Freaky by Nature (22 page)

“Me too. I’m torn between Escada and White Diam onds.”

Holly frowned. “What does perfum e hav e to do with

any thing?”

Holly opened her ey es as Claire gav e her hand one last squeeze.

Claire tucked a piece of hair behind one ear. “He has an

accom plice. Most likely fem ale.”

“Claire, how can I possibly know all this? Color is m y

specialty .”

“My best guess is that when our energies com bine, our talents

are enhanced.”

Shadow cleared his throat. “Any thing else?”

Claire took Shadow’s hand. “Not tonight.” She glanced at Holly

and winked. “But, thank y ou.”

Shadow’s brow furrowed. “For what?”

“Encouraging m e to enroll in Holly ’s class.”

***

Max snickered as he glanced around the poker table. What a

com bination. Four hardcore Nav y SEALs, one of whom doubled as

a rock star. Ev ery single one of them wound around a delicate,

fem ale pinky finger.

Hawke tossed the next round of cards. “How late can y ou stay ,

Max?”

Max grunted. “Until Cam eron gets hungry .”

“You m ight as well fold.” Brett ey ed his cards. “What about

y ou, Hawke?”

“Harm ony gets up at m idnight,” he m um bled.

Shadow chuckled. “You guy s are pathetic.”

“What about Claire?” Max retorted.

Shadow shrugged. “What about her?”

Brett lowered his cards. “Yeah, what about her?”

Max grinned at Shadow’s cockiness. What a wiseguy . “He’s

m ade her his own personal shadow.”

“Hell, Sterling,” Brett growled, “that’s m y sister y ou’re

talking about.”

Max refused to sugar coat the obv ious. “Truth hurts.”

As Brett turned toward Shadow, Shadow crossed his arm s as if

he prepared for battle.

Brett cocked an ey ebrow. “Well?”

Shadow didn’t back down. “We’re working together.

“Claire works security too?” Hawke fanned his cards in front of

him .

Brett grinned. “Not exactly . She works behind the scenes.”

“Forensics?”

“Psy chic.”

Max shook his head. “You are so screwed, Shadow.”

Hawke laid his cards on the table. “Really ? She’s psy chic?”

Brett nodded. “She helps the FBI and DEA with crim e scene

inv estigation.”

“So, she really keeps y ou in line.”

“Som etim es.” Brett glared at Max. “Why is Shadow screwed?”

Max grinned and m ov ed a couple cards around in his hand.

“No reason.” He looked at Hawke. “Hit m e.”

Shadow sorted his cards. “By the way , Holly is psy chic too.”

Hawke raised both ey ebrows. “Holly ? Does Rachel know?”

“Probably by now,” Brett m uttered.

Shadow chuckled. “That m eans Cam eron knows too.”

Max sighed. “On that note, fill m e in about the gy m .”

Shadow relay ed the inform ation and then Max decided to steer

the conv ersation away from psy chics. For his own benefit. “Does

Rachel expect a large turnout at the concert tom orrow night?”

Hawke nodded. “As m uch as double last y ear. Donations hav e

poured in. Sorry I can’t help catch this prick. You guy s all set for

security ?”

Max nodded, knowing that if Hawke could shake his cov er, he

wouldn’t hesitate. “We’v e got it cov ered. I’m just concerned about

exposing Holly .”

“I’ll be there, Sterling,” Brett growled.

“We don’t know what the psy cho has in store for her, Steele.”

“We could alway s lock her in a bracelet,” Shadow suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Hawke agreed. “It’s sav ed m y ass a

couple tim es. I wouldn’t m ind putting one on Rachel either.”

Max gav e a slow nod. “That m ight just work. We’ll put all four

of them in one.”

Brett tossed his hand at Hawke. “All four?”

“Holly , Rachel, Cam eron and Claire.”

Brett grinned. “You liv e for adv enture, don’t y ou, Sterling?”

Max peered ov er the top of his tinted lenses, silently

dem anding an explanation.

“Rachel and Holly , possibly .” Brett shook his head. “But no

way in hell will Cam eron and Claire agree.”

“Cam eron won’t be a problem .”

Hawke cleared his throat and shuffled again.

“She won’t,” Max insisted. “I’ll get them tom orrow.”

“Good luck with that,” Shadow m um bled.

Max leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs in front.

“As long as y ou can handle Claire, Shadow, ev ery thing will be

fine.”

