by Rise of Hope
Even though Noah had assured her there were none, she’d still searched her room for cameras—thoroughly—and came up empty. Either he’d told her the truth or they were a lot better at disguising them than the guards at the compound ever were.
She’d stayed away from Noah’s office, the bedrooms. Her privacy had been violated without thought, over and over. She wouldn’t do that to anyone else but she’d lost count of the number of times she’d walked passed Seth’s room.
Noah had assured her Seth’d follow his standard practice of showering and changing in one of the guest rooms before he left, “slinking away” in the dead of night. His words. But she hadn’t been able to make herself stop and knock, even hours later. Not yet, anyway.
She took a deep breath when she walked into the expanse of the spacious kitchen. Again. This was another room that had been banned at the compound. She’d been able to order whatever she’d wanted, whenever she liked, but it was one place she’d wanted to explore above all others.
She trailed her fingers against the cool granite of the counter top. And that’s when she saw him.
Devon gasped, raised a hand to her thundering heart. A man was standing against the wall, utterly still, his gaze trained on her, predatory, watchful. She must have walked right by him.
“What—what are you doing?” she managed.
“I live here.” His voice was low, flat. “I’m Christian.”
She wet her lips. Knowing who he was should have reassured her, except his dark eyes were fixed on her with a glassy sheen that chilled her to the bone. If anything, her heart beat even faster.
“Ah, I’m— I was just—”
“I know who you are. Why you’re here.”
Of course. He would. Her mouth went dry and goose bumps broke out on her skin. She couldn’t see him very well, couldn’t make out his features but knew he hadn’t moved a muscle.
“Um…”
Devon took a step backward. And then another. Between one heartbeat and the next his arm snaked out, firm fingers locking around her forearm. Her pulse jumped, her breath lodged in her throat.
“Careful,” Christian bit out. “You were going to—”
“Get—get your hands off me.”
He released her so fast she stumbled. He stepped back, eyes wide, hands raised. Devon felt the sharp jolt to her stomach, the tingle along every limb, the surge of a quiet fire throughout her entire body.
“Fuck,” he said, his voice hushed. “That’s wild. Micah said it was strong.”
She swallowed, looked down at her hands as the reality of what she could do, what she was capable of, rushed through her. The surety of it, the rightness of it. The abject fear of it. All collided, all at once. Along with the sinking feeling in her stomach—because he’d merely been trying to stop her from backing into a chair.
“Oh God, I—I’m—”
“Some advice?” Christian rasped, cutting her off. “Your ability is a tool, a very powerful tool. Don’t let anyone turn you into one.”
It was cryptic to say the least, but she was way too rattled to try and figure it out. Christian inclined his head, took a step backward.
“Wait. Um…Seth, do you know if…” She cleared her throat. “Is he still—”
“He hasn’t left. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he murmured.
And then he was gone, melting back into the shadows. The sinking feeling turned to an empty ache she couldn’t do anything about because she should have been the one to apologize.
Devon retraced her steps back up to the bedroom wing. She stopped in front of Seth’s door and just stood there like the idiot she was, the coward she was. Again.
Dammit.
She tried, she really did, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t force herself to lift her arm and knock on his door.
She wanted—needed—answers. He had them, but it was last year’s hike all over again. When she’d planned to make her move, something held her back. And who knew? If Seth hadn’t come along, maybe she never would have gone through with it anyway.
* * *
“You don’t know the names of any of the men Monroe met with?”
Devon bit back her immediate reply because it might have been rude. Okay, there was a pretty good chance it would have been. Instead, she took a quick sip of the water Noah had left on the edge of his desk for her. They’d been at it for what seemed like hours. Until last night she’d slept in the same room her entire life. She hadn’t been comfortable in the strange bed and she was dead tired. It didn’t help that he kept asking the same questions. Over and over.
“No,” she forced out. “My movements around the compound were limited, especially when there were visitors on the grounds. And as I’ve said, most of the complex was restricted to me anyway.”
“You never ventured into any of those restricted areas? Ever?”
She frowned. It’d never occurred to her. Or perhaps it had and she just hadn’t wanted to know, not really. For the longest time, she’d accepted things as “normal,” although she wasn’t sure she even had a handle on what that meant, even now.
“No. I didn’t.”
He opened his mouth again, but before he could form another word, she cut him off. “Noah, I’m sorry.”
She was. So sorry. She hadn’t been able to provide a single, useful piece of information so far. She heard the frustration in his voice, saw it every time his mouth tightened, heard it every time he sighed. He’d been grilling her on the guards, their shifts, the surveillance system, the control room, access codes. She couldn’t help with any of it.
“I really don’t know anything specific about the security protocols at the compound. I don’t. I can’t draw a floor plan of the entire complex. I don’t know the full names of anyone who worked there. And no, I’ve never heard of a man called ‘The Broker.’”
