Mind Over Matter Page 3

  “Where the hell were you last night?” he growled at her. He stepped so close to her that she was forced to look up at him.

  Her mouth fell open. For a moment he’d sounded just like her father did when she’d come home late from a party or a date. “Excuse me?”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “I said, where were you?”

  Her eyes narrowed. The fact was, for the first time since she’d left her family, she’d had the sudden compulsion to see members of the resistance movement. It was lucky she did. They’d had some serious news for her. There was an investigator searching for her, one of the elite trackers. That meant PAPRA had put her case up to a high priority level. It scared her badly, but she didn’t want to leave yet. If she worked a couple more days, she could get her next paycheck. It would give her the cash to leave the city. She’d stayed the night with them before coming home the next morning.

  If she was honest with herself, she was reluctant to leave because of Bryan. For the first time in her life, she’d met a man that she really liked. But one kiss didn’t mean he owned her. She was far too independent for that.

  “That is none of your business, Bryan. You’re hurting me.”

  He dropped his hands quickly, but the anger in his eyes didn’t change. “I was worried about you, damn it.”

  “I was fine. I had an emergency I had to deal with, that’s all.”

  He frowned. “What type of emergency?”

  “It’s private.”

  Bryan swore. “I want you to tell me, woman. I don’t like not knowing.”

  Shanna put her hands on her hips. “Are you aware that you’re a control freak, Mr. Campbell?”

  He turned red, but didn’t back down. “I ... thought ... maybe I could help.”

  She relented just enough to touch his hard arm. “I appreciate it, Bryan. But like I said, it’s a personal matter.”

  The fire in his eyes died a little. He reached out and touched her face. “As long as you’re okay.”

  She smiled. “I am. Please don’t worry about me.”

  Bryan snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  Shanna turned when she heard Samuel, the bartender, call her name. She glanced back at the big man next to her. “Can we talk later?”

  “Hell yes, we’ll talk,” he growled. He watched her as she made her way over to the bar. He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. He’d never reacted that way before, and he was sure he didn’t like it. Jealousy ate at him and made his stomach churn.

  When he heard her laugh at something Mickey, the bouncer said, he ground his teeth. He felt like a caveman, wanting to go over and grab her by the hair and drag her away. A primitive instinct welled up inside of him to make her his. Suddenly, he knew that he wouldn’t rest until he’d done just that.

  * * * *

  Every time she looked around for the rest of the evening, Shanna found Bryan staring at her. It unnerved her, knowing that he was watching her every move. Yet, at the same time it gave her comfort to know that he was looking out for her.

  Whenever their eyes happened to meet, he would smile that smoky seductive grin that always made her knees a little weak. She wondered if he would push for more now that he’d kissed her. She worried her lip as she made her way around the bar serving drinks. If he did, would she be able to give it to him?

  She was leaving the city in two days. She didn’t have a choice now. She had to stay ahead of the investigator. If she was lucky, the fervor would die down and she’d be relegated to the unimportant file again.

  But until then, there was Bryan. And she wasn’t sure she could leave this time without knowing him the way she wanted to.

  All the way.

  * * * *

  Bryan watched, knowing it embarrassed her, but not really caring. He figured she deserved it, for being so stubborn. He laughed at himself. He was so caught up in a woman, that for the first time in his career, he’d quit working a case. Not that there was anything to work. He couldn’t make heads or tails out of the energy readings in the bar. Something--or someone--was blocking it.

  He figured once he’d filled himself with Anna, he’d be able to concentrate on the job again. But until then, starting tonight, it was all about her.

  * * * *

  “I’m walking you home.”

  Shanna jumped and then glared at Bryan over her shoulder. “Geesh, you scared me to death.”

  “Did you hear me?”

  She rolled her eyes and began feeling the top of her head.

  Bryan watched her with a frown. “What are you doing?”

