Lethal Influence Read online

  As the lodge came into view, Kai suggested they go inside and Beth admitted a bathroom would be welcome.

  It was a beautiful modern cabin with polished wood and rustic accents. The large open room past the front desk had massive windows facing the lake. Couches and comfortable-looking chairs were arranged in gathering areas. The gift shop was open and seemed stuffed to capacity. Wood railings around the second level overlooked the common room. “There’s the washrooms,” Beth said, pointing to the two rooms next to the gift shop.

  As Kai washed his hands in the men’s room, he couldn’t help but notice the gold fleck in his eye. The fact that he was a member of a very special group who were doing really good things here on Earth meant a great deal to him. Secret things. He shouldn’t be here with Beth. He shouldn’t be breaking the rules like this. He wondered at himself. This was the first time in his life that he had chosen to intentionally disregard the rules and do what he wanted. I won’t feel guilty, he thought forcefully. I won’t regret the most wonderful day of my life.

  Kai pulled the paper towels from the holder and dried his hands. He threw the paper in the garbage, and paused for one more glance in the mirror. They weren’t that different. He pulled back his shoulders and stalked from the room.

  They browsed the gift shop together for almost an hour, laughing at the goofy hats and admiring the artwork and pottery. Beth tried on a bracelet of polished granite. “It suits you,” said Kai.

  “And here’s something that suits you,” said Beth. She handed him a necklace with a single polished piece of granite on a leather lanyard.

  “It’s nice,” he said. “Come on,” he led her to the cash register. “I’ll get them both.”

  Beth smiled. “You don’t have to buy mine.”

  “I want to.”

  “Okay then,” she took the necklace from him, “you get the bracelet for me and I’ll get the pendant for you.”

  “Okay.”

  They walked back to the truck. The sun was dipping lower in the sky. “Hungry?”

  “Starving,” said Beth.

  Kai tossed her a wool blanket and he lifted the cooler out of the back. They found a sunny spot near the lake and laid out the blanket. Kai took off the lid to the cooler with a flourish. “Now, for food….”

  Together they made the roasted chicken into thick sandwiches. Using the cooler for a table, they ate in earnest, then nibbled the berries while they talked and watched the sun inch down to kiss the mountaintops.

  The sky blushed with pink hues and then the last of the golden orb disappeared behind the mountains. “I’ve had a fabulous day,” said Kai.

  “Me too,” said Beth, looking at him expectantly.

  He wanted to kiss her. Instead he said, “Maybe you’ll go out with me again, then?”

  “Of course.”

  Kai smiled. Then he abruptly rose and started cleaning up. Beth helped him and soon they were back in the truck heading back to the city.

  His heart felt so full. She was smart and clever and sweet. If they never did more than have this one day together, he would have a treasured memory for all his life. But she said she’d go out with him again.

  In the stillness, Beth asked, “What are you thinking?”

  Kai cleared his throat. “Sorry, was in my own little world there.”

  “That’s fine. You just had a funny look on your face.”

  “I was thinking … I’m glad you’ll go out with me again.” He was also glad it was too dark for her to see him redden.

  “I took all the uncertainty out of the next invitation. What was I thinking? That’s not very vixen of me.”

  “No. Not very.” Kai smiled. Then they both laughed.

  Chapter Nine

  Kai knew he was in trouble when he walked into the private viewing box at the Alexander Theatre and felt his heart drop alarmingly to his stomach when he didn’t see Beth waiting for him. He glanced around the box, noted that there were six seats in the front row and not another soul in the box. Except for the missing Beth, that was as it should be. He had paid for the entire box … all six tickets. What if Trebladores happened to buy some of those tickets? It couldn’t be risked. This way he could relax and they could watch the play in comfort with the best view in the house.

  He twirled about slowly and then stepped up to the front of the box, looking down at the people milling about, trying to find their seats and standing up and sitting down again while others shuffled past. It was mass confusion down there right now, but he knew in a matter of minutes the most incredible silence would settle over the audience and the curtain would rise and the play would begin. This was a comedy, one he saw last year when it came through. “I Love You. You’re Perfect. Now change.”

  It was a great play for a date like this. Lighthearted and funny. Things were getting serious and Kai didn’t really know what to do about it. It was getting out of hand. This was the fourth time he had taken the risk of seeing Beth in a decidedly romantic setting and he knew she was beginning to wonder at his mysteriousness. He had chewed at the problem for some time now, though, and still hadn’t come to any kind of a solution that would make everyone happy. He wanted to keep seeing her. He needed to keep seeing her. And he felt fairly confident it’s what she wanted as well. But the Trebladores wouldn’t let this continue if they knew.

  “You look rather lost in thought … again.” Kai spun around to see that Beth had slipped into the box and was standing by the door; leaning back against it as if to keep it closed and not let anyone else come in. Kai smiled and stepped over to her. “I was worried you were lost.”

  “Sometimes I do feel a little lost, until I’m with you,” she raised her eyebrows, then winked, but her tone suggested she was only half joking. “I wonder if the other seats in here were sold. The play’s going to start soon.” She sat in her assigned seat.

