The Lost Locket Read online

  The Lost Locket

  (a Power Up! story)

  Marie Harte

  www.loose-id.com

  The Lost Locket (a Power Up! story)

  Copyright © February 2011 by Marie Harte

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC.

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  eISBN 978-1-60737-940-9

  Editor: Ann M. Curtis

  Cover Artist: Christine M. Griffin

  Printed in the United States of America

  Published by

  Loose Id LLC

  PO Box 425960

  San Francisco CA 94142-5960

  www.loose-id.com

  This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning

  This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id LLC’s e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase.

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  Chapter One

  Bend, Oregon

  Keegan Price knew something had to give when he spied Monica Salazar bending over a weight bench and felt nothing more than irritation that she’d chosen his section of the gym to occupy. Dammit, he needed to work off his frustration during the little free time he had today. He didn’t need her adding to it. More disgusted with the situation than worried, he looked around for help and saw his best friend smirking at him.

  Keegan nodded to Monica’s tight ass—how long did it take to choose a fucking dumbbell, anyway?—and mouthed, Help.

  James shook his head and mouthed back, No way.

  Well, fuck.

  The lusty woman glanced over her shoulder at Keegan and winked. “Hey, cutie, can you hand me that five pounder?” It sat two inches from her hand. In order to reach it, he’d have to get a little too close to the woman in order to squeeze between the weight bench blocking her and the musclehead on her other side.

  “Sorry, darlin’. It’s a tight squeeze for me. Why not let George help you?” he offered loudly enough to break through George’s focus on himself in the mirror.

  “Huh? Oh, sure, Keegan. Mrs. Salazar, let me get that for you.” Monica frowned at him, and Keegan used her distraction to focus. With a mental push, he scooted the weight into George’s hand.

  George picked it up in his meaty fist. “Here you go.” Keegan smiled at her and George, careful not to piss off the gym patrons he dealt with on a daily basis, and resumed his attack on the Nautilus with a vengeance. The burn wasn’t enough, though, and he knew he’d made a mistake by not going downstairs to train when he noticed the sudden quiet.

  The handful of people around him stared.

  “What?” He used his forearm to wipe the sweat off his brow. The fans helped circulate the air, but he must have been working harder than he’d thought. And of course he’d lost his towel somewhere. Typical Monday.

  “Holy crap, Keegan. Every time you lifted those weights, those others over there lifted at the same time. What the hell, man?” George asked, astonished, pointing to some discs across the friggin’ gym.

  Before Keegan could dig his way out of the hole he’d unconsciously landed in, James arrived and took charge. “Keegan, quit screwing around. And no more practicing at work. You know what Jack said about your stupid parlor tricks.” James gave the others an apologetic smile. “He’s an amateur magician, but he’s trying.”

  Oh man, if Jack found out he’d been losing control of his telekinesis again, Keegan would be in for a world of hurt. “Check it out.” Keegan wiggled his fingers at one of the weights and made it rise and fall.

  The others clapped, amazed, and he forced a grin and bowed. Then he wiped down the bench on which he’d been working with a nearby sanitizer and paper towel and followed James away from the main workout area. He noticed Kitty giving him the evil eye and smiled in her direction. She really took her job as manager in this dump seriously.

  James nudged him to walk faster, and he complied. Once they left the main area of the facility for a narrower corridor devoid of people, James punched him hard in the arm. “Shit, Keegan. What the hell?”

  A testament to how hard he’d been working lately, Keegan barely felt the blow to his massive biceps. “I need a break,” he growled low. “If I have to give one more private training session to some pampered, rich housewife looking to get laid, I’m gonna go out of my fucking mind.”

  They walked through another hallway into the employees-only area. Seeing themselves alone, Keegan whipped his shirt over his head and used it to wipe the rest of the sweat off his body. “Monica Salazar won’t leave me alone, and I am beyond not interested. Her poor husband must need Viagra, ‘cause that is one heifer in serious heat.”

  James choked on the water he’d been drinking.

  “You okay?”

  His friend gave him a strange look.

  Keegan glanced down at his chest to see what had James frowning but could see nothing more than skin needing more sun. When he looked up again, James was once again himself.

  James chuckled. “I can always tell when you’re pissed. Your accent gets all syrupy-Texan.”

  “Ass.”

  “I’m just jealous that my smooth, cultured Yankee voice sounds so dull compared to yours, cowboy.”

  Keegan snorted. “Throw me a bottle and shut up.”

  James foraged in the refrigerator by the small kitchenette in the break room and found him a bottle of water. But instead of throwing it to him, James brought it with him and sat next to Keegan at the table. He opened the bottle, took a sip, then slid it to Keegan. “Not poisoned.”

  Keegan grinned. “And you wonder why nobody likes you.”

