Hearts Out of Time (19 page)

Chapter 19

Tracy found she couldn’t move. A blinding thought stabbed her as she stared at the instrument of death. She’d never feel Garrett’s weight on her body, never feel him rock-hard inside her again. Frozen to the bone, she wanted to rebel against the certainty of it, at the same time plagued by her own helplessness and mortality.

Before anyone could move, a white blur struck Iago, sending them both sprawling in the hallway. The grenade clattered out of reach.

Propelled by the force of the impact, White Fur skidded on the tiles and hit his head against the back wall. Iago stood up like a Jack-in-the-box, unhurt and disgruntled, and rushed out the front door.

Inside the house, Tracy dashed to White Fur, Weedon running alongside her. The animal whimpered, dizzy but unharmed. Jessica retrieved the grenade to make sure the deadly device did no harm while Garrett and Jake went straight for the busted front door, storming into the street.

The wolfdog was back on his paws when the two men came back a few minutes later, empty-handed.

“Goddam it, this whole business is so infuriating. But I swear I’ll get that swine. No matter what, I’ll get him.”

Tracy clasped her hands as much from worry as from standing in the drafty hallway. If Iago was on the loose and still looking for revenge, he might be back anytime. Damn this stupid world. Taking her father to their twenty-first century San Francisco seemed more and more like the best move.

She rounded on the gunslinger. “What happened, Jake?”

“He got away. He had his horse waiting down the street. There’s no way we can catch up with him.”

“No reason whatsoever to be concerned, Tracy,” Garrett said calmly. “He won’t return this night, and I shall have that door guarded.”

“So what should we do now?” Jessica asked.

With a sharp glance, Garrett moved toward her and slowly pried the grenade from the vampire huntress’ tightened fingers. “First of all, I’ll take care of that explosive if you don’t mind. Then we ought to devise a strategy to retrieve the bracelet as I believe our opponent still has it in his possession.”

Without warning, Jake strode away from them to go to the broken front door. Tracy could still sense his wrath and intense feeling of failure although he had his back to her. His foe had slipped from his grasp, and he’d been unable to put an end to his enemy. The frustration must be killing him.

He turned around, eyes blazing, both hands straying to his holster like any true gunslinger’s might. “Ladies, I swear to you I’ll find him. In the meantime, it would be safer if you went home with your father, Tracy.”

Tracy shook her head. She wasn’t fooled. It was a request as much as a suggestion and she had no claim fighting it.

Using her safety as an excuse, everyone wanted her out of the way, and in spite of their concern, she felt like the whole world turned against her. She nodded, crestfallen but condemned to go along with everybody’s wish.

Then the gunslinger looked at Jessica. “As for you, my dearest, it would be better if you also went back to your father for a while. Garrett, Weedon, and I can take care of that Iago swine.”

“No way, Jake. I’ve almost lost you, I’m not leaving you now. Besides, do you believe I’d be safer chasing Count Dracula?”

Tracy watched as Jake hesitated. She knew that even if Jessica hadn’t made a valid point, she’d have stayed with him anyway. The girl was fierce, stubborn, and she didn’t easily take no for an answer. Would such a woman have heeded Jake’s request if her position had been akin to hers regarding Garrett? Probably not.

The proud vampire huntress obviously didn’t care about dangerous consequences. As things stood, it was her call because she possessed something to be envied most of all: a rightful claim on her man.

A chill ran up her spine when a shriek pierced the night.

Drawn outside by the gruesome scream, they all stared at the empty street, small circles of light pooling under the lampposts.

Tracy shivered as Weedon grabbed at White Fur’s coat and held on to his spooked companion. “What was that?” he asked.

That
was Raphael breaking his promise.

Or, at the very least, overstepping, trampling, and squashing its bounds. Gooseflesh rising on her arms, she figured Iago might miss the following dawn.

