SECRET IDENTITY (8 page)

What had started out as an order to discover the cause of
the factory explosion had become a lot, lot more. Brenda could only thank her
lucky stars she had been here when it had all come down.

There was a new superhero in town, and his name was The
Defender.

He was here today to help retrieve the bodies. That explained
why the police had called him in. Still, she knew she had to remain close by in
the event something showed up that might help explain the cause of the
accident. Brenda knew she had neither the training nor the experience to try
and figure out the cause by herself. Neither did she have the protective HAZMAT
suit to enable her to walk amid the chemical-laced area where the initial
explosion had taken place.

But she did have the credentials, and she had the backing of
the company.

One phone call from Wil would give her that access. Or at
the least it would enable her to tag along during the investigation.

The thought of being able to remain within The Defender’s
vicinity was enough to get her female hormones percolating again.

Pulling her cell out of her pants pocket, she quickly called
her boss.

“Wagner.”

“Wil? Brenda.”

“Whatta ya got?” he immediately asked.

No hello. No how are you doing. Straight and to the point.
It was one of the reasons why she got along so well with the man.

“He’s called The Defender.”

She heard her boss softly repeat the name.

“Has he found anything yet?”

“Right now he’s looking for the bodies of the victims,” she
informed him. “I’m guessing he won’t begin any intensive search for the cause
until tomorrow, at the earliest.”

She was answered with silence. Brenda could imagine the man
nodding into his receiver. It was a bad habit he had when he was on the phone.

“I need you to clear the way for me,” she continued.

“Clear the way how?”

“I need you to have the authorities grant me access during
the search.”

“You already have clearance,” the man said.

“Which means squat at the moment,” she argued. “This place
is laced with God knows what kinds of chemicals and toxins. When they go in,
they’re going to have to wear HAZMAT suits. Right now I’m no better than the
average civilian. I need you to get them to let me accompany them while they
investigate. I promise to stay clear and not touch anything.”

Again, silence. “All right. I agree with you,” Wagner said. “I’ll
get with the police department right after I hang up with you.”

“Thanks, Wil.”

“Anything else you need?”

Other
than a few hours alone with The Defender?

“No. Not at the moment, but I’ll let you know if something
pops up,” she promised. Saying goodbye, she shoved the cell back into her
pocket, looking up in time to see a dark shadow moving inside another area
where the wall was partially missing. She started to step over a shattered file
cabinet for a better look, and nearly walked into a black-clad wall of muscle
that suddenly appeared in front of her as if by magic.

“You shouldn’t have gone past the tape, Miss McKay.”

It took her four full seconds to recover. It took her
another couple of seconds to realize The Defender had grabbed her elbow, turned
her around, and was helping her back to toward the parking lot.

“Is it true the police called you back in to help them try
to find the cause of the explosion?” Thank God for instincts. Otherwise, her
body was too wound up from the feel of his iron fingers clutching her arm. Or
the sizzling streams of fire racing through her bloodstream.

“Please, Defender. A moment of your time.”

“I need that moment to do my job, Miss McKay.”

Funny, but he didn’t sound as peeved as his words implied.
But this chance was going to be over before it had begun if she didn’t do
something quick.

“How did the police get in touch with you? Are you on
someone’s Rolodex? Do you have a phone number where I could call you and set up
an interview? I have a few questions I need to ask.”

The man lifted the yellow tape and shoved her under it until
she was on the other side before he released her. There was no doubt in her
mind when he pivoted on his heel that he was going to vanish again, and she
would never get the opportunity to see him again.

“Please, Defender! Stop! I need you!” The words gushed from
her before she realized what she’d said. Her mind was drawing a blank; her
hands were cold and numb. The only thing she could think of was having him take
her back. Or, for that matter, anywhere.

I need you!

Ohhhh, shit.
Did she really say that? Did she really
sound that desperate? With her mouth hanging open, she could feel her face
turning a nice first-degree-burn red. To top it off, there was a definite glint
of humor in Defender’s onyx eyes as he stared at her.

“I-I-I meant…I meant I need you to, uhh, to let me ask you
some questions. About the explosion. About the cause of the explosion. As a
representative of Dobbling. Please?”

Defender smiled at her. “I will release a statement to the
police once I’ve finished investigating the cause of this explosion, Miss McKay,
but I will be honest with you. I’m very tempted to grant your request.”

He started to walk back the way they’d come, when he paused
and looked back at her once more. God help her, her body ached to see him
standing there with his firmly-toned thighs and abs.

“Miss McKay, may I ask
you
a question?”

“Uh-huh. Yes. Anything!” She was slowly becoming a mindless
groupie for this man, and she didn’t give a shit who knew. She’d sell her soul
for a half-hour alone in his company.

“What would you say if I told you
I
needed
you?
”

She drew a complete and total mind blank as he lifted off
the ground and flew back to the factory.

Chapter 9

Thoughts

If it had been any other circumstance, if it had been
nighttime, and just he and her alone, Lorne knew he would have made a move on
her. He also knew without any doubt that Brenda would have accepted his
advances. Hell, she may even have initiated the whole thing on her own.

His dick was bulging in his pants, he was so hard. At least
he could be thankful his leather pants were tight enough to somewhat hide it.
Still, it made walking somewhat awkward, which was why he had to lift himself
over the debris field and over to the main part of the factory where the
epicenter of the explosion was located.

Unfortunately, part of his brain refused to let go of
Brenda, standing behind that police tape with that wide-eyed plea on her face.

“I need you!”

Lorne grunted. He’d almost lost it, and that would have been
disastrous if he’d let his grip on his powers slip. Of course, he would have
continued to wear his Defender uniform, but the rest of him would have changed,
such as his facial features and eye color. Brenda would have noticed the
difference immediately. Hell, she might have recognized him, too, with those
sharp eyes of hers.

