Just in Time: Portals of Time (15 page)

They entered the space where Luke, Celeste and Jess sat on the couches. Every day, Dorian thought more and more in terms of their language. “Alisha is here,” she told the others. “Pastor Ryan accompanied her.”

“Where did you two meet up?” Jess asked.

“Never mind that. What have you proposed?” Alisha glanced at Celeste. “And how are you involved?”

Leaning forward in his chair, Luke stared directly at her. “We’ve come up with a plan to trap Krueger.”

“Not one I agree with,” Jess put in.

Luke gave his brother a look of consternation. Since Luke had kissed her, Dorian felt more attuned to his moods, an ability she didn’t particularly like. He said, “It’s a good plan.” He nodded to Alisha when she and David took seats. “I think
you’ll
agree, at least. Of all the Sisters of Doom, you’re the most rational.”

“Sisters of Doom?” the three of them said simultaneously.

“Oh, sorry.” His face turned an appealing shade of red. “My pet name for you.”

Dorian took immediate umbrage. “Our message is nothing to joke about.”

“I agree.” Alisha’s tone was disgusted.

Celeste laughed. “I think it’s humorous.”

“The plan?” David asked. He had great skill at redirecting the conversation. “We need something new now that we’ve checked out Rick Carson and Jake Sterling, who were totally innocent, like I said they would be.”

Dorian’s gaze flew to Luke’s. But he wasn’t watching her. “We have to get access to Krueger. It’s rumored that he’s become quite a ladies’ man.”

“Meaning he likes many women, right?” Alisha clarified.

“Right. We think the best person to get to him is Celeste. She can practically read minds; she’ll know how to manipulate him. And hopefully, disable him. When she does, she can search his computer, his phone, whatever else he might have written emails on that indicates his, or Petron’s, plot against Jess.”

“Or he might even tell me,” Celeste added. “I can be very persuasive.”

“It’s too dangerous for her!” Dorian protested. “She could take on his negative emotion and get ill.”

“I can block emotion when I need to.”

Alisha stared ahead. “What would you have to do to get his confidence? His trust?”

“We don’t know exactly.” Luke leafed through a few papers then held up one. “He frequents a bar called The Mix. I’m sure if we go there, Celeste can attract his attention. Especially with the right clothes.”

“No doubt.” Dorian spoke up again. This was outrageous. “That’s the problem.”

“Attracting him is not a problem.” Celeste sounded exasperated. “It’s part of the solution.”

“For the godheads’ sake, she might have to join with him to gain his trust!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Alisha asked.

David recoiled. “It’s unethical.”

“It’s seedy,” Jess put in.

“If it’s necessary,” Luke said, “We’ll go for it.”

Dorian rounded on him. “Have you done this? Used your body to sway women in an investigation?”

His damn blue eyes twinkled. “I take the Fifth on that.”

“The Fifth what?” Celeste asked.

“Amendment. It means I won’t answer. Look, you said sex is different in your time. That you don’t necessarily know your partner, get only physical release from it and go on with your business.”

“Joining will be different here. With one of us and one of you.” Through her anger, Dorian’s heartbeat escalated just thinking about what it might be like to be with him.

Luke gave her a meaningful stare.

“What is transpiring between you two? I’m getting odd vibrations from you.” Celeste, of course, would be the first to catch on.

“Nothing.” Still standing, Dorian crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m agitated at this entire conversation. And angry at you, Lieutenant, for suggesting something so unacceptable.”

“It’s logical,” Alisha said.

“No.”

Celeste rose, too, and crossed to Dorian. She tried to touch her, but Dorian stepped back. “Dorian, I don’t understand your concern.”

“I do.” Jess scowled at them. “I can’t be part of a plot where one of you pimps yourself to help me.”

“I can.” The comment came from Helen, who’d come to the doorway of the room, looking stronger than she had in weeks. Her shoulders were straight and her chin raised. She hadn’t been present until now. “I’d do it myself, to save your life.”

David sighed. “Isn’t there any other way?”

“This may not even involve sex.” Celeste again. “I may be able to succeed in getting information, without physicality entering into it. But in general, I don’t see why joining with Krueger would be an issue, either.”

Helen took a seat next to her. “Women of our time react differently from you three to joining. It creates a bond between people.”

