A Darker Shade of Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  “That’s sick,” Mari said with disgust. Matt agreed but didn’t say it out loud. What was the point? They all knew the depravity of their enemy.

  “So Rodriguez is the man we’re seeking,” Simon mused. “Have you been able to get John Petit’s take on this? His CIA contacts may have good intel.”

  “John and Donna are on their way to Tennessee. I got a call from him this morning.”

  “I thought they were in California.” Simon seemed intrigued.

  “They were. The lead they were following led them to Tennessee and another member of the original science team. So we’re going to be shorthanded for a little longer. Si, I want you to lead the combat team as you’ve been doing. I’ll be staying close to base in case the ladies have any problems. I want us all to gradually change our hours to more of a night shift, if possible. Perhaps you can come up with some scientific reason to work late?” He looked at Mari.

  “I’m sure we can come up with something. Experiments don’t know how to tell time.”

  Matt remembered Sandra saying something similar and was glad Mariana was on the same page.

  “I don’t want either of you working alone. I’d like there to always be someone with Sandra in case Rodriguez tries something else. It’s clear he and his people have access to the base. Until we figure out how they’re getting in, we’ll have to be on our toes.” Matt didn’t like how many avenues of threat were in this scenario, but they’d have to deal with the problems as they came. “Si, I want you to watch the woods. Keep some patrols closer to the edges of the trees to keep an eye on our buildings, if at all possible. We’ve been focusing on the perimeter looking outward for threats. Let’s shift that to look at threats coming both ways.”

  “We’ll be ready.” Simon nodded, his expression grimly serious.

  Chapter Eight

  Matt muscled through the rest of the day with difficulty, but he’d be damned if he was going to betray his fatigue to Bev. About an hour before quitting time, he sent her on an errand to the other side of the base and told her to go home from there. He waited only to make sure she was out of sight before he left his office and headed straight for his bunk. He had only a few hours before dark and he desperately needed sleep. His body was demanding it and he knew better than to push past this feeling knowing what he might have to face that night.

  He had a bad feeling simmering in the back of his mind. By now, Rodriguez knew the surprise he’d left for Sandra had failed to kill her. Chances were, he’d try again. Matt had to be ready for anything. He spared only a moment to set his alarm to wake him just before sunset, and then collapsed onto his bed fully dressed. He’d change into dark BDUs when he woke. It was his turn—finally—for night work.

  Matt’s eyes closed and he didn’t know anything more until his alarm began to chirp. He woke feeling only marginally better than he had before he’d gone unconscious but it would have to do. He stood and stretched, swapping his regular outfit for a more casual battle dress uniform—darker-colored fatigues.

  One part of him couldn’t believe after all this time dealing with his career-ending injury, he might actually be fit enough to return to the field. Even if his back wasn’t perfect, it felt a hell of a lot better than it had just yesterday. He was in good enough shape to protect Sandra. He had to be.

  Matt clipped one of the small tactical radios to his ear. He’d kept tabs on the combat team a few hours each night using the link but hadn’t been part of the op, so he’d kept quiet for the most part. Tonight he’d do the same unless there was reason to do more. He hoped like hell there’d be no reason.

  But shortly after sunset, as he slipped into the shadows outside his building, the miniature radio crackled to life.

  “Multiple tangos in the woods.” A list of grid coordinates followed in Simon’s clipped tones.

  Damn. The itchy feeling at the back of Matt’s neck intensified. Rodriguez wasn’t waiting. He was striking again before they had time to regroup—or so Rodriguez thought.

  The most they’d had was one or two zombies at a time in the woods, but Simon was reporting multiple contacts. The stakes had just been raised.

  Matt picked up his pace. He’d had to wait for full dark in order to escape his building without being seen. As a result, he was behind schedule in getting into position to keep an eye on Mari and Sandra. The two women should both be in Sandra’s lab, working together.

