Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart (3 page)

“So who’s going to brave going inside of it?” asked Niella.

Hesitant glances were exchanged all around.

“I think it’d be best if we let it stay here for a while,” said Sydney.

“Agreed,” said Felix as he ran a hand through his hair. It was a nervous habit of his when he was troubled.

Sydney put her hand on his forearm. She had to crane her head back to look up at him. “Don’t worry, okay? We’ll figure it out. Thank you for bringing back my car though.”

He seemed to relax a bit. “You’re welcome.”

• • •

Sydney spent the majority of the evening rearranging appointments and clearing her schedule for the next week. She booked herself and Joel a flight up north to Oakland Airport where they’d stay at a nearby hotel. She couldn’t help but think that the further they distanced themselves from San Francisco the safer they’d be from Vander and the Kratos Corporation clutches. Plus it was a little cheaper to stay outside the city.

If this whole rescue went off without a hitch, the first place Vander would look for them would be close-by hotels.

Not
if
, she reminded herself, when.
When
they pulled off the rescue without a hitch … she’d finally be rid of the anxiety that coiled inside of her.

• • •

“So this is it, huh?” Joel asked.

Sydney stared at the beige two-story building from across the street. Nothing stood out aside from the fact that it looked run down and half empty. The small windows on the bottom floor were all covered. There was no street entrance to the building, only a fenced-in parking lot off to the side.

Joel and Sydney watched as an elderly man got into his BMW and drove away. There was no security guard and no cameras that Sydney could see. But she was far from a trained expert.

“Should we come back later?”

Joel pulled out his laptop and made his way toward the crosswalk.

“Where are you going?” Sydney tailed him.

“I’ve been updating my hacking and pretty much everything illegal software. I want to walk the perimeter of the building to see if I pick up on anything.”

Sydney felt completely exposed, like their intentions were obvious as they walked the outer edges of the building, but no one spared them a second glance.

One their third walk-by Joel stopped. “Got it.” He shut his computer. “Let’s go plan.”

• • •

“Everything all right, Syd?” Joel kissed the back of her neck.

Sydney jumped. “What?” She’d been completely lost in thought. They’d gone over their plan of action at least a dozen times. Sydney had convinced Joel that they needed to strike that night. She should have been excited, instead she was filled with dread.

He started to massage her shoulders but Sydney couldn’t force her muscles to relax. Joel stopped. Sydney braced herself for the inevitable question.

It didn’t come. “We still have time before we go out, why don’t we take a shower? Calm your nerves?”

“A shower sounds … wonderful.” And it did. She’d shared dozens of showers with Joel, why should this one be any different? Everything was fine. She was simply suffering from some pre-rescue mission anxiety. It was natural. Totally and completely understandable.

Joel visibly sighed in relief. He trailed his hand down her arm. “I’ll get the water running.”

Sydney got up to strip, her hands shaking as she folded her clothes neatly into her dirty laundry bag.

She clenched her fingers into fists to stop the trembles.

What was wrong with her?

It was just a shower.

Just. A. Shower.

Then why was her stomach knotted and her dinner threatening to come up?

“Syd? Are you — ?” Joel stopped short when he saw her standing there naked. His Adam’s apple bobbed and his navy blue eyes roved over her hungrily.

Sydney felt the ridiculous urge to cover herself.

Joel was only clad in his jeans, his sun tanned chest seeming even darker in the poor hotel room lighting. He drew closer. His hand reached out and rested on her shoulder. “The shower can wait.” His voice was rough. His other hand slid along her lower back to bring her closer to his body so that her small breasts pressed firmly into the hard warmth of his chest.

He kissed her. A slow, gentle kiss with a delicate swipe of tongue. His hands started to wander. Sydney pushed back. Her hand shook where it rested on his skin and she snatched it back before he could notice. “Joel.” She cleared her throat. “We really should shower.”

He stared down at her in confusion, the bulge in his jeans painstakingly obvious. “What’s going on, Syd?”

