She stopped a couple feet away and extended a hand. "Thank you."
I took her hand, wondering if she was about to flip me over or just whip out a sword and cut it off. Instead, she shook it.
"You're welcome," I said, stumbling over my words and feeling sick to my stomach. Punching or arresting me would have been better.
Her hand released mine and she observed me for a moment. "So you were our target? I don't understand what's so terrible about you."
"I'm spawn." That ought to rile her up.
She shrugged. "Most spawn are pretty low and devious, but I've never known one to risk his own life to save someone else's." A genuine smile lit her face.
My heart almost broke. She didn't have a clue about me. About us. I wanted to kiss her so bad it hurt.
The front door to Bella's house opened and a guy who looked like a male model strutted outside. A fair-skinned girl with her black hair up in a ponytail and large round sunglasses covering her eyes followed him. The guy's face gave definition to the word "chiseled" with a square chin and straight nose. His muscles filled out the blue T-shirt he wore. A not-so-genuine grin flickered on his face when he saw me. "Dude, I owe you." He gripped my hand and squeezed it tight. Apparently, he was one of those guys, the ones who think every handshake is a test of manliness.
I fought the urge to respond in kind. The effort to plaster a smile on my face actually hurt more than his grip. "What for?"
"Saving my girl."
I almost barfed on his face. "Your girl?"
Elyssa punched him hard on the shoulder. "Your girl? Beck, you talk that way again and I'll cut your boys off."
He laughed and let go of my hand. "Geez, woman, calm down. I didn't mean it that way."
"This is Beck Andrews," Elyssa said, rolling her eyes as she waved a hand his way. "He's a Templar recruit like me."
"I'm standing here too," said the other dark-haired girl, her words gilded with an unmistakable Italian accent. She stood a fraction shorter than Elyssa, but otherwise had a very similar build. They could almost pass for sisters.
Elyssa's lip curled a smidge. "And this is Fausta."
The other girl extended a hand and took mine. Her grip was firmer than I'd expected, but I made sure to return the grip. "Nice to meet you," I said.
She looked me up and down, still gripping my hand. "You're spawn?"
"Half."
Fausta glared at Beck and withdrew her hand. "Why would Christian change the plan at the last minute for this boy? He hardly looks like a threat."
My face burned. "Hey now, I can be dangerous when I want to."
Beck burst into laughter. "Maybe that's what he wants us to think."
My eyes found Bella who still sat beneath the umbrella. "I assume the Templars know I'm here." I took a step her way. "So why isn't this place crawling with them? Why haven't they tried to take me by force?"
"We called the Templars and let them know everyone was alright, dear," Bella said as she took a sip from her teacup.
My eyes went wide. "Are you kidding me? They tried to kill me last night!"
"We weren't trying to kill you," Elyssa said.
"Could have fooled me." I paced toward the trio of Templars. "You followed me onto a plane that was taking off, for crying out loud."
"It looked like fun," Fausta said, casting a dirty look at Elyssa. "Would have been more fun if you hadn't knocked me off."
"I didn't knock you off," Elyssa said, teeth tight. "You fell off."
"I almost broke my teeth on a rock, too."
"Almost?" Elyssa smirked. "Looks like you're missing a chip in your front teeth."
I face-palmed and mustered a disturbed look. "You're both crazy. Why would you risk death and dismemberment to capture me?"
Elyssa stared at the hand on my forehead as though she were in a daze. She shook her head and gave me an uncertain look. "It was reflex. I saw you escaping and followed."
"And tried to climb over me? I guess you didn't care if I got sucked into the engine."
Her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "I had no intention of killing you. But after those bullets hit me, I—" her eyes looked into the distance. "I thought I was a goner. I thought you were trying to kick me off your leg." Her eyes met mine. "And then you saved me."
"Hey, even spawn know better than to kill a Templar," Beck said, pulling out a pair of aviator sunglasses and slipping them on. "He'd know the true meaning of 'wanted' if he did that."
I glanced over my shoulder at Bella. "All they sent were two extra Templars? This doesn't make any sense considering the number they had chasing me last night."
"You were hot-listed, according to their commander, Christian, who, by the way, is a very fine looking man." She moved her gaze to Elyssa's. "I don't suppose he's single, is he, dear?"
