Текст книги "Something Witchy This Way Comes "

Автор книги: Veronica Blade

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

“I could text you, so you know when to expect me. I might bring someone, if that’s okay.”

If he’d meant harm, he would’ve brought the extra person without asking. Or he would have already hurt me. I handed him my phone. “I guess so. Put your number in there. I’m working tomorrow night, but we can meet after. Around ten-thirty?”

“See you then.” He returned my phone. “They’re watching the front door. I’ll go out the window where I can hide in the shadows.”

* * * *

I checked the address on the mailbox. Yep, that was it. A sprawling Spanish style house complete with security gate, giant trees and green lawns as far as I could see. Thankfully, Hayden had remembered to put me on the list so when I drove up to the gate and gave the guard my name, he let me right through. I parked and walked the driveway, as Hayden had directed, past the giant swan fountain and blooming flowers.

The ‘guest’ house came into view. It was about the same size as my own home, maybe bigger. Except ours had four occupants – his had only one.

Coming to Hayden’s house was a bad idea after last night. If he had a girl in his bed, would I be able to keep myself in check? Unlikely. But it didn’t matter. I’d have to tough it out with him regardless.

My encounter with the guy last night complicated the situation, made me less sure of anything. I needed to learn to protect myself now more than ever. I needed Hayden too much to walk away. It’s not as if he were any kind of a temptation to me – not after what he’d done last night.

I tapped on the door and waited but no one answered. Hopefully, Hayden wasn’t too wrecked, thus wasting my time. I turned the knob and the door gave way, unveiling light green walls and white trim, wide plank hardwood floors and an arched doorway to a spacious kitchen. The place was simple yet elegant, with very little clutter. It was hard to imagine any teenage boy keeping a home so clean. Clearly, his parents provided a maid.

Hayden had quite the life.

I had no idea how many rooms the house had or which one Hayden would be sleeping in. So I closed my eyes and looked for him, letting my instinct lead. His bedroom door stood ajar and I crept in, praying he wouldn’t be with some girl.

Chapter Thirteen

Tessa

My stomach fluttered in relief at finding Hayden alone. I reminded myself that I didn’t care and rejoiced once again over my good sense at avoiding the temptation the night before. Finding him with the girl in the shadows of the garage proved that I’d made the right decision. I’d never lower myself and kiss him again.

“Hayden, wake up.”

He groaned sleepily and rubbed his eyes. “Hey, Tessa.”

“Good. You remember me.” I kept my voice cold and impersonal. “We have an appointment, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” By his dazed eyes, he needed coffee. Badly.

I shifted and glanced around. “I’ll wait in the living room.”

“A couple minutes and I’ll be ready,” he croaked as I bolted.

I wanted to pace his living room but didn’t want to appear agitated. Instead, I checked out his kick-boxing trophies mounted on the wall. He emerged moments later wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, left open to expose his flat, muscular abs. I struggled not to stare. He was still a jack-ass and I didn’t want him.

“So…” I shouldn’t ask. My mouth needed to stay shut. But I couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out. “You said you didn’t have a girlfriend. The girl last night was what? A one night stand?”

“Neither. We see each other now and then.” He sat on the couch and slid his foot into a sock.

Then it hit me. “She’s Back Up Plan?”

“What?” He furrowed his brows. “Oh, yeah. That’s her.”

“Wow, Hayden. You keep a girl on standby? Just when I thought you were human, you go and show the real you.”

“If she doesn’t care, why should you?” He scoffed. “She has an itch and I scratch it. We’re too people enjoying each other. No big deal.”

“No big deal?” A quick noise escaped my throat, like a melding of a squeak and a groan.

Hayden raised his brows, as though he had no idea why his way of life could possibly bother anyone. “Apparently it is to you.”

“Whatever.” I shook my head. “You work quickly, huh? You’d been kissing me only a couple minutes before.”

