by Debra Webb
Dakota looked away. “This was the only safe home I ever knew.” What a disgusting lie. But he needed a break here. He needed Byrd off guard.
“Then you fared no better as a man,” Byrd suggested.
Dakota gave his head a negligible shake. “I sank back into my old ways. Used my ability to wreak havoc and damage to survive.”
“It’s not too late to correct that pattern. There are measures that can be taken now to neutralize those destructive impulses.”
Dakota wanted to laugh at the twisted sincerity in the madman’s voice. Instead, he met his gaze. “You really believe it’s not too late? You can still help me?” He cleared his throat as if emotion had clogged it. “You know that’s why I’m back. This has to end.” Damn straight. This whole place had to be brought down. And Dakota was going to do it. Chances of him getting out were slim to none. He might as well make the most out of his final feat.
Byrd took a breath. “Bring him to the critical decision unit.” Dr. Byrd turned to leave the room.
“Sir,” the associate manning the controls spoke up, “are you sure that’s a good idea? He’s quite unmanageable when less than fully secured.”
Byrd paused at the door and sent a glower at the man. “Then do your job. See that he is adequately secured. I’ll need to conduct a full analysis.”
A shudder rumbled inside Dakota. Analysis. Code for inhumane testing, mental and physical.
“Of course, sir.”
Byrd left the room. The door whooshed to a close behind him, leaving a silence chock-full of tension.
The second man, the one stationed at the foot of the examining table, removed a pair of nylon wrist restraints from his pocket.
“We won’t need those,” the other announced.
“Dr. Byrd said—”
“I know what he said.” The guy lingered at the controls. “Dr. Byrd didn’t specify how to secure him.” He smirked. “As long as he’s manageable that’s what counts.” The bastard hit the On switch.
Dakota braced for the fiery current.
Chapter Fifteen
Lucky didn’t dare move. Still, the man’s arm tightened around her neck as if he wasn’t taking any chances on whether she would bolt.
“What took you so long?” he growled close to her ear, impatience or frustration radiating in his tone.
“I…” Lucky swallowed against the choking sensation threatening to cut off her ability to breathe. “I came as quickly as I could.” She’d learned from her father that when dealing with uncertainty, it was best to play along as long as possible.
He dragged her deeper into the dark room. Lucky’s feet scrambled to stay beneath her. Her fingers instinctively dug more deeply into the man’s hairy arm. The urge to fight roared beneath her skin, keeping time with her racing heart.
“I’ve been protecting the asset,” he assured Lucky in a rough whisper. “I wasn’t sure how much longer I could maintain my cover.”
A new kind of fear leeched into her veins. This was not the institute’s security. Could be a good thing…or something way worse.
“You got here in the nick of time.”
“I…”
He released her.
Lucky grappled for balance and denied her instinct to run for the door. If this man wasn’t security, he was a patient.
Rallying her fading courage, she turned around. A flame flickered to life in front of his face. A lighter.
He nodded toward the flame. “I snatched it from one of the guards.” Pride glowed on the man’s face.
The poor guy was obviously delusional. He wore a blue print hospital gown. His feet were bare. Whatever was going on inside his head, Lucky was fairly sure that continuing to play along would be the smart thing to do.
“Good idea,” she praised. “It’ll work just as well as a flashlight.” What the heck did she do now?
The man hissed a curse and the flame died. “Not good for long-term use.”
“I should carry on with my mission,” she ventured. All she had to do was get out of this room without him drawing attention from the nurses who would, in turn, call security. If he insisted on accompanying her she was going to be in trouble.
“Of course,” he agreed. “Come with me.”
Before Lucky could decide how to react to that order, he reached out and snagged her arm. Lucky resisted the urge to snatch her arm back. Instead, she let him lead her. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, allowing her to vaguely make out the bed in the middle of the room and a small bedside table. He stopped in front of a door. Closet or bathroom probably.
“Keep quiet,” he whispered. “If they hear us we’re done for.”
