Catalyst (Dogs of War Book 4)

by J. M. Madden

  They were also learning as they went that some of the abilities the men had been given could change, usually gaining strength, though a couple of the men had completely lost their abilities. No one was sure why.

  Since Nathan couldn’t see, it made sense that his brain would adapt its other abilities to secure his survival. Making sure she was calm, Raine turned and nudged him with her elbow. “Let’s go for a walk, Dr. Mid Nite.”

  “What?”

  Raine laughed. “He was an old comic book superhero. My brother loved him. He was blinded somehow but was able to see in the dark.”

  Nathan scowled. “I can’t see in the dark or the light.”

  “No, but your brain is trying to help you out. Duh… “

  His face softened at her teasing. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “You know I am.”

  Raine led Nathan down the hallway, stopping in front of the door to Titus’ space. “Tell me what you feel.”

  Nathan let go of her arm and stood still in the hallway. Eventually, he shook his head. “It’s not from here. It must be from Haven.”

  Nudging her arm against him again, Raine walked him to the corner of the hallway, then down the branch with Haven’s room. She watched Nathan’s face closely and paused when he winced. “Tell me what you’re feeling,” she murmured.

  “Anger and boiling frustration. Determination. Weakness. Such unending weakness. And fear. Incredible fear. But then it circles around to determination again.”

  “Okay. That’s pretty much Haven in a nutshell.”

  Nathan turned his head toward her. “Yes, but he’s agitated. Maybe his agitation is making my own sensitivity spike.”

  “True. Do you wanna to talk to Haven?”

  Nathan thought about it for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think he’ll hear me right now. It feels like he’s building up his courage to do something, Raine. I’m not sure what, but you need to be aware.”

  Chapter 3

  Raine thought about Nathan’s words two nights later as she lay in bed. She should have been sleeping. Instead she was worrying away her time, wondering how she could help her patients. Haven had continued to be aggravated, but he’d been dealing with it. The only thing that had changed in the past two days was Haven’s appetite. It was like he’d suddenly woken up and was trying to regain the weight he’d lost over the past few years. Raine was ecstatic he was eating, but she worried he was going to make himself sick. Was this the determination Nathan had spoken about? Was Haven determined to eat more and get healthier? That answer seemed too easy. There was something else going on.

  Rolling out of bed she glanced at the alarm clock. Three a.m. She needed to be on duty at seven and she’d only managed a couple of hours of sleep. Something had woken her and she’d lain in bed fretting over things she couldn’t help. She crossed to the windows, looking out at a sleeping Arlington, Virginia. They’d gotten snow a couple of days ago, but it hadn’t stuck around for very long. The sun had shone brilliantly today, melting everything away. Raine was ready for spring, and life and flowers. Maybe looking at these commercial walls all the time was getting her down. She needed some excitement.

  Pulling on a pair of fleece sleep pants, she let herself out of the apartment and headed down the hallway to the hospitality room. Because of the nature of their jobs, Elizabeth made sure that when they stayed on-site they were taken care of. There was a laundry service and a cleaning service, and a great company that kept them stocked with ready to eat meals. They also made the best cookies she’d ever eaten, at least next to her mama’s. Maybe if she got something to munch on and her belly was full, she'd be able to sleep.

  The room was deserted when she entered, or at least she thought. On the far side of the darkened space, Noah sat at a table eating a huge glass of cookies and milk.

  “So, you’re the one that’s been eating all the cookies!” she laughed.

  Noah grinned fully at her for the first time, looking shamefaced and rebellious at the same time. “Hey, what do you expect? They’re fucking phenomenal.”

  Moving to the fridge, Raine poured herself a glass of milk, grabbed a small stack of cookies from the container, and crossed the room to sit with Noah. “A spoon man, huh?”

  Noah scowled at her, his golden eyes flashing. “A dunker? Really?”

  Rained shrugged, grinning as she soaked part of the cookie in the cup of milk. “You can appreciate them more this way.”

