Snow, Jenika - The Assassin [Alpha One Assassins] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Jenika Snow

  An hour later, he pulled into the FranklinBeldonTower’s parking lot. Everyone left at five, so the lot was deserted. He wore his black fatigues and slipped out of the car, making sure to stick to the shadows. He stopped once he was at the side of the building, checking for security cameras and noticing a small one rotating the perimeter. If he kept to the shadows, the camera wouldn’t be able to notice him blended in with the darkness.

  When he got to the side door, he pulled out a small bag and started on the lock. It wasn’t a difficult one like the one situated at the front of the building, but it wasn’t a residential lock, either. He pulled out a small leather case that held various devices that would aid in disarming it. He kept a watchful eye on the camera, the shadows still concealing him as it scanned the perimeter. He worked the tool inside until it finally gave way and he was able to slip inside. The door shut silently and he looked at his options. A set of stairs led to the upper floors and another led toward the bottom levels. When he had studied the layout of the building earlier, he knew the security room was in the basement of the building. He needed to get a look at the camera’s hard drive. The tapes were still in police custody, and it would have taken too much time to either retrieve them through their channels or break in and take them. No, this way was faster, and things would go more smoothly.

  He reached the bottom of the stairs, listening hard for anything. Satisfied when silence greeted him, he reached in his bag and pulled out a set of ear buds and an otoamplisizer. The otoamplisizer was one of the many government-issued devices that weren’t known to civilians. The device was an amplifier that would let him hear conversations through the thick cement wall as if he were standing on the other side. He put the box against the cement and adjusted the dial, instantly able to hear the buzz of the monitors and the low beat of the latest rap song. He put the equipment away and drew out his knife, preferring the weight of the blade to the coldness of a gun.

  The door was closed, and he opened it soundlessly, seeing the security officer leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed, and his ear buds in as he listened to his iPod. Video monitors covered one wall, each flickering to a different view of the outer and inner perimeter of the building. He walked up to him and stopped when he was standing right behind him. The security officer, whose name appeared on his badge as Herbie, was pleasantly unaware.

  Gage could hear the song Herbie was listening to fade out, and his eyes opened, instantly growing wide as he looked up at Gage. He smiled and cold cocked him in the side of his head. Herbie groaned momentarily before he slid down the chair and passed out. Gage went over to the control panel and started hacking into the system, bringing up the images from two weeks ago and scanning through the time frames. This particular system automatically discarded the videos after a week’s time. So that’s why the cops hadn’t been able to get anything from the tapes. It had been tricky to hack into the computer’s database and access the dates he needed, and if it weren’t for his extensive IT training with Alpha One, he wouldn’t have been able to find the anomaly.

  He stared at the screen once he pulled up the date he needed. He saw Neeka McCarthy walking to her car, no one around the deserted parking lot. He froze the image when she stopped at the vehicle and stared at her image. Her gaze was off to the side, her dark hair a halo around her head as if the wind teased it. She was a stunning creature, her body slim and petite, her face classically beautiful. He let himself admire her for a second longer before he ran the video clip in slow motion. She slipped into her car, and that was when he noticed the dark figure behind her seat and the bright white swatch of cloth in his hand.

  He watched the rest, taking in every minute detail until finally her small body fell forward and an unmarked van pulled up. The shadows obscured most of the features of her kidnappers, but he was able to see the driver of the van’s face as they tossed her into the back. There had to be someone within the authorities that was in on this because no way had this been missed. Even though the database deleted tapes within a two-week time frame, they had to have been able to pull this scene up. Either the authorities working on the case were dumb as shit or there were people behind this. It also made sense that someone on the inside was crooked and that was why after two weeks they hadn’t gotten a lead on Neeka’s whereabouts.

  Someone drove her car as it took a left out of the parking lot. The van followed quickly behind, but Gage was able to make out the plate number before it disappeared. He wrote down the information he needed and packed up his gear. He needed to get on Alpha One’s database and see if the plate number matched with anything in their system. He gave one last look at the passed out security officer. Herbie appeared to be sleeping on the job instead of knocked out cold. Gage sheathed his knife and exited the same way he had entered.

  Chapter Two

  Neeka took another bite of food as the guard pressed the gun at her temple more forcefully. Although she wanted to cry, she refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break down. They had started making her eat at gunpoint when she refused to consume what they brought her. She took one more bite and swallowed, hoping that was sufficient so they would just leave. One guard picked up the tray at the same time the other removed the gun from her head. She breathed out and watched them exit. She lay down, rolling onto her side and wrapping her arms around her stomach. The days were starting to mesh together, and her body, as well as her mind, was exhausted. It was always the same men who came by to either force her to eat or take her away to draw her blood. Sometimes they would give her a reprieve and wait a few days before they came for her, or at least she assumed it was a few days. Her time here was one long and endless cycle. Her arms were riddled with track marks from their continuous injections, and she didn’t even recognize herself anymore. The flimsy plastic mirror they had provided showcased her ashen skin and the large, dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t any closer to finding out why she had been taken than when she first arrived.

