using tech for my Résistance work. The Guild is every bit as good at it as we are."

Connor held up a cell phone that looked like any other. "Having us here can streamline your connection to the hub, though, can't it? We can use our tech freely. The Guild doesn't suspect us. And that's the way we plan on keeping it."

"Will you go back to the States after this performance?" Allie asked Connor, surprised by the regret she felt at such a thought.

"We're hoping our wee songbird will work her magic on the bastard and get her invited into their network. It helps that she was known to have been close to another Guild member. Akabar's death at the hands of the mafia was devastating for her." Connor's voice gave nothing away, so she wasn't sure what to make of his last statement.

"Was it?"

He pulled a horrified expression and laughed. "Of course not. She was in on bringing the little bastard down. But no one knows that, and she's an excellent actress. Hope you are too, lass. Once you start playing in the big league you're going to need to be."

"Am I going to be playing in the big league? I thought I was just not going to pass on the anomalies I found. And maybe find out who hired the surveillance on Cam."

Connor shrugged. "The rest of us know our place. You women are wild cards. Alyssa joined us because she loves Colt. You have to decide for yourself how much you want to put on the line. I'll try to abide by your decision."

"You will? Why does that sound like a husband
allowing
his wife to go out to work?"

Connor groaned and scrubbed at his face with his palms. "Mary Mother of God, am I goin' to have to be politically correct every time I open my mouth from now on? Yer don't accept me claim as yer mate, I get that. But me cat don't go for that women's fecking lib shite. I'm havin' to rein him in every fecking minute I'm around yer, just so yer can make yer own choices. But don't expect me to be okay about it. If me cat had his own way I'd have yer under me right now, preferably without Cameron looking on. But to be honest, I don't think he cares about the audience, as long as gentleman 'Cam' stays out o' the action."

Allie opened her mouth to blast him for his crudity, but couldn't find the words. Her body had reacted to the image Connor had presented to her. What would it be like to be taken by this man while another looked on? After all, Cam had performed for her, why shouldn't she repay the favour?

But no. She'd experimented a lot over the last few years, and having an audience had never been her thing. If she played that sort of game it would be with both males participating. Now
that
had appeal. What would it be like having two, identical, ripped bodies working her over at the same time? Would two bites bring twice the pleasure?

"Christ, yer like the idea," Connor groaned and shook his head, as if trying to get the picture out of his mind, too.

"I…I didn't say that."

"Yer don't have to. I can smell yer arousal from here. Is that what it'll take to have yer? Cameron as reluctant voyeur?"

"I'm not reluctant. Game on. Though if I'm to stick to my schedule I have to leave for the bistro in ten minutes."

Connor seemed to relax as he shrugged. "Duty's a bitch."

Allie couldn't agree more. The longer she let her mind play with the possibilities of having the two men, the more she liked it. Though her preference was still Connor, having Cam as short-term back-up, really excited her. Having seen what he could do with Godzilla, she had no doubt he'd be even better with her.

But the idea of having Cam on his own didn't appeal. It was only as icing on the Connor cake that she'd ever consider it.

And Allie didn't like what that realisation seemed to imply.

Connor didn't share, and sure as hell not his mate. But the way her excitement had spiked at the idea of him taking her with Cameron watching had been more arousing than any thought he'd ever had. What if it was the only way she'd let him have her? Could he handle having Cameron watch, or even join in?

Ménages were not his thing, unless it was with two women. But even then the lasses had to be totally focused on him and not on each other. He'd been there a time or two and found it interesting. Hard work, but interesting. Meeting one woman's sexual needs was a challenge, meeting two? Well he had to be in top form and horny as hell to master that.

Did he want Cameron seeing and possibly touching his naked mate? No way. His cat was likely to tear a piece out of the posh bastard if he did. But what if that was the only way he could have her?

Shaking his head, Connor focused on what was relevant. While Cameron changed for his brunch engagement and Allie returned to her B & B to change and contact her boss, he called Chase in San Francisco to make him aware of Alice's existence and to determine what the next step would be with her.

"Keep her in play, if you trust she's not Guild. Let's find out who hired her," Chase confirmed their decisions so far. "What is her reaction to you?"

"She won't accept my claim and appears equally as attracted to Cameron as she is to me. I have no idea how Cameron feels towards her. He's ceded the field to me, which is not something I could happily do for the higher good, but with this cold-blooded ponce, it's likely possible. Here he comes now. Want me to ask him?"

"Hand me over to him," Chase ordered mildly.

As Cameron appeared, dressed in his ubiquitous three piece suit and tie, freshly shaven, and white blonde lock brushed until it shone, Connor handed over the phone. His hearing gave him access to both sides of the conversation.

"For research purposes, what is your reaction to this new mate of ours?" Chase asked.