  With a grin he sat beside her. “They were sold. To me.”

  “What?”

  “I thought it would be … romantic.”

  “It definitely is.”

  He slipped his arm over her shoulders and tugged her close to him. She was in a classic black dress that hugged her figure. The beads that decorated the front flashed in the lights of the theatre and the hem settled on her knees when she sat. Kai swallowed. “You look particularly beautiful tonight.” He murmured in her ear. “I love the dress.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “It’s new.” Her hand came to rest on his leg, just above his knee and she snuggled into him. He inwardly cursed the chair arm that separated them, wishing he could pull her completely into his embrace. But he knew it was probably just as well … too close and he would find it even more difficult to exercise the caution he needed to maintain.

  The lights dimmed, throwing them into almost complete darkness and Kai heard Beth sigh. “No matter how much I love my work sometimes it’s wonderful to forget about it, get dressed up, and go out.”

  “You’re an amazing girl,” said Kai.

  She turned to face him, her features shadowy but beautiful. They were already so close. Kai held her gaze. Then, without a conscious thought he leaned in and their lips met. The flame of emotion Kai had been denying for weeks now burst alight in full force. When he pulled away, she smiled, which made him want to kiss her again. He did. And her sweet, responsive lips seemed to welcome the expression. “I couldn’t help myself,” he whispered to her.

  “I’m glad,” she said. Her smile was infectious now. “I’ve waited so long for this, Kai.”

  “You have?”

  “I was starting to wonder if we’d always just be friends.”

  The curtains opened and the music struck up. Kai glanced at the stage and then smiled at Beth before they settled back to enjoy the play with Beth’s hand in his.

  When intermission lit up the theatre, Beth turned to Kai, her eyes shining. “This is s
o much fun,” she said. “I’m really glad we are doing this. I need a break from all the garbage going on at school.”

  “What’s happening?” Kai asked.

  “Oh, nothing much, just annoying stuff. I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

  “What do you mean?” he demanded. “You can tell me anything.”

  Beth sat up and turned to face him. Her brows wrinkled her forehead. “Really?” she said.

  Something in her voice made Kai lean into her. “Really.” He said. “I thought you knew that by now.”

  “Well,” she murmured, “I wasn’t so sure. I will admit that you’re a very good listener when we’re out together and when you call me. But I don’t even have your phone number.” She flung herself back into her seat, reaching around herself with both arms. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be one of those people who always runs to her boyfriend with stories of drama at work. I really don’t.” She covered her mouth with one hand and Kai thought he saw tears glisten in her eyes.

  “What happened? Did you need to call me?”

  Beth kept her eyes resolutely ahead. “No,” she said. “Yes … yes.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t really matter now. I just found myself really wanting to talk to you about it and it struck me that while you have my phone number, you’ve never given me yours and my call display says ‘unknown number’ — and that disturbs me.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and her lips trembled. He couldn’t tell if she was trying not to laugh or cry. “And I start to wonder why…”

  Kai sighed and put his arms round her shoulders again. “You know why I haven’t given you my number. My cell is a work phone and I can’t always answer it. If it rang when I was doing something sensitive, I would be in big trouble. And I don’t work regular hours so I can’t just tell you to phone after five. It doesn’t work that way. My job requires me to be on call almost all the time. They aren’t particularly as demanding as they sound, but I can’t just stop and answer the phone whenever it rings.”

  “You know,” Beth said, “if I didn’t know better I would think you were trying to hide me or hide us, or something. You always call me, you never take me back to your place, and I’ve never met your friends. We never go out with any other couples.” Beth’s eyes were glued to his now and Kai felt a shiver of fear run through him. How was he going to explain this? He had a moment of enlightenment … this was why the Society did not want their unmatched Trebladores getting too close to the humans. It led to lies and frustration.

  “Beth,” he said, swallowing. “I told you. I have a very sensitive job. Sort of like a CIA thing. I can’t discuss what I do and I have to keep a low profile. I’m sorry if that means our time spent together is somewhat isolated. To be honest it hasn’t bothered me … I like having you all to myself. Besides, you are almost finished your degree and we both know it is not the time to get distracted with a busy social life. We talked about this. You have a heavy schedule at school and right now I have a busy schedule at work. We get together when we can and enjoy the time we have when we have it. I don’t want to share you yet.”

  Beth turned her head, gazing in silence out over the audience. Kai waited. He knew she was frustrated with the restrictions on their time together but he also knew that she had to accept this or their relationship would have to end now. He didn’t know how he was going to live with that but he didn’t see any other way of continuing. This was getting more and more complicated.

  “I know,” Beth said. “You are right. I can’t let myself get too distracted right now.” She turned back to him and smiled, reaching up and resting a hand on his cheek. “And you are a huge distraction!”

  Kai put his hand over hers, holding it in place. Then he kissed her palm. “It won’t be this way forever,” he said. “I promise.” He didn’t know how he would keep that promise but he knew he had to keep trying to find a way.

