Tested

by Stalder, Janelle

  His gaze watched the trail of tear in utter confusion. His brows pulled together and he met her gaze again. She could see the look of concern and confusion in his expression.

  “Have I hurt you?” he asked, removing his arm, holding it away from her like he might get burned.

  Missy shook her head, unable to speak past her disappointment.

  “What’s the matter then?”

  The lock in the door clicked over and Tyler was up, positioned in front of her in a blink of an eye. He moved so quickly she hardly had time to register what was happening before three technicians entered the room, the doctor from the other day standing just in the doorway.

  “Good morning,” he said with a smile that sent chills down her spine.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Time to fight,” the doctor continued. “Let’s go. I want you warmed up first before you get in the ring.”

  “We need food first,” Tyler said, his stance relaxing a fraction.

  The doctor’s head turned as he took in the mess from the night before. His eyebrows rose in question. “From what I can see,” he said dryly, “you were given food. What you do with it, however, is completely up to you.”

  “That food was drugged,” Tyler replied.

  “Not it wasn’t.”

  Tyler took a threatening step forward. Every man in the room stepped back. Missy would have laughed, except the mention of food made her realize how starving she was, and suddenly she wasn’t feeling so well.

  “Do not lie to me,” Tyler said warningly. “I can smell it. I want clean food brought to us right away, or we’re not going anywhere.”

  The doctor’s eyes widened slightly, a keen interest sparking in them. “You can smell the drugs in the food?”

  Tyler hesitated before nodding once.

  “How interesting,” he murmured. “I wasn’t aware you had that talent. Fine, we will bring food for the girl, but you must continue your treatments.”

  Tyler looked back and Missy met his gaze, his face unreadable. When he turned back, he shook his head. “No, I want the same as her.”

  The doctor pressed his lips together, clearly unhappy. “I can’t do that. We need to administer the treatments for a certain period of time to ensure your development stabilizes.”

  Tyler opened his mouth to argue, but the doctor interrupted him, slashing his hand through the air to bring the conversation to an end.

  “I won’t do it, so don’t bother,” he said. “If you want your little woman there to have food, you will agree to these terms.”

  Missy couldn’t see Tyler’s face, but she could tell from the stiffness in his shoulders that he didn’t like these options. She heard him grumble an agreement, and a protest formed on the tip of her tongue. As if sensing it, Tyler turned and gave her a look that said to stay quiet. She snapped her mouth shut. Knowing he was going to willingly take the drugs they were giving out to save her from the same didn’t sit well with her.

  “You two will eat, and then you will be ready to do as you’re told in the gym, understood?” The doctor didn’t wait for a reply, turning and leaving the room with a flap of his lab coat. Missy had an uncharacteristic urge to smack the man.

  Watching Tyler punch a bag repeatedly for a good hour was doing funny things to her. Missy wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Seeing a man sweat like that, his muscles bunching and stretching, had never really appealed to her quite like this. This is a good thing, her inner voice reasoned. She guessed it was. Being attracted to someone of the opposite sex was much better than being terrified of them.

  Still, it was disconcerting, and she found herself constantly fidgeting in her seat. Every once in a while he would glance over to where she sat, and it was like someone lit a fire beneath her. Missy’s entire body would burn from just that one look, and then he’d look away and she’d be left trying to calm herself down again. Until he’d go and do it again.

  The doctor stood with another man who gave Missy the impression that he was in charge around here, both of them watching Tyler closely as he continued to work, showing no signs of stopping. Missy was getting tired just looking at him. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t exhausted by now.

  “Enough,” the doctor called out. Tyler stopped, wiping at the sweat on his forehead as the man approached him. Missy could hardly keep her eyes off the exposed muscles of his back when he turned away from her. They glistened in the light of the gym, making it hard for her to look anywhere else.

  She rolled her eyes. God, clearly she hadn’t been laid in a long time. What she should be doing is looking for some way to get out of here. While everyone was focused on him, Missy could do a little snooping herself.

  Missy stood, trying to act as casually as she could as she started to walk away. She only took two steps before a hand clamped down on her arm. She squeaked in surprise, her head whipping around to see a sweaty, bare, beautiful chest in her face. Looking up slowly, her mouth dropped open at the sight of Tyler. How? She looked back to where he’d been and then to him again wondering how on earth he’d moved so fast.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his voice lowered.

  “I was just going to take a walk around the room,” she replied. “You know, to stretch a bit.”

  He shook his head once “You stay by me. Go stand by the ring.”

  She really wanted to argue, but there were too many people around for her to explain to him what she really wanted to do. He only released her once she nodded. Missy walked to where he’d pointed, still trying to figure out how he’d even known she’d gotten up. She was sure his back had been to her. These enhancements were very strange, she decided. Would he always be this way? The thought that she would never be able to bring his memory back was depressing so she instantly pushed it away.

