Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(27)

Tanner cursed, backtracked and pressed into my side.

"What?" he asked. Then, "Oh."

Inside, Rome sat in the corner, looking casual in a slatted wooden chair. He wore black pants and a black T-shirt that hugged every inch of his muscled forearms. His hair was unruly, as though he'd plowed his hands through it a few thousand times. There were dark circles under his eyes and lines of tension around his mouth.

Thank God he didn't look like a satisfied man. So where exactly had he slept last night?

In front of him, Lexis sat at a metal table, facing one of the people Rome and Cody had rescued from the warehouse. That damn Lexis. How was I supposed to glue myself to Rome if she was always there, right in his face? The nerve of her!

My gaze raked her, and I gasped when I saw what she was wearing. Stone-washed jeans and a green button-up shirt. My teeth ground together.

"That bitch is wearing my outfit." And she rocked it hard-core. She'd even pulled her glossy dark hair into a ponytail, highlighting the perfection of her exotic features.

A moment passed as Tanner studied her. "My bad. You should have gone with your instincts." No shit. Now here I was, stuck in a dress when I'd known, deep down, that Rome preferred me in jeans.

"I think you look nice," the agent beside me said. If I was remembering correctly, his name was Edward and he worked in the labs. He had a folder tucked under his arm.

"What's Rome doing in there, anyway?" Tanner asked. "He's supposed to be interviewing his own set of people."

"He's protecting her," I practically snarled, knowing without having to be told.

"The guy she's talking to is the one in need of protection," he replied drily.

At least he didn't sound pissed or sad about seeing the ex-husband and wife together as said ex-wife blatantly attempted to lure said ex-husband under her evil spell.

"Who are they interrogating?" Tanner asked.

"That's Tobin McAldrin." I knew because I was the one who'd picked the people Lexis was to interview. It was pure coincidence that everyone on her list either resembled a beefed-up Arnold in his prime (having the strength to kill her) or seemed as gentle as a lamb and was amazingly good-looking (to romance her). Really.

Tobin was of the beefy variety. Plus, his eyes were cold, empty. My guess, he wasn't some innocent victim of experimentation. Like Memory Man, he was probably a scrim Pretty Boy and then Desert Gall had hoped to recruit and use against us.

"What's his power?" Tanner asked. "Do we know if he even has one?"

"Sadly, no," I muttered.

Edward handed me the folder. "Actually, we do. I've been testing McAldrin for the last two days. The guy has inhuman strength, and it's like nothing I've ever seen before. Not all of it is his own, though.

Someone surrounded his bones with metal Wolverine-style, which caused his strength to increase exponentially."

As he spoke, I flipped through the pages. There were X-rays, graphs I couldn't decipher and anatomy charts covered with arrows.

"Why's he still here, then?" Tanner asked. "I mean, if I had that kind of strength I'd have busted my way free, like, yesterday."

I closed the folder with a snap and handed it back to Edward. "Maybe a few of Desert Gal's victims aren't really victims at all, but plants. Plants someone plans to use to take us down." Of course, Desert Gall would have had to know - or at least hope - PSI would break into her warehouse. For that to happen, she would have had to leak the information herself. That would explain why she'd moved all Pretty Boy's "innocent victims" to a new location and why Rome's contact was only then able to obtain the info.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," I said, my gaze landing on Rome and giving me a jolt.

He shifted ever so slightly in his chair, angling his face toward the two-way mirror, suddenly staring straight at me. He couldn't see me, I knew that, but God, those electric blues singed me all the way to the soul.

Tanner must have pressed the speaker, because suddenly I could hear Lexis coaxing Tobin.

" - here to help you. That's why we freed you. Cooperate, and we'll let you go as soon as this investigation closes."

I hoped she realized that was a lie; I hoped he didn't.

"Now, I'll ask again. How long did Vincent have you locked up?" Vincent Jones. Street name Pretty Boy.

"I told you," came the cranky, raspy reply. "I don't know. Wasn't like I was given a calendar. Now, are we done here?" He made to stand, his massive body looming like a storm cloud over the petite Lexis.

"Sit down," Rome barked.

Barked. I rolled my eyes at the irony. Rome, a jaguar shape-shifter, and dogs did not get along, a lesson I'd learned just a few weeks ago when I dog-sat our neighbor's golden retriever. The gentle giant had foamed at the mouth for a piece of Rome, and had nearly chewed through my man's thigh. Needless to say, there had gone any chance I'd had of ever getting a dog of my own.

Tobin sat.

"God, I wish I was like that," Edward said. Then he shook his head, cheeks reddening as he realized he'd spoken aloud. I had forgotten he was beside me. Poor, unassuming man. He was probably forgotten a lot. Then again, I could relate. "Well, uh, I'd better get back to work." He rushed off without another word.