Hold On Tight

by Cynthia Eden

  He put down the helmet. Took out the gun. “If your life was on the line, I’d want you to shoot. Shoot whoever the fuck is threatening you.” And his gaze slid down her body.

  Lingered on her stomach.

  Oh, no. Oh, hell, no. “You are such a liar.”

  She whirled away from him. But really, where was she going?

  He moved with her and pressed the button for the elevator.

  “The building isn’t even supposed to be open,” she huffed. “How is this happening? How’d you get access?”

  “Some ex-Lazarus friends of mine know how important you are. We secured this place to help protect you.” A pause. “This is just a temporary safe house. A resting point until you can be convinced that you need to leave town with me.”

  He thought she’d rush away with him? Ha!

  The elevator doors opened. She hurried inside. He came at a much slower, stalker-like pace. He pushed a button for the top floor. And the elevator doors slid closed without a sound.

  “Leave town?” she managed to ask. “And go where?”

  He hesitated.

  Crap.

  “We may need to leave the country. Depends on just who is after you and how much of Lazarus is left.”

  “Look, I’m not some super spy or something, all right? I’m just—”

  He moved toward her. His hands lifted, and he caged her between his body and the back wall of the elevator. “You are extraordinary. I knew it from the first moment we met.”

  “When I was tied to the chair?”

  “When you were brave as all hell and you never flinched. When you tried to save my ass on the staircase, never even realizing that I could take those bullets and keep going. Or at least…” A faint grin twisted his lips. “I could rise again.”

  “That’s not funny. Death isn’t funny.”

  The elevator dinged. The doors opened.

  “No, I don’t guess it is.” He moved back. Took her hand. His touch seemed to electrify her. Why, why was she still so primed to him? Everything about Jett called to her.

  Jett.

  He led her down a hallway. Then he was opening one of the doors. 2020. Before she entered, Savannah glanced at him. “Is Jett your real name?”

  “Yes.”

  “You promise?”

  He nodded.

  She crossed the threshold. And realized they were in the lap of luxury. A top of the line penthouse. Floor to ceiling windows. When the sun rose, she was sure the view would be killer.

  “You like the ocean, so when I was looking for safe houses, this seemed like a good bet for you. Since it’s not listed as being fully constructed, our enemies won’t think to search here. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. By the time they do close in, you and I will be long gone.”

  She curled her arms around her stomach.

  And, once more, his gaze dropped. “Are you pregnant?”

  He’d just flat out asked. “I thought you couldn’t have kids, remember?”

  “Savannah…”

  “That is what you told me. That you couldn’t have kids. That it was safe for us to have sex.”

  He glanced down at his hands. “That’s what I was told.”

  She waited. Because he’d sure better have one hell of a lot more to say than just that.

  “The Lazarus subjects came back from the dead. Yes, our hearts still beat, we still breathe, but we are different. Some very fucking distinct differences.”

  Like the ability to come back from the dead.

  She had a flash of him lying on her bedroom floor.

  The life had left his eyes…

  “The doctors there told us—time and fucking time again—that we couldn’t have children. That it wasn’t a possibility for us.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Those bastards encouraged us to have sex after our missions. To blow off steam, they said. To get back to a level of normalcy. Told us we didn’t need condoms. We can’t catch infections—we heal too quickly. Let me show you what I mean.” Jett yanked off his blood-covered shirt.

  Blood had dried on his chest. But…where there should have been two bullet wounds, the skin had already closed. It was pink, healing.

  Stunned, she stumbled toward him. Her hand lifted, and her fingers touched those red marks. Closed. Totally closed.

  His hand rose and curled around hers. Oh, God, his blood is still on my hand. “We heal fast,” Jett murmured. “A very accelerated rate.”

  She looked up at him. Those bastards encouraged us to have sex after our missions. Those words hurt. He’d basically just told her that she was another in a very long line for him. Dammit. Savannah wrenched her hand back from him. “I guess you have to go find all of your former lovers now and see if they are pregnant. That the routine? That what you are—”

  “There are no other lovers. You are the only woman I’ve been with since I woke up in that Lazarus lab.”

  Okay, she didn’t know how to respond to that. A lie? A truth?

  “You are the only one.” His head tilted. “I have never wanted a woman the way I want you. I should have kept my hands off you. I knew that. You’d been through hell. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop. I wanted you.”

  “I need to…” Get away. Think. “I need to get the blood off me.”

  He caught her fingers in his. “There’s a shower you can use. Hell, I think there are five bathrooms in this place. Take your pick.” His thumb was over her wrist, stroking along her pulse. “But you have to tell me first…are you pregnant? Savannah, are you carrying my baby?”

  She stared at their joined hands. At the blood. At his strength. “That’s why you came back, isn’t it?” He hadn’t come back because he loved her. Because he’d realized that he just couldn’t live without her. Not because of some mad, desperate desire. He’d come back…

  “I learned that Lazarus was jerking us around. They are the bad guys. Or at least, some of them sure as hell are. When I was told that you could be pregnant, I knew how important you’d be to Lazarus.”

  Her gaze rose. “Why?”

