Adrenaline Heat

by Carolyn Reilly

  Luna got up, and her brow wrinkled. “Okay. Sounds like a plan. Please just don’t try to find Fry on your own. If he recognizes you—”

  “I won’t. I’m not going to put your sister in danger. Okay?”

  The line of concern between Luna’s eyes eased. “Thank you.” She padded barefoot across the tiled floor and walked into the bathroom. “I’ll just take a quick shower before we head down to the terrace again.”

  Oliver nodded. “Take your time.” He had a sandwich earlier and wasn’t particularly hungry. But in sharp contrast to yesterday, he was looking forward to spending this evening at the restaurant.

  Half an hour later, down at the terrace, Oliver’s mood plummeted with every word that fell from Lewis’s mouth. Oliver had completely forgotten GovCorp’s anniversary, and now he had to suffer through the deputy director’s speech about how GovCorp saved the day—or rather the town, maybe even the US—from the rogue crisis and how the corporation’s stocks were soaring again.

  Next to Oliver, Luna didn’t look much happier than him, but most of her colleagues actively cheered their boss on.

  “Yes, yes.” Nodding self-indulgingly, Lewis babbled on. “Unfortunately, we’ve had a bad apple in the basket.” He was clearly referring to Professor Anderson, and although the scientist had definitely been the one responsible for the rogue problem, Lewis didn’t miss a chance to try to wipe his own dirty hands on Anderson’s corpse.

  “But we also have a fantastic team of scientists who did everything they could to undo as much of the damage as possible.”

  Luna whispered next to him, “I feel physically sick listening to this.”

  Lewis prattled on about how heroically they managed to cure everybody of the rogue addiction, and his gaze zoomed in on Oliver. “I’m delighted to say we succeeded.”

  Everyone seemed to be eyeing Oliver. They all knew he’d been at GovCorp labs for rogue rehab, but he wondered how many of them knew how Lewis had screwed with his head and what Fry was capable of doing. His skin itched at the thought that Fry might only be miles from where they stood right now.

  Lewis raised his voice, drawing everybody’s attention back to him. “Still, we are being attacked by Fronters trying to smear GovCorp with their hate campaigns. But rest assured, it is my personal mission to secure the well-being of our great corporation, and I will do whatever it takes to protect our mutual interests.” After a dramatic pause, he repeated, “Whatever it takes. Thank you.”

  Luna’s colleagues dutifully applauded, and both he and Luna clapped their hands a few times if only to blend in.

  After dinner, Oliver had joined a table with several scientists he knew from back when he still worked at GovCorp himself. Luna had tried to mingle a little, but as soon as Lewis had left the terrace, she’d taken her chance to disappear as well. She needed a few minutes alone time. Meandering along the beach, she buried her toes deep into the soft sand until the warm ocean water hit her feet. She hadn’t slept much the previous night. First, she couldn’t sleep because she was worried about Oliver, and when he returned, they both tossed and turned the rest of the night. She used to always fall asleep in his embrace, and now that he was so close, she’d missed his arms even more than the last four weeks he’d been gone. She sat down and placed the sandals she’d been carrying next to her in the sand. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she gazed up at the soothing light of the crescent moon. It appeared much closer than it did back in GovCorp City. What she’d give to know how Lexi was doing. She hoped with all her heart that her little sister was getting better, and that Lewis would let Luna visit her again when they returned from the retreat.

  After another minute, she got up and made her way back to the terrace. She sat down on the steps of a beach stall to wipe the sand from her soles. The soft ocean breeze carried the sound of voices to her ears, prompting her to peek around the stall’s corner. Lewis, his bodyguard, and one of the scientists were heading off the terrace toward the resort’s tropical flower garden. She left her sandals at the stall and snuck closer for a chance to hear what they were discussing. The scientist’s voice was slurred but loud enough to understand. “You can’t fool me. I know Fry got a new secret lab facility.”

  Lewis glared at him. “Shut it and sober up.” He nodded at his bodyguard. “Accompany Dr. Esterhalt to his room. He’s had enough drinks for tonight.”

