by Lanie Jordan
With his eyes still blazing, Linc sat back down and gripped my hand again. It shook slightly in mine. The only other time I’d seen him so mad was last Phase, when he’d been fighting off the demon that’d killed his sister. Linc didn’t lose his cool very often.
“I do have one more difficult request to make. If your answer is no, that is completely acceptable and I’ll understand. There is absolutely no pressure to say yes, so if you’re uncomfortable with it, say no.”
“Yeah?” I said, trying to mask my wariness.
“Mr. Holt would like to be present for this conversation.”
“Oh.” The last thing I wanted was more people around for this, but Peter was a good guy. Since he’d been the one to rescue me, I guess it was only fair he knew what, exactly, he’d been rescuing me from. “Yeah.” I nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank you. As head of security, I—”
“What?” I blinked. “Peter’s head of security? When did that happen?”
“This morning. Our previous head of security stepped down hours after your disappearance, and until I find a suitable replacement, Mr. Holt has agreed to fill the position. Before he joined the CGE, he was a police officer and a member of the New Orlando SWAT team.”
Using the intercom on his desk, Greene had his secretary call for Peter and we all waited quietly. My mind wandered. In my head, I’d been gone a day, maybe, but it’d actually been five. So much had changed in that time. New security measures, Peter as head of security. What was next? Actually, I was sure I didn’t want to know.
Someone knocked on the door a few minutes later. Peter peeked around the door before coming in. He walked to the side of my chair and laid a hand on my shoulder. “I know this won’t be easy for you, but I appreciate you letting me be here.” He squeezed my shoulder briefly and took a seat on the edge of Greene’s desk in front of me.
I nodded and, sensing it was time for The Talk, let out a deep breath. Linc took my hand again and linked his fingers with mine. I met his gaze, stared at him for a minute, for support, for courage. He had a stony expression on his face, like he didn’t want to hear what I was about to say. ”You don’t have to stay,” I whispered.
He just nodded.
I looked away, unable to hold his gaze, and stared at Greene’s desk. “They didn’t hurt me,” I said first, and then I told them the rest.
Greene sat, wearing the same expression the entire time, this almost calm but not quite look. Peter’s jaw twitched a few times, especially when I reached the end of the story, about the fire and how they’d started it on purpose. But Linc…he didn’t show much change at all, at least none I could see. Though that might’ve been because as soon as I’d gotten to the actual being-taken-away part, his jaw and spine went taut, and he looked away. His hand tightened around mine mercilessly though, like he didn’t want to let go.
I left out a few things, like the deserved and well-placed low-blows and the mention of Project Faith. The first wasn’t important to the story. The second… That one I wasn’t sure about, but I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t mentioning it. Why a voice in the back of my head told me not to mention it. I also left out the fact that I’d promised to hunt Creeper down. What I did when that happened…I honestly didn’t know, but it would happen.
No one questioned me or commented on what I said. I almost wished they had, because it was odd talking non-stop without anyone else saying anything. I was recapping only a few hours of time. On one hand, it seemed to go on forever, like so much had happened, yet on the other hand, it seemed like no time had passed at all.
By the time I finished, I would have preferred writing out a detailed report instead of the talk-it-out thing.
“You know the rest,” I said lamely, shooting a quick look to Peter.
And then it was quiet.
Finally, Greene was the one to break the silence. “You said they were aware you’d survived a vampire bite?”
“Yeah. They seemed to know everything.” Again, I had the opportunity to bring up Project Faith, because they seemed related (at least in Crazy Lady’s mind), but again, I found myself holding back. “My name, my room number. The security here, obviously,” I added.
“I see,” was Greene’s dark reply. Now his eyes flashed. Now he looked angry.
“The guy behind…everything. He was the guy from New Orlando. He set Chris up, so that means he’s off the hook now, right?”
“He was never on it, but yes, we’ll make sure he understands that.”
“What do you mean? You guys blamed him for the break-in thing.”
“He means we were right all along, Jade,” Linc said. “They knew it wasn’t him. They knew there was more to it than what Chris said.”
“Then why? Why did you let him and everyone else think he was in trouble?”
Greene sighed. “Because we have a leak, Jade. I’m relatively positive none of the Prospects are to blame for this, which means it was someone else. A hunter, a guard, a scientist. Someone else informed that man about you, about your DNA, about everything. There is no other way he could know as much as he obviously does without inside help.”
Peter nodded. ”It has to be someone here, at the facility, or—”
“Or one of the people I spoke with last year when I got more funding, yes. I mentioned one of our Prospects had survived a vampire bite.” He looked at me. “I never mentioned you by name or gave any identifying details except to say the Prospect in question—you—were female.”
“Then how?” Linc studied their faces. ”How did they know who to take if she was never mentioned by name?”
Peter rose from the desk. “The leak.”
