Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart (6 page)

He hailed a taxi. He held the door open for her. “The obvious choice, of course.” He climbed in after her. “To the hospital,” he told the driver. “Stay low,” he whispered and pushed her head down as the taxi took off.

She sunk lower into her seat, her heart racing a mile a minute. The taxi smelled like cheap incense. She tried to breathe through her mouth to lessen the smell but it wasn’t helping.

“A hospital?” she asked to distract herself from her body’s reaction to Merrick’s close proximity.

He looked out the back windshield for perhaps the third time. “Like you said, scrubs are going to make it a little difficult to blend, but not at a hospital. Not to mention the ER has people there at all hours of the night so no one will think twice of us staying there.”

The idea of staying in one place all night didn’t sit well with her, but they didn’t really have any other options. They could try a hotel but what if Vander was watching them? She had no idea how far his wealth and power reached.

Was he even in San Francisco? The location of Vander had eluded her guild for the past three months.

The hospital wasn’t very far from the BART station. Sydney paid the driver and Merrick led her into the ER. It was about half full, ranging from bed wrangled individuals to snot nosed little children.

Sydney shivered as she was reminded of all the time she’d spent in the hospital with Aaron, staying by his side as he went through his treatments.

A nurse behind the front desk eyed them. Well, she eyed Merrick. She didn’t give Sydney the time of day.

A stab of possessiveness went through her. She instantly shoved it away as Merrick went over to a far corner.

She took a seat in one of the stiff-backed chairs. “We’re going to stay here and wait out the night?”

Merrick didn’t take his eyes off the entrance. “We can take shifts sleeping. I’ll take first watch.”

Something told her that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. It wasn’t the constant noise or hushed voices, it was the atmosphere that put her on edge.

“You can relax,” Merrick said after a few minutes of silence, startling her. “I’ll keep watch for Regina or anyone else that looks suspicious.”

“Regina was the woman who shot at us?”

Merrick nodded.

“No offense, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep. My brain is a little overwhelmed right about now.” That was an understatement. She’d gone in knowing that they might have to fight more of Vander’s employees. But the escape she had imagined had been nothing like the chaotic run for their lives that she was currently experiencing. Not to mention being shot at was never a pleasant feeling. “I hope Luke’s okay,” she mumbled aloud.

“That kid is resilient. I’m sure he’s fine.” He took his eyes off the front entrance to give her a small smile.

Her heart did that stupid flip thingy again, her cheeks heating.

She shifted in her seat, her mind going back to that moment where she thought Regina was going to shoot Merrick. She’d cried out before she’d even knew what was happening, the fear for Merrick’s life overwhelming her.

Could it be possible that he was her Mirror Mate?

Her stomach knotted with both dread and excitement.

Joel’s anguished expression as the BART pulled away haunted her. He’d be so worried. She pulled out her phone before she realized that Joel wouldn’t get reception while the transit was traveling underground. She tucked her phone back into her pants and readjusted herself in her seat.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re so fidgety or am I going to have to guess?” said Merrick.

She crossed then re-crossed her legs, caught herself, and then glared at him.

Amusement touched his face. “So I’m to guess? In that case I’d say it’s the hospital that’s got you uncomfortable and not our situation, which is curious considering that you told me you were a vet. Don’t you work in a clinical setting?”

Sydney didn’t like his astuteness. “How did you get so good at reading people?”

“I’m a PI. It comes with the territory.” He went back to watching the room at large. Sydney was just starting to relax when he spoke again. “So are you going to tell me why you don’t like hospitals?”

So much for avoiding the question.

She got the feeling that Merrick could wait out any question. Her fingers curled into fists. “They bring back old memories I’d rather not think about,” she confessed. Memories of Aaron with no hair being pushed in a wheelchair, his little bones sticking out against his skin, and the scent of sickness that seemed to permeate the air.

“What happened?”

“That’s none of your business,” she said curtly, though something inside of her said she could tell him — trust him. Still, she refused. She’d never even told Joel about her brother and now she was supposed to just open up to Merrick because she
felt
like it?