  “Everybody likes me, Keegan. The girls and the boys.” Rumor had it James swung both ways, but he kept a discreet social life and had such a way with people no one cared what the fuck he did. Hell, James could probably rob a bank at gunpoint and they’d thank him when he left. “Freak.”

  “Wannabe.”

  At that, Keegan nearly spit out his water. “What?”

  Before James could explain that little remark, Kitty entered. She took a hard look at James sitting close to him and raised a brow.

  Keegan felt himself flush and snapped, “We’re just getting a drink. Get your head out of the gutter, girl.”

  “Sure thing, he-man. But next time you start moving things with your mind, don’t. If Jack catches you, he’s not going to be happy.”

  “Is he ever?” James sighed.

  “No. But lately, he’s worse.” Kitty frowned. “I’m worried about him. But then, I’m worried about all of us. We’ve only been here a few months, guys. We can’t blow it now.” Then she blinked at James and turned scarlet.

  “What’s wrong?” James asked
with a straight face.

  “Oh.” She huffed, turned on her heel, and stalked from the room.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their waters.

  “Had something to do with the word ‘blow,’ right?” Keegan asked, sure James had intentionally projected some feeling to the empath to throw her off balance.

  “Yep.” James didn’t offer more, and Keegan didn’t ask.

  “Nice work, son.”

  “Thanks. I try.”

  James did his best to make small talk with Keegan before Keegan put his shirt back on and sauntered back out on his shift. Fortunately, James had come in extra early and was done for the day. Unlike Keegan, he liked working in the gym. He never got so upset that he accidentally set anything on fire, and when he did feel a little stressed, he worked it out with weights and exercise machines. He’d never been steroid-huge, but he’d put a good twenty pounds of muscle on his six-feet-two frame in just four months. Not like Keegan. The Texan stud looked like a walking piece of art.

  Watching him take his shirt off to wipe away all that healthy male sweat was like being front and center in James’s very own X-rated fantasy. He’d lusted after Keegan Price from day one, the very first time they’d been introduced in Quantico at the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

  A year of partnering, then another two spent in the government’s top secret Psychic Warfare Program—the now defunct PWP—and here they were, thousands of miles from DC, danger, and government red tape. Bend, Oregon, was a hot spot for outdoor recreation, especially road and mountain bikers. It also had skiing in Mount Bachelor, white-water rafting in the Deschutes River, and camping in and around the Cascades.

  And what James wouldn’t give for a dip in a lake right now. He downed more of his water and tried to will away the erection that had grown in Keegan’s presence. Normally James kept his cool, but watching Keegan strip off that shirt and showcase all that naked flesh… Shit. When Kitty had mentioned not blowing their chances, he’d let himself feel all that sexual heat at thoughts of blowing Keegan.

  Releasing the melting cap off his water bottle, he quickly tossed it in the trash and tried to cool himself down. Worried about being found out killed his erection better than a cold lake any day, and he forced his inner fire to fade.

  Keegan had lost his control earlier because he wasn’t exercising his psychic skills enough. Ever since the government had closed down the PWP, the gang had adapted by creating this home away from home. Mental and physical workouts kept them in peak condition. But they needed to utilize the underground gym more, where they worked out their psychic kinks.

  James grinned at the bad pun, wondering how Keegan would feel if James “worked out” with him. Keegan made magic with his mind. Moving things without touching them could be a real boon in the bedroom. But James didn’t think his own ability to set things on fire with a thought would do anyone any good, unless it had to do with hot wax.

  Not a bad idea, but not one of his best.

  Jack Keiser walked into the break room just as James was on his way out.

  “There you are.”

  Fuck. “Uh, hi, Jack. What’s up?”

  Jack sniffed and followed the scent of melting plastic to the trashcan. He looked at James.

  “I was just playing. There’s no one around.” No one to report to the pair of government lackeys who constantly watched them in case they lost control and tore up the town. No one to snitch and ensure that the PowerUp! Gym closed its doors forever.

  “We can’t be too careful.” Jack sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy hair.

  The guy looked tired, frustrated, and as buffed as the rest of them. When they couldn’t get in enough psychic time, they made do by exercising like crazy.

  “I know, man. I was just fooling around. Besides, I think using our abilities in small bursts eases the stress. I don’t feel nearly as angry about life as you or Keegan seem to.”

  “Yeah, about Price…”

  Shouldn’t have mentioned him. Idiot.

  “I want the entire first shift working out tonight. Be downstairs at twenty-three hundred. Don’t be late. Bring the Texan. His car’s in the shop, and I don’t want him to have an excuse not to come.”

  Jack left, and James groaned. His first night off in a week, and he’d been planning to get lucky with a cutie he’d met at the library. Now he’d have to put off a potential handjob in favor of lighting things on fire. Where he’d be with Keegan.

  Tonight. All in all, not a bad trade-off. He just hoped he could prevent himself from jumping the guy. Because if Keegan yanked his shirt off again in front of him, covered in sweat, all bets were off.

