Dynamic energy also saturated the air. Alluring, intoxicating, it molded the entire space, house and landscape, seamlessly together into perfection. He hustled past a glass wall, showcasing sun beaming out of a deep blue sky. The rolling green grass, trees, and snowcapped mountains appeared endless. They resembled the splendor of the Blue Ridge landscape, but the one hill in the distance reminded him of the one in the sketch of Mazree.
Lauren.
What if she had been at the mall with Celine? Wait. Why would he think of that now? See? Prime reason why they couldn’t let a woman occupy headspace.
As he jogged down the gleaming wood floor in the hallway, power grew stronger. It seeped through his pores. It became so palpable he could taste it, like honey flowing over his tongue. He passed a sunroom filled with shelves of books and turned. Four closed doors, two on each side, lined the next hall. At the end, a door stood open. Apprehension built.
Thane lay facedown on a dark wood double bed, the only furnishing in the room. Sheer curtains softened the sunlight to an ethereal glow.
Tightness gripped Reid’s throat. The light beige sheet had more color than Thane did.
“How is he?”
Dalir cleaned blood from mottled bullet holes on Thane’s back. More of it streaked the ancient’s gray thermal shirt and dark jeans. “Healing, but he’s not in the clear.” A hint of a Mediterranean-like accent flowed into his words. “He let me into his mind. I saw what happened.” Dalir dropped the blood-soaked cloth in a bowl sitting on the bed. A crimson drop landed on the sheet and widened in the fabric. “We have the virus?”
“Not anymore. They disappeared on the way back to the present, and the time stream has gone to shit. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Dalir placed bandages over the fading wounds on Thane’s back.
The ancient’s calmness grated on his nerves. How could Dalir not know? He saw the future. Thane believed Dalir was holding something back from them. He’d let it slide because it didn’t interfere with the mission. Thane should have brought it up. He could have died. Hell, they could have lost half the team. “Care to explain why not?”
Energy swelled and receded like an echo. Dalir met his gaze. “Stop wasting time and get to the point.”
Tired of keeping anger in check, Reid unshielded his mind from Dalir. His thoughts and emotions rolled out with his words. “You sent us into a clusterfuck and you don’t seem to give a damn.”
“My focus is on Thane.”
“Now it’s on Thane? It should have been on all of us before we started running the operation. You should have seen this coming. We went out based on your intel. Don’t blow me off like Thane getting shot and a botched mission are no big deals. We deserve answers.”
Ancient power filled with skill and reckoning swirled in the room. The curtains blew upward. The sun dimmed.
Hairs raised on Reid’s arms.
Dalir’s eyes turned a steely dark gray. “You deserve what I grant you, and I’ve given you more than enough.”
Thane’s groans interrupted them. “Where is she…Celine?” His confused gaze searched the room as he tried to push up.
“Stop.” Reid grasped his arm. “You’re hurt.”
Thane struggled. Blood seeped from open wounds. “I have to get to her.”
“You did.” Reid wrestled him down. “She’s fine.”
“You have to make sure she’s safe.” Thane looked at Reid. “Find her. Promise me.”
“Okay. I will. Shut up and stay still.”
Compassion flitted into Dalir’s expression. He firmly grasped Thane’s shoulder. “Rest.” The word whispered through the room.
Thane collapsed on the bed, knocked out by the single command.
Full sun returned. The curtains fluttered down.
When Dalir looked at Reid, his gaze no longer held compassion. “I’m busy. You’re not needed. Go back.”
“That’s it? You don’t have anything else to say?”
A silvery gold mist swirled up from Dalir’s feet. His clothing morphed into tall black boots with dark pants tucked into them. Leather-like armor molded to his torso. “No one leaves the present. No one phases anywhere until I return.”
“No. You need to—”
A whiplash of energy hit Reid in the chest. He materialized in the upstairs living room of the beach house. His breastbone stung. A mere tap of Dalir’s power. The ancient could cause much worse. During urban warfare training, he’d try to hack into their minds. If he succeeded, he’d mercilessly slash into their thoughts. Distort their memories. The result brought them painfully to their knees.
Mace and West sat on the couch, leaning over their laptops on the coffee table. They stopped typing. Colby quit pacing and looked from his computer tablet. Their gazes reflected the question they all wanted to know. Thane wouldn’t tolerate the guys worrying about him or losing faith in Dalir. He lived by mission first, and that included keeping the team focused on solving the problem.
“He’s at The Drift. He’ll be back as soon as he’s healed up. Give me a sit rep.”
“You’re not going to like it.” West sat up. “Xenia Allen is gone.”
“She’s in hiding now? Why?”
“No. I mean she’s really gone. She doesn’t exist. No birth records, work history. Even her husband’s life has changed. He’s living in Modesto married to some other woman with two kids. From his Facebook page he’s a hell of a lot happier, too.”
Mace shook his head. “Our missions have disappeared a few things, but someone’s life? That’s a big switch.”
“I’m not crying over it.” Colby laid the tablet on a glass side table. “I saw with my own eyes what her fucked up agenda caused. If she’s gone, the pandemic never happened, and the world’s a better place.”
Or worse.
“West, keep digging. Make sure her existence is really wiped out. Colby, find Jeff Miller. I want to know who he’s connected to in this time. West, look into all the research the Xenia Allen we know conducted. Just because she’s not around doesn’t mean it’s over. Someone else could have the same agenda and the pandemic could pop up all over again.”
Colby crossed his arms. “Are we headed back to the future?”
“Not yet. Until Dalir gives us the all clear, we’re staying put.” And the way the ancient was acting, who knew when that would happen. Or when Thane would return.
Find her.
Like he had time to worry about Celine. With all that had happened, why was Thane worried about a woman he’d just met? He snagged his keys from a bowl on the side table. But he’d promised. As a team, if they couldn’t trust each other to keep their word, they had nothing. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I need to check on something.”
* * * *
Reid followed Celine into the Cuban restaurant and got in line behind her at the host stand.
He’d tracked her down at her store near the beach. She’d moved to the mall sometime in the future. How screwed up was that? If she would have stayed put, Thane wouldn’t have taken a bullet for her.
She requested a table for two, and the hostess led her to one by