Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2) (2 page)

The elder Stealth Guardian shook his head. “Although you remind me of him, or rather of how I imagine he would have turned out, had they not taken him. Still, I didn’t call you to talk about old times.” He smiled. “I’m proud of you, Hamish, for all that you’ve accomplished as a guardian.”

Somewhat embarrassed by the open and unexpected praise, Hamish said, “All thanks to your guidance.”

“You’re too humble. Another one of your positive traits, like your judgment. You would have made an outstanding member of the Council of Nine and—”

“I told you my reasons for declining a seat on the Council and I thought you underst—”

“I understood.” Cinead lifted his hand in a calming gesture. “Don’t worry. You’re not here so I can talk you into something you clearly don’t want. In any case, both vacancies on the Council are being filled as we speak. In fact, I’m glad you decided to remain a guardian. You’re more valuable to us out in the field. Particularly now.”

Instantly on alert, Hamish felt his spine stiffen. “What do you need?”

Cinead smiled softly. “Ever the eager soldier. That’s good. This is a delicate situation, one that requires a man of your judgment and experience. A man who won’t let his feelings get in the way of his duty.”

Hamish lifted an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt. Feelings? He hadn’t had feelings in a long time. Feelings had nearly killed him once; since then he’d wrapped a heavy chain around his heart, one he had no intention of ever removing. He was as loyal as ever to his fellow Stealth Guardians, particularly to the men and women of his compound, but every outsider—particularly the charges he was assigned to protect—he treated with cool distance and measured suspicion. Trust was something that he didn’t dispense easily these days, because trusting the wrong person could spell the end for him, or for his brothers and sisters.

“… civil unrest and riots. We can’t allow this to continue. Do you understand?”

All of a sudden, he realized that Cinead had started talking, and he’d missed half the conversation.

“Yes, sir.” He nodded quickly and gave Cinead an expectant look, urging him to elaborate.

“It’s all happening in your backyard. We knew there would be problems after the unexpected death of Mayor Yardley, we just couldn’t anticipate how bad it would get.”

Hamish began to realize what Cinead was talking about: Baltimore, the place he called home. He edged forward on his armchair, genuine interest now surging within him. While he would go anywhere the Council sent him, he preferred missions close to home, because he felt—just like a football team—that it gave him a home field advantage. And over the last two months, things had gotten out of hand there: crime had skyrocketed, demonstrations had turned violent, and riots had erupted.

“You suspect demons are involved in the current unrest?”

After all, it made sense. The Demons of Fear thrived on civil unrest, hate, and fear. It made them stronger. They took every opportunity of inciting violence, so they could feed off the resulting fear. So they could get stronger and one day come out in the open and rule over mankind. And the only thing standing between the humans and their likely fate was the Stealth Guardians, who’d made it their mission to thwart the demons’ plans.

Cinead tapped his fingers against his lips. “I’m not certain. But what I do know is that there is one person who can put an end to this and bring peace to the city again. We have great hopes for her.”

“Her?”

Cinead nodded. “Councilwoman Tessa Wallace. She understands the plight of the disadvantaged in the city. They believe in her. She’s running for mayor.”

Hamish nodded. “I’ve seen a few news reports. She’s certainly a better choice than Gunn.” Then he shrugged. “And I believe the voters know that. Nothing for us to do.”

“On the contrary.”

Hamish cocked an eyebrow.

“One of our
emissarii
sent word that the councilwoman has received death threats.”

“From the demons?”

“We’re not sure. In any case, if she exits the race, it will only play into the demons’ hands. We can’t let that happen. In his two months in office as acting mayor, Gunn has already stirred up too much trouble, and he appears to have no intention of calming his constituents. On the contrary: his speeches and his actions only incite more violence, more protests. He divides the various fractions of the city. Race relations are sitting on a powder keg likely to explode at any moment. We fear the worst if he wins the election. But if…”

“… if the councilwoman wins, you think she can turn the city around?”

“With our help, yes.” He leaned forward. “That’s why I asked you here.”

