Wet (Elemental 1) (21 page)

She tucked her head beneath his chin, her arms wrapping
around his torso, and allowed herself a minute to let the tears fall. If she
could let out just a few, just enough to take the edge off, she’d be fine. She
sniffled into his shirt as his arms tightened around her, his hands rubbing
soothing circles over her back. By focusing on him, on his embrace, Brooke was
able to lock away the rest of her tears. His thumbs rubbed over her spine, and
her skin tingled. She focused on that until she was sure she wouldn’t shatter.

Her emotions once more reined in—at least for the
minute—Brooke gently eased out of his embrace. She wiped quickly at her face
and offered him a small, shaky smile. “Thank you. Will you … wait a minute? I
should say goodbye to Georgia. It’s her birthday, after all.”

Blake inclined his head. “Of course. I’ll wait right here.”

****

Blake had taken her, at her request, to her apartment after
she’d left Georgia’s a short while later. It had taken Brooke nearly a full
minute to make herself step from the car after he’d pulled to a stop at the
curb, but she had managed it. And though the fire was out by then, it was far
from safe for Brooke to go sifting through the debris, so they hadn’t stayed
long. She had spoken with Dean, the fire chief, a couple of police officers,
and her landlord, but then she had turned and let Blake lead her back to his
car.

He drove back to his house in silence, trying to give her
an opportunity to come to terms with what had happened. For the duration of the
drive, Brooke stared out the passenger window. She was jerked out of her
thoughts when the car came to a stop.

Her eyes slid forward, looking through the windshield, and
her gaze settled on the garage wall in front of them.

Blake paused when she didn’t move. He looked over at her and
hesitantly reached out, wrapping his hand around her nearest one. “Hey,” he
said gently.

Brooke blinked and looked over at him. “Hmm?”

“Come on.” He gestured toward his house. “You can stay with
me, I don’t mind.”

She smiled, albeit faintly, and nodded. “Thanks,” she said.

Together they climbed from the car, and Brooke followed
Blake into the house silently.

They were nearly to the sofas in the living room when
Brooke said, “I’m sorry. It’s all just a lot to take in.”

Blake offered her an understanding smile. “You don’t have
to apologize. Hell, it’s my fault this is happening to you in the first place.”
And the guilt he felt about that was only surpassed by the anger still boiling
in his gut. These men, whoever they were, were going to answer for their actions.

Brooke frowned at him. “No it’s not.”

He took his usual seat in the corner and shook his head.
“Sure it is. They’re
my
enemies.”

Lips scrunched disapprovingly, Brooke moved and sat beside
him. “Maybe, but I knew about them as soon as you did. So your excuse for
feeling guilty is voided.”

Despite himself, and despite the situation, Blake chuckled
and curved his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “Fine, fine, you
might have a point.”

Brooke leaned her head over his collar and let her eyes close.
“Blake … thank you for letting me stay here tonight.”

Blake frowned at her hair, which was all he could see of
her. “Where will you stay tomorrow?” he asked quietly.
Georgia’s, maybe?
He wasn’t sure; he doubted she had even given it
thought.

It was a long minute before Brooke mumbled, “I don’t know.
I don’t have any idea…”

His heart ached at her words, and his arm tightened around
her. There wasn’t much he could do in this situation, especially not before
they figured out who was after them, but he could offer a little help. If she
was willing to hear it.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to the crown of her
head before whispering, “You can stay with me. I’ve got plenty of room, and the
rent’s free.”

Brooke pushed herself up enough to look into his eyes. “I
can’t do that!” she insisted. “I couldn’t impose like that—and I have no idea
how long it’ll take to find a new apartment!”

Blake held her gaze firmly, wanting her to see that he was
serious. He reached up with his free hand and let his fingertips trail over the
side of her face lightly, saying nothing as his thumb traced her lower lip.
When his hand stilled, cupping her cheek gently, he said, “I don’t care how
long it takes, and it’s not an imposition. I’m
offering
. You won’t have to pay for a hotel, and if I can help it,
you won’t have to pay for a taxi, either.”

Silence stretched between them as he watched her process
his offer. Her eyes went wide, and she swallowed heavily, but he saw the moment
of realization when it struck. She clearly saw his logic, whether or not she
would heed it. He could only hope she would.

