From what Cody had managed to find out about it all, the labs, and those running them, were despicable. The children who were tested on had been subjected to the same gut-wrenching experiments as Cody and the other Outcasts.
Doing it all to an adult male was bad enough. Putting small, innocent children through the torture was unthinkable. Yet both women had endured just that. They were liberated from the lab they’d been held in by PSI some twenty years prior when they were very young. From there, they’d been placed into homes with loving, trustworthy supernatural parents.
In the cases of Clara and Nicolette, they’d been placed into the care of supernaturals who had remained in close proximity to one another throughout the girls’ lives. Nicolette had been adopted by her uncle (who happened to be a member of the Fang-Gang), and Clara had been adopted by a couple the uncle knew and trusted.
The girls had been raised close to one another and had been best friends since day one.
Clara and Nicolette had met Cody at Stanley’s on more than one occasion in the past for drinks, so it wasn’t exactly shocking to see her there. But Cody hadn’t called her to set up the meeting and he knew Wheeler wouldn’t have either. Wheeler had watched over Clara and Nicolette from a distance more than once since Cody had come to Savannah, but the man had never been formally introduced to them.
Cody tensed, worried something had possibly happened to Nicolette since Clara had shown up at Stanley’s apparently alone and without Cody calling first. “Clara?”
Gena turned in Cody’s arms and let out a loud squeal. She pulled away from Cody and rushed in the direction of Clara.
Clara’s long brown hair was pulled up in a sleek ponytail, and she had on a pair of dress slacks and a silk blouse. She’d more than likely come from work. She indirectly worked for the Para-Regs, but she wasn’t supposed to know that.
That wasn’t much of a shock to Cody. He’d grown used to the secrecy a supernatural was forced to employ in his life. It was sort of par for the course. Clandestine organizations that operated under the public’s nose, while staying hidden from humans were a dime a dozen.
Clara and Gena embraced and then Clara stepped back, holding Gena’s hands, keeping her at arm’s length. She looked Gena over slowly, smiling wide. “Ohmygod, babes. You look hot. Who got you to wear a dress finally?”
Gena laughed. “Bonnie.”
“I really have got to meet this woman. You talk about her so much that I feel like I know her,” said Clara, her gaze flickering toward Cody.
Gena tugged on Clara lightly. “She’s here with Rene. I’ve talked about her to you as well. Come on, I’ll introduce you to them. They’ve been wanting to meet you and Nicolette too. Is Nicolette here?”
Clara pressed a thin smile to her face. “No. She couldn’t make it tonight. I got your message about meeting up for drinks and wanted to swing by to tell you the news in person.”
Gena was the reason Clara was at Stanley’s?
Cody simply stood there, dumbfounded at the knowledge that Gena knew Clara and Nicolette. Not to mention she’d just happened to be in the square at the same time as he and Wheeler. She just happened to remind him of the flashes he could remember of the woman from his sex dreams. And she just happened to make his cock spring back to life after being dormant for seventeen years.
There was such a thing as coincidence and then there was what was happening with him and Gena. None of it was random or happenstance. He was starting to see that clearly now. He just wasn’t sure what to make of it and had to wonder if Gus’s whole mermaid bit was somehow related to Gena too.
“News?” Gena paused, tipping her head. “What’s going on? Is Nicolette okay?”
Clara smiled wide. “She is. Well, if you count off the market and living in Virginia with a super-hot Viking guy okay.”
“What?” demanded Gena, her voice loud enough to cut through the noise of the bar and draw the attention of other patrons. She didn’t seem to notice or care. “She’s living in Virginia? Since when? And with a Viking dude? I didn’t even know she was dating again let alone serious enough with some guy to move to another state with him. Does Landros know? I can’t see him being okay with that. He’s very overprotective of you two.”
Wheeler’s sharp intake of breath mirrored Cody’s as the name Landros fell from Gena’s lips.
