Safe (The Shielded Series Book 1)

by Christine DePetrillo

  Darina’s hand on his shoulder made him lose the urge.

  “Clearly I’m not as damned smart as everyone thinks I am.” He marched away then pivoted to face her again. “Maybe we’d have better luck if we searched for Warres and made him tell us how he manufactured the disease. If I knew what he used to create it, I wouldn’t be taking all these aimless shots in the dark. I’m trying to think like him, but I’m not that diabolical.”

  Darina surprised him by smiling. “Diabolical? You?” She shook her head. “Nope. You don’t have that blackness in you.”

  She came to him and pulled him in close. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be consoled right now. The anger was rather refreshing.

  “And we don’t want Warres here. Not with all your people about. He wouldn’t think twice about reporting all the GECs.”

  This was true. Mikale was willing to hunt him down. Finding a load of GECs and reporting them for dismantling would probably delight him.

  “However,” she continued, “if you want to meet with Warres at another location, we can probably make that happen.” She stared up at him. “It’ll involve using yourself as bait though. How do you feel about that?”

  “I feel as if it might be our only option.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Give me your tablet.” Darina held out her hand. Having Foster anywhere near Warres—or being near him herself—was not on the top of her list of ways to spend an afternoon, but it made sense. Draw the asshole out of his safe haven. Let him think he was getting what he wanted then turn the tables on him. Taking down Warres would bring her great satisfaction… not to mention potentially save the world.

  Foster dug in his pocket and slapped the tablet into her palm. His disappointment over his failed attempts made her heart ache. He took his job of saving the planet seriously, but that was too much of a load for one man to bear.

  “Why don’t you have a team of scientists working on the cure?” she asked as she tapped in Ghared’s number. If they were bent on bringing the enemy to them, there was no need to worry about tracing phone calls.

  Foster rubbed his eyes and leaned against the worktable, his fine backside resting on the edge. He folded his arms across his chest and Darina was a little irritated by how much she wanted those arms folded around her.

  One night of sex and I’m hooked on the man.

  So not like her. She hadn’t gotten stupid about a man since…

  She couldn’t allow that to happen again, but as Foster had said, last night was more than sex. They’d shared their bodies in a way that went way beyond mere physical urges. They’d become a part of each other, and Darina didn’t think she’d ever be able to shake the feelings she was developing for Foster.

  “We had a team working on the cure, but none of them understood what was happening to victims’ organs once the plague had time to mature inside them.”

  “But you do?”

  “Yes. It’s a breakdown of the organs at a DNA level.”

  “Which is why it’s so hard to reverse.” She gestured to the microscope with the latest failure still in it.

  Foster nodded. “And then people were also afraid to work on the cure.”

  “Afraid of getting it?” She understood that fear.

  “And afraid of dying from it.” Foster turned back to his table. While he appeared to go in for another round of experimentation, Darina tapped the tablet to call Ghared.

  She watched Foster while the phone rang. He was bent over the microscope now, taking another look and mumbling to himself. How she wished she’d met him ages ago. Maybe her life would have taken a different path. Perhaps she never would have gone on that ride with Ghared that resulted in the loss of her hand.

  No hand loss, no rich bastard, no embarrassment, no pieces of her soul shriveling and dying.

  A sigh of resignation escaped her throat. She had not met Foster ages ago. She had done what she’d done to get her hand. Her life was what it was. She couldn’t turn back the clock and get a do over.

  She only had the future and it was time to steer her path in a slightly different direction once this job was over.

  “Why is he not answering?” She stared at the still ringing tablet.

  Foster looked up from the microscope. “Does he usually answer right away?”

  “Well… yeah. When I call.”

  “He runs to do your bidding?” His eyes narrowed at her, and she knew she had to answer this question carefully. He was already upset about the cure. The splash of jealousy in his question was seed enough to turn into something messy and ugly.

  “Ghared’s a part of our family. Zeke and I have depended on him for many things just as he’s depended on us. I’d answer his call immediately too.”

