Chasing Victory (The Winters Sisters)

by Joanne Jaytanie

  Something howled. Was that a man, or some kind of animal? Tristan placed Victory on her feet and looked around for two long pieces of reed.

  “What are you doing?” Victory asked, shaking uncontrollably from fear and the chill air.

  “I’m looking for a couple pieces of reed. Our best chance is to get in the river and wait for that thing to pass us. The water will block our scent,” he said.

  “Perfect! What a great idea. Taking a dip in the river, in the middle of a lightning storm,” she said trying desperately to lighten the mood.

  That was a good sign, Tristan thought. At least she still had her sassiness. “Here,” Tristan thrust a reed in her hands. “Stay close,” he said as they waded out into the river. Victory started down into the water. Tristan refocused on the predator’s scent cone so that he could gauge how long they would have to stay under. That was impossible, that thing was only steps behind them. “Victory wait,” he said pulling her up by her arm.

  Victory pulled the reed out of her mouth. “What’s the matter, tell me it’s not too late?”

  He pulled her back up towards him. “Listen, and tell me what you hear.”

  She listened carefully blocking all the sounds around her except for the predator. “He has turned back and is heading away from us.”

  “That’s what I thought; it, he is moving away from us,” Tristan confirmed.

  “Why. Not that I’m complaining, but he seemed pretty persistent,” she said.

  “He’s moving away. I don’t know why, but let’s take the cue and get out of here. We should head back to the compound from the opposite direction.”

  “I can’t see three feet in front of me with this deluge of rain pounding down on us,” she said.

  “I can get us back. I have scouted out the entire surrounding area. We should reach the compound in slightly over an hour in this direction.” Tristan pointed off to his left, the totally opposite way from where they came.

  “Okay, I want to get back and soak in a hot bath for hours,” Victory said.

  The rain didn’t let up for their whole walk back, and the wind started to kick up as they were reaching the compound. There wasn’t a soul in sight as they entered through the back gate.

  “Let’s get you back to your room and out of these soaked clothes. I’ll go back to my room, take a quick shower and then head to the dining room and pick us up some dinner,” Tristan said.

  “You don’t have to do that, I can go to dinner,” she said.

  “No, you can’t. You’re white as a sheet and you might be going into shock.”

  “I’m fine, really,” she protested.

  “Victory, trust me. We don’t know what or why that thing was stalking you. We don’t know if someone sent it out after you. You need to rest and recover your strength before facing anyone.” It was beginning to look to Tristan as if there were more experiments taking place here than only Victory’s.

  * * *

  It pinned her against a wall of solid rock. Its eerie, yellow eyes glowed, blood dripping from huge canines. Victory let out a blood curdling cry.

  “Victory, Victory. Wake up. You are having a bad dream.” Tristan gently shook her shoulders, trying to break the nightmare that had her in its grip.

  Victory’s eyes flew open. She felt Tristan hands shaking her, his violet eyes swimming with concern. Without a second thought she threw herself into the warmth and security of his arms.

  “Oh god Tristan, it was awful.” She wept openly.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re safe now. It was a dream.” He rocked her gently. It felt so natural having his arms wrapped tightly around her.

  “It was a terrible nightmare.” She sniffled into his shoulder. She lifted her head and looked around the room. It was pitch black save for the small desk lamp. “Did you bring dinner? I needed to rest.”

  “It’s about 1:30 in the morning, Victory,” Tristan said.

  “What? It can’t be. I just laid down. I was waiting for you to come back with dinner.” She looked over at the desk again and by the glow of the lamp saw covered plates.

  “I came back around 7:00 and found you fast asleep. I thought you needed the sleep more than dinner.” He couldn’t stop himself, he ran his hand down her silky hair. It felt as soft as it looked.

  “So you’ve been watching over me the entire time?” she asked, feeling a little stronger in the warmth of his arms. She wasn’t a woman that needed a man, but this felt right.

  “I slept in the chair for a couple hours. It’s not that bad.” Tristan shot her a sexy little smile.

  “You didn’t have to stay. Sleeping in the chair, you’re going to regret that in the morning,” she said with guilt in her voice.

  “Believe me, I’ve slept in much worse places. I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay.” He looked into her eyes. They reminded him of stunning emeralds, flawless and unique. He was beginning to be able to read her moods by looking into those unique eyes. He could see bewilderment and uncertainty shining through those wondrous gems. “I should go and let you sleep.” He stood up and headed toward the door.

  “Tristan,” she said uncertainly. He turned back to look at her, waiting. “Would you mind staying with me the rest of the night? You can sleep here next to me,” she said as she patted the side of the bed. When he didn’t move or say anything she stumbled on. “I guess the occurrence in the forest affected me more than I thought.” She dropped her gaze to her hand lying at her side.

  “Occurrence.” Tristan frowned. “Victory, you are one extraordinary woman,” he said with a laugh. “Only you would refer to a near-death experience as an occurrence.”

  He walked back to the far side of the bed. He sat down and took off his shoes. He pulled the pillows out from under the bedspread, and stacked them under his head. Stretching out on the bed and sliding his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close to him. Victory resisted for a second, then melted into his side. “Yes, you’re right,” he said.

