Edge of Betrayal

by Shannon K. Butcher

  He had no choice but to let it dwell in his mind while he tried desperately to think around the consuming feeling.

  How did anyone function like this? How could they possibly go about their lives with so much going on in the background?

  However they did it, he needed to learn. Fast. If his head wasn’t clear, Mira might be lost to him forever.

  Rage bloomed at the thought, swelling to the point that he had trouble taking his next breath.

  “Easy,” said Riley, laying a steady hand on his arm. “We’ll find her. She’s got to be with Sage. That asshole’s been trying to get her in his grasp for years. He was the only one who knew where we were. We’ll find her, find Sophie, and bring them both home.”

  “Do you know where to even begin looking?” Adam asked. “Isn’t that the whole point of this expedition—to find Sage and his lab and take them both out? We lost him. What do you propose we do now?”

  Gage’s voice came over the comms, low and quiet. “Take cover.”

  Adam and Riley both turned away and covered their heads just as the charge went off.

  “Door’s open,” said Gage.

  Adam and Riley ran back into the barn. The metal doors were twisted and smoking, but the path down was clear.

  “It heads west,” said Riley.

  “One of us should follow in a vehicle,” said Adam.

  “Not me,” said Riley. “Sophie went down there. So am I.”

  Adam looked at Gage. “Go with him. I’ll follow in the vehicle with all the weapons and ammo.”

  Riley nodded. “We probably won’t have working comms down there, so if you don’t hear from us, don’t worry. We’ll resurface when we can.”

  Gage stared at Adam with eyes that were too much like his own. Those eyes narrowed. “I know that look.”

  “What look?” asked Adam.

  “Gonna do something stupid.”

  “We haven’t been partners long enough for you to know me that well.”

  “But I do.”

  “Just go,” said Adam. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

  Gage continued to stare long enough that Adam grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Finally, he gave a single nod, then followed Riley down the steps.

  Adam hurried out of the barn, making sure his microphone was off. The call he was about to make was not one he wanted anyone to overhear.

  He’d worked for Dr. Norma Stynger just long enough to know that she was as brilliant as she was ruthless. If anyone knew where Sage’s lab was, it would be her.

  It took several minutes for a string of personnel to connect him to the woman. He was already behind the wheel and speeding away when her voice came over the line.

  “Adam. How good of you to contact me. It’s been too long.”

  Not nearly long enough, but he had no choice. “I need a favor.”

  “Really? And you called me? You must have me confused for someone else. I don’t do favors.”

  He ignored her and said what he needed to say. “Sage has gone missing.”

  “So he’s not dead after all. Seems that condition is contagious. Where was he hiding?”

  “He was in custody.”

  “But he no longer is. Too bad. He’s always been a thorn in my side.”

  “One I’d like to remove. Permanently.”

  “Now, here’s a conversation I’m interested in having. It’s been a long time since you wanted to work for me. Why the change of heart?”

  “I don’t have a heart. You know that. All I need to know is where to find Sage. Tell me that and he’ll be out of your way for good.”

  She let out a quiet sigh. “That’s too bad. I have no idea where he is.”

  “You know his patterns. You know where he’d go to continue his work.”

  “All the old labs were destroyed. Bainbridge, Norwood, and the rest of them made sure of that.”

  “All of them? If that’s the case, then where are you working?”

  “Me?” she said with fake sincerity. “I’m retired.”

  “Bullshit. I was collecting people for you only a few months ago. In fact, I met one of your employees recently while at work—the one who you sent to collect Sophie Devane.”

  “That name doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “Enough with the games. You know where Sage is headed, and even if you don’t, you have a better guess than anyone else will.”

  “Where was he when you last saw him?”

  Adam gave her the location of the nearest town.

  “Ah. Right. The underground tunnel network.” She sighed as if reminiscing over the good ol’ days. “I remember them.”

  “Where is the closest lab? He left on foot. He’s got to be headed somewhere nearby.”

  “Let’s say I do know the place where he might go—an old facility that has seen quite a bit of renovation activity over the last few weeks. What would that kind of information be worth?”

  “You think we’re going to help fund your research? You’re insane.”

  She let out a laugh that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. “I have no desire for your money. I receive plenty of that from my eager investors. But there is something you have that I don’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m developing a new protocol that has been designed to work on even the most . . . resistant subjects. I’ve read your files. So many times. Nothing else I’ve designed would work on you, but I think this will. I’d like to test my theory.”

  Adam went numb with shock. His hands felt like lead weights around the steering wheel. He nearly swerved off the road. The tires slid over the edge of the pavement, trying to drag the whole car into the ditch.

  He righted the vehicle, but not before the noise he’d just made carried through the phone.

  “What did you think I’d want, Adam?” she asked. “You have so little of value.”

  “You want to experiment on me? See if you can control me? Use me against my will?”

