Mayhem's Betrayal: Operation Mayhem Book 5

by Lindsay Cross

  “I’ll talk to them. Maybe we can arrange for you to see her with some supervision.”

  John looked up, his deep blue eyes reflected back at him, hooded with appreciation—and desire. “You’d do that?”

  She swallowed hard and nodded. “You should get some rest.”

  Dawson placed his palm flat on the glass, a thud resounding around him. Melissa turned back around. She glanced to each side like she was still making sure no one was nearby. She slowly reached her own trembling hand up to meet Dawson’s.

  “Melissa, please help me get my symptoms stable. I need this. I need my daughter, my teammates back.” I need you.

  Melissa looked down, slowly letting her hand trail against the window until it was back at her side. “I’m going to do everything I can. They’re understanding, John. Despite the fact you all look like the hulk, your hearts are just as big.” She winked before heading back to the lab.

  John’s hand remained on the glass, and he smiled for the first time in a long time.

  Chapter 11

  Melissa returned to the lab to keep working but she couldn't stop thinking of John’s insanely handsome face, how deep he had looked into her, she felt he could see her soul. It was all she could do to get away from his cell before she started sweating into a puddle on the ground.

  She had been in this mansion for over a year with some of the most attractive alpha men you could imagine, but she had never felt a shred of intimacy toward any of them. They were more like protective brothers. Then, Dawson showed up, a traitor and murderer, and suddenly she wanted to do things to him she hadn’t thought about in years.

  It wasn't as though Melissa had never been with a man, but work had always been her main focus. She’d had a serious boyfriend back at Harvard, and another in grad school, and after. But it was always the same story. Once she started winning more prestigious awards for her research, he’d tell her it wasn't working out. She took it to mean a woman who had more brains than a man was threatening. Or else they’d part ways with no real attachment, meaning it was out of convenience in the first place so they could both focus on their studies. In fact, Melissa had only ever been with other scientists or doctors. All of them usually ended up either not wanting to be second place to her studies, being too insecure to be with a woman who was an intelligent scholar, or only cared about their own studies.

  She’d never have thought twice about Dawson, but he certainly wouldn't care that she was smarter. In fact, he wanted her to be so she could cure him. He depended on her intelligence and that almost sent Melissa over the edge.

  She ran more tests for the next few hours, knowing she might have an idea for the cure, but that involved asking Reaper for a massive favor.

  He and Caroline detested being poked and prodded, like anyone would. Plus, they both suffered PTSD, well, everyone in the mansion did, and the thought of having to put them through more would be horrific. And after everything Reaper had already done for her—including risking his life to save her—she couldn't bring herself to present him and Caroline with this burden, even if the ends justified the means.

  She continued to stare at the vile of serum that she had mixed with her own blood. She turned it over in her hands a few times, watching, as the blood remained separate from the rest of the serum.

  “So strange,” she mumbled as she watched the liquid spin. Caroline’s blood was in that very serum and Melissa’s blood wouldn't bond to it. She was almost positive she had the answer as she continued to study the tube.

  It was nearly midnight when the sensor on Melissa’s computer monitor started blaring. Immediately following, she heard a crash around the corner from the lab. She scrambled to cap the tube of serum and place it back under the heat lamp. She pushed her chair back from the table, the scrape of the legs harsh against the cement floor. She ran to the cabinet at the far end of the room and grabbed a vile of serum and a new needle before rushing out the door.

  When she reached Dawson’s cell he writhed on the ground, blood trickling out of his nose and white froth on his lips. His legs shook uncontrollably.

  “John!” Her blood froze.

  “Melissa!”

  She glanced down the hall toward the stairs, then at her wrist device, contemplating if she should call Reaper or just deal with this herself.

  “Please,” he whispered, foam seeping onto his lips, mixing with the blood on his chin. His eyes rolled around in his head, the whites showing.

