Genesis (The Evolutioneers Book 1), page 14
1032 paled under his tan skin. “No, señor.”
“You have two hours, gentlemen. Move it.”
* * *
In October, twilight arrived early in the Northwest, turning the sky a deep purple that matched the somber and dreary mood of base camp. The sullen faces of the few remaining volunteers, and the sobs from Jeremy Monroe’s family, compounded the ache in Crystal’s chest. Between the murdered victim, the avalanche, and the breakdown in the team, the day had been a disaster rivaling the Titanic.
“Oh, crap,” Doc muttered next to her. “Here comes Boudreaux.”
And the fun continued.
Boudreaux stalked across the gravel, his cronies forming a flock of fowl behind him. His brow was drawn in such a fierce scowl that his eyebrows formed a furry awning over his blazing eyes. His teeth were clenched so tight together, Crystal wouldn’t have been surprised if they had ground down to nubs.
Behind her, Max stood strong and silent. An emotionless mask had settled on his features, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
One thing she was certain of was if either man made a smart-ass remark about that stupid bet, she was going to kick them in the nuts. She had had it up to her knit cap with the Y chromosome set.
“I see you finally made it back.” A smug smile tugged at Max’s lip.
The older man leaned forward and sneered. “No one survives an avalanche without a scratch, and how did you find the body so fast? What’s your game? There is something unnatural about you. I don’t know what, but I will find out.”
“Great. In the meantime, I’ll be having a beer.”
Boudreaux took a step closer. “Why was it so important to you to find the kid first? Did you think that it would earn you favors from the punk’s family or the police? Or were you afraid that your girl here would leave you once you failed?”
“That’s it,” Crystal snapped. How dare he trivialize the life and death of an innocent man? “You fucking asshole.”
She leapt for the bastard with fingers curled into claws and red clouding her vision. What she would do to him once she made contact, she hadn’t a clue and frankly didn’t care. But she wanted the man to hurt on the outside as much as she did on the inside.
Max caught her around the waist and pulled her tight against his side. “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear. His hand stroked down her back. “I know. As much as I’d love to see you rip him a new one, I don’t want you to get your hands dirty on this piece of trash.”
Max kept his arm securely around her and turned back to Boudreaux. “I can only guess that you would say such insensitive, asinine things because you have been fortunate enough not to have such a tragedy touch your own life. I know that if one of your children had been found in the bloody, crumpled condition we found that young man in, you wouldn’t be so quick to be an ass. Although I doubt that.”
Crystal blinked back the tears in her eyes and leaned against Max. So he had given some thought about all that was lost on that hillside. That didn’t remove him from her shit list, but it did lessen her anger. Slightly.
Max held his hand out, palm up. “I believe money was discussed earlier. I can let it slide if it will put a crimp in your finances.”
Boudreaux bit off his curse and reached for his backpack. His solid gold pen shimmered in the rising moonlight as he opened his checkbook and began writing. “Who do I make it out to? I’m sure you have a real name, Garan.”
“Just leave that part blank.”
The other man ripped off the check and stretched out his hand. The paper vibrated in his outraged grip. “I’ll be watching you.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll be sure to wear something nice.”
“Motherfucker,” Boudreaux muttered and turned on the toe of his expensive hiking boots and stomped away.
“What is up with that man?” Doc asked.
Crystal sighed. “Classic case of making himself feel better by belittling others. His ex-wife is harassing him for more alimony and his kids are a disappointment.”
“Did you get all of that by reading him?”
“Hell no,” she said with a snort. That would require touching him. “I overheard him on his cell phone during the last search and rescue.”
Lancaster cut across the lot toward them and held out his hand to Max. “Garan, everyone. Are you sure you’re all okay? The pilot said that avalanche looked like it was heading right for you.”
“We’re fine. It wasn’t as bad as it appeared, although it was plenty close enough. I’m sorry we were too late to save Monroe.”
“You tried your best, which is all I can ask.” He removed his hat to rub his palm over his short blond hair and shook his head. “I don’t know how you all do it, but I’m grateful for the work you’ve done. If only you could be so efficient with all of my missing-person cases,” he joked.
“Actually,” Max drawled, “I could have my team take a look, do a little consulting, if that’s all right with you. We’re very good at thinking outside the box.” He handed Lancaster a jet-black business card he pulled from his jacket pocket. A phone number and the word security in big white letters was all of the information the card entailed.
Lancaster twirled the card around twice, the muscles in his jaw twitching as his eyes narrowed with contemplation. “I just may do that.”
“Anytime. We’d like to help where we can.”
The sheriff nodded and left, his gaze still focused on the card in his big hand.
“Excuse me.”
Crystal turned to see Jeremy Monroe’s mother standing a few feet away. Her blonde and gray curls shook with each shuddering breath as she struggled to rein in her tears.
“Thank you. Thank you for helping my boy.”
“Oh, Mrs. Monroe.” Crystal choked as her heart lodged in her throat. “Please, we didn’t do anything. All we did was find him.”