  “About what?” she asked.

  “This is much more comfortable than the chair.”

  In only minutes they were both asleep. It was the fastest Tristan had fallen asleep in a very long time.

  * * *

  Tristan walked into the lab carrying two lattes and a couple of scones. He had woken up in her room, in her bed, alone. “Morning doc,” he said nonchalantly.

  She looked up from her microscope and gave him a shy smile. “Good morning sleepy head. You looked so peaceful I couldn’t bring myself to wake you this morning. Besides, I have a massive amount of research to recheck.” He handed her a latte and scone. “Thanks, I didn’t get any breakfast.”

  “That’s exactly why I brought you some,” he took the lid off of his latte blew on it and took a drink. “So, where’s our subject?” he asked as he tilted his head toward the empty chair on the other side of the glass in the exam room. “And where’s Max?” he said looking at the corner of the lab and empty chair that Max usually occupied.

  Without looking up from her work she answered, “Apparently, there is something more interesting monopolizing Mr. Max. As far as our subject, I was told he was going through some health tests. Not that I believe it for an instant,” she said.

  Tristan glanced over at Victory. She surprised him more each day. These guys weren’t pulling anything over her. For the remainder of the morning they worked side by side, like a real team. They were so busy and involved in their studies that they worked straight through lunch.

  Tristan yawned and looked up from his computer. “Hey, we missed lunch,” he said looking down at his watch, “You hungry? I’ll make a run to the deli.”

  “Hmmm. Oh sure, I could use something. I’m not picky, get me whatever you’re getting,” she said without stopping her work on the computer. She was so engrossed in her research she never heard him leave.

  A few minutes later she heard the door open. “That was quick,” she said as she looked up and saw Max walk in leading the test subj
ect. He looked as if he had been in a bar fight. He was covered with cuts and scrapes on his face and up both arms. His clothes were rumpled, like he had been wearing them for at least two days. “Oh my! What happened to him?” she asked. Then she looked into his face and saw pure malevolence.

  “He got to take a run last night, he needed to stretch his legs,” Max muttered, pushing the man farther into the lab.

  “You mean he was out running in the forest. I thought he was having health tests done.” She said never taking her attention off him. She was trying to make a mental connection with him but kept picking up a red haze of random thoughts.

  “He did have an exam this morning after I brought him back. Mr. Braxton wanted to see if there were any physical changes.” Max took him into the next room and strapped him into the chair. “He should be gentle as a kitten for now. The doctor gave him something to calm him down,” Max said.

  She looked at him with contempt. “Tell me you didn’t drug him. He won’t be any good to me if he’s drugged.”

  “That’s your problem,” Max replied picking up the magazine that he dropped in the chair on the way in.

  Tristan was heading back to the lab, his arms full with bags and drinks. Suddenly he inhaled a familiar scent, emanating from the lab. He increased his pace and was at the door in mere seconds. Throwing open the door he surveyed the entire room in an instant.

  “Hey, watch it,” Max scolded a few feet from where the door had flown open.

  Tristan took in a deep breath pushing back the adrenaline threatening to erupt. “Oh sorry, I didn’t know you were sitting there. It’s kind of hard to juggle all this food and open the door. I guess I kicked it little too hard.”

  “You need to be careful next time,” Max grumbled focusing back on his magazine.

  Tristan walked over to the counter to where Victory was working and emptied his hands. He looked up into the furious scowl of the man strapped to the exam chair. His scent was familiar, but not identical to the one he had tracked in the forest the night before.

  “Tristan, are you okay?” Victory asked in a low voice.

  “I think he could have been the one stalking you yesterday. His scent is familiar, but not quite exact,” he whispered to her.

  “By the looks of him that was the first thing I thought. I know the thing that chased me was male, but he hasn’t shown any aggression towards me, nothing but the same old pure hate,” Victory said.

  “There is another explanation. Braxton could be using more than one specimen,” Tristan said.

  “Anything is possible, but I sure hope not. He concerns me enough. His genetic makeup is changing quickly. I don’t know if his system will be able to adapt fast enough,” Victory said.

  SIXTEEN

  “Hey Noah, where’s Logan?” Tristan said. It was after midnight, the two men were hidden at the far corner of the compound at a prearranged meeting.

  “He’s out scouting the jungle area. He figures that security grid can’t possibly cover the whole forest,” Noah responded.

  “I can tell you from experience that it covers a very large portion of it.” He proceeded to tell Noah of his and Victory’s ordeal the day before in the forest.

  “So you think that Braxton is using it as a testing ground, letting his specimens out into a contained area,” Noah said.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. I can tell you that I didn’t see any cameras while I was out there. So I guess he is only concerned in seeing what is happening in the compound,” Tristan said.

  “Or maybe he figures that most people would be too afraid to enter the jungle,” Noah commented. “and if they did, then they were on their own.”

  “That sounds like Lawrence Braxton, he is a cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch. If someone doesn’t serve his purpose he throws them away like yesterdays trash,” Tristan said.