Greene nodded. “It may have been done unknowingly. Someone may have figured it out and mentioned it to someone else, someone connected to the people who took her.” He paused. “It seems unlikely that it was one of our supporters. They aren’t involved in our research. They benefit from it, but they aren’t directly involved. They know the projects we’re undertaking and a few minor details, but, to be blunt, they’re mainly involved to make a profit.”
“So figure out who did it!” Linc demanded, jumping to his feet again.
I laid a hand on his arm. “They know who did it.”
“We do.” Peter sighed. “It’s a matter of figuring out how they learned about Jade in the first place and who told them our security details, counter measures, etcetera.”
“They didn’t know about the second silent alarm,” I told them.
“That’s something at least,” Peter said. He glanced at Greene. “We need to know if they’ll try again.”
I almost said they would. It was on the tip of my tongue, but then, seeing Linc’s face, I stopped myself. He looked how I felt: pissed, scared, and…helpless. He looked worried enough as it was and I really didn’t want to add to it. If Peter and Greene believed Creeper and his lot would try again, then they would have to worry enough for the both of us.
Not that I wouldn’t worry. Not that Linc wouldn’t, either. Sooner or later, he’d suspect the same thing. But right now, he wasn’t thinking that far ahead and I didn’t want him to.
“What’s the plan, then?” Linc asked.
Peter looked grim. ”We’re going to find out who leaked the information in the first place and why. In the meantime, Jade, I don’t think it’s a good idea if you go into New Orlando on class trips. Not now.”
Greene nodded. “I agree.”
I didn’t go on that many as it was, but still, I did like getting out of the CGE sometimes, just to go out and do semi-normal things. ”Look, I’m not trying to be difficult, and I don’t go often now, but I can’t stop leaving the CGE indefinitely. For now, I…I have no problem sticking close. I’m not in any hurry to leave.” Everything I needed was here and anything I couldn’t live without (like the girly essentials) Tasha would pick up for me.
“Legally, you are an adult now, Jade, and even though I tried not to do it before, I can’t dictate what you can or c
an’t do. I can only make requests. This, ultimately, is your decision. However,” he added in his directory-I-mean-business tone, “because you are now an adult and considered an actual paid employee, I can make certain conditions and stipulations. For the foreseeable future, when you leave the property, you will be escorted. That’s non-negotiable.”
I nodded. “I can agree to those terms.”
I didn’t like the idea of being followed around, but I’d take the CGE watchdogs over Creeper and his Creep Patrol.
*~*~*
Greene and Peter had a few more things to say and asked more questions. They suggested a therapist and I quickly turned down the idea. I’d already dealt with one therapist and that was one too many as far as I was concerned. Greene and Peter assured me—and Linc, since he seemed to need some reassurance, too—that next year there would be no problems. That next year, I’d have nothing to worry about except my usual stuff.
I wanted to believe them, I really did, and I did believe they meant it. But…they couldn’t guarantee that. Before, I never would have thought this could happen. Ever. Not here, not at the CGE. But it had. Demon escapes and demon problems, those I could see. When you worked so close to a bunch of demons, there was bound to be trouble. But human trouble? Even when Greene had mentioned people having tried to break into the CGE before, to steal research, I never expected it to happen while I was here.
Then again, even if I had, I never would have expected to be the research that was stolen. Was that irony or just fate being a bitch?
“Jade? You okay?”
“Sorry. Yeah. Just lost in thought.”
Linc stopped and studied my face. “Anything you want to share?”
“Classes,” I lied.
“Canceled for the duration.”
“What?” I frowned. “They can’t cancel class. I want to finish one Phase like a normal person. I haven’t yet, you realize that?”
“Too late. The day after you…disappeared, Greene said they were canceled for now. I think everyone—including the staff—is still kind of reeling from…things. Nothing like this has happened before,” he said quietly, “so I’m not sure anyone really knows how to handle things. I think the CGE is prepared for just about anything, except—”
“What happened to me. Leave it to me to always have to be the first at something,” I said, trying to laugh and smile. It was fake, and we both knew it, but he shook his head and rolled his eyes anyway.
“There’s a bright side to all of this, or at least a less dim side.”
“There is? I could use a bright side—or a less dim side.” I could use a whole bucket of them.
“We’ll be hunters by this time next year.”
I didn’t respond with anything but a nod. I’d meant what I told Creeper, that I’d hunt him down. I wasn’t the most patient person in the world, but I would make it my life’s mission to find him—and the demon that killed my family—no matter how long it took.
So as far as I was concerned, Phase Four had already started. I was a hunter and I knew my prey. I just had to find him first.
The End
Dear Reader, thank you for reading Breed of Havoc. If you love books, please consider supporting your favorite authors by leaving honest reviews, spreading the word about their work, and using Kindle's loaning feature.
COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity between actual persons living and dead is purely coincidental. Any use of locales, establishments, or events are used fictitiously.
BREED OF HAVOC
Copyright © 2014 by Lanie Jordan. All rights reserved.
Cover art Copyright © 2014 by Lanie Jordan.