“Yeah, and you put the brakes on. You said no, remember?”

I took a deep breath, not bothering to hide my disgust. “Of course. We’re all kind of interchangeable, aren’t we?”

“Oh, did I offend your delicate sense of celibacy?” he called over his shoulder and went to his room.

“You’re revolting, Hayden.” I flopped onto the sofa and shook out my arms, trying to release the tension.

Seconds later, he reappeared, his shirt buttoned and hair brushed. “You haven’t given me a reason not to be.”

 “What is that supposed to mean? You expect me to somehow inspire you to be a better person?”

“C’mon, Tessa. You know what I want. I made it very clear last night. You said no. I moved on. You can’t pull the jealous card after you turn me down.”

“I didn’t turn you down. I rejected your crappy offer,” I said. “And it’s a good thing too because you’re obviously not boyfriend material. You proved it last night.”

“I could be though.” His eyes locked onto mine. I could almost get lost in them.

I treaded dangerous ground because if he meant what I thought he meant, he’d be tempting beyond reason. As much as I tried not to be attracted to him, I couldn’t help it. But I wouldn’t allow myself to believe in him. “Hayden, you don’t magically get what you want. You have to be worthy first, then you get what you deserve. I’m not getting involved with someone because they say they’ll be good.”

“Ah, make a guy jump through hoops before you sink your claws in him, huh? Nice, Tessa. That’s the problem with women. They think the guy has to be whipped or they don’t feel loved.”

“We’re not talking about love.” I ground my teeth, then took another stab at calming myself, rolling my shoulders. “We’re talking about decency, morals. You know, the kind of thing every society is based upon.”

“No more TV for you.” His face relaxed, the lines between his brows erased. “Tessa, I’m not your project and I refuse to apologize ’cause I didn’t do anything wrong. You had your chance. You said no. End of story. You ready to go?”

“No.” I sprung from the couch. So much for holding back. “Don’t you dare make out like I’m being a bitch. You’ve never given me a reason to believe, even for an instant, that I mean anything to you. You’re the guy who flirts and persists until he gets the girl. Once he gets what he wants, he dumps her. I’m not falling for it.”

“I’m not Blane. And we don’t all look alike.” He turned and disappeared down the hallway again.

Fuming, I stomped through the front door to wait outside. He followed down the path seconds later and dangled his keys. “You’re driving?”

I snatched the keys and climbed behind the wheel. “Where are we going?”

“There’s a karate studio on Fifth and Main.”

“You rented a space for me?”

“No. I know the owner.”

“The guy who taught you? That was nice of him.” I’d calmed somewhat, dropping Hayden into the same category as my parents. They were the way they were and I couldn’t change that. It certainly did no good to wallow in anguish over any of them. I had to move on. There were more important things to think about, like figuring out what kind of abilities Hayden had, if any. If he were a sorcerer, I’d have to mentor him before he fell in with the wrong crowd.

If only I knew which crowd that was.

At the karate studio, Hayden ushered me to a back room. I didn’t want to wait any longer. “I have a strange request.”

“Does it involve my lips and your neck?”

“You’re not supposed to be flirting with me.” I glared.

“You call that flirting?” He chuckled.

“You still have Back Up Plan’s smell on you and you’re talking to me like that? Please stop or I’ll vomit.”

“Tessa, get over it. Maybe next time I ask, you should say yes.”

It would be too easy to take his bait. Instead, I sighed and lifted his keys from my purse then set them on a nearby table. “I want you to pick these up.” I flattened my palm on his chest to stop him from doing it yet. “With your eyes closed.”

“Yep. That’s a weird request.”

“Humor me. Close your eyes.” I held his arm and turned him until the table bumped his back then repositioned the keys a few inches from where they were. “Okay, now do it.”

“Can I at least turn around?”

“No. And those eyes stay shut. Now find the keys.”

