Anger surged up within me and I had to fight to physically control myself. My hand slid toward the sidearm on my hip and I envisioned myself putting a round through John's head, dropping him on the spot. But what then? How was I going to get Emily out of the cage and then out of the facility?
Think, Liv, think, I silently chastised myself. You have to play this smart. And that means letting Luca and his people help. This is an intel gathering mission. Control yourself.
“Are you okay?” John asked, a note of concern in his voice.
I nodded. “I'm fine,” I said. “Something I ate yesterday isn't agreeing with me. Nothing to worry about. It'll pass.”
I looked at Emily again and found my heart breaking. What had they done to my little sister? She raised her head and our eyes met – and my blood ran cold. I froze in place, absolutely terrified. I tried giving her a small, subtle shake of the head to tell her to keep her mouth shut. If they realized I knew her, the ballgame was up. No doubt, they'd figure out what I was up to and shoot me on the spot.
But that fear passed quickly when Emily lowered her head again, not seeming to recognize that her big sister was standing on the other side of the glass, less than twenty feet from her. I wanted to cry but choked back the tears, biting the inside of my cheek to maintain my composure.
A buzzer sounded and a door opened. Two men in black uniforms came out and nodded to John.
“Sir, we're here to take one of the prisoners to the labs,” he said. “Would you like us to wait?”
He shook his head. “No, no,” he said. “Proceed.”
One of the men stepped forward and swiped his badge across the keypad on one of the cages. The second man, holding what looked like a long stick and a silver baton stepped into the cage. I heard what sounded like an electric bug zapper followed by a howl of pain. A moment later, the guard stepped back out, holding the back end of a longer pole. The pole had a silver chain attached to it, and as he pulled the man out, I saw that the chain was attached to a silver collar around his neck.
The man snarled and lunged at the guard holding the pole, at which point, the other guard stepped forward and touched him with the baton – a cattle prod of sorts, I was guessing. There was another electrical popping sound followed by another howl of pain.
“Get moving,” the guard said.
They marched the man by us and he flashed us a look of pure hatred. I had no doubts that if he were to somehow break out of the collar, he could have killed all four of us without too much difficulty. A cold chill swept through me as they got him out of the room, headed for where ever his next destination was.
“Animals,” John said. “These things are little better than animals. Oh, they may walk, talk, and even look like us, but they're not much more than a rabid animal. And it's our responsibility to put these creatures down.”
Even as shaken up as I was, I knew that he was expecting some sort of response from me. I swallowed hard and nodded.
“I agree, sir,” I said. “It's our duty to protect people from these beasts.”
John looked at me and nodded, satisfied with my answer. He turned and headed back for the elevator as if he simply expected me to fall into step behind him – which, of course, I did. What else was I going to do. Part of me though, wanted to stay behind. To stay with Emily, not wanting to leave her. I wanted to rush into that cage and wrap her up in an enormous hug, to comfort and reassure her. I wanted to let her know that she wasn't alone and that I was going to save her.
But, of course, I couldn't do any of that. I had to wait. Bide my time. Luca and his people were going to be valuable allies in this fight and I needed their help – Emily, needed their help. And I was going to be smart about this, making sure that we had every advantage possible.
Because now that I knew exactly where she was – and that she was alive – there was no way in hell I was going to leave her in that goddamn cage one minute more than she had to be.
I was getting my little sister out – or die in the effort.
Chapter Sixteen
“She was there,” I said. “I saw her with my own two eyes. They had her in one of those goddamn cages like an animal.”
“Because to them, that's all we are,” Mariana said.
We were back in Asher's office and I'd just finished telling them about everything I'd seen in John's facility. They were horrified – as they probably should have been. As bad as the threat they were facing was, I didn't think any of them expected to have the United States military arrayed against them.
I should have felt a little bit guilty, knowing what they were up against, but all I could think about – all I really cared about in that moment was saving my sister.
“Did she recognize you?” Luca asked.
I shook my head. “She looked completely out of it,” I said. “I have no idea what they've done to her, but she looks like a shell of a human being. Which makes it all the more important that we get her out of there. I don't know how much longer she's going to last.”
Asher nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Getting the prisoners out is our top priority. We just need to be smart about this before we make our play. If we screw it up, we're going to get everybody killed – including ourselves. And that's not going to do anybody any good.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Of course, he was right. We couldn't just go storming in with guns blazing. We'd never make it through the front doors. We had to plan. Calculate. We had to be smart.
“I hope I'm not pointing out the obvious,” Mariana said, “but we need to take that whole facility out. If we leave it standing, we're only opening ourselves up to retaliation. And if the military is involved, that retaliation is going to be fast and brutal.”
Luca nodded. “She's right. If we're going to do this, we have to shut that place down,” he said. “If they're going to come at us after that, we have to force them to start from scratch. We can't afford to leave them a safe haven to operate from.”