He opened the narrow door, then ushered her in front of him. Lucky’s pulse tripped. If he was about to shove her into a closet and…
He reached around her and flicked the lighter. The flame cut a path through the darkness of what turned out to be a small bathroom.
He squeezed past her and drew the shower curtain aside. “I told you,” he said excitedly. “I kept the asset safe and sound.”
Lucky’s gaze settled on the tiled shower stall. A woman sat on the tile floor, her knees hugged to her chest and her head down. Strands of silver glistened against her coal-black hair.
Lucky’s gasp echoed softly in the tiny room. “Mrs. Colby-Camp.”
The woman’s head came up.
It was her!
Lucky rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of the shower. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
The man muttered a curse and the light extinguished.
“Lucky?” Mrs. Colby-Camp’s voice sounded thick. “What’re you doing here? Did they kidnap you, too?”
“I’ll explain later. Right now we have to get out of here.” Lucky slid an arm around her boss and urged her to her feet. She leaned heavily against Lucky. “Can you walk?” If she couldn’t walk Lucky would have an awful time getting her out of this place.
Before Mrs. Colby-Camp could answer, the man loitering in the doorway said, “They sedated her. That’s the only reason I could get her out of her room. They figured she wasn’t going anywhere so they didn’t leave a guard.”
“Where were they keeping her?” The lighter came on again. Lucky blinked.
“Next room.” He nodded toward the wall behind Lucky. “I heard the enemy threatening her. I knew she was a hostage.”
Who was this man? “You did an excellent job, sir.” Was he actually crazy or was he someone this institute had used in the experiments Garrett spoke of? Did he need rescuing, too?
“That’s colonel to you, young lady,” he said proudly, shoulders reared back. “Colonel Henry Marshall, United States Air Force, Retired.”
“Colonel,” Lucky acknowledged. She turned to her boss. “Ma’am, put your arm around my waist and hang on.” How in the world was she going to get out of here when Mrs. Colby-Camp could scarcely stand? How much time did she have before someone came around looking for her?
The colonel stepped back from the door and gestured for them to follow. Lucky guided her boss through the narrow doorway. The lighter went out again.
“You should try to escape, Lucky,” her boss murmured. “It’s too dangerous for you to do this.”
“Mr. Camp sent me.” Saying those words chased away the uncertainty plaguing her. Lucky could do this. Mr. Camp was depending on her.
“He’ll be back for her in a few hours,” the colonel said. “He’s taking her away from here so he can do very bad things. You must not be captured.”
Mrs. Colby-Camp shivered.
“Who’s coming?” Lucky asked. She wished she could see the colonel’s face. “Is it Dr. Byrd?”
“I don’t know his name,” he said. “But there’s no time to waste. You should hurry.”
Fear tied another knot in her belly. He was right. She firmed her hold on her boss. It was the how that was going to be dicey.
“I’ll create a diversion,” the colonel said. He walked to the door separatin
g his room from the corridor and opened it just enough to peek out.
Lucky guided her boss forward until they stood behind him. “Will that put you at risk?” The poor man had already taken several as far as Lucky could tell.
“I can take care of myself, soldier.” He thrust the lighter at her. “You might need this.”
Lucky drew in a bolstering breath and accepted the lighter. Any kind of light was better than none. “Thank you, colonel.”
“Stay out of sight until you hear me shout the code word. I know all the nurses on this floor. When they’re all gathered around me trying to control the situation, I’ll give you the go-ahead. Scramble.”
If Lucky could make it to the stairwell, the odds of escaping were greatly increased. “I understand.” She could do it. Definitely.
“Hold your position.” He eased the door open wider.
“I won’t forget your bravery, colonel,” Mrs. Colby-Camp said, her voice uncharacteristically weak. “I am in your debt, sir.”
The light peeking through the gap in the door spotlighted the colonel’s two-fingered salute. “My pleasure, ma’am.” Then he opened the door wider and slipped out.
