Hope (Other World Protection Agency Book 1) Read online

  He picked her up and laid her down on the bed.

  “I know you’re awake and I think you owe me an explanation.”

  “An explanation? You should be dead. How about explaining that one.” This was way too much for her, especially when all she wanted to do was be put out of her misery.

  “Taraja.”

  “Look, I don’t have time to explain things to you. I have to get out of here.” She sat up and tried to move to the edge.

  “Look at you. Where can you go like that? You can’t even make it out of the bed you’re so weak.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” She screamed in frustration. “Would you like me to just lay back down? That thing you saw, it will be back, looking for me. If you or your friends or your pretty little hospital get in its way, it will simply flatten you all. Nothing will stop it or its friends from coming for me, so should I stay here and watch everyone die?”

  He was pacing the room, running his hands through his thick hair. Although it shouldn’t matter, she wanted to touch it. She wanted to be the one running her hands through it and if she wasn’t sure that something was wrong with her before this confirmed it. She never wanted to take time with a man. She was too busy trying to kill herself. A girl had to have priorities right?

  “Just stay here and wait.” He glared at her before leaving.

  There was no way she was going to sit there like an obedient dog and wait for him. Oh no, he had the wrong girl. Making her mind up, she scooted slowly to the side of the bed and got up. Well at least she tried to get up. Now she was lying on the floor, because her shaking legs decided not to hold her up. Sighing, she wondered if she could escape by crawling out the door. Taking her time, she finally managed to get to her feet. She had used her little bit of strength when she saved the perky blonde. She grimaced at herself. When had she gone into the lifesaving business? The blonde lives and I die? That sounded good, but nothing good had happened yet, except of course for a pair of beautiful green eyes. Giving herself a mental slap, she stumbled to the closet. Opening it up, she was met by emptiness.

  “Didn’t I tell you not to move?” Good thing she was hanging onto the closet door or she would have been on her behind again. There was something about his voice that made her already weak knees weaker.

  Walking over to her he picked her up and brought her back to the bed. “Your clothes were destroyed. They were beyond saving. They were treated like they were contaminated just as a precautionary measure.” Stepping back he grabbed some clothes on the bed and held them up for her inspection. “So I borrowed these for you.” There was a pair of scrubs, top and bottom and what looked like a tank top.

  “Who did you ask, your girlfriend? I am really not into charity.” Her eyes got wide when she realized he was standing there silently laughing at her.

  “I borrowed them from my sister and to answer your question, I am single.”

  “I didn’t ask you about your status. I don’t care.” She sounded like a sulking child and knew it. He was messing with her equilibrium and under the circumstances that just was not nice.

  “If we are leaving, then you will have to change. Do you need help?”

  “As if.” Did he think she was going to let him see her naked? She was going to let him see her naked if she wanted to get into those clothes. “I could use some help.” If he laughed at her, she would make him pay. Later.

  Without cracking a smile, he helped her change, using every trick he had ever learned as a doctor. Doctors were not supposed to be turned on by curvy patients with fire in their eyes and a death wish. Ok, so he was failing miserably at the not being turned on, but this was not the place to make her sweat.

  “There. That’s not a bad fit.” Paul said giving her a casual once over.

  “They’re scrubs, but yeah they’re not too bad.” The cami had been the perfect solution. They kept her girls from flying away, she needed all the control she could get right now. “My hair is a mess though.” He grabbed a brush from the bed and started brushing her hair.

  He’s brushing my hair. She rubbed at her eyes, because something had flown into them. This had to stop. She was leaving not just this room, but this world. She couldn’t take it anymore. She had tried and cried and kicked and done everything possible, but no understood her pain. She just wanted out. It was unfair that he came into her life when she was just ready for it to be over.

  “That’s better, although it needs washed etcetera. I think we will make it out the door.” He continued to touch her hair.

  “We?” He was definitely not invited.

  “Definitely we. Come on.” Helping her get up, he put his arm around her like they were best friends or lovers and led her to the door. “There’s a change in shift happening right now, so everyone is giving updates on their patients. I want to get us out before they get here. In case we are stopped, just follow my lead.”

  The corridor was empty and it was now or never. He led her out on shaky legs, still holding her close to his body. He was keeping her from falling, but she refused to think about that. First things first. The elevator was almost within reach. The perky blonde and another nurse stepped out from a corridor by the elevator.

  “Dr. Charles.” The other nurse raised her hand in greeting moving in their direction. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

  She had dark hair and was fair complexioned. Taraja was sure she wanted to do more than see him. Sighing, she thought maybe she was being unfair, thinking the nurse wanted to see him, without his shirt and pants. Nope. She wasn’t being unfair at all.

  “I stayed late wrapping something up.”

  “Sorry you had to stay late, but it is always a pleasure to see you. Who is this?”

  “This is Tara, my girlfriend. She got tired of waiting and decided to come collect me.” He gave Tara a look of love then dropped a kiss on her lips. “She thinks I work too much.”

