Agent E2: Aidan (Superhero Romance) (The D.I.R.E. Agency) (22 page)

Rachel gave a slight nod.

Opening their doors at the same time, Cass met Rachel at the front of the truck. Puffing out her chest, she gave the sailor’s each a flirtatious smile.

Lowering their guns, their eyes swirled with interest.

“You boys in town for the gun show?” She held her bottom lip between her teeth.

Rachel tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I heard there were some
really hard-
core enthusiasts there.”

Holy cow. Her sister was a natural.

The dark-haired one stepped forward and ran a finger down Rachel’s arm. “I can show you hard, sweetheart.”

Cass didn’t like the way he touched Rachel. If her shiver was any indication, neither did Rachel. She had to distract him.

“What about you sailor?” She batted her eyelashes at the blond.

He glanced from her to Rachel and back, his grin cocky. “I’ve got plenty for both of you.”

“Sounds like fun.” She told him, licking her lips.

“We gotta take care of some business first,” the dark-haired man said. “We’re looking for a guy…” He gave an uncomfortable laugh. “That can shoot lightning from his hands.”

Cass and Rachel laughed aloud while her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. They
were
here for Aidan.

She had to hinder them before Aidan got there. He was in no shape to fight.

“Sure, and I can shoot fireworks out of my bra.”

Cass laughed louder, her gaze shooting to Rachel – who pulled back and punched the dark-haired sailor in the nose. Covering his face, he turned away with a growl of rage.

Oh, blast
.

Hands locked together, Cass chopped down on the blond’s arms, knocking the gun from his hands. Kicking it into the darkness, she grabbed Rachel by the shirt and ran to the passenger side of the truck.

A shot fired from across the street. The sailors ducked. Cass and Rachel bent lower behind the truck. Where had that shot come from?

Grabbing the gun from the dark one’s hands, the blond fired into the darkness. A bright light flashed in front of the electronics store a few doors down.

“Cass! Rachel!”

She shared a glance with Rachel in the shadows of the streetlamp. The guys were there. Thank God.

Cass yelled at them. “They have one gun and someone’s across the street.”

“Are you both okay?” Tristan said.

“Yes.” Rachel yelled back.

“Well lookee here.” The blond pointed a gun at Aidan. “He came to
us
, Nichols.”

“I’m flattered boys.” Aidan stood poised, his gloved hands in front of him. “You came all this way for little ol’ me.”

“Colonel VonFussenhoffer will be pleased. He promised us a nice little bonus if we bring you back alive.”

“Not gonna happen.” Jumping up, Tristan twisted around in mid-air and side-kicked the dark one in the face. He flew backward, skidding across the asphalt. Tristan followed after him.

Yes
.

Aidan pointed his fingers at the blond. Sparks shot from his diodes, then fizzled into nothing. He frowned at his hands.

The blond laughed. “Forget to charge your batteries?”

Cass swallowed as Rachel clutched her arm. Aidan must be too weak to create a full charge. 

She had to help him.

Running out from behind the truck, Cass saw Aidan’s eyes widened right before she kicked the gun out of the blond’s hands.

“Cass, get the hell out of here.”

Aidan jumped between her and the sailor, landing a blow to the blond’s face. The sailor stumbled back. Aidan’s punch looked weak as he favored his wound.

The sailor came back for more.

When Aidan went for another right hook, the man ducked away and gave Aidan a hard blow to his left side. Aidan doubled over and fell to the ground, his growl echoing off the storefronts.

“
Aidan
.” Running to him, Cass stopped short when the blond grabbed her arm and dragged her down the street.

“Let go of me.” She twisted out of the hold just as Rachel came up from behind and jumped on his back. Grabbing him around the neck, Rachel jammed her thumb into his eye socket.

Screaming aloud, the man flung her off his back. Rachel fell to the street, her head hitting the curb. She lay unconscious.

“
Rachel
…” Horrified, Cass stared back at her sister as the man dragged her to the door of the time machine.

She couldn’t go back in time. She’d never get back.

“
Aidan
.”  Yanking her arm, she got away.

The man grabbed Cass by the hair and pulled her back. The

sting made her eyes water. She tried to brace her feet on the stairs as he dragged her up, but it just made him yank harder. She saw Tristan reach Rachel just as Aidan hit the bottom step of the time machine. Blood pooled on the left side of his shirt.

His gloves glowed bright copper.

Taking the ends of her hair in his hands, Aidan peeled away the sailor’s fingers. The machine door closed, locking them inside a compartment just large enough for four occupants. Cass could hear the storm brew outside.

“Cass, get off.” Aidan punched the sailor, who stumbled back into a chair. The small industrial-looking confines left little room to move.

“How do I open the door?” She studied the primitive-looking buttons on the console to her left. A display showed the date June 29, 1944.

“
No
.” the sailor said. “The door has to stay closed or we’ll all vaporize. Once you shut the door, it has to leave.”

Not if she had anything to say about it.

The machine revved higher and higher.

Aidan grabbed the man by the throat, zaps of electricity sparking around his neck. The sailor’s body quivered with shock.

“How do we open the freaking door?”

Reaching behind Aidan, the man slapped at a red button on the lower console, trying to reach it. Rushing over, Cass slammed down her hand on top it.

The door slowly opened.

The engine raced higher.

Shoving back the man into a seat, Aidan grabbed Cass’s hand and dove out of the machine. They hit the asphalt with a thud and rolled away. Rain and wind whipped at them without mercy.

Aidan shoved her away from him. “Get back.”