Lucky eased the door nearly closed behind him. She chewed her lip, leaning closer to the narrow opening. Her head was spinning. She should be terrified, but she wasn’t. Not really. The fear was there, but somehow it stayed at bay. What had just happened here? Who was this Colonel Marshall? Images of the way Garrett had come to her rescue early this morning replayed in her mind. To run into two heroes in one day was unusual to say the least. Maybe fate had decided to give her a break.
“You need to be aware,” her boss said, “that the man who had me brought here is extremely dangerous. If he finds us, he’ll kill you.”
That terror loitering on the fringes of her consciousness crept closer. “Did you recognize him?” Shouting in the corridor near the nurse’s desk had her heart rate climbing and her attention shifting back to the door.
“No, but he’s an old enemy of Lucas’s. That alone guarantees he’s dangerous. If he catches us, he’ll have no mercy.” She released a weary breath. “I can’t allow you to take such a risk.”
Lucky kicked back the fear. “Then we won’t let him catch us.”
“However you got in here,” the boss argued, “your odds of escaping that way are considerably more likely without me slowing you down.”
Above the other shouting she distinctly heard the word Scramble.
“There’s no time,” Lucky said as she moved her boss into the corridor. She took a deep breath and hoped the colonel knew what he was doing.
She didn’t breathe again until they were well down the corridor. Moving was slower than she’d like, but Mrs. Colby-Camp was weak and a little wobbly. Before reaching each landing, Lucky stilled and listened for company. So far the stairwell remained clear. The next step was to get back to the truck. Garrett’s cell was in the hole where she’d hidden. Lucky had memorized the number she was to call.
Help was supposed to be close.
Really close, Lucky hoped.
Twice they had to stop for Mrs. Colby-Camp to rest. When they made it to the basement level, Lucky wanted to check the corridor before exposing her boss.
“Rest here a moment.” Lucky ushered her boss to the wall beneath the stairs.
“What’re you doing?” Worry cluttered Mrs. Colby-Camp’s face.
“Just making sure the coast is clear.” Lucky managed a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
Lucky took a second to compose herself. She had the uniform and the badge, so she would be fine. She opened the door and looked out.
The corridor was clear.
Her pulse thudding, Lucky returned to the stair well. “It’s clear.”
Mrs. Colby-Camp nodded.
Moving down that open corridor at such a slow pace had Lucky’s nerves frazzled by the time they reached the door to the laundry and maintenance room.
Lucky opened the door and got Mrs. Colby-Camp inside. As she started to close the door she froze. She inhaled deeply. What was that smell?
Smoke. Cigarette smoke.
Lucky touched her finger to her lips. Mrs. Colby-Camp nodded her understanding.
Think!
Lucky carefully closed the door, ensuring the latch didn’t click. She ushered her boss behind the nearest rack of laundry. After squaring her shoulders, Lucky smoothed a hand over her scrub top and followed the smell of smoke.
A woman dressed in the same type of scrubs as Lucky jumped and made a little sound of surprise.
“Sorry.” Lucky made a face that reflected her regret. “I came to do the same thing.” She reached into the pocket of her scrub pants and pulled out the lighter the colonel had given her. She huffed. “Dang it, I forgot my—”
“Here.” The blonde woman who looked to be about thirty and whose badge sported the name Nita Sparks handed Lucky her pack of cigarettes.
Lucky sighed. “Thanks.” She took one from the pack and passed it back. Careful not to draw the smoke into her lungs—she’d learned that trick back in high school when she’d tried being cool—she lit the cigarette.
“You new?” Nita asked.
Lucky nodded. “Just started. Which floor are you on?” she inquired before Nita could.
“Two. You?”
“Third.” She took another pretend draw. “One of our old guys who thinks he’s still in the military freaked out a few minutes ago. I’m glad it was time for my break.”
