by Joni Hahn
Ducking his head against the onslaught, he took a step forward, into the maelstrom…
The room silenced.
Raising his head, he stood on a platform that overlooked a large warehouse, a ring of fire sizzling in the center of the floor. To his right, a door led into some type of command center with windows looking down on the warehouse.
A bullet hit the wall beside him. Crouching low, he threw down his arm and assembled a shield. Holding it up, he ran in the opposite direction, to the command center door.
“Bullets on your left,” he yelled into his armband, right before Saint and Rose crashed through the warehouse door.
Busting into the command center, Dylan stopped short at the sight of a lone man standing at a control panel. He worked where he sat, without acknowledging Dylan’s presence. Contracting his shield, Dylan approached him with careful steps, gun pointed at his head.
“Hands where I can see them.”
Shots rang out in the warehouse, before Rose and Saint rushed through the door behind him.
Raising his hands above his head, the clone turned to Dylan, a menacing grin on his common face. “You’re too late.”
“For what?” Dylan said, butting the barrel of his gun against the man’s forehead. “What just happened?”
The clone stared at him, a serene smile on his face. Why did he bother with a gun when the clones didn’t fear death?
Rose and Saint went to the panel, reading the controls.
“Too late for what?” Dylan ground out through gritted teeth.
His voice held a lethal air. “Destiny.”
Thoughts of Teague flooded his mind. Grabbing him by the shirtfront, Dylan got in his face.
“Tell me, or I’ll rip your head off with my bare hands.”
With a patronizing shake of his head, the clone said, “You’re so predictable.”
Dylan stilled. Rose and Saint whipped around to stare at him.
Shit, this was all a decoy. A ploy set up by Cyrus to get Teague.
A loud, succinct curse exploded from his mouth. Grabbing the clone’s head, he gave his neck a deadly twist.
“Mitchell.” He spat into his armband, following Rose and Saint out of the command center.
“McCall, go ahead.”
Please God, don’t let me be too late.
“Is Teague still there?”
***
Hope’s phone rang on the tray beside Teague’s airplane seat. Two D.I.R.E. agents - her new bodyguards - sat across the aisle, guns at their waists. They were just minutes out of Sacramento, her stomach a rolling sea of nerves and nausea.
“Hi, Dad,” Hope said, putting her phone on speaker. “I was just thinking about you.” She looked at Teague, her eyes round with worry. “I’m coming to see you.”
“Honey…” Luke’s Powers’ breathless voice sounded anxious. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
Sitting up in her seat, Hope stared straight ahead, her back rigid. “What are you sorry about, Dad?”
“I… I just want you to know I love you…”
Hope whipped around to stare at Teague, panic in her wide eyes.
“…Above all else, honey. I love you and Riordan.”
“I love you, too, Dad.” Hope’s voice shook. “We’ll talk about this when I get there, okay?”
Silence carried over the airwaves.
“Dad?” Hope said, looking around the cabin, listening for his response.
Luke’s voice sounded choked with tears. “I won’t be here, honey. I have to go.”
“Go?” Swallowing hard, Hope’s voice turned hard. “Dad, you’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be scared, baby. You have Jaydan now. He’ll watch over you.”
Oh, God...
Teague clutched Hope’s hand. His words sounded like a suicide note.
“Stay at the office until I get there, okay, Dad?” Hope said. “Don’t do anything.”
“I won’t be here,” Luke said in a firm tone.
Teague heard shuffling in the background.
“I’ll just track you, Dad.” Determination rang loud in Hope’s voice.
“You won’t find me,” he countered, with equal determination.
Good God, the man scared her and she didn’t know him.
“I have to go, princess. I love you.”
The line went dead. Tears popped into Hope’s pale green eyes before she covered her face with her hands. Teague pulled her into her embrace. What kind of father was he? How dare he leave her with such guilt?
She spoke to the agents over Hope’s shoulder. “Please get Agent Rose on the line.”
