Never Let Go

by Cynthia Eden

  “You know me.” His fingers tightened on her hip.

  “Y-yes…You’re Subject One here at Lazarus, you—”

  He nipped her ear lobe. She was so surprised that she started to give a little cry, but—

  His hand flew back up to cover her mouth. So fast. Way too fast.

  “Don’t lie, doc. You know me. I know you.” His rasp was dark and dangerous, and her shivers just got worse. “Intimately.”

  What?

  His hand was still over her mouth, and she was nervous and scared and completely freaking out, and she accidentally licked his palm.

  When she did…

  Elizabeth felt his body stiffen. He’d already been aroused, there had been no missing the length of his cock shoving against her, but his erection stiffened even more. Longer, thicker, harder. And the very air around her changed. It heated. Seemed to thicken.

  Slowly, his hand lifted from her mouth once more. Only this time, his fingers brushed carefully over her lips.

  She had to fight the urge to open her mouth. To lick his index finger, to take it inside her mouth—

  He’s not the man you remember. You are all messed up! Stop it, Elizabeth!

  She’d always had a weak spot for Sawyer. He touched her, and her body erupted. Their physical attraction had surprised her, at first. And the fact that it had only gotten stronger after they became lovers…

  His fingers slid down her throat. “No more lies.”

  She couldn’t make that promise. She didn’t know if she could trust him, but she desperately wanted to help him. He’d never volunteered for this life. She knew that truth, even if the others at Lazarus—others like Cecelia—had bought Landon’s lies.

  “You know me.” His fingers were at the base of her throat. She knew he had to feel the frantic beat of her pulse. “You know my name.”

  Her eyes widened. Her vision had adjusted a bit to the darkness in his cell. She could just make out the hard lines and edges of his face. They were positioned in such a way that she knew the video camera in his room couldn’t see them. Even if her little virus hadn’t done its job, Sawyer was making sure no one saw them. “I—”

  “Sawyer,” he growled. “You know my name. Don’t lie.”

  She wouldn’t, couldn’t. “Yes.” Hope was there, bursting inside of her. Was he remembering? Could the man she’d known be trapped deep inside, desperately trying to break free to the surface? “You’re…Sawyer.” Once, he’d been her Sawyer.

  And then she’d turned him into a nightmare.

  I’m so sorry. I never wanted this for you.

  One of his legs slid between hers. A powerful, muscled thigh brushed against her. “I know what you look like…” Such low, growled words. “When you climax for me. I know what it sounds like…when you call my name as you come.”

  He remembers! “Sawyer—”

  He jerked against her. “And I know…what you taste like.”

  She licked her lips. Landon had been wrong. Sawyer’s memory was there, it was—

  “How the hell do I know any of that?”

  Before she could answer, his mouth was on hers. He was kissing her, hard and deep and wildly. No tentative touch of a new lover. He was taking. He was claiming. Kissing her with passion and familiarity. Kissing her the way she loved to be kissed by him. As if she were the only woman who’d ever mattered to him. As if he couldn’t get through another single second without her, as if—

  “Just like in my dream…” His voice was gruff. “Just like in my damn—”

  An alarm blared. The shriek was high and echoing, and Sawyer jerked back from her. “Lockdown,” he gritted out. “Fuck.” Then he was wrenching her back from the door—opening it, and shoving her out of his cell as the alarm kept blaring. “Sixty seconds until all the doors are sealed. Get your ass moving, doc.”

  What?

  “Get moving!”

  She stumbled away from his cell, keeping to the shadows she’d memorized. She ran toward her quarters, moving as fast as she could. And as she rushed away, Elizabeth was counting down in her head.

  Forty, thirty-nine…

  She wasn’t sure she’d make it to her room.

  Twenty, nineteen…

  She slipped around a corner in the hallway. Dammit, she was too far away from her quarters, but the main lab was right there—

  Six, five…

  Elizabeth shoved open the door to the lab. She had the key code for that place, and her breath burst out of her as—

  Two, one—

  The blaring stopped. Behind her, the door she’d just opened—she heard a long, loud clang as it closed and sealed shut.