  Noah shook his head, taking a swig of the cookie milk from the glass. Then he dug out another spoonful of the weird looking delicious brown confection. He chewed thoughtfully, staring at her. Once he swallowed, he shook his head. “Nah. More cookie in the belly faster is better.”

  They chuckled together and Raine relaxed into the chair, slouching a little, loving this relaxed, sleepy side to him. She hadn’t put on a bra because she thought no one would be here. Should have known better.

  “So, what has you up at 3 a.m.? And with no ear buds.”

  Noah cocked his head, glancing around the room. “I come up here a good bit in the dead of night. Not as many voices in my head. I can keep them under control, at least. I like the silence.”

  “I can understand that,” she said softly, dunking again.

  “What are you doing up here?” he asked around a mouth full of cookie.

  She shook her head. “Not sure, really. Something woke me then I tossed and turned, worrying about things I can’t fix.”

  “Haven?” His pale eyes caught her, and she nodded.

  “Yeah. And Nathan, and Titus, and Clay and the others. I worry about them all. And all for different reasons,” she laughed.

  “You know your worrying won’t change anything.”

  Raine watched the Adam’s apple in his corded throat move as he swallowed down the milk. She dropped her gaze to her own cup. “I know, but telling me not to won’t change it either.”

  He grinned at her and tipped his head, conceding the point. “So, what can you change?”

  Hm. That was a good question. “I don’t think I can change anything, necessarily. I worry about the unknown. I can just be there for them when something happens.”

  Noah nodded, leaning back in his chair. “You’re a good nurse, Raine.”

  “Thanks, Noah.”

  She finished her cookies in silence, aware he was watching her.

  When the phone on the wall rang, they both looked at it in surprise. “I didn’t realize that thing was even there.”

  Raine snorted as she crossed the room to the phone. “Hello.”

  “Raine? It’s Cassie. Haven is gone.”

  For a moment she couldn’t absorb the words. “What do you mean gone? Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack. He’s not in his room, or on this floor. We’re canvassing the other floors, but I knew you’d want to know.”

  “Okay. We’ll start up here and work our way down.”

  She slammed the receiver into the cradle and turned to Noah, her heart in her throat. He was already moving toward her, gripping her arms. Obviously, he’d heard Cassie over the line.

  “You take the North hallways. I’ll take the South. Go down the fire stairs at the end and I’ll meet you at the next floor. He’ll be fine, Raine.”

  She nodded, numb. Then she ran for the door, right behind him.

  They canvassed three floors before they met up with anyone else. No one had seen him. Noah and Raine went to the security office on the first floor. Jerome Paul was scanning a bank of security cameras. Every floor had them. Hell, every hallway had them. He glanced up when they entered the room, but didn’t say anything. Just continued to scan.

  “Cassie said she saw him at about eleven,” Raine said. “She assumed he was going to bed.”

  Jerome nodded, operating a mouse over a screen and clicking. “I know. I’ve been scanning every screen since that time, but I’m not seeing anything. Everyone that I’ve spotted had a reason for being where they were when they w
ere.”

  “Have you checked the main door?” Noah asked, arms crossed over his chest.

  Jerome nodded. “Of course. And I’ve checked with the two guards manning the security post. Nothing unusual.”

  Raine clenched her jaw and wrapped her arms around herself. Where had Haven gone?

  “I’m going to step outside,” Noah murmured.

  Raine glanced at him. Did he mean outside the office or outside the building? She followed along rather than watch Jerome surf the CCTV. The guards on duty were people she knew. They were both competent men and surely no one had slipped by them.

  “Have you had anyone come through here tonight?”

  Carson, the more senior of the guards, stepped forward. “Oh, yeah. No one unexpected, though. Nine people have left the building, but all of them were regular workers going off shift, most of them kitchen. Three others were nurses who had worked a split shift.”

  Noah glanced around, hands on his hips. “Let me out.”

