Dawson cocked his head to the side. What was Reaper trying to do? It seemed like he was playing some reverse-psychology game and John wasn't going to fall for it. This was the first time he’d had a conversation with a team member in the past month. He’d been locked in this cell, the men coming in to handcuff him when Melissa gave him injections. They’d escort him to bathe while holding onto their weapons the whole time. And not once did any of them care how he was during his many blackouts or seizures. They probably all thought it’d be less of a burden if he just died already. Sometimes John thought so, too.
He crossed his arms and leaned back against the glass wall. “You’re a shitty leader. You’d let your whole team die to save yourself.”
Reaper stepped back, like Dawson’s words had physically pushed him, but he was clearly trying not to show any emotion on his stony face. Dawson wanted to get to him. He wanted to make him feel a shred of the way they had all made him feel for this last year. He wanted to kill them. It wasn't just Rainier who had convinced him they should die—he’d believed it too.
“I understand your anger, Dawson,” Reaper said, calm and collected. But he gripped the sides of his legs covered in the same black cargo pants John wore. The same uniform they all wore day in and day out. “But know this, we never leave anyone behind. Every one of us would risk our lives for our brothers. If I knew you were alive when we left that lab, I would have died one hundred times to try and save you.”
John fought the urge to rub his temples. Tiny pinpoints of pain pricked at his skull. He wanted to believe him; Reaper’s words made sense. The team he knew never would have left him there to be captured or killed by Rainier. But, the fact remained, they did leave him. And now they had him locked away like a deadly tiger at the zoo. Something to be marveled at and tamed, never something they would trust. He straightened. “Then I guess you better start dying.”
Reaper nodded. “You’ll come around. Despite what you’ve done to King and the rest of us, we can understand why. But if you don't come around you’ll be in here forever. Who do you really trust, Dawson? Your team or the bastard who used you to try and kill us?”
The pricks of pain in his temples shot out in sharp darts and he struggled to keep the growing migraine at bay. Tension coiled inside him. Deep down, he knew Reaper was right. Especially because Dawson had seen what Rainier was planning next.
Dawson escaped and was able to find his family after he shot King. A family he had completely forgotten about until he’d found the letter in the bottom of his military-supplied black box. When he realized he didn't even remember his daughter or his sister, the revelation gutted him. And he knew from that moment that something was up with Rainier.
He knew his loyalty was to these men, but the situation he was currently in wouldn't allow him to forgive and forget.
He whipped back around. “You might be right.” He paused, focusing on Reaper through the growing haze of pain. “But I’d sooner die than help you traitors.”
Reaper’s jaw ticked. “Dawson—”
John held up a hand. “Don’t try to order me. You lost that right and my respect when you left me for dead.”
“You need to tell me what you know about Rainer before it’s too late.”
Bright lights stabbed at his eyes, his migraine growing. Shit. This one was getting bad. He’d lose control soon. He needed Reaper to get the hell out of here. Now. “I know exactly what that bastard has cooking.”
The veins in Reaper’s neck pulsed visibly as he tried to keep his composure. “You know what Rainier is up to?” He stepped closer to the glass, his combat boots scuffling on the cement ground. The soft blue glow in the hallway surrounded his head in a halo of light.
When Dawson had gone back to report to the general, he couldn't believe what he’d seen. He wanted to share his discovery with the team, but he didn't trust them. He didn't trust anyone. Except for maybe Quantum. He seemed to be the only team member who remembered him for who he was. And then there was Melissa.
His stomach rolled and he swallowed down the rising bile. His vision faded and he blinked rapidly, trying to focus through the agony building inside him.
If he told his team what Rainier’s next move was, they might have no reason to keep him alive. At least he had one piece of leverage in this impossible situation.
“That’s right. And the only way I’ll talk is if you let me out.” Dawson’s bloodshot blue eyes gleamed in the reflection of the glass wall.
“Looks like we all have some trust to rebuild.” Reaper turned and slid his key card over the lock. He pushed the door open and it clicked shut after he walked out of the room and padded down the hallway to Melissa in the lab. He gestured for her to follow him.
She glanced behind her and met Dawson’s eyes for a brief moment before following Reaper out of the lab.
Agony screamed through his skull, lighting zigzagged across his vision, and blood pounded like jackhammers in his ears. Dawson collapsed onto the ground, clutching the sides of his head with both hands. Make it stop. Just make it stop.
Why did it have to be like this? He needed his team back. He needed to stop suffering so badly. Would it ever be possible?
Chapter 6
Out in the hallway, Melissa turned to face Reaper, ready to try and explain what she was doing so close to John’s cell alone. Though she was also ready to find out what they had talked about.
Reaper held a finger up. “He’s keeping information about Rainier.”
“Oh,” Melissa fumbled. “Well, that’s to be expected, right?” Of course it would take John time to trust his old team when he hadn’t even spoken to any of them since his capture a month ago.
Reaper ran a hand down the back of his shortly buzzed hair. “I guess. He seems to trust you though.” He raised an eyebrow, meeting Melissa’s gaze.
She cleared her throat. “I don't know about that.” Her eyes flicked away from his. “We’re in the vicinity together most of the time. I see he’s not dangerous.”
