by Joni Hahn
“Next question?”
Taken aback, Austin stared at her ruddy face. What the hell was that? The woman he’d made love with earlier wasn’t a cold-hearted killer. She may be tough and determined, but she wasn’t without compassion.
Dylan stopped behind Teague’s chair to brace his hands on the arms. “Are you saying Teague is in danger?”
Her matter-of-fact tone made her sound like one of the clones. “Will they kill her? No. But, they will try to retrieve her again.”
Dylan released a string of curse words that bounced off the sound-proof walls. Despite the wedding activities, Austin knew McCall would never let Teague out of his sight now. The woman carried his child. If he was in Dylan’s shoes, he’d do the same thing.
“How long were you at Mrs. Burnett’s home?” Mitchell said.
Whipping around, Dylan’s voice hummed with outrage. “Mitchell, she just – “
Mitchell’s razor-sharp tone cut into Dylan’s tirade. “I heard her, McCall.” He dropped his gaze to the chair beside Teague. “Sit.”
McCall dropped into the chair, his body humming.
Belle said, “I’m not sure how long I stayed there but, I do remember having cake on the island for my sixth birthday.”
“Cyrus’s Hawaiian island?” Dylan said.
“Clay Matheson’s island,” she countered. “His grandfather. We traveled to the past when Mr. Matheson needed us for more donations.”
Austin frowned. What did she mean by ‘the past?’
Dark rings stood out beneath Mitchell’s eyes when he looked at Austin. “Until recently, the Matheson’s had the ability to time travel. We destroyed their Mongolian compound, which also housed a prison for potential clone donors, and confiscated the last of their machines. Between the island and the compound, we think we’ve destroyed any files they may have had on the technology.”
Disbelief stilled him in his seat, while his gaze searched the others’ faces for common sense. He held up a hand in front of him. “Hold up. You’re shittin’ me, right?”
He looked around the table. Nothing but stoic expressions looked back at him.
He turned to Belle. “Belle?”
Grimacing, she shook her head. “I traveled back to the nineteen forties several times. It’s as familiar to me as today.”
He swiped a hand through his hair. That second climax must’ve loosened a few bolts in his head. This had to be a nightmare.
Sitting back in his chair, Mitchell laced his hands behind his head. “So, you and your sisters were part of the original donor program. Were there any others?”
“Yes. I probably saw fifty or so children over the years. Including Keegan Meeks.”
Holy shit. They kidnapped kids to make clones, Belle among them.
And, he had the audacity to complain because his parents lied to him about his true parentage?
“Why do you and Teague have tattoos?” Mitchell leaned forward to check the computer.
“The Madam hand-picked us for our posts. We’re part of her plans. Whereas, Keegan was taken only to get back at Senator Meeks for his interference.”
“What kind of plans?” Austin said, his mind whirling from complete overload.
Her shoulders lifted in a lazy shrug. “I don’t know. But, now that you’ve taken me into custody, I’ll be killed and replaced.”
Teague’s voice held a high note of surprise. “You say that like it’s a given.”
“It will happen. I was just hoping to see my family before I die. But, she’ll stop at nothing to find me and I don’t want to put them in danger.”
Austin gritted his teeth. Hadn’t they discussed this already? Belle knew he wouldn’t let her die. He told her he would protect her.
She just didn’t believe he could do it.
Rage caused his voice to come out harsher than he’d intended. “Who the hell is this Madam?”
Belle jumped in her seat before turning to him. “When you find that out, will you let me know?”
Silence filled the room like a hot air balloon.
Disbelief rooted Austin to his chair. “I thought she raised you?”
She tilted her head. “In a way. The serum she gives us contains nanobots that insert knowledge into our brains and triggers certain behaviors. We also have clones on the farm that serve as instructors, nurses, cooks and other positions. Riordan St. James and you, Agent McCall, have helped us tremendously with our combat training.”
