Someone beat on the door across the hall loud enough for Bianca to hear over the TV and sporadic thunder. She rose, bored after being trapped alone the whole day in the condo, and peered through the peephole. Two large men stood in front of the door across the hall. Unease spiraled through her. She'd only seen men built like that in Dusty's organization and Talon's gang. Dusty's men would know where to find her.

The two looked up and down the hallway, then withdrew a lock pick set. One turned all the way around to ensure no one was watching. His eyes flashed red.

She gasped and stepped away, heart pounding. She tiptoed away from the door. The building swayed gently in the strong winds whipping through southern Florida, and water pelted the windows across from her. It was in the middle of the afternoon, but the skies were dark grey.

She had no phone, no way of contacting Dusty or Jenn or Darian. She hadn't been able to log onto Dusty's computer, because he kept it locked out. She had no money, no purse ...

Keys. She had Dusty's car. She pulled on jeans and a sweater, hands shaking as she pulled on socks. She snatched the keys and jammed them in her pocket then peered through the peephole again.

One of the men was in plain sight in the middle of the condo opposite hers, waiting on the other. She ran to the bedroom and flipped on the TV loud then hid in the coat closet beside the front door.

Their knocking made her heart flip, and she covered her mouth at her gasp. She heard the locks slide, one by one. The door opened, and she heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked as they entered. She peered through the crack in the door until certain they both entered the bedroom, then opened the closet door and slid out the opened front door.

She sprinted down the hall and ducked into the doorway to the stairwell. No one followed. She opened the stairwell door and hurried down the stairs two floors then darted into a hallway to the elevator.

The descent to the garage seemed longer than the longest car ride she'd ever taken. She jumped when the door dinged finally as she reached the garage. The scent of rain and oil made her nose crinkle after so long in the condo. She clicked the buttons on the key fob until Dusty's car blinked in response, then trotted to it.

Hands shaking, she looked around the car's interior for a cell. Or a map. There was an old-school cell phone in the glove box. Anxious never, ever to run into Talon or his men again, she left the garage and drove through the streets. Water streamed through the gutters, and those cars out in the storm crawled block-to-block.

She stopped at a stoplight, only for the car behind her to slide into her. The bump jarred the cell phone loose, and it fell in the space between the seat and door. The driver from the car behind her approached. She cracked the door to squeeze her hand in the space as well as to tell the other driver not to worry about the car. The door was wrenched open, and a man pointed the gun at her.

"Out of the car, bitch!" he shouted.

She unfastened the seatbelt, all but falling into the street as he yanked her out. He climbed in, maneuvering it through the crowded street.

Bianca watched him go. She didn't know how much an Aston Martin cost, but it was enough that Dusty would probably be pissed.

Within seconds, she was drenched. Carless, moneyless, lost, she retreated to the sidewalk. This time, Dusty was going to kill her for losing his car. Shivering, she walked until she found a Starbucks and ducked inside. There was only one other customer and several baristas talking loudly behind the counter. They looked towards her as the bell over the door rang.

"Welcome to Starbucks!" one greeted her. "A little rough out there?"

"You have no idea!" she said. "I just need a place to duck out of the rain for a bit." The young woman motioned to the sitting area, and Bianca went, relieved. She faced the windows, watching the torrent outside.

"On the house," a barista said, placing a drink before her. "It's your favorite."

She looked up at him with a curious smile. He was tall and lanky with a huge smile and close-spaced eyes that seemed more soulful than his youthful looks warranted.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," she replied. "I'm not having a good afternoon."

"You need me to call anyone?" His tone was unassuming, but his gaze was intent, as if he were trying to gauge if she recognized him or not.

She hesitated then asked, "Can you call someone to come get me?"

"Definitely." He walked away, responding to one of the baristas teasing him.

She sipped her drink, surprised to find it really was her favorite, a pumpkin spice latte. She chuckled to herself, wondering if guessing someone's favorite drink was his Natural gift. He returned after a few minutes and sat across from her.

"Is this your gift?" she asked, holding up the drink.

"HQ put out a BOLO for you half an hour ago. Any of us in the field receive it," he said and held up his iPhone. "It lists your pic and all your bio info, which includes your favorite food down to the coffee."

"Really? Wow!"

"They'll come get you."

"Here I thought you were a mind reader or something!" she said.

"Alas, no. I'm just Jerry."

"Are there many of you?"

"Quite a few, and they're pulling in everyone from the east coast to Miami and Orlando. I was working in Georgia 'til this morning. I'm surprised to say the weather was better."

"Yeah, anywhere is probably better than this," she said. She shivered, cold and wet.

"You can go wait in the back if you want. There's a dryer and a stack of towels next to the shower. The BOLO said you're probably running from bad guys. Might do you good to get out of sight," he said, nodding towards the windows.

"Been there, done that," she said, rising. She shivered again, this time out of fear. "Thanks, Jerry."

The break room in the back was small with a table, refrigerator and microwave, a white board listing names and schedules, and a locker room with a shower and washer and dryer. She tugged off her shirt and wrapped it in towels to dry it before tossing it in the dryer. She blotted herself dry and wrapped herself in the towel.

