“Where are they? Where are the samples? There is no way in hell you didn’t find what you were looking for. I know you, Elle. You’re never wrong. And if you think you can keep them from me, you’re sadly mistaken.” He grabbed her, pressing the gun to her jaw. She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can do this with you or without you. Your choice.”
“It’s too late.” Her words sounded small and far away as if she were lost somewhere.
“What do you mean, it’s too late?”
“You’ll never get the samples.” She opened her eyes. “You’re right, I did what I set out to do.”
He uttered something that sounded like a growl. He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. The nose of the gun pressed painfully into her skin. If he was going to shoot her, if this was it, then she wanted him to know that he hadn’t won. This time, the good guys won.
“Drop the gun.”
She opened her eyes to see Jackson with a pistol trained on Liam. Nikki was with her. Nikki swiftly moved to flank him.
“There’s nowhere to go, Liam. Put the gun down.” Jackson stepped closer. “It’s over…Let her go.”
Liam stiffened, no doubt considering his options. Elle used that tiny moment of opportunity to twist out of his grasp and quickly moved behind Jackson.
“Easy.” Nikki stepped closer, with her sidearm trained on Liam. “Put down your weapon.”
Liam lowered the gun, almost in slow motion.
Elle realized she’d had a death grip on her folded clothes. When she relaxed her arms, she discovered her hands were shaking. Liam was facedown on the floor now, with his hands behind his head. Nikki radioed for a security team, and within seconds they descended. The room was a flurry of activity.
“Come on, they can get your statement later.” Jackson ushered Elle away from the scene, back in the direction of her quarters.
Once they were in Jackson’s room, Elle sank to the edge of the bed with her face in her hands. She was spent.
“How did you know to come after me?”
“A hunch.” Jackson touched her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have let you go alone in the first place.”
“I can’t get my mind around what just happened.”
“He’s not the person you thought he was.” Jackson sounded sympathetic. “That’s a hard thing to discover.”
Liam, the Liam she thought she’d known, was dead—or never existed. She hadn’t experienced betrayal like this before and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Was she a terrible judge of character? How had she been so blind?
“I suppose on some level, I didn’t completely believe Ted. Although, at the same time, why would he have lied.”
“Listen, this was going to come to a head one way or another. At least this way, Liam tipped his hand and he’s now in custody.” Jackson knelt in front of her, invading her line of sight. “This is good for us.”
“Is it?” Elle hoped so.
“Yes.” Jackson stood and extended her hand to Elle. “Take a shower and wash this day away.” She kissed Elle. “And then come to bed because I’m not leaving your side for the rest of the night.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“How does your head feel?” She touched Jackson’s face on the side with the bandage.
“Oh, I’d forgotten it already.” Jackson placed her fingers over Elle’s.
Jackson stood in the center of the room as she walked to the shower. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
The hot shower was just what she needed. No five-minute limit and the steam cleared her lungs and hydrated her skin. She toweled off and walked barefoot into the dark room. The light from the bathroom cast a rectangular highlight onto the concrete floor, cool beneath her feet. It was easy to lose the time of day in this underground bunker, in a room with no windows. She suspected it was still early evening, but her body considered it well past midnight.
She dropped the towel and slid under the covers next to Jackson. At first, she thought Jackson might already be asleep, but she wasn’t. Jackson drew Elle’s head to her shoulder and hugged her against her body. Jackson wasn’t wearing any clothes either. The warmth, the firmness of her body against Elle’s was soothing and exhilarating at the same time. She felt safe in Jackson’s arms. She had the sensation that nothing could harm her as long as she was with Jackson.
“I’m sorry my hair is still damp.”
“I don’t mind.” Jackson’s fingers brushed across her hip.
“You saved me again today.”
The sound of Elle’s voice was like a caress, gentle and comforting. Jackson had been thinking a lot about who had saved whom and she wasn’t sure Elle was right. When she’d first met Elle, she’d been adrift. She’d been lonely and forlorn and searching—she didn’t even know for what. Elle had plucked her from the depths of hopelessness. And when Elle was in her arms she felt renewed, practically optimistic. Her heart was full, and keeping it contained was like trying to hold back the tide.
“Elle, I need to tell you something.”
“Yes?”
Jackson was quiet, gathering her thoughts.
“You’ve changed me…or I should say, meeting you has inspired me to change.” Jackson hesitated, not exactly sure how to say what she wanted to say. “When I lost Camille, I was certain I’d lost everything. I couldn’t find my way back. Sure, I was going through the motions of living, barely, but I wasn’t really living.” Her voice cracked. She swallowed and pressed on. “I didn’t know how much I needed you and I know, initially, I even tried to push you away.”
“Jackson, you don’t have to explain yourself—”
“But I do.” Jackson propped up on one elbow so that she could see Elle’s face. “Elle, you actually saved me. You came to my rescue.”
“Thank you for saying that, but I’m pretty sure we rescued each other.” Elle caressed Jackson’s face. “And I want you to know that you don’t have to forget Camille, or be afraid to talk about her. She was a big part of your life that you should always remember with fondness.”