Dylan’s lethal glare could’ve cut glass. “Like hell, I have. When all is said and done, your farm will burn to the ground with every freaking clone on it.” He looked at Austin. “You with me?”
He gave a firm nod. “Damned straight.”
Mitchell’s calm voice disintegrated the anger that had exploded in the room. “Monica, your test results showed you have traces of an unknown substance in your bloodstream.”
She nodded. “Yes. That’s the serum.”
“Is that what I found in your purse?” Austin said.
“Yes. It’s been a requirement for me and my sisters since we were children.”
Austin frowned at her. “I didn’t see you take it.”
Swallowing, she glanced down at her lap. “I haven’t in weeks.”
Mitchell jumped at the question. “Why?”
A guilty blush crawled up her cheeks. “Next question.”
Austin squeezed her hand under the table. “Belle, you agreed to answer questions.”
The anguish in her voice took him aback. “Please…Austin. I can’t…”
“Won’t the Madam find out you quit taking it?” Teague said.
Looking up, she gave Teague a false smile filled with determination. “Not if I fake it.”
He squeezed her hand again to get her attention. “Why would you do that?”
Snatching her hand from his grasp, she raised her voice. “It turned me into a monster. I stopped it to feel again.”
Confusion lowered his brows before he blinked. “What?”
“The serum numbs my emotions…” Shaking her head, she looked down at her lap again.
“It makes it easier to kill if you have no conscience.” Teague’s low voice held a matter-of-fact tone.
Belle stilled in her chair and squeezed her eyes shut.
Austin stared at the woman he’d just made love to, flummoxed. What could have caused her nightmares that was worse than killing someone? Belle hated herself for something she did under the influence of that serum. Regrets and self-hatred were eating her alive.
Then it hit him. She’d accepted the knowledge that her boss would come after her because she couldn’t live with herself anymore. Going home to get the DNA samples didn’t frighten her because she wanted peace of mind.
Death was her solution.
Like hell it was.
She had a family out there that missed her, talents an agency like D.I.R.E. could use.
An idiot that loved her and wanted to give her the happiness she deserved.
He just had to keep her alive long enough to prove it.
***
“Mitchell, I’d like to make a deal with you.”
Belle glanced at Austin fuming in the hallway, his arm braced against the opposite wall. She’d asked for this private meeting with Mitchell to alleviate the arguing. Austin would never let her make this deal, so she’d excluded him from the conversation.
How that warm, intelligent, sexy man had wormed his way into her heart, was still a mystery. He’d carved out a permanent hole for himself, a solitary haven where he would forever reside.
No matter where she ended up.
Making love with him was so much more than she’d ever imagined possible. The closeness, the raw, intimate act of becoming one with him had left her breathless and awestruck. He’d touched her with reverence, treated her like a delicate woman, worshipped her like a goddess.
She’d deserved none of it.
“I know it’s only a matter of time before you have complete access
to our servers. But, I’m willing to show you the farm’s location and tell you everything I know if you will do two things for me.” She counted off on her fingers. “One, take my sisters’ DNA samples and have their families traced. Send the results to their private email.”
The D.I.R.E. chief gave a brief nod. “I can do that. How will I get the samples?”
“If you send an agent home with me tomorrow, I’ll retrieve the samples and send them back with him.”
“And, what about you?”
She knew once she showed her face at the farm, it would all be over. She was supposed to be here, on the job, finding a way to destroy D.I.R.E. The Madam would know she’d failed.
Sitting up in her seat, she said, “I won’t come back.”
He stared at her a long moment, his face giving nothing away. “Does Rose know what you want to do?”
“He’s against it, but he doesn’t have a say in the matter. Which brings me to my second condition…” She took a deep breath and let it out. The words were so hard to say. “Keep Austin safe. Please, promise me you’ll protect him until you have the Madam behind bars or… worse. Once they find out he means something to me, he’ll be a target – and, they don’t miss.”