When he went to say something again, she added, “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay.” Noah leaned back in his chair, his eyes steady on hers. “What about Monroe himself? What can you tell me about him?”
Oh boy.
Devon thought she’d pushed all of it to the background, had put it behind her a long time ago, but it came at her full force—a series of images, disjointed memories, a jumble of emotion she didn’t know what to do with. She still wasn’t ready to deal with it. And now wasn’t the time to start.
“He’s— I—” She took a deep breath. Facts. Noah wanted facts. “He’s a successful businessman. I believe he has holdings—”
“I already have a complete financial profile on him. I mean, what’s he like?”
Devon thought, formed her words with care. “He might not always have been kind exactly, but he was always…attentive. When I was younger. He became increasingly distant the older I got. Almost as if…”
“As if?”
Devon swallowed against the ache in the back of her throat. “As if I’d disappointed him in some way.”
She’d tried so hard. She’d followed all the rules, tried not to cause any waves, had tried to be so good, but still he hadn’t been…happy with her. Never that. Eventually she’d pretended it didn’t matter. Or she’d tried to anyway.
“It’s why I think they were planning to move me.”
“What made you think that?”
Devon jumped at Seth’s harsh voice. He’d been so quiet, leaning back against the wall behind her, his arms crossed over his massive chest, she’d almost forgotten he was there. Almost. Although the tingle of awareness throughout her entire body meant she hadn’t been able to relax, not really.
She’d assumed he would have been long gone, was surprised when he’d insisted on being present, argued with Noah over it.
She kept her gaze straight, despite the urge to turn and drink in the sight of him. “The s
taff were always changed on a regular basis, but this time all of them were new. The entire household, all at once. I didn’t recognize anyone at all and…”
“And?” Noah prompted.
“And…” Devon licked her lips. “I barely saw him…Monroe. It was as if I didn’t exist to him anymore. I think…I think the time had come for him to get rid of me.”
* * *
Seth hated what he heard in her voice. She might not have been physically harmed, but they’d done a number on her all the same. It’s a wonder she was still sane. What the hell had they really wanted with her?
He flicked a glance at Noah. He didn’t look as if he had any more of an idea either. And the guy had on another sweater. When Seth had asked him if he was sick, he’d thrown him a glance that had “fuck you” written all over it. Whatever. Maybe it was a new fashion trend.
Seth had had every intention of leaving last night. Every. Intention. In fact, he’d gotten as far as the front gate in his car, all of his gear packed and stowed, looking forward to some serious down time, but something had stopped him.
He looked across at Devon.
Or someone.
He swallowed at the punch to his stomach. He should have been used to it by now, but the intensity shocked the hell out of him every time. Her hair was a rich, deep golden color and looked as if it had streaks of honey through it. Funny. He’d never much thought about it, but he always noticed blondes—always—but he didn’t fuck them. Ever. He’d figured they weren’t his type, not that way, but now he knew. They’d never been this particular blonde.
He still had the weird feeling in his gut, except now it was an inferno of heat and need that licked through his entire body, a raging for…something. All he knew was that it centered around her. And he hadn’t been able to walk away. Not yet anyway.
She put a hand to her side and the twinge he now knew as regret hit him hard.
“Is it still bothering you?” Noah asked.
“No.” She frowned. “Actually, no.”
Of course. She probably had no idea what her body was capable of.
“You still have the bandage on it?” Seth asked.
“Yes.”
She still hadn’t looked at him, almost as if she couldn’t bear to. He flicked a glance to Noah, then back to Devon. “Take it off,” he urged, his voice soft.
“What? Why?”
She turned then and he felt her gaze. All the way to his toes, through every part of him. He hardened. Painfully, urgently. “Go on,” he managed.
His heartbeat kicked up when she lifted her shirt and he caught a flash of pale, smooth skin.
For fuck’s sake.
The heat surged through his body, arrowed down, fast, intense. Seth adjusted his stance a little, trying to give himself some relief, but it wasn’t going to do shit. He knew it. It was bad enough he’d had to sleep with the boner of all boners all night. Yeah, looked like it was a condition he was going to have to learn to get used to around her.
“It’s gone,” she breathed.
He smiled. “Yeah.”
“We have an accelerated immune system,” Noah added. “And we seem to be impervious to most common infections.”
“That’s incredible.” She was still looking down at her side.
Yeah. He knew the feeling. The ability to heal quickly had come in handy on more occasions than Seth could count.
“So, you never left the compound?” Noah asked. Yet again.
Seth sighed. Break time over.
“When I was younger, occasionally, but in the last few years? No,” Devon stated. “Never. Except my hikes.”
“What if you needed a doctor? What about school?” Seth could have bitten his tongue. He’d intended to keep quiet, was going to be an observer only. Not that Noah’s insistence he do so made any difference. He did what he wanted, but for some reason, he hadn’t wanted to be the one to interrogate her. Because that’s what Noah had turned it into.
