On the far side of the boxing ring, amidst a row of speed bags and heavy bags, she saw him. He was beating the crap out of a punching bag like an experienced fighter—an experienced, pissed-off fighter—dipping his head to avoid invisible fists as the balls of his feet danced on the mats. Faster, much faster than the tempo of his horrible music. His pace picked up as she approached, as if he were telling her to stay away and didn’t want to talk.
She scrutinized his hooded eyes and saw that his olive complexion looked even darker with the stubble on his chin. Holy shit. Had he drained the woman? Lifting her nose in the air, Lily casually sniffed. Just the same hint of Sweet she’d smelled back at the bar, maybe a tiny bit more, but definitely not a killing amount—thank goodness.
“I’m surprised to see you here, but then who else could be playing this kind of garbage?” She waited but got no response. She’d have to try something else. “In the mood to grapple, love?”
Wiping the sweat from his face with his shoulder, he grunted something and continued punching.
“I was going to log a few kilometers on the treadmill before calling it a day, but it looks like you could use some horizontal work on the mats. A little BJJ then a BJ?”
“Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a blow job? Shit, Lily, go away.”
Didn’t that at least warrant a smile from him? Guess not. “Where’s, uh...Mackenzie. Everything okay?”
“On the island.”
Chuck and Shirl’s. Good. She’d be safe there, Chuck would see to that. He may be retired from the Agency, but he was still more than capable.
Dom grabbed a pair of wooden knives and the dizzying sound of repetitive clattering echoed above the music. Given what hadhappened last night with those two Darkbloods, the woman was probably safer on the island right now than she’d be in the Seattle area anyway.
Lily climbed onto her favorite treadmill and adjusted her headphones as the belt slowly gained speed. What music could she play to drown out this crap? Before she could select a playlist, she heard a crash, then saw the wooden dummy fly across the room. Whoa. She grabbed at the handrails to regain her balance. He’d kicked the whole thing off its support posts. Was he jacked up or what?
After mopping his face with a white gym towel, he sat—no, collapsed—on a nearby bench. Interesting. There were many other places to sit, yet he chose this one. And he faced her. She pushed her headphones to her neck and eased into a slow, non-confrontational jog.
“Feel like talking?” Lily asked.
He flashed her a look that said no. As in, hell no, but he couldn’t fool her. She didn’t have to wait long. “About BJJ and BJs? Thought you had a regular hook-up anyway,” he said.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Had Santiago said anything? Surely, he wouldn’t without consulting her first.
“Don’t want to make you tap out if you have a boyfriend. I’ll leave that for him to do.”
Figured he’d come out of his funk to torment her. “Me? Tap out? The only way you could do that is if I let you. You okay, love?”
“So, you admit it. There is a guy,” he said, ignoring her question. That was okay. He didn’t want to talk about it. At least she’d addressed it with him, and he knew she cared.
“Who said anything about a guy? Maybe I’ve come to like my bread buttered on the other side, eh?” Lily said.
He picked at the white tape around his wrists and hands and said nothing more. After punching a few buttons on the control panel, she began running at her normal pace.
“How’s Zoe?” he asked. No matter what was going on, he always had a soft spot in his heart for her daughter.
“Great. She loved the latest Hello Kitty stuff you got her. Carried around that little purse all week. Today when I called to give her a long-distance good-morning kiss, Mother said she’s been sleeping with it, too.”
That got a smile. Finally. She hit the stop button on the treadmill and walked over to the bench. “Feel like talking?” His shoulders relaxed a notch, but he shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me what caused you to come back. To be separated from her must be difficult. But if there’s something else...”
For several moments, he sat with the towel over his head before he cleared his throat. “It’s the weirdest thing, Lil. I...uh...discovered I’m able tovapor.”
Holy hell. “No way. You mean like our ancestors were supposedly able to do?”
“Yes. That’s it exactly. When Mackenzie was threatened by the remaining Darkblood, Ivaporedinto the car through the crack in the window to get her to safety. I suppose I could’ve fought the bastard like I did with his partner, but I was overcome by the desire to get her away from him. My solid form just sort of disintegrated and flowed into where I wanted to be. I wasn’t consciously aware of it until I was sitting in the driver’s seat.”
“My God, Dom. How can that even be possible?”
“I have absolutely no idea. But I have a feeling it’s because of the way Mackenzie’s blood reacts with mine. She’s the source of my power.”
The double doors to the gym burst open and Jackson strode in, cell phone glued to his face. Dom stood from the bench, his eyes flat and dull.
“Not a word, Lil.” He turned and headed toward the locker room. She’d never seen him like this. He was a damn mess. But could you blame him?