Finally, her lips tipped up at the corners with a small,
genuine smile. “Okay,” she said. “I see your point. Thank you.”

Blake returned her smile and tugged her forward enough to
press his lips to hers. The kiss was tender and lingering, and when he pulled
back, he murmured, “You’re welcome.”

Brooke sighed, her eyes dimming as her mind undoubtedly
wandering back to the day’s events, and she re-settled herself against him. Her
eyes closed again, and she inhaled deeply.

Blake tightened his arm around her shoulders, holding her
close. She likely wasn’t ready to hear it yet, but he hoped she’d realize soon
that everything would be okay. He’d make sure of it.

Chapter Twenty-One

Brooke spent
nearly
two hours talking with her landlord the following morning, only to be told that
there wasn’t much he could do. He released her from her lease, stating he
didn’t have any other units to transfer her to, and wished her luck. With a
frustrated sigh, Brooke led the way back to Blake’s waiting Mustang in silence.

“Can you take me by the mall?” Brooke asked as they pulled
onto the main road.

“Sure,” Blake said. “Which store are we hitting up?”

“I need a new uniform,” she replied. After a beat, she
added, “Well, technically, I need new everything…”

Blake glared out his windshield. “Try to think of it as
re-booting your wardrobe,” he offered after a short pause.

Brooke’s lips twitched, more in appreciation of the thought
behind his words than of the humor itself. “Was there something wrong with my
wardrobe?” she asked, opting to go with his tone. She could certainly use a
little good humor.

“Well, I mean, it was, what, a couple of days old?” Blake
asked, only the faintest of laughter tingeing his voice.

“God forbid,” Brooke agreed with matching laughter. It was
swallowed up a minute later, however, when yet another realization dawned on
her and she groaned aloud.

“What is it?”

Eyes closed and head back, Brooke replied, “My computer. I
need a new freaking computer!”

Computers were certainly an expense she didn’t need. But
they were also highly necessary, especially considering that most college
courses had required online elements.

“You can use the one in my office until you get your own,”
Blake offered.

“You don’t mind?” Brooke asked hesitantly. “You’re already
doing so much…”

 
“I don’t mind. I use
my laptop mostly, anyway.” And she got the distinct sense he was willing to
argue her into submission, too.

“All right,” Brooke accepted, releasing another heavy sigh.
There really was no point in the argument. “Thanks,” she added as Blake turned
in to the parking lot.

Blake just smiled and shook his head as he searched for a
parking spot. It was mid-morning on a Saturday, so the choices weren’t as nice.
But he found a satisfactory spot in the third aisle, and less than a minute
later, the two of them were walking toward the clothing store.

Holding open one of the large glass doors, Blake said, “You
know, I think you could put off the uniform hunt for an hour or two. Remember,
Paula said you don’t have to go in today.”

“I know,” Brooke admitted as she made her way toward the
women’s clothing section. “But I can’t really afford to miss too much work, so
if I can go in tomorrow, I will. Today, though, I realize that I should focus
on other things … like re-booting my wardrobe.”

Blake’s lips twitched, and he shoved his hands into his
pockets. “We can at least agree on that last part.”

****

           
Blake opted to skip his last class
on Monday in favor of making an overdue phone call. Up to now, he’d been
leaving the bulk of the investigation into their enemy to his family. But
surely he could do more. Surely there was something he could contribute besides
a random chance encounter at a diner. And the only way to know for sure was to
talk to the one person who most understood what was going on.

           
Uncle Nicholas.

           
“Howdy,” Nicholas answered after the
second ring. His learned Texas accent was thicker than Blake remembered, but
not by much.

           
“Uncle Nicholas, this is Blake. I’m
sorry to call without notice, are you able to talk?” He hadn’t spoken to his
uncle in a while—most of their news and messages came through his mother. But
they were still on good terms.

           
“Blake! Of course I can talk,”
Nicholas said. “How’s my oldest nephew? Not too dry, I hope!” He laughed at his
own joke and Blake pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. He’d
forgotten this part. Nicholas found it hard to focus. For as much information
as he knew, it’d taken him most of his life to learn it because he was fairly
easily distracted.

