by Christy,Dena
“I have decided. But it’s not one of the two options that you’ve given me. I appreciate you taking me in, and offering to help change my life. But I can’t stay here. I love him, and if I don’t have a life with him, I will regret it.”
Evie’s face grew sober as she looked at Miranda.
“Are you sure this is what you want? He did just leave you here, he walked away. Are you sure he even feels the same way?”
There was a brittle bitterness to Evie now that hadn’t been there when Miranda had known her years ago. The Evie she used to know would’ve encouraged her to go, would’ve been happy at the possibility that she was in love.
“What happened to you?” Miranda asked. Evie’s mouth tightened, and she looked up at the ceiling. Silence stretched for a moment and Evie brought her eyes back down toward Miranda.
“This world happen to me. I learned a lesson a few years ago that things don’t work out. I believed that because I loved someone, we would be together. That we would overcome the odds against us and live happily ever after. Things don’t work like that, Miranda. This world is cruel and vicious and it will crush you if you let it. I’m not saying this to be mean, but you have to understand that the road you are choosing could be filled with pain.”
“The same could be said for choosing a life without him,” Miranda said and she reached up to take Evie’s hands. “I want to be with him, I need to be with him. And I know that I’m taking a big risk here, but this is what I need to do.”
Evie was silent for a moment, and she looked up at her and offered Miranda a tentative smile.
“I can be selfish and try to talk you out of your decision, because we could use some of your courage here. I won’t though since I can see there is nothing I can say that will change your mind.”
“Well I wouldn’t exactly call myself courageous.” Courageous had never been a label applied to her before, and nothing had change to make it stick now.
“You saved somebody’s life at great risk to yourself. If that isn’t courage I don’t know what is. If I was in your shoes, I don't know if I would have done the same thing. Just remember that if you ever need me, you know where to find me.”
She would actually do this. She was going to go to Synn and tell him how she felt.
A quiet buzzing sound came from her purse, and Miranda pulled out the burner phone Collette had given her. No one should have this number, the only person it could be was Collette. She was probably calling to check up.
“Hello,” Miranda said, her voice showing her happiness at being able to talk to her best friend again.
“Randa,” Collette’s voice sobbed over the phone.
“Collette, what’s wrong?” Miranda said as her body went cold, and she looked at Evie with alarm.
“You have to help me, you have to do what he says,” Collette said, and Miranda could hear unshed tears in her voice.
“I have to do what who says?”
The silence on the other end of the call stretched to several moments, and for a moment Miranda feared the call had been dropped. A voice came on the phone, and it didn’t belong to Collette.
“Remember me, Miranda?”
The coldness in the voice sent chills down Miranda’s spine. The voice belonged to Dr. Avery, and if he had Collette with him it didn’t bode well for any of them. She had no idea how he’d discovered Collette’s connection to her, but didn’t matter now.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully. Your friend is unharmed, and if you want her to stay that way, you will do exactly as I say.”
“What do you want,” Miranda asked as she fought to keep the fear out of her voice.
“I want what I’ve always wanted, I want you Miranda. I’m willing to forgive your brief flirtation with that alien abomination, but you have to come to me. I will give you the address I’m currently staying at with your friend. You are to come alone. I had thought that I wanted the alien too, but he is more bother than he’s worth. I only want you Miranda.”
Miranda motioned Evie for a pen and piece of paper, which Evie removed from the desk drawer and place on top of the desk. She repeated the address Dr. Avery told her out loud so Evie could write it down. The phone went dead in her hand.
“What is going on?” Evie asked as she threw the pen aside.
“That was Dr. Avery. He’s kidnapped Collette, and he says he will hurt her if I don’t meet with him alone.”
“Well you won't meet with that mad man alone,” Evie said firmly as if it was an option that wasn’t even to be considered.
“Evie, he will kill Collette if I don’t go,” Miranda said, hardly willing to believe that Evie would sacrifice Collette’s life.
“I know that. I didn’t say that you wouldn’t go there, I only said that you won’t go alone. You need to tell Synn, he needs to know what is going on. He’s just as much a part of this as you are. If you want to have a life with him, you will have to deal with Dr. Avery together. You started this together when you freed him from the lab, and you will end it together.”
“Dr. Avery will kill him.” Was it only moments ago Evie had called her courageous? She was so afraid right now for Collette that she was paralyzed with it and hardly knew what to do next. Why did she take Synn to Collette’s apartment on the night of their escape? It was her fault that Collette was in danger now.
Evie snapped her fingers in front of Miranda’s face.
“Randa,” she said her voice sharp, and it brought Miranda’s focus upon her. “You have to face this. I know it’s a risk for both of you, but you can’t spend the rest of your lives looking over your shoulder. You need to deal with Dr. Avery, and Synn is the one who needs to help you do it. You will have an advantage if Dr. Avery believes that you will come alone.”
Miranda blew out a slow breath. Evie was right. Collette needed to be freed, and the threat Dr. Avery presented needed to be dealt with too. He wouldn’t stop unless they stopped him. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. If she wanted to build a life with Synn, then any threats to them needed to be eliminated once and for all.