“Agreed,” Asher said. “Which makes planning this out all the more important. The last thing we need is to go flying in there half-cocked. I don't think I have to tell you that would blow up in our faces really quick.”
“I think I might have an idea,” I said. “Or at least, the bare outline of an idea. But maybe, it's something we can work with.”
All eyes turned to me, expressions curious. I tried to clear my mind. Focus my thoughts. But no matter how hard I tried, images of Emily kept intruding. She looked awful. Sickly. She wasn't the bright and bubbly girl I knew. She was a shadow of herself. And it broke my heart. Fresh tears sprang up in my eyes and I angrily scrubbed them away. Now was not the time for weakness. Now was not the time for emotion. This was a time for cold logic.
Luca reached over and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It's okay,” he said. “I know what seeing your sister like that is doing to you. And we're going to do something about it. Trust me. Trust us. We're going to get her out.”
I sniffed loudly and let out a deep breath. “I know. And I do trust you,” I said. “I just can't believe that after all this time, I actually found her. I didn't realize until that moment that there was a big part of me that had already believed that I’d never find her again. That the best I could hope for was finding out what happened to her.”
“She's alive,” Mariana said. “And we're going to get her out. You'll be with your sister again soon.”
I nodded and cleared my throat. “Personnel for the facility is bussed in from some of the surrounding towns,” I said. “They're big white tour buses with dark windows. I think, if we can take one of those buses, we have our way into the facility.”
Asher sat back in his seat and nodded. “That is actually pretty brilliant,” he said. “That is definitely something we can work with. Great work, Olivia.”
I stifled a yawn, only to have my belly grumble loudly enough that everybody turned to me.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I'm a little hungr
y.”
Asher laughed. “Luca, take the lady out for a nice meal,” he said. “Let me start putting together some plans for our little war. We'll all meet back here and discuss it all later.”
“Sounds good to me,” Luca said as he got to his feet.
He held his hand out, helping me up. Asher looked at me, pinning me with his gaze.
“Really great work, Olivia,” he said. “And believe me, we're going to get your sister out of there.”
I gave him a small smile. “I believe you,” I said. “Thank you.”
He nodded and I let Luca lead me out of the office and into the cool night air. He held the door of his car open for me, and hustled around to the other side, climbing in behind the wheel. He turned to me and gave me a broad smile.
“So, where are we going?” he asked. “Anything your heart desires will be yours.”
~ooo000ooo~
“When I said anything your heart desires,” Luca said, “I was thinking you'd have something a little fancier in mind.”
I laughed. “A greasy burger and fries is exactly what my heart desired.”
He looked around, clearly not overly impressed with the place. “I like a good burger as much as the next guy,” he said. “So, if this is what your heart desires, so be it.”
I grinned at him. “It's not like you have a lot of room to judge,” I said. “Especially since I've seen where you like to have your breakfast.”
“Fair enough,” he said and grinned back at me.
We were sitting in a little burger joint not too far from my apartment. Given the fact that I didn't cook – at least, not anything really edible – it was a place I'd eaten at often. And honestly, they made one of the best burgers I'd ever eaten.
“Comfort food?” he asked.
I nodded. “Comfort food.”
He nodded and looked at the menu. A girl who couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen walked over to the table, giving Luca an appraising look up and down – clearly liking what she was seeing. And watching her check him out, I was surprised to feel a small surge of jealousy well up within me. It wasn't like I had rights to him or anything – hell, I wasn't even sure I wanted anything with him at that point – but I still couldn't stop the green-eyed monster from raising its ugly head. If only just a bit.
“What can I get for you?” she asked Luca, blatantly ignoring me.
Luca noticed the snub and looked over at me. “What are you going to have, sweetheart?”
I could have kissed him right then and there, but managed to control myself. “Double cheeseburger, hold the pickles and tomato, and a side of extra crispy fries,” I said. “And an iced tea to drink, please.”
The girl rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by my existence. She turned back to Luca and gave him her best, brightest smile. The girl was persistent, I had to give her that.
“And how about you, handsome?”
“I'll have what she's having,” he said. “Except, instead of iced tea, I'd like a root beer, please.”
“Anything for you,” she said before turning and walking away, not even bothering to give me a second glance.
“Seems you have a fan club,” I laughed.
He rolled his eyes. “A fan club young enough to be my daughter.”
“I doubt you're old enough to have a daughter her age.”
He grinned. “Maybe not quite old enough,” he said. “But a lot closer than I'm comfortable with. Besides, I'm already a bit smitten with somebody at the moment.”
“Smitten,” I said, a grin on my face. “That's a good word.”
He shrugged. “I know a few good words.”
The waitress came back and practically dumped my drink in my lap before turning and setting Luca's glass gently down in front of him. She took a straw out of her apron and without ever breaking eye contact with Luca, stroked it suggestively before handing it over to him.
“Fun fact,” she said to him. “The age of consent in the state of Washington is sixteen. Did you know that?”
