"So, you don't deny it? We ran into her on the beach. My girlfriend reads minds. You do the math."
"Did Kylie happen to think up what happened before I slept with her? Or the circumstances?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yeah, I'd say it does. You had been gone for weeks, no word—I thought you were dead, man. I was out drinking, she bumped into me, and after too many shots, stuff happened that I barely remember. You'd already dumped her. You were gone, and I was miserable." Brad's shoulders slumped forward. "You really getting pissed at me for this?"
Drake paused. Kylie meant nothing to him; she never had. She'd been a temporary escape from his insane life, and he was a status symbol for her. No surprise that she'd seduced Brad.
"Whatever. She's nothing. But Sam means everything to me and it's already tense between us right now. Your questions aren't helping."
Brad walked around the island to stand by Drake. "I'm sorry. It's just, I know what people like to read. This stuff sells, and right now we need major hits. I didn't mean to mess things up for you."
Drake held Brad's stare. They'd been best friends for, well, forever. Brad had risked his life, his job, and walked away from his home to help them.
"We're cool, man. You're right. It doesn't matter. Sorry I'm so messed up right now. I'm just... angry. I hate feeling this powerless. At least you are helping Sam in some way. What am I doing but sitting around making sure she eats? We need to go after the Seeker. I can't afford to wait for something bad to happen."
"So what are you going to do?"
"If Sam won't stay behind while I hunt, then I'll have to go without telling her."
Chapter 15 – Sam
When I woke up from my nap, the house felt almost empty—at least empty of the chatter and movement of four people—and a scent from the kitchen made my stomach rumble and mouth water.
The talons of sleep clung to me as I used the restroom and changed out of my sweats. I'd been sleeping a lot lately, but it seemed to help with the drug withdrawals and pregnancy.
Drake stood in the kitchen with a skillet in hand. He smiled when I entered the room. "I wanted to surprise you with a date night. Things have been... tense... between us. I thought we could use some time alone, so Brad and Bernard left us the house for a while."
Candles and a vase of yellow lilies—my favorite—turned the ordinary kitchen table into a romantic getaway. Butterflies danced in my stomach, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I loved Drake so much, and I craved some time with him, but I hadn't known how to make it possible with life so crazy.
"This is amazing, Drake. I love it. Thank you."
He pulled out my chair and encouraged me to sit as he brought out our meal: a spinach salad with chopped pear, goat cheese, roasted pine nuts and raspberry vinaigrette, followed by baked swordfish, asparagus and fresh biscuits.
He sat across from me. "I thought we could use some time together. Also, it's a celebration, of sorts."
"Oh? What are we celebrating?"
"While you were sleeping, Brad's video went viral. Like tens-of-thousands-of-hits-viral. It's amazing, really. I didn't think it could be done, but you two did it."
He seemed sad despite the good news. I reached over to touch his hand. "We couldn't have done it without you. It was your sexy muscles that made it happen in the end."
Drake flexed, and I fake-swooned and laughed. It felt good to laugh, to flirt, to be with him alone.
I wished it could last.
But each bite of our dinner took us further away from each other.
Our conversation reminded me of how two strangers on a first date acted in movies. Why couldn't we talk like normal people?
Drake cleared the table and brought out raspberry sorbet for dessert.
I took a small bite, and the sweet tangy raspberry flavor aroused my taste buds. "Thank you, this is really delicious."
"I'm glad you like it." He ate his in silence.
"Drake, what's wrong with us? Why can't we find things to talk about anymore?"
He put down his spoon. "I don't know. Maybe because our whole relationship has been focused on problems, we've never learned to just have fun together."
What he said made sense. First we had come together to escape, and now we were on the run with a baby on the way. This was actually our first date.
He stood and my heart fell. Was he giving up already?
"Why don't we watch a movie together? We can relax, cuddle, and just enjoy each other for a few hours."
My heart lifted once more. How could I think he'd give up on us? He'd never do that. "I like that idea. What do you want to watch?"
His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I was thinking X-Men?"
"I can't believe you remember that!" We had watched that movie once before, sort of. Luke and Lucy had come over to console me while I got over what I thought was the flu, and we watched it together. Drake had "watched" along with us in my mind. It was my favorite movie ever.
He started the movie, then sat on the couch and held me.
I snuggled into his chest and enjoyed his heady scent. "Wouldn't it have been awesome if Rent-A-Kid had been run by Professor Xavier? What a cool place to grow up."
He kissed the top of my head. "Yeah, I wish you'd had that life. You've had to go through so much."
"At least I have you, now. That makes it all worth it."
When the movie ended, we headed back to our bedroom and resumed cuddling.
Only cuddling led to kissing and kissing led to touching and....
I pushed Drake away and fought against the warring feelings in my body. On the one hand, a heat stirred in me that only he could quench. On the other, fear and panic took over whenever we got too close to crossing that line.
"I'm broken." Tears fell off my cheeks, and I didn't bother wiping them. "I'm sorry you got stuck with me. You should be with someone who can... who is more experienced and less traumatized by the thought of sex. I just—I can't get the thoughts of what they did to me out of my head. It's so hard, Drake. Whenever we go too far, something switches in my brain and my whole body reacts in panic."