“Thanks for everything,” Miranda said as she reached for her purse. If she was going to get to the hotel where Synn was staying, she needed to leave now.
“I’ll take you,” Evie said as they turned and walked out of the bedroom door. “We have a vehicle here, and it will get you to the hotel faster than public transportation.”
Miranda smiled gratefully at her friend and together went to rescue Collette.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“So are you going to sit there, pining for her or you going to do something about it,” Ryce said.
Synn paced the hotel room like an animal in captivity, and no matter what he did he couldn’t seem to calm himself down. He knew in his head that leaving Miranda was the right thing to do, but the pain in his heart said something else. The ache went deeper than the superficial burning on his skin that marked her as his. He hardly slept last night because thoughts of her wouldn’t let him rest.
“I am not pining.” Despite his denial, what he felt inside felt very close to that. Perhaps he been hasty in letting her go. He should’ve tried harder to think of a way for them both to be safe. It wasn’t too late. He could go back for her.
No.
He’d done the right thing, and second guessing himself now that he let her go only made the turmoil inside him much worse. He was a fugitive on this planet and he didn’t want to endanger Miranda any more. It was bad enough that she lost her livelihood and had to change her identity.
“Yeah right,” Ryce said as he rolled his eyes. His mouth tightened and looked like he wanted to say more.
“I thought we were done talking about this.” Synn was getting a little tired of Ryce not keeping his opinions to himself. “Stop acting like an old lady. Cynric is still missing and we need to figure out a way to find him when we have no friends and no resources.”
“We had one friend.” Ryce folded h
is arms across his chest and glared at him.
Synn stopped mid-pace to stand in front of him.
“One more word about her, and I swear I will knock your teeth down your throat.” Synn’s voice came out in a lethal growl. Ryce had been his friend for over a decade, but that wouldn’t stop him from pounding his face in if he mentioned Miranda one more time. “I told you that I don’t want to talk about her and I meant it. Letting her go is hard enough without you harping on it.”
“Fine, I still think you’re a fucking idiot.”
“So you’ve said,” Synn said sourly as he curled his lip at him.
There was a frantic knock on the hotel room door, and they turned toward it in unison
“I’m not expecting anyone, are you?” Ryce said in a low undertone as he stiffened.
Synn thought they’d covered their tracks, but who knew on this planet where the government spied on all its citizens. Why they felt the need to knock, he couldn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. They needed to deal with whoever was on the other side.
“No,” Synn said as he approached the door. There was no peephole, so he couldn't look through to see who it was. The knocking came again, more insistent, and Synn knew that if it persisted, it would only draw more eyes to them.
Ryce reached for the weapon he’d taken from the soldier, nodded his head and Synn put his hand on the door handle. Ryce stood on the other side of the jam with his back against the wall. He pointed the pistol at the ceiling, but it wouldn’t take much for him to level it at whoever was on the other side.
“Ready?” Synn mouthed at him, and Ryce nodded. Synn pressed the button that disengaged the lock and opened the door.
Ryce pointed the weapon through the open doorway as soon as Synn pulled it open. It was aimed straight at Miranda’s head, who stood, along with Evie, on the other side of the door.
Synn swept his arm out to knock the weapon away from her, but Ryce reacted quickly when he saw the two women and was already lowering the weapon.
“Miranda, what are you doing here?” Synn pulled her into the room. Evie stepped in as well and closed the door behind her.
“Synn…” That was as far as Miranda got before she burst into tears. Synn took hold of her and pulled her into his arms and she sobbed against his chest. He closed his eyes as he held her to him. Now that she was in his arms he didn’t know how he could have let her go.
“What is going on?” Ryce said from behind him. Synn glanced over at him to see him tucking his weapon in the back of his pants as he directed his question at Evie.
“Dr. Avery has taken Collette,” Evie said with a grim, scared look on her face. “He’s demanding that Miranda come to him in exchange for Collette.”
Synn’s body grew still, and the muscle in his jaw tightened. He should have known that Dr. Avery wouldn’t give up so easily. He’d seen the man’s obsession with Miranda in the recesses of his mind, and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself if he thought he had the opportunity to get Miranda back into his clutches.
“Where is he,” he growled as his arms tightened further around Miranda. “Ryce and I will take care of this. You two wait here and will get Collette for you.”
Miranda stepped back shaking her head.
“I’m coming.” She reached up to wipe the tears from her face and stood up straight. “I’m done letting that bastard run my life. Collette is my friend and the reason she is in this is because I put her in danger by going to her apartment after I rescued you. This is something I need to fix.”
“I need you to stay here.” There was no way he was going to let Miranda get anywhere near that bastard. “I have seen what is in his mind, and there is no way in hell that it would be safe for you to be anywhere near him.”
