Edge of Midnight (McClouds & Friends #4)(101)

“Excuses, excuses,” Tam scoffed. She lifted Liv’s hand to her lips and kissed the back of it. “It tickles me to beat him to it. Besides, never count on a man to give you jewelry. They usually suck at choosing it.”

Sean’s jaw was tense. “You are a cat bitch from hell, Tam.”

“Ah, how deeply my little barbs sink into your tender places,” she taunted. “You give good sport, Sean. I’ve always liked that about you.”

Raine cleared her throat. “Ah, Tam? Why haven’t you ever gotten together with Seth to discuss a line of jewelry with beacon trasmitters?”

Tam shook her head. “It’s contrary to my philosphy. Beacons presuppose that other people give a shit whether you live or die, which has not been my experience. Besides, I prefer to be unfindable, as do most of my clients. Thirdly, a trasmitter is no good if someone’s holding a knife to your throat. That’s what wearable weaponry is all about. An extra something when your back’s to the wall, and you’re on your own.”

“You’re depressing the hell out of me,” Davy said.

“Take a pill,” Tam said. “They’ve got great mood stabilizers now.”

Sean glared down at the ring, and slanted Liv an uncertain glance. “I hope you know you’re not wearing that thing to bed with me.”

“Feeling insecure?” Tam peered into the box, and chose three rings, similar to the one she had given Liv. She grabbed Erin’s hand, Margot’s, then Raine’s, and bestowed a ring upon each of them.

“A token of my regard, ladies,” she said, with a wicked grin. “I never miss a chance to annoy a man.”





Chapter 20



M iles tossed and twitched on the daybed in the studio. He felt hot, sticky and irritated. Wrangled into his worst nightmare: stuck under the same roof as Cindy Riggs. She was right upstairs, wearing only a chemise and thong set. He wondered if her * hair really was trimmed into a heart shape. He imagined sneaking into her room and demanding that she prove it. He’d showed her his. It was only fair. Nah. She might tell him to piss off, at which point he would be obliged to fall into a yawning crack in the ground and die.

Worse yet. She might get that sultry look in her eyes that made him terrified and crazy, pull her panties off…and prove it to him.

Yeah, and then? His mind ran up against a wall of stark terror.

Having sex with her would be incredibly exciting. And the inevitable aftermath would kill him. He knew it. He f*cking knew it.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her slender body twined around him, writhing. Coming, while he nuzzled her incredibly tender, soft tits. He’d had no idea it could be so easy to make a girl come.

Unless she was faking, of course. But why would she? It wasn’t like she gave a shit about his poor tender virginal ego, at this point.

It sure hadn’t felt fake. He’d felt every tremor, reverberating through his body. Every gasp, every clutch of her long nails.

And when she took him in her mouth, oh, God. Oh, God.

Connor was a sneaky * for getting him into this. He used every trick he had to stay out of that wacky little headcase’s way, and everywhere he turned, there she was. Shaking her tits in his face.

He groaned, rolling up onto the edge of the daybed. He’d whipped himself into such a frenzy, there was no point trying to sleep. He might as well make himself useful. He booted up his laptop, and clicked his way into the chat forum where Mina had been hanging out with Jared.

Hi anybody out there Im bored, he typed.

A handful of people responded. He exchanged banalities with them, letting time creep by. Deliberately not thinking about Cindy’s heart-shaped * hair. Jared finally appeared, oh thank God.

Mindmeld666: hey Mina lets do a u2u

They got into a private room. Jared got right to the point. Ive been authorized to offer you an invitation.





2 what?


A special place. The Haven. Heard rumors?

He had, in fact. Some mythical secret place where people learned amazing brain control techniques. He’d taken it for sci-fi bullshit. There was so much preposterous crap floating around in cyberspace.

Tell me more, he typed.

Dont want 2 talk about it online, Jared typed. I wanted 2 meet u and talk in person, but ur soshy I had no choice. My job is to recruit people like u.

Blushing, Miles typed coyly.

Don’t. Most people who come here pay huge money. We hand pick special ones like u. The guy I work for is a genius. U have 2 xperience it 2 believe it.

Who is he? Miles typed.

Mindmeld hesitated. Im not authorized to tell u that. I havent met u so how do I know if u r who u say u r?

Fair enough. Thats my problem 2, Miles typed.

Only 1 way 2 solve ur problem. Meet me?

The question scrolled out across the bright screen and waited.

A knock on the study door sent his heart off on a tizzy.

Fuck. What to do? Hide under the bed? Stop breathing and pretend to be dead? Shit.

“You awake?” Connor’s gruff voice sounded from the other side.

Not Cindy. Miles almost slid off the chair, unmanned by a combination of relief and disappointment. “More or less,” he called.

Connor opened the door. He was fully dressed, a SIG in his hand.

“I just got a call. The SafeGuard alarm in Erin’s mom’s house tripped. Thank God she’s in Hawaii. I called the cops, but I’m going to take a look. I want you to stand guard. Can you handle one of these?”