Guild of Truth 02 - Shield from the Heart (7 page)

Sydney’s mind was going a mile a minute. “Hm? Oh, usually there’s an instant connection. A deep awareness of each other after you set eyes on one another or touch.”

His expression turned guarded. “What kind of connection?”

As if against his will he trailed the back of his fingers along her forearm.

Sydney repressed a shiver but she could tell he felt it.

Those intelligent eyes watched her, taking in too much, putting together the pieces.

Uh-oh.

Did he know?

Did he suspect, like she did, that they …

She swallowed thickly.

The tension between them was broken as the janitor wheeled over his cart.

Merrick snatched his hand away and shot to his feet.

Sydney could only sit there in a daze, her body humming beneath her skin.

The janitor put his hands up, clearly startled at Merrick’s aggressiveness. He was an older man with graying hair and dark brown eyes. “I didn’t mean to startle you, son. I just thought that you’d want a more private room to rest between your shifts is all.”

He gestured to Merrick’s scrubs.

Sydney felt her eyebrows rise. Merrick shot her a “what do I do?” look and she had to hide her smile behind her fist.

The janitor didn’t notice their hesitancy. “There’s a room in the back currently empty. It’s got a cot. I know it’s not much but it sure beats these piece of shit seats. Pardon my language.” He nodded in Sydney’s direction.

She waved him off. She was more than used to Cali’s and Felix’s cursing. In fact, everyone in the guild had a pretty colorful vocabulary except her.

She watched as Merrick mulled over the janitor’s offer.

A few minutes later they were led back to a secluded room with dim lights and a scantily dressed cot. There were a few chairs and side tables, and a small TV mounted in one corner.

Merrick moved a chair in front of the door. “I figured the further away from prying eyes, the better.”

The cot was a little stiff. Sydney gave it an experimental bounce. “That sounds reasonable to me. I have to admit I’m a little surprised the janitor didn’t question you about working here — he just saw the scrubs and instantly assumed.”

He took a seat across the room from her, near the door. “I know, he didn’t even say anything about my bare feet. In fact, look what he gave me.” He held up the blue coverings for shoes and slipped them over his feet.

At least now it wouldn’t look so obvious that he wasn’t wearing shoes. And the whole ensemble did make him look like a surgeon, or at the very least a nurse.

“You should probably get some sleep now,” he told her as he rested his ankle across his knee.

She leaned back and tried to get comfortable. She wanted to bring up Vander again but didn’t know how to breach the subject without including Mirror Mates. They had to find that journal first. If there was any clue in it as to where Vander’s soul mate would be, then they needed to get to it before he did.

Sydney spent the next hour or so attempting to fall asleep. No such luck. Every time a nurse wheeled past their room she thought it was Vander’s people looking for them.

A warm hand on her shoulder nearly had her jumping out of her skin.

“Hey, it’s just me,” said Merrick.

She sat up. “Is it my turn to watch?”

He took a seat next to her on the cot, his body so close she could feel the heat from him. “No, it’s not your turn. You haven’t slept a wink.”

“How did you know I wasn’t sleeping?”

“Your breathing,” he said as if it were obvious.

“If it’s not my turn to watch then why did you come over here?” Did her voice sound a tad nervous?

“To try to help you fall asleep. Now, lie back down.”

Her heart started to pound.

“Don’t worry,” he said, seeing her terrified expression. “I’m not going to jump you.”

Was that a stab of disappointment she just felt?

Despite herself she looked at his crotch where there was obvious evidence that he did want to jump her.

“You know, your staring at it isn’t going to make it any better.”

Horrified, and with her cheeks burning, she went to scramble away.

“Hey.” He caught her easily. “You don’t have to run.” He put a pillow in his lap and patted it. “Try resting your head against me.”

She stared at him incredulously. Was he kidding?

He smirked. “I’m serious. Give it a chance, for five minutes at least. If you can’t fall asleep then I’ll go back to my side of the room. Fair?”

She kept eyeing his lap.