  He swore he could hear her lips smacking in eager glee. “I do.”

  Even the suggestion made him queasy, but he couldn’t think of any other options. Sage was in the wind. Mira was in danger. So was Sophie. If Adam didn’t find them soon, he knew exactly what would happen—the same thing he’d barely prevented from happening last year. Sage would end up killing his daughter.

  He sucked in a deep breath, hoping it would calm his churning gut. “If I agree to let you use me as a test subject, you’ll tell me where to find Sage?”

  “Yes. You will kill him. When you’re done, there will be a man waiting for you. You’ll come along quietly and not make a fuss. Agreed?”

  “Are you going to kill me?” he asked.

  “Not intentionally, but I can’t make any promises. All those pesky side effects, you know.”

  “Promise you will leave the people I work with at the Edge alone.” He didn’t dare give her names for fear she’d use the knowledge of his love for his brother and Mira against him.

  She chuckled. “You’ve made emotional attachments. That’s interesting.”

  “Promise,” he grated out, “or I take my chances finding Sage on my own.”

  “Fine. As long as you’re a nice, docile test subject, I’ll leave your friends alone. But you’re going to have to sweeten the pot.”

  “How?”

  “Sage has something of mine—some research notes that were stolen by one of my lab techs.”

  “You want me to get them back,” he guessed.

  “No. I want you to convince him you know the password protecting the file—one I’ll give you.”

  “You’re going to let him open the file?”

  “No. It’s a built-in safeguard to protect the data. You enter the right password and it will activate a program destroying all th
e information as well as any computer and network it can reach.”

  “What’s the password?”

  “Not yet. Tell me you’ll do the job first—to save your emotional attachments.”

  The fewer people with her research the better, as far as he was concerned. “Fine. I’ll find a way to destroy your research notes.”

  “Good boy.” Her condescending tone ground against his nerves.

  He gritted his teeth. “We have a deal. Now tell me where I can find Sage.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Mira desperately wished for some bread crumbs to leave behind.

  The black sedan sped over the landscape, taking her deeper into uninhabited countryside. She could see nothing but trees and more trees.

  Every tracking device on her was gone, including the ones in her shoes. Those had been tossed out after a quick sweep of her escort’s bug detector. She was without means of communication, with no way of letting her coworkers know where to find her.

  For the first time since childhood, Mira was truly on her own.

  The training Bella had forced on her sped through her mind. The first thing she needed to do was figure out where she was headed so that if she got the chance to alert anyone, she had something to tell them.

  “Where are we going?” she asked the driver.

  He barely glanced in her direction. His expression was a cold, blank wall. His eyes were empty, and his lips were so thin his mouth looked like a cut slashed across his face.

  “The quiet type, huh?”

  He ignored her and kept driving.

  “At least tell me how long it’s going to take. I have to pee.”

  He rolled down his window, tossed the dregs of a cup of coffee out and handed her the empty paper cup. “Go ahead.”

  “Yeah. Not that bad.”

  Clearly, she wasn’t getting anywhere with Chatty Pants, so she started searching for landmarks that might tell her where they were. Anything more specific than middle of nowhere would have been helpful.

  The moon rose in the sky, muted by a thin layer of clouds. The terrain grew steeper and more dense with trees. With each passing mile, her skin itched a little more, as if she was going through withdrawal from her friends.

  Or maybe just Adam.

  The man had definitely worked his way under her skin. No doubt about it. Sadly, she liked him there.

  Caring about him was a huge mistake. Monumental proportions on an epic scale. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to mind.

  She liked Adam. Maybe even loved him.

  Nice that she figured that out just in time to meet her demise.

  The sedan made a hard turn onto an unmarked road she hadn’t even seen coming. The path was nothing more than some compacted earth through the trees showing tire tracks. She held on tight, trying to steady herself against the deep, lurching ruts and bumps along the way.

  They went over a hill and then nearly skidded down a steep bank into an area that was well hidden from the road.

  High, razor-wire-topped fences surrounded a building in the center of a large clearing. As soon as the sedan neared, floodlights flicked on and followed their progress like a spotlight. The closer they got to the fence, the more she was able to make out the shape of armed men guarding the perimeter.

  The driver came to a full stop and rolled down his window. The barrels of about three different weapons were trained on them.

  Mira tried to shrink out of existence, hugging herself good-bye.

  “Delivery for Dr. S.,” said the driver to an armed guard.

  “Open the trunk,” ordered the guard.

  The driver did, and after a thorough search of the vehicle, the guard seemed satisfied that there was no one hiding inside. He let out a shrill whistle.

  The metal gates rolled open, allowing them to pass.

  Mira briefly considered getting out of the car and taking her chances with the armed men. At least getting shot would be a fast way to go. Whatever her dad had in store for her was likely going to make an appearance in front of a firing squad feel like a day at the spa.

