by Cynthia Eden
The inside was…an operating room.
And Elizabeth was there, wearing green scrubs and offering a reassuring smile.
“What are you doing here?” Maddox asked her, frowning. “I told Sawyer to keep everyone at a distance.”
“And I wanted to make sure Luna was okay.” Elizabeth’s shoulders straightened. “I’ll be assisting today.” She motioned to the man in green behind her. “I want to introduce you both to Dr. Jeremiah Brennan. He’s an amazing cardiac surgeon. You are in good hands, Luna.”
Jeremiah came forward. Tall, handsome, with deep caramel skin. His dark eyes slid over Luna. “This is…very irregular.” He licked his lips. Nervous energy seemed to roll from him. “I’ve been briefed on your case, and there is a great amount of risk involved here.”
Yes, she was trying not to focus on the risk part.
“I’ve never worked on someone with…um, with your condition.” His head tilted. “Can you truly heal as fast as I’ve been told?”
She didn’t know what, exactly, he’d been told, but she felt safe in just saying, “Yes.”
“Fascinating.” He looked fascinated. And scared.
Luna swallowed. “How about we get this show on the road, okay?” Lingering didn’t seem like a good option. The longer they waited, the more afraid she’d become.
But Jeremiah didn’t move. “It’s not a fast procedure. I won’t rush. And if there is any sign of danger, if I do not think I can remove the device safely, then I will stop the surgery.”
She nodded. “Fair enough.”
He pointed to the right. “There’s a hospital gown in there for you to use.”
Okay. Great. She headed into the small room, and Maddox came with her.
He closed the door, then turned toward her, frowning. “Baby, are you sure about this?”
No. But… She released a fast breath. “There’s something you should know. Just in case—well, in case things don’t go quite as planned.”
“Luna—”
“I, um, I got my period today. Right before we left the motel, actually,” she blurted those words. But they mattered. She needed him to know this. “It’s light right now, but, I’m not pregnant. I needed you to know that. My body had been giving me signs, Elizabeth had checked my hormone levels and did all kinds of other tests that I didn’t really even understand. She told me that my period was close, that I probably wasn’t pregnant, and now I know. I mean…” God, she was rambling. “In case something goes wrong, it’s just me. There isn’t a baby, there—”
“Nothing is going wrong.” He stared into her eyes. “And there’s not a baby yet. But there will be. Because we are going to have all the time in the world. We’re going to have a long future, and we can have as many kids as you want.”
She tried to smile for him. “Let’s start with one.”
His hand slid over her cheek.
A knock sounded at the door.
Maddox immediately spun around, tensing.
“It’s okay,” Elizabeth called. “I wanted to let you know that the anesthesiologist just arrived. We need him on hand for this operation. I’ll let him inside.”
Maddox narrowed his eyes.
“Go check him out,” Luna whispered because she knew that was exactly what Maddox wanted to do. “I’ll get changed.”
He brushed a kiss over her lips. “It’s going to be okay.”
She made herself smile. “Of course.” And she stared hard at his face, wanting to memorize every single detail. Wanting to imprint him in her mind.
Wanting to never, ever forget.
***
Luna was waiting for him. About two miles away.
He’d moved heaven and earth to get to her. He’d finally tracked her to what seemed like an old, abandoned storage building. But he knew things were hardly ever as they seemed. He didn’t go down that long, narrow road that led to the building. He’d pulled up maps online, looked at the place from all angles. If he went down that road, he was sure he’d be spotted. Maddox was too smart not to have taken precautions. When he’d been working as a guard at the Lazarus facility, he’d made a point of learning everything he could about his former friend. A leader until the end, Maddox would be on guard, especially since he didn’t want to lose his prize.
Luna.
Getting that two miles to her wouldn’t be possible. At least, not without really seeing what—or who—else might be in play.
It was a good thing he didn’t have to get closer in order to do his worst damage.
He parked his vehicle. Took out the laptop he’d taken from the helpful Regina. And he typed in the code to access Luna’s implant.
“See you soon, sweetheart.” He tapped on the keys.
