thick-necked, hard-nosed straight guy?”
“No. I never said a word. I got it into my head about three months ago that I’d dream up a new guard. A burly sorta guy with a little scruff and a big—er, protective instinct. A bodyguard with enough integrity to keep his hands to himself, whether I wanted him to or not. Somebody I could actually tease—er, talk to, have a little fun with, and still know for sure he’d keep me safe.”
She grinned and pointed at the flat brush of hair on his head. “In my dream that was longer. Curled just over your collar, a sun-streaked, surfer-boy blond. And you don’t talk as much as I’d hoped. But the rest of you pretty well matched my order.”
Parker pushed violently away from the table, his chair striking a harsh note against the floor. Shit . Okay, this must’ve been some kind of joke. The kind of sick joke that sonofabitch Shep might play on him.
But his handler’s info and responsibilities were nearly as limited as his own. There was no way Carly or Shep would know he would be given this assignment. Four months ago, Parker was wrapping up a stint in the Gulf, protecting a fact-finding senator.
And there was no way Carly would know he’d worn his sun-bleached hair longer then, curling just over his collar. He’d cut it short, just days before getting the call to protect her—three months ago.
Shit .
She squirmed in her chair, avoiding his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. Like I’m some strange bug you found clinging to the screen door. I swear, my coochie’s the same as everybody’s. You said we should talk. I thought you wanted the truth.”
“Having you creep me out was not what I had in mind. You’re saying you somehow ordered me to come to you?”
“Of course not. You have your own free will. I wanted a particular kind of bodyguard, and you were in the protection business. We were pursuing the same course from different angles. You fit the bill. Except for the fun part. You can be so grim, Parker.”
He almost laughed. Point man on the menu? Did she want fries with that? “It’s ridiculous. You’re talking about the ability to manipulate matter and energy. Do you know how scary that sounds?” He did. And he wasn’t a man who scared easily. Keeping a wary distance from her, he nervously flicked his lighter for emphasis. “If such a thing was possible, do you have any idea what kind of evil could come with misusing such a gift?”
She solemnly nodded. “Now you know why our only shared communication is via that special-issue cell phone. And why our enemies hate us and manufacture lies.”
“They’re afraid.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you ? I mean, wouldn’t you worry about doing something wrong with such a power?”
“It’s a risk. One of the chances we take.”
Craziness. Insanity. But someone with authority had obviously been convinced. And her sincerity was starting to sway him too. “How does this work?”
“Our superiors send out a call or text message to each of us. We’ve all been briefed on the appearance of the rock in relation to the planet. They give us a short description of what we’re to concentrate on. And at the specified time, we all dream about changing the course, as specified.” She paused as a clanking sound from the radiator seemed to rattle her. The woman was weary and definitely on edge. “It’s basically training. The sessions have been designed to gradually become longer, more intense, until the last big push.”
“And if your little virtual reality game doesn’t work?”
The brown eyes before him lost their lively luster. “Then I guess the dream ends, doesn’t it?”
Christ. It was almost too much to take in. “Any change in the trajectory so far?”
“I’m told there’s been an occasional wobble here and there, but no. No significant difference.”
Dammit, she was going to be heartbroken when this crap didn’t work. “One hundred eyes turned inward?”
“That’s the idea. I think
“No. I never said a word. I got it into my head about three months ago that I’d dream up a new guard. A burly sorta guy with a little scruff and a big—er, protective instinct. A bodyguard with enough integrity to keep his hands to himself, whether I wanted him to or not. Somebody I could actually tease—er, talk to, have a little fun with, and still know for sure he’d keep me safe.”
She grinned and pointed at the flat brush of hair on his head. “In my dream that was longer. Curled just over your collar, a sun-streaked, surfer-boy blond. And you don’t talk as much as I’d hoped. But the rest of you pretty well matched my order.”
Parker pushed violently away from the table, his chair striking a harsh note against the floor. Shit . Okay, this must’ve been some kind of joke. The kind of sick joke that sonofabitch Shep might play on him.
But his handler’s info and responsibilities were nearly as limited as his own. There was no way Carly or Shep would know he would be given this assignment. Four months ago, Parker was wrapping up a stint in the Gulf, protecting a fact-finding senator.
And there was no way Carly would know he’d worn his sun-bleached hair longer then, curling just over his collar. He’d cut it short, just days before getting the call to protect her—three months ago.
Shit .
She squirmed in her chair, avoiding his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. Like I’m some strange bug you found clinging to the screen door. I swear, my coochie’s the same as everybody’s. You said we should talk. I thought you wanted the truth.”
“Having you creep me out was not what I had in mind. You’re saying you somehow ordered me to come to you?”
“Of course not. You have your own free will. I wanted a particular kind of bodyguard, and you were in the protection business. We were pursuing the same course from different angles. You fit the bill. Except for the fun part. You can be so grim, Parker.”
He almost laughed. Point man on the menu? Did she want fries with that? “It’s ridiculous. You’re talking about the ability to manipulate matter and energy. Do you know how scary that sounds?” He did. And he wasn’t a man who scared easily. Keeping a wary distance from her, he nervously flicked his lighter for emphasis. “If such a thing was possible, do you have any idea what kind of evil could come with misusing such a gift?”
She solemnly nodded. “Now you know why our only shared communication is via that special-issue cell phone. And why our enemies hate us and manufacture lies.”
“They’re afraid.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you ? I mean, wouldn’t you worry about doing something wrong with such a power?”
“It’s a risk. One of the chances we take.”
Craziness. Insanity. But someone with authority had obviously been convinced. And her sincerity was starting to sway him too. “How does this work?”
“Our superiors send out a call or text message to each of us. We’ve all been briefed on the appearance of the rock in relation to the planet. They give us a short description of what we’re to concentrate on. And at the specified time, we all dream about changing the course, as specified.” She paused as a clanking sound from the radiator seemed to rattle her. The woman was weary and definitely on edge. “It’s basically training. The sessions have been designed to gradually become longer, more intense, until the last big push.”
“And if your little virtual reality game doesn’t work?”
The brown eyes before him lost their lively luster. “Then I guess the dream ends, doesn’t it?”
Christ. It was almost too much to take in. “Any change in the trajectory so far?”
“I’m told there’s been an occasional wobble here and there, but no. No significant difference.”
Dammit, she was going to be heartbroken when this crap didn’t work. “One hundred eyes turned inward?”
“That’s the idea. I think
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