“Come on, Mr. Carlyle. You know damn well it took years of research that would have cost a fortune. The only one with that kind of money to throw around is the Federation. And there is one element no other scientist would have had outside the labs.”
“What?” Drake asked. She glanced at him, her eyes cold, her manner distant. It pissed him off, but he ignored the irritation curling in his belly. He’d deal with that later.
“Access to paras. No one else would have had them to test on. No para was going to trust a scientist. And…we haven’t seen anything before this on the streets. It was kept hidden behind the walls of the labs. That is, until the Federation investigated a few months ago.”
“And that’s when it showed up on the streets.” Marcus added that bit of info, as if he hadn’t figured it out. “Okay, I’ll get you those files.”
After saying his goodbyes, Marcus left them alone. Tension filled the office. “So, were you going to tell me about the rest of your theory?”
“Y-yes, I was.”
“I don’t believe you.”
She stood and walked to the window. “A lot of it I just figured out.”
He wished he could believe that, but he had known she was keeping something from him. He’d thought it more personal, something about her. But it was the fucking investigation. When did she become such a hard-hearted bitch?
“Letty, you can pull that crap with other people, but it doesn’t work with me.” He couldn’t hide his anger.
She didn’t even look at him. “What crap would that be?” Her voice was as cold as the north wind on Langilia. It pushed him over the edge because it twisted something deep inside him. Something he didn’t want to identify but knew too well. The woman he had loved…
Fuck that. Loves. He was still in love with the woman and she was acting as if he didn’t matter. And dammit, it hurt. He didn’t like admitting it because he was a man, but it hurt like hell.
Swiftly, he stood, and grabbed her by the arms and turned her to face him. “Letty, you didn’t just come up with that.”
She held his gaze for a moment, then looked away over his shoulder. The pain knifed through him. “Why?”
“I didn’t figure out everything until this morning, but still… I don’t share that much.”
“You used to. You used to be so open with every thought, it—”
“Showed on my face,” she finished for him, disgust intermingling with anger in her voice. She wrenched away from him. “I’m not Letty. I don’t know how many times I have to say it to get you to understand.”
She turned her back to him. Her spine was once again rigid. He stepped forward to argue further, but something in her voice, her body language, stopped him. It wasn’t so much anger or distrust that held her apart from him.
In one blinding moment, it hit him. She was afraid. Of him? No, he brushed that thought aside. She couldn’t give herself to him every night if she had been frightened. No, this was something else. Something that caused her to invent a hard shell to protect her soft, vulnerable self. What was it that she wouldn’t share with him? The thought bothered him more now that he knew she worried about it. It had to be something she thought would threaten the investigation. And…maybe she was worried about the threat to him. The thought warmed him.
He stepped closer, the heat of her body warming him. When she didn’t move away, he pulled her into his arms.
“Sorry I complained, Letty. But there’s something that tells me that you don’t trust me.”
She was silent for a second, then leaned into his body, resting her head against his chest. The fresh herbal scent of her wrapped around him and both of them relaxed. Her sigh was full of regret. “I’m sorry, Drake. I just don’t trust easily.”
He nodded, knowing in those ten years they had spent apart, a lifetime of events had passed for both of them. Changing them. For the better, but he knew hers were something she wasn’t ready to share. He hugged her tighter and prayed to God she would find a way to tell him, because, in his heart, he knew the truth.
Loving her had never been an option he could choose. They had been predestined, and without her, he just wasn’t complete.
* * * *
Nolete parked her hovercycle in the garage and dismounted. Once she pulled off her helmet, she looked around the area. She was following up a lead she had gotten from a narc. He’d told her that she needed to check out an operation running out of a warehouse in a beaten down Baltimore neighborhood. She’d paged Drake and Carlyle. After cooling her heels for about an hour, she gave up. She was worried if word got out she knew about the place, it would disappear.
The garage was deserted, but she heard scurrying in the corners. Dampness hung in the air and intermingled with the scent of something rotten; whether it was food or not, Nolete wasn’t really sure. She walked to the entrance and shivered as a gust of wind carried a few drops of rain against her face. There were a few unsavories hanging out around the corner and she decided to head in that direction, armed with her stun gun and pistol just in case. As she approached the men, none of them looked at her. They were all dressed for the chilly weather, but most of their clothes looked second or thirdhand. Ratty edges on their shirts, and dirt staining their pants.
When she was within a few feet of them, one of them turned and the others caught his movement. But none of them looked at her. They looked over her shoulder and the joy she saw in their eyes bordered on hysteria. She glanced over her shoulder. Cold, mind-numbing fear held her frozen as her worst nightmare materialized before her eyes.
“So nice to see you again, Nolete,” Killigan said.
Chapter 7
Drake shifted in the chair and watched Carlyle pour them both a beer. He placed the glass in front of Drake and then took the chair opposite him. As he reached for the beer, Drake tried to push away his unsettled feelings. Social settings were lost on him most of the time, and seeking out Carlyle at home on a Saturday wasn’t normal for him.
