Broken Butterfly_A Fortis Security Novel

by Maddie Wade

  A hand touched his arm, and he reared away, spinning, but it was only Zack. “You okay?” he asked. Zack’s voice sounded muffled like he was speaking through water. He nodded followed him to the car and got in the back as Roz and Kanan got in next to him.

  “All those people,” Roz said in a dull, monotone voice.

  “We need to get the rest out,” Kanan said.

  Zack who was driving answered, “Emergency teams have been deployed, and they have declared a National emergency,”

  The car was silent as they drove home. All he could think about was that he just needed to hold his Pixie in his arms and never let her go again.

  ~~~

  Her limbs ached, but her head was clearing as she watched out the window for Zin. Jack’s men had brought her through to the kitchen when she’d refused to go to a bedroom and rest. There was no way in hell she was sleeping and lying in her bed when the man she loved and her friends were in such danger.

  Lizzie and Smithy had been led away to another building and were being checked over by the Eidolon medic. Lizzie had seemed very quiet and withdrawn as she sat beside Smithy and clutched his hand like a lifeline. He had seemed as reluctant to let go as she was. It was if they only had each other and couldn’t comprehend they were free.

  A cloud of smoke filling the darkening horizon caught her gaze, and her whole body tightened in fear. Had it come true, her vision of an explosion? Were Zin and Kanan alright? Oh God, she wanted to throw up as she paced to the door and then the window, undecided what to do. She was still pacing a few minutes later when a vehicle skidded into the drive.

  Despite her stiff legs and aching bones, she ran for the door as the car stopped, and Lucy jumped out. She ran past Celeste as Jace followed.

  “Zin?” she asked as Jace passed her.

  He stopped short and turned, retracing his steps, coming to sand in front of her. “We left before them, but they were right behind us,” he said softly and grasped her hand. He frowned and then as he tilted his head. “Calm your mind and take a breath.”

  Mimicking his breathing, Celeste took a breath in and then let it out, all the while holding tight to his hand and trying to think of calm blue waters. She felt her heart start to slow, her pulse even out, and her mind start to clear.

  “Good,” Jace smiled, and for a second her heart stuttered again, but for a totally different reason. She could see why Lucy had fallen for him. He was gorgeous normally, but when he smiled like that, he went to movie-star hot in a nanosecond. It just made her miss her man even more and long for his arms around her.

  “I’m good now.” She smiled then, and he let go. “Go to Lucy,” she said as she saw him look towards where Lucy had gone.

  He smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Thanks.” Jace turned and jogged to the far building before disappearing inside.

  She stayed in the driveway watching it intently as the night sky darkened and just the stars were left. A rumble of vehicles sounded behind her, and she spun on her heel and watched, her arms crossed over her chest as the cold seeped into the warm summer air.

  The lead vehicle pulled up in front of her, and before it stopped, Zin was out the car and scooping her into his embrace, crushing her to him as he did. He patted her hair and her body as he kissed her, and she felt the tears fall in earnest as he did.

  “It’s okay Pixie,” he crooned softly, and she snuggled deeper into him as if he alone could make it all go away. The fear for her life, the fear for his, the helplessness she had felt, it was overwhelming to her senses.

  She lifted her head after a second, looked at him and searched his face. She saw relief, but something else too. Grief and guilt clouded in, and her heart started to hammer as she realised something had gone wrong. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did.

  “What happened?” she asked but stopped as she Roz ran past her towards the house with Kanan on her heels. She looked ravaged, heartbroken, and so unlike her normal self, that Celeste inhaled a shocked breath. Her eyes came back to Zin, who was also watching his sister.

  “Zin,” she called softly and squeezed him gently to get his attention.

  He looked at her, and his face softened slightly. She could see the weariness setting in as the adrenalin crash descended. “Let’s get you inside, and I’ll tell you everything,” he said as he looped his arm around her back and walked her inside.

  “Okay, Zin.”

  Once inside, he led her past the kitchen that was now filled with Zack, Will, and the Eidolon team, and through to a small sitting room with low plush couches. He eased himself down and then pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his big arms around her as if he couldn’t let go, which was fine with her.

  “Just let me hold you for a second,” he asked as he tugged her gently, so she was lying with her head on his chest. That she could do. She had known he would be worried, but now she realised she hadn’t known how badly it would affect him.

  After a few minutes, Celeste lifted her head and looked at him. Lifting her hand she stroked his clean-shaven face, brushing her finger over the soft skin of lips. Lowering her head, she placed her lips on his and felt him sigh under her, even as his arms tightened.

  He let her lead the kiss for a minute before tilting his head and taking over, deepening it. She felt every emotion he did, and even as she kissed him, her throat clogged with the rush of feelings she felt for him, especially as she knew they were returned.

  He pulled away before things got carried away and put his head to hers. They stayed that way for second before he spoke. “I have never been so scared in my life, Pixie. Watching you walk away was the hardest thing I have ever done, bar none. I am so proud of you and what you did for Lizzie and Smithy. I never thought it possible, but it makes me love you even more, but please don’t ever ask me to do that again. I don’t think I could.”

  Tears pricked her eyes at the emotion and truth she saw and felt from him, and she tightened her arms around his neck as she answered. “I won’t, Zin, I promise. I love you so much. I was so scared what you would do trying to save me. I needed you and Kanan to not be reckless, and I had no way of telling you.”

  He grinned a small smile then.

  She tipped her head in question. “What does that smile mean?”

  “Just something Zack said when I was talking to him before the op, it’s nothing.”

  She wondered what it was but let it go because she knew he still had something to tell her and she knew it wasn’t good. “Tell me what happened when you went back?” she asked.

  The sadness came back, and she braced for his words knowing they would hurt. “When I arrived, the team were pinned down by Usov Denisovich’s men. The bomb that we had found because of your warning was still live, and Angel was trying to disarm it while Zack, Will, and Eidolon added support. I came up behind them, and with the help of a Seal Team that Jack was able to get help from, we managed to take them out. I found out in the car that Will had locked the Donatus group out using the electronic locking devices on the exits from the main stadium.”

  “Donatus?”

  He nodded. “Yes, they are one of the security companies that had the contract for the Olympics. With some digging, we found they were owned by The Divine Watchers and are made up of all the kidnapped soldiers going back over a five-year period. Even some that were presumed dead.”