  She heard her door unlocking and pulled herself up on the bed, staring at it with wide eyes. The steel door opened, and her heart pounded wildly. She got off the bed, stumbled once, and ran forward. I’m saved. She wrapped her sore arms around Dr. Rye Vincent, a family friend as well as her childhood physician. His arms came around her as he ran his hand over her hair and down her back. She pulled away, tears falling down her cheeks as she looked into his face. He was an older man with graying short hair and deep amber-colored eyes. She smiled weakly at him and laid her head on his chest, so thankful that she was finally rescued. “I knew someone would find me.”

  “Shhh, everything’s all right, Neeka. You have nothing to be afraid of. If I had known how they were treating you, I would have put a stop to it right away. They will be punished, don’t fret.” His voice was eerily calm as he continued to stroke her hair.

  She pulled away and knitted her brows in confusion. His words didn’t make sense. He spoke as if he knew that she had been here all along. “I don’t understand.” She was shaking her head as she let her arms fall from around him. “You knew I was here?”

  “Of course I did, dear. I was the one who ordered your capture. Look at you.” He clicked his tongue and ran his eyes down her body. “They will be severely punished for your state. There is absolutely no need for you to be running around barefoot and in a ratty hospital gown.” He took a step forward, and she took one back.

  He shut the door behind him, and her mouth went dry. What is going on? “What are you doing, Rye?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?” he asked as if he were truly confused as to what she was talking about.

  She took another step back, and he mimicked her move. The back of her legs hit the edge of her bed, and she looked around again. Her tears had momentarily dried up, but now they flowed out of her eyes at the thought of the doctor she had known all her life betraying her. “I’m here because of you?”

  He chuckled. “My dear, you act as though you are terribly surpr
ised.” He walked around the small room, shaking his head as a scowl covered his features. “You know, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” He placed his hand in his overcoat pockets and leaned against the wall. “I can see why you’re surprised I would bring you here, although you truly don’t realize why you are here?”

  She shook her head, not trusting her voice.

  “You mean to tell me the great Edward McCarthy never revealed your anomaly to you?”

  “W–What are you talking about?” Her voice finally betrayed her fear.

  “That truly is a shame, although your father was so protective of you. I can see why he wouldn’t want you to know.” He narrowed his eyes, and his gaze traveled along her body again. “First we need to get you cleaned and dressed properly. I’ll have one of my men bring your things to a more accommodating room. We can discuss everything within the hour.” He strode to the door, opened it, and left without another word or a backward glance.

  Her legs wobbled, and she sat on the bed, her eyes wide as she looked around the room again. Dr. Vincent was like a second father to her, and the events that had just taken place confounded her. She wiped away her tears just as the door opened again and a man in military-type gear walked in with a large box in hand. He set it on the ground without speaking or looking at her, striding back toward the door and locking it as he left. She got up and opened the box, seeing several pairs of jeans, T-shirts, and shoes. She dressed quickly, thankful to be out of the hospital gown after so long. She tried to keep her emotions in check, but the more she thought about the betrayal of Rye, the more she became angry.

  * * * *

  Neeka was being led down a long, white hallway as two big men stood on either side of her, their semi-automatic rifles in their hands, their faces stoic. She swallowed roughly, the shoes she had been given making minimal sound against the white tile beneath her. They took several more turns, and soon the all-white hallway turned more elegantly furnished. Oriental rugs graced the granite flooring, and oil paintings covered the walls. There were actually windows, and she could see the bright sun and clouds outside. She couldn’t see anything else and assumed she must be on a high level for the ground to be obsolete from her view.

  They stopped in front of a set of wide double doors, the wood engraved with intricate designs, the brass handles shining brilliantly. One of the goons knocked on the wood, the sound loud as it echoed off of the walls. A second later the doors opened to reveal a man no older than her. He wore a butler-type outfit with white gloves and a white tie. His light hair was brushed back from his face, and his expression was also unmoving. He stepped to the side, and the henchmen pushed her forward. She entered and looked around, not surprised to find Rye sitting behind a monstrous desk.

  “Please, leave us.”

  She turned around and watched the three men follow Rye’s command. The door shut behind them, and she shivered in fear. She knew if she were to open those double doors they would be waiting outside, ready to follow whatever order was thrown at them. She turned back around and stared into his dark gaze.

  “Have a seat, my dear.”

  She straightened her shoulders and sat in the chair in front of his desk. “I want to know what’s going on, Rye. Why am I here?”

  He steepled his fingers in front of his face and leaned back in his chair. “You are a rare treasure, Neeka. A very special girl.”

  She was twenty-seven years old, but even so, Dr. Vincent had always referred to her as a girl or child. She didn’t bother responding.