  “So have you gotten a chance to get an up-close view of where they are housing this guy they’re using as a guinea pig?” Noah asked.

  “Not yet. The building is separated from the rest of the compound and it is heavily guarded. It also has all the high tech bells and whistles. More advanced than the rest of the compound,” Tristan said.

  “If you can find a way in go for it. Wyatt really wants to know who this guy is and if he is the only one in there, or if Braxton has other men locked inside that enclosure. He would also like you to contact him asap,” Noah said.

  “I will. But I need to be within a few feet of Victory, and she has to have a clear mind. She’s beginning to tap into her telepathic abilities. I can understand her thoughts, but she can only feel my tone or mood. In her mind, it’s like relating to an animal, I guess.”

  Noah snorted, “she’s got the animal part right. Poor baby, sounds like a tough assignment, having to stay close to something that gorgeous.” In the next breath he became all business. “The Captain’s getting pressure for some answers. It seems there are some very deep pockets involved in this organization, even deeper than we originally thought. But we haven’t yet pinpointed the players. We still believe there is someone in the government involved, so this is still all staying on the down low. Our group and General Roberts are the only ones aware of this mission. However, the General is getting antsy. He doesn’t want to get caught with his pants down. So he is pushing Wyatt for answers-yesterday.”

  “Got it. I’ll try to make contact with Wyatt tonight,” Tristan replied. “See you again in a couple of days.” On that note the two men vanished into the night like ghosts.

  Tristan moved stealthily through the compound. He was getting ready to turn the corner on the building next to the dorms when he heard a man talking. He couldn’t see the man because of the darkness and the distance, but he recognized the voice and his scent – Polo. Dave Anderson was on the island, one of Braxton’s top men.

  “Yes, sir. Max has finished briefing me about their progress,” Dave said speaking into his cell phone. “The girl is making headway, but it is going slower than we expected.” There was a pause as he listened.

  “Damn,” Tristan whispered. He wished he could hear the other side of that phone conversation. He was still a good distance away from Dave, so he dropped to his belly and inched his way to a closer corner of the building. “Damn,” he muttered again. There was no cover between him and where Dave was standing. So he remained where he was, deciding that half a conversation was better than nothing at all.

  “Jerry is still tailing Victory’s sister Payton, we could always grab her to put pressure on the doc.” There was a pause. “Yes, sir. I understand, I realize we are trying to keep this project top secret and the more people involved the greater the risk. I understand.” There was a long pause then Dave continued. “I asked Max about Morgan getting out of his cell. Seems he let him out hoping he would track Collin down.” Another pause. “Yes sir, it worked.”

  Dave was silent for almost five minutes. Tristan knew he was still standing in the same place because he could hear the slight tap of his shoe.

  “Mr. Braxton, these men are showing some mental issues. Morgan seems to be handling the process better than Collin. Victory hasn’t had much trouble with him, only what we expected. I understand that we have only started with the experiments, but we could find ourselves dealing with real problems if we can’t keep them under control.” Another pause. “I understand. We will only delete a subject if we can no longer control them.” Dave stopped tapping his foot. “I’ll be out of here in a couple of hours, I have a few more reports to review. I’ll check in with you when I return to the mainland. Good night sir.”

  Dave snapped his phone shut and started walking in Tristan’s direction. Tristan melted back into the shadows and waited for him to pass. In most situations he would follow Dave, but he had promised to make contact with Wyatt and now with this new information it was imperative that he update Wyatt double-time.

  “Wyatt,” Tristan was sitting in a chair in Victory’s bedroom. He had let himself into her room at least an hour ago. Time
quickly slipped by as he sat and watched her sleep, she looked so serene.

  “Tristan. I’ve been waiting to hear from you for over two hours. Where have you been?” Wyatt responded with a note of concern in his voice.

  “On my way back to the dorm I stumbled on Dave Anderson. I hung out and listened to a pretty interesting conversation.” Tristan relayed what he heard to his brother.

  “There’s no need to worry about Payton. We’ve got a guy on her 24/7. We have been trying to limit her to work and home. She’s still really worried about Victory, but she understands that you are with her, that seems to comfort her. So, do you have any idea who Morgan and Collin are? Are those their last names or first names?” Wyatt asked.

  “I’m not sure. I guess you need to check both first and last. I’d start with military, see if there are any AWOLs or missing. Then maybe check on guys that have gotten out in the past year or so, or even on leave,” Tristan said.

  “So, what makes you think they are military?” Wyatt asked.

  “Just a hunch. The way Morgan handles himself and if it was Collin tracking Victory in the forest, he clearly had some training.” Tristan said.

  “Okay, I’ll have Jack start there, it’s as good as anything,” Wyatt responded thoughtfully. “So how is Victory doing with all that’s happened recently?”

  “She seems okay. Given that fact that she’s been kidnapped and held against her will. Oh, and let’s not forget the madman killer who is trying to force her into completing research in three weeks that rewrites what we know about human DNA. She is pretty upset with the way Braxton is rushing the project. He must have his endgame in sight.”