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“What are you doing here?” Her tone was far from welcoming, and he ignored the daggers she shot in his direction.
“Officers, is there a problem?”
“Yeah. Who are you?”
He slipped his arm around Anna and sighed, smiling at Risa indulgently. He hoped she would see that he was here to help her and not spit in his face, like it looked as if she were ready to do.
“My name is Daniel MacAlister. This is my sister Anna. Our family lives in Harwich. And this—” he stared at Risa with all the appearance of affection that he could muster “—is my fiancée, Risa Remington. Now, if you would you take your hands off of her, please, and tell me what’s going on?”
“FIANCÉE?” Risa looked on, just as shocked as anyone. Anna and Kristy spoke in unison, shock evident in their voices, as Agent MacAlister’s eyes held hers. Risa’s voice clogged in her throat as she tried to protest, but all that came out was a strangled sound that didn’t even resemble words. MacAlister was putting on quite a show—he looked positively doting. But she read the warning behind his false affection clearly: go along, don’t make a fuss.
She was in a jam, no doubt. But to pretend she was his fiancée? How had he managed to pop up at just this exact moment? How long had he been watching her, and who had sent him? Why was he here? She had more questions, but she knew she wouldn’t get any answers to them in a jail cell. Having Secret Agent Daniel MacAlister pop up in your life was not a good thing, in Risa’s experience.
“Fiancée, huh?” The guard turned to stare at MacAlister. “She doesn’t sound all that pleased to see you.”
“She’s just annoyed, and I can’t say I blame her.”
Risa had been pissed to discover the camera in the dressing room—she didn’t like being watched—and was even angrier now that she saw who sat on the other end of the lens. She was more than capable of voicing her objections about such treatment, but no one was listening to her.
No one would have dared to ignore her if she still had her powers. She knew ordinary women were dismissed and discriminated against in society all the time, but she hadn’t been an ordinary woman. People had always listened to what she had to say. Some had feared her, but at the very least, she’d commanded respect.
She wasn’t commanding anything at the moment. The frustration—the overwhelming feeling of being horribly, helplessly normal—assaulted her as the three men discussed her situation as if she weren’t even there.
“Well, your fiancée crawled up through the ceiling panel and disconnected the surveillance cameras. We had no choice but to suspect she and her friend were trying to make off with stolen purchases.”
“My fiancée has no need to steal. I can provide her with whatever she needs.”
Risa nearly had a stroke on the spot, so furious she couldn’t speak.
“Why else would she shut the cameras off? Either way, she was caught tampering with store property, and—”
“Excuse me.” Risa’s voice was an acid drip into the conversation, and everyone became quiet. MacAlister’s eyes shuttered and she could see the tension that drew his features tight—he didn’t like it that she’d interfered. Well, too bad.
“You—” she glared at the man holding her arm “—have no right to be watching women while they are changing their clothes. You’re lucky I didn’t take that camera and cram it up—”
Daniel interrupted, laughing loudly enough to interrupt the end of her sentence. “Sweetheart, no need to sink to their level.”
She turned her glare on him, disliking intensely how he insinuated himself between her and the guard who held her arm, breaking the connection to replace it with his own as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She almost pulled away, but the pressure of his fingers warned her not to. The store’s manager had joined them, coming down the aisle at a near run, breathless when he arrived.
Daniel spoke loudly enough to make sure the manager heard him clearly amid the din, inserting just the right amount of male outrage into his tone.
“She’s absolutely right. Aren’t there laws about that kind of thing? I think the local papers would be interested in what’s happened here, and I can’t imagine the damage that would be done when the story comes out. Take her down to your offices, and I’ll contact the media about this matter right away.”
Anna, the woman whom MacAlister had identified as his sister, popped in and said, “Yes, absolutely. I shop here all the time, and I don’t want anyone watching me dress in dressing rooms. It’s despicable!”
Risa had no idea why MacAlister was here, why his sister was defending her or why no one seemed to think she could fight her own battles, but she didn’t need super powers to know he wanted her to stay quiet. The manager was turning increasingly pale as Risa felt her own face redden.
“Now, sir, Mr….?”
“MacAlister. Daniel MacAlister.”
“Mr. MacAlister, I can assure you we always have a female employee review those tapes, and the only reason security was called was because your fiancée was last recorded disconnecting the cameras.”