Cameron looked over at Connor and smiled smugly. He could almost see thoughts of stirring the pot crossing the bastard's mind. But he was far more duty-bound than the rest of them, so he answered his leader's question seriously.

"I have to say that I find both Alyssa and Alice alluring, far more than any woman I've come across before, but neither makes my cat want to tear a competitor to shreds. And though I'm growing on her, I don't believe Alice holds any significant feelings for me."

"She wants you involved in a threesome," Connor threw in furiously.

"As the audience, not as the main attraction. And most of that interest was due to watching my spectacular performance with Meredith. Most women would have found that…stimulating."

"You're such an arrogant prick!"

"Connor, stand down." Chase's voice had taken on a steel note.

Obediently, Connor took a few deep breaths. At least he had his answer. Cameron wasn't as driven as he was by the need to mate with Allie. And if Cameron was right and Allie really wasn't all that interested in Cameron, then maybe there was hope for him yet.

"Okay, so we need more confirmation of her status as Connor's mate. Charles can test Alice today at your scheduled meeting place. If they have no significant bonding urges we can assume that this latest mate is just like Alyssa."

"I didn't expect to speak to Charles today, given the Unit's presence in my life at the moment."

"He's on stand-by in London, anyway. It will take no more than a call to have him at the rendezvous point as usual. He can make a pass at this Allie as she's watching you. Where will she be?"

"Is this absolutely necessary?" Connor couldn't keep the growl out of his voice. Having to let yet another Son sniff over his mate was going to push his cat one step closer to revolt.

How Colt had sat there and let the lot of them test Alyssa, back in December, he didn't know. At the time, he'd had his partner's back if things had gone south, but he'd felt bemused that Colt had handled it so well. Now he'd experienced the full impact of the mating urge, he was even more amazed by how well Colt had kept his cat caged.

Sure, Colt had more years than Connor did to get used to his
beast,
as he often called it. Colt was seven when his cat was activated for the first time, saving his foster sister from the sexual advances of their foster father. Connor, on the other hand, was late activating. Up until he was fourteen, life had been pretty smooth-sailing for him. Sure, he lived in one of the least affluent areas of Dublin and his family never had two cents to rub together. But his big brothers kept him safe when his charm couldn't. He'd had his fair share of fights, but none of them severe enough to activate his cat.

Then, on the night he'd finally lost his virginity, he'd been walking home, full of himself and careless, and a rival street gang had surrounded him. He'd known he was in for a thrashing, at the very least, and his cat had bounded free. When it left him again, several minutes later, the icy footpath was littered with bodies, and dogs in nearby tenements were barking like mad things. He'd run, and only his brothers' threats levelled at the gang-members kept his secret. That and the shame of being beaten down by one half-grown kid. Luckily, it had been too dark to see his cat.

At the time, he'd thought his cat had something to do with his sexual awakening. It was only after hearing the stories of other Sons that he came to see that it was the fear, aggression and rage that had activated it.

What had amazed him at the time was that his older brothers had accepted his wild tale of turning cat. They'd sat him down, quieted his fears, and told him how their Dah had brought home this baby one night and told them to guard him with their lives. That Connor Patrick O'Brien was meant for great things, and he'd right the wrongs that had been done to their people. And the young boys – Donny, who was seven at the time, and Shaun, who was six – had taken their Dah's words as gospel and done what they could to keep him safe, even after their Dah went to prison.

And they'd been as good as their word, protecting his secret, even when his cat came out at inopportune times, until he was twenty-four. Then he'd gotten into a drunken brawl outside a pub and been arrested. His finger-prints had finally gone into the Garda's system, and that was how the Scorpio Sons had found him.

He hadn't seen his brothers since the day the Sons came for him, but he'd written to them. He'd told them that their Dah was right and that he'd finally found his place and knew what he was supposed to do. He said he'd right the wrongs done to his people, but didn't add that the people he'd save weren't the Irish, specifically, but humanity in general.

"I imagine she sits at the window of the coffee shop across the road from the bistro. It would make a perfect place to keep eyes on me for any length of time, without being observed. It is annoying that I never picked her. I sensed that I was being watched at times, but never identified the watcher. She's a pretty girl; you'd think I would have noticed someone like her dogging my path."

"She's good at her job," Connor put in proudly. It didn't matter that she didn't accept his claim; he still felt pride in her accomplishments.

"Connor, I want you to stay well out of the test, you hear me? Just be close enough to act if Charles loses control. I doubt he will, given the situation, but these mates are still an unknown quantity."

"Alice is in the driver's seat. Her wish is his command." Cameron smirked as he looked across at Connor.

Feeling his cat rising yet again, and knowing that was exactly what Cameron wanted, he turned away and headed for the door. "I'm going to keep tabs on Allie. You better get moving."

