Marked by Passion (20 page)

My duty would be done, and I'd be free.

I'd know for sure if Rhys wanted me or not.

But I'd be destroying an ancient artifact. I glanced toward the kitchen, uncertain. Maybe I needed a glass of water while I thought about it. And while I was in there, I'd just take a look to make sure the scroll was okay. One quick peek wouldn't hurt. ..

"Gabrielle?"

Wu's voice startled me. I jerked awake, frowning as I found myself gripping the refrigerator handle and about to tug open the door.

"Now isn't the time to get something to eat," Wu said crossly. "Not that you'd find anything in there other than mayonnaise."

How did I get here? I stepped back from the fridge, mildly concerned. Okay, I was totally freaked out, because unless I was mistaken the scroll had just manipulated my thoughts.

"Gabrielle."

"What?" I snapped at him.

He glared at me. "What did you mean, you're going to handle the scroll?"

"Just what I said. I've got it all under control," I lied. I didn't, but I would very soon.

All the more reason to destroy the scroll as soon as possible. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I have a bad feeling about this." His eyes narrowed. "You're planning something. I can tell."

"You can't read my mind?" I feigned surprise to piss him off. "Ghostly abilities a little limiting, are they?"

The glass in my cabinets began to shake. "I am not a ghost. I'm a spirit."

"Semantics." I raised my brow at him. "Shouldn't you be more Zen in death than you were in life?"

He visibly made an effort to calm down. Finally, he said, "Gabrielle, you have to take this seriously."

I did take it seriously. And I was seriously going to get rid of the scroll. It was the best option for everyone.

But first I had to serve drinks, which was in some people's opinions the most important job in the world. I strode through the kitchen into the living room. "I'm changing clothes. You better stay out."

I grabbed a skimpy top out of a drawer and shimmied into it. My jeans and boots were fine. Wrapping a scarf around my neck, I slipped into my coat. I was about to leave when Wu materialized in front of me.

"Gabrielle, you aren't ready to take over guarding the scroll, and—"

"Wrong." I walked around him and headed for the door. "I can still kick ass."

He frowned. "Guarding the scroll is more than fighting. It's learning how to give and take from the earth's
chi.
The power was gifted to you to help you on this journey. I realize your lack of education is my fault—"

Wu admitting he was at fault? Now I knew the world was coming to an end.

"—but we have to work together to fix this."

"Um, excuse me." Opening the door, I held up a hand. "If you recall, we tried to work together, and we didn't do very well. What makes you think you'll be more successful this time?"

"We have no choice."

The desperation in his voice wasn't pretty. Even
tu ch’i
responded to it. The damn energy pulsed under my skin, and my birthmark tingled annoyingly. But I steeled myself and forced a shrug like I didn't have a care in the world. "I do."

I closed the door in his face and walked to work.

Something occurred to me as I was serving a cosmopolitan to a preppy girl who had no call being in the Pour House (but that was another story). If Wu was tied to the scroll, how was I going to get it away from him long enough to destroy it? And was he capable of stopping me? I imagined he could, since he could vibrate my furniture.

Dilemma.

Vivian sauntered over after I finally finished serving the preppy girl and her friends. "A man came by earlier looking for you."

My life was suddenly overly full of men. Jesse, Rhys, Paul.. . Who now? "When?"

"Earlier." She shrugged.

I recognized the shrug for what it was: something to annoy me. But I couldn't call her on it, because I was guilty of the same with Wu. I had the urge to tweak her nose, but reverse psychology worked better with her than brute force. So I turned my back on her and cleaned up some of her mess.

"Aren't you going to ask who?"

I grinned at the exasperation in her voice, only because my back was turned to her. Even though I was damn curious, I shrugged and put away an unused martini glass. "I figured you'd have told me if you knew."

She huffed, her hands on her hips. "Well, if you aren't interested..."

I looked at her, blinking innocently. "Oh, do you know more?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Not really. He just asked if you worked here. But he called you Gabrielle Chin."