  Later that night, at twenty-three hundred—eleven p.m. sharp—James, Keegan, and the others met at the gym. He recognized the parked cars in the large lot. The gym was open twenty-four hours a day and run at night by four of the ex-PWP agents and a few locals. The first shift—the day shift—consisted of six psychics, counting Jack, and five or six locals, not counting the rotating aerobics instructors.

  “You drive like a maniac. Next time I’m in charge,” Keegan complained as they got out of the vehicle.

  “It’s a car, not a horse. I’m not letting you drive anything of mine that doesn’t have legs.”

  Keegan must not have had a good comeback, so he gave James the finger instead.

  “Good one, Keegan. Way to be creative.” Kitty snickered from behind them.

  “Look, guys,” she said to Avery and Gavin walking behind her, “the trouble twins are here.”

  James clutched his heart. “I’m wounded. Kitty, how can you compare these incredible looks to that junkyard dog?” He glanced at Keegan with mock disdain.

  “True. He’s sexy but rough around the edges. You look like a model.” She squeezed his arm. “Oh, and so strong,” she added in a breathless voice.

  “Quit flirting and come on before we’re late. You know Jack scheduled James for a session tonight.” Avery waved his thumb at the back entrance to the gym.

  Gavin added, “Ten bucks says Jack wipes the floor with him.”

  “I’m in. Lately, James has been a real puss—” Keegan glanced at Kitty and cleared his throat. “Pushover when it comes to dealing with Jack,” he corrected in that low, deep voice that made James want to shiver. Kitty shared an empathetic look and batted her eyes. “I’m so there, girlfriend,” she whispered.

  James chuckled and dragged her to the entrance in a headlock.

  Gavin, Avery, and Keegan followed.

  Three hours later, James was so exhausted, he could barely remember his last name. He’d set the training dummies in the flame-retardant exercise room on fire so hot, he’d burned his shirt off by accident. That’s when Jack had ordered him to stop.

  He imagined the others had their time as well. A year ago, Jack had constructed the lower portion of the gym in secret, using outside contractors to get the job done. Now the ex-agents of the PWP could exercise their psychic talents without fear of destroying the town, or of detection.

  He wavered on his feet, exhausted, when he felt invisible hands hold him upright. A glance to his right showed Keegan, the bastard, several feet away, looking fit and happy. “You okay?” he asked James, concerned.

  “Fine.”

  Chloe, the gym’s night manager, had decided to visit and check things out. She blinked at James’s nearly naked torso and grinned like the predator he knew her to be, all five feet four inches of her. “Nice pecs, studly.”

  “You callin’ him handsome?” Keegan frowned. “Darlin’, I’m telling you, I’m right here. Use me, abuse me. Please.”

  The others laughed, except for Jack. The bastard rarely cracked a smile at anything, and James often wondered what had made the man so fierce. “Price, Foreman, with me. The rest of you go home. And from now on, we rotate in pairs down here. Every other night, I want you guys working your talents. No more slipups.” The glare he shot Keegan was telling.

  As one, James and Keegan
looked at Kitty, who shrugged.

  “Don’t look at me. Man has eyes in the back of his head.” Jack sighed. “I’m right here, Kitty. I can hear you.” He turned away, and she made a face at him.

  “I saw that,” he said and kept walking.

  “See?”

  James followed their boss with Keegan’s help. The whisper hands, as he liked to think of them, felt just like Keegan. Yet nothing was there. It was odd, and strangely comforting, to have his best friend not touching him. He paused in the doorway to Jack’s underground office, or lair, as the group referred to it behind his back.

  “Sure you’re okay?” Keegan whispered in James’s ear.

  James jolted. “Christ. Put bells on or something. I didn’t realize you were right behind me.”

  “If you girls are done chatting, take a seat.” Jack sat behind his desk, looking annoyed.

  Keegan was going to say something obnoxious. James could feel it, so he yanked his buddy back, gave him a warning look, and sat in one of the two chairs across from Jack’s desk.

  “Asshole,” Keegan muttered.

  “Excuse me?” Jack’s voice was too quiet.

  “He meant me, Jack.” Saving Keegan’s ass had become a full-time job.

  Keegan gave Jack a sour look. “So what’s up, boss?” Instead of responding to Keegan’s authority issues with threats the way he usually did, Jack smiled.

  James’s instinct for self-preservation skyrocketed, and he sat up straight in his chair. Even Keegan tensed.

  “I have an assignment for you two.”

  They glanced at each other, and James asked, “Assignment?”

  “We’ve gotten stale sitting around doing civilian work. It was never my intention we ignore our work with the PWP.” “But we disbanded,” Keegan said.

  “I know.” Jack exercised patience with the big lug, for which James was thankful. He didn’t have enough energy to hold Keegan back if he went for Jack’s throat again. And it was embarrassing to watch Jack slap him down time and time again.