"Bellisia was never paired with us, just us with her," Adam said. "She has never acted in any way as if she felt anything for us other than perhaps affection as a sister might feel. By the time Whitney decided to do his pairing, Gerald and I already were aware that the things he was doing with those women were wrong. Most of his soldiers were men with no morals and less scruples. We didn't want any part of his experiments."
"Yet you still carried out his orders."
"Better us than leave them to some of the other men," Gerald said. "It's easy enough to resist when you know what his motives are. Neither of us have any physical reaction at all anymore. At first we felt it mildly, but just barely, and then not at all."
"Whitney knows you killed Violet, Bella," Adam said softly, his gaze not on Bellisia, but on Ezekiel.
"He said to tell you if you don't come home, he'll turn you in. It won't be that difficult to prove that it was you who killed the senator," Gerald added. "We tried to talk sense into him, Bellisia, but he's pissed you escaped. You were always important to him."
"Not important enough that he didn't infect her with a virus deadly to her," Ezekiel pointed out. "Whitney can go to hell for all we care. Bellisia isn't going back. He can accuse her all he wants, but there's going to be a squadron of men willing to give her an alibi that will be unbeatable."
"Ezekiel," Bellisia cautioned, a hand to his arm. "We have to think about this. If Whitney does that, it could endanger the girls."
"Bella," Adam said softly. "It's an empty threat. You always think with your heart. Whitney won't go to the authorities, anonymously or otherwise. The last thing he can afford to do is draw attention to his experiments. He created you. You were a child. All those women were when he conducted his experiments. The moment you say that, he's as condemned as you are."
"Still, you came after her." Ezekiel sounded mild. Casual. Bellisia knew better.
"Like we said, better us than someone else. Once we traced her here, we didn't know you. For all we knew you could be every bit as bad as the motley crew he surrounds himself with," Gerald said. "We weren't going to have her go from the frying pan into the fire."
"That explains why you're here working on the house." Ezekiel made it a statement. "Now you can go back to him and deliver the bad news."
The two men looked at each other and then shook their heads. "No, we're not going back. Whitney will have to do without us."
"Ezekiel"--Bellisia put a hand on his arm--"maybe we can get the other girls out."
Adam shook his head. "He's already moved them. The entire compound is deserted. I have no idea where he took them."
She felt bile rising and had to double over to keep from vomiting. Of course Whitney would move the other women, he probably had a plan every time one of them went out on a mission, just in case they didn't come back. She'd always had a vague idea that she'd find a way to free the others, but Whitney was always one step ahead.
"How were you going to contact him if you reacquired Bellisia?" Ezekiel asked.
"We had a number to call. He would give us instructions, and we'd bring her in. We're already past the time he allotted us," Adam answered.
Ezekiel's expression didn't change, but she felt that surge of power in him. Dark. Dangerous. The need to explode into violence.
"What exactly are your plans?"
"We thought we'd do a little fishing while we had the chance," Adam said with a shrug. "Find peace while we can."
Alarm bells went off in Bellisia's head. She started to take a step toward them, but Ezekiel's arm locked her to him. For the first time, she was really irritated with his proprietary ways. She glared up at him and was even more annoyed when he didn't seem to notice.
"What does that mean, Adam?" she demanded. "While you had the chance? Find peace while you can? That son-of-a-bitch infected you both with something deadly, didn't he?"
Neither answered.
"Didn't he?" she all but shouted at them.
"Baby," Ezekiel cautioned. "Easy."
"Don't 'easy' me. Answer me, Adam. He infected you, didn't he? You came here knowing if you didn't bring me back, you were going to die."
"We gave you as much time as possible to establish yourself, Bella," Adam said. "We wanted to know you were happy, so we just hung back and kept an eye out. The Fontenots are well thought of, and that was our first clue that you were in a good place. Donny, on that island, he lied for you, and he's got the reputation of not liking many people. You were already fitting in. We talked it over and knew this was going to be it for us, so our last gift to you was to help build your house."
