Untamed (6 page)

She spun around and frowned. “My financial problems won’t affect my ability to fight, Brody.”

“Just conjure the money, like you do pizza and condoms and handcuffs.” Brody glanced at the bedpost before turning back to her. The thought of cuffing the sexy kitten to the bed aroused him. The crotch of his jeans tightened.

“I don’t use my gift for that…Every penny I’ve ever earned has been the hard way.”

Brody laced his fingers over his stomach and let out a sigh. “Okay…if you won’t conjure the money...” He shrugged his shoulder. “Then still, no problem. The unit has money, and if they won’t pay for it, then I will.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I’m not taking your money! Or the
irs! I’m not some charity case.”

He stood
, walked around the end of the bed and took both of her hands into his. “Tara, don’t worry. We’ll work all of this out. Just promise me you aren’t going anywhere tonight.” Brody glanced over his shoulder back to the bed. “Although….maybe it would be a good idea if I spend the night, just to make sure you don’t disappear.” He lifted his brows in quick succession. “You got any of those handcuffs handy?”

Tara pushed against his chest. “Just go home, Brody. I’m not leaving until the morning.”

Brody leaned into her and kissed her cheek. “Try and get some sleep, Tara. It looks like we’re going to have a long day ahead of us.”

Locking the door behind Brody, Tara pulled off the clingy dress, jumped in the shower, scrubbed her face
, and emerged ten minutes later and slid into bed. Her mind was racing with the implications of what she’d learned tonight, not only about her restaurant, but about her Grams as well. She closed her eyes and wished that sleep would suck her under.

Chapter 6

Sleep came in spurts as her mind tried to make sense out of her Gram
s having heart problems. Unable to lie still any longer, she got dressed at six and headed for the gym to work off some of her nervous energy.

She pushed open the door to the gym and paused. Movement at the end of the hall caught her attention. Peter had Veronica pegged up against the wall and was kissing her. Tara might have gone to Veronica’s aid, had Veronica not laced her fingers behind Peter’s neck.
To each his own. He’s your problem now, honey.

Tara
jogged on the treadmill for an hour and had just powered the machine down and grabbed her towel when Gracie came strolling in an hour later. She pulled the ear buds out of her ears. “You’re late. I thought we were going to meet earlier.”

Gracie glowed and grinned. “
I already got my workout out in….the old-fashioned way. Besides, my appointment was pushed back an hour, so I went and visited with Dad first to support you taking a short leave.”

Tara swiped the sweat from her
forehead and moved to the ice chest filled with water bottles. Grabbing a bottle, she pressed it from her overheated cheeks down to her chest. She was happy for Gracie. Hell, her best friend had been through enough, and as much as Tara enjoyed spending time with her, she had a life to get back to that had been put on hold for God knows how long. “Thanks for talking to your dad. I know I can’t be gone long in case of an attack, and I’ll still be coming back…but, this is important to me.”

“You know…since you’re going to be here a bit longer, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to find a better outlet for all your stress. I happen to know of a sexy twin that wouldn’t mind…helping you
exercise
.”

“Not
gonna happen,” Tara said as she walked off to her room to shower and change for the meeting and her trip.

****

Tara bypassed the conference room, hoping to find the General in his office. She needed to explain that she was leaving with or without his permission. She tapped on the door and hoped that Gracie’s talk had helped him to understand.

“Enter.”

The General was on the phone and motioned to a chair before resuming his conversation. “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry to hear that.” The General rubbed his hand over his shiny bald head. “I’ve already been informed of all the problems Tara has had since she came here.” He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

Hanging up the phone, the General squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.

“Please don’t tell me that was my mother.”

He shook his head
. “Not your mother…your grandmother. She insists that you need to go home.” The General leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. “And I agree.” He held up his hand. “I’ll give you two days to get everything in order, but only two days, and you have got to get your butt back here.”

The tension in her shoulders drained. She stood. “Thank you, sir. I’ll get the first flight out.”