“So, what do you want, Drake?”
He took a sip of beer for fortification and was surprised when the rich, yeasty taste filled his mouth. Real beer! Carlyle chuckled.
“I have some connections.”
“I came to you because I wanted to know about Letty.”
As Marcus’ dark eyes studied him, Drake fought the urge to shift in his seat. “I was under the impression you two knew each other before this.”
Genoa. “Yes, but we had…problems.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Why does she know so much about the labs?” Drake thought he knew, but he wasn’t sure. Or he wasn’t ready to face the possibility without proof.
“You know about her abilities, or the ones she used to have. Someone turned her in.”
Turned her into what? And then it hit him.
“She was in one of the labs?”
“Yes. And she was in one of the worst, just outside of DC. But she was lucky where others were not.”
Agitation and impotency had him up out of his chair and pacing. “She was lucky to be experimented on?” Sarcasm and disbelief dripped from his voice. “Of course, you would think that. Everyone knows how you felt about them until…”
“Until I met Shana. Yes. But what I mean is she survived. Many of them didn’t. If the testing didn’t kill them, the personnel had a way of getting rid of paras who were of no use to them.”
Drake stared blindly out the window. Oh, God, he should have looked for her when she disappeared ten years ago. She’d had no one but him and he had let her down. Pain for what they had lost, for what he could have saved her from, twisted in his chest. It was so sharp it almost took his breath away.
“Has she told you anything about her time there?” Marcus asked.
“No. She had a nightmare one night, and there are marks on the backs of her legs. The only thing she has mentioned is she lost her abilities.”
Silence filled the air and Drake sensed Marcus studying him. When he turned a
round, he was surprised to find the director smiling.
“She might have. But, for some reason, she might have gained some of her abilities back.”
Drake crossed his arms. “And why do you think that?”
Marcus’ smile spread into a grin. “Personal experience.”
“I don’t think she’d lie about that. Letty has always been truthful.”
“I’m not saying she wasn’t telling the truth. What I’m saying is her situation may have changed when her feelings changed for you.”
“Not to sound like a jackass, but I wouldn’t think you were the type to get all touchy feely.”
Exasperation showed on his face. “I know her. She has had men in her bed.” Drake’s eyes narrowed and Marcus chuckled. “Don’t like hearing that, do you? Well, I can’t blame you. She always kept them away from work, and none of them lasted more than a few days.”
“Do you always take such a personal interest in your employees?”
Marcus’ smiled faded. “I do now. Especially when handing them a project. I made a mistake before that almost cost Shana her life. I doubt I would make that mistake twice.”
Before Drake could question him, Shana hurried into the room. Her hazel eyes showed a bit of strain and her face was pale as she approached them.
“Marcus, we just got a transmission from the office. Seems Nolete got a lead on where the drug was being sold. She left you several messages, so I tried to get a hold of her. I can’t find her.”
Cold seeped into Drake’s stomach and the icy fingers of fear grabbed his spine. “What do you mean?”
Marcus shot him a warning look at his sharp tone. “Tell us everything.”
She gave them the address and Marcus cussed. “What the fuck is she going down there by herself for?”
“Her job?” The iciness in her voice took Drake by surprise. He’d never seen anything but warm looks and kind words between the two.
“She’s a woman—”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Marcus, she’s an agent.”
Drake had a feeling this was an old argument.
“What’s wrong with where she went?”
Shane turned to him. “I forget you haven’t been on Earth for awhile. That part of Baltimore isn’t safe during the daytime.” Her gaze wandered to the window and the setting sun.
Marcus was already out of his chair and moving. Drake followed him. “Letty wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the investigation.”
“I don’t think so, but let’s just say I’m not sure that sometimes it is easy for her to separate the issues.”
Marcus kissed Shana goodbye, and within minutes, both Drake and he were riding the elevator down, Drake holding a borrowed weapon.
“What has you all freaked out, Marcus? It’s more than just a bad neighborhood.”
The doors slid open and he followed Marcus to his vehicle. “No, it’s just not just a bad neighborhood. It’s close to where Nolete was locked up.”
* * * *
Nolete swallowed the scream that had gathered in her throat as her former nemesis approached her. Drawing in a calming breath, she studied him, noticing that he had aged three years for every one that had passed. His hair was thinning on top, he’d gained at least fifty pounds, and his face appeared bloated, his skin waxy.
“I told them you got away. That you were out there fucking around with this drug.”
A smile that had nothing to do with humor stretched his thin lips. “You always thought you were so clever. So superior to everyone in the lab.” The menace in his voice sent another jolt of fear racing through her, but she ignored it. She had to keep a level head in order to get away from him. He was weak and she was sure she could overtake him before the dopeheads behind her could react.
“I wouldn’t think about it if I were you,” said a gravelly voice from behind Killigan. “Those dopeheads are trained to kill.”
A figure stepped from behind Killigan, and she knew she was looking at the face of evil. A premonition raced down her spine and chilled her to the bone. He looked unnaturally young, his green eyes sparkled with insanity, and his skin was missing any markings of his age. A tiny secret smile curved his lips. She shivered.
