Page 69 of Covert Affections (Shadow Agents/PSI-Ops #5)
Chapter Fifty-Two
Jesse
Jesse kneeled beside his Airstream, the sounds of crickets filling the wooded area.
When he’d finished up at the rescue, he’d driven out to the location he was keeping his Airstream, his intent to move it.
He already looked it over before hooking it up and towing it. That was when he’d noticed an issue.
Jesse rubbed his hand over the cool steel of the A-frame and frowned as his fingers skimmed over the crack near the hitch coupler.
The crack spiderwebbed around the tongue jack bolts.
It wasn’t the first time he’d had to deal with it happening.
It was indicative of years of towing. His choice of locations for parking the trailer hadn’t helped any.
The bumpy road (if you could call it that considering it was dirt and one lane) had put additional stress on the trailer’s frame.
He leaned, reaching for his open toolbox.
He pulled out a hand file and a wire brush.
The steel was pitted but there were no obvious holes.
Good. It was something he could patch for now.
He cleaned the fracture and used the file to bevel the crack.
When he was done, he dug his clamps out of his toolbox and double-checked that the damage was localized, before standing and gathering everything else he’d need for the fix.
He was almost thankful for the issue and for having something to keep his mind from drifting back to the problem at hand—what to do with everything he’d learned this morning.
Robert’s words had brought both clarity to Jesse’s life and nothing but chaos.
On one hand, he had proof that his dreams were real.
That he and Samuel were related and that his head had been fucked with by PSI—that he wasn’t a bad guy. That he was a Shadow Agent.
But none of that really mattered at the moment. Not with The Corporation and what they were probably already in the process of doing—sending a strike team after him. And not with the hybrids still at large, still dropping bodies.
The smartest thing to do would still be to lead both The Corporation and the hybrids away. He was fairly sure they’d follow him. But this morning’s conversation had put doubt in his mind. If they didn’t come after him, Lindy and Charley would be targeted. The women would pay for his sins.
Charley was already on their radar, but she had Ace nearby her at all times. Yes, the guy was still in horse form but he could do some massive damage in that form. And as Bill had already pointed out, Ace had the backing of his PSI buddies.
Lindy was all alone. She didn’t have someone to protect her. She was vulnerable.
Fuck.
He took a big breath, his mind racing as anxiety built in him. He walked in several circles before he remembered what he’d been working on. It took a minute to calm himself enough to remember to unhook the propane tank to prevent possible issues before he returned to the spot near his toolbox.
There were plenty of other safety measures he should’ve taken.
If he was human, he probably would have, but personal safety had never been super high on his give-a-shit list. Didn’t hurt that he could heal most things, unless the propane tank did blow up in his face. That would suck and leave a mark.
He grabbed his goggles from the toolbox and leaned, flipping on the portable generator.
It would supply his MIG welder with enough power to work in short bursts.
He’d just finished the last bit when the sound of an approaching vehicle reached his sensitive ears.
He eased out of the tight spot he’d been in and sat up, lifting the goggles and watching the one lane road.
It wasn’t The Corporation. They knew him well enough to know he’d hear their approach if they came that close in a vehicle. And it wasn’t the hybrids. They’d come on foot in animal form. It’s how they preferred to attack.
When he caught sight of the SUV coming down the road, he rolled his eyes and got to his feet, dusting off his backside in the process. Great. Just who he wanted to deal with again today—the fucking wolf-shifter.
Robert turned on his brights as he pulled to a stop, bathing Jesse in a stream of bright light.
Jesse closed his eyes, lifting a hand to shield them from the light. “Asshole.”
Robert chuckled as he exited the vehicle, which was still running, the brights still on and still aimed at Jesse.
“Seriously?” questioned Jesse as Robert approached, still in uniform. “Do you own other clothing? Do you get time off or do you live at the station?”
“Well, I used to kind of live with your wife, does that count?” countered Robert.
Jesse was to the man in the blink of an eye, slamming into him, knocking him onto the hood of the SUV.
Robert made no move to defend himself. He chose to laugh instead.
“You’re a fucking dick,” snapped Jesse.
“Maybe, but at least I’m not a coward,” Robert said, pushing Jesse off him and standing tall. He righted his uniform and glanced around. “Thought I told you to clear out of here.”
“You did and I was but I had a repair to do first,” said Jesse.
Robert glanced at the windshield of the SUV and tipped his head as if listening to something Jesse couldn’t hear. Robert snorted as he focused on Jesse once more. “Are you kidding me? You’re planning to go deeper into the mountains and not to Lindy?”
Confused as to how Robert knew about his plans, Jesse stepped forward. It was then he caught sight of the other person in the SUV. It took a full minute for Jesse to register what he was seeing since it was so absurd.
Gus was sitting in the passenger seat, buckled in, wearing a football helmet over what looked to be a wetsuit.
There was a snorkel mask attached to the face guard portion of the helmet, hanging loosely.
The man had on orange armbands which were both inflated.
He was holding the creepy mannequin head that he was rarely without.
“What’s going on?” demanded Jesse. “Why are you both here? I’m sure it’s not to give me shit about still having the Airstream parked here.”
Robert sighed. “Gus reached out to me—the way he does.”
Jesse got a feeling that meant mentally.
Robert continued, “He insisted I come and get him and bring him here to you. I don’t know why, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. So, he’s your problem now. I have a meeting in Denver tonight that I can’t miss.”
Jesse thought Robert was joking until he walked over to the passenger side door and opened it.
Gus climbed out, careful to avoid touching Robert. He scurried toward Jesse’s truck and got in. He closed the door and buckled up.
Jesse shook his head. “No. Not happening. I’m not babysitting him. I’m going to move my Airstream…like you told me to.”
“Great. Gus can help,” said Robert as he laughed. He got in his SUV and backed up, leaving Jesse there to deal with Gus.
Jesse faced his truck and pointed at Gus. “I’m taking you back to the rescue.”
You are taking me to Lindy’s bar. Hurry up. We’re going to be needed there, very soon. And we’ll need a wrench from your toolbox. Thank you.
With a groan, Jesse went to his toolbox and retrieved a wrench, wondering how it was his life had spiraled out of control so fast.
It’s not spiraling out of control , said Gus, his voice filling Jesse’s head. It’s finally spiraling into control.
Already knowing how quirky the man could be after having spent days working with him at the rescue, Jesse admitted defeat. “Fine. We’ll head to Lindy’s bar.”
And you’ll tell her the truth?
Jesse ignored Gus as he finished packing up the last of his tools. When he was done, he climbed into the driver’s side of his truck and eyed the mannequin head, strongly considering chucking the thing out the window. It was creepy.
Gus pulled it onto his lap more and hugged it tightly, as if sensing Jesse’s desire to rid himself of it.
The drive down the dirt road was anything but smooth.
The truck and the trailer bounced around.
At one point, Gus dropped the head, and it rolled to the floor.
The man moved with lightning reflexes to retrieve it before giving Jesse a haughty look that lasted mere seconds.
Gus returned to avoiding making eye contact and hugging the head to his chest.
“I live a seriously fucking weird life,” said Jesse as he pulled the truck out and onto the highway.