Hayden’s hands fumbled behind his back for only a moment before the keys came to him, gently floating over the table. Fawn and the principal had told me that sorcerers were rare, that finding two in the same city was unheard of. But Hayden and I were proof that what they said wasn’t right. Either they lied or something was up.

“Are we done?” He opened his eyes and turned.

Hayden couldn’t find out yet what he was. Once he knew about himself and began using his powers, he’d ‘open’ and be detectable. I wasn’t sure if that would be a good thing or bad. “Yeah, I got what I needed to know.”

He squinted at me. “Which is what?”

“I’m writing a short story. It’s about a girl who’s been kidnapped and blindfolded.”

“Oh. You write? I’d like to read a sample.”

No way. “You wouldn’t like it. Girl stuff. You know how they like to talk about their feelings and stuff.”

He laughed. “I’d like to see it anyway.”

Time for a subject change… to something that needed to be discussed anyway. “Agent Phillips and Principal Linton said they’d only use you a few days. It’s been a week. You should get that recommendation letter before your replacement comes. Once Linton doesn’t need you, it might be hard getting him to keep his end of the deal.” Plus, Linton could change his mind about anything once he discovered Hayden’s abilities.

“You don’t trust him?”

I didn’t want to lie since Hayden might relax if he thought Linton and Phillips were safe. “I’m not sure. Bells keep going off, you know? Little things like what you already pointed out. We should get started. I have things to do today.”

* * * *

My butt crashed to the floor. Again. “Is that really necessary?” I rubbed my thigh that still throbbed from the last fall. “I mean, what, are you crabby today or something?”

“Hey, you tripped yourself.” He chuckled. “Sorry, I’ll be a little more gentle.”

“No, don’t.” I moaned. “If I get in a bind, they’re not going to be any nicer. I’ve gotta toughen up.”

He held out his hand to help me up. “You should run every day. Builds endurance.”

I took his hand and popped up. “Is that what you do?” I really didn’t want to talk about how he got in such great shape. It only made my mind go in weird and not unpleasant directions.

“Yeah, five-thirty every morning. I’ll pick you up tomorrow and we’ll go together.”

“Five-thirty in the morning? Are you crazy?”

“Go the slow way or take the fast track. Up to you. Let me know.”

“I guess you were going the slow way this morning when I woke you up.”

“I skip it after a party.” He checked his watch. “We should call it quits for the day. I have plans.”

Probably with Back Up Plan. I sighed. “Fine. I’ll run with you in the morning. Five-thirty, huh? Really?”

He laughed. “Not on weekends. We’ll go at eight-thirty, then come directly here. Get it all done in one shot.”

“Deal. Meet you at your house?”

“Yeah.” He handed me my purse.

I shuffled out the front door, the soreness already settling into my muscles. Together, we walked toward his car parked on the street. In my peripheral vision, cars whizzed by. A white van barreled around the corner as I neared Hayden’s car. The van screeched to a stop and double parked next to the Viper. Immediately on alert, I tensed and moved to shield Hayden who lagged a few steps behind me.

The van’s side door slid open. Before I could get to Hayden, a man covered in black from head to toe aimed a gun and fired. The muffled shot did its job and Hayden toppled over, clutching his side. Then he lay perfectly still. I dropped to my knees beside him and glanced over my shoulder, my adrenaline roaring through my veins. The next instant the gunman and another masked guy jumped out of the van. The masked guy’s arms shot out to grab me and I lunged forward to dodge him, only to be seized by the other guy.

I was about to scream when I felt a prick in my arm. My eyes closed and the dark settled over me like a practiced assassin’s shot, quick and painless.

Chapter Fourteen

Tessa

“What the hell did you do?” The familiar voice behind me reminded me of the gorgeous guy who’d visited my room. “That wasn’t necessary. I’d already made contact. Kidnapping does not make us look good, people.”

I lay on my side against a cold cement floor with my arms bound behind my back. Numbness was beginning to settle in on my shoulder as it bore the weight of my body.