She studied Merrick’s profile determined to find what it was that was drawing her in. There had to be some logical reasoning. His black hair was straggly, so that couldn’t be it, his face gaunt from his time as a prisoner — that most definitely couldn’t be it. Yet … he had a strong jaw line and the most captivating eyes she’d ever seen. Heat pooled in her belly. He was also brave and protective, a quick thinker too. Her gaze dropped to his hands. She remembered how warm they were around her own. Her breasts ached as if eager for his touch.

Merrick stiffened.

Sydney mentally slapped herself.
What am I doing?

“What is it?” she asked, glad her voice didn’t come out husky. She tried to ignore the throbbing of her body.

Merrick gave the smallest nod to the far end of the ER. “See the janitor over there? This is his second time in here and his second time watching us.”

Sydney instantly tensed. “You think he works for Vander?”

“I don’t know.” Merrick’s head whipped around. “How do you know Vander?”

Something like disappointment settled in her chest. He didn’t remember her?

Come on, Sydney, that was three months ago and he was drugged up.

She cleared her throat. “Three months ago my guild exposed the underground illegal fighting matches he held at his facility. We tried to bust the prisoners out but we didn’t have enough time. I … I saw you in one of the cells. You probably don’t remember me but — ”

“I remember you.”

Their eyes locked. Sydney’s breath caught. Everything she had been denying was right there staring back at her. Suddenly she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, her stomach filled with butterflies. Her gaze dipped to Merrick’s mouth. What would he taste like? She desperately wanted to know.

She licked her lips.

His eyes snagged on the movement. Lust sparked in his ice blue gaze. Sydney felt an answering spark inside her very center.

If I just move a little closer …

Merrick tore himself away.

Sydney blinked. She was leaning heavily over the side of her seat. Mortification set in and she jerked back.

Merrick’s face was carefully neutral. “So,” his voice was gruff, “how long have you and Joel … uh … been together?”

Embarrassment and shame flooded her. He knew they were dating? She wanted to melt into a puddle right then and there. “Our three-year anniversary is coming up in a little over a week,” she said meekly, feeling even worse.

Merrick’s knuckles briefly flashed white. “That’s a long time.”

She picked at invisible lint on her pants. “It is.”

A brief quiet settled over them.

“You know, you’re really going to need to get some sleep. If you don’t you’re going to be too exhausted tomorrow to do anything.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I just have to calm myself first, then I should be all right.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “It might help if you focused on something else other than whatever is bothering you.”

The trouble was there were too many things bothering her. Her memories of Aaron, her relationship with Joel … him.

“Why don’t you tell me about what kind of powers you have?” Merrick said. “You already know mine.”

She smiled at the much-needed distraction. They were in a corner far enough away from the other patients that they wouldn’t be overheard. “I’m a Shielder. My power negates everyone else’s around me when I use them.”

He looked mildly impressed. “So when that man grabbed you at the station you didn’t feel anything?”

“No. What does he do anyway?”

“He causes pain.”

She swallowed thickly. “How long did Vander have you for before he moved you?”

He shrugged. “There’s no way to keep track of time, but I’d guess a month give or take.”

She processed that for a minute. Four months total. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to you,” she voiced the one regret that had been haunting her all summer. “We wanted to free you, the woman I was with and I, but we thought for sure you’d be rescued by the police. We never knew Vander moved you until we couldn’t find you in the hospital.”

“You searched for me?”

Her cheeks flamed. “Yeah.”

He started to reach for her, then stopped. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his scrub pants. “Thank you.”

She didn’t know what to think of his small slip. Did he want to touch her like she did him? “Where are you from?”

“Anaheim.”

Her body traitorously perked up at the realization that he didn’t live very far from her. “Were you working on any big cases before Vander took you?”

That half smirk was back on his face. “Are you interrogating me?”

“It’s only fair after you questioned me
during
a rescue mission.”