  The guard returned behind the desk and pressed the lock release. The door buzzed and Raine followed Noah out into the frigid night. Almost immediately she wished she’d stayed inside, but it was too late now. She watched Noah cock his head to the side, obviously listening. He glanced at her.

  “I hear a male’s voice talking to a cab, but I can’t tell if it’s Haven.”

  Her heart sank in her chest and she looked around. This part of Arlington was quiet right now, but in the morning it would be positively bustling. If Noah didn’t hear him within the next couple of hours he probably never would.

  “Where would he have gone?”

  Noah shook his head again, looking as frustrated as she felt. “Go back inside. I’m going to circle the building and see if I see anything.”

  Raine nodded, pushing back through the doors of the Elton Building. She waved her wrist at the scanner and the gate buzzed, letting her in. She realized then that they didn’t normally have to scan to get out, just in. The guards opened the doors for them when they left.

  And realistically, she didn’t know what mechanism was in place in case a resident wanted to leave the facility. The men here weren’t technically prisoners, but she didn’t think they were free to go either. Most of the men were too ill to go anywhere, so it hadn’t been an issue, but Haven was physically almost a hundred percent. His mind wasn’t perfect but if he was aware enough to get himself outside the building was it their responsibility to stop him? Wouldn’t that make them jailers just like Damon Wilkes’ cronies?

  “Can I look at your exit sheet?”

  Raine knew the guards kept detailed records of entry and exit logs. It was easier since they’d implemented the watches, but she’d seen the men entering names manually as well. The second, younger guard, pulled up a screen on the computer. Raine spotted the mistake immediate. Snatching the phone from the cradle she called fourth floor.

  Cassie answered immediately. “4C.”

  “Cassie, is Paul still there?”

  “Yes, he’s down the hall. Do you need him? Did you find Haven?”

  Raine winced. “Not exactly.”

  By the time Noah returned, the security guards had isolated the segment of tape where Paul, Raine’s nurse partner on her floor, had left. But it wasn’t Paul. After watching the segment replay several times she could see some irregularities in the recording. There was a fuzziness to Paul’s shape, and he didn’t move exactly right. Paul was a big, confident guy. This shape moved more carefully.

  Haven.

  “Did you know he could do that?” Noah demanded, pointing at the screen.

  Raine shook her head. “No idea. I guess we should have expected it though. He manifests apparitions that look completely real to us. Could he have just dropped an apparition over top of himself?”

  Noah shook his head, looking a little wild-eyed. “If he walked out of here cloaked, for lack of a better word, we may never be able to find him.”

  Wulfe looked at Elizabeth, trying not to be worried. He could see the exhaustion in her entire demeanor and it broke his heart. She was doing everything she possibly could for these men. He barely saw her, and he could tell the effect it was having on Blake. The boy was withdrawing, in spite of Wulfe’s every effort. It didn’t help that his longtime guard had also moved into a different position. The only person Blake had to rely on was his dog Seben.

  None of that was Noah’s fault. Like everything else in these changing, chaotic times, they all had to be fluid. Noah still came to see the boy when he could, though his own tasks required him to be on-site when the men needed anything. Noah’s position had been created out of the need that no one else could fill. And he’d filled the position better than anyone had expected. Noah was there for any of the men’s needs, whether it be tracking down lost items from the property room to escorting a guy outside for some air.

  As he looked at him now, he could see the determination in the man’s dark, implacable face. Haven would be found.

  “I need to know what my retrieval parameters are,” Noah said.

  Wulfe nodded. That was a completely reasonable request. “Aiden is talking to Duncan Wilde and my brother. Between the three of them they’ll call Kevin Rose at the CIA and they’ll let us know. We’ve been working on a reintegration plan, but the release procedure is still fuzzy. If it gets out that these men have been treated with the drug, they may become targets.”