By the dirty floor and musty smell, I guessed I was in some kind of old, deserted building. My eyes slowly opened to what appeared to be a rat skeleton about three feet away. Gross. Light from a big window shone on my feet but there seemed to be no other light source in the place.

Right… I’d been leaving the karate studio and we’d been attacked. Now I was bound and barely able to move. My pulse throbbed at my temples as fear revved up my heart rate. I made a conscious effort to slow my accelerated breathing so my captors wouldn’t notice I’d woken.

What had happened to Hayden? Was he dead? Was he still lying on the sidewalk unconscious, the life slowly seeping out of him? My heart ached at the thought.

“It was taking too long. I sped things up a bit is all,” a woman answered.

The guy groaned. “On what planet does kidnapping endear us to anyone? Rena, you’ve gone too far.”

“Me?” she asked. “I got it approved by our superior. He understands that we can accomplish in two hours what would’ve taken you days. We don’t have time to waste.”

“Untie her now,” he demanded.

“It was only temporary anyway,” Rena said.

A moment later, someone rolled me over and ripped the duct tape from my mouth. I yelped.

Rena tossed the balled-up duct tape over her shoulder. “Besides, we had no idea how loyal she might be to the others and we had no way of knowing how powerful she is.”

“Where’s Hayden?” I asked, taking a more careful look at Rena. She wore her short, dark blond hair pin-straight with bangs. She was lean and her tank top showed toned and cut arms. She didn’t look much older than me, but her eyes were hard, as though she’d lived decades.

 “He’s fine,” he said gently. It was the man-candy from last night who’d ambushed me in my room. His face quickly hardened when he eyed Rena and the two figures in black against the wall. “He’d better be.”

Rena rolled her eyes. “Lighten up. We were informed that he’s got some fighting skills. We didn’t want to deal with him so we gave him a tranquilizer. It’s comforting to know how much faith you have in me, partner.”

 “Real partners work together.” He motioned for the guys in black to untie me.

The ropes fell loose and I scrambled up on trembling limbs. Were they playing good cop, bad cop? “Can you guys squabble later? Like after I leave?” I took a step toward the giant tinted glass window and my vision grew hazy, my head spun. I stumbled backward and leaned against the wall.

It had to be from the drugs. The idea that they’d poisoned me pissed me off. “Why the hell am I here?”

The hot guy scowled, then focused on Rena. “Yeah, why is she here?”

“To talk.” She smiled.

So I wasn’t a prisoner. “You’re saying I can walk out right now?”

Rena narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, of course. But we strongly suggest you stay.”

“Don’t listen to her, Tessa.” He glared at her. “You can go any time. I’d really appreciate a few more minutes though, while you’re here. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

My gaze darted to Rena.

She sighed. “I’m sorry we kidnapped you that way. With Frank and Lila always around, it’s more efficient to snatch up the recruit and explain later. We didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You’re welcome to stay and talk but if you don’t feel comfortable, you’re free to go,” the guy said. “I promise.”

I didn’t plan to hang around any longer than necessary. I’d take him at his word and get out. Everyone stayed put as I moved toward the door. I exhaled in relief.

A large metal box crashed through the wide tinted window and shattered the glass. A figure jumped through the opening, gun in hand, and all eyes shot to the intruder. Hayden. He aimed the weapon, his eyes darting to each of the four figures. “Tessa, get over here.”

My breath caught in my throat. Very likely, in a matter of seconds, I would’ve calmly walked out on my own. But seeing Hayden there with his gun waving and eyes blazing, my heart pounded. Would they let Hayden go? I glanced at the hot guy again. Behind him the two men in black each held a rifle aimed at us.

“You’re free to go.” The hot guy flicked his hand and the guns behind him lowered.

I believed the guy, but rushed to Hayden’s side anyway, since there was no point in taking any chances.

