Enigma:What Lies Beneath (Enigma Series Book 1)

by Kellen, Ditter

  “Trust in me, Abbie. I will intercept you.” The surety in his voice swayed her, and she brought her knee up to the windowsill.

  Intercept me? Jesus, I’ve hooked up with Spock.

  The heavy incubator scraped over the tile as something crashed into the door. A male voice began barking orders. “Hit it again.”

  Abbie held Hauke’s gaze while her stomach rapidly tied itself in knots. She had no choice but to trust him or stay behind and face the consequences of her actions.

  “Tripudio.” Hauke’s demand was almost as powerful as the impact on the door.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Jump.”

  Another violent sound reverberated from behind her, and Abbie threw her foot over the ledge. She gripped the windowsill and quickly lowered herself until her body hung suspended above him.

  “Let go.”

  Tucking her chin against her chest, she stared down at Hauke in horror. He might as well have been a football field away as far as she was concerned. She wasn’t about to loosen her hold.

  The splintering of the door giving way made the decision for her. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced her trembling fingers to relax.

  The feeling of free-falling damn near stopped her heart. Her arms flailed at her sides, and her stomach shot up into her throat. Every muscle in her body tightened as she braced herself for impact.

  The breath whooshed from her lungs as she landed without a modicum of grace in Hauke’s waiting arms.

  “Are you injured?” he rasped, staring intently into her eyes.

  Was she? She wriggled her fingers and toes. “I don’t think so.”

  He set her gently on her feet and turned in the direction of the tree line. “We must make haste.”

  “No. This way.” Abbie shook off the nausea from her near-death experience, took hold of his hand, and sprinted toward the front of the building, digging her keys out of her jeans pocket as she ran. She slowed as they reached the last corner before the parking area would be visible.

  Chapter Five

  The night seemed deceptively calm and peaceful as Abbie scanned the darkness, straining her ears for evidence of movement.

  The sound of crickets chirping in the distance became deafening in the otherwise tranquil night.

  “Something’s wrong.” The hair stood up on the back of her neck.

  A gun was suddenly aimed at her head, and she was jerked back hard against a wall of unforgiving muscle. “What— ”

  “Do not move.” A dangerous undertone lined Hauke’s voice.

  He'd somehow taken Donald's revolver from the waistband of her pants and had it trained on her before she could blink.

  The arm wrapped around her chest tightened, and she was abruptly lifted off her feet an instant before two guards rounded the building with weapons drawn.

  “Freeze!” The simultaneous shout from the security officers ricocheted off the stucco walls of the lab, startling Abbie’s already hammering heart. She wasn’t sure how much the organ was expected to take before it finally gave up and stopped beating altogether.

  Between the cold steel of a gun touching her temple and the two pistols trained on her from the front, she’d definitely become a prime candidate for cardiac arrest.

  “Desist.” The finality in Hauke’s voice sent chills through her blood.

  She watched the guards with wide-eyed trepidation. No matter what happened next, it could only end badly.

  “Let her go.” The taller of the two pulled the hammer back on his revolver.

  Hauke mimicked his movement, cocking the gun he held as well.

  Abbie nearly swallowed her tongue.

  What happened after that would forever be burned into her brain. One minute she was held suspended off the ground in front of Hauke, and the next she was being thrown through the air as deafening explosions shattered the night.

  Pain splintered through her body as she made contact with the unforgiving wall of the lab and crumpled in a heap on her hands and knees. Security had opened fire on Hauke without regard to her safety. What the hell?

  The gunfire suddenly stopped as swiftly as it had begun. Abbie raised her head in time to watch Hauke pick up one of the guard’s weapons. Blood stained Hauke’s scrubs near his hip.

  “You’ve been shot.” She struggled to her feet and limped toward him. Her leg ached, but she was fairly sure it wasn’t broken.

  “We must leave this place.”

  “Are they dead?” Her throat closed with emotion, but she couldn’t bring herself to assist them.

  “Yes.”

  Tears burned her eyes. She and Hauke had killed two people. There would be no turning back now.

  “Do not grieve for them, Abbie. It is better than they deserved.”

  Abbie searched the area for her keys, finding them not far from where she stood. “They were human beings, Hauke. Regardless of their crime.”

  “You prefer I let them take your life?”

  “Of course not. It’s just that we cannot turn back now. I can never go home.”

  “I am sorry.”

  “We will figure all this out later. We need to move. Can you walk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s hurry.” Pain traveled up her leg with every step she took. She glanced at Hauke limping his way across the parking lot beside her. Abbie’s entire world had changed in less than an hour. How was she going to get out of this mess?

  * * * *

  Fire burned through Hauke’s stomach. The hole in his hip was agonizing and slow to close. A flesh wound would have healed by now, but he was bleeding from the inside. What little blood he had left was oozing from his body at a rapid rate. If he didn’t replenish soon, he’d be of no good to either of them, and Abbie would be on her own. Unacceptable.

  They arrived at a vehicle. Hauke was familiar with its purpose, but he’d never seen one up close. He had heard them referred to as cars.

  He stopped next to the contraption while Abbie stumbled around and entered from the opposite side.