  She wasn’t supposed to go in there alone. No matter what. But she had already broken that rule of going beyond the first barrier, and the situation was far worse right now. He needed her.

  She yanked the key to Dawson’s cell out of her coat pocket. She was sick of requiring the protection of the other men. She needed to save him. She slapped the key on the digital lock, her hands shaking badly. “Hang on, John.” Her breath came in rasps.

  She threw the heavy glass door open and ran to him on the floor.

  “Melissa,” he croaked, his body racked with convulsions. “Make it stop.”

  She yanked the vile of serum from the breast pocket of her coat and jabbed it into his arm.

  The convulsions eased as the serum began working its way into his blood stream. She dabbed at the sweat on his forehead and then the blood seeping from his nose, whispering soothing sounds to calm them both.

  He was running out of time. They both knew it. What John didn’t know was that she’d had to slowly increase the dosage to control his side effects. He wasn’t supposed to have needed another injection until tomorrow. She had to counteract how fast his body was eating through the typical dosage, but this couldn't be sustained.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m just doing my job.” Melissa smoothed the sweat soaked hair on his head. He felt so good in her arms. She didn’t care that this was totally against the house rules. He needed her.

  “You’re not supposed to be in here alone,” John whispered, his eyes opening.

  She shrugged. “I run this lab.” Truth was, she’d barely considered calling for back up. She didn’t need it. Not with him.

  He attempted a weak smile, but was cut off by an abrupt, hard cough. She clenched his hand hard, wishing she could end his pain for good.

  “They’re getting worse, aren’t they?” he said when the coughing spell passed.

  Her eyes drifted shut, unable to face him as she nodded. She was failing them—again.

  “Melissa…” He touched her chin, gently drawing her attention back to him. “You’re doing everything you can.”

  “It’s not enough.”

  “I’d rather die than let you work yourself to death trying to fix me,” he said.

  “No.” The thought of him dying knotted her stomach.

  “Doc, maybe this is just the world doing what it does. Ridding the earth of an abomination. We’re not normal or natural. And with men like the general willing to bend the rules of man to suit his needs, the world would be better off without animals like me.”

  His blood shot eyes bored into her. Her heart squeezed. “You’re not an abomination. You’re a good man who volunteered to do something to help his country. You are the victim. And I’m going to fix you.” Her voice grew firmer as she spoke. She knew what she had to do.

  His body jerked. Dawson slammed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth.

  She bracketed his face with her hands. “John?”

  A few seconds passed and he finally relaxed. “Just an aftershock.”

  Alarm bells sounded in her mind. “Aftershock? How long have you been having them?”

  “About a week now. I figured they’re kind of like hangovers. They pass quickly.” He was already normalizing.

  The serum had always prevented any further progression of symptoms. This was something new. Something she hadn’t experienced with the other men—not good.

  “You’re worried,” he said quietly.

  “No, it’s nothing.” She didn't meet his eyes.

&n
bsp; “Tell me.”

  She hesitated, still looking at the wall. She didn’t need to cause him further anxiety. He needed calmness and stability to regain his strength.

  “Melissa, I’m not a child. I can handle it.” His hand covered hers.

  “Your body is adapting, fighting off the effects of the serum twice as fast as the rest of the team. I can’t figure out why.” Her breath caught. “And I don’t know how to stop it.”

  He blew a stream of air between his teeth. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you? I just told you I can’t fix you.” A huge boulder seemed to sit on her back.

  “You care enough to try. That’s more than I can say for anyone else.”

  “They care about you, too, John. They do.”

  His eyes drifted shut. “Maybe.”

  “John?”

  “Need to sleep. Will you stay with me?” He held onto her.

  “Of course. I’ll stay right here. Rest.” She adjusted his head in her lap, cradling him carefully, until the tense lines around his mouth and eyes eased into the peace of sleep.

  Melissa sat on the hard floor of the cell a while longer after that, savoring the feel of him in her arms, holding him close. Her thoughts tumbled around, running from test trial to test trial, bubbling like her blood had when added to the serum.