“Good afternoon, my dear,” Johnson said. “I would hate to have my associates intervene on my behalf.”
His voice was almost melodious, coaxing, luring and she could see how he gained followers.
“And here I thought they were around for just that reason. Henchmen are usually around to bully…beat…kill.”
His smile turned into a grin full of perfectly straight, white teeth.
“Now, what kind of person would I be if I had my men kill one of my own?”
“I-I don’t have those abilities anymore.”
“Even if you did, that isn’t what I am talking about.” He paused, she was sure for effect. “You are very precious to me…daughter.”
Chapter 8
Drake’s pulse still pounded as both he and Marcus got out of the vehicle. Letty’s cycle was parked next to them. He looked around the deserted garage and tried to ignore the unease forming a knot in his stomach. From what they could figure out, Letty had been missing at least four hours since she last tried to contact either one of them.
Damp, musty and smelling of urine, it wasn’t a place he liked to think of Letty being. He knew it was her job. It didn’t make it any easier to accept the fact that his woman had been in this situation. Alone.
His gut twisted. She was alone.
“Let’s have a look around and see if we can spot anything,” Marcus said.
Drake nodded. Both of them knew what he meant.
They searched the entire floor of the garage and found nothing. Drake swallowed. Unease was quickly turning to panic. Marcus suggested they look outside, see if they could find anything. The street was deserted, save for trash and a few stray dogs.
Marcus placed his hands on his hips and sighed. “One thing that keeps coming to mind is the lab just up the street.”
“But what would that have to do with her getting called here?”
He walked forward and Drake followed. “I think this call had more to do with her than the investigation.”
As they continued down the street, Drake drew beside him. “Why?”
“Because they called her specifically.”
“She is the head of the investigation. Makes sense, don’t you think?”
Without breaking his stride, Marcus shook his head. “No. I think she focused on that one person who could have been connected to this—Killigan. He was the head researcher at her lab. She’s convinced he had something to do with the development of Dream Weaver. Ashford was convinced the lab was the perfect place to experiment without anyone knowing about it.”
“Do you think…” Drake trailed off when he found he couldn’t even voice his own fears.
“Yeah, they experimented on her. She lost her abilities because of it.”
Drake shut his eyes for a second and then opened them. A wave of despair washed over him. Letty had been through so much, at the hands of men in his profession. How the hell was he going to get her to trust him again?
“I was right.” The satisfaction in Marcus’ voice brought Drake out of his morbid thoughts.
“What?”
Marcus stopped in his tracks, nodding to a facility that had once been gated, surrounded by a fence, but most of the fence was either missing, or lying on the ground. What looked like a former security guard station was barely standing against the light north wind.
“There’s a light on inside. No one should be there. How the hell they got the power on, I have no idea.”
“What now?”
“Now, we figure out a way to get in there, save your woman, and end it once and for all.”
* * * *
Nolete looked around the room and shivered. It had been Killigan’s favorite exam room and she had spent too many days and nights in here as it was. Cooped up with him and Johnson, who wa
s still convinced he was her father, was a little too surreal.
Killigan lounged in a decrepit chair with his feet propped up on a desk that had seen better days. His eyes were closed and Nolete was sure he was sleeping.
Meanwhile, Johnson continued to pace, ranting about his plans. They’d taken away her weapons, foolishly thinking that would help them.
“So, you see, Nolete, it was important I find you.”
“What makes you think I’m your daughter?”
Johnson stopped in front her, a gleeful expression on his face. “I know because I was there when they created you.”
“What he means is that you were an experiment.” This came from Killigan.
“What do you mean?”
Johnson’s lips turned down in a pout that would’ve have been funny if she wasn’t sure he was insane. “This is my story. Shut the fuck up, Killigan.” Then his lips curved. “Now, my dear, we used some of my sperm, did the in vitro, and voila. You were born.”
Her stomach roiled. “You’re wrong. My parents are Fredrick and Barbara Ashford, who died when I was one.”
Even to her own ears her voice sounded weak. Some of the things he was saying were starting to make sense. She’d known no one in her parents’ families wanted to have a thing to do with her so she had been handed over to the State.
“Yes. I hated to kill them. But they defied me. I wanted to take you with me, and they refused. But then, thanks to the jackass I hired, I lost track of you.”
Her head spun with the secrets he was revealing. She swallowed against the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of this man as her father.
“It wasn’t until you were eighteen that I found you again. Getting you into the lab, well, that had been a stroke of genius on my part.”
Oh, God. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together now. She’d confided in Drake about her abilities, and she’d been picked up days later. Damn rotten timing, but the man she had condemned for years had nothing to do with it.
“That was my idea.”
“Shut the fuck up, Killigan. It was also your idea to experiment on her, and you knew better. So many mistakes before she was created. She was perfection. Bioengineered to be an extraordinary para. And you are, aren’t you?” He spun away and practically danced around the room.
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