My heart skipped and then began again, beating fast. The last time someone called me by that name I got a ball and chain in the form of a scroll slapped on my ankle. I tried not to show any emotion at hearing my real name, but I don't think I was successful, judging from the gloating expression on Vivian's face.

She went on in an unassuming way, but I could tell she was doling out information just to see what my reaction would be. And to see if she could gather anything to use against me later. "I told him there was a Gabrielle who worked here, but that your last name was Sansouci, not Chin. Though you're part Chinese, aren't you? That's why your eyes are squinty, isn't it?"

Oh, please. Vivian wasn't the immediate problem, though—the person looking for Gabrielle Chin was.

Tu ch’i
rippled through me, echoing my unease. Only one reason someone would look for Gabrielle Chin: the scroll. Otherwise why would anyone from the past have cause to look for me? Mom was dead, Wu's ghost knew exactly where I was, and Paul would have called my cell phone if he needed me.

I knew if I showed any interest in the man, Vivian would clam up or simply tease me with scraps of info. But what choice did I have? "Did he say who he was?"

"Hmm." She tapped a finger to her mouth, pretending to be in thought while being careful not to smudge her siren red lips. "I can't remember if he did."

Did I know her or what?

"But he did say he'd come by again. Later."

Great. Something to look forward too. Let the harassment begin. Thank you, Wei Lin, for bestowing this curse upon me and my people.

Assuming the scroll was why the mystery visitor had shown up. But I couldn't think of any other reason someone would ask for me by my real name, so I stuck with the assumption.

Only something was wrong if someone else had found out I possessed it. The Guardian was supposed to walk in anonymity, or something like that. No one but the Guardian and his successor was supposed to know about the scroll. Maybe the Guardian's family, too.

I thought about my brother. Paul knew it existed and where to find me, only he'd never spill the beans to anyone. He'd always basked in the honor of our family being singled out for the Guardianship.

There was Rhys.

No. I shook my head. No doubt in my mind—Rhys would never tell anyone I had the scroll. Whether he'd kill me and take it was still up in the air, but he'd never rat me out.

Vivian brushed by me, bumping into me more than was called for. "I hope he comes back tonight, for your sake."

Thank God I wasn't pouring something like cranberry juice at that moment. "Why do you say that?"

"It's been a long time since Jesse dumped you, hasn't it?" Her smile held pure malice. "You must be hard up for a date."

"I wasn't aware you kept track of my life so closely."

She flushed. "I don't. I just happened to notice."

"Uh-huh." She probably had a serial killer notebook tucked away in her purse that catalogued everyone's habits. She had that kind of detail-oriented mind. I always wondered why she was a bartender and not a scientist, but we weren't on good enough terms that I could ask something personal like that. I hardly felt like I was entitled to know when she was working next, much less details about her life.

Not that she had any such compulsions. She rivaled a crowbar when it came to prying.

A wave of people drifted in and occupied the two of us. I got so into my zone that an hour and a half passed before I knew it. I looked around, expecting Vivian to be gone (she often left without giving me a heads-up), but she was still there, shockingly enough.

I leaned toward her to put a bottle of vodka back in the well. "Didn't your shift end half an hour ago?"

"I thought you could use more help."

Ha. Altruism wasn't exactly one of her traits. More likely she was either waiting for Jesse to come in or for the other guy to return. Or both.

I tried to get Vivian to leave, but she stuck around until closing, not going until it became apparent neither man was coming. Of course, that didn't mean she helped close, even though she was there. Mostly she just got in the way and then left the mess for me to clean.

Which was fine. Cleaning gave me time to think, and by the time I'd finished I knew exactly how I was going to get rid of the scroll.

Duh. I should have thought of it sooner. Eager, I locked up the bar and started walking down Mission Street toward the all-night convenience store on my way home.

I hadn't gone even five steps before I felt someone watching me. The feeling persisted down the block, so I casually checked behind me and then across the street. Nothing. A different guy than before? Someone who was better at shadowing?

A sleek black car with tinted windows pulled up next to me.