  Yeah, that had occurred to Noah as well. There was a very real possibility that the building was staked out and someone was just waiting for one of the residents to leave…there had been whispers that Russia and China were working on their own enhanced soldier programs. They would probably jump at the chance to have one of the original test subjects.

  “Do you think Rose’ll do anything?”

  Wolf shrugged. “He should. He went above and beyond when Fontana got the men out, and he’s helped us since then, cutting through a lot of red tape to get this building stocked and personnel hired. He has the backing of the Deputy Director. Alfred wants this place to be a bastion of recovery, so that’s what we’ve worked to achieve.”

  “I understand that, but it doesn’t help me right this minute,” Noah growled. “I need to get out there and find Haven before he causes something catastrophic.”

  “No, we need to get out there,” Raine said, determination etched in her face. “He’s my patient and if anybody can reach him it will be me.”

  Wulfe knew she was right, and so did Elizabeth. Raine had been the first person that Haven had connected to and it was obvious she had a vested interest in his safety and recovery.

  Noah shook his head, crossing his arms over his bulky chest. “There’s no way you’re going out there with me.”

  Raine blinked her big blue eyes at Noah’s intimidating stance, but she didn’t back down. Wulfe admired her gumption, though he could imagine the thoughts going through Noah’s mind. Haven had the ability to cause catastrophic damage with a mere thought. Noah was damn near broadcasting that there would be no way Raine would be close enough to be hurt. Wulfe wondered if the little nurse was aware she’d gained a staunch protector.

  “There’s no way you’re leaving me behind,” she told Noah fiercely. “Haven is my patient. I’ve worked with him for months. If he responds to anyone in this building it will be me. And you know that Noah.”

  Noah looked to Wulfe for support, but Wulfe was erring on the side of Raine. The young woman had never had a problem dealing with the former prisoner, though the rest of them had all reacted badly to something Haven had manifested.

  “You have to take Raine with you, just because of the potential medical issues,” Elizabeth said firmly. “Case closed. Sorry, Noah. I’m overruling you on this.”

  Noah gave a single nod of his head, conceding to her authority, though his jaw was clamped tight. Wulfe frowned. Was there something more going on between Noah and Raine that he’d missed?

  Elizabeth pulled out a desk drawer and dug through it for a momen
t, eventually pulling out a credit card. She handed it to Noah. “Any expenses drop on there. I suggest you both get on his tail. We know he’s been gone less than an hour. We’re wasting time right now arguing. For right now, monitor only. We don’t want him to feel hunted. If he gets into trouble, then you can step in.”

  Wulfe could see the anxiety in his love’s eyes, and it made him angry that she was forced to constantly fight. She was beautiful and poised and kind, but in the past year he’d seen her grow into a lion for what she valued.

  “She’s right,” he agreed. “Go, see if you can find him. He can’t have gone far so this would be a great chance to stretch your abilities.”

  Noah grimaced at the pointed look, but nodded once, moving toward the door. “We’ll find him.”

  Even though time was of the essence, they both ran upstairs to change their clothes and get winter gear. Noah added a holstered weapon to his hip, as well as a spare pair of ear buds. He grabbed his go-bag on the way out the door, just in case. When they met in the lobby Noah was thrilled to see Raine had put a bra on. As wrong as it was at a time like this, he had still been aware of her body beside him in Elizabeth’s office, and the slightest jiggle of her breasts. They’d both been in sleep clothes, definitely not prepared for the outdoors. Now she was dressed in jeans and a warm coat and carried a black backpack over her shoulder.

  Elizabeth handed Raine a heavy looking, compact medical bag, but she looked between the two of them. “I packed you a quick emergency kit. There are several shots of sedative in there, as well as something else I’ve been working on. It’s not FDA approved by any means, but the few times I’ve used it on volunteers it has tamped down the effects of their enhancements.” She looked at Noah. “If you get overloaded in a situation it should help you turn that awareness off for a while. Maybe at least long enough to catch your breath for a minute.”