by April Zyon
“That one Delta Hastings has reportedly committed suicide. As she is a relative to one of our boys out in the combat zone, we need verification. Thus, we need to see the body, so that we can go through the chain of command to get him informed and back home.”
“All of this is based on the hope that not a single person in there served with the military, of course,” Gaius muttered.
“Even if they did, they don’t know how black ops work. Plus, there’s only one former military person working here, and he’s not back on shift until tomorrow morning. Mercury did a quick check of the staff to be sure before giving me the ID’s necessary to pull this off.”
Gaius grumbled something under his breath, too low for Hector to make out the words. It likely wasn’t complimentary, so he ignored it and got out of the vehicle. After making sure the doors were locked, they headed inside and right into the midst of utter chaos.
Several people were yelling, both patients and their keepers. A few patients were cheering, while a couple others were crying and screaming for it all to stop. There were even more in another room, pretending not to be paying any mind to the noise, yet actively eavesdropping.
Sharing a look with Gaius, Hector rubbed at his chest. Shifting slightly, he let out a low grunt. His medallion was reacting to something. It wasn’t priority, though gaining some semblance of order was.
With a shrug to his fellow guardian, he put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle. He kept it going until he was absolutely sure every person was silent. Dropping his hand, he glowered at everyone there. “Who the hell is in charge around here?” he demanded in a loud tone.
Once a commander of an army, he knew how to make himself heard over great distances. In the small, lobby-like area, it was like a crack of thunder. All motion stopped long enough for the men to find someone in charge.
As Gaius spoke to one of the nurses, Hector was distracted by a flash of movement. All he caught was a whiff of something intoxicating and a lot of curly, blonde hair. Frowning, he turned ever so slightly and watched as the woman slipped out the main doors.
She likely wasn’t supposed to do that. Which made the already intriguing and disturbing situation even more so.
“Handle this,” he said to Gaius. “I’ll be back.”
Not waiting for a reply, he headed out the front door, barely restraining himself from just tearing the thing off its hinges when it didn’t open at first. One look to a security man had it buzzing for Hector’s release.
Stepping outside, he carefully searched the grounds of the sanitarium. If not for her light-colored hair catching a bit of light, he’d never have spotted her. He was soon chasing after her in the early morning light.
* * * *
It wasn’t exactly good of Riley to start the little brawl that she had, but it was the only way she would be able to get out of the facility without calling her attorneys. She needed to do this as much on the down low as possible, so that her mother didn’t catch on to what she was doing.
As Riley thought about the woman that had given birth to her, she felt cold. Her mother was anything but loving and caring. She’d only given birth to Riley to appease her father, and she had made sure that Riley knew that growing up. If not for her father giving a heavy buffer between her mother and herself, Riley wasn’t so certain she would have made it out of childhood alive. No, Riley’s mother was all about herself, all about the looks and—more than that—she was all about money. She didn’t care about Riley, only the money Riley had inherited, money that Helena could utilize while Riley lived.
It had been easy to start the distraction—all Riley’d had to do was shoot a spit ball at one of the women who was certain there were invisible aliens that were trying to get to her. Once it had hit the woman, she’d immediately risen to her feet, which had caused the table—and the puzzle on it—that four of them had been sitting at to topple over. The confusion, sound, and pieces that had gone flying had the others shouting and jumping up and running around.
From there the hysteria had grown and soon everyone in the day room was having a fit.
Once the orderlies came in, there would only be a couple of moments before they would start to drag people to their rooms. That would be her chance to get away.
She had also timed her escape perfectly with shift change. In a few moments, the day shift nurses would be entering the building. She hid in the shadows, waiting for the front doors to open. When they did, she slid the small stop she had fashioned into the jamb to keep it from closing fully. Then, once more, she put her back to the wall and breathed in a slow and measured pace while waiting for the perfect moment to dash out.
Her eyes widened when two men walked in. They were massive. Both were dressed in military garb, but it wasn’t right. She’d met more than one military man while her father had been alive, and while the men looked as if they were warriors, they didn’t look like they fit into an ordered regime. Instead they seemed to own the façade they put forward.
The taller of the two was, well, he was stunning. With his military short, dark brown hair and his icy green eyes he was remarkable. She could see the power all but radiating off him and, oddly enough, she could see more.
A small, golden cord suddenly arced from him to her. This scared her for a moment and had her pressing her back to the wall again.
Odd. Very odd. She listened to the men talking in their low, modulated tones and smiled when the chaos began to spill into the halls. Perfect! Exactly what she needed. She would owe some serious karma points to the people that were fighting and that were going to be drugged because of her, but she had to get out. Someone had found the perfect hunting ground in the sanitarium. They found people that no one would think twice about.
Once all eyes were toward the erupting chaos, she took off in a run, her long, curly blonde hair flying behind her like a cape as she disappeared. Grabbing her makeshift doorstop, she raced down the stairs and turned left into the wooded area that surrounded the facility.
