“Here you go, Natalie.” John held out her coffee.
Riordan blocked her. “No, Meeks. Don’t touch that.”
Frowning, she reached past him. “Riordan, don’t be silly.” Taking her cup, she took a sip. “Mmm, hot.” She smiled at John. “How did you do that?”
He shrugged with nonchalance. “What can I say? I’m a hot guy.” Bypassing Riordan, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
Riordan’s shoulders tensed.
Really? Natalie wanted to groan aloud. They were trying to mark her as their territory. Next thing she knew, they’d each pee in the corner of her office.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you next week.” Without a word to Riordan, John walked out of her office.
Riordan glared daggers at his back. “I don’t like him.”
Shocker
.
“What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve been cleared for duty.”
Looking back at her, he tossed his helmet on the sofa before mimicking her stance. “Yeah, Mitchell told me. You must be one helluva doctor to determine I’m fit for duty so quickly.”
She kidded no one. “Last night shouldn’t have happened, Riordan. I’m putting an end to this before-“
His fingertips skimmed the line of her jaw to settle on her chin. “Before things really get out of hand?” His thumb grazed her lips.
She swallowed hard.
Step away, Natalie. Get back.
“No. I won’t allow it, Riordan. A relationship between you and I would be highly unethical.”
Damn him for whipping out that smile again. “I’m not your patient any longer.”
With a toss of her chin, she stepped away from his hypnotizing touch. “You
were
my patient. That’s all that matters. My professional reputation is at stake.”
Tell him about Paul.
Shaking her head, she walked away. What had happened between her and Paul had been a mistake, too. She never should’ve gotten involved with him. Looking back, theirs had been more of a friendship with lukewarm sexual benefits.
There was nothing lukewarm about Riordan St. James. He’d blown into her life like an inferno, hot, roaring and lethal. Her body remained on high alert in his vicinity, poised, ready to drop on the nearest flat surface at the snap of a finger.
Or flat against a wall.
Or on his lap.
Stop it, Natalie
. She pounded her fist against her forehead.
“Through beating up yourself?” He stood behind her now, his scent of spicy musk weaving around her in a cloud of masculine temptation.
“My father says you’re dangerous.”
She felt him back away.
“Your fa-“
He cursed low, his offensive words sounding louder, then faint, telling her he paced.
He stopped. She whipped around.
Staring at her, he gave a sarcastic harrumph. “I get it, Meeks.”
Reaching for his helmet, he curled a hand around the rim. “You’ve had second thoughts. I’m way too lowly for the likes of a Senator’s daughter. What would it do to his reputation?”
Her mouth dropped open, heat warming her face. “Wait, just-”
“But, you know what, Meeks? I’m making something of myself. I’m a soon-to-be super-agent for the most elite private security agency in the world.”
He held up four fingers. “I’m one of four.
Four
men in the world on that super squad.” He gave a half laugh. “But I’ll never be good enough, will I? I won’t be a John Warner.”
She reached for him. Holding up his hands, he backed away from her.
“Riordan, how could you think that after last night?”
“Save it, Meeks. Last night, you asked me to let you in and against my better judgment, I did.” He gave a bitter laugh. “It looks like I should’ve trusted my gut after all.”
Guilt knifed through her middle, sharp and twisted. She had begged him to let her in. He’d given her his rare and delicate trust and she’d tossed it back in his face.
“Riordan, trust has nothing to do with my decision.”
Glaring at her, he said, “The hell it doesn’t. You told me you wanted to help me. You told me you weren’t a runner. You told me, with your body, you wanted me.”
Heat suffused her face.
He opened her office door. “You lied. Plain and simple.” He lowered his voice. “Last night was fun, Meeks. You excited the hell out of me.”
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. The bastard. He knew Josie sat in the reception area.
“How dare you-?”
“No, Meeks. How dare
you
.”
“Well, if it isn’t the new bi-
poler
agent.”
Aidan Monroe grinned at Riordan, Tristan Jacobs and Dar Naylor on his tail. It was the first day he could have visitors after the installation of his new enhancements. His D.I.R.E. hospital room resembled Grand Central Station.
Not only had his new teammates stopped in to see him, Clint Robinson had come by to take a look at his new armbands. Doug, one of Clint’s assistants, stood across the room beside a steel cart filled with magnetic objects.
The circus was about to begin.
His new hands could create a north and south magnetic pole, allowing him to attract, repel and bend any ferrous materials he chose.
Leave it to the ex-girlfriend’s main squeeze to take a jab at him.
Holding out his hand toward the cart, Riordan concentrated on a large wrench sitting on top. It rose and hovered above the cart, causing Doug’s eyes to widen. It shot past Aidan’s head and into Riordan’s outstretched hand. Aidan’s gaze darted to him.
“You were saying?” Riordan gave him a wily grin.
“Holy shit.” Dar’s eyes were as wide as Doug’s a moment before.
“You’ve been practicing.” Eyebrows high on his forehead, Clint smiled as he checked the areas on Riordan’s forearms where his armbands fused into his central nervous system.
