Dawn Endeavor 1: Fallon's Flame by Marie Harte (book recommendations website TXT) 📕

an odd infusion of light around him I can't understand. He's healing, slowly. Still, we need him checked out. Too bad Sharpe hasn't found us a doctor yet. We need someone on staff.”

“No shit,” Tersch growled, still monstrously large and thinking about death and dismemberment a little too often for Fallon's peace of mind.

“Dude, let it go. You're freaking me out.”

Tersch gradually shrank to his normal changed size. “Better now, Nancy?” Tersch grumbled.

“Yeah, thanks, Frederik.”

Tersch curled his lip in a smile.

Jules punched in a few numbers on his cell phone. “We have him, but we need Doc pronto.” He hung up. “He's already on his way. Mrs. Sharpe called him this morning. Said she had a feeling we'd need him.” Jules carefully lifted Hayashi in his arms. “Okay, Fallon, you drive. Tersch, you're on protection duty on the way home. I'll continue to monitor our boy, here.” They hurried back to the SUV, on edge and prepared to combat any sudden attack. Fallon opened the back and folded back the seats. Jules placed Hayashi inside, then sat next to him.

Tersch jumped into the passenger side and withdrew a gun from the glove compartment.

“What do you think Sharpe's deal is?” Fallon asked as he drove.

“I don't know,” Jules answered. “But I think it's time we found out. This first mission for the new Dawn Endeavor was a complete bust.” He paused. “Well, not for all of us. After all, you got Olivia.”

Fallon smiled.

“And speaking of which, when do we get her again? I have needs, you know,” Tersch bitched as he changed back fully.

“Such a baby,” Hayashi whispered.

Jules sighed. “Finally. Man, you had us worried. What the hell happened?”

“Delancey happened.”

Fallon blinked. “Tell me you did not just say Delancey.”

“That fucker? So much for fading into the sunset.” Jules swore bitterly. He hated their old captain with a passion. “He volunteers us for Elliot Pearl's nightmare, then somehow separates himself from the fallout when it all goes to shit. And now, a year and a half later, he's in the mix again. I'll fucking kill him.”

Fallon and Tersch exchanged a glance. Jules had a real hard-on for Delancey, and not in a good way. He blamed himself for getting his men into the Circ madness in the first place, and he blamed Captain William Delancey for leading him down the primrose path, knowing the situation would FUBAR—become fucked-up beyond all recognition.

“So Delancey kidnapped you?” he asked Hayashi.

“Healing's a bitch, you know that?” He groaned. “No, a few of Montaña's men were watching us. They know about the house, where we live, who we are. Montaña's working for Delancey. The captain's the brains behind that deserted lab in Brazil.”

“Holy shit.” Fallon whistled.

“Montaña's guys told you?”

“Had a vision. After they dropped me from the roof of that plant as a warning for us all to back off, I saw Delancey as clear as day standing in that lab, his hands on a box the cleanup team missed. We have to stop him from whatever he's up to. It can't be good.”

“Don't worry, Hayashi.” Jules's voice was soft. “We will.”

“I still don't understand why they didn't just kill you, though,” Fallon said. “No offense.

I'm glad you're alive. But if I'd set out to stop a bunch of troublesome Circs, I wouldn't let them live to tell on me.”

Hayashi remained quiet.

“Kisho?” Jules said. “You okay?”

He swallowed audibly. “They left me for dead.”

“I'll gut them,” Tersch promised. “Slowly.”

“How'd you get on that table?” Jules asked.

“I guess I had help. Who knows?”

Fallon tensed against a sharp thought but opened his shields when he recognized Hayashi behind the penetration. An image of a tall, dark stranger with penetrating green eyes filled Hayashi's mind's eye and then vanished.

Fallon didn't say anything, but he planned to ask his friend about his savior just as soon as Hayashi was on his feet again. For now he had healing to do. And Fallon needed to return home and cement his ties to a stubborn female too eager to leave him.

Chapter Eleven

Olivia gnawed her lower lip. “My aunt used to tell stories about you, you know.” Mrs. Sharpe didn't answer, not that Olivia had thought she would. Ever since Olivia had remembered where she'd seen the woman, Mrs. Sharpe had internally shut down.

“You're not going to talk about this, are you?”

“No.”

Olivia huffed. “But don't I owe Jesse the truth? If he learns the navy has nothing to do with my being Circ, if he learns what I really am, he'll—”

“What? Love you any less? Why are you so determined to end this relationship before it can begin? Do you know how much you've already helped him? His migraines haven't returned.

He's both mentally and physically stronger. He broadcasts now. Call out to him and see. He'll answer.”

“Jesse, are you okay? Any sign of Kisho?”

He answered immediately. “We think we may have found him. I'll let you know when I can.

Stay safe.”

She blinked. “He thinks they may have found Kisho. He'll let us know.”

“Good.” Mrs. Sharpe didn't look surprised.

“You knew they'd find him.”

“Now, Olivia, how would I know that?”

The look Olivia gave her caused the woman to chuckle. “Well, there is that, isn't there?

Come now. I'm here for a reason. And so are you.”

Olivia didn't like feeling manipulated, and right now she felt like a puppet on strings.

“Why didn't you ask me to come down here? Why the subterfuge? Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because it had to happen like this. And like Kisho will tell you, nothing is set in stone.

We each have our own choices to make. Jesse fell in love with you.”

“His choice or hormones?” Olivia asked drily, wishing she didn't feel such a thrill from his devotion. Wishing she could believe in it.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does. How do I know what I feel for him isn't just a Circ need to bond or something?”

“Then why don't you feel it for Jules or Gunnar or Kisho?”

“Because I—” She had no explanation. No one but Jesse felt