  Elizabeth spun around. She twisted the handle on that door, but it didn’t open. She tried using her code, but the lock wouldn’t disengage. “Lockdown.” Sawyer’s whisper played in her head, and she realized exactly what had just happened. The alarm had been sounded by someone—and every room in the facility had been sealed shut. The scene was like a very, very extreme prison lockdown. Sweat covered her body as she backed away from the door. Had this happened because of her? Had the virus she uploaded been detected? So much for Jay and his perfect plans. Crap. She had to think, think and—

  “The facility is secured.” The announcement seemed to echo around her as it blasted from the intercom system. “Guards will be conducting a room by room sweep for everyone’s safety.”

  Her eyes squeezed closed. She’d screwed up. Barely in the place, and now she’d be sent away. Time crept by in painful silence as she stood, trapped, in the lab. There had to be a way out of this mess. A way to help Sawyer. A way to help—

  The clang sounded again. The clang of the lock. Only this time, the clang wasn’t because the door was locking—it was being unsealed. Opened. Her eyes flew open, and she found herself staring into Landon’s wide eyes. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and his hair was disheveled. He entered the lab first, followed quickly by an armed guard. “Thank God,” he exclaimed, relief evident on his face. “After Cecelia sounded the alarm, I was worried something might have happened to you.”

  Cecelia had sounded the alarm?

  “I-I was just coming to do some research.” The lie fell from her lips. The guy wasn’t Sawyer, so she didn’t worry about any human lie detecting tricks coming from him. “You know me, I can never sleep well. Since I was here, I thought I’d come to the lab and do some work—”

  Landon caught her wrist and pulled her close. “How long have you been in here?”

  His hold was too tight.

  “I, uh, don’t know. I lose track of time when I’m working.”

  He grunted. Landon would buy that excuse because it was true. She did lose track of time when she worked. She’d gone twelve hours once without any food, and he’d been the one to force her to take a break.

  “Did you see anyone?” Landon demanded as his gaze darted around the lab. “Hear anything strange while you were in here?”

  “I…what do you mean?” What exactly was happening?

  “Security cameras have been down since eleven.”

  What? Wait, that wasn’t due to her virus. It had been timed to take the system down right before midnight.

  “And Cecelia swears she woke up to find someone in her room.” He was pulling her toward the door and then out into the corridor. “I think she scared him off with the alarm, but we have got to figure out what is happening here.” He was walking so fast that she stumbled to keep up with him. “If someone is trying to steal our secrets—”

  She dug in her heels. There were guards running all around, and she knew they were checking every room, looking for an intruder. “You think someone broke in? This place is like Fort Knox! It took forever just for me to get inside. I passed so many check-ins that I lost count.” No, she hadn’t. “How would anyone get past your guards?”

  He stopped and leaned in close to her. “You know how valuable the Lazarus formula is. It’s literally something people would kill to possess. It wouldn’t be
the first time we had an attempted break-in.” He started walking—more like nearly running—as he practically dragged Elizabeth down the corridor with him. “We’ll need to heighten our security even more.”

  They rushed through the hallways, and Landon barked out orders to the guards they passed. Her thundering heartbeat filled Elizabeth’s ears. Her feet rushed over the tiled floor, and, a few minutes later, they were back in front of her quarters. Nearby, Cecelia stood in her doorway, wearing a white robe, her hair trailing over her shoulders. Her eyes were big and stark, and she appeared far too pale.

  “No one will steal the Lazarus technology,” Landon swore. “We’ll find the bastard.” Then he nodded grimly toward a guard who stood poised and ready just a few feet away from Cecelia. “Stay here, Hugh, and keep a watch on them while I finish helping to search the facility.”

  After giving that order, Landon vanished. Didn’t even say anything else before he rushed off—looking for his intruder.

  As directed, the guard stayed close by. “You’ll be safe, doctors.” He gave them a nod. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

  If they needed—

  Elizabeth hurried toward Cecelia. “What happened?”