For a moment she could barely breathe. Her lungs burned for air and her throat felt raw. "You're just going to die? You're going to let him kill you?" She wanted it to come out strong, but she sounded more like she was going to cry. Or maybe she was crying. "These men are doctors. It isn't too late."
"It was too late a few days ago. The capsules broke open. Your man is a surgeon. He isn't going to be able to figure out what Whitney concocted, certainly not in time before the virus takes hold," Gerald said gently.
"This was our choice, Bella," Adam added. "We're soldiers. We fight for our country. What Whitney had us doing isn't that. There was never anything left for us."
"Bullshit," Ezekiel said. "He made you into GhostWalkers. There's always a way to serve your country."
"We're a little flawed," Gerald said with a short laugh. "We didn't make the program."
"I read your jacket. You didn't flunk the psych eval. He enhanced you both." Ezekiel studied them. "Most GhostWalkers recognize one another. Not all. I couldn't recognize Bellisia. You really want out so bad you're willing to die to get out?"
"We tried numerous ways to stop Whitney. Nothing worked. Sooner or later he was going to have to kill us anyway, and I think he knows that it was only a matter of time," Adam said. "Those women need to be pulled out of there before it's too late for some of them."
"There has to be a way to find an antidote for the virus," Bellisia said.
Adam shook his head gently. "It's too late."
"It can't be. There are doctors, brilliant minds, here. If they aren't here, they know people. Right, Ezekiel?" She turned her face up to his, hopeful. Counting on him. Believing in him.
"Babe, you always look at me as if I can move mountains. In this case, I just might be able to, if I believe them."
"You can hear lies. Of course you believe them. They're telling you the truth," she insisted staunchly. No way was Adam or Gerald lying. She knew Whitney well enough to know he would rather kill the two men than lose them. All along they'd advocated for the women. More than once they'd beaten one of the supersoldiers Whitney had created for the things the man had done to one of the women. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the two men were telling the truth.
Suddenly there was a terrible urgency about helping them. How much time had passed since the capsules had opened?
Ezekiel sighed. His woman looked at him with wide, trusting eyes, and he'd do just about anything for her, including taking on two more men. He caught Mordichai's knowing grin. His brother mouthed a single word, but sent it telepathically to all of them.
Whipped.
Ezekiel rudely flipped him off. "Let's go," he said abruptly.
Adam and Gerald exchanged a long look. Gerald shrugged. "There's nothing to be done, so if it's all the same to you, we'll just keep to our plan of fishing."
"Don't be an ass. Look at my woman's face. Do you think I'm going to leave you to die when she's looking like the world's coming to an end? Get in the car with Mordichai. He's nowhere near as nice as I am. He likes to shoot people just for the hell of it." He turned, taking Bellisia with him. "Come on, baby, let's get home. I've got to talk to Rubin."
Adam and Gerald could take his invitation or leave it. He'd extended a way out to them, but he wasn't going to talk them into it. They either wanted to live or they were talking bullshit. He almost wished it was the latter, but he h
ad to admire them. Surrounded, they were cool under fire. They were fucking good soldiers, men you wanted at your back in combat. If they had hung back, waiting to see if Bellisia made a life for herself before making the decision to get away from Whitney, even though it would cost them their lives, he had to give that to them as well. They were brave, if a little foolish.
Bellisia went with him, looking back over her shoulder at the other two men, which pissed him off just a little. They could say all they wanted that the pairing didn't work, but she obviously cared for the two men, as they did for her.
"You're walking too fast," she protested, her voice low. "It's no different than the way you feel about Pepper and Cayenne, Ezekiel. You have affection for them, and that's all right. That's the way it should be. You all have created a family here."
He yanked opened the door to the four-wheel-drive SUV, caught her around the waist and lifted her, all but tossing her onto the seat. He indicated the seat belt and shut the door with a controlled fury. Two more reasons why Whitney was going to continue to scrutinize the Louisiana swamp.