The General motioned to the chair. “Have a seat, Tara. I said you can go, but it will be on my terms. Since the day you arrived, Lydia’s vision of the fight with Black was altered. You’re presence isn’t in question. You will be there when we take down Black and with that being said, you’re an integral part of this operation, and I’m concerned about your safety.”

“I’ll be fine. I thought I proved that last night.”

He held up his hand, stopping her mid-sentence. “You proved that you need a partner to watch your back. I’ve already spoken with Brody. After everything that happened last night...”

She propped her hand
s on the back of the chair. “Listen, General, I think it’s time we both lay our cards on the table. I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked without putting up a fight and I did it for Gracie. I put my life on hold and played my part. But, realistically, if you think about it, when I leave Lydia might get a different vision that doesn’t include me at all. If that happens, will you be sending me home or will you still require me to return?” Tara slid back down into the chair and crossed her legs.

The General assessed her with his gaze.

Tara leaned back and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sir…”

“Tara,
Lydia said that you’re here when Black attacks. We can’t risk anything physically happening to you or altering the vision of our success. Until she tells me otherwise, you’re just going to have to trust that I know what’s best.”

“But, sir.”

He shook his head. “You’ll go with an escort or not at all,” he demanded in his stern voice, the kind of voice that warned her against arguing.

She nodded
, pushed herself to her feet, and walked to the door. With her hand on the knob, Tara turned back to the General. She knew the answer to her question before she even asked, but it didn’t stop her from asking. “Who’s my babysitter?”

“Conn
ors.”

Her grip on the knob tightened. She managed to st
eel her voice and not overreact. Her heart was screaming no…but her body was screaming yes at the news that Brody Connors would be accompanying her. “Why him?”

The General crossed his arms over his chest, maybe in defense of her questioning his judgment or
maybe in humor. She didn’t know. “He’s your partner. It will give you two more time to work together. Just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean your training will stop.”

The two of them together, alone in her beach house…
That was just asking for trouble. As much as she didn’t like it, she nodded and walked out of his office, right into Brody’s chest. His hands came up and grabbed her before she fell. They both walked into the conference room and took their seats. Tara was fixated on her own problems. Thoughts of her Gram sat front and center in her mind. Brody had been right. If they’d been attacked while in this meeting, she would have been useless to everyone in attendance.

The General walked in and cleared his throat
. “Let’s get everyone up to speed. As most of you know, we had a situation last night. We’ve brought in several men who attacked Tara.” The General nodded toward Ridge. “As all of you know, Ridge has the ability to pull in other people’s gifts, so we know just what powers we’re dealing with when it comes to those deviants.”

The General sat down. “Now Veronica, the woman who warned Brody about Tara’s situation
… She was cooperative when she gave her statement but she’s refusing to talk about her gifts and she’s a bit more difficult to read.”

Ridge cleared his throat. “I’ve tried to taste what powers she has, but for some reason
, I’m blocked. I can’t access her thoughts or her gifts.”

The General leaned back in his chair. “
One of the deviants from the bar took a swing and hit her in the SUV on the way here…”

Tara gasped and glanced at Brody. His brows were dipped
, and he looked ready to fight those assholes all over again.

“
When she reached the medical staff, her wounds were healing right in front of their eyes. At this point we know she’s gifted. We just don’t know how, and we don’t know if she’s Phantom material.” 

“A self-healer.
That’s pretty impressive.” Brody remarked. “She got the hot’s for me, maybe you should let me try and talk to her.”

“I’ve already heard about
what happened at the bar.” Ridge scowled. “Had you been doing your job, you wouldn’t have had to rely on a vision from Lydia to realize that Tara needed your help.”

Tara’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t need his help. The training Brody and I have been working on kicked in and I was perfectly capable of taking care of it by myself.”
She nudged Brody. “Besides, it looks like you’ve already been replaced. I saw her and Peter fooling around in the hallway this morning.”

