Safe (The Shielded Series Book 1)

by Christine DePetrillo

The slam of his door let him know he’d probably done more than piss her off.

  After removing the condom, cleaning up, and getting dressed, he settled at his desk and brought up Darina’s picture on his tablet. She probably had too much patience to get so pissed over nonsense. She definitely reminded him of someone, but who? Tracing the edge of her jaw, he vowed to find her.

  Find her and claim her.

  ****

  Foster had shown Darina almost every corner of the cultivated property from the farmland and gardens to the greenhouses to the hydro-electric station that ran off the powerful stream cutting through the land to the field of solar panels used as additional energy. He’d taken her into the woodshop where Roben and some of the others who were skilled with building things worked. They’d toured an outside area where a ring of smaller cabins sat, and he’d explained that some of the GECs chose to live together, while others had their own places.

  He only had two more spots to show her—his lab and the rest of the main house. His house.

  “What do you think so far?” He wasn’t sure what was going through her head. She’d been quiet through most of the tour, only asking practical questions about electricity, water, and roles and responsibilities of those who lived there.

  She stopped walking. “It’s impressive. I mean, you’ve got a self-sustaining community here, Doc.” She turned in a circle, looking out at the land around them. “And if you can build this here…”

  “It can be built elsewhere,” he finished, nodding. “It takes time and hard work, but it can certainly be done. It could easily be unplug proof. Fuck the Anarch and what they did to the globe.”

  “I like the sound of that, but in order to prove it can be done to the government,” she turned back to him, “you’d have to provide evidence.”

  She fit the pieces together perfectly.

  “And if I provide evidence, I have to reveal this place.” Foster shoved his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t recall how many times he’d had the internal debate on this very dilemma.

  “And all those you keep safe here would be at risk.”

  “I’d like to think the government would look beyond my illegal harboring of GECs in light of the fact that we could have a solution to rebuilding our nation here, but you and I both know it won’t go down that way.”

  “Emerge Tech wouldn’t help?” she asked.

  “Emerge Tech serves the government, just as all the other corporations had before the Unplug, the fighting, and Mikale’s plague. When Emerge Tech was the only one left standing, the government took more control of it. After the Unplug, we only worked on restoring technology. During the fighting, we worked on weapons. When the virus was unleashed, I got assigned to find a cure. We’ve been reacting, not looking for solid solutions.”

  He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and Darina stepped closer. Throughout the tour, she’d been careful to keep a distance away from him. Had it been because of the Homer’s kisses comment? He probably shouldn’t have said that, but she’d been standing there, looking truly intrigued by Homer, and he couldn’t help himself. As that silly dorse slobbered all over him, he’d been wondering how much slobbering he could get Darina to do.

  “My line of work is similar,” she said softly. “I get sent out to deal with people who have already become criminals. Wouldn’t it be damn nice if I could get them before they broke the law? If I could stop them from making stupid choices?” She shuffled her boots in the stones on the path. “But people are probably always going to be making stupid choices.”

  “Probably. It’s human nature.”

  She squinted a hazel eye at him. “It is in a genetically engineered human’s nature too.”

  “Indeed.” He motioned to the main house. “Up for seeing my lab?”

  “Sure. Then we have to talk security. This place, though remote, is also wide open.”

  As the sunset outside colored the darkening sky with deep pinks and purples, he led her into the house and down a set of narrow stairs behind a bookcase off the kitchen.

  “Someone was thinking of security when building this lab though,” Darina said from behind him.

  “I thought it best.” He waved his tablet by a screen at the door to his lab and the door unlocked. Pushing it open, he said, “This is where I’ll be spending most of tonight. The sooner I can find this damn cure, the sooner I can make Mikale’s plague a thing of the past. If people weren’t so afraid to come out into the city, maybe we’d have a chance at rebuilding everything we once had.”

  “Only better.”

  He liked the determined glint in her eyes. “Only better.”