  Foster glanced to the tablet, still attempting to establish a connection to the outside. A muscle in his jaw ticked, but when he looked at her, his face had relaxed. “I’m glad you have… someone like him in your life. I’d hate to think you and Zeke have been alone out there all this time.”

  His concern touched her, even if a little jealous flare still flickered in his beautiful green eyes.

  “And you’ve had all the people here. I know they depend on you keeping them hidden, but I can tell they give you something you need too.”

  “They do. While Carielle took wonderful care of me, she wasn’t really my family. I started in this world without a family, but I like to think I’ve built something resembling one here.” He met her gaze directly. “I want the real thing though. I want a family that is truly my own.”

  She swallowed around the tightness in her throat. His sincere admission of what he wanted, his vulnerability, reached deep into her.

  Darina wanted to be the one to make his wishes come true, but did they live in a world where anyone’s wishes came true anymore? Besides, GECs couldn’t have children. Not biological ones anyway.

  She entered Ghared’s number again and when he didn’t answer, she tried Mareea’s number. No answer there either. “Something’s wrong.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Cop instinct.” She sifted out a breath. “You’re not going to like what comes out of my mouth next.”

  He straightened and waved his hand. “Hit me with it.”

  “I have a bad feeling Ghared and Mareea are in a situation.” She gestured to the door of the lab. “We need to evacuate this property.”

  “Wait. You think our location has been compromised? I thought you trusted Ghared.”

  “I do. With my life. With Zeke’s life. He wouldn’t willingly do anything to betray us, but he may not have had a choice. If someone got his hands on Mareea, Ghared would do whatever it takes to spare her. Even give up my location should someone want it.”

  “Warres wants it if he knows you’re guarding me.”

  “With the reach that man has, the probability he knows is high. While drawing Warres here was our next plan of action, I want it to be our plan of action. Not on his terms. If I’m to properly do my job of guarding you, Doc, we have to leave... or…” She pulled on her bottom lip.

  “Or?” Foster joined her on the other side of the table.

  “Or we make it look as if we’ve left.” The pieces of a plan fused themselves together in her brain. “If Warres has Ghared and Mareea and he’s made Ghared give up our location, he’s probably thinking he’ll waltz in here and grab what he wants.”

  “Me.”

  “You.” She clenched her teeth. “What he doesn’t realize is when I guard something, I consider it mine, and I’ve never quite mastered the ability to share.”

  Foster’s smile warmed her from head to toe. “I don’t want to be shared.” He came to stand in front of her and kissed her, but as much as she enjoyed that, the taste of him clouded her thinking. Now was not the time for clouded thinking.

  She stepped back, and his pout almost made her launch back to him. “I can’t think tactically with your lips on me.”

  “Now you know how I felt.” He held u
p his hands, but didn’t look sorry that he’d distracted her. In fact, he looked rather pleased with himself and the effect he had on her. “Do you want me to assemble everyone in the great room, and we can brainstorm how we want to leave the property without actually leaving?”

  His ability to shift from kissing her to helping her was impressive. Her body, however, hadn’t quite forgotten what it was like to have his lips on her yet.

  “Yes. Everyone needs to be part of the plan in order for it to work and we need to get organized quickly. We don’t know what kind of a jumpstart Warres might have.” Her experience so far told her that everyone living there would be on board. They’d do anything for Foster.

  She understood now why they’d want to.

  Foster opened the lab door to find Estoria on the other side, toting a tray of food. “Oh,” she said with a startled look on her face. “I was coming with some lunch for the two of you. If finding a cure is as exhausting as giving birth, I figured you’d be starving.” She balanced the tray on one hand, plucked a strawberry from a bowl, and popped it into her mouth. “Repairing the cells of a seriously worn out vagina stirs up an appetite.”

  “Repairing cells…” Foster repeated.

  When Darina turned to look at him, he had this crazed expression on his face as if he were doing some fevered calculations in his head. “What?”

  He clamped his hands on her shoulders almost painfully and gave her a little shake. Realizing his roughness, he released her and raked his hands through his hair so it stood out on either side of his head.

