Twice as Hot (21 page)

A
pause. Then, “
Elaine
said that a few times, when they’d both caved to
Pretty Boy’s demands, she and Memory Man were sent on missions together. She’s
seen him steal memories and said he only takes the ones he likes. That he often
talked about how he wished he could have visited the places he saw in those
memories, or met the people in them for real. Apparently he swore that one day,
he’d make that wish a reality.” Another pause, this one heavy. “Since he took
all my memories of you, I can only guess he liked you.”

I
traced my fingers over Tanner’s arm. His skin was cool, his blood flow too
sluggish to warm him. “What are you trying to tell me, Rome?”

“That
he’s here because you are. That he wants to meet
you
for real. That he
might even try to win you.”

I
laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Win
me?
” Surely not.
“That’s…that’s…” Preposterous. “Can’t be right. I haven’t met anyone new. And
why me? I’m sure he had an abundance of choices. I mean, really. He could have
chosen Lexis.”

“But
he didn’t.”

“Why?”
I insisted. This honestly made no sense.

“I
wish I knew,” Rome said sharply, as if he really did want to remember. More
than anything else in the world. “Maybe if I knew, I could make sense of
this…obsession I seem to have with you.”

My
hand stilled on Tanner, that sweet proclamation ringing in my ears. Where had
this determined man been when he’d first awakened? When he’d gone home with
Lexis? Yeah, he’d assured me nothing had happened between them. But it had
still hurt. Unlike M-Squared, he’d chosen her over me.

“If
he has my memories of you, I’m not sure if he thinks he’s me or he’s still
himself, but either way he’s most likely…developing…feelings for you.” His
voice deepened, became more steely, with every word spoken. “I called Cody to
talk some of this out, and he mentioned someone sent you flowers.”

“That
same someone also gave me candy.”
Could
Memory Man have sent them?

“Candy?”
An outraged hiss. “If he thinks he’s me, he’s going about this all wrong. I’d
never send candy. It’s too cliché. When did you get candy? And if you ate a
single piece, I’ll—”

I
traced a finger along the line of Tanner’s IV. “I took them to the lab to be
dusted for prints and tested for poison.”

A
blur of movement, and then Rome’s heat was radiating beside me. “Smart girl.
When I leave here, I’ll check on them for you, see what was found.”

“Thanks.
Now, smart girl that I am, you know I wouldn’t ask this next question without
reason.”

“If
you say so.”

So
suspicious. “Will you bring Elaine to me?”

“Sorry,
but you’re not getting anywhere near her, Belle.”

I
pushed a breath out between my clenched teeth. “Look, we both know you don’t
give a shit about me. You’re just fixated right now because you’re frustrated
at not being able to remember. That’s understandable. But you lost the right to
protect me when you went home to your ex-wife.”

His
hand settled atop my shoulder, hot and firm. “I told you. Nothing happened. And
I
do
give a shit.”

I
shrugged from his hold, saying, “Not enough.” Not nearly enough. “I need you to
leave now, Rome. Please.” I just didn’t have the stamina to deal with him right
now.

“Guess
who called me—” Sherridan’s voice ground to a halt as she entered the room. She
must have spotted Rome. “Oh, it’s you.” Yep. “What are you doing here, you
traitor?”

“Hello,
Sherridan. It’s nice to see you, too.”

“So
you know
me?
” she asked, some of her outrage falling away and pride
taking its place.

He
sighed. “I’ve done my homework.”

“Oh.”

I
twisted in the chair, and our gazes met. My exhausted hazel against her
determined blue. She breezed to me, as warm and pretty as a summer day, and
kissed me on the cheek. “How’s our boy holding up?”

“He’s
the same.” Tears suddenly burned my eyes, threatening to spill over. “Damn it!”

Her
eyes raked over me and she
tsked
under her tongue. “Well,
you’re
worse, no doubt about it. You need a shower and another change of clothes.
Which, amazing friend that I am, I brought you.”

The
boast had the desired results: I laughed, my tears gradually drying. I was
still wearing the halter top and could-only-be-seen-under-a-microscope skirt.
“You brought me something a little less slutty, I hope.”

