by Lynne Silver
“Let me guess,” she interrupted. “The secretaries were young, beautiful and not too bright.” Disgusting, but not totally unexpected the US government participated in such degenerate behavior. She’d seen the movie The Right Stuff.
“Right on two out of three counts,” he said. “The women were young, attractive and highly intelligent. Hiring for the positions took months and was quite rigorous, akin to the original astronaut recruiting. Ms. Stanton, what do you think happens when you lock active, single military men on a secured campus with beautiful, intelligent women?”
She gaped at the commander, trying and failing not to blush.
“Within three months, we had our first wedding. Within ten months, our first baby was born,” Shepard said with pride. “I was that baby.”
She sat in silence. All at once she had nothing to say and everything to say. Government breeding programs was the stuff of science fiction and middle-of-the-night B movies, not her life. She swallowed once but failed to make progress past the giant, dry lump in her throat. Shepard watched her expectantly and waited for her to speak.
“You said I’m one of you too. Which means, I’m a genetically modified human? How is that possible? How could I live my whole life and not know this? Or, wait, is it like that television show, where my abilities won’t manifest ’til adrenaline hits hard?” She flung her hands in front of her chest, looking for lightning sparks or ice sabers or something to emit. If ever she’d had more adrenaline rushing through her, she couldn’t recall. But nothing happened.
Shepard watched with amusement and consternation dancing on his expression. “Loren, you’re not Harry Potter.”
She turned to him and even she could hear the wildness in her voice. “Well, who then? Are you Superman? Can you fly? Move things with your mind? What?”
Shepard intervened. “Loren, we are not magical. We are simply enhanced.”
She must have still had a look of bewilderment on her face.
“We can run faster for longer periods of time, have stronger bone density, and utilize more of our brain power than the average person. The DNA plays out differently in everyone too. Each of us has different strengths. Is there anything special about you? Any abilities that your friends didn’t have?”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “I have a near photographic and eidetic memory.”
“There you go. That’s your gift. I also think that’s enough for now. Why don’t you go wait in the hallway and I’ll find someone to drive you to your apartment.”
“But wait,” she protested. “You didn’t tell me about my dad. Was he superhuman too? Does my mom know?”
Commander Shepard came around from his side of the desk. “Your father was one of us, Loren, and he was my best friend. I miss him every day. Once he married your mom and left the compound, we lost the details of his personal life. He continued to work for us, but our claim was only on his work time. We don’t even know where you grew up.”
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Shepard took her elbow in a definitive grip and escorted her outside. “Wait here. Someone will be along shortly. I’ve got a boatload of paperwork to deal with regarding the kidnapping.”
*
Loren smiled as she anticipated seeing her apartment again. She rode the small elevator up, trying and failing not to breathe in the masculine scent from her companion who stood in the corner, arms crossed over his wide chest, scowling at her.
“You didn’t have to come with me,” she told Adam.
His frown intensified. “No one else would volunteer.”
“I’m sure everyone had better things to do on a workday than take an hour drive to Virginia to watch me pack.”
“Yes, but that’s not why they didn’t volunteer.”
She waited for more information, but it wasn’t forthcoming. The elevator doors slid open, and he held the door for her. His lips brushed by her ear as she passed.
“They didn’t want to piss me off,” he said, causing shivers to run down her spine from his nearness. They walked down the narrow carpeted hall in silence. She wasn’t sure what to make of his statement. How could his colleagues giving her a ride piss him off? Unless… He couldn’t possibly be jealous. He kept claiming to want nothing to do with her, but he obviously wanted her enough that his friends refused to get in the way.
She started to retort that he couldn’t have his cake and eat it too, but the words died on her lips when she saw the door to her apartment was wide open for anyone to waltz in. She dashed ahead and had barely made it to the doorway when Adam’s strong arm yanked her back.
“Do you normally leave your door wide open?”
She struggled to peer around his biceps. “Of course not.”
He gently moved her to the side. “Stay here. I’m going in.”
Her eyes widened as he pulled out a gun she hadn’t been aware of him having. She waited approximately seven heart-pounding seconds before Adam shouted for her. “Loren, get in here!”
She ran around the doorway and entered her apartment to the unexpected sight of three police officers, her building manager, and Derrick from work. Adam had his hands above his head and one officer had a gun trained on him. Adam’s gun was on the floor at his feet.
“What is going on in here?” She’d barely got her words out when her face was crushed against Derrick’s chest.
“Loren! You’re safe. I was worried.”
She struggled to catch a breath against the overly scented fabric-softener smell of Derrick’s shirt.
“Tell him to release you, Loren,” Adam said in a strained voice.
“Huh?” She managed to turn her head enough to see Adam glaring at Derrick. His hands were now in fists at his sides.
“Let her go,” Adam said to Derrick.
She immediately caught on how delicate the situation was. Yesterday Adam had pushed Gavin off her and today he’d do the same to Derrick, only the police would be witnesses this time. She slid both her palms up Derrick’s torso and pushed at the same time as stepping back. When she was free and in clear view of all the men in the room, she said, “Anyone care to explain what the heck is going on?”