Why are you so scared? You’ve cuddled with Felix tons of times. This is no different.

Then why did it feel like she was betraying Joel?

“Five minutes,” she conceded and curled up on the cot. She hesitated before letting her head rest against the pillow. Her shoulder pressed against the side of his thigh, the heat of him calming a tension deep inside of her.

She focused on his steady breathing and found her eyelids drooping.

Fingers sifted through her hair. She tensed. Merrick’s hand froze.

She wanted to tell him to keep going but the words were lodged in her throat. Her emotions were in such turmoil. She forced her eyes closed.

She was just starting to drift when she felt Merrick’s hand return to her hair. She smiled sleepily before sleep claimed her.

• • •

Vander watched the security footage off the commandeered laptop Regina and Dennis had offered up to him. All four of his prisoners had been taken.
Rescued
. He sneered at the word. And by whom?

He zoomed in on the blonde and her brown-haired companion. Sydney Spencer and Joel Kegler. He knew them, recognized them from their last attempt at destroying his work.

It seemed like Cali’s little Guild of Truth was following him.

He’d underestimated them, but not anymore. He learned from his mistakes and now more than ever he’d keep his eye on them. After all, they did have something that he wanted.

“There.” He paused the video: Merrick was holding his hand over the security panel, eyes closed. He was using his powers. Vander had been right; he could learn information from touching an object.

His phone went off. “What?”

“Sir, they’re on the move.” Regina’s voice came through the other end.

Vander resumed the video. “Good, don’t lose them.” They had been smart to go to a public location, a hospital no less. It was a lot harder to apprehend a person there. It was also the perfect destination to lose Regina — with all those different scents even someone as powerful as she would be slowed down. Fortunately for him, his form of motivation kept her performing at her best. There was no room for failure. All he needed to do now was find the proper motivation for Mr. Haskell.

“And what about the others, sir? They’ve arrived in Oakland and are staying in a hotel.”

He didn’t have to be quite so tolerant of them. “Pursue them at any cost. Keep tabs on Mr. Haskell and Miss Spencer — you’ll get further instruction on them later. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

He ended the call and debated whether or not to fly Jente up to assist with Regina. Jente Mitchell was an invaluable asset. With the ability to go invisible he could tail anyone and learn valuable information.

He thumbed through his contacts.

• • •

“So I was thinking that if Vander is so set on finding this journal that we should get to it first. You live in Anaheim, which is close to where my guild functions out of my clinic. Kevin lived down there too so his things should be somewhere close by. We could pool resources and find this thing. You’d be a great asset if you wanted to help us.”

“You were thinking all this while you slept?” Merrick asked as they walked Market Street. Ever since they woke up Sydney had kept up a constant chatter. Her bubbly personality was so at odds with the doom and gloom he’d been subjected to for the past four months. It was a welcome change.

He snuck a glance at her and his cock stiffened. She was so beautiful when she was relaxed and smiling. Waking up with her golden hair spread across his lap that morning had him seeking a private bathroom stall very quickly.

She’s taken.

He knew. Hell, he was probably only attracted to her because she was the first woman besides Regina that he’d really been in contact with. His past celibacy before being kidnapped probably wasn’t helping matters either.

But what about those Mirror Mates she kept referring to?

He could have sworn that when he asked her about them there had been a flash of fear in her eyes. But why would she fear finding her soul mate?

Shit, was he really buying into this?

Obviously she was afraid that he’d jump to the conclusion that they were Mirror Mates when they clearly weren’t. Which he was. She was right to be wary.

“I do some of my best thinking while I sleep,” she said happily. She checked her phone.

Waiting for a text message from Joel? Again?

He’d called earlier that morning to check on Sydney. As if Merrick would have let anything happen to her. His hands balled into fists.

They were supposed to meet up that day and eventually fly back to So Cal.

Merrick prowled the streets as he searched for some way to disguise their scent. Joel might think they were in the clear but Merrick knew better. Regina would find them and they had to be ready.