  Cecelia jerked her head toward Elizabeth’s door. “You…you weren’t there. I screamed for you, but you weren’t there.” Her voice was husky.

  Elizabeth winced. “I was in the lab, working.”

  Cecelia just stared at her. What? Can she tell when I’m lying, too?

  Elizabeth looped her arm with Cecelia’s. “Come on. Let’s go in my quarters. No sense in us staying in the corridor all night.” They went into Elizabeth’s room, and she felt the watchful eyes of the guard on them.

  “I can’t go back into my space,” Cecelia said. “Not until the guards have searched for fingerprints and DNA—”

  Shit, but that was intense. “You can stay with me tonight. I’ve got plenty of room.” So maybe plenty was a small stretch, but they could easily make do. “Um, why don’t you take the bed? I can sleep on the sofa.” She shut the door behind them, blocking the guard’s gaze.

  Cecelia stood at her side, not advancing toward the bed. “Were you really in the lab?”

  No, I wasn’t. Elizabeth strode away from the door. “What happened tonight? The alarm started blaring, and the next thing I knew, the lab was sealed. I couldn’t get out.” That part, at least, was true.

  “All of the doors seal during a lockdown. It’s a secondary locking mechanism, part of our security system here. When I realized someone was in my room, I ran—and I hit the lockdown code in the hallway. The rooms remain locked until they have been cleared, one by one.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “He was standing right over me when I woke up. The room was so dark, but I could feel him.”

  Elizabeth blinked. “Slow down, Cecelia. Start over for me.”

  Cecelia shook her head. “They aren’t going to find him. It will be just like before.”

  Elizabeth got a very, very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t understand.”

  Cecelia glanced at her. “This is the second time he’s come into my room. Sneaks right in. I-I think he watches me.”

  That bad feeling got worse. “Landon believes someone is trying to steal the Lazarus technology.” But…why be in Cecelia’s room if that was the case? Cecelia didn’t know much about the design of the Lazarus serum. She knew that it made stronger, faster, better warriors, but she didn’t know how the compound was created. She doesn’t even know we’ve brought these men back from the dead.

  “Landon is looking for someone who broke into the facility.” Cecelia’s gaze darted back to the closed door. “I’m worried he should be focused on someone who is already here, already inside.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I think the test subjects are deceiving us. I think they can get out of their rooms.”

  They can.

  Cecelia’s worried stare came back to Elizabeth. “And I think—for the second time—one of them broke into my room.”

  The breath that Elizabeth drew in chilled her lungs.

  “Increased aggression,” Cecelia murmured. “That’s what I was originally brought on to watch out for, but I’m worried that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

  Goosebumps covered Elizabeth’s arms.

  “The government made stronger, better soldiers, but the side effects I’m seeing aren’t just faster healing abilities or quicker reflexes.” Cecelia shook her head. “I think they all grew smarter, I think…I think the darkness inside of them—the very thing that made them such good soldiers in the first place—I think that darkness got worse, too.”

  “Have you told this to Landon?”

  Cecelia nodded.

  “And what has he done? What did he say?”

  “He said their darkness isn’t a weakness. It’s a strength.” Cecelia gave a grim shake of her head. “But he’s wrong.”

  ***

  When his door swung open, Sawyer opened his eyes. Landon and two guards rushed in, sweeping flashlights into every corner of the space. Yawning, Sawyer stretched. “There a problem?”

  “We may have a facility breach,” Landon said, his voice clipped. “Have you seen or heard anything unusual tonight?”

  Sawyer sat up on his bed. “Not a thing. I was sleeping, until the alarm started blaring. After it stopped, I figured everything was all right, so I laid back down.” He shrugged, as if to say…but that’s when you guys burst inside.

  “It’s clear,” the heavy-set guard announced.

  Sawyer raised a brow. “Of course, it is. Don’t you think I’d notice if someone were in the room with me?”

  Landon just growled.

  “And wouldn’t you notice?” Sawyer added dryly. “Not like it’s a secret that you guys have special one-way glass in our cells. And you watch our every move with your cameras.”

