The Protectors Series Bundle (A superhero romance anthology) (35 page)

In a move that had Symone moaning, he roughly wedged a knee between her thighs, prying them apart. Only then did he pause to meet her gaze. She met his adoring stare and smiled while she brought her hips up to his. Her slippery core moved against the rigid length of him, and he whispered her name.

Gilding his cock to her entrance with one hand, he palmed her face with his other. “You are far better than any fantasy I’ve had about you.”

As he glided in, her body made way for him, accommodating every inch of him. When he slid in to the hilt, he lowered his forehead to hers, kissing her softly.

They moved against each other in time as sweat beaded on flesh and he entered and retreated from her moist core and back.

When they started to float again, she held her breath, and he held her tight to him, never breaking their rhythm.

The tension coiled at the base of her spine, and she surrendered to the sensation, letting the tingling bliss roll up each vertebra then spread from the center of her body. When her orgasm hit, she moaned. “Garrett.”

Garrett held her tight as she shook. When she finally settled, he drifted them back to the bed and drove into her, never relenting as the tension coiled in her again. Her body moved against his in time, until she shattered against him, quaking. He roared and he shook as he drove into her one final time.

As she drifted off to sleep, he whispered an oath to her. “I think I will love you forever, Symone Jackson.

For the first time in a long time she slept.

Chapter Eighteen

Symone woke to a blinking light in the darkness. Someone had tripped the alarm she’d set before trying to heal Garrett.  Trackers. Shit. “Garrett, wake up. We have company.”

He sprang out of bed like a soldier, gun at the ready. “How many?” he asked as he shoved his legs into his discarded jeans.

Symone checked the monitor, using the mouse pad to jump from screen to screen. “Two cars, six men. They’re just walking into the lobby.”

“Egress?” The muscles in his broad shoulders flexed as he dragged on his shirt.

“There are three potential exits.” She snatched her underwear from the floor and searched for her bra under the bed. Where the hell had he thrown the thing? “Obviously the lobby’s out.

They’ll use two men on the side stair exits and one to man the elevator.”

Tucking the gun in his waistband, Garrett shoved his feet into his boots. “You have to let me know what the plan is, Symone.”

She typed furiously at the laptop. “I’m working on it. Every exit I see has Trackers crawling all over it.”

“I don’t know how long I can stay standing.”

She blushed. “You’re the one who over-exerted yourself.”

He grinned. “And I’d be willing to exhaust myself again if we had time, but my point is, how are we going to get out?”

“You mean, we can’t fly? Seriously, that power needs to become useful right the hell now.” She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind, I have a way out.” She grabbed the laptop bag and shoved the power cord in it, even as she slipped on her combat boots. She’d carry the laptop. They would need to know where the Trackers were. Before she closed the lid, the image on the screen of the lobby camera made her stomach lurch.

“Garrett.”

“Yeah?”

“Michael is one of the Trackers. I—I’m—”

He paused and grabbed the laptop from her. “What the—”

“Garrett, we don’t have time.” Grabbing his arm, she tugged him from the room. He followed her woodenly.

His voice was distant. “Why would he—”

“No time for that. Move your ass.” Running down the hallway to the bungalow’s exit, she checked the monitor before yanking the fire alarm. “We’ve got company on floors six and nine. We need to get across the foot bridge, then we have a couple more options for escape.”

His eyes were blank, but he didn’t fight her and kept up with her pace. They both sprinted in semi-crouched positions across the foot bridge to the main building. They slipped inside the rear entrance and took the stairs two at a time. She braced herself as they paused at the door to the seventh floor. “Floor is clear. The service elevator isn’t tied into the fire alarm. It’s down the hall to the right.”

Garrett didn’t speak, just nodded.

The crowd of hotel guests made it harder to get to the elevator. As they rounded the corner, they pulled up short.

Garrett stepped in front of her. “Michael. What are you doing?”