  The ring smelled like stale sweat. Missy stood beside it, her head just reaching above the flooring. Another man was already inside, bouncing from foot to foot. He was watching Tyler closely, his eyes burning with adrenaline, ready for a fight. Missy looked back at Tyler as he calmly made his way over to the gate that let him into the caged area. He wasn’t nearly as jumpy as the other man, his demeanor calm and controlled.

  The old man that had been there the day before stepped inside the ring, talking to both of them again. When he stepped back, he called out something and both men began circling each other. Missy gripped her hands in front of her so they wouldn’t shake as she watched. Nerves twisted in her stomach. Tyler was obviously super strong, but all these men had been given the enhancing drugs. She knew nothing about his opponent, and that worried her. The last thing she wanted was to see Tyler get beat up.

  She wasn’t sure who threw the first punch, but all of a sudden they were in a tangle of flying limbs. Fists and legs were swinging, the sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh infusing the air. Missy cringed every time she caught Tyler’s head snap back, or his body bow from a hit. They broke apart, both of them breathing heavily.

  A thin stream of blood leaked from the other man’s eyebrow where a nasty cut broke the skin. Tyler wasn’t bleeding from what she could see, thankfully. They circled each other again until the other man flung himself at Tyler, both of them crashing down. They rolled and grunted as they each tried to lock the other into a hold, neither of them quite able to succeed.

  Missy was no expert, obviously, but from what she could tell, the other man wasn’t a bad fighter by any means. He was certainly giving Tyler a run for his money. She watched as Tyler rolled him until he had the other man’s arm bent behind his head in what looked like a painful hold. He pulled back, the other man struggling but unable to get out of the hold.

  She knew enough to know he was supposed to tap out, but he wasn’t. Missy turned to look at the doctor and the other man, and both their faces were set in concerned expressions.

  “Tap out!” the old man called out.

  Missy looked back, waiting, but he wouldn’t. There was a sudden popping sound that had her stomach rollin
g. Tyler released the other man’s arm that now hung uselessly by his side. Her mouth dropped in shock at the way it looked, the shoulder completely dislocated. And yet he hadn’t cried out once. Even now, he stood as if nothing was wrong when she knew he must be in considerable pain.

  The two men looked at one another, each of them nodding, before the other man turned and walked out of the now open gate. Another doctor was standing there waiting for him. Missy couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she could tell from the way he was gesturing with his hands that he was angry with the fighter.

  She looked back to Tyler who stood in the middle of the ring, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to calm his breath. Those green eyes were locked on her in a way that told her the other man wasn’t the only one locked in battle with this man. No, she was most definitely in one of her own, but hers was a much more sensual battle that had her wondering just how long she’d be able to hold out before giving in to the promises in that heated gaze.

  Phoenix wasn’t sure how long they’d been driving – an entire day? Two? It was hard to judge, but she knew that there was no way they were still inside the boundaries of New Berlin. Trent sat stoically silent beside her, his eyes alert as they continued to watch the men around them.

  She really wished she could focus and try to figure out just what was going on, but she was still feeling woozy from the ass-kicking she’d gotten earlier and the damn dart these assholes had shot her with. No matter how she sat, she was uncomfortable. Shifting again, she tried to ease some of the discomfort, flinching at the painful pull on her ribs.

  Without saying a word, Trent lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer against the side of his body. She froze for a second, keeping a small distance between them. But his warmth started to soak through, and the cushion of his body was too tempting to resist.

  Relaxing into him, Phoenix let her head drop onto his shoulder and sighed. It still wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing. Her eyes started to grow heavy with the sway of the vehicle. None of the men had spoken the entire time, the silence suffocating. If she’d been feeling like herself she would have taunted them a bit. God knows she was not one to remain quiet. Unfortunately she just didn’t have it in her.

  “Get some rest,” Trent said softly against her ear. Phoenix nodded, letting herself sink further into him.

  “You should both get some rest,” one of the men said, breaking the awful silence. Phoenix looked over at him. “Trust me, you’re going to need it.” The smile on his face did not bode well for either of them.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Four days had gone by in much the same way. The technicians would show up in the morning, or at least Missy thought it was the morning, and would walk them to the training area. One of them would stay beside her just in case Tyler did something violent, or didn’t do as he was told. He never did.

  They’d keep them in the training all day, facing Tyler off against one man after another, until there was no one left for him to fight. Missy would stand outside the ring and watch him win fight after fight. It was growing increasingly harder for Missy to watch the whole thing.

  It wasn’t the violence, surprisingly. After the second day, she was practically immune to the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Tyler never killed anyone again, but most would leave there unconscious. It was strange to see each of them pass out rather than put an end to the fight.

  After each fight they would push them back down the hall to Tyler’s room and would leave instantly. Food would arrive shortly after, which was always clean of any drugs, according to Tyler. What was becoming more difficult for her was simply watching him in that ring. His skin would perspire until it shone under the lights in a way that made her want nothing more than to run her hands over every inch of it. Muscles flexing and stretching day in and day out in front of her was intoxicating.

