Flight of Fancy (2 page)

On his way out of the building, he ran into Aidan Marshall, telepath and all-around pain in Gavin’s ass. The guy could read minds, and he had a bad habit of finishing Gavin’s sentences. The tall blond usually sneered instead of spoke, but he always got the job done. Gavin knew the others considered Aidan one of their top go-getters. Before the PWP disbanded, he’d had a sterling reputation as a fierce agent and badass who didn’t take no for an answer.

Unfortunately, he was also built like a god and had killer good looks. Way out of Gavin’s league, which made Gavin’s hostility that much stronger.

“Well, well.” Aidan smirked. “Lost anything else today, cupcake?”

Gavin glared and thought about telling the bigger man to kiss his own—

“No sense in kissing my own ass when so many others are angling to do it.”

Aidan never screwed with the others. Only Gavin had that privilege. Hell. He hated that he couldn’t insult the bastard without Aidan cutting him off. “You’re such an asshole.”

“And yet men love me.”

Aidan also made no secret of the fact he was gay. Gavin had never hidden his own sexuality, but he didn’t share facets of his life with the others. Not that they’d ever invited him to. He’d had all of one date in the time he’d been in Bend, and it had ended with a slap on the back and a promise of a phone call that hadn’t been forthcoming. Good riddance.

“Yeah. If they say they’ll call and won’t, don’t cry over it. Move on with your life. I mean, you’re cute enough that you should be able to get a handjob at least. So what’s the problem, sweetness?”

Gavin shoved Aidan out of his way, ignored Aidan’s laughter, and hurried to his car, not in the mood to deal with anyone else today. Aidan was enough to spoil an already dragging mood.

AIDAN WATCHED THE cute but clueless CPA leave the hallway for the stairs. Another reason why the PWP had no doubt closed its doors. Despite talk that someone higher up had used the agency for other means than approved governmental reasons, Aidan thought the problem lay in their screening process. Years ago, the PWP had taken anyone with a hint of psychic ability and experimented on them. Hello? He could have told them what a problem that would create.

Men and women like most of those on the PowerUp! team were assets. His boss had invited a select few of them to join him when the program shut down. Now they worked at the gym as a front to the real work that kept them happy and busy. Or at least, the work that kept Aidan happy and busy.

He wondered about Gavin Caldwell, one of the PWP’s many mistakes. A guy like Caldwell looked good on paper. He had a high IQ, was easy to train and get along with, and had psychic ability. The power to levitate, also known as transvection, would be great at parties, but seriously, what did Jack see in the guy besides a head for numbers?

Caldwell had a history of screwing up in the field. They’d pulled him in after he’d nearly gotten himself and a fellow agent killed two years ago. Ever since, he’d done time behind a desk, where he flourished. The paper pusher could manipulate numbers like magic. So why did he think he should work missions? Hell, why would he want to?

Aidan shook his head and continued toward Jack’s office. After he knocked and heard Jack’s answer to enter, he pushed through the door and took a seat across from the big man, as he liked to think of him. Unlike the other psychics who at least tried to shield themselves around him—shields he could overcome with a surge of power—Jack was unreadable. Strangely enough, Aidan got the impression his boss did little to shield himself. The guy had a natural wall around his mind that always tempted Aidan to prod, when Aidan knew better than to go in uninvited.

When an inexperienced agent like Caldwell left himself open, though, he took full advantage. And yeah, he admitted he got a kick out of aggravating the cute little geek.

Caldwell’s cheeks turned a rosy red, which made his blue eyes that much brighter. Truth to tell, the guy fit Aidan’s type to a T. He had a smaller, more compact frame that was slender yet toned. Caldwell didn’t seem to have any fat on him, and the few times Aidan had noticed him in the shower, he’d been impressed with Caldwell’s tight ass and surprisingly large cock.

An answering response tingled through Aidan’s groin, and he frowned, disliking the arousal he always felt around the team’s screwup.

“What did you find?” Jack asked, his voice gravelly.

Now Jack was a man Aidan could see many a top bottoming for. Unfortunately for Bend’s gay community, Jack was as straight as they came. From what Aidan knew, his boss had seen a few women during their time in Oregon, but no one steady. Unlike Avery, part of the latest pair of agents to hook up, Jack didn’t appear to be bisexual either.

“Still waiting, Marshall.”

