“Is that you, Preston, the guy everyone thought I hired?” Sterling shouted.
Of course there was no answer.
“Why can’t I hear anything?”
“You did something to the power,” Grant said.
“I did not,” Sterling bellowed, sounding outraged. He turned toward the screen. “They need to hear me. Hamilton told me he had a way to get the information out of Roper.”
“You can’t get to him,” Landon said. “He’s in the VR, and the connection’s turned flaky.”
“If he won’t talk, I can cut off his life support from here. And Preston’s,” he added.
“Not Preston’s,” Landon answered.
“Why not?”
“He’s not in the lab.”
“Where is he?”
“At an FBI safe house, I assume. I don’t know for sure.”
He was answered with a string of curses.
Sterling’s face was red with anger as he turned to Grant.
“This is all your fault. I had a perfectly good deal going. I had the doctor add Roper to his zombie unit so I could find out where he put those bombs. But you stuck your nose in where it didn’t belong.”
“I wanted to find my brother. You sent Roper off to plant bombs, and you didn’t even know where they were?”
“He said he’d pick the best places. Then he backed out of our deal.”
“What I don’t get is—why did you want a chemical attack at subway stations?”
“Because I was cheated out of a big contract. I figured I could get the money anyway. Then Roper double crossed me.”
Grant shrugged. “Why did you change your mind about the attacks?”
“It was a bluff. I was never going to kill all those people. The feds would have hunted me down like Bin Laden. I was going to fix it. And then you had to open that stupid coffin and start asking a shitload of questions.”
“I had a right to know what happened to my brother.”
“He was safe here, you jerk. And you should have been eliminated at the monument.” Sterling raised his gun and shot at Grant, three bullets striking him. He staggered backwards and went down, disappearing from sight behind one of the beds.
oOo
Mack watched in horror, still unable to hear what was going on in the lab. Christ, Sterling had just shot his brother.
He looked at Lily. “Can we get back in there?”
She shook her head. “We could, but then what. We’d wake up in those beds, and he’d just shoot us.”
“But we have to help Grant.”
She gave him a sick look. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do. Sterling hit him in the chest.”
Mack wanted to rage. He wanted to charge around the corner and smash his fists into Roper, who was the cause of this whole damn mess. But he couldn’t move away from the screen as he watched the action in the lab.
As Mack continued to stare at the screen in horror, Sterling turned to Hamilton and pointed the gun at him.
Even without a sound, Mack could tell the doctor was pleading for his life.
Before the attacker could fire, a gray shape leaped through the doorway, taking him down. It was an animal that looked a lot like a wolf.
Mack gaped as another wolf flattened one of the gunmen. And he blinked as his brother climbed off the floor and came up behind the other thug, shoving a gun in his back. His arm was bloody, and Mack could see bullet holes in his shirt. The only explanation he could come up with was that Grant had been wearing a bulletproof vest.
Thank the Lord.
The wolves kept Sterling and his men in check while Grant grabbed their guns. He looked toward the screen and spoke silently.
Sorry, Mack. The last part was a scam to get Sterling’s confession on video. We didn’t have any proof of the plot, and we needed him to incriminate himself. And we needed you to focus on getting the locations of the bombs out of Roper. It was all going according to plan, until Sterling came back sooner than we expected.
Chapter Thirty-One
Mack felt for a nearby stone wall and sagged against it. He wanted to throttle Grant for not letting him in on the scheme, but he understood why it had to be held as closely as possible.
He turned to Preston and Lily. “The part with Sterling and his men was a setup. They wanted him to incriminate himself.”
The sound came on and Grant said, “And I texted the location of the bombs to the FBI. They already have the stations cleared. And teams are going in in hazmat suits to find the devices.”
Lily blinked. “But the sound was off. How did you know the locations?”
“Mack told me.”
She looked from one to the other of them, then focused on Mack. “I don’t understand.”
Mack looked at her. “I told you about me and Grant communicating mind to mind. We lost it when we were teenagers, but the recent . . . stress has made the ability a lot stronger than it ever was.”
She nodded, still looking like she could hardly believe what they were telling her.
A shout from the main part of the dungeon caught their attention. It was from Roper.
“Hey, what about me? You can’t just leave me here.”
“You’re right.” Mack looked at his brother. Tell Hamilton to bring him back there until we can figure out what to do with him.
Grant conveyed the message to the doctor, who nodded and moved toward one of the beds.
Weld faced the screen. “Good job.”
“How did you work it—making Sterling think he’d escaped?”
“We knew two of his guys were still in the area. We let them ‘rescue’ him.”
“Wasn’t that taking a chance on your getting killed?”
“We worked it like we did with Grant. And they were in a hurry to leave, so they didn’t stop to verify that we were dead.”
“And the Decorah team stayed on scene?” Mack asked.
“Yes,” Frank answered. “We didn’t go far.”