  She raised a perfect eyebrow at him. “Checking to see if I was wearing bones in my hair. I thought maybe we went back in time to the caveman days, since you’re doing all this grunting and ordering me around.”

  His frown melted into a grin. “That bad, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah!”

  He gave her an abashed look. “Sorry. Can I walk you home?”

  Grinning, she kicked off her shoes and tossed them in her locker. “You walk me home every night. I’m used to it.”

  Bryan reached out and ran his thumb across her bottom lip. She froze and looked up at him. “Yeah, but tonight I don’t plan on leaving you at the door.”

  Shanna’s heart pounded so hard she was sure he heard it. There it was. He’d said it. He was making his intentions very clear. He wanted her, and by the stubborn look on his face, he meant to have her.

  * * * *

  There wasn’t a lot more to say as they walked towards the hotel. Each wrestled with their own thoughts.

  Shanna was waging a war within herself. A part of her desperately wanted to know what making love to Bryan would be like, but the thought of a one-night stand was ugly to her. Her parents had been married for over thirty five years, and their love for each other was easy to see. She’d been taught that sharing your body was natural, but should be done carefully and only with someone you love.

  She knew she cared about Bryan, but trust was a part of loving, and she didn’t trust anybody. She wasn’t sure she could count on him if the chips were down. And what would he do if she told him her secret?

  Her thoughts were brought to a sudden halt by the appearance of two dark-clad men in front of them. She gave a little gasp as she remembered the warning about the investigator on her tail. Had he found her?

  “Look who’s here,” one of the men sneered. “I told you if we waited long enough, she’d come to us.”

  Shanna’s heart dropped. They had found her. She jumped when Bryan stepped slightly in front of her.

  “Now, boys,” he said amiably. “You don’t want to do this.”

  The bigger of the two men laughed coarsely. “Sure we do. That’s a nice piece of ass.”

  Shanna blinked. Would a PAPcop say something like that? Maybe this was just some neighborhood jerk. When she looked closer, she saw that both the men’s eyes were dilated and red. These weren’t cops. These guys were high on some type of drug.

  Bryan narrowed his eyes at the two men. This was all he needed. He’d been worrying about being blunt and scaring Anna off, and now he had to worry about these two jack-offs as well. “Back off! Now!”

  The smaller man snickered and pulled out a knife. The switchblade glistened in the moonlight. “Not without the girl.”

  The other man pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it right at Bryan. “Don’t mess with us. We’ve been watching this little bitch swing her ass down the street for weeks. She’s done teasin’. We’re takin’ what’s ours.”

  “You sons-of-a-bitch,” Bryan swore. He pushed Anna behind him. His heated glare touched the two men. “That’s not gonna happen.” He frowned when he felt a stirring of psychic energy. One of these guys was Psy.

  “Shoot him, Charlie,” whined the smaller man. “I wanna do her now.” He rubbed his hand over his swollen crotch and grinned.

  Shanna felt her stomach roll as she stared at his rotten teeth. She wasn’t frightened fo
r herself. She could take care of both of these guys, but the gun was pointing right at Bryan. She needed to protect him.

  She stepped in front of him, hearing his hiss of annoyance. She stared at the gunman. “Will you let him go, if I promise to go with you?”

  “No fuckin’ way, Anna,” Bryan shouted. He pulled her behind him again and glared at her. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Better listen to the cunt,” Charlie snarled. He cocked the gun and leveled it at Bryan’s chest. “I don’t mind killing you.”

  “No!” Shanna screamed. She put some of her power in it as she forced herself past Bryan and he stumbled back. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

  “Anna!” he bit out furiously. “Don’t do this.”

  There was no way in the world she would let him be hurt. He was too important to her. She looked back at him. “I have to.”

  Chapter Four

  Bryan struggled madly against the bindings around his hands and feet. The assailants had tied him up tightly and dumped him in an alley so dark he couldn’t see a damn thing. He was furious enough that he could have chewed through the ropes if could have reached them. Anna had let those pieces-of-shit take her, just so he would be safe. The joy in the knowledge that she cared about him was totally overwhelmed by the fury he felt.