The General cleared his throat. “Brody
is your partner and he will be going with you. Brody, go change and pack a bag. You’ll be escorting Tara on her trip home. You two can continue to practice while you’re gone.”

The next hour went by more quickly than she’d expected. Lydia, the resident seer
, wasn’t happy that they were leaving but didn’t complain. She’d had no more altered visions about the upcoming battle. It was still to occur at the compound, but when, was anyone’s guess... and Tara would know… she’d asked as often as a kid would ask when trying to pester a parent for a new toy.

Tara walked past the infirmary. Of all of the people in the entire world
, the one she least expected to see lying on a bed in the infirmary, was the one person who could heal herself. The blonde from the bar was sitting up in a bed as nurses and doctors milled around her, taking blood and trying to make assessments. Lydia was by Veronica’s bed. Lydia looked perplexed and Veronica looked pissed. That was almost the same look she’d given Tara last night. She hadn’t imagined the go-to-hell looks in the bar, yet, on base, she’d arrived as a scared cat that was now showing her claws. Something wasn’t right and, even though Tara needed to leave, she would have to make it a quick trip. A feeling of dread sat heavy in her stomach.

****

Brody was lean
ing back against the SUV, with his eyes shut and his face lifted toward the sun, when Tara walked out of the building. He’d changed his clothes and brushed his hair in the twenty minutes it had taken her to double check her packed bag. Her stomach was tied in knots. She told herself it was from worrying about the restaurant and her Grams, and not the fact that Brody was her escort.

She let the steel door slam behind her. Brody
pulled his sunglasses down from atop his head and covered his eyes. He pushed off the SUV and walked over to her, taking her bag. “All set?”

She nodded and climbed into the passenger seat. She waited for him to get settled behind the wheel. “I’m sorry.”

He glanced at her as he pushed the key into the ignition. “For what, princess?”

“For
you having to babysit me. I tried to explain to the General that I would be fine, but he wouldn’t listen.”

He leaned back in the seat without starting the SUV and turned toward her. His lips w
ere pulled in a fine line. “I would have gone whether he’d ordered me to or not. I’m your partner. That’s what we do.”

She turned toward the window and let out a breath
. He reached for her cheek and turned her head toward him. “We’re in this together….remember?”

Tara searched his face
, looking for answers. She hadn’t meant to let her gaze settle on his lips, but there she was, drawn to the soft flesh. She silently wondered if she kissed him again whether it would be as intense as it had been last night. If he’d enjoyed it as much as she had.

“Partners
,” she whispered and shook her head. “Nothing more.”

He quirked his lips before he leaned across the seat and pressed his l
ips to hers. He lingered and deepened the kiss. The tension eased from her body, and she leaned into him, wanting more. Only then did he pull back and let his lips hover over hers. “Who are you trying to fool? You’re not going to be able to keep your hands off me.”

He stole another quick kiss before righting himself in the seat and turning the key in the SUV.

“Brody…”

He glanced at her and grinned. “Screaming my name, remember?
”

She remained silent and let his words play in her mind as he drove to the airport. She kept her gaze on the tree line with her head pressed against the window
, wondering if maybe he was right. 

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
They arrived at the airport and boarded the commercial flight that would take her home, to the small town on the gulf coast of Florida, where she’d grown up. Iverson City wasn’t a metropolis. Hell, everyone knew everyone within the city limits, including their personal business and the bones hidden in the closets. It hadn’t taken long for neighbors and friends to find out why she’d called off the nuptials. She didn’t want their pity; she didn’t need it. She’d moved on just fine after throwing herself back into her work, not giving herself time to come to terms with Peter’s betrayal.

Once they got a load of her and Brody, the rumors would start flying again. Only this time, she wouldn’t be able to tell the truth. Not many people knew about the phantoms or even knew the compound existed. Trying to explain how Brody was her partner might be a bit more difficult than she thought.