  She wandered deeper into the lab when he held the door open for her. “This is set up like the lab in your domicile.”

  “It’s more efficient to organize every lab in the same way.”

  “Neatness must have been a trait they were after when genetically engineering you folks,” she said. “I’m told teenagers are supposed to be messy, but Zeke is so tidy. Except for his hair. That he won’t let me touch.”

  “But you’ve tried?” He smiled, picturing Darina attempting to give Zeke a haircut.

  “He used to let me buzz cut it for him, but when he turned fourteen, that was it. I no longer had haircutting rights.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I think he asks Ghared to trim it for him now and then, but I don’t pry into their beauty regimens.”

  She circled his worktable and paused at one corner, leaving a side between them, keeping her distance as she had for most of the tour.

  He’d had enough of that distance.

  Walking slowly so as not to cause her to step back, he joined her at the corner. “And what’s your beauty regimen?”

  “Me?” She looked up at him. “I just wake up looking this good, Doc.”

  The grin on her lips was too much to resist. He took another step closer, and when she didn’t back up, he reached out a hand and pushed her hair off her neck.

  She swallowed loudly, her eyes locked on his.

  “You do look good,” he whispered. “You also know how to save a guy’s life.”

  “Twice,” she said, holding up two fingers.

  “Twice.” He nodded. “I should probably say thank you.” His other hand went to her waist and tugged her closer.

  “Unless you want me to think you’re a rich bastard.”

  “I told you I’m not a rich bastard.” He stroked the pad of his thumb against the silky caramel skin of her cheek and stopped breathing altogether when she put her hands on his hips.

  “Prove it.”

  His lips were on hers faster than his mind could tell him to stop. Just as he’d thought, her lips were soft and intoxicating. When she opened her mouth, granting him access, he nearly fell at her feet.

  She must have sensed his weak knees because she backed him up to the table and pushed him against it until he sat on the edge. She was a little taller than him now, and she took command of the kiss, going deeper, taking more.

  He was perfectly willing to give her more.

  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he corralled her against him and feasted on her mouth. She tasted like danger and security all rolled into one. He was both scared to death and comfortable as hell in her presence. How could she stir such different emotions in him?

  Probably because the last woman you touched was merely a hologram.

  Being as busy as he was, Foster didn’t have time for the company of women and most of them didn’t have the tolerance for his single-mindedness when it came to working in his lab. Holograms didn’t nag him to spend more time with them. They didn’t require much attention or conversation.

  They also didn’t feel half as good as Darina did in his arms right now.

  He tangled his fingers in her hair and she let out a little moan that surged through him like an electrical charge. The heat from the flames in his domicile had been nothing compared to the fire sparking wildly inside him now.

  She hooked her left hand onto t
he back of his neck and gave him a few more sizzling kisses before breaking free of his hold. Breathing as heavily as he was, she said, “If they bred you to be a phenomenal kisser, they succeeded. Superbly.”

  He loved the flush on her cheeks, the puffiness of her lips, the tousled hair on her head. He’d caused all three of those and wanted to affect her in so many other ways.

  “And you do kiss better than Homer,” he said.

  She shoved him, and he grabbed her left arm. He traced the ring of stars as he had back in his domicile. “These are hot.”

  “As is this.” She fingered the tribal swirls inked up his neck and around his right ear.

  “Does kissing like we just did mean we’re now able to swap tattoo stories?” He didn’t know why he wanted to know the reason for the stars so badly, but he did. He actually wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

  Darina was quiet for a few long minutes, then she slid onto the table next to him, her feet dangling. She rested her left hand on her thigh and wiggled her fingers. “This isn’t my original hand.”

  Gently, he lifted her hand in his and inspected the star tattoos more closely. Sure enough, a thin seam was just below them. “A prosthetic?”