Connor didn't need to follow Allie. He knew where she was going, who she was meeting, and when. So he grabbed a taxi and gave the Catherine Street address of the bistro in Covent Garden.

Just as Cameron had said, there was an up-market coffee shop across the road from the Italian-style bistro. It was in an old building that had obviously been a shop in its previous life, evidenced by the large display windows at the front that looked out over the narrow street. He could see a few early morning customers seated at the leather chairs around coffee-tables, further back, but the windows had ordinary restaurant-style tables and chairs at them and these were all empty. It made sense. It was Sunday morning, still dark and only just past eight-thirty.

He entered the wonderfully warm coffee shop, ordered tea, and took a stool at the bar running along the wall. From there he could remain inconspicuous while keeping an eye on the tables at the windows. Whichever one Allie and her boss chose, he'd be only a few steps away if things went south. And given the morning he'd been having already, that was a real possibility.

Could he keep Charles from going feral at the first scent of Allie? He'd have to manhandle him out the door, without causing too much attention, at the first sign of his cat coming out. There was a narrow lane nearby. If he could get Charles there before fur began to fly he might be able to protect their cover. But taking on one of his brothers for his mate didn't appeal. All he could hope for was that it wouldn't come to that.

Why hadn't they arranged for Charles to meet Allie somewhere more private? It was crazy to risk her and their cover by doing the test in a public place. But Chase was in charge. All he had to do was follow orders. And clear up the mess when it went south.

It was no more than fifteen minutes later that a middle-aged, wide-girthed American walked into the café, letting in cold air with him, and took a seat at the window. How he knew he was American Connor wasn't sure. His clothes didn't shriek foreigner at him. But there was something in the way Americans behaved when out of their own habitat, like they saw everything as a carnival act staged especially for them.

His impressions were confirmed several minutes later when Allie walked in and immediately made a bee-line for the man at the window table. She smiled her greeting and then went to the bar to order their drinks. In moments, she was back at the table with two black coffees and a plate piled high with pastries.

"You know the way to a man's heart, my gal, you surely do." The man's accent was southern and somewhat exaggerated. Was that for Allie's benefit? Connor had no trouble hearing every word from where he was placed, even though the man hadn't spoken loudly.

"Oh, shucks, boss. You say the sweetest things," Allie answered with an equally exaggerated southern drawl. So this was a game between them.

"You're just bribing me because you got me out of bed at this god-awful hour on a Sunday morning, is all," the man replied with a laugh, losing his drawl. Now he sounded like a New Yorker.

"I should have called last night. But I didn't think of asking for your help until this morning. You know me, asking for help is my last resort."

"Too self-reliant for your own good, Allie gal. Makes you good at your job but unlikely to find you a husband."

Allie laughed and put her hand to her heart, as if he'd cut her. "No husband? How will I ever survive without a big, strong man to look after poor, little me?" She'd gone back to the southern bell accent again.

"Smart ass," her boss said with an amused grunt.

Allie turned to the window and indicated across the street. "That's him. See? The suit with the blonde shock of hair."

Her boss nodded and was suddenly all business. "What is it about this situation that feels wrong?"

"I can't put my finger on it. He sits in that same seat every Sunday and some other guy sits across from him. He's not there today. That's a first. Cam does nothing but eat fruit, drink tea and read a paper. It's just odd for him to come here and do this every week like clockwork."

"But you say his routine is fixed. Does he have OCD?"

"Maybe a touch of it. He's certainly regimented…"

At that moment, the café door opened and let in yet another gust of freezing air. His position wasn't as ideal as he'd thought, Connor realised, feeling the chill through his sweats.

He registered that the new arrival was Charles, and they exchanged a quick look before the bearded brother went to the counter for coffee. When he returned, he took a leather lounge at a vacant coffee table in direct line of vision to Allie.

Connor felt his cat rising and he tensed to keep him down. He hated having any of his kind anywhere near Allie. Was Colt forced to cage his cat this way every time Connor was around? It must be freckin' exhausting.

After a few minutes of subtle observation, Charles rose and walked right up to Allie.

"Cindy, I thought that was you!" he exclaimed in his mellow French accent, leaning in as if to kiss Allie on the cheek.

Allie nearly jumped out of her seat, but recovered quickly. "I'm sorry, my name isn't Cindy."

Charles gave her a flirtatious grin as if not believing her. "You're not still mad at me for leaving before you woke up, are you? I told you I had an early flight."

"Look buddy, this ain't your Cindy. Now, go back to your table and stop hitting on my gal."

The tough New York voice told him what Allie's boss used to do for a living. He'd heard many cops who sounded just like this: no-nonsense and confident of being obeyed.

Charles pulled a very Gaelic expression, shrugging his shoulders. "My apologies, mademoiselle. I could have sworn you were an American art student I knew back in Paris."