***
Luna eased herself onto the exam table. Maddox stood to her right. He reached for her hand. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Her lips started to curve…
But her chest burned.
Luna’s breath choked out as the burn grew worse. Her heart was racing far too fast.
“Luna?” Maddox’s fingers tightened on hers. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”
“H-hurts…” It wasn’t just a burn now. It was a blinding pain. She cried out, her hand ripping from his as she shoved her palms against her chest. “S-something…wrong!”
“Luna?” Elizabeth’s voice. Elizabeth was suddenly near her, frowning.
She couldn’t talk. The pain was too intense. It had stolen her breath. Her heart was blazing. And she wanted to claw through her chest in order to make the pain stop.
“Her heart is racing too fast,” Maddox’s voice was thick with fear.
“Move her hands,” Jeremiah ordered. “She’s cutting her skin. Do it, now.”
“Baby…” Maddox pried her hands back. Pinned them on either side of her head.
She twisted in his grip. The pain was getting worse. She struggled to speak.
Jeremiah put a stethoscope against her chest. His eyes widened as he listened. “Oh, my God.”
“M-make…” So hard to get that word out. “S-stop…” Her chest hurt. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt! Hurt so much.
“What in the hell did you do to her?” Maddox shouted. Was he talking to Jeremiah? Or the anesthesiologist who’d arrived? The anesthesiologist hadn’t even touched her yet. He’d just been prepping his supplies. Elizabeth had said different drugs and dosages would be needed in the surgery because Luna was Lazarus.
All of her pain was coming from inside her body. And it was just getting worse. So much worse.
“It’s her heart. Something is happening to her heart,” Jeremiah fired back.
“Obvious-fucking-ly!” Maddox roared. “Fix her!”
“It…could be the device inside of her. Maybe it has shifted position or maybe—”
Luna screamed because the pain was so consuming.
Maddox’s eyes widened as he stared at her in sudden realization. “Maybe someone fucking triggered it.”
She couldn’t take the agony. Her heart was going too fast. She could feel it. Too much. Too much. Her heart was going to explode.
She reached out to Maddox, unable to talk, but needing him so badly. “Maddox, help me!”
“I will, baby, I swear!”
But the pain hit her, even harder, and her body twisted in torment.
She heard a distant ringing. A phone? She didn’t know, she didn’t—
Luna screamed again.
“It’s Sawyer!” Elizabeth cried. Luna opened her eyes and saw Elizabeth clutching a phone. “He says—”
Luna could hear what he was saying. She knew Maddox could hear, too.
“There’s a car parked two miles away. Tinted windows. The driver didn’t get out. Suspicious as all hell. I’m moving in.”
“So the fuck am I!” Maddox snapped.
Her breath heaved in and out. The pain kept coming. It wouldn’t stop. It wouldn’t stop.
“She’s having a heart attack.” Jeremiah’s voice. “Everyo
ne, clear back. Let me help her. Now.”
Maddox stared down at Luna. “Adam is doing this to you.”
She couldn’t quite follow what he was saying.
“He’s here. I know that’s the sonofabitch out there, and, somehow, he’s doing this.”
“Maybe it’s not just a tracker,” Elizabeth’s words were rushed. She’d backed away from the table so Jeremiah could work on Luna. “Maybe…maybe it’s some kind of weapon in her. Something to control her. To keep Luna in line.”
“It’s not about control.” Maddox brushed away a tear from Luna’s cheek. “It’s about killing her.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’m killing him. I love you, Luna.”
Then he was gone. Luna tried to call him back. She wanted him at her side. She wanted him. Maddox had said that he’d stay with her. But the pain wouldn’t stop.
It wouldn’t stop.
“Hold on, Luna,” Jeremiah told her. “I can help you.” His breath rushed from his lungs. “Or at least, I sure as hell hope I can.”
***
Maddox saw the damn car. Parked on the edge of the road. Parked near the trees. Maddox rushed toward it even as Sawyer burst from the cover of nearby woods. Sawyer was armed and ready, just like Maddox was. Elizabeth had given him a gun before he’d raced out of that little building.
