Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl #2)(99)

When I finally regained my breath, it was so cold it misted around my face.

"Thanks," I uttered shakily and jumped back into motion.

He growled. I'd take that as you're welcome .

This time, he stayed with me, keeping pace. When we reached the compound, we didn't have to find a door to get inside. A gaping hole in the side of the building greeted us.

I stopped abruptly, unsure whether to enter guns blazing as a team or split up and start searching.

"Rome, I - "

Jean-Luc peeked from the corner as if he meant to attack, realized who we were, and came the rest of the way around. "About time," he said over the still-screaming alarm, loading a magazine into his gun.

"What took so long? I already disabled all the planes and cars, so they won't be going anywhere." He looked every inch the warrior.

Guilt filled me. I shouldn't have doubted Jean-Luc. Not even for a second. He was a man of his word.

Rome snarled at him.

Though I kept my back to Rome, I stepped in front of him, a stumbling block between the two men. I hoped. My hand fluttered to my throat and the pulse hammering there. "The girls - "

"Are fine, far as I know," Jean-Luc interjected, his gaze meeting mine in the darkness and probing deep.

"I didn't betray you, wouldn't have hurt them." There was disappointment in his voice.

My guilt doubled. "I realize that." Now. "I just wanted to know where they were."

"Don't know."

"Any sign of Desert Hag?" Tanner asked, panting. He was bent down, digging into a vinyl bag. For...a knife he sheathed at his side.

Jean-Luc shook his head. "Not yet."

"Hans. Hide us from outside."

The sound of Rome's voice had me turning. He was in the process of morphing back into a human, fur falling away and leaving skin. Naked skin. But then shadows descended on us, black overtaking everything. There was a collective intake of breath.

I heard a rustle of clothes. Rome's transformation must be complete; he must be dressing.

"Christian," he said. "I need light. But light no one outside our shadows can see."

"Keeping my light inside my brother's shadows will weaken me."

"That's a chance I have to take. I don't want to risk hurting you guys with the weapons I'm about to ready."

A ray of gold suddenly glowed from the boy, breaking through the shadows Hans had created. Gold no one but us could see.

Rome, once again clad in all black, dug through a bag and began strapping weapons all over his body.

My heart swelled with love. Despite everything that had happened and everything I feared would happen, I did still love this fierce and determined man.

He tugged on a pair of boots. "We're going to stick together." He was all business. "Tanner and Elaine, watch the rear. Hans, watch the left and right. Christian - never mind. Save your strength. Jean-Luc, you're to guard Belle with your motherf*cking life. Understand?" I was both irked and touched as the two men shared an intense look.

Jean-Luc nodded.

"I'll take the lead," Rome finished, already moving forward. "Drop the shadows." They fell away, the world around us once again becoming my focus. Nothing had changed. The building was still torn apart, the guards around us unconscious or dead. In fact, this area looked and sounded abandoned. That surprised me. Had we already dispatched everyone or were they somewhere else, waiting for us? I doubted we were lucky enough to have won the battle so easily.

Christian chose that moment to collapse from the effort of lighting the darkness and Tanner dragged him to the side of the building and propped him up. Gave him a gun and told him to shoot if anyone approached him.

"What should I do?" I asked, slipping two knives from the side slits in my pants and gripping them tightly.

"Stay alive," was all Rome said. Before I could work up a good steam, he added, "I texted Cody and told him to make sure Desert Gall was here. You're the only one who can fight her. She'll drain us of our water, and we'll crumple, but you won't have to touch her to take her down." Was I hearing him correctly? He was trusting me to fight, believing in me, allowing me to be an agent rather than a girlfriend. It was...both wonderful and saddening, I realized. Almost surreal. Before, Rome would not have done that. He would have stuck me in a safe place and left me there until the action ended.

I wasn't sure if this meant he accepted the "different" girl I was and had faith in her, or if he'd decided we were no longer meant to be together.

"We can shoot her," Tanner said. "That way Belle won't have to engage in a catfight." Rome shook his head. "Cody gave me the lowdown on the compound and if Desert Gall is where I think she is, gunfire would cause the entire building to explode." I'd been so happy when Rome agreed I should be part of the fight, but this was more than I'd bargained for. One false move..."Should we be using guns now? "

"I'll tell you when to put them away. Don't be scared, and don't get trigger-happy and shoot me. One thing in our favor, there aren't as many guards tonight as Cody had led me to expect." Rome moved to the lead, looked around. "We were able to freeze some of her accounts, and it looks like some of her men abandoned her when she couldn't pay up."