by Debra Webb
For a mini-eternity Darby couldn’t move or speak. She could only stand there and look at the man who had created her. The picture of him wearing a white lab coat superimposed itself over the image before her.
He was the man who had haunted her dreams all these years.
He was pure evil.
She wanted him to die screaming just as Jerry Lester had.
“I’m here,” she said, moving a step closer. “Let the child go.”
He laughed, the sound rumbled up from his chest. “Of course. We did have an unspoken bargain, after all.”
He picked up a box cutter from the nearby shipping cart and cut Penny loose. She ran immediately to Darby, clutched at her legs.
Darby crouched down, blinking back her tears. “Listen to me, sweetie, you have to run. Okay? Do you understand?”
The little girl shook her head, her own tears spilling anew down her pale little cheeks.
Darby swallowed back a sob. “Run until you find your way out of here. Don’t look back. Just keep running, do you hear me?”
Penny nodded jerkily.
Darby stood and gave her a little push. “Run!”
The child did as she was told, not once looking back.
Darby faced the man not more than a dozen feet away. “What now? You wanted me. I’m here.”
“Where’s your mate?”
Her mate? I didn’t know they had created us to be together.
Aidan had been right. They had been created to be together. That’s why the bond…the connection was so intense. Why she’d never been able to feel complete with anyone else.
“He’s here somewhere,” she admitted, knowing Galen would spot a lie. “I suggest we make whatever exit you had planned right now.”
“I agree.” He motioned for her to come to him. “Let’s not waste any time.”
She moved toward him, taking her time, keeping her gaze glued to his. “Why me?”
He smiled and she had to repress a shudder.
“I took special care with you and Aidan. None of the others are as special as you.”
“Really, and how is that?”
She doubted this son of a bitch was capable of anything special.
“I was the sperm donor in your case,” he told her bluntly. “You’re my child. Of course, you would have to be special.”
Revulsion crawled over her skin. “You’re nothing,” she lashed out. “And I’m definitely nothing to you. The only thing I want is to see you dead,” she snarled.
His smile dimmed. “That will change in time.” He cocked an eyebrow. “If you want to live.”
She strode straight up to him then. “I’d rather die than be a party to your evil machinations.”
“Don’t make any decisions you’ll regret, Eve,” he warned.
Eve. The name echoed through her soul. A dozen vivid flashes of memory jarred her mind. She’d been called Eve…back then. The first female. The only female.
Galen grabbed her by the arm and tugged her closer. “It’s time to go.”
“Not just yet.”
Darby’s attention snapped to the right at the sound of Aidan’s voice.
He approached slowly, deliberately from behind a stack of crates.
Her heart stumbled as her brain assimilated what she saw. He was unarmed. He moved toward where they stood one calculated step at a time, held his arms out so that his enemy could see he was unarmed…nothing hidden under his duster.
“Come any closer and I’ll kill her.” Galen pulled Darby against him, one arm around her throat, her body positioned to shield his.
Coward. She hated him.
The dream rushed over her senses again, reminding her of what lay in store for Aidan.
“Don’t come any closer, Aidan,” she cried, her urgency ringing in her ears. “Please, just go.”
“I’d take her advice if I were you. I can feel her pulse fluttering wildly. It would be so simple to stop it completely.”
“And what about me?” Aidan asked, his face giving away nothing of his thoughts. “You don’t want me? The perfect seer you created? I’m sure I would serve your purposes far better than she.”
He was going to sacrifice himself for her. She had to stop it.
“Ah, but I can’t control you, dear Aidan. You’re far too powerful. She’s your only weakness. My only hope of escaping. I’m certain O’Riley and his men aren’t far away.”
Aidan smiled. The sinister expression made Darby shiver. He wasn’t going to back off…wasn’t going to stop for anything.
“Do you really hope to escape?” Blatant amusement colored Aidan’s tone. “You’ve failed, Galen. It’s over.”