“You want me to protect her and make sure whoever issued those death threats won’t get the chance to carry them out,” Hamish guessed. “Nothing easier than that.” It would be just like any other assignment he’d had in the past. Which begged the question, why Cinead had gone through the trouble of asking him to meet in person, when he just as easily could have sent the assignment through the usual channels.

“Yes, but that’s not all. I also want you to make sure she stays on the right path. I want you to lend her strength in the face of the opposition she’ll encounter.”

Hamish’s eyebrows snapped together. “And how am I supposed to do that, considering she won’t even know I’m protecting her?”

Cinead smiled, and for a moment, he thought he recognized a tiny glimmer of mischief in the other’s eyes. “That’s where this assignment will differ from your previous missions. She’ll know you’re her protector.”

Hamish jumped up. “Are you saying she’ll know that I’m a Stealth Guardian?”

Cinead chuckled. “Of course not. We’re not going that far. She’ll believe you’re a human bodyguard, hired by a wealthy supporter who wants to make sure nothing happens to her. But that’s not all. The people around her can’t know who you are. To them, you’ll be introduced as her boyfriend. It will give you unprecedented access—”

“Hold it right there!” Hamish shoved a hand through his dark hair. “With all due respect, that’s out of the question. I’m not the right person for this kind of assignment.”

“On the contrary, you’re the perfect person for this assignment.”

“Have you forgotten what happened to me?” Because he hadn’t. How could he ever forget the betrayal of the woman he’d loved? A betrayal that had nearly cost him his life. And now his elder expected him to pretend to be in love with a human?

Cinead’s voice was soft and fatherly, when he continued, “No, I haven’t forgotten what you went through. And that’s exactly why you’re the perfect candidate. You’ve tasted betrayal. You’ve seen its signs. You’re better prepared than anybody else. Would you really prefer I gave this mission to Manus? Or Logan? They are fine guardians, don’t get me wrong. But they wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of a woman like Tessa Wallace. Not if they had to pretend to be dating her.”

“Lure?” What the hell was Cinead talking about? He’d seen photos of the councilwoman, and while she was certainly very attractive, even beautiful, he didn’t understand where the danger lay. Sure, Manus had a reputation for being a philanderer, but he doubted that Cinead knew that. Their compound was a tight-knit group. They didn’t kiss and tell.

“It’s not her beauty that captivates men, though it certainly draws them to her. It’s her soul.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Her soul?”

“She’s good through and through. Everything she does is for the good of others. She doesn’t have a single malicious bone in her body, nor an evil thought in her mind.”

“How would you know?”

“Our emissarius has been watching her for many years. I trust him and his judgment. Just like I trust yours.” Cinead rose slowly and crossed the distance between them. “I know your heart broke when you lost the woman you loved, and I wish I could make it undone, my son, but I can’t. However, maybe that broken heart is the one thing that will help you get through this mission without any emotional involvement. I can’t say that for Logan or Manus. Either of them is likely to bring emotions into this mission, jeopardizing our goal. She has to become mayor. Baltimore needs her. Nothing and nobody can be allowed to lead her astray.”

Hamish lowered his lids and sighed. He had no intention of falling in love ever again. It was wrought with too much danger. But that didn’t mean he liked this assignment. The whole setup was unorthodox. Too many things could go wrong. Stealth Guardians operated in the background. They’d been given skills to make sure that they were never seen: the ability to cloak themselves so they were invisible—something they could extend to their charges either with their minds or their touch, the former requiring more energy than the latter—and the ability to walk through walls so no place was ever inaccessible to them—a skill they could not extend to their charges.

And now Cinead wanted him to operate out in the open? Visible to everybody?

“And the demons?”

“What about them?”

“They’ll realize what I am as soon as they see me with her.” They would recognize his aura as that of a Stealth Guardian, something only other preternatural creatures could see. Humans didn’t have that skill.

“I know. But we don’t have a choice. Besides, based on the rumors we hear about their new ruler, we must assume that they’re employing different tactics now. Zoltan is more innovative than his predecessor. He’ll find out either way that we’re protecting her. He’s too smart to think we’d leave somebody as valuable as Tessa Wallace unprotected.”