“I
don’t,” Rome muttered.

We
both ignored him. I was positive I’d misheard, anyway. “Better,” Sherridan
said. “I figure my role on this kick-ass team is to make sure we’ll all look
stylish, and I take that role seriously. That’s why I brought you something
très superheroey.”

I
cut off a groan.

“Can
I see?” Rome asked.

He
was fighting a grin, the bastard. I could hear the smile in his voice.

“No,”
Sherridan said, but she pulled a black leather catsuit from her overlarge
purse, anyway, and held it up for my inspection.

I
couldn’t help peeking at Rome to gauge his reaction. He nodded in approval, his
eyes heating as if he were picturing me wearing it. “I think that’s perfect.”

So
the Cat Man liked the catsuit. This time, I couldn’t stop my groan. I grabbed
the dangling material from her fingers and stood. “What were you saying when
you came in? Someone called you?”

“What?”
Confusion furrowed her brow before her eyes widened and she clapped. “Oh. Yeah.
Cody called me. Said he couldn’t get hold of you, and hadn’t been able to make
Rome stop talking about you long enough to listen to him. Oh, and if you’re
wondering how he got my number, he said he borrowed your cell before he left
and copied it.” She bit her bottom lip, running it through her teeth. “You
know, he’s actually pretty nice. Once you get to know him.”

I
studied her, saw the color blooming in her cheeks, watched the way she danced
from one foot to the other in agitation. “Dear God, you’re already falling for
him. After one phone conversation, you’re ready to have his babies.” But amid
my growing concern, one thought echoed in my head: Rome hadn’t been able to stop
talking about me?

“No.
No, no, no.” She wagged her head back and forth for emphasis, even held up her
hands. “He was nice, that’s all. But weird. He told me to tell you to answer
your phone once in a while and that he’d tracked down some rodent at the very
top of an ocean and was going off the road…no, that isn’t right…off the grid,
yes, that’s it! Off the grid to keep the little critter from sniffing his
cheese, so you probably wouldn’t be able to get hold of him and…” She tapped a
fingertip to her chin. “There was something else, but I’m drawing a blank.”

Rome
stepped forward, tension in every muscle in his body. He gripped her shoulders,
shook her. “What?”

“I’m
thinking! Don’t pressure me. And really, you of all people have no right to
complain about someone else’s faulty memory.”

I
threw the catsuit over my shoulder, pried Rome’s arms from her and replaced
them with mine, forcing her to face me.
Calm, stay calm.
How many times
would I have to tell myself that in the coming minutes? “This is very important.
I need to know exactly what he said.”

Sherridan
closed her eyes, intense in her concentration and sickeningly adorable. “It
didn’t make much sense. It was something along the lines of candy being bright
and unexpectedly merging with the…desert that splits? Oh, and he’d like you and
Rome to join him for cocktails, but wants you to wear your dinner jackets
because the nights are cold.”

My
stomach twisted into a million little knots. “I think you’ve just been promoted
from stylist to interpreter, Sherridan,” I managed to work out. Of its own
accord, my gaze lifted, seeking Rome’s. I could see the wheels turning in his
head as he tried to decipher my friend’s words. I did it for him, too impatient
to wait for him to catch up.

“Cody
was sending us a message. Because of some papers PSI found at the warehouse, we
thought there might be someone in Desert Gal’s employ working at Big Rocky
Spring Water. The rodent must be code for our suspect, and the ocean means Big
Rocky, so the lead was right. Only, it’s bigger than we realized. Cody’s going
off the grid means, I think, that he’s going undercover. The fact that it’s
cold at night and we need protection means it’s dangerous and he needs our
help. The bright candy is—shocker—Candace Bright, and Cody thinks she’s Big
Rocky’s president or owner—the rodent at the very top of the ocean could mean
either one.”

I
paused for breath, my gaze becoming pointed. “And last but not least, he also
thinks Candace Bright and Desert Gal are one and the same.”

