StrategicSurrender (11 page)

“Are you okay? What the hell was that?” she asked, panting
hard in fear as adrenaline coursed through her body.

“I would assume, sweetheart,” Hayden replied with a slightly
sardonic smile, “that word of our actions has already begun to leak. Someone,
at least, doesn’t appear to be very happy with us.”

Galvanized, Kiera stood up on slightly shaky legs and turned
slightly to look behind them at Josh. Her coworker appeared to have dived to
the sidewalk in a similar motion to herself and Hayden. Only now did Joshua glance
up from under his arms which, similar to her own actions, were crossed over his
head protectively.

“I knew I shouldn’t have answered to the beating on my door
this morning,” Josh mock complained, though the paleness in his face and slight
shaking in his hands gave away his fear. “When a wizard almost beats down your
door at the crack of dawn it never bodes well for the day. Much smarter to
cover your head and go back to sleep.”

“If that really was an assassination attempt on our lives,”
Hayden replied as he climbed to his feet and held out a hand to assist Josh up,
“then chances are good you would be dead in your bed right this minute, Josh.
You actually can probably thank Morgan and his dragging us all to the Tribunal
for the fact we’re even given the chance to be alive and duck for cover right
now.”

“You think someone just tried to kill us?” Kiera repeated,
stunned. Her eyes took in the damage to the brick façade they stood before and
shivered. Despite the warmth of the sunshine she suddenly felt very, very cold
right now. Appearing to understand exactly what she was going through, Hayden
wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rubbed some warmth into her. Kiera threw
her lover a deeply grateful look.

“Come on, let’s get out of here before more of them come,”
he insisted. Kiera’s heart started pounding once again.

“More?” she asked, the thought alone enough to take her
breath away. “You really think there will be more of them?”

Hayden didn’t answer her and for once Josh didn’t seem to
have a smart reply. Hayden kept Kiera protectively in the circle of his arms,
an action she was doubly grateful for. Not only did it help give her the
illusion of a barrier of safety against the now much scarier outside world, but
it also helped give her a small measure of heat. Her teeth chattered from the
chill that seemed as if it came from deep in her soul.

Together they hurried down the street and all but ran in the
front door of the Enforcers headquarters. Even as she, Hayden and Josh entered
the highly secure entrance and walked into the open main foyer area Kiera
wondered just how safe they really were. She could feel eyes watching her as
they rushed, and her now-paranoid brain wondered if they looked because she
rushed or for more sinister reasons.

The Enforcers building had always been an oasis of calm and
security to Kiera, a place to work and learn, to exchange knowledge and feel
safe. Supposedly HQ was one of the most impenetrable buildings in the whole of
Chicago, and yet Kiera found herself covertly glancing around, gauging who
stared, who
appeared
to pay no attention and who lingered when perhaps
they shouldn’t.

With a start Kiera discovered she had gone way past paranoia
and now could be on the edge of full-blown idiocy, taking her mental musings
and worry to the extreme. Taking a deep breath, Kiera forced herself to calm
down and at least pretend everything inside her was fine and calm.

As she tried to do this, a small part of Kiera wondered if
she would ever feel secure again.

Hayden’s brain ran in a thousand directions all at once. Had
that been some old nemesis out for vengeance? Was Kiera in danger because of
him? Or had that been related to their actions with the grimoire the previous
evening? Hayden couldn’t make a decision yet on whether Kiera was in more
danger, or less, with him by her side.

Despite the fact it would kill something inside of him,
Hayden knew if his presence in her life brought killers and mayhem to her door,
he would leave his lover to protect her. He would do anything, even die, to
keep her safe. After being shot at and almost blitzed by the concentrated
energy blast, Hayden now knew that without a single doubt.

He loved Kiera, deeply, passionately. Nothing would harm her
while he still breathed. The problem was, there were a million possible reasons
why someone would harm him, a far smaller potential dozen or so why certain
witches would wish Josh ill, and to Hayden’s knowledge no reason at all anyone
would wish Kiera dead—unless it was to do with the ritual they had burned.