  The scientist took a few steps back. “That won’t be necessary. But I want what I deserve. Without my research, neither Anderson nor Fry would have gotten anywhere.” Then he turned and scrambled back toward the terrace restaurant.

  The bodyguard threw Lewis a questioning look, but the deputy director only waved an impatient hand. “Let him go. We’ll deal with him later.”

  Remaining quiet, Luna slipped her sandy feet back into her sandals. Then she followed the scientist onto the terrace and craned her neck to find Oliver in the crowd. Luckily, he saw her first and met her halfway.

  “Where have you been?” He sounded almost concerned.

  She grabbed his hand and urged him to follow her to a darker corner of the terrace. From there, she nodded toward the scientist she’d overheard with Lewis. He stood at the bar, holding a cocktail in his hand. Obviously, he’d decided he wasn’t ready to turn in yet. “Do you know who that is?”

  Oliver narrowed his eyes. “One of the scientists, I don’t know his name, but I’ve seen him while I was in rehab.”

  New hope coursed through Luna’s veins. “Excellent. He just got into an argument with Lewis, and Fry’s name came up.”

  A smile tugged at Oliver’s lips. “What exactly did they say?”

  “I wasn’t close enough to hear everything, but it sounded as if our scientist here holds a grudge against Fry. He mentioned that Fry got a secret lab, and he was upset about it.”

  Oliver sucked in a breath and took her hand. “Let’s have a drink at the bar then.”

  They strolled over and positioned themselves so Oliver stood next to the scientist. He threw an interested look at the drink the well-fed thirtysomething man was guzzling down. “That looks interesting. What is it?”

  The scientist set down the glass. “Pirate’s Rum Punch.”

  Oliver nodded at the bartender. “Three more, please.”

  When the bartender brought the drinks, Oliver pushed one over to the scientist.

  The man quickly wrapped his fingers around the glass and grinned. “Appreciate it.”

  Oliver raised his eyebrows at Luna before he turned to the scientist again. “So, I haven’t seen Dr. Fry around. I thought I’d get a chance to thank him again for curing me.”

  Luna bit her lip as she waited for the scientist’s reaction.

  The man’s face instantly twisted with disgust. “Haven’t you heard? He’s supposed to be missing.”

  Luna leaned forward so she could look into the man’s eyes. “Supposed to be?”

  “He isn’t. I’ve seen him.” After the scientist emptied his drink with one long gulp, he started to rant. “The guy is an opportunist. He grabbed Anderson’s research and disappeared with it. I was Anderson’s senior assistant. I should have been given a chance to continue his work.”

  Oliver pushed his untouched drink over to the scientist. “Sounds pretty unfair.”

  Nodding, the scientist grabbed the drink and took a big gulp. “It was my idea, my vision from the get-go, and they stole it.”

  Oliver exchanged a dark look with Luna. “Who stole it?”

  “Anderson, and then Fry.” The scientist hissed indignantly.

  Oliver leaned closer. “So, what was it? I’m dying to hear about your vision.”

  The scientist eyed Oliver, and his laugh sounded like a mix between embarrassed and alarm. “I’d rather not share this with a GV. No offense. And thank you for the drinks.” He turned to leave.

  Luna quickly cut off his path. “Oh, please stay and keep me company. Oliver is injured, and he wanted to turn in anyway. Right, honey?” She tossed Oliver her sweet
est smile.

  The corners of Oliver’s mouth quirked up, and he nodded. “Exactly. I’ll call it a night.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and strode toward the hotel.

  Now, she just needed to keep the scientist talking.

  She grabbed his drink and her own and gestured him to follow her to a small bar table at the edge of the restaurant.

  Hooking her arm under his, she whispered, “So, tell me, what have you been working on?”

  The scientist’s face blazed red, and she wondered if she’d been too direct, but then he replied meekly, “I don’t know. You’d be upset. Married to a GV and all.”

  Luna leaned closer. “Exactly, I’m married to a GV. I’m very open-minded.”