  She leaned across the seat and opened his door. “Get in.”

  He lowered his big body into the cramped space, and she pulled the door shut behind him.

  Hauke watched her insert a small metal object into an equally small groove, and the seat instantly vibrated underneath him.

  She gripped a protruding lever situated between them, and the vehicle lurched back before shooting forward with a shrieking sound.

  “Put on your seatbelt.”

  He knew what a seat was. And a belt. It shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out. After a moment of struggling with it, he gave up.

  The speed with which the vehicle traveled felt exhilarating to Hauke. His eyes could barely track the lights as they flew by. At any other time, he would have loved to explore the possibilities of human transportation. Not tonight.

  He noticed how Abbie held the steering device in a white-knuckled grip while she glanced in a mirror attached to a piece of glass that made up the front of the vehicle.

  Lights from oncoming cars reflected off the tears swimming in her eyes.

  “Are you injured?” Anger boiled up inside him at the thought of her being harmed.

  She met his gaze briefly before turning back to watch the road. “Not as bad as you.”

  It enraged him that she’d been hurt at all. She was in this predicament because of him.

  “Me Paenitet.” And he meant it.

  “If it’s not English or Spanish, I’m lost.”

  “I am sorry, Abbie.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Why do you cry?”

  She swiped at her cheeks with a jerky motion. “I’ve never killed anyone before.”

  “You did not take a life. The humans fired their weapons upon you. I could not allow you to die.”

  “How did you know how to use the gun?”

  “We do not use such weapons where I am from, but we possess a small number of them tha
t we train with. In case the land walkers decide to invade us.”

  “Land walkers?”

  “The humans,” he corrected.

  They rode along in silence for some time, and Hauke felt his strength fading by the minute.

  The scent of saltwater drifted up his nose, and his stomach clenched with a craving strong enough it left him dizzy.

  “Voraginem,” he mumbled.

  She shot him a questioning look.

  “The gulf…” He tried to point but was too weak to lift his arm.

  “Yes. We are on front beach road.”

  Spots danced before his eyes. The vehicle took a sharp turn, and his head slammed against the window.

  “Hauke?” Her voice sounded far away.

  He felt her fingers wrap around his hand and squeeze. “Stay with me.”

  His world went black.

  * * * *

  “Shit. Don’t you die on me.” Abbie had noticed Hauke slumping in the seat long before his luminous green eyes rolled back in his head.

  She drove as fast as the law would allow. The last thing she needed was to be noticed by the police for speeding.

  Abbie eased the car along Highway 98 through Destin without mishap, making a couple of expert turns until a white two-story house came into view.

  She pulled into the circle drive, stopped in front of the historical home, and switched off the engine.

  There were no lights visible in the home, save for a dim yellow bulb burning above the porch.

  Abbie got out and climbed the steps, ringing the doorbell with numb fingers. Nausea rolled, leaving her thankful she hadn’t finished her burger before heading to the lab that night.

  Anthony Vaughn, otherwise known as Tony, was Abbie’s only living relative on her mother’s side of the family. Abbie hadn’t seen him since her tenth birthday when he’d gone off the grid and disappeared for years without a word.

  Henry had never allowed her to visit Tony, stating he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was considered a loose cannon.

  According to Abbie’s father, her uncle Tony had been involved in counterintelligence for the CIA before a group of terrorists slipped into his home one night and murdered his wife and child in front of him.

  Tony was found two days later, barely alive and lying in a pool of his own blood, holding his deceased three-year-old son in his arms.

  After being hospitalized for weeks and treated for PTSD, Anthony Vaughn went back into the field as a paid assassin.

  Still unclear as to what happened in the months that followed his return to work, he was eventually forced to retire with a hefty pension and a destroyed file…as if he’d never existed.

  Something pressed against the back of her head, and the sound of a gun being cocked nearly buckled her knees. Twice in one night?

  A raspy voice spoke next to her ear. “What do you want?”

  “I-I’m looking for Tony.” The nausea was back with a vengeance.

  “Who wants to know?”

  “His niece.”

  “Put your hands where I can see them, and real easy like, turn around. Try anything, and they’ll be searching for pieces of your brain for months to come.”

  Abbie somehow managed to keep the contents of her stomach from emptying on her shoes. “Okay, just please don’t shoot.”

  Extending her arms out to her sides, she slowly pivoted on her heel.

  Surprise registered on the man’s face, but it was gone so fast she thought she’d imagined it.

  “Tony?” He had her uncle’s eyes but nothing else.

  Long hair peppered with gray hung past his shoulders. A deep scar ran from his left temple to disappear inside a poorly kept beard that covered most of his jaw. He wore a black T-shirt and faded jeans complete with a pair of combat boots.

  His gaze cut to the street beyond. “Were you followed?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Where’s the fugitive?”

  “He’s not a fugitive, and how did you know—”

  “You both are; in case you haven’t heard.”

  Abbie didn’t question his knowledge of the lab incident. He was ex-CIA after all. “He’s in the car.”

  Tony lowered his weapon. “Get inside.”