  “Because it’s my baby. You will be giving birth to the child of a Lazarus soldier. Think about it. What if my enhancements are passed on to him or her? Don’t you see what that could mean?”

  She pulled in a deep breath. Let it out. Pulled it in. “I need that shower.”

  His hold tightened, but then he let her go. “Of course. We can talk when—”

  She turned on her heel. Headed down the hallway. Stopped after about five steps. Without looking at him, she said, “Yes, I’m pregnant.” Anger was growing, building inside of her. Raging. Threatening to shatter her careful control. Glancing over her shoulder, Savannah grimly told him, “And no one will ever hurt my baby.”

  ***

  The bathroom door slammed behind Savannah. A few moments later, the shower blasted on, the thunder of water reaching Jett easily.

  Pregnant.

  When he’d first learned that Savannah might be pregnant—might be—his world had seemed to absolutely stop. He’d known he had to find her, had to get back to her right away and learn the truth. If she was pregnant, then others would be after her. A Lazarus baby would be a big fucking deal.

  But he and Savannah had only been together a few times. Pregnancy hadn’t been guaranteed, it had—

  It only takes one time.

  He looked at his fingers. Were they shaking? Shit. He clenched his fingers into fists. Pregnant. Savannah was pregnant with his baby. He was going to have a child.

  A little girl with Savannah’s determination.

  A boy with her smile.

  He didn’t recognize the feelings sweeping through him, not right away. His heart was racing, his hands sweating, his breath heaving—and he was smiling.

  Because he was going to be a father. Savannah was having his baby. He found himself bounding down the hallway, rushing toward her.

  The scene had been all wrong. He should have immediately gone to her, wrapped her in his arms, and sworn
that he would protect her and the baby. Always. Because that was exactly what he would do. No one would ever hurt them. Not while he lived. And, shit, not while he died, either.

  They were his. And he’d do anything to protect what was his.

  His hand reached for the bathroom doorknob. No, no, he couldn’t just open the door. His hand lifted, got ready to rap against the wood. “Savan—”

  No.

  His lips clamped together.

  Fucking, no. Savannah had thought that he’d killed her father. That accusation had burned him straight to his soul. Over the last three months, while he’d been longing for her, she’d been convinced that he’d destroyed her family?

  And…during that whole time, she’d thought he was a monster?

  His hand pressed to the wood of the door, but he didn’t knock. Mostly because he didn’t know what to say. He was happy that she was pregnant, but Savannah—he’d just brought her fully into the nightmare of his world. He’d volunteered for Lazarus. At least, that was the story he’d been given. Unfortunately, he’d learned some of the Lazarus test subjects had been manipulated. Hell, they’d been killed and brought into the program against their will. The paperwork and the volunteer videos for some of the subjects had been faked.

  Had that happened to him, too?

  He didn’t know. There was so much in this world he didn’t remember. Life before Lazarus. So many chunks of time were blank.

  But one thing he knew with absolute certainty—Jett couldn’t let Savannah go. He had to protect her. Had to protect the baby.

  Lazarus could never touch her.

  The water stopped. There was a faint drip, drip.

  He should move away from the door.

  She’s having my baby.

  He’d never thought that he would be a father. Never thought he could have a family. But his family—they were on the other side of the door.

  No, she never agreed to any of this. I told her there was no risk. I told her—

  The door opened. Steam drifted out to wrap around him. And Savannah was there. With her wet hair sliding around her shoulders. With a towel wrapped around her body. She lifted a brow. “Skulking in doorways now?”

  “I’m happy.” Shit. Wrong thing to say.

  Now both brows lifted. “Good for you.”

  Don’t fuck this up.

  “I think it’s too late for that,” Savannah murmured, and he knew she’d picked up on his thoughts. “This whole situation seems well and truly fucked.”

  “I can take care of you and the baby. I can get you away from here. I have friends who want to help you. Help us. We can start over. We can be safe.”

  Now her brows lowered. “Let me get this straight. You found out that you could father a child. You realized whoops, I might have made Savannah pregnant, and then you hauled ass to get down here to me?”

  He nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

  “You are such a bastard. Get the hell out of my way.” She stormed forward, with red burning in her cheeks.

  Jett got the hell out of her way. “Savannah?”

  She growled. Snarled. “I need clothes. And I don’t want to put back on the blood-stained ones I was wearing.”

  “I, um, the room to the right. I made sure to get you some clothes, just in case—”

  She whipped toward him, jabbed him in the chest with her index finger, and demanded, “In case of what? In case you had to get me to hop on a motorcycle with you and leave everything I owned behind?”

  Yes, pretty much in case of that very thing. Actually, that had been the plan.

  “You didn’t come back for me.”

  “What? Of course, I did. I came back—”

  “You came back because of the baby.” Her index finger jabbed into him again. “If it weren’t for the baby, I never would have seen you again.”

  “I…” Shit. This was bad. “Savannah, it was better for you if I wasn’t in your life. Don’t you see that? I bring danger.” So much freaking danger. “I’m not safe to be around. Hell, the Lazarus subjects were basically kept in prison cells because we needed to be monitored.” He still hadn’t told her everything. Mostly because he didn’t want her to run from him. Run to him, hell, yes, that was his dream. He wanted her to look at him the way she used to. He wanted her to see him and run to throw herself in his arms.

