Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(75)
Author: Gena Showalter

"Know where I can find him? " I would not be left out. I was going to help with this case, damn it!

"He’s interrogating Memory Man, I think. I can’t believe you guys caught him. Good going!" Tanner gave my back a slap of approval.

"What!" I threw my legs over the mattress and stood. "Jean-Luc is here? No one told me. Damn it, someone should have told me. Where are they?"

"Belle."

Rome’s deep voice suddenly filled the room.

Fury leaping inside my chest, desperate to escape, I looked around and found him standing in the doorway. I fisted my hands on my hips. "How long have you had him?" A muscle ticked under his eye, a clear sign he didn’t want to answer. "Moment he left us alone last night, I had agents on him. First I wasn’t sure who he was, so I was being cautious and merely had them knock him out. When you finally admitted his identity, I had his ass thrown in a cage. Then, since I knew we would be here eventually, I had him brought here, as well." Right away, then. "He helped you!"

"Wait a second," Tanner said, clearly confused. "We like Memory Man now?"

"Yes," I shouted as Rome said, "Hell, no."

Rome continued, "He’s not leaving until he returns my memories." I turned to Tanner. "Take me to him. Please."

"Like I know where he is," Tanner said, holding up his free hand, palm out.

"I’ll find him on my own, then." I stomped down the hall to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and back-to-normal-color hair and stomped back to the bedroom. Tanner and Elaine were exactly as I’d left them, watching me wide-eyed.

Rome was where I’d left him, too, but he was studying me through narrowed eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. Stubborn man.

"Be ready to roll in half an hour," I told them. "Now that the gang’s all here, we’ll be going to get Sherridan and Lexis."

Took me half of that time, Rome on my tail and silent, unhelpful, but I finally found Jean-Luc in an underground holding facility. I studied him through the small window in the door. He lay on a stiff, uncomfortable-looking cot, the room’s only furniture.

"Do you…care about him?" Rome asked at my side.

I ran a fingertip over the glass, leaving a smudge. "He’s not a bad guy. Just confused and lonely."

"And you’re too damn softhearted."

I gazed up at him through the dark spikes of my lashes. "That’s a bad thing?"

"When you’re wanting to release hardened criminals, yes."

Hardened criminals? Ha! "First, I was making progress with him. By doing this to him, you just ruined everything I’d already achieved. Second, I wasn’t wrong about Elaine, now was I? Third, Jean-Luc has saved my life and helped me on several occasions. He makes me feel loved. Not like I’m excess baggage to be left in bed, sleeping the day away while other agents do my work for me."

"You’re mad about that? I did you a favor, letting you rest."

"Or maybe you just didn’t want to deal with me." I didn’t give him time to respond. "Unlock this goddamn door," I shouted.

A guard came running, but stopped and waited for Rome’s permission. Rome looked at me, teeth clenched, then gave a stiff nod. The door swung open a few seconds later, and I stalked inside.

"Belle." An unfazed Jean-Luc popped to his feet and smiled. "I knew you’d come." That smile faded, though, as his gaze collided with Rome’s.

"Do not approach her," Rome growled.

I elbowed him in the stomach. "I’d like to apologize for what you’ve been through at PSI’s hands. I didn’t know or it wouldn’t have happened." God, I was so mad. So damn mad. The fire was raging inside me, an inferno. Rome’s actions might have set me back months. Took a lot of mental grasping, but I managed to keep every flame inside me. "But I think you know why PSI felt they had to capture you.

Will you return Rome’s memories?"

"No."

See! Before, I’d at least had him thinking about it.

Rome stiffened.

"Will you return them if I torture you?" I asked. "Because I might not have wanted you locked up, but I’m totally prepared to do what’s necessary." There was no way out of this now. This was the road Rome had thrown us on, so this was the road I had to take.

Jean-Luc laughed with genuine humor. "No. There’s no torture you can think of that hasn’t already been done at some point in my past. If I haven’t broken yet, it’s not going to happen." Rome moved toward him, menace in every step, but I threw out my arm. A puny block, but he stopped.

I ran my tongue across the roof of my mouth, my mind racing with options. "What if I traded for them?" Both Jean-Luc and Rome gaped at me. Rome opened his mouth, to yell at me, I’m sure, but Jean-Luc beat him to it.

"Yes." He nodded, his shoulders squared, his arms behind his back. "Yes, I’ll trade you for them." Okay, wow. Easier than I’d anticipated. Maybe Rome hadn’t been wrong to do this, after all. I, too, squared my shoulders. "What do you want?"

"You."

Rome snarled low in his throat, pushing against my arm.

"Stop," I told him, and surprisingly he did. "You can’t have me," I told Jean-Luc, "not the way you mean. But in exchange for Rome’s memories I will give you…three dates." That was Cody’s magic number, not too little, not too much. "Anything beyond that, you’ll have to earn by proving we’re meant to be together."

Not that he could. But as I spoke, I realized I might be setting myself up for failure with Rome…setting myself up to prove Lexis’s prediction that I’d marry Jean-Luc true. I paled, but didn’t take back my words. This was too important. "Oh, and one more thing. You’ll have to do all of this without the memories. You hand them over first, or no dates. If you can’t win me on your own…" Rome hissed through his teeth. "What are you doing, Belle?" Jean-Luc’s hands fisted, but he said, "Fine. I’ll date you without the memories."

"Who knows? Maybe you’ll stop loving me the moment you lose them. You may not even want to go on one date."

"I’ll still want you," Jean-Luc assured me. "I’ll still want the dates." I nodded, though inside I was trembling violently. "Then three dates it is."

"Are you still engaged?" he asked, eyes falling to my hand.

"Nope," I said, and I couldn’t hide the wistfulness in my tone. The ring was still there. I needed to take it off soon. "Not officially."

"Belle." It was another warning from Rome.

I continued, "I lied – there’s still one more thing. Since we’re all a happy family now, willing to help each other, we’d like your help stopping Desert Bitch." Once I’d thought having him at PSI would be a nightmare. No longer. We needed all the help we could get.