  She nodded, taking her hand back. “It’s what happens when you go thrill seeking.” She outlined the fingers of her left hand with her right index finger. “I’d been flying with Ghared, before the Unplug when the biggest thing we had to worry about was how we’d spend a Saturday. Carefree and clueless, you know?”

  Foster didn’t know, but he nodded anyway so she’d continue.

  “Ghared banked around a skyscraper at a near ninety degree angle as he’d done a billion times.” Her brows lowered and her prosthetic hand curled into a fist. “Unfortunately the skyscraper he’d chosen that day had a bridge connecting it to its neighboring building and he couldn’t avoid crashing. He ended up with a concussion and was cleared for military duty a few days later when the world went dark.”

  “But you weren’t so lucky.”

  “Nope. My hand had gotten crushed so badly I had to give it up. Ghared felt awful, but it wasn’t his fault.”

  Still, Foster had the urge to find Ghared and pound on him. If the guy had been more careful, nothing would have happened to Darina. He didn’t like the idea that she’d been in pain.

  “Can I see something?” he asked, holding his palm out for her hand.

  She rested her hand in his and he held his tablet over it. With a few taps on the screen, he confirmed what he had thought. “It’s one of mine.”

  “What?”

  He ran his finger along the smooth skin on the back of the prosthetic hand. “It says right here, ET-FA-98732.”

  “And that means?”

  “That means Emerge Tech, Foster Ashby, limb number 98732. I made this… or at least the design for it.”

  She held her hand up, looking at it as if seeing it for the first time. “Well, for what I had to do to get this, I’m glad I ended up with the best.”

  He desperately wanted to ask what she had to do, but was almost positive it had to do with why she thought all rich men were bastards. He was fighting to stay out of that category so he didn’t ask. Not now anyway.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “Now you. What prompted the neck and ear tattoo?”

  “Would you believe a similar trauma to yours?” He lifted his right leg and shook his booted foot. “This is also a prosthetic. One of mine too and the reason I went into that line of work to begin with.”

  “How much of it?”

  He slashed his right index finger along his upper thigh and Darina’s eyebrows rose.

  “That much? Wow. What happened?”

  “In college, someone found out I was a GEC. The manufacturer tried to reclaim what was theirs.”

  Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh, Foster. They tried to… take you apart?”

  “Right on campus. And not gently either, but I managed to escape. Minus one leg. The woman who’d taken me in, as you’ve taken in Zeke, picked me up when I called her and after some time of healing, Carielle arranged for a prosthetic leg. They were poorly designed then. I made it my mission to improve them.”

  “So if you almost died because your GEC secret was discovered,” she began, “I have to ask again why you told me, not knowing me at all? Why risk being ripped apart again?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. It just felt right to tell you.” Since Mikale had left Emerge Tech and had gone down the dark path he’d chosen, Foster had a hard time finding the best in people. Something in Darina, however, gave him hope that good people still existed.

  Darina studied him for a moment then rested her prosthetic hand on his thigh. “You did a good job on this. Thanks.”

  He put his hand atop hers. “It was a selfish goal, but I’m glad someone like you benefited.” He pointed to his tattoo. “Anyway, I got this after losing my leg. The design is ancient, and it means survival.”

  “I like it.” She reached over and pressed her lips to the design.

  Before he could respond to that gentle kiss and steal more, she hopped off the table. “I should go find Zeke and Ghared. You should get some work in.” She pointed to the worktable. “Mind if I walk around the property again and plan my security strategy?”

  “Of course not.” Though he didn’t want to be without her presence even for a short while.

  “Good. See you later.”

  “Count on it.”

  ****

  Darina slumped against the lab door after she’d closed it behind her. Foster had nearly kissed her senseless in there. Damn. She’d been with a few guys here and there, but only one had ever made her mouth—and other parts—feel so electrified. And she didn’t think about that guy anymore. Well, she tried not to. He had a way of cropping up in her mind on occasion.