  She didn’t trust him to watch out for her and that made him angrier than he’d ever been before. He swore out loud and rubbed his wrist against the building behind him. He had to get untied, now! Anna would have no chance against those men.

  He hissed in pain when he felt something sharp dig into his arm. The slow trickle of blood told him that it was sharp enough to cut flesh. Swiftly, he maneuvered his body around so it was pressed against his wrists. He sawed against the bonds frantically. He had to get to her!

  * * * *

  “Just a little farther bitch,” the smaller man’s voice said gloatingly. “There’s a nice little alley up here, just waiting for you.”

  Shanna’s stomach rolled. The thought of either of these two men touching her sickened her, but she knew she had to go along with it till they all got out of sight. Then she would deal with these two. She sighed. At least Bryan was safe.

  She shivered as she remembered his face when the men tied him up and pushed him into the alley. He’d been absolutely furious. Not with her kidnappers either. He was angry with her. She’d wanted to explain, but it was impossible. Telling him she could take care of herself only fanned his fury more.

  “Turn in here.” Charlie poked the gun barrel into her back.

  Obediently, she turned down the narrow alley. It smelled of refuse and vomit, and she almost lost her dinner thinking about what she couldn’t see beneath her feet.

  They came to the end of the alley where a chain link fence stretched across. At the base was an old mattress stained with blood and filth. Shanna swallowed hard. No way was she lying down on that thing.

  She whirled around and stared at her two captors. “I’m warning you now. Let me go!”

  Charlie laughed, showing his own set of stained teeth. “No way, whore. You think you can walk the streets tempting all of us, without putting out? That ends tonight.” He unbuckled his pants.

  “Charlie,” whined the other man. “You said I could go first. I wanna do her before you get her all messed up.”

  “Shit, Leon.” His friend moaned loudly. “Whadda ya gotta get all worked up about? I told you. I’ll hold her down and you can fuck her.” He motioned at Shanna with the gun. “Lay down, bitch.”

  Shanna narrowed her eyes. “No.”

  Charlie’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected her to fight him. He frowned fiercely and cocked the gun. “Now!”

  She shook her head. “I’m not lying down on that filthy mattress. You can both just walk away. I won’t call the cops.”

  Leon stared at her in surprise. In a flash, his knife was out and he pressed it against her neck. “He said to lie down.”

  Shanna shuddered at the feel of his body. He smelled like laundry that had soured and his breath was foul. The knife bit against her flesh. Gritting her teeth, she spoke again. “Last chance, you jerks.”

  They both laughed, and Leon stabbed the knife slightly into her neck. “Down, bitch.”

  She felt the trickle of blood run down her neck and was suddenly infuriated with the whole mess. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly the knife flew out of Leon’s hand.

  Leon yelped. The sharp blade had sliced into his finger as it clattered to the street. “What the fuck?”

  Charlie laughed at him. “Butterfingers. For Christ’s sake, Leon. Can’t you do anything right?”

  His friend gaped at him. “It just jumped out of my hand.”

  “Right.” The words were drawled out unbelievingly.

  Shanna took the time to ease away from them both. If she was lucky, their argument would cover her escape. But Charlie had better eyes than she thought. The gun swung toward her. “Get her Leon!”

  The small man jumped at her. She pushed at him with her power, but she was just a fraction late, and even though he stumbled, he still got his hand around her waist. With a loud snarl, he tossed her onto the dirty mattress.

  Shanna’s skin crawled. Between the bed and the man, she would never feel clean again. She fought him, forgetting her power for the moment. When his hand ripped away her T-shirt, she screamed.

  A moment later she heard a loud commotion. Leon took advantage of her distraction by putting his knee between her legs and forcing her skirt up. The feel of his hand on her thigh made her sick. She reacted, punching up with her power, and Leon flew off of her and on to the hard pavement.