Bellisia didn't say a word as he drove back to the Fontenot compound. He drove a little faster than he normally would have with her in the vehicle, but what the hell did she mean by that? You all have created a family here. She was his family. She was part of what they were creating.
He caught glimpses of the second SUV, Draden driving, behind him. He parked, and Bellisia was already out of the vehicle by the time he'd turned off the keys. She rounded the hood of the car and as he closed his door, she leapt into his arms. He had no choice but to catch her. Her arms circled his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. She pressed her body tight against his.
"Ezekiel." Her lips moved against his throat. "Kiss me. I need you to kiss me."
He knew what she was doing. She took the aggression from him with her kisses. She was afraid he was going to explode into violence. He'd been so close, wanting to annihilate everything and everyone around him. Damn Whitney to hell for wreaking havoc on so many lives. Bellisia would spend the rest of her life worrying about the other women she'd grown up with, partially blaming herself because she managed to escape and they hadn't.
He wrapped his arms around her, afraid of breaking her in half, trying to be as gentle as a man like him could be. He'd been totally unprepared for such overwhelming emotion for her, but it flooded him every bit as strong as that deep need for violence. He brought his mouth down on hers, lips teasing at hers until she opened for him and then he stormed inside.
Her mouth was hot and moist and perfect. He lost himself there, the need for her suddenly urgent and unchecked. It rushed through him like a firestorm out of control when just seconds earlier he'd had complete control. He didn't know if it was the mixture of sex and violence swirling in him, twining together until he wasn't certain he could control the need for her, but the fire burned hotter than it ever had.
Her mouth was a scalding paradise. He kissed her over and over, possession and love warring with each other. He felt primal, savage, a wild animal claiming a mate, and yet at the same time, his love for her was so damn deep he could barely breathe with it. She gave him everything in return, her body soft and pliant, molding to his, accepting his primitive claiming, doing a little claiming of her own, returning kiss for kiss.
When he lifted his head, the sound of snickering cleared his mind. The other vehicle had parked and the men were out, watching them, shaking their heads.
She blushed furiously and hid her head against his shirt. "Mordichai will never let me live this down, will he?"
"Never going to happen, little sister," Mordichai answered, proving his hearing was nearly as acute as his brother's.
"Take the two of them to the room in the laboratory," Ezekiel ordered, uncaring that the others saw him staking his claim on his woman. He rather liked it. Let them all know she was off-limits, particularly Gerald and Adam.
"You're growling," Bellisia whispered, her lips moving against his shirt. He felt the warmth of her breath through the thin material. There was a surprising intimacy about the movement, one that sent heat spiraling through his body.
"I don't like the idea of you close to those two men."
"I'm close to you right now, not them," she reminded, an invitation in her voice.
It had been a long couple of weeks, going on three now, and he'd woken up every morning wrapped around her naked body. He had more pent-up sexual aggression and need than he knew what to do with. Her voice made him hard, let alone any invitation given to him.
"Behave yourself."
She sent him a quick, mischievous grin, one that said she might not listen to him. He hoped she did, because he'd had enough of sainthood. Ezekiel took her hand and led her toward the garage that had been made into a laboratory and surgery. Rubin waited just outside for them.
"What can Rubin do that you can't do, Ezekiel?" she asked, plainly worried.
Ezekiel loved that she thought he could move mountains, and right now she was counting on him to save Gerald and Adam. She couldn't see that Rubin might have a different skill or gift than he did. In her eyes, no one could save them if he couldn't.
"There's a psychic gift that is extremely rare. Some of us can see into the body straight to the problem, but we have to use instruments and drugs to heal. There's only three men that I have heard of who can heal psychically."
"You're not talking about healing a psychic talent, but really healing the human body using psychic means."
He nodded. "Yes. It's a rare and extremely valuable talent. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it's a fucking miracle."
"Who can do this?"