  But Foster put a new memory in there. A crazy wonderful memory. One she wanted to revisit as soon as possible.

  She put her hand to her chest where her heart still drummed, overwhelmed by the physical reactions Foster’s kiss had caused. Seeing this amazing property and sharing stories with him about their traumas had done something to her.

  She felt as if she knew him.

  “Well, this is dangerous.” Never a good idea to become involved with someone you were supposed to protect. It took your mind off the goal. It distracted you. It made you care beyond getting a paycheck.

  Not that she was convinced she’d be getting a paycheck anymore. She had no way of knowing whether Emerge Tech had survived the fire or not. Would they be pleased she’d gotten him out of their walls or angry she’d allowed him to get so far away?

  Shaking her head, she decided not to worry about money right now. As long as she and Zeke were on this property, they wouldn’t have to worry about food, the only thing she really used money for. Besides, she couldn’t put a price on the experience Zeke was having amongst other GECs. That was an opportunity only being here could provide.

  After ascending the stairs and pushing open the hidden bookcase door, Darina inspected the main house’s kitchen more closely until a few GECs filtered in with baskets of food. They told her to stay and were perfectly cordial, but she continued on to the great room. It had one exit which she discovered led to a deck facing a majestic mountain range in the distance.

  “The White Mountains in New Hampshire,” a voice said below the deck.

  She peered over the railing to find Pike standing there. “They don’t look white.”

  He laughed. “This is true. In summer they are pretty damn green, aren’t they?” He climbed the deck steps and stood next to her. “Your tour with Foster all over?”

  “Yes. I’m scouting around now, deciding how to best keep him safe.”

  Pike appeared to consider her words carefully before saying, “Some of us wish to help with that.”

  “How many is ‘some of us’?” She wasn’t opposed to getting help, especially from these people who knew the property and appe
ared to care deeply for Foster. After kissing him, she understood how easy it would be to care deeply for him.

  But she was going to ignore that. She had to.

  Pike looked up to the sky, raising one finger for each name he ticked off. It was then Darina saw what his genetically engineered problem was. He only had three fingers and a thumb on each hand. She wondered what else might be wrong with him. A shortage of fingers didn’t seem like enough to be cast off or ripped apart. What was enough really? And why should the government decide?

  “About eight of us to start,” he said. “Smart folks. Strong too. And we know the property well.”

  “Any of you know how to use a weapon?”

  At this, Pike grinned. “Sweetheart, most of us were bred to use a weapon.”

  “Oh. Right.” Great. Idiot. “Are there weapons on site?”

  Pike nodded. “Foster is a pretty peaceful guy, but he’s the complete opposite of dumb. He knows the world that exists out there isn’t altogether friendly. This place makes that world fade away, but it’s still there.”

  How she wished that weren’t true.

  “Okay, can you round up those who want to get involved and the weapons so I can see what we’re dealing with?”

  “Can do. Let’s meet at my cabin. Fourth one in from the left. Fifteen minutes.”

  “Copy that.” Before Pike could leave, she asked, “Have you seen Zeke and Ghared?”

  “Last I saw, Roben was getting all poetic about the solar panels.” He rolled his eyes and jogged off.

  Darina headed for the solar panel field, but stopped when a scream rattled the woods to her left. Sprinting in that direction, her weapon drawn, she searched the trees. When a second scream pierced the air, this one ending in a pained wail, she called out. “Who’s there? Are you okay?”

  Another cry sounded and Darina quickened her pace through the brush. She broke through the brambles and nearly stepped on Estoria curled into a ball, writhing on the ground.

  “Are you in labor?” she asked, getting to her knees beside the woman.

  “Y-y-yes.” Estoria cradled her stomach. “Just catch it. Just catch it.”

  Without thinking, Darina rolled the woman onto her back and bent her legs. Blood soaked the earth, and though Darina had not assisted in the birth of any babies, she knew this was all wrong. Way too much blood.