We last read Chapter 34, in which Sapphire Angel drives toward Conner’s home so she can make a surprise visit. She calls Stanley and discusses Wheldon’s uncharacteristic trip to Florida, and her plan to attend the same conference to keep an eye on him. She worries about whether she will be able to transform and become Sapphire Angel, if it would become necessary. She is not sure if her ability to transform is affected by geographic location, given past experiences with the transformation. They discuss packing her costume instead so she can change the old-fashioned way, with Stanley setting up a bag with the ability to get it undetected through airport security.
Wheldon calls Raven Tristan, asking if she can handle two jobs at once, with the second job being to find information to use as leverage to bring Sapphire Angel to her knees. Tristan looks forward to the opportunity to break the superheroine.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
Beth parked her car on the shoulder fifty yards from the lane to Conner's home, slipped into the woods, and made her transformation. She crept the rest of the way on foot as Sapphire Angel. Oppressive heat had descended the previous afternoon, and still lingered with dawn approaching. The temperature contrasted with the cooler mountain air near the plant. She was thankful for her necklace, which kept her from experiencing the effects of temperature extremes.
She followed the same path she had used during her last visit, sticking to the shadows on the right side of the lane. As she approached the house, she rehearsed what she planned to say. She noticed her heart beating more rapidly than normal, and a tinge of apprehension roiled in her stomach. She frowned. This was just Conner. She shouldn't feel any angst about seeing him. He was Conner Bennett, with all his womanizing and arrogant traits, and she was Sapphire Angel, who was unattainable to the men who wanted her.
When she reached the house, she circled around to the backyard, avoiding the light on the front porch. She slipped onto the darkened back patio and tiptoed across the concrete, avoiding the table, chairs, and fire pit.
When she got to the door, she stopped and took an inventory of herself. She looked at her faint reflection in the sliding glass door and ran her fingers through her hair, teasing it out where it fell across her shoulders. She straightened her skirt, made sure her necklace was centered, and pulled her gloves up on her arms.
Satisfied with her appearance, she pulled her cylinder from her boot, and within moments she had the sliding glass door unlocked. She paused after easing it open, listening but hearing nothing.
She slipped in, allowing her eyes to adjust to the room. Conner certainly lived the life of the bachelor. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only the sofa, an easy chair, the television, and some sports memorabilia hanging on the wall. The opening to the kitchen was opposite her, to the right, while the front door was ahead and to the left.
There, asleep on the sofa, in the same spot as her last visit, lay Conner Bennett. She wondered whether he slept there because he liked it, or whether he always dozed off there. Or had he slept there every night since her last visit, hoping for her return? She smiled and crept forward, tiptoeing across the carpet.
When she reached his side, she crouched next to him, kneeling so her hair dangled over his face. He was asleep on his back, oblivious to her. Unlike last time, he hadn't even heard her enter.
She let her hair dangle into his face, brushing against his skin. He didn't awaken. She frowned. Leaving her hair hanging in his face, she gently shook his shoulder. Still no response.
Her frown deepened, and she leaned in closer until she was just a few inches from his face, and whispered his name. Her hair almost completely encircled his face.
"Conner," she whispered as she leaned even closer, trying to imagine the surprise on his face when he saw her.
Instead, his eyes flew open and his hand took the back of her head, pulling her face towards his. Surprised, she lost her balance and fell forward from her crouch onto him.
His mouth covered hers as his lips kissed her lips. His passion startled her and sent a jolt running through her. His tongue parted her lips and found her tongue. Her knees quivered, and she let out an unwanted moan. She found herself kissing him back, and felt his hand on her back, just above her waist, pressing her against him.
This wasn't what she had planned. She had wanted to give him photos of the building in the woods, so she could discuss it freely with him as Beth. But she couldn't think. Her heart was pounding, her mind was swirling, and passion welled up inside her. She wanted him.
As his kiss continued, and her eyes fluttered, she forced herself to remember who she was. She was Sapphire Angel. This was not why she was here.
Part of her wanted to continue, to soak in the rush of passion now coursing through her, but she broke off the kiss and pulled her head back. He attempted to follow, lifting his head toward her, but she used one hand to push him back down onto the sofa. She rose to her feet as a pang of unmet need caused her to shiver. Her legs shook and her breathing came fast. She looked down at him and saw he was wide awake with a slight smile on his face.
"Sapphire Angel," he said, giving her a nod.
"What — what are you doing?" she asked between breaths.
"What am I doing?" he asked. "You were the one leaning in to kiss me. That's why you came, right?"
Sapphire Angel shook her head slowly, trying to gather herself. Was he that sure of himself? "No, no. That's not what I was doing. I'm here for another reason."
He frowned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, as if he couldn't believe she hadn't snuck into his house late at night for romance. She bit her cheek, thinking his assumption didn't sound so unreasonable after all. When a woman snuck into a man's house late at night and bent over, putting her face close to his, it probably was for romance most of the time.