They waited, but nothing moved in the dark. The street was as deserted as it had been a minute ago and Weedon broke the silence after a few moments. “I don’t know about you, my friends, but I’ve had enough action for a single day and I’m off to bed. We can always devise a strategy tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I wish you all a good night.”

His farewell sounded like a final sentence, a reminder of her impending departure. Her time in this incredible universe was at an end, and she had to go. She had to leave behind the man she loved.

Living up to his words, Weedon headed toward the staircase, the wolfdog on his heels.

Jake slid an arm around Jessica’s waist and tugged her gently in the same direction. “Goodnight to you all.”

Tracy found her lips wouldn’t move, not even to answer his polite farewell. She pivoted toward Garrett but he avoided her gaze and strode away. Shit, did she cease to exist because he had a talk with her dad?

Left alone, she went upstairs to check on her father with a heavy heart and a lump in her throat. He’d slept through the threat, oblivious of his surroundings. There was no need to disturb him after that point, so she tucked the cover under his chin before going back to her bedroom.

While waiting for the maid to bring her cleaned jeans and sweater, she soaked in the tub, enjoying the hot water encasing her body, letting her thoughts drift away to a happy, happy land where
duties
and
obligations
were nothing but words.

And wasn’t that a fantastic land?

She was just getting out of the bath when the maid knocked on her door. Her clothes were back from the laundry room. Bye-bye nineteenth century wonderful dress, hello modern pants and top.

This dimension wasn’t all that bad after all. Even though fear and danger seemed to lurk at every turn, she’d miss the beautiful gowns, the surprising means of transportation and the awesome feeling to simply watch, listen and breathe in a place no human being should be. Except that Daddy was a genius.

Tracy wrapped a towel about herself. Making servants wait didn’t sit well with her. After stepping out of the bathroom, or wash-down closet, or whatever they called it here, she hurried to the bedroom door.

In her haste to open it, she almost stumbled into the arms of someone who clearly wasn’t the maid. “Garrett? What are you doing here?”

“I believe these are yours.”

“Oh, right.”

He put her folded clothes on the seat of an armchair, careful to avoid looking at her virtually naked body.

Tracy licked her lips, happy to see him in her room, flustered to see him in her room. “Don’t you have a maid?”

Garrett seemed a bit put off by her comment, as much as by her appearance, and she refrained from grinning.

Garrett cleared his throat. “I talked to William before dinner. He said he would use the Everett program to secure the telepods and the labs, so there’s no need to worry about Iago carrying the bracelet.”

“Dad could have told me about that tomorrow.”

Although severe, Garrett’s strange expression made her wonder why he looked embarrassed all of a sudden.

“I know,” he said softly. “I also wished to say a word of farewell.”

“I see.” Obviously, she wasn’t going to happy, happy land. She should have known from the beginning not to fall for a man like him. On the other hand, how could she have guessed things would turn out this way? Regarding his family, Garrett was the archetypal yes-man.

So he’d forget she ever existed and return to his reality of 1899 London, his mouth bursting with
of course, Daddy
and
as you wish, Mummy
. Unless he called them Father and Mother. Yes, that sounded more like it.

Her daydream might have been funny in different circumstances. Right now, it didn’t lift her spirits but instead weighed down her limbs. “All right, Garrett. I’m listening.”

He glanced around the room, appearing to hesitate.

Well, if he didn’t want to be here in the first place, why did he bother coming?

His gaze passed over the bed one more time to finally settle on her. “There are no words to express how much I will miss your bravery, your honesty, and your agreeable companionship—”

“Is that what you call it? Agreeable companionship?”

“I mean to say . . .” He faltered, inhaled, and dropped his gaze to the floor.

She began pacing the room, struck by his insensitivity, indignation bubbling up. Her grip on the towel tightened. “Was it agreeable to you when we were making love like lust bunnies? Was it pleasant enough when you rammed your cock into me?”

He winced at her crude words, his gaze shooting to the ceiling.

Did she shock his sensibilities? Gosh, Lord Burnes’ life was so full of drama.

