Cameron choked, his face turning red. “He ran away when you eyed his groin? Were you in your—in your other form then?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “He deserved that and much worse, in my opinion.”
Bastien took a deep breath. “As much as I hate to agree with a woman on that subject, she’s right, Cameron. The man is more animal than we are. He abused Carly when they were married.”
You didn’t have to tell him that, did you? She turned red, dropping her head, embarrassed.
“Hey, now, there’s no need for you to be embarrassed. It’s not your fault some men can’t control their anger.
Carly raised her head, fire spitting from her eyes. “I swear to God, if you guys don’t stop reading my mind, I’m going to get seriously pissed off.”
“Carly,” Bastien whispered. “I told you before, your expressions are easy to read. Cameron isn’t a were. He couldn’t read your mind if he wanted to.”
The other man agreed with him. “He’s right. Though I have been trained to read a person. I could tell you were uncomfortable and made the assumption that you were embarrassed.”
Mortified was more like it. She turned her head to look at Bastien. “Since when do you enlist the help of humans?”
“Since I found out Dimitri’s in-laws know what he is. This is Dimitri’s brother-in-law, Cameron MacDonald.”
“It’s nice to be formally introduced, Mr. MacDonald.”
“Call me Cameron, ma’am, Mr. MacDonald is my father.”
“He and his brother, Randy, came to help us free you and the others.”
Her mouth dropped open and she couldn’t help staring at him. “Why? Why put yourselves in such danger?”
“Because of our sister, of course, and our nephew, Bastien.”
Carly cast a glance toward Bastien, wondering at the name.
“You’re not very trusting, are you?” Bastien said with a shake of his head. “He’s not my baby. Dimitri named him after me because I saved his life a few years ago.”
“Oh.” Well, that was a huge relief, wasn’t it? At least she didn’t have to worry about some other woman trying to claim him because she had had his child. She stiffened. Did she?
No, baby, you do not. I have no children, Carly. However, I would love to try to make some with you. He grinned at her and winked. With a heavy emphasis on the trying part.
Cameron shook his head again. “I hate it when you guys do that. I’m going to go look for more Intel and more Tangos. Who knows?” Cameron said with a feral grin. “I might get lucky.”
Chapter Thirty-nine
CARLY WATCHED AS MERRICK and another tall man, who looked remarkably like Cameron, ushered a thinner Cassandra from another room. She couldn’t help but think there must be something in the water around here that grew the men so tall.
That’s not Cameron. It’s Randy, Cam’s twin brother, Bastien whispered into Carly’s mind as he nuzzled her shoulder.
As they watched, Cassandra looked around, her red-rimmed eyes wild as the two men escorted her through the lab. She pulled her left arm from Merrick’s grasp, then tried to pull free of Randy’s hold.
“No one here is going to hurt you, Ma’am,” Randy’s deep voice rumbled across the room. He stood straight, like a soldier. His demeanor was that of a man who was used to giving orders and expected everyone to follow them.
Cassandra looked up at Carly and their eyes met. “You won’t let them hurt me?” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I... you know I tried to help you.” She glanced around the room wildly. Then her attention rested on Carly again. “They wanted to impregnate me. Richard—” she stopped to take a breath. “Richard drugged me. When I was nearly unconscious, he sent a large man with dark hair into my room to have sex with me. He forced himself on me and kept calling me Charlene.” She buried her face in her hands. “I couldn’t stop him. The drugs kept me awake and I couldn’t do anything. It was like it was all some strange nightmare.” Cassandra looked up at Randy, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please tell me this is all a horrible nightmare.” She looked back at Carly. “Tell them I tried to help you.”
Randy stepped forward, gently took her in his arms and cradled her head against his chest. He glanced over at Merrick. “Look for the big, dark-haired guy. Hold anyone who fits that description for questioning. I want a piece of this guy so bad I can taste it.”
Merrick nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, and Merrick? If you see the good Doctor, please put him out of our misery.”
Bending, Randy scooped a still sobbing Cassandra into his arms and carried her to the elevator. “I hope we have an all clear because I’m taking her out of this hellhole.”
Carly looked around cautiously as Bastien carried her from the lab, following Randy. As they rode the elevator to the surface, Carly could feel them getting closer to the outside, and freedom.
When they reached the surface, they exited the elevator and noticed the men left there to guard the exit had intercepted a few nightshift employees on their way into work. None of them would look anyone in the eyes except an older woman with graying hair. Carly sensed the others kept their faces averted more from fear than anything else.
Carly took a deep breath, breathing in the wonderful scent of moist earth and pine from the surrounding forest. Her new lupine senses allowed her to take pleasure in the mere scent of freedom.
The older woman met Carly’s searching look with compassion. “I’m glad to see your friends were able to rescue you. I’ve felt terrible about what they’ve done to you both.” She turned to observe Cassandra, “I’m not young enough to be a test subject. Dr. Thornton would have had me killed.” She wrung her hands together.
Carly looked between the small group and Bastien. His eyes practically glowed with a need for vengeance and she felt his need for violence.
Did he send Robert in to rape you as well?
