Covert Craving

by Jennifer James

  Questions doubled up on themselves but he held them in. Letting Dyson and whoever awaited them offer information would give him an opportunity to gather intel and also keep the others from knowing how ignorant he was about the situation.

  They climbed the stairs to the third floor with Chloe in the middle. Black gunk covered her lower legs and her shoulders sagged. Her tight little ass flexed in front of him as she trooped ahead and a surge of pride and lust overtook him.

  He thought about sinking his teeth into the muscle, then moving his mouth over to the other side and biting down there too. Then he’d smooth his palms over her back as he licked his way up her spine—

  “Earth to Greiff. Come in Greiff.” Laughter lit her eyes despite how drawn and tired she looked. The amber flecks in her irises glowed. “Where’d you go? You look lost.”

  He shrugged and smirked at her. The coral pink of her lips entranced him. A sweaty lock of hair was plastered to her forehead and dark smudges marred her cheeks and jaw. The sewer smell clung to all of them. But she was still the sexiest woman he’d ever seen.

  “You were staring at my ass again, weren’t you?”

  “Best thing I’ve seen since we came outta the dark.” His dick twitched in his pants and he swallowed a groan.

  “Come on, children. No time for fun and games right now.”

  He attempted to not stare at the other man, but it proved difficult if not impossible. Grey-green scales climbed Dyson’s neck and traced the area around his ears on his bald skull. Each tooth had a small, sharp point and his fingers were fused into two over sized, black claw tipped digits, and a thumb.

  Dyson held the exit door open for them. “Head to 4D. Lucky’s expecting you. I’ll return soon. I must secure the building.”

  Chloe patted him on the chest as she passed, and he nodded to her. Greiff mounted the last few stairs and switched his gun to his left hand. He held out his right to shake hands.

  Dyson’s forehead crinkled in surprise, but he accepted the gesture. “Lucky should be able to answer most of your questions.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need back up?” Their travel through the sewer system had proved Dyson’s trustworthiness as an ally and friend to him.

  A raspy laugh erupted from his companion. “It’s been more years than I can count that a human has offered to go with me into battle. You are truly something different, Detective.”

  He shrugged. “Am I human? I’m not so sure anymore. And we both know the government isn’t going to give up that easily. Or this Professor person. How many are there?”

  Reptilian eyes glittered and Dyson’s teeth extended into long, needle sharp points. “You’re human. I, however, have never been. I can handle this. The one advantage you and Chloe have right now is that the Professor’s men and those of your government are busy trying to outwit each other in this game they play.”

  The answer didn’t satisfy him. He didn’t like knowing members of a group of hostiles were still behind him, but he had to put Chloe’s safety first. She wasn’t a soldier. Putting distance between her and their pursuers was the best thing to do. He entered the hallway and found Chloe waiting for him in front of a door ten feet away with her arms hugged around her waist. “So what are you?”

  “Something very old. And very hungry. Please excuse me.”

  The door swung shut on Dyson’s cold, glittering black eyes, and Grieff shook himself. An ancient, alien intelligence had unveiled itself in those seconds and terrified the animal part of his brain.

  With long strides, he closed the gap between himself and the tiny woman waiting for him. He passed his gun back to his dominant hand and gathered her into a one armed hug. Wrapping his arm around her reassured him of her health and well-being. He knew he was invading her space with the constant need to touch her, but she didn’t seem to mind. She wilted into him, all her muscles going loose and flaccid. He kissed the top of her head while he knocked on the metal slab with the butt of the gun.

  The spunk of sex, booze, and coffee seeped through the cracks around the door. Multiple deadbolts snapped and snicked as the locks released. The door swung inward to reveal a short, thin man with white-blonde hair and blood red eyes in a pair of ratty sweat pants.

  Pornographic tattoos covered most of his skin in a lurid tableau. Metal hoops passed through both nipples.

  Greiff pointed his weapon directly at the man’s forehead. “Who are you?”

  Both of the man’s hands shot up palm out and he backed away. “Chill out, man. Name’s Lucky. Chloe knows me.”

