Misfits, Inc. (18 page)

I
t was a little after three
in the morning, and the debate was still going strong within the living room of
Hailey’s suite.  Mel had fallen asleep on the sofa despite Hailey and the guys
sitting on the floor around the coffee table not far from her.  They kept their
voices down as the conversation turned more civilized.  Skyler suddenly drifted
out and seemed to be in another world.  As Hailey stared at him, the guys fell
silent with their own curious looks.  Hailey gave him a gentle nudge,
immediately bringing him out of his trance. 

“Everything
okay?” she asked.

Skyler slowly
shook his head without appearing convinced.  “I’m not sure.  I just had a
really strange feeling,” he replied gently.  “I think I’m still a little
rattled from that creature carving me up like a Thanksgiving turkey on the
beach.  I had this horrible image of their claws and fangs.”  He shuttered from
the thought then forced a smile and shrugged.  “I’m sure it was nothing.  The
feeling has already passed.”

Hailey gently
patted his arm and added a sympathetic smile.  The guys relaxed by his
reassurance and continued with conspiracy theories, ancient history, and every
subject in between.  They’d gone over the events of the evening numerous times
and seemed to be no closer to an answer just exhaustion.  After another hour,
Hailey wanted to block out their voices.  Even Rafe’s smooth, manly voice was
starting to grate on what little nerves she had left.  Someone had to end her
torture soon.

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Vance finally
announced while stretching his legs beneath the table.  He rubbed his eyes and
blinked several times in an attempt to keep them open.  “I’m too tired to think
straight anymore.”

“It’s late, and we’ve been hashing through this all
night,” Hailey finally announced, grateful for the save, and feeling exhausted
herself.  “Rafe’s room is next door.  Why don’t we split up between the two
rooms and get some sleep?”

“I’ll go with Mel to Rafe’s suite,” Vance announced
with enthusiasm, appearing to catch his second wind along with his rising
hormones.

“Nice try, lover boy,” Logan scoffed.

“Mel and I will take my bedroom,” Hailey announced
to the men.  “We have the Protector.  Skyler should go to Rafe’s suite, because
we can communicate telepathically.  That means one of you should stay here with
us and the other two can go with Skyler next door.”

Vance grinned in response, raised his finger, and
was about to make his own suggestion.  Hailey suddenly shifted and cleared her
throat.

“Let me rephrase that,” she announced, having
reconsidered her comment.  “Rafe or Logan should stay here.”

“Was I just insulted?” Vance suddenly asked with a
boyish innocence.

Rafe tossed Vance his room key.  Logan folded his
arms across his broad chest, glared at Rafe, and appeared offended.

“Was that your subtle way of tossing me out?” Logan
demanded in a cocky tone.

He shrugged without care.  “The Guardian protects
the princess,” Rafe announced bluntly.  “It’s in my job description.”  He
casually held up the manuscript.  “It says so right here.  See for yourself.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed conveying his disapproval. 
“Thanks, I’ve read it,” he snorted.

The three men wearily stood and left Hailey’s
suite, shutting the door behind them.  It made enough noise to startle Mel on
the sofa.  She abruptly woke, shot up on the sofa, and looked around in a state
near panic. 

“What’s wrong?” she cried out.

“Nothing,” Hailey replied gently.  “You and I are
sharing the bed.  I’ll be along shortly.”

Mel stood with exhaustion, offered no protest, and
shuffled into the bedroom.  Hailey crossed the room and locked the balcony door
even though Rafe would be the only one bold enough to enter her suite from the
balcony.  Rafe kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the sofa, making himself
comfortable with his ankles crossed and one arm beneath his head.  His other
arm draped across his eyes.  Hailey glanced at him on the sofa and admired his
relaxed yet somehow sexy pose.  She considered ignoring her thoughts and
pushing herself into the bedroom, but against her better judgement, she
approached the sofa and sat on the coffee table before him.

“I’m grateful for what you did tonight,” she
announced softly, hoping he hadn’t already fallen asleep.

He peeked at her from under his forearm.  “I know
what you’re thinking, but it doesn’t change anything,” he informed her.  “I’ll
see this through, but then you’re on your own.”

“I know there’s part of you that cares what happens
to this ‘pitiful’ group,” she announced then hesitated before adding, “and
maybe even me.”

