“And being separated would have made it impossible for us to escape,” I added.
“You were in the same room together?” Colin asked. “The whole time?” He glared at Erik and held me closer.
I started to say something to change the subject when I suddenly realized that we were missing someone. “Where’s Brittany? I want to see her.”
Jack’s face changed from happy to disappointed. “I’m sorry, Sam. They haven’t rescued her yet. According to Owens, GlobalLife moved her to a different location about a week ago but now they’ve moved her back to the facility you just left.”
“What? Why do they keep moving her?”
“We don’t know,” Jack said. “Owens overheard them saying she was supposed to be moved to the GlobalLife headquarters in Sweden. But then at the last minute they decided to keep her here in Iceland.”
The pregnancy, I thought. It had to be. With my enhanced genes, GlobalLife would worry that my pregnancy might have complications. And that meant they’d want Brittany close by in case they needed her as a donor.
“We’ve got to get her out of there.”
“Owens has people working on it, Sam,” Dave said. “There’s nothing we can do. He’ll get her out.”
“I don’t understand why this Owens guy is helping us so much. Who is this guy?”
“I actually met him years ago at a genetics conference,” Dave said. “We really hit it off. But we didn’t stay in touch. After he learned of the explosion at the GlobalLife facility in Minnesota, he contacted me. It’s long story, but basically that’s how I ended up here.”
“But Owens never even told me you were here. Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He probably just wanted you to stay focused on getting out of there. Anyway, that was Owens’ private plane you took here to Iceland. This is his underground facility. Few people know about this place. That’s why we’re staying here.”
“Maybe we should talk later,” Jack said. “You two probably want to clean up and change clothes. By the way, what’s the story with the fancy clothes? A suit and tie, Erik?”
“They made us dress up every day. Suits for me. Dresses for Sam. And for tonight’s event, we had to dress up even more than usual.”
“It’s an odd color choice,” Dave commented. “Pink and blue?”
“Well I don’t know about Erik, but I would love to take a shower and put on some clean clothes,” I said, trying to get everyone’s mind off of Dave’s statement.
Colin got up. “I’ll show you where everything is.” We went down the hallway to the bathroom. “Towels are in the cabinet. I’ll grab you some clothes and leave them outside the door.”
“Thanks, Colin.” I waited for him to leave.
He smiled. “That’s it? Sam, we haven’t seen each other in weeks. And I knew you wouldn’t let me give you a real kiss out there with everyone staring at us. Come here.” He kissed me, then hugged me tight. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Colin, I’m covered in mud. Let me clean up. I’ll be right out.”
Colin left and I heard him stop Erik in the hall. “Hey, Erik. Tell me. Is she all right? She’s really quiet. And she’s not acting like herself.”
“Give her time. I’m sure she’ll tell you everything eventually. Is there another shower around here?”
“Yeah, just down the hall and to the left.”
After I cleaned up, I went back to the common area to find everyone waiting for me. We had some food, then Erik and I told them about our escape and how we got the genes.
Owens never appeared. But Vince came by later and reported that Owens had stayed at GlobalLife after Erik and I escaped. He offered to assist with damage control, helping Drew and Rachel come up with a story to tell the investors about why the announcement was postponed. I had to give the old guy credit. He did an excellent job playing double agent.
Later, Jack gave us a quick tour of the place. Dave explained that it was a safe house for people acting as spies for Owens in his efforts to stop GlobalLife. We still didn’t know the whole story about Owens. And we didn’t know why he was working so hard to help us. There was so much that Erik and I had to learn. But it was late and we were exhausted. Jack and Dave would have to catch us up later.
That night, I decided to stay in Colin’s room. After everything I’d been through, I didn’t want to be alone. I was actually afraid to be alone. Part of me still thought this wasn’t real. I worried that I would wake up in the middle of the night and find myself back at GlobalLife.
Before heading to bed, Erik caught me in the hallway. “So you’re staying with him?”
“I don’t want to be alone tonight, okay?”
“So what happens now? You just go back to him and that’s it?”
“Please don’t make me talk about this. My mind is a mess right now, Erik.”
He switched to mind-talk. “When are you telling him about the baby?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I can tell him.”
“You have to tell him. You want me to?”
“No! Don’t say anything. And don’t drop hints.”
“What about my dad? I have to at least tell him.”
“Please don’t. He’ll start acting weird around me. And then Colin will know.”
“I can’t promise you that I won’t say anything to him.”
“Sam, are you coming?” Colin was calling me from his room.
“Yeah, just a minute.” I turned back to Erik. “We can talk tomorrow. Goodnight, Erik.”
I went back to the room, and got into bed next to Colin. “I’m so tired. I barely slept at that place.”
Colin turned off the light. “Sam, is there something you want to tell me? Do you want to talk about what happened there?”
“No. It’s too soon.” I turned on my side, away from him.
“Because you can tell me anything. You know that, right?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“If something happened while you were there—”
“Like what, Colin?”
“I don’t know. Anything. It doesn’t matter what it is. I’m just saying that you can tell me.”