  He hadn’t been pleased with the idea of them working in the lab. It had been breached once before, after all. But Sandra’s building was the easiest for him to watch without being seen. Mari’s lab in the hospital would have been too exposed. This building was near the outskirts of the base and was mostly empty except for a few day-shift projects. The personnel who worked in those offices were long gone by now.

  Matt listened intently as the combat troops faced more than a dozen of the creatures. They had their hands full and Matt was tempted to go help them, but the odds that the attack was another diversion kept him silent and on mission. Matt double-timed it to Sandra’s building, a shadow among shadows. He felt so alive in the night—active in a way he hadn’t been able to enjoy in far too long. He’d almost forgotten the feeling. If the circumstances hadn’t been so dire, he would have rejoiced in his returning ability to really make a difference in the field.

  As it was, he was just grateful he could be an ace in the hole, should they need it.

  Checking his ammo, Matt entered the building through a side door. He was armed with both conventional weapons and ammunition and the special toxic darts and pistol that would deliver the deadly dose to any zombified creatures he might come across. He was as prepared as he could be as he made his way down a side stairwell to the lab area on the lower floor.

  He heard raised voices as he headed down the darkened hall. Moving silently and swiftly, Matt checked the hall as he went. The only activity appeared to be in the lab itself. He could see a large man through the open door, standing menacingly over Sandra. She faced the man defiantly, a flask of some kind of colorless liquid brandished toward the man in her outstretched hand.

  “Stay back, you creep!” Sandra yelled at the man. The guy’s back was to the open doorway and Matt caught Sandra’s eye as he stepped through. Thankfully, she didn’t give away his presence.

  “Put down the acid, doctor. Make this easy on yourself. If you struggle, I’ll only hurt you more in the end. Either way, you’re coming with me.”

  “Fat chance.” She sneered at the man, but Matt could hear the adrenaline laced fear in her voice.

  Matt advanced. He caught sight of Mariana. She was slumped in a corner, blood dripping down her head. She looked unconscious—or worse. It was time to act.

  Seeing no other assailants in the room, Matt sprang at the guy’s back, knocking him cold in one fell swoop. He was out of the action and down for the count, but Matt took no chances. He secured the man’s hands and feet with heavy-duty cable ties he kept in one cargo pocket.

  “Were there any more or just this one?” he demanded quietly as Sandra put the beaker back on the lab table.

  “Just him,” she confirmed. “He bashed Mari on the head.” Sandra knelt at the other woman’s side, checking her pupils with a penlight as Mari tried groggily to push her hand away. “Bastard snuck up on her like you did to him. Poetic justice, I’d say.”

  “Can she be moved?” Matt kept watch on the hallway. It was the only way in or out of the lab. He dragged the bound man out of sight of the doorway and deposited him behind a lab bench.

  “Yeah. In fact, she’s coming around.” Matt looked over in time to see Sandra tuck her penlight into her lab coat pocket as Mariana held one hand to her temple. “Easy, Mari. You got bonked on the head.”

  “By what?”

  “Not what. Who.” Sandra pointed toward the unconscious man on the floor a few feet away. “Matt bonked him back for you.”

  Mariana squinted at him. “Thanks, Commander. I owe you one.”

  “No proble
m, doctor. How do you feel?”

  “Terrible,” she replied, trying to push to her feet. Sandra helped support her as she stood while Matt continued to keep watch. “Who the heck is he?”

  “He’s the goon who works for Dr. Rodriguez,” Sandra said grimly. She looked directly at Matt. “He was driving the car that ran me down on the road, and he was the guy you saw in the cafeteria that day.”

  “What did he want?” Mariana looked from Matt to Sandra and back again.

  “He wanted me to go with him,” Sandra replied. Matt could hear the anger in her voice.

  “Kidnapping? Why?” Mari seemed confused, her motions slowed by the obvious pain in her head.

  “To bring me to Rodriguez so he could try to force me to work with him. He’s attempting to improve the contagion. He’s approached me before, but I’ve refused.” Sandra sounded grim. “No doubt Rodriguez sent the creature last night and now this guy.”