His face red with rage, Galen shoved her aside…something slid free of his sleeve.
Aidan lunged for him.
“Miss Darby!”
Penny.
Darby swiveled toward the sound of the child’s voice.
“I can’t find my way out,” she cried.
“Run away, Penny!” Darby screamed before jerking her attention back to Aidan. But it was too late…the child’s abrupt distraction had prevented her from changing the events she’d foreseen in her dreams.
The world slowed to a crawl. Through a slow-motion lens that narrowed to the point that her vision encompassed only Galen and Aidan, she watched her dream come true.
Aidan was pinned to the wall, his gaze focused on her, the two-foot steel rod protruding from the center of his chest.
He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t. Tried to reach for her but couldn’t perform the necessary function.
Darby started toward him, Galen held her back.
“Don’t touch him. If he moves even a fraction of an inch, it’ll be over.”
Arrogantly, Galen moved closer to Aidan, dragging a trembling Darby with him.
She couldn’t catch her breath…couldn’t stop the rush of tears flooding from her eyes. She wanted to touch him…to tell him how much she loved him…how wrong she’d been.
“Even now, your left lung has deflated,” Galen explained in that tone that lacked any sense of human compassion. “Deep shock will set in soon. Spontaneous breathing will stop. All because of that tiny rupture in the pericardium. Blood will fill it and the heart will be compressed. Full cardiac arrest will follow.” He smiled with evil pleasure. “Not even a genetically superior Enforcer can survive without oxygen.”
Darby pulled free of Galen and reached out to Aidan, not daring to touch him. “Don’t you die on me, Aidan.” Galen grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back. “Don’t let him win.”
She heard the storm of boots and knew help was descending upon the warehouse. She prayed they wouldn’t be too late to save Aidan.
“You failed after all, you bastard,” she hurled at Galen. “Aidan called his friends.”
Galen didn’t bother with a response, instead he lifted a section of the wooden floor where they’d been standing moments ago. Darby tried to make sense of his intent, but her gaze kept going back to Aidan. Pain wrenched her soul…she couldn’t leave him like that. She had to help him.
The opening in the floor dropped to the water beneath. The sound of an engine revving to life shook her. The pier and warehouses had been built over the water. This was his getaway vehicle.
He was going to escape again.
She had to stop him. She reached toward the nearby cart, her fingers grappling for a weapon. He’d killed Aidan. She wasn’t about to let him get away with it.
Her fingers wrapped around a small, cold metal object just as Galen jerked her toward the escape hatch he’d devised.
They went down together.
Hit the icy water in a violent splash.
She struggled to free herself. He held her tighter. She gripped the weapon in her right hand and fought to free that arm…had to do this…had to end it now.
As they bobbed to the surface of the water, her arm came loose from his hold.
She reared back and came down in one slashing str
oke with all the strength she possessed.
Galen’s throat split open like a gruesome grin. Blood spewed in her face, the heat of it fueling the vengeance searing her very soul.
She’d killed the son of a bitch.
In a final spasm of action, his fingers locked around her throat. His weight dragged her down, down, down through the crimson-colored water.
She flailed, fought to pull loose from his weight. Couldn’t get free…deeper…deeper she sank.
She was going to drown.
Hold your breath.
The words filtered through her soul and she relaxed.
Aidan was with her…
Chapter Fifteen
Center
Ghost Mountain
Three days later
“Darby, surely there’s some way I can persuade you,” O’Riley urged sincerely.
He’d spent the better part of the morning attempting to talk her into reconsidering her decision. She’d gotten the grand tour of Center, even the restricted areas. She’d remembered some parts…could recall being there. But none of it made her want to stay.
That wasn’t happening.
“I appreciate your offer, Director O’Riley, but I have a life back in New Orleans. I can’t be what you need me to be.” Her neighbor had returned from Hawaii and was catsitting Wiz.
She wasn’t about to lose anything else. She’d given up too much already.