Riordan nodded toward the drawer of his bedside table. “Yeah, I think the cafeteria’s going to need more flatware.”
Tristan went to the bedside table and opened the drawer. Riordan knew at least fifty or so pieces of mangled and twisted flatware lay in the drawer.
“Damn, looks like pizza and burgers in the cafeteria for a while,” Tristan said.
Aidan’s voice held a teasing lilt. “I’ve only seen shit like that in movies where people are possessed. We may need to call in a parapsychologist… or a priest.”
“I heard he’s seeing a smokin’ psychologist already.” Leaning his forearms on the bedside table, Dar snatched a strawberry from a bowl and popped it into his mouth. “From the way Rose talks, she’s sweet enough to cure him.”
Betrayal warred with melancholy inside Riordan. It’d been three days since he walked out of Natalie’s office. He’d missed her every freaking second, which irritated the shit out of him. How that could happen when he’d spent less than a week with her, went beyond his understanding.
He should’ve known better than to trust her. The need, the desire to trust her had felt so strong that he’d given into the temptation. He’d told himself that she was different. That he lived in a new world now, where people –
she
- could be trusted.
Instead, she’d proven his old beliefs valid. He could trust no one but himself.
“The senator’s daughter didn’t want to have anything to do with the likes of me, Naylor.”
Tristan raised his head from where he studied the computer screen on one of Riordan’s armbands. “What do you mean ‘the likes of you’? You’re part of this elite team now, Saint. I’d like to see her top that.”
Riordan swallowed hard. Now, he had to learn to trust the men standing before him. Trained agents that would have his back regardless of the circumstances.
He knew he’d have their backs in any given situation. However, try as he might to believe it, he needed proof of their loyalty.
Mitchell walked in, phone in hand. “I gave Saint strict orders to leave Natalie alone.”
A chorus of groans echoed in the room.
“What?” Mitchell held up his hands.
Aidan crossed his arms over his chest. “Mitchell, you told every one of us to stay away from the woman we’re now engaged to.” His gaze went to Riordan. “Just ignore him, Saint.”
Mitchell glared at Monroe before his gaze shot to Riordan. “You’d damn well better listen to me. Her father is a senator. That’s an entirely different animal from these clowns. They’re lucky the girls settled for them.”
Good-natured grumbling surrounded him.
“Why
is
it different, Mitchell?” Riordan blurted it before he realized his brain had acted.
Lowering his phone, Mitchell gave him a laser-sharp stare. “Because he can cause trouble for you.”
Pulling in his lips over his teeth, he nodded. “Like he has in the past?”
Mitchell crossed his arms over his chest. “Has he?”
Riordan shrugged. “Natalie said he told her I was dangerous. I’m just wondering how he knew that. Sure, I worked for Naylor but, I work for you now. Doesn’t he trust your judgment?”
After a long moment, Riordan realized he’d get no response.
Dammit.
“Okay, Saint,” Clint said. “Let’s give this a try.” Backing away to give Riordan room to rise, Clint motioned for the others to step back against the wall.
Clint nodded at Riordan’s hand. “Lay the wrench on the bed.”
Riordan set it on the mattress, at his fingertips.
Nodding, Clint said, “I want you to hold your hand above it and make it hover between you and the bed.”
Where the other agent’s systems involved their bloodstream, Riordan’s system only tied into his central nervous system. His solid hydrogen energy source powered a control module integrated with his magnetic hands to read his brain activity. Whatever he thought, it happened.
Concentrating on the wrench, he lifted it off the bed with ease.
Clint gave him a big grin. “Great. Okay, turn it to hover vertically in the air.”
Raising his palm face out, the wrench followed it to hover inches in front of his hand.
Clint motioned for everyone to press against the walls again. “Now, I want you to repel it across the room.”
Glancing toward his teammates, gave an arrogant grin. “Don’t try this at home, kids.”
Shoving out his hand to arm’s length, the wrench shot across the room and lodged into the sheetrock wall.
“Damn…” Tristan gave him a fist bump.
“Impressive control. Excellent.” Clint grabbed the wrench from the hole in the wall and set it on the bed. “I had anticipated a large learning curve with this enhancement but you’re already beyond my expectations.”
Mind control had been the only thing he could work on while he lived in solitary. He’d learned to ignore pain, to remain silent when others screamed, to not… feel.
That’s why this
feeling
of melancholy over Natalie Meeks irked him. She’d gotten beyond his devices, his defenses, despite his work to the contrary.
Aidan said, “Now, if he could only control the other brain.”
Dar laughed. “Hell, Monroe, he said the doc didn’t want to have anything to do with him. The only thing he’s got to control now is how cold his shower water flows.”
Riordan couldn’t help getting in his own jab at Monroe. “Monroe knows my control is damned impressive, isn’t that right?”
When Riordan dated Cass, she’d been a fragile, terrified woman. He’d had to take things slow with her and never had the chance to sleep with her before he’d left.
She’d been a virgin when she met Aidan.
“That had to be how you earned the name Saint.” Aidan gave him a knowing grin.