Aidan sighed. “Sorry, boss. I ran into Caldwell on my way in, so give me a minute.”

Jack didn’t comment.

“Okay. We know the book appeared in the States in Philly, then moved west through Wisconsin and Washington. From there it hit California, where I was going to pick it up before the super CPA fucked everything up.”

“Get past it, Aidan. Where is it now, that’s what I want to know.”

Apparently Jack no longer wanted to nail Gavin to the wall. “The woman in Colorado who bought it, oddly enough, sparked something in the saleswoman, who swore she knew nothing more than a general description. I looked deep and found our buyer’s real name. Michelle Nolan.” Aidan had flown out to Fort Collins to investigate after Gavin’s screwup.

Jack frowned, and Aidan further explained. “When the buyer opened her purse and flashed a fake ID, she happened to have her real license tucked away. Gail, the owner of the bookshop, saw it but didn’t realize what she’d seen. It was buried under stacks of books and an obsession with cats, let me tell you.”

Jack grunted. “Good work. The store owner’s okay, though, right?”

“I left her with a little headache. It was unavoidable,” he said to defend himself.

“We don’t hurt civilians.”

“No shit.”

Jack glared.

“I tried my best. It wasn’t easy to get the name, but without some movement, I wouldn’t have found it.” Movement—what Aidan referred to as his method of searching through the brain. He mentally sifted through thoughts and memories, and sometimes his probing brought pain to the subject under scrutiny. Not his problem.

“Fine. So we have a name.” Jack mulled over the idea while Aidan succumbed to temptation and tested his boss’s shields, searching for a crack.

Prying was instinctive, and it passed the time while Jack pondered what to do next. Just once inside Jack’s head, and Aidan would stop. It killed him that he couldn’t see more than a solid, blank wall of thought. He’d read the other members of the PowerUp! team at one time or another and, after that, made it a point to stay out of their heads. They didn’t like his intrusion, but Aidan subscribed to the axiom
better safe than sorry
. He had to be able to trust the team, to an extent. They all had secrets, but none of them meant him any harm, personally. He could live with that. He just wished he could figure out Jack.

“If you want to walk without a limp, fucking shut it down.
Now.
”

That Jack spoke in a calm tone while he continued to look through the folder on his desk shocked Aidan out of his intrusion. He hadn’t thought the man could sense the light touch of his mind. “How can you feel that?”

“Same way you work your way into the brain. It’s mind magic.”

Aidan snorted.

“You keep poking, I’ll cut you off at the knees.” Jack lifted his head and pierced Aidan with a wolf-bright glare.

“Uh, okay. Sorry.”

“Right. So what else can you tell me about our newest buyer?”

“Michelle Nolan. A nice girl from Kentucky, now living with some high roller with a thing for kink, specifically, domination.”

“Right up your alley, eh, Aidan?”

How the hell his boss knew of his nighttime proclivities, Aidan couldn’t say. Nor did he care at the moment. They were close to completing the mission, something Aidan always did. He’d never tolerated failure. He couldn’t. So he ignored Jack and continued, “Her boyfriend is Doug Polski. He’s a big name on the D/s scene in select circles in New York, and he’s done time for grand larceny, assault, rape, you name it. But he always manages to find a
Get out of Jail Free
card. From what I learned, he bought the book for his boss, who happens to be having an intimate party at his beach house this Saturday in Mendocino, California. He’s extended an invite to a ton of deviants with criminal connections spanning the country.”

“So get yourself invited.”

That was what Aidan had hoped Jack might say, yet the cost might be higher than they could afford. “See, the thing is, this party isn’t for your everyday mafioso wannabe. Only bigwigs have been invited, those with a particular fetish for certain things. And they have bankrolls substantially higher than ours. Hell, just getting into the party costs fifty grand. We’d be better off reconning the place, then stealing the thing.” He paused. “Oh, and Polski’s boss? That would be Carl Kerr.”

“Hold on.” Jack scowled. “Carl Kerr, the trust-fund millionaire who owns the seedier half of Portland?”

“The same. He won’t let just anyone into his party either. And he’s known for some deviant shit—I did some digging. He’s into bondage, games, and young men to sate his appetites. Sorry to say, I’m not his type. Too aggressive.”

Jack grunted.