“The world here at Center has much to offer,” O’Riley tried once more. “You’d pick back up with your training, join the ranks of the Enforcers. You’re special, you know. The only female.”
She closed her eyes and blocked Galen’s voice ringing in her ears. He’d said she was special…that she was his daughter.
“I need to go back home.” She leveled her gaze on O’Riley’s. “Can you understand that? I have to put all this behind me.” She shuddered. “Especially Galen.”
O’Riley nodded. “I understand. I guess there’s nothing else I can do to change your mind.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Do you understand what that means?”
She had a pretty good idea. Aidan had told her that security risks would not be tolerated. The only question was how they planned to eliminate her.
“I think I do.”
O’Riley’s solemn expression turned to one of amusement. “I’m not sure you do, Miss Shepard.”
His sudden change confused her. “Why don’t you spell it out for me then, Director O’Riley,” she said pointedly. If they planned to kill her now, she’d just as soon know. After all, he had given her the full tour. She definitely knew too much now, including their location.
“That means that I have no choice but to permanently assign an Enforcer to guard you and…” he shrugged “…to keep you in line.”
Her heart rate picked up with the anticipation surging. “Do I get a say in the matter?”
He shook his head purposefully from side to side. “Afraid not. Aidan is the only one I would trust with this mission.”
Her heart leapt. She threw her arms around O’Riley and hugged him tight. “Thank you,” she managed to blurt between the tears. “Thank you so much.”
He drew back and looked down at her. “Just remember,” he qualified, “I might need one or both of you sometime. You have to be prepared to pay back this huge debt.”
She nodded and swiped the dampness from her cheeks. “Anything. Anytime. Anywhere.” She hugged him again. “You just name it.”
“Why don’t we see if Medical has lifted the No Visitors restrictions on Aidan. I’m sure you’re ready to see him by now.”
She nodded again, too overcome to speak.
EMTs had come to Aidan’s rescue back at the warehouse. He’d gone into cardiac arrest three times before they got him to the trauma center. Thankfully, a cardiac surgeon had been at the hospital just finishing up with an emergency bypass. There had been no time to stabilize Aidan; they’d had to rush him to surgery to repair the damage.
Surviving that kind of injury was slim at best. But fate had been watching out for him that night. The surgeon had already been at the hospital and Aidan was an Enforcer with amazing healing powers.
By morning, he’d been stable enough to transport back to Center where Medical, the most advanced team of medical professionals on the planet, took over his care.
He would fully recover with no permanent damage.
Two members of O’Riley’s team had rescued Darby from the water. O’Riley himself had taken out Galen’s henchman waiting in the boat.
When they reached Aidan’s room, O’Riley hesitated outside the door. “I’m not going to intrude on your reunion. I know you’ve waited patiently to see him. I won’t get in your way. There is one thing I want you to know.”
Darby held the man’s gaze, not certain she could take any more surprises right now. “Yes.”
“Galen told you that you were his biological daughter.”
She nodded. “He did, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m glad he’s dead.” If that made her cold and unfeeling, so be it.
O’Riley chuckled. “That makes two of us. Still, I didn’t want you worrying about his claim. It’s not true. I will tell you that he attempted to do just that, but I interceded.”
Darby couldn’t deny the relief she felt at hearing that news. “Thank you. That is a relief.”
He patted her arm. “I thought it would be.”
He walked away then, leaving her alone to share her wonderful news with Aidan.
A smile pulled across her lips. She couldn’t wait to see him. She knocked lightly on the door and pushed it inward.
He lay very still on the bed, the sheets stark white against the bare skin of his shoulders. His eyes were closed and she worried that she shouldn’t disturb him. Just then, those dark eyes fluttered open and his lips twitched with a wan smile.
“It’s about time,” he murmured.
She moved to his side, leaned down and kissed his forehead. She tried to hold back the emotion but it was impossible. “I’m so thankful you’re alive,” she whispered, lacking the strength to speak at a normal decibel.