Landros was Nicolette’s uncle, who just so happened to work for PSI. Not to mention the guy was a vampire.
Do you think she knows supernaturals are real? Wheeler asked via their mental pathway. Fuck. Is my gut right? Is she the one?
Cody merely stared at Gena, too shocked to do anything more.
Wheeler leaned against Cody more. Holy fuck nuts, you don’t think she’s really got a fish tail, do you?
With distinct slowness, Cody turned his head toward Wheeler. “I don’t know what to think at this point.”
“It’s super recent,” said Clara, giving him a knowing look. “The guy she’s living with is a great man. His name is Garth and he’s in the military, kind of. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough. It was all really sudden but she’s totally happy and safe and I trust the guy implicitly. So does your beach bum buddy over there.”
Gena glanced over her shoulder at Cody and her brows met. “Hold on, you know Cody?”
Wheeler laughed. “Notice Gena knew exactly who, of the two of us, the beach bum is.”
“Asshole,” said Cody, in a low tone.
“I do know him,” said Clara, her smile widening. “He’s a great guy. I’ve known him a couple of years now. I think Nicolette and I have talked about him a little to you before too.”
Gena’s gaze darted away a second and then widened more. “Tell me he’s not the same Cody that Nicolette mentioned dating briefly. The one who crashes at your place at random.”
In that moment, Cody wished he could go back in time and not make an attempt at dating Nicolette. That they’d just kept the relationship totally platonic, not that it had ever gotten hot and heavy.
Guilt that he couldn’t explain filled him.
Wheeler tipped his head in Cody’s direction and smirked. “Why do I feel like you’re in trouble?”
As Cody stared at Gena and saw the hurt and uncertainty in her dark gaze, his stomach clenched and he darted forward, going straight to her. “Honey, I swear to you that Nicolette and I are only friends and saying we dated is kind of a stretch. It never took off romantically. I swear. We never had sex.”
Gena lifted a brow. “Why are you telling me this?”
Clara lifted a hand as if in a classroom setting. “Uh, I want to know why you called her honey?”
“I got this one,” said Wheeler, laughing from his position near the bar. “It is hot and heavy between him and Gena and it’s certainly romantic between them.”
Gena tensed and her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red.
Clara’s eyes widened. “Shut up! Really? Since when? How did y’all meet? When did you meet? How long have you two been seeing one another? Why didn’t either of you tell me?”
“They just met tonight,” offered Wheeler.
Confusion coated Clara’s face. “But I could have sworn I saw Gena and Cody embracing when I first came in. Did I see that?”
“You did,” said Wheeler.
Clara grabbed Gena’s hand. “Girl, you are not the type to hug any guy you just met. Hell, do you even hug guys that you’ve known for years? What is going on?”
“You should have seen them kissing earlier,” added Wheeler, ever the helper. “It was darn near X-rated for a moment there. I thought articles of clothing were about to start flying in every direction. To hell with the fact they were in public and had known each other for about ten seconds. It was lust at first sight.”
Gena’s shoulders slumped and she eased back more, clearly uneasy with the direction the conversation was going.
Cody didn’t like knowing she was uncomfortable. He filled the small space between them and ran his hand over
her back lightly. She instantly eased over in his direction and he lifted his arm. She came to him and pressed against him. He wrapped his arm around her and stared over her head at Clara.
Clara blinked several times before her gaze snapped to Wheeler. “Holy crap. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Depends,” said Wheeler with a shrug. “Are you picturing yourself minus clothing?”
Clara grunted. “No.”
“Then we’re not thinking the same thing at the moment,” said Wheeler, making Gena laugh slightly.
“You have got to be Wheeler,” said Clara.
“My reputation precedes me?” asked Wheeler.
With a snort, Clara rolled her eyes. “Something like that.”
Cody kept Gena close to him. “I’m curious how it is you and Gena know each other. You never mentioned her to me before.”
Clara grinned. “Yes, Nicolette and I did. We told you that we had a childhood friend move to the area not long back. That we were all adopted around the same time.”