  She tried to scramble to her feet, but he was there again. His hand caught her sleeve and tore her shirt wide open. She screamed again, but before she could muster another push of power, Leon was suddenly gone.

  Bryan arrived just in time to see Anna tossed to the mattress. Fury filled his soul and the red mist of rage covered his eyes. He launched himself at Charlie, who stood over them laughing. The gun dropped and clattered to the ground.

  The two men rolled and fought, each trying to do the most damage. Charlie slammed a good right to Bryan’s jaw that made him see stars.

  Suddenly, he felt the punch of Psy power behind him. His heart fell, knowing there was no way Anna could fight the strength of the talent he felt behind him. He knew that the only way to help her was to turn the power against his foes.

  Dropping deep into himself, Bryan found his own gift. The one he kept secret from everyone else. His talent wasn’t even a recognized one, but he would use it now to save Anna. He closed his eyes and concentrated, ignoring the man who was beating on him. His power surged out of him and blended with the Psy talent behind him, reflecting it, changing it, giving the power to Bryan to use.

  His eyes flew open, the icy blue glowing with the combined talents. His reflective and enhancing power merging with the Psy’s psychokinetic one. He placed his hand on his opponent’s bony chest and pushed.

  Charlie screamed as the power picked him up and threw him thirty feet down the alley. His body crashed into a broken dumpster and fell to the ground. He didn’t move again.

  Bryan leaped to his feet. He swiped at the blood running down his chin and turned to where Anna lay. His rage grew when he saw the other man’s skinny form on top of her, his hands groping at her legs.

  With a roar of fury, he reached down and hauled him off of her. He didn’t need Psy energy to toss this piece of garbage in the trash. The man went speeding down the alley, looking like a human bowling ball as he knocked over boxes and cans.

  He turned around and looked at Anna, who was gazing up at him with a look of surprise and awe. They stared at each other for a few moments, then her lips trembled and she lifted her arms to him.

  He groaned her name as he bent, holding her close to him for a moment before lifting her into his arms. She buried her face into his neck, grabbing onto him as if she would never let him go.
He pressed a hard kiss to the top of her head.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he growled.

  * * * *

  She wouldn’t let go of him. Bryan carried her out of the alley, ignoring the fallen bodies of the two men. He didn’t stop until they reached her hotel. When the front desk clerk looked askance at their bleeding and filthy bodies, he just glared back at the man and no questions were asked.

  He went up to Anna’s hotel room, fished the key out of her pocket, and opened the door. When he tried to put her down on a chair, she whimpered and just held on tighter.

  Pulling her head back he looked at her eyes. They were slightly dilated, and as she started to tremble, he realized that reaction had set in and she was in shock. He needed to get her warm. Later he’d yell at her for putting herself in such danger.

  Turning, he strode through the small room and into the bathroom. One-handed he turned on the small shower till steam curled up from the floor. Then he toed off his boots and slipped off her sandals.

  Anna was still trembling in his arms when he stepped inside. The hot water immediately sprayed over their tired, dirty bodies, and they both moaned in relief. Bryan leaned his head back against the wall and just let the hot water beat down on him.

  A long time later, he felt the water begin to cool. Carefully he set Anna on her feet, shushing her instinctive protests. With hands that shook, he quickly stripped off her clothes.

  Seeing her beautiful, naked body had a predictable effect on his own, but he ignored his painful erection. Leaning her against him, he soaped up a washcloth and efficiently cleaned the blood and grime from her. Once she was done, he hesitated. Then with a shrug, he propped her up against the tile and stripped and cleaned himself.

  She watched him with golden eyes, but she said not a word. He knew she could see his throbbing cock and his need for her, but the last thing he wanted her to worry about was him trying to have sex with her. She’d been through enough that night.

  So he helped her out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her first and then himself. Then he carried her into the bedroom and sat her on the side of the bed. Using another towel, he carefully dried her long hair.