Unspeakable (Beyond Human)

by Nina Croft

  “And you’re quite right not to trust me, Fergus.”

  “Get out of my head.”

  She was considering her answer, but she couldn’t make important decisions like that without caffeine.

  The scent of freshly brewed coffee tempted her into the kitchen. She wandered in and found a pot, poured herself a cup and breathed in the fumes. There was also a paper bag by the coffee machine. Inside were half a dozen doughnuts, covered with sugar. They were still warm. She glanced up to find Fergus leaning in the doorway watching her.

  “Did you bring me breakfast, Fergus?”

  He shrugged. “The boss’s orders. He said you’d probably be hungry.”

  “Yeah, and I get real bitchy when I’m not fed regularly.”

  He thought she was real bitchy anyway.

  “Aw, you love me really.”

  No. he didn’t.

  She grinned as she took a doughnut out of the bag, bit into it, and groaned. She finished it off in three bites, washed it down with coffee, then picked out another. Leaning against the counter, she ate this one slower. After taking a third, she held out the bag to Fergus.

  He shook his head.

  “Scared you’ll get fat?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer. She poured another coffee and sipped it, pondering on what to say to him. It occurred to her that having Fergus on her side would be a whole lot better than having him fighting her at every step. But Fergus was Ethan’s man. That was unchangeable. And she liked that.

  “I’m not one of the bad guys, Fergus, whatever you might think. In fact, I used to work for the government,” she said.

  “So did I.”

  “There, see, I knew we had something in common. Anyway, they promised us a world with no more lies.”

  “A dream.”

  She shrugged. “You can’t lie to me, Fergus.” He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t need to. “So what’s happening? Where’s Ethan? And where did my dog miraculously appear from?”

  “Ethan’s already at the office. He’s usually in by six.”

  “Ugh.”

  “He said he looked in on you, but you were snoring.”

  “I so was not.”

  “And he didn’t want to wake you.”

  It made her twitchy thinking of Ethan watching her sleep. Had she been dreaming of him? Making love to him. She could have had him for real last night. And she’d been so tempted. That kiss at her door had awoken her body, making her realize how long it had been since she’d had sex. But maybe it was how much she had wanted him, the extent of that need, that had given her the strength to push him away. Sleeping with Ethan would change everything. She had a feeling there would be no going back. And that scared her. She still had no clue what the ending to all this would be. The Conclave had to be destroyed—that wasn’t an option. They needed to be obliterated. For Sam, for Josie, for all the others who had died. But she’d spoken the truth to Jake. Ethan wasn’t part of that and he wasn’t evil.

  Christ, she was a mess.

  “He left you something,” Fergus said. He waved to a piece of paper of the table.

  He’d left her a note. How sweet.

  She picked it up and read…

  I met your friends this morning. Apparently, your dog was pining for you and so they decided to introduce themselves and hand him over. See you at the office. Don’t be late. Ethan.

  She had a quick rummage in Fergus’s head. They’d knocked out Ethan’s bodyguards. That’s why he had seemed so worried—he didn’t understand and wasn’t sure he could protect Ethan. Now, he wanted to know whether she could do the same.

  “No,” she said. “I can give you a headache, but that’s all.”

  His eyes narrowed, but this time, he didn’t tell her to get out of his head. He was nothing if not a fast learner.

  “But I won’t…as long as you don’t piss me off.” She smiled brightly. “I take it you’re here to escort me to work.”

  He nodded.

  “Can I make a call first?”

  “Do you need to? Can’t you just…think at them?”

  “No, I’m too far away. Besides, this particular person isn’t telepathic. You can listen in.”

  She wanted to talk to the colonel—okay, she didn’t want to talk to him, but she needed to. A series of clicks sounded down the phone as the number was patched through relays, rendering it untraceable. He picked up.

  “It’s Sadie,” she said.

  “What do you need?”

  That was one good thing about the colonel, he didn’t waste time on pleasantries that he was quite aware would not be returned.

  “All the details of the cell you built to contain Kaitlin. The materials, where they were sourced, the building schematics, anything else you can come up with.”

  “You think you might trace the hostages that way?”

  “Well, if you’ve got a better idea.”

  “No. It’s unique enough that it might work. I’ll get it for you straight away. Where do you want it sent?”

  “Rose has my email account. She can send it to me.”

  “Okay.” He was silent for a moment. “I’m glad you’re alive.”

  She didn’t answer, just closed off the call and put down the phone. When she glanced up, Fergus was watching her. “What?”

  “Not a friend of yours?”

  “Very perceptive—are you reading my mind now, Fergus?”

  “No, just the expression on your face.”

  “No, not a friend.” She gave a tight smile. “He’s a fucker who’d be dead now if he wasn’t more useful alive.” And there was also the little fact that he was Jake’s father-in-law. Christa probably wouldn’t be very happy if they killed the colonel, however much he deserved it.

  “I’ll go get dressed,” she said. “And we can be off.”

  She straightened, picked up the bag with the doughnuts, and headed for the door.

