Charlotte gripped Josh's arm as they stepped off the curb to quickly jaywalk across the street. She wanted to get back before the sun fully set. Being out in downtown Denver in the dark felt foreboding to her, and she told Josh she wanted to be back as soon as possible.

"The shortcut is through the alley right there," he said, pointing.

Hurriedly, they ran across the four lane street, avoiding the incoming cars, and made it to the sidewalk beyond.

"Sorry for rushing. I don't feel comfortable.."

"Say no more," he said.

Hefting her bag on his shoulder in a better position, Josh took Charlotte's hand in his, guiding her into the dark alley. His senses were heightened, and he knew they were being followed.

"This is a bit creepy Josh." Charlotte laughed nervously.

"It's sandwiched between the buildings, but don't worry. You are safe."

"With you," she whispered.

"Yes, with me."

Tuffs of air blew from vents in the ground as they passed by the city buildings. It reminded her of New York City. Minus the giant rats. In her mind, she could picture Marcus, holding her hand as they walked back to their hotel from the bars. The image was cloudy though, making her frown.

"You ok?" Josh softly asked.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Her anxiety seeped out into his arm, and it felt terrible. Wanting to do something about it, he channeled his energy and sent it coursing through his hand.

"Oh."

Charlotte audibly noticed a warm sensation as Josh gripped her hand. One she had felt before. Many times.

"You are doing that, aren't you?" she asked.

Her question threw him off guard. He didn't know what to say. This conversation shouldn't be happening right now.

"Josh?"

Tugging on his hand, she stopped walking. Realizing she needed answers, Josh sighed.

"I am tasked to keep you safe Char."

"I know that. But what organization do you belong to? How are you sending warmth into my body at different intervals?"

Josh tugged her hand, but she wasn't moving. He had to tell her.

"Charlotte, I am with the Rosicrucian's. We.."

"The Rosicrucian's?"

"Yes."

"Shit."

Josh laughed. He hadn't heard her curse yet. It was sort of cute.

"I am one of the Denver chapter leaders. We are helping to keep you safe."

"From?"

"The organization that you are flirting with. That is all I can tell you. Trust me, you are in danger with your investigating."

"Enough danger to elicit the attention of the Rosicrucian's. I've met you guys before."

"In Egypt. We know."

"Yes, in Egypt. Can we keep walking? It's getting dark."

"Yes, but you don't need to worry with me. And there are others watching you too, just so you know. You are safe."

Others?

She wondered who they were. Outside of Liam and Zach possibly.

Liam.

"Yes, he is watching you too."

"You can read my thoughts too?"

"Yes."

Charlotte nodded and continued to walk. Josh was just like the head Rosicrucian she had met in Cairo. He had the gift of telepathy. It came in handy too, when they needed to escape the country after the Seti temple incident.

"Am I safe in the hotel?"

"Yes."

Finally exiting the alleyway, Josh squeezed her hand as they picked the pace back up. He had taken away her anxiety over Marcus, but he knew it was short lived. He was going to take care of him and soon. It was a distraction for her. One she couldn't afford at the moment.

"Are you like, surveilling me?"

Chuckling, Josh nodded. They could see the hotel in view up ahead.

"You know the game Char. You've lived through it in Egypt. And I suspect, in other countries that you worked in thereafter. What you awoken.."

"Awoken?"

Josh stopped himself.

"What did I awake?"

"I can't say Charlotte. Not yet. But you are being watched and we are not going to let anything happen to you. That much I can say with all certainty."

Realizing that the conversation was going in circles, Charlotte stopped her questions. She knew he was a Rosicrucian. That was enough for her to dig deeper and find her own answers. Marcus and their Egyptian contact came to mind.

I'll contact him. He might know what's going on.

Josh walked with her into the hotel, as cold air hit their faces.

"He already knows," he told her.

"So you can read all my thoughts?" she scoffed.