  “Oh.” She gave Tara a decidedly unfriendly look. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

  “I try to keep my work and personal life separate.”

  She turned to the perky blonde. “Did you know?”

  She smiled “I just caught rumor of it today, but you know how the residents like to spread gossip. You never know what’s true or not.

  She wasn’t going to blow their cover. Taraja had just been standing there waiting for the perky blonde to give her away. She had almost felt bad about saving the nurse’s life when she covered for them. Taraja had no idea why, but she almost wanted to believe in the goodness of mankind again, almost.

  “It’s getting late. We should go. I thought you were leaving?” This was directed to the perky blonde.

  “I am going to grab my purse and take off.”

  “Good. Take a vacation. Come back in a week.” Then with both the nurses gasping he led Tara to the elevator and got in.

  “You know. They are going to know you helped me escape.” She said as they exited the hospital.

  “You weren’t a prisoner, Taraja. So you left without your discharge papers. It will be ok. Besides, being a doctor in America is overrated. I can always practice in a third world country.” He gave her a smile that almost knocked her down. Good thing she was sitting now.

  “I will go get my car and come back for you, it is parked down the street. Will you be sitting here or will I have to go looking for you?” She shrugged her shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “Let’s put it like this. If you’re not here when I get back, if you move a muscle I promise to spank your very appealing bottom later.” With that he walked off. His long strides eating up ground quickly.

  He had just threatened to spank her. She got up off the bench and started making her way down the drive in front of the hospital to the curb. She knew this area of Shadyside well and across the street was a restaurant. She didn’t have any money, but she needed to eat and recoup her strength, so it was scraps out of the trash for her. Not like something in the trash was going to be the death of her. No
w she just needed the darn light to turn before he got back here.

  “You decided to wait on the curb for me.” He said after he pulled up. “That was so sweet of you.” Getting out of the car he helped her in. “Unfortunately for you and happily for me, there is a spanking in your near future.” With those words he took off.

  “Where are you taking me?” She refused to acknowledge his words or to squirm like a little girl who had gotten caught red handed.

  “I don’t know. Your place or mine?”

  “No and no. They will find us at either location. They can track me. You should just leave me on the street and get as far away as possible.”

  “No. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t have an answer for you. All I know is I am not leaving you alone. So we need someplace to lay low.”

  “I know a place.” She said, not sounding too happy. “You will not like it though.” This time she sounded much happier. We need to get supplies first if we go there and you have to pay. No credit card,” she said pulling her scrub pockets out and picking at the imaginary lint.

  Sighing he pulled into the parking lot of Target. “I knew you wanted me for my money.” This time she laughed.

  They walked around Target with Paul pushing the cart and Tara throwing what she wanted in.

  “Cleaning supplies?”

  “We’re going to need them, take my word for it. Grab some snacks. Lots of snacks.”

  They loaded up on supplies and snacks then grabbed a cup of coffee from Starbuck’s before getting back into the car.

  “Where to now?”

  “Food?” She looked at him with a hopeful eye. If he said chicken noodle soup she may have to try and escape again.

  “Boston Market?” She gave him a nod and a happy smile then closed her eyes. They hit the drive through and soon she was directing him to the Southside.

  “You like to get around the city I see.”

  “Well it’s not like it’s very big. There are some warehouses over here that are abandoned. That’s where I was when I was found. I laid in that warehouse for three weeks, but that thing never found me.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Taraja, that’s impossible. No one can survive without water for three weeks.”

  “Just Tara. No human can, but I did. So the logical conclusion is that I am not human.”

  “You’re human. I looked at all your tests you’re very human.” He waited, but got no response. So he changed the subject. “Why just Tara?”

  “It’s just what I like to be called.” She wasn’t sure why she had told him her official name anyway. She changed the subject to what really mattered. “That’s impossible. I am not human.” She stressed every word. How dare he try to take away from her the one thing she had held onto all these years.

  “Ok, you’re an alien that looks human and appears human on all the scans. Wait you’re a super human. I know, we will call you human 2.0.”

  “You’re laughing, but I am serious. I laid on that floor for three weeks without food or water. Please explain that.”

  “I don’t have an explanation, but I am sure we will find one. I really don’t care what you are, but Tara you’re human. I know human when I see it on the outside and on the inside.”

  Sighing she nodded her head. Maybe it was time to get to the bottom of what was going on. In the space of a couple of days her life had been turned upside down. Now she was human. She always believed she was a freak or the embarrassment of some alien culture and they had abandoned her here as a child. Some type of extreme punishment. If she was human, then this really made no sense. Ok yeah, like her alien theory made sense.

  “Well, they always said there’s no place like home. Thanks for bringing me home and on our first date too.”

  “This is not my home and we are not on a date.” The coffee had helped some. She wasn’t as shaky anymore. It had to be the sugar and caffeine she thought as she got out of the car, on her own this time.