  “So he wants you dead? Or does he want you working with him?” Mariana sought Matt’s gaze, her confusion evident.

  “One or the other, it looks like,” Matt confirmed. “Look, all hell is breaking loose in the woods. I can’t call anyone in. As long as Mariana’s okay, I think we should make our stand here for now. Until Simon can get free.”

  He had the radio and was listening to the action still taking place in the forest that surrounded the base. He wouldn’t inform Simon that Mari had been hurt. Not yet. Matt had the situation under control, and Simon was in the thick of things.

  One look at Mariana and Matt knew she understood. “Don’t distract him. I’m okay. I’ll be fine until he’s out of the danger zone.”

  “I appreciate your courage, doctor. As long as Sandra concurs with your diagnosis, I’m inclined to say we’ve got this situation under control here for now. I’m monitoring what’s going on in the woods.” He tapped the small receiver in his ear. “They’ve got their hands full. I know better than to break Si’s concentration right now.”

  Mari looked relieved as Sandra supported her. Matt met Sandy’s eyes, and a moment of silent communication passed between them.

  “I’ll help her into the other room where she can lay down. I’ve got some monitors we can hook up to keep an eye on her condition, but she looks good. I don’t anticipate any major problems.” Sandra smiled at Mari encouragingly and they moved slowly toward the small back room.

  Matt cursed the fact that Mariana had been injured. Simon would no doubt have a fit when he heard what had happened, and Matt mentally kicked himself for not arriving sooner. Simon had trusted him to look after the women, and he’d almost been too late. Matt was rusty, but he would never forgive himself if anything happened to Mariana or Sandra while he was around. He’d been sloppy. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

  After tonight, things were going to change. Drastically.

  Matt secured the prisoner in a corner of the room, fastening him to an old metal radiator. He wouldn’t be going anywhere soon. The man was still unconscious and Matt wanted to keep him that way until dawn at least.

  “You got anything to keep this guy asleep until sunrise?” Matt asked Sandra when she emerged from the back room a few minutes later.

  She rubbed her neck as she came toward him, looking skeptically at the guy on the floor. “I shouldn’t sedate anyone with a head injury.”

  “I didn’t hit him that hard. Plus, he was trying to kidnap you. Or kill you. I’d lay odds he’s the one dropped Jennings here last night.”

  Her jaw clenched. “You’re right. He shot out my tire, too.” She turned resolutely toward a lab bench. A few minutes later, she returned with a filled syringe. She examined the man briefly, even going over his eyes with a penlight before efficiently administering the shot to the unconscious man. “That should hold him for a few hours.”

  “Good. Now come here.” He shouldn’t give in to the impulse, but he had to put his arms around her and feel her against him. He had to know on some basic, physical level that she was truly safe.

  Her head tipped to the side in question as she walked toward him. She seemed perplexed when he pulled her into his arms and tugged her against his chest, but she didn’t object or try to pull away.

  “What’s this about?” She rested her cheek against his beating heart.

  “Don’t ask. I’m not even sure myself.” He held her for a long moment, soaking in the feel of her in his arms. She was safe. She was with him. All was right with the world.

  For now.

  Damn, she felt good in his arms.

  “I’m sorry I was late. Si’s gonna have my ass for letting Mari take a hit.”

  “She’s okay. I wouldn’t leave her alone if I thought otherwise, even for a minute.” Matt liked the way Sandra’s hands smoothed over his shirt in an absent caress.

  “But she’s pregnant.” To him that made all the difference.

  “True, but she’s not disabled by it.” She made a scoffing sound. “We females are much more resilient than you men give us credit for.”

  “Hey, I didn’t mean to bring up the whole war of the sexes.” Matt did his best not to laugh too hard. “I can only tell you what Simon’s going to say. He’s going to read me the riot act—commanding officer or not. And I don’t blame him. Damn.” He was mad at himself for not being there sooner or figuring a way to prevent what had happened to Mariana.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” She reached up and stroked his cheek with one hand. Their eyes met, and the moment stretched as humor turned to something far more intimate.