  Luna tore a small piece off the breakfast croissant she’d snagged from the buffet before she and Oliver strolled toward the turquoise ocean. She’d convinced him to take an early morning walk along the beach, if only to do something happy couples would be doing.

  Unfortunately, the previous night hadn’t led to any new insights. The scientist had mentioned something about a new and improved genetics program that the Committee had already suspected, but she hadn’t been able to get any specifics out of him. After he’d chucked both his and her drink, he’d resorted to whining about how unfair he’d been treated and that he deserved better.

  She took a deep breath of salty air and looked up toward the rising sun. Cawing, seagulls sailed high above as soft waves rolled onto the beach.

  Except for the occasional jogger, there wasn’t anybody else in sight.

  Oliver walked quietly next to her. He’d been disappointed that the scientist hadn’t spilled his beans, but he’d also said that he was pretty impressed how she took over the previous night and at least got the scientist to confirm the Committee’s suspicions about a new GV program.

  She tossed him a careful look. Maybe they could finally talk—not about GovCorp, but about them. Oliver and her. So far, they’d both avoided the topic, but she couldn’t go on like this. “Is there anything you’d like to ask me? About what really happened after they turned you rogue.” After a slight hesitation, she added, “Or anything about me?”

  Oliver’s eyebrows drew together, but after a few steps, he murmured. “Tell me what really happened during my rehab.”

  Relieved that he was open to conversation, Luna cleared her throat, knowing full well that he might not appreciate what she was about to tell him. “The whole painful, drawn-out rehab you remember didn’t happen. Truth is they cleared you of the rogue addiction while you were in a coma.”

  He pulled his sunglasses from the front pocket of his shirt and put them on. “But that wasn’t all they did….”

  “No. They altered your memories. Your proposal after the rogue rehab, our hasty getaway, and the wedding on this very beach were nothing but illusions.”

  “Was that all they altered? I’m not having nightmares anymore.” He shrugged. “Not that I miss them. I was just wondering.”

  Hearing this, a small smile tugged at her lips. “I’m glad at least this worked out. I told them to remove your ghosts and nightmares. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Yeah. I’m surprised they did it though.”

  “They weren’t too interested in wasting their time on it, but I told them you’d be easier to handle that way.”

  He pulled in a long breath. “How did you do pull it off? You had everyone fooled, including the Committee and me.”

  Although his words were neutral and didn’t hold the contempt she deserved, her throat constricted. “I only informed the team that we'd take a much-needed vacay. Your memories were altered in a way that made you believe we wanted to keep our wedding plans secret, that we wanted to surprise the team after our honeymoon.”

  She swallowed. And wow, were they surprised. Oliver wasn't just cured of the rogue addiction, but he’d also gotten hitched. But they bought it. Everybody was so happy for Oliver and her, congratulating and asking so many questions. Oliver had beamed with joy and pride while she’d crumbled a little bit more inside with each lie she had to tell. She blinked and forced herself to continue. “GovCorp went to great lengths to make all my lies check out.”

  Oliver huffed. “Yeah. The wedding pictures and holiday videos were awesome. They were thorough. I have to give it to them.”

  She couldn’t see his eyes through the dark glasses, but his voice was low. And laced with sadness. Maybe even defeat.

  A steel band tightened around her chest at seeing him like this.

  He rubbed at his nape. “I think I’ve heard about enough for today. I’ll try to run for a while.”

  A group of colleagues appeared in the distance, and she pasted on a broad smile. “Okay. Sure.”

  Oliver turned on his heel and jogged in the direction of the resort, leaving her to walk back by herself.

  But this could have gone far worse. At least he’d been willing to listen to her. She forced a few slow and deep breaths down her lungs, but her chest wouldn’t unclench. Finally, she pulled her inhaler from her short’s pocket and put it to use. She needed to keep functioning.

  When she reached the resort’s private beach area, Oliver sat in a deck chair watching her approach. Had he been waiting for her?

  As soon as she reached him, he got up and pulled another deck chair closer to his. After they both laid down on their chairs, he brought his face closer to hers and whispered, “I called Derek and told him what we found out so far.”