ISBN: 978-1-890785-56-7
If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you downloaded this ebook as a free read and think someone else would enjoy it, then please redirect said person(s) to the author's website. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
ABOUT LANIE
Lanie Jordan writes stories. Sometimes her characters drive her crazy, but then she gets her revenge by making their lives more difficult. Fictional payback is fun.
To find out more about Lanie and her stories, you can visit her at the links below. And if you want to say hi to her, she wouldn't mind that either. (She's only mean to her characters. And sometimes her cats—but only when they really deserve it.)
Website: http://www.laniejordan.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Lanie_Jordan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLanieJordan
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Lanie_Jordan
The Breed Chronicles: http://www.thebreedchronicles.com
Want the latest news and updates about Lanie? Sign up for her newsletter!
OTHER TITLES BY LANIE
Available Now:
Breed of Innocence, Book #01 in The Breed Chronicles, a YA Urban Fantasy.
Breed of Envy, Book #02 in The Breed Chronicles, a YA Urban Fantasy.
Shadow and Light, a YA Fantasy.
Twin Tied, a YA Paranormal.
Next up: Book #04 in The Breed Chronicles.
Keep reading for an excerpt of TWIN TIED.
EXCERPT
Twin Tied:
The streets were mostly deserted. Stores were closed and the sidewalks were bare. Things were peaceful. Relaxing.
And peace was something I very much needed at the moment.
My parents were out of town for two weeks to celebrate their nineteenth anniversary (in the freaking Bahamas!). Unfortunately, when you were one-half of a set of twins, it left an almost-empty house still very full.
I loved my sister, really, I did, but sometimes she was just too much. Way, way too much. Like tonight.
I wanted one hour of peace and Kailee—my annoying other half—was too busy yapping on the phone to give it to me. So I’d grabbed my iPod, stuffed the ear buds into my ears, and relinquished the house to her. It’d been over an hour since I’d left, so hopefully when I got back, she’d be off the phone and I could go hide in my room until tomorrow.
With Nickleback blasting in my ears, I stopped at the side of the road and looked both ways. I spotted headlights down the street, but after a minute of waiting, I realized the car they were coming from must’ve been parked, so I shrugged and started to cross.
“Watch out!” I heard when I made it to the middle of the road.
I turned to see who was being yelled at and who had yelled. The glare of headlights shone in my eyes, nearly blinding me, and I realized the warning was meant for me. My eyes went wide.
Move! Run!
I heard the words, but I couldn’t tell if they were from another source or inside my own head. Either way, my legs wouldn’t follow the simple command. The car got closer and closer, and I could’ve sworn that, instead of slowing down, the car actually accelerated.
Something slammed into me from the side and then I was flying. I landed hard, with the upper half of my body sprawled awkwardly on the sidewalk and the lower half on the road. My breath whooshed out in a painful exhale, and my chest hurt, like a team of football players had trampled me on their way to a goalpost.
There was an insane buzzing in my head.
I took a shaky breath that burned my lungs. I lay there, unmoving, eyes closed, trying to gulp in air. Everything hurt. I was afraid to move, afraid to try since I could feel something wet creeping down my arm and leg.
“Are you okay?” a panicked, male voice said from above me. At least, I assumed it came from above (I still hadn’t risked opening my eyes yet).
I nodded once. Slowly, I moved one of my arms, and then the other, trying to gauge if anything was broken. “I—yeah. Maybe?” I questioned it because I wasn’t really sure. All I knew with any kind of certainty was that I was alive.
Being dead couldn’
t hurt so much.
“Can you open your eyes?” At the same time I heard the voice, I felt a hand touch my face, then the back of my head.
I opened one eye to a squint. Immediately I regretted the decision, groaned, and re-closed it as the world began to spin. Nausea churned in my stomach like the craziness of white water rapids, and my head hurt something fierce. Had I hit it?
I had a hard time telling what hurt—or rather, what didn’t hurt. The head made the list, along with my right arm and leg, and an unknown number of ribs.
“Head hurt?”
“I’m not sure what doesn’t,” I replied. My tone was something between a whisper and a croak. Taking a deep breath, I released it slowly and opened both of my eyes. A face swam into view and I tried focusing on it instead of the various parts of my body that ached. Hazel, concern-filled eyes stared back at me.
The guy chuckled and I tried to glare, though just narrowing my eyes hurt my head. “Mind keeping it down? I think the ground hurt me.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I groaned at their stupidity. I think the ground hurt me? Really? Geesh. I shook my head for the half-second it took me to remember doing that hurt. “Ignore that.”
The chuckle sounded again, but as requested, this time it was much lower. “Sorry about that,” the guy said quietly. He turned, looked at…something. I couldn’t see what with his body blocking my view, but when he turned back, his eyes seemed darker. Dangerous. “It was either tackle you or let you get run over. I figured you’d prefer not being hit.”
Whatever he’d seen had made him angry. Even if I hadn’t caught the look in his eyes, I caught the tone of his voice. There was a hardened edge to it. “What is it?” I asked.
