In Darkness Reborn (15 page)

Barak slowly rose to his feet. He stood a good chance of besting D.J.; maybe even D.J. and Cullen together. Trahern was a different matter, but right now he didn't care. He had to find some outlet for his pent-up anger. If it meant taking a beating, he'd give it his best.

“I'm not going anywhere.” His smile was not friendly.

Trahern spared a glance for Cullen. “Get D.J. under lock and key; then track down Bane and tell him to come pick up the pieces of Laurel's pet Other.”

When Cullen tried to tug D.J. away, the man screamed, “At least let me watch. There's nothing I like better than to watch one of them bleed!”

Barak watched Cullen drag his smaller friend down the hallway. The racket didn't draw a crowd: maybe these men were used to occasional Paladin explosions. When they were safely out of sight, Barak turned his attention to Trahern.

“Shall we?” Barak sneered at the cold-eyed Paladin.

Trahern stared back at him, a faint smile on his lips. “Something's got your tail in a wringer, Other. You've got a temper, but Devlin normally trusts you to keep it under control.” An unholy glee lit up his face. “And I would guess that something is a woman. Lacey Sebastian, maybe?”

That did it. Barak charged Trahern, happy to finally have a target for his frustrations. He managed to get in one good kick, between a couple of Trahern's solid punches, before someone caught him by the collar and yanked backward. He twisted and took his new attacker to the ground with him.

Devlin Bane surged back up to his feet, having rolled clear of Barak. “What in the hell is going on here?”

With a nasty smile, Trahern wiped a drop of blood off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “We found Barak sitting here as if he owned the place. When I asked him what was wrong, he attacked.”

He sidestepped Devlin and offered Barak a hand up off the floor. “Feeling better?”

Barak gave the matter some thought. “As a matter of fact, I am.” Despite the ache in his jaw and the sharp pain in his side.

“Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go help Cullen calm D.J. down.” Before Trahern left the room, he turned back to give Barak a hard look. “This stays between us, Other. Is that clear?”

Barak nodded, staring after Trahern as he walked away. “Does that man ever make sense?”

“About as much as you picking a fight with him right out here where anybody in the organization can see you.” Bane marched into his office, leaving Barak to follow at his own speed. “Now sit down and tell me what's going on.”

If Trahern wasn't going to talk, neither would Barak, not about Lacey. “I came to tell you that someone is showing unusual interest in my business.”

Whatever Devlin had been about to say about the fight was forgotten. “Give me a name.”

“Ben. He didn't give me a last name the one time I met him, but he weighs more than he should and is losing his hair. Evidently he found a reason to work on Dr. Louis's computer. While he was there, he mentioned that you were having me spar with Penn Sebastian.”

“Son of a bitch, how would he even know about that?”

This was the part that Barak didn't want to talk about, but he couldn't risk hiding important information. He debated if it was wise to tell the Paladin leader that it was Penn who had introduced him to Ben. But even if he did, that was no guarantee Penn had mentioned that they would be working together.

No, he'd wait and talk to Penn first. He would accuse no man of wrongdoing until he had proof. It was enough that Devlin had been warned.

“I'm not sure, but I do know that right after I started working with Lacey, he sneaked into the geology lab and shuffled through my papers.”

“You saw him?” Devlin's temper was starting to flare.

“No, I smelled his cologne in the air.”
Tasted
it was a better description, but Devlin was human and might not understand what he meant. “At the time I didn't know who the scent belonged to, but I recognized it when I met him.”

Devlin rocked back in his desk chair and stared at the ceiling. “I'll have one of my men do some checking on the IT section; it shouldn't take long to figure out who he is and what his game is. If he contacts you, play along, but let me know.”

“Fine. Now I need to return to work.”

“And Barak?”

Now what? “Yes?”

“Laurel was really pleased that you accepted our invitation.” Then he looked a bit puzzled. “The whole evening was fun.”

If the man only knew. “It was. Thank you for allowing me to come.”

“Tell Laurel. It was her idea.”

“Yes, but if you had really not wanted me there, she would have invited me to meet her for lunch somewhere. She didn't have to invite me into her home.”

“Yeah, well, get on out of here before D.J. comes back.” The Paladin was probably more at ease with a sword in his hand than accepting a simple thank you.

As Barak returned to the lab, his steps were lighter than they had been all day.

“You look like hell.”

