by Amy Rench
Jeff paced toward the dense tree line, looking for any lead. But again, Rome was very, very good. And obviously so was Ms. Kane.
His toe kicked something that made a hollow clink and skittered across the pavement. Jeff darted the beam from the flashlight around the immediate area, searching the ground for the source.
A bullet. Not just any bullet, though. He recognized the sleek and sharp ammunition his men stocked. Twisting it between his fingers, he could see a dark film coating it.
Blood. This was her blood.
His lone survivor, who had been the unnoticed backup, had told him they’d shot the woman. And she’d just pulled out the slug as though nothing had happened. He’d thought the man had been delirious.
She’d survived a powerful gunshot wound as if she’d never been hit. This was a new development. A very interesting and even more encouraging development.
Jeff smiled and squeezed his fist tight around the shell. The bitch was truly dangerous. He wanted her. Wanted her power. And he’d stop at nothing to get it.
Rome pulled into the potholed parking lot of a dingy motel. If it could even be called that. He’d been in worse places, but this spot was a dump. At least it was a surprisingly clean dump, miles from civilization.
Surrounded by leafy trees and a sprawling, overgrown hayfield, the ten-room, one-level motel was the perfect point in the middle of nowhere to hole up and spend some time going through the data that they hoped could answer a lot of their questions.
Harper was convinced it would. He trusted that she trusted her brother’s foresight, so he was also convinced the information would be valuable.
He’d dropped Harper off here with explicit instructions to stay put this time, then left to get some provisions. He’d had to drive for a while, finally finding a local all-night superstore, which thankfully had a little bit of everything, from clothing to groceries. There was no way they’d be staying at the motel for long, but they’d be there overnight for sure, given that midnight was fast approaching.
Rome felt a curious thrill while shopping for extra clothes for Harper. Her requests were simple, but actually picking out her cotton underwear seemed extremely intimate.
He’d never bought lingerie for any woman. He’d never understood the purpose of it. He wanted his partners naked, not clothed, even in just scraps. And he was very glad he’d never wasted any money on the superfluous garments.
All Harper wanted were a pair of jeans, a couple of T-shirts, and a hooded sweatshirt. Rome sighed as he hefted the plastic bags.
He’d never met a woman quite like Harper. She wasn’t apologetic or embarrassed when she rattled off the sizes of her clothes. She loved food. She was athletic, sported an honest tan from the outdoors, and was rightfully proud of her lean muscles. She was also extraordinarily intelligent.
And she wasn’t ashamed of any of it. The woman was completely confident and comfortable with herself.
Almost every other woman he’d encountered had always been on some kind of fad diet and would never in a million years have eaten a full-sized salad, let alone a whole sandwich.
Harper was the complete opposite.
Most of the women he’d dated back when he’d had time to date wore glitzy designer clothes. Any muscles were carefully sculpted for looks without much actual substance. His usual type was celebrity gorgeous, with long midnight dark hair, pale skin, and petite frames. He’d always thought their insecurity was appealing and liked the fact that they were just plain shallow—like a pill, glossy on the outside but acrid on the inside.
It kept things simple. It kept things neat and orderly. He couldn’t stand the drama of a relationship. His world of shadows, violence, and corruption had more than enough of it. So he didn’t need it in what little personal life he allowed himself.
And it had been a while. Almost two years since he’d lost himself in a woman. Which was just fine with him. His work fulfilled him like nothing else ever had. Even hockey. Besides, he didn’t want the complications of falling for anyone.
But he was falling for Harper. Hard. It was completely insane and a logistical nightmare, but he couldn’t deny it. She was everything he’d never thought he’d wanted, and something he should never have.
And when she’d said she loved him at the café, his heart had pounded so loud, he thought she must have heard it. Though he knew it was just a fleeting quip, involuntary sparks of joy had shot through his chest, warming his every fiber.