Brett slapped his cards on the table. “Dam n y ou, Sterling, quit

pushing Shadow on m y sister! I’ll talk to her m y self.”

“Easy killer. I just figured y ou’d hav e y our hands full with

Holly .”

“Oh. Well, okay then. She m ight be m ore agreeable with

Shadow.”

Shadow grunted. “Sure she will.”

Hawke dealt another hand. “Place y our bets, gentlem en, I’v e

only got a couple hours left to play .”

***

Holly glanced at the three wom en gathered in Rachel’s liv ing

room and for once in her life felt an incredible sense of lov e and

com passion. A plethora of pastels inv aded the atm osphere, so thick

and intertwined Holly couldn’t begin to pick them all apart. Yet,

in the m idst of the m ulti-colored swirl, streaks of bright pink told

her all she needed to know. These wom en were her friends, her

sisters, dedicated and loy al to the end of tim e.

“You are so talented, Cam eron!” Claire picked up a m iniature

com bat boot. “It’s got laces and ev ery thing!”

“They ’re only for looks,” Cam eron said. “See the Velcro?”

“Sm art idea,” Rachel agreed. “Do y ou know how hard it is to

tie a baby ’s shoes?”

“I’v e noticed. You actually inspired the Velcro.”

“I like the color.” Holly traced the m aterial with one finger.

“Hot pink m akes it fem inine in a kick-ass kinda way .”

Claire’s ey ebrows touched the top of her forehead. “Did y ou

just say kick-ass?”

Holly felt a heatwav e rush ov er her cheeks. “Sorry . It just

slipped out.”

“Nuh-huh.” Claire pursed her lips. “Som ebody ’s been spending

a lot of tim e around a certain Nav y SEAL.”

Holly took a stab at a quick cov er-up. “Like I hav e a choice,

Claire. Som e m aniac is m aking m y life m iserable.”

“Kick-ass is Brett’s fav orite word.”

Cam eron dropped the boot. “So, Holly , boxers or briefs?”

She sighed in defeat. “I owe y ou a pair of shoes.”

Rachel picked up another baby shoe, this one a black patent

leather pum p. “Don’t worry , Holly , I lost a bet with her too. Just

don’t be too quick to raise y our top.”

She wrinkled her forehead. “Huh?”

“Nev er m ind.” Rachel dism issed her with a wav e of her hand.

“Does this m ean y ou and Brett are a couple?”

“No!” she shrieked.

Claire giggled. “Tell the truth, Holly .”

“Darn y ou, Claire! Do m e the professional courtesy of keeping

m y thoughts to y ourself!”

Rachel’s ey es widened. “Obv iously I’m m issing som ething.”

“You’v e got to hear this, Rach.” Cam eron’s ey es sparkled. “Tell

her, Holly .”

This tim e, explanation cam e easily . “I’m psy chic, Rachel.”

“Really ? Wow! Does that m ean y ou’v e read m y m ind all these

y ears?”

Holly giggled. “No. I read people through color. The best I can

do is see y our m ood.”

Claire cleared her throat. “But I can read y our m ind.”

“You too?” Rachel squealed.

“Yes. Thank y ou for being so open, by the way .”

“This is so cool!” Rachel paused to take a breath. “Did y ou know

that half the world’s population claim s to believ e in psy chic

ability ?”

“Good to know.” Claire giggled.

Rachel glanced at Holly . “Did y ou tell our husbands?”

Holly nodded. “I’m sure ev ery one has been briefed by now.”

“Except, I still hav e one secret from m y husband.” Cam eron

tapped her stom ach. “I’m carry ing twins.”

Rachel’s m outh fell open and she looked at Holly . “She is?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sav ing it for am m unition,” Cam eron added. She glanced

back at Holly . “So, what about y ou and Brett?”

She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and considered

her response. Say ing som ething out loud m ade it m ore real. Except

spoken out loud or not, the truth rem ained.

“I’m in lov e with him .”

Claire lifted a shoulder. “No surprise to m e.”

“Me either.” Cam eron pushed herself off the couch, stom ach

first. “I just wanted to hear y ou say it.”

Rachel stood and headed for the kitchen. “Ice cream ,

Cam eron?”

“Of course.”

“What’s y our pleasure?”

Holly looked at Claire and grinned. Claire nodded. “Orange

sherbet,” they said in unison.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Cam eron sat on the corner of the stage and dangled her Prada

slingbacks ov er the edge.