Though
I hated leaving Tanner, I did it. His condition was stable, his vitals better
than they’d been. I had his doctor’s phone number in my pocket and had insisted
I be called if anything changed: good or bad.

Right
now, I had a trip to prepare for.

“I’m
going with you, and that’s that,” Sherridan said as we strode up the porch to
our house. I half expected a present to be waiting for me, but no. Not today.
Was M-Squared really my admirer? And like Rome, had he decided I wasn’t worth
the effort? I desperately wanted to talk to him, beg him to return Rome’s
memories.

I
was no longer quite so mad at him now that I knew he wasn’t helping Desert Gal,
that he’d taken those memories simply because he liked me. Yeah, I’d softened.
Again.
Definitely
a yo-yo.

But
why did he like me? The question still plagued me. I’d already decided it
wasn’t because of my cuteness. So what did that leave? I wasn’t the brightest
bulb in the lamp, had been called flaky more times than I could count,
apparently needed my friends to dress me (see? not the brightest bulb), and for
the last few years hadn’t been able to hold down a job for more than a few
months (PSI excluded—maybe).

I
was an ordinary girl dealing with extraordinary things. That’s all.

“Belle.
I’m talking to you.”

“It’s
a nice day,” I said, hoping Sherridan wouldn’t notice the change of subjects
and the fact that I hadn’t responded to her
I’m going
statement.

She
mopped at her cheeks and neck with her free hand as she unlocked the door.
“Nice day, my ass. It’s hot as hell. Thank God for air-conditioning.”

We
sailed inside, and a cool breeze instantly caressed me. In the living room,
Sherridan stopped, faced me and crossed her arms over her chest, clearly
prepared for battle. “Don’t think I failed to realize you avoided responding to
my vow to go with you. It’s Colorado, for God’s sake. Nothing bad happens
there.”

“Hello.
Do you recall being in the room when you were relaying Cody’s message to us?
Bad stuff happens there all the time. Case in point—we’ll be hunting and
fighting
Desert Gal.” Who was most likely the alter ego of Candace Bright. Or vice
versa. Did they know about each other? Was Candace Bright like Clark Kent to
Desert Gal’s Superman, one persona used to interact with normal people, the
other to fight crime? Only Desert Gal didn’t fight crime, she created it. Okay,
so maybe that made her more like Jekyll and Hyde. Why had she shown the
prisoners her human side, though? So they’d feel less threatened by her? Trust
her more? “She’s the prune with teeth, remember?”

“Of
course I remember. Do I look like Rome Masters to you? But got it. Check. We’re
going to hunt ourselves a prune. Sounds fun.”

Well,
crap. “Why do you—” I pressed my lips together. Maybe she
should
go with
me, I mused. Unstable though my powers were, I would be a better guard than
anyone else because I loved her and would place her safety above my own. I’d
take a bullet for her if necessary. And hopefully, somehow, someway, I could
protect her from whatever doom Lexis thought was headed her way in the form of
her greatest wish coming true.

I
pushed my hair out of my face, surprised to see my hand was shaking. What the
hell? “You can come. I
want
you to come.”

“Oh.”
Bit by bit, she relaxed. “Well, good. ’Cause I am.”

I
tossed my purse on the side table. “I just want you to reconsider the
superpowers thing. Okay? I caught myself on fire yesterday.” My knees were
shaking, too, I realized as I walked forward. I had to stop and lean against
the wall to keep myself upright. Something was wrong with me; I was losing
energy fast. “We’re going after a woman who can suck the water straight out of
our bodies and we have a friend on an IV because he touched a girl I was
interrogating. Simply
touched
her.”

Hey,
wait. Was I having a delayed reaction to Elaine? Was that why I was weakening
so quickly? I hadn’t touched her skin, but I
had
hugged her.

Sherridan
stared down at her sandaled feet. “Yeah, but people admire you, look to you for
help.”

Was
that
what this was about? “Sherridan, people admire you, too. You’re
beautiful, successful and highly intelligent. Proof—who helped me get this
beautiful home? And in two days, two men have asked me for your number. Cody,
of course, and Reese, a very sexy vampire I’ve been meaning to tell you about.”