Leaning back in his chair, Mitchell gripped both armrests. “I know what you’re trying to do, Monica. I know the signs and symptoms well.”
She wouldn’t allow him to sway her. Too much was at stake. “What I do with my life is my business.”
“True, but I have to wonder why. You have a family out there that hasn’t seen you in over twenty years. You also have a good man standing out in the hallway that cares about you, whether he knows it yet or not. That sounds like you have a lot to live for.”
Shaking her head, she looked down at her lap. “I don’t deserve any of it. Its that simple. You sell a good sale but, I’ve done things…”
“We all have, M-“
Glancing up, she jabbed a finger at him. “Not like this. Not…”
The bile rose in her stomach, searing her lungs, before pooling in her throat. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to hold it in.
“There’s nothing that can’t be forgiven, Monica.”
Images of the little girl lying on the cracked linoleum. She’d pounded on Belle’s leg with her little fists, trying to defend her father…
“He fired at me. My foot caught on the chair and…” She covered her face with her hands. “Oh… God…” She dropped to her knees on the floor.
In seconds, strong arms wrapped around her, warm, solid…familiar. Austin kissed her hair, shushing her, before he laid his head on top of hers. Hugging him close, she cried against his chest, throwing every bad dream, every self-inflicted scolding, every angry outburst into the storm. She wanted to huddle in the corner and cry; she wanted to throw furniture and stick her fist through the wall.
“Shh, baby, you’re killing me,” Austin whispered, his voice echoing in her ear.
She clutched his shirt in her fists, her nails digging into his back. “Will you get me out of here?”
Lifting her into his arms, he rose to his feet. She pressed her face into the crook of his shoulder, unable to face anyone – including herself. Walking out into the hall, he spoke to Mitchell, but she couldn’t make out the words. The blood surging in her ears obliterated everything but the deep undertones of his voice.
Minutes later, he lowered her to a bed in one of the D.I.R.E. living quarters and lay down beside her. She snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder. “Don’t leave.”
His hand slid up and down her bare arm. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His tiny kisses feathered over her profile, the hair on his jaw grazing her skin. His boots hit the floor with dual thunks before he feathered his fingers through her curls. He tilted her face to his, but she wouldn’t open her eyes. If she kept them closed, maybe this dream with Austin would replace the nightmares, would overshadow the horror that came with her body’s need for sleep.
The kiss wasn’t one of hunger or vain satisfaction, but of offering. An extension of his arms around her, it held her captive, its hold gentle as she yielded to him.
A woman weaker than her man.
His tongue dipped inside her mouth, loving hers with slow, leisurely laps. Angling his arm to pillow her head, he bent over her and explored deeper, labored breath rushing from his nose. His hand skimmed up her torso to cup her breast, kneading with tender caresses, bringing life to a body that felt dead just moments ago.
His hardness rubbed against her, shooting a riot of pinpricks to the surface of her skin. With one, long stroke, he aroused her, eliciting memories of how right he’d felt inside her.
She unbuttoned her jeans. He lowered the zipper, his knuckles grazing her lower belly. Her center swelled with dampness, her panties dotted with signs of their earlier encounter and the one yet to come. They fell to the floor with her jeans, leaving her bare from the waist down. His manhood rubbed against her again, the washed denim chafing the delicate skin of her thigh.
“Say you need me, Belle.”
It went against everything she’d been taught. The Madam had trained her and her sisters to be independent women, to take care of themselves.
Yet, she needed Austin with a desperation that startled her. Just by holding her in his arms, he deflected the terror, protected her sanity, shielded her from the harmful lies that tried to bully their way into her mind.
Her palm cupped his cheek, his dark eyes boring into hers. “I need you. Make love to me.”
A part of her bristled at his arrogant grin. Another basked in the knowledge that the idea pleased him. She wanted to make him happy. Give him whatever he desired.
In a swift move, he pulled her on top of him, giving her control, putting her in charge.