  The tinge of stale perfume permeated the apartment along with alcohol, marijuana, and moldy food in a dense layer under the three strongest scents. Over all of it, was the smell of sex. He took Chloe across the threshold while keeping the almost albino man covered.

  “You’re from the camp?”

  Lucky nodded.

  “Sit in that chair over there. Hands where I can see them. Anyone else here with you?”

  The old dining room chair he’d indicated had a pair of discarded panties and black lace bra hanging off the back rest. Lucky perched on the edge, and jiggled his leg.

  “Jake, he’s cool.” Chloe crossed to an ancient sofa and curled up in the corner.

  “Hey, don’t get your dirty feet on my furniture. That shit won’t come out.”

  Greiff cased the hallway and shut the door. Then he popped a few of the dead bolts. “Don’t move. And leave Chloe alone. This place is a sty. Her feet aren’t going to hurt anything.”

  He moved through the small, one bed room apartment in a hurry, checked the closest and under the enormous bed for anyone who might be hiding. When he returned to the living room, Lucky sat in the chair where he’d left him and Chloe’d fallen asleep with her face on the arm rest.

  “Tell me why I should trust you.”

  Lucky fidgeted and crossed his legs. “Dyson sent you here, didn’t he? Isn’t that good enough?”

  “No. I don’t know you and I don’t know him.” He moved to the wall of computer equipment and jiggled the mouse. Five screens came to life and multiple CPU’s whirred.

  “Don’t touch anything! I finally broke through the firewalls and they don’t know I’m in yet.” Lucky nudged him aside and flopped into the rolling desk chair. He entered a command prompt and started downloading information.

  “Chloe says you were at the camp too, so as far as I’m concerned you might be a plant like her roommate or my partner. You bugged?”

  “Nah, I got rid of that thing years ago when I hooked up with Dyson for good. I dropped off their map.”

  He didn’t know if the man told the truth or not, but Lucky didn’t smell like Spetrino had when his dead partner lied. And if anyone wanted to stay off the radar, it’d be Dyson. That dude would be killed or imprisoned just for existing. Or taken into custody and used as a super weapon. An army of men like Dyson at the front lines of a war would devastate countries.

  Two of the screens displayed dossiers on himself and Chloe. Another had blueprints for a building. The fourth and fifth appeared to be government websites or user interfaces. He watched as the tiny arrow on the screen moved on one of them and clicked a folder. Information on something called Project Genesis filled the screen. He skimmed paragraphs dense with techno jargon and scientific data he’d need hours of study to fully comprehend.

  “What are you doing in here, Lucky? Who exactly have you hacked?”

  “Look, I was at the camp. I was like Chloe, just went with the program until about eight years ago. I developed some skills with computers and accidentally found my way into their database.”

  “Accidentally, huh?” He continued to read the files on the screen displaying the information on Project Genesis. “So, then what?”

  “Don’t judge. A guy like me can’t always find a girl who can keep up sexually. Internet porn subscriptions were killing my income. So anyway, I got curious. When we were kids the tests were more innocuous, you know? Like, intelligence tests and s
tuff.” Lucky swiped at his nose, his left foot bouncing off the floor. “And then when I was about nineteen, I started having sex with the nurses there. They wanted to harvest my sperm and stuff. When I found out they were doing the whole thing as an experiment I got real good with my hand.”

  Greiff blinked. Way too much of an overshare.

  “Where?” The schematic caught his attention, and he focused on it. It reminded him of a military base or compound of some sort.

  “The Professor’s little playground? It’s out in North Dakota. I don’t know what the official name is. Chloe calls it Area 46.” Lucky changed out a jump drive. “I thought it was awesome at first. All the sex I wanted with these hot nurses. And brother, I need a lot of sex. Like, a lot of it. All the time. I’ve got rabbit DNA and it is like, my sex drive—”

  “I don’t care.” Now that they’d stopped moving, he craved a cigarette. Plus, he wanted to cover the stench of the apartment with something. “Do you smoke?”