  For a long time now, Missy had wondered if she would ever be able to see the male sex as anything else but terrifying. And now here she was, lusting after a man that was larger, scarier and sexier than any man she’d ever known, and she had no idea what to do about it. To make matters worse, he did absolutely nothing about it.

  Could he not tell how much she wanted him? Was it not obvious every time their eyes would meet in between his fights, as he stood above another fallen opponent? Did he not notice the way her breathing would become ragged and her own body would break out in a sweat just from the level of need raging through her? If he did, he showed no signs of it.

  They’d spend their time back in the room eating in silence, and then he would tell her to lie down and he would join her in bed, pulling her close before telling her to go to sleep. She’d spend every night plastered against him with no relief. And then the next day it would start all over again. At this rate, she half expected herself to explode.

  Every hour of the day and night she’d spend with him, except for the times when someone would come and bring them to separate shower rooms. Those twenty minutes were the worst because all she wanted was to be near him again. When they would bring her back to the room, Tyler would already be waiting there.

  He’d turn as soon as the door opened and she’d walk in, and she swore she’d see the same need in his eyes as she was feeling after being apart. But he wouldn’t say anything or touch her. She couldn’t make sense of it. Maybe she knew nothing about men after all and the looks he’d give her weren’t of desire and want. It was starting to depress her and make her wonder if perhaps she just wasn’t attractive enough.

  Now she sat brushing through her hair, watching as the long, blonde strands flowed through the bristles, as they waited for the technicians to fetch them. Tyler was across the small room, bouncing from foot to foot to warm up, even though he knew they would put him through a number of workouts before getting into the ring.

  All Missy wanted was for Tyler to remember who he was and who she was so they could figure out a way out of this place. She sighed. It felt like that would never happen at this point. No matter how much time they spent together, Tyler didn’t seem any closer to remembering her. There had been that one time when he’d been half asleep, but that was it. Nothing like that had happened again. It made her wonder if perhaps she’d imagined the familiarity she’d thought she’d heard when he’d said her name. Could it have been all in her head?

  She sighed again. Phoenix was probably so pissed that she hadn’t heard from Missy yet. Who knew what the others were doing at this point, just waiting for her to do the impossible.

  “Why do you keep sighing?” Tyler asked.

  She looked up, surprised to see him watching her. “I’m just thinking,” she answered.

  He shifted from foot to foot, and Missy thought she saw a flicker of apprehension in his expression. “Thinking about what?”

  A beep sounded before the lock clicked over and the door opened. Figures, she thought. They were just about to have an actual conversation and now they’d been interrupted. Missy couldn’t help but feel deflated once more.

  “Let’s go,” one of the men ordered. Another walked to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her up. Missy made a sound of surprise. The technicians weren’t usually rough with her, but this one was new so she guessed he wasn’t aware of the no touch policy. He was about to find out.

  Tyler was there in an instant, tearing the man’s grasp from her. His expression was dark as his furious gaze bore into the other man. “You do not touch her!”

  Missy put her hand on his lower back. His muscles relaxed a fraction beneath her touch. “It’s fine,” she said softly.

  “No. It’s not.”

  One of the other men pulled the new guy behind him. “Easy,” he said, holding out both hands. “He didn’t know. No one will touch her again.”

  Tyler grunted before turning to face her, blocking her vision of the other men. She looked up into his gaze as he stared down at her. His hand lifted and he trailed his thumb slowly across her jawline. It moved up to br
ush her bottom lip in a touch that set her entire body on fire. Her breath got stuck in her throat. Parting her lips slightly, her tongue flicked out to touch the pad of his thumb. His pupils dilated, a deep growl worked its way up his chest.

  Missy’s body swayed slightly toward him. Tyler let out a slow breath before letting his hand drop and taking a step back. He turned to face the men again and Missy couldn’t help but let out a disappointed sigh. Her shoulders dropped.

  They walked to the training room the same way they always did. Missy moved to her usual spot and waited for Tyler to finish warming up before going into the ring. She was starting to wonder how long they were going to keep this up with him. Obviously his strength and skills were above those he was matched against, and he seemed to have gained control over his anger. Missy could see a difference in him every day. He had become more focused, more dedicated, less volatile. More of a weapon they could use.

  Once he had mentioned some plan about an attack, but he’d never spoken about it again. Since Missy had been with him, he’d never been taken off to another room with a group of men like he’d told her they had done before. So where was this plan? What exactly did these people have in store for him? It made her increasingly nervous to be stuck behind enemy lines, completely blind to what was happening behind the scenes.

  Her attention got caught on Tyler as he stripped off his shirt. She became mesmerized by all that skin, unaware that it was slowly making its way toward her. She finally broke her stare when she realized he stood inches away from her. Looking up slowly, Missy swallowed past the dryness in her mouth.

  “In the ring, 2140,” the doctor called out.