Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(24)
Author: Gena Showalter

"Why? I’ve said worse to her," Tanner replied. "While we were in bed." Rome surprised me; he didn’t lash out over that "in bed" remark.

"I’m just looking out for my family, Tanner," Lexis said softly, no longer smirking or smug. "For my daughter."

Tanner pushed out a disgusted breath. "No, you’re looking out for yourself." Rome’s head tilted to the side. In thought? "Wait a second. You truly dated him?" He faced Lexis. He didn’t appear upset by the knowledge that his ex-wife had dated a much younger man. Maybe because he knew, on some level, that he didn’t love this woman any longer.

"For a little while," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Now isn’t the time to discuss it, though." Now was as good a time as any, so Lexis could suck it. "Don’t you think you should rediscover your past before you work on your future?" I asked him.

Rome scrubbed a hand down his face. "Yes. No." Once again, anger hardened his features. "I don’t know what to think about anything anymore. Okay?"

"He’s about to blow," Tanner muttered. He probably meant the words for me alone, but they echoed through our little circle. "So, uh, why don’t we change the subject as The Great Puppeteer suggested.

Tell us what you learned from that Tobin guy."

A long while passed in silence, time Rome used to clear his expression and soften his body language to give nothing of his emotions away. From seething statue of granite to average citizen with not a care.

Well, as average as a guy like him could look.

"We’ll give you our report at the lunch meeting," he said. "We’ve got a few more people to talk to first, and I want to confirm a few things before they’re bandied about."

"All right." I nodded. That had always been Rome’s style. "Tanner and I should go. We’ve got a few people to interview ourselves."

Rome frowned again, a hint of concern pushing through that blank mask. "Who? And why together?" Was that concern for me? And maybe more of the jealousy I’d sensed earlier? "Elaine Daringer, for starters. And because we work well together."

"Rome." Lexis tugged at his arm impatiently. "We really should finish speaking with Tobin. He’s growing restless."

Rome ignored her. "Elaine is an energy vampire," he told me.

"I know. I read her file." I flicked Lexis a glance. She pinched one of her shirt’s buttons and rolled it back and forth, the motions agitated. Didn’t like the attention I was getting, I supposed.

"Have you ever dealt with an energy vampire before?" Rome asked.

Still talking to me, I realized happily. "No, but I’ve studied the PSI manual and know what to do. She’ll be strapped down and I won’t touch her."

"Besides," Tanner said, his chest puffing up, "Belle will have me. She’ll be fine. Better than fine." That frown grew in intensity. "Let me talk – "

Boom!

Plumes of plaster and rock suddenly bathed the air, debris flying in every direction. Tanner was knocked flat on his ass, part of the wall and window that had exploded pinning him down. Lexis and Rome were propelled to the ground, as well.

Me, well, I was knocked backward and scooped into a viselike grip before I could kiss the tiles.

Tobin had broken through the wall.

A high-pitched alarm screeched to life, echoing all around. When I realized what had happened – and what was happening – I kicked and punched with every ounce of strength I possessed. When that failed to gain my freedom, I jabbed Tobin’s trachea and poked his eyes just like Rome had taught me.

Nothing slowed him; nothing relaxed his grip. He barreled down the halls, past shocked agents, shoving them to the floor and going straight through walls. He didn’t mist, though, a form of teleporting. No, he simply shattered the plaster and wood. The agents would jump to their feet, use their powers or human abilities – a lightning bolt whizzed past, a slew of knives and throwing stars, even a thick, choking smoke that clouded the air – but Tobin dodged everything effortlessly, as though he’d trained for just such a thing.

"Let me go!" Every time he slammed through those planks, I felt as if a thousand fists were punching me.

The impact was compounded as his heavy feet slammed into the floor one after the other, bouncing me up and down. At least I was able to cough some of the smoke out of my lungs. "You’re killing me!"

"Be still," he snarled.

"I will when you tell me where you’re taking me!"

"My friend wants to chat with you, okay, and my friend gets what she wants." She. Desert Gal? Desert Gal’s friend? I increased my struggles. "For God’s sake, if she wanted to talk to me, she could have called me!"

Another wall. More fists, more vibrations. "This way, she can ensure you answer her questions properly."

Great. Torture was on the horizon.

By the sixth wall, I was cut, bleeding and coughing from more than smoke inhalation. I wouldn’t be able to stop him through regular means, I realized. I’d have to use my powers. What should I use, then? Rain?

No, he’d slip but keep running. Fire? No, I might burn the entire building down. Ice?

Yes! Ice. I could freeze him in place. And maybe, just maybe, since Rome, my filter, was in the building, I wouldn’t mess this up and refrigerate the entire city of Atlanta. Come on, Belle. You can do it.

Fear, I needed fear to create ice. I was scared right now, but it was a numbing fear, which meant the emotion was there, it just wasn’t accessible, as though this was simply a dream and I wasn’t really involved. I needed to break through that numbness just like Tobin had broken through those walls.

Okay, so. What scared me so much I couldn’t pretend everything would work out in my favor? The thought of the upcoming torture, for sure. Knives under my nails, fingers removed, ears bitten off. As I thought them, I pictured them happening. A cold mist began to drift through my veins. It was a good start, but not nearly enough to immobilize my captor.

"Don’t kill me," I shouted, hoping that would help. I’d read somewhere that hearing oneself beg for mercy could start a domino effect inside one’s body. Supposedly the sound sparked a terrified tremor and that tremor unleashed a torrent of endorphins. Wait. Endorphins numbed fear. I think. Argh! Things weren’t supposed to be this complicated. I was going to screw this up.

With that last thought, my fear kicked up a notch, the mist solidifying into an icy rain. Oh, excellent!

Failure must frighten me stupid.

"I’m such a failure," I wailed. Another notch.

"Shut up, woman."

"I can’t do anything right." Another notch. Sadly, I couldn’t refute the words. Not only was I facing potential death, but there was a very real possibility that Rome was going to stay with Lexis forever, that I’d lose him, never hold him again.