My Traitor

by Nicolette Pierce

  He quickened his pace, plowing past French. “Are you out of your mind?” he hollered. “You’re out here with a broken leg?”

  Ava looked around her with a worried expression. “Stop yelling. Most of these guys don’t understand English.” She turned to the man supporting her and whispered something.

  They were way too cozy and comfortable with each other. Remy felt his anger peak as the other nodded, keeping her close as he barked an order. It was bad enough that French might be involved with Ava, but this . . . this was . . . unbelievably excruciating.

  He reminded himself that Ava was free. That she could be with anyone she chose. But this guy? While he looked like he was in shape, he also looked out of place. He didn’t fit in with the band he was surrounded by. And what was with the dummy that kept staring down the end of his rifle with his sunglasses propped on his head?

  If these were the ones who had taken Ava hostage, it’s no wonder they were now under her direction.

  “Hold,” the man warned Remy as he charged closer.

  As if he would, Remy thought. “What are you doing out here with a broken leg?” he demanded.

  “We’re searching for Venom; same as you, I would guess.”

  “How did this happen?” Remy flashed an accusing glare over to the dark-haired man.

  “Long story. I’m fine,” Ava said. “Natan has enough pain pills to keep me set for the next few days.”

  Natan? Remy wanted to pound the smug expression from Natan’s face.

  Remy reached out, taking Ava and shoving Natan to the side. Natan’s eyes widened, but he stepped back, giving the signal for his men to stand down.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his hands running down her arm.

  “You can stop checking for broken bones,” she said with a small laugh. “I only have the one.”

  “Did they hurt you? Tell me what happened. God, I was worried when the ransom video came through.”

  “You saw the video?”

  “We both did,” French said, having caught up.

  “But how is that possible?” Ava asked. “I thought Venom had taken Remy.”

  Remy shook his head, jerking his thumb in French’s direction.

  Ava’s eyes widened in realization. She launched at French. “You bastard! You knew the entire time! You blew up my boat!”

  Remy scooped Ava up into his arms. She was so enraged that she’d wind up hurting her leg again. And, he wanted her close.

  “Put me down! I’m going to kill him.”

  “He just wanted me,” Remy said, calmly. “He didn’t want you to get hurt. He was keeping you out of the picture because he . . . cares about you.” Remy had nearly spilled the “L” word, but that would’ve given him an ulcer to say.

  “I thought we were a team!” Ava snarled, taking swipes at French from around Remy.

  “We were,” French said. “Until I knew you were getting too close. You don’t know when to back away, to get reinforcement. You and Remy are like twins, both charging ahead. You were going to get yourself killed.” French ducked and blocked. “I had to keep you safe.”

  Ava crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you. You took Remy and blew up my boat.”

  French raked his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends before he tossed his arms up. “You were the only one who could get Remy onto a boat. I remembered how much he hates them. When he said that you weren’t on the boat and after it was searched, I thought he was telling the truth. He’s more stubborn than you are. I was sure he took off in the boat, leaving you on shore.”

  Ava glanced up at Remy for confirmation. He shrugged and said, “French is more pompous than he used to be, but we’ve come this far.”

  “Thank you,” French clipped.

  Remy glanced over at French, realizing that he was holding Ava and French was taking exception to it. What a screwed-up mess, Remy thought as he gently set Ava back on the ground.

  “Were you on the way to find Venom?” Remy asked.

  Ava nodded. “We’re really close,” she said, biting her lip in thought. “Do you know already?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I still can’t believe it’s Boyer.”

  “Neither can I,” he said.

  “You can talk later. We need to keep going,” Natan said.

  Ava nodded to Natan. He gave an order and the band of merry misfits moved out. Ava held onto Remy and French as she hopped along. This was ludicrous. Even if the medicine was masking her pain, it still wasn’t wise for her to be hopping around.

  “You shouldn’t take pills from strangers,” Remy said.

  “Natan is a doctor. I trust him.”