The dark woods closed around her protectively. The scent of the damp soil surrounded her as she relished the quiet that ruled in that hidden world.
“Perfect getaway,” she said with a small laugh as she ran for the roadway. From time to time she looked behind her, careful and watchful.
Chapter Two
Riley stopped and put her back to a tree. It was enormous and would hide her from whatever, or whoever, was out there. She frowned, cocking her head to the side and trying to think of who it might have been that had followed her. No one had seen her, she was sure of it. She’d been so careful to hide herself.
No longer hearing footsteps, she twisted slightly and looked around the trunk, gasping when she caught sight of the massive man who stood there with his arms across his chest. “Holy balls,” she muttered, then bit her lip. “Crap.” She might have been able to get away if she hadn’t spoken, but now he would know she was there.
She frowned. “What are you?” Not who, because while he seemed human, he also seemed far more. He was powerful, impressive, incredible … and mouthwatering—if she really wanted to be completely honest with herself. Damn it.
One of his dark eyebrows went up as he stared at her. “Why did you slip out of there is the better question. I’m also going to leap to the very plausible conclusion that you’re somehow responsible for that fiasco inside. A cover for your grand escape, was it?”
“I slipped out because I have things I have to do. I have to make sure that the truth is told.” She didn’t think to lie. She never did. She hated lies with a passion. They hurt her, physically, to tell. “I have a ride waiting for me. I have to go. Please don’t tell?” she asked softly. “I’ll come back, but it’s best if they don’t realize yet that I’m gone.” Again, truth. “What are you?” She repeated her original question, curiosity killing her. “You aren’t fully human, but you aren’t one of the monsters either.” Her voice was slightly husky, so she cleared her throat.
His attent
ion sharpened on her, the ice in his green eyes becoming even more chilling as he moved closer. He didn’t uncross his arms, though. Then he stopped suddenly and pressed a hand to his chest, to the left and just under where his heart would be, frowning.
An instant later, something flashed over his face—a hundred emotions, thousands of thoughts, blasting across his harsh features—before he was once more nearly unreadable. “I’m a guardian,” he said. “You, little runaway, you though, are something even more interesting, and I can’t let you go off alone. Not to face what’s out there without some way to stay safe. It goes against all that I am.” He seemed to be choosing his words with care, yet not one of them was a lie.
“I have to.” She stepped nearer by a small stride. “Guardian. I don’t know what that is,” she admitted.
She knew monsters, though. Monsters seemed to seek her out, likely because she saw and felt the truth of what and who they were. “There are people being killed and their families are being told that it’s suicide. That’s just not right. These people might have had mental issues, but they weren’t suicidal. I knew them. I lived with them. They wouldn’t kill themselves any more than I would.”
He seemed to accept her words with nothing more than a nod. “We’re here because we don’t believe they’re suicides either. There’s something more going on here. We came to find out what that is and to put a stop to it before it’s too late. If you know something, you need to tell us what it is so that we are fully aware of everything going on. Any piece of information is potentially useful. Anything left out can be deadly in a battle.”
Riley chewed her lower lip for a moment, a nervous habit of hers. “In the security office,” she whispered, defeat a living and breathing thing inside of her. “There are hidden tapes. Ones the staff don’t know about. The doctor had the cameras put in a few years ago. They are hidden behind a false wall. Watch them. They all run off their own power and feed. I couldn’t see well, but they weren’t suicides.”
He inched forward, so close that she could feel the heat from his body. He touched her chin lightly, tipping her head up so that they were staring into one another’s eyes. “I need you to show me. I’ll get my friend to move the security and others along. He has his ways. We’ll remain only long enough to get what we need. Anything and everything is useful. Including your name, little one. What is it?”
“And you guarantee that these people who killed my friends will be brought to justice?” She was rewarded with a nod from him. “Okay. And I’m Riley. Who are you?” She noticed that he had ignored her question about what a guardian was. He was far more than human, though, and she itched to touch him. And she had never liked touching people.
“I’m Hector,” he answered. His thumb brushed over her skin before he dropped his hand. “I will make those who did this pay with all they have to give and more. I will also protect you, Riley. It is my honor and privilege to do so, for however long we will be together in this endeavor.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Riley replied with wide eyes. “If you want to watch over me, I won’t argue. But when it’s over I’ll have to give up my safety.” She sighed. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He radiated honesty, but she sensed his determination as well. It matched her own. She was determined to remain healthy, alive, and safe.
He followed her back to the building. “You didn’t ask it of me,” he said softly. “I offered freely.” When they reached their destination he urged her into the shadows surrounding the doors. “Stay here until I return for you. I must speak with my friend without any of them knowing what’s going on.” He waited for her to nod before he pulled the door open and stepped inside.
Riley hugged the side. She chewed her lip and wondered at her willingness to remain. When the door opened again, she pressed her back to the wall, waiting to see if it was Hector or one of the guards.
“All clear.” His deep voice reached out to her. Hector held out a hand and waved her inside. “We need to be quick, though, and won’t be able to leave out the front doors, so I hope you have another way. Even if it’s secured.”
