Torrent (Cosmic Forces Book 1) by Elle Thorne Read Free Book Online Page B

could be…” Alyssa took a deep breath, wrung her hands over and over, then caught herself and stopped, shoving them into her pockets. “She never told us his father’s name.”
    “His father’s name?”
    “Her son’s. Gillie’s.”
    Jackpot. That had to be Guillermo. “Can I meet him?”
    “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” She stepped closer.
    Close enough that he could smell the clean scent of her hair, something flowery and completely out of place in this desolate, smoke-colored city. She was changing the subject. Would she deny his request?
    “I’m sure.” He raised his shirt, showing her the laceration that he’d sutured himself. “It wasn’t deep.”
    A small gasp escaped her lips. She put cool fingertips on his stomach. His flesh felt like it was on fire where she touched it. A few inches lower, his body responded with a twitch.
    She frowned. “This doesn’t look good.”
    Torrent found himself holding his breath. A wave of emotions washed over him, confusing him. He took a step back to break the spell. He’d done a decent job sewing himself up, but he didn’t want her eyeballing it too closely. The component CRBE had put in might show. It had deflected the blade, kept it from his vital organs. He’d have to talk to CRBE. They shouldn’t have put in him parts that clearly didn’t seem like they were human flesh, blood, or organs.
    “What do you say? Can I meet him?”
    She looked up at him, her eyes trapping him in a brown gaze that sought the answers he knew he couldn’t give her. Answers that would not only sever the fragile thing between them, but also kill his chances to make his mission a success.
    “I suppose it’s the right thing to do. Let me talk to my family first, break the news to them, otherwise it won’t go so well. Come by this evening.”
    “I will. After dark.”
    “What’s your name?” She cocked her head.
    “Torrent.” Shit. That had escaped his lips before he could think. What the hell .
    “Torrent?”
    He liked the way it sounded, the Rs rolling off her lips, like a verbal caress.
    “She never mentioned you.”
    “Guess I never mentioned her to anyone either.” Damn my soul for these lies. He’d never intended to do these kinds of missions when he’d agreed to sign up with CRBE. He hadn’t signed on to be the kidnapper of toddlers. He thought of his family back home. This was for them, he reminded himself. For his mother. His brother.
    He was filled with self-loathing. He kept his eyes on the floor, unwilling to let her see the emotions swirling within.
    She turned to leave, then looked back. “What about the bodies? If they’re found…”
    He knew if they were found, the shit would hit the fan. “I’ll take care of them. I’ll be there tonight.”
    “Be careful.” She turned and strode across the foyer, stepping over fallen beams and cracked granite. He watched her walking away, the curve of her ass, the sway of her hips.
    He was in trouble. Shit . He wished he could talk to Vector. Why? What would I tell him?
    Who knew, but he felt like he needed to talk his thoughts out.
    At the very least, he should tell Control that he’d found the package. That he was going to set eyes on it—him—this evening.
    He reached for the radio in his front pocket. Flipped it on. “Torrent to Base.”
    Nothing.
    He fiddled with the controls. “Base, come in.”
    Again, nothing.
    No reception.
    Was his team okay? Wouldn’t they be on the radio, reaching out, at least talking to him, even if they couldn’t hear him?
    He had a few hours before he had to be at Alyssa’s place. He wanted to leave the radio on, but couldn’t risk an unexpected transmission while he was traversing the demolished streets of Houston.

Chapter Eleven
    A lyssa skipped down the second block, almost to her street. What the hell? Why was she skipping? She paused in front of the fountain that used to be in front of the building. It was a gaping hole in the concrete now, with no sign of the