The Fighters’ leader didn’t speak, but his pursed mouth and tight fists spoke of what he was really feeling.
If he decided to kill her this time, she’d be dead before Blaze and Celise could stop him.
Only God knew what stopped him last time.
Jade swallowed when she stepped in front of him. Her heart skittered from fear and excitement when she met his strong angry gaze. “You need to take off your shirt.”
The rage in his eyes intensified, but he did as asked. He probably wanted to get the exam over with as fast as possible.
She reached for the scanner next to the bed with shaky hands. Trying to not look at him was almost impossible.
Jade had been around cyborgs for years. Seeing their naked fit bodies was a daily routine, and it rarely affected her.
However, seeing Nightmare shirtless got her going in the worst kind of way. Hopefully, he mistook her nervous behavior for fear.
“You’re going to drop that thing,” he said.
She jerked from the sound of his deep voice. “What?”
His gaze went to the scanner in her hand. “That thing.”
She gasped when he grabbed her hand and helped her press the scanner to his naked chest.
A wicked—and way too dark—grin spread on his lips. “You’re my prisoner now.”
Jade’s chin dropped, and they stared at each other for what felt like centuries.
Shit.
Shit!
She really was!
He was the Fighters’ leader after all, and they’d do anything he said.
Celise tensed.
Jade spotted it from the corner of her eye.
The same thought seemed to cross Celise’s mind.
“You can’t hurt me,” she tried. Finding her strength wasn’t easy, but she wouldn’t let him scare her.
Nightmare frowned. “Why not?”
Jade peered at the scanner still pressed against his chest. His hand covered hers. “Because I’m … I’m …” Stating that she was the CEO of MedAct wouldn’t help her one bit.
His dark grin intensified, and he caressed her cheek.
She expecting him to do something, but the touch remained feather-light. It made her tremble, and yearn for more. Weakness filled her knees, but somehow, she remained on her feet.
He leaned closer. “You think you’re something?” The Fighters’ leader snorted. “You’re what I say you are.” Excitement flashed in his eyes. “And I say you’re mine.”
CHAPTER 8
Nightmare couldn’t believe his luck.
Jade Silva was in his grasp!
The cute, but fierce, doctor was finally where he’d wanted her to be for so many years.
He’d had his eyes on her ever since she took over MedAct after Alexander Fleming’s disappearance, the previous CEO, about fifteen years ago.
Deep down, he’d hoped for a better co-operation with MedAct; that Jade would listen to him, hear his story, and understand.
When he’d seen her on TV for the first time, Nightmare had been filled with excitement.
She’d been standing in front of the cameras, wearing her white coat, her thick brown hair in a ponytail, declaring to the world, with her full and kissable lips, that she now was the CEO of MedAct.
Jade had been young; her eyes had radiated with insecurity, but an aura of determination had been there as well.
Then she’d spoken about her plans for the future and where she hoped to take the company, and he’d listened with eagerness, but with each word, he’d died a little bit on the inside.
She’d declared, she had no intentions of stopping the creation of cyborgs. Instead, Jade had decided to take Carolyn Williams’ cyborg school to the next level, and make cyborgs more accessible for the masses.
The women who’d applied still needed to have money and stable lives, but they didn’t need to be extremely rich anymore.
It was a tough education; the women had to go through psychological tests, background checks, and demands, but also had to learn everything about cyborgs.
Many women failed, but thanks to the changes, more were able to apply. There were more cyborgs out there now than he’d ever seen coming.
After hearing Jade’s words, she’d become his instant enemy.
It’d been like that for years now.
She chose to continue Carolyn Williams’ work and he’d never forgive her for that.
Carolyn was the cyborgs and MedAct’s creator, but the cyborgs never were anything but machines to her.
The world didn’t even know about all the awful things she’d done to him and his brothers. The thought of the bitch made him shiver and clench his fists again. If she’d been alive, he’d kill her.
Jade’s beautiful face and strong gaze danced through his head. She gave him a sweet smile, and just like that, the uncomfortable feeling faded away.
Nightmare blinked.
There it was again.
That weird emotion that gently grazed his heart every time he thought of her, or every time they met; that feeling he always chose to ignore.
He shook his head, pushing it away this time, as well.
Celise entered the infirmary with her arms crossed. “I’ve taken Jade back to her room.”
“Where are you keeping her?”
“In room B11.”
Perfect.
The room wasn’t too close to anything special.
Jade was being kept away from the Fighters who were locked away, but also from the Fighters who weren’t.
Celise sighed. “I think we should talk.”
He frowned. “About what?”
“We didn’t bring Jade here to be your prisoner. We brought her here to save your life.”
“Don’t worry, dear Celise. I won’t hurt her, but I will make her talk. The knowledge she possesses can save our lives. I’ve tried to get my hands on her several times. She’s always been just out of my reach, but now, when she’s finally here, I will not save her from my wrath.” Nightmare grinned. “I guess her trust in you became her demise. I’d love to hear how you managed to catch her.”