The way she stressed “same time” made Cody’s gut clench. Was Clara telling him Gena had been part of the experiments as well?
Cody’s entire body filled with dread and the burning need to grab Gena and get her the hell out of Savannah. He couldn’t explain it.
Bonnie and Rene approached, laughing about something.
Gena eased back from Cody and squared her shoulders. “Guys, this is my friend Clara.”
Bonnie smiled wide and extended a hand to Clara. “Nice to meet you finally.”
“You too,” said Clara before taking Rene’s hand and shaking it as well. “I’ve heard a ton about the two of you.”
“Oh Lord,” said Rene. “We’re going to need to explain ourselves, I’m sure. We know we’re terrible influences on Gena.”
Clara laughed. “No way. You two are great. She really likes you both.”
Bonnie nodded to Gena. “We’re going to step outside so I can call your lunch date for tomorrow and let him know that isn’t happening. Want to come too?”
Gena nodded. “Yes. But I don’t want to talk to him. He gives me the creeps.”
The moment Gena was out of the bar, Clara lurched forward and grabbed Cody at the arm. “What in the hell is going on?
“I was hoping you could tell me,” said Cody, his body still screaming at him to get Gena far from the area.
Wheeler stared at them both. “You said you were all adopted around the same time. The way you said it left us wondering…”
Clara took a deep breath and nodded. “Gena and her siblings were all tested on too. They were at a sister site though, freed at the same time as the one Nicolette and I were in. Landros, from what I’ve been able to piece together since the asshat is doing his best to stay busy and far away from me, saw to it Gena and her brothers and sisters went to a supernatural couple. He’s friends with them like he is my dad. We’d meet with Gena and her family a few times a year growing up, spending a week or two together each time.”
Cody registered what Clara was telling him. It felt as if the temperature of the bar had increased exponentially. Suddenly, he was dripping with sweat.
“Cody?” asked Clara. “You don’t look so good. What’s wrong?”
“Well, he started the night out in search of a mermaid but I’m pretty fucking sure he found his mate instead,” said Wheeler.
Clara’s eyes widened. “Wow. Um, I guess it would make sense Gena would be Cody’s mate. After all, from everything I saw in her files, even quickly, it all indicated she has shark DNA in her too. And a bunch of other things that like the ocean. She can’t shift or anything though.”
The bar seemed to tilt on an axis as he absorbed what he was hearing. She had shark in her too? Even a little? She was like him?
That meant she was mate material.
His gaze went instantly to his groin. His mouth fell agape. “Holy shit, little shark figured it out before I did.”
She’s my mate.
“Little shark?” asked Clara, her gaze following his. “Is this some weird new euphemism for penis? If so, I’m going to pass on calling it that. I prefer to call a cock a cock.”
“Marry me,” said Wheeler quickly.
She snorted. “Passing on that too, but thanks for asking.”
Cody would have said more but his shark picked then to try to surface. He cast a desperate look at Wheeler for help.
“Fuck,” said Wheeler loudly. “We’re gonna need a bigger bar.”
“Cody?” asked Clara, worry in her voice. “What’s wrong? You don’t look thrilled like a guy who just found out he’s got a mate should look.”
Wheeler laughed. “Honey, he looks exactly like a guy who just found out he has a mate. I’m taking him to the little boy’s room. Can you keep Gena busy while I calm him down?”
“Yes, but if you two keep referring to things as little, I’m going to question your alphaness,” said Clara, hurrying toward the exit as Wheeler grabbed Cody and yanked him in the direction of the restrooms.
Chapter Fifteen
Helmuth stood just outside of the holding tank that had been specially created for a wereshark. One specifically.
Cody Livingston.
The large freighter (that he had been told more than once was a renovated mega container ship, but he didn’t care what it was termed) let out a loud moan. Had he not been standing in the belly of the beast itself, he’d have thought the sounds had emanated from there. As it was, he knew it was the hull.