“I know that,” Celeste answered. “But we’re immune.”

“Are we?” Dorian’s voice rose. “I’m not sure anymore.”

“Why?” Alisha asked.

Again, Luke watched her like a hawka.

But she avoided the question. “It isn’t just that part. Celi is more fragile than I am. If anyone’s going to approach Krueger—and join with him if necessary—it should be me.”

“Like hell.” The words seemed to slip out of Luke.

“What in the godheads’ names is going on here?” Alisha matched Dorian’s anger. “All those exchanged looks! There’s some kind of subtext between you and Luke that I don’t understand.”

“We’re all miscommunicating. But it’s a moot point. ” Celeste scanned them all. “Besides, it’s my decision. And though I’m physically weaker than you, Dorian, I’m much stronger in emotional reading, manipulation and getting my way than you are.”

They were all silent.

Because everyone knew she was right.

“So,” she said when no one else spoke. “When do we start?”

WITH THE MAY
night breezes drifting in through the windows, Celeste lounged on the large sleeping conformer in her quarters with her two friends. She’d engineered this time together because she was better at achieving compromise than either of these two were. Contrary to what it seemed to everyone else, Celeste could be stubborn, and because she was a sensitive, any fight with her was basically unfair.

“So, we’re all in our sleeping attire,” Alisha commented impatiently. “Why did you bring us here?”

That sleeping attire indicated the differences among them. Alisha had chosen plain, white-cotton shorts and an elbow-length top to match. Dorian picked red bottoms and what they called a skimpy, polka-dotted top, though Celeste didn’t understand what the color had to do with dancing. She herself wore a baby pink dress-like thing, with ruffles around the bottom and poofy sleeves. She resembled a princess she’d seen on an animated show on the video box.

“I brought you here for a pajama party,” Celeste said sweetly. “Where the female sex of this time period gets together to gossip. Men call them hen parties.”

“What good are they?” Alisha whined. “I’m fatigued and need my sleep.”

Celeste said, “You’ll see.” Climbing off the bed, she crossed to the dresser where she’d placed a bottle and glasses; she poured them full of nearly clear liquid.

“What is that?” Alisha asked suspiciously.

“Wine. Helen gave it to me when I told her I’d requested this meeting. She’s also the one who explained to me about pajama parties.” Celeste served one glass each to the women.

Dorian took a sip. “Wow, that’s good.”

Alisha set hers aside. “I’m not consuming alcohol. It turns to sugar in your body and makes you less cognizant.”

“Please, Lisha, just try it. You have to get more acclimated to this time period.”

Alisha shook her head.

So Celeste took her own glass, sat back down and turned to Dorian. “I want to gossip. First and foremost, I want to know why you objected so vehemently to the possibility of my joining with a male of this time period.”

“For all the reasons I said. Celi, it would be a lot safer for me to pursue this.”

“Your objection is based on more than that, I can tell.” This from Alisha, who’d apparently decided to join in the talk, at least. “It has to do with something between you and Lucas Cromwell.”

Reaching over, Celeste touched Dorian’s shoulder before she could move away. “You’re swirling with emotion. Not all of it negative.”

Dorian blushed as Luke had earlier.

“Oh! You’ve joined with him?” Celeste’s voice was full of awe.

“No!”

The look Celi gave her was skeptical. “Something happened to stir you up so much.”

Picking at the spread on Celeste’s bed, Dorian blew out a heavy breath. Then she looked up. “All right. Yes, something happened between Luke and me, but we didn’t join.”

“Tell us, Dorian.” Celeste’s tone was gentle.

“He kissed me.”

“Against your will?” Even Alisha’s eyes widened at the thought of the violence men did to women in this time.

“No. I agreed.”

“Why would you do that?” Alisha was genuinely bewildered by the notion.

“I miss joining.”

“I do, too.” This from Celeste.

Alisha grabbed for the wine, after all. “Me, too. But still…oh! This
is
delicious.”

“There’s more to what’s happened with me and Luke. I…like him. He’s good-hearted and tireless in his vow to keep his brother safe.”

“I think he’s stubborn, hardheaded and driven.” Alisha again.

“Hmm.” Celi tried out a wink on Dorian. “Sounds like somebody else we know.”

Dorian and Celeste giggled and even Alisha smiled at their little dig against her.