Michael smirked. “Big brother.”

“What are you doing here? You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m glad to see you’re alive after I shot you. I didn’t want to do that, but you left me no choice by protecting the little terrorist.”

Symone tried to see around Garrett, but every time she moved, he stepped in front of her. “She’s not a terrorist. Reaper lied to all of us. You’ve bought into a lie. Those subjects we’ve tracked down—those are people who’ve done nothing wrong. Peter Reeser kidnapped Symone as a child when she was no older than you are now. He tortured her.” He darted a look to her, then continued, “Did you stop to think why her and her friends have powers? Peter was running experiments on them long before I joined the program. He started on his own sister.”

From under Garrett’s outstretched arm, Symone watched Michael’s chin go up. “You bought into the pussy. You think I can’t smell her all over you?” Michael’s voice sounded tinny and vacant like his voice was computer automated.

Garrett kept his voice low. “What did he do to you, Mikey?”

“Nothing you didn’t already sign on for, big brother. He said he was going to cure me, and he did. He’s kept up his end of the bargain. Unlike you. Where were you when you were supposed to be looking out for me?”

Symone side-stepped Garrett. “Michael, I know right now you’ve gone through the transition and the burn. Soon you’ll have access to some powers that you won’t understand. I know people who can help you so you don’t hurt yourself. And—”

He glared at her. “I know you kill people. I know you’ve stolen weapons that threaten the safety of this country, and I’m bringing you in.”

“I’m sorry. But no, you’re not. I’m not going anywhere with you, if it means going back to Reeser.”

Garrett shoved his hands through his hair. “Michael, just come with us. You’ll see what Symone is talking about. None of this is the truth. You’ve been sent on a fool’s errand. I can’t let you take her.”

Michael’s brows furrowed as if he hadn’t been prepared for an answer in the negative. “Then y-you’re going to die.” His eyes darted around the hall as if looking for an exit.

Symone watched as his finger twitched on the trigger.  Unhesitatingly, she outstretched her palm and channeled the energy. A spark of light exited her palm and hit Michael in the chest. Like before, he dropped to his knees with no resistance, twitching and shaking. With the pandemonium, the people in the lobby seemed not to notice them, bumping into them in their urgency to get out.

Immediately, Symone ran to Michael. “Oh God, please don’t be dead.” She looked over her shoulder at Garrett. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to give him enough of a blast to stop him from hurting you. Shit.” Yanking her gloves out of her back pocket, she tried to slip them on, but Garrett laid a hand on hers and stopped her.

“No. We might need you to get out of here. Help me get him in the truck, then we’ll get to a pay phone and try the Lair again. We’ve got to get help. We’re sitting ducks, and Peter’s able to find us. We need them.”

“Already on it. I’ve rigged the laptop to act as a Sat phone.” She tapped the laptop bag shed swiped from the room.

Garrett reached over and grabbed his brother in a fireman’s carry. Thanks to Symone, all traces of Garrett’s injury were gone.

“Your tech skills are kind of scary.” He frowned. When they reached the exit to the parking lot, he shoved it open and carried Michael into the night. The clouds from earlier had open up, and the rain came down in sheets. “I figured we’d just run to the nearest drug store and grab a burner phone.”

She shook her head, torrents of rain splattering her now curling hair to her face. “No. All they need to do is check the cell towers for signals. We make one phone call, and they start looking for calls made outside the area. Of that handful, they start tracing them.”

When they reached the car, he hefted Michael into the back seat. When he scooted back out of the car, rain clinging to his lashes, he asked, “Won’t they need time to do that?”

“Unfortunately, no. They’ve got the government connections. Or at least shadow government connections. People who lack the scruples and would spy on their own mothers.” She tossed him the car keys. “This way, at least we’ll avoid immediate detection. It’s only temporary but—”

A loud crack pierced the air. The sand at their feet kicked up and sprayed their legs.