  “I just want to warn you, it’s not pretty in there. Lots of rats and insects and other things that may not be of this world.”

  “Well as long as I have you to protect me.” He grabbed the cleaning supplies and she grabbed the snacks and dinner.

  The warehouse was old. In fact, it felt ancient, which made no sense. Some of the windows were busted and it looked as if no one had been in it for years. They walked to the door that had a busted chain on it. Removing it, Tara pushed open the door that surprisingly did not creak or offer any resistance.

  She looked to the corner where the old drunk was still laying. He had to be dead, poor old man. One minute he was totally still and the next he was standing up. She screamed not having been prepared for that one.

  “It’s about time you got back here.”

  Chapter Three

  He was no longer a poor dead drunk or stiff on the floor. His five foot nothing stature changed and he grew to around six feet with glorious wings on his back. Black wings. Turning she tried to run, but nothing happened.

  “Oh no you don’t. I have not laid on that floor for weeks in that smelly body watching over you for you to run head long into danger.”

  “Watching over me?” She had finally regained control of her body, not that that was saying much. She had also regained control over her mind and remembered she had to protect the good doctor too. She just hadn’t expected two legged rats.

  “That’s a pretty image. Why don’t you drop the glamour so we can see what you really look like?” It really was a gorgeous image, although she wasn’t going to let him know. Besides, she liked the doctor’s looks better.

  “No glamour. What you see is what you get. Good, cleaning supplies. This place is a mess, but I am not inclined to sweat over a mop or broom. I will clean this place up and get rid of the varmint if you ask nicely.”

  She was in a room with a crazy man. She looked at the doctor who was taking this all in stride. Make that two crazy men.

  “Tara, ask the man nicely.”

  “Paul,” she said in a voice people used on small children who were being unreasonable. “That is a bad guy. A bad guy who is crazy. We need to run.”

  “Tara.” He said with a grin, trying to keep from laughing. “I know that bad man minus the wings and he’s really rather nice once you get to know him.”

  “Hey, I resent the nice part. I am not nice and I am still waiting Tara.”

  Looking back and forth between the two of them, she decided to put her death wish on the back shelf and to play nice with the crazy men. She could always die after she got out of this mess alive.

  “Please Mr. Crazy man with the black wings, clean up my new home.” Ok so she didn’t know how to play nice, shoot her.

  With a wicked laugh he said, “Now was that hard?” He lifted a hand and flicked his fingers. A wind went through the place. A warm wind. When it stopped, the place was immaculate cleaner than it had probably ever been.

  “Furniture?”

  “Do you like laying on the floor better?”

  “No. I just wasn’t expecting it.” So just because your wings are black didn’t mean you were bad? The rules were changing and she had no idea what was happening.

  “Guess you wouldn’t want to explain the wings? Thanks for the furniture and cleaning. Cleaning is not my thing.”

  “Tara, I would tell you to act more like Paul, but I know him too well. When he starts acting real sweet, that’s a sign he’s planning something. You can say thank you later for that bit of knowledge. Why don’t we all sit? Is that food I smell?”

  “My name is Charon,” He said in between the bites of food he had convinced them to share. “I have known you both since the day you were born. If I told you that I was your guardian angel, would that make you feel better? No? What about your fairy godfather? Not buying that either?” He sat in silence just eating as they watched him.

  Sighing, he stood and flexed his wings. “Well, let’s try the truth then. Yo
ur planet has been on the endangered species list for a long time. You’re a danger to us and we are a danger to you. They say no planet can be contacted before they are ready, but at the rate you were going you were never going to be ready. Then something happened. Humans started being born who were more than human. In case you’re wondering, that would be you two. No, you’re not the only ones, but right now you’re the most important ones.”

  “Tara, where are you going?” Paul asked. She had stood up and was heading for the door.

  “I am going to play in traffic so I can just die. This way I don’t have to listen to things that don’t exist tell me lies.” Turning around she headed for the door.

  Catching up to her, Paul just stood in front of her. “Tara, I am just a new player here so I am trying to catch up. Here’s what I know so far. The other being tried to kill us. Talking was not on its agenda. I also know that Charon has saved my life a time or two. Let’s just talk this out. If you want to leave after that, I will take you anywhere you want to go.”

  Nodding she walked back over to the couch and sat.

  “I haven’t know Tara long, but I already have a deep respect for what she feels. So maybe you should tell us the whole story fast.”

  “Humans are so impatient and that’s only one of your flaws.” He sighed. “There are worlds out there just beyond your scope of reaching them. There are many planets out there like this one that are under endangered species limits. One of the signs we look for that lets us know a world may be ready to join the intergalactic community is when the population begins to change. They begin to become more. Your world still has thousands of years before that should happen and yet before me stand a shield and a doorway.”

  “The demon who attacked us in the hospital called you a shield.” Tara had turned to look at Paul doing her best to ignore Charon.