Hayden needed to make some calls, needed to reach out to his
contacts and discover what, exactly, was going on. Until he knew precisely what
had occurred out there on the street, however, he was not going to leave
Kiera’s side. Not for anything.

“Come on, let’s go to your office,” Hayden finally spoke
gruffly. Josh’s face was pale, his skin looked clammy. Gone was the carefree,
happy-go-lucky playboy. Hayden only hoped Josh wouldn’t be sick. While it
wouldn’t offend him, Hayden knew Josh well enough by now to know the wizard
likely would never forgive himself for such a seemingly unmanly reaction to the
danger.

Kiera, however, worried him. Her body was too cool to the
touch and she convulsed sporadically. Hayden feared she might be going into
slight shock, and he wanted to get her warm immediately.

Under his direction, Kiera showed her security pass to the
front guards and they all had their essence scanned by the Guardian on duty.
Having come to their offices only late the previous day, Hayden quickly led
them to the correct bay of elevators and a moment later he, Kiera and Josh were
heading up to their offices.

Long years of experience had Hayden knowing only small, easy
tasks would help keep both Josh and Kiera moving forward until the shock and
fright began to wear off. Only then would their minds be able to start and
process the events coherently.

“Josh, I need you to contact Morgan as soon as we get to
your desk. You’ll need to talk fast and convincingly to get the security guard
manning the phones to interrupt. But you need to do it so you can fill Morgan
in on what happened,” Hayden explained in a slow, clear and calm voice. Some
color returned to Josh’s face as the elevator rose and Josh’s eyes cleared
slightly. The faint glaze that had been in his gaze became sharper and Josh
nodded.

“Right,” he replied firmly. Hayden cupped Kiera’s jaw in his
free hand, keeping his other arm warmly wrapped around her so she could share
his body heat.

“Sweetheart,” Hayden murmured more gently, “I’ll need to use
your phone, I want you to listen closely as I call around a few contacts and
try to see if this is from my past. Considering the number of rogues I’ve
brought down, it’s possible this is retaliation on me and not either of you at
all. I know you are acquaintances with practically everyone from this building,
your knowledge of wizards and witches in Chicago runs far deeper than mine, and
your finger is on the pulse far better than I could have hoped for. Can you
listen in and let me know if something rings a bell for you?”

Kiera’s smile was slightly wobbly at first, but genuine. The
shock began to recede from her liquid dark eyes and although her fingers still
shook as she caressed his chest, Hayden could tell she was quickly pulling
herself together.

“Of course,” she insisted though Hayden could clearly hear
the nervous tremor beneath the false bravado. “I’m not some breakable little
precious princess. I’ve always wanted to do field work, this is the perfect
opportunity.”

“You won’t be doing field work,” Hayden insisted
protectively.

Just the thought of Kiera out wandering the streets with
someone gunning for her was enough for his stomach to revolt and his heart to
hammer in his chest. Hayden knew something inside of him would shatter and
break should anything happen to Kiera. When Ben had betrayed him, laughed in
his face and spouted evil things about how wonderful the powers of dark magic
was and Hayden had realized for the first time just how far gone his partner
had been right under his very nose, Hayden’s ego, pride and self-assurance had
taken a significant beating.

Should Kiera be harmed or worse, Hayden knew beyond a doubt
it would rip him to shreds. For the first time since it had occurred, Hayden
understood why Daniel—an Assassin Hayden had worked his last case with—had very
nearly ripped his throat out with his bare hands when his lover and partner,
Melissa, had been kidnapped. Hayden made a mental note to contact the cool, icy-blue-eyed
wizard and apologize for snapping at him and threatening to deck him.

Finally, Hayden completely understood and agreed with the
Assassin.

