Primal Obsession

by D. M. Mortier

  She ignored him, grabbed his half-eaten tray of food, and sailed out of the room.

  Justin didn’t know what to make of her refusal to listen. He turned to cross the room and grabbed a change of clothes from the closet. However, halfway across the carpet, his knees buckled, and everything went black.

  Nakia stood outside the bedroom door, her back pressed hard against the wall to keep herself upright as tears rolled down her cheeks. She’d been terrified to open herself to love again after the colossal fail of her marriage. However, she’d convinced herself that Justin was it for her. He was her soulmate, her one, and she’d taken a chance. Despite the risk, she never anticipated this level of devastation. She felt as though he’d reached into her chest and ripped out her beating heart.

  Nakia had no idea how long she sat out in the hall. Imani’s Coton de Tulear, at some point, had come and cuddled up next to her. She’d been busy feeling sorry for herself and had barely paid the adorable puppy any attention. Absently stroking the puppy’s fluffy fur, Nakia stared down at the little dog as he rolled over onto his back and then remained there, breathing, but there was no other movement.

  Confused by the dog’s behavior, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and quickly scrambled to her feet.

  “What’s going on?” Imani came closer, her face etched with concern. And then she looked down at her son’s puppy. “What’s wrong with Bruno?”

  “I don’t know. One minute he was playing with me and now…” Nakia stared down at Bruno, not at all sure about what she was looking at. “Well, I don’t know what he’s doing.”

  Imani picked the puppy up and prodded him gently. A faint snore began as Imani cuddled him closely. “He’s never fallen asleep like that and would wake instantly if I picked him up like this.” She looked as puzzled as Nakia felt. “Let me get Colt. I’m nor sure what we’re dealing with here.” Imani gently placed the puppy back on the carpet.

  “Okay.” Nakia was still puzzled. She watched Imani run to the master bedroom and enter. In no time at all, Imani shrieked loudly and then reappeared seconds later. Agitated. Distraught.

  “What? What’s going on?”

  “Colt… Colt is…” Imani’s voice cracked with tears.

  Nakia moved quietly toward her, as though afraid to spook her.

  “I can’t wake him!” Imani rushed back into the bedroom.

  “What?!?!” Nakia followed her and stopped short in the threshold at the sight of Colt lying facedown across the bed. She swiftly looked away but not before noticing that Colt was completely naked and his body was sculpted and built like a god. He and Justin had so many physical traits alike, so she had no idea why she was shocked that they shared this too. He was a beautiful man. “Is he…?”

  “No. He’s still breathing, but faintly.” Imani’s hands were shaking as she examined her husband.

  “Good,” Nakia breathed out in relief. “That would’ve been such a damn waste.”

  Imani frowned at her.

  “The man is beautiful, just sayin’,” Nakia teased. “I’ll get Justin. This can’t be a coincidence.”

  “Agreed. I’ll call our head of security, Mark to secure the property and see where Mac is. We don’t know who to trust now.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  As Nakia approached her and Justin’s room, she was again struck by how still Bruno was on the floor outside the room. She only then noted that most of the food on the tray that she’d taken from Justin had been eaten. She had been aware that Bruno had been sniffing around it, but she’d been so miserable a few moments ago she hadn’t noticed that the puppy had eaten the human food. A terrible dread started fermenting in her stomach, and she was sick with worry.

  It was almost anticlimactic to find Justin on the floor of the bedroom in much the same state as Colt. Now she was in the same anxious state as Imani, worried and feeling helpless. Someone from the outside had gotten to them through their food. After placing a pillow under his head and rolling him to lie on his side, she ran back to Imani. Now she was certain that someone had breached their security and an attack was probably imminent.

  Nakia again crossed the threshold of Imani’s bedroom, and her forward motion was halted at the sight of Imani trying to pull a pair of sweatpants on Colt. “We need to be ready for an attack.”

  “That’s what both Mark and Mac said,” Imani told her breathlessly. She’d managed to get Colt’s pants on, but she looked winded from the effort. “So, I gather Justin’s out too?”

