"Whitney wouldn't just give you that information."
"No, but I have friends. Not everyone involved agrees with what he's doing. One of the women is already pregnant, Ken. He's going to take her baby away from her if we don't get her out of there. I have to go back and help them."
"You wouldn't have to if I let Whitney get to me."
"No! He'd never let you near the others. He'd have you in a lab and dissect you so fast you wouldn't know what happened."
Jack returned, handing Mari the jeans, his gaze narrowing when he saw the blood running down her leg.
"He's thinking of allowing Whitney to take him prisoner," Mari said. "You can't let him do that."
"Actually that's one way, but I'm thinking maybe the admiral can get me assigned to the compound. If he's using the military as a cover, and he has soldiers guarding the place, then we should be able to get assigned," Ken said. "Put your arm around my neck. I'm going to lift you a little so we can slide the jeans on. There's no need for you to be nude with a bunch of men around."
"She's bleeding again. Why the hell is she bleeding so much?" Jack asked.
"Be careful," Ken cautioned as he watched Jack clean up the wound. "Did she reinjure it?"
Jack was gentle as he slid the jeans over the light cast on her leg. The doctor had put on more of a splint than an actual cast, because he wanted air to get to the bullet wound. "Doesn't look like it." Other than the excessive bleeding, her body seemed remarkable, healing at such a rapid rate that both men knew it was impossible even with genetic enhancement. "Whitney shot you full of an accelerant, didn't he?" Jack asked, his voice grim. "I should have expected he would do something like this."
Ken's fingers tightened to the point of pain on Mari's shoulders. "He gave you Zenith? Oh, God, baby, tell me you didn't let him shoot you up with that stuff."
"We're always given a shot of it before every mission, just in case we're wounded. Isn't everybody?"
"When?" Ken snapped, jumping to his feet, Mari in his arms. She had to grab his neck and hold on as he took off for the Escalade at a dead run. "Damn it, Mari, when did he give you the shot? Day and time. Tell me now."
Fear put her heart into overdrive. Both of the Nortons were alarmed. "What do you know about Zenith that I don't?"
"It can kill you, Mari. Tell me now, how long has it been in your system?"
Logan held the door open and Ken practically leapt inside, Jack after him. "Tell Lily to send a plane. Not military, private. One of her company planes."
"We can't risk that, Ken," Logan protested. "What's going on?"
"They shot her full of Zenith before they sent her out," Ken replied. "We have to risk it."
Neil put the vehicle in motion, racing down the road. "I can get us there by morning. We're a few hours out. How much time does she have?"
Ken swore bitterly, his silver eyes glittering with far too much menace as he exchanged a long look with his brother.
"Have Lily send the plane, Logan. Tell her to meet us at one of the labs with a medical facility. Tell her we need the antidote for Zenith."
"Ryland isn't going to let her risk her life." But he flipped open his radio and began talking into it.
Mari held herself very still. They weren't joking around. The tension in the Escalade could have been cut with the proverbial knife. Zenith, the drug used to accelerate fast healing, was dangerous, and they all knew it. Why would Whitney pump all of his men full of it before he sent them out on a mission if he knew the drug was dangerous? And if these men knew it was dangerous, Whitney had to know. He was the inventor of Zenith.
"I should have known; you were healing way too fast even for a GhostWalker. Damn it." Ken smashed his fist on the seat in front of him. "What the hell was I thinking?" But he knew. And Jack knew. He could see it in his brother's eyes. He was so fucked up thinking about sex, he hadn't given much thought to anything else.
"There's an airstrip about eighty miles from here. A small farmhouse with a crop-dusting plane. Lily says to make it there and she'll have a pilot waiting, a friend of hers, not military. She'll meet us at the underground laboratory where Ryland and his men were first imprisoned. It isn't far from her house, and no one would think twice about her going there. She works there often. Kadan will be with her to protect her, along with most of Ryland's crew, so no worries on that score," Logan announced.
Ken leaned close to Mari, his breath warm against her ear. "You're forgetting to breathe. We'll get you there in time."
"How long have you known about Zenith?"