But as they bounded toward the vehicle, the door opened. “Stay back!” A man’s voice shouted. “Or I kill her!”
It was a voice Maddox knew.
Adam Brock.
Adam slid from the car, and Maddox took aim. He’d hit the SOB in the brain and be done with him.
“Don’t!” Adam’s sharp warning. “You can hit me, but not before my finger hits this button and sweet Luna’s heart stops.”
Maddox froze. He could see the laptop in Adam’s hands.
“And don’t even think about pulling that psychic knock-out bullshit of yours.” Adam shook his head. “Yeah, I know all about what you can do. I was a guard at your facility—I made it a point of learning everything I could. You see how close my finger is? One tap, just a tap, and it’s her end. I bet I can hit the button before your power makes me hit the ground.”
Maybe. Maybe not…
Can I risk Luna on a maybe? No, he couldn’t risk her at all.
“That’s right. You can’t chance it. Not when it’s her life on the line.” Adam smiled at him. “Got a perfect signal out here. How lucky is that? Just had to get close enough to activate.”
“What in the hell are you doing to her?” Sawyer barked.
Adam turned his head toward him. “Number One.” Disgust was thick in his voice. “Still the arrogant prick, I see.” Adam eased away from the car. Kept the laptop cradled close. One hand held the laptop, and the fingers of his other hand brushed the keyboard.
“He’s not armed,” Sawyer called to Maddox. “We can take the bastard.”
“No, you can’t. Not before I kill Luna.” Adam’s gaze slid back to Maddox. “And it’s really all about her staying alive, isn’t it? Because this once—this one damn time—you finally got lucky. She loved you. You, instead of me. But if I kill her, and she comes back all fresh and shiny…poof. Luna doesn’t love you anymore. Your one shot is over. Maybe she loves someone else. Maybe she loves me again.”
Maddox took one hard step forward. “Not gonna happen. It’s impossible to love a dead man.” He kept his focus completely on Adam. “And that’s what you’ll be if Luna dies. I will put a bullet into your brain, and you will end.”
Adam just shook his head. “She gave you all of your memories back, didn’t she? Does that make you feel special?” he mocked. “Because guess what? As usual, when it comes to Luna, I got there fucking first.” A taunting smile curved his lips. “Before you found her in that hospital, Luna worked her magic on me. I made her do it. I’d heard Henry Danwith talking, he suspected that she could recover memories because of what she’d done with Andreas, and if anyone was going to get all of his memories, it was gonna be me.” Spittle flew from his mouth. “She gave me the memories back because I didn’t give her a choice. Want to hear about how I hurt her? How I used my knife on her to make her heal me? She called for you. Screamed for you.” A muscle flexed in his jaw. “That made me just cut her more. Good thing her body heals so well, huh?”
Rage was a living, breathing monster inside of Maddox. All he wanted was to destroy Adam.
“After she restored my memories, I knew I could never let her go. She’s a gold mine, right? So I got a doc to put that sweet little tracking device in Luna’s heart. Don’t worry, I used the best cardio surgeon I could find. Slid it into Luna only…well, Luna woke up just as the procedure was ending. She attacked the doc. I had to get Regina out of there. Figured I might could use her again.”
“You left Luna there alone?” Sawyer’s hard stare never faltered.
“No, that was where my partner came in.” A sneer. “Luna had given Sam just a few memories, too. Enough for him to want more. He was supposed to be guarding the hospital, but the dumbass got desperate to see his old lover. Luna had put images of her in Sam’s mind. Fool said he only left for a bit, but when he came back, Luna was gone.”
“I took her away.” Maddox could imagine firing the weapon. Killing the bastard in front of him. It would be so freaking easy.
But I can’t risk Luna.
“The whole time all of this shit was happening,” Adam just seemed to love bragging, “I came and went, sliding back from that hospital and heading to the Lazarus facility. No one suspected me. Why would they? I’m fucking amazing at putting on a perfect front.”