Harper was all wrong for him, yet he wanted her. Bad. For more than just a night. More than just however long this mission took. Knowing she didn’t fully trust him, he knew he needed to keep some distance.
Despite her apparent lack of trust, he was sure Harper wanted him, too. But for how long?
Stopping outside the thick wooden door to their motel room, he knocked on the door in the prearranged sequence that would assure Harper it was him. After a few seconds, the door opened a sliver and he saw a sea green eye, near his eye level, peer at him from above the jingling door chain. He gave her a smile. Then the door shut and he heard her fiddle with the chain.
And fiddle some more.
After several clatters, he heard a “for crying out loud” and something that sounded dangerously close to “gosh darn it.”
Something else about Harper that was undeniably enchanting. She never swore. At least, he’d never heard one bad word come from those luscious lips, and she certainly had many reasons to rattle off some doozies.
After a heavy thud and splintering crack, he distinctly heard the clinking of the chain and the door opened wide.
She greeted him with an innocent smile. He stepped over the threshold and pushed the door shut with his boot. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the chain slider had been pried off the back of the door and now dangled harmlessly, still attached to the chain.
He raised his eyebrow at her in question. Her smile grew bigger with a shrug of her broad shoulders.
“How goes it?” Rome chuckled at her resourcefulness and gestured to the laptop resting on the lone queen bed. He dumped the bags next to the computer on the golden-flowered comforter.
“There’s a lot of information there.” Harper’s voice sounded throaty and tired. He heard a slight squeak from the bed as she flopped down on it. “You were right.”
“About what?” he halted his rummaging through the bags for a moment, giving her his full attention after feeling, more than hearing, her weary tone.
“Bobby was a Five Watch scientist,” she said, rolling over to lie on her back. She crossed her hands over her flat stomach. Damn, she was hot. “He worked in a classified bioengineering division. Apparently, he’s not just a normal genius government scientist.”
“Okay, tell me about it,” he said as he resumed unpacking the bags, starting with the food he’d gotten at the grocery section of the store. He’d been surprised to find that the tiny room had a modest refrigerator. Even more surprised to find that it worked and was nearly spotless.
“I’m not through it all yet.” Harper sprawled at the head of the bed and repositioned the laptop in front of her. “But from what I can tell, Bobby was experimenting with plants, developing—well, actually, he did develop—a serum for them. A superserum of sorts.”
“The serum you have in your body,” Rome said, confirming more than questioning.
“I’m sure of it.”
“So it’s for plants,” he said as he bent over to put some cans of soda in the fridge. “What’s it supposed to do?”
“Augment and fortify global vegetation,” she answered with a heavy sigh. She moved over to lean on her side, just watching him, her gaze raking him.
“What does that mean?” he asked, emptying the food bag and riffling through the heap piled on the top of the comforter.
A couple of chocolate bars slid across the bed and hit her in the thighs. His gaze followed her hand as it reached near her crotch to grab one of the king-sized bars. A rush of heat flushed through him s
traight to his groin and he had to clear his throat. She tossed the long bar back onto his little pile of food.
“The serum sounds amazing, actually.” Her voice was tinged with pride. Obviously she and Bobby had been very close. She’d never talked about any other family and he wondered just how alone she really was now. “The primary intention was to enhance the plants to generate more oxygen for the environment.”
“Wow, that sounds pretty damned remarkable,” Rome said. And it did sound remarkable. He had to admit that Bobby really was one of the good guys. Not that he had fully doubted it in the first place.
“It is.” She flung the other chocolate bar next to the first. “But what’s really amazing are the other effects of the serum. The formula basically reengineered the plants’ genetic coding to make them stronger and healthier. Also, self-repairing.”
“Is that possible?” Rome halted his food sorting to look directly at her. He almost laughed, seeing Harper seriously eye the chocolate she’d thrown back.