“I thought you were missing,” Derrick said.
She faced him. “Why would you think that?”
“Because you didn’t come home last night or call me with any news. And when I called the car rental company, they said the car hadn’t been returned yet.”
She released a breath. It had never occurred to her that she’d be reported as missing after a day and a half away. Her mother might miss her after three days, but she supposed she could see how Derrick might have worried. The missing rental car would have made her worry also.
“Well as you can see, I’m perfectly all right.” She turned to the police. “Officers, I’m sorry your time’s been wasted.”
The officer with his gun trained on Adam lowered it and turned to her. “Next time check in with your friends.” Then he turned to Adam. “We’re gonna need to see your concealed weapons permit.”
“But he’s an officer of the law too,” she protested.
Adam glanced at her. “Actually, I’m not.”
“Huh?”
“But I do have a license to carry. I’m going to reach for my wallet slowly,” he said to the officers. They eyed him as he smoothly pulled his brown leather billfold from a back pocket and produced a laminated card, held out for their inspection. One officer took it and examined it. Then he made a call and read the numbers off through the receiver. After a few moments he nodded and hung up.
“This is all perfectly in order, Mr. White. We’ll be going now.” The three uniformed men made their way to the doorway before one turned back to Derrick. “Do your research better before calling about your girlfriend.” All three chuckled and left, obviously thinking Derrick was a poor sap who’d been cuckolded.
“Thank you for letting them in, Mr. Chin,” Loren said to her building manager who’d been hovering, watching the who
le scene with wide eyes. “You can probably get back to work now.” She waited until the man left and she’d shut the door behind him before turning to Adam. “Mr. White? Why did the police call you that?”
He shrugged then swooped down to retrieve his gun from the beige carpet. “Up until a week ago, the Program didn’t officially exist. I couldn’t exactly carry a badge and photo ID. Shep makes sure we all have an identity card with a license for various concealed weapons.”
“I bet you have passports for a zillion different countries too.”
He grinned, but it changed to a scowl when he noticed Derrick staring up at him in fascination. “You can leave too. You’re no longer needed. Thanks for worrying about Loren.” He used his greater height and bulk to herd Derrick to the door, but not for nothing was Derrick a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
“You’re the guy from the video and from Christenson’s party. You danced with Loren.”
Any emotion on Adam’s face shuttered closed.
“Derrick, don’t go there,” Loren said.
“Lorie, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?” He didn’t look at Adam.
“No,” Adam said. “You can’t be alone with her.”
“Excuse me?”
She rolled her eyes at Adam’s high-handedness and Derrick’s affronted expression. He looked like a spoiled toddler told no for the first time.
Derrick removed his hand from Loren’s shoulder and turned to face Adam. “Listen, buddy. I don’t know who you think you are, but Loren is more than a friend to me, if you catch my drift. I don’t appreciate you coming onto my territory and getting all up in my business.”
Her jaw dropped. Up in his business? More than a friend? Was Derrick hallucinating? She needed to take control of the situation, fast. “Adam, I do need a minute with Derrick.”
He frowned at her, forbidding her to go off alone. “Anything you want to say needs to be said in front of me.”
The aggression rolling off Adam was palpable, dangerous. She shook her head at him and turned to Derrick.
“You’ve been shacked up with him for coming up on forty-eight hours, and you haven’t got diddly on the kidnapping, have you?” Derrick frowned at her.
She winced and shook her head. “But there’s stuff you don’t understand.”
His scowl deepened and he glared at Adam. “I understand. I understand that you threw professional responsibility to the curb after one glance from this guy.” He shook his head and started for the door of the apartment, but stopped in the entry to look at her again. “I’m heading back to the office. You coming?”
“I can’t. I’ll call Steve and explain. I’m going to need to take a leave of absence.”
“I don’t get you, Loren.” Derrick shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’ve been dogging me for months, begging to help and claiming you want a byline, but the moment the opportunity comes your way, you bail.”
“That’s not fair,” she said, hating that his words held more truth than she cared to hear. “And I’m working on the kidnapping story. Adam and his team are investigating, and they’ve agreed to let me assist.” If Adam was surprised by her declaration, he didn’t reveal it. “Once I have something concrete, I’ll get it to you.”
Derrick shrugged. “Fine. Whatever. See you around, Loren.”
Loren stared at the empty doorway for a long minute before turning to Adam.
“You’re going to assist in our investigation, huh?” He straightened from the wall he’d been holding up with his shoulder and stepped toward her.
She nodded. “You better believe it. Don’t even think of trying to stop me.”
“I wouldn’t dare. Now go pack. We have a meeting after lunch about the kidnapping.”
Loren walked into the bedroom and returned a few minutes later holding a medium duffel and handful of bras. His heart rate, which had skyrocketed at the sight of Loren in that dipshit, Derrick’s arms, went back to pounding.
His tongue nearly fell out of his mouth at the glimpse of cream silk and lace, and he allowed a brief visual of how she’d fill out the skimpy material. Then he glanced around the apartment and got his head back where it belonged and out of Loren’s lingerie drawer. She shoved a few more shirts and pants into the bag. Adam strolled to a bookshelf and examined the various photos in frames she had displayed.