Rafe slowly sat up but didn’t bother looking at
her.  He casually leaned against the back on the sofa.  “Yeah, well, that’s
where you’re wrong.”

She wasn’t wrong about him!  She wasn’t wrong when
she chose him all those years ago, and she wasn’t wrong today.  He wasn’t the
bad man he pretended to be or he never would have given his life to save his
friend.

“Stop it,” she scolded.  “Stop pretending.  You’re
not that uncaring.”

He finally looked at her and appeared annoyed by
her tone, or maybe he was just tired.  “Because you think you saved my life
once, do you honestly believe that makes you an authority on my character?”

“Yes.”

There was an awkward silence between them.  Rafe
shifted on the sofa, seeming uncomfortable with their conversation, and then
studied her a moment.

“Let’s say, for the sake of argument, I’m your
chosen Guardian,” he announced then stared at her and slowly shook his head. 
“What the
hell
were you thinking?”

She found his lighthearted comment almost amusing
but held back her laugh.  “Beats the hell out of me,” she remarked.  “I was
only fifteen at the time.  Best guess?  You probably looked good in your
uniform.”

Rafe stared at her, surprised by the comment. 
Hailey flashed a teasing smile.  Rafe shook his head and chuckled.  He groaned
softly while maintaining his humor to the situation.

“Great, we’re the ‘boy band’ of mystic warriors.”

Hailey moved onto the sofa alongside him.  He eyed
her closeness and seemed uncomfortable by it.  She inhaled deeply and
considered his question with more seriousness.

“There would have been many candidates over several
years,” she informed him.  “Whatever my reason, you were carefully chosen. 
Somewhere along the way, you must have made a very good impression.”

Rafe placed his hand on her bare leg with some
apprehension, gently caressed it, and grinned almost lustfully.  “I prefer the
tweener crush scenario.”

Hailey casually removed his hand from her leg,
offered a tiny smile, and stood.  Rafe appeared disappointed and leaned back on
the sofa.

“It’s been a long, weird day,” she informed him. 
“We should get some sleep.”

Rafe frowned, flopped down on the sofa, and grinned
at her.  “Just when we were having fun--”

Hailey approached the door and turned down the
living room lights.  She removed a blanket from one of the chairs and covered
Rafe.  Without warning, she joined him on the sofa beneath the blanket.  Rafe
appeared surprised as she nestled against him.  He groaned and immediately
pulled her into his arms.

“If this is a test, I’m going to fail,” he warned.

“You need to trust your instincts,” she informed
him.  “Whether you believe it or not, that’s your most powerful gift.”

“Your theory is flawed,” Rafe teased while nuzzling
her face with his.  “My instincts are telling me to ravish you.”

“Is that what they told you the other night in
Lucinda’s suite?” she cooed softly while attempting to look into his eyes
through the dim lighting.

He let out a soft laugh and appeared almost
embarrassed.  “That was a lapse in judgment,” Rafe remarked gently.  “I’ve
never behaved that way, and I felt terrible for taking advantage of you like
that.  I’m not sure what came over me that night.”

Rafe stared at her through the darkness, shifted
uncomfortably, and seemed compelled to speak.

“When I’m around you, I’m reminded of some of the
most intense erotic dreams I’ve had.”  He suddenly hesitated.  “I shouldn’t
have said that.  I’m not sure why I did.”  His look turned more demanding. 
“Why do I feel the need to talk when I’m around you?  It’s like I can’t control
my mouth.”

Hailey smiled and shrugged.  She was actually
enjoying his ramblings, particularly the intimate ones.

“Like in the restaurant,” he announced.  “I don’t
know why I said those things to you.  I’ve been at dozens of business meetings
where sexual favors go hand in hand for Brody’s signature on some contract.” 
He was again silent and seemed to consider his own remark.  “It bothered me.”

“What bothered you?”

“The thought of you sleeping with Brody.”  Rafe
groaned with disgust.  “It’s that whole Guardian protector thing, isn’t it? 
You’re going to tell me I felt the need to protect you from Brody.”

“Actually,” Hailey remarked, “I think you wanted me
for yourself.”

He stared at her a moment in silence then grinned. 
“I may have had a few dirty thoughts.”  There was an awkward silence as they
stared at each other through the darkness.  “From the moment I met you, I felt
as though we’d, you know, been
together
.  That strange feeling of sexual
tension I get when I run into an ex-girlfriend.  I would swear that we’d been
intimate.”  His look turned awkwardly serious.  “Please tell me we didn’t have
sex in the light when you were just fifteen.”