“There is another way—I can sign myself out,” she admitted as she slipped into the facility. The moment that her hand slid into his, however, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared up at him.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “You are… What is this?” The golden thread was back, very lightly shining between the two of them. Maybe I’ve lost my mind. Maybe this is my breaking point.
Hector pulled her close to his body and gazed down at her. “I will explain everything later. We’re not safe here, especially you. We need to get to the tapes and then leave quickly. When we have the time, after we have left, I will tell you all that I know. Will you trust me for a little longer, Riley?”
“Yes,” she whispered, because she felt the honesty in his voice. Felt the truth that flowed from him. “I will have to sign myself out. I can’t just walk away.” She stepped back, and the thread that spanned between them thinned almost to nothing. She licked her lips and felt the loss of that odd connection, which had felt like home, plain and simple.
He was frowning, but nodded. “Will that cause you any issues? I mean, with anyone here, or out there in the world? I know this is a lot to be asking of you, even though you were clearly heading out to do your own thing.” He shot her a look with a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I just don’t want any of this coming back to bite you in the ass.”
She shrugged. “Delta is worth it. Besides, as long as I steer clear of dear old Mom, I should be okay.” But there were others too. The monsters that she saw—the visages of the beasts that they truly were, as they were able to hide nothing from her. She saw the truth of a being instead of the façade they gave the world.
That earned her a scrutinizing stare. “You don’t get along with your mother?” he asked. He peeked around a corner and waved her on to continue leading him where they needed to go. Then at another, he did the same.
“No. She’s rather peeved off that Daddy left me with his fortune, and she can’t touch it. Not a nice woman, my mother. She has proclivities that no one should ever mention. She’s a terrible person.” She didn’t mind putting it out there for all to know. “Believe me, if you never meet the woman, it’ll be far too soon.”
At the door to the security office, which was of course locked, he shot her another look before crouching down. He dug in his pockets and pulled out a little packet that he unzipped. He drew out two little, silver pieces of metal. “See, you say that sort of thing, which only raises my curiosity more.” He worked the thin strips in the lock before grinning at a soft click. Turning the knob, he rose to his feet and pushed the door open. “Ladies first.”
She stepped into the room and put her back to the wall, watching him as he stepped in. “Well, you are a very attractive man, and Mother is a beautiful woman, thanks to her plastic surgeons. You would likely enjoy meeting her.” The thought of her mother sexing up the man she felt so connected to made Riley physically sick.
Hector strode right up to her until she was snugly sandwiched between his body and the wall. Bracing his hands by her head, he leaned in to stare into her eyes. “You think I’m attractive?” A little tick at the corner of his mouth told her he was trying not to smile.
“Do you not have a mirror?” Riley asked with a frown, tilting her head to the side. “Yes, I think you’re very attractive. You’re the type of man that Mother would love to have as a lover—hard all over, kind, and very generous.” She shrugged. “Do you want her number?” You wouldn’t be the first one to want my mother instead of me.
“No. Yours, on the other hand…” His lips curved into a small, lopsided grin as he lightly bumped his forehead to hers. “Stop looking like you’re going to throw up. It’s hard on my sensitive ego. You say I’m attractive, and yet you’re throwing me toward another woman. On top of it all, you look nauseated just being in this room with me. What’s going on, Riley?” His tone was light, but his eyes
voiced his true concern.
“More than one man has tossed me over for her,” she whispered, cheeks heating. “And you can have my number anytime you’d like it. But we should do what we came in here to do.” God help her, but she wanted to step in that little bit closer to him, wrap her arms around his middle, and let the world fall away.
“They were unworthy of your attention if they were so easily swayed by false advertising,” he said. Then he grinned. “Didn’t think I’d ever have occasion to use that sentence. You’re right, though. We should move quickly. We need to gather all the tapes. We can review everything later, from a more secure location. Gaius will only be able to hold the staff off for a little longer. Where are they?” He pushed away from her, but slowly.
She pointed to the hidden entrance and nodded. “You won’t need me to come with you, will you?” She had questions, and he had promised her answers, but she was shaken.
Hector lifted a hand to cup her cheek, the roughness of his fingers and palm a direct contrast to her soft skin. “I don’t need you to, but I would like you to. Very much, actually. It must be your choice,” he whispered, his hand sliding away from her face as he took another step back. His eyes pinned her in place for a long moment before he turned to go to where she’d indicated. He said nothing more as he collected everything from within.
When he was finished, a large and heavy bag was slung over his shoulder, and he closed the door to the room. Stepping up next to her, he held out a hand, palm up. Still he said nothing, just gazed at her, waiting for her decision.
She slipped her hand into his and turned her face up to him. “I’ll come with you. I don’t know you, but I trust you, and I want to know more of what this is.” She motioned between them, the very thin, golden thread stroked by her fingertips.
That earned her another frown, this one confused. “We’ll talk once I have you someplace safe. We’ll take the time to get to know one another well. Very well, I hope.”