Tristan laughed aloud. “So, how powerful is he, Robinson? Can he move buildings, cars…?”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Time will tell, Tristan. Realistically, I would say he’s only as strong as what his body weight can sustain. Right now, he can bench three fifty so he could control something that heavy.”
Glancing at each of them, Clint held up a finger. “However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could sustain a force much greater. While his hands are limitless, it all depends on the structural integrity of his bones and muscles. That’s why his physical fitness is so important.”
He grinned. “Then again, if Saint wanted a crutch, he could always stand against a brick wall. His body could use that support to control something that much larger.”
Aidan whistled low as he glanced at Riordan. “Damn, that’s impressive, Clint.”
Pride shown in the scientist’s eyes. He elbowed Riordan. “Let’s see how you do scaling a wall.”
Dar dropped his arms to his sides. “He can climb a wall?”
Clint nodded. “If the structure is built with steel beams, he can climb along the beams.”
“Damn, Saint,” Tristan said, with a shake of his head, “That could come in handy.”
Riordan followed Clint to the door, anxious to climb himself.
“Holy shit, Saint.” Aidan’s exclamation stopped him in the doorway.
He turned around. His teammates’ gazes all fell on his scarred back. The whippings and beatings were something he didn’t want to discuss. He just wanted to move ahead and show them all he could do this.
Making light of the situation, he said, “Yeah, I’ve got the baddest tattoo, by far.”
Clint had taken a picture for him. It contained a cluster of three atoms – neodymium, iron and boron. A spherical magnetic field hovered behind them.
Dar said, “Like hell, Saint. My clock is the ultimate.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Aidan said, as they walked down the hall to the elevator. “Everyone knows lightning is universal for cool and dangerous.”
“And everyone knows the lot of you are full of shit,” Mitchell said, as he stopped in front of the elevator. “Before Saint goes playing
Spiderman
, I want to update him on his identity, and it’s something all of you need to hear.”
Dammit, was nothing private around there?
Mitchell gave him a bored stare. “And, before you get your panties in a wad, Saint, you’re part of this team now. Nothing’s private amongst us.”
Damned mind reader. Riordan had to get used to the idea of a team. Even though he’d been part of Naylor’s squad of agents, he’d always worked alone. Less liability, more predictability.
Riordan glanced around at his teammates. “So, I take it they’ve read my file?”
“Yes, we have,” Tristan said. “Finding out who paid Naylor to send you away is a top priority. As long as they’re out there, you’re vulnerable. That makes
us
vulnerable.”
A foreign sense of pride washed through Riordan, swelling his chest. He’d never known the strength of a team. With their combined super powers, maybe they
were
virtually unstoppable.
“Have you questioned Rose?” Riordan said, his gut twisting.
Mitchell studied his phone before he looked up. “I told you, Rose knows nothing. After you went missing, he did his own investigation on your disappearance. When Naylor told him to stop digging, he came to me and asked if I wanted a double agent.”
Shock resounded through Riordan. He looked to Dar for confirmation.
He nodded. “Rose fed him information from the beginning, Saint. D.I.R.E. always had the upper hand – even before Clint’s enhancements. Rose has been part of the agency’s success from the get go.”
Riordan gave a dawning grin. “That’s how you knew about my intel on Robinson’s radiated heat research.”
Clint gave him a narrow-eyed glare.
“Speaking of heat,” Riordan said, “Meeks had John Warner in her office when I stopped by the other day.”
Mitchell stared at him with raised brows. “And...?”
Riordan held out his hands like he cradled a coffee cup. “He took her coffee cup in his hands and heated it.”
“So?” Aidan said.
Glancing at his teammate, he looked back at Mitchell. “When I shook his hand, it literally burned me. Her cup was warm, but not hot like his hand. It was like he could control his body temperature.”
Mitchell’s gaze shot to Clint. “Is that possible?”
“Not only is it possible,” Clint said, “but we could be dealing with the person that stole my research. It sounds a lot like my project.”
Riordan nodded. “Either way, John Warner did
something
to burn my hand.”
Clint said, “I don’t doubt it. His brother, Paul, studied at M.I.T. while I attended school there. He hopped from one experiment to another without ever finishing any of them. He had a brilliant mind but could never carry through.”
Tristan frowned, arms crossed over his chest. “With Paul dead, what is John doing now?”
A curl of jealousy bloomed in Riordan’s chest. “Trying to get into Natalie’s pants.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that, Saint,” Mitchell said. “When Paul died, she inherited all of his assets – including his stock in Warner and his position on the board.”
“What?” He lowered his hands to his sides.
Mitchell stared at him with raised brows. “Yes, she and Warner were involved at the time of his death.”
Disbelief rushed through him on a wave of anger. Why hadn’t she said anything? Why hadn’t Mitchell?
“And you hired her to work with me?”
Glaring at him, Mitchell crossed his arms in front of him. “Natalie is not involved in this either, Saint.”
Dar chimed in. “How do you know? Her father’s been known to dip his toe in the illegal pool from time to time.”