Hayden began to back up, gun still trained on my kidnappers. He elbowed a shard of glass and it clattered to the floor, making the opening bigger. I stepped through ahead of him. “Get in the car. Quickly.”

A second later, we peeled out. “How did you find me?” I shook out my hands trying to steady them. It didn’t help.

“Wasn’t hard. Whatever they shot me with only knocked me out a second or two, I think. When I looked up, the van was tearing out of there.” He shook his head as he negotiated a turn. “Principal Linton and Agent Phillips get a big fat F for letting those people take you.”

“Everything happened pretty fast. They wouldn’t have had a chance to stop them anyway.” Still, why didn’t Fawn or Linton rescue me instead of letting Hayden handle it? They’d said that sorcerers tended to avoid confrontations with normal people. Maybe they figured Hayden had a better chance of getting me out of there since my abductors wouldn’t want to risk exposing their true nature. Involving themselves with a non-supernatural would only complicate the situation. “Besides, they were already letting me go.”

“Why would they do that? Aren’t they the guys who’ve been stalking you?”

“Sort of.” I bit my bottom lip and tried to think of a way to explain it.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure anymore who to trust. It’s good you showed up.”

His eyes met mine. “So these guys abducted you, but now you’re thinking maybe they’re not so bad? How does that work?”

“I’m not sure… But I don’t think these guys meant to hurt me.” Yet, I added silently, then gazed out the window. “They wanted a chance to talk to me without interference from Linton or Fawn. That’s pretty much all I know right now. By the way, where the hell did you get the gun?”

“I stole it from my step-dad a while ago. Never needed it until now.”

“And you just happened to have it on you?”

“In here.” His free hand tapped a spot in the console near his knees. “When I first got this car and had modifications done, I also had them make a compartment so I could hide stuff from my step-dad.”

I’d never had any strong opinions about guns, one way or the other. Until now. If he hadn’t had the gun and Rena resisted, what would I have done then? “It seems like I was there a few minutes before you showed up. I may have passed out, so it’s hard to tell. Were you casing the joint first?”

“Sort of. I watched them a bit. Mostly I needed to wait because I was still feeling a little weak from whatever they gave me.”

I let my head drop back against the backrest and glanced at him, feeling a slow smile spread over my face. Damn, but he was sexy in rescue mode. I aimed my gaze on the road to keep myself from staring at him. “How does a teenager go about stealing a gun?”

“He married my mom when I was ten and a few months later he started punching on me. When my mom wasn’t around, of course. And he never hit me where she could see any bruises. He threatened to kill her if I told anyone.

“Couple years later, he moved on to my mom. I was scared he’d kill her. All I could think about was getting one of his guns, so I could save us if I needed to. Every time they left the house, I tried getting into the gun cabinet. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent trying to pick that stupid lock.” Hayden paused at a stop sign for a split second before continuing.

 “One day, it opened. I lifted the gun, locked the cabinet and wiped my prints. He didn’t even notice for about two weeks.” Hayden laughed. “Then he called the police. They couldn’t trace it back to me and I’d already hidden the gun in the air vents. A lot of good that did me the next time he hit me. I was nowhere near the damn thing.”

“Is that when you got that scar?”

He touched his cheek. “Yeah, he wears a big ring.”

Hayden had been abused and eventually learned to defend himself – even won trophies. The last few years had to have been awful. But all I could see was what he’d accomplished and how he’d triumphed over hard times. I smiled. “Because of all that, you were able to save me today.”

He smiled back. “Yeah, well, they got you on my watch. Very uncool. No way was I going to let them get away with that.” He checked the rearview mirror then pulled over to the curb and parked. “I can’t take you home. You’ll stay at my house from now on.”

“What?” My jaw dropped. “As if my parents would go for that. Are you kidding?” Not only that but I’d promised to spend the day with Bree. I didn’t like breaking my word. I wanted to get home. Which wasn’t going to happen any time soon since we were still parked at the curb.