She stiffened in his arms. Even though she knew the anger simmering inside him wasn’t directed at her, such strong negative emotions beat at her, frightening her. No, he didn’t. He might have wanted him to, but when they brought him in, I attacked him.
Bastien released his breath, obviously relieved. Carly felt the slow rise and fall of his chest as she felt the anger in him recede.
I am not angry with you, baby. You need never fear me. I would die before I deliberately hurt you.
The older woman watched Bastien as if she could gather a glimmer of hope from his blank expression. “I wouldn’t blame you if you killed us all. But before you do, please consider that many of us didn’t know what we were getting into until it was too late.” She turned, indicating the others standing behind her. “At least these people won’t kill your families.” She turned her watchful stare back to Bastien. “You won’t hurt them or their families, will you?”
BASTIEN STEPPED FORWARD to stare deeply into the woman’s eyes. He reached out with his mind and read her thoughts. Moving to each member of the small group, he scanned each of their thoughts as they waited for his decision.
He glanced at Merrick. “Take the three women and the two men over there and arrange for them to have jobs at one of our new laboratories.” He turned and singled out one man in the group. “This gentleman here enjoyed his job more than he would like us to know.”
Bastien was glad he still held Carly in his arms. Holding her was the only thing that kept him from ripping the man to shreds. Something told him that would end any chance he had to make her forever his if he did that. “Show him how we deal with threats to our people. See if that changes his mind about his poor alliances.”
“No, no, you’re mistaken,” the man said, his eyes rounded, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.
Bastien took a moment to savor the scent of his fear and the sound of his galloping heart. “Deal with it, Merrick.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two of Merrick’s team moved in and flanked the male lab assistant. Merrick ushered the three women and two remaining men further a
way from the marked man.
Again, Carly stiffened in Bastien’s arms.
“What’s the matter, darlin’?”
“What if you’re wrong about the man? You’ve just sentenced him to death, haven’t you?”
Bastien leaned forward and pressed his lips against her cheek. “If I’m wrong, the others will sense it. If I’m right and we let him go, he could be a liability.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Carly said with a short nod. She tilted her head to the side. “What did you mean when you told the others of your new lab? I thought you were in the computer business.”
He shrugged. “I am. However, now there is a need for studying this serum they injected you with and I need a lab for that. A few of my corporate attorneys are working on that right now.” He glanced over at the small, frightened group. “I will staff the new lab with the people from those facilities we destroy. If I do that, there will be less likelihood of them betraying us.” He turned back to the older woman. “Will you help us?”
“Yes, if I can.” The creases between her eyes eased and the deep lines that edged her face became less pronounced as she relaxed. “What about the others?”
“They, too, will be taken care of, protected, along with their families if they decide to work for my people.” He looked between them. “Do you have any names, any information that would lead us to whoever is running this illicit operation?”
She shook her head. “No, sir. But there may be some useful information in Dr. Thornton’s computer terminal.”
“Merrick, please take Ms...”
“Penelope Van Argen,” she said, holding out her hand. “But please, call me Pete.”
“Pete?”
She nodded. “I’ve been Pete since my daddy figured out he’d never have any sons,” she said, showing him the charming dimple in her right cheek.
“Merrick, please take...Pete into the facility and have her show you where the doctor’s office is. Get his computer, files, anything you deem necessary, and allow the woman to get her records on the serum. Now that you have your instructions, Merrick, we have to get the others to safety.”
Bastien didn’t wait for an answer. He turned and carried Carly through the woods, Randy and Cassandra close on his heels.
A thoughtful expression crossed Carly’s face. “You’ve given this laboratory thing a lot of consideration, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have. With our power to read a human’s thoughts, it shouldn’t be difficult to staff our new research center with those left without employment after we destroy a facility.” He had even thought of advertising to get those from the first facility to apply at his labs. It would be easier to track them down, much easier than sifting through hundreds of personnel files.
“It’s a great idea,” Randy added. “With your ability to sift out the bad blood, you could end up with a decent team of scientists to help with your problems.”
“What problems?” Cassandra asked, as they reached the blue minivan that Bastien had commandeered from his corporation’s fleet of vehicles.
“We have slowly been breeding our way to extinction,” Bastien replied as he deposited Carly on the front passenger seat. He reached around her, securing the seatbelt.
Cassandra’s eyes widened. “Your people are facing extinction?” she asked as Randy set her in the van and motioned for her to scoot over behind the driver’s seat.
Bastien stopped to stare at her for a moment. “Our people face extinction, yes. With the serum Dr. Thornton developed, we could, theoretically, end most of our problems.”
Cassandra snorted. “That dick didn’t develop the serum. It was the concerted effort of my team. We were told that a were-being had volunteered to be tested for a project being administered by the government.”
“Where were the people on your team? Do you think they would cooperate with us or will they remain loyal to Dr. Thornton?”
Cassandra made a face. “None of them would remain with him and his project if they had a choice,” she said with a sigh. “Every one of us was coerced to keep working in the labs, either by threatening our families or by threatening our own lives.” Her eyes filled with tears as Bastien put the car in gear and backed down the long dirt track. “What gives them the right to say my life or the lives of my family are worth so little?” she said, then sobbed quietly into her hands as the van bumped down the narrow dirt road. Cassandra’s sobs grew increasingly softer as she slipped into a fitful sleep.