  “Oh yeah. There’s a pack over on the kitchen table.”

  He headed for the other room and pushed aside piles of mail and empty food cartons to unearth four empties and a soft pack drenched in spilled beer. “Do you always live this way? It’s disgusting.”

  “Nah, just had a party though. Man, you should have seen it. Chicks everywhere. I had sex all night and half the next day.”

  He shrugged and tamped down his aversion to the conversation. “I don’t care. Get to the point. How do I know I can trust you, and who is the Professor? What’s Dyson’s play in this? And why is the government trying to kill us?”

  “Oh, I doubt the government is trying to kill you. They’d much rather take you into custody.”

  A violent vibration rippled through the building. Trash and clothing cascaded onto the floor. Chloe woke up and screamed in fear. She curled into the fetal position and covered her head with her arms.

  He rushed to her and checked her for injuries. They needed to get out of the building. “What the hell is going on? What’s our exact location?”

  “Don’t worry about that. It was Dyson sealing off the sewer entrance to the building.” Lucky stood from the computers and picked something up off the floor. “Here’s those cigarettes. As for the Professor, his name is Xalvador Del Bosque. Born in Spain in 1752. Emigrated to the U.S. at age thirty.”

  Greiff looked her over once more, determined she was fine, and stood to retrieve the pack.

  “What are you doing?” Chloe intercepted him and claimed the smokes. “You’re not starting this crap again. I fall asleep for like ten minutes and you’re sneaking.”

  “Babe, you can’t smell this place like I can. It’s horrible.” He stalked her around the room as she backed away. The small points of her nipples showed through the thin material of her top and he sucked in a lung full of her scent. “Come on honey. I’ll make it worth your while if you let me have one.”

  “No.” She tucked them behind her back and held her free hand out in front, palm out.

  He decided to change tactics. “So Lucky, you’re saying this guy, this Professor is hundreds of years old.”

  “Right. He and Dyson go way back. Dyson’s like, one of the original residents of New Orleans. Except, it wasn’t anything back then. Just swamp land. Not even the Native Americans went in there.”

  Chloe stumbled over a pile of pizza cartons, and he swooped in to catch her. He had the cigarettes held aloft in moments, and a squirming, sexy woman snuggled up tight in his arm. Not bad at all.

  “Hey. No fair,” she pouted and went to her tip toes to try and retrieve the cigarettes.

  “Chloe, seriously. I know you don’t like it, but at least let me light one to try and cover the stink in here. I can’t breathe.”

  She shook her head and scowled.

  “I won’t smoke it.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I promise. And later, I’ll eat your pussy until you scream.”

  “This is a totally inappropriate time for telling me things like that.”

  Lust hazed her eyes and the scent of her arousal tinged the air. Masculine pride flowed though him. He loved that, how she responded to him and got all wound up just thinking about sex with him.

  “But it got your attention.” He licked her ear lobe and she shivered.

  “Wow, man. That’s quite a promise there. You better be able to deliver on that. Chicks get pissed if you don’t deliver.” Lucky typed with rapid fire speed.

  “He’s got enhanced ears. So even if you whisper, he can hear you.” Mirth bubbled in her eyes and she kissed his chin before moving away. “Fine. Do what you want. I’m not your mother.”

  “Lucky, focus. We’re on a tight schedule here.” He rooted in the pile of debris Lucky produced the smokes from and found a lighter. “I can’t protect Chloe if I don’t know who I’m up against and why.”

  “Alright, well the short version is that the government had a contract with the Professor until recently. Something went down I haven’t been able to crack yet, and that relationship went splitsville. So, all kinds of flags popped up in the Professor’s files. Stuff about moving the time tables up on longer term projects. The government knows who all the participants in the program were, but not where they all are physically.”

  Chloe leaned over Lucky’s shoulder and studied the screens. “Wow, you’ve come a long way from just hacking for free porn.”

  Lucky peered down her top. Jealous irritation overtook Greiff’s good sense, and after he lit the cigarette, he pelted the smaller man in the head with the lighter. “Look down her shirt again, and I’ll make your balls useless for a week.”