She went to push away but his hands tightened, keeping her close.

“I know this is really going to sound bad, but we haven’t had sex in three months. Ever since we helped rescued Felix and Cali from the Kratos building you’ve been acting differently. You’re keeping me at arm’s length and I don’t fucking know why.” His eyes pleaded for her to confide in him.

She looked away.

Joel cursed and dropped his arms from around her. “What’s gotten into you? Is it me? Are you getting a three-year itch or something?”

Sydney whirled back to face him. “What? No. Joel, I … I want you.” She cupped his cheek and forced herself to kiss him. He clutched her to him as if she’d disappear any second. Their tongues twined; the familiar flavor and feel of him after nearly three years together was like returning to the comfort and safety of home after a long trip away. Joel had been the longest relationship she’d ever had. She didn’t want anyone else. No one knew her like he did. Fate had to have missed the memo where Joel was supposed to be her Mirror Mate.

When they broke apart they were both breathing heavily. “Then what’s been bothering you?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

She’d been trying to analyze the answer to that question for months. And the only thing she kept coming back to was her brother. He’d died of cancer at age seven. She’d been able to do nothing but watch as he withered away, as he suffered through treatment after treatment. She had been nine. It had been her job to protect him and there wasn’t a single thing she could’ve done.

No one in the guild knew.

She kept the memory of Aaron locked away like she had his possessions locked away in her closet.

She stared Joel in the eye and answered as honestly as possible. “I can’t stand by and do nothing if I know I can prevent someone from dying.”

Sometimes she wondered why she never majored as a doctor or oncologist to deal with her brother’s loss. It would have made more sense than becoming a veterinarian, but she’d never forget the proud look on Aaron’s face when she told him that she wanted to take care of animals. He’d always wanted a ton of pets but with his disease they were never allowed to have them. Sydney had promised that when she became a vet and when he got better, she’d take care of all the animals he could fit into his house. She’d pinky promised him.

Joel brought her back to the present. “You’re too good of a person, you know that.”

She shook away the melancholy thoughts. “I’m not
that
good of a person, trust me. So … are we okay?”

He trailed a finger down the side of her face affectionately. “We’re golden.”

“How’re we on time?”

Joel glanced over at the alarm clock. His face fell.

“Not enough time for sex and a shower?” she guessed.

Joel flashed her a bright smile. “We can always kill two birds with one stone.”

Sydney scrunched up her nose. “You know how much I hate that saying. Besides, in the shower? I don’t think so. Sex wasn’t meant for the shower.” His face grew crestfallen. She kissed him on the nose. “After,” she promised. “After we get back home we’ll spend the rest of our vacation together. In bed.”

Joel perked up instantly. “Then what the hell are we waiting for?”

• • •

“Not much security, is there?” Sydney surveyed the area for what was probably the seventh time. She wrapped her arms tighter around her body as another breeze swept through the streets. She didn’t know if it was just her, but the San Francisco wind seemed so much colder than the breeze that blew off the Newport ocean back home.

Joel was busy on his laptop. Somehow he had hacked into the building’s well-concealed security system and deactivated the feed and alarms. He had some kind of loop playing that would make them invisible in the building as long as they didn’t encounter anyone.

“Only a handful of guards on duty,” he answered.

And they had no idea if those guards had powers or not. Which made their plan extra tricky. Back in their hotel they’d come up with a roughly put together plan. If they came across someone with powers, Sydney would Shield until Joel could get close enough, then she’d drop her Shield and he’d use his ability to Lock anyone to anything, including a person’s shoes to the floor. One their prey was stalled with nowhere to move, Joel would knock them out. Because once she put her Shield back up his Lock would be negated.

She patted the side pocket of her cargo pants. And if all else failed then it was a good thing she’d brought her own supply of Propofol.

Joel shoved his laptop into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. “Ready?” He looked positively delighted. Sydney couldn’t understand how he and Felix could get so excited about playing super hero. It was downright terrifying.