He knew her so well.
Tugging his shirt out of his jeans, she ripped open the snaps and skimmed her palms over his hair-roughened chest. The heat of his body warmed her, his splendor enchanting. Beneath her hands, his heart raced, responding to her with shameless desire.
Removing his shirt, she went to his silver belt buckle and loosened it. Lowering his zipper, she caressed him with her palm, up and down his length, turning him to steel. His glittering eyes watched her as she stroked him.
“Do you like that?”
He nodded, his gaze never wavering. Removing his jeans and briefs, she sat back on her haunches on the mattress, staring at his magnificence, wondering how anyone could think a man like Austin weak.
Whipping her blouse over her head, she tossed aside her bra and stretched out on top of him, her breasts trailing over his thighs, his manhood, before skimming up his chest. His groan followed, intensifying as she rose.
Kissing him on the mouth, she started back down his body, her lips covering every gorgeous millimeter of skin, his moans urging her on. When her lips got to his navel, his moan turned into a warning growl.
“Belle, no…”
“Austin, yes…”
She took him into her mouth, almost too small for his impressive size. Working her way down his hardness, her tongue glided over him with lazy strokes, exploring, nipping. Grabbing the headboard, he moaned and angled his hips, encouraging her. She took him to full hilt, eliciting his guttural groan, before he bucked against her lips.
“Shit… No, Belle…”
Flipping her onto her back, he shoved into her. She cried out from the sheer pleasure of his length. He thrust wildly, his hips slapping against hers, exciting her like nothing before. Her swift climax blossomed, building like a storm ready to unleash.
“You belong to me, Belle, do you understand?” He pounded into her.
“Yes,” she said, knowing he deserved better, knowing she would never see him again after tonight.
Knowing she would love him until her last breath, and beyond.
Chapter Seven
Belle woke to the hum of voices coming from another room. Rolling onto her back, she flattened her hand on the bed b
eside her and realized she was alone. Blinking open her eyes, the room was covered in complete darkness, save for the dim light streaming through the slightly ajar door. The low rumble of male conversation carried from the living room.
“How is she?” Mitchell said.
Austin’s voice held a note of concern, making her frown. “Getting some much needed sleep. She’s exhausted.”
Pulling up the covers to her chin, she settled back against the warm sheets. Sleep beckoned, but she didn’t want to lie there alone. The nightmares stood in the shadows, waiting.
“She agreed to give us everything she knows,” Mitchell said. “Good job, Agent Rose.”
Her eyes popped open. Agent? Austin told her he wasn’t a D.I.R.E. agent. Did he work for another agency? The FBI? CIA?
“Thanks, Mitchell. I’m excited to be with D.I.R.E. Although, something tells me gathering intel won’t be nearly as rewarding next time.”
Stabbing pain singed her chest, making her wince. He’d lied to her. Manipulated her from the start. He’d allowed her to believe she’d bartered for sex when he’d planned the seduction from the beginning.
None of it was real. Not his intimate words, his reverent kisses.
Nor his tender lovemaking.
He’d played her for a fool, served his own needs, just as the Madam said men do. She’d fallen for it, for him, hook, line and sinker.
Why are you sad, Mason? You knew it was a one-night stand.
She muffled her self-admonishment in the pillow. What a fool. What a complete imbecile. Not only had she fallen for him but, in doing so, she’d ruined her mission, tainted the Madam’s vision and her sisters’ hope for a better future. She could never trust Mitchell now, and she certainly couldn’t trust Austin.
Her hands fisted in the sheets. This was nothing she didn’t deserve. After killing little Melody, what did she expect? A life of peace? A life of love and family?
No, the price of innocence proved highest of all.
“You know Jaydan will kill us.”
“He’ll get over it,” Mitchell said, with a touch of humor. “I’ll just take away his carbohydrates.”
Austin’s chuckle felt like acid on her heart. She pressed a hand against her chest and took a deep breath.