"Sweetheart, stop. I love you and only you. I wouldn't change anything about you—except if I could destroy Rent-A-Kid and your pain, I would. There's nothing wrong with you. What you're feeling is totally normal, considering what you've gone through."
"You're not mad?"
"No. Never." Drake sighed and moved his body away—just a fraction of an inch, but enough to relieve the sexual tension that had built between us.
Relief and disappoinment surged in me. This is what I wanted, right? No pressure until I'm ready. So why does it feel like I'm losing him?
"Just know that whatever happens, I love you. Never forget that, Sam, okay? Whatever happens."
Chapter 16 – Lucy
Four hours in a helicopter with Mr. Black rated as one of the worst experiences ever for Lucy—and that was only the part she was conscious for. Nobody had told them they'd be lugging around the deadweight of Head Goon on this assignment. When the helicopter finally landed on the roof of a super-secret—and weren't they all super-secret—facility in Russia, Lucy and Luke scrambled out so fast they nearly tripped over each other.
Frigid air whooshed around Lucy, whipping her long, dark ponytail into her face. She tucked her hair into her jacket and nudged Luke in the ribs. "Ladies first, Bro. Or have you forgotten all your manners?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Mr. Black stepped out behind them and growled.
Again.
If they'd been playing a drinking game each time he growled, Luke and Lucy would have both been sloshed thirty minutes into the trip.
A Russian scientist in a crisp white lab coat greeted them with a handshake. He raised his voice over the roar of the helicopter blades, his English stilted but clear. "I am Dr. Koslov, the head scientist here. Follow me, and I will show you to our lab."
The helicopter rotors slowed
to a stop as Dr. Koslov led them through a rooftop door and down a flight of stairs into the clinic.
Lucy and Luke kept pace with the group, acting as "bodyguards" for Mr. Black. He had legitimate business here, but their mission was to steal information without alerting anyone.
The scientist pushed open another door at the bottom of the stairs. "I should warn you that there was a terrible accident some time ago, and many genetic anomalies have been discovered. We have both animals and humans who need cures or treatments. Please, do not be alarmed."
A tiny creature that looked as though a tarantula had crawled into the skin of a dog gave a half-bark, half-screech as Lucy walked by.
She jumped back and bumped into the scientist. Do not be alarmed? Right.
Row after row of disfigured beasts straight out of a horror film stared at Lucy with horribly aware eyes: a cat with two heads, a bird with lizard skin. Lucy had never seen anything like this place, and hoped she never would again—though she wouldn't be surprised if it ended up in her nightmares.
Down the next hall was a series of sterile rooms with glass walls. Her stomach heaved at the site before her. Humans with hideous growths and animal-like mutations filled rows of hospital beds.
Alone in a stark, empty room, her nakedness exposed to any prying eyes, sat a woman with long brown hair and a normal human body. She stroked herself as if scratching at a persistent itch. Then Lucy noticed the thin lines of blood flowing down her arm, and the sharp cat claws that sprang from her fingertips. The woman looked up and locked eyes with Lucy: cat eyes, green and glowing with a preternatural awareness.
Lucy shivered.
She wanted to look away, to think of anything else, but the gruesome mutations drew her attention like the proverbial train wreck.
A small boy, no more than nine years old, ran around his room on all fours, his back facing the group. He turned around and barked—with a snout and face of a dog.
In the last room, a large man, burly like a gorilla, stood silent in the corner, watching them with a keen intelligence. He could have taken on the Incredible Hulk and Superman together and won, unless it was a beauty contest. Large flaps of skin hung from his tall, bulging body like peeling wallpaper. A bulbous nose sat to the side of his asymmetrical face, creating a Picasso effect that Sam would have loved to capture on paper.
To the world, he was a monster, but when she looked into his eyes, she did not see a monster.
Behind that mask lurked a human being full of fear and sadness.
Dr. Koslov gestured to the patients. "The human victims are the most heartbreaking, especially the ones who must be kept in cells for their, and our, safety. Please beware of this section, with the metal doors. These are no longer humans, but mutated beasts with an instinct to kill."
Before they reached the meeting room, Lucy noticed a thick, steel door to what looked like a vault. "What's in there?"
She paid close attention to the answer, alert to any lies, though so far the scientist had spoken only truth.
"That is the most dangerous room in this entire building—a highly radiated area. It would kill any human being who entered it."
"Why is it here if no one can go in?"
"We are able to use it for our research without entering."
True—as far as it went. Lucy couldn't pin down any specific lie. The scientist wasn't forthcoming with the details, but there was definitely more to this place than an altruistic desire to help the beings broken by an accident.
Two large doors at the end of the hall revealed a standard-looking conference room with a long table down the center.
Mr. Black glared at Lucy and Luke. "I'm going to my meeting now. You two will wait out here until I'm done. Then we'll leave."
Without waiting for their response, he turned and stomped into the room. Dr. Koslov spared a glance at them before he shut the door.
Time for the real assignment.
Another scientist, who looked young enough to be a Rent-A-Kid himself, escorted Luke and Lucy to a waiting area. "If you need anything, just let someone know."