She couldn't help but wonder if Dawson was accusing her in some way with that intense, icy blue-eyed stare before Reaper interrupted them. Maybe John was letting her know this was all her fault and he didn't actually trust her at all. It didn't matter that she rescued the men from Dr. Winters; she was still part of the reason they were in this condition.
“You still should not be going in there alone, Dr. Averton. Whether he’s dangerous or not is up to me to determine.” Reaper pulled her out of thoughts of John’s beautiful and troubled face.
She stared at the floor and nodded her head a few times, feeling like a child who was being chastised—for having a crush on a boy for that matter. She knew Reaper was right, and her face heated up when she thought about how she’d simply let her feet carry her right to Dawson’s cell.
He was seriously altered after all. She couldn't trust him as long as he was having reactions to the serum. He had already had so many from being off it in the first place. He almost killed King. He exposed his own daughter, Faith, to lethal danger, but there was something about him. Something that told her he really was human despite his actions.
“I feel like you haven’t been yourself fully since Dawson ended up here.” Reaper surveyed Melissa when she looked up to meet his eyes again. “I know he adds more work to your load, with the daily injections and everything, but I worry about you.”
“I’m worried about him.” Melissa only realized she’d said that out loud before she could take it back. “He just—his symptoms were pretty severe.” She tried to recover.
Dawson had been suffering daily for the past month, not nearly stable enough to speak to anyone or do anything on his own until recently. She’d been giving him daily injections when the other men only received weekly injections to make up for all the time he’d spent without it.
Though, apparently, he’d been watching her like he just admitted earlier. Melissa had thought he’d been too out of it to register anything.
“He�
��s getting better though, right?” Reaper said, a hint of hope in his words.
“His symptoms are better, but I don't know how long he can sustain all the extra serum. It’s breaking him down.”
She sighed. These men were stronger, faster, had heightened senses and reactions, all because of the serum. But, their ultimate weakness was that they depended on it in weekly dosages, and without them, they might not have only had death to fear. They could turn into vegetables if this went on much longer. Or worse, they could revert back into those killing machines. But John was at a higher risk than any of them.
Reaper blew a stream of air between his teeth. “You’ll figure it out, Dr. Averton. We all trust you. Maybe…” He paused and scratched the back of his neck.
“What?”
“Maybe, if Dawson really does trust you. You could find out what he knows about Rainier.”
She bit her lip. She only wanted to worry herself with the research and the cure, not this.
“I don't know what I was thinking.” Reaper quickly straightened up. “You have enough on your plate. We’ll find out what he knows about Rainier, don't worry.” He gave a tight smile.
Melissa forced a smile back. “Okay, well I better get back to it then.” She pointed over her shoulder in the direction of the lab. Sure, she wanted to get back to her research; the pressure was on more than ever. But, she wanted to get back to Dawson.
Reaper and Melissa were about to head in opposite directions when the sensor on her computer in the lab started blaring, and a red light flashed across the floor. Immediately following, a crash sounded from down the hallway. Melissa locked eyes with Reaper and they both rushed off back toward Dawson’s cell.
She saw him lying on the other side of the glass, convulsing on the ground when she reached him.
“John!” she called out. His eyes were glazed over as he looked at her. His mouth began to foam and blood trickled out of his nose.
Melissa’s heart raced and her breathing was shallow. “I need to get him an IV immediately,” she breathed out before leaving Reaper standing there as she turned for the lab.
“Melissa,” Dawson whispered between convulsions. “Please.”
His face was completely red and beads of sweat collected on his forehead.
“I’m getting you help.” She rushed back to the lab and grabbed a premixed IV bag. It was the same one she used on Quantum countless times whenever he had seizures or convulsions. She had all the remedies down for when the men suffered, it was only the cure for the serum itself that she couldn't seem to figure out.
Reaper was already inside Dawson’s cell when Melissa ran around the corner again with the IV. He knelt next to Dawson and placed his hands on either side of his shoulders to stabilize him for Melissa.
Melissa’s hand shook and she clumsily plunged the needle in. Thankfully she had found the vein on the first try. She couldn't even remember the last time she missed the vein, but then again she couldn't remember the last time she didn't have steady hands when making an injection either. Dawson’s very presence was a distraction, and yet he was the one she was supposed to be saving.
She adjusted the drip on the IV bag and rested it next to Dawson’s head on the ground.
“Can you put him in his bed?” Melissa looked up at Reaper.
He lifted Dawson under his upper back and legs, hoisting him onto the cot in the corner of the room with ease. Dawson’s body was limp now, his head lolling before it hit the mattress. Reaper backed away and walked closer to the door.
Melissa was in no rush to leave the cell. She went to stand beside John and reached down to position the pillow better under his neck.
“I’m going to clean him up,” she said, still looking at John instead of Reaper. He’d stopped foaming at the mouth as soon as the IV took effect, and his nose stopped leaking blood. His icy blue eyes were still glazed over, but they were on Melissa the whole time, until now when they slowly began to shut.
She brushed past Reaper by the door and went to get a wet cloth, before returning and dabbing under John’s nose and around his mouth. She gently wiped away the fresh blood and saliva.