“Colin, could we talk tomorrow? I’m really tired.”
“Sure.” He put his arm around me and moved in closer. “I love you, Sam.”
“I love you, too. Goodnight.”
I did love Colin. But part of me also loved Erik. And now Erik and I shared this secret. As much as I tried to sleep that night, my mind wouldn’t let me. A scene of me telling Colin the truth kept playing over and over again in my head. Each time, I imagined him never speaking to me again.
When I wasn’t thinking of Colin, I thought of Brittany, all alone, trapped at GlobalLife. And I could still hear that timer in me, ticking away. What if the alien base codes didn’t work?
Although I was relieved to have escaped from GlobalLife, there were so many more challenges yet to face. And so many more secrets to be revealed.
From the Author
Thanks for reading The Golden Couple! If you liked it, please leave a review or tell a friend!
If you want to find out what happens next to Samantha and the gang, book 3, A Chosen Destiny, is now available. Keep reading if you’d like to check out a sample chapter!
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A Chosen Destiny, Book 3 in the series, continues where book 2 left off. Here’s the first chapter…
CHAPTER 1 of A CHOSEN DESTINY: THE SAMANTHA PROJECT Series, #3
“Sam, are you awake?” Colin whispered. Hearing his voice and feeling him there beside me, I remembered that I was finally free from GlobalLife. I was safe, at least for a little while, and reunited with Colin, the boy I’d known since childhood. And the boy I loved.
“I’m awake,” I whispered, turning to him.
In the dim
light, I could see Colin looking at me as if he couldn’t believe I was really there. I couldn’t believe it either. Just yesterday, I was with Erik, the boy I’d met just weeks earlier. The boy I shared an indescribable connection with. The boy who had enhanced genes just like me. Together we were held prisoner at GlobalLife Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was there that we grew close. Too close. We managed to escape and make it to this underground safe house. But our time together resulted in a secret that would change our lives forever.
“How do you feeI?” Colin asked. Knowing GlobalLife had nearly tortured me in Minnesota, I knew Colin assumed that the same, or worse, things had happened to me this time.
“I feel okay. It wasn’t like last time, Colin.”
He ran his hand up and down my arm. “I really didn’t think you’d get out of there, Sam.”
“I didn’t either. But let’s not talk about it.” I snuggled into his arms. “I’m here now. Right where I want to be.”
I wished more than anything that I could stay there in his arms and not have to face the day. Because facing the day meant that I would have to tell Colin the truth. Soon he would know about the pregnancy. He would know what Erik and I had done.
Colin brushed my hair aside and kissed me. “As much as I don’t want to, we should probably get up, Sam.”
I nestled into his chest. “I’m staying right here. All day.” I tried to memorize the way I felt in his arms, knowing that he and I would never be this close again.
He nudged me. “Sam, we’re supposed to meet with Dave and Jack to go over the procedure. We need to get that timer turned off. Then we won’t have to worry about it anymore and we can do more of this.” He kissed me again, slower this time.
I felt guilt building inside me. I moved even closer, securing my arms around him and not letting go.
He laughed, trying to unhook me from him. “Sam. Come on. You’re only making this harder. We’ll never get up.”
“Just a little longer.” I held on, not letting him break away.
“Okay. But I’m telling Dave that it’s your fault we’re late.”
After a few more minutes, Colin sat up. “Sam, they’re probably down there waiting for us.”
He started to get out of bed, but I stopped him. “Colin?”
“Yeah?” He smiled, his warm brown eyes looking back at me.
“I love you. And I always will.” He had no idea how much meaning was behind those words.
He leaned over and kissed me. “I love you, too, Sam.”
Sadness overwhelmed me because I knew that I would never hear those words from him again.
I reluctantly got out of bed. There was no time to shower, so I threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and Colin and I headed down to the common area. Erik and his dad, Jack, were already sitting there waiting. Next to them was Uncle Dave. He wasn’t my real uncle but had played the role for as long as I could remember.
“Did you tell him?” Erik thought to me as I sat down. Our telepathy was effortless after spending so much time together at GlobalLife.
“Not yet. It’s not the right time.”
“You have to tell him, Sam.”
“I know. Just not now. I’m not ready.”
Dave started talking. “Well, there’s a lot we need to discuss but—”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “I know you want to talk about the timer, but can we first talk about Brittany? We have to get her out of GlobalLife before they do something to her.”
“There’s a whole team working on getting your sister out of there,” Jack said. “But it’s been very difficult.”
“I don’t care if it’s difficult. They have to get her out. GlobalLife could—they could kill her!”
Jack sighed. “I’m sorry, Sam. But there’s nothing any of us can do right now. We just have to wait a few more days.”
“But she needs to get out now, Jack,” I insisted. “Like, today.”
“They need to wait for the right time. Apparently, GlobalLife is moving her to a different facility soon. Owens’ men plan to intercept the vehicle she’ll be riding in on the way to the new facility. They have a much better chance of success doing that than trying to break into GlobalLife, especially now that security has been tightened up following your escape.”