Behind him, he could detect the crime scene investigators
coming in to help. Lee had been sidetracked to another mission when they had
arrived at the police station. Although Lorne knew he’d miss having Lee watch
his back, Luke was still around to assist where he could.

That was another thing they had to be cautious about,
letting others know they were related. Lee had arrived at the police station
ahead of Lorne. The captain had introduced them, and the two brothers had
shaken hands like strangers. It wasn’t until after Lee had left that Luke had
told him where their little brother was going.

Lorne wasted no time. He let the police commissioner know he
would be happy to help with the search for the cause of the explosion once all
the victims’ remains were removed. But he had also made it clear that if he
gave an order, everyone had to obey it. “Question me later,” he’d firmly told
them. “But if I say ‘move’, everyone better haul ass for the nearest exit.”

Okay, Lorne. Now’s your chance to put your powers to the
test.

And to see if your big brother was right about cotransference,
Luke’s voice buzzed in his head.

It was a theory Luke had proposed not too long ago. Lee’s
powers were more of the mobility type, the way he could change the form of his
body from three dimensional to two, which gave him almost limitless access to
anywhere. So far, no kind of sensors or security alarms were beyond his
capabilities. Hence, he was indispensable to all government agencies worldwide.
Despite his powers, Luke could keep in touch with him, no matter where he was.

On the other hand, Lorne seemed to have a different kind of
connection with his older sibling. Yes, they were able to keep in mental
contact. And at times Luke could open up a three-way between the brothers. But
Lorne had found he could almost transfer psychic-type vibes to Luke, who would “read”
them.

They intended to put their theory to the test, using the
factory as their proving ground.

Boy, I can feel how hyped up you are,
Luke commented.

Lorne couldn’t stop the smile from reaching his lips. Thank
heavens the man could not read his mind, or else Luke would have known why
Lorne was pumped. The eldest could read anybody if he had some sort of direct
contact with them—through the phone was the most common source. Yet he couldn’t
read his brothers. They assumed it was because they all held the Palmer gene,
which designated what powers they would have once they reached a certain age.

Knowing his secret was safe from Luke, Lorne felt free to
let part of himself continue thinking about Brenda.

There were three bodies left to recover, which Lorne quickly
handed over to the coroner’s office. If there was anything to be thankful for,
it was the fact that the factory had yet to hire its full, expected compliment
of workers. Same for the lab area, where the brunt of the accident took place.
That, plus it had been a Saturday. Dobbling had deliberately picked a weekend
for its ceremony, so that after the ribbon cutting the media could be taken on
a tour inside without getting in the way or interrupting any of the work going
on.

Lorne entered the back labs, which no longer resembled any
kind of research facility. What was left of the area was filled with blackened
and charred refuse. The walls still stood, but the ceiling was totally gone.
Carefully, he stepped over, through, and around the debris, keeping his eyes
and himself open for anything that looked out of place, or which beckoned
further examination.

Yo, bro. What am I looking for again?

We know we can rule out accident,
Luke stated.
But
until we can prove it, the cops can’t just take our word for it. So we either
need to find evidence of that, or evidence of foul play.

Like an explosive device? Or the remains of one?

If you’re thinking bomb, Lo, that may not be the case. It
could be something as simple as programming a computer to perform a certain
function at a certain time.

I’m walking blind here, Luke.

I’m right here with you, Lo. Just turn on your protective
senses, and let me see if I can detect anything.

He held out his hands, seeing if he sensed anything. The
whole place felt empty, like the aftermath of a major storm. The energy which
had been released was totally spent. This place was calm.

Lorne’s eyes went to his right hand. He had grabbed Brenda’s
arm with his right. He had held her hand at the funeral with his right. Both
times he had fought the urge to pull her into his arms and keep her there,
letting her snuggle against him.

Pushing his powers of protection a notch higher, he
continued to sweep the rooms, methodically moving through them like a human
vacuum cleaner, making certain he scoped out every square inch, including what
remained of the walls and random portions of the ceiling.

The further he moved away from the labs and into the main
factory, the more destruction he saw evident. Here, very little remained that
was bigger than a breadbox. Again, the room felt cold to him. As void as space.

Luke, I’m getting a distinct vibe that the explosion may
not have been centralized in the labs like we first thought.

Ditto.

Two of the victims I recovered came from this area.

Already there, bro. Running background checks on them
now.

The factory had been staffed by a skeleton crew. Fifteen
people, max. The men he had recovered were identified by their colleagues,
which meant they were supposed to have been there. So unless one of them was
working as a mole, investigating that possibility would be fruitless.

A glance to his left revealed a smaller room. It either had
to be an office or a storeroom of some kind. Maybe a janitor’s closet.

Luke, I have an alcove to my left. Leave it? Or catch it
on the way back?

Might as well clear it while you’re there.

A vision of the floor plans remained in his mind’s eye,
courtesy of his big brother. Nothing like a perfect memory to go with the guy’s
other mental skills. Lorne could see the extra room on the blueprint, but there
was no title or explanation for it.

He started to walk through the narrow opening, when his
hands started vibrating, as if he was holding onto an engine revving at top
speed. At the same instant, Luke’s voice rang in his head.

You breached something, Lorne! Get the fuck outta there,
now!

“Everyone out,
now
!” Lorne yelled, making sure his
voice could be heardby those still inside as he threw on his protective
shield and shot straight up through the remains of the ceiling and roof. A
microsecond later, an ear-splitting blast sent shockwaves throughout the
factory. He was ready for it, throwing an umbrella shield over the entire area,
effectively encapsulating it.