Captured Love

His eyes narrowed as he watched the scene in front of him. In a coffee shop, no less. Why did people act so ridiculous in public? He wasn’t much for public displays of affection, and to see it so blatantly made him cringe with disgust.

Isaac wanted to walk out of the coffee shop right then, but he couldn’t. He had a mission. Letting that asshole doctor who tortured him and his sister as children get away with trying to kill his sister was unacceptable. He’d make him pay. Show him a special kind of torture right before he killed him. It only seemed fair.

He watched as the annoying couple walked toward the exit with their bodies almost interlocked, their lips touching, not watching where they were going.

“Hehe, that tickles.”

“Wait until I get you home. I’m going to do a lot more than tickle. I’m going to…”

Geez, he wasn’t about to listen to their whispered words. A little evil temptation made him want to slide a foot out as they glided past him just to see them trip up and fall flat on their faces.

Of course, he didn’t. That was only the lure of something to occupy his mind rather than his mission at hand. He let the couple walk past him, then turned his attention back to the woman sitting in the corner of the shop, alone, a book in her hand and a cup of coffee by her side.

She wore a simple suit, nice jacket with a black pencil skirt that outlined her figure very pleasingly. A little too pleasing, to his irritation. He had taken an extra-long look when she ordered her coffee, then walked slowly to her table almost as if she knew he was watching her, her hips swaying with enticement.

Then he berated himself.

Women were good for only one thing.

Sex.

And he rarely indulged in it because he could never find a woman who actually enjoyed the simple act. Just sex. No emotions involved.

Sometimes being a psychic sucked. Hearing everyone’s thoughts, wishes, desires. He could pleasure a woman until they screamed his name in ecstasy. Then their thoughts always turned in the wrong direction. To the notion they could snag him, to change him, to make him settle down.

No. He only wanted the sex.

When he let them down gently, their thoughts always turned murderous and bitchy.

Sex was a messy business.

Which was why he rarely engaged in it.

Standing up, he decided he had procrastinated enough. Sitting and staring at this woman was getting him nowhere, except to increase his frustration. His sexual frustration.

Because, as much as he wanted to ignore it, he was attracted to her. To the simple way her hair lay upon her shoulders in shimmering black waves. To the way her brown eyes glittered with delight as she read something amusing in her book. To the way her lips grazed the coffee cup with such delicacy, as if she wanted to savor each sip as if it would be her last. He could only imagine what those lips would feel like on him, grazing his skin with a tantalizing touch.

Gripping his coffee cup a little harder than he should’ve, he stalked to her table with his expression blank, when all he felt was pure rage. She may look innocent and sweet, but she was nothing but evil and sin.

Dragging a chair back on the opposite side of the table where she sat, he took a seat. Then he took a sip of his coffee as if he had no worries.

Her brows rose in confusion. “Can I help you?”

“You can.”

Her puzzlement increased as she shifted in her chair away from him, as if that would protect her somehow. If he wanted to hurt her, make her do what he wanted, he could. But he assumed going the nice route first might be better. He could be nice when he tried.

He only wanted to kill one person.

Dr. Redburn.

But if more people got hurt in the process, then so be it. Anything to protect his sister.

Clearing her throat, she grabbed her coffee cup. To shield herself somehow? To throw it in his face? Calm her nerves? He wasn’t quite sure, and it unnerved him. Frankly, he hated to admit it, because nothing usually made him pause.

“How do you think I can help you?”

Leaning closer, he smiled. Not necessarily an overt friendly smile, but one that he hoped would ease her worries. The smile he always used on women right before he decided he wanted to sleep with them. They always fell for it.

“I want your help in getting access to Redburn Laboratories.” And she could. She was his personal assistant. Worked with him day in and day out. Probably was as evil as the man himself. He hated her for that reason alone.

Her expression stiffened, as did her posture.

“Why do you think I would do that for you? Who are you?”

“I’m Isaac Thorn.” His smile deepened, yet veered more toward the dangerous territory that said he wasn’t playing around. “And I’m not asking, Evie. I’m telling you what you’re going to do.”

Her eyes rounded with shock, but she didn’t utter a word. He stared intently into her eyes, trying to decipher what she was thinking, or even feeling.

Because for the first time in his life, he ran into a stumbling block.

He couldn’t read this woman. He couldn’t hear her thoughts.

He had no clue what she was thinking.

* * *

Isaac left five minutes later, but not before he argued with her. She said no. He said yes. They were at an impasse. Not that it would deter him from his goal. She was his ticket inside the laboratory and nothing would stop him. He would hurt…

He increased his pace as he walked away from the coffee shop, pulling his jacket tighter around his large frame.