“We’re in decent,” one of them said. “I’ll call as soon as we land.”
Hope spoke against her shoulder. “I can’t live without him, Teague. I can’t.”
Teague had felt the same way when her parents died. She’d thought it was a matter of time before she died, too, so they could all be together. She was left behind.
The loss was something she wished on no one. Especially Hope, someone she’d grown close to over the last few weeks. The woman had been through so much already.
Teague rubbed her back, something she would’ve never done before she’d gone to D.I.R.E. Other than Amy, she’d never been this close to… people.
An hour later, the pilot came on and asked them to buckle up. She clutched Hope’s hand in hers as the plane landed.
“If my friend wasn’t… sick, I would stay with you.”
She nodded. “I know. Jaydan will be here when he can.”
Hope’s confidence in Jaydan left a knot of envy in Teague’s chest. Her relationship with Dylan had never developed to that level. She’d never allowed it. If she called him now, he’d laugh at her.
The plane rolled to a stop.
“This is why I always tell people to profess their love,” Hope said, with a shake of her head. “You never know when someone will be gone.”
Teague knew that better than anyone. Yet, did that prompt her to tell Dylan? Even a hard kick to the heart didn’t get through her thick skull.
“He isn’t gone, Hope. Maybe he’s just going into hiding for a while.”
She wiped at her eyes with a forefinger. “I hope you’re right, Teague.”
Teague grabbed her tote bag and stood up. One of the agents pulled her suitcase out of the overhead compartment. She held out her hand to take it, but he waved her off. She bent and gave Hope a hug.
Hope said, “Teague, you have to tell Dylan you love him.”
Straightening, she stared down at Hope, her heart shattering.
Hope grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but don’t wait until it’s too late.”
Chapter 12
That evening, Teague walked into the downtown Sacramento office, her heart pounding so hard she knew the agents could hear it in the SUV outside. She’d already decided that she would negotiate with Cyrus for Amy and, if necessary, the D.I.R.E. agents’ release. If Cyrus needed her that badly, she had to use her clout to her advantage.
When she thought about it, she had a great opportunity. If she could guarantee their safety and left with Cyrus, she would sabotage his technology from the inside. She could help Dylan get his revenge, and if all worked out, determine how to destroy the clones once and for all.
“Teague. Thank God…”
Amy sat behind a desk in an office off the reception area. Her face was tear-streaked, Dr. Capri’s stockbroker and another man – clones? – standing behind her, guns in shoulder holsters. Amy’s phone lay on the desktop, a small flat screen on the wall, playing the evening news.
Walking over, Teague glared at the men as she hugged Amy close. “Are you okay?”
Amy frowned, a wadded tissue in her hand. Teague knew her uncharacteristic behavior confused her friend. But, she had no time to explain how much her life had changed since she’d left the lab.
“Yes, I’m fine. What’s going on, Teague?”
“The less you know, the better.” Looking at the men, she said, “I’m here. Let her go.”
Teague knew once Amy walked out that door, the D.I.R.E. agents would know she’d lied to them. However, by that point, she would’ve accomplished her goal of getting Amy to safety. They would take care of her.
Giving a brief nod, the stockbroker said, “Agreed.”
Turning Amy to look at him, he trailed a finger down her cheek, his eyes dark and filled with hunger.
Did he feel something for Amy? Teague assumed he’d used Amy to get to her. Had he fallen in love in the process? Could clones fall in love? A rumble of thunder sounded overhead.
“Be careful,” he said, in a deep voice.
Amy sighed, her eyes going soft. Judging from his muscular physique and suave manner, the clone must’ve been created for seduction. He held Amy spellbound. Teague knew, first hand, Dylan could accomplish the same thing and he’d needed no special enhancements, just his generous, brave, outgoing self.
Lightning flashed outside the window before thunder rumbled again. She heard the front door open. An older, blond man appeared in the office. He looked so much like Riordan St. James, there could be no doubt she stood feet away from Luke Powers.