  “Wow, that’s terrifying.” “Anyway, Angel had nearly disarmed the bomb. We were heading back when Usov came from nowhere. He shot her at point-blank range. She died instantly.”

  Celeste felt his words like a physical blow and covered her mouth as bile churned in her stomach. Beautiful, sweet, playful Angel who had only ever spoken to her in kindness, was dead. “Oh my God, poor Roz!” she exclaimed as she remembered Roz’s grief-stricken face as she had run past her.

  “Yeah. Kanan and I had to carry out of the building.” She knew there was more to come so tried to prepare herself. “We were thrown to the ground when the bomb exploded. Then we came her
e,” he finished in a rush, and she appreciated him ripping off the plaster quickly.

  “Do we know how many…” She stopped, not wanting to say the words as images of her vision flooded her. She knew it would not be an insignificant amount.

  “Not yet, but they have declared a state of emergency and sent in all first responders and emergency services, including the army to deal with the Donatus group. Jack will liaise with them, but I have no idea what will happen until Zack gets an update.”

  “Okay. Shouldn’t you go check on Roz?” she asked even though the last thing she wanted to do was let him go.

  “I will in a bit, but Kanan went after her.”

  “What is with those two?” “I think he loves her, and I believe she loves him, but she is terrified of it,” he said sadly.

  “I hope they work it out and she doesn’t let fear win.”

  “Yeah me too, Pixie., Me too. Now enough about that. How are you feeling?” he asked, and his face looked stern.

  She had known he would not be happy about her hiding things from him and was happy to face the consequences of it. She felt it had been the right thing to do, and still did. If he didn’t, then tough.

  “I feel a lot better. It was like a really bad flu, but it only lasted twenty-four hours. I just feel tired now, and a little wrung out.”

  “Any after effects?” “No, not really. Although, I seem to have a better grasp of my gift now like I have more control, which is good.”

  “How so?”

  “I can block it or tune into it at will now, instead of being bombarded by people’s feelings.”

  “That’s good. Why did you hide it from me?” His voice had gone low, and while not scary in the slightest, it did make her shiver in a totally different way.

  “I didn’t want you to worry,” she replied nonchalantly.

  “Pixie, let’s get something straight here and now,” he growled as he lifted her so that she was astride him and pressed to his hardness. “You do not decide what I worry about when it comes to you. We don’t do secrets or hiding shit from one another. You wouldn’t like it if I did it to you,” he said as his hands came to rest on her hips, spanning her waist.

  She thought about his words for a second and tried to put herself in his shoes, and she realised he was right. She would be pissed if he kept anything from her.

  “Okay, I won’t keep secrets or hide stuff ever again,” she said. “But I don’t regret it either.” She saw his eyes flare before he stood and let her slide down his hard body.

  “Well you know what happens to bad girls don’t you,” he whispered as he bent to run his tongue over her the pulse in her neck. She felt a delicious shiver run through her body as her nipples peaked and her belly went heavy.

  “No,” she rasped.

  “They get punished,” he whispered, and with a dirty grin that promised more pleasure than punishment, he took her hand and walked her from the room. He stopped briefly in the kitchen to ask Jack if there was a room for Celeste to use and after being told where it was, dragged her there and showed her exactly what happened to naughty girls.

  Chapter Thirty

  “Please lie still with your head bent forward while I administer the local anaesthetic,” Doc Turner said.

  It had been three days since their return to the UK, and things had been a little bumpy, to say the least. Lizzie had not responded well to being back with her family and was refusing to see her son or her estranged husband. She would only see Lucy, Colin, Dane, and the physiotherapist that Doc Turner had recommended. She faced a long slow journey back to wellness, both physically and mentally.

  Smithy had been sent to Eidolon for a full Psyche evaluation and would be given the best care possible by the team there. He had talked to Jace and Daniel briefly but had refused to see Dane or the others.

  Celeste felt immense sadness for him. He’d had this awful thing done to him, and all he could see was how he had failed, not how he had fought it and won. He, too, faced a long road, but of a different kind. He had come to say goodbye to Lizzie before he left, and she had taken that worse than the rest, screaming and clutching at him as if she couldn’t bear to be away from him. They’d had to eventually sedate her.

  She felt a hand on her arm and knew it was Zin. Her heart flooded with love that he would be here for this. He had known she was scared of having the chip removed from her neck and she had a feeling he had told Doc Turner the same thing because the softly spoken man was treating her with kid gloves.

  They were in the Medical room at Fortis, which she had not been in before and she was impressed by the setup. They could practically perform surgery in here it was so kitted out. Even the Doc had whistled when he walked in and saw the state-of-the-art equipment, from ultrasound machines to heart monitors.

  “Okay, just a tiny scratch,” Doc said bringing her out of her musings and she felt the needle go into her neck.

  Unfortunately, despite the chip being easy to put in, it was not easy to remove. It was close to her spinal cord, and therefore, Doc Turner was using an ultrasound machine to locate it and show him where to cut. It was only a tiny cut, but because of the precarious nature of where it was they could not afford her to flinch, hence the local anaesthetic.

  She kept still but waved her fingers and instantly Zin’s hand was in her as he held it tight. He had not left her side since their return, and neither had Samson who was at this very second was sitting outside the room.

  “Okay, all done!” exclaimed Doc Turner.

  She lifted her head to look at him. “Already?” she questioned, surprised.

  “Yep, all finished,” he said and showed her the tiny chip in the tray next to him. It was the size of a grain of rice. To think that something so small could have killed her and so many thousands and millions of others was terrifying and hard to comprehend. “I used glue to close the wound which is very small and should heal nicely.”

  She swung her legs to the side and sat on the edge of the bed as she smiled at Zin. Relief surged through her, and she felt her body physically sag from it.

  It was over!

  A large chest came into view as Zin’s muscled arms came around her and held her. After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at her. “You alright Pixie?” he asked softly, and she raised her hand to touch his stubbled face.

  “Yes,” she answered truthfully, because she was, as long as those she loved were safe she was fine.

  “Do you feel up to the debrief?” he questioned, and she nodded. She wanted to know what had happened since their return. “Do you want to get some lunch first?”

  “Please, can we go to La Marion on Cathedral Way?” she asked, and her gin was huge when he smiled and nodded.

  “Yes, Pixie, we can go to La Marion,” he said as he helped her down and took her hand looping it through his arm.

  “Can Samson come too?”

  She almost felt his eye roll. “Yes, Pixie the beast can come.”

  She knew he didn’t mean it, he and Samson seemed to have created a bond, and it pleased her no end.