One deck below were the engines that kept the massive beast moving. Most of the people working there did so to avoid being used as training dummies for the paranormal underground fight rings. Some had been injured in the fights in ways that left them worthless when it came to the ring. Sure, they’d still fetch a small bit of coin if he was to auction them off to the highest bidder, but forcing them to do manual labor benefited him more.
He’d specifically had bunk rooms that were more like cells than anything else built on the levels staffed mostly with the forced laborers. Those who refused to work found themselves in the starring role of impromptu fights staged at random for the rest of the crew who was paid to be there. The winner of the fights was given the chance to return to work on the ship. The loser’s dead body was tossed overboard.
A smile touched Helmuth’s lips as he thought of all he’d managed to accomplish even in the face of PSI and their interference in his life as of late.
The ship was a testament to his perseverance. And he intended for it to be not only his ticket back into the good graces of The Corporation but for it to be his legacy as well. He’d already gathered some of the greatest minds in science, giving them full access to any number of the captive laborers they wanted to conduct their experiments on. He didn’t judge them when there was a fatality.
You had to break a lot of eggs to make an omelet.
Such was the way of things.
The ship was finally finished with its retrofitting and even he found himself impressed. Pleasing him wasn’t exactly easy with as old as he was and all he’d seen in his life.
But there was no denying the ship was a thing of beauty. A floating masterpiece.
There were nine decks in all; the top floor was done with luxury furnishings and more to his liking. After all, it would be where he called home soon enough—at least for the foreseeable future.
There were elevators that ran between the decks. Several elevators were for maintenance and the staff. The others were for the rest of the crew. And then there was his private elevator.
Kahale had caught a crew member using Helmuth’s private elevator several days prior and from what Helmuth had been told, what had been left of the crew member after Kahale was finished with him had been tossed overboard to feed whatever marine life was nearest.
Good help was hard to come by.
Kahale had proven himself an asset time and again. He’d been the one to lean on the contractors who had retrofitted the ship to Hel
muth’s specifications. Any weak links that might talk to anyone about the project they’d been working on had been dealt with by Kahale personally.
Helmuth could only imagine the carnage he’d left in his wake.
He was good about cleaning up his messes, which was another bonus.
There was a loud thumping noise that echoed down the corridor. It came from the direction of one of the many holding cells aboard the ship. Each was designed for a specific type of supernatural.
The ship was a work of art.
While Helmuth wanted to take credit for being the brainchild of the ship, he couldn’t. The idea had been in use for decades by The Corporation. As far as Helmuth knew, the research vessels dated back to at least World War I, possibly prior. When Helmuth had gotten his hands on blueprints for one of the other ships, he’d known then he wanted one for himself.
Everything had been going smoothly in the build process right up until the incident in Seattle. That had put his standing in The Corporation at risk and made them question his judgment briefly. That had resulted in delays with the completion of the ship. But it was finally done.
And it already had a significant number of test subjects, not counting the forced labor, aboard it with room for many more.
The ship would help Helmuth reestablish his position within The Corporation once more, maybe even increase his standing. He wanted to be considered something of a general within the ranks, but he’d hit a ceiling. Then the Seattle incident had yanked the rug out from under him. He was in the process of digging his way out.
And he was so close to solidifying his position among his peers once more.
Victory was at hand, and he planned to seize it fully.
For now, he continued to soak in the sight of his hard work and efforts. Reaching out, he skimmed his fingers on the unbreakable tank glass. He’d be able to watch the tank’s inhabitant suffer, kept locked between shifted stages, forever.
Perfect.
It’s what the wereshark deserved for daring to think he could stay hidden for so long. Had Livingston just obeyed like a good little test subject, Helmuth wouldn’t have been forced to take such extreme measures. As it stood, he’d been left no choice.
Wrecked Intel (Immortal Outcasts®): An Immortal Ops® World Novel Page 20