  Hopefully the information would be there by the time they got to the office. She needed to get to work finding Kaitlin and the others. Where were they? Were they isolated? Alone? Did they believe the rest of the Tribe was dead?

  Once she’d found them, she’d bring this thing with Ethan to an end.

  How she’d do that, and whether he’d be alive afterward, was another matter. And in the meantime, she would keep her distance.

  Because really, this time, no way were her dreams coming true.

  She just had to keep remembering that.

  Chapter Thirteen

  She was driving him seriously insane.

  And she wasn’t even trying.

  Two days she’d been “working” for him, and his brain had ceased to function. He wasn’t getting anything done. She was ignoring him. As much as she could when she was working with him and living with him. She was still in bed when he left in the morning—and after that first time, he’d found the door locked when he’d tried to go in. Both nights, they’d left the office together, but she’d been silent on the drive home, sitting as far away from him as she could in the closed space of the back seat of the car. It was as though she might catch something. And once at the apartment, she’d disappeared inside her room as soon as they arrived, only popping out when the pizza delivery arrived, grabbing the box and the beers and vanishing again. She’d refused to eat with him. He’d offered to take her out again, but she’d said no.

  He kept on the reflector device at all times. Occasionally, he thought about taking it off, letting her see what he was thinking.

  Travis hadn’t appeared yet. He’d gone dark, out of contact with anyone. It was puzzling, though not totally unheard of.

  His phone rang. Ethan picked it up.

  “The conference is set for tonight. I’ll send you the details,” his father said.

  After his father had hung up, Ethan called Fergus, told him to get up there. He would have to make the plans—who would go, what security was needed. When he put the phone down, he sat staring into space. Would Sadie find
the answers? Could it all be over tonight? For so long, the past had haunted him, controlled his life.

  Maybe he’d find that his mother’s death had really been an accident. And he’d be able to put it behind him and finally give his all to the Conclave. Be the man he was born to be.

  What would he do about Sadie?

  So far, she’d failed to find her people. He’d given her full access to the files—which Fergus thought was idiotic. But she already knew so much, it seemed pointless limiting her. Only the information on those files wasn’t enough. They tended not to keep detailed records of the various projects.

  Travis would have to be at the party tonight. Attendance was mandatory. He would get the information from him. But Travis was bound to question him as to why he needed it, and he had yet to come up with a plausible explanation. The Conclave was mired in secrecy. It was the way things were.

  He stared at the phone. He should call and tell Sadie about the party. But she was in the next room, why not go tell her?

  Christ, he was a mess.

  Like a randy teenager.

  All the same, he got to his feet and crossed the room before he could tell himself he was an idiot…again. He opened the door and leaned in the doorway, his eyes fixed on her.

  She was in another of her “working” outfits. A red suit with a short tight skirt and a short tight jacket. She sat on the sofa, a laptop on her knees, a frown of concentration on her face. She didn’t even look up, though, he was certain she was quite aware he was there.

  She was doing the ignoring him thing again, and it was pissing him off. Maybe it was time to show her that he didn’t appreciate being invisible. He strode across the room, grabbed the laptop, tossed it onto the sofa, took her hand, and pulled her to her feet.

  “What the—”

  He stopped her words with a kiss. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. But once he started, he couldn’t stop. His hands slid into the short silky hair at the back of her neck. Tipping her head, his mouth came down hard on hers. For a moment, she held herself rigid, and then she melted against him. Her lips parted beneath his and her tongue pushed inside. She took the initiative from him, her hands slipping around his waist, fingers digging into his back, pressing herself up against him. He went hard almost instantly. He had no control over his body’s responses.

  She was driving him insane.

  But knowing that made no difference. Without breaking the kiss, he slid his hands down her arms, over her hips. Bending slightly, he stroked over her thighs, then under the short skirt, pushing the material out of the way, finding the tight globes of her ass. He cupped her through the thin silk, and then lifted her, turning and taking the few steps to the desk, sitting her on the edge, kissing her some more. Her thighs parted, her legs wrapping around him, pulling him closer, and his dick pulsed with need.

  Finally, he ran out of oxygen and slowly raised his head. He met her midnight-blue gaze as he pressed his erection into the softness between her thighs. Her eyelids drooped, but she didn’t protest, or try to stop him.

  He flicked open the button on the red jacket, slid it from her shoulders, and dropped it to the floor. Beneath it, she wore a simple white tank top. Through the thin material, he could see her nipples, tight little peaks. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over one, and a shiver ran through her. He pushed the strap off one shoulder. Went to push the other—

  The phone on the desk rang, and he went still.

  Ignore it.

  For long seconds, she stared at him, and then she blinked, gave herself a little shake, and reached for the phone. She relaxed her legs from around his waist, then placed the palm of her hand on his chest, and shoved hard. Not hard enough to move him, though. He stood there, just to prove that he could.

  A low growl sounded from the floor behind the desk. He glanced past her and stared into dark brown eyes. The Doberman lay on the floor, head raised, lip curled. Then he blinked and lowered his head to his paws.