Resigned, Hamish looked straight at Cinead. “Who do you want me to choose as my second?”

“Enya. However, I want her to operate in secrecy. Ms. Wallace is not to know about her. Just in case we need an ace up our sleeve.”

At least with this order Hamish could agree. “Very well.”

Enya, the only female in his compound, would be his backup for those times when he couldn’t be with his charge. A wise choice, because despite her prickly nature, Enya was a fine warrior, and as a woman she would be immune to whatever charms Ms. Wallace had.

Just as he would be immune to them.

3

“Anton Faldo?” Tessa gaped at Poppy and looked up and down the corridor of the third floor of City Hall, where most of the offices of the council members were located. Seeing that this wasn’t the place to discuss such a sensitive topic, she motioned Poppy toward her office, while murmuring through clenched teeth, “Are you out of your mind?”

“He’s got the right connections,” Poppy said, following her through the door to the antechamber where several assistants for various council members were working frantically, dealing with visitors and busy phone lines.

Tessa rushed past Collette, her own assistant, and flung the door to the office open, charging in. “Connections, my ass!” she hissed as soon as Poppy had stepped into her office. “Faldo is a crook. He’s been under investigation several times.”

“He’s never been convicted,” Poppy threw in.

Tessa huffed. “Only because he can afford the best lawyers money can buy. And he probably pays off anybody who gets in his way. The man’s bad news.”

“He supports your campaign and—”

“What?”

Poppy grimaced. “Don’t you look at the donor reports I give you every day? He’s one of the biggest contributors to your campaign.”

Tessa threw up her hands. “That can’t be!” If people found out about this, it would ruin her career.

“I thought you knew.”

She fell into her chair, her hands supporting her head. “I can’t take his money.”

“You’ll have to take much more than just his money. You need his help.”

Tessa lifted her eyes to look at her campaign manager. They’d gone to college together, and she thought she knew Poppy inside out. Hadn’t they always had the same values, the same high moral standards? What had happened to her friend? Had she sold out?

“How can you expect me to accept help from a criminal? He’ll want something in return. If and when I’m mayor, he’ll want favors. I’m not going to sell my integrity to some crook!”

Poppy leaned over the desk. “You have to be pragmatic. Faldo’s donations are routed through one of his companies. Nobody’s gonna put two and two together. As for favors: Faldo assured me that his help comes without any strings attached.”

“And you believed him?” Because Tessa didn’t. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Particularly not in politics, where everything had its price, and everybody was for sale.

But Poppy continued, “Besides, do you really think that Gunn hasn’t taken donations from less than savory sources?”

“I don’t care what Gunn is doing. I’m not like him.”

Poppy sighed. “I know that. But I don’t think you recognize the seriousness of your situation. Somebody wants you dead, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to reject Faldo’s offer to send a bodyguard for you.”

“A bodyguard? You mean one of his goons?”

“I’ve never been called a goon before,” a deep voice said from the doorway.

Startled, Tessa jumped up and peered past Poppy. A tall man was leaning casually against the doorframe. He looked to be in his thirties, with thick, dark brown hair and dark stubble on his square chin. His eyes were dark—chocolate brown if she had to describe them. His cargo pants and casual shirt outlined his muscular physique, making him look like he was ready for combat. She ran her eyes over him, unable to look away. She’d never seen a man with such
presence
. Confidence oozed from every pore of his body. There was no doubt that his mere physical proximity could intimidate anybody. Though his photo could just as easily appear next to the word
heartthrob
in any dictionary.

Poppy whirled around. “You must be Mr. MacGregor. Mr. Faldo sent word earlier to expect you.”

“I knocked, but I guess nobody heard me.” Easing the door shut behind him, the man met Poppy halfway and shook her hand, his gaze straying past her to Tessa. “Hamish MacGregor, at your service. But nobody calls me Mr. MacGregor. I go by Hamish.”

Only now could Tessa hear the slight Scottish accent. It made her insides tingle pleasantly, and her pulse kick up a notch.