Rhys again. My heart began to beat double time, I wanted to believe in anger rather than expectation.

The window rolled down. He leaned onto the passenger seat as far as his seat belt allowed. "Get in."

It was on the tip of my tongue to say
no,
which he must have realized, because his jaw tightened and he growled, "Don't bloody compromise your safety because you're in a pique."

"In a pique?" My voice rose with each word. Eyes narrowed, I yanked the door open and hopped in. "I think
a pique
doesn't begin to describe the state I'm in, and justifiably so."

"Buckle up," was all he said. The lock clicked and he sped off from the curb.

I sputtered as I grabbed the seat belt. "You know, for all I know you're the one following me. The facts fit. You're always showing up right as I'm feeling like someone's spying on me." I looked him up and down with contempt. "You're certainly shifty-looking enough. It'd totally explain the menacing feeling. Hell, you admitted you'd kill for the scroll."

"I would never harm you." He stated it as though it came from every fiber of his being.

Wrapping my arms around my middle, I sunk lower in my seat. "You already have."

His hands gripped the steering wheel hard, and he stared ahead like the road desperately needed his attention. Then he softly said, "I'll always regret that, Gabrielle, but you asked me, and I didn't want to lie to you."

Not knowing what to say, I huddled lower. I heard the apology and remorse in his voice, but he could have been faking it.

T just didn't know anymore.

Rhys broke the silence. "Where should I take you?"

"Twenty-fourth and Mission."

"You live there?" he asked as he made a sharp left to get us on track.

"Close enough."

"I'll take you to your front door." His glance dared me to fight him on this. "So I can make sure you're safe and tucked in."

Tucked in
conjured up all sorts of images, and none of them involved sleeping. I shifted closer to the car door, afraid that I'd break down and let him if he touched me. I couldn't give in—I still wasn't convinced he wouldn't take the scroll at the first opportunity.

The sooner I got rid of it, the better. "I have a stop to make."

"I'll wait for you and then take you home."

"No."

The car roared to a stop in front of the convenience store. Rhys shoved the gear into park and then faced me. "Punish me however you choose, but I will
not
allow you to put yourself at risk simply because you doubt me.
I will not allow it, Gabrielle."

Before I had a chance to react, he grabbed my scarf, hauled me toward him, and crushed my mouth with his.

I never had a chance.
Tu ch’i
came to life instantly— eagerly—as if it recognized Rhys's own energy. It rushed forward to greet him, opening me to his onslaught. It accepted everything he gave in return, until I smoldered with the feel of him. Until I wanted to beg for more.

As if he knew what I was thinking, he pulled me across his lap, holding me with fierce possessiveness. One hand tangled in my hair, and the other found its way through all my layers of clothing. His palm scalded my skin, and I hissed in pleasure. No pretense, no hesitation, he skimmed up my abdomen until he cupped my breast.

It was too much and not enough at the same time. I squirmed—if anyone had asked, I wouldn't have been able to say whether I was trying to get away or get closer.

Fortunately, Rhys decided for me. Closer.

He deepened the kiss while his fingers teased my nipple to aching hardness. Under me, I felt his cock surge to the sound of my moan, insistent and hot even through all our clothing.

He nudged my head back and nibbled that sensitive spot on my neck. "Come home with me," he whispered against my skin.

My body burned for him, and I speared my hand through his hair. It was on the tip of my tongue to scream
yes.

And then his hand brushed my hip—over my mark.

It sparked unlike anything before, pain and pleasure combined. I gasped and jerked his hand off me.

He looked wild, like a mad crusader of old. A warrior who'd claim what he wanted even if he had to destroy whatever stood in his path. Or whoever.

And if he still wanted the scroll, that whoever was me.

"Stop." I sat up, pushing myself away from him.

To his credit, he didn't muscle me back, though God knows he would have been successful. He let me get off him, watching me silently with his all-knowing gaze.

I didn't say anything—what was there to say? I righted my clothing and slipped out of the car. The cold night air hit me, and for a moment I felt lost. But then I remembered what I had planned.