"Listen," she said, taking a deep breath. "I have more information for you." She bent down, retrieving a computer memory card from a small zippered compartment inside her boot. She was aware of his gaze as he watched her movements. Lust filled his eyes, and he bit his lip.
"There's something going on at a building in the woods not far from Wheldon's fence, but I'm not sure what. Not the tower, but a different building. This card has photos of the building, and a text file with the GPS coordinates."
Conner raised an eyebrow at the news. "What do you think is going on there?"
"That's what I was hoping you and Beth Harper could figure out," she answered as she tossed the memory card onto the sofa. As she spoke, Conner swung his legs over the side of the sofa and rose to a sitting position. Sapphire Angel started backing toward the door.
"Wait!" he hissed. "Don't leave! We need to work together!"
She smiled, feeling a bit more in control of the situation. She shook her head and gave him a wry smile that said "Sorry." She reached the door, which was still open, and slipped out into the night.
Once outside, Sapphire Angel pulled the door closed and darted for the trees and the cover of darkness. She was oblivious to her surroundings as she ran back toward her car. Before reaching it, she transformed again, back to her normal self.
Two minutes later she collapsed into the driver's seat and wrapped her arms around herself. Another shiver ran through her, as a pang of longing formed in the pit of her stomach.
She took the extra time to compose herself and tried to make sense of her whirling thoughts. Her arms were trembling as she reached up to the ignition button. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was Sapphire Angel, who men longed for. Yet there she had been, a quivering mess under the spell of Conner's kiss.
She bit her lip and let out a soft moan just thinking about the feel of his lips. She lowered her forehead into her palm, shaking her head. She wasn't sure how she could face Conner at the conference. She would never hear the end of this. He had already said he would have Sapphire Angel wrapped around his finger, and at least for tonight, he was right. He would brag, and she would have to grin and bear it. At least he didn't know Beth Harper and Sapphire Angel were the same person. That would only make things worse.
Why she had reacted to his touch and his kiss so passionately? He was an attractive man, but too cocky around women. She thought she knew better than to fall for his type, but now she wasn't so sure. She shook her head. Tonight had been a fluke.
The room was small, with a desk in the middle. Charts, diagrams, and other papers covered the desk and the walls. Bud Tanner sat behind the desk, leaning on his elbows as he looked at Xavier Wheldon. Wheldon stood, his hands in his pockets.
"I thought we had an understanding, Bud. You be a good soldier, and everything would turn out just fine."
The two men locked eyes, neither speaking for several moments. When Tanner replied, his raspy voice contained a harsh edge.
"You call what you're planning 'just fine?' It's evil."
Wheldon shook his head. "You make evil sound so black and white, like a Disney movie. If only life were so simple."
"This is simple."
"No, it's not," Wheldon snapped. "Evil and good are in the eye of the beholder. You call this evil. I call this righteous."
Tanner clenched his jaw and shook his head, but said nothing.
"By now, Bud, you've figured out you can't keep secrets from me. I thought I had made myself clear in the beginning, when you tried to log onto our network to get a message out. That was dumb. And what did I tell you after you did that?"
After Tanner didn't reply immediately, Wheldon raised his voice.
"Answer me, Bud. I need to make sure you understand the stakes."
"You told me if I tried again, I would suffer a horrible loss," Tanner answered with a soft voice, looking down at the desk.
"That's right. But then you tried to get word to Beth Harper. Not once, but twice."
Once again Bud Tanner said nothing.
"By now you should know there are always more eyes on you than you think. Both times when you slipped away to talk to Harper, I knew. And both times, when you thought you avoided my men, there were more of them waiting. Bud, there will always be more."
Tanner said nothing.
"You're almost out of chances, Bud. Whether it's cell service or Internet, I control everything here. But I'm sure you've figured that out, which is why you decided to deliver a message in person. Tell me, though — why Harper?"
Tanner shrugged, but didn't reply.
"Bud, I know everything about you. I know you're not sure who you can trust. Which is smart, because my hand is everywhere. You figured you could trust her, since she's already been hard on my company in one of her stories. And she dated the son of an old friend of yours, which cemented the idea in your head."
Tanner glanced up briefly. Wheldon smiled when he saw Tanner's revealing look.
"Yes, I know all about you and Stanley Devor. That ship has sailed for you. You know better now than to try to speak with Beth Harper again. And don't think because Sapphire Angel has come to your rescue twice, she can stop this, either. The superheroine is in my crosshairs now. I got where I am in life for a reason, Bud, and that's because I know how to control people. Sapphire Angel is no exception."
Tanner sat back and finally spoke. "What's your point?"
"My point is this," Wheldon replied with an icy glare. "You're just about out of chances. You try another shenanigan again, and you know the consequences. And I need to see results. Soon."
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
What is Wheldon even planning....?
And one thing I just thought of; I might be forgetting something (forgive me, it’s been a while), but Sapphire Angel doesn’t wear any kind of eye mask, right? It’s just the gloves, boots, blue top, and white skirt....? How do people NOT recognize her?