“I assure you, that wasn’t the case,” Hailey
abruptly informed him.  She fell silent, considered his comment, and attempted
to stare into his eyes.  “Skyler and I have been communicating with each other
through our dreams since I was a little girl, but that’s only possible because
he’s Numinous.  I couldn’t have given you that sort of gift.”

“Then I guess I’m just an overly horny bastard,” he
announced while hiding his smile.  “From the moment I saw you in the lobby, I
remembered this amazing erotic dream I’d had a few years ago.  Sort of struck
me like a bolt of lightning.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

He appeared surprised while staring at her.  “You
really want to hear it?”

She shrugged while grinning.  “Sure, why not?”

“Aren’t you the cool girlfriend,” he remarked with
humor.  He gently brushed the hair from her face while recalling his dream with
a look of boyish fascination.  “There was this gorgeous, tropical waterfall
flowing into a glacier blue pond--”

Hailey stared into his eyes and suddenly tensed.

I
t was a little after sunrise the following morning, but there
wasn’t any sun to be found.  It was a dark, dreary morning on the beach with
heavy storm clouds rapidly rolling in, promising to ruin everyone’s fun-filled
day in paradise.  The winds were harsh and the surf was fierce, indicating the
potential for a tropical storm was great.  Several maintenance workers ran
around outside the hotel stacking lounge chairs and moving them closer to the
building to prevent damage to the chairs.  Other than the staff preparing for
the worst, the area surrounding the hotel was deserted.  Even the early risers
seemed to have little reason to be up and about on such a dreary morning.

With the curtains closed and little light outside
breaking through, Hailey’s suite was only dimly lit.  The bedroom door opened
to the quiet, nearly dark living room.  Mel shuffled across the room and
approached the kitchenette, briefly glancing at the sofa.  Rafe and Hailey were
nestled together beneath the blanket and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. 
Mel hid her humored grin to the cuddling, sleeping couple.  She grabbed a
bottle of water and quickly returned to the bedroom, making as little noise as
possible.  Once the door closed, Rafe groaned softly and moved against Hailey. 
She gasped, clung to him, and kissed his neck.

“That was close--” Rafe announced as he returned
his mouth to hers and kissed her passionately and with aggression.

Hailey returned the aggressive kiss and pawed at
his chest as he moved against her beneath the blanket.

†

D
espite the early hour, Lucinda exited the elevator and crossed
the lobby toward the front desk.  She wore a stunning yet casual sundress with
thin shoulder straps and matching wedge sandals.  Lucinda slowed her approach,
giving Cass a strange once over.  Cass seemed surprised to see the boss that
hour of the morning, since it wasn’t her usual routine to rise so early.

“Good morning, Ms. Keenan,” Cass announced
cheerfully while hiding her surprise.  “Is everything okay?”

“No,” Lucinda replied abruptly and again studied
the young woman behind the desk.  “Weren’t you working the evening shift last
night?”

“Talbert fired Skyler,” Cass timidly informed her. 
“The night clerk was supposed to relieve me at six this morning, but he never
showed.”

“Delaney was in charge last night, wasn’t he?”
Lucinda demanded.

“Well, yes,” Cass replied and fidgeted, “but I
haven’t seen him since midnight.”

Lucinda appeared impatient while strumming her
manicured fingernails on the marble desktop.  She was obviously deep in thought,
which put Cass on edge.  She looked into Cass’s eyes with a stare that alarmed
the young desk clerk.

“There’s something funny going on in my hotel,”
Lucinda remarked lowly without taking her eyes off the girl.  “I don’t know
what’s going on, but I do know I’m going to get to the bottom of it.  Tell
Delaney I wish to see him in my suite at ten o’clock.”  She straightened
proudly but didn’t take her eyes off the clerk.  Her look was intimidating and
cold.  “I’m sure you’ll get the message to him--seeing how close the two of you
have become.”

Cass’s cheeks reddened as her lips parted with
surprise, but Lucinda hadn’t noticed, having already turned and stormed off
across the lobby.  Lucinda was heading for the elevator when Talbert appeared
and nearly ran into the fuming woman.  She jumped back a step in response and
glared at him as if it had been his fault they nearly collided.  Talbert
managed a polite smile, although he was obviously surprised to see her up so
early.