“If we thought it was a good idea for Miranda to go alone we would not be here,” Evie said as she stepped toward Miranda. “We have an advantage over Dr. Avery. He’s smart enough to expect that Miranda would bring you, but he won’t be expecting your friend. I don’t think Dr. Avery would want to involve anyone else in this, since he’s guilty of kidnapping. He’ll be there alone with Collette and we’ll have the advantage of numbers.”
Despite his better judgement, and what his feelings for Miranda was telling him, he could see Evie was right. Dr. Avery would expect Miranda to bring him, and if he stuck by her side, he would make sure she was safe. Dr. Avery didn’t know about Ryce, and that would be his undoing.
“Ryce could rescue Collette while Miranda and I confront Dr. Avery,” Synn said finally. He looked directly at Miranda. “You will stay by my side the entire time. You will not be alone with him. He’s too unpredictable, and if he’s gone as far as kidnapping someone, he's unhinged.”
Miranda nodded, and Synn pulled her to his side again, and pressed his lips on the top of her head. He looked over at Ryce, who nodded grimly.
“Let’s go get this prick,” Ryce said, and for a moment Synn thought he saw him grin.
Ryce would relish a task like this, but for Synn he could only focus on what he needed to do, and that was to keep Miranda safe at all costs. He’d let her go once, but now that she’d come back to him he wouldn’t let her go again. They’d deal with Dr. Avery, and then he’d tell her what was in his heart.
* * *
“What kind of place is this?” Ryce asked as the van Evie was driving pulled up behind the building Dr. Avery had instructed Miranda to go to. It was large, squat and eerily quiet. A lone vehicle sat behind the building, and Synn assumed it belonged to Dr. Avery.
“It’s an abandoned research lab,” Miranda said. “Dr. Avery would be very comfortable here, and it makes sense that he would bring Collette here. I think he started his career in this lab.”
“Ok so what’s the plan? Do we bum rush this bastard, kill him and rescue the girl?” Ryce said and Synn closed his eyes for a moment.
Silence greeted his question, and Ryce looked at the other occupants of the vehicle, as if he hadn’t said anything worth the disbelief in their faces.
“Ryce, I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen any action, but we have to consider that the man in the building is unstable, and we can’t take a risk that he will hurt Collette.” Synn had always been the cautious one and it was a good thing, since Ryce needed to have his impatience tempered at times. “You are responsible for getting Collette out of the building safely, and Miranda and I will confront Dr. Avery.”
They got out of the van, and cautiously approached the building.
There were a few dirty windows at the back, and Synn and Ryce approached one and looked in. Through filthy glass Synn could see Collette, who appeared to be tied to a chair and the shadowy figure of Dr. Avery pacing around her.
“That’s them,” Synn said as he turned away from the window. “We will have to lure him out of that room. Miranda and I will go around to the front of the building, and go in that way. Ryce you watch through the window and once he is out of there, you go in and get Collette. Evie, we will need you to stay here, and keep watch to make sure that no one goes in the building,”
“And how am I supposed to stop them?” Evie asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Synn looked at her, and while she was an attractive woman, there was a bitterness to her that was evident in her eyes. He’d seen Ryce attempt to flirt with her on the way over, and she’d shut him down with a look faster then he could blink.
Ryce pulled the pistol out of the holster and handed it to her.
“Anyone looks like they want to go in the back door, you threaten them with this. If they still keep coming, shoot them,” Ryce said and Evie took the pistol from him and held it down to her side. “Do you know how to use it?”
“Point it at the target and pull the trigger,” Evie said. “In my line of work it always helps to be familiar with defensive maneuvers.”
“Ryce once you get Collette, come back here and wait for Miranda and I,” Synn said.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if you need he
lp in there?”
“Someone needs to stay out here with the women, and if anything happens that we aren’t expecting, you need to get them out of here,” Synn said as he gave a meaningful glance at Miranda that she didn’t see. Ryce inclined his head, letting him know that he could trust him to keep his woman and her friends safe.
“Let’s do this,” Ryce said as he turned and went back to the window.
Synn put his arm around Miranda and together they walked around to the front of the building.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked as they approached the front of the building.
“No, but he needs to be stopped,” she said and he could hear the thread of steel in her voice.
“Then let's eliminate his threat once and for all.” Synn squeezed her to his side, and she looked up at him. Although now was not the time to tell her, he tried to communicate his love for her with his eyes. He would get the opportunity to tell her when they were done here.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Miranda looked up at Synn as they stopped in front of the door to the building. He gave her waist a reassuring squeeze, and she reached out to turn the door knob. The door eased open on squeaky hinges, and she cringed at the loud screech it made. She took a step forward, but Synn put his arm in front of her to prevent her from going forward. She looked up at him, and he shook his head.
“Let me go in first.” He stepped through the door, glanced around, then turned his head to nod at her.
She came forward, walking through the door as dread tightened the muscles in her stomach. The interior of the room was filled with the dust and dirt of abandonment. It was full of stacks of old wooden crates, as if once it had outlived its usefulness as a lab, the only thing anyone could think of to do with it was to store old junk.
“Dr. Avery,” Miranda called in a loud voice. “Where are you?”