Usually this kind of Science Channel stuff bored him to sleep, but this was actually fascinating. Maybe because he was smack-dab in the middle of it. Or maybe he just craved the sound of Harper’s low, husky voice. He’d listen to her recite the entire dictionary for no reason.
“Bobby must have found a way to make it possible,” she answered, finally giving in and fishing one of the giant-sized chocolate bars off one of his food piles. She tore the wrapping open to break off some squares. “He tested all different batches of plants, different types, to see if the serum was able to make them withstand severe weather conditions. Droughts, floods, fires, arctic freezes…You name it, the plants held up.”
“So the serum was working,” he said, reaching out to take the chocolate she was handing to him. Their fingers brushed, causing a tingle to shoot up his forearm.
“Right,” she confirmed. “The damaged plants were able to heal broken or missing stalks and repair themselves. If the cold froze the plant, it went into a sort of hibernation to slow down the decomposition and build itself back up.”
“Kind of a rehab,” Rome mused.
“Self-preservation at its finest.” Harper nodded and tossed another square of candy bar in her mouth, sucking on it lightly. “Plants that used to get pulled up by stormy winds were able to endure with stronger roots. None of the simulated hurricanes, typhoons, or tornadoes was able to tear them from the ground. Plants that would normally shrivel up from intense desert heat were able to keep rehydrating themselves.”
He could imagine the creamy chocolate melting on her hot, wet tongue. Oh, to be that piece of candy. Shit. He was staring and not listening. She was smiling. And he was sure she saw him flush. What was it about her that made him lose his composure? Some damn agent he was. He cleared his throat, tilting his head to indicate she should continue.
“Each folder contained the data for every experiment,” she went on. “Every detail on a given date. Bobby was meticulous about his notes. Each plant that was given the formula developed a keen hydrologic system that merged with is native plumbing. Developed its own filtering system, kind of like your brain filters a need or a threat. The superior new system adapted to its climate and other conditions.”
“Superplants,” Rome said, quite in awe at the brilliance of the formula her brother had developed.
She shrugged. “Bobby called it a variation of psionic power, meaning that through the complete force of genetic will, the plants actually desire to flourish. To find ways to survive. He found that a psionic plant could set off a power of sorts unto itself that would oppose any physical force or energy. The plants’ modified molecular nervous systems basically commanded their enhanced muscle tissues to survive adversity and hostile climates.”
He watched her finish her report and pop more candy bar into her mouth. Then he thought hard about what she’d just said.
Imagine. Food wouldn’t be scarce in places where vegetation couldn’t grow right now. Air quality could vastly improve. Forests could be replenished quickly. His mind reeled in absolute awe.
Bobby hadn’t just developed a revolutionary brew; he’d saved the world.
“Harper, that’s seriously incredible.” He brushed the boxes and packages aside so he could lounge on the bed near her. Reaching across the hideous but surprisingly cushy bedspread, he snapped off another piece of Hershey’s.
“He was incredible.” Harper’s voice was tinged with sadness. “Apparently this was a very top secret project within the Five Watch. Only Bobby and a handful of people knew about it. For security reasons, his notes indicated. They didn’t want it going public until Bobby deemed it was ready for implementation. The last files were part of his final testing. But then they just stopped.”
“A few days ago?” Rome asked.
She nodded, and then turned her gaze away from him, seeming to look at nothing.
She’d been alone here, in this cheap and seedy motel room, for about an hour while he had run their errands. He hadn’t really realized until now just how tough it must be for her to sit here and read her brother’s posthumous notes, the wording and diction familiar to her in a way he couldn’t understand.
But, because she did understand Bobby’s language, she truly was the best choice to go through it, in spite of the grief it may trigger.
“Harper, I’m sorry.” Rome reached for her hand and held it in his, trying to convey both sympathy and encouragement in his touch. “I know this must be hard for you. But we’re making good progress. This is the information we need.”