“Lucinda,” he announced in a tone meant to sound
cheerful.  “What are you doing up so early?  Is anything wrong?”

She collected her rising temper and groaned
softly.  “No, I don’t think so,” Lucinda replied then hesitated, stared at
Talbert, and seemed to reconsider her response.  “I heard some rumors that have
me slightly disturbed.”

“Oh?” Talbert questioned while studying her with a
curious look.  “What sort of rumors?”

“I heard some of the staff have been organizing
illegal gambling in the basement,” she announced and folded her arms across her
chest.  “Do you know anything about this?”

Talbert hesitated and appeared uncomfortable by her
directness.  “I’d heard some of the guests had been playing poker, but I just
assumed it was in someone’s suite and saw no harm.  I assure you, if I knew of
any staff involvement, I’d have shut it down and terminated the offending
employees immediately.”  He appeared curious.  “Have you brought this to
Marcus’ attention?”

She exhaled deeply, allowing her arms to fall to
her sides with disgust.  “No, not yet,” Lucinda replied.  “When I heard it
mentioned yesterday, I just assumed it was Brody indulging in gossip.  Then
this morning, I was awake when the penthouse maid stopped in with my morning
tea.  I questioned her about it.  She’d heard gossip from some of the other
maids that someone in security helped organize the illegal gambling.”

“Maids have been known to stretch the truth,”
Talbert reminded her.  “Most of our maids are notorious gossips.”

“Yes, I’m aware of the housekeeping grapevine,”
Lucinda interjected, “but I have reason to believe this goes beyond a friendly
poker game happening within my hotel.  If someone in security is behind it, I
want to know about it.”  She looked around, casting a strange glare at the
front desk.  “I have some suspicions as to which security guard is behind this
little gambling ring.”  She shot a look back at Talbert.  “I need to have a
look around the laundry room.”

“Laundry staff hasn’t reported yet,” Talbert
reminded her.  “They’re not in until eight.”

“I know that,” she snapped while casting an
impatient glare at him.  “I can’t wait for Marcus.  I’m going down there to see
for myself.”

“I don’t think--”

Lucinda glared sharply at him, stopping him
mid-sentence.  He gently cleared his throat and offered a polite smile.

“If you insist on going downstairs to the laundry
room, I’ll accompany you.”

She nodded and turned toward the elevator.  Talbert
frowned with annoyance while her back was turned.  As the elevator doors
opened, Lucinda bolted inside.  Talbert obediently followed the barracuda.

†

L
ucinda and Talbert walked along the quiet basement corridor and
approached the laundry room.  The massive, double doors were closed, catching
their attention.

“That’s odd,” Talbert remarked almost to himself. 
“Those doors are never closed.”

“So it’s true,” Lucinda launched.  “They’re
probably still in there gambling!”

“The laundry staff will be here in less than thirty
minutes,” Talbert reminded her.  “If someone was doing something illegal down
here, I doubt they’d cut it that close.”

“I want to see for myself,” she announced boldly. 
“I want to catch my employees in the act.  Open the doors!”

Talbert opened both doors simultaneously, pushing
them inward with added vigor to surprise anyone on the other side.  Lucinda and
Talbert stared into the laundry room with surprised looks on their faces.  The
large laundry room was empty without any indication anyone had been there since
the staff left yesterday evening.  Lucinda looked around the spotless room. 
The smell of disinfectant was almost overwhelming, although neither commented
on it.  Talbert inhaled deeply and glanced at his boss for her reaction.

Lucinda shook her head with disbelief.  “I was
positive we’d find something,” she remarked and continued to look around for
anything unusual.

“Well, if something happened here last night, we
missed it,” he informed her.

“This isn’t over,” Lucinda proclaimed.  “I’m going
to have Marcus install security cameras in every nook and cranny.  I won’t have
my staff taking advantage of the guests and disregarding my rules.”

†

I
t was a little before eight o’clock that morning.  Rafe stood
in the kitchenette on the kitchen side of the breakfast counter and poured a
cup of coffee.  His condition suggested he got very little sleep last night,
although the tiny smirk on his face conveyed he wasn’t complaining about it. 
Mel appeared from the bedroom freshly showered and dressed in borrowed clothing
from Hailey.  Despite her refreshed appearance, she was stiff, sore, and
moderately bruised along most of her body.  Rafe glanced at her and raised the
coffeepot as she approached.

