In His Keeping

Beau fumbled around for his phone, latching on to it when he found it lying just inches from his hand. He punched in Zack’s number, knowing he would be able to get here faster than Dane or Eliza.

“Brent and I are down,” Beau said with no preamble. “We need extrication stat. I have a client with me and she’s vulnerable. They want her alive. Everyone else, not so much.”

“On my way,” Zack clipped out and then the connection went silent.

There was little point in wasting time giving Zack their exact location. All of the vehicles owned and driven by DSS had GPS that enabled any of the operatives to know where they were at any given time. And Zack was solid. Dependable. Yes, Beau probably should have contacted Dane, since Dane was over the recruits and he answered only to Caleb and Beau. But Beau trusted Zack completely and knew that he’d waste no time getting here as soon as humanly possible. And well, there were times when Beau wondered if Zack was human. He seemed to operate with ruthlessness and a cool head at all times. Nothing much fazed him. He took it all in stride and did his job effortlessly. He was precisely the kind of men that DSS needed to fill their ranks with.

Beau awkwardly made his way from the back to the front, his large body not fitting between the crumpled hood and seats as easily as Ari’s much smaller frame had done. But the hell he’d leave her alone to face the bastards after her.

“How bad is it?” Beau demanded as he squeezed himself the last bit.

“I don’t think anything is broken,” Brent said through gritted teeth that told Beau regardless of what the other man admitted, Brent was in pain.

“I’ll cover you,” Beau said. “Just stay put and don’t move. You may have sustained spinal injuries so wait until an ambulance arrives.”

“How the hell you going to explain this one?” Brent asked. “You saw what happened as clearly as I did. I know I didn’t imagine it.”

“No, you didn’t,” Beau admitted. “It was Ari. She saved our asses and is still trying to save our asses. I’m getting out of here so she isn’t facing those assholes alone.”

Beau winced when some of the jagged glass cut into his skin as he shimmied his way out and onto the concrete freeway. He immediately looked for Ari and saw her a few feet away, taking cover behind their overturned SUV, a gun that seemed far too large for her small hands gripped tightly in her palm.

The vehicle that had hit them from behind had flown by the wreckage and even now was doing a quick U-turn, uncaring of the oncoming traffic. The other vehicle that had approached from the front had skidded to a halt a hundred feet away and both driver and passenger side doors were open, men taking cover but with weapons drawn and aimed in the direction of Beau and Ari. And Brent.

Goddamn it. Brent was a sitting duck.

Ari turned, her eyes cold and ruthless. He could feel her fury. It crackled between them like an electrical current. She tossed the gun to him and he caught it on reflex.

“Cover me,” she said softly.

Before he could open his mouth to protest and tell her to stay her ass right where she was, she stood, presenting an open target to their pursuers.

“Goddamn it, Ari! Stay down!”

“They want me alive,” she said softly. “They won’t shoot me. You and Brent on the other hand they probably don’t give a shit about and I’m not going to just let them take you out because you were protecting me. Not when I have the power to at least slow them down even if I don’t completely stop them.”

Ignoring his further protests, she locked her gaze on the threat in front of her. Again, he saw blood drip from her nose, seep from her ears and her fingers curled into tight, bloodless fists at her side. Her entire body was rigid and he could only imagine the awful strain she was experiencing. She’d told him that until recently she hadn’t used her powers at all. That she’d tried to blend in, be average, nothing special. As if a woman like her, whether she had psychic powers or not, could ever blend in. Not with her beauty and distinctive features.

More blood slid down her neck as the guns trained on them wrenched themselves free from the men’s grasps. They floated effortlessly through the air, one landing right beside the driver’s side door where Brent could reach it, the other dropping harmlessly to the ground in front of Beau.

The vehicle that had executed the U-turn barreled forward, on a direct collision course with the already mangled vehicle with Brent trapped inside. Beau watched helplessly, because there was nothing he could do to prevent his man from being more seriously injured and likely killed. The sons of bitches after Ari meant business and they’d eliminate anyone who stood in the way of their goal.

Every vein distended in Ari’s arms, her neck, even her forehead as if she was experiencing crippling pain as she focused on the speeding vehicle. And indeed, her features were marred with agony, a nearly silent moan escaping her tightly pursed lips. But as with the other vehicle she’d taken out single-handedly, it suddenly lifted into the air and turned on its side before crashing heavily onto the freeway. It skidded the last fifty yards to come to rest a mere car length in front of the downed vehicle Beau and Ari had taken cover behind.

To further ensure they wouldn’t be able to get out, her face contorted once more and the unscathed doors facing upward simply crumpled inward, making it impossible for anyone to escape.

Her power was incredible—like nothing he’d ever witnessed before—but he knew it was costing her dearly. He’d seen psychic bleeds before. Knew they were caused by intense focus and concentration. The blood—and obvious strain on her features—concerned Beau greatly. She could easily suffer a stroke or incur a massive brain bleed as a result.