“Tell m e again why I’m working crowd control, Hercules.”

Max sm irked behind his shaded ey es. “For m y protection.”

“And I’m wearing this fashionable gargantuan bracelet,

which, by the way , does not m atch m y shoes, for what reason?”

“For y our protection.”

Max glanced into the scream ing sea of wom en gathered near

the catwalk. Hawke still m anaged to draw them in drov es. Blonde,

brunette, red-headed, they were all here, waiting for a chance

m eeting. Little did they know he was probably backstage necking

with his wife.

He shook his head and watched one way ward groupie stroll to

the backstage entrance. There was alway s one. As the

unsuspecting v ixen approached, he stole a look at his wife.

Swinging her legs back and forth, she wore a m ischiev ous sm ile,

one he knew from experience m eant trouble.

“Hello, Handsom e.” Barbie wiggled her hips and winked as she

sm oothed her hands across his chest m uscles.

“Sorry , Doll,” he drawled while he rem ov ed her roam ing

fingers, “I can’t let y ou back.”

“Well then,” she said breathlessly . “Conv ince m e I should stay

out here.”

Cam eron boosted herself off the stage and rubbed her

protruding stom ach. “Sweetie, this is how conv incing the m an in

black can be.”

Max snickered as the wom an quickly rem ov ed her hands and

disappeared into thin air. Cam eron sm iled as he lifted her into his

arm s and kissed her forehead.

“Told y a,” he said sm ugly .

“I’v e earned a snack,” she answered against his neck.

“You’re not leav ing without m e,” he said easily .

She snorted. “So go get it for m e.”

“Can’t. I’m on duty .”

Cam eron walked her fingers up the front of his shirt. “You

know how cranky I am when I’m hungry .”

“I’ll get Rachel.”

“Nuh-huh.” She shook her curls. “She’s helping Hawke get

dressed and y ou know how long that takes.”

Max sighed and dialed his cell phone.

“Steele, I need a fav or.”

“Why didn’t y ou radio?”

“It’s a personal fav or. Cam eron’s hungry .”

Brett snickered. “So feed her.”

“Is Holly with y ou?”

“Yeah.”

“Her bracelet’s secure?”

“Yeah, why ?”

“Ask her to bring Cam eron som ething to eat.”

Cam eron licked her lips. “Popcorn with nacho cheese on top.”

“Did she just say popcorn with nacho cheese?” Brett asked.

“Yeah.” Max grunted, “And hurry the hell up. She’s cranky

when she’s hungry .”

Brett disconnected and turned to Holly . “Cam eron’s hungry .”

Holly sm iled. “I figured.” She planted a light kiss on his

forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” He lifted her arm to exam ine the electronic bracelet.

The red indicator blinked an ev en tem po. “Straight to the

concession stand and then to Sterling. No detours.”

“Relax. You’ll know m y ev ery m ov e.”

Holly left Brett and m ade her way to the concession stand

through the swarm s of people. She cam e to an abrupt stop about

three feet from her destination when she collided with another

body .

She caught her balance and then opened her m outh to

apologize when she recognized her obstacle.

“Ev an.” Holly forced a sm ile. “What are y ou doing here?”

He pulled her into a tight hug. “I m ade a donation.”

Holly alm ost fell to her knees when a flash of light speared her

left tem ple. She stepped away from Ev an’s touch and gasped at the

ebony ring that pulsed around him . The exact sam e shape and

color she had seen around the swim m ing pool.

She blinked sev eral tim es in an attem pt to read m ore of him .

“You didn’t com e to see the concert.”

He chuckled and y anked her arm . “No. Com e with m e.”

Holly slid her free hand and the bracelet into her pocket. She

pushed past the pain and attem pted to disguise her fear. “Ev an, I

can’t leav e with y ou. Cam eron’s waiting for her popcorn.”

“Too bad. We’v e got business to settle.”

“What business?”

“Albert’s form ula. Where is it?”

“I don’t hav e it.”

“True, but y ou know where to find it.”

Holly concentrated on the swarm of color that wrapped Ev an

and suddenly all the pieces fell into place.

“Ev an, y ou’v e hardly thought this through. This place is so

thick with testosterone-driv en soldiers, y ou don’t hav e a chance.”

“Since when did y ou becom e so disagreeable? Your passiv e

nature attracted m e. I alway s thought perhaps y ou and I m ight