Page 42 of Bound By Water
I’m thirty, not eighty. “Whatever. She likes this guy she came in with,” I explain with a snort. “Maybe you should talk to him, too. My gut says he’s bad news.”
Beckett raises a single eyebrow. “I’m not sure your gut is reliable. You didn’t trust me either.” He taps on his phone. “What are their names?”
“Greer Vickers and River Fulton,” I tell him.
He types in the names. “Any relation to Colonel Vickers?”
“He was a surrogate father to her after her dad died,” I inform him with a sigh. “Brad said she picked up his name when she went on the run. I don’t know her real name.” I pause at the thought and wonder what it is. “According to her, Lionel was killed by Raven.”
Beckett looks up and waits for me to explain.
I summarize what she’s gone through the last few days. “She’s definitely telling the truth. Kind of self-contained but let loose when she saw Brad. I think he reminds her of Lionel. You can’t fake that level of trauma, but Brad and his team didn’t find Lionel’s body. Raven could have taken it with them, but why? It’s not something they usually do.” Lionel was a good soldier. A man of integrity who led more top-secret missions than most of the special ops guys I know. He deserves a proper burial.
“I see,” Beckett replies after a second. “Hopefully, she’s open to diving into her psyche, because I agree with Oliver. It’s odd for psychic powers to show up so late. Maybe she was subconsciously using them but never noticed, then they suddenly evolved or increased. Usually, I would speculate a low power level, but if they were, Raven wouldn’t be after her.”
His comment makes me sit up straighter. “Come to think of it, her power doesn’t register at all. No wonder I forgot to ask her about it. I didn’t feel it.”
Beckett’s eyes light up. “Thatisinteresting.” He makes a note on his phone. “And River?”
“You’ll feel his power coming a mile away,” I tell him. “Enhanced to the nth degree, similar to mine and Oliver’s. We don’t know what caused it, though.”
He’s practically vibrating with excitement. “Let’s get them in here tomorrow. You said they’re in some sort of relationship?” I nod, and he dips his chin. “Good. I want to see her at 9 a.m., and him immediately after, at 9:30 a.m. If they know they’re back-to-back, I could use that to ferret out more information.”
Considerably more relaxed than when I entered, I shake my head at him. He obviously used his power to bring my emotional response down a notch. “Thanks. I was a bit wired.”
He takes off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. “It’s what I do.”
CHAPTER21
WILLA / GREER
Hand in hand, we head back to River’s room after dinner. I keep expecting someone to stop us and make me return to my room, but no one does. River is right. They must be watching us. There’s no way they would allow new people to roam around the place. I wouldn’t, and they’re a government group housing a bunch of people with what I’m sure is an alarming list of powers. Watching comes with the job.
River’s room is identical to mine, and it makes me grimace. All the white is stressing me out. It’s too sterile. I feel like a rat in a lab waiting for the door to the maze to open up so I can get the cheese.
River walks over to the bed and fingers the folded clothes sitting on top. “Someone’s been here. I left these clothes lying on the floor earlier, and yet here they are, washed and folded for me. It’s an invasion of privacy, and I hate it.” He picks them up and tosses them into one of the dresser drawers.
“I wonder if Raven’s headquarters is similar to this one,” I say, speculating whether all government facilities lack personality. Probably. With no chairs in the room, I kick off my shoes and sit criss-cross applesauce on the bed.
River joins me on the bed, his back to the headboard, legs stretched out in front of him, then pats the spot next to him. I move to his side.
Since the moment we met, I’ve felt comfortable enough to fall asleep next to him multiple times—the semi-truck, in Jordan’s apartment, and on that old leather couch in the warehouse. Biting my lip, I stare at him. Why does a bed suddenly make me nervous?
His thumb reaches out and pulls my lip from my teeth. “I don’t want to be in this room or this place without you. When you’re not here, all I want to do is find you. With you here beside me, all I want to do is run away and find someplace safe for the two of us to hide.”
“That sounds so good,” I admit with a sigh.
If only I hadn’t killed Trent, but I did. I’m not sure there is anywhere safe for me to hide except here. Hightower and Raven will never stop looking for me. I want to tell River, but murder is a huge burden to put on someone else’s shoulders.
His bright green eyes search mine, and whatever he sees makes him sad for a second, but his lips quickly lift in a smile. “All this free time. What should we do?”
Heat steals across my cheeks in a raging blush as my thoughts go back to the theater. Why do I feel like a teenager dreaming of her first kiss? I’m twenty-three, damn it. His eyebrow rises high, like he knows exactly what I’m thinking, and that makes it worse.
His chuckle is low and full of the same needy desire, but he shakes his head. “Stop, you’re killing me. I promised sleep, and I’m going to stick to my word. Besides, my control only goes so far, and you in this bed is a temptation I’m not sure I can resist.”
“Was it real?” I murmur, almost convinced the kiss was a dream. It had been that good.
“It was real,” he said, leaning closer. “And when you’re not exhausted and overwhelmed, I’m going to kiss you again to prove it.” He picks up my hand and entwines his fingers with mine. “We need something to distract your dirty mind before you make me forget my good intentions.”