“Hayden!” Kiera complained loudly as she shook herself. A
small smile twitched at the corner of Hayden’s mouth. For the first time since
the shooting Kiera sounded more like herself. Indignation unfurled inside her
and he could practically watch it settle in her blood as she worked up a good
head of annoyance and anger.

“I’m not broken or even on the edge of it,” Kiera insisted
sharply. “So we got shot at, somebody is supremely pissed at us for destroying
the manuscript. Big deal. In a day or two it will pass over when some celebrity
shags a politician or a member of the Tribunal shoots their mouth off in the
papers. It’s a one-minute wonder. I’m not going to be put on the shelf so you
and Josh can prove to me what manly men you are.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Hayden murmured with a wicked
grin, his gaze catching Josh’s as they exchanged a very telling male glance at
one another. Josh, too, seemed to be reviving himself.

“Besides,” Hayden continued, “I thought I proved what a
manly man I am last night. Rather effectively too.”

Kiera flushed but snapped back quickly at him, her earlier
shock and fright obviously pushed into the far background once more.

“If you are Neanderthal enough to think a bit of screaming-my-lungs-out
sex is enough to make me toe the line, mister, boy have I got news for you.
This isn’t the dark ages anymore, despite what you Special Op goons would like
to think. I’ll have you know—”

The door to the lift pinged and after a pause they started
to open, effectively cutting Kiera off mid-argument. Hayden watched as she
blinked and snorted in laughter. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist and
they hugged each other for a brief moment as Josh preceded them out into their
floor.

“You did that to snap me out of it,” Kiera said with mingled
laughter and frustration in her tone. Hayden just grinned, pleased with
himself. “I can’t decide if I want to throttle you or kiss you in thanks. It
worked. Please don’t do that again.”

Hayden laughed and dropped a chaste kiss to her nose, took
her hand in his and led them both out of the elevator.

“I love you, sweetheart,” Hayden spoke without thinking and
surprised himself. After clearing his throat he continued quickly. “I couldn’t
bear to see you so upset, nor do I think I could ever stand by and watch you be
hurt physically either. If I need to provoke an argument to get you to snap out
of your shock, or upset your independent nature for a short time to protect you
and keep you safe, then that’s what I am going to do. I won’t enjoy it or like
earning your ire, but I will cherish you every moment I can have you. I won’t
apologize for it either.”

“Boy,” Kiera laughed as she led him behind Josh towards
their desks. “We’re going to have some interesting arguments in the future,
aren’t we?”

Hayden’s grin deepened as his blood thickened in his veins.
Now was not the time, he knew, but desire soaked into his system and his cock
twitched in avid interest. One last time he cupped Kiera’s jaw in his hand and
drew their lips together so he could thoroughly and passionately kiss her
deeply. When he pulled back they were both breathless and he saw the lust deep
in Kiera’s eyes, her pupils dilated almost fully.

“I look forward to it,” he replied huskily. “I need a strong
witch to keep me on my toes. I can’t wait to make up after our first real
argument.”

Kiera snorted and pushed his chest away so she could sit down
and move a few papers around her desk and look like she had not just been
thoroughly ravished in front of her whole office full of coworkers.

“If you don’t start making those phone calls,” she
threatened with a grin more than any heat of anger, “then we might get that
change.”

“Ooh,” Hayden purred teasingly as he pulled his small
personal directory from the pocket of his pants. “Is that a promise? It’s been
forever since I’ve had real makeup sex.”

Kiera snorted again, pulled a second chair for him over and
handed him the receiver to her phone.

“Call. Now,” she ordered with a small laugh. Obligingly,
Hayden flicked through his small black book, selected the first contact he
thought might be useful and dialed the number.

* * * * *

Kiera had the unusual sensation of almost waking from a
dream, only to find it had been reality all along. Despite the heat in her
cheeks and the very real annoyance at being treated like a breakable glass
princess by her lover, his intention had proved correct. The shock of the drive-by
shooting was beginning to fade and heat once again permeated her body.