  “He also kidnapped you,” Remy gritted.

  “Technically, they were after you. I was a parting gift.”

  “Me?”

  “You’re the key to this.”

  Remy grimaced. Yes, he’d already found that out. He felt French’s stare but ignored him.

  “Hang on,” Ava said, stopping them. “You’re both too tall. I need Natan and Mikael’s shoulders.”

  Like hell she did.

  Remy bent down, giving Ava his back. “Hop on. I’ll take you.”

  “No. You’ll be worn out. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “We only have a mile or so to go. Just get on. I’ll be fine.”

  “Brock—” Ava started to argue.

  “It’s Remy,” he corrected. “Get on.”

  “Sorry. I’ve really been trying to remember. But when you irritate me, I forget.”

  “We can talk about who irritates who on the way. Get on,” he repeated.

  She hesitated.

  “Get on now or I’ll throw you over my shoulder. I guarantee your leg and bottom won’t thank you.”

  French took Ava by the shoulders and nudged her to Remy. “Stop being stubborn. You two will get us all killed.”

  Ava sighed and hobbled behind Remy, wrapping her arms around his neck. When he stood, she curled her uninjured leg around his waist. He tucked the other one under his arm, holding it next to him.

  French gave an annoyed glance at the pair and tromped after the group. Remy felt ill. He had only been thinking of Ava when he’d insisted on carrying her. He never once thought about French’s reaction.

  “Let him be,” Ava said, her voice soft in Remy’s ear.

  “He’s upset.”

  “I’ve learned to deal with French’s mood swings. He’s merely annoyed at us. He’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

  Remy followed, keeping the group close but still far enough away so that no one else could talk to them.

  French was speaking with Natan and . . .

  “What’s that guy’s name?”

  “Who?”

  “Sunglasses.”

  “Mikael.”

  “What have you learned about them?”

  “They’re Assyrian, and their cousin had a run-in with Venom . . . Boyer. God, I can’t believe he’s Venom! It just doesn’t . . . It’s not . . .” Remy felt Ava’s huffed breath across his neck.

  Remy understood Ava’s unfinished sentence, her frustration and hurt. How could Boyer turn on his own? How could he turn on the innocent?

  “Is that why they’re after Boyer?” he asked. “Are they looking for revenge?”

  “Natan is hoping for an antidote, but I don’t think revenge would be turned down.”

  “His cousin is alive, then?” Remy asked. “I had heard no one survived Boyer’s experiments.” Except himself, but he wasn’t going to tell Ava that.

  “He survived, but I’m not sure for how long. Whatever drugs Boyer used aren’t wearing off. In fact, he’s getting worse.”

  “How so?” He kept his voice calm, but it rattled him to know the man was getting worse. Were the drugs still in Remy’s system, weakening him little by little, eating away at his mind?

  “It’ll sound crazy, but he keeps getting stronger. I had escaped, and he found me. We fought, and I had no problems defending myself
at first, but then he got better. It was like he was learning and improving.”

  “Is that how you broke your leg?”

  “He stepped on it.”

  “And where was Natan?” Remy clipped, targeting the soon-to-be dead man in his sights.

  “He was getting his ass kicked too.”

  “By the cousin?”

  “It was like he didn’t know Natan.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Back at their base, knocked out on tranquilizers. I think Natan is planning to keep him asleep until they find an antidote.”

  Remy didn’t want to say it, but he was sure there wasn’t one. Boyer wasn’t into saving lives. If he had been, there’d be more survivors.

  It made him wonder what had happened all those years ago. Why did Remy survive while the others had died? And why wasn’t he affected like the cousin?

  But there was one question that ran a marathon in Remy’s head: Why him? Boyer was a mentor, someone Remy looked up to. Why would Boyer choose him? Did he have no regard for Remy at all?

  “I think he has a crush,” Ava said, startling Remy.

  He glanced over at French, who was quick to look away.

