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Mark and mind. It s the Triune. It calls to you both.
Hannah Beckham Shift Work 3: Double Shift - 40 -
Newton couldn t move, not under the weight of visions and thoughts, but he
refused to close his telepathy. He wouldn t shut it down, not as long as she was out
there.
He felt Merlin s hand slip into his palm from behind him. The weight of Merlin s
back pressed against his own, and in that singular moment, when the marks joined,
time stopped, the voices stopped, and the world stood still.
Suddenly Newton could breathe, think. His mind sharpened with clarity. Help
me, Merl. He leaned his head back until it rested against Merlin s.
They joined minds. Newton found it oddly comforting having his bedmate near
him as they searched out the furthest reaches to find their common destination. He d
always viewed Merlin as an obstacle, something to overcome in his relationship with
Trinity, but in this they were well suited. Allies.
In one voice, they called out to Trinity, seeking the connection.
No, they both heard her voice, clear as a bell.
* * *
Trinity heard them calling, Newton and Merl both. She had to stop them from
seeking her out. It was hard not to reach out to them, the way they were reaching for
her. How could she explain? Jessia had already won. It didn t matter anymore; they
couldn t reach her in time, and even if they did, they would likely not survive. No,
she said, pushing her will and thought in their direction.
Her mark along with her body burned for them, needed them. Where were they?
We re here. Tell us where you are. Newton s voice penetrated the melancholy.
It s too late.
As long as you re alive, it s not. Merlin spoke this time.
Merl& How many times had he come to her rescue? He d been the one person
in her life she could count on. Always. She laughed, a short barking sound. Quite a
mess I ve made, huh?
Not you. Where are you? Merlin s voice licked her mind like silk across bare skin.
You can t come swooping in to my rescue this time. He ll kill you.
Hannah Beckham Shift Work 3: Double Shift - 41 -
Who?
Jessia& She felt the alarm in them and realized they hadn t known. Please. I
love you. Don t come for me. It was the last thing she said before she reluctantly broke
off the connection.
A weariness settled in. Her head was beginning to pound as her internal
temperature rose. She was already starting to feel the chill of fever. Maybe three days
had been a generous estimate. Maybe the end would come sooner than she thought. She
prayed it would.
* * *
He has her, Newton said. He kept his grip on Merlin s hands. What can we
do? he asked Gray.
I ll make some calls. You two stay with her.
She s gone. Merlin sounded stricken.
She s not. Not yet. Newton turned to Dr. Gray. Bullets help?
They couldn t hurt.
I know some people. He let go of Merl s hands and reached into his jacket for
his wallet. He dug around until he found the small worn piece of paper he d kept there
for years. On it was ten digits. Call this number. Code name: Hindsight. Pass phrase: I
can see clearly now the rain is gone.
Gray took the paper. CIA?
Something like that. The man on the other end of the line, he owes me. Tell him
I need an extraction team. There wouldn t be any sneaking into the Caledonian
compound this time. Newton planned on going in hot enough to make Jessia believe
World War III had begun. Let me know when you re ready.
He took Merl s hands again. Let s find our girl. More determined than ever, he
stretched out his mind once again.
* * *
The first night had ebbed into another day, then the day back to night. Trinity
stretched out on the silk sheets, then twisted. She d refused food and drink, hoping to
Hannah Beckham Shift Work 3: Double Shift - 42 -
hasten death. She turned, then drew up into a ball. She couldn t find a comfortable
position, one not bringing any more relief than another. Why had she let them go? No,
she told herself, she d done the right thing. To distract herself, she watched the gold
cuffs on her arms and legs move like ghosts around her as her skin took on the dusty
rose color of the bedding. Her hand touched a wet spot. Damn, she was already slick
with need and lust.
She needed Merl and Newt. Needed them right then and there. Where were
they? Wait. Wait. She d sent them away. I m sorry. Fevered thoughts picked at her
brain.
The impulse to claw her way through the darkness and call out to her lovers
pulsed within Trinity, palpable and urgent. Her need to protect them was overwhelmed
by the Triune s need to connect. She d heard people say stuff like I m dying to get
laid, but in Trinity s case it wasn t figurative.
Ecstasy burned brightly in her body, causing her skin to tingle and buzz. Like a
boat adrift in open water, Trinity closed her eyes, opened her mind, and reached out for
her anchors. A wash of relief flooded her system when their auras mingled with hers.
It wasn t enough, not physically. She drew them closer. I need to see you. To
touch you and be touched. With a swift intake of breath, she reached out her hands
and gripped them tightly, amazed she could actually feel the weight of them beneath
her fingertips.
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