Melissa rounded the corner. “Quantum are you ready to go back up to your room?”
A throbbing started in John’s temples again and Melissa glanced through the glass at him, pursing her lips. He realized he couldn't hide his weaknesses from her either.
“Are you thirsty?” She turned to John. “You look dehydrated.”
John turned his back and sat down on the ground. He was tired of her seeing his weakness. “See you in the morning.”
Chapter 9
Dawson lay curled on his side the next morning. He didn't know how long he had been awake but he didn't remember ever going to sleep. His mind had been racing all throughout the night with thoughts of Faith, Melissa, his sister Laura, and how connected he seemed to be to Quantum.
Maybe Dawson really had been wrong about his team. Quantum had helped him to realize that yesterday, and Reaper had brought up some points he couldn't ignore. Maybe they really did think he’d been dead like they said. Maybe the general pushed lies on him for his own benefit. That would have made a lot more sense than what Dawson had believed all along, especially now knowing what he knew. But if that were true, that meant he shot and blinded King when he was really on his side. He shot and injured Diggs. He betrayed them all. He had to find out the truth.
Melissa rounded the corner of the hallway, carrying a tray of food. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Dawson was instantly flooded with a warmth that hadn’t been there since hours ago, the last time she was near him, even if she had only been plunging a needle into his arm. She was the only thing that brought him any comfort in this isolated place. He felt the loss when she wasn't around.
She fingered her key card in the other hand, glancing around the hallway to see that no one was near. She brushed the card against the lock and the door clicked as she pushed it open.
The glass barrier sat between them, a slot in the wall for Dawson’s meals and other necessary items like clothes, toiletries, or oral medicine. The team insisted on the delivery system so they wouldn't have to cuff him every single time they needed to hand him something, they’d leave that only for medical purposes.
“You shouldn't be here alone with me,” Dawson said. “Who knows what I might do?” He attempted to tease Melissa but the reality was, the team believed he was capable of terrible things.
Melissa cleared her throat and passed the tray to John through the slot.
“Only if you’ll eat with me.” Dawson crossed the room to take the food. She sucked in a breath and took a small step back, causing him to pause a distance away from her.
He slowly reached his arm out for the food, waiting for her to step closer. She swallowed hard and stood directly in front of the slot.
“You look like you’ve lost ten pounds since I first met you and you never needed to lose weight.” John gripped the platter with both hands.
Melissa blushed and adjusted her lab coat so it covered her more fully. “I’ve neglected a few meals.” She remained in front of him.
“I know,” Dawson said. “I see you neglect every meal actually. I told you that.”
“Right.” Melissa quietly looked at the floor.
“I even hear you talking to yourself sometimes.” He continued to stare at her with an expressionless face. Her face was red when she looked back up at him. “But you never eat.”
He could feel her hesitation. He knew he had given her and everyone else plenty of reasons to be afraid of him, but he could never hurt Melissa. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to be as close to her as possible.
He stepped right in front of her, set the tray back in the slot between them, and picked up the English muffin off a plate. He took a bite, not breaking eye contact with Melissa the whole time. He reached for the banana next and slowly unpeeled it. Melissa watched his fingers work deftly around the fruit. As Dawson stepped closer to her again to hand her the banana through the opening, she moved back farther.
He tried not to show that it hurt—her backing away.
“How can you help me if you aren’t nourished?” Dawson said with a smile. He continued to hold the banana out for her.
His gaze landed on her lips. Even if she was skinnier than she should be and had dark hollows in her cheeks and under her eyes, her lips were plump and pink. Now, those looked nourishing.
Blood rushed to his groin, heating his body. He cleared his throat, trying to get a handle on his reaction to her. She was his doctor; she was only there to make sure he stayed alive. Why was he thinking of her like this? His heart began to beat faster as he forced himself to look at the opposite wall. Looking at her only made him think what he shouldn't be thinking.
Then, Melissa’s fingers brushed his as she took the banana from him. He whipped his head back around to meet her eyes.
She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. Then she said, “Thank you.” Her face was still flushed, but she was right in front of him now, a smile reaching those beautiful eyes.
Dawson gave a half smile. “From now on, I’m not eating unless you eat with me.”
He picked up his English muffin and held it in front of his mouth, waiting for Melissa to go first. She took another bite of the banana, and he swore it was the most seductive thing he’d ever seen. He then took a bite of the bread, his neck heating up.
They continued like that, wordlessly, bite for bite, for the next several minutes. John couldn't focus on much else other than her lips moving, the glimpses he got of her tongue. He couldn't even register the taste of what he was eating.
“Good,” John said, after Melissa finished the fruit and put the peel back on the tray. She didn't take any more steps back from him or make a move to leave the enclosure. “It’s nice to have someone to eat with.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Melissa…” Dawson looked down at the tray and twirled a grape between his fingers. “I really need to get out of this room. I can prove I’m not a danger to anyone.”
“I don't believe you’re dangerous, John,” she said without hesitation. “Maybe at first I was a little scared of you. But, you’re like the rest of them. You’ve just had a tougher experience is all.”