  Nakia nodded. “It was the food.”

  “Shit!” Imani looked worried. “The maid called just now for the tray. I didn’t think anything of it, but I was so busy with this stuff that I told her we’ll bring the tray up later.”

  “She must be working with them.”

  “Yeah. I swear people are just evil!”

  “I forgot to tell you that there was a maid who tried to take Alex when the bombs went off. It completely slipped my mind. I should’ve told you. Shit I’m sorry. You and I only had fruit earlier, but I didn’t think they’d attack us this way.”

  “There’s so much going on we haven’t had time to put the pieces together.” Imani sighed in exasperation. “Thank God we never had anyone down here, so they have no idea what they’re walking into. None of the security team even knows where we are. They know it’s somewhere on the property but have no idea how to get in and out of here. I’ll call Mark to gather everyone working in the house today. We’ll deal with them later.”

  “These guys are relentless!” It was disconcerting how determined these people were about getting to Imani. Nakia was starting to feel overwhelmed. “How far out is Mac?”

  “He’ll be here in an hour, so too far away to lend immediate assistance. Something tells me that we need to move now. They obviously found someone to enlighten them on our whereabouts.” Imani grabbed one end of the bedspread and indicated for Nakia to do the same.

  “Yeah, but if none of your staff knows their way in here, who does?”

  “Members of the family know. Colt’s brother. His parents. Mac.”

  “What about Melissa?”

  “Only if Justin told her, and I doubt that. Justin’s more secretive than Colt.”

  “Well, we must be prepared for anything.”

  “Yeah, Mac wanted to send some of his men who are helping to guard the main house to come inside the safe house. Mac helped us build this.”

  “I still can’t believe the technology in here. It’s hard to believe that even with all of this that we’re still in danger.” Nakia shook her head at the incredibility of it.

  “Yeah, well, evil will always find a way.” They pulled the comforter at the same time and managed to drag Colt’s large frame to the carpeted floor. Even with the not-so-soft landing, Colt remained in a deep slumber. “I can’t let anyone in here though, especially with both Colt and Justin taken out. Someone deliberately did that. They could’ve easily poisoned them but didn’t. That tells me that this is family, Melissa or Matt. The same as when they made sure Colt and Justin weren’t here when they attacked yesterday. They wanted to leave us vulnerable to make it easier to take us without hurting the guys.” They continued dragging Colt from the bedroom. “This will have to be on us until Mac gets here or until the guys wake up. Colt told me that you’re pretty handy with a gun.”

  Nakia grinned. She wasn’t sure she should tell Imani that she’d trained as a sharpshooter in college. Her best friend, Mario, had been mad about guns even then, and they’d both trained as though they were going to join the Armed Forces. It had been fun, and she’d found that she had some hidden talent for firearms, which Mario wholeheartedly encouraged. He bought her first gun when she married Ralph. “I’m okay,” she finally said. “Where are we taking him?” She nodded at Colt as she continued helping Imani drag him along the hall.

  “We need to move the guys and Alex, who will wake from his afternoon nap soon, and put them in the safe room.
”

  “I thought this was the safe house.” Nakia frowned in confusion. “There’s someplace more secure than this?”

  Imani laughed. “Yes, while this is the safe house, we created a safe room in case shit went sideways.” She stopped at a wall between the bedrooms, pressed her palm flat against it, and a scanner panel appeared. Imani grinned at Nakia’s dropped jaw after she took a retina scan and a door opened into another room. “Only Colt and I know about this room. It was supposed to be a nursery, at least that’s what we told the workmen. Colt and I tricked it out ourselves.”

  Nakia could only shake her head at the lengths Colt and Imani had to take.