“Me, too.” He groaned with the effort of moving his arm from under the cover so he could take her hand.
She closed her eyes and thanked God yet again for sparing his life. And for O’Riley’s decision.
“You’re taking me home with you, are you?” Aidan remarked as if it was no big deal.
A bark of laughter escaped her trembling lips. “Rule number one,” she informed him, “no reading my mind unless I give you permission first.”
He searched her eyes, his expression suddenly hesitant. “Are you sure this is what you want, Darby Shepard?”
She squeezed his hand gently. “More sure than I’ve ever been of anything in my life.” She kissed his lips. When she would have retreated, he lifted his head to maintain the contact. She lost herself to the kiss…let the feelings flow between them, the heat and the desire. She loved him so very much.
When at last she drew back for air, she said softly, “I’m so sorry I didn’t trust you when Detective Willis told me what he’d discovered.”
Aidan smiled. “You’re only human, Darby. It was a big leap…but you took it in the end. That’s what counts.”
“So,” she said, trying to covertly swipe the moisture from her eyes, “are you sure this is what you want?”
“I’d stake my life on it,” he said flatly.
Darby laughed. “Not funny.”
“I love you, Darby Shepard.” He tugged her nearer. “I want to grow old with you.”
“Just remember,” she said as she positioned her lips mere centimeters from his, “I plan to take my slow, sweet time growing old. We do that down in the Big Easy, you know.”
“We’ll take all the time you want. We were created to be together.”
“I love you, Aidan,” she whispered before making the seal of their lips complete. I love you. His words echoed softly in her mind.
He was right. They had been created to be together.
This was simply destiny.
O’RILEY OPTED to take the stairs back to his office. He needed to check his messages before meeting Remington for lunch. Afterward, he would brief the Collective and the alert status at Center would be lowered to Secure.
Galen was dead for real this time.
The bastard.
Life was good once more.
O’Riley couldn’t think of a single thing that would make this day any better. His mind immediately drifted to the life he’d once had with his wife—ex-wife, he amended.
“Get over it,” he muttered to himself. Some things just weren’t meant to be.
He’d gotten along without her so far, he’d survived…would likely spend the rest of his life alone.
Heaving a sigh, he pushed the thought aside and entered the spacious waiting room where his secretary held down the fort.
“Any messages?” he demanded gruffly. Everyone expected that from him. He knew the way they talked behind his back. O’Riley needs to get laid. Ever since his old lady left him he’s been a royal pain in the ass.
Screw ’em. He was still the boss.
“Ah…sir…you have a visitor,” his secretary said hesitantly.
O’Riley glowered at her. “You know I have a luncheon appointment. Who the hell is it?” He glanced around the lobby and found it just as empty as he’d thought it to be when he walked in.
“She’s waiting in your office.” His secretary quickly turned back to her computer, determined not to say more.
Who the hell would just show up at his office?
A woman at that?
One of the technicians or researchers, he presumed. Just what he needed, a bitch session before lunch. They needed this or so and so had done that.
Why did he keep doing this job?
No one appreciated a thing he did.
Well, except maybe Darby Shepard and a few others he’d helped along with their lives. He had to admit, though, that with her he’d had a personal stake in the matter.
When he’d told her that he’d intervened in Galen’s attempt to create an Enforcer using his own sperm, he hadn’t lied. The truth was, Darby Shepard was his biological daughter. But that didn’t matter to her right now. She was completely focused on Aidan. That was okay with O’Riley. He’d tell her someday. Maybe he’d even tell Aidan that Daniel Archer had been his biological father. His assignment in Brussels hadn’t been the only reason O’Riley hadn’t been able to put Aidan on the Archer mission. That kind of move would have opened up a whole other can of worms, since Archer’s daughter was his half sister. It was best not to go there right now. Some secrets needed to be kept.