“You really think that?” John jerked his head up and gazed into her emerald eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.
“I don't think you want to hurt your team,” she said. “Rainier poisoned you against them. It wasn't your fault.”
Dawson looked down. He didn't know if that was true or not. But the only way to find out was to talk with his team, to find out what was really going on.
“Can I see them?”
Chapter 10
Dawson heard their combat boots stomping the ground before he saw them. His heightened senses were coming back more everyday. A full army walked down the hallway, getting closer and closer to his glassed in room.
First Reaper, then Diggs, Hicks, Juarez, and a limping Quantum, appeared in front of his room. Where was King? Melissa followed behind them, looking so small next to the lethal crew.
“Can’t I come talk to you guys without this glass between us?” Dawson spread his palms out in front of him like he was showing he wasn't a threat.
“We’re not letting you out of that room,” Reaper said firmly.
“I’m not armed. I’m not going to try anything. You guys all have weapons on you,” Dawson said. “I just can’t take being locked up like this anymore.”
Dawson had a point. All four of the men had a holster on their hips with their gun of choice in it. Plus, they all carried switchblades, extra ammo, cording, and whatever else they’d use to kill men in a flash, on them at all times. They were ready for battle 24/7.
Melissa glanced at Reaper like she thought he might be considering it, but maybe that was only Melissa who wanted to consider it. She had already told John she didn't think he was a threat. She’d snuck into the room to his cell twice now.
It made sense to keep him separated because he could go into a seizure or fit at any m
oment and he might injure someone else, but mainly he might injure himself. John knew this but he still wanted out.
“It’s a privilege.” Reaper planted his feet.
John put his hands in the air like he surrendered. His eyes found Melissa’s and all he wanted was for her to stand next to him and take his hand. Not because he was scared of his old team members, but because he wanted desperately to touch her any way he could. To feel the comfort she brought him even when she wasn't touching him.
“Where’s King?” Dawson said.
Hicks snorted. “We kept him away so he wouldn't kill you. He may be in love with your sister and your daughter, but you still tried to kill him.”
Dawson’s sister Laura had somehow gotten caught up with King when he was searching for his revenge on Dawson. Now, he was acting the father to his very own daughter, Faith. The thought was like a blade right into the pit of Dawson’s stomach, twisting and twisting sharper.
“I realized you guys might be telling me the truth,” Dawson said into the glass wall. His voice reverberated back. “You wouldn't have left me with Rainier unless you thought I was dead. I thought about what I would do and I would sooner die a thousand times than let that asshole take any of you as his own personal weapon.”
“That’s what we tried to tell you all along,” Reaper said. The four of them were looming shadows, casting black patches of light along the glass wall.
“I still don't get how it happened,” Dawson said. “Quantum reminded me that me, him, and Diggs were in the room being overdosed, but I don't get why I ended up with Rainier when the rest of you got out, even with Quantum.”
“It was my fault,” Diggs choked out.
Hicks slapped a hand on Diggs’s shoulder. “How many times do we need to go over this, bro? You were bleeding and seizing when they overdosed Quantum and Dawson. You couldn't do anything.”
“Quantum was in a coma for almost a year,” Hicks said to Dawson now. “He just woke up a couple months ago so he hasn't been able to come into battle. It was probably just as bad as what happened to you.”
Dawson found Quantum’s eyes and the two exchanged a silent message. There was no comparing what they had both gone through. They both almost died, and although Dawson might have been a little more physically capable right now, despite his continuing side effects and seizures, he was the one who was turned against his team. Quantum would never have to know what that felt like.
“It couldn't have been as bad.” Dawson looked away from Quantum. “At least he was still with his team whether he was awake or not.”
Quantum also didn't have to know anything other than that his old friend was locked in a jail cell by all his other friends. He might have gleaned what happened to an extent, but he wasn't actually part of it. He didn't have to see Dawson’s traitorous and lethal actions. It was why he and Dawson were so connected right now. They both suffered the most—in completely different ways.
“He almost died,” Hicks retorted.
“And you don't know what it was like taking orders from Rainier,” Dawson said. “I thought he was the good guy. I know how wrong I must have been now.”
Diggs looked at the ground, clearly ashamed. No matter how much he was told it wasn't his fault he still assumed blame. Dawson could see it all over the hunch in his shoulders and the droop of his neck.
“They were testing our limits,” Diggs said quietly. “Winters injected the three of us with more and more serum. Even though I was on the ground practically unconscious, I heard you flat lining on the monitor. Winters called out to Rainier as she rushed around trying to revive you.”
Dawson stepped closer to the glass, his eyes widening. His team got more credible by the moment.
“That same thing never happened to Quantum, you see,” Reaper cut in, obviously up to date on what Diggs had witnessed in that room a year ago. “We knew he was alive even if barely, so we were able to take him with us when we all escaped.”
Diggs tried to clear his throat but it sounded more like he was choking on a sob that he tried to contain. The other men looked at him, the discomfort on their faces apparent. None of the men showed emotion to one another, and Diggs was struggling.