  Landon didn’t respond. The guy spun and marched out. The guards immediately followed. When the door closed behind them, Sawyer exhaled slowly.

  Doc, I sure as hell hope you got clear in time.

  He spread his body out over the narrow bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. A faint tremble shook his fingers, so he balled his hands into fists.

  Elizabeth Parker knew him, and he knew her.

  Sawyer. My name is Sawyer. He’d had a life before he woke in hell. A life that was connected to the doctor’s. The image of him with the doc—that hadn’t just been a dream. It had been a memory. He knew what the sexy doctor looked like when she was naked. He knew the way she sounded when she came. He knew the way she felt against him.

  They’d been lovers, no doubt about it. But…

  What had happened? How had he wound up with no memory, trapped in hell? And how—how in the fuck had his lover become one of his jailers?

  His eyes closed again as he focused on regulating his breathing. In and out. In and…

  Hey, One, why are the guards freaking the hell out? The question slipped into his mind, rough, rasping.

  He turned toward the wall that separated him from the man known as Subject Two. Keeping his eyes closed, Sawyer sent back the fast, mental message. They’re looking for someone. The telepathic communication was another secret. One that Sawyer and the test subjects hadn’t shared with the people at Lazarus. The soldiers had enhanced strength, enhanced speed, fast healing abilities, and they could communicate with each other, telepathically. It was a communication method that took one hell of a lot of energy, so Sawyer didn’t do it often. But being able to communicate this way could sure come in handy.

  On the battlefield, in enemy territory, and…in hell.

  Someone was in your room earlier, Two told him.

  Sawyer hesitated.

  Don’t lie to me, man. I heard her.

  Shit. Keep it quiet. She’s mine. He’d meant to say…She’s my problem. But the hard and possessive, She’s mine had slipped out instead.

  What’s going on? Something wrong with her? There a proble
m? Two demanded via their link

  No. Yes. She knew me…before.

  He had the impression of rough laughter from Two. They’re the scientists. We’re the guinea pigs. Of course, they all knew us before we got the Lazarus serum.

  Two didn’t get it. No. We were lovers.

  Silence. The thick, dangerous kind. Then, again… There a problem?

  My name…it’s Sawyer. He was remembering, and he didn’t see that as a problem. He saw it as the best thing that had happened to him in months.

  Who is she? Two asked.

  A headache built behind Sawyer’s temples. Whenever he communicated telepathically for more than a few moments, the headache came. Dr. Elizabeth Parker.

  Don’t remember seeing her around here.

  She’s new here. As soon as I saw her… But he didn’t continue. He didn’t really know what to say. As soon as he’d seen her, Elizabeth had seemed familiar, on a deep, primitive level? As soon as he’d seen her, his whole body had stiffened and his heart rate had doubled? As soon as he’d seen her, he’d wanted to grab her and pull her close, and never, ever let go?

  As soon as he’d seen her, he’d heard the echo of a woman’s scream in his ears?

  I want to meet Elizabeth Parker. Two was determined.

  And suddenly, the tension was back in Sawyer’s body. She’s mine. He sent out that thought again, but this time, it was a hard warning.

  Two didn’t respond.

  But Sawyer knew the guy had gotten the message, loud and clear.

  Chapter Ten

  “We didn’t find any sign of an intruder last night,” Landon announced as he stood in the observation room, glowering at the screen to his right. It was a screen that showed Cecelia’s office and the man who reclined on her couch.

  Subject Number Five.

  He was a tall man, with bright, blond hair and glittering, green eyes. Like Sawyer, he was tall and fit, built along the rough and ready battle lines of a soldier. His posture was relaxed, easy, and he stared at Cecelia with a faint smile curving his full lips.

  Elizabeth tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear as she watched Cecelia and her patient. She’d been surprised when Landon had brought her into the observation room. The room was filled with different monitors, but, right then, the only monitor working was the one that showed Five’s session. “The shrink thinks the guy in her room wasn’t an outsider. She thinks it’s possible he was one of the test subjects.” Tread carefully, Elizabeth.