“I’m looking for Cyrus,” he said.
Now that he’d arrived, she knew Cyrus would be there any moment. She wanted Amy nowhere near him. Pointing toward the front door, Teague watched Luke.
“Amy, go. Now.”
Her friend jumped, before grabbing her phone off the desk and giving Teague a brief hug. “Love you, T.”
The endearment surprised her like a knock on the parietal lobe. They had never shown affection, yet Teague knew she could always count on Amy.
Lowering her voice to a near whisper, Teague said, “Get far away from here.”
Amy ran from the room, brushing past Luke in the process.
Lifting her chin, Teague looked down her nose at Luke. The bastard had just left his daughter guilt-ridden and heartbroken. She would give him no respect.
“If you want to see Cyrus,” Teague said, “get in line.”
Pulling back his head, he gave her an affronted frown. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Teague Hamilton, Mr. Powers.”
Rain rattled the windows, the wind whirling and whipping at the trees. A deafening roar shook the building, causing her to stumble. The clones seemed unaffected, while Luke stared out the window, a succession of lightning strikes flashing in the sky. The building rumbled like a volcano before it ruptured, winds lashing at the structure, rocking it. She braced a hand on the desk, her body trembling.
The skies were clear when they flew into the city. Where had this come from and why was no one concerned? She’d never witnessed a storm so violent.
A blinding light flashed, before a loud whir faded into silence. The smell of burning wood and ash washed over the room.
“Right this way.” Amy’s stockbroker pointed to the doorway where Luke stood.
Luke stepped into the hallway, allowing her to pass with the clones, before taking up the rear.
“Where are we going?” she said, hugging her tote bag against her shoulder.
Pressing a bar across the door, the stockbroker led them into a large warehouse. A huge, bell-shaped machine sat in the room, water dripping from its lighted rim, tiny flames dancing on the floor in a ring of black dust. Luke stood beside her, his spicy cologne subtle yet, distracting.
“What is that?” She watched a vertical door open from the ground up. A staircase came into view.
“A time machine.”
Teague whipped around to look at him. D.I.R.E. had suspected Cyrus owned the technology. Now, she had proof.
“You knew about it?” Pulling out her phone, she took a picture.
Luke laughed at her. “You don’t think he’ll actually let you keep that, do you?”
The door burst open behind them. Catching her breath, she whipped around. The D.I.R.E. agents held their guns pointed at the clones.
Thank God.
“Hands in the air where we can see them.”
Pandemonium erupted in the cavernous space. The clones rushed the agents, firing shots, the bullets pinging off the metal door and exposed beams. Stooping low, Luke grabbed her arm and ran toward the craft. Teague dug in her heels.
“No, I don’t want to go…” She shouted above the gunfire.
“Do you want to die?” he yelled, his fingers banding around her arm with bruising force.
Gulping for breath, she shoved against him, trying to break away. She couldn’t get inside that time machine. She’d never see Dylan again, never get a chance to apologize.
“I’d prefer dying, over going with Cyrus.”
She looked back at the agents. One went down, a bullet to his chest.
“No...”
Shoving her forward, Luke said, “You may get your wish.”
A blond man appeared on the machine steps, his blue eyes narrow and determined. “Here...” He held out his hand.
She fought the men, kicking and swinging her fists. The blond grabbed her arm and yanked her up the stairs, Luke shoving her from behind. Stumbling on the top step, she stopped inside the small cabin. A clone stood in front of a dashboard, his back to them. The door shut with a resounding clong.
The blond sat her in one of four, vacant chairs in the center of the small space. “Dr. Hamilton, I’m Cyrus Matheson. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”
She glared up at him. “I never agreed to… time travel, Cyrus.” Straightening in her seat, she willed away the constriction gripping her diaphragm. Why did it have to worsen now?
