She wanted his touch badly, wanted his strong arms encircling her in a comforting embrace that promised all would be well.
I want to kiss you again, just like before, when we made love until we were both sweaty and exhausted and spent, and then did it all over again, he said hoarsely.
Her gaze lifted to the silky strands of his hair shed loved to run her fingers through. Sam stroked a single finger down her right cheek. Holding her hands out like a shield, Kelly stepped back. This hurt so much. I cant, Sam. Please. Her voice cracked. Dont do this. We have too much between us. Let me have the memories of how it was. Theyre all I have left of us.
The moment shattered. This man had the power to hurt her badly. She had none. And eventually he would hurt her, because they no longer were on the same side.
His broad shoulders stiffened as he turned away. What the hell do you want from me, Kelly?
Take your teammates and find the missing children before the Arcanes kill them. Stop the slaughter before it starts. Not for me, but for the innocents who will get hurt if this goes down.
Ill notify my superior. Curts cool. Hes Mage and I trust him.
Not good enough. I trust you, Sam. Not some military commander whos bound by regulations. You have influence.
My lifes with the team now. Its not just me, Kelly. Its all of my team. I have to follow orders. Cool, clipped words from a man whod turned from fire into ice.
You never did before. You were a maverick, she whispered. What happened?
White bracketed the lines of his full mouth. Your father.
Silence draped between them. Kellys chest felt tight. I cant undo what happened, Sam. I wish I could. All I can do is go forward and try to eliminate future threats.
Sam turned toward the window. You have proof? The email?
Its back at my office. All I have is my word. And what I know. She touched her cheek, still warm from his touch.
Ill do what I can.
The military had entrenched Sam in order and discipline. A knife twisted inside her heart. Her former lover was distant and aloof, as if theyd never known each other.
Thank you, she said quietly. Its a risk for you, and I appreciate it.
Sam stared out the kitchen window. If this is running as deep as you say, youre walking into a minefield. They labeled you a child snatcher and broadcast your photo. Perfect fodder to draw away attention from the real threat. Its standard battle strategy. Your enemy finds a weak spot and strikes.
A terrible suspicion surfaced. Can I use your computer?
The paneled, elegant study featured an array of complicated electronic equipment. After Sam powered up the PC, Kelly pulled up the Facebook page for Sight Finders. Her throat went dry as sand. Sam bent over to see the screen and muttered a curse.
They didnt waste time.
Postings on the wall included hateful messages claiming Kellys nonprofit was a front for child smuggling. She turned away, sucked in a trembling breath and fumbled for her cell.
Carl, her director, was brief. Jesus, Kelly, theyve launched a war against us. The whole damn government is seizing our files, taking our hard drives, saying were child traffickers.
He lowered his voice. They took your laptop. They claim our office in Honduras is a front for smuggling children and selling them.
Her mouth dry, she managed to ask, Did you get an IP address on the anonymous email?
Some internet café in D.C. I locked away the hard copy of the email. But what does it matter? No one will believe us.
Heart pounding, she spat out the emergency phrase. The wolfs in the barn.
Carl would alert the others, and theyd go deep underground.
She thumbed off the phone and looked at Sam. Got a disposal in that nice kitchen of yours? I have to get rid of this phone before they use it to track me down.
Sam took the cell, flipped it into the fireplace and flung out his hands. A burst of white energy shattered the phone and ignited the logs.
She gave a shaky grin. A fire. Very cozy and romantic. Wish I could stay, but Im afraid if they find me here, itll ruin the mood.
Sam followed her into the kitchen as she grabbed her pack. Im the target of a witch hunt.
No, youre the target of a Mage hunt. He rubbed a hand over his chin, lines of tension bracketing his mouth. Look, Kel, lie low. Stay out of sight.
I promised my team Id get those kids out of Honduras. I wont break a promise.
Sam touched her cheek. I dont break promises, either. And I made one to you, long ago. Ill do whatever I can to keep you safe, Kelly Denning. You know what theyll do to you.
His jaw tensed to granite.
She knew what he meant. The gray, lonely asylum where many Arcanes had been confined...those thought to be seditious and deemed a danger to Mage society. Locked away behind bars...
Never. Ill die first.
Your team can save them, Sam. Talk to your commander, have him send a team of SEALs to rescue the children.
His expression shuttered. Hed have to go through proper channels and first determine Elemental children are missing.
Red tape, delays. It would take too long.
There are rules. We have to work within the system. Sam lightly gripped her shoulders. Im more concerned about you.