  “Shit, possessive much, man?”

  A snarl ripped free of his chest and Lucky ducked his head. The sound concerned him, along with the crest of emotion behind it, but he couldn’t control the urge to protect Chloe and warn the other man away from his territory. “Just stay on target and we won’t have a problem.”

  “Right. So they found you two through Spetrino, but not before Damien completed his mission for the Professor.”

  He resisted the urge to smoke the cigarette, despite the clamor of his body for the nicotine, and instead, held it at head height, grateful for the smell it gave off. If he stayed in this box of an apartment much longer, he’d barf for sure.

  “Who’s Damien? Daisy Mae?” Chloe tapped the screen with her dossier on it with her forefinger. “Wow. I’m a completely gullible idiot.”

  The building shook once more, and stacks of paper piled along the walls cascaded over and spilled across the floor.

  “Lucky, you sure this is supposed to be happening? Are you positive that this location is secure?”

  Lucky held his finger in front of his mouth and crept toward the door with his head cocked to the side. Grieff dropped the cigarette into a half empty beer bottle, readied his gun, and ushered Chloe into the bedroom area. The windows had been painted black, so no one could see in. But that also meant no one could see out.

  For once, she didn’t fight him about his bossing her around and slid under the bed on her belly. He crept back toward the living room and took a cover in the kitchen just inside the door. It allowed him to see anyone who came into the apartment while providing a small amount of protection from gun fire.

  Four sharp raps vibrated the door slab. Lucky went on tip toe to use the peep hole, and relaxed back to his feet.

  “It’s Dyson. We’re good man.” He flipped the locks with pale fingers and opened the door.

  Dyson entered as the building shuddered violently. The crack of stressed beams and breaking glass filled the air. A thick coat of ash and dirt coated the reptilian man’s form and turned his dark skin grey.

  Greiff lowered his gun and wished for a shoulder holster. He tucked the gun into his waistband with the other he’d picked up earlier, the metal hard and uncomfortable on his back. “Chloe, it’s clear. You can come out.”

  Dyson hurried to the bank of computer equipment where Lucky was busy changing out ano
ther jump drive. “How much longer?”

  Lucky whistled under his breath and closed some of the open windows on his screens. “Maybe five minutes.”

  “Okay. If you can make it faster, do it.” Dyson’s long, claw tipped fingers dug into the back rest cushion on Lucky’s chair. “I’m sorry, Detective; I thought you’d have more time to gather your wits. But Major Rebane is proving more resilient and tactically gifted than I had presumed. It would have been prudent to kill him at the apartment. You and Chloe will have to depart as soon as possible.”

  Chloe ran into the room and skidded to a stop. “But Dyson, where are we supposed to go? Lucky was finally giving us some answers, and I don’t see how we’re going to survive on the run if we don’t know exactly what we’re up against.”

  God, what a woman—smart and keeping it together despite the fear pouring from her. He strode across the room and stood at her right side. “Chloe’s right. We have to know what we’re up against, and why, or we’re dead or captured in hours. And I want to know how you know it was Major Rebane who visited us.”

  The warehouse pulsated and a squealing shriek followed by thunderous crashes reverberated around them. Lucky yanked one last flash drive from the computers and rolled backward. “Hit it, Dyson.”

  The tall lanky humanoid spat gobs of green mucus on the equipment. Smoke rose from the disintegrating plastic. “Your questions about my associations with the major and Del Bosque will have to be put on hold. This is not the time.”

  “Look,” Lucky ran around the room tossing items in a duffle bag, “I think you know that whatever Del Bosque was doing in his little experiments messed with our DNA. Changed us at a chromosomal level. So far, I’ve tracked down information on at least thirteen different summer camps he ran. All in the same year. Most of the kids who went to those camps died. They developed diseases from fatal gene flaws. But some of us lived.”

  “Yeah, okay fine. But if the government was involved in all this, a long term experiment that has taken years and a huge cover up and millions of dollars to run, why would they be trying to kill us now? It doesn’t make any sense.”