“I have no desire to hurt you, Tracy. Trust me, I never had. However, my birthright doesn’t allow me to give you what you deserve. If I have caused you any suffering, I beseech your forgiveness.”

“Yeah, like that’s going to do me a whole load of good. Well, I’m sorry, but you won’t have it. And you know what? I don’t care if you think I’m being cheap or spiteful, but I won’t let you off that easily.”

“Spiteful? Lord in heavens, no. You are undoubtedly the worthiest and most admirable woman I’ve ever known. Would you please accept this humble token as a tribute to your greatness? And if you did spare me a thought on occasion, I would deem my sorrow a minor inconvenience.”

“I bet.” Yet she saw plain sincerity on his handsome face.

Palm up, he offered her the pearl necklace she wore on her first night in this strange world. “It belonged to my great-grandmother, given to her by King George. This particular piece has been in my family for over a century.”

Although he told a touching story, she was past listening to fairytales, way past accepting presents as tokens of friendship. She couldn’t take any more talk about honor, integrity, and duty. It was all blah, blah-bitty, blah at this stage. Suddenly suspicious, she looked at the priceless jewel, then at the man wearing nothing but his bathrobe.

“Tell me, Lord Burnes. Did you come here for a goodbye fuck?” As softly as she spoke, his whole body tensed and his gaze glinted at her use of his rightful title.

She thought his eyes would pop out of their sockets.

Face pale, he looked at her as if she’d just spat on someone’s grave. “Your manner of speech is utterly indecent. Of course, I did not come for . . . that. I merely wished to offer you a present.”

Yet she acknowledged the uneven rhythm of his respiration, the quicker rise and fall of his chest, the newfound bulge below his bathrobe belt. She’d shocked and aroused him at the same time.

“You liar,” she cried, “you did come for sex. Damn, I don’t believe this. Don’t give me that crap about presents unless . . .”

Another thought suddenly occurred to her while he remained silent and maintained an offended composure.

She cocked her head. “Do you want me to accept this present?”

“I honestly do.”

Good. She purposefully straightened her shoulders and folded her arms over the towel, her breasts almost bursting out. “Okay, in that case . . . Convince me.”

“How do you suggest this is to be achieved?”

“You’re a big boy. Think outside the box.” She needed to test the truthfulness of his feelings. She was flirting all right, and praying he wouldn’t fall for her bare charms.

Like an open book now, his face switched between plain misery and uplifted elation. “I should not say what I am about to say. Lord, forgive me.”

Tracy knew he was battling with himself, torn between morality and temptation.

Eyes wide, his deliberate slowness inducing her to listen to his each and every word, he stared at her. “You are an extraordinary person, Tracy. I’m not at liberty to pledge myself to you, nonetheless I wish my motives were free from confusion. I can be silent no longer.”

“Speak up then.” Her belly writhed, her lungs expanded.

She stayed motionless as he took a deep breath, his dark, intense gaze boring into hers. “I long for your embrace, your warmth, and your gentleness. I crave your touch. Your body, your mind, your words move me. I fear I’m not capable of expressing the depth of my emotion, for I have never known such a feeling and never will again. As much as I’ve striven to remain detached, my heart and my soul belong to you, now and forever.”

His confession touched her beyond anything she’d ever known, his words burning her soul, consuming her heart. She let go of her strict hold on her emotions and let tears roll down her cheeks. “I love you, Garrett.”

“Don’t cry, my lady.”

He produced a white hanky from his pocket and held it out in a wobbling hand, like a shield on a front-line soldier.

She accepted it. “Thank you.”

“I deeply desire to embrace and comfort you. Sadly, I can step no nearer, else I shall forget myself.”

She knew what he meant. But, by God and all his saints, if Heaven was set on depriving her of this man, then she would go to Hell with him. Her throat working, she closed the distance between them. “Tonight you’re not a lord, and I belong to you. Shall we forget ourselves?”

He removed his robe.