“Shit. We’ve got company, let’s get out of here.” Garrett drove for the driver’s side door.

Symone held back. “Wait, you go.”

He glared at her, his chest heaving. “Are you insane? They’re shooting at us. Get your ass in the car.”

“No. Remember the café we passed on the way in? I’ll meet you down there in twenty. I need to take care of them first.”

“Symone, no. You—”

“If I don’t, they’ll be on our tail. They might be already, but I have to try and create some space.”

He hung his head. “Symone, don’t—”

Another crack broke through the sheeting rain. They both ducked. “I’ll be fine. I promise. I finally found you. I’m not anxious to die. Now get to that café, I’ll be right there.”

Once in motion, Garrett didn’t look back, just hopped in the driver’s seat and engaged the four-wheel drive. Sand sprayed everywhere.

As he drove off, Symone turned her attention to the three Trackers hoofing it toward her with their guns up. Not willing to risk a nisulin shot, she stood still, accessing her core of energy.

Visualizing electric bombs, she stretched out her arms, wondering how far they would travel. Twin spheres ejected from her hands like bright balls of lightning. As the rain hit each sphere, sparks flew.

The first Tracker she hit flew back as his body contorted and jerked. Immediately his partner took cover behind a Chevy that was parked on the bluff. Running, each stride disturbing puddles and pools, she stooped by the downed Tracker and checked his pulse. She didn’t find one. A cold icy fist formed in her gut. She’d actually killed him.

Then she cause sight of his biometric gun. Nisulin. Well at least it was in self-defense. She caught site of the second gun. Standard issue Glock. He’d wanted to incapacitate her, then kill her. So much for the torture and kill angle.

Booming thunder cracked the night sky, chased by a firecracker pop. She dove out of the way, but still, she felt the lancing burn in her side. Clutching her hand to the pain, she hobbled behind a Jeep someone had forgotten to pull the cover on. Beneath her feet, the sand thickened to mud-like consistency. Pulling her hand from the wound, she hissed as the rain washed away the blood. Just what she needed, but at least it wasn’t a nisulin shot. She’d heal.

Even as the thought formed, the tingling that always accompanied her healing began. Her body rejected the bullet, pushing the lead out of the wound. Soon, there would be nothing left of the wound, not even a scar.

Blindly reaching around the front of the car, she fired a standard energy flare. Anyone hit with it should only be incapacitated. She hoped. But no telling what would happen with the rain. Maybe she was electrocuting them.

In full crouch, she duck-walked around the back of the Jeep. The Chevy was four cars away. If she could get the jump on him, that was two down and only five more to go. She could do this. Their future depended on it.

Dropping onto her hands, she verified the Tracker held his position. Over the rain, voices drifted on the howling wind. Only as she got closer did she realize that he was yelling into a walkie talkie. “She killed Aimes. Fucking lightning bolts out of her hands.”

A blurred whirl sounded with static on the line, and the voice came back. “Just drop her with a nisulin bullet, then kill her. We have our orders.”

More static. “She’s not like any terrorist I’ve ever seen. Why does she have powers?”

“Just do your job, I’m going after Garrett.”

“We’re too late. He already took off with the kid. Probably halfway across state lines now.”

“Shit. Reaper won’t be happy we lost him.”

“You fucking blame me for this, and I’ll—”

Another torrent of rain poured from the heavens, making it impossible to hear. Pushing herself up off the ground, Symone crouched. Angling her hand beneath the car, she aimed at the Tracker’s foot in the puddle and released a stream of energy.

His hulking body sagged and partially rolled under the car.

Symone leapfrogged over the downed Tracker. Bending down, she scooped up his walkie talkie. The rain drowned out her first attempts at speaking, so she shouted into the thing. “Are you there?”

There was a low growl on the other end of the line. “What did you do to him?”

“The same thing I’m going to do to you if you come after me. Why don’t you slink back home to your keeper and live to torture another night?”