  He wasn’t sure who moved first, but a moment later, their lips met in a kiss fiercer than they’d shared previously. Lips and tongues met and held, dueling and daring, inflaming and heightening the pleasure that burst between them. An explosion of need fired his gut as he held her, drawing her tighter against his body.

  Her softness was the perfect foil for his need. She matched him so well, as if she’d been made specifically to fit into his arms. Her ardor matched his, and for a moment he was tempted to forget all about his duty, the danger, and the others who needed him to be on guard. He wanted nothing more than to take her to the floor and claim her as his own.

  But sanity prevailed. Matt did his best to tamp down his need, denying the passion that threatened to break free as he tried to rein it in. He pulled back little by little, moment by moment.

  Sandra’s lips followed his as he tried to end their kiss. For a moment, he gave in to temptation and prolonged the kiss, enjoying her uninhibited response. Would she be as eager when he was inside her, on top of her, riding her to ecstasy? He thought the answer to that question would probably blow his mind.

  Now was neither the time nor place. Mariana needed them. Simon was counting on him to keep the women safe. He’d already almost botched the job. He wouldn’t let anything else happen. Not on his watch.

  Gathering his willpower, Matt drew away from Sandra, holding her by the shoulders.

  “Whoa there, doc. We’ve still got a job to do.”

  Sandra’s eyes looked adorably sleepy when he gazed down into her face. It took her a moment to snap out of it and come to her senses, which only pleased him more. She’d been as affected as him—maybe even more so, if that were possible. Only his deeply embedded sense of duty had awakened him from the fog of desire that had enveloped them the moment he’d taken her into his arms.

  “Wow.”

  The breathy exclamation did a lot to inflate Matt’s ego, but her next words cut him right back down to size.

  “Dammit, Matt. Don’t do that.” She wrestled out of his arms and he let her go, confused by her reaction.

  “Sorry,” he said reflexively. He really didn’t know what he had to be sorry about. She’d enjoyed the kiss as much as he had. That much had been evident.

  She waved his words away, bustling back toward the room where she’d left Mariana. “We’re staying here for now, right?”

  Matt nodded in response, watching her confusion with dawning appreciation
. He’d knocked her off her axis with that kiss, and she apparently didn’t like it. With an inward grin, he thought with some satisfaction that she’d better get used to it. Regardless of what happened with their shared mission, now that he’d had a taste of her, he wasn’t going to stop. He’d have her, again and again, God willing, before this situation was resolved.

  He’d better hope things rolled in her favor. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she turned out to be one of the many villains in this piece. He was too attracted to her for his own good, and he feared he wasn’t completely in control of his feelings. He could very well fall in love with her, and what happened then would be anyone’s guess.

  He resolved there and then to hang on for the ride. Where the roller coaster would land them only heaven knew, but he’d joined his fate to hers—whether she realized it or not—and now they both had to live with the consequences.

  Just like that, his life had changed. Whether for good or ill remained to be seen.

  Matt remained in the lab while Sandra sought the quiet of the back room. Damn, that man could kiss. He’d just confounded her plan to stay away from him and deny the temptation he represented. She’d wanted more. More kisses. More touches. More skin.

  She’d wanted him. For keeps.

  A scary thought for a woman who had always prided herself on her independence.

  “Everything all right out there?” Mariana asked with knowing eyes.

  Double damn. She’d probably seen what Sandra and Matt had been up to. The amused gleam in Mariana’s eyes was a dead giveaway.

  “Matt’s securing the lab. He says we’ll stay here for now.” Sandra pretended not to notice Mari’s amusement. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay.” Mari put one hand to her temple gingerly. “I never really lost consciousness. I was just stunned. I’m sorry, Sandra. The guy totally snuck up on me.”