           
“Actually,” Blake said, leaning back
and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel of his car. He’d opted to have
this conversation from the car in order to insure its privacy. A college campus
was no place for this sort of topic. “I was hoping to talk about the other
elementals you and Mom have been discussing.”

           
Nicholas’s laughter subsided
quickly. “Oh, of course. But I’ve already told your mother everything I know.”

           
“Everything?” Blake pushed. “There
has to be more information somewhere. Do they have predictable family lines
like we do? Even just knowing how many people to look for would help.”
Anything
would help, really. The
information they had was too vague, too basic.

           
“I’m sorry, Blake,” Nicholas said.
Papers shuffled in the background, and Blake pictured his uncle balancing a
manila folder on his lap. “I don’t think they have heritages like us. But they
used to be pretty prolific, I think.” Nicholas made a stalling sound, more
shuffling filled the line, and then he added, “Lightning is their main power.
The rest is, ah, it’s not clear. A side effect, maybe. No, looks more like it’s
just harder to do.” This time the shuffling stilled. “Have you seen this power
up close, Blake?”

           
The botched beach date flashed
through Blake’s mind, and he nodded. “Yeah. On a date. And now these guys
burned down my girlfriend’s house.”

           
Nicholas released a bitter laugh.
“Dating at a time like this? Boy, I can’t decide if I’m proud of you or
ashamed. What do your parents think?”

           
Blake ground his teeth. “Mom and Dad
like her,” he said. “Uncle Nicholas, please, focus. These people are trying to
kill us.”

           
A rush of air crinkled over the
phone line. “You want my advice, Blake? The smartest thing to do is run. Run
until the lightning stops falling.”

****

Over the next couple of days, Brooke did what she could to
pull her life back together. She contacted her family, spent too much money on
things she should have already had, and explained the situation to her
professors when she went back to class on Monday. But despite all the things
she got done over the weekend, by Tuesday she was still far from whole. Because
of her greatly decreased bank account, however, she volunteered to take an extra
shift on both Tuesday and Friday.

She was in the back room late Tuesday afternoon, using her
ten-minute break to rest her feet, when Georgia slipped into the room. Brooke
lifted her head from the locker it was resting against and offered a smile to
her friend.

Georgia’s returning smile was sympathetic, if not slightly
guilty, and she moved toward her. As she set her purse down and reached for her
own locker, Georgia said, “Brooke, I’m so sorry. Are you doing okay?”

Brooke sighed. “I suppose I could be doing worse.”

“You’re still staying with Blake, right?” Georgia asked
after a moment.

“Yes,” Brooke replied. “He’s been really helpful. And
patient.”

Georgia grinned lightly and turned so she could sit beside
her. She lowered her voice and said, “Now, as your best friend, it’s my
responsibility to make sure you’re remembering all of the essentials. How’s
your supply?”

Brooke was sure her confusion showed on her face. “What are
you talking about?”

Giving Brooke a pointed look, Georgia said, “You’re
sleeping in the same bed, aren’t you?”

For an instant, Brooke was still confused. “
Wha
—? Oh, don’t worry about that.”

Georgia frowned. “It’s not like they survived the fire. Do
you need some money to buy some more? I’ll run you by the drug store after work
if you want.”

Brooke squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to be mortified,
and held up one hand defensively. “No, no, I already bought more. And even if I
hadn’t, I can’t take your money for something like
that
!”

“You could if you needed it,” Georgia replied, grinning
now. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to have to hold back.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Brooke asked pointedly.

Georgia waved her off even as she pushed back to her feet.
“Yeah, yeah.” They were silent for a minute as Georgia pulled out her apron and
began dressing for her shift. At length, she asked, “Do you need a ride after
work? We’re closing together, so I totally don’t mind.”

A genuine smile eased onto Brooke’s face and she shook her
head as she pushed to her feet. “No, thank you. Blake’s picking me up.” She
paused and turned, jerking her thumb toward the door. “I’ll see you out there,
okay?”

Georgia nodded, still adjusting her apron, and Brooke
turned and quietly stepped from the room. She appreciated everyone’s concern,
but all the same, she was tired of only talking about the fire and everything
she’d lost whenever she saw someone. All she wanted was to forget—if only for a
minute—about her own problems.

