“You think Timms screwed us?” Trevis asked.
“Possibly. Always hard when you have to rely on your enemies for information.” But being here felt right to Mikale. As if he could smell Foster, sense Darina. They were close. He knew it.
All he had to do was find them.
****
Foster ripped open the door of his lab, making Rasha and Hydec whip around. “Where is Darina?”
“Not sure,” Hydec said. “We’ve all been ordered to burrow into our holes. Just Rasha and I are out and about, guarding your ass.”
“I’m out and about too.” Estoria peeked from behind Foster and waved to her friends.
“Our orders are to keep you in the lab until we hear from Darina,” Rasha said.
Foster shook his head. “No, I need to find her right now.” He stepped beyond Rasha, but Hydec got in his path.
“I’m going to have to advise that we follow Darina’s orders,” the taller man said. “She threatened us with bodily harm if we allowed you to leave.”
“And since when are you intimidated by a woman half your size, Hydec?”
“Since I saw the wild look in her eyes at the thought that something could happen to you.” Hydec glanced at Rasha. “It’s the same look I’d get if I was trying to keep her safe.”
Foster looked at Rasha then at Hydec, knowing exactly the look he was talking about. He’d seen it pass between them before, but they were true partners. He’d found them as a readymade set. They’d been together for years. Surely, in only two days’ time, Darina wouldn’t have had that expression for him, would she? The thought seemed crazy, but he wished it to be true with every cell in his genetically engineered body.
But if Hydec wasn’t going to let him out, they weren’t getting out. “All right. Fine. We’ll stay here, but when do you expect to hear from her?”
Rasha looked at Estoria and the two women grinned.
“What?” Foster turned to Estoria.
“Nothing. You just seem a little… eager to see Darina.” Estoria’s smile deepened.
Foster pointed over her shoulder into the lab. “I’m eager because of what we’ve found in there, Essie.” That was at least half true although his mind did wander to the way Darina’s lips felt against his own. He shook his head to clear the sensations. He had to keep his head on the goal.
Though maybe he now had additional goals.
“You mean you did it?” Hydec’s eyes widened.
“We did it,” Foster said, sliding an arm around Estoria’s shoulders.
“I didn’t do anything except bleed for you.” Estoria indicated the tiny pinprick on her forearm. “You’re the one who worked your magic.”
“Magic I should have figured out sooner than this.” Foster ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “All the people who could have been cured…”
“Don’t do that,” Estoria said, resting her hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been working on this cure around the clock. Most people never would have made the connection you did between the disease and my genetic code.”
“Hopefully, Emerge Tech still has the capability of mass producing this cure.”
“If not, we’ll find another way, Foster.” She gestured to the test tubes on the worktable. “You’ve got the blueprint now. That was the hard part.”
“I’d still like to test it on a live victim of the plague, but I’ll need to go back to the city for that.” Foster grabbed his tablet and tapped like wild for a few moments then he shoved the tablet into his pocket. “Everything I need is on here.”
“All that’s left to do is keep you and that tablet safe then,” Rasha said, “which is what we’re going to do.” She entered the lab with Hydec and closed the door. “We wait here until Darina signals us.” Motioning to Foster, she said, “Lock us in.”
He went to the keypad by the door and entered the security code. The door was a sturdy barricade, but he hated the idea that Darina was on the other side of it. He wanted her in there with him. Zeke too. He’d seen the look on her face when he talked of wanting a family. A look that said maybe she wanted to expand hers.
Turning back to the test tube full of a potentially successful cure, he hoped he could create a world where a life for him and Darina was possible. Assuming she didn’t die out there protecting him.
They waited in the lab for what seemed like an eternity before Foster said, “Couldn’t we take a peek out there and see what’s going on?” The not knowing was killing him. He’d worried about his people on this property before, but this was different. Darina meant something different to him. Something more.