  Her normal blood destabilized the formula—the exact opposite of what he needed. The DNA sequence in the serum was incomplete, missing a certain bonding agent.

  There was only one other option that could work to fix him. A complete, altered, stable DNA chain.

  It was time to talk to Reaper.

  Just then, John snaked his fingers through Melissa’s in his sleep, pulling her closer. She melted into his touch, but his hands. They were ice-cold.

  Dawson filtered in and out of consciousness in Melissa’s arms, a fog spreading itself around his mind. He remembered his lifeless body. Rainier’s quest for power at anyone’s expense.

  Faith, his daughter. His sweet daughter. The look in her wide saucer blue eyes as she’d use sign language with him. She couldn't even hear him, she’d never know his voice through her own ears despite the cochlear implant, and maybe now she’d never know him again. They’d already had to reconnect so many times after he joined the service and then his capture. She barely knew him anyway. Faith was better off with his sister, Laura. She knew how to care for her properly. He didn't want her to know him like this.

  Quantum’s voice interrupted his memories and the soothing feel of Melissa’s hands. “Dr. Averton?”

  “Quantum.” She scrambled to her feet, lowering John’s head gently to the floor. As quickly as he had gotten her touch, it was ripped away from him again. His headache was almost gone now and his body didn't feel so weak. But he was tired—very tired.

  “It’s okay,” Quantum said from the other side of the glass. “I won’t tell the team.”

  John studied the flush of Melissa’s cheeks. He knew she was the type of person who hated to do the wrong thing and hated to deceive anyone. She curtly nodded. “I have to go see Reaper. What are you doing down here?”

  “I knew something was wrong,” Quantum said. “I can sense it when—” He stopped speaking when he looked at John’s face. Dawson knew what he was going to say. They were bonded somehow and could almost feel the other’s pain, but that would have made them sound crazy.

  “Can sense what?” Melissa glanced back and forth from John to Quantum on the other side of the glass. She still stood inside his room with him, totally unprotected. She wasn't even fazed by it. It was normal.

  “It’s—it’s not important,” Quantum said. “I just had the feeling and thought maybe I should come check on you.”

  “That’s very nice of you, Quantum, but shouldn't I be checking on you?” Melissa asked. “We never got to your exercises today when you weren’t feeling well. Can you come meet me in the lab in the morning so we can work on your strength?”

  “Yeah, you look like you could use the work,” Dawson joked, still unable to hold his head up, but enjoying how normal it felt that the two of them were communicating right in his vicinity, unafraid. He would have never hurt Melissa or Quantum. They seemed to be the only ones who cared. He couldn't even see his sister yet…or his little girl. No one had trusted him, and now Melissa did.

  Quantum forced a chuckle.

  Melissa’s eyes flitted across the room as if she had just realized where she was and who she was with. Her eyes landed on Dawson’s nose, crusted with dry blood.

  Then, she crossed the cell and opened the door. “I have to see Reaper about something right now. It can’t wait. Let me help you back to your room. I know I told you to move about more, but you still need to be cautious.” She stopped and looked back at John once on the other side of the glass. “Unless…”

  “What?” Quantum asked.

  “Would you like to stay with Dawson for a bit?”

  Quantum nodded. “Yes.”

  She took her key card out again and swiped it, letting Quantum limp through the door to John.

  “Thank you, Melissa.” John’s voice was strained; he still lay where she left him on the ground.

  She looked at him once more. The sight of her clear green eyes focused solely on him was a sight he never wanted to let go of. He’d lie on the floor of his cell and picture those eyes as he drifted into an exhausted sleep, the comfort of Quantum nearby, and maybe he felt just a little bit of hope from them.