  “Repairing cells.” He laughed. “All this fucking time, I’m struggling to revive the cells of dead organs, and I have a cell repairer right here.” He thrust his arms out to Estoria. “She grew female reproductive organs in place of the ones I removed. She’s got the code I need to unlock the cure.” He smacked a hand to his forehead. “The answer’s been here all along.”

  “Some genius you are.” Darina smiled and poked him in the chest.

  “Sometimes genius takes time.” After setting the tray of food down, he grabbed Estoria by the hand and tugged her toward his worktable. “Time is what I need now. Go and meet with the others. You’ll have their full cooperation. Come back and fill me in when you’re done. Hopefully, I’ll be done by then too.”

  “I don’t like the idea of leaving you here,” Darina said. Clearly, now wasn’t a time to get brainless. Especially if Warres was on his way to Vermont.

  “Rasha and Hydec were in the great room when I passed by with the food tray,” Estoria said.

  “I’ll send them in.” Darina walked toward the door, but turned back. “Foster?”

  “Yeah?” He looked up from the empty beaker in his hand.

  “Good luck.”

  He smiled. “I don’t need luck. I’ve got science.”

  Darina hoped that was true.

  ****

  “Vermont? Foster Ashby is hiding in Vermont?” Mikale shook his head as he gazed out the window of the pulsejet. The leafy treetops spread green over much of the landscape, but here and there cleared spaces broke up the woods. In one of those cleared spaces, Foster thought himself safe as he worked at stopping Mikale’s plague.

  Can’t have that.

  No. Foster had to be ended. Today.

  But Vermont?

  “You’re not lying to us now, Mr. Timms, are you?” Mikale wrapped a section of Mareea’s hair around his hand and yanked. “Because if you are…”

  “I don’t make a habit of lying when my niece’s life is on the line.” Ghared hadn’t moved much in his seat. His arms remained folded across his chest, his legs looking as if they didn’t quite fit in the space behind the copilot’s seat. The hollow eye sockets of those tattooed skulls on his arm watched everything. The man knew how to look intimidating.

  But he doesn’t have a weapon. I do.

  Mikale didn’t like having so few advantages over an opponent, but if he didn’t lose his focus, he’d be victorious. That was the only outcome he’d accept.

  “About two miles east of here,” Ghared said, “you’ll see a series of open fields. Set this rig down in the northernmost field.”

  Trevis made the course adjustments as Dugan assisted, and Mikale went back to looking out the window. He assumed Darina was armed, but was Foster? The Dr. Ashby he’d known at Emerge Tech wasn’t a violent man. He’d had no love of war and weapons, but had the state of the world changed him? Had he felt the need to protect himself? Clearly, Emerge Tech had felt the need or they wouldn’t have hired a bodyguard for him. Hiring a bodyguard had to mean Foster wasn’t capable of keeping himself safe.

  Weak. Though Foster’s mind had always been strong, his willingness to fight had always been nonexistent. Suited Mikale just fine. He was coming into the Vermont hideout with three weapons: two associates with fight training and Darina’s supposed best friend to get her to comply. She’d probably hand over Foster without a second thought. He was just a job after all. According to his intel, this Ghared Timms was important to her. If she had thoughts of refusing Mikale’s demands, he’d send Mr. Timms to live amongst those damned skulls on his arm.

  Mareea wiggled closer to Ghared, but Mikale tightened his grip on her. “A pretty girl like you should relish the attentions of an older, more experienced man.”

  Ghared shifted forward in his seat now and glared around his niece at Mikale. His blue eyes were as sharp as lasers, and Mikale had to fight to not look away.

  “It’d be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut, Warres. Say something like that again to her and you’re not going to like what your face looks like afterward.”

  Mareea sniffled, her body shaking slightly against Mikale’s. Her fear aroused him almost as much as picturing what he was going to do with Darina once he had her. Maybe he’d keep Mareea too. Just to piss her uncle off.