"There's a young man on Team Three, our Marine Recon Team, who is particularly talented. We lucked out on having two on this team. Joe is a psychic healer and can do a very good job most of the time, but Rubin and the man on Team Three both are psychic surgeons. Rubin is extremely powerful. No one talks about it, Bellisia, and we can't. No one ever discusses it, especially not in front of the children. We don't ask Rubin or even Joe to use their gift that often because there's a cost to the healer. It would be a disaster if Whitney ever got wind of it."
"And no one on any of the other teams can do it?"
"Not that we know of. Because it can be done, I'm certain eventually someone else will show they have the talent. Maybe one of the women."
"Not me," she declared solemnly. "Rubin can really save them?"
"Trust me, Bellisia, Rubin can do it if it's at all possible to stop the virus." He pulled open the door and let her in.
She hesitated before she stepped through the doorway. He glanced down at the top of her head, feeling anger wash through him all over again. He hadn't been there to protect her. He knew Joe had been doing his job. Hell, he would have done the same thing, but that didn't stop him from wanting to beat the crap out of every one of them.
Her hand slipped into his. "I'm all right. It was necessary and you know it, Ezekiel. I'm sorry I made you think I was upset about it."
"You should be upset about it. It's a crappy way to have to be introduced to the men I call brothers."
Adam and Gerald sat in the small examining room, Mordichai draped against the back wall, looking casual, and Gino lounging by the door, looking anything but casual.
Rubin nodded to Bellisia as they entered. "You certain about this, Zeke? You certain Whitney didn't send them here to spy on us?"
"I cleared them," Ezekiel assured. "Mordichai was with me. Even if I missed something, he wouldn't have."
Rubin nodded slowly. "All right, one of you stretch out on the table for me."
Gerald and Adam exchanged a long look. "What exactly are we doing here?" Adam asked. "It isn't as if anyone told us anything."
"Just lie down and let me take a look at you," Rubin repeated. "I might be able to figure out what's wrong and fix it."
Adam stood up slowly, his gaze on Ezekiel, even though he was addressing Rubin. "What's wrong is Whitney shot
a little capsule into us just before we left and told us we had fourteen days to bring Bellisia back to him. We knew we weren't bringing her back. The capsule broke open some time ago. Both of us have symptoms already. Nose bleeds mostly, cramps, that sort of thing." A faint grin stole over his face. "We figured he'd make it as painful as possible in retaliation for not doing what he wanted. He's like that."
"So let me take a look," Rubin said, indicating the table.
Adam sauntered over to the table and stretched out. Bellisia started to move as if she might go to him. Ezekiel locked his arm around her chest and pulled her to him, her back to his front. What the hell was she thinking? Was she going to hold Adam's hand?
Her heel landed against his shin. "You're growling again. You need to stop before I have to tell Mordichai to put you in that cage over there, and you know he'll be happy to oblige," she hissed, glaring at him over her shoulder.
Mordichai made a little sound of pure derision. Even Gino turned his face away to hide the ghost of a smile.
Instantly, Bellisia subsided against him, clearly unused to the teasing the men did with one another.
Rubin walked around the table, removing thin gloves he wore, his eyes on Adam's body. Ezekiel had only seen Rubin working a few times and he was always astounded at the sheer focus in the man, the complete concentration. No one else was in the room, just Adam and Rubin. How he blocked everyone out to that extent, Ezekiel would never know.
Rubin closed his eyes and put his hands just inches above Adam and began running his palms along his chest, over his heart and down the rest of his body. He frowned and then shook his head. The hands moved toward the head, and then over the entire brain. Without opening his eyes, he spoke softly.
"Bellisia, I need your confirmation that these men are worth saving. It won't be easy, and there's a risk involved."
She bit down on her lip before blurting out confirmation. "Risk?"
"I need your confirmation. You've been around them the longest. I know they're good soldiers, but are they good men?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation. "They tried to shield us from the others."
"I can't do both at once, Ezekiel. I'll need a few hours' rest in between. A few days would be better, but they don't have that kind of time before it would be too late for me to work on them."
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