“Fun fact,” Luca replied. “I'm flattered, but I'm actually already spoken for.”
The girl turned to me and rolled her eyes again before storming away, a pouty expression on her face.
“Wow,” I said. “She's – something.”
“Legal, apparently,” he replied with a laugh.
Luca reached across the table and took my hand, stroking my knuckles with his thumb. He held my gaze, a look of pure kindness and compassion in his eyes.
“You really did great work,” he said. “You provided us with some really solid intel. I know it couldn't have been easy for you – especially after seeing Emily – but you did really great. I'm proud of you.”
I smiled and felt my cheeks coloring. I'd never been one to be comfortable hearing praise – and it made it a hundred times more awkward when it was somebody I liked doing the complimenting. I had no idea where things with Luca were going – or if they were going anywhere at all – but I really wanted to find out.
But, first things first. And the very first, most important order of business, was getting Emily out of that goddamn cage.
“I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her, Luca,” I said softly. “And she looked right at me – our eyes met – and she didn't even recognize me. There wasn't the faintest glimmer of recognition in her face.”
“Which is probably a good thing,” he said. “If she had, you might not be sitting here with me talking about breaking her out of there right now.”
I nodded. “I know,” I replied. “It's just – I can't tell you how deeply it affected me to see her like that. To know that she was just so – shattered. Broken. I have no idea what they did to her.”
“She's probably gone through more trauma than we can even imagine,” he said. “And I hate to say this – I really hate to say this – but you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that the girl we get back might not be the same girl you remember. I have no idea what they've done to her or if she can recover from it. But, you –”
“I know,” I said softly. “The thought's crossed my mind more than a few times. But even if she never remembers who I am and all she can do is sit there and drool on herself, it's better than not having her at all.”
He nodded. “I agree,” he said. “And we're going to get her back. I promise you that.”
I squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile. “I know.”
The waitress came by and dropped our food off without another word – although, it didn't stop the awkward, longing glances she cast at Luca. But we ate dinner and talked about lighter, happier things. I told him stories about Emily, about our childhood. I shared stories about my own past and my own experiences. And he did the same. By the time we finished dinner, I felt like I'd gotten to know so much more about him – and was happier for it.
Luca was a good man with a good heart and he made me feel better about everything we were going through – and everything we had yet to do. I felt like, with him by my side, we'd be able to save Emily and nothing in this universe was going to be able to stop us.
By the time he took me back to my apartment, I was feeling better. Although, I was exhausted. Leading the life of a spy was taking a toll on me. I was going to be glad to have this over and done with completely, only if so I could get some sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
“Come in,” I said.
Luca followed me into my apartment and looked around as if he expected assailants to be hiding in the shadows. Confident the place was clear, he came back and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. His lips were soft and warm when he planted a soft kiss upon my forehead that made me smile.
“You look beat,” he said. “I'm going to go so you can get some actual sleep.”
I looked into his light blue eyes and felt my breath catch in my throat. He was a beautiful man – maybe not in the runway model sort of way, but he had a rugged beauty that was all his own.
“Please stay,” I
said.
He cocked his head and looked at me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip. “Absolutely.”
I put my hand on his cheek and guided his face down to mine. His lips felt just as warm and soft when he pressed them to mine. Our kiss began chaste, but quickly escalated when I slipped my tongue into his mouth, swirling it around his.
With him pressed so closely to me, I felt how hard he was already. The fire inside of me exploded and I felt myself growing hotter and wetter. I ground myself against him, making him groan as we kissed. The flood of passion and desire that flowed through me washed away my feeling of exhaustion and all I wanted in that moment was to have Luca inside of me.
I took his hand and led him to the couch. Kissing him fiercely, I quickly unbuckled his belt and then unbuttoned his pants, pushing them down. He kicked off his shoes and his pants quickly followed. Reaching down, I took his stiff cock in my hand and squeezed him hard, stroking him and drawing a throaty growl of desire from him.
He took my shirt off and tossed it aside before making quick work of my bra, throwing it atop the growing pile of clothing on the living room floor. I shuddered as he kissed my neck, tracing the tip of his tongue down to my collarbone. When he kissed me again, he unbuttoned my pants and let them fall to the floor. Stepping out of them, I pushed him down onto the couch as I slipped out of my panties, throwing them to the side with the rest of our clothing.
Luca looked at me, soaking in my body with a look of hunger and desire that made me shiver. No man had ever looked at me the way he did. He traced every inch of me, taking in all of my curves with his eyes as if he were looking at the most exquisite piece of art he'd ever seen. The way he drank me in made the fire in the center of me burn ever hotter and I was wetter than I ever believed possible.
I straddled him on the couch, kissing him with genuine fire and passion as I took his cock in my hand. Lowering myself down, I guided him to my opening, then slipped the head of his cock between my lips, making my breath catch in my throat. Our eyes remained locked together and my pulse quickened as I slid down, taking him into me inch by amazing inch.
Saved by a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 2) Page 10