Her head lolled awkwardly to the side and Bastien watched through the rearview mirror as Randy reached over and gently pulled her against his side, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.
Would she adjust to their way of life, or would it drive her mad? Turning his attention back to the road, he drove them to a small hotel, hoping to give the traumatized women some semblance of normalcy.
“I’ve only rented two rooms,” Bastien said as he slid back into the driver’s seat.
Carly’s eyebrows went up into her bangs. Being a bit presumptuous, aren’t you?
“I don’t want to leave either of you alone.” He glanced back through the rearview mirror. “It won’t take much to find us if you know what to look for. We have planned for such an eventuality and packed some clothes. Carly, would you mind if Cassandra borrowed a few of your things?”
Carly shook her head. “No, I don’t mind.”
Bastien watched as her cheeks colored and he reached out with his senses, wondering if she was becoming ill. He almost grinned when he realized she was blushing at the thought of sharing a room with him. Her head was filled with thoughts of what they would do once they were alone.
“Let’s get inside. I’m sure you’ll both want a shower and a nice meal. The rooms are adjoining, so if there should be any trouble in one, we can escape through the other.”
Bastien slid from the driver’s seat and walked around to lift Carly from the van. Randy stood just outside the vehicle, already holding Cassandra in his arms, waiting for Bastien to lead the way to their rooms.
“You don’t mind sharing a room with me, do you?” he asked softly. “I’ll sleep on the floor if there is only one bed. You needn’t worry about that.”
Bastien led them to a door. Supporting Carly with just one arm, he pulled the room key from his pocket and handed it to Randy. “There you go. We’ll all stay here for the night and get some much-needed rest.” He glanced at Randy. “You want the first watch or the last?”
“I’ll take the first watch,” Randy said with a smile. “I think you and your mate have some catching up to do.”
Carly’s face reddened at that remark and Bastien grinned. “Yeah, but I doubt anything exciting is going to happen.” He already sensed Carly’s determination to stay away from him tonight and Randy’s smart-mouthed comment hadn’t helped matters any. Bastien sighed. It was probably for the best anyway. If they spent their time making love, he would never get any sleep and they had a long drive ahead of them tomorrow.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Richard watched from his vehicle, his hands fisted on the steering wheel, as the two couples went into their hotel rooms. Soon his team would arrive, they would take the men down and he would again retrieve his test subjects.
“Damn those women anyway,” he snarled, staring through the windshield as if his venomous look alone would bore holes in the hotel doors.
After his men impregnated the women a few times and he had their hybrid bastards in hand, he would get rid of them all. After all, the women were to blame for all of his well-laid plans going awry. Moreover, it was their fault that he’d lost two labs in as many weeks, not to mention many of his serum-enhanced soldiers.
Glancing over to the passenger side of the car, he asked, “Are you ready to go in and do your duty? I let you live after all.” His eyes flicked lower and he grinned. “Hell, I’ve even treated your wounds. They’ve healed amazingly fast.” He knew the reason why. However, that little bit of information was going to come as a c
omplete shock to this man.
“Yes, they have. Thanks to that serum you injected me with,” Robert McGowen said, rubbing his leg, where only the day before there had been torn flesh and tendons. He stared through the mud-spattered window. “You’re going to make a fortune if the FDA ever allows you to market it.”
Richard fought the grin he felt attempting to climb up his face. The FDA would never allow the use of this serum, not that he would ever be stupid enough to tell them about its existence. “Are you still feeling okay? You look a little flushed.”
Robert nodded. “Yes, except I have this burning pain in my gut.” He turned, watching Richard closely. “There aren’t any side-effects, you didn’t tell me about, are there?”
Richard shrugged, turning to look out his window to avoid Robert’s scrutiny, knowing his eyes would give away his triumph. “Now that you mention it, there is one thing.”
“What...what is it?” Sweat beaded on Robert’s brow as he clutched his stomach in agony. “My stomach feels like I drank acid. What did you do to me?”
“Nothing that I haven’t already done to countless others—including your ex-wife.” Richard shifted in his seat, removed his seatbelt and swung himself out through the open SUV door.
“You should be proud to join their ranks. What this discovery will do for our country during the next armed conflict alone should make you proud to be a part of it.”
Richard took a deep breath, puffing his chest out, proud of his accomplishment. No one else was able to accomplish what he had. No one else had even come close to concocting a working serum. He was the one who’d had the foresight, the knowledge to handpick the crew who had ultimately helped him develop it. “Just look at it this way, McGowen, you’ll be able to get that revenge against Sinclair that you’ve wanted so badly.”
Plus, as a nice little bonus, I’ll get the women back. It wasn’t a big deal if Robert failed. The others would dispose of his body to keep their kind from being discovered. If he succeeded, Mr. McGowen would be the first of his new group of soldiers already in hand. No matter how he looked at it, it was a win-win situation. He strode around the truck, opened the passenger door and pulled Robert from the vehicle.
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