Rubbing her arms to disperse the last of her chills, Kiera
watched, intrigued as Hayden pressed a series of numbers and waited for the
phone to ring. She scooted her chair closer so she could focus on what Hayden’s
contact would say and help her tune out Joshua talking on the phone at his desk
opposite her.

“Come on, Jemma,” Josh wheedled charmingly. “I promise I
won’t double date on you this time. And I’ll take you to Sangfroid, the best
damn restaurant in Chicago, if you’ll just tell Morgan it’s Kiera and I on the
phone and it’s critical he speak with us now. I swear when he hears what I have
to say you won’t get in the least amount of trouble. Please?”

“Carson.” Hayden spoke, jolting Kiera’s attention back to
her lover and their first foray together into real detective work. “Foxworth
here. You got a minute?”

“Hayden?”
Kiera heard a deep, bass voice speak fairly
clearly from the other end of the line.
“What the hell are you doing talking
to me? I hope you’re packing, buddy. I can’t believe after that mess with Ben
you’ve already managed to dig yourself into another hole so quickly. I thought
you told me just a week ago you were keeping your head down?”

Kiera blinked, surprised. The voice was friendly but the
concern appeared genuine. Hayden replied promptly after a quick, curious look
to her. Kiera shrugged her shoulders silently, indicating she had no idea
either what could possibly be going on.

“I have been keeping my head down,” Hayden assured his
contact firmly. “Morgan Kingsburg called me in for some private consulting
work. Why? What have you heard?”

“Hayden, Hayden.”
Carson tutted.
“That’s not what
I hear at all, my friend. Dylan called me not twenty minutes ago saying he had
heard through the grapevine you and a couple of Strategists had been playing
with a dark ritual. Word out there is that now you know how to cause rifts in
time.”

“What?!” Hayden growled angrily. “No way, Carson, I can’t.
What the hell? Where did Dylan hear this crap?”

“I’m not sure,”
Carson admitted.
“But you know how
Dylan always knows everything first. He might tell me all of it—I believe it’s
in the contract of our relationship somewhere—but apparently the rumor mill is
working overtime on you just now. He might have heard something more and just
not bothered to share it yet. Do you have his new number? You can ask him.”

“I will,” Hayden replied firmly. “Do you have anything else
for me? I’ll pay for correct information.”

“Damn, wish I could tell you more, but I owe you one less
favor since I put you onto Dylan. He should have more. Deal?”

“I suppose so, but you still owe me,” Hayden grumbled
good-naturedly. Carson snorted on the other end of the line and hung up, Hayden
returning his receiver to its cradle.

“Dylan and Carson have been an item practically forever,”
Hayden explained to Kiera. “Carson owes me a hell of a lot more than Dylan
does, plus Carson is easier to talk to—but if Dylan is the one being fed some
of this gossip and leaked information I’ll definitely need to call him next.”

“How could word be out on the street that we have had
possession of the ritual?” Kiera asked quietly as she digested Hayden’s words.
“No one but the Tribunal knew there was a manuscript before last night. And
even then, only Morgan alone knew what the ritual
was
. Assuming someone
in the Tribunal had talked about a new dark ritual or the grimoire—it was
supper time before Morgan gathered you, me and Joshua together, and we know
Morgan didn’t tell
anyone
about it until the evening meeting.”

“These things have a way of making the rounds, Kiera,”
Hayden said uncertainly. Kiera got the strong impression even Hayden was not
quite convinced of what he tried to tell her. “You know that. It’s not beyond
the realms of possibility one of the Tribunal told their lover or even
chauffeur on the way back—”

“Even assuming they had,” Kiera interjected with a firm
shake of her head, “that still doesn’t explain how they knew about causing time
rifts. I don’t recall Morgan telling us that he informed the Tribunal of the
precise nature of the ritual. Do you think there’s a leak in here somewhere,
within our area?”