“I know.” She sighed heavily and squeezed his hand back. “I just…I hear his voice saying these words.” Damn, how he wished he could erase the pain he saw in her intense eyes. She lowered them as she took a deep, unsteady breath. “I’m okay. I just wish he were here.” She gave him a sad but sure smile.
“I know,” he said soothingly, moving his hand to rub her bare arm just below the cuff of her short-sleeve Tshirt. Damn, she was steely solid under that silky skin. Strong yet all woman.
All he wanted to do at this very moment was to shove the food and laptop off the bed and draw her body against his, just to feel her against him. And from the swirling typhoon in the green of her eyes, he wondered whether she was thinking the same exact thing.
His fingers began to itch in anticipation and he quickly lifted his hand away from her enticing flesh. Mentally slapping himself, Rome sat up and resumed organizing the food pile.
“So, um, what went wrong?” Rome heard the hoarseness in his voice and cleared his throat. He jumped off the bed to put some needed distance between them. Well, as much distance as he could, which wasn’t a lot in the small room.
He was never going to make it through the night if he didn’t stop thinking about how damn much he was attracted to her. He imagined those lean tanned arms clamping his back. Those long legs wrapping around him. Those luscious full lips he was familiar with, running all over his…
Damn it all. Rome raked a shaking hand over his face, struggling to clear his roving thoughts. He peeled his attention away from her and to the plastic clothing bags. Reaching inside one, he pulled out a pair of new cotton panties. And stared at them, imagining them on her. Off her. Damn. Damn. Damn.
A husky chuckle floated from the bed. A hand flashed in front of his gaze to snatch the panties out of his grasp. She rolled the material around in her hands, checking them out. He almost moaned out loud. Maybe he had.
“Bobby’s last phase of research was to test the consumption of the enhanced vegetation,” Harper said, answering the question he’d asked before his fantasizing. “To make sure the plants weren’t harmful to ingest and all that.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Rome said, continuing to unpack the bag, trying to impersonally sort between his and hers. He tossed Harper the rest of the clothes he’d bought for her and then organized his own, tearing off tags and stickers.
“He was preparing trial experiments for volunteers when he stumbled across test data he ref
erred to as ‘suspicious,’” Harper continued as she folded her garments neatly, then set them aside. “So Bobby dug around a little and found some files that outlined experiments that had been run on human subjects. Using copies of his serum. He also found that some of his plant inventory that he thought had been destroyed was missing.”
“Missing?” Rome asked as he picked up his small pile of clothes and set it on top of the dented thirteen-inch television. He had yet to see whether it worked. “You mean someone stole them?”
“Bobby’s notes said he’d found out about a faction within the Five Watch.” Harper lolled on her side. “From what his notes say, Bobby didn’t know who they were, but he did uncover their less-than-scrupulous work.”
The Five Watch, though on the shady side, didn’t seem like a mutinous group to Rome. On the contrary, they seemed very tight within their obscure walls. Besides, who could pull off that kind of mutiny without other Five Watchers knowing? There weren’t a whole lot of them as far as he knew. Fifty, maybe sixty people within the elite group itself.
“According to my brother, this faction was hoping that the genetic alterations Bobby made for plants would have the same effect on human beings,” she said. “Hoping to make people stronger and self-healing. The data he uncovered suggested they wanted to create bioenhanced spies and soldiers.”
“Holy shit.” Rome sighed as a somber weight dropped onto his shoulders. They needed to find out who was the mastermind. Who engineered this faction and who turned against Bobby. Could Jeff really be a part of it? Maybe this was what had been making Jeff so antsy. Damn. The suspect list was vast, but narrow all the same. “That complicates things. There are limited people who even know about the Five Watch, but none of those people really knows what anyone else knows. It’s the stuff that’s made for conspiracy theorists.”
Anyone could be behind this and no one would know about it. The only person who did know was now dead. This amazing woman’s remarkable brother was snooping around in places he had every right to be and was killed for it.