“I’ll go,” Hydec said. “Lock this door behind me. If I’m not back in ten minutes, Rasha, you should—”
“You’ll be back,” Rasha interrupted, refusing to hear anything about him not coming back.
Hydec gave her a quick nod and Foster let him out. “Be careful.”
“Always am.” Hydec readied his weapon and disappeared in the shadows of the quiet main house.
Foster was tempted to step out of the lab, but Rasha tugged on his arm as if reading his mind.
“It’s not worth it, Foster.” She pulled him back and closed the door herself. “Set it.”
He entered the security code again, effectively sealing them in. He hated the separate feeling being in the lab gave him today. Normally he didn’t mind being sequestered from the world, but today there were people on the other side of the door that he simply couldn’t lose. There was a cure to administer. There were lives to save.
And a woman. A woman to possibly love.
Chapter Twelve
Darina’s legs cramped in the crouched position she’d been in as she watched Warres, Mareea, and one of Warres’s men skitter along the tree line like field mice.
Rats. At least two of the approaching people should be classified as low-life rats. Seeing Warres in the flesh made Darina’s fight instinct flare inside her.
“We have to get Mareea,” Zeke said from beside her. He had his own weapon, which he knew how to use thanks to Ghared. She’d disagreed with teaching him at first, knowing firsthand what these weapons were capable of, but Ghared had convinced her, and now she was happy the kid could defend himself.
Zeke got up from his crouch, but Darina grabbed him and yanked him down. He fell on his butt and gave her one of those teenage looks.
“I agree that we have to get her, Zeke,” Darina said, “but we have to be smart about it. Both of those guys are armed.”
“I know you’re right, but Mareea… I… she…” He scrubbed a hand down his face and blew out a frustrated breath.
Darina squeezed his kneecap. “I know, buddy.” She knew because she felt the same way about Warres getting his hands on Foster. And Ghared.
Where is Ghared?
If this asshole had Mareea, and he had found this location, Ghared had to have been involved. If he hadn’t answered Darina’s call, he could be hurt.
Or worse.
That thought nearly had her sprinting from her cover just as Zeke had attempted. Ghared had been there for her and Zeke for years. She loved him as much as the two brothers she’d lost. She wouldn’t lose him too. If she had her way, she wouldn’t lose anyone today. After Deo and Dixon and her parents had died, she’d been so alone. They had been such a tight family. She’d been fortunate to be raised with loads of love and nurturing. She hoped she was giving Zeke a similar experience, even if the world around them sucked. She also wished someday the world wouldn’t suck so much, and she could have what her parents had between them.
In the surrounding cottages, the rest of the GECs were armed and hiding as well, waiting for her signal to show themselves, force Warres to drop his weapon, and rescue his hostage. She took comfort knowing Foster was locked away in his lab and guarded by two competent people. Hopefully, he’d found the cure by now and was just waiting for Warres to be contained.
Closer, closer.
She needed this prick to be close enough to
surround. Then she could overpower him with her team, free Mareea, find Ghared. She’d love to take Warres down execution style, but if Foster needed him to get the cure, she didn’t want to deny him that opportunity. Her fingers twitched on the trigger of her weapon, while her prosthetic hand fisted in her lap. Ending Warres would feel so good.
Long time coming.
Warres continued walking toward the cottages. He turned back to his associate and yanked Mareea from the man.
Zeke bristled beside Darina, but she clamped a hand on his shoulder, keeping him down. A low growl sounded from Zeke’s throat, and Darina knew she wasn’t crouched next to a boy anymore. A young man—a young man in love—waited in the shadows now. One who was prepared to do what it took to make sure Mareea was not harmed.
“He’s using her as a shield,” Zeke whispered.
“Which means he doesn’t entirely believe this place is abandoned.” Darina turned back to the two GECs in the cottage with them. “Yolase, tell Roben to reduce their numbers.”
Yolase, who’d told Darina her genetic engineering included telepathy, closed her eyes, her blonde brows lowering in concentration. When she opened her eyes, which were a lovely shade of violet, she said, “Done.”