“You can forget about me taking you home. They’re probably waiting for you there. If not now, then another time.”

“Like they won’t expect us to go to your place?” I cocked a brow.

“Better security at my house.”

“They were about to let me go. You know that guy you saw? Not the two bozos in black but the other one. He convinced that bitch to release me. I think she would’ve let me go anyway. But if there really is a problem, it’s her, not him. He won’t let her do that again.”

“Tessa…” He sighed. “You trust too easily. Better safe than sorry, right? You’ll be fine at my house with all our security. And I won’t molest you… much.”

No, no, no. “That guy? I’d met him before. He was in my room when I got home last night.”

“He was waiting for you in your room?” Hayden’s eyes narrowed at me before he signaled to leave the curb.

I nodded. “He stayed a few minutes then left.”

“He didn’t hurt you?” Hayden’s voice was strangely gruff.

“No. He was totally nice.”

“What did he want?”

I shrugged. “He says Linton and Fawn are lying to me.”

“I don’t think you should trust any of them.” He stopped for a red light.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I figure. Still, he could’ve hurt me last night but he didn’t. He didn’t even come after me when I wouldn’t go into my room.”

“You let a perfect stranger in your room and you’ve never invited me once?” He snorted.

I decided to ignore that. The last thing I wanted to discuss was the two of us alone in my bedroom. “We just talked. Then we made a deal to meet again tonight.”

“In your bedroom?”

I didn’t answer.

“How about tonight, you two meet in my bedroom. How do you think he’ll like that?”

Hayden’s pushiness should’ve put me off. But it didn’t. All I could wonder about was how I could kiss him again without falling down the rabbit hole. “I told my little sister I’d spend the day with her. I have to go home.”

“What are your plans?” Hayden asked. “Are you taking her somewhere?”

It wasn’t even lunchtime. I had plenty of time to wear Bree out before dinner. “I was going to take her to the park but now I’m thinking of going to Superstition Mountains, maybe pan for gold. Thought I’d take advantage of the cooler weather.”

“They have a ghost town there too.” He pulled up in front of my house.

I wished I’d paid attention to where we were headed. “Hayden, I can’t go anywhere without my car. Why didn’t you take me to your house where I left it?”

He got out and jerked his head toward the front door. “Let’s get your sister and we can argue on the way to that ghost town.”

“Wait.” I tried not to swoon over him rescuing me, then wanting to hang out with me and a five-year-old. “You’re really going to be seen with us?”

He grinned and took hold of my hand. “Absolutely.”

My mom met Hayden and me at the door. I wondered if she’d been spying through the window then chastised myself for doubting she’d done exactly that.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said to me then held out her hand for him to shake, smiling politely. “I’m Vivienne.”

“I’m Hayden. Nice to meet you. Tessa invited me to spend the day with Bree and her. Is that okay with you?”

“Oh, of course.” It was my mom’s turn to swoon. She promptly turned, looking flustered, and called out for Bree. “Do you think you’ll be back in time for dinner? You’re welcome to join us, Hayden.”

 “No, Mom, we’ll eat while we’re out. It’s a long drive. We should get going.” I zeroed in on Hayden, hoping he’d take the hint. No such luck. Bree appeared at my side and I took her hand in mine, ready to bolt.

“Actually, we already planned dinner at my house. I was thinking we’d make popcorn and rent a movie. Something Bree might like.”

My mom beamed. The traitor. Why take an interest in my life now?

“That sounds wonderful. I let Bree stay up as late as she wants on the weekends. Have fun.” She practically shoved us out the door, probably anxious for me to get started. The sooner I hooked up with Hayden, the sooner he’d be her son-in-law. I could almost see the dollar signs in her eyes.

And what was with Hayden? Why waste his day with us when he could be skinny dipping with Back Up Plan or any other flavor of the moment?