"Lily found the compound in the laboratory with all the data on it. It clearly works to regenerate cells, but if left in the body too long, it begins to break down the cells and hemorrhaging occurs. And yes, Whitney is well aware of it. It's his find, his results. Two men died in his laboratory as well as dozens of research animals," Ken said. "We don't even mess with the stuff short-term."
Mari buried her face against Ken's shoulder, uncaring that the others would see it as weakness. She wasn't afraid of being a prisoner. She could endure torture if she had to, but Whitney's continual betrayal was difficult to take. He'd raised her, had been her only source of information. He'd brought in teachers, but ultimately, she had followed his curriculum. She had learned languages, studied and mastered subjects quickly, and followed the training of a soldier. She was disciplined and proficient with weapons and in hand-to-hand combat, as well as being highly skilled in her psychic talents. Whitney should have been proud of her--of all of them--yet he continued to betray them in every way.
He was the closest thing any of them had to a parent, and he was cruel and cold, completely without emotion as he conducted his endless experiments. He had grown worse over the years, and now to find out it wasn't just the women he'd betrayed. The men in the special ops unit had all been given Zenith before they went out.
Ken's fingers tunneled in her hair, a slow massage that seemed more soothing than sexual. She was certain he brushed a kiss on the top of her head. "The unit was given orders to go out Monday evening. Whitney was gone, but he left the Zenith for the men to take before they left. His doctor gave the shot to everyone. Sean stole a syringe-full for me. We thought it was a good thing."
She felt Ken's reaction to the name. He took a deep breath and let it out. "This Sean, was he with the team?"
Mari shook her head. "Not anymore, not usually, but he knew I was going and he didn't try to stop me. He could have. He guards Whitney and he didn't want me to go. He said it was too dangerous, but he went along with it this time to protect me."
"You're a trained soldier, why would he say it's too dangerous?" Ken asked.
She frowned. "I don't know. We're friends. I think he just worries about me."
This Sean seems to be around her a lot. Do you think Whitney has paired her with him as well as with Brett and with me?
Jack glanced up sharply at the edge to Ken's voice. Not unless he wanted Sean and Brett to kill each other. I wouldn't share Briony with some other man, and anyone paired isn't going to want to share either. More likely he's someone she's been around and is a friend.
She may think they're friends, but old Sean has the hots for her.
Jack scowled at his brother. You could try to get that jealousy under control. I feel it when men look at Briony, but I have in under control.
This is me being controlled. I'm not hunting him down to put a fucking bullet in his head, now, am I? Because very soon he had to let Mari go and he wanted her to be happy.
Brett was going to die, and if he ever touched Mari again, Ken would tear the bastard apart with his bare hands. That was all there was to it. He was going to make certain of that, but Sean--now Sean might be someone Ken could respect--at least enough to let him live, as long as he never thought of Mari and Sean together.
He tried not to groan aloud and give his thoughts away. Mari was so tuned to him now that, like him, she could catch impressions of what he was thinking. He didn't want her thinking worse
of him than she already must.
Holding her on his lap was plain stupidity, but he couldn't let her go. He couldn't control his body's reaction, and it was too good to feel alive again. And the more he was around her, the bigger a reaction he got--and the faster. The painful continual erection was part of the pleasure now, but pain was a small price to pay to be able to feel like a man. He had thought that had been taken from him. Holding her, feeling her body so soft and pliant, the way it fit into his, the curve of her bottom nestled in his lap, the brush of her breasts against his arm, robbed him of his breath and most of his sanity.
His body throbbed and burned, his raging hard-on constant. Hell, he hadn't been able to get it up at all after the torture, and now it wouldn't go away, bulging and painfully swollen with need, wedged along the seam of her buttocks. She couldn't fail to feel how much he wanted her. The sway of the Escalade only added to his increasing discomfort, as her bottom rubbed over him.
He was starving to taste every damn inch of her, was desperate for the feel of her bare skin against his--and the heat of his body was affecting her as well. Her breath quickened, her breasts rose and fell beneath the shirt she wore, her body moved restlessly, sliding over his, causing a burst of pleasure throbbing through his cock.