There was one of Loren in a navy cap and gown. He guessed it was college from the golden ribbon hanging around her neck. That usually meant something cum laude, right? He wasn’t sure, having never gone to college. Some kids who grew up in the Program left for college. Sometimes they returned, sometimes not. But most stayed and signed up to fight at eighteen. The advanced nature of their genetics combined with the small class size on campus ensured they had a college-level education by sixteen, anyway. He hadn’t considered leaving to attend college, though it would’ve been interesting to live elsewhere for a few years after high school. With a mother and brother to support, he hadn’t had the same freedom as the rest of his cohort. But no sense in getting maudlin about what you couldn’t change. That was life.
He leaned down and smiled at a picture of Loren surrounded by a group of girls, huddled arm in arm. It looked to be from high school. He scanned the other photos, pleased not to see a single image of Loren alone with another man. Stupid of him, when he wasn’t planning on taking their connection anywhere permanent, but he couldn’t fight nature. It didn’t stop the wanting.
“That’s my mom.” Loren walked next to him, close enough that he could inhale the shampoo she’d used that morning. It was the same shampoo he used every morning since it was Program standard issue. It smelled better on her.
He squinted to get a better look at the five-by-seven image of a woman standing with her hands on a beaming young girl’s shoulders. A tall, blond man rounded out the happy family portrait. Loren looked to be seven or eight in the photo. He guessed more based on the color and quality of the photo than any knowledge of what a seven-year-old girl looked like. “You look like her.”
Loren nodded. “I resemble her way more than I do my father. I don’t really resemble him at all.”
“Except in your enhanced abilities.”
She flushed. “Yeah, except that. And I only just learned about that. My father died when I was ten and my memories of him are getting hazier.” She picked up the photo and held it closer. “Sure, I remember most of our conversations, thanks to my excellent memory, but I don’t remember how his hugs felt or the sound of his laugh.”
He rubbed a hand on her lower back. “There are a lot of people on campus who were close to your dad. Shep, Keel. They could share stories with you if you wanted.”
“You didn’t say Chase. He could probably tell me stuff about our father I don’t know.”
He pulled his hand away and turned to look at her mediocre view out the window. “I wouldn’t ask Chase. They had a falling-out and weren’t close at the time of your father’s death.”
She frowned but didn’t comment on her brother. “I’m going to bring this.” She grabbed a t-shirt from her duffel and wrapped it carefully around the wood-and-glass framed family portrait.
“Are you packed?”
She cocked her head. “I’m packed. Adam, how did my dad die?”
He barely suppressed a low groan. “Can we talk about this back on campus?”
She sat on the arm of the couch. He wanted to yank her up to speed their exit along.
“No, I want to talk about it now. I’m guessing your reluctance to talk about it means he didn’t die in a roadside bomb like we were told.”
Adam sighed and stifled his urge to throw her over his shoulder and dash out the door. “Are you sure you want to know? Sometimes the past is best left there.”
He sank to the couch when she nodded. “I’m not one hundred percent sure of the details. Remember, I was only thirteen and not living on campus yet. But, I heard he was shot and killed, not hit by a roadside bomb. This information is classified, I trus
t you won’t tell.”
She sank off the arm of the couch and onto the cushion next to him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she agreed, promising not to divulge classified information. Immediately, his body woke up and starting buzzing at her nearness. He’d managed to suppress his arousal to a dull hum for the last few hours, but the minute she got in close enough range to scent her, his nerves went haywire again. The timing sucked. She was mourning her father all over again and all he wanted to do was push her back, spread her legs and dive in. He was no better than an animal.
He retreated as far as the sofa arm would let him when her arms wrapped around his waist. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sad. This is what people do when they need comfort.” Her voice was muffled from speaking into the cotton of his shirt.
“Loren, I want to comfort you. I do, but when you get this close, I can’t really control my reaction.”
“Huh?” She lifted her face to his. Tears made the whites of her eyes shiny and her nose was a little pink at the tip.
“You’re too close,” he repeated. “And I want you again.”
She pushed away slightly and glanced down at his lap, which now sported an impressive erection. He tried not to notice the hard beads of her nipples, but their genetic compatibility made it impossible to miss. He was attuned to her body almost as closely as his own.
“Oh.” She stared at his lap a moment longer and his cock twitched under her gaze. His head fell back against the couch.
“Shit. Don’t mind me. I can handle it.” He started to rise off the couch, but his eyes widened when Loren pressed her body to his, pushing his back to the couch cushion.
“Just hold me,” she whispered.
He remained silent since he was incapable of speech as her soft hands reached up to tangle in his hair. Her cheek rested on his shoulder and her lips pressed into the side of his neck. His arms wrapped tightly around her and his palms cupped her bottom, holding her tightly against him. A reverent silence blanketed the room as their breathing slowed and their heartbeats found a simultaneous rhythm. He wanted her. He wanted to be in her, but for now holding her and offering her comfort was more than enough.
