I sprung from the bed, caging her in against the wall. “Then you’d better go brush. We don’t have much time.”
She laughed and wagged a finger. “You better get dressed while I’m gone. If we get caught, we won’t be able to do this again.”
* * * *
The park came into view on our right as I guided the Viper through the intersection. In the distance, children scampered on the playground and a handful of people walked their dogs. Just like any other day in the park. Except for a small section near the benches where families would normally barbeque or picnic. It was almost as if all humans instinctively avoided the men in suits loitering there.
“We want to act like we’re interested in joining them.” I looked for a place on the street to park.
“But not too interested.” Tessa wiggled her fingers on both hands as if preparing herself for a piano recital.
“Don’t be nervous. They won’t do anything. If anyone should be nervous, it’s them. They have to persuade us, not the other way around.” I glanced at her in the passenger seat.
“Hayden, which side will you choose? Do you know?”
“I’ll go where you go.” I pulled over and killed the engine.
“When we break up, you might regret that. Choosing wrong could mean your life.”
“When we break up? Not even if, Tessa? Are we doomed already?” I don’t know why her words wounded me. It’s not as if we were in love. And I didn’t want us to go there.
She squirmed in her seat, playing with the sleeve of her shirt, her eyes downcast. “C’mon, Hayden. We live in the real world, right?” Tessa zeroed in on the group of well-dressed people, so out of place for a park. “So who would you choose?”
“As much as I dislike Chait—”
She snorted. “You only hate him because he’s hot.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You think he’s hot?”
Tessa blew out a breath. “We both know that word is an insult to his level of hotness. If I denied it, you’d know it was a lie.”
Neither of us made a move to get out of the car. Our lack of action only prolonged the inevitable.
“But I chose you.” Her eyes found mine.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you’re the one I think about,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I grinned. “And that’s why you’re my girlfriend. You’re too smart to make bad decisions.”
She held out a hand for a high five. Our palms connected, then she exited the car.
There had to be twenty sorcerers present. Why did they bring so many people? I scanned the surrounding area and spotted a couple suits leaning against a car. Two more stood on the street corner near the entrance to the park. “It’s a lot of people for one girl.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” She took my hand and squeezed.
A man about my height with a lean build and wearing dark, greased-back hair approached us. Two guards flanked him. I wondered how high he was in the organization. Distracted by him and his powerful presence, I didn’t notice Phillips and Linton until they were only yards away. They whipped their heads toward the man I’d taken note of a moment before. He nodded. I didn’t have to guess why — they had recognized what I was.
“Hayden, what a surprise.” Phillips cast an eye briefly at Linton. “We had no idea.”
“I think he’s a Mover,” Tessa said.
“Did you detect him?” Linton asked.
I hoped Tessa would hear the alarm going off in her head and say no. I remembered her telling me what happened to David’s last Detector.
She blew a quick raspberry. “Are you kidding? No, I saw him do something.” Her voice deepened. “The force is strong with this one.” She giggled, her cheeks flushing.
Under other circumstances, I may have laughed at her Star Wars reference, but I knew Tessa was nervous or she wouldn’t have been joking with these people. Mr. Linton’s lips drew downward. Clearly, he was not amused.
“Well, here we are.” I scanned the faces of the others and directed my next words at the man I guessed was the boss. “I’m Hayden. This is Tessa.”
“Boris.”
Tessa squeezed my hand and I snuck a quick peek at her. To her credit, a casual smile remained. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “Do you meet all your new recruits so quickly?”
“No.”
I waited for an explanation, a little unnerved by his silence and intense stare. But I wasn’t the subject of his scrutiny. I wondered what it was about Tessa that brought on that look, the same look David had that night at Delia’s. What do they know? “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s not often we have two sorcerers in one family. Come.” He turned, motioned for us to follow, then sat at a picnic table. I sat across from Boris, next to Tessa. The others formed a circle around us, fanning out to give us privacy.
“I wanted to make sure you knew what was at stake here,” Boris began. “Right now, everything’s under control. We’d like to keep it that way. But there are those who see things differently, those who believe that our powers shouldn’t be wasted. Militant elitists.”
“Powers wasted? In what way?” I asked, noting Tessa’s silence. Her tension radiated to her fingertips and into my skin.
“They believe we should control anyone without supernatural powers. We believe in equal rights among all men, non-supernatural or sorcerer.” Boris smiled, fine lines forming around his mouth — which meant he’d probably been around for a while. I did some quick math in my head. If we lived ten times longer and he looked to be in his early thirties, he could be anywhere from two to four hundred years old. But what did I know?
“We understand your need to meet in a public place. I’d probably do the same thing. But we’d like you to consider visiting our home, see how we live, meet others. It might make a difference in your decision.”
“I think we’ve seen enough.” Tessa shook her head. “After Rena kidnapped me—”
“It’s difficult to trust them now,” I finished for her.
“I almost bought Rena’s line that it was a misunderstanding.” Tessa wrinkled her nose. “But my gut tells me not to believe anything any of them say.”
“There’s something about David I don’t trust. It’s as if he’s trying too hard to please us,” I threw in.
“Perhaps you’d like to go with us now. Hayden, do you play poker? We have a game tonight. Thought you might like to buy in.”
“Sounds dangerous. I haven’t practiced my blocking much. I’d lose my ass.”
Boris laughed. “Then I’ll bankroll. Anything you win is yours to keep.”
“Actually,” Tessa said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If Jane’s people think we’ve made our choice, we may not live long enough to join you permanently.”
“Very well. Is there anything we can do for you, anything you need help with?”
Apparently, Tessa had gotten over her initial jitters. She smiled and my heart beat a little harder. It was that same smile I’d seen when she’d walked into Mr. Linton’s office, the day I’d first begun to know her. Perfection.
“I thought we’d train with both sides, see what we can learn from everyone. When we eventually join you, we’ll be more valuable,” she said, her voice smooth like new brushed suede. “Frank and Lila have been wonderful. We’ve also worked with Chait who’s been a fountain of information.”
“We practice on our own, too. I have a spacious gym at my house. My parents keep to themselves,” I said.
“Sounds like you two have it all worked out. Allow me to introduce you to my associates.” Knowing exactly where each of his people stood, he motioned without his gaze leaving us. “This is Diane. She helps the new ones with their mind reading skills. This is Kyle.” Diane stepped back and a tall black man moved forward to take her place, muscles straining against his snug t-shirt. “He’s our resident warrior. Hasn’t been beaten yet.”
“I was thinking.” Tessa glanced at me. “Chait invited us into their compound. Perhaps I should go and look around. If I find anything useful, I could pass it on when I announce my allegiance.”