  “What?” Remy asked, pretending he didn’t hear.

  “French. I think he has a crush.”

  “Yeah. I think you’re right.” It was pointless to deny something so obvious. Ava was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. Remy wasn’t about to block competition just because he wanted her. She should be with someone who loves her.

  “You mean you know?” she asked.

  “Of course I know. I’m not blind.”

  “I didn’t say you were. I just thought . . . well, it doesn’t matter.”

  It mattered. It mattered a great deal.

  * * *

  “It seems we have company,” Boyer said, looking out a small window at the front. He held a large pair of long-range binoculars to his eyes. “That’s the nice thing about this place. You can see unwanted guests before they see you.” He smiled.

  David glared. It was all he was able to do at the moment. His arms and legs were strapped to a metal table, his head was entrapped by a leather strap that slashed across his forehead, and a filthy gag polluted his mouth, cutting off his curses.

  How had he not seen this coming? But he knew the answer. David never would’ve believed it, even if someone had warned him. Jared Boyer was Venom. He was the one who had injected Remy and then let him run wild in the desert with barely a marble left.

  And he got the jump on David.

  “I wasn’t going to use you for my research,” Boyer continued. “You’re not the specimen I look for; a little bit smaller than my usual picks. Not the perfect specimen at all.”

  Smaller? David didn’t know which offended him more: being outsmarted by a madman or being called small. He already knew he wasn’t perfect, but small? He wasn’t small in the least. Maybe compared to Remy. But who wasn’t when compared to him?

  “It’ll be a shame you probably won’t make it through,” he said as if an afterthought. “Only two have. And, you know, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. I wonder if it has to do with seeds. Maybe they were harvested differently. It’s enough to drive a man insane.”

  Too late.

  “Never thought you’d be here,” Boyer said, eyeing David. “I’m sorry about your wife. Pretty young thing.” He shook his head and returned to the binoculars. “Nothing like being a dad. You never know. One day my research will lead to great discoveries. Might even save your boy someday, especially if he follows in your footsteps. Can you imagine it? Soldiers honed to perfection. Perfection. That’s the key.”

  David struggled against the restraints.

  “Are you ready, then?” he asked, turning his attention to David. “We might as well begin before we’re interrupted. Had that happen once. Ava found me. Clever girl, I always said. But I turned her around in time. Well, not in time for the subject. Quite a mess. Quite a mess.”

  David frantically thrashed, hoping for a strap to break or loosen. He screamed through the gag.

  “They’re still a ways off,” Boyer said, crossing over to a steel table. “We still have time.”

  Boyer picked up a syringe and brought it over to David. A dreamy look cast on his face before turning to face David. In horror, David helplessly watched as Boyer inserted the needle into his vein.

  Chapter 16

  Natan gave the order to halt. “It’s dead ahead.”

  “This is definitely the place,” Ava said. “If Boyer is here, he will have seen us coming. How do you want to proceed?”

  “We outnumber him nearly fifty to one,” Natan said. “We could rush in.”

  Mikael shifted nervously, playing with his sunglasses.

  French dug out binoculars from his pack. “Are you willing to risk your men? Boyer might be cracked, but he’s not stupid. It’s not by accident that he’s kept his identity a secret this long.”

  Remy felt the stir of rage build in him. He’d like to take a rocket launcher and blow the place to toothpicks, taking Boyer with it.

  Remy didn’t know what he was more infuriated by: the fact that Boyer was a traitor, that Remy trusted Boyer and was used like a lab rat, or that he lost Ava because he blamed the wrong person.

  As he looked back, it was laughable.

  And maybe that’s what gnawed at him. Remy could’ve accepted Boyer’s betrayal, but Remy was the one who betrayed Ava. That was unacceptable.

  “He’s in there,” French said, still peering through the lenses. “There is someone with him.”

  “We’ll take them both out,” Natan said.

  “No,” French said, looking to Ava and Remy. “It’s David. Boyer just injected him with something.”