The doctor’s eyes narrowed, and for a while, she remained silent, just studying him. “She doesn’t know.”
He blinked. “What?”
“She doesn’t know what the bond really is.”
Nightmare stared for a moment, then burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How can she not know? She’s MedAct’s CEO, for heaven’s sake! She knows all their secrets.”
Blaze, who’d been sitting by the computer, rose from the chair. “I think it’s true. She seems oblivious to the bond’s true nature.”
His laughter died. “You’re lying.”
The medic shook his head. “We can’t be sure, but much points to it. Think about it. As far as we know, Alexander Fleming didn’t know either, and he was the previous CEO of MedAct, but once he learned the truth, he did everything in his power to figure out how to remove the bond.” Blaze shifted his weight to his other leg. “What if he and Jade are just puppets?”
Nightmare’s fists turned white. “Puppets?”
He nodded. “Yes. Puppets in a bigger scheme, and Jade is, just like Alexander was in the beginning, unaware of her involvement.”
“Listen to yourselves. Has she somehow brainwashed both of you?” He snorted.
“I’m totally serious,” Blaze went on. “There’s more going on here than any of us is aware of. We’ve been trying to get Jade to tell us about the bond ever since we brought her here, but each time we ask, she just seems more confused and irritated.”
Silence filled the infirmary.
Nightmare’s gaze shifted from Blaze, then to Celise, only to shift back to the medic again. Words refused to leave his lips, as disbelief filled every part of his body.
This had to be some sick joke, but trying to tell himself that became more and more difficult when their serious expressions remained.
His thoughts went to Jade.
&n
bsp; Her cute and sweet appearance could fool anyone into thinking she was an innocent housewife that baked cookies for the neighborhood’s kids every day, but the strength in her brown eyes spoke of another story.
The CEO’s straight posture and firm lips whispered of what type of woman lived in that fit and small frame of hers.
When Nightmare had seen her for the first time—about fifteen years ago—he’d underestimated her.
He’d thought she’d be easy to play once he’d figured out she continued implanting the bond into newborn cyborgs. Instead, she’d turned out to be a worthy adversary.
He glanced at the door. He needed to find out for himself if what Celise and Blaze said was true.
A pinch of fear filled him.
What if it was true?
What if Jade didn’t know?
That would turn things around for sure.
Nightmare clenched his teeth and inhaled. Then, he headed for the door.
He and Jade were going to have a long talk, a very long talk.
Celise grabbed his arm.
Nightmare halted and met her eyes.
“Don’t hurt her. I mean it,” the doctor ordered.
He studied her.
She’d gone from a shy and innocent woman to a strong leader in just a matter of a few weeks, since she and her cyborg, Wind had gotten involved with him and his Fighters.
The I-mean-business-look in her eyes made his lips twitch. “I believe you do.” He tore himself free from her grip and headed for Jade’s room.
CHAPTER 9
Fear filled every part of Jade’s body, making her tremble like a leaf. She’d never felt this small. She’d never felt this vulnerable.
The reality of her situation slapped Jade in the face over and over again. Now, she really felt the danger that surrounded her.
Now that Nightmare was awake.
Cold chills traveled down her spine and her palms went clammy.
Jade was glad she wasn’t standing. Her knees shook way too much.
She stared at the door, waiting for her uncertain future to catch up with her.
It wasn’t too difficult to figure out what was coming. She’d seen it in Nightmare’s shining eyes. His excitement and anger in the infirmary had been clear.
He was going to make her talk.
No one would interrupt him.
A tear ran down her cheek, but she ignored it. Instead, she curled up on the bed, her gaze never leaving the door.
In a way, it was ironic.
The man she’d loved for so many years would be the one to end her, and for what?
Knowledge she didn’t have?
She didn’t doubt he’d do it. He’d killed people before. She’d seen it on the news, and it’d always been in cold blood.
Now, he’d do the same to her.
The only time she’d know his touch would be during the torture that was to come. He’d never see her love burn from heartache. He’d only hear her screams, and probably enjoy it.
After all, he’d been ready to kill women and children to make MedAct release the Fighter, Hunter. He’d been ready to kill Shade to remove his bond from his bound one, Phoebe.
Nightmare was dangerous, deadly, untrustworthy, and the dark and strong aura that surrounded him made her really fear him, because now, she was in his grasp.
Despite all that, her heart had started to beat for him all those years ago. Jade had seen beyond his hard shell; had seen the man behind it.
She’d seen his reasoning and his pain. She’d learned to understand him, or at least, she’d thought she had.
According to Celise, she hadn’t. That hurt. Not just hurt, it was as if a big black hole had been carved out in her chest.
A pained whimper left her lips, as she dried a tear with a trembling hand. If she somehow survived the upcoming hours, Jade would do everything in her power to find a way out.
She couldn’t stay here.
The door handle went down.
Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She pressed herself against the wall and watched Nightmare enter.