  Fantasy much?

  But a guy had to have his dreams. What good was a world without dreams?

  “Why did you need to be monitored?” Her hand dropped.

  “You know what?” He smiled at her. Tried to charm and distract. “Why don’t you go and get in fresh clothes?” Because she was way too tempting in that towel. “Then I can make you a late-night snack. You and the baby might be hungry. I have some chocolate ice cream in the fridge—”

  “Why did you need to be monitored?”

  He raked a hand over his face. “You’re not going to like this.”

  “Jett, there is very little that I like about this situation.”

  Check. “Some of the test subjects…some didn’t respond so well to the experimental procedure.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him. “Define that whole ‘didn’t respond so well’ part for me. And, please, go into detail.”

  “Some of the test subjects…they exhibited too much rage.”

  She backed up a quick step. “Come again?”

  “We lose all of our memories when we wake up as Lazarus subjects.” Wake up, return from the dead. Same thing. His gaze dipped to her towel. Lingered.

  “Jett…”

  He dragged his gaze back up. “This would be easier with more clothes.”

  She gave that little growl again.

  He swallowed. Probably the wrong time to tell her the growl was sexy. Unfortunately, he found everything about her to be sexy.

  “We lose our memories. Our lives before Lazarus are totally wiped away when we are given the Lazarus serum. I woke up in a lab. Strapped to an exam table. Ice cold, and, honestly, scared as fuck. I didn’t know where I was or what had happened to me. There were these men and women in white coats, and they stared at me like I was some kind of lab rat.” Which was exactly what he’d been to them. “They told me that my name was Jett and that I’d volunteered to serve my country. I was eventually shown some paperwork with what they said was my signature and a video—in the video, I clearly said that I volunteered for Lazarus.”

  A furrow appeared between her brows. “You don’t…you don’t remember your life?”

  “When you and I met, I only had memories that started when I woke up in that lab.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Remember when you asked me what type of ice cream I liked? I didn’t know. Had no clue because I couldn’t remember the taste of ice cream.”

  She glanced away from him.

  “Cookies and cream.”

  Her stare shot back to him. And she blinked quickly. Wait, had those been tears in her eyes? Stiffening, he said, “Savannah?”

  “It’s nothing.” She swiped her fingers over her cheek. “Side effect of pregnancy. I cry at everything. Trust me, you don’t want to see me when any kind of Hallmark commercial comes on. It’s an ugly crying fest.”

  His lips twitched. “I tried twelve flavors of ice cream before I realized cookies and cream was exactly what I wanted.” He wanted to touch her, wanted it so badly, but he forced his hands to remain at his sides. “Once you know what you want, nothing else will ever do.”

  Her chin notched up. “Tell me more. Get back to the whole rage part, if you please.”

  He’d hoped to get her off that topic. Shit. There’d be no sparing her this. “We all come back with different paranormal powers. I can control shadows. Use them for concealment. And I’m an amplifier. When I work with a team, like Maddox and Luna, I can amplify the powers they have.” It was because of Luna that he was there right then. Another story that he’d have to share soon enough.

  Savannah just kept watching him.

  “So
me of the subjects can control fire. Some can control minds.”

  “That’s scary.”

  She had no idea. “We feel emotions more than normal humans. The darker emotions are the ones that are the most dangerous to us because those emotions—they come more naturally now. Rage. Jealousy. Hate. They can burn in us, and for some test subjects, those emotions push them right over the edge. We’ve, ah, we’ve had to put down some of our own.”

  “Put them down? You’ve killed them?”

  “You don’t seem to get how dangerous an out-of-control Lazarus subject can be. Humans can’t fight someone like that. And the things I’ve seen…” He expelled a slow breath. “The program itself is fucking dangerous. And now that the bases are burning to the ground, it’s a whole new nightmare.”

  She held up her hand. “I’ll take that ice cream.” She headed down the hallway.

  “Savannah?”

  “And I’m getting dressed. Clothing first, ice cream second. The rest of your scary story third.”

  “I know it’s a lot to take in…”

  She paused near the bedroom doorway. Savannah glanced back at him. “I just learned the father of my child died and came back with super powers. I also learned that he could have gone insane from the whole process but, um, you didn’t, right?”

  “I’m quite sane.” Except when it came to her. When it came to Savannah and any threats to her, he could let loose the monster inside of him in an instant.

  “Good to know.” Her hand rose and her fingers curled around the door frame. “You didn’t kill my father.”

  “No.”

  “Do you know who did?”

  Jett shook his head.

  Her lower lip trembled. “But you can help me figure it out, can’t you? With all of those super bonuses that you have?”

  “I’ll help you do anything you want.”

  “I want to catch his killer. I want to make that person pay.” A shuddering breath. “This is all so hard. I am really, really trying to hold my shit together.”

  He wanted to hold her. Jett bounded forward.

  “Stop.” One quiet word. “I need a break. A time-out or just some freaking ice cream so I can breathe and think.”