Shelly nearly ran into her as she bustled into the drink
station, and she stumbled back to avoid Brooke, saying, “Oh! I’m so sorry, I
know you have another minute left, but we got a little busier … and you have a
family at four.”

Brooke nodded, smiling. “That’s fine. I was on my way back
out there anyway.” The two parted ways at the door, and Brooke took a deep
breath as she approached the family of three. She didn’t recognize them, which
told her only that they probably weren’t local.

They were dressed well, though not overly so, and the
mother and father sat opposite each other, with their son settled between his
father and the wall. The son, who was probably seventeen or eighteen, was the
perfect combination of his parents. He had his mother’s thick blond hair and
blue eyes, but he had his father’s strong, masculine features.

She smiled politely as the parents set their menus down.
“Hi,” Brooke began easily. “My name’s Brooke, and I’ll be taking care of you
tonight. Is it your first time here?”

The mother returned her polite smile and nodded. “Yes,” she
said. “We’re going to be moving to the area in a couple of months, so we’re in
town for a few days to do a little house-shopping.”

Of course you are,
Brooke thought fleetingly. Aloud, she said, “That’s always fun. We’ve got lots
of nice places to live around here, so I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking
for.”

“We’re not too worried,” the father stated with an easy,
confident smile.

Allowing herself a moment to indulge in a conversation that
wasn’t about her own life, Brooke asked curiously, “What brings you to Darien,
though?”

The father’s smile turned into a teasing grin, and he
dropped a large hand on his son’s head as he proudly declared, “Vaughn here’s
going to be going to college nearby starting next semester, and we’ve always
wanted to live near the beach, so it seemed like the right time.”

Vaughn grumbled something Brooke couldn’t decipher and
dragged his father’s hand off his head without looking up.

“Graduating high school soon, then?” Brooke asked,
directing the question to the boy deliberately.

The boy in question shifted his eyes from the table to hers
and nodded. “Yeah,” he said.

Continuing to purposefully ignore his anti-social attitude,
Brooke said, “Well, congratulations, Vaughn. Now then, what can I get for you
tonight?”

****

“I bought you something,” Blake declared casually as he
pulled out of the parking lot a few hours later.

Brooke looked over at him. “Oh?”

Grinning, Blake gestured toward the backseat. “It’s in the
bag.”

More curious now than she had been initially, Brooke shifted
and looked behind them. Her eyes easily found the small, unmarked plastic bag
on his backseat, and she stretched her arm until her fingers had grasped it. It
was lightweight, and she pulled it onto her lap. “What is it?” she asked as she
found the opening and eased her hand inside.

“You’ll see.”

Brooke’s hand had already made contact with the hard
plastic casing of the object, and she pulled it out of the bag quickly. As soon
as she saw the object packaged within, she couldn’t help but laugh. It was a
new phone charger. “You didn’t like me using yours, huh?”

“Not true,” he defended, still grinning. “I just thought it
might be easier if we each had one.”

Returning her gift to the bag, Brooke said, “Thank you. I
knew there was something I was forgetting to replace.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Settling the bag in her lap, Brooke leaned back against the
headrest and told him a little about her day as he drove. She had fortunately
few stories to tell, and by the time she was done Blake had pulled to a stop in
his garage.

As they walked into the house, Blake only slightly ahead of
her, Brooke asked, “You know what I want to do?”

Blake arched a brow at her words and glanced back at her
over his shoulder as he walked. “Enlighten me,” he said, a slight curve to his
lips.

Brooke angled past him, setting the bag with her new phone
charger on the kitchen counter. “I want to go for a nice soak in your hot tub.
Feel free to join me if you’re interested.” She continued on down the hall and
waved over her shoulder. Her casualness was feigned, of course; she very much
wanted him to join her. But she was also pretty sure he would. So she grinned
silently as Blake followed her down the hall.

Brooke paused in the large master bath after she had
secured her bikini, taking a moment to admire herself. She’d never considered
herself vain, but she wasn’t afraid to admit when she knew she looked good. Nor
was she unwilling to admit, at least to herself, that there was only one reason
she’d purchased this particular bikini.