Ben looked up from his sandwich and glared at his superior. “Thanks, that's just what I needed to hear. My boss has already been riding my ass because of some screwups this morning. I can't very well tell him that I was lurking in that Other's parking lot until the wee hours of the morning to see how long Penn Sebastian's younger sister stayed.”

He shuddered as he took another bite of his lunch. After swallowing, he gulped down some of his soft drink to wash away the taste that last night had left in his mouth. “Can you imagine a human girl like her shagging that animal?”

“You saw them?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “No, but judging by the lights that were on, they didn't just stay in the living room.”

The other man's laugh was nasty. “What's the matter, Ben? Jealous?”

The remark made Ben choke on his sandwich. “Hell, no! Even before, she wouldn't have given me a second look. Okay, fine. I'm too old, too bald, too fat. But that she'd stoop to spreading her legs for the likes of him—that's sick.”

“Maybe you should tell your buddy Penn about what you saw.”

The suggestion sounded so reasonable that Ben actually considered the idea. But from what he knew of Penn Sebastian, he was the type to kill the messenger. “No, not yet. I can't prove anything, and he's more likely to believe his sister than me. And I can't imagine her admitting that she'd had a roll in the hay with her brother's enemy.”

“And maybe it was all innocent, too.”

Ben didn't appreciate the sarcasm, but there wasn't much about the man he
did
like. Once he collected the next payment, Ben was going to finally pay off his debts with his bookie and that would be it. No more midnight spying, no more blue stones, no more anything that could get him killed.

His companion reached for the bill. “Well, I had better be going. Lunch is on me.”

Ben hid his surprise with another drink. “Thanks.”

He'd never paid for lunch before, which probably meant he needed Ben to do something dangerous.

“Our benefactors are pressing hard for more information on how much the Paladins know. You've got the best chance of any of us to find out.”

“And just how am I supposed to do that?” Ben didn't care if he sounded pissed. He was.

“Bug their computers, their phones. Put a trace on Bane's or Barak's calls. Figure out something, and damn quick. It isn't just your ass on the line; it's mine, too. And if I go down, you're going with me.”

Then he was gone.

Ben shoved the rest of his lunch away, too unsettled to eat. Maybe he'd call in sick for the rest of the day and go home. After a long nap, maybe he'd come up with some idea of how to save his ass.

But somehow he doubted it.

S
omething has happened to one of the boxes we set up in the tunnels. It's no longer transmitting data.”

Lacey plunked her toolkit down on the counter near Barak. The lab was full of other places where she could have set it down, but she couldn't stand his continued silence much longer without doing something about it.

“So call Devlin and request an escort to go check on it. Maybe Trahern would go. He seemed to like helping you last time.” Barak spun away from her on his stool before walking over to check the latest readings from Mount St. Helens. She glanced at his clipboard. His last numbers were timed only five minutes ago.

She smiled. He wasn't as immune to her presence as he'd like her to think. It was time to crowd him a bit. Moving quickly, she situated herself between Barak and the stool and waited for him to turn around. It didn't take long.

With his usual grace, he moved smoothly around her and reclaimed his seat. “I thought you were going to call your friend Trahern.”

Of all the possible answers she could have used, she settled for the truth. “I don't want Trahern. I want you.” She risked a hand on his shoulder, liking the play of his muscles under his shirt right where she'd left nail marks on his skin last night as she'd urged him on. And on.

His posture stiffened, and he set his pencil down with deliberate slowness. Playing with fire might get her burned, but she missed the heat they'd generated when they'd been skin to skin. He looked at her hand on his shoulder before meeting her gaze.

“It doesn't matter what you want, Lacey.”

At first she thought he was talking about the two of them, but then she realized he was referring to the restrictions Devlin had placed on her venturing down into the tunnels. At least she hoped that was what he meant.

“I'll call Devlin, but I still want you to go with me.”

He reached up to cover her hand with his. “Spending time alone together isn't wise.” Then he gently removed her hand from his shoulder. The regret in his eyes didn't make the small rejection hurt less.

“Barak…”

The sound of the lab door opening had her stumbling back, putting more distance between the two of them. Barak shot her a burning look before turning away, leaving it up to Lacey to face the newcomer. She didn't want to get caught too close to him, and he didn't like it.

Just her luck; Penn stood outside her office, his arms crossed over his chest. Bracing herself for whatever argument he wanted to start, she headed straight for him.

“Yes, big brother. What brings you in here today?” She pushed past him into her office, wanting to put the safety of her desk between them.