She was alone. Kellys throat tightened.
I dont need you to take care of me. I need you to convince your superiors of the truth.
Someone banged hard on the front door. Kelly jumped. Blue and red lights flashed outside, stroking over the bushes and the house next door. He muttered a curse.
I knew Tom wouldnt let this go.
Another hard pounding. Chief Shaymore, open up, a deep voice called out. Im with the security division of the Council of Mages. We need to question you about Kelly Denning.
Sam snagged a set of keys from a peg in the kitchen. Ill hold them off. Take the trail in the woods out back. It leads to a side road. We have a car stashed for emergencies. Get on the interstate and dont stop. Stay at a friends house and stay low until the political burn wears off.
She took the keys, her fingers brushing his. Thanks, Sam. But you know I cant stay low. If you wont help me, Ill go it alone to Honduras. If theres a chance theyre still alive, Ill take it.
He turned away, his broad shoulders a brick wall. Dont leave the country, Kelly. Because if they send me after you, I will be forced to do what I must.
A man filled with resolve, his deep voice stating every word with hard conviction. Kelly drew in a breath.
Stay safe, Sam. The knife in her heart twisted hard. Dont come after me unless you plan to help. Because I will be forced to do what I must.
As he went to the front door, she slipped out the back, heading into the cover of night. Putting distance between the man shed once loved fiercely, and feeling the aching regret that theyd lost something precious and wonderful. She wouldnt make that mistake twice.
Never again.
Chapter 5
Leaving the country when you were a suspected kidnapper was easy enough, if you were a Mage who could shape-shift.
Homeland Security took a look at her fake passport, glanced at the gray-haired woman with the sour face, and nodded her through. No Mages stalked her. The flight was uneventful, aside from the landing. Years of travel to Honduras had conditioned her to the wild corkscrew landings the skilled pilots executed to avoid the rugged mountains ringing Tegucigalpa.
After getting her luggage from the crowded carousel, she headed for the restroom and used magick to change back her appearance.
Kelly inserted the international SIM card shed bought into her cell phone and made a call to the Council of Mages. A bored man answered.
This is Kelly Denning. Im in Honduras. Tell those stuffed shirts if they want me, theyll have to get off their fat butts and find me.
Envisioning his stunned look, she laughed and thumbed off the connection.
When Sams team arrived, shed convince them to find the missing children. The SEALs stood as the only neutral force able to stop a full-scale war between Elementals and Arcanes.
Risking her life was worth it to save those of her people, and Sams.
Weighing the cell in her palm, she considered the gamble. What if they simply chose to haul her back to the States? Brought her into Mage custody, where shed suffer an accident? Oops, didnt mean to discharge enough power to fry a city block.
Sam wouldnt allow it. Another gamble.
Nausea boiled in her throat. Once hed been insouciant and spontaneous. Now hed turned into a man she no longer recognized.
A blast of humid air encased her as she went outside. The warm breeze ruffled her turquoise silk shirt and teased tendrils of hair escaping her ponytail. Kelly flagged down a cab and gave precise directions in Spanish.
The black-haired driver looked at her. Señorita? You sure you want that house, that neighborhood?
Positive.
As he pulled into traffic, he glanced in the mirror, his dark gaze somber. It is dangerous there. Even for one filled with magick.
Kelly went still. The driver pulled down his shirt collar. His skin had been branded with a dark red circle with a slash through it.
The mark of an Arcane branded for subversion.
Youre one of us, the driver whispered. I sensed it when you asked to visit that neighborhood. Many Arcanes live there.
Not letting down her guard, she shrugged. I know someone there. A friend.
You are one of us.
At a red light, he turned. You need not be afraid. Are you here to find refuge? Many of our people have moved here to hide.
Im here to visit a friend, she repeated.
The mans mouth flattened. Elementals have pushed our people into dark and dangerous corners. No place is safe from their influence. One day we will be free from their kind, and they will know the same suffering they forced upon us.
Seditious talk, the type that landed Arcanes in prison. She hesitated.
Its misguided to judge an entire race by the actions of a few and ignore the ones who are kind, good and courageous.
The driver snorted. All Elementals are bloodsucking scum who think themselves superior. They demean us because we have no power. But they are fools, for some of us are more powerful than they realize.
True. Kelly fingered the triskele, feeling the metal warm beneath her touch.
Buildings passed by in a blur as her heart pounded hard against her chest. Headed into heartache again. She knew what shed find. Rubbing a spot on the window, she stared outside, seeing nothing.