“But, you, Dawson,” Diggs met his old teammate’s eyes, collecting his composure. “They took you away. They covered you in a sheet. We didn't even know where they took you to or we would have at least tried to recover your body when we escaped. So Laura and Faith could have closure if we were ever able to get to them.”
Dawson looked at the floor. They weren’t lying. The emotion cast all over Diggs’s face assured him of that. They were all soldiers after all, not sociopathic actors. Though Rainier may have possessed skills in that arena, Dawson saw it clearly for what it was now.
“You swear?” Dawson glanced at each and every one of his team members.
“It’s like I told you the other day,” Reaper said. “We never leave anyone behind. No matter what.” He clapped a hand on Diggs’s shoulder.
Dawson nodded, not ready to let them know he believed them.
“Where were the rest of you when they had us three in that room?” Dawson asked.
“Being experimented on separately,” Hicks said immediately.
“They ran all sorts of tests on us in that old lab. It was the beginning of Project Mayhem,” Juarez said. “They were testing our limits like we were disposable. Don't you remember?”
Dawson shook his head without thinking. He may have remembered slightly but oppressed the memory once Rainier started feeding him lies. Or maybe his brain was so out of balance now that he could hardly remember any of it without assistance. Maybe just like his body he had to rebuild his mind, too.
“Will you tell us what Rainier knows now?” Reaper cut in.
Dawson clenched his fists, wondering if all this rehashing and sympathetic storytelling was some way to get him to spill about Rainier. Of course, that most likely wasn't it but he didn't appreciate how they couldn't let him process all this without bringing up Rainier again. He shook his head once more.
“I—I don't know,” Dawson said. That wasn't entirely true. And maybe he owed his team for all he had put them through, but they put him through it right back and he wanted out of here and to actually be part of the team, not just act as their informant while staying locked away. He wished he hadn’t let it slip that he knew anything about Rainier when he was raging and trying to get a reaction out of Reaper the other day.
“You’re lying,” Hicks said. There was no accusation or anger in his tone, just more of a statement.
“Of course he’s lying,” Reaper confirmed. “You already told me Rainier is planning something. Do you want our trust back or not? We’re sorry, Dawson, for everything that happened to all of us, but you must see now that it was out of our hands, can’t you?”
“I want to be let out of here.” Dawson took a step closer. A million emotions swirled through his body but he wouldn't let any of the men see.
“How can we trust you after you led Rainier to us? You blinded King. He might never be able to forgive you.” Reaper crossed his arms as Dawson now took a step backward. “Plus, the side effects. You don’t have control of your body. Not yet.”
“I want revenge on Rainier for doing this to me just as much as you guys do,” Dawson said. “I see it more clearly every day, and I feel a little better every day, too.”
Juarez, who had been mostly silent up until now, finally spoke up. “Maybe we could let him out and just keep him under full surveillance,” he offered. “We all have to learn to trust each other again at some point. He can’t stay in here forever.”
“What about King?” Diggs turned to him. “The two can’t be around each other. Plus, what if Dawson has a spell like Quantum? We already have to keep him on surveillance.”
Dawson glanced at Quantum again. He didn't look embarrassed or angry that the men were talking about him like he wasn't there or like he was a nuisance. Quantum seemed to have accepted his
role for now, and in a way it made Dawson both angry and upset for him. At least his team was afraid of Dawson and what he might be capable of, whereas they barely treated Quantum like he was a soldier at all. If Dawson ever got out of this damn cell, he vowed to himself to help Quantum with his training and to build his strength back.
“I think Diggs is right,” Reaper said to Juarez. “What do you think, Dr. Averton?”
Melissa had been hidden behind the five stony men. Dawson met her eyes before trailing his gaze down her lips, chin, and chest. He wanted to be alone with her again, whether the glass was between them or not.
“I think if I can get him stable then maybe giving him space to leave this room wouldn't be such a bad idea. He obviously feels remorse.” She gazed at John and he swore she was giving him the same look he’d been giving her, or maybe that was just what he hoped.
“Let’s give it the night to decide,” she added.
“You better start talking about Rainier if you want our trust back,” Reaper said coolly. “And if we can get King to talk to you. You will make it right.”
Dawson had to fight from lifting his mouth into a smile. It was kind of like things were before, back when they were in the Special Forces together, before everything turned into some complicated Sci-Fi shit. Reaper giving orders—like he was on the team again. Minus the whole Dawson trying to kill them and coming close to blowing up his daughter and sister.
Faith. Faith was in this very house with Laura—and King. And he couldn't see her. When would they let him out of here to be free, make it right, and see his daughter?
After the men left, Melissa lingered in front of the glass. She craned her neck down the hallway to ensure they were all out of sight and headed back to the training facility or the war room, or in Quantum’s case, back to bed.
“That was promising, right?” she asked after a couple minutes of silence.
“What about Faith?” Dawson nearly choked up, fighting to keep his tears hidden away. He may have been a 6’3” chiseled fighting machine with abs harder than the glass surrounding him, but he missed his daughter so much that he wanted to bawl like a newborn.
Mayhem's Betrayal: Operation Mayhem Book 5 Page 5