Time Untime (5 page)

Right … He didn’t know her at all if he thought that.

Her hands shaking with controlled fear, she reached into the pocket of her lab coat so that she could clutch her tactical pen—something her uncle Danny had insisted she always carry in case someone attacked her. If Cabeza didn’t freeze her too, she had one heck of a surprise for him. She might be short and comparatively tiny, but thanks to her uncle Danny and cousins, she was all muscle and trained to fight dirty with the best of them. “What do you want?”

“You own a certain item that I require.”

“And that would be?”

“A stone.”

That was like asking the ocean for a single molecule of water. “Look around the room. I’m a geologist.” She gestured to the shelves on her left that were lined with boxes of rocks— kind of what he was if he thought she was going to give him anything while he threatened her.

And that display was nothing compared to the ones she had at home. “Been collecting stones since I started walking. I need a little bit more than one noun. Could I buy an adjective there, Pat?”

His gaze turned dark. Deadly. “How about you just cooperate and give me what I need?”

Kateri pulled her pen from her pocket. “Let me think … um … no.” She ran for the door.

Unfortunately, he ran faster and cut her off halfway to her destination. She slashed at him with her pen, but he caught her wrist in a move that was so fast she didn’t see it until he had her pinned. Damn, he was a lot stronger than Mr. Hulk appeared. And that said it all.

“Give me your time stone,” he growled in her ear.

“My wha—Who?” Her gaze went to the calendar Fernando had sent. Was that what he was talking about?

Okay,
that
he could have. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t worth her life.

“You mean that?” She pointed toward it. “Take the stupid thing. It’s all yours.”

He glanced toward it, then did a double take. He released her so fast, she stumbled backward.

She ran for the door, but when she tried to open it, it wouldn’t budge. Where was a grenade when you needed one?

Better yet, a key.

His features reverent, Cabeza ran his hand over the ancient carvings. He caressed the calendar like a lover he thought was lost to him. “How did you get this?”

“UPS.”

He curled his lip and raked her with a sneer. “Where was this found? Tell me!”

Not the appropriate tone, buster
. She’d never been one to be ordered around by anyone, anytime. Anywhere. Ignoring his command, she tried the knob again.
C’mon door … open, open, open!

Why wasn’t the damn thing opening?

’Cause this day just didn’t suck enough already.

That thought had barely finished, before the whole door blew apart in her hands. Shielding her face with her arm, she fell away in an effort to protect herself. Cabeza launched himself at her. Dodging his grasp, she ran for the opening, only to collide with a solid wall.

No, not a wall— A giant mass of a man who had to be seven feet tall stood in the center of the doorframe. One who snarled something at Cabeza in a language she’d never heard spoken before.

Kateri barely got out of the line of fire before the two of them went after each other with everything they had. They let fly blows that should have killed any normal human being. But neither of them did more than growl and attack as they continued to block her exit.

It was like being trapped by Godzilla and Mothra.

With no thought other than survival, she ran toward the closet in back. If nothing else, she could try to hide there.

As she broke even with the last table, where she’d left her purse, she grabbed her phone out of it. Intending to call security, she cursed as it started ringing in her hands.

Dammit! It better not be a telemarketer.

She flipped it open, and started to tell whoever it was that she was a little busy when she heard her cousin’s voice.

“Teri? Is everything okay?”

“Sunny! I need help in my lab. Now! Call campus security for me. I’m being attacked.” She’d barely finished the last word before her phone went dead.

“We can’t be having that, can we?” Cabeza asked as he kicked the mountain away from him.

He started toward her.

Her eyes widened as the other man ran at him and slammed him against the wall. That had to hurt, but since he was doing her a favor, she was actually rooting for the mountain to win.

I have to get out of here. Especially before they turn that hatred on me
. One hit like that, and she’d never recover. Kateri ran toward the front again.
Please have heard me, Sunny. Please call help
. She loved her cousin dearly, but the woman could be extremely absentminded and oblivious at times.

She glanced at Enrique, who was still frozen mid-gesture. He needed help, too.

What do I do?

Kateri was almost to the closet door when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her to a rude stop.