  Grinning, he watched the fields come into view. He wouldn’t have to wait much longer to have both Foster and Darina in his possession. His plague would continue to flourish. His repopulation plans could enter the practice round—and he wanted lots of practice. His dream of building a better world would be in its final phases. His mother would be so proud of him.

  Today was a good day.

  Trevis switched to silent mode and lowered the pulsejet in the field Ghared had indicated. He turned around and looked at Mikale.

  “What’s the plan, boss?”

  “Bind these two and tote them along. Locate Ashby and Officer Lazitter.”

  Trevis and Dugan nodded and got out of the pulsejet. The back doors opened, and Mikale climbed out, dragging Mareea behind him. Ghared got out on his own. By the time Mikale had rounded the pulsejet with Mareea, Dugan was on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

  “Oops,” Ghared said, an amused tilt to his lips. “I must have slipped getting out. Your man was kind enough to break my fall.”

  Drawing in a breath, Mikale pressed his weapon into Mareea’s side, making the girl cry out. Her mouth was still gagged, but her wail bounced off the nearby trees just the same.

  “Hush.” Mikale shook the girl. “You’ll ruin our surprise arrival.” He looked at Ghared, then gestured to Dugan’s lifeless form. “Do something like that again and you’ll get a hole in you.”

  “You can try.” Ghared braced his legs, geared up for a fight. “You didn’t actually think I’d lead you here and let you get Foster and Darina, did you?” He let out a raspy laugh. “I just needed a ride back.”

  He made a move to charge Mikale, but Trevis had crept up behind him and landed a kick to the back of Ghared’s left leg. The snap that sounded made Mikale cringe and Mareea scream around the gag as Ghared sunk to the ground.

  “I said no screaming, sweetheart.” He shook Mareea and more tears poured down her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her nose red. Crying was never attractive. He bet Darina never cried.

  Ghared attempted to get to his feet with grunts of pain, but Trevis leaned down and punched him in the jaw
. The sound of Ghared’s body thumping face first into the soft dirt brought Mikale great pleasure.

  Time to get more pleasure out of this trip.

  “Bind him,” he told Trevis, “and give me something to secure this one.” He jostled Mareea, who had gone limp at the sight of her unconscious uncle.

  Once Ghared and Mareea were secured with magnetic cuffs, Mikale said, “He’s going to be too much trouble to move around now.”

  “Sorry.” Trevis gave him a regretful glance.

  “Don’t be. You did the right thing. He needed to be controlled.”

  Trevis beamed at Mikale’s praise, and though the large man wasn’t bright most of the time, he knew how to fly a pulsejet, take orders, and bring a man like Ghared Timms down to his knees. Plus, he was loyal as hell.

  “Secure the cuffs to the pulsejet,” Mikale said. “We’ll leave him behind. This girl should be enough leverage. The good officer will know if we have her, we also have her uncle.”

  Trevis did as he was told, and Ghared’s hands were clamped above his head to the pulsejet. “What about Dugan?” He gestured to the body mingling with dirt and blood.

  “Leave him,” Mikale said. “Dust to dust.”

  Nodding, Trevis took control of Mareea so Mikale could lead. As they walked away, Ghared released a pained moan.

  “Too bad I won’t get to see Darina fuck you up, Warres. Should be a great show.” The man smiled then passed out again.

  “Is it possible we’ve underestimated what we’re up against, boss?” Trevis asked.

  “No.” There would only be one kind of fucking going on between him and Darina. The kind he’d been dreaming about. The kind he never got from the women he bought.

  Mikale led Trevis and Mareea toward a series of cottages. They stuck to the tree line, using it as cover as they approached. His sharp eyes scanned everything. His ears listened for any indication that their appearance had been detected. His fingers were poised over the trigger of his weapon, ready to blast anything in their way.

  But the place was a ghost town. No voices sounded. No engines ran. The huge water wheel they’d come upon was still and silent. The only noise was the stream rippling as it passed over rocks and the rustle of leaves when the warm, summer wind blew.