She slid off the couch and onto her knees in front of his chair, reaching up to wrap her arms around his thick shoulders. Peripherally, she was aware of Cal leaving the room.
“It’s okay. You kept me safe.” She tugged Jake’s glasses from his eyes. They were wet, regretful and furious. She clasped his cheeks. “You did what you had to do, Jake. We’re safe.”
“Not anymore,” he said. “But at least we’re not children. You are a brilliant scientist and I have connections in places most people don’t know even exist. Hiding isn’t going to work anymore, Audrey. We need more information. And then we need to find the bastards who are looking for you—before they find us.”
“We’ll get information,” she promised him. “As soon as I figure out how to get back into the lab.”
“No problem.” Cal came back into the room, balancing a tray of coffee mugs, cream and sugar. “We’ve got an unusual skill set.”
Audrey laughed in spite of the dread filling her. He was right. If she’d had Jake with her today, the security guard would have opened the door for her. As a backup plan, Cal could probably work some magic with the lab’s electronic lock. And the security cameras. Oh God, could they really break into Genecorp? She was almost certain her research subjects would give her valuable information, but was it worth breaking the law?
She added cream to her coffee and sat back on the couch next to Cal. His arm dropped down around her shoulders and she snuggled into his side. Clothing separated them, hers and his, but a buzz of energy connected them.
“One last thing, Aud,” Jake said.
She stiffened.
Her brother dropped his shades back down into place. “I pushed you toward science and medical school in our father’s footsteps, hoping you would learn something useful. I forced Charlotte to sign you up for Tae Kwon Do with me, so you could learn to protect yourself. I deliberately made you feel uncomfortable around my friends so that you wouldn’t discover things I didn’t want you to know. It seemed like the best way to keep you safe. I hoped he would never come after us if you didn’t show any signs of talent.” He shook his head and sighed. “I was so damn glad when I discovered you were a neutral. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d started setting things on fire all the time like poor Cal used to do. Or getting in fights like Truman.”
No, she hadn’t done anything like that. She’d been too busy trying to be perfect so Jake’s misbehavior wouldn’t get them thrown out of their foster home, or worse, separated. “You should have told me.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I was hoping it wouldn’t matter. If you were never threatened by a talent, then you’d never need yours.”
But it was more complicated than that, and they both knew it. The subtle shift of Jake’s head told her he was looking at Cal, not her. She kept her eyes on her brother as she said, “I guess we know why I don’t like to be blindfolded. I wonder why I didn’t have a problem with the restraints?”
Cal’s arm tightened around her shoulders and Jake grimaced. “Thanks for that little visual. Speaking of kink, I need to run by the club and make sure my manager is tight for the night. Tru’s coming here when his shift is over at eleven. Probably best to save our burgling for the dark of night, anyway. And police backup might not be a bad idea.”
“For a break-in?”
Innocent was not a look Jake did well. “Technically, you’re allowed to enter. You’ve just misplaced your ID.” He pushed himself to his feet.
Audrey stayed on the couch while Cal walked her brother to the front door, wondering what to do. Jake would take her car, leaving her stranded again. She didn’t have her data, so she couldn’t work. Her life had been threatened. Her career was in jeopardy. And she was supposed to wait until it got dark to do anything about it?
She tugged the band out of her hair and slumped back on the couch, closing her eyes, feigning sleep. She heard Cal come back into the room, felt his weight settle next to her. She kept her eyes shut and listened to her heartbeat begin to speed. She was pretending, making believe she didn’t know exactly what she wanted to do for the next few hours. If she opened her eyes, would he be looking at her the way she knew she was going to look at him—with desire, with need?
She opened her eyes.
Cal’s eyes glowed. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.
God, she hoped so. The ice that had taken up residence in her center began to melt. A steamy melody ran through her head and she felt a smile curve her lips.