happening? Because I’d hate to jump you in the middle of the night when you’re sleeping and defenseless.”
He snorted. “Yeah, that would be awful, wouldn’t it?” Just the thought of it had him quickening, his mind whirling with the possibilities. Really, he needed to get a grip. And the best way to do that was work on getting Isabelle past these nightmares-or daymares-or whatever it was that had ahold of her.
“We’re working on building you up physically. Now we need to focus on your mental and psychic strength. The stronger you are, the more you’ll be able to push past whatever’s causing you to have these nightmares or episodes.”
“Okay. How do you suggest we do that?”
“Intense exercise. Just like we do for your body, we’ll do the same for your mind.”
“Again. How?”
“Well, I’m not sure what I have in mind is a good idea right now.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because of what’s happening to you, and between us.”
“Just spell it out, Dalton.”
He dragged his hand through his hair. “It’s going to require us to get … close.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Mandy stared out the hotel window at the cool blue water and white sand beach, longing to be out there. This was one of those days that she hated her job-they never got vacations, dammit.
She wasn’t going to get one now, either, no matter how appealing that ocean was. She’d love nothing more than to throw on a bikini and hit that beach, slather on a ton of lotion and bake her body, then play in the waves for a day. A week. A month. Maybe with a hot guy by her side.
Michael was definitely a hot guy. However, the word
She’d checked out of her room and waited for Michael to finish packing up his things. With great reluctance she turned away from the streaming sunlight. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could take a few days to lie around on the beach, soak up the sun, do a little surfing?”
Michael laughed. “I don’t remember the last time I did anything like that.”
“You need to lighten up, Mike. Life’s short.”
“Don’t I know it. Unfortunately, we need to get moving.”
She scrunched her nose and mentally cursed the man she’d had to follow around like a trained dog for the past few days. Granted, Michael knew his business. As a Keeper, he was damn good at hunting. He wasn’t one to waste time; he knew how to track and kept them moving. And since Mandy loved her job, she always admired those who did it well.
But Michael wasn’t Lou. And she missed Lou so much her heart ached. Ever since Sicily she’d refused to let herself wallow in grief. Instead, she’d worked out, practiced with her weapons, beat the shit out of a couple of punching bags. Basically done everything she could to keep her mind and body occupied so she wouldn’t have to think, or feel, or break down. Because she was afraid if she did, she’d never get up again.
And Lou would have been disappointed in her if she let that happen. So she simply never stopped. Fortunately, Michael was a great slave driver, kept them moving every day and almost every night, stopping only when necessary to eat and fall into a dead sleep. She was reaching exhaustion, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and she knew it. Still, she’d push on. It was her job. It kept her occupied. Occupied meant she wouldn’t have to think, to dwell.
Michael shoved the last of his things in his bag and turned to her. As tall as she was, Mandy normally towered over or stood eye to eye with many of the guys she worked with, other than Linc, an obscenely tall, hulking warrior who was her best friend and fellow hunter. But with Michael, she had to tilt her head back to look at his face. It was unusual and somewhat disconcerting.
Even more was Michael reaching out to sweep his thumb across her cheek. “You have dark circles under your eyes. You haven’t been sleeping well.”
She fought the shiver caused by the warmth of his touch, and took a step back, unused to affection from anyone she thought of as a … man. The other hunters were like brothers. Lou had been like a father. Michael was … she didn’t know what he was or how she felt about him. He gave her butterflies in her stomach and he pissed her off at the same time. He made her feel weird and she didn’t know what it all meant, so she decided to keep her radar up and her sarcasm high. “Are you monitoring my sleeping habits now?”
His lips curled. “No. I’m worried about your effectiveness if you don’t rest.”
“I’m plenty effective. Wanna try me?”
“I don’t want to pay the hotel for broken furniture, so no thanks. Not here.”
“Some other time, then. I’ll be happy to prove to you that, sleep or no sleep, I can still do my job.”
“It’s okay to grieve, Mandy to mourn Lou’s loss.”
“That’s not what you said before.”
“That’s not what I meant before.” He scratched his nose. “You can feel the pain of loss. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. If you bury it, it can affect you to the point where you shut down. The sooner you face it head- on and deal with it, the sooner you can move forward.”
“I mourned him. I’m done now. Are we ready to leave?” She picked up her bag.
Instead, he stood firm to the spot. “I know all about refusing to face your emotions.”
She arched a brow. “You have emotions?” She looked around either side of him. “Where? Show me where they’re hiding.”
Michael shook his head. “You’re killing me, Mandy.”
“Well, not yet, but given the right opportunity …”
He rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag. “Smart-ass. Let’s go.”
They headed out to the car, tossing their things into the trunk. They were on Dalton’s trail, tracking him from New York all the way south into Florida. Now they had a line on a car rented by a couple who matched Dalton’s and Isabelle’s descriptions. GPS on the vehicle indicated it had headed east into Georgia before being turned in, so that was their next destination.
“I need to stop at a bank before we head out,” Michael said.
Mandy buckled up and nodded.
Michael drove to the city and headed downtown. Traffic was heavy since it was the tail end of morning rush hour. He pulled into the parking lot of a large bank, choosing a space near the back.
“It shouldn’t take me long,” he said. “You want to come inside?”
She shook her head. “I’ll wait here.”
He nodded and got out. Mandy unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, getting out to stretch her back muscles, knowing they were going to be driving for a while today and not wanting to sit any more than necessary. She leaned against the front of the SUV and surveyed the area. Her vantage point gave her a clear view of the sidewalk and street as well as the alley. She watched busy people walk by dressed in business suits, carrying briefcases, cutting across the street and through the alley. Tall buildings surrounded them, so high she couldn’t see the top floors. Everyone was in a hurry, juggling cups of coffee or talking on their cell phones.
It was a lifestyle completely foreign to her. For as long as she could remember she’d been with the demon hunters, moving from city to city, staying hidden. No place was home, yet every place was home, because the people she was with were family.
Lou had been her family. The only father she had known, since her own parents had been taken down by demons. She remembered that night so clearly, as if it had happened yesterday instead of ten years ago. The darkness, the shock at seeing the creatures. Her parents-what those monsters had done, killing her father and taking her mother away. The hunters had shown up, but it was too late. Mandy had hidden; otherwise, she was sure, she’d have been either killed or taken, too.