“In all fairness you didn’t answer all my questions.”

“I did too,” she protested.

“You told me you were rescuing me ‘out of the goodness of your heart,’ when really it sounds like you were doing it for your ‘guild.’”

“Technically it’s both. The Guild of Truth has vowed to stop Vander at every turn, plus we wanted to save those that we let down back in Irvine.”

“The Guild of Truth? As opposed to Vander’s Kratos Guild?”

She stiffened in genuine surprise. “How do you know the name of Vander’s Guild?”

He watched a nurse wheel a patient through the swinging double doors. “Because he wanted me to join it.”

She gripped the arm of her chair. “And what did you say?”

He gave her a flat stare. “What do you think I said? I denied him.”

Sydney sagged in relief, the wheels in her brain turning. “Did he say why he wanted you to join?” If he was building another facility to run illegal fights then the guild needed to know about it. They needed to cut him off before he could even start.

“He wanted me to find something for him — a journal from an old employee that’s in a coma.”

Her stomach turned to ice.

Her feelings must have shown on her face because Merrick turned his full attention to her. “What is it?”

What were the odds? “I think I know which employee Vander is referring to.”

“Who is it?”

“His name is Kevin Bauer. He’s been in a coma for a few years now because my best friend, Felix, put him there. He was a full-forced Dreamer, someone with the ability to see the past, present, or future,” she explained at his puzzled expression. “Kevin’s Mirror Mate was a woman named Collette — she had a sick obsession with Felix and wanted him to love her. He didn’t and to punish him, Collette tried to have Kevin kill him. Felix fought back and nailed him in the head with a chair as he ran for his life. That’s why he’s in a coma.”

Merrick cursed. “That’s some life your friend’s got there.”

“That’s not the half of it. Three months ago Vander went after Felix’s Mirror Mate, Cali, because he thought she was his. He later found that he was mistaken, that Kevin had lied to him, but still he sent Collette after both of them. It was through this whole mix up that we formed the Guild of Truth. We learned of Vander’s dealings and vowed to stop him. Cali put a stop to Collette but Vander got away.”

“Collette … ” Merrick frowned. “I know that name.”

“She was Vander’s right-hand woman for a while. She could create Illusions with nothing but a thought and a wave of her hand.”

The muscles in his neck strained as he clenched his jaw. “Now I remember that bitch. She was the one that lured me to her with a false case. She had all the documentation but when I touched the paperwork I couldn’t get a reading from it.”

She nodded. “Probably because it wasn’t real.”

He inhaled deeply as if to calm himself. “So Vander is looking for this journal that was written by a … Dreamer? Why?”

“I wish I knew. We have a Dreamer in our guild, her name is Niella. She keeps a little notepad on her because I think it helps keep her sane. She’s never told me but I think she writes down everything she Dreams so she can differentiate between what she Dreamed and what is real. I can only imagine that Kevin did the same thing, writing down everything he was asked to Dream about.” That’s when it clicked. “He hasn’t given up on finding his Mirror Mate,” she whispered.

“What?”

She grabbed his arm. A flare of desire shot through her. Merrick’s eyes flashed. She released her hold. “Vander hasn’t given up looking for his Mirror Mate,” she repeated, trying to sort it out through her jumbled brain. “He went after Cali because he thought she was his Mirror Mate but when he found out she wasn’t, the guild and I thought he’d simply drop the issue. Now he’s looking for Kevin’s journal because I bet you anything he’s looking for any clue as to her whereabouts.”

Merrick pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m trying to follow you but I’m a little confused about what a Mirror Mate is.”

“A Mirror Mate is a destined soul mate of sorts. When the two individuals find each other and bond completely they increase each other’s power. That’s why Vander wants to find his so badly. He wants to expand his power.” She needed to tell the guild as soon as possible. If Felix’s theory proved true, then the whole reason Kevin lied to Vander about Cali was not only to get back at Felix, but to protect humanity from Vander ever becoming full-forced.

“And how do you know who your Mirror Mate is?”