“So unless you have fifty thousand dollars sitting around to pay my way in and a background for me that will stand up to scrutiny and get me included on that party list, we’re done before we’ve started.”

“There’s no point in trying to steal the book unless we know for sure it’s the one we’re looking for.”

“True. My intel could be wrong, and this book isn’t the one our client wants. No point in inviting trouble with these dickheads if we don’t have to. But I think Kerr has it at his beach house. Polski already got paid, from what I hear. A big thank-you from the boss for a job well done.”

“Hell. We’ll need an in.” Jack paused. “Hold on.” He turned away and dialed the phone. A few curt niceties gave way to a discussion about money. Jack hung up and nodded at Aidan. “You’ll have your fifty thou, as well as a cover to get you in.”

Wow. That was serious pull. “Great. Now I just have to find someone I can dominate for a weekend who’ll catch Carl’s eye.” Aidan scoffed. “Seriously. I can work with a fake identity and the money, but going into a Dom party with a new sub won’t work. First of all, I won’t bring a civilian into danger, and second, the only person I can think to work with in this type of situation would be Ian. Kitty’s too hard. She’s a spitfire, not the image we’d need. And with Carl’s penchant for dudes, she’s not the best person for the job anyway. The rest of the guys around here are too big and aggressive to make a suitable partner. Ian’s pretty enough to distract Carl, but he’s such a smart-ass.” Aidan shook his head. “He’s the only guy I can think of, though. I’ll need time to train him. With the party in just a few days, it’ll be tight—”

“No. Not Ian. I’ve got a partner for you.” Jack held up a hand. “And before you start, this isn’t up for discussion.”

Terrific. Aidan just knew he wasn’t going to like Jack’s next words.

“You need to keep this as real as possible to convince Kerr you’re on the up-and-up. I don’t see you pulling this off with a woman.”

Aidan didn’t either, but he’d done worse to bring home a case.

“You need someone to handle, someone who’s already familiar with the book and you, who won’t need to be brought up to speed on more than how to obey when you tell him to.”

“Makes sense,” he said cautiously. So far, he and Jack were on the same page.

“This is going to be dangerous. Finding that book should have been easy, but it’s been one chase after another.”

“No kidding. So are you going to match me up with one of the Cannons, then?” They were the only psychics and mercenaries Aidan knew besides the team. He wouldn’t mind a shot at one of the younger twins, Justin or Kyle. They didn’t fit Kerr’s type, but he could work around that. Both men were brawny and had stamina, but they looked young and were hot. He’d love to order one or both around. Plus, they could no doubt handle themselves in a fight. He wasn’t sure what they could do psychically, but Jack had warned the team to be wary of the Cannons, so Aidan considered them a serious threat.

Jack smiled, and Aidan took an immediate mental step back. “I have someone better in mind.”

A name flashed at Aidan so powerfully, he knew Jack had to have projected it. “Oh shit, no.”

“Oh shit, yes. He’s yours for the duration. Don’t fuck it up. We need that book back to satisfy the client. Period.”

“But—”

“Yes or no? Because I can always give the case to Keegan and James. I’m sure they could pull this off.”

And then everyone would know he’d failed, that he couldn’t handle it, no matter that Gavin had messed up. It had been Aidan’s case to begin with. Hell, the team already looked at him with caution because of his telepathy. He didn’t want to add scorn to the mix. Look at how he viewed Gavin, that perennial screwup.

And speaking of the naive, sexy little nerd, “But he’s—”

“Yours to get up to speed. He’s smaller than you, and he wears innocence like a second skin. Get him all starry-eyed and mission-ready, and you might be surprised at what he can do.”

“Surprise is something I don’t need in the field,” Aidan muttered.

“You taking the case or not? I have work to do.”

“Hell yeah, I’m taking the case,” he snapped. He stood, but before he could leave, Jack tossed him the file.

“Get started fast. You have five days before you need to be in California. In the meantime, we’ll put together a package for you and your new boy toy. And Aidan? This is important. I have a feeling a lot of our tomorrows rest on this case.”

Aidan didn’t like Jack’s sober warning. But he liked the thought of partnering up with Gavin Caldwell even less. Christ, Gavin’s submissive to Aidan’s dominant? Why not just shoot him in the head and be done with it? He swore to himself all the way home, wondering how the hell he’d make their pseudorelationship work in time for a dungeon party with a well-known crime lord.