“I know. But at least now we know what happened to him and can give him a proper good-bye.” She wiped her gloved hand at the wetness on her cheeks. “It was the waiting that was so terrible, and you all ended that. Thank you.”
Words failed Crystal. At least aloud. Inside, she wanted to tell this woman that her son died for nothing. That he had been murdered and the ones responsible were alive and well, plotting the downfall of others.
Yeah. And what good would that knowledge do for Mrs. Monroe? Why compound the pain of a mother who could not avenge her child? That was Crystal’s job, it was why she was created. Nothing was more important than helping those who couldn’t help themselves.
“Mrs. Monroe.” Crystal lifted her sunglasses to look the woman in the eye. “My mother was killed years ago and not a day goes by that I wonder if there wasn’t some way I could have prevented it. The guilt of surviving is crushing, and there will be days when you can’t see the light. When you doubt even the existence of light.” She reached out and took Mrs. Monroe’s wool-covered hand. “But you have to remember that there is a light. Jeremy was with friends and he was loved. That’s all we can ask for in life.”
The older woman’s gray eyes filled with more tears but also understanding. She squeezed Crystal’s hand, words she was unable to express caught behind her trembling lips.
Max held out Boudreaux’s check. “Some of us started a collection. It’s not much, but it should help out with some of your expenses.”
Her mouth fell open on a silent gasp. “Is this for real?”
“Yes, ma’am. If you have any trouble, or need anything at all, contact Sheriff Lancaster. He’ll know how to reach us.”
She looked as if she’d argue, but then threw her arms around Max’s shoulders and gripped him tight. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Well, you’re welcome.” Max stood stock still, his arms hanging loose by his sides as he looked toward them for help. When none came, he raised his hands to pat her back with awkward taps. “Don’t remember this as the day Jeremy died, but as a day that he had lived.”
Mrs. Monroe nodded. “I don’t care how weird people say you are. I think you’re all angels.” With a pat on Ripley’s head, she stumbled to the car that was waiting for her.
Crystal sighed, her eyes drifting shut as the turmoil of the day wound down. Her legs trembled from a combination of physical exertion and crashing adrenaline. A hot bath topped her to-do list the moment she returned home. The image was so strong in her mind, she actually felt the heat rising from the water to slide up her back.
Nope. It wasn’t a dream. The warmth came from Max, who wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.
He brushed a finger down her check and under her chin. “We’ll do better the next time.”
Right. Next time. If the afternoon taught her anything, it was that the world was just as dangerous as it was the day before. Maybe even more so.
Resolve straightened her spine and she gave him a curt nod. “Damn straight.”
A touch of sin curled his lips into the sexiest smile. “After I go over the footage from the mission, how about you and I spend some quality time in a nice hot bath?”
“Oh my God,” she groaned and shoved against his chest. Now he was invading her fantasies, too? “Absolutely not.”
He tightened his hold as she tried to pull away. The laser-like bead of his troubled gaze burned her through his dark lenses. “Why do you fight me? I just want to be with you.”
“Your impulsive actions put the team in jeopardy. You promised that we were in this together, and at the first opportunity you risked our safety and the mission.”
“You’re right.”
“And another thing—Wait, what?” The head of steam she was gathering dissipated in confusion. “What did you say?”
He smiled with contrition and resumed stroking her cheek. “You’re right. I risked the team. I risked you. I’m sorry.”
“Oh.”
Great, just great. How could she ream him out when he gazed at her with such sincerity? “Well, you should be sorry.”
He moved his thumb to caress her lips. “Crystal, we needed those details on Madden’s hideout. Every scrap of evidence we gather can be used to save millions of lives. I’m sorry that I leapt before I looked, but I don’t regret doing it. I promise that I will be more careful in the future. Count on it.”
Her lips tingled as he continued his soft touches. In her soul, a battle between her wants versus her needs waged for supremacy. She wanted to kiss away the frown from his lips and rediscover his taste, but she needed to remain aloof and professional. Giving in now would feel so good—now. Tomorrow, she might live to regret it.
“We should be getting back to headquarters.” The rasp in her voice betrayed the cool unaffected tone she strove for.
His nostrils flared with exasperation. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. We have work to do. Let’s leave it at that.”
This time when she pulled away, he let her go. “You are afraid. I don’t know what of, but you know you can trust me.”
“Can I? After today, I don’t know.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Nice block, Crystal. Do it again,” Chase commanded, then swung his staff at her head.
She parried with her own stick. Wood clapped against wood, reverberating in waves into her palms. A quick feint to his head followed with a sweeping kick to his legs knocked them out from under him and sent him sprawling to the mat on his ass.
He blinked up at her from the ground with a gaze caught between impressed and surprise. “Whoa. Well done.” He jumped back on his feet and shook his dark hair back into place. “Again.”
Crystal nodded and wiped the sweat from her eyes with the back of her hand. Couldn’t the little shit even pretend to look winded? She blew the lock of hair that escaped her ponytail out of her eye then braced her feet for his attack. “Bring it, pretty boy.”