Elyssa looked flustered and shrugged. "I don't know him that well."
Beck took a seat at the table and smiled. Despite his stupid-looking sunglasses, I could have sworn he was looking at Elyssa's ass while she faced me. I couldn't blame him. But I could hate him for it.
"What's hot-listed?" I asked, trying to keep my cool. Fausta came to stand next to my other shoulder and I suddenly felt hemmed in and wondered if they were about to make a play for me.
Beck moved his gaze from Elyssa's rear. "It means a high-ranking commander recommended you be put on the Hot List—a list of our most-wanted fugitives."
I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed a hand down my face. "In that case, I know who did it."
Elyssa tilted her head a fraction. "Who?"
"Daddy dearest, of course."
"Who?" Her eyebrow quirked up in the adorable way I'd always loved.
"Thomas Borathen."
"My father?"
Beck laughed. "Whoa man, your dad really hates spawn."
"I can't believe they would put this boy on the hotlist," Fausta said.
I didn't find it amusing in the least, especially being called a boy by a stupid girl. As I regarded the confusion on Elyssa's face, I wondered if I should tell her why her father had hot-listed me. Then again, it would be the worst thing I could do right now. Telling her about our past would only confuse or anger her.
"Are you still supposed to bring me in?" I asked.
Beck shook his head. "The people in this town vouched for you and, given the testimony of the hostages we rescued from the compound last night, it seems that you're not evil enough to be on the list."
"You spoke with the doctor and those girls?"
"I didn't, but Christian did. He sent me and Fausta to get Elyssa and to invite you in as our guest so you could give your statement."
I offered him a humorless smile. "Thanks, but I'd rather send a postcard."
Beck shrugged. "Suit yourself, dude."
"What I really need is to go to La Casona in Bogota so I can take the Obsidian Arch back home."
Elyssa shook her head. "You don't want to take any arches right now."
"Why not?"
"They aren't safe. Something happened to them a couple days ago and now you're more likely to end up in the Gloom than your destination."
"What? Two days ago?" What were the odds those stupid things would stop working as of two days ago? Perfect timing, as usual. I'd only arrived here a couple of days ago. It abruptly occurred to me the timing wasn't a coincidence. What if I'd screwed up the entire space-time continuum by taking that joy ride through the arches from Thunder Rock? Lovely.
I looked at Fausta, catching her in the act of looking me up and down again and sighed before moving my gaze to Bella. Surely, her magic shag carpet could get me back home.
She apparently read my mind because she shook her head and said, "We can't take you all the way back to the States on the rug, I'm afraid. You'll have to go commercial."
"I don't have a passport. I couldn't buy a ticket if I wanted to."
"We could get you back on one of our jets," Elyssa said. "I can guarantee it. But I've got to know—how did you end up down here? Did you come via arch in the first place?"
"If I'm on this Hot List, how is it you Templars know almost nothing about me?"
"We didn't exactly get a full briefing," Beck said with a snort. "In fact, we were about to hit a rogue vamp in Bogota who split off from the Syndicate when Christian got the word about you and diverted us."
"By definition, anyone on the Hot List is someone who should be captured immediately," Fausta added.
I blew out a loud sigh. "This whole thing sounds sketchy to me."
Beck shrugged. "Exactly what I thought." He gave me a once-over. "There's no way someone like you should be listed."
"So you've repeatedly said," I growled.
"My father isn't sketchy," Elyssa said, her voice tight with anger. "I'm sure he had a good reason to list you." Her eyes narrowed as if something had just occurred to her, and I prayed it wasn't something that meant she'd be whipping out a knife or punching me.
The way she spoke to me without any clue as to who I was pierced me in the guts. This was agony. The love of my life stood only feet away but she was out of my reach unless I figured out how to reverse the memory loss. And the only people who could do that were the Templars.
"Are you feeling okay?" Elyssa asked, the anger fading from her gaze. "You look a little green."
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Beck shrugged. "Like Elyssa said, Christian can get you home. You go in, give a statement, and he'll help you out. Get you home to mommy and daddy."
"Or toss me in a cell and call Thomas Borathen to come get me?"