  Ethan took a step back, watching her as she listened to whoever was on the phone. Her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses, her nipples still hard.

  But somehow, he was aware the moment had passed.

  She ended the call, put the phone down, and considered him, her head cocked on one side. “It wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  “I’m getting to the point where I really don’t give a fuck.” His gaze dropped down over her body. “How about you?”

  She shrugged but didn’t answer.

  “I’m guessing if that phone hadn’t rung, I’d be deep inside you right now.”

  Something flashed in her eyes.

  “Don’t you want to know how that feels? My cock filling you.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I want. Some things are more important and it would…complicate matters.”

  “What? You think if you fuck me, then you might find it a little bit harder to kill me when this is all over? You do still plan to kill me, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know what will happen.” She pressed a finger to her forehead, rubbed the spot between her eyes. For the first time, he saw a flicker of vulnerability. “This was all so simple once. I wanted revenge. The Conclave murdered my sister, killed my friends. They deserved to die.”

  “Except?”

  “It’s never simple.”

  No, it wasn’t. He knew that better than anyone. His feelings for the Conclave were so complex that most of the time he had no clue what he thought. The truth was there were good people and bad within the organization. Unfortunately, the more ruthless among them tended to rise to the top. You had to be willing to fight for your place. Time to change the subject.

  “So was the call important?” What he meant was, was it worth interrupting what might be his last chance to fuck her? Because after tonight, everything would change.

  “It might be.”

  …

  Sadie jumped down from the desk and straightened her skirt. Her legs wobbled a little, but she locked her muscles. He was right. If that call hadn’t interrupted them, they would be making love right now. It was a strange thought; she didn’t think she had ever made love before. She’d had plenty of sex but that was a different thing entirely. And even if it was just fucking to Ethan, to her it would be more, because she had heard him whisper the words “I love you” while he was deep inside her. In her dreams.

  Could she still kill him? If it came down to that, she might have to. But not because Kane said the Conclave all had to die. She’d need a far better reason. But maybe he would leave her no choice. She was aware that his ultimate loyalties lay with the Conclave. If that became a threat, then could she end him? He’d worn the reflector device continuously. She’d not even had a glimpse into his head. She knew he wanted her. But she had no belief that that little fact would influence him in any material way. He didn’t care for her. Didn’t love her. Yet.

  Shit, she had to put that out of her mind.

  She forced her thoughts back to the phone call. It was maybe the breakthrough she’d been looking for. So far, she’d found no connection. She’d been looking from the Conclave end, investigating financial reports, companies they “owned.” The organization was vast, sprawling, spread across the globe. As he’d promised, Ethan had kept his side of the bargain and had provided her with all the assistance he could, including access to the Conclave’s files. But the task had been impossible. So she’d decided to look from the other direction. The materials needed were specific and not common—the metals combined in a process that needed certain machinery. Only a few companies were capable of providing the quantities needed. She’d looked at the contractor the colonel had used first, and found nothing. Then she’d moved on to other companies, starting with the biggest. And she was pretty sure she’d found the order. Now all she needed to do was trace who made that order and where the shipment went. With luck, she’d find Kaitlin and the others.

  Crossing to where her laptop lay on the sofa, she sat down, opened the lid, and stared at the screen
for a moment. She’d had the invoice sent to her, and she studied it for a moment. A tingling in her gut told her she was on the right track. She glanced up and found Ethan still there; she’d almost forgotten him. “Come look at this,” she said. He would likely know if there was a Conclave connection, quicker than going through the convoluted files. He had a brain like a computer.

  He strolled across and sank down beside her. “What is it?”

  “An invoice for the materials needed to build cells like the one the government used to imprison Kaitlin.” She studied the quantities, did the math in her head. “Enough for five cells.” She looked at the date. “It was made before they killed Teagan.”

  “Teagan.”

  “She was one of the ones recaptured by the government. She was injured, not fatally, but they killed her to try and get Jake to give himself and the others up.” That had been Kane’s fault. While he hadn’t told them specifically to kill someone, he’d said to use whatever means necessary to bring Jake and the others in. “What do you think? Is it your lot?” She was battling down the excitement. She hadn’t really, totally believed that they were still alive. She’d hoped, but it had been so long. This was the first tangible evidence that they survived. That there was a reason nobody had heard a whisper from any of them.

  He gave a slow nod. “The company is owned by a Conclave member. I don’t recognize the shipping address, but it’s easy enough to check up. I’ll get someone on it.”

  She shook her head. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t alert anyone that we know anything. Or they’ll move them, and we’ll have to start all over again.”

  “You don’t trust me?”

  She gave the reflector device a pointed look. “I don’t trust anyone whose mind I can’t read.”

  “So what will you do?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” Actually, she knew exactly what she needed to do and that was pass the information to Jake. He could get them out of there. Once they were free, then she could decide what her next move would be. She peered at Ethan. He was staring straight ahead, deep in thought. Then he turned to her.

  “It seems I’ve kept my side of the bargain. You’ve very likely found your friends.”