“I don’t have a choice when it comes to my mate,” he said.
She didn’t look up from her task.
“I need her to live.”
Chocolate brown eyes met his. “Her. You aren’t talking about me.”
“Deja.”
“Don’t. Just get out.”
He hesitated a little longer and then spun away. The drive to Tina’s place took too long and not long enough. He waited for her to come to the door until he wondered if she would at all. Eventually, she tugged it open and turned her back when she saw him standing there. He stepped inside and tossed the duffle he’d brought with him on the floor. She faced him again.
“Where are the kids?”
His raised his brows. “With their mother.”
“I am their mother.”
He sighed. “Tina, just give me some time, okay? That’s all I ask.”
“Fine.”
He nodded and shut the door behind him.
Chapter Nine
Deja stared at the ceiling in her room and then rolled over. The sun would come up soon, but she hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep. Nor by the sound of it had Ward. He’d stumbled around and paced the night away, and her heart went out to him. How did everything get so screwed up so fast? What would it take to get them all back on track, especially her and Heath, and Ward and Coreen? Heath had spent the night with Tina. She knew that, but she kept turning her mind away from thoughts of them being intimate. The bond they’d had was broken. She still loved him with everything inside, but it seemed like the connection, the glue that held them together had melted away. Now he wanted Tina, and while she sort of got the whole shifter mate deal, in a way, this felt like just one more man who couldn’t be faithful. He wanted the better deal, the sexier woman. She couldn’t help blaming him in part even though it was her who had lost the fight.
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she reached up to swipe them away. They had had sex last night, but no love softened it. Lust and need drove them to satisfy the physical part of her. The act left her cold and lonely. She’d given in as a means to say good-bye, but now that she looked back, she realized she’d hoped he would stay. Fuck ancient laws and just stay with her forever. He hadn’t. He’d chosen Tina.
“No choice, my ass.”
She rolled to a sitting position and stood up. Last night, she neglected to tell Heath about the girls’ diagnosis. He had a right to know, but a sense of wanting to stay in their lives and protect them, not to mention raising them, she had kept the truth to herself. Now, she would act. Let Heath play house with the skank.
Still teary, she showered and dressed, all the while thinking of a way to get out of Siberia without the guards stopping her. She intended to take the girls and get them help the only place she knew of that might be able to. First, she would visit Jake and get him to go along. When he left, he had given her an email address to contact him. They had wanted to stay friends, and she thought nothing of it. When Heath began working too much, and the fears of having a killer loose got to her, plus the added feeling of being trapped too long with two toddlers and no social life, she’d broken down and contacted him. He had sent her his address, and she’d visited him. Heath wouldn’t like it, but he could kiss her ass at this point.
Once the girls were ready, she carried them to the kitchen, listening for movement in the house. No one stirred now, and she slipped out to bundle the girls in the minivan. A half mile from the edge of town, she stopped the vehicle and chewed a nail. Even from this distance, the guards were clear, standing to the side of the road. No doubt more lurked in the trees all around the small town, on the lookout for those who left without permission. Karl was a dick. They didn’t need this kind of jailing. She hoped someone would take him down soon.
While she watched the exit, still thinking of a plan, one of the men jogged to the side of the road. He looked back at his fellow guard and must have said something, although her hearing wasn’t so good she could tell what he said. The next instant, while they spoke, a tiger leaped from the trees and pounced on the chest of the first man. Deja gasped, her heart thumping hard. The man fell to the ground, and to her horror, the tiger dragged him off the road and into the trees. The second guard came unfrozen and pointed his gun into the trees. He fired off several shots and then ran to where the other two disappeared.
Deja couldn’t believe it. Her way out stood open and clear. In fact, if she went now, no one would suspect for hours that she’d gone. She threw the van into gear and started down the road. The closer she drew to the guard post, the more her heart hammered, but no one materialized. Soon she sped down the highway headed for Jake’s apartment.
Two and a half hours later, she pulled in the parking lot and unbelted the girls to carry up to the apartment. At her knock, the door swung inward a little, and she froze. The lock on the knob had been broken. A sharp inhale brought Heath’s scent, and she stepped inside. The place was a mess, and she covered her mouth. Please tell me he didn’t hurt Jake.
After shutting the door and wedging something against it, she laid the sofa cushions back in place and sat Maia and Neve on one. “Stay put. Mommy will be back in just a sec.”
She hurried through the apartment to the bedroom and found no evidence of a body. The bathroom and kitchen were empty too besides the mess. Where was he? Had Heath taken him somewhere? Woods backed the property. Would he have gone so far? He might, with his suspicions and accusations from last night. Even if he did, she refused to go searching and leave the girls in the apartment. Nor could she take them along. This trip was about finding Spiderweb, and now that she’d arrived, she realized she had no information on the location of a lab.
Back in the living room, she paced, stepping over junk as she went. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a red object in Maia’s hand. “Put that down, Maia. It’s dirty.”
Her daughter frowned but dropped the box. The girls began mumbling to each other, their baby talk unintelligible. While she focused on them and on figuring out what to do, she didn’t register the other sound she’d heard until a shadow shifted in her peripheral vision. She crouched, but the heavy blow intended for her head landed on her shoulder. Spots danced before her vision, and she cried out in pain.