  “We have to get in there,” Ava said. “We have to help him. Maybe we can stop it before the chemicals take hold.”

  A memory flashed, taking Remy aback. A long needle stabbed him and then again . . . and again.

  Remy placed Ava down on the ground and pulled out his sidearm. “There might be time. He injects multiple times.” He looked at Ava. “Stay here. I’ll be come back for you.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  Remy dragged Mikael over to her. “Stay with her or I’ll shoot you.”

  “Remy!” Ava shouted. “I’m coming with you!”

  “Try to catch up,” he said, running toward the building. He heard French swear and take off after him, but Remy wasn’t concerned about anyone but David right now. Boyer had to be stopped before he finished the injections. If not . . . Remy didn’t want to think about the consequences.

  Damn it! How did Boyer even get David over here? He must have ambushed David. David should’ve been at home with his wife. Oh, God. Mya. How was he supposed to explain this to her?

  Remy was within a hundred feet of the building, and there were no shots fired to stop him from continuing. Boyer had to know Remy was out there. Why wasn’t he defending? The only reason Remy could think of was because he was trying to finish off David before Remy stepped through the door. If David survived, he’d be out of his mind with the chemical flood.

  Boyer was going to use David as his temporary, disposable weapon. Remy wouldn’t harm his friend, and Boyer damn well knew it.

  Remy reached the door, flattening himself next to it. French caught up with him, his breathing labored.

  “Whatever you do, don’t shoot David,” Remy said. “I’ll take care of him. Just get Boyer.”

  French gave a tight nod.

  Remy swung around, kicking the door in. “Boyer! Hands up!”

  “Shit! Where did he go?” French said.

  “Find him!” Remy ordered, running to David’s side where a pile of empty syringes lay discarded on a metal table next to him.

  David convulsed on the table, spit flying from his mouth. His eyes rolled back, leaving the eerie whites exposed. “Christ!” David was dying. Remy was about to unstrap David but thought b
etter of it. There were no hospitals to bring him to, and he’d be a hazard to himself if let loose.

  Natan.

  Didn’t Ava say Natan was a doctor?

  Feeling absolutely useless and frantic, he bellowed for Natan.

  “Hang on, David. Just hang on,” Remy said.

  Natan rushed in. His face fell. “Where’s Venom?”

  “Gone. Help David. Please.” Remy scrubbed his hand over his face. “He’s going to die otherwise.”

  Natan took one look at David and pressed his lips together. “He’s overdosing. What was he injected with?”

  “I don’t know. The needles are here.”

  “Get out of my way,” Natan said, switching spots with Remy. “Search the tables and cabinets. I need to know what kind of substances Venom might have used.”

  While Natan took David’s pulse, Remy scoured the tables and cabinets. “Shit! I don’t know. Only two bottles are labeled. Haramine and Nalozone.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Natan said. “Nalozone treats opioids. Haramine isn’t an opioid.”

  “He’s got a whole shelf of unlabeled bottles. There must be an opioid somewhere in there.” Whatever the hell that meant. “If it’s a treatment, just shoot him up with it.”

  David grew a pasty white as his violent shaking turned into shivers.

  “Do something!” Remy ordered.

  “Find tubing. I’ll have to make an IV.”

  Remy knew he had seen some on the table. They were connected to several vials and chemistry-looking gadgets. He quickly ran over and ripped the tubes off, bringing them over to Natan.

  “See if you can disinfect it first,” Natan said. “We don’t know what’s been in that tube.”

  Remy dashed over to a sink on the far side of the room. “Could it possibly be worse than what he has in him?”

  “Just do your best,” Natan said. “And hurry.”

  Christ.

  At the sink, he turned the handle. “There’s no water!”

  Remy pounded his fist into the metal counter, denting it. A gurgling sound prevented further damage. Remy nearly shouted for joy, but when he looked at the faucet, there was still no water. Where in the hell was the damn water?