“She’s shy.”
“Yes, well, um, of course, but we are within our legal rights to monitor for shoplifting.”
Daniel’s voice turned cool. “You won’t have to worry about shoplifting after we tell every woman on the Cape that you watch them change their clothes—and tape it.”
The man stuttered, obviously rethinking his decision, and blinked quickly, trying to backpedal. “Now, I don’t think we need to let this little incident get out of hand. I’m sure your fiancée didn’t mean any harm, and we appreciate your business. Would you like me to take your purchases to the counter?”
Daniel looked at Risa, their eyes meeting in a clash of blue and gray. She was easily six inches shorter than his solid five-ten. Standing so close, he could detect the clean scent of soap and shampoo, and found himself staring. She wore no makeup; she didn’t need it. She was flawless, her burnished locks warming porcelain skin, decorated by a playful spray of freckles over her nose. He’d never noticed those before. Why was he noticing now?
And why was he so acutely aware of how close they were standing, and of how curvy she was? His voice was hoarse when he spoke, and he cleared his throat, telling himself his behavior would be exactly what would be expected from a lover. He was just acting convincingly for the benefit of their onlookers.
“I don’t know. What do you think, sweetheart? You’ve been through a terrible embarrassment here. First the indignity of the cameras, and then being manhandled—”
“Twenty-five percent off everything you’re buying,” the manager interjected quickly, looking at them with dire hope the entire matter could be averted. Other customers had started paying attention.
Daniel could see that Risa’s temper hadn’t cooled down, but the sooner he could get her out of here, the better. Kristy, thankfully, spoke up.
“Make it forty and we’re outta here.”
“Forty it is.”
“Dammit, I don’t care about—” Risa was spitting mad, and wasn’t about to be bought off, especially with clothes. But before she could finish her sentence, Daniel loomed in close and kissed her.
She hadn’t seen it coming—she wouldn’t have seen it coming in a million years, not in her wildest imagination. She hadn’t been kissed since her parents died, and never by a man. Certainly never like this.
Shock and curiosity mingled as MacAlister’s mouth touched hers, stopping her words and confusing her thoughts. It was a strange feeling, and it captured her total attention as she forgot where they were and what was going on around them. Nothing else mattered except for the feeling of warmth she experienced, the soft press of his lips to hers. She shuffled closer, seeking more until someone cleared their throat.
Risa was in a daze when MacAlister drew back, looking just as composed as he always did. He hadn’t been affected at all. The corner of the very perfect lips that had just met hers quirked up, and something heated inside her. She felt like hitting him—hard—but she also felt like kissing him again. She couldn’t take her eyes off of his mouth.
When she realized that he no longer held her, and that both of her hands had somehow found their way to his shoulders and lingered there, she stepped back, turning away. Her pin-straight hair fell forward around her face, hiding her from the onlookers as MacAlister settled the situation with the manager. Risa wanted to hide, to process what had happened and to get away from the crowd. The urge to run, to get back to her apartment where she was safe, assailed her.
What were all these people thinking? She dared to look up, finding the manager looking relieved as MacAlister spoke to him quietly. Anna, MacAlister’s sister, was studying Risa curiously, sending Risa back into hiding behind her hair. Kristy was gathering up the clothes she’d tried on, triumphant in wrangling a discount. Risa looked down, her fingers touching the small white tag hanging from the T-shirt she had on.
Kristy touched her hand and Risa drew back reflexively, as she always did. Except with MacAlister. Her fingers moved to her lips as she remembered the kiss—it was a touch, an intimate one, and she hadn’t drawn back. She’d stepped closer. There hadn’t been any painful blankness or sense of disconnection. In fact, MacAlister’s kiss was the first time she’d felt connected to something, to someone, since she’d awakened from her coma. Realizing it made her want to run—and made her want to have more.
She was staring at him, and he pursed his warm lips thoughtfully, staring right back as if he had every right to look at her so possessively.
“C’mon, you two. Enough of the lovey-dovey stuff.” Kristy broke the visual lock between them, handing Risa some purchases to carry as she leaned in close, whispering, “And you have some explaining to do—fiancé, huh?”
MacAlister must have overheard, and when Risa opened her mouth to correct Kristy, she closed it again, thinking better of it. She didn’t know why MacAlister was here.