  Chapter 12

  Melissa tentatively knocked on the door to Reaper and Caroline’s master bedroom. The fact it was after midnight didn’t stop her; Dawson was suffering. Her natural inclination to play by the rules didn’t apply anymore. He wasn’t a threat to her. He made her feel normal. And he was desperate for her help.

  There was no way his body could sustain the attacks, especially now that she learned about the “aftershocks” he experienced. It didn't matter how altered he was, Melissa knew that his organs would start to shut down if they had to keep working so hard just to keep him alive. Serum every single day wasn't sustainable. Twice a day was a death sentence.

  Reaper answered the door in only his boxers, his abs rippled like smooth stones in a river. Caroline lay in the bed behind him, with their baby, Charlotte, attached to her breast. Melissa exhaled; at least she hadn’t woken them. It seemed Charlotte had taken care of that for her.

  “Is everything okay, Doc?” Reaper asked.

  “Is it okay if I come in?”

  “Course.” Reaper held the door open and gestured with his arm for her to sit on one of the plush leather chairs by the window. Caroline and Reaper had the biggest room in the mansion, since they were the first couple there after all. All the others only moved their respective girlfriends in after the mansion had been theirs.

  Every room here was enormous with California King poster beds, window benches, mahogany desks and dressers, walk-in closets that could be found on a Hollywood set, and giant on-suite bathrooms with multiple sinks, Jacuzzis, and showers the size of the rooms themselves with multiple heads and benches built in.

  Melissa slowly lowered herself onto a dark leather loveseat. Reaper sat at the edge of the bed and rubbed the arch of Caroline’s foot as she fed Charlotte.

  “Is Dawson okay?” Caroline asked.

  “Not really.” Melissa sighed. “It’s the reason I’m here.”

  “He’s not dangerous is he?” Reaper said, pausing his hand over Caroline’s leg, his muscles tense.

  “He’s not dangerous.” She’d just been cradling his broken body in her hands. “He’s dying.”

  Reaper glanced at Caroline, his look shuttered, before turning his attention back to Melissa. “Dying?”

  “I’ve had to increase his serum doses lately.” She glanced out the window before meeting his eyes again. “You all get weekly doses. But, over the past week, I have been giving Dawson at least one a day. Today, he needed two.”

  “So what does that mean?” Reaper contin
ued to rub Caroline’s arch, but his arms were rigid.

  “His body is breaking down, and it will only get worse if he keeps needing more and more serum. It’s simply not sustainable.” She tried as hard as she could to be straightforward and keep the emotion out of her voice, but the thought of losing John now was unbearable.

  Reaper exhaled and shook his head. “So, what do we do then?”

  “That’s why I’m here.” She held his gaze. “I think I might have found a way for a new serum to work. A cure.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Caroline said.

  “I haven’t been able to test it yet, but after all my research, I think it’s our best shot. But, I’d need your permission first.”

  “Doc,” Reaper rested his hand on Caroline’s calf. “You know we’d do anything to help, but we don't know the first thing about science.”

  “It’s Charlotte.”

  “Charlotte?” Caroline asked. “What do you mean?”

  Melissa shifted uncomfortably. “You know how Caroline’s blood is what created the serum? How we still use it to make more?”

  “I think I’m aware of that every time you draw more from me, Dr. Averton,” Caroline said matter-of-factly. Caroline would have done anything for Reaper, and Reaper would have done anything for his team.

  “And Reaper, you have blood that is constantly altered with the serum.”

  “What’re you getting at, Averton?” Reaper raised an eyebrow.

  Melissa cleared her tight throat. “I tried something a little unconventional this week. I drew my own blood and tried mixing it with the serum, but it separated very clearly. No chemical I have mixed has ever separated like that. I thought it was strange that blood wouldn't fuse together, but not only do Caroline and I have different blood types, her blood has actually become one with the serum when it’s made. There’s no way to make this exact serum without it. That’s why you all depend on it. But, it gave me the idea for how to create a serum that would be good for just one dose. It helped me discover the missing link, which is more blood.”