“What better place to hide you from D.I.R.E. than in the past?” he said, his voice smooth, calm.
Tightening her fist around her phone, Teague preferred death to spending life in another time, without her research, her medication, her… Dylan.
Rather than hiding her MS hug, perhaps she should give into it. Maybe he would see her as useless and let her go.
Luke said, “Is that necessary, Cyrus?”
“She’ll be my bargaining chip for Keegan.” Cyrus turned his back on them to work at the dashboard.
He entered the date June sixth, nineteen eighty-nine on the dash display. She was five years old, her parents dead less than a year.
“Are you sure you have the right time?” Luke crossed the cabin to stand beside him at the display.
Cyrus stared at him, a look of condescending patience in his blue gaze. “You came to me, Powers. I know how to operate my own machine.”
The idea that Cyrus could pinpoint a specific time of day in the past boggled her mind. To think she’d always considered herself knowledgeable in cutting edge technology. The truth was, she was a naïve schoolgirl.
She glanced at her phone. The photo of the time machine sat on the screen. She had to get it to D.I.R.E. while she still had time.
With the men distracted, she pressed the text button. Using Jocelyn and Hope’s numbers would ensure her message reached Mitchell. If she never saw Dylan again, she wanted him to know the truth. That she wasn’t with Cyrus by choice, that she was completely infatuated with him and would do all she could to help him from the inside. Even if it cost her, her life.
The machine revved up, thunder rumbling outside the craft. She didn’t realize she’d typed everything into her phone until she stared down at the screen. She had to get down the rest before they caught her
1989. Luke is here. Capri connected. Dylan, meeting u - my luckiest day ever. Teague.
She hit send and watched it process, before deleting the text from history.
The phone was snatched from her hand. She gasped. Glaring at Cyrus standing above her, she wrapped her arms around her middle.
“We’re going to have to do something about your misplaced loyalty, Dr. Hamilton.”
***
Dylan, meeting u - my luckiest day ever. Teague.
She might as well have ripped o
pen his chest again.
Growling in frustration, Dylan slammed his fists against the wall of nanobots standing in the middle of the stealth jet. Pain shot through his chest and into his head, aggravating him even more. Walking toward Saint and Rose in the open cockpit, he paced the length of the cabin.
“Sorry, McCall,” Tristan Jacobs said, through the armband. “I can’t teleport to a moving target. If you weren’t flying over the Pacific, I could pick you up.” He disconnected.
What good was his new enhancement now? Teague was freaking God knows where in the space/time continuum - with Cyrus. The idea of never seeing her again scared the shit out of him. D.I.R.E. had time travel technology, but how did he find her in nineteen eighty-nine – if that’s where they remained? The longer it took to reach her, the more time Cyrus had to hide her anywhere in time.
He could hear his father now. I tried to tell you. You aren’t cut out for this.
“If they went back to nineteen eighty-nine,” Riordan said, “we’ll find them in Sacramento. That’s where everything went down with my father.”
“Why take Teague?” Creating a baseball in his hand, Dylan threw it at the wall. It shattered to the floor. The nanobots trailed up his legs to enter his armbands.
“It’s her destiny, right?” Rose said, turning in his seat. “If Capri’s connected and she worked for him, he’s been a part of Cyrus’s plans for decades.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Dylan paced again. “She says she doesn’t work for him.” He stopped to stare at them. “Hell, why did she show up on the beach with that contract if she worked for him all along?”
Riordan’s low voice rang with logic, reminding him of Teague. “Unless they did it to get her inside D.I.R.E.?”
Dylan spat the curse word, refusing to believe the evidence. Teague worked for Capri, who worked for Cyrus. She infiltrated the agency, gained access to the confiscated genetic research through Clint’s friendship, earned Dylan’s trust, and had now returned to the fold with whatever samples she had in her possession.
No.
He couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t believe it. Teague had saved his life and sent them information on this time travel op. Why would she do that if she worked for Cyrus?