“Thank you.” Jackson sank on top of Elle, sliding her thigh between Elle’s as she shifted her position. “Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart.”
She kissed Elle, deeply, unhurriedly, hoping that Elle could feel what she was feeling through the intimate exchange.
“There’s something I need to say to you too.” Elle spoke softly against Jackson’s mouth.
Jackson pulled back, giving Elle her full attention.
“I’m in love with you, Captain Jackson Drake.” Elle smiled. “Utterly and completely.”
Jackson’s heart drummed loudly in her chest. She let Elle’s words wash over her.
“I’m in love with you too, Dr. Eliza Graham.” She smiled and then kissed Elle.
“I’m so glad.” Elle adjusted so that Jackson was firmly between her legs. “Because that whole being friends thing just wasn’t going to work for me. I have no idea why I suggested it in the first place.”
Jackson laughed. She feathered kisses down Elle’s neck, until Elle began to squirm beneath her.
“Please make love to me,” whispered Elle. “Make me forget everything about this day, except you.”
Jackson caressed Elle with tender devotion, as if Elle was the most precious thing on Earth. And in truth, as far as Jackson was concerned, she was.
Chapter Thirty-two
In the days that followed, Elle learned that a military court of inquiry was not a judicial tribunal. It was instituted solely for the purpose of investigation, to assist the commanding officer, in this case, Major Riley, in determining whether or not any further proceeding, executive or judicial, should be pursued. The proceedings determined that Jackson’s swift and clear actions had salvaged the prime directive of the mission. Despite the loss of life, the mission objective had been achieved, thanks to the alternative plan Jackson and Elle had devised. Liam’s role in undermining the objective was still under investigation but, given his ass
ault against Elle, he had been arrested and was awaiting trial.
Jackson offered to drive Elle to the BIOME lab to gather some small personal items and a few notebooks she didn’t want to lose track of. Her old office seemed surreal to her now. The ice cores contained the dead remnants of a world she’d actually had the chance to experience. It would be hard to go back to her life as it existed before the jump. She made a sweep through her office, grabbing a sweater she’d forgotten, her favorite coffee mug, some photos, a rubber T-rex—the important things. She placed everything in a small box she’d taken from the recycling bin.
She started down the hall but lingered at the door to Ted’s office. The images of Ted’s final moments on the beach were slowly being overwritten by all that they had shared before that day. She didn’t want to remember him from that one flawed action. They’d been collaborators until that fateful hour, and she’d never have pinpointed the exact date without his data to cross-reference against hers. So, she rationalized, in the end, Ted had contributed to the solution. He just got trapped and couldn’t find a way out.
It would take some time to know for sure if the reintroduced phytoplankton would reset ocean acidity and oxygen levels. The tiny plankton would need weeks to colonize their new habitat.
She left her key card with security on her way out. She smiled when she saw Jackson leaning against a sedan with the Space Force insignia on the door. Damn, she looked good. Jackson made a simple oxford shirt look sexy. Jackson straightened and met Elle halfway across the courtyard.
It was hard to be back where the sky was gray with smog and the sound of birds were almost nonexistent.
“Here, let me help you with that.” Jackson took the cardboard box from her as they walked toward the car.
“Thanks.”
The sun was low, casting long shadows across the concrete quad in front of the BIOME Institute.
“So, how’d it go in there?” Jackson opened the trunk and settled the box inside.
“Well, I just quit my job.”
“What a relief.” Jackson closed the trunk. “I heard your boss was a real asshole.”
“Yeah, the worst.”
Jackson opened the passenger door.
“Well, Dr. Graham, now what?” Jackson leaned against the doorframe, waiting for Elle to get in. “What does the woman who just saved the world do for an encore?”
“Take her girlfriend out for Thai food?” Elle grinned up at Jackson as she settled onto the passenger seat.
“Girlfriend, huh?”
“And don’t forget it.”
Jackson laughed.
“Listen, are you sure you’re okay?” Jackson was still standing in the open door.
“I’m fine…truly, I am.” Elle nodded. “I’m ready for my next adventure.”
Jackson watched Elle through the windshield as she rounded the front of the car and then sank into the driver’s seat. She waited for Elle to click her seat belt into place. Every time she looked at Elle her heart soared. How was it possible that one human could make another human feel so good?
The BIOME building was just north of the city. She merged into heavy traffic, heading south toward the Golden Gate Bridge.
“What if, instead of going out for dinner, we ate in?” Jackson gave Elle a sideways glance.
“Sure. I could cook something.”
“I was thinking I’d cook for you.”
“You cook?” Elle’s question was playful. “A commander and a chef. How lucky am I?”
“Don’t get too excited…I was just thinking something simple, like pasta with sauce.”
Elle’s phone buzzed before she could respond. She fished in her bag for it.
“Sorry, do you mind if I get this?” Elle held the phone up before answering.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Jackson relaxed in the seat as the AI driver took control of the car. She scrolled through messages on her phone while Elle talked.
“Hello.” Elle listened. “Yes, thank you for calling, Major Riley.” She looked over at Jackson. “I’d be happy to discuss this further.” Another pause. “Tomorrow at ten would be perfect.”
Elle was nodding and smiling.