A moment later, Warres’s associate dropped to the ground, causing Warres to whip around, holding Mareea close to his chest. His own weapon was jammed up under Mareea’s chin, but he wouldn’t kill the girl. Not yet.
“Mom…”
“Stand down, Zeke. Rule number one in catching bad guys is study their reactions.”
“What if his reaction is to kill Mareea?” Zeke’s voice cracked on her name.
“He won’t. If he kills her now, he has nothing to bargain with, and he wants to bargain.”
“For Foster.”
Darina nodded and swallowed loudly, her throat growing tight. “What Warres doesn’t know is there will be no bargains today.”
Warres turned in a circle, dragging Mareea around. The girl let out a muffled cry, while another growl sounded from Zeke.
“I’m looking for Officer Darina Lazitter,” Warres shouted.
What? Why isn’t he asking for Foster?
“I know this place isn’t empty, folks.” He pressed Mareea up against his body. “I know you’ve got eyes on me. Weapons too.” He glanced at his fallen man. “And you’ve taken out one of my best men. Trevis was beyond loyal. You owe me something now.”
“We don’t owe that asshole anything,” Zeke mumbled.
“Although, I guess what I’ve done to your friend Mr. Timms might balance the scales,” Warres said.
Darina was on her feet, but Zeke pulled her down. “We have to be smart, Mom, remember?”
A few moments of silence stretched on as Warres rotated, covering himself with Mareea’s body and squinting at the cottages.
“Interesting,” he yelled. “Mr. Timms made me believe you were a force to be reckoned with, Officer Lazitter. I didn’t figure you’d cower.” He unzipped Mareea’s ratty hooded sweatshirt and slid his hand inside. “It’s okay though, I have something to play with to pass the time.”
Mareea let out a wail and Zeke bolted out of the cottage.
“Zeke!” Darina ran after him.
The sunlight was blinding at first, her eyes having not adjusted from the darkness of the cottage. Nothing was wrong with her hearing though as that weapon blast echoed in her head. When she blinked everything into focus, Zeke was on the ground halfway between the cottage and Warres’s position.
“Zeke!” Darina’s stomach roiled with anguish… and anger. She dropped to her knees at Zeke’s side and he looked up at her with panicked brown eyes.
“Get Mareea…”
He passed out, and Darina took in the blood gushing from the hole in his chest. She looked back to the cottage she’d been hiding in. Yolase sprinted out, pulling off the T-shirt she had on over her tank top and kneeling beside Zeke.
Pressing the T-shirt to the wound, she said, “We’ve got this.”
A second later, Hydec appeared and hoisted Zeke up into his arms. He didn’t say a word, but jogged back toward the main house with Yolase right behind him.
Foster will help Zeke. Yolase’s voice bounced around in Darina’s head. She had to believe that or else she’d come unglued.
Turning to Warres, she said, “Let Mareea go.” She held up her hand in a fist and the area became flooded with GECs prepared to do whatever she asked of them.
“I’ll let her go,” Warres said, “but only in exchange for you.” He looked around at the people surrounding him. “And if any one of them tries to fire on me, I’ll kill her.”
“And if you kill her, they will let loose with their weapons, Warres. There’ll be nothing left of you.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s the way it’ll go, officer.” He gave her a smile—one that made her flesh crawl. “See, I know Dr. Ashby is working on a cure for my handiwork. I know he’d love to have me alive to interrogate. If you kill me, my virus will still be going strong out there.” He brandished his weapon, indicating beyond the trees on the property. “There is no way I can lose here.”
“If that’s what you believe.” She shrugged as if to say he was stupid, which he was. “I agree to your exchange anyway. Let the girl go, and I’ll come with you.” She holstered her weapon and put her hands out to her sides.
Warres gestured for her to walk toward him. As she did so, the rest of the team took a step forward.