She performed a roll on the injured shoulder and turned to face the attacker. A human man came at her, raising the black bar he held in his hand. She kicked him in the stomach, and when he doubled over, she drove her head up toward his torso for another blow. The two of them flew backward, her on top. By that time, her girls were screaming. She needed to end this fast to calm them.
Another blow sent her flying backward, and she cracked her head on the side of the kitchen counter. A second man had come onto the scene from who knows where, and he bent over the girls, the fake smile doing nothing to instill trust in the twins. Deja scrambled to her hands and knees, her head spinning. Warm wetness ran down the back of her head, but she didn’t focus on it. “Get away from my daughters, asshole!”
The first man pulled himself together enough to stand, and this time, he dug inside his jacket. All she could think about was him pulling out a gun and using it on her children. The tiger reared up inside her, and she leaped on him, driving a fist into his face. Her knuckles burned, but his head snapped back, and when he hit the floor, he didn’t get back up.
“Stay away,” the second man shouted, and Deja spun to her worse nightmare. The man held Neve in his arms. “I’m not going to hurt her if you calm down.”
“I’ve gone way beyond calm, buddy. This is all you get. Now put my daughter down before I rip off your arm and feed it to you.”
He flinched in disgust. “I just want to talk to you.”
“Like hell you do. That’s why your partner beat me with a pipe?”
“He protected himself. We know how your kind are.”
She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. All the while, her muscles coiled for a spring. “Oh, my kind, huh? That’s rich.”
; “I don’t mean it like that.”
“And I don’t believe you.”
Glass shattering in the bedroom caught both of their attention. They peered at each other.
“Who’s with you?” he demanded.
“That must be one of yours. I came alone.” Too late, she realized she should have said the place was surrounded with more shifters who wouldn’t allow him to leave alive. “Put Neve down, and I might consider letting you live.”
He smirked and began shuffling toward the bedroom. Deja followed, keeping the distance between them consistent. First chance she got, she would attack. Too early or too late and she would risk Neve’s life.
“Don’t!” She shouted when he disappeared into the bedroom with Neve. Maia cried for her to stay. The thump from the other room sent her flying into the hall, but she stopped cold when she spotted Jake standing over the unconscious man and holding a squirming Neve. “Jake, you’re okay.”
He grinned. “I think she doesn’t like me.”
Deja sprinted over to him and took her baby. Neve wound her arms around Deja’s neck and held tight until drawing in a breath was a struggle. “Okay, sweetie. Mommy’s here. Let’s go get Maia.”
She walked into the living room, and Maia leaped from the sofa into her arms. Deja fumbled with two squirming little ones, determined not to let them go again.
“They’re really beautiful,” Jake commented.
She nodded. “They are. Thank you, and thanks for saving Neve. I’m glad you’re okay. I thought Heath…”
“He was here.”
“You talked to him?”
He shook his head. “No, I was hiding. These two have been watching my place for days. I didn’t know where else to go. At first I thought about asking your mate for help, but he doesn’t like me.”
His words couldn’t be more of an understatement, and she doubted Heath would have helped. More like he’d have killed Jake without question.
“What are you doing here, Deja? I told you the last time, we can’t meet here.”
“I know, but I need to find out if you know anything about Spiderweb.”
The odd expression on his face raised her suspicions.
“Jake?”
He hesitated. “You’re not looking for them, are you?”
How much did she dare share? She’d always trusted Jake, but right now nothing felt right. Then again, she didn’t have many choices. If circumstances forced her back to Siberia without results, she might be caught. Hope of ever getting away again would disappear.
“Heath and I aren’t together anymore.”
Jake’s eyes bugged. “What? That’s impossible.”
“It’s the truth.” She hated how her voice shook, and they stood for a few seconds staring at each other.
She thought she saw hope in Jake’s eyes, but he pivoted away, pushing hands through greasy hair that needed washing. Where had he been staying all this time? Out in the woods?
“Why did he let you go?”
She grunted. “That’s not important. I’ll explain everything later, okay? I need to know right now if you know anything about Spiderweb, because I’m running out of time. Heath’s tiger might not care about me, but it does love the girls, and it will sense danger surrounding them. If it doesn’t know already, it will soon figure out that they aren’t in Siberia. So can you help me or not?”
“I’ll help.”
Relief washed over her. She shuffled him and the girls out of the apartment, and they climbed into her minivan. “You drive while I buckle them in. Where are we going?”
He licked his lips and watched her in the rearview mirror. “About forty miles from here. Ever notice how close we all are no matter what happens?”
She frowned at him.
“Never mind. I think this is the place. You’ll know when you see it. I’ve missed you, Deja.”
“Don’t. Please. I can’t deal with that right now.”
He nodded.
A short while later, Jake pulled to the side of the road and turned off the van. Deja slid into the seat across from him. “Where are we?”
He pointed out the window, and she peered down the street toward a building that looked as innocuous as an elementary school. Something told her with the wrought iron fence surrounding the place and the guards roaming the grounds, this was not an ordinary school. How did Jake know of it? Before she could ask the question, he voiced his own inquiry.