  ~~~

  Sitting under the shade of an umbrella at La Marion, with a cold Cider in front of him, Zin watched as Celeste fed bits of her lunch to Samson under the table. He marvelled at how she had bounced back from her ordeal. He had been watching her closely over the last few days, and she seemed fine. He knew from experience that sometimes things like this came out a lot later on, maybe even resurfacing years later, but so far, she was fine. If she ever started to suffer, he would be right beside her helping her.

  He knew now that the threat that had forced her to move in with him was gone, she would be moving back home. Neither of them had broached the subject, preferring to just ignore it but he wanted things settled.

  “Pixie,” he called, and she looked up with a smile on her face that made him catch his breath. She was so god damned beautiful it made his heart almost stop.

  “Yes?”

  “We need to talk,” he answ
ered, and he saw a fleeting look of apprehension cross her face.

  “What about?” she asked as she sat upright and stroked her hand over Samson’s head. He didn’t want to do this here, but if he didn’t, they would end up not discussing it at all because they always ended up in bed. He did, however, intend to discuss it with her closer to him, not across the table while she used the damn dog a security blanket.

  “Come here, Pixie,” he growled, and her eyes flashed with desire as they always did when he spoke to her in that tone.

  “No,” she defied him, and he felt a grin twitch his lips.

  “Pixie,” he growled again. “Come here.”

  That time she did, she sat beside him and glared slightly before declaring. “It’s a good job you’re a hot sex god, or I would seriously kick your ass for ordering me around,” she stated huffily, and he grinned.

  “Oh yeah?’

  “Yeah,” she said with a frown. She yelped as he lifted her and placed her on his lap, but she didn’t struggle she just placed her hands on his chest.

  “Zin, we are in a public place. You can’t just haul me around.”

  “Shush Pixie,” he said, and he watched her face flash in anger then as she took her arms and crossed them over her chest adorably.

  “Don’t you boss me around,” she hissed quietly.

  God, she was fucking perfect for him.

  “Hush, and let me speak,”

  “Fine,” she spat, and he hid the grin that tried to break free.

  “I want to us to move in together permanently,” he said before she had the chance to start up her rant again.

  “What?” she asked, and he couldn’t read her face.

  “I want us to move in together. Well, more I move in with you. Your house is much nicer than my flat. You’re it for me Pixie, and I can’t stand the thought of us not being together every night and waking together every morning,” he finished quickly.