Guiding her towards the elevator, Josh pushed the up button.

"Yes and no. If I know they are private, I tune you out. I won't spy on you in that way. You are too important to breach your trust."

"This is a lot for me to take in."

Charlotte leaned into the back of the elevator as they got on. She closed her eyes and breathed out. It was cold in the hotel; the AC had drastically changed the temperature for some reason.

"Are you cold?" Josh asked.

Nodding, she felt his arms on hers, slowing rubbing warmth back. Leaning forward, he pulled her in for a hug. It was unexpected but in the moment, felt right. Inhaling silently, Charlotte felt herself relaxing in his embrace. He was quite a bit taller than her and had more muscles than she thought from just looking at him.

"Can we talk in my room?" she blurted out.

The elevator dinged and the door opened, leaving them both pondering their next move.

"Yes, we can. But are you sure? In your room?"

Josh could feel they weren't alone. And the man watching them was angry. He didn't want to appear less than professional.

"Of course. I am not a teenager. It's fine. We are just talking."

Laughing, he nodded, letting her lead the way. Once at her door, he watched as she took out her key card and let them in. It was warm in her room and the waves hit him face first.

"Damn. Is the heat on?" he teased.

Charlotte flicked the bedside lights on so they could see.

"Yeah, well it was last night. I was freezing for some reason."

Josh sat on the edge of one of the queen size beds and inhaled softly. Her appeal had become more apparent. It was definitely more than just the stones. She was a great woman in her own right.

Marcus was a damned fool to let her go. What the fuck was he thinking?

"So, I wanted to ask you point blank, about my handlers at the airport..."

"Handlers?" he asked amused.

"Don't pretend that you don't know. I know that Liam isn't actually airport security and Zach isn't just HR. They belong to the group that handles the hidden runway, don't they?"

"Charlotte, I can't really speak on them. It's dangerous."

"Fuck. So I am right."

Silence settled between them for a beat as she gathered her thoughts. She had a million questions for him but no right way to ask, without him saying that he couldn't talk about it. So, she decided to switch tactics.

"Well...can you tell me what happened in Egypt? I never got a straight answer from the Rosicrucian's there, only that they were summoned, and they were going to help Marcus and our team get out of the country before we were arrested."

This caught him completely off guard.

The stones.

"You, you were there with your team, investigating the temples for a film. And you went to Seti. The temple of Seti holds significance in my group that isn't in the textbooks or internet search engine results."

Charlotte stopped pacing to lean against the desk, watching her handsome friend begin to explain. Her heart rate shot up at the mention of Seti holding secret significance. She had always known something else was going on there.

"Please, tell me," she begged.

"Seti is older than they say, much older. It predates the 13th century. It was the ancient place where beings would visit. A portal if you will. The Egyptians knew this, but they made it into their own later on, for a model of what temples could be. Although they knew this and chose to present it as otherwise, a select few knew of the stones. And the multi-pointed star was there to signify that for those that knew to look."

"Your group?"

"Yes. My group and a few others. I can only speak about what I know. And the Rosicrucian's have been guarding the temples secret for centuries upon centuries."

"Like an Indiana Jones type thing?"

"Not quite. This isn't some relic we are hiding. It is beyond anything else on earth, and it holds the key to much more than you can imagine."

"I see. So why were we told to leave Cairo so fast? Why did we get threats to imprison us after visiting the temple?"

Josh looked at the redhead standing in front of him. She appeared genuinely confused. And that she was.

"All this time passing, you never figured it out Charlotte?"

"I haven't. Tell me."

In the room next door to Charlottes, Liam stood close to the wall, listening. His earpiece in, it was as if he were right there with the pair. He inhaled at what he was hearing. Josh was about to reveal her secret.

"Char, you woke the stones. And they gave you something in return."

A look of disbelief crossing her face, she pushed away from the desk.

"Gave me something?"

Josh nodded.

"You have powers."