"You should have one of these." The friendly male voice made her jump. She whirled. An older, harmless-looking man with white hair and beautiful emerald eyes stood near the door, holding out a phone. For a moment, she thought she should know him. The sense passed.

"Who are you?" she asked, covering her chest with a folded towel.

"I'm a friend."

"Are you my ride?"

"I brought you something. I assigned everyone a ring tone and put their phone numbers in it," he said, looking somewhat proud.

She gave him a puzzled smile and reached out to take the phone he held out. She selected the address book on the phone. Dusty, Sofia, Darian, Damian, Jule, Jenn, Toni, Jonny, Watcher.

"Watcher?" she asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"That's your name?"

"More like my duty position. Dusty should have given you a means of contacting someone in an emergency," he said with disapproval.

"I doubt he expected the bad guys to find me," she replied.

"The bad guys have someone telling them where to look. It makes a difference," he said. "My email address is in there, too. And you can text me. I'll update your address list virtually over the next few years."

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome. Your ride is almost here. We'll meet again." He disappeared much as Darian did.

She stared in the space he'd occupied and looked at the phone. He'd been so excited about his phone. She typed a message to him.

Stay dry!

LOL I will! The reply was instant. She set the phone down and retrieved her sweater from the dryer. It was almost dry. She dialed Dusty.

"Dustin," came his low bark.

"Hi Dusty."

"Bianca?"

"Yeah. I'm at a Starbucks in-"

"Stay there." He hung up.

She looked at the phone, disappointed he was so abrupt after their kiss. Then again, she wasn't interested in the only type of relationship he had to offer. Darian had also been clear about the type of relationships Dusty preferred. Maybe it was better he was so prickly.

His kiss, though, had been spectacular, so full of passion and promise that the memory made her blood burn. She shook her head and sat down, sending a text to Darian.

Can you check on my cat?

OMG what happened 2 u? He replied. She started to type a response when Jenn's voice interrupted her.

"Ready, babe?"

Bianca looked up. The sexy woman was on edge tonight, her gaze restless. She was accompanied by another massive Guardian.

"Hi Jenn!" she said. "I'm so happy to see you!"

A smile escaped despite Jenn's wariness, and the model held out a manicured hand. Bianca took it and gasped. Coldness ran through her. Before she could shiver, she was somewhere else. She looked around at the quiet foyer of a massive house.

"I need to check you for a tag," Jenn said. "C'mon."

Bianca shuddered and followed her into a large bathroom.

"I should have done this before," Jenn admitted. "Talon doesn't normally think with anything but his dick, so I didn't bother. Strip down to your unmentionables."

She obeyed. Jenn ran small wand over her body, eyes expertly taking in her skin.

"Clean," she said. "Wait here, and I'll get you some clothes."

The Guardian was all business. Bianca wrapped herself in a towel, cold. Jenn returned after a few minutes, her gaze softening.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Dusty's gonna kill me," Bianca replied. "I got carjacked. I think his car was pretty expensive."

"Sweetheart, his car is the least of his concerns right now," Jenn said. "You wanna stay with your brother?"

"Yes!"

She followed on Jenn's heels through the silent mansion and into a bustling barracks teeming with Guardians. They entered a quieter wing, and Jenn stopped to knock on a closed door.

Jonny opened it. His eyes lit up, and Bianca flung herself into his arms, thrilled to feel her brother's lanky body again. She breathed in his familiar scent.

"B!" he exclaimed, giving her a bear hug.

"I'll leave you here," Jenn said with a smile.

"Wow, she's smoking," he murmured.

"Hello!" Bianca said, glaring up at her brother.

He hugged her and pulled her into the small room. It housed two beds and two sets of drawers and was connected to a shared bathroom by a closed door.

"You've got a shitload of explaining to do," she told him.

Jonny sighed and relaxed against her.

"I know," he mumbled. "I'm so sorry, B. I promise I'll never do anything so stupid again."

"Tell me what happened, Jonny."

"No, B. I did bad things. I won't drag you into it."

She pulled away and met his gaze, surprised to see his resolve. He'd changed since she last saw him. His eyes were wiser, his face firmer with few signs of the troubled youth she remembered. Even his air was different.

The poison she thought she'd cleared from his body lingered. She released her cool power into him, but to no effect. She dismissed the uneasy instinct.

"You've turned into a man overnight," she said softly, ruffling his hair.

"I figured some shit out. You and the Guardians gave me a second chance, B, and I owe it to you, and me, and the ... the girl I hurt to make things right."

Her eyes watered at his brave words, and she hugged him.

"I love you, Jonny, no matter what," she whispered.

"I love you, too, B. I know I'm a Natural warrior now, but can you still make me some cookies?"

"Of course! Do they have a kitchen around here?"

He took her hand and led her out of the barracks through the back door and into the main house. Several of the Guardians were in the kitchen making sandwiches or rifling through the massive pantry.

Jonny started collecting the supplies she'd need, and she watched him, proud. The Guardians glanced at her curiously. Her phone vibrated. She pulled it free to see a text from Dusty.