Whatever. Once we returned to his house, I’d have my car and could leave any time I wanted. I had to admit though, it would be nice having company for our little outing.

I guided Bree through the front door, but froze at the passenger side of his car. “Dude, no back seat. Where are we supposed to put Bree?”

“On your lap for now. We’ll switch cars at my house.”

When we got there, he didn’t want to take my dinky Scion. We piled into his mom’s SUV and cranked the stereo. The long stretch of muted red sand sprinkled with pine trees and cactus flew by as we roared down the highway.

A few minutes into our trip, I glanced at Bree to discover she was sleeping. “Hayden, I have to talk to you about something.”

He turned down the stereo. “What’s up?”

God, where should I start? “This is going to sound crazy but when I told you last night that I read minds, I wasn’t joking.”

I waited, anticipating mockery.

“You read minds?” The corners of his mouth crept up. “If you say so.”

This was one of those times when I hated being right. “Actually, it’s not really reading minds. I see images, like a movie. I don’t hear words or anything.”

“You’re messing with me.” He kept his eyes on the road but glanced at me briefly. “Or you snuck a drink when I wasn’t looking.”

“How about a test? We have nothing better to do.”

He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Knock yourself out.”

“Imagine something and I’ll tell you what I see.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I flinched, anticipating where his mind might go. I immediately got a very clear picture of making out with him in Christina’s garage. Why would I expect anything else from him? At least he wasn’t remembering rolling around with someone else. “Nice. But I have my own visuals for that. I was there last night, remember? Think of something else.”

His mouth dropped open. “You saw you and me—”

“Making out in the garage.” I said the words aloud then cringed, scooting closer to the passenger side door. Not because the thought was repulsive but because I knew how little it had meant to him. “Can we move on?”

His eyes narrowed. “What am I seeing now?”

“You’re in an auditorium – a stadium or something. There’s an audience cheering.”

“That was when I won regional title. Aikido. It’s a type of martial arts.” He stared at me long enough that I had a savage urge to take control of the steering wheel, certain he’d get us into an accident. Instead, I double-checked that my seatbelt was properly fastened and pointed for him to turn his eyes ahead. His gaze returned to the road. “So you read minds?”

“Pretty much.”

“That’s…” Hayden shook his head. “You’re tricking me somehow.”

“Listen,” I said. “I can’t blame you for thinking that. We can keep doing this until you’re convinced.”

Six rounds later, his mouth gaped. “So… if, for instance, I had a fantasy about you, maybe imagined you naked, you’d see it.”

Damn. He’d better not do it on purpose just to make me crazy. “Except that I look better in your fantasies than in real life.”

“I doubt that.” He grinned. “I saw you in those tight black pants. That was better than my imagination.”

I squirmed in my seat and he chuckled.

“The last few days of tutoring, every time I got, eh, distracted, you knew?”

“Unfortunately, yes. But we’re getting off the subject.”

“Not really. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to talk about.” He chuckled. “I thought it was weird how you always seemed to know.”

“Right. Listen. Agent Phillips and Principal Linton, they’re like me. Same with the people who drugged us today. Both parties talk crap about the other side. It’s hard to know who to trust.” I explained everything I’d learned and told him about Movers and Blockers, also Fawn’s calming effect on others. Since it was a long drive, I had plenty of time. “If you’re going to be my guardian angel, you need to know what you’re getting into.”

Hayden scoffed. “I think I can handle it.”

“Really? Everything’s going to be fine with only two of us and I don’t know how many of them?” I raised my brows.

“Actually, I have no idea. Look at it like an adventure. All the more reason for you to stay at my house.”

I didn’t get the obsession with me staying over. Didn’t get it at all. That’s what his other girls were for. Anyone he’d call would have infinitely more experience at satisfying a guy’s needs and probably didn’t require the hoop jumping that I did. “Hayden, what is your deal? If you want someone to stay the night, you have lots of girls you can call.”