In her excitement, Celeste came up to her knees, then sat back on her legs. “So, what was kissing like?”

“It was wonderful. So raw, so elemental. So intimate. He smells wonderful, his body fits to mine, and the way he touched me… Let’s just say no man has ever made me feel this way.”

“Because you’ve opened yourself up to it?” Alisha’s query was genuine, not a complaint.

“I don’t know. I’ve been attracted to him almost since we arrived here. I don’t understand, Lisha. I never experienced anything like this in our time. Why would I now?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that, Dorian.”

Celeste blurted out, “I enjoy looking at Alex Lansing’s picture.”

“Megadamn.” Now Alisha
was
upset. “Let’s not forget our mission here.”

Dorian raised her chin. “I’ve done nothing to jeopardize our task.”

“Yet. You’ll lose your focus if you keep getting the vapors when he’s around.”

“I do not faint or feel ill when I’m near him. I become aroused.”

“Which could take your concentration off our task to fix today’s society. While you’re preoccupied with Luke, somebody could kill Jess.”

Dorian inhaled a sharp breath. “I hadn’t thought about that.” She scowled. Looked thoughtful. “Then I have to try to neutralize these emotions.”

“Before you do,” Celi said, “tell us in detail what it felt like to have a man’s mouth on yours.”

LUKE GLANCED AROUND
The Mix as he sat with David Ryan at a small round table for four. They’d been lucky to snag it and only had because they’d gotten here early. The club was swank, all silver and chrome, with an onyx bar. Some loud jazz was piped in over speakers. The tables were close together, and the seats were damned uncomfortable. Luke preferred a neighborhood bar with padded stools and a TV tuned to sports. “I forgot what these places were like.”

David chuckled. “Me, too.”

“Ministers go to bars like this?”

“Clergy go to bars but not usually pick-up joints, which is what this is. We weren’t born with collars around our necks, you know. I sowed a few oats in my time.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, I’ll bet you were a real wild man.”

David got an odd look on his face. “You’d be surprised.”

Luke didn’t pursue what he guessed was something out of David’s past. He had his own secrets that he didn’t want to broadcast to the world, especially his debacle with his ex-wife. “What if one of your parishioners sees you here?”

“I’d deal with it. I don’t worry too much about the future.”

“Ironic, isn’t it? I’m that way, too.” He shrugged, thinking about the computeller thing, which showed exactly what had happened because people of his time period were thoughtless. “Maybe we should have worried more.”

“You got that. Can you believe what they told us?”

“It’s a shame. And we don’t even have the whole story. I wish I knew where they were going next.”

David sipped his Scotch. “For personal or professional reasons?”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m a psychologist as well as a minister, Luke. I’ve watched you and Dorian together. There’s a spark between you two.”

“Yeah, I guess. It can’t go anywhere.”

“Why? They have to stay.”

“I think—” Luke stopped speaking when three women entered the bar. “They’re here.” He shook his head and swallowed hard. “For Pete’s sake, look at them.”

Turning, David practically ate his tongue, too. The Sisters of Doom paraded into the room as though they owned the place. If any guy here wasn’t staring, he was blind. Dorian led the way, wearing green silk and sequins and killer heels. Her legs looked a mile long and her curves were unfortunately well-outlined by the dress. “My God, how are we ever gonna protect them?”

David appeared not to hear him. “Look at Alisha. She’s so strong but, in that outfit, so feminine. I’ve never quite seen her like this.”

Luke took a bead on the woman. She did look stunning.

“She wore copper to match her eyes.” David’s voice was hoarse.

Uh-oh. “You got the hots for her, Rev?”

“No. I’ve made a study at controlling myself.”

Again, he glanced at Alisha. “Good luck with that.”

Then his gaze snagged on Celeste. “Oh, fuck,” Luke swore. “Little black dresses have always been my weakness.”

“I think
little
is the operative word. They must have poured her into it.”

“The slithery material doesn’t help.”

“Or the stilettos.”

“Watch,” Luke said. “They’ll go in for the kill right away.”

Sure enough, all three sauntered over to Craig Krueger, at the bar, who was hitting on the woman on his left. Ostensibly going for drinks, they lined up behind the three people on the other side of Krueger. After a few minutes of waiting, one woman turned and said something to Dorian. In no time, all three women surrendered their seats to the girls.