His eyes were dark, and he wore a smirk. He was ready to have ‘fun’.
The door closed silently behind him, but it felt like a bomb went off.
It made her twitch and clutch the bedsheets.
Jade’s eyes never left him, but the hurt in her heart sang as loudly as never before. The emotions would hurt more than the pain he was about to inflict upon her body.
She couldn’t even imagine his reaction if he ever found out how she felt about him.
Worst case scenario, he’d use it against her.
There had to be a way to make him see her in another light, to make him see she wasn’t his enemy.
The Fighter’s leader watched her for what felt like an eternity before his lips twitched. “They really made things easy for me. All I needed to do to catch you was to get shot in the head. Who could’ve known?”
Jade didn’t say anything. Fear pumped in her veins, but she wouldn’t go down easily. She’d fight until her last breath.
“I remember the first time I saw you,” Nightmare said and leaned against the chair’s backrest, his eyes almost ... serene. “It was on the news, when you informed the world you were the new CEO of MedAct. I liked the innocent but strong smile you shared, but also that pinch of naivety. You had no idea what you were getting yourself into.” He crossed his arms. “I had high expectations of you. Me and Alexander Fleming were never close, but we respected each other. So, when he disappeared, and you came into the picture, I’d hoped for something more.” He sighed. “But my hope was in vain.”
She didn’t move. What was this? Why was he talking about the past?
Why wasn’t she pressed against the wall with him holding her in a firm grip? Why wasn’t he yelling all those questions he had and demanded answers?
Why was he acting calm all of a sudden?
Was he planning to lure her into a feeling of safety before destroying her?
“Do you remember the first time we talked?” he asked.
No words left her mouth. Instead, Jade fixed her eyes on him, watching his attractive but stern face, still waiting for the torture she’d imagined so many times since she’d been taken back to her room.
Yet, she did remember their first meeting.
To her, it’d been like meeting a celebrity, because she’d watched him on the news since she was a young girl. How many times had she wondered if there was something wrong with her for pitying him?
Many despised him, avoided him, hated him for what he did … for what he was … but not her.
It’d taken the world some time to get used to the cyborgs, but once they were part of society, Nightmare had become a side note in the newspapers.
People started to get used to his antics. They still tried to catch him, but didn’t get as shocked anymore when he robbed a store.
He only took food or equipment anyway, and sometimes, people even left things out for him. She did that too once as a child, but when her parents found out, they’d grounded her for a month.
Jade licked her lips. “I remember.”
A dark grin spread on his face. “I’m sure I left an impression on you.”
“Rather, the gun you pointed at me did.”
He shrugged. “I was being careful.”
The deep look he gave her stirred something within her.
She should feel uncomfortable, unsure, wary of him, but that fear was slowly subsiding.
He wasn’t going to torture her. He wasn’t going to hurt her.
At least not now.
“If I’d known how things would turn out, I would’ve kidnapped you that day,” Nightmare said. “I never got the chance to get that close to you again, without the cyborg soldiers around.” He took a deep breath. “It is what it is. I wasn’t after that back then, but here you are now.”
“You broke into my house in the middle of the night. After something like that, moving into an apartme
nt at MedAct was the best decision for me.” Her voice was cold as the memories washed over her.
Jade had been tired that day and had taken a shower. It usually calmed her and helped her sleep, but when she’d opened the bathroom door, Nightmare had stood on the other side of the threshold with a gun aimed at her chest.
He chuckled. “The expression on your face when you saw me was priceless. You almost dropped your towel.”
She hadn’t found it fun at all, but Jade would never forget his amusement when she managed to flash him with one of her breasts from the sheer surprise of seeing him in her room. Heat traveled to her cheeks. “That will never happen again.”
His grin faded and his eyes narrowed. Then he sighed again, and shook his head. “We sure are good at hating each other. We could accomplish amazing things if we just worked together, but no. We choose to throw knives at each other instead.”
Jade winced. “You want us to work together?”
“That’s never going to happen.”
The seriousness and lack of emotions in his voice almost stopped her heart. In a way, it felt as if he was breaking up with her, and the pain was difficult to hide, but she pressed her lips together and swallowed the feelings down. She looked away. “Good.”
“But you’re going to tell me everything. We’re going to spend many hours in here talking.” His grin returned, and this time, it was frightening. “We have so much to talk about.”
“I’ll never tell you anything, even if you hurt me.” Her hands shook. She pressed them to the bed to hide it, but despite his dark aura, the danger he radiated, she still couldn’t suppress his … magnetism.
She was still drawn to him.
It’d taken many years to get to this point, to feel the way she did now. What’d started as pity and a pinch of fear when she was young was now so much more.
Love.
She’d seen his pain, but also his aggression and despair.
Then, it turned into a need of wanting to help him, and before she knew it, she was thinking about him every day.
He began to dominate her thoughts.
Their encounters happened mostly over the phone, and they always managed to piss each other off, but the underlying longing and desire that’d slowly awakened within her, refused to go away.
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