He needed to slide his hands beneath her shirt and feel hot skin, cup her breasts and tease her nipples into hard peaks. He wanted more than that--so much more. He wanted to eat her like candy, take her fast and rough, hearing her soft little cries, her moans, begging him for more. Always more. He had to keep her wanting him--tie her to him sexually. He could do it--he had no doubts about that.
Her mouth was made for kissing, for sex. He could only fantasize about her mouth around his cock, her teeth scraping over the scars, her tongue dancing over him. She would be kneeling in front of him, cupping his sac, her fingernails raking over him, drawing out his pleasure, and all the while her chocolate eyes would be locked with his, while she took him down her tight, hot throat, watching what she did to him--loving what she was doing to him.
He had never lusted after a woman the way he did Mari. His heart thudded so loud he thought it might burst through his chest. His blood heated to boiling, rushing through veins sizzling with fire, and spreading through his body to sensitize every nerve ending. His pulse thundered in his ears, roaring to bury his body into hers.
He would seduce her slowly, teasingly, lick and suck and bite her breasts and nipples. Just an edge of pain. She would stare up at him with her large eyes, a little shocked, but breathless with need, silently begging him for more--and he would oblige. He'd show her who her man was, ruin her for anyone else, make her crave his touch--the hot lick of his tongue over every inch of her body.
He wouldn't be able to be easy when he took her; he'd struggle for control, but she'd be too hot, too tight, her velvet-soft muscles clamping around him as he plunged into her, driving hard, taking possession of not only her body, but her soul. She was his and he was going to make certain she knew it.
Mari could see erotic images dancing in her head. Her stomach muscles clenched hard, her womb spasmed. She couldn't help but react to the desperate hunger in him. His was a dark seduction, rough and edged with violence, the images dominant and filled with raw lust. She swallowed several times, her mouth dry, her heart pounding as she met the sheer intensity of his silver gaze.
Her breath stilled, caught in her lungs as his gaze drifted possessively over her, hot and aroused and filled with naked desire. She could feel fingers stroking over her breasts, almost feel the bite of his teeth, the lap of his tongue teasing her nipples, fingers stroking her inner thighs until her body wept with need.
Stop it! Mari circled his neck with her arms, pressing closer so he could feel the hard peaks of her nipples. You're killing me here. You can't do this with the others here. We aren't alone.
I can't do this without them here. If we were alone, I'd strip you naked and eat you alive. God, Mari, do you have any idea how bad I want to lay you down and fuck your brains out? Damn it. That didn't come out right. It's more than that--far more than that. Because he wanted her to belong to him. He wanted to wake up every morning looking at her face, find ways to make her laugh, take years to know every facet of her personality. He didn't know why, but that need was every bit as strong as the need to be deep inside of her.
He could smell her musky scent, calling to him. She was damp with need, reacting to his graphic fantasy and language. Instead of being afraid or repulsed, she was reacting. A part of him wanted to weep. Any woman should run screaming from his mutilated body. In his fantasy, the images in his head, he had been explicit, his cock scarred with multiple cuts, his balls covered with them. He hadn't held back the need for rough sex, yet she wanted him. Just the thought of her wanting him made him so hard he thought he might burst, and each time her bottom slid seductively over the thick bulge in his lap, his blood pounded savagely.
Has it ever been like this for you before?
Ken could hear the sudden shy note in her voice. She was embarrassed to ask him, yet needed to know. He tunneled his fingers through the thick mass of gold-and platinum-colored hair. No.
What are we going to do about it?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm going to put as much distance between us as possible.
And I don't have a say in your decision?
He bent his head to hers, buried his face in her hair and just held her close to him, savoring her scent and the softness of her body. You don't know what you are, Mari. A gift. Something to treasure, something so precious I don't dare take a chance on being around you. If I had you, even once, I'd never be able to let you go. He brushed a kiss in her hair, uncaring that his brother was watching. He had only a few more precious hours with her and then she'd be out of his life forever. He was going to take what he could get. I could never say these things out loud to you. It'd sound corny, and I'd feel like an idiot, but you need to hear them.