Well, she had asked for his help in building her fighting skills and increasing her stamina, after all. After the Monroe fiasco, she was even more determined to be able to pull her weight when they went out on their missions. If that meant having Chase kick her ass every day, so be it.
Those once-a-week kickboxing and self-defense classes she had taken over the years had laid the foundation, but after one lesson under Chase’s tutelage, it was abundantly clear there was a lot she had to learn. It was the hardest she had ever worked, but the results were well worth it. She had lost twenty pounds since coming to the mountain, and toned her belly and the wiggle under her arms. She was growing faster, stronger, sharper.
“Man, Crystal. You’re a fast learner,” Chase praised when she took him down again with a roundhouse kick to his chest.
He took a sip of water then wiped his forehead with the bottom of his T-shirt, exposing his six-pack abs. Just because he had immeasurable strength and agility didn’t mean he slacked off on honing the weapon that was his body to perfection.
Crystal squirted some water from a bottle on her face then wiped it dry with a hand towel.
“Come on, kid.” She kicked at Chase’s foot, anxious to lose herself in the fight. It was the only time her mind went completely blank, leaving behind thoughts of him. “One more round.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Damn, girl, you don’t know when to quit. I like that in a woman.”
“Less talking, more fighting.” She twirled the staff from one hand to the other then rolled her shoulders, balancing her weight on the balls of her feet. She reached out with her third eye, searching the ether for an advantage.
After that cougar attacked her in Portland, she noticed her visions were coming faster and more frequently. Doc Kelly’s connection that adrenaline caused by physical pain heightened their powers explained why Crystal’s abilities had been so limited from the get-go.
Her ability to call upon the future was getting better, but was far from perfect. This workout session was about experimenting with that power. She might not be able to see exactly how the match would play out, but it was possible that she’d be able to pull a thread from time, anticipate his moves, and hopefully counter them.
No, she corrected. She would counter them.
With a quirk of his lips and a squint of his eyes, the battle began.
Chase swung first, aiming low to take out her tiring legs. The staffs clacked like blasts from a shotgun, echoing in the room as she blocked each swing.
From day one, her staff had become like another appendage to her. Guns could run out of ammo, and the recoil and loud pop was a dark reminder that she was preparing to take a life—a notion that disturbed her far too much. Knives required a person to get too close in order to wield them properly, although she did carry one in her waistband just in case.
But a staff, oh… Anything could be used as a staff: a baseball bat, a two-by-four, a dismembered limb.
Chase grunted when she connected a blow to his solar plexus, then spun away with a roundhouse kick that whipped the end of her ponytail.
“That stare you’re developing is pretty menacing.” He grunted and blocked a blow to his head that was more forceful than simple sparring. He was confident enough in his speed to keep that pretty face of his safe, and he told her never to pull her punches. “Cold. Emotionless. Very effective.”
“Thank you,” she murmured then ducked his swing.
A flicker winked in her vision, a flash of an image of him attempting to sweep her legs before using his speed to come up behind her.
A second later, Chase swung at her legs. She jumped over his stick then immediately thrust her staff directly behind her. He doubled over and fell to the ground, holding his gut.
“Jesus, Crystal!” he grunted. “How did you do that?” He rolled on his back like a turtle flipped over on its shell.
“Vision. Saw you move before you actually did,” she panted and held out her hand.
“That was awesome.” He took her offer to help him to his feet. “Hurts like a mother, but that was totally cool.”
For the first time that day, she grinned. It meant a lot for her to be able to keep up with the boys and earn her place on the squad. And Chase was more than likely to give a sarcastic quip than unwarranted praise. He truly was impressed. “I’ve had a good teacher. Just think how I’ll do with more training.”
“Lethal. Absolutely deadly. They won’t see you coming.” He walked to the cabinet and placed his staff on the shelf. “Same time tomorrow?”
“Yep.”
“Excellent. I’m hitting the shower. See ya.” He jogged out of the room.
Crystal sighed. Was there ever a time when she had been so youthful? Sometimes, it felt as if she had been born old.
Her back hurt, her muscles burned, even her joints ached. But it was all good. All of those aches and pains meant progress, improvement. Even if she was tempted to crawl the entire way to her room.
To ease some of the tension in her body, she bent over and stretched her back and legs, then reached up to the sky, releasing a groan that came from her toes.
“I’m seriously impressed with your skills.”
Max stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips. A lock of hair hung in his eyes that her fingers were dying to push back.
He too had gained some muscle in the last few months. With Ripley in the house, the two of them competed over everything from who could stuff the most mini doughnuts in their mouth at once to who could bench the most weight without using their powers.
And now those muscles were displayed in all of their manly glory in a gray cotton T-shirt that stretched across his shoulders and bulging biceps. The ripple of his abs made a faint impression through the material tucked neatly into his black jeans.
Her throat tightened as her tongue swelled in her mouth, hungry for a taste of him. Talk about lethal, the man could make the most jaded prostitute pay him for the chance to bed him.
And with that thought, she threw up a mental wall between her head and the rest of her body.