“Coffee?”

She gave him a strange look, as if questioning the
odd smile on his face.  His smile immediately faded to keep her from reading
his expression.

“I’ll have to pass,” Mel replied, shaking off his
good mood.  “Lucinda will have my head if I’m not on time.  I don’t know how
I’m going to explain all the bruises.”  She gingerly rubbed the bruises on her
wrists from the shackles.  “Hailey’s in the shower.  Tell her I went to the
penthouse--”

“Sorry, I can’t let you do that,” Rafe suddenly
announced while glaring at her.  “You’re a target as well as bait.”

Mel stared at him with surprise then became
defensive.  “You don’t know Lucinda, I could lose my job.”

“You could lose your life.  Weigh it,” he growled.

Mel was about to argue with him when there was a
knock on the door.  Mel sneered at him and headed for the door.  Rafe stopped
her with a warning finger as he passed her, looked through the peek hole, and
then groaned.

“Speaking of the barracuda--”  Rafe unbolted and
opened the door to reveal Lucinda.

Lucinda stood in the doorway and looked at Rafe
with some surprise and moderate concern.  She looked back at the number on the
doorframe then met Rafe’s gaze.

“Do I have the right room?”

“Hailey’s in the shower,” he remarked, offering no
other explanation.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Mel announced and groaned
softly.  “You won’t believe what happened last night.”

Lucinda eyed Rafe suspiciously then looked at Mel. 
“I’m not sure I want to know,” she muttered then straightened proudly,
dismissing whatever she was thinking.  “We’re leaving this afternoon.  Brody
signed the contract, and I want to get the hell out of here before anything
else happens.”

Mel glanced at Rafe, as if looking for approval. 
“I’ll go with Lucinda, if that’s okay?”

Rafe frowned his disapproval.  “Fine, but wait for
us in the penthouse.”

Lucinda eyed both as if attempting to understand
the connection between them.  Mel joined Lucinda in the hallway, shutting the
door behind them.  Lucinda was heard commenting on Mel’s bruises as they left. 
Hailey entered the living room from the bedroom.  Her hair was still damp and
slightly untamed.  She saw Rafe as he returned to the counter for his coffee
and hid her contented smile.  As he turned and saw her, he looked away to hide
his boyish grin.  Hailey tried hard not to laugh.  He was acting like a
schoolboy after hearing his first curse word.  She couldn’t help think how
adorable he looked.

“The shower’s open,” she announced.

“Considering you took your shower without me, I’ll
take one later,” he remarked.  “My paying boss called.  He’s uptight about the
approaching storm.  We need to stop in the dining room and see what he wants
then meet the others in the penthouse.”

Hailey was surprised by the comment.  “You let Mel
leave by herself?”

“Of course not.  Your boss stopped by--”

She felt her cheeks redden as her mouth fell open. 
“Lucinda found you here?”

“Was I supposed to hide?”  By the sneaky grin on
his face, he took a little too much pleasure in letting Lucinda come to her own
conclusions.

“I can hear it now,” Hailey groaned, although it
didn’t bother her all that much.  She could handle a little ribbing from her
boss.  “I should stay with them in the penthouse.”

“Nice try,” he remarked while sipping his coffee. 
“I’m not leaving you unprotected.”

There was a knock on the door.  Hailey turned for
the door, but Rafe was already passing her to reach it first.  He looked
through the peek hole then unlocked and opened the door to reveal Skyler.  Rafe
immediately looked back at Hailey without acknowledging Skyler, although
indicating him with a slight nod. 

“You and Skyler can stay with Lucinda and Mel,”
Rafe informed her.  “I’ll see what Brody wants then meet you in the penthouse
in twenty minutes.”  He brushed past Skyler without comment, leaving the room.

Skyler watched Rafe leave and smirked.  “Good
morning to you too.”  He shut the door behind him, looked at Hailey, and shook
his head disapprovingly.  “I don’t know what you see in him,” he scoffed.  “All
things considered, you’d think he’d be in a good mood this morning.”

Hailey stared at Skyler and held back her startled
gasp.  “What do you mean?” she asked as her voice cracked.

He rolled his eyes and walked past her toward the
coffeepot.  “Come on, Hail, if the two of you glowed anymore, I’d need
sunglasses just to look you in the eyes.”