“Can't I take my favorite sister out for lunch once in a while?”

He hadn't picked up the tab for a meal in months; even when he did, he firmly believed that the best food came from a drive-up window. She leaned back in her chair and considered her options. They could drive somewhere, get some food, and he could unload whatever words of wisdom he had for her in the privacy of her car. Or he'd stand right there in her office and let her have it.

With Barak out in the lab, she really had no choice. She pulled her purse out of her desk drawer and asked, “What lecture do you plan to deliver over greasy hamburgers and fries?”

He laughed, for once acting more like his old self. It was worth loading up on cholesterol to spend time with the old Penn.

She pulled out her car keys. “Where to?”

“I'll drive,” Penn said, snatching her keys out of her hand.

“Okay, but where are we going?”

He pulled out the big guns. “I thought we'd try Dick's. I'm in the mood for one of their burgers.”

She couldn't fault his taste. Dick's was a well-known drive-in restaurant, a favorite among natives and tourists both. She could always eat salad for dinner to make up for the big burger, fries, and chocolate shake she planned on enjoying. “Okay, bro, lead on. Let me see what plans Barak has for lunch.”

Before they reached the lab door, Penn surprised her again. “You can ask him along if you have to, but I won't like it much.”

She froze. Barak had been avoiding her all morning, and maybe he had every right to. Her heart pounded in her ears as she called out, “Barak, Penn and I are going to grab a burger. Would you like to come?” She kept her fingers crossed that he'd refuse. The thought of being shut up in her truck with both men was more than she could handle right then.

As usual, he seemed to read her mood with unerring accuracy. “You've already had enough of me. I'd better pass.”

She'd definitely had plenty of Barak last night. “We can bring you back something, if you'd like. Maybe a chocolate shake or some fries?”

“Nothing,” he answered without looking up. Then almost as an afterthought he added, “Thank you anyway.”

Was that sarcasm she heard in his voice? His guttural accent wasn't as heavy as it used to be, but sometimes it made it difficult to interpret what emotions he was feeling. But if she couldn't read him, it was doubtful that Penn could either.

“Ready, sis?” Penn stood beside her jingling her car keys, impatient to be underway.

“Yeah, I'm ready.” She didn't look back.

When the hallway door clicked shut, Barak threw his pen down and dropped his clipboard on the counter. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he prayed for patience and an end to the headache he'd been battling all morning.

His lack of sleep was catching up with him, but if Lacey could make it through the day after the night they'd shared, so could he. It didn't help that the air around him carried her scent or that anytime he looked up, she was there. Even if his mind knew she was off limits again, other parts of him weren't convinced.

How could they share such perfect communication in his bed and be so at odds when they had to depend on words to express themselves? One night of passion had reminded him how much he needed someone to share his life with, but Lacey clearly wasn't yet ready to make that commitment, and maybe never would be.

He didn't blame her, really. After all, he was the enemy, the alien, the freak, the Other. And he was no better. How could he ask her to trust him with her life when he held so much of his own back in secrecy? He hadn't even answered her the one time she'd asked what his people called themselves.

Without Lacey, even the lab felt empty and cold. He needed to get out for a while. Maybe he'd go see Devlin again, to see about taking Lacey back down to fix her beloved machinery. The readings had been stable the past two days, so maybe they could go early in the morning. At least he could offer Lacey that much to make her happy.

On the way out, he locked the door. He didn't like the idea of anyone in the organization having access to the lab, especially that Ben fellow. A warrior looked after his woman, no matter what world he was from.

“Sis, you look like hell.” Penn reached over and dunked one of his fries in her catsup.

Leave it to her brother to make her feel even worse. “I didn't get much sleep last night.” Please, Lord, don't let him ask why.

“Are you and that Other getting along? 'Cause if he's making trouble for you, all you have to do is tell me.”

Penn finished off his hamburger, throwing the last bit of the bun to some hungry seagulls. He and Lacey had gotten their food to go, and they'd found a picnic table in a nearby park. The warmth of the sun felt great, even though Lacey needed her sunglasses to cut down on the glare.

“No, he's a hard worker and has caught onto our technology more quickly than I would have expected.” She took a long drink of her pop, hoping that Penn would drop the subject.

He stared down at the table for a few seconds before looking up at her, his eyes worried. “I'm not sure we should be teaching him anything, but I know I'm in the minority. What's to stop him from crossing back into his world and taking everything he's learned with him?”