Maybe I'm not able to let you go, Mari ventured.
You have no choice.
CHAPTER 8
"She's had two nosebleeds on the plane and we can't get this one stopped," Logan announced, racing to open the door for Lily. "Did you pull her file so we could match her blood type?"
Ken carried Mari in his arms, jogging after the dark-haired woman as she hurried down the hall to the small clinic in the giant laboratory complex.
"Jack or Ken can donate. They're both the same blood type," Lily answered, gesturing toward the beds. "Get her in here fast."
Everything was happening so quickly, Mari didn't have time to think about it. The moment her nose started to bleed, the men were on the radio talking to Lily Whitney, getting instructions and talking to one another in rapid code.
She knew they were worried when she was whisked from the plane and into a heavily armored car with tinted windows and they drove at breakneck speed to a heavily guarded facility. Ken placed her carefully on the bed, and she reluctantly let her arm drop from around his neck. The moment she was no longer in physical contact with him, she felt alone and vulnerable.
Lily Whitney walked with a limp and was very pregnant. She had dark hair and a worried look on her face. Still--she was Peter Whitney's daughter--the one person the sadist megalomaniac seemed to care about. She sent a distracted smile toward Mari, obviously meant to reassure her. "Which of you is giving blood?"
Ken rolled up his sleeve. "Me."
"Take the bed next to her. I've got to administer the antidote, but she's going to crash and crash hard. I've got a team assembled, so don't panic on me."
"What do you mean crash?" Mari asked. She reached out instinctively to Ken, gripping his hand. "What does she mean?"
"There's no time," Lily snapped. "You've had the drug in your system too long. Your cells are breaking down. I've got to get the IVs in you right now. Don't fight me on this."
"Mari." Ken's voice was low and calm. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to be right here. Let her
put the IVs in and give you the antidote."
Mari tried to quell the panic rising rapidly. They were all afraid--especially Ken. He had that same expressionless mask he normally wore, but his eyes slashed at her in warning. He would force compliance if she didn't stay calm and let them do this.
Terror reigned. She didn't know them. She didn't trust them--especially Peter Whitney's daughter. She had known betrayal most of her life. Could all this be an elaborate plot of some kind?
Ken framed her face with both hands. "If you never trust me again, this one time, I'm asking you to put your life in my safekeeping. You're going to crash as soon as Lily gives you the antidote, but you'll bleed out if you don't get it. We'll bring you back. I swear to you, Mari, this is no trick."
Lily didn't wait for Mari to make up her mind. She was putting the IVs in her arm and one in each leg with astonishing efficiency. "Lie down on the bed beside Mari, Ken." She flashed a small smile in Mari's direction. It will help to keep her calm. We need her very calm. "I'm Lily. I'm sure you don't remember me," she said aloud.
"I know of you." Mari tried not to wince when the needle went in. I hate needles, she confessed, ashamed. It's so stupid really. I can break bones and shoot someone at a hundred yards without batting an eye, but I hate needles. She should be used to them; Whitney was always taking blood for something, or giving her shots, or strapping her to a table and adding to her genetic enhancements. He used her as the guinea pig much more often than the other women because he considered her difficult to control. She asked too many questions, incited the other women to rebellion.
She felt Ken settle in next to her, his weight making her body roll toward his. Their hips touched. His thigh slid along hers. The heat of his body warmed the cold of hers. She was instantly hyper-aware of him, of his masculine scent and his sheer strength--of the fact that she was a woman and he was a man.
"Relax, Mari." His fingers tangled with hers.
Lily and another man were working to get bags of something thick and yellow into the IVs while someone else was sticking needles into Ken's arm.
Tell me what's happening.
Don't panic. We'll get you through this. Lily is really good. She's studied this drug, because Zenith obviously can regenerate our cells, but after it's been in our systems for a length of time, it begins to have a negative impact. The cells deteriorate at a very rapid rate, almost the same rate as healing occurs. He squeezed her hand to reassure her. Mass hemorrhaging occurs. She's giving you the antidote fast, that's why so many IVs. She'll shoot some of the antidote into your muscles as well.
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