  Chapter Ten

  Beth slipped her hand into his as the waitress led them to a table for two. Kai did a scan of the place and, not seeing anyone he knew, weaved his fingers between hers. They felt cool but warmed immediately in his grasp.

  As they walked, he noted the smoothness of her skin, the faint scar that curved in an arc on her index finger, the dainty strength that made her Beth. It was all there in her hand. Mostly, though, he noted the way it made him feel to hold her hand this way. He was daring, reckless, and free.

  He thought back to the last few times he had spent with Beth. With each clandestine meeting, each late-into-the-night phone call, each moment with her on his mind, he had been inexorably pulled in deeper and deeper. She was a drug that Kai could not resist. And the scary thing was that he didn’t want to. Despite the danger, despite the lies he was forced to tell her, despite the worry about the future, he couldn’t stop seeing her. She was an addiction.

  They reached their table, and he hesitated before letting go of her hand and sitting across from her. Soft music played in the background. Kai found it distracting, almost as distracting as she was.

  Beth flipped her dark curly hair behind her shoulder as she sat and opened the menu. A smile played at her mouth. “I could quiz you, but I know you’d fail.”

  He smiled and pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. “I’m very good at taking tests. What’s the subject? The mysteries of DNA?”

  “No. The Footbridge Restaurant’s specials.”

  “Oh. You got me there.” She smiled, awaiting an explanation. “I like your hair down. I like it up too, but you usually have it in a ponytail and I like this, down, curly….”

  “Unruly, I think, is the word you’re searching for.”

  “Nope, that’s not it.” He cleared his throat and silenced the words that came close to the surface. She was beautiful with skin the color of caramel and the distinctively exotic look she inherited from her half-Japanese mother. He could compliment her all night. “What do you feel like eating?” he said, instead. They discussed the menu selection and gave their order to the waitress a couple of minutes later.

  “I’ll be right back,” said Kai. Being daring didn’t mean he shouldn’t take every precaution. Especially with the enormity of the risk he was taking.

  Beth raised an eyebrow. “Yes, go make your rounds.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. See you in a minute.”

  Kai ambled past every table, looking into every face that turned his way. All he wanted was a normal relationship, but there was no normal for him and Beth. Why didn’t he love someone appropriate? Trebladore girls were beautiful but none of them had captured his heart the way Beth had. Now he had to be sure no Trebladores saw them. It helped to leave town and come to the city, but even if he wasn’t known he could be identified as a Trebladore.

  Usually, he could better judge the women. They tended to consider all of his kind attractive and would be quick to catch his eye. Convinced that his original perusal of the clientele was accurate, Kai relaxed and returned to Beth.

  Instead of sitting, he held out his hand to her. “A dance before dinner?”

  Beth’s face lit up, and she took his outstretched hand. The dance floor was in the corner, and the muted lighting suited Kai’s mood. He spun Beth once before taking her in his arms. They swayed together in a lazy waltz step. The next song had a faster beat and more contemporary feel. They two-stepped and Kai drank in her smile.

  “It feels so good to forget the problems of the world for just a little while,” admitted Beth. “You joked about DNA research, but that’s a huge part of who I am.”

  “I know that. It’s one of the things I … admire most about you. You care about the world-changing issues on a big scale and the mysteries of life on a minute scale.”

  He enfolded her closer and their lips met. The kiss became a shade deeper than he intended and he pulled away. He smile
d boyishly, “I’m not either of those things, but still kind of important, right?”

  She caught hold of the thread he’d thrown her and began to tug. “You’re very important to me.” He’d said it lightly, but she changed the tone.

  He hugged her tight at the end of the song and whispered in her ear, “You’re important to me, too. You make me feel amazing.”

  They danced to a slow ballad next and she leaned against his chest. When they returned to their seats, Kai reached across the table and held her hand again. “How’re your classes? You had that test yesterday…”

  Kai listened intently to the answer until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two men enter the restaurant. Their tall stature and strong builds drew his attention. Charles and Anthony! They hesitated for a fraction of a second in the entrance, their eyes surveying the other customers. Kai pressed his back into his chair and withdrew his hand to crack his knuckles.

  What were they doing here? Why had he felt safe? The city gave a sense of anonymity, but the truth was he was only forty minutes from home. The two Elite Trebladores stepped in his direction. Charles, the older man sprouting a full head of dark gray hair, chose a table near him and Beth. Anthony sat across from Charles. His eyes found Beth first and he smiled. A flicker of jealousy skirted through Kai. Anthony always had a way of drawing female attention in a fraction of a second. When the two Elites met Kai’s eyes, he nodded. What else could he do?

  “Who’s that?” asked Beth.

  “You could say they are extended family.”

  Their food arrived, and Kai concentrated on eating. He looked up after a few minutes and said rather loudly, “It’s nice to have a friend to share a meal with occasionally. How are your parents after the stress of that shooting? Do they seem especially depressed?”

  Beth knit her eyebrows. “No. I’d say they’re completely recovered.”

  “Uh, huh. I see,” said Kai. “And what about those students at the university that were giving you grief? Do you think they could be a danger to others?”