She smiled at Kristy. “It was a surprise. It’s not what you think.”
“Yeah, there seems to be a lot of that with you.” She winked. “What a hottie. I wouldn’t mind having a surprise like that. Maybe two.”
Risa was thankful that her new friend appeared to be teasing, and Risa dutifully followed her to the counter, where they could pay and get out.
Risa wondered what the agency had deemed so important they’d send one of their top field operatives. Daniel MacAlister was no lightweight—she’d worked with him before and she’d rarely met anyone so focused on his work, so determined to get the job done. He was intelligent, dedicated and lethal. Apparently, this time, his mission involved her.
If he’d come to kill her, she’d be dead already. A man like that wouldn’t bother wasting his time dallying in department stores; he could have picked her off cleanly, no matter where she was. She also knew, while MacAlister had killed in the line of duty, he wasn’t an assassin. So it had to be something else.
Hope sparked suddenly as her mind worked over the scenarios—maybe the agency had changed their position on her employment and had a use for her even if she didn’t have her superpowers. Could he have been sent to retrieve her for service?
“God, he’s incredible! Look at that butt….” Kristy sighed as she shamelessly ogled Daniel, who walked just ahead of them. Risa wondered if he’d heard; if so, he gave no indication. He was handsome, she thought rather experimentally; she wasn’t used to thinking about men in those terms. The only men she’d been around were Dr. Laslow and the operatives she’d worked with—or the terrorists and other subjects she’d had to examine. Needless to say, she’d never noticed any of their backsides. She tried not to notice MacAlister’s, but Kristy was right—it was nicely shaped. Toned, tapered, muscular. She felt her pulse pick up a little, and looked away, focusing on Anna, who walked at his side.
Risa was dying to get out of the store and get some answers. The security guards and manager were gone, crisis averted. As the clerk rang up her purchases while Kristy watched to make sure she received her forty percent discount, Risa moved closer to where MacAlister stood, silent and watchful.
“I’m not your fiancée.”
He shifted cool eyes to meet hers, and arched an eyebrow, shaking his head ever so slightly as if to say not now. How could she read him so clearly, without so much as a word spoken between them? The connection she had with him drew her, in spite of her worries about his presence.
“I don’t believe that’s your sister. Is she another agent—”
“I most certainly am not,” Anna interrupted. “I am his sister, one of two. Apparently, Daniel hasn’t told you much about the family he’s trying to convince you to join.”
Anna had rejoined them after breaking away to pay for her own purchases, and MacAlister’s very nice lips thinned as he realized his sister had overheard Risa.
Anna turned to Daniel. “Is this why you’ve come back to the Cape, Daniel? To tell us you’re getting married?”
MacAlister—Daniel—looked like a cat about to crawl right out of his skin. Risa crossed her arms and gave him the same cool look he’d been sending her. It was his story that they were engaged, let him deal with the fallout.
“Not exactly. That was a small lie, I have to confess.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Anna sounded dismally disappointed.
“Risa and I were in a…relationship. She quit and moved away, and we never had the chance to really share our feelings. Work was always in the way. I came here to remedy that.”
Risa turned, thinking she heard the sales clerk sigh—or was it Kristy? Still, she said nothing, holding his gaze in a dare. The next thing she knew, Anna was at her side, sliding her arm through Risa’s and hugging her close. Risa stiffened at the contact, ready to bolt, but Anna’s hold was firm.
The expectant mother shined at Risa, then at her brother. The reality sank in for Risa—they really were brother and sister. Anna was not an undercover operative working with Daniel, or some woman he’d randomly picked up in the store for cover. Everything took on a surreal blur that Risa couldn’t process.
Anna’s voice was joyful as she said, “Well, I don’t care what the reason is. The important thing is that you’re back, and if Risa is the reason for that, then we’ll all welcome her with open arms. She’s part of the family already, as far as I’m concerned.”
For the first time since this entire fiasco began, Risa saw uncertainty flicker in Agent MacAlister’s placid gray eyes. Smiling brightly in his direction, she capitalized on the weakness she’d found and hugged Anna’s arm closer.
“Well, Daniel,” she said his name deliberately, getting used to the less formal address, “I’m very interested in anything you came here to tell me.”
3
“CAN I ASK YOU something?”
