Polar Opposites (In Aeternum Book 4) (18 page)

“Her name is Lynn.”

She continued walking. “Okay.”

“Theta Corps rescued her from a situation, one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” He paused and drummed his fingers on something solid.

His desk perhaps. He could be in his office.

“Want me to see how she’s doing or if she needs something else?”

“Yes. I rescued her from the hell she’d been in. It’s been a year but I believe if she sees me, she may regress from what small progress she has made.”

“Is she alone? Will someone be a problem I will need to consider when I go?”

“She was in a facility for battered and abused women.”

Immediately Bailey shook her head as if he were before her in person. “No. I will not go to a shelter to check on a woman.”

“I said
was
. Last check she was in a place similar to a halfway house.”

She furrowed her brow. “You’re not telling me something. What’s the catch?”

“It’s a TC facility.”

It was one of Theta Corps’? “Then you have access. Why exactly do you need me?”

He cleared his throat and Bailey made her way to the entrance.

“You have no wish for others to know you’re checking on her. Or you only get clinical answers.”

“I’m sending the coordinates. As soon as you can, Bailey.”

There wasn’t a please nor did she expect one. McNeal could come off as a hard ass or one who cared only for results but she knew he truly cared about his people. This woman must have hit a nerve with him for him to do things this way.

She departed and headed to flag down a taxi. “I will keep you informed.” Bailey touched the device in her ear, severing communication.

After hooking up with a cab and getting back to the house, she tried the door. It was locked so she settled on the top step and grabbed her phone. She opened the message from McNeal. Nothing but the coordinates. She typed in the latitude and longitude then waited for the destination to appear. Gazing around, she left the covered steps and went to sit on the sun-warmed bench.

Sharing her attention between her phone and the driveway, she ignored the road when the location appeared. Adast, France. Bailey memorized the address and closed it down to open a screen to search flights.

Time lost all meaning as she figured out the rest of her vacation. When a shadow fell across her, she paused to peek up. Ivan stood there, arms crossed and a sexy half-grin on his face.

“Have you been waiting long?” He bent and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“Don’t rightly recall. Got lost taking care of some business that required my attention.”

He crouched before her. “Business?”

She gave him a wry grin. “Want to stop over in France?” Unsure of his reaction, she found herself holding her breath.

“Spend some nights there with you? Are you talking Paris where I’d get to dine and walk along the Champs-Élysées with you? I’m in.”

“Not Paris, although we can stop there too. It’s a vacation, after all.”

“Put me down as game.”

She was touched he didn’t ask too many questions right then, for she didn’t have the answers. “I’ll get tickets.”

“I want to know—on the plane—why you need to go there. I know it isn’t Safa.”

“You know that how?”

“A hunch.”

She dragged a finger along his torso. “Are scientists allowed to have hunches?”

“This one is.”

“Good to know.”

He winked. “Come on, we have a few things to do yet.”

“I thought a vacation was supposed to be relaxing.”

“I will make it up to you. Promise.”

She stared at his jean-clad crotch and licked her lips. “Good. I’ll look forward to that. Come on, I don’t want your mother to look out here and see me jumping your bones in her front yard.”

He helped her up and chucked her beneath the chin. “For the record. I’d be all for it. Front yard, backyard. Side of the house.”

She laughed and looped her arm through his. “You’re insatiable.”

“When it comes to you, yes I am.”

Bailey pocketed her phone and leaned her head against his arm as they strolled back inside. She might be unsure of what awaited her in France, but she couldn’t argue with the company she was keeping.

Chapter Fourteen

Adast, France

Ivan stepped from the bus and glanced around. This town, more of a village, was small and quaint. A calm aura hovered over the area.

Bailey brushed by him, her fingers grazing the small of his back. He peered at her, taking in all he could about her. The brief and tantalizing flash of skin exposed when she bent forward to pick up her bag, courtesy of her leather shirt riding up. The curves of her body, ones he enjoyed thoroughly. The way her outfit molded to her.