“How would knowledge of how a seismograph or a microwave oven worked help their cause?” She smiled and snatched her fries out of reach when Penn made another grab for them.

Penn gave her a disgusted look, wadded up the rest of his lunch, and stuffed it back in the bag. “That's not what I meant. He's not only learning our technology but also how we do things, how we think and act when we're not swinging a sword. It's always easier to defeat an enemy you understand.”

“Well, that works both ways. Wouldn't we use anything we learn about his people, too?”

“My point exactly. I know how he fights but that's about all I've learned. What have you learned about Barak?”

Casting around for something safe to say, she settled on a couple of small things. “I think his eyes are sensitive to light and maybe his sense of smell is better than ours.”

Penn succeeded in snatching one of her last remaining fries. “Not exactly earth-shattering news, Lacey. I've got a good sense of smell, too, and the eyesight thing was pretty much a given. As far as we can tell, his world is pretty dark.”

Okay, so what else could she tell him? Certainly not anything that would reveal how up close and personal she knew Barak's physical attributes. Or how much she'd admired them. A giggle threatened to bubble up; she fought to keep it under control.

“He's pretty much a vegetarian. He didn't eat any meat at Laurel's last night.”

Penn's good mood was gone in a flash. “You had dinner with Barak last night?”

“No, not specifically. I told you Dr. Young was having a dinner party. He happened to be another guest.” She glanced at her watch and stood up. “Now, if you're done with your inquisition, I need to get back to work.”

He clearly wanted to argue some more, but she didn't give him a chance. “Do you want a ride or not?”

“Damn it, Lacey, I don't want you around him one minute more than you have to be!” Penn stomped after her. “He's not human! Hell, you know better than most the way his kind affects our world—their filthy natures cause all kinds of problems.”

Several other people in the park looked up from their own lunches to stare at the ruckus Penn was raising. Lacey wondered what they thought about what he'd said, but she decided she didn't care what Penn thought, much less some total strangers.

“Shut up, Penn, and get in. You're drawing too much attention to yourself.”

He lowered his voice as he got in the truck, but he didn't back off. “I mean it, Lacey. Something's going on, and he might be involved. I don't want you getting caught in the cross fire if it all blows up.”

“If what blows up? Do you really think Devlin Bane would have let Barak live this long if he didn't trust him? For Pete's sake, Barak worked with Laurel.” She caught a break in the traffic and pulled out of the parking lot.

Penn made a disgusted grunt. “You'll note that Devlin managed to get him transferred out of there the first chance he got.”

When she coasted to a stop at a red light, she looked at her brother. “Don't go all paranoid on me, Penn. Devlin watched me grow up. If Barak was that dangerous, you know darn well Devlin wouldn't risk me any more than he would Laurel. And even if he did, the rest of the local Paladins would come down on him. You know that. They're your friends, too.”

“They used to be.” He stared down at his hand as he flexed it a few times. “Since I got hurt, I have to wonder. Most of them don't know how to act around me.”

A show of pity would only make it worse for him. “Maybe these new workouts with Devlin and Barak will help you regain your ability to fight.”

“You think Barak's not dangerous? You should see him with a sword! He may seem quiet and calm, but then he explodes.” Penn looked at her as if daring her to dispute him.

She put the truck in gear and started forward again. “You forget, Penn. I did see Barak use his sword, and it was scary. I can't deny that I've had a few nightmares over the sight of him carving up those two men in the tunnels. But you know what? He did that to keep me safe. Remember that.”

They rode in silence the rest of the way back to the Center.

“I still don't know how you talked him into it.” Lacey shifted her toolkit to her other hand and keyed in the code.

Barak was pretty pleased with himself. It had taken some powerful persuasion to get Devlin's permission for a quick foray into the tunnels to fix or replace Lacey's equipment, and he'd savored the expression on Lacey's face when he'd told her.

Not to mention the fact that she'd thrown her arms around him in a big hug. There'd been nothing sexual in the embrace, but it had felt great to hold her close again for those few seconds. It was one more step in getting her accustomed to his continued presence in her life.

He checked his sword as they stepped into the elevator, making sure it moved easily in its new scabbard. Even though the barrier had been quiet, their last expedition had proven that there was no guarantee they'd be the only ones prowling the tunnels below the city. At Devlin's insistence, Lacey was again armed with a pistol.