  “I knew how precious you were from the moment you could get into things. You were only ten months old when you first cut yourself. I watched as that cut healed within a few hours. It was then that I realized you were the key to the Dark Haven Corporation.”

  “The Darken Haven Corporation? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

  “It’s my business, my empire. My research and accomplishments will make me a god, Neeka. You’re the key I need, the missing element in all of this. It’s your rare blood type that will make my warriors invincible.” He stood and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, grasping his hands behind his back and becoming quiet. She glanced at the door. “They are right outside. You wouldn’t make it a foot outside of this room before they had you.”

  She snapped her gaze back to his, her throat going dry. “How is my blood going to help you?” She looked down at the track marks that riddled her flesh. She had always noticed she healed fast, usually in less than a day, but she never told anyone about it. She was too frightened, thinking there was something wrong with her.

  “It isn’t just your blood that will unlock all of my hard work, but also the very makeup of your DNA.” He turned back around and faced her. “Have you ever wondered why you never became ill? Why you never broke a bone?” He walked back to his desk and sat down, pulling out a plain manila envelope and spilling its contents on the desk. “The Dark Fall project is my life’s work. It is because of you that I was able to create Adaym.” He slid papers toward her, and she slowly leaned forward.

  She looked down at the photos of a young man. She noticed a chain and manacle were attached to his ankle. His face was slightly away from the camera, but she could still see he was in his late twenties, maybe even his early thirties. His body was honed to physical perfection as he stood tall, the picture capturing him in mid-stride. She looked at Rye. “Why tell me this?”

  He smirked, and dread filled her stomach. “Because I want you to know what you’re contributing to.”

  No, he is telling me because he has no plans of letting me go. “You can’t do this, Rye. You have to let me go. I will help with whatever you need, but please, I want to go back to my father. You know how ill he is. He could die any day.” She balled her hands in tight fists. “I can’t believe you would do this to me or him.” Her voice was rising as well as her anger.

  “I know how sick Edward is, but you and I both know if I were to let you go, you wouldn’t cooperate.”

  She looked back down at the picture of the chained man, knowing that he was right. She wouldn’t have helped him hurt other human beings. Whatever he was doing was most likely illegal and definitely immoral. “No, I will help you, but please, just let me go.” She found it easy to lie. “I just don’t understand any of this. Why not just ask me for blood samples? You’re my doctor, and I wouldn’t have questioned you.” It was the truth. She had trusted Dr. Vincent with her life. Now, though, she despised him. He had been there when she needed him, been a shoulder to cry on and the one she confided in. His betrayal was painful, like a harsh slap in her face, but it hurt most in her heart.

  “I had gotten several small samples when you were a child, but your father was starting to notice the marks on your arms. It was easy enough at the time to dismiss it as a child’s clumsiness, and you also healed so quickly, but I felt him growing suspicious. Not only that, but when you started talking, I couldn’t very well continue to get samples with you asking questions and potentially telling your father.”

  Neeka knew her face must have had a look of astonishment on it. She could not believe what she was hearing. Not only had her father trusted this man, but she had trusted him. He had betrayed them both. She looked down again at her bruised and battered arms.

  “I am sorry for that. You see, I needed you to realize what was going on, to really see that my life’s work is so very important. Although I cannot let you leave, I can make your stay here more comfortable if you don’t fight me, Neeka. A few bruises here and there are a small sacrifice on your part.”

  “You truly are insane. I loved you like a father, and you betrayed me.” She was about to stand and demand he take her home, but the dark look that crossed his features had her staying in her seat. Never had she seen such a forbidding and evil look cover his face. It sent chills down her spine.

  “You will stay here and give me what I need.” His voice had dropped to a deadly whisper that sent chills down he
r spine. He pushed the other papers toward her. “I want you to read what work I am accomplishing. You are what is making all this possible, and I won’t let anything ruin that.” His jaw was tensed as he stared at her.

  She took the papers, her hands shaking as she looked down at the documents. Shock resonated through her at what she read. If she was reading correctly, Dr. Rye Vincent believed that her blood was the key in making indestructible warriors. He created a serum with her blood and other natural and chemical ingredients that he believed made a person invincible. Once he injected the blood-serum mixture into the human body, the recipient would become immune to both biochemical warfare and injury.

  She shook her head as she read through the material again. “I don’t understand. You think my blood makes people indestructible?”

  “You have a blood type that isn’t even categorized, Neeka. Once I watched you heal quicker than what was humanly possible, I took a sample of your blood and realized it was the missing ingredient in my serum. I have been trying for years to get the mixture right, but everything I tried wasn’t compatible with the human recipient.”

  “People actually gave you consent to inject them with an experimental agent?” she asked, astounded.

  “I wouldn’t say they gave their consent. We needed the most powerful men as the recipients in order for the serum to truly work. As with all experiments, we had our trials and tribulations, but once I found the missing ingredient, your rare blood, and found a compatible human match, it was then that I created Adaym.” He pointed to the picture of the chained young man.