There were some people who couldn’t wear leather, for it never looked right. Bailey Hyde wore the hell out of it.

She’d crashed on the flight and he hadn’t had the heart to wake her to learn more about this impromptu side stop. Once they’d checked in to their room, that was a situation he would rectify.

The inn was in line with the rest of the buildings, well kept and older in appearance. He listened to her speaking flawless French as they checked in. Once in their room, he placed his bag beside hers on the bed and turned to look at her.

“Are you okay?”

Her head popped up and she gave him a slight smile. “Sure. Why do you ask?”

“Because—and don’t take this the wrong way, please—you, well, you seem nervous.”

She skimmed her hands down the smooth leather of her pants. “I am.”

He walked to stand before her, settled his hands upon her shoulders and waited for her to make eye contact again. “I’ve seen the things you do, Bailey. How can you be nervous? What’s going on here?”

“That’s just it,” she hedged. “I’m not sure.”

His curiosity grew. “You’re not sure? Then why are we here?”

“McNeal called me and asked me to come here, a few buildings away, so I could check on a woman named Lynn.”

He waited. “And what is she doing here?”

“Recovering, I suppose. I’m not sure. All I know is she was rescued by Theta Corps and he’s been keeping an eye on her. She has to be special enough for him not to want the top of Theta checking in on him and wondering why he’s watching this one. That and he says he is afraid if he comes, he will set her recovery back.”

Christ. What happened to her?
“So you don’t know anything about her then.”

“I was texted coordinates and while we were on the bus from the airport, he sent me her photo so I would know what she looked like.”

Ivan went to the window and stared out over the small village, or commune, as it was also known. Outside, people talked and laughed with one another as they carried on with their daily activities.

On one hand, he was ecstatic Bailey was opening up to him enough to trust him with this obviously personal information. On the other, he wondered what she would be walking into.

“Is it safe?”

“It’s a Theta Corps facility.”

He pivoted around to face her. “Here? What’s the purpose of this one?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Until McNeal told me, I’d not even known this one existed. Personally, I suspect there are many like this around the world.”

“So when do you go talk to her?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Would you like me to come with you?”

Her smile was kind. “Thank you but no. From how McNeal worded it, I think she’s afraid of men.”

“Okay, I’ll head over to the Col du Tourmalet and get in some running while you take care of what you have to do.”

“Thank you for understanding.” She walked toward him, wrapping her arms around him when she reached him.

“I’m a nice guy, Bailey. Just don’t let it get out.” He settled a hand along the curve of her spine and held her tight to him. “So what do we do tonight?”

She nipped at him through his shirt. “Whatever we want to do. Care to go exploring with me?”

“I’d love to explore you.”

She laughed. “Not what I said.”

“Are you sure?” he teased. “I’m positive that’s what I heard fall from your lips.”

“Nope. But if you explore with me now, I’ll let you explore me later.”

“You do hold all the cards.” He squeezed her ass and ground against her. “If you want to explore, we’d better get going.”

After a lengthy kiss, they left the room and walked outside into the crisp, clean air. She tucked her hand into his.

“There’s a small café in Saint-Savin that’s about a kilometer from here. We could walk there and take a look around if you’d like.” Bailey watched him while waiting for a response.

“Sounds perfect.”

They began their way along the road, not rushing, just taking their time. The scenery was incredible and jaw-dropping.

“I could retire in a place like this. Small, where you know your neighbors. What do you think, Bailey?”

“It is beautiful, I’ll give you that. France has tons of places that you can’t even begin to describe the majesty of until you see it in person. I’ve always loved this country.”

“Is that why you have a place here?”

“I have a place in Paris because I spent part of my childhood in France. I love coming back to visit.”

“Who’d you spend it with? McNeal said you lost your parents.”

A ripple of energy moved through her and Ivan realized what he’d just stated.
Shit.