Kristy’s voice interrupted Risa’s thoughts, scattered as they were. All she wanted to do was get back to her apartment and find out what the hell Daniel MacAlister was up to. He claimed that Risa was the reason he was staying in Falmouth instead of with his family in Harwich, but that was just a cover. Risa knew he had to be on assignment, and she needed details. She responded to Kristy absently, hoping there wasn’t going to be more talk about how attractive Daniel was.
“Sure, what?”
“Do you watch everyone in the building?”
“I’ll disconnect the monitors. I told you why I did it. I know it was wrong, but—”
“No, I don’t mean it that way. I just wondered. How did you do it? It’s sort of creepy, you know, in general. Someone can be watching you at any time, even in your own home, and you have no idea.”
She shuddered, and Risa felt terrible—guilt was an emotion that had been largely regarded as useless in her life. She couldn’t do her work if she was going to feel guilty about prying into people’s thoughts, etc. But it was different this time—most of the people she’d scanned before were terrorists, enemies, but Kristy was neither.
“I was good with technology when I worked for the government.”
She thought back to all the hours, days and weeks when she’d been glued to computer networks, sifting through a constant barrage of information, trying to catch any stray byte that would be meaningful to the analysts at the Pentagon. It was a more intense connection, more difficult to maintain, than reading people, and once she’d gotten inside of the stream of information, it was often difficult getting back out. She’d shorted out like an overloaded circuit several times before they figured out how much she could take. Even then, Dr. Laslow had pressed her limits, always reminding her how important her work was. After her parents’ deaths, her work became her purpose, the thing she held on to that was constant in her life. If she ever felt lonely, she’d learned to push it aside.
It was an added benefit that all the residual knowledge, all of her understanding of how computers and networks worked, had stayed with her. She knew computers as well as she knew her own heartbeat. This wasn’t something she could share with Kristy, obviously. For her friend’s safety, the less she knew, the better.
However, Risa had never really had any conflict about her work or about spying on the people in her apartment building. She’d been taught to do what was necessary, and that’s what she’d done. She herself was exposed and studied in every aspect of her life, by Laslow and the government; it was the norm for her. But Kristy reminded her that most people expected privacy.
“It’s not difficult to get basic surveillance equipment if you know where to look, and since the building already had a decent security system, I just worked with that and added some enhancements. Mostly at night, or when people were out at work, gone shopping, stuff like that.”
“Even Ben Richter, on the third floor?”
Risa turned her head, detecting a subtle change in Kristy’s tone—why was she asking these questions?
“Yeah, even him. Why?”
“I’ve been crazy about him for months, but he doesn’t even know I’m alive. He works at the same lab I do. He’s here for a year from Germany as part of Ridge 2000—the program studying the midocean ridges. I thought he was just shy, but I can’t seem to strike up a conversation, or anything,” she confessed hurriedly.
“Maybe he’s not into women.”
Kristy smiled, though Risa didn’t understand what was so funny. It was a logical deduction that if a man wasn’t interested in an attractive woman like Kristy, then one of the reasons could be that he was gay. Or married. Or both.
“Nah, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I don’t think I’m that irresistible. And I’ve seen him out with girls. Believe me, those looks combined with his accent—Oh, my God, just hearing him say ‘good morning’ turns my knees to water—any red-blooded woman within hearing distance is toast. I never would have thought a German accent would be sexy, but oh, my.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not gay.”
“How do you figure?”
“I read the minds of many men who had homoerotic tendencies, most of them buried in the subconscious. They didn’t even realize it themselves. Most of them were married or actively hetero. A lot of people simply can’t deal with those repressed feelings.”
Kristy shrugged. “I guess it’s possible. But I just have a gut feeling it’s not true in Ben’s case.”
Risa turned, interested. “Gut feeling?”
“Yeah, you know, an instinct. You just kind of know when something is true, even when all signs would indicate otherwise. Intuition, I guess. You know what I mean?”
“No, not really.” Risa scowled and looked out the window—she had sensed some things about people around her, Kristy and Daniel, but she found the vague indications of moods or tones aggravating after spending a lifetime accessing specific information. “I thought you were more of a scientific type?”
“I am. I am a solid supporter of the scientific method. However, the really big advances, the breakthroughs in science, are usually based on intuition. Those inklings can lead a scientist in the right direction.”
“If you say so.”