Furious, she turned on the newcomer, intending to attack. But as she raised her arm for the blow and focused on her latest annoyance, she sucked her breath in sharply. Recognition hit her like a sucker punch.

“Talon?” It was Sunny’s husband. All six foot four, rippling muscles tattooed with Celtic tribal marks, of him. “What are you doing here?”

Had he been in town? Was that why Sunny had called?

He didn’t answer her question as he pulled her back and put himself in the line of fire to protect her. His blond wavy hair was cut short except for two long, thin braids that fell from his temple. Just as Cabeza would have hit him, a fourth man caught Cabeza and lifted him off his feet. He slammed Cabeza to the ground before he kicked the mountain away from them.

“Get her out of here, Celt,” he growled at Talon over his shoulder.

Without hesitation, Talon tossed her over his muscular shoulder as if she weighed nothing at all and ran with her out of the room. Not the most comfortable of sensations. But she was too grateful to be out of that room to protest.

Talon didn’t set her down until he reached her office at the end of the next hallway.

“Enrique’s still in the lab,” she told him.

“Cabeza will get him.”

She sputtered at his lackadaisical tone. “That’s the problem. I don’t want him to.”

“Why not?”

Why not? Really? “I like him. He’s a good assistant, and those are really hard to find.”

Talon scowled at her. “Then why don’t you want him saved?”

“I
do
want him saved. Not fed to Cabeza.”

Talon’s frown deepened. “We are both speaking English, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why do I feel like we’re not?”

Before she could answer, the tall, scary man who’d slammed Cabeza to the floor appeared by his side. Literally—by his side.

How had he run in so fast that she hadn’t seen it?

Not that it mattered right this instant, because …
Holy firecracker
 …
How had she failed to notice him?

Yet during the fight, she’d barely registered the man. Now the sheer ferocity of his presence jarred her. Just over six feet, he was built like a tank, and those black clothes added an even more sinister look to him. Not that he needed it. His black hair was slightly longer than Talon’s and he wore it with his bangs covering a pair of obsidian eyes that froze her the instant they met her gaze and held it in a tight fist.

Her knees went weak from terror. How had he appeared in here without using the door? It was still closed from Talon and while the man might be fast, she would have surely seen it open and close. Not to mention, hear the bell on it.

Unlike her, Talon didn’t seem to think it unusual that he had materialized in her office. “Did you get the kid?” he asked the man.

“Barely. I stashed him in the public toilet. He should be safe there until he regains use of his body.” The man jerked his chin toward the windows. “Help a brother out, Celt. I could have gone up in flames just now, you bastard. Think ahead. Ask for my help. Blow me up. Shit. What kind of friend are you?”

“Screw you,” Talon snarled before he moved to the blinds and closed them. “Mess with me, boy, and I’ll bring the daylight inside where you stand.”

The man gestured at Talon with something she assumed must be obscene.

Talon flashed a taunting grin. “Not on your best day, Cabeza. But feel free to keep fantasizing about me. Most
women
do.”

The man scoffed and grabbed his “package” and shook it. “Yeah, I got your woman for you, Celt. Right here.”

Kateri held her hands up before they started a fight to equal the one she’d just left. “Wait, wait, wait…” She pointed to the man. “He’s named Cabeza, too?”

The man quirked a brow at her. “Too? I’m pretty sure I’m it. Haven’t ever come across another.”

Her own head was starting to throb. “The other man in the lab. The one you attacked. He said his name was Cabeza.”

“His mama named him Head?” Talon snorted derisively. “Damn, that’s cold. And here I thought this Cabeza had it bad.”

“It was a nickname. His real name was Kukulcan Verastegui.”

The Cabeza in front of her broke off into a fierce round of what sounded like Mayan cursing. She had no idea what he was saying, but it was raw and explosive as he gestured furiously to punctuate his tirade.

She turned her frown to Talon. “What’s he saying?”

Talon shrugged. “I’m from Britain, not Mexico. No idea.”

“That
pendejo
is
not
me.” Cabeza broke off into a mixture of Mayan and Spanish and then returned to English, but this time his accent was much thicker and he rolled his Rs viciously. “His name, for the record, is Chacu.
Ese cabrón hijo de la gran puta
, pretending to be me. I should have cut his throat for my Act of Vengeance!”