Maybe you
should
have let Cali come instead.

She could hardly keep the water in her stomach down.

“Syd?” Joel asked when she hesitated.

No backing out now. You can do it.

“I’m ready.”

He gave her an encouraging squeeze on the arm.

They crept out from the bus stop when there was a lull in traffic. This late at night on a weekday there weren’t many cars on the street. They reached the chain-link fence and Joel pulled out a master key that he’d programmed to open the gate. He slid it past the sensor. She held her breath. The gate rattled open on its rusty wheels.

They slipped inside the parking lot and made their way along the wall of the building to remain unseen to those driving along the street.

Any minute she expected a car to drive in and spot them.

Did her heart always sound this loud?

She shook herself.
Stay focused.

A loud burst of laughter came from down the street. Sydney spun.

Joel got to work on the entrance lock. “Don’t worry.” He seemed to sense her nervousness. “No one from the street can see us.”

The gate started to rattle closed.

“Joel — ” she started.

“It’s supposed to do that,” he reassured her. “It’s set on a timer as if a car was driving in.”

Right.

Stop being so childish. Remember why you’re doing this.

She recalled to mind the way her mystery man had been drugged, sitting all alone in that cell, suffering.

The image bolstered her confidence.

Joel cracked the lock on the front door. “Go in easy,” he whispered as she passed by him to enter the dim lit lobby.

She hovered near the door while he propped the door open an inch for an easy escape. He turned around to survey the area.

It was like any other office building, Sydney supposed: empty lobby, two hallways leading in opposite directions to lead up behind the main wall. There were no decorations whatsoever. Along the ceiling was the impression of inverted stairs, which meant that they were above them behind the wall they were facing.

She pointed to the ceiling. “Do you think they’re being held upstairs?”

Joel tilted his head as if listening for something. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m a little more worried about where the workers on duty are at.”

Neither one of them spoke the one doubt that she was sure they were both thinking: What if no one was being held here at all?

Footsteps came from down one of the hallways.

Joel flew to the opposite hall and motioned her over.

They slipped behind the cover of the front wall just as a man came around the other end. He was average height with dark hair, but with the poor lighting she couldn’t tell if it was black or brown.

She exchanged a glance with Joel. They were both thinking the same thing.

The man was too thin to be a hired guard. That left only one other option. He was hired because he had powers.

Joel motioned for her to use her ability. She nodded.

The man strolled through the lobby, his gaze catching on the ajar door.

Joel crept out from behind their hideaway and carefully made his way over.

The back of Sydney’s neck gave the appropriate tingle, letting her know that her Shield was up.

Joel tapped the man on the shoulder. He spun. “You picked the wrong place to rob, buddy,” the man said as he grabbed Joel roughly around his neck.

Joel wasn’t the least bit concerned. The man stared at Joel, his arrogant smile slipping when he realized his powers, whatever they were, were useless.

“Something the matter?” asked Joel before he clocked him.

The man went down.

Sydney lowered her Shield. Not that Joel really needed his powers. That right hook took his opponent down. But just to be on the cautious side she ran over and injected him with her sedative.

“Questioning my fighting ability, Syd?” Joel asked as they propped the man up in a dark corner.

“Not at all,” she huffed. “Simply covering all possible means for interference.”

“How much did you give him?”

“Not too much, he should be out for a good half hour.”

There was the scrape of a chair being moved upstairs, followed shortly by footsteps.

Joel eyed their unconscious friend. “Coming to check on him?”

Sydney strained her ears. What she wouldn’t give to be able to use Cali’s powers right about then to hear better. “I don’t think so.” The steps were getting further away.

“We should move slowly then. There’s still two more up there.”

She followed Joel as he took the stairs two at a time. The second floor opened up to a long hallway with doors on both sides. Some were open, others closed. The footsteps they heard could have gone into any number of those rooms.