“You don’t look perfect to me.” Maddox didn’t lower his gun. “You look like a traitorous bastard.”
Adam took a few steps away from the car. Sawyer and Maddox advanced.
“Know what happened to your buddy, Sam?” Maddox challenged. “He’s dead.”
“Then that’s just one less person who I have to split my money with.” Adam laughed. “It’s funny. We’re back where we fucking started. I’m selling secrets again—only this time, my secret is Luna. Luna and the whole super soldier program. My old boss is willing to pay billions. That’s what happens when the future is at stake.”
“You’re not getting Luna.” Maddox’s vow was guttural. Adam was selling US secrets again—and Maddox would not let him sell out Luna.
Adam’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “I’m not afraid of you two assholes.” His gaze slid to Sawyer. “The leader who left me…” Then he glanced at Maddox. “And the friend who stabbed me. Who killed me.”
“You were selling out your country, just like you’re freaking trying to do now! And since you have your memories back, then you must remember that you were going to take a shot at me first. I knocked the gun out of your hand. I was going to take you in alive, but you kept fighting. I had to use my knife to stop you.”
Rage burned in Adam’s eyes. “There was no way I was going to let you walk out of that motel with Luna. I knew what would happen. You’d take her. You were always so lost in Luna.” He laughed. “Since Luna gave you all of your memories, you know how long you’ve loved her. I can tell. I can damn well see it in your eyes.”
“I’ve got them.” Maddox moved closer. Sawyer was now standing right next to the open driver’s door of the car.
“It’s for the best.” Adam nodded. “With those memories, I know you’ll do anything to keep her safe, won’t you?”
“Yes,” Maddox gritted. Sawyer was silent.
“Good. Because this is how it will work. You’re going to get in that car, right there, you’re going to drive back to that little shack, and you’re going to put my Luna in the car. You’ll bring her to me, and then Luna and I will drive away.”
“That isn’t going to happen.” Maddox never lowered his gun.
“No?” Adam raised his brows. “Then you want me to kill her? Because I will. If you don’t do exactly what I say, I will kill her now.”
“He’ll kill her anyway,�
� Sawyer shouted back. “We both know it. If we follow his orders and he drives off with her, she’ll be dead in minutes.”
“Maybe.” Adam shrugged. “Maybe not. Maybe deep inside, I do love her. In my own way. I remember caring when she fucking fell in that motel room and her blood was all around me.” His expression turned shuttered. “I remember hating that I’d done that to her. And who do you think put the freaking hospital ID bracelet on her? I did that. I wanted her to have her damn name, even if she had nothing else.”
“You took everything from her!”
“I can love her!” Adam almost sounded as if he meant those words. But then, Maddox now understood just how good the man was at pretending.
“I’m not staying in the open much longer,” Adam warned him. “I figure if Number One is here,” his head jerked toward Sawyer, “well, then his bastard buddy Two will be hiding close by—”
“His name is Flynn,” Sawyer cut in. “We all have names, not just numbers any longer, Adam. And, yes, Flynn is close by. He has a rifle pointed at your head right now.”
Maddox heard the quick rush of Adam’s heart as it accelerated. Then Adam screamed, “Get in the fucking car, Maddox, or she is dead!”
He wanted them in the car too badly. And Adam had deliberately retreated from the vehicle. Maddox’s gaze cut to the car door. Sawyer was right beside it.
Is Adam keeping his fingers poised over the laptop because he’s about to hurt Luna more…or because he’s about to trigger something else? Every time he’d been attacked in the last few days, there had been one constant…fire. And Maddox knew just why fire kept being used against him…Shit. Shit! “Move!” Maddox roared at Sawyer, but he also heard…
Tap.
Adam had just clicked a button on that laptop. Maddox grabbed Sawyer even as the vehicle exploded. A great ball of fire erupted from beneath the hood. Adam’s laughter echoed with the flames, and the impact sent Sawyer and Maddox hurtling through the air.
When Maddox hit the ground, he landed face down. He shoved up to see that Sawyer was several feet away, not moving. And the flames from the car…