Pushing against the wind, Cass raced to the back of the truck. Aidan opened his arms wide, lightning bolts cracking and radiating off him like sunrays. Electricity spiked and arced in the air, the current’s deafening hum echoing off the store fronts up and down the way. Streetlamps popped, then shattered, whipping glass into the frenzied winds. Tristan shielded Rachel with his body as Cass hunkered lower against the truck.

Aidan raised the craft above their heads, twin bolts of lightning suspending it in midair. The open door flapped in the violent winds as the craft bobbed and shook like a ship tossed at sea. Frightening screams from inside the craft carried over the raging storm.

A bright flash lit up the street before it vanished.

The street went quiet. Aidan dropped his arms before Tristan ran to him. Together, they disappeared into the darkness.

Rachel appeared at her side. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, Cass hugged her sister tight. “Are you? How’s your head?”

“I’m growing a second skull but I’m fine.” Rachel looked around behind them. “From now on, I’m carrying a gun when I’m away from Tris.”

“What for, with a right hook like that?”

Rachel laughed. “Not bad for a small town girl from Texas, huh?”

“Speaking of, what happened to that man?”

They exchanged a worried glance.

“Last I saw, Tris had him down there.” Rachel pointed down the street.

Nodding, Cass went around the side of the truck. “We need to make sure he’s out.” She heard Rachel behind her. “We don’t want him sneaking up on them.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

Whipping around, Cass saw Aidan emerge from the darkness, Tristan at his side. She flew into Aidan’s arms, careful not to hurt his side. She gave him a hard, open-mouthed kiss, her heart pumping wildly.

He pulled away. “Are you okay?” He gave her a quick perusal. “What the hell is this?” He nodded at her cleavage. “Did they touch you?”

Tristan pulled away from Rachel to tug up her shirt. “So help me, Rachel, if they touched you…”

Exchanging a glance with her sister, Cass cleared her throat. “No, we had to um, distract them before you got here.”

Aidan stood deathly still, his face a mask of you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me. Glancing at Tristan, he had the same dumbfounded look.

“Tris…” Rachel skimmed her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck. “We had to use whatever means necessary to stay safe.”

He shook his head. “Not only no, but hell no, Rachel.” Picking her up, Tristan covered her mouth with his.

Giving Aidan her hottest, come-and-get-me smile, Cass gave him a wet, explicit kiss. “Everyone knows a super-agent uses whatever weapons are at her disposal.”

Tristan and Rachel broke away with a laugh.

Aidan shook his head adamantly. “You had better just put that thought right out of your head. You’re mine now, and no man, I mean
no man
, will be on the receiving end of
that
…” He nodded at Cass’s exposed cleavage. “…but me.”

“Oh, I’m yours now, huh?” She placed a butterfly kiss at his dimple.

Running his hands down the back of her hair, Aidan held her against him, his tone serious. “I need you, Cass.”

She stilled, surprised at Aidan’s sudden change of voice. “You have me.”

He gave her that gorgeous grin of his that made her heart pound. “I love you.” He kissed the palm of her hand.

On the inside, Cass jumped up and down and screamed at the top of her lungs. He loved her. Aidan Monroe
loved
her
. The man that wasn’t afraid of her father, the man that supported her dreams, the man that she loved more than anything in the world.

“Are you sure?”

Pulling back his head, Aidan’s voice rose. “Of course, I’m sure.”

“Well, don’t get mad. I mean, you said you don’t do relationships. I just want to make sure.”

He stepped away from her. “Hey, if you’re unsure, just say no.”

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him back to her. “Aidan Monroe, I-“

“Monroe.”

Dar’s deep voice interrupted them. What was he doing on a D.I.R.E. airwave?

Glancing down at his armband, Aidan looked at Tristan before he spoke into it. “Naylor. What’s up? Why are you calling me on this frequency?”

“Is Cass with you?”

Her heart stopped. What had happened? Had her father taken a turn for the worst? Had he died?

Aidan’s gaze shot to her. “Yes.”

“Are you holding onto her?”

Tugging her close, he kissed her temple. “I am. What’s this all about, Naylor?”

“Sis, someone dumped a man about a mile away from the D.I.R.E. compound. He’s in bad shape, but alive.”

She frowned at Aidan. Someone would have to drive miles out of their way to dump someone in the desert surrounding the D.I.R.E. compound. It had to be intentional.

“And, why is that important to me?”

“It’s Riordan St. James.”

#####

Aidan sat on the edge of his hospital bed, fresh stitches in his side. The urge to puke had returned to haunt him, but for an entirely different reason.

He was going to lose Cass – if he hadn’t already.

Tristan had teleported her back first so she could see St. James for herself. Aidan had been afraid to find her since. He didn’t know if he could stomach hearing the words aloud. He’d never been good at rejection and with Cass, he thought it just might kill him.

“Monroe.”

Looking over his shoulder, Aidan watched Dar and Tristan walk inside his room. Based on the serious looks they gave him, he needed to keep the trash can near. He had a feeling he would need it.

He stood to face them. “Cass?”

Tristan stood, hands on hips. “She’s talking to Dr. Garner. Rachel is with her. St. James has been beaten. A lot. He’s got a couple of cracked ribs, a concussion and a sprained ankle. At some point, someone did a fly-by-night surgery to remove his appendix. He’s underweight and dehydrated.”

“Conscious?” Aidan had to know.

Dar shook his head. “No. The guy is lucky to be alive. He’s half the man I remember.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You know my father did this.”

Aidan sighed. He knew. Robert Naylor had sent St. James  to D.I.R.E. to put an end to Aidan’s relationship with Cass. Instead of killing St. James for falling in love with Cass, he’d shipped him off to a four-star hell hole to teach him a lesson.