“Why would you risk bringing them here? I would think they’d be a hot commodity to Spiderweb.”
Deja clenched her teeth. “Don’t call my daughters commodities.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“I have no choice. Spiderweb might be their only chance.”
In the back seat, Maia began to whine and kick her legs. She tugged at the seatbelt across her chest. Soon after Neve copied her sister, but more tears flowed down her younger daughter’s cheeks as she fought to get free.
“Damn!”
Deja unbelted and climbed back between her girls. She unhooked both of them and held them close to her chest, rubbing their backs and kissing their small faces. “Heath’s calling them. Why would he do that,” she raged, “knowing they’re too young to answer?”
“Because you won’t be able to bear their pain. He thinks you’ll bring them to him.”
“Well he’s wrong. I’ll die for them if I have to, and whatever it takes I’ll get them better.”
“What’s wrong with them?”
“It’s a shifter thing. Come on. I’m going in there.”
“You can’t just go charging in, Deja.”
She rolled her eyes. “Watch me.”
Guns trained on her as she carried her daughters up to the wrought iron fence, but instead of a demand to leave the premises or even a question of what she wanted, a voice came over the walkie-talkie of the man in charge of the gate and ordered him to let them in. Deja shivered with the knowledge that whoever ran this place knew who she was by face and maybe even expected her.
The gate rolled open on wheels and track. She stepped onto the property with Jake following. “I’m sorry, Jake. I should have told you to get out of here, so they don’t catch you. Ever since you escaped before they could change you, I just know you’ve been on their list of loose ends to tie up.”
Jake gave a trembling chuckle. “Now you tell me.”
Guards surrounded them, and one in particular approached, a no nonsense expression on his face. The dead eyes and tight mouth made Deja wonder if she should have rethought this plan.
“This way,” the lead guard commanded, and they followed. A series of code-operated locks led them past the entrance doors and a second set farther inside. Down one passage and along another, their footsteps tapped sterile floors and echoed off bare walls. At last they came to double wood doors, but these held no fancy lock. Instead, the guard opened both with a touch and pushed them inward. Deja’s stomach did a flip-flop, and her tiger went on red alert like she’d never felt before. The beast squirmed to be set free until it seemed to want to jump from her throat. Who the hell is this guy?
The man she assumed ran the place leaned on an oversize wooden desk. He stood maybe five feet four, which surprised her, as his authoritative air said he was the man in charge. Maybe the desk and the general larger-than-life furniture compensated for his small stature. Possibly mid-sixties, his receding hairline gave way to silver hair that curled at his collar. The gray suit signaled tailor-made and expensive. With a broad grin flashing too straight teeth, he spread his arms in welcome.
“Deja, at last I get to meet you.”
She stopped midstride. “Do I know you?”
He winked. “I’m the director of this humble establishment. You might say the creative brain behind Spiderweb. Jonas Stovall at your service. And I know you.” With another sweep of his arm, the guard standing feet away from him pressed a button. Panels opened on what she’d assumed were all bookshelves. Some stills, and som
e video of her and the girls came into view. Horror almost knocked her to the floor.
“You bastard,” she whispered.
“We followed each of you very closely, especially the tiger borns. You became of particular interest because you carried second generation tiger borns, and now you’ve been so generous as to bring them here for us to study.”
“You touch my girls, and you draw back nubs for fingers,” she growled between her teeth.
The man continued with the sweet disposition that grated on her nerves. “Don’t be grumpy, Deja. We let you live in Siberia with the others, didn’t we?”
She stared.
“Oh, didn’t you know we knew about your little town? How could we not learn of it? What better way to study you than when you don’t know you’re being watched? Of course there were snags and bumps in the road.” He made a tsk sound with his teeth. “When you lose the funding that made life so comfortable, you have to take the least expensive route. That means allowing your subjects to govern themselves and foot all the bills while still conducting experiments.”
Deja stepped forward, but one of the men blocked her path. The rifle barrel pointed at her chest gave her pause. “Get that out of my face and away from my children or else.”
The man didn’t move.
“It’s fine, Ben. Back off,” Stovall ordered.
The man grunted but obeyed his boss. He didn’t go far, and the coiled muscles in his arms holding the rifle made her feel like one false move and he would gun her and her kids down. She forced her attention from him to the director, who continued talking as if they were all in existence for his entertainment. If he’d been watching the citizens of Siberia all this time, of course he felt that way. Desperation had driven her to the wrong choice, and she didn’t know if she or her girls would make it out of here alive.
“Everything didn’t go as smoothly as I would have preferred,” Stovall said, indicating a chair for her. She refused it, but the same guard who’d pointed his gun in her face, pressed a heavy hand on her shoulder to make her sit. She glared at him and drew her daughters closer. Stovall moved behind his desk and smoothed the front of his suit jacket before taking a seat. “We raised one of your kind, practically from birth. He was among the first child shifters. We kept him closer than the others, trying to mold him and shape him into a soldier. Unfortunately, the process sent him a little crazy.”
Tiger Betrayed Page 9