“The rest of you don’t move.” Warres threw an arm around Mareea’s throat, his gun still pressed under her chin.
Darina made a motion with her hand for everyone to stay put. Once the exchange was made, they would know what to do. They’d planned for this scenario before hiding.
She continued walking. When she was a mere yard in front of him, he released Mareea and pushed her to the ground. Mareea made quick eye contact with Darina, then scrambled to her feet and ran in the direction of where Zeke had been taken.
“Okay, so now what?” Darina asked. “You have me. Where is Ghared? What did you do to him?” She had to keep him talking while a few members of the team crept forward behind him.
“Mr. Timms most likely has a broken leg and is bound to my pulsejet at the moment. I’m sure his arms ache by now as they’ve been above his head all this time.”
Ghared is alive. And the pulsejet was somewhere on the property, so finding him should be easy.
“Well, let’s get to the pulsejet then. We are leaving, right?” She walked closer as if to start them on their way, but Warres shook his head.
“We will leave. Eventually. First I need to stop the good doctor. He seeks to undo my work, and I simply can’t have that.”
“Foster isn’t here.”
“Of course he is. Don’t lie to me, Officer Lazitter. It’s not attractive.” He stepped closer to her. “You know what else isn’t attractive?”
In a move her mind barely registered, Warres grabbed her and jabbed a syringe into her shoulder. Something burned under her flesh as he released whatever was inside.
“My virus isn’t attractive. What it does to a body isn’t attractive.” Warres turned around quickly and pointed to the handful of GECs that had left the perimeter to pursue him. “I said none of you were to move.” He shook his head as Darina slumped against him, her head swimming. “You didn’t listen, and now I had to infect Officer Lazitter. Kill me and you’ll kill her too. Only I can stop the virus from taking her. Just me.”
Darina blinked rapidly, but the red spots before her eyes didn’t disappear. She was aware of Warres supporting her and hated that any part of her was touching any part of him.
She’d gone down that road before…
“Now someone is going to tell me where to find Foster Ashby or things are about to get really bad,” Warres said.
No one budged, and Darina felt a measure of pride in the team she’d organized. They were level-headed and loyal and not going to take Warres’s shit. The government m
ade a stupid decision in casting off these genetically engineered gems.
She was glad she and Ghared had made a deal years ago that if anything happened to her, he’d take care of Zeke. If anything happened to Ghared, she’d agreed to watch out for Mareea. Other than Zeke, she didn’t have any other affairs to get in order.
She could die today.
Not that she wanted to. Living—even in this craptastic world—was preferable to checking out for good. She had to believe Zeke would be all right and she wanted to be part of his future.
She also wanted Foster to be a part of her future. If that was possible.
Darina fought to stay conscious and tried her hardest to ignore the fiery pain coursing through her body as the virus spread. The pain turned into an unbearable itch beneath her skin. She scratched her flesh but couldn’t reach deep enough. How long before her organs broke down? How long before her insides looked like the image Foster had shown her on his tablet?
As she closed her eyes and wished she had the strength to beat the shit out of Warres, a hum overhead made everyone look up.
“Ah, my reinforcements,” Warres said. “I’m not a lone wolf, Officer Lazitter. I always bring at least part of my pack. Mr. Timms was kind enough to lead us here, and I was smart enough to relay those directions to my associates. If you don’t take me to Foster, they will land and kill everyone here. If you don’t take me to Foster, I won’t give you the cure I already have for my virus. The cure you now need desperately.”
“I’m right here, Mikale.”
Darina managed to look toward the main house. Her vision wavered as if her eyeballs were swimming in their sockets. A dim outline of Foster standing on the deck with Rasha and Hydec on either side of him came into focus. Blood stained Foster’s shirt.
Zeke’s blood?
She prayed enough blood was still inside Zeke. He needed to live. He deserved to live.
“Darina and I will both go with you,” Foster said. “Call off your men.”
Safe (The Shielded Series Book 1) Page 17