  “I have to help Hauke.” She had no idea how unstable Tony was in this moment. Something about his eyes disturbed her. They appeared vacant, void of emotion…lifeless.

  “You’ve done enough already. I’ll dispose of him, and then you and I are going to come up with a believable story to get you out of this mess.”

  “No.” She grabbed onto his arm when he started to turn away.

  He stared down at her fingers a moment before pinning her with a glittering, half-insane look.

  Abbie quickly jerked her hand back. “He saved my life. I will assist him any way I can. With or without your help.” She was surprised at the fierceness in her voice.

  Tony didn’t move, only continued to peer down at her with those lifeless eyes. “Just like your mother.” He turned and jumped from the porch without another word. Leaving her to follow.

  Chapter Six

  Hauke took a shallow breath. Saltwater entered his gills in painful clarity. His body shook with the burn of oxygen being forced through his gill slits. There was no blood flowing in the opposite direction to counteract the process of CO2 deposits. Agony seared his sides.

  He tried to sit up, but something held him down. His legs were elevated and hanging over a hard surface bent at the knees.

  His protective lenses slid into place, and he struggled to open his eyes. Voices could be heard from somewhere nearby.

  “Are you sure this will work, Tony? The only things I have to go on are brief glimpses of X-rays and a partial blood transfusion.”

  “If those are truly gills I see under his arms, this should revive him.”

  “But— ”

  “Let’s see what happens.”

  Hauke realized Abbie was close and speaking to someone known as Tony. The spike in her adrenaline caused the barbs on Hauke’s wrists and ankles to tingle with venom. His body didn’t have the blood needed for the barbs to become erect, and it enraged him.

  Gathering as much strength as he could, Hauke cracked his lids open. On instinct, he thrust his arm up and wrapped his fingers around the human’s throat that hovered above him.

  The man quickly gripped Hauke’s wrist with a strength that surprised him. He had no idea humans were capable of the kind of power this man possessed.

  Of course, Hauke hadn’t been around enough of them to judge this one by, he acknowledged, tightening his hold on the man’s neck.

  Abbie’s anxiety blended with the human’s determination as he stared down at Hauke from above the water’s surface.

  A different kind of pain suddenly slammed into Hauke, and he groaned from the force of it. Images of a decapitated woman and a lifeless child spun through his mind in torturous detail. Their terrified screams repeated again and again, mingling with the sorrow seeping from the one Abbie had referred to as Tony.

  Hauke wanted to disengage from Tony’s memories, but he couldn’t seem to let go. He gazed into the stranger’s eyes in confusion. The lack of emotion from the man staring back at him didn’t line up with the horror spilling from his soul.

  Tony suddenly released Hauke’s wrist and jerked free. “We’ve gotta get this damn thing out of my bathroom. Out of my house.” He jumped to his feet and disappeared from Hauke’s line of sight.

  Abbie dropped to her knees where Tony had been kneeling and slid her arm under Hauke’s neck. She lifted his head from the water. “Are you okay?”

  His weakened state angered him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

  Abbie’s face blurred in his vision, and the room began to dim. With everything inside him, he fought to stay awake. “Abbie…”

  “Tell me what to do.”

  Hauke could hear the panic in her voice, the fear…the helplessness, bu
t there was nothing he could do. He slipped into the damnable darkness once more.

  * * * *

  Abbie laid her cheek against Hauke’s cold lips while reaching up and pressing two fingers against his neck. No breath or pulse could be found. He seemed to be in the same deathlike state he’d been in at the lab before they had given him blood. That’s it.

  She held Hauke tighter and spoke over her shoulder. “He needs blood.”

  Tony dropped down on his heels next to her and tugged the small silver handle up to drain the tub. “I just happen to have some in the fridge. Would you like it cold or heated in the microwave?”

  His sarcasm wasn’t received well. “Help me get him out, damn it.”

  “You can’t just give a person blood without knowing their type. You could do more harm than good. I figured you knew that, Doctor Sutherland.”

  Abbie’s control snapped. “In case you haven’t noticed, Uncle, he is not human. He took the O negative blood perfectly, and he needs more since he’s been shot.”

  Tony leaned in until his nose nearly touched hers. “As soon as we remove him from this tub, he’s going in the truck. Law enforcement could show up here before morning. You can bet your ass they are crawling through yours and Henry’s places with microscopes in hand at this very minute.”

  Frustration and fear mingled together inside Abbie’s chest, breeding one result. Tears.

  She raised her watery gaze and met Tony’s empty stare. “Do you remember when they buried Mama?”

  Something flickered in his eyes, however brief. A muscle flexed along his jaw, but he didn’t answer. He only watched her without expression.

  “I drowned in the gulf that day.”

  Another small spark of emotion passed over his face. Still, he said nothing.

  “A boy saved my life. He didn’t look to be more than fourteen years old. I’ll never forget his eyes. They were the most beautiful emerald color I’d ever seen. When I touched Hauke in the lab earlier, that moment came back as clear as if it had happened yesterday. “

  When Tony didn’t respond, Abbie leaned down and gently lifted one of Hauke’s eyelids to reveal a stunning brilliant green color.