Her lips tightened. “Private tutors. Everything was brought in. It was as if they were afraid I’d come into contact with someone. I think—I think that’s why I was able to convince them about the hikes. Because I’d be isolated.”
“Yeah.” He could see the logic in that. They probably thought they could control her access to anyone in that environment.
“So they never took you to any type of medical facility?” Noah asked. “A hospital? Even for routine tests?”
“I…you know…”
She swallowed, looked down and everything in him went still at how she held her head, at how she ran her hand up and down her thigh. Seth’s gut clenched—hard—and the weird feeling? Off the fucking charts.
“Devon?” Noah prompted.
“I—” Her voice choked off, barely recognizable. She cleared her throat. “I—I was sixteen the first time I realized I was being drugged.”
Chapter Four
She kept her head lowered, but Seth caught the terror and confusion in her voice. A helpless rage roared through him.
“When I’d wake up the marks were there. They never told me what they were, wouldn’t explain when I asked, but now I know.” She raised her head, looked first at Noah then at him. “They knew all along, didn’t they? And somehow—somehow they knew when the marks were coming.”
Seth’s heart slammed against his ribs. Her voice was quiet, flat, and his hands clenched into fists. It was all he could do not to pound the living crap out of something right then and there.
He’d wondered about what might have been done to her, wondered if they’d hurt her, used her. Tormented himself with the thought of her being scared, alone. Now his imagination went into overdrive. Into dangerous, terrifying territory.
Noah frowned, rubbed at his jaw and his mouth tightened, his jaw clenched. Yeah, his imagination was probably going wild too.
“What happened after you realized?” Noah bit out.
“I—” The words died in her throat. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice sounding as if she was forcing it out. And barely. She shook her head. “I’m— I didn’t say anything. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t… I—I just—” she hiccupped to a stop, put a hand over her mouth. A hand that shook.
Jesus Christ.
She’d been so terrorized she’d been willing to keep allowing herself to be drugged rather than face the reality of it, of what they might be doing to her.
“I’ve been such a coward,” she said, her voice thin, strained.
Coward?
“You’re not a coward,” Seth grated, fighting to keep his voice even. “I don’t want to ever hear you say that again. Do you understand me?”
Noah leaned forward, his focus intent. And very familiar. “Devon—”
“Enough,” Seth snarled. “This stops now. Right. Fucking. Now.”
He knew what happened when Noah sunk his teeth into something. He’d seen it time and again. Noah was intense, focused to the exclusion of everything else. And there usually wasn’t much left at the end of it. Maybe, just maybe, Seth was the coward here because he couldn’t bear to hear another word.
Noah’s gaze flicked to his, his brows lowered. “I need information, Seth. I need this information.”
Devon had raised damp eyes to his. She looked as surprised as he felt by his outburst, but the expression in her eyes cinched it.
“I don’t give a fuck. She’s done.”
“For now.”
Seth clenched his jaw. Not if he had anything to do with it. He stepped forward, grasped her hand and urged her to her feet. Her eyes went wide at the contact and heat singed along every nerve ending in his body at the glide of her soft skin against his rough palm.
Without another word he pulled her from the room, through the quiet of the house and out the
back, where he could feel the warmth of the sun, the soft breeze coming off the bay.
Devon was pale, her lips tight. And tears. There were still tears in her eyes.
Aw fuck.
She’d been just a job but he would have protected her at risk to himself. Now, he’d never let them take her back, he’d do anything to make sure of it. And he was. He was still here, wasn’t he? Noah had been right. If he’d found out someone else had been sent in to extract her, all hell would have broken lose. Things would’ve gotten ugly.
“You okay?”
She nodded. Man, he was so out of his element with this, with all of it. The expression in her eyes made him wish he knew what the hell to do, to say, to make it better. For her. As it was, he didn’t even know where to start.
He cleared his throat. “It’s probably no consolation, but he’s been like that since I’ve known him.”
Actually, Noah had probably been born that way—arrogant, demanding and a pain in the ass.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Even at twenty he was wheeling and dealing, flipping houses, buying and selling stocks.” His mouth tightened at the memory.
Who the hell knew what Noah’d really been into? All Seth had known was that he’d been rolling in the cash.
She smiled. It was slight, but still a smile. “That long, huh?”
“He followed me for days. Said he’d heard about my rep and wanted me to work for him doing ‘special projects.’ Man, the guy defined relentless, even back then.”
“Your…rep?”
“On the streets I was known as ‘Ghost.’”
She frowned. “Streets?”
“It was a hell of a lot better than my foster home at the time.”
At the look on her face, he could have kicked himself. Pity was something he had no time for, had no idea what to do with and flat out didn’t want, especially not from her. But at least she didn’t have that lost, tortured look anymore.
“Let’s say I was an expert at getting into places I wasn’t supposed to be.”