Nita dropped her spent cigarette, scrubbed it out with the toe of her shoe then slid it between the bars of the large drain cover in the floor. “That happens when they don’t take their meds.” She gave Lucky a knowing look. “You have to watch ’em close. They’ll pretend they’ve swallowed it then spit it out when you leave the room. Most of ’em are harmless, but there’s a few who can be pretty violent.”
“Oh, yeah. I was warned about that.”
Nita tucked her cigarettes under her scrub top. “Gotta get back on the floor. See ya ’round.”
“Sure thing.” Lucky watched her walk away, scarcely resisting the urge to follow her. When she heard the soft click of the door’s latch, she tossed her cigarette in the same manner as the other woman, made a face at the nasty taste in her mouth, then hurried back to where she’d left her boss.
“We’re clear now.”
Mrs. Colby-Camp looked tired but relieved. Lucky sure hoped the help that was supposed to be close would arrive soon. If the man who’d arranged Mrs. Colby-Camp’s abduction still had plans for her then chances were the sedative wasn’t harmful. He could be looking for her right now.
Getting through the tunnel was fast and, thankfully, uneventful. Once in the massive garage, Lucky moved more slowly. There was very little light and she couldn’t use the lighter and hold her boss, too. Garrett’s truck was a site for sore eyes.
“Rest here a moment.” She left the boss leaning against the truck and climbed into the bed of the truck. Using the lighter for visibility, she moved the bed liner and opened the door to the hidden compartment.
Her fingers couldn’t seem to put the cell’s battery in place, turn it on and punch in the numbers quickly enough. A man’s voice answered on the first ring. She didn’t recognize it, but since she had to keep the call short, there was no time to ask his identity. Garrett had warned her that transmissions were monitored.
“It’s Lucky Malone. We’re in position.”
“You know what to do,” the man said. “Your extraction is in ten minutes.”
Lucky frowned. “Wait, what about Garrett? He’s still in there.”
“He can take care of himself for now. I’ll make arrangements for him later.”
No. That wasn’t acceptable. “They’ll torture him.” Or worse.
“You have your orders.”
No way. “She’ll be here,” Lucky said, before she had time to second-guess herself. “I’m going back for Garrett.”
The man said somethi
ng else but Lucky didn’t listen. She turned off the phone and removed the battery as Garrett had instructed.
She climbed out of the truck and joined her boss. “Help will be here in ten minutes. But until then I have to hide you.”
Mrs. Colby-Camp shook her head. “Something’s very wrong here. Was that Lucas?”
“There’s no time to explain.” Lucky helped her boss to the truck’s tailgate. “I have to hurry or Garrett might be badly hurt or worse.” She couldn’t believe they were just going to leave him to fend for himself for now. The Colby Agency didn’t usually work that way. As her boss said, this whole operation was a little off somehow.
“Who is this Garrett you’re talking about? Have you spoken to Jim or Simon?”
There was no time. Lucky climbed into the bed of the truck and reached down to assist her boss. “I’ll tell you everything when this is over. Please,” she urged when her boss still hesitated, “there’s no time.”
Mrs. Colby-Camp took Lucky’s hand and climbed in. Lucky used the lighter to show her the hiding place. Mrs. Colby-Camp didn’t ask any more questions or hesitate. She climbed in and struggled into position.
“I know it’s not very comfortable, but you won’t be in here long. I’m going to cover you now.”
“Lucky.”
She flicked the lighter so she could see her boss’s face. “Yes.”
“Whatever this man Garrett has told you, I’m certain that Lucas didn’t put you in this position. You need to be very careful.”
Lucky promised she would, then quickly closed the door to the box and put the bed liner in place.
She hurried to the door that would take her back into the tunnel. Then she hesitated. That her boss was so certain about Mr. Camp not being involved unnerved her to some degree. Garrett insisted that Lucas was running this operation. Would he lie to her?
Why save her life, then lie?
She shook it off. Didn’t really matter right now. Garrett needed her help. She couldn’t leave without going after him.
He’d already done the same for her.
Chapter Sixteen
“What did you do?” Byrd demanded.