  “Oh. What did he say?”

  Oliver’s expression darkened to a point that had her worried.

  “He said Tyler, one of the new guys, is checking out a lead in Trinidad right now. Derek will send him over to meet us here.”

  Luna furrowed her brow. The name rang a bell. “Are we talking about Tyler Garrett?”

  Oliver tilted his head “You know him?”

  “Know is too strong of a word. But yes, I’ve met him. He was at the compound two weeks ago when you were in Mexico. I heard Derek pretty much bought him out of a maximum-security prison.”

  Oliver huffed “That makes sense.”

  Luna tilted her head. “Why?”

  “I actually met him in Mexico before I went back to GovCorp City.” He ran his hand over his mouth. “Let’s just say I don’t like the serial killer vibe he gives off.” Before he could continue, his phone beeped, and he checked the display. “Talking about the devil. He’s already in Bridgetown and wants to meet with us.” He looked at Luna. “You don’t have to come.”

  She shook her head. “That’s no problem. It’ll look better if we leave the hotel together. Do some sightseeing. Just in case Lewis still has an eye on us.”

  Twenty minutes later, they walked into a dingy little dive bar. The dirty orange paint flaked off the walls as Luna held on while adjusting the strap of a sandal.

  As soon as she stood upright again, Oliver nudged her toward a booth in the back. Just as they were served their order of bottled water and grapefruit juice, Tyler showed up at the entrance wearing a khaki wifebeater and tan-colored tactical pants.

  He scanned the room, and as his eyes fell on Luna, she gave an involuntary shudder. His gaze bored right through her as he marched over to their booth.

  Last time she’d seen him, he was fresh out of prison, and his ashen complexion combined with the lack of hair, including eyebrows and lashes, had shocked her. But even now that he sported a light tan, facial hair, and a short crew cut, it didn’t do much to soften his appearance. No question, the guy was built and, admittedly, not unattractive, but he seemed colder than the Arctic in an ice storm.

  Oliver got up and slid onto Luna’s bench, and Tyler sat down across from them. He wordlessly put his sand-colored pack underneath the table and used his feet to shove it over to Oliver.

  Oliver grabbed the pack and lifted it onto his lab. He pulled the zipper open, and a light smile played with the corners of his mouth. “Finally.”

  Curious, Luna leaned closer to take a peek and gasped.<
br />
  Tyler had brought Oliver a SIG, complete with leg holster and ammo. There was also a see-through container with various nano drones, although she was pretty sure that Lewis would never go anywhere without a drone scrambler.

  After zipping the pack up again, Oliver leaned forward, and Tyler did the same.

  The move gave Luna a clearer look at the intricate prison tats running up the left side of his shoulder over his neck all the way into his hairline. They almost looked like a combination of embossments and ink. She’d heard those were “awarded” by fellow prisoners to honor exceptional spirit of survival, or put more simply, to mark especially brutal inmates. As a reminder not to fuck with them. Luna’s mouth went dry at the thought, and she took a sip of her juice.

  After Tyler got up and craned his neck, checking the empty booths next to theirs, he finally opened his mouth. “Derek filled me in on your suspicion about that sugar cane factory. I’ll check it out and get back to you.” With an almost imperceptible nod, he got up and walked his big frame out the door.

  Oliver took another swig from his water bottle and put a hand on her knee. A surprised look flitted across his face, and he quickly removed his hand from her skin again and cleared his throat. “Ready to get out of here?”

  “Absolutely.” Although she wasn’t happy about the gun and ammo Tyler brought, her heart did a flip. This was the first time Oliver had touched her when nobody was watching them.

  They did a little alibi sightseeing afterward in case someone saw them in Bridgetown. Or if Lewis decided to check Luna’s movements via the tracker she still carried under her skin.

  Oliver’s phone beeped as they arrived back at their suite just before dinnertime. He answered and mouthed “Tyler” in Luna’s direction as he sat down on the bed next to her. After a few seconds, he ended the call with an ominous “Got it, give me fifteen minutes.” Then he grabbed the pack Tyler had given him and checked the SIG.