  But if she bailed now, what would happen to Sophie?

  Mira knew the answer to that one. It was why she’d come in the first place.

  Sophie might not get out of this alive, but if Mira hadn’t come, there was exactly zero chance of Sophie’s survival.

  The sedan came to a stop outside of a U-shaped building. It wasn’t as huge as some of the facilities her father had used for his work, and it was definitely showing signs of age and wear, but no matter how old or small it was, there was still plenty of room for suffering inside.

  And she was going in there.

  Her heart started beating so hard and fast her head began to swim. She couldn’t get enough air. Fireworks bloomed behind her eyes, and every muscle in her body grew weak.

  Panic. Mira had felt it enough times to know it well. In fact, they’d been BFFs for a few months the summer her father had killed her mother. Mira hadn’t known how she’d survive without her mom as a blanket of protection to keep her safe.

  There was definitely no blanket this time. No one knew where she was. No one could come to save her. She’d checked her phone before dropping it as ordered, and the satellite feed was already out of range when she’d stepped into the sedan.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath for a slow three-count. She could do this. She had no other choice. She would face her demons and take them down.

  Or die trying.

  The panic set in again, gripping her even harder. She didn’t even have her gun. The driver had made her drop that, too. Her training wasn’t strong enough to get her and Sophie out of this without a weapon. She wasn’t like Bella or Riley or Adam. Her body was not a deadly weapon. It was more like a complicated transportation device for her brain. She wasn’t calm under pressure. She freaked out. Hard.

  The thought of Adam brought his image to mind. Like some kind of talisman, picturing him made her pulse slow enough that she could take a single, deep breath.

  She gripped his image, letting it flare to life in perfect detail. His tall, lean body, which moved with the grace of a dancer. His starkly handsome face, complete with those inky brows and pale gray eyes she found so intriguing. His long-fingered hands, which knew just how to touch her and set her on fire.

  Was she really going to give up and never have the chance to feel that again?

  Fuck no. That was not the kind of thing a girl gave up easily once she got a taste. She was going to make her way out of this torture chamber, with Sophie. They were going to call for reinforcements and blow the whole facility to hell. And then, when that was done, she was going to find Adam and make him kiss her until she couldn’t even remember what fear felt like.

  With that plan in mind, she started to relax. Her shoulders dropped down from her ears. Her fists unclenched. Her lungs unlocked, giving her room to breathe.

  She could do this. She didn’t know how, but she was smart. Smarter than her father.

  All she had to do now was find a way to be just as ruthless.

  * * *

  The moment Adam saw the lab in the valley below, he knew what it was.

  His birthplace.

  It had seemed so much bigger then. So much brighter. Now all he saw was a small, run-down building that had been the place of far too much pain and suffering.

  That ended tonight.

  “I’m moving in,” said Adam for whoever was listening on the other end. He didn’t know if Riley and Gage had made it out of the tunnel yet or not.

  “You need to wait for reinforcements,” said Payton. “General Norwood has men on the way.”

  “I can’t wait.” Mira’s life was too precious. Every second he let her linger inside that place was one more too many.

  Sage might simply ki
ll her out of spite. Adam had seen it before.

  “Stand down, Adam.”

  He ignored the order. He was no soldier. Orders were things for puppets and men of honor. Adam was neither.

  He had the tools he needed in the trunk of his car. It was easy for one man to slip in unnoticed. He was good at blending in, sticking to the shadows, and using his instincts to tell him when to move and when to freeze. He’d done it before so many times. This would be just one more.

  Perhaps his last if Stynger’s protocol killed him.

  He forcibly emptied his mind of that possibility, shoving it in a sturdy box where it belonged. The only thing he couldn’t stop thinking about was Mira. There was no box strong enough to hold the power she had over him.

  Interestingly enough, he no longer minded. He liked having her as his constant companion, warming his thoughts and strengthening him. She was the reason he was here. She was the reason he would be victorious.

  Adam gathered what he needed and set out, hiking down through the darkness to where the fence was the most vulnerable.

  The building was U-shaped, and the back side was protected by thickly wooded, steep, nearly impassible ground. Because of that, security was lighter there, and perfect for his approach.

  He’d played on these grounds as a child. He knew where all the dips and valleys were. He used that to his advantage as he made his way through the fence and to the back of the building.

  Two armed guards patrolled this area. There was a ten-second period in which they no longer had line of sight with each other—the time when they were both too close to a fenced-in area that held trash and maintenance equipment to see each other. If he didn’t take the first guard down during that interval, the second one would alert the others before Adam had time to take him out.

  He waited in the shadows, biding his time until the perfect moment. A short, silent sprint across the ground, and he was within reach of the first guard.

  He took control of the man’s body, covered his mouth and nose, and injected him with a heavy tranquilizer. The whole thing took all of five seconds, and the man slumped to the ground.