“Let me cuff him before you check his vitals.” Reaper’s eyes were on her from the doorway.
“Is that really necessary?” Melissa turned to look at him briefly, the cuffs already in his hand. She sighed and turned back to John, pulling out her stethoscope to listen to his heart.
“We need to be careful.” Reaper crossed back and slid the cuffs around Dawson’s wrists. He continued to filter in and out of consciousness; his eyes glazed every time they fluttered open. Melissa knew the men didn't trust John, and she supposed she didn't blame them, but cuffing him when he was practically dying? Who cared if it was protocol, it was time to see Dawson for who he was now—a victim to the serum and side effects.
“We’ll get them later at his next injection,” Reaper said, back near the door.
“Can’t you just let him be comfortable?” Melissa’s annoyance was bubbling to the surface. She stared at the side of John’s face and softened, nearly forgetting she wasn't alone. She wanted to reach out and stroke his hair.
She turned to see Reaper giving her a wary expression. She gulped when she noticed she had back talked his orders. “Sorry.” Melissa shook her head. “It’s just, I don't think we can keep this up. If you hadn’t been so close I wouldn't have been able to wait for someone to come down and steady him for me to work. He could have died…”
Reaper’s eyes darted to John, who was still in and out. He shrugged, and then gestured for Melissa to follow him back through the door to the lab. She didn't feel cautious in John’s vicinity, despite all the time the men spent saying no one could go inside his cell alone.
“I don't know,” Reaper said, once they were through the door and the lock clicked behind them. “I’ll call a meeting with the rest of the team. We can all meet with him together. We’ll make it work.”
Melissa sighed. “You meeting with him just now might’ve been what sent him over the edge.” She ground her teeth.
“Excuse me?”
She lifted her chin and met Reaper’s eyes, not wanting to start anything or accuse him, but Dawson couldn't handle this exertion.
“I told you, he isn’t stable, Reaper.”
When the men had captured Dawson they said they wanted to talk to him but she convinced them to let him rest and stabilize. Little did she know at the time how much stabilizing he’d need. It had been a month of nonstop tending to his symptoms. He’d almost died so many times she’d lost count.
She knew she couldn't keep them all away from him forever. His meeting with Reaper seemed to go as well as it could have given the circumstances, but then this. She just wished they could figure this out. Having to care for Dawson this way was more difficult than the serum cure, and if anything, more distracting.
“I see that now.” Reaper sighed. “You’re right, I shouldn't have pushed him, but he’ll be fine.”
Melissa nodded once. “I suppose.”
She knew the men wouldn't keep waiting, especially now that it had been confirmed he knew something about Rainier. She’d have to figure out how to fix him faster, that was all. She definitely couldn't let Dawson near King after how bloodthirsty he’d been for John. All the other men had gotten a glimpse of him through the glass since his capture, mostly to help Melissa administer injections, but not King.
“Maybe in a couple days you can all talk with him, you just can’t push him for information or accuse him.” Melissa looked back at John now from the other side of the glass. He was still lying on his cot, cuffed, but she worried he might come to and overhear them.
Reaper pursed his lips and nodded.
She pointed over her shoulder for Reaper to follow her back to the far end of the lab so they could continue the conversation out of John’s earshot. Though she didn't know how heightened his senses were since his time on and off the serum. He might have been able to hear just as well as
the rest of them. At least he couldn't look at her while she talked about him like he wasn't there though.
“Okay, a couple days,” Reaper repeated. “We’ll all go talk to him together. See if we can make him listen to reason. If he gives up anything about Rainier then I’ll know he’s coming around. If he even shows some remorse instead of anger then maybe we can start to trust him.”
“Just remember, don't push too much.”
“I heard you.” Reaper scrubbed a hand down his face.
Melissa gulped, feeling she may have been crossing a line for giving orders to Reaper, but she could tell he knew she was right and that she had a better handle on the Dawson situation right now. She spent all the time in his vicinity after all; Reaper had only just gotten a glimpse at how bad he truly was.
“Not King though,” Melissa said once they reached the end of the lab. She glanced at the table where all her spilled test tubes and vials sat discarded.
“I don't think King wants to see him anyway.” Reaper crossed his arms over his wide chest and leaned against a metal table. “How is Dawson really holding up? The truth.”
“He needs more serum than the rest of you,” Melissa responded. “His DNA is so out of balance after all the time he’s been away with the general. Who knows what that man gave him to survive?”
Reaper pressed his lips together. “But you think you can at least stabilize him like you did with us?”
She sighed. “I don't know, honestly. He doesn't seem well. Hopefully the serum injections and IVs will stabilize him because the symptoms he’s having right now are very close to what Quantum was experiencing when he woke up from his coma.”
“Quantum has been getting better though, right?”
“Yes, he is. Slowly, but he is recovering,” she said.
“Dawson can too. Especially with you as his doctor.”
Melissa gave a sad half smile, hoping desperately that he was right. She couldn’t handle losing another man. Couldn’t even allow that thought to process.
Mayhem's Betrayal: Operation Mayhem Book 5 Page 3