  They worked as quickly as they could, dragging the men into that room, which was floor-to-ceiling with monitors. It contained two large cherry-wood leather sofas and armchairs, a round glass table with six black leather chairs, and a refrigerator. The room, although large, had only one other door besides the entrance door. That door led into an armory. Imani assured her that Colt wouldn’t mind her using whichever weapon she liked. Nakia had never seen anything like it. She’d never seen so many assault weapons in one place, not even in a gun store. There were grenades, knives, swords, you name it. As she explored the weapons room, Imani went to get Alex and Bruno.

  “You need to hurry up in there. I see movement at the back gate.” Imani cursed when she arrived back in the room. “The back gate is at Colt’s parents’ property, so it will take at least ten minutes for them to get here. My theory that this is a family member is proving more valid as this plays out.”

  Nakia grabbed a sleek rifle with a silencer, anticipating that whatever they did had to be as quiet as possible.

  “If that’s your choice, you’re going to need more than one of them, right?” Imani murmured as she joined her in the weapons room. And before Nakia could tell her that wouldn’t be necessary, Imani moved to the rifle shelf and stared at it as though she were shopping for shoes. Grabbing another rifle, after she couldn’t seem to make up her mind, and some ammunition, Imani turned with her bounty in her arms and stared at Nakia expectantly. Nakia didn’t have the heart to tell her friend that she didn’t need that stuff. “I’ll help reloading because my aim is for shits. There were some additional men who entered the gate behind the three hooded figures who entered. This can’t be good.”

  They looked at the monitors and watched the three figures move closer to the proverbial front door of the underground house with at least fourteen other men coming closely behind. They quickly activated the shields for Alex, Colt, and Justin before slipping out of the safe room.

  “Okay, so what’s the plan?” Nakia quickly checked the rifle and positioned herself to have a clear vision of the door into the safe house.

  “They seem to have the access codes. Had to come from Colt’s parents. We can’t do anything about that now and can’t stop them from getting in. So, we work as a team in our shields. I’ve never mastered the art of shooting with any accuracy, and I hope you’re better than I am.”

  “I’ve got it.” Nakia felt disembodied in the shield. Only when Imani laughed at her did she realize that she’d voiced her discomfort.

  “That’s what the shield is. You are existing without your body being visible to others, and it also shields any bullets coming your way.” Imani’s voice ended on a whisper as the outside door panel was accessed. They braced for invasion.

  It was shocking moments later, however, to watch the three bodies enter the house but one figure turning the gun in his hand on another man standing beside him and pulling the trigger. The third person screamed in outrage but didn’t get far before the first figure turned his gun on her.

  “I told you that we’ll not leave here without the engineer.”

  “We agreed that you can have her!” the woman screamed. “You didn’t have to kill him!” She ended on a sob.

  “I know,” the man drawled right before he shot the sobbing woman in the head.

  “Shit!” Imani whispered in shock.

  “Who was that?”

  “The woman was Sarah, my ex-best friend, and the man looks like Matt, Colt’s brother, but I’m not sure. I couldn’t see his face because of the hoodie.”

  The fourteen men who’d been trailing finally started coming through the open panel.

  “Can you call Mac again please?” Nakia whispered urgently. “That guy was the Russian, Sergey, who took me and Alex. We’re at a serious disadvantage here.” They were crouched down behind a large sofa, despite being invisible to the other occupants in the room.

  “Okay, spread out,” Sergey muttered. “Those women are here somewhere. From the schematics I saw at the parents’ house, there aren’t many places to hide.”

  As soon as the men started to fan out, Nakia took aim and took out the man walking toward them. Despite the silencer, the others immediately reacted. They started shooting and tried to take cover.

  “Trust the shield,” Imani encouraged her and stood to show her point.

  Nakia stood and grew bolder as the bullets bounced off her. In seconds, she took out another man. “Damn, Imani, no wonder these guys are after you.”

  Imani scoffed.

  The remaining men continued taking cover and shooting about the room, but to no avail. Nakia and Imani moved around the room, keeping them boxed in and hunting them down one by one until there was only Sergey and two other men, who had escaped to other parts of the safe house.

  They move cautiously about the house, trying to find the men.