“Yes, and thank you again. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Elle clicked off. She had a contagious, gleeful expression when she turned to Jackson.
“Well?” Jackson prodded. “What was that all about?”
“It seems there’s an opening for a lead scientist in the SLST program.”
“Elle, that’s terrific.” Jackson reached for her hand. “They’d be crazy not to recruit you.”
“I admit, unemployment wasn’t where I saw myself at this point in my career, you know, having just saved the world and all that.”
Jackson laughed.
“And she’s so humble, too.” She squeezed Elle’s hand.
“A girl has to work with what she’s got.”
Traffic converged to squeeze a sea of cars onto the two southbound lanes of the bridge. The top of the red-orange struts stretched upward into the grayness of the sky. She was looking ahead at the traffic and the outline of the smog shrouded city when the steering wheel jerked. The car made a hard right onto the access road just before the bridge.
“Why are we turning?”
“I’m not sure.” Jackson grabbed the wheel and attempted to switch the car back to manual driving mode. “The system has locked me out.”
“What?” There was understandable concern in Elle’s question.
“What the fuck? Something is jamming the signal.” The car picked up speed and banked right up the steep grade. Jackson checked the mirror; they were being followed by a dark SUV with tinted windows.
“Jackson, what’s going on?” Elle rotated in her seat. She’d noticed the SUV also.
Jackson hit the door lock, but it wouldn’t engage.
The brakes locked, and she lurched forward against the seat belt as the car came to a hard stop. Doors opened and four men got out of the vehicle behind them and approached the car. Jackson was unarmed but got out and faced the approaching strangers. Her heart pounded. She clenched and unclenched her fists.
“Get back in the car.” One of the men spoke to her.
She quickly cataloged the men as they approached. Two had semi-automatic rifles; the other two wore sidearms clipped on their belts. They were dressed in all black and wore masks over the lower part of their faces.
“What the fuck is going on?” One of the men opened the passenger door and reached for Elle. “Hey! Take your hands off her.”
Elle struggled with the man as he yanked her from the car. Jackson took a step toward them, prepared to come to Elle’s defense, but she was met with immediate resistance. Two of the guys grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back toward the driver’s side door. She wrestled, broke free, and landed a punch. But that only incited aggressive retaliation from her captors. A hard blow to her ribs and she was on the ground. A boot to her stomach knocked the air from her lungs. She fought to get up, fought to get a glimpse of Elle. Where was she?
“Jackson!” Elle screamed her name. “Stop! You’re hurting her!”
Hearing Elle’s voice caused a surge of adrenaline. Jackson grabbed the foot of the nearest man and rolled, taking him with her and toppling him to the ground. But the advantage was short-lived. The second guy pressed a knee to her chest and struck her with the butt of his gun. Her head banged against the hard surface of the road, her vision dimmed, and then she had the sensation of being dragged before darkness overwhelmed her system.
“What are you doing? What do you want?” Elle squirmed, but the men were too strong. They wouldn’t answer her and they wouldn’t release her.
She struggled to see Jackson who’d fallen to the ground behind the driver’s side door. She caught a glimpse of Jackson being hoisted into the car. One of the men reached inside the car and then slammed the door. Why wasn’t Jackson moving? Why didn’t she get out of the car?
“Stop! Let me go!”
Elle kicked at the shins of her captor. Her blows were insignificant. He ignored her and shoved her onto the back seat.
She was terrified.
Through the windshield she could see the other two men pushing the car toward the steep drop-off. It kept rolling as if in slow motion as the two men turned to walk toward the SUV.
“No! Please, don’t do this!” Elle was frantic. She tried to free herself, but the two men got into the car, one on either side. They were huge and immovable.
She watched the taillights of the car disappear over the crest of the cliff. The two men walked back to the SUV and got in. Elle was afraid she was going to be sick. Then nausea was replaced by rage. She started beating the beefy shoulder of the man next to her with her fists.
“Hold her still.” The man in the passenger seat rotated. He had something in his hand.
Her arms were pinned, and the second man pressed her legs to the seat as the guy reached over the console from the front seat with a syringe. The needle stung and then warmth spread from the point of entry in her thigh. Dizziness swarmed, her tongue was thick, her mouth dry, she tried to speak, but no words came. Her body sagged against the seat. She was at the mercy of these men. Her last thought as consciousness fled, was of Jackson.
Chapter Thirty-three
Jackson had the sensation of floating, of swimming. She shivered and blinked. Her head ached, her ribs ached, and it took her a moment to realize that her legs were in water. She jolted up but banged her head on the steering wheel. The car was upside down and partially submerged.
She had no memory of how she’d ended up here, or even where here was. The last thing she remembered was the scuffle on the road and two guys grabbing Elle. Elle!
Jackson slid on her stomach along the roof of the car, squeezing past the headrests of the two front seats. The rear of the car was dry. Her duffel was still there. Where was her phone? She frantically searched. Miraculously, it had landed in a dry spot. She found it wedged in the narrow space between the back seat and the door. She searched through recent numbers. Her fingers were shaking so badly that she had a difficult time hitting the call button.
The Sea Within Page 20