I didn’t like his answer, but at least there was a plan to get Brittany out. It just wasn’t soon enough. Brittany was the twin sister I’d learned about just weeks ago. GlobalLife made her to act as a control subject in their genetic enhancement project. She had no enhanced genes and no special abilities.
“Go ahead, Uncle Dave,” I muttered. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“Sam, none of us are dismissing your concerns for your sister. But right now, we need to focus on the procedure that will disable the timer. We can’t wait on this.”
The timer was really a piece of software embedded in my cells. When I turned 20, it was programmed to set off a series of biochemical reactions meant to kill me. It was a safeguard GlobalLife put in me just in case I wasn’t in their possession. If they couldn’t have me, nobody would. The timer was in Erik as well. It could be turned off by filling in a broken DNA fragment in our cells with a rare genetic material sourced from ancient alien remains found in Greece years ago. The genetic material was a type of alien DNA. This alien DNA was already in some sections of our genes and was responsible for giving us unique abilities, like telepathy and enhanced hearing, vision, and strength. Erik and I had stolen two vials of the alien genes before we escaped from GlobalLife. Now that we had the genes, we could have a procedure to insert the material into that broken fragment of DNA, stopping the timer.
“When’s the procedure happening?” Erik asked. “Later this week?”
“Tomorrow, actually,” Jack replied. “While you and Sam were at GlobalLife, Dave and I were helping with the preparations. Now that we have the genes, we’re working with the geneticists and doctors here to go over the final details of how this will work. We’re meeting with them later this morning to discuss any concerns.”
“Which is why you need to tell them about the baby, Sam,” Erik thought to me. “They need to know about the pregnancy before you have this done.”
“Yeah. I got that! Now get out of my head!”
“What type of concerns?” Colin laced his hand with mine. I loved it when he held my hand. Our hands fit perfectly together. It was another thing I would miss about him.
“We don’t know until we review the final computer models built using the gene samples Sam and Erik brought here last night,” Dave said. “But since the alien base codes are already in other sections of their DNA, there should be no problems.”
Erik’s thoughts got louder. “Are you telling them or should I?”
“I will! But not right now.”
Jack turned to Erik and me. “Later this morning, you two need to go down to the medical office. They’ll do some blood work and a standard physical as well as some other tests.”
“See? Just tell them,” Erik thought to me. “They’ll find out anyway after you have those tests.”
“Stop rushing me!” I shouted in his head.
My heart raced as I became more and more nervous. I couldn’t tell Colin about the pregnancy—at least not at that moment. I’d have to do it later, when we were alone.
“Colin, why don’t you go shower and get ready. I’d like you to come with me when I have those tests done.”
“Yeah, okay. I won’t be long.” He kissed my forehead, then left down the hall back to his room.
Dave and Jack started talking about the computer models they’d built. I couldn’t concentrate on anything they said. Eventually, they got up to leave.
Erik glared at me. “Now, Sam.”
“Wait. I have something to tell you both.” I kept my eyes on Erik. “Actually, Erik and I do.”
“What is it?” Dave sat down again. Jack remained standing.
“I, uh.” I couldn’t get the words out. I felt my heart beating e
ven faster. “Well, when Erik and I were at GlobalLife something—something happened.”
Jack looked concerned. “What did they do? Erik, I thought you said they didn’t hurt you two. Are you telling us they did?”
“No, Dad. It’s not like that. What she’s saying is—”
“Erik. Stop. Let me finish.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “When Erik and I were at GlobalLife, they ran a bunch of tests on us and—and they found out that I’m …”
Dave put his hand on my shoulder. “Sam, you’re worrying me. What are you trying to tell us?”
“That I’m pregnant.”
Jack and Dave looked at each other. Then they looked behind me as a voice came from the hallway.
“What did you just say?” I turned to find Colin walking slowly toward me.
I shot up from my seat. “Colin, I didn’t know you were—”
“Did you just say that you’re—that you’re pregnant?”
“Yes.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
The room was silent. I could hear Colin’s breathing speed up as his anger grew.
Erik stood up. “Colin, we can explain. Sam and I—”
Before he could finish, Colin walked over to Erik and punched him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground.
“You asshole!” Colin yelled at him. I’d rarely seen Colin angry. And I’d never seen him that angry.
As Erik got up, Colin prepared to hit him again. Jack and Dave raced over to Colin, each grabbing an arm to hold him back.
“What the hell?!” Colin yelled at Erik. “You know she’s my girlfriend!”
“Colin! Calm down!” Dave ordered, keeping a hold on him as he continued to lunge at Erik.
Colin ignored Dave, keeping his eyes on Erik. “I knew I couldn’t trust you!”
I tried to divert Colin’s attention away from Erik. “Colin, it’s not Erik’s fault. We both made mistakes. And I should have told you about the pregnancy. I didn’t want you to find out this way. I’m sorry.”
Colin turned to me with a look of utter disgust. Anger filled his eyes. He had never looked at me that way. Ever. It was like he was seeing a whole different person. A person he no longer loved and no longer even liked.
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