He didn’t want to think such thoughts—hurting her. But if she didn’t comply with his demands, he’d have no choice.

Without thinking about where he was going, he surprised himself when he pulled up to his sister’s house on the edge of town. He liked that she lived with plenty of space and privacy around her. With the added top-of-the-line security around the perimeter, something he insisted on after the attempt on her life, he didn’t worry as much.

Her boyfriend, Bo, who also happened to be a detective, had agreed wholeheartedly with him. They set up the security system together. Bo moved in with his sister the same day of the attack. He hadn’t left his sister’s side since that day.

His instincts at first said he didn’t like the guy, that he couldn’t trust him, but Bo had proved over and over again that he only cared what was best for his sister.

Bo also said he’d help with Dr. Redburn in any way he could. That’s where Isaac drew the line.

He planned to kill Dr. Redburn. He couldn’t have Bo getting arrested and leaving his sister vulnerable, and not just from future attacks from other people. It would break her heart if he got in trouble, and Isaac would never let that happen.

I’m here. You two aren’t naked or anything, are you?

He stepped up on the porch step.

Isaac, stop talking in my head. Knock on the door next time.

He chuckled, then unlocked the door with the key he had. Since his sister ignored the naked comment, he assumed he had interrupted them. The living room was empty. He knew it annoyed his sister when he read her mind and spoke to her that way, which was why he did it. He lost fifteen years with her, so he had to make up for the lost time by acting like the annoying older brother.

A few seconds later, Isabella, his beautiful sister, walked into the room. Her hair looked wet, and she was dressed in a fluffy white bathrobe. Maybe he hadn’t been that far off with his statement. He must’ve interrupted her in the shower. Did she and Bo shower together?

“You know I hate it when you do that. Stop being the annoying older brother before I start blocking you again.” Isabella wrapped her arms around him for a short hug.

He squeezed back, refusing to let her go. He couldn’t lose his sister, not even in a small sense.

“Don’t ever block me out. Not like before. Promise me, Isabella.”

She grabbed the back of his shirt as she pressed her face into his chest. “Then don’t make me.”

“I was only playing around. Having a bit of fun. I—” He wasn’t sure he wanted to confess about Evie. How he couldn’t read her. Anything about her. Her emotions. Her thoughts. Her feelings. One big blank.

Hell, he didn’t even want to think about her right now. Even saying her name—Evie—in his mind did something to him. He didn’t want to delve into what she actually did to him. She was a means to an end. That’s it. That’s all she could be. Nothing more.

Yeah, if only he could believe that.

“You what?”

He kissed the top of her head and let her go, stepping back a few steps. “I love you. I won’t do it again unless it’s absolutely necessary. Deal?”

She hesitated, but then nodded. “Fine.”

“Hello, Isaac.”

He glanced over her shoulder to see Bo standing just outside the hallway. His hair looked wet, but unlike Isabella, he took the time to change into clothes. A silky smile touched his lips. He definitely interrupted some fun between his sister and Bo.

“Bo.”

Isabella rolled her eyes. “I’m going to go change.”

Bo kissed her on the lips before she passed him and headed toward their bedroom. Then he walked farther into the living room and took a seat on the couch. Isaac joined him, sitting on the chair that almost made him feel like a king, especially since Isabella teased him he looked like one sitting in it.

“I have a feeling this isn’t a social call. What’s going on?”

Right down to business. One good reason to like Bo. Only one of the few, because he also had his reasons for hating the guy. Like breaking his sister’s heart how many years ago.

“I have a way into Redburn Laboratories. I wanted to let you know it’ll be done soon.”

Isaac chuckled at the rage and anger running through Bo’s mind, how he wanted to help take down the madman who tried to kill Isabella two months ago.

“You can’t help. You need to stay here and protect Isabella.”

Bo’s brows puckered low as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Don’t read my damn thoughts.”

“Then learn to block me. Because you’re very transparent.”

“Is that possible? I thought only…” Bo sat back, running a hand through his hair. “I thought only another psychic, or maybe it’s because she’s your sister, could do that.”

Evie, her beautiful pitch-black hair, her expressive chocolate-brown eyes. She blocked him.

Was she a psychic?

Was Bo right?

“Isaac? Is it possible?”

“I have no clue. But if you hate it so much, then try to block me.”

And Isaac really wanted him to try. He needed to test his theory if a normal person could block him. If that’s why he couldn’t read Evie.

The determination on Bo’s face said he would try like the devil taking over the world.

Bo leaned forward again. “So, what’s your plan? Break it down for me.”

“There’s this woman. She’s my ticket in.”

***

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