“You and McNeal seem to talk about me quite a bit.” There was an edge to her tone.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

“That man doesn’t need you to make excuses for him. Did he tell you or did you ask first?”

Ivan wasn’t sure this was going to end well. “I asked him about your parents.”

“To what end?”

“I wanted to know.”

He watched her as they continued walking. Her body was tense and unwelcoming. After a few steps, that look fell away and she was relaxed. Or so she showed to the world—he could still feel anger within her.

“Perhaps you should ask me something if you wish to know.”

Somehow, he didn’t think she knew a lot about her childhood. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I will ask you in the future.”

“Thank you.”

Ivan waited to see if she would say any more about it. When she didn’t, he gave himself a mental smack. Bailey didn’t hold onto things for long. She faced them, dealt with them and moved on.

Saint-Savin was also breathtaking. The open square in the center had the café they’d be visiting, a fountain, some
colombage
houses and a few other things. On one side of the square was a belvedere that overlooked the valley below the village.

Ivan followed her to the abbey-church, the Abbey of Saint-Savin—a monastery that has stood since the tenth century. As they toured it, looking at the carvings on the outside walls that dated from the Romanesque origins of the church as well as the inside, the rare sixteenth-century organ and a tabernacle, he realized how deep her love of history went.

Bailey absorbed all she saw. Bliss was etched into her features as they continued. He didn’t rush her, allowing her to pick her pace. There was also a look at the treasury and the
salle capitulaire
.

For a while, they also meandered along the terraces behind the church and took in the lovely views across the valley. Once they’d finished all the exploring they wanted to do, they went back through town and stopped at the café to eat.

Their leisurely stroll back to their room in Adast was quiet and intimate. It was a day of exploration he wouldn’t soon forget.

After a shared shower, they curled up in bed and true to her word, she let him explore her. As much as he wanted.

* * * *

Bailey slowly exited the room. Ivan had departed an hour ago to get to the Col du Tourmalet and she’d taken a long shower as she’d tried to figure out what she was going to say to this person.

She’d dressed comfortably and had her hair pulled away from her face. She walked to the place the coordinates identified. A bookstore. She snorted.
Isn’t that how they do it in the movies? The secret lab and stuff is hiding in a bookstore?

She entered, noting she was the only one in view, and walked up to the counter where a middle-aged man sat working on cleaning books. He looked at her and smiled.

“Can I help you?” he asked in French.

“I hope so. I’m here to see Lynn.”

His expression hardly changed. “Hand on the counter, please.”

There was a very small space where this could be accomplished given how cluttered with books it was. She complied and he glanced to his left where she noticed a small screen. What it contained, she couldn’t say.

“Very well, Ms Hyde. Proceed to the back left corner and you’ll be given access.”

Following his instruction, she made her way there, still noting there was not another person around. She waited until a corner shelf moved, offering her a look into a well-lit corridor.

Here goes nothing.
She stepped through, not moving until the wall behind her was replaced. She couldn’t hear the music from the shop anymore. One direction to go, since she wasn’t sure how to open it up again.

She proceeded down the hall and around a corner before it dropped five steps. An armed guard stood there. He nodded.

“Ms Hyde. If you will continue on, Dr Treymous will meet with you.”

“Thank you.”

She remained alert, despite this having been reported as a Theta Corps place. She hadn’t been there before and didn’t know what to expect. The hall spilled into an open area and she saw one woman moving along the colorless tile. Her black hair was vibrant against her pale skin.

“Ms Hyde. I’m Dr Treymous.” She didn’t offer her hand and neither did Bailey.

“I’d like to see Lynn now.” Bailey lifted an eyebrow when the doctor grimaced. “Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just that, well, can I ask the nature of your visit?”

“Private.”

She made a sour expression. “Of course it is. I’ll take you to her. She may or may not talk to you. And she may attack you if she feels threatened. Would you like for me to post a guard in there for you?”