“The real question is, did you cut his throat today?”

Hands on hips, Cabeza glared at Talon for asking such a thing. “No. He got away, along with the … what’s the word? Uh … Pigeon crap?”

“Chicken shit?” Talon offered.

“
Si!
… that was with him. They vanished before I could kill them.”

“Why were they fighting?” Kateri asked. “And why were they after me?”

Cabeza arched a brow at her. “Don’t you know?”

“Why would I ask if I knew?” She turned her attention to Talon. “And how did you get here so fast? Where were you?” Talon and Sunshine lived in New Orleans … not here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Last time she’d made that drive, it’d taken her four hours, and she didn’t drive slowly.

“You’ll want to sit down for this.” Talon turned the chair in front of her desk around for her.

A sick feeling settled deep in her stomach. “Think I’ll stand. Now, what’s up?”

The men exchanged a solemn look as if they were silently willing the other to speak first.

“Did Chacu say anything to you, other than pretending to be me?”

“He said he wanted my stone.”

A tic started in Cabeza’s jaw. “And the other … creature with him? What did he say?”

“Nothing. He showed up and Cab—” She broke the word off as his eyes snapped ebony fire at her. “Chacu attacked him.”

“Any idea why he’s handing out your name?” Talon asked.

“No idea. His hatred of me is legendary. But he’s not exactly engraved in my heart either. My want-them-dead list, however, is another matter.”

Kateri cleared her throat to get their attention. “And you’re
both
avoiding
my
questions.”

Talon let out a sarcastic laugh. “That’s because you’re going to freak and neither one of us wants to deal with it.”

Well, at least Talon was honest.

“I’m not going to freak,” she assured him.

It was now Cabeza’s turn to mock her. “That’s what they all say,
chica
. And then they all freak.”

Talon laughed again—for real this time—as he met Cabeza’s gaze. “You remember that time when…” He glanced at her. “Never mind.”

She ignored that segue entirely. “Look, whatever it is, I can handle it. I’m not a child, and Talon, you know I don’t ever overreact to anything.”

Cabeza crossed his arms over his chest. “Is this true?”

“So far. But I’ve never dumped anything like this on her before. There’s always that first time for everything.”

That offended her. “So far? Thanks for the vote of confidence, Talon.”

He held his hands up in surrender. “At least it’s something.”

“You better tell her, Celt … before another comes. We need to get her to shelter while we can.”

Kateri definitely didn’t like the sound of that. “Shelter from what?”

Talon let out a long sigh. “All right. Fine. You asked for it. Let’s see you not freak when we tell you that you’re the mother of Armageddon.”

4

Kateri stood completely still as those words sank in. She wasn’t sure what reaction to have to his news. But it was a good thing that she’d told them she didn’t overreact, otherwise, in spite of her bravado, she’d be running for the door.

Probably screaming the whole way.

Maybe … if her shaking legs could manage it.

Instead, she took a deep breath and met her cousin-in-law with the calmest stare she could muster. “Have you been into Uncle Danny’s peyote?”

Talon opened his mouth to respond, then closed it.

Cabeza laughed.

Talon cut a menacing glare toward him before he softened his features. “I know this is hard for you to hear and I know you’re not going to believe me. But…” He hesitated as he visibly searched for words.

Cabeza gave him no reprieve. “We need to get out of here. Chacu will return for her and he’ll bring reinforcements.”

“Who is Chacu?” Kateri snapped, wanting real answers from both of them. “Why was he here?”

Most important, why the hell was he after
her
?

Cabeza put his hands on his hips. “Do you know what the Snake Kingdom was?”

Something to be avoided at all costs, no doubt. But she kept that sarcasm inside. “Not a clue.”

“Of course not…” He growled low in his throat as if he found her lack of knowledge offensive, then he mumbled in Spanish under his breath. After a second, he took a breath and spoke. “Really short version, Chacu’s name means ‘to pillage’ or ‘to ravage.’ The other
puta
with him, and yes, I’m using the feminine on purpose, is called Veneno—as in ‘venom’ or ‘bane.’” He narrowed his gaze on her. “Is the picture starting to paint in your mind yet?”