  “I know you’re out there, podonok!” Sergey shouted. “Come out and fight me with honor. You’re hiding behind tricks.”

  Mac chose that moment to walk into the room.

  Nakia watched in amazement as Mac moved across the room with a speed that made her and Imani gasp in shock. That couldn’t possibly be human.

  Sergey fired in his direction, but Mac moved too swiftly, and the bullet missed him easily. Sergey looked stunned. Two of Sergey’s men charged Mac, but again Nakia had no words for what they were seeing. Mac growled as he gripped the men by their necks and ignored the guns they fired at him. It was the strangest sound Nakia had ever heard from a human because it sounded so animalistic. He also had to be wearing a bulletproof vest because the bullets kept bouncing off him. However, there couldn’t possibly be an explanation for the incredible strength he displayed. Mac lifted both men and easily snapped their necks.

  “What the hell?” Nakia and Imani lowered their shields, too stunned to believe what they were seeing.

  Sergey charged toward Mac with his knife drawn. Mac coolly fired a clean shot to Sergey’s chest.

  Sergey dropped hard to the floor with a stupefied expression.

  “Can you ladies forget what you just saw?” Mac asked them softly without turning to look at them.

  “Ah, I don’t think I can explain what I saw,” Nakia mumbled breathlessly. When she’d first seen Mac, she had thought he was a Clark Kent look-a-like, but now without his sunglasses and the most brilliant pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen, she had to revise her opinion. There was no Clark Kent there; he was all Superman.

  “Does Colt know?” Imani asked hesitantly.

  “Know what?” Mac grinned as he finally turned to look them.

  Imani stared at him as though waiting for him to continue speaking, but when he said nothing further, she turned to Nakia.

  Nakia shrugged. “I have an alter-ego too, so…”

  Imani sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, we’ll keep your secret, but I have so many questions.”

  “You know what they say about curiosity.” Mac smirked and turned with his cellphone to his ear.

  Within an hour, Mac had cleared the dead bodies from the safe house and turned them over to the other FBI agents he had at the main house. Mark and the other guards at the house found the maid that had betrayed them. Unfortunately, she tried to run, and they killed her. They also confirmed that the two people who Serg
ey had killed were Sarah and Matt. Imani was still in shock even after another few hours when the doctor who examined Colt and Justin had come and left. Alex sat on the floor playing with his trucks and cars after having eaten his afternoon snack.

  “I understand Sarah’s hatred, but Matt? What could he possibly have gotten out of this? I mean he’s still a partner at the firm, isn’t he?”

  Nakia knew that Imani was only asking rhetorical questions, but she still felt obligated to play along and answer as best she could. “I don’t know, Imani. I guess it’s the usual reasons. Jealousy. Greed. Who knows why people do half the evil shit they do? I’m just glad it’s over.”

  “Is it, though? Is this ever over?” Imani’s gaze glistened with tears. “I stupidly made a weapon to protect Colt, and all this shit happened. They won’t stop trying to get me to make weapons for them, you know.”

  Nakia felt bad for her friend because she knew that what Imani said was truth. She could also understand why Justin thought this too. “Yeah, you have a point. Men of power always want more power.”

  “The only peace I’ll ever have is when I’m dead,” she said sadly. “And probably not even then, because some asshole will try to get the information from my children.”

  Nakia didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.

  “Colt and I will have to disappear.”

  Nakia hated seeing the lost desperate look on her friend’s face, but she had no idea how to comfort her. She could only hug Imani and try to ease her pain.

  “Good thing we have Justin and you to help us.”

  “Well, you have Justin,” Nakia answered slowly and released her. “Justin asked me to leave before all of this went down.”

  “What? Why? He loves you.”

  Nakia laughed bitterly. “Apparently not as much as I love him. Good thing I never unpacked.”

  “I can’t believe this. Justin must have been upset after the bombing and kidnapping, because he would never let you go otherwise. God, this is my fault.” Imani started pacing, and her cheeks were soon wet with tears. “I should never have made those weapons.”