“Where are you going?” Merrick asked when Sydney stopped at a set of doors.

“In here.” She disappeared inside, forcing him to follow.

“Why?”

Sydney stopped and put her hands on her hips. “You need clothes, remember?” She gestured around the store.

In his haste to find some way to escape Regina’s tracking ability he’d forgotten about his state of dress. A few employees eyed him, clearly appalled.

“Can you even afford to buy clothing in a place like this?” he whispered to her.

“Please.” She waved him off. “I’m not buying you a new wardrobe. We only need an outfit.”

That didn’t mean he was going to let her spend a fortune on him. He searched for the cheapest clothing available: one pair of jeans, a black v-neck sweater, and a pair of shoes. Simple, affordable, and essential.

He stepped out of the fitting room, not bothering with his reflection. The clothing fit, he didn’t care how it made him look. He already knew a lot of his body had withered away from his captivity, no need to reinforce the fact. As soon as he returned home he was going to hit the gym and gain back all the muscle that he’d lost.

“Let’s get out of here.” He approached Sydney where she sat in a waiting chair.

Her bright green eyes widened. They raked his body from head to toe.

That really wasn’t helping his situation. When she looked at him like that he wanted to force her back onto a flat surface and take her, driving any thoughts of Joel clear from her head as he drove himself into her body.

His erection strained against his new jeans. He clenched his jaw, forcing any and all images of her from his mind. He needed to focus on more important things. Like Vander. He’d be damned if he was going to let that fucker get away with what he’d done to him. Four months of his life were gone. His business was probably bankrupt, his bills long overdue. Had anyone gone looking for him? Was there a missing persons out for him?

He doubted it. No one at the station where he used to work truly cared about him. All those friendships had withered when he’d started succeeding on cases that others had failed at.

He followed Sydney to the cashier. She paid for his clothes with a card. “I appreciate the clothes. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

She collected her receipt. “You don’t have to. I like helping others.”

He held the door open for her as they exited the store. “If you won’t let me pay you back with cash I can at least help you find that journal Vander is looking for.”

She stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk. “Seriously?”

He grabbed her arm and kept her moving. The longer they stayed in one spot the easier it’d be for Regina to find them. “Seriously,” he told her. “He fucked with the wrong PI.”

She pried his fingers from her arm, the touch stirring his blood even more. “So all you want is revenge?”

“Four months, Sydney. That’s how long I was isolated and tortured.”

She was quiet for a moment before she stared up at him. “You called me Sydney.”

He frowned.

“That’s the first time you’ve used my name … Merrick.”

He didn’t understand the big deal until she spoke his name. His gut clenched. It was like an intimate caress. Lust seized him but he wrestled it back.

His gaze caught on a store to his right.

“Where are you going?” asked Sydney.

Merrick held the door open and ushered her in. He scanned the crowds before following her but didn’t see any brunettes with fake blue eyes.

Sydney’s nose instantly scrunched in that adorable way of hers. “Bath and Body Works?”

The smell hit Merrick a second later and his own nose screwed up as the sickly sweet scents bombarded him. “We need to disguise our scents,” he told her and started for the tester sprays.

“You mean to hide from Regina?” Her eyes grew distant as she thought. “You said she was a Tracker.”

He glanced at her in surprise. She had a good memory.

She shook her head, her lips curling. “Man, you’d definitely fit in with the rest of the guild.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you made up a title for Regina.” At his blank expression she elaborated. “You called her a Tracker. Everyone in the guild has come up with at least one title for someone with a power.”

“What title did you come up with?”

Her chin rose just a little higher. “My own.”

“You came up with the term Shielder?”

“Yup. So far our list of titles include: Shielder, Eraser, Dreamer, Silencer, LockSmith, Veiler, Diverter, and Illusionist.”

Merrick tried to commit all those to memory. He’d have to ask about each one. Later. “You can explain that after we conceal our scent.” He picked up a spray. Twilight Woods. He gave an experimental sniff.

He pulled the bottle away from him. Well, it was definitely strong enough.