Preston cleared his throat. “And what about me?” he asked, his gaze fixed on the FBI agent.
Weld gave him a studied look, and Mack knew the hacker was holding his breath.
“You kept your end of the bargain. We’ll stick with ours,” the FBI agent said to Preston.
The hacker let out a whoop. “Thank you.”
“No one else could have pulled that off. I mean getting Roper to talk.”
“I needed Mack Bradley to make it work,” Preston said and turned to Mack. “Sorry I was such a bastard.”
“A talented bastard. Too bad you had to scare the shit out of us.” He wasn’t going to add that it was “all right.”
“Hope we meet again under better circumstances,” Preston said just before he flickered out of existence.
“I guess he’s gone back to the safe house,” Lily said.
Mack looked around the corner and saw that Roper had also vanished. Presumably, he was back in the lab where Sterling had put him, and there was no reason to let him enjoy the five-star amenities of the Mirador Hotel.
But what about the innocent people whom Hamilton had brought there?
Mack was still wondering about them when he was suddenly also in the lab, lying in his old bed, with Hamilton looking down at him.
“How are you?” the doctor asked.
“Hopefully, better than I was last time I was here.” He sat up cautiously and was glad he wasn’t feeling weak or dizzy.
A few beds away, Lily was also sitting up. Their eyes met, and he wanted to get up and go to her, but there was still a lot of stuff to take care of. “Later,” he mouthed.
She nodded.
He climbed down and stood holding the side of the bed, hoping he didn’t look too wobbly on his feet.
Two dark-haired men had walked into the lab and were talking with Frank Decorah and Grant. One was Cole Marshall, who had been there earlier with Decorah.
“This is Brand Marshall,” Decorah said, introducing the other man. “Cole’s co
usin. They were part of the takedown team.”
Mack hadn’t seen any men—only wolves. His eyes widened as he considered the implications of what Frank had said. Grant had hinted that there were men with highly unusual skills working for Decorah Security. These two guys must be some of the most interesting.
Weld was speaking again—to Hamilton. “And you are under arrest.”
The doctor blanched. “For what?”
“For stealing patients without permission. For cooperating in a scheme to blackmail the U.S. government.”
“I didn’t know about his scheme,” Hamilton answered.
“You just thought you were making a sweet deal for funding?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you should have remembered the old investment rule—if it seems too good to be true, it is.”
Gordinger stepped forward and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, which he clamped onto the doctor.
“I want a lawyer,” Hamilton shouted.
“Of course. And maybe you can cut a deal—like Preston.”
When the doctor had been removed, Lily turned to Weld.
“But what about the program? I mean, those poor people.” She swept her hand toward the sleeping patients.
Frank Decorah was the one who answered. “I think we can continue the program. Not for experimental purposes, but as a refuge for patients who could benefit.” He cleared his throat. “After we establish that the other patients are here legitimately. Or if they were stolen like Mack, we’ll inform the relatives.”
“Yes,” Lily agreed. “But who is going to run it?”
“You.”
Her eyes widened. “But I was Hamilton’s junior associate.”
“You’re perfectly capable of the technical aspects, and I suspect your ethics are a lot better than Hamilton’s.”
She looked stunned and at the same time excited. “Where would we go?”
“There’s a vacant warehouse near my office. We could fit it out as a medical unit.”
Lily looked overwhelmed that things were moving so fast. “That’s going to take money. And I need some additional medical staff.”
“Decorah has a foundation that can handle the costs,” Frank said. He looked at Mack and Grant. “And I think two telepathic security men who have already been in the VR would be ideal for the project.”
Mack shook his head. “I can’t just leave the Navy—and go AWOL.”
Frank laughed. “Why not? You’re officially dead.”
He hadn’t thought of that.
“But I beat the bushes looking for him,” Grant said.
“Does anyone know you found him?”
“Anyone official? No.”
“Well, then. In fact, his being dead is a definite advantage. It gives him operating space you wouldn’t otherwise have. He can make himself a whole new identity.”
Mack’s head was spinning as he tried to take it all in.
Beside him, Lily spoke. “Somehow Preston got my sister into the VR. Can I bring her back and give her a chance for life that she’s never had since her accident?”
“Of course,” Frank answered, then looked from Lily to Landon and back again. “Can you keep this place running while I contact some medical personnel I trust?”
“Yes.”
“You can hire your own staff, of course. But I think you need some help now.”
Lily looked at the patients. “It will be less complicated if we keep them here sleeping until the move is completed.”
“Yes,” Frank agreed. “If you think there’s someone who’s not suitable for the VR—either temperamentally or physically—they can be transferred somewhere else. I think Mack can help us rate their suitability.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “But I’d hate to exclude someone just because they’re a little difficult to get along with.”
Lily gave him a long look. “Right. But first, I want you to have a medical exam.”
He looked startled. “I’m fine.”
“You left the VR against your doctor’s advice. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
He might have protested or said they’d have been in a hell of a mess if he hadn’t returned to the real world, but he was starting to feel a little ragged around the edges, and he knew she was right. He’d better make sure he was fit for duty.
He went down the hall with Frank Decorah to a room that was set up as a lounge.
Like everything else Frank Decorah had arranged that day, the doctor arrived in record time. He gave Mack a thorough exam and made some recommendations—like his seeing a neurologist and having some physical therapy.
“But right now, my best advice is to get some rest,” he said.
As soon as the guy said it, Mack knew it was an excellent idea. He’d been up for hours, and the stimulant he’d taken had long since worn off.
He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the couch. As he settled down, he figured he had time for a short rest. But when he finally opened his eyes again, he saw that someone had covered him. And from the clock on the end table he knew that hours had passed.
He got up, stretched and walked over to the counter where he saw plates of food covered with plastic—one of sandwiches and one of pastries. They were next to a machine that apparently produced any kind of hot beverage you wanted.
He opted for black coffee, which he sipped while he ate half a roast beef sandwich and all of a cherry Danish—the first real food he’d had in a long time, he realized.
When he’d finished, he investigated the bathroom, where he found a set of clean clothes on a counter across from the shower.
Twenty minutes later, he was feeling a lot more human. And while he brushed his teeth and shaved, he wondered where he could find Lily. In fact, when he stepped back into the lounge, he saw that she was sitting on the couch opposite where he’d been sleeping.
She gave him a critical inspection. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, Dr. Wardman. What about you?”
“Kind of overwhelmed. A lot has happened in the past few days—and not what I expected.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m back from the dead.”
“You weren’t dead.”
“Thanks to you,”
“I . . .”
“Don’t be modest. You saved me when I insisted on coming back here.”
She answered with a little nod. He swept his hand toward the drink machine. “What can I get you?”
“A latte.”
“Fancy.”
“I deserve it.”
“Yeah.”
He brought her the drink and sat down opposite her.
There was so much he wanted to say—and ask, but he wasn’t sure where to start.
“You look really serious,” she said, “What were you thinking about?”
“Us.”
The word hung in the air between them.
“And?”
Since he knew this was either going to be very good or very bad, he said, “I know we haven’t known each other long. Not technically. But I want us to be together.”
“I want that, too. Maybe I know you better than you know me. I could tell what kind of man you were when I read your background. Meeting you in the VR confirmed my opinion.” She stopped and swallowed hard. “And I’m so sorry I had to go through that charade with you.”
“Hamilton’s rules.”
“I should have questioned them.”
“You did. But he was in charge.”
They both stood, meeting in the middle of the room. Clasping her close, he allowed himself to feel happy for the first time in forever. As she raised her face, he lowered his mouth to hers for a kiss that went beyond basic need to outright greed. When he finally lifted his head a few inches, they were both out of breath.
His hands slid up and down her back, then cupped her bottom and pulled her against his erection.
“This is the first time we’re going to be together in the real world,” she whispered.
&n
bsp; He looked around the lounge. “Are you saying you want to get a room in one of the hotels down the road?”
“Getting there would take at least twenty minutes. I don’t think I can wait that long. In fact, I don’t think I can make it across the room.”
“Weak in the knees?”
“Too hot to walk.”
“Lord, yes.”
As they swayed together where they stood, he tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it away, then unhooked her bra and sent it following the shirt. When he was done, she dragged his knit shirt up and off.
His breath caught as he pulled her into his arms, absorbing the feel of her breasts against his naked chest while he stroked his hands along the silky skin of her back down to her narrow waist and over the curve of her hips. As he caressed her, he dragged her pants down. She kicked them away, and he stroked her naked bottom, entranced by the expanse of smooth softness.
She brought her hands up to cup his face, kissing him gently.
“I’m so thankful you’re here,” she murmured.
“Likewise.”
“For a long time I focused on my work. Then I met a man who . . . drew me, only he was out of reach.”
He was overwhelmed by the deep emotion he heard in her voice. She gazed into his eyes as she ran her fingers over his face, down his neck, then bent to kiss his chest.
Raising her face to meet his gaze again, she unbuttoned his jeans and lowered the zipper enough to reach inside, taking his erection in her hand.
“You are so hot and hard for me.”
“And all too ready.” He looked back toward the couch, thinking it wasn’t all that comfortable. Instead, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the counter where he set her down near the edge and opened her legs. Standing between them, he kissed her breasts.
Catching her breath, she leaned back, bracing herself on her hands as he swirled his tongue around one distended nipple before sucking it into his mouth.
He took a step back, his chest tightening as he took in the passion on her face.
Then he bent and pulled her toward the edge of the counter, giving himself access to the most intimate part of her. He kissed her there, using his lips and tongue to caress her, loving the way her small sounds of pleasure told him how much she liked what he was doing.
Rx Missing (Decorah Security Series, Book #10): A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel Page 21