Luke made himself comfortable on one of the chairs.
Lucy clutched at her bag. "Is there a bathroom anywhere?"
The young scientist, whom Lucy couldn't help but notice was very tall, blond and sexy—for a lab rat—pointed her down the hall and to the left.
She smiled, thanked him and started walking. She poked her head into offices until she found one that looked like it would stay empty for a while.
The door lock clicked behind her, and she settled into the desk chair and turned on the computer. She wished Sam could have helped with the Russian, as human language was never Lucy's strong suit. The zeros and ones of computers made more sense to her.
No time for walks down memory lane. She worked fast to hack into the surveillance system, feed a streaming loop into the live broadcast, and give Luke the okay to move forward with the assignment. She set up her screen to show three different images: the camera loop the guards would see, the specific camera Luke showed up on, and the real camera feed throughout the grounds.
"Luke, your ears on?"
"Loud and clear, Lucy Lou."
"Don't call me that. Listen, I'm in the system. Time to get moving. Mr. Black is offline right now. We'll hear if he decides to join us, so be ready."
"You got the scoop on where this super computer is we're supposed to hack?"
"I'm working on it, but first I need you to slip through the walls and spy on that meeting Mr. Black's in."
She could hear Luke fidget with his pack, even as she watched him on the camera. "Luce, that's not the game plan. We don't have much time as it is. You really want to waste precious minutes on something that might be nothing?"
"I hope you can hear my dramatic sigh over here. Nothing is nothing when it comes to these people. Just get in, record some of it, and get out. I need time to find the computer, anyways."
"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"Yeah, yeah. Go! I've got work to do."
Lucy's fingers flew over the keyboard as the seconds ticked away. Luke had a point. They had precious little time to complete this mission, and it required all their skill and focus. Playing double agent risked everything, but they had to do it. Knowledge equaled power at this stage in the game, and they needed all the power they could get. What business did Rent-A-Kid have here, and what role did the mutated creatures play? With all the genetic experimenting going on, Lucy believed they were somehow connected.
Images of a whip tearing across Mike's back flashed in her mind.
The Freedom Fighters depended on them for a plan. She wouldn't fail.
When she gave the go-ahead that no one was watching, Luke placed himself inside the wall to spy on the meeting. The special microphone on the recorder should pick up all sounds in the room.
The images on the computer cycled in and out, each a live feed of a different part of the building.
Come on, baby. Where are you?
There you are.
Lucy zoomed in on one live feed—a secure room surrounded by guards and scientists.
"Luke, we have a problem. The room's surrounded. No way I can get you in without creating a distraction."
"That goes against orders, Sis."
"Ask me if I care. I'm not risking your life for some orders."
Luke slipped out of the wall and went back to his original seat. "Meeting's ending early, Sis. They're about to leave. Get me to the computer."
"Head left, then right down the corridor. I'll talk you through it."
Her earpiece buzzed. Mr. Black's frequency stirred to life and his voice boomed in her head, "Have you secured the data?"
Lucy scanned the cameras to find Mr. Black in the bathroom washing his hands. Proper hygiene is important after all, when you're ruining people's lives.
"I'm getting Luke to the computer, but it's surrounded. Permission to create a distraction."
"Denied. They must never know we
've been here." Mr. Black's signal shut down. He was gone, for now.
The cameras showed Luke hiding in an empty office, waiting for Lucy to give him his next set of instructions.
"Luke, a guard is passing the office you're in. Don't come out."
"This could be my chance to steal a uniform."
"No. It's too dangerous." Screw Mr. Black and his orders.
Lucy pulled up the emergency systems control panel and found the fire alarm. She clicked a button, and a screech sounded in all the rooms. Personnel throughout the building cleared out of the hallways, including those around the room housing the supercomputer.
Luke wasted no time. He walked through the walls and entered the secure room, then attached a portable wireless server to the computer. "You should be up and running now."
Lucy's laptop filled with encrypted data. She transferred all the information to a disk, and then created a second disk that she intended to keep for herself.
Mr. Black buzzed back in. "Did you get it?"
"Yes, but it's heavily encrypted. I can't even make sense of this mess."
"Shit. Okay, I have to clear out of here with everyone else. That mistake will cost you. Get Luke and kidnap Dr. Koslov. He'll tell us what we need to know. Make your way to the second extraction point past the hill."
"Are you kidding me? We are so not kidnapping someone for you. You've got to be out of your mind."
"Listen to me, you little freak. You'll do this or you and your brother will suffer pain you can't even imagine. Those mutations you saw? That'll be you, only worse. Now get the damn scientist and get to the helicopter."
The signal cut out before Lucy could retort. "Luke, did you catch all that?"
"Yeah."
"What do we do?"
"I'm not letting him hurt you. We find the scientist."
Lucy felt her stomach heave for the second time that day. When had doing what must be done to save everyone become such a murky line of evil?
"Dr. Koslov is still in the building. He's by the northwest exit."
Luke ran